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Dear Parish Family & Friends,

As we continue to grieve Rev. Beverly's loss, our world may have paused, but the world outside our doors continues on and likewise the business of the Church.

A service schedule for the Summer, with attending Minister or Verger is listed above under Weekly Info.

Many of you know our "Supply" Clergy, but in case not:

Retired Rev. Hal Pease and his lovely wife Margaret Hallau are devoted members of our Parish family. 

Although retired, Rev. Hal willingly stepped into our Sunday worship schedule and continues to bless us with his story-telling, genuine kindness and continual care for our community.  

Rev. Michael Pumphrey has known our Parish family for a few years and subbed routinely when Rev. Beverly was away in August and more recently through her treatment and hospitalization.  

Rev. Michael always has a clear, compassionate message.  He truly values our Parish family and enjoys his time spent with us. 

Rev. Cathy Kolwey, will be our guest Minister on July 11th.  

Rev. Cathy is a lifelong friend of Beth Wagner and will be here visiting Beth and her family from Minnesota.  We look forward to welcoming Rev. Cathy among us!

Assistant Bishop Chilton Knudsen will be joining us July 18th.   

If you have questions, concerns or just need a chance to express yourself, please join us and stay to talk with Bishop Chilton.  

Throughout the coming weeks, we will continue our conversation with Bishop Mariann Budde and Canon Robert Phillips to engage an Interim Rector.  This will give us the time and space we need to continue our healing process and also to form a Search Committee to call our next Rector. 

I have included below, with permission, Rev. Hal Pease's sermon from Sunday June 13th, the week following Rev. Beverly's memorial service. 

Please take a few moments to read it and reflect on its message.  

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TITLE: Our Seed-Planter

TEXT: Mark 4:26-34

Frog was in his garden. Toad came walking by. “What a fine garden you have, Frog,” he said. “Yes,” said Frog. “It is very nice, but it is hard work. 

“I wish I had a garden, said Toad. “Here are some flower seeds. Plant them in the ground,” said Frog, and soon you will have a garden.” “How soon?” said Toad. “Quite soon,” said Frog.

Toad ran home. He planted the flower seeds. “Now seeds,” said Toad, “start growing.” Toad walked up and down a few times. The seeds did not start to grow. Toad put his head close to the ground and said loudly, “Now seeds, start growing!” Toad looked at the ground again. The seeds did not start to grow. Toad put his head very close to the ground and shouted, “Now seeds, start growing!”

Frog came running up the path. “What is all this noise?” he asked. “My seeds will not grow,” said Toad. “You are shouting too much,” said Frog. “These poor seeds are afraid to grow.”  “My seeds are afraid to grow?” asked Toad. “Of course,” said Frog. “Leave them alone for a few days. Let the sun shine on them, let the rain fall on them. Soon your seeds will start to grow.”

That night Toad looked out of his window. “Drat!” said Toad. “My seeds have not started to grow. They must be afraid of the dark.” Toad went out to his garden with some candles. “I will read the seeds a story,” said Toad. “Then they will not be afraid.” Toad read a long story to his seeds.

All the next day (Toad under an umbrella as it rained) sang songs to his seeds. And all the next day (with the sun shining) Toad read poems to his seeds. And all the next day Toad played music (on his violin) for his seeds.

Toad looked at the ground. The seeds still did not start to grow. “What shall I do?” cried Toad. “These must be the most frightened seeds In the whole world!” 

Then Toad felt very tired, and he fell asleep.

“Toad, Toad, wake up,” said Frog. “Look at your garden!” Toad looked at his garden. Little green plants were creeping up out of the ground. “At last,” shouted Toad, “my seeds have stopped being afraid to grow!” 

“And now you will have a nice garden too,” said Frog. “Yes, said Toad, “but you were right, Frog. It was very hard work.” 

“The Garden,” from Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel.

In the first half of today’s gospel lesson from Mark, Jesus uses a parable---a parable about some seeds that a farmer had planted. This tiny parable is related to the mystery of the kingdom of God. It’s like a farmer who tosses seed out onto a field and then walks away. He sleeps, he gets up. Days come and days go but somehow, even as the farmer is doing apparently nothing, the seeds grow. Mysteriously, automatically without any apparent outside assistance---unlike that of Toad---the seeds just grow and suddenly the day arrives when the farmer has a whole field ready to be harvested.

Although this parable of the growing seeds is among the shortest of all parables, it has proven to be surprisingly difficult to interpret. Scholars do not agree as to what the parable’s key focus is. Is it the inactivity of the farmer?  Is it the mystery of how seeds do what they do?  Or, is it something else?  What is the point here?

Surely this parable is not meant to foster inactivity on our part. It would be a bit startling, don’t you think, if the bottom line here was that we really don’t need to think much about the support and growth of God’s kingdom.

This possibility seems to be particularly at odds with what we have recently experienced here at St. Andrew’s.

Our beloved rector, Rev. Beverly, has died. 

We have all been devastated by this harsh reality.

Gone is the one who’s effervescent smile captured our hearts.

Gone is the one who patiently guided us.

Gone is the one who challengingly inspired us.

Gone is the one who empathetically listened to us.

Gone is the one who calmly comforted us.

Gone is the one who compassionately loved us.

As grieving members of St Andrew’s how might this parable speak to us today? 

I choose to see Rev. Beverly as the farmer who planted the seeds. She was our seed-planter. She planted seeds in each of us---seeds of faith, seeds of hope, seeds of love. She planted these seeds in us to create a compassionate congregation. What better tribute can we offer to her ministry and to her memory than to nurture these seeds of faith, hope and love in the days that lie ahead?

None of us has a crystal ball. An unknown path lies ahead of us. 

Challenges will need to be faced.  Decisions will need to be made.  

And so, as we wait, we are faced with two questions:   

What can I do? What can we do?

We can continue to support one another.

We can continue to invite members, whom we have not seen for awhile, to rejoin us.

We can continue to offer our assistance in a variety of ways.

We can continue our financial support and be willing to consider helping to fund projects that may be identified that are outside the budget.

And, we can continue to pray for and express our appreciation to all of those working extra hours to help keep us on track.

Last Sunday the comment I heard repeatedly was, “It’s wonderful to be back together again!"  While gathered in the midst of mourning Rev.Beverly’s passing, we also experienced the joy of being together as a community.

There were smiles, hugs, laughter---we were back together again---just as Rev. Beverly had envisioned!

Like Toad who was expecting something good to happen, we too are expecting something good to happen to us.

While we miss Rev. Beverly immensely, we have the challenge of getting ourselves ready for a new chapter in the life and ministry of our church. This is the challenge each of us faces.  Together, let us commit ourselves to living a purposeful life lived for others---like the life we witnessed in Rev. Beverly. 

Together, we can do this. 

Yes, together, we can do this! 

Amen.