Fr. Bob's Blog

Uppdate for September 17, 2009

2009-09-17T13:22:00.000-07:00

First of all I want you all to know how proud and pleased I was with the Bishop's visit last Sunday. Everything from the music to the liturgy to the lunch and meeting that followed were indicative of the Bishop's observation in his weekly email that "St. Luke's is an amazing place and this church is so active in their community and so alive within it's walls.". Thanks again to all who worked so hard to make Greg's time with us such a blessing.

The chapel is open now, and any time you need a place for prayer, you are warmly invited to enjoy this sacred space. We held our Tuesday and Wednesday morning services in the chapel this week and it was wonderful to be in a more intimate environment than the larger church provides. We have now adjusted the heating and air conditioning system to lower settings in order to save on our annual $9,000 electrical bill. We are however keeping the heat at a level that will not harm the piano and keep it in tune.

The window frames for the chapel should be installed the first week of October and we can look forward to a quieter area when all the stained glass is in place.

As you know, we now have a induction loop hearing system for those of you who have hearing aids with a "T" coil setting, this should help you hear better. We also have a new microphone and that should help as well.

Music live was great on Tuesday. Kate Dean and the other members of the Port Angeles String Quartet put on a beautiful concert and the kitchen crew made a terrific lunch. Armond Emond is going to make a wonderful Head Chef, and I can tell by looking at his menu for the year that the food will be a big hit.

I have scheduled an Episcopal 101 Class to begin on the 19th of October at 10:00 in the morning and run for 6 weeks (I've got to figure out a better name for that class) for all who are new to St. Luke's or who haven't taken the class yet.

We are having a meeting for Christian Education on Monday at 10:00. Anyone who would like to join us is welcome.

See you on Sunday,

Fr. Bob+

Weekly Blog for May 21

2009-05-21T15:04:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

Patricia and I had a great trip last weekend to St. Peter's in Seaview. The weather was terrific; the kind of sunny calm days that you rarely experience along the cosat. We had the chance to contribute to the local economy and stayed in a lovley cottage in Long Beach. Our meeting with the congregation went well. They have a very nice church facility which they share with other congregations, a very dedicated group and a strong desire to grow. We had the opportunity to share with them some of the lessons we have learned in ministery to a "mature" community, both here and at St. Matthew's in San Andreas and our thoughts seemed to be well received. I hope and pray that they were encouraged.

I understand that Maggie preached a great sermon on Sunday and I am grateful to her and many others for the chance to reach out to another community in the Diocese.

Tuesday we had another great Music Live with Lunch. I always enjoy Denny Secord, his group, and the music they play. It takes me right back to the songs my mom taught me as a child. Next year, Armand Emond will be leading the kitchen crew, and I want to thank Kara for all the hard work and great food over the last few years.

The Vestry met on Tuesday and the minutes of the meeting will be in the next Bellringer. We decided to make some rearrangements downstairs to accomodate the Sunday School and various storage needs.

The Building Committee met on Wednesday to approve the electrical fixtures for the new chapel. We are also considering various options for flooring in the Vesting Room.

I saw Sally Britton today, she is back from heart surgery in Seattle and will be in Sequim Rehabilitation for the next few days. She looks good and is recovering nicely while the kids are staying with Len.

Hope you have a great Memorial Day weekend. Please remember those who have, are, and will make the ultimate sacrafice for our freedom.

Fr. Bob+

Weekly Blog for May 7

2009-05-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

First of all, I want to thank Christine and David Hill and all the people work worked in the booth for the Irrigation Festival. We sold 140 jar cakes (the best seller was the "Rector's Rum Cake"). The remaining cakes will be on sale after church on Sundays. You all did a great job under very adverse weather conditions and you represented us well.

Work continues on the new chapel/vesting room as roof trusses are completed and the framing is put in place. The building committee has chosen oak doors and terazzo stone for the flooring. We are in the process of looking at electrical fixtures, and will need to make those decisions soon. Right now the progress seems slow because each board and pannel have to be measured and cut before they are installed.

As you know, we are looking for a new bell choir director, organist and choir director. The personnel committee is looking for interested musicians and will be contacting any prospective candidates. Thanks to Tracy Williams, Peter Loeb, Carolyn Braun and Bill Yandelll for working on this.

We are also looking for another nursery worker, and have several names that we will contact to make sure that there is ongoing care for the little ones.

Yesterday, several of us attended the Celebration of a New Ministry service at St. Andrew's. Gail is very pleased to be here and we welcome this new addition to our regional clergy family.
The service was well attended, and I was pleased to see folks from our congregation support the church in Port Angeles.

Monday we had another great meeting of the men's spirituality group. I really enjoy our time together and the rich conversation we share. It is one of the highlights of each month for me.

This week Sequim Arts has an art show in the parish hall. Each year the work seems to get better and better. Be sure to stop by and enjoy the abundance of talent in our community.

Next Monday at 2:00 PM, Patricia and I will present pictures of our missionary trip to Belize. Please come and join us.

God Bless, I'll see you Sunday,

Bob+

Weekly Blog for April 16

2009-04-16T20:03:00.000-07:00

I want to thank all of you who worked so hard last week to make Holy Week and Easter such a special time. There is so much that goes into these services that enable them to go smoothly. From the altar guild, to the lectors, to the choir, organist, assisting clergy and ushers, St. Luke's is blessed to have many people who are dedicated to our worship. I particularly want to thank Peter Rasiwell whose coordination and direction are a real gift to us all.

This week work continued on the construction, and both the chapel and vesting area have been framed and windows placed on the west end.

Wednesday afternoon I met with the liturgical planning group and we talked about the Earth Day service which is scheduled for April 26. In addition to the service itself, there will be a slide show of local photos in the parish hall during the coffee time.

I want to encourage you to sign up for the "Changing the Dream" conferenceon Saturday, April 25th at the Methodist Church. This will be an opportunity to look at planning, conservation and development in different ways and I am sure that it will be well worth the time and energy that has gone into it's planning.

Next week I will be at the Clergy Conference from Monday through Wednesday. If you have a pastoral need while I am away, please call Diane in the office or Jayne Gott.

I'll see you on Sunday.

Bob+

Weekly Blog for March 2

2009-04-02T13:47:00.000-07:00

This week progress continued on the building with the pouring of the concrete stem walls. This will form the basis for the concrete floor for the new additions. Next week the floors should be poured and then we will begin to see work on the actual structure itself. This week I met with the building committee and they will make decisions regarding floor covering, door styles and electrical fixtures.

Maggie did a great job leading us in our discussion last night and I want to thank her, John, and Robert for their leadership during this Lenten series. I also want to thank the Layreaders, John, and Margaret who led the evening prayer services. The more we did the service, the more I liked it and the more I enjoyed the music. Finally, thank you to all who brought soups or bread; my only regret was that there were so many soups and so little time....

This week the copier was fixed (just in time for the Holy Week bulletins) and we are getting ready for Holy Week. Sunday at the 10:00 service we will begin with the procession and, if the weather is good we will start in the park; if it is not we will be in the parish hall. The procession will be led by a bagpiper as we proceed around the church.

Please make sure you purchase tickets for the Maundy Thursday supper so we know how much food to buy. The dinner will be part of the service and Thursday night we will hold the Vigil in the church. There is a sign up list for various hours in the parish hall as well.

I hope you all received your Bellringer in the mail this week. The on line version is also available on the website at http://www.stlukesparish.net/.

See you Sunday.

Bob+

2009-03-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

This week construction began on the chapel/vesting area. Digging is almost complete for the foundation and tomorrow the footings should be poured. This will be followed by two concrete pours next week for the sheer walls and then the floor. In the mean time, the windows in the narthex are covered so that they are not broken and can be reused in the new areas.

The temporary road is now in and you can access the property from Fir Street.

On Monday we had our monthly extended pastoral care meeting and I am very grateful for the hard work and dedication of those who make up our Helping Hands ministry. There is always a list of people who are recovering from illness and are in need of their ministry. If you would like to join this group, we are looking for new members, we will team you with someone who has experience, and you can learn from other folks who have been doing this for some time.

Tuesday we had a meeting of the Altar Guild and talked about Holy Week and Easter. These women do a great job of caring for the church and preparing for our worship. I am so happy to have them involved in this work, particularly because of their care and dedication.

Tuesday afternoon there was a Taize service in the church. The music was wonderful, and it is a real blessing to me to be able to join in the worship as a participant rather than as a leader. The quiet and meditation of this experience make it an opportunity for renewal and contemplation that ministers to people both inside and outside our parish family.

Tomorrow I have an article in the Peninsula Daily News. I wrote about Lent and how people respond to this season in different ways.

Wednesday night Robert Gates did a great job of leading us in our discussion. His many years of ministry in the church and his appreciation of different faith traditions were evident in his sharing and the questions he gave us led to very active discussion groups. Thanks, Robert.

On the 16th and 17th of May I have been asked to speak with the people of St. Peter's in Seaview regarding their congregation. Joan Anthony, the Canon for Congregational Development spoke with me about their situation and wants me to share with them our experience here in Sequim. They are a very small church ( about 25 people on Sunday), and are struggling with how to grow in a retirement community. I will meet with them on Saturday and celebrate the Eucharist the next day. Maggie will celebrate and preach at St. Luke's in my absence.

St. Luke's is preparing the lunch this Saturday for the Light Lunch program and if you are interested in this ministry, please call Kara or come to the parish hall by 11:00.

God Bless, I'll see you Sunday,

Bob+

Weekly Blog

2009-03-19T19:25:00.000-07:00

The power's back on! This weeek the electrical transformer was moved and everything has ben reconnected. It is so nice to have heat and light. Tuesday the curb was cut for the new temporary road fro Fir Street, as as soon as the gravel is down, we can drive on it. Today we received the building permit for the narthex expansion and construction should start soon on the project.

Thanks to Jim Selby and Dick Neal for all their work in supervising these projects.

Tuesday was another fine Music Live with Lunch, a great concert by students from Sequim High and a delicious lunch. Thanks to Ray, Carolyn, and the kitchen crew for all their hard work.

Wednesday night we went over to Trinity Methodist Church for a combined soup supper and John Maxwell did an excellent job in leading our discussion. Their welcome was a wonderful expression of kindness and hospitality.

I am almost finished with he Great Emergence and am continuing to reflect on her ideas and analysis of where the churh has been and where it is going.

Wednesday night we were dispatched to a fire in Discovery Bay with two fatalities. It is always so difficult to watch the suffering of others who have lost loved ones. Sometimes I am reminded of how fragile life is and how quicikly it can change.

Weekly Update March 5

2009-03-05T15:48:00.000-08:00

This week a video survaliance system was installed at St. Luke's. There are 4 cameras monitoring entrances to the church, parish hall, and office. We have allready learned more than we knew about activity going up and down the ramp to the downstairs. The cameras are motion activated, and we can easily go back to see who was here during the night and then make a dvd for the police.

Jim Selby is in the process of gathering several bids from electrical contractors for moving the transformer; one has been returned that is about $2,000 less that expected. We will keep you posted on this progress.

Wednesday evening we had our first Lenten Evening Prayer service. The music was wonderful; Jim, Don Freeman, John and Margaret Maxwell all did a great job in leading us. Thank you very much.

I met today with our Liturgical Planning group and we discussed plans for Holy Week.

George McBride is in the hospital with Atrial Fibrulation and Tachycardia. Elsa is doing well at home. They both need our prayers for healing and strength.

Dottie Howard is experiencing severe headaches, is seeing the Doctor today and also has requested our prayers.

Janet Johnson and I had a very good meeting with Jeff from KSQM, the new radio station in Sequim. They play music that many of you will remember from the 40's, 50's and60's and you can find them at 91.5 on the FM dial. I am talking with them about the possibility of a program involving local interviews with call in questions and we will see where that goes.

I also met with our Creation Care Committee, we are continuing to work on ideas for St. Luke's, we will be recommending policies for the Vestry and will be bringing you information regarding the upcomming "Changing the Dream; Awakening the Dreamer" conference at the Methodist church on Saturday, April 25th.

Tuesday evening I participated in our second Diocesan Technology Committee meeting. We will be sending o0ut a survey to Diocesan Churches regarding what technology they currently use and how they use it. We are also planning a Technology conference on May 30th for the Diocese.

Tomorrow is the World Day of Prayer service here at St. Luke's, beginning at 12:00 noon.
Bonnie Collins, Donna Raven and several others have worked very hard to plan this event, I will be here, and I want to again invite you all to join us.

Beginning tomorrow, the office will be open on Fridays from 8:00 until 12:00 and will be staffed by volunteers.

Saturday, Sue Clary and I will be in Silverdale for the Diocesan Council meeting. Various church from our region will be joining us and we will be making presentations to the Council about what is happening in each congregation.

God Bless you all, take care and I will see you Sunday,

Fr. Bob+

Weekly Update

2009-02-26T14:20:00.000-08:00

This was a busy week at St. Lukes. On Monday we had an extended Pastoral Care meeting and talked about ways to help people who are recovering from various illnesses. By the way, Elsa and George and now home. I met with Maggie, John Maxwell, and talked to Robert Polumbo-Gates regarding our Wednesday Lenten program.

Tuesday we had a great Taize service, followed by a very well attended Shrove Tuesday pancake supper. The women's spirituality group met in the morning and will be studying The Great Emergence, by Phyllis Tickle. We also sent out the newsletter and posted it on line.

Wednesday we had three services for the imposition of Ashes; 7:00 am, with Communion, 12:00pm, and our United Parish service at 7:00 that evening. Both my sermon at 7:00am, and Pastor Jack's sermon at 7:00pm are on line at the website.

Today we awoke to a "winter wonderland", and if you were outside at the right time, you had a wonderful view of snow capped mountains bathed in sunlight.

This Saturday, we will host a regional class on "Protecting God's Children"; preventing child abuse in the church setting. In the afternoon, the Vestry will meet to offer an orientation for new members, talk about dividing Vestry responsibilities and setting goals for the next year.

Beginning this Sunday, St. Luke's will provide childcare for young children during the 10:00 service, and this will continue each Sunday. It is also the Sunday when the men prepare the pancake breakfast.

Next week the cameras are being installed for the security system, and work should be done on the access road from Fir St.

Monday we have another meeting of the men's spirituality group at 8:00 and the Eucharistic Ministers are meeting to talk about evenig prayer services in Lent. Tuesday we have meetings with the parish creation Care Committee and the North Peninsula Creation Care Aliance.

Wednesday I have a meeting with Janet Johnson and the owner of a new Sequim radio station; that should be fun!

Weekly update

2009-02-19T13:42:00.000-08:00

This week I met with Jim Selby, who will be our contact person for the construction project and separately with Dick Neal, the chair of the Building Committee. Next Tuesday they will begin to put in the temporary road from Fir Street to our parking lot. The process should take several days, but soon you will be able to enter the property from Fir Street, in addition to 5th Avenue.

We had another great music live with lunch on Tuesday. The performance was excellent and the food was great. Thanks to all who worked to put this together.

Today, I am meeting with John Maxwell to go over the plans for Evening Prayer each Wednesday in Lent. This year we will be using a different format which will include much more music. The first Evening Prayer will be on March 4 at 5:00.

This year the theme for our Wednesday Evenings in Lent will be "Listening for God". There will be short presentations followed by discussions covering; our spiritual journey, Who is God calling me to be?, What is God calling me to do? and Hearing God in the "chances and changes" of life.

There is also a sign up list for soup and bread on the West wall of the parish hall.

The Soup and discussions will begin on March 11.

As I mentioned in today's email, you can listen to sermons online by clicking on the "Sunday's Sermon" link at the top of our web page at http://www.stlukesparish.net/.

Have a wonderful and blessed day, I'll see you Sunday.

Bob+

2009-01-21T17:49:00.001-08:00

Yesterday began with the surgery I wrote about on Monday. As it turns out, I had the same surgery when I was about 14 and this patient had at 15. All in all the tools I bought worked OK, although the chisel got dull fast. The surgery still was successful. In the afternoon I taught a class on assessing and treating the acute trauma patient for ER nurses, we then went out and cleaned and stocked their ambulance. It was a mess! Pat worked very hard to clean, label and place equipment in the heat of the day, and I was very thankful to several of our nurses for their help.

Today, Pat worked with the children at the Anglican school in Pamona, and I worked with a nurse to care for our post operative patients. Things seemed to go well, and we only had one patient that needed medication for low BP; the 0thers came out of their anesthesia well.

Pat took some very interesting pictures inside of a house here in Dangriga, and you can really see just how difficult the conditions are.

God Bless,

Bob

2009-01-19T18:27:00.000-08:00

Today began with a clear sky and warm morning. We went to the hospital about 8:00 and I spent the morning triaging patients. Pat went with a pediatrician to a school in Pamona. In all they saw about 110 children and treated about 40. We triaged about 147, and there were 3 surgeries today. This afternoon Mike Fay, a Priest fro Montana and an Orthopedic surgeon asked if I would go to the hardware store for a 1/2 chisel and hammer for a surgery scheduled in the morning. I was able to find what he needed and tonight they will be sterilized so that this surgery can proceed in the morning. Tomorrow I will be with him in the O. R. and I can see for myself how well they work.

We ate dinner at a Chinese restaurant tonight and now are ready for some sleep.

2009-01-18T17:40:00.000-08:00

Well, this was a very full day. I awoke after a good night's sleep and managed to find a cup of coffee at Val's Laundry and Hostel, and Pat and I met about 20 people who wanted to go with us to St. Monica's in Hope Creek. We passed it on the road, but managed to turn around and get there on time. There were about 40 of us and the service went well. It was like stepping back about 40 years. Fr.Valentine didn't tell me we had to bring everything with us, so we had no bread, wine, or chalise They made some sandwiches for us along with papaya juice and tea, so we cleaned off the bread from a sandwich and had communion in one kind. Hymns were without accompaniment, but they sang loud. It was a great exprience and there is a wonderful spirit there. Last year I sent them $750 from the Discretionary frund to buy the land for their new church building and they took us out to see the foundation after the service.

After lunch we went to the hospital to begin triage and I worked with about 10 or 12 patients. Pat helped sort and inventory medical suppliess.

At 3:00 we took another 20 people out to the Garifunavillage of Hopkins. It is about a 40 minute drive, much of down a very bad dirt road. The village in right next to the Carribian sea. The music was part English, part Garifuna. They had a keyboard and drums, and the service was outside, next to the beach. Quite a few young people, and great singing.

We got back for a dinner on the roof of the Chaleanor with grilled fish and shrimp. It was very good, and the only real meal of the day. By the tiime we got back, I was ready for a Belikin beer.

The picture is one Pat took fo the service at Hopkins.

We start at 8:15 tomorrow, so I'm off the bed.

2009-01-17T17:49:00.000-08:00

Well, we have arrived safely in Dangriga. Seven hours on two flights with about an hour's sleep is no fun. There are a total 0f 47 of us. It is raining here and there are reports of flooding in Hope 'Creek, which is where I will be celebrating tomorrow. Last year Pat and I weent to this little congregation and I am looking forward to seeing them again. Tomorrow we will also begin to triage surgical patients and I may go to Hopkins, some 40 minites away for a 4:00 service. We are doing well and looking forward to a good night's sleep. It will feel so good to be horizontal instead of trying to sleep in a seat. We had a great dinner tonight prepared by a Belisean man who has worked with our construction team in the past.

God Bless and have a great day with Maggie.

2009-01-16T17:51:00.000-08:00

All our bags are packed, we're ready to go.....We left Sequim this morning and drove to Fr. Kalunian's home in Renton. We will have dinner at a Thai restaurant then leave for the airport ...the 4 of us and about 30 bags, Most 0f which are medical equipment. We will meet others who will check these as their 2nd or 3rd bag. The plane leaves for Houston at 11:55, then we have a three hour lay over, and then about a 2 1/2 hour flight to Belize. Once at the airport, we will collect the medical bags and make our way through Belize customs. We will rent 5 vans, load everything and drive the 2 1/2 hours to Dangriga, arriving about 4:00 onSaturday afternoon. Our plan is to stop at the hospital, unload the equipment and supplies, then on to the hotel. Saturday night we will gather for dinner on the roof of the Chaleanor Hotel, organize our teams and then retire for the night. Hopefully, I will be able to get Internet access at Val's Laundry and then have more to tell you. God Bless and have a wonderful Sunday.

Overview of our journey to Belize

2009-01-12T16:50:00.000-08:00

This is a map of Belize, showing the airport, the Western Highway to the capital of Belmopan, and the Hummingbird Highway to Dangriga. We should arrive at the airport about 11:30 on Saturday and drive for about 2 1/2 hours to the Hospital in Dangriga. We will stay in Belize until Sunday January 25, and then fly home.

2009-01-12T14:06:00.000-08:00

This is the start of my new blog. I will add text and pictures as we go along.