September 2005 Contents
One recent afternoon Joseph Henry's friend Aden came home from school with him to play. "What are we going to have for dinner?" Aden asked as soon as he got into the car. "And what's for dessert?" Aden's question was asked with great anticipation. He wanted to know what he had to look forward to that evening. But in many homes the question of what's for dinner is asked not with eagerness, but with anxiety. Thousands of children in this city do not know whether there will be dinner on the table that night, or if there will be enough to satisfy their hunger. One of the most disturbing terms I have heard recently is "food insecurity" - the fear that there will not be sufficient food to meet one's physical needs. In this country, almost 13 million children live in homes with limited or uncertain access to sufficient food. In Georgia, almost a million individuals, or 11 percent of households, suffer from food insecurity. A study by the Center on Hunger and Poverty at Brandeis University tells of the tremendous toll that food insecurity and hunger take on the nation's children. "Youngsters from food insecure and hungry homes have poorer overall health status: they are sick more often, much more likely to have ear infections, have higher rates of iron deficiency anemia, and are hospitalized more frequently. In short, going hungry makes kids sick," the study reports. This month, we at St. Dunstan's have the opportunity to respond in a small way to this great need. During the month of September we will be holding a food drive to stock the pantry at Buckhead Christian Ministry. Last month, the pantry served 613 households, giving out 1,300 bags of groceries. Each family is given enough food for nutritious meals for a week. The pantry needs staple items, such as powdered milk, cans of meat, vegetables, fruit and soups, pasta, spaghetti sauce, and peanut butter. Ministry director Helen Cunningham notes that although buying in bulk may be less expensive, it is not practical for food pantry donations. Many of the pantry's clients rely on public transportation and can only take what they can carry. We will be collecting food throughout the month for this important ministry. There will be baskets in the narthex. Children will also be taking up offerings of food during Children's Chapel each Sunday. If you prefer, you may make a donation of money. Checks can be written to St. Dunstan's, earmarked for the food drive, or to Buckhead Christian Ministry. It is an appalling indictment of our society that the richest nation in the world has so many children who go to bed hungry each night. Scripture is clear that God judges a nation not by the strength of its military or the wealth of its most powerful people, but by the care of its poorest and most vulnerable people. Here is our opportunity to make a difference. Table of Contents | Return to top Announcements
Table of Contents | Return to top Faith and Fiction The Christian faith is rich with words and stories. Creation begins with God speaking, and as Christians we believe that Jesus is the very Word of God The Old Testament abounds with stories of God’s interaction with God’s people. Even our youngest children are enthralled with stories such as Adam and Eve, Noah’s Ark, Jonah and the Whale, David and Goliath, and Daniel in the In the New Testament, Jesus is himself a master story teller. He uses stories such as the Prodigal Son, the Good Samaritan, and numerous parables to teach his followers about the nature of God and what it means to truly be a person of faith. The stories contained in scripture have a special status because we believe that God speaks through these divinely-inspired texts. The stories of scripture are our sacred story, the words that form the foundation of our faith. But God can also be revealed to us in contemporary stories. This fall in Adult Christian Formation we will be reading and discussing fiction that is infused with the issues of faith. Peter Hawkins, the editor of a collection of short stories called “Listening for God,” says this in his introduction, “Our hope is that people gathering around the fiction included in this resource will take the occasion to listen to God in new places. There is no telling, of course, where one may hear the Word spoken; it has been said that even the stones will cry it out. The hope of this collection, in any event, is that the selections chosen here will raise questions, spark discussion, and make the life of faith more an engagement with contemporary American culture and less a flight from it.” Come join us on Sunday mornings in September and October to listen for God in contemporary fiction.
Details of the October schedule will be in the next issue of The Bellows. Copies of the short stories are available in the narthex, or may be found by clicking the above links.
Christian Formation for Youth and Children Welcome back from your eventful summers! This year, when all Christian Formation programs begin again on Sept. 11, there will be some new and exciting changes. First, our youngest (infants – three year olds) will be attended in the Nursery by our excellent caregiver Luciane Rocha. This age group will engage in free play, and be read stories. They will also be encouraged to share and practice good manners, such as saying please and thank you. Next rung up the ladder is the Godly Play program for four, five and six year olds. It will be taught by a rotation of parents. The advantage to having several people teach is that more adults are familiar with what the children are experiencing in the classroom, and can support the effort at home more fully. The Godly Play Curriculum introduces Bible stories in a format that prepares children for worship time. Each Sunday the rhythm of the class will be the same: gathering time, sacred story, wondering questions, and art response. Although each teacher will bring her/his own unique gifts to the classroom, this age group will benefit from the consistency built into the program. Teachers will include Cassie and Paul Templeton, Mary Summerville and Ruth Roser, Edward and Heather Robertson, Kieran Cannistra and Matt Taylor, Sali Hagan and Brett and Tina Lowe. Mary Summerville will act as Volunteer Coordinator for this age group. Please speak to her if you would like to join the rotation, we can always make room for more! Rotations Sunday School for 1st-5th graders will continue with a lesson focusing on the liturgical season of Pentecost. A slate of five teachers will use Bible Story, Art, Music, Video and Science to convey how the Holy Spirit empowers us to do God’s work in the world. There will be a sign up for future rotations at the Ministry Fair on Sept. 18th, and we are still seeking an adult Volunteer Coordinator to help with organization of fellowship events for this age group. We are starting a new Pre-Rite 13 class for 6th - 8th graders. Four teachers will rotate throughout the year teaching on the following Bible based lesson plan themes: Faith traditions and the Book of Common Prayer (Sue Huff); Living our Faith (Marilyn Stansbury), Forms of Prayer (Susan Hauser), Wilderness Spirituality and Team Building towards a spring family retreat on Memorial Day Weekend (Nanette Woodworth). We are still seeking an adult Volunteer Coordinator to help with organization of fellowship events for this age group. The Youth will also enjoy a combination of different teachers in their J2A program. Gilda Morris will continue to teach Spirituality, Tom Schneider will cover Teen Issues, Christine Bird will head up Outreach, and Nanette Woodworth will teach Wilderness Spirituality and Team Building towards a late spring or early summer pilgrimage. Destinations are currently being considered, and details will follow. Michelle Searcy will continue to co-lead our Youth fellowship events, and this year we plan to meet every Sunday possible, combining at least once a month with our neighbors, the St. John’s Methodist Youth Group, several of whom volunteered this summer at VBS 2005.
Youth Sunday is scheduled for May 7, 2006. Every age group will participate in some way. Blessings for a Wonderful Autumn! May it be an active yet centered time for all of us… May we be united in our prayers. ~ Nanette Woodworth
SEPTEMBER 14 (6 P.M.) – Village Supper resumes. Everyone is invited to this informal midweek Eucharist and potluck supper. Childcare is provided during the Eucharist.
SEPTEMBER 20 (10 A.M.) – Companions in Christ begins. This 28-week program is designed to create a small group setting where you can respond to God’s call to an ever-deepening communion and transformation in Christ. The focus is on your experience of God and your discovery of spiritual practices that help you share more fully in the life of Christ. Cost is $30. There are still a few openings. If you are interested in participating call Tricia at the church. SEPTEMBER 25 (5:30 P.M.) ─ the annual Flying Pig Barbeque. OCTOBER 2 – The Blessing of the Animals at the 10:30 service. Bring your furry and feathered friends to church this day. But please keep them in a cage or on a leash. Note: No Sunday School this day. DARIA JONES AND BRUCE LAFITTE WANT TO THANK THE ST. DUNSTAN'S FAMILY for their wonderful support during the last few years as Daria's mother, Maria Getzinger Jones, battled heart and lung disease. The kindness of everyone during the last two months when Maria was living with us under the care of Hospice Atlanta was most appreciated. Maria died August 9th and the memorial service was held at St. Dunstan's on August 13. A donation as been made to the St. Dunstan's Kitchen Fund in honor of Susan Elliott, Farley Lord, and Rosa Lord, whose musical talents added so much to the service. NEW CHURCH DIRECTORY: Included in this issue of the Bellows is a form to be filled out by everyone who wishes to be in the 2005-2006 St. Dunstan’s Directory. (You do not need to be an official member of St. Dunstan’s to be in the directory; it is only a reference.) Please take a few minutes to check your personal information in the current directory and fill out the form with your/your family’s information. If the current directory information is correct, all you have to do is check one box and fill in your name(s)! Place the form in the offering plate on Sunday, leave it in the box labeled “2005-2006 Directory Forms” in the Narthex, or send it to Kim Branch in the church office. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. "AFTERNOON IN THE GARDEN/ WORK DAY" - September 11th, after the 10:30 a.m. service. Wear your jeans and bring your yard tools! VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED TO PREPARE AND SERVE DINNER AT HOLY COMFORTER on Wednesday, September 7. See sign-up sheet in the Narthex. ARTICLES FOR THE OCTOBER BELLOWS ARE DUE BY SEPTEMBER 15. Please email your articles to stdunstansatl[AT]earthlink.net. MINISTRY FAIR, SEPTEMBER 18 - Please mark your calendars and plan to attend our annual Ministry Fair. St. Dunstan's many ministries range from the Worship ministries that you see every Sunday to Outreach to teaching a Sunday School class. Between services and after the 10:30 a.m. service on September 18, you will have the opportunity to meet the chairpersons, learn what is involved in our ministries, and sign up for them. See you there! THE FILM SERIES IS BACK! Thanks to the generosity of Bob Longino and Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, we will have both a fall and spring film series this year. The fall series will be in October. Watch the Sunday bulletin and next month’s Bellows for more details.
From the Organist-ChoirmasterST. DUNSTAN’S CHOIRS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS Parents, do your children love to sing? Did they love singing during Vacation Bible School? Do your children love to make up songs? Really? All right, then! Let’s talk about getting them into one of St. Dunstan’s choirs for children or young adults!
Now is the perfect time to begin working choir time into your Fall schedule. The St. Cecilia Choir for young adults (ages 10 and up) meets to rehearse every Wednesday from 4:30-5:30PM. They also get to robe up and sing with the adults once a month! The St. Julian Choir for children (ages 4-7, up to 10) also meets every Wednesday from 5:30-6:00PM. Rehearsals include time for a little play and are followed at 6:00PM by our Wednesday evening Village Suppers. (Also, Nanette Woodworth will offer recorder lessons for interested young adults—ages 10 and up— from 5:30-6:00PM.) Both groups will learn songs, which we’ll offer during our Sunday Services, and we’ll spend lots of time learning how music on the page works, how to use our voices well, and singing hymns and service music. We’ll also get to see how all of this ties in with our Liturgical Year! (Do you know who ACELEP is? Wednesdays in the Choir Room is the place to find out!) Rehearsals begin on September 14. Please feel free to contact Steve Furches soon to talk about all the good stuff to come in kid’s music at St. Dunstan’s!
FALL CHOIR SCHEDULE BEGINS AGAIN SOON!
Please feel free to contact me at any time!
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In keeping with the Wilderness theme, Nursery and PreK-K families will take local excursions to area parks (dates to be announced). The Rotations and Pre-Rite 13 families are invited to a family hike at Amicalola Falls on Sunday October 9th after the 10:30 liturgy. The Youth will take a rafting trip on October 1st on the metro Chattahoochee, and will be visiting 
This year we are planning a Medieval Miracle Play and Christmas Pageant to be performed the fourth Sunday in Advent, which is December 18th, during Christian Formation Hour in the church. The original script is entitled The Coventry Pageant of Shearman and Tailors, and is subtitled The Doubt of Joseph. Sign ups will begin at the Ministry Fair on Sept. 18th. There is a non-speaking part for every child, and speaking parts to be memorized and rehearsed in advance for an Angel of God, Mary, and Joseph (open to pre-rite 13 and J2A youth). If more than one person expresses an interest in the speaking parts there will be auditions.
Recorder Lessons for children 2nd grade and older will be offered at 5:30 pm when Children’s Choir resumes on Sept. 14th. The only cost will be that of the instruments and music. In time, the goal is to have a children’s Early Music Ensemble. Please notify Nanette Woodworth if you are interested in learning to play this lovely instrument, a gateway to all wind instruments.
Wayne Lord—Senior Warden |
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Bruce Lafitte—Junior Warden
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Beverly Booth |
Susan Elliott |
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Susan Hauser |
Tonia Hopkins |
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Nancy Knight Latimore |
Richard Stansbury |
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Matt Taylor |
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Our Staff
The Rev. Patricia Templeton, Rector
The Rev. Maggie Harney, Priest Associate
Nanette Woodworth, Director of Christian Formation for Children & Youth
Stephen L. Furches, Organist-Choirmaster
Kim Branch, Parish Administrator
Daria Jones, Treasurer
