July 2006 Contents
Those of us who are bookworms love to read any time of the year. But there is something about the long days of summer that especially lend themselves to reading. Whether you will be spending hours on an airplane, days by a beach or swimming pool, or simply relaxing at home, here are a few suggestions for summer reading, both nonfiction and fiction, that go a bit beyond the latest thrillers, mysteries, or chick lit (all of which make great summer reading, too). Happy reading! NonfictionLeaving Church: A Memoir of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor . First let’s get one thing clear. Barbara Brown Taylor, former associate rector of All Saints in Atlanta and rector of Grace Calvary in Clarksville , is still a priest, although USA Today recently proclaimed otherwise. Leaving Church is not about leaving the priesthood; it is about leaving parish ministry. Taylor writes movingly about the joys and struggles of parish priesthood and her ultimate realization that God was calling her to live out her faith in new ways. A beautifully written and thought provoking book from one of the church’s best writers. At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-68 by Taylor Branch. This is the third and last of Branch’s exhaustive chronicle of the Civil Rights Movement and life of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.(Earlier volumes are Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-63 and Pillar of Fire : America in the King Years 1963-65.) At Canaan’s Edge opens with the bloody Voting Rights march in Selma , Alabama in March 1965 and ends with King’s assassination three years later. Branch, an Atlanta native, spent almost three decades on this project. His meticulous research combined with his compelling story telling make this a must read for anyone interested in this important part of our nation’s history. Summer: A Spiritual Biography Of The Season, edited by Gary Schmidt and Susan Felch. A collection of writing celebrating the joys of summer, including poems, psalms, recipes, the Declaration of Independence and essays by writers including Anne Lamott, Madeleine L’Engle, Thomas Lynch, Ray Bradbury and many others. Other seasons have their own spiritual biographies in this series. FictionMy Sister's Keeper: A Novel by Jodi Picoult. I don’t know what Jodi Picoult’s religious leanings are, but she writes like an Episcopalian. By that I mean that the worlds she creates in her novels are not black and white, but cover every shade of gray. When 3-year-old Kate is diagnosed with leukemia her parents decide to have another child, Anna, genetically selected to be a bone marrow match that will save Kate’s life. My Sister’s Keeper explores the consequences of that decision on both Anna and Kate’s lives, and what moral obligations Anna has to her sister as she gets older. Abide With Me by Elizabeth Strout. Set in a small town in Maine in the late 1950s, a young minister struggles to regain his faith, his vocation and his family after the death of his wife. At the same time, the church he has faithfully served must come to terms with its own strengths and failings as the parishioners watch their minister struggle and wonder if he is worthy of leading them. This is a graceful novel of hope and despair, loyalty and abandonment, loss and reconciliation. Digging to America by Anne Tyler. Anne Tyler is an expert at chronicling the ins and outs of everyday family life. In this novel, the lives of two families, one Irani-Americans, become intertwined when they both adopt baby girls from Korea . Digging to America explores what it means to be family and what it means to be American in this multi-cultural world.
Table of Contents | Return to top Announcements
Table of Contents | Return to top Within Our Walls
Good News: New Mosquito Nets for Msalato!The $800 we collected for mosquito nets for people in Tanzania, where the death rate from malaria is extremely high, has been put to good use. The Rev. Paul Elliott, rector of St. Michael and All Angels in Stone Mountain , is on sabbatical in Tanzania , and took our money with him. The following is his account of how our money was used. (Read his blog at http://rectors-sabbatical.blogspot.com) Thanks to Paul for being our emissary. “Through the generosity of parishioners of St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, the students at Msalato now have new, treated mosquito nets. The week before I left Atlanta , I received a phone call from the Rev. Patricia Templeton telling me her congregation had collected $800 during Lent and decided to give it to Msalato Theological College for new mosquito nets. “Tricia drove over to St. Michael’s and gave me the cash before I left Atlanta . When I arrived here I passed the cash on to Dr. Dickson Chilongani, dean of Msalato, during morning worship in chapel at the college. “There was a loud cheer from the students when they were told what the money was for! Malaria is a big health problem here. On average, students and staff get infected twice a year. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, and extreme tiredness. Due to the cost of medicine few can afford tablets to prevent infection. “I then went shopping for new nets with two staff, the Rev. Iri Mato (he has a four-wheel drive) and Jemima Nchibi. We headed into town to the mosquito net ‘shop.’ Well, actually, it is a glorified container with a fancy roof. “Jemima got a good deal, over 12 percent off for our bulk purchase. We loaded up the four-wheel drive and headed back to Msalato with over 125 new nets.”Diocesan Council Delegates Needed Treasure Found Many Thanks to ...... the “great” weeders of St. Dunstan’s: Pat Berman, Peachy Horne, Jane Lamkin, Hilton Jennings, Noah Jennings, Mary Summerville, and Allie Summerville. We appreciate your time and hard work to keep St. Dunstan’s grounds beautiful!
Table of Contents | Return to top Christian FormationGetting to Know YouDuring the interviewing process for the position of Director of Christian Education one of the members of the vestry asked me what kind of Sunday school program I would establish here at St. Dunstan’s. Certainly, that was a reasonable question to be asked during a job interview! But I had to answer that, truthfully, I didn’t know because I didn’t know you, the folks who make up this parish family. I went on to explain that I believed a program for Christian formation for children and youth should accomplish several things. Certainly we want our children to know the stories that define us as Christians and Episcopalians. And beyond knowing the stories, we want our children and youth to engage the stories in ways that are formative. That is, we want to give them opportunities to relate these stories to their own lives through reflection and action. Another important task is to nurture the religious imagination, especially through the arts and nature. And we also want to recognize and support our children and youth as they become theologians – people who not only experience God, but who are able to think and speak about who God is and how God is working in their lives and the world. This is not meant to be a definitive list of the tasks involved in Christian education, but it was the tasks that I shared with the vestry over dinner that night. But to know that these are some of the tasks is different from knowing the shape and form that Christian education should take here at St. Dunstan’s. I firmly believe that an effective Christian education program is grown from within a parish as opposed to imposed from without. And so the task that I have at hand this summer is to get to know you. To that end, I hope to meet with many of you during the summer, especially those of you who have children in Sunday school, have taught Sunday school, or who just have an interest in this important ministry. I hope to find out from you your hopes and dreams for your children, what you have liked about Sunday school here at St. Dunstan’s, and what changes you would like to see made. On July 9th, right after church, there will be a meeting to discuss the Christian education program for children and youth at St. Dunstan’s. Anyone with an interest in the program is welcome to come. If you can’t make it on the 9th, there will be another opportunity to meet on Thursday, July 20th from 7-8:15. Childcare will be provided for both meetings, as well as pizza at 6:30 for the July 20th meeting (please RSVP). And if neither of these times works for you, please feel free to call me, meet with me, or grab me at coffee hour to share with me your ideas or concerns. I am really looking forward to getting to know you and working with you to develop a solid, exciting Christian education program for the children and youth of St. Dunstan’s! And Getting to Know Me ...I am a life-long Episcopalian who grew up in Huntington, N.Y. After college, I received an M.A. in education of the hearing impaired from Gallaudet College. I taught hearing-impaired students and worked in human services until I went to seminary at the Episcopal Divinity School in 1987. After seminary I worked as a college chaplain at St. Lawrence University and for the Diocese of Atlanta. For the past 7 years I have been a “stay-at-home” with my daughters, Molly (age 9) and Carly (age 4). I have been an active member at Holy Comforter (before children) and Church of the Epiphany (after children), where I have preached and taught Sunday school. My husband, Jon Herman, teaches in the Religious Studies Department at Georgia State University.
A Seventeenth Century Tribute to the Pipe Organ
Summer Choir Continues ...This Summer, please consider joining the St. Dunstan Choir. Nursery provided for Sunday rehearsals. PLEASE JOIN US! For more information, please contact In-Reach Thanks
Dear Friends in Christ, Things are much better at the Reece house now, and the wonderful support St. Dunstan’s gave us has been immensely helpful. All the cards, phone calls, food and prayers have meant so much. We will be forever grateful to all of you. Thank you, thank you. With love, Ann Reece
Dear St. Dunstan’s Family, There are no words to express the gratitude from my sister Peg, from me and from Papa for the love you have shown us and for all you have done to express your thoughts and prayer support. Thank you all for the thoughtful things done to make Papa’s memorial service so meaningful and special The service and all who were responsible for the reception were deeply appreciated by Peg and me. Papa was honored and I thank you. God’s blessings on you all and my love and prayers are always with you. Passages
Table of Contents | Return to top Mikell Golf Tournament Approaches
Table of Contents | Return to top Deadline for articles for the August Bellows is July 15.
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Every year representatives from every congregation of the 
A HUGE thanks to all who made Vacation Bible School a smashing success. Gilda Morris did a superb job as director and was ably assisted by Jane Lamkin, Elise MacIntyre, Antoinette Watts, Pat Berman, Trish Sills, Rhonda Woodard, Sarah Hancock, Susan Elliott, and Sallie Smith. Thanks also to our counselors Allie Summerville, Lindsey Reece, Grace Hancock and Emma Hancock. And to our campers Ethan Stansbury, Josie Summerville, Josie Mae and Maggie Cannistra, Joseph Henry Monti, Jason and Turner Templeton, James and Sean Robertson, Aidan Asbury, Victoria Woodard and Veronica Sills. 
This year’s Wayne Lord—Senior Warden |
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Richard Stansbury —Junior Warden |
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Nancy Dillon |
Susan Elliott |
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Tonia Hopkins |
Nancy Knight Latimore |
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Bob Longino |
Jeanne Taylor |
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Matt Taylor |
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Our Staff
The Rev. Patricia Templeton, Rector
The Rev. Maggie Harney, Priest Associate
Ellen Gallow, Director of Christian Education
Stephen L. Furches, Organist-Choirmaster
Kim Branch, Parish Administrator
Daria Jones, Treasurer
