January 2008
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"Coming Together"

Our Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori was an oceanographer before she went to seminary. She often uses examples from the natural world to illustrate the life of faith. One example seems particularly relevant to me as we begin a new year together as a community of faith.

The humpback whale is known for the beauty and complexity of its songs, which can last up to 20 minutes. Scientists do not yet know the purpose of the whales’ song, but believe it is crucial in their ability to communicate with each other.

Every year, members of the whale population gather from around the ocean, in a general assembly of sorts. One purpose of this gathering is apparently for the whales to teach one another songs.

The whales sing their songs to each other, until finally they come together with a new song. When the whales disperse, they are all singing the same song. Over the course of the year, the songs will gradually change until it is time to gather again. A whale who does not attend the gatherings may eventually find it can no longer communicate with its fellow whales.

This gathering of whales is a good metaphor for the church.

Each week we come together from our various lives, bringing the diversity of our experience and knowledge and insights. We learn from one another, and we also learn from our tradition. Sometimes we may find we have strayed off course; other times we may find that the collective insights of the group may change our song.

But the point is – we need to come together. Humpback whales apparently can not function well in isolation and neither can we as Christians.

The apostle Paul may never have heard the song of the humpback whale, but the metaphor of the whale assembly is one he would have understood. He makes the same point in a different metaphor, comparing the church, the body of Christ, to the human body.

“The body does not consist of one member, but of many,” he says. “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’

“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”

As members of the body of Christ we have the right to assume certain things of the church. We can and should assume that there will be thoughtful and faithful worship on Sunday mornings; that our children will be taught the stories and traditions of the faith; that adults will have classes that challenge, educate and inform our faith.

As members of the body of Christ we can and should assume that the church will be there for us in times of crisis and joy, that this is a community we can count on for support and help, for friendship and care.

Being a member of the body of Christ is not like being a member of another organization. We don’t have attendance requirements like a soccer team. We don’t have mandatory dues like a country club. We don’t require a certain number of volunteer service hours.

The church is there for anyone who walks through the door – whether you are a founding member or entering the building for the first time; whether you give thousands of dollars to the church or never give a penny.

And that is the way it should be.

But just as our physical bodies are dependent on the health of each of its parts, so is the body of Christ dependent on each of its members. When any part of the body is missing, the entire body suffers. When one part of the body is weakened, it affects the whole.

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Announcements

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New Year's Prayer

by Edward Hays

Lord, who lives outside of time and resides in the imperishable moment, we ask your blessing the new year on your gift of time to us.

Bless our clocks and watches, you who kindly direct us to observe the passing of minutes and hours. May they make us aware of the miracle of each second of life we experience.

May we ever be free from being clock watchers and instead become time lovers.

Bless our calendars, these ordered lists of days, weeks, and months, of holidays, holy days, fasts and feasts – all our special days of remembering. May they remind us of birthdays and other gift-days, as they teach us the secret that all life is meant for celebration and contemplation.

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Adult Christian Education

Living the Questions

I once had a poster with a picture of Jesus with these words “He came to take away your sins, not your mind.” At its best, the Episcopal Church has been a denomination that welcomes thoughtful questioning of the issues of our lives and faith. “Living the Questions” is a series of classes that tackles the hard questions – about creation, suffering and evil, social justice, compassion, and intimacy with God. Each class includes a video presentation from a noted Biblical scholar or theologian, Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, and Jack Spong, followed by discussion.

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Special Thanks

A special thank you to the congregation from the staff for your generous Christmas gift. We can assure you that it was much appreciated and well used by all of us! ~Tricia, Kim, Ellen and Steve

Thank you to all who made our Christmas services so lovely – the flower and altar guilds, choirs, readers and acolytes, and all others who contributed. The combined efforts of many people enhanced worship for all of us.

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Christian Education For Children and Youth

Pageant Thanks: Dear Children and Youth of St. Dunstan’s, you did a great job in the pageant! Thanks for your participation…it was a wonderful way to begin Christmas. I hope yours was merry! Fondly, Ellen

Thank you to the Sunday school teachers, rollicking shepherds, parents, and everyone else who made the pageant possible. A special thanks to Steve Furches and Laura Withers for their pageant contributions. If you took some good photos of the Christmas pageant, please share them by sending them to Ellen using this form or by putting them on the Christian Education bulletin board.

Please note that Ellen's home telephone number in the church directory is incorrect; please call the church for the correct number.

The Christian Education Steering Committee will meet after church on January 6th.  Among other things, we will begin to talk about planning our Vacation Bible School.  Anybody who is interested is welcome to attend.

Anne Frank Exhibit worth the trip: There is currently an excellent exhibit about Anne Frank and the world she grew up in at the Courthouse in Decatur. This exhibit is appropriate for those in middle school and older. Information about the times that the exhibit is open is available at www.holocaust.georgia.gov If you decide to visit the exhibit, I’d be happy to recommend places to eat in Decatur.

~Ellen Gallow

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From the Organist and Choirmaster

Speaking Out for Outreach

The Kambabazi Family Update

Christmas tree delivery and decoration : Saturday, December 8, John and Lucy Kaltenbach and their adorable twin girls, ages 3 ½, visited the Kambabazi family home along with Chris Smith and Antoinette Watts. We brought them gifts from St. Dunstan’s including a nice check form the Church. They were clearly awed and delighted with the Church’s generosity. We brought a fresh Christmas tree, decorations, lights and presents. All four family members were there, and very happy with their new tree and the other trappings. Thanks to Ellen Gallow for organizing this activity. The Sunday School children made decorations representing God’s eye, which really touched them. Thanks to Jane Lamkin and Jeanne Taylor for sending gifts, Pat Berman for baking treats and Betty Whittier for donating her own beautiful Christmas lights and decorations. We had exactly what was needed to make a beautiful Christmas home atmosphere for their apartment. It was amazing how well these donated decorations worked out together.

The Kambabazi Family: Francoise Kambabazi, mother; Marie Giselle Girishya, age 22; Fabrice Hirwa-Eureka, age 19; Alain Dusabe, age 13. (It is traditional in their culture for each family member to have a different last name.)

The family seems to be settling into their new community. They arrived from Cameroon this past May. They and lived in Cameroon, form 1999-2007. Prior to that they lived in Brazzaville, Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Originally they had fled Rwanda. This was 13 years ago when Giselle was 9, Fabrice was 6, and Alain was 2 weeks old. The cultures of Cameroon, Congo, and Rwanda are similar.

Their apartment has a small living room, a nice kitchen, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The rooms are very small, but neat and have good light (quite different from their 2-room African home.) When Alain was asked at first how he felt in his new surroundings he said, “It’s too big.” However, they are now all very comfortable there. Alain was named student of the month (in math for the eighth grade) at Avondale Middle School! Fabrice has a job at Westminster School in the cafeteria and attends Clarkston at night. He is studying for his GED using the study guide. Giselle is no longer working at the chicken factory, but has a job with housekeeping at the downtown Hilton. Francoise works nights at the Atlanta airport. Our impression of the family was that after only six months, they are functioning well in a completely new society. Their English continues to improve.

The Church’s commitment to financially support the family ended in October, a month later than originally planned. The family has been extremely grateful for all our help. There is no obligation, but if you wish to give the family assistance, a gift certificate from the stores they use (Target, CVS or Kroger) is appropriate. The family currently needs a full-length mirror, with mounting kit, a small bedroom dresser, clear plastic storage boxes, a door hanging shoe rack or closet hanging shoe rack.

You may call Chris Smith or Antoinette Watts with questions or to arrange for delivery of a donation.

The Kambabazi Family was extremely blessed that St. Dunstan’s chose to help them. As you can see from this summary, they are lacking in very little. When St. Dunstan’s takes on a commitment, they give their all.  

~ Article submitted by Chris Smith

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Treasurer's Update

This article is being written on December 21 in order to meet the deadline for the January 2008 Bellows.

We are nearing the end of the Stewardship drive for 2008 pledges and budget-writing time is upon us. As of today, 11 people/families who pledged last year have not yet submitted a pledge card for 2008. We hope that number will be out-of-date by the time you read it! There’s no question but that things easily slip between the cracks at this time of year. But if you happen to be one of those 11, it’s never too late! If your pledge card has vanished, call Kim Branch in the office and she will supply you with one. If you can’t remember whether you sent in your card, call or email Nancy Elliott and she will check the roster.

As you consider your charitable gift-giving for 2008 – whether it be by pledge or by regular or occasional gifts to the collection plate – please remember St. Dunstan’s. As you know, the 2007 budget was very tight. Our commitment to the Diocese was cut drastically. And our operating budget commitment to Outreach was essentially eliminated for the year. (This does not mean we didn’t make Outreach gifts – we made substantial gifts from the Outreach Designated Fund, but the Fund now carries only a minimal balance.)

A number of our expenses are literally out of our control, just like many other businesses. With the just-announced Georgia Power rate increase, we expect our electric bills to rise by 6% or so; health insurance costs are literally skyrocketing; the stipend we pay for supply clergy when our staff are away is dictated by the Diocese and has increased. And on and on.

In one of our open Stewardship discussions, a member of the church said “we need to convey to all our members that giving to St. Dunstan’s is a JOY!”  

Our budget is based entirely on the pledges – or promises – of our members.
Share the JOY!

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