My Friends,

October is here! The weather has changed and we are truly into the Season of Autumn. We are also at the winding down of the loooong Season After Pentecost and getting prepared for another cycle of the Church Calendar.

Last year I discovered a UCC Congregation in Canada that puts out a calendar based on the Church Seasons rather than on the Months. I loved it! I ve thought about making one of my own, you know how I love calendars, but haven t quite gotten it done. Nonetheless, I think both in terms of the secular calendar as well as the Church, and the Church calendar usually trumps.

SO, as we enter into the secular season of fall, a time when the earth is slowing down it s growth, plants are losing their plumage, colors are turning, we also have the stories of Jesus pointing us to the end times, to times of reflection, judgement, endings and death. It is in this time of Reflection that we look to recall our story and celebrate the Abundance we have been given. We celebrate harvests, whether through Oktoberfests or Stewardship campaigns. We celebrate the hard labors by taking a breath, having some fun and giving thanks for all we have.

This year our National Church has provided a series of reflections based on the readings for each Sunday in October and early November called Feasting on Gratitude. We are using these as inserts for each of the Sundays as well as including them with the Stewardship letter you will receive from your Vestry. I encourage you strongly to read and reflect on these (questions are given for each) meditations. Use them as a basis for reflection, think of all the good gifts you have been given, and out of Gratitude choose how you will give back to our God. Pax, Rev. Mary

Stewardship of Our Planetary Resources

Dear Parishioners,

Its that time of year when soon we will be discussing our stewardship, tithing, pledges, annual budgets, etc. Most of us only think of how that affects our own bottom line. But heres something to consider on stewardship of our planetary resources. From the book Green Church Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rejoice! by Rebekah Simon-Peter, there is a chapter about Sabbath, Science & Sustainability. The author and Jonathan Ormes, a retired NASA scientist discuss the theory that practicing the Sabbath is an environmentally friendly discipline. Mr. Ormes says that it is absolutely true. In fact we can tell from space where and when people are observing the Sabbath all around the world! He said, We can see that levels of nitrous oxides byproducts of fossil fuel combustion among other things, fluctuate during the week. They go down on Friday in Islamic countries, down on Saturday in Israel, and down on Sunday in the United States, Europe, and Japan. Those levels dont go down at all in China; the numbers stay pretty steady throughout the week. This lowering of nitrous oxide levels is called the Sabbath effect or the weekend effect. In other words, the less people drive and the less industry produces, the cleaner the air.

So as we consider what monetarily we give back to God, please consider the importance of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rejoice! to sustain all of Gods creation. Janice Saulewicz Junior Warden

Compline
Compline is the seventh of the canonical hours and is the last service of the day. You may be more familiar with two other hours: Lauds, or Morning Prayer, and Vespers, or evening prayer Here in Seattle, St. Marks Cathedral is famous for its compline service and for the compline choir. We are fortunate at St. Philips to be authorized by Bishop Rickel to use the broadcast service as an evening service in the church, which we do at 9:30 on Sunday evening. While you are welcome to attend that service, you can also listen to it at home on KING FM, 98.1. The order of service, which differs from the new prayer book, is available here, just ask for it. Hope youll join us.

St. Philips Episcopal Church Vestry Meeting August 28, 2011

Bishop Greg met informally with the vestry during the church picnic. It was difficult dragging everyone into the house from lounging in the sunshine, gorging on hamburgers, hot dogs, salmon and numerous salads and desserts. Vestry members had an opportunity to ask questions about activities at the diocese and national level. In general our Olympia diocese is healthy and our council wants to lower assessment from 18% to 17% while other areas increase theirs up to 25%. Greg commented that positions and some programs are cut at the diocese level but this allows more funds for programs at the local level. Having one on one meeting with the Bishop in a relaxed informal setting was positive and hopeful. Vestry members expressed their strong support and love for Marys ministry at St. Philips Addendum: Janice Saulewicz will replace Susie Halsey as an alternate at the annual Convention. Susie Halsey will replace Carolyn Forbes as a delegate at the annual convention.

New Church Signs in Place! Many thanks to Jim Wilson and Janice Saulewicz who braved weather and traffic to put up our new Sign on State Street as well as the sign for the St. Philips Green dog use! Here are some pictures! The New Sign!
The St. Philips Green Dog Sign

Jim Wilson taking down the old sign

Peggy with her espresso, Julia Spencer Fleming books and laptop

Iona Abbey

Ramblings from Peggy Today, Tuesday, overcast and cool, Im at church finishing up the October issue of this Philippian with Rev. Mary. (Delay is due to my trip to Oregon to visit relatives) Listening to Bolero on KINGfm, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra on Marys stereo Waiting for Mary to fix me an espresso on her Delonghi espresso machine And meanwhile discussing my granddaughter Ciana freshman at UW, whale watching, Julia Spencer-Fleming, mystery writer, the upcoming Bible study and her prize winning photos at the Evergreen State Fair and dreaming about touring with Mary in Iona. Mary asks me if I am ready to take over the publication of the Philippian full time. ( I previously made a commitment to assist when I finished my term as Junior Warden.) I do assist with articles and suggestions, but she has the skills moving photos and articles into a polished publication. So WHY is she asking me NOW to take more responsibility? OH NO!! Did St. Marthas in Bethany, Delaware call her to be their rector???? The answer: Yes the committee called her yesterdayMonday! She said Yes! Now What? What about all our informal talks and advice without guilt! What about the clear, Biblically based humor filled sermons? What about the smiling personal greetings always to everyone? What about the adult ed. classes, that were much more than reading and discussing? Too many wonderful, warm, spicy and loving interacting with Mary. I, we, have lots to be thankful for with Marys ministry and lots to ponder! Must close these rambling, but, more to come later. Peggy James

October Schedules: Date

October 2 October 9

Reader
Susie Halsey Scott Halsey Charlotte Champers Jim Wilson

EM
Janice Saulewicz Mike Wray Pat Wilson Larry Wilson Susie Halsey Bob Tichbourne Susie Halsey Diane Jones Mike Wray Janice Saulewicz

Altar Guild
Dorothy Armstrong Emily/ Fred Wade Sharon Billings Jacquelyn Trout Janet Labdon Susie Halsey Jacquelyn Trout Emily Wade Sharon Billings Susie Halsey

Counters
Jim Wilson Larry Wilson Carolyn Forbes Corleen Wilson Pat Wilson Dorothy Armstrong Bob Tichbourne Diane Jones Christina Foster Pat Ballard

October 16

Pat Wilson Mike Wray

October 23

Bob Tichbourne Larry Wilson

October 30

Charlotte Champers Carolyn Forbes

October Birthdays
October 14 October 15 October 21 October 22 October 29 October 30 October 30 Lorraine Salcedo Diane Jones Merlinda Williams Kimberley Miller Chris Benham Annie Marie Mahlum Lloyd Trout

&

Anniversaries
October 2 October 31 Dick & Sharon Billings Kyle & Morning Star McKay

Your Bible! The Study Begins A seven week Bible 101 course will begin Wednesday, October 5th at 10:45 am! Sign up sheet on table in Narthex! Or call office at 360-6591727.

One of Gods creatures (on the rosebushes) that we blessed.

The Blessing of the AnimalsFeast of St. Francis

Janice Saulewicz with Samantha

Ode to Joy (Odie) & Tiger

Two of our neighbors who enjoy the Green

Note from the Neighbors

Max & Emma

Max and his person

Bible Challenge: The Challenge that Unites

A challenge that unites [September 16, 2011] The Rev. Marek Zabriskie believes everyone should read the Bible. And, he's utilizing websites, social media, and all of today's tools to bring the message of the ancient texts to a modern world through a new effort called The Bible Challenge. Zabriskie is rector of St. Thomas Church Whitemarsh in Ft. Washington, Pa (Diocese of Pennsylvania) and the driving force behind the creation of The Bible Challenge. He shares that the first Bible Challenge started with a commitment of 178 (of 1300) parishioners along with 81 others from outside the parish - all ranging in age from 13 to 93 -- to read the entire Bible in a year. Its success sparked the rapid growth of The Bible Challenge. "This has been so successful that we created The Center for Biblical Studies to promote The Bible Challenge across the country and around the world," Zabriskie said. Today, The Center for Biblical Studies has its own website www.thecenterforbiblicalstudies.org with a study guide and suggestions for reading the Bible, either individually or in a community. On the website, each day a new Bible text is featured. The texts are derived from the Old and New Testaments as well as the Psalms. For example, the text for September 15 is Genesis 1:26: "And God said, 'Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon earth." Among the discussion questions to accompany the September 15 Bible passage are: "What does it mean to be created in the image of God? How can we know that God is like? Is our identity to be discovered in God's identity? Zabriskie sees a renewal of the Christian spirit through daily Bible reading. "We believe that this has enormous potential to revitalize the lives of Christians and churches throughout the world." He said. "We hope to reach every Episcopal Church and reach dioceses and churches throughout the Anglican Communion." In another step to engage participants everywhere, conversation starters related to Bible texts and the Challenge will be regularly posted on social media, including facebook, by Zabriskie and by the Office of Communication of the Episcopal Church. For more information contact Zabriskie at mzabriskie@stthomaswhitemarsh.org. The Episcopal Church welcomes all who worship Jesus Christ in 109 dioceses and three regional areas in 16 nations. The Episcopal Church is a member province of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Links The Center for Biblical Study: www.thecenterforbiblicalstudies.org St Thomas Whitemarsh: http://www.acswebnetworks.com/stthomaschurchwhitemarsh/ The Episcopal Church: www.episcopalchurch.org

Annual Diocesan Convention October 21 & 22 in Lynnwood Your Delegates this year are Susie & Scott Halsey and Janice Saulewicz and Mike Wray will be the Alternates.
The Diocesan Convention Eucharist with Ordinations will be held at 5:30 pm on Friday the 21st at the Lynnwood Convention Center. If you wish to attend, please let Rev. Mary know! Workshops will be offered on Friday afternoon. These are optional, require no pre-registration, and are free.

They are also open to all, not just convention members. There are two sessions, 1:15-2
p.m. and 2:15-3 p.m. Four workshops will be offered in each session; each session is 45 minutes. Year Round Stewardship (1:15-2 p.m. & 2:15-3 p.m.): What is year round stewardship? Many churches talk about year round stewardship but end up with just another annual campaign. Come learn about various ways of doing a year round stewardship program. Hear examples of what other churches are doing. Participate in sharing ideas about how to implement a year round stewardship program. Learn about available resources.

1:15-2 p.m. The How-to Guide for Applying and Reporting on Congregational Grants The Diocese & Technology - What's New? DSOMAT/Faith Nexus - What's New in Adult Formation?

2:15-3 p.m. A Taste of the College for Congregational Development The Diocese & Technology - What's New? DSOMAT/Faith Nexus - Christian Formation to Heal the World, in partnership with Episcopal Relief & Development

St. Philips Episcopal Church 431284th St NE Marysville, WA 98270 Www.saint-philips.org Philippian Editor: Peggy James

Please place stamp here