D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 2

i ns ide

From the Rector 2

Education Report 3

Faces of St. Alban’s 4

Music for the Season 5

Social Concerns 6-7

Warden’s Notes 8

Highlights 9

worship schedule

Sunday Holy Eucharist Rite 1 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite II 10:15 a.m. Wednesday Holy Eucharist and Healing Service 10:30 a.m. Worship Committee Meeting: December 6 5:30-6:30 pm

t he r ed d oor St . Alban ’s Ep iscopa l Church

The Mission of St. Alban’s Parish is to exemplify Christ’s love, using our gifts to connect people to God, each other and creation through worship, service, education and outreach.

Christmas at St. Alban’s

Christmas Eve

Monday, December 24

4:00 p.m. Festival of Lessons and Carols

and Holy Communion

10:30 p.m. Choral Prelude

11:00 p.m. Festival Eucharist

Christmas Day

Tuesday, December 25

10:00 a.m. Christmas Holy Eucharist

Christmas Pageant

Stars! Angels! Shepherds! Kings! Sunday, December 16

During the 10:15 a.m. service in the Education Building

Pageant rehearsals:

Sunday, December 9 10:00 a.m.

Saturday, December 15 10 a.m. - Noon

333 S. Drexel Ave. Bexley, Ohio 43209 Phone: 614.253.8549

Fax: 614.253.8191 church@stalbansbexley.org

www. stalbansbexley.org

staff

The Rev. Susan Smith Rector

The Rev. Meribah Mansfield Deacon

Aaron Carter-Cohn Interim Organist

Carrie Hall Children’s Choir

Christy Clark Child Care &

Christmas Pageant

Janet Lewis Parish Administrator

John Combs Sexton

vestry

Dan Fulton, Sr. Warden Lynne Tappan, Jr. Warden

Ed Yen, Treasurer Meg Clark, Secretary

Jennifer James Greg Krabacher

Bev Langley Ann Lowder

Bob Monsarrat Bob Philips

Lucinda Sweeney Kelly Tomkies

Ellen Yen

SsTt. AaLlBbAaNn’Ss episcopal church

Page 2 December 2012

From the Rector Advent-Christmas-Epiphany: The Cycle of Incarnation Dear Friends in Christ, Last spring was my first time to celebrate with you the Liturgical Cycle of Resurrection: Lent, Easter, Pentecost. Now I look forward to celebrating with you the other great Christological cycle of the liturgy: The Cycle of Incarnation-for Christmas, Christ’s Mass, is the Feast of the Incarnation of God in Christ. The great feasts of Christ are Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, and Pentecost. As the children’s curriculum, Godly Play, puts it, “Some people walk right through these feasts and never know what’s there. It takes time to get ready to come close to the mystery of these great feasts.” And the time to get ready to come close to the great mystery of Christmas is called Advent. ADVENT means Coming. In Advent, we prepare for the coming of Christ. Actually, we prepare for two comings:*The first coming, which is the incarnation: God in Christ born as a baby in Bethlehem.*The second coming, which is the parousia: Christ coming again to fulfill the Reign of God. Therefore, we begin with the end (T.S. Eliot in Four Quartets: “in my end is my beginning.”)The first Sunday of Advent is always about the end times, called in Greek the eschaton. Time will end. It is our sure and certain hope that Christ will reign in the end and the Kingdom of God will be fulfilled. Celebrating this gives a cosmic perspective to our feast and helps us keep in mind where we are heading and who we are becoming. Because we so often forget this eschatological meaning of Advent, the anticipation of Christ’s second coming and the need to prepare ourselves even now, some have proposed that Advent be extended from four weeks to seven or eight weeks, beginning right after All Saints day. (For more on this, check out theadventproject.org.) But we also want to prepare ourselves for the vulnerable God who wants to make sure we know that God knows all the joys and pains and vulnerabilities of being human. So, we prepare ourselves also for the incarnation in Jesus Christ as a babe in the manger. How? One good way to prepare is to pray, and to care for those who are vulnerable in our midst. Our new deacon, Meribah Mansfield, is helping us do this by having our children preparing Christmas bags for the homeless and inviting us to bring gifts for them for a shared dinner and “filling party” and dinner at St. John’s, Town Street, on December 9. Christmas is a season of 12 days. “Evening passed, and morning came, the first day.” On holidays, we still tell time like Hebrews: the first celebration of Christmas is Christmas Eve. We celebrate for 12 days and Twelfth Night is the night before Epiphany, celebrating the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles, represented in Wise Ones who may have been Zoroastrian astrologers. COME CELEBRATE! Amma Susan+

Page 3 December 2012

Young Families We are very excited to continue our meetings with the Young Families group on

Sunday mornings. Advent-themed discussion topics have been planned for the month of December (on the 2nd, 9th, and 16th), and we will soon have a schedule for the winter. All meetings are held at 9:15 a.m. If you would like a copy of the articles and readings relevant to the discussions or have questions, feel free to contact Anne Krabacher at Krabacher.4@osu.edu. Childcare will be provided for all of these discussions. We hope that you will be able to join us for some insightful and engaging conversations

Children/Youth Education Our Children/Youth Education program through December focuses on the Christmas pageant, culminating with the performance of "Be Alert, Shepherds!" at the 10:15 a.m. service on December 16. Rehearsals take place at 10:15 a.m. each Sunday, and there is something for each child to do, from performing in the play to helping create the scenery and costumes and running the lights. We invite all of St. Albans' youth, including older kids, fifth through twelfth grades, to participate in this Christmas tradition. Dress rehearsal takes place Saturday, December 15 at 10 a.m., and all are invited to “Stay and Play” until 1 p.m.. Please plan for your children to attend these rehearsals as often as they can until pageant day so they will be confident on stage. If you have any questions, contact Christy Clark or Kelly Tomkies. Those parents wishing to bring baked goods or fruit for the reception, please contact Jennifer Wood.

Adult Education for December In the Diocese of Southern Ohio, we have committed to Common Ministry as the backbone of our mission. As Episcopalians in the Diocese of Southern Ohio, we commit ourselves to:

Know the common story.

Proclaim our common faith.

Pray our common prayer.

Drink the common cup.

Serve the common good

in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

This is our common ministry.

The Adult Education Committee continues its offerings around the theme of Living our Lives in Common Ministry and invites you to join us for the following learning opportunities in December:

December 2: An invitation to Spiritual Friendship (Pray our Common Prayer): Presenter Amanda Stone Cushing of the Spirituality Network will give us an introduction to spiritual direction in this first session of a two-part series.

December 9: Taste of Spiritual Friendship (Pray our Common Prayer): Presenter Amanda Stone Cushing will continue the series by showing us what a conversation with a spiritual director might look like. December 16: Children's Christmas Pageant (Know the Common Story!) No Adult Ed.

January will see the return of the film series and a special outing designed to help us serve the common good. Stay tuned!

December 2012 Page 4

Faces of St. Alban’s: Reverend Meribah Mansfield

“I’m truly grateful to have been so warmly welcomed into the St.

Alban’s family. I’m looking forward to seeing where the Spirit will lead us to meet the needs of the world!”

CHRISTMAS GIFT BAGS

St. John’s, Columbus has invited St. Alban’s to participate in a program that is a good opportunity for families to work to-gether and have fun. We are preparing gift bags of useful items for each adult and child at Street Church. First, we've been asked to collect the items needed to fill the bags. Once we have the items, we will help fill the bags with families at St. John's and join them for a meal (see schedule on page 9). Then if we wish, we can help distribute the bags. ...cont’d on page 9

We are so pleased that the Reverend Meribah Mansfield is currently serving as a deacon at St. Alban’s and at St. John’s, Columbus in Franklinton. Episcopal deacons are ordained clergy who volunteer to represent Christ and his Church, particularly as a servant of those in need, and to assist bishops and priests during public worship in the proclamation of the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments.

Meribah participates in Sunday services at St. Alban’s three Sundays per month (the other Sunday she is at St. John’s) and is a liaison to connect the two parishes in mutual ministry. She is the clergy representative to B.R.E.A.D. (Building Responsibility Equality and Dignity) for both parishes.

Meribah was ordained as a permanent deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of South-ern Ohio in June 2012. She completed the three-year program of the diocese’s School for Diaconal Formation, including two years of field work at St. James, Clintonville. Her sponsoring congregation was St. Patrick’s, Dublin, which she attended for 25 years. Meribah received a B.A. degree in English from Wittenberg University and a Masters in Library Science from Western Michigan University. Meribah has also worked in five central Ohio public libraries during her 38-year career as a librarian, and her first professional position was at the Bexley Public Library, nearly 40 years ago. Most recently, she served as director of the Worthington Libraries and retired in 2010. Meribah received the Librarian of the Year award from the Ohio Library Council in 2003 and its Hall of Fame Librarian award in 2011.

Meribah’s family is her most important ministry. She lives in Columbus with her husband, Bruce, who is a partner at the engineering firm Burgess and Niple. Their son, Matthew, lives in New York City. Her daughter, Jessica Mead, lives with her husband, Doug, and two sons, Owen (age six) and Connor (age five), in Perrysburg, Ohio. Stepson Ben lives in Japan with his wife, Satoko, and three-year-old son, Sho. Stepdaughter Elizabeth lives in San Francisco.

She is particularly interested in mentoring young people in Christian ministry, especially those in intentional communities. Feeding the hungry, community gardens, health through nutrition, fresh expressions and the emerging church, environmental stewardship, early childhood literacy and reading to children and advocacy for justice are just a few of Meribah’s many passions. She lives each day in joyful gratitude for all of God’s blessings.

Page 5 December 2012

Music for the Season By Aaron Carter-Cohn

It's been a busy, but worshipful, season after Pentecost for St. Alban's Music Ministry. We've had a wide range of guest musicians, including Dr. Mike Torres on saxophone in September, Nigerian composer Dr. Ayo Oluranti in October, and Professor Andy Strietelmeier on violin on All Saints Sunday. We've also had a number of OSU undergraduate and graduate students share worship with us. One of them is Carrie Hall, who directed the adult choir on Saint Francis Day and who will lead our Children's Choir in their preparation for the Advent season.

Currently, we have three ensembles in the music ministry: the adult choir, the hand bell ensemble, and the children's choir. It is the volunteers in this ministry that make music at St. Alban's happen and contribute to meaningful and engaging worship. I encourage us all to appreciate their ministry and recognize their contribution to our community. And, oh yes, we're always looking for more voices and bell-ringers, so please consider joining us for Advent and Christmas--we've only just begun!

I leave you with the Choristers' Prayer that the adult choir speaks together at our rehearsals:

Bless, O Lord, us Thy servants, who minister in Thy temple. Grant that what we sing with our lips, we may believe in our hearts, and what we believe in our hearts, we may show forth in our lives. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

St. Alban's Choir welcomed Nigerian composer, Dr. Ayo Oluranti, Dr. Adeleke Adeeko of The Ohio State University, and other guests on Saint Francis Day. They were conducted by Children's Choir Director, Carrie Hall.

December 2012 Page 6

Brings us Your Mittens, Hats, Gloves and Scarves!

Once again, the Social Concerns Committee will also sponsor a collection of mittens, gloves, hats, and scarves to be given to children in need at Fairwood Elementary School. This school has children from

first through sixth grade. The collection will take place now through mid-December. A collection box is in the Living Room. For more information, please contact Ernestine Ujah.

Please help to keep these children warm through the winter months.

Social Concerns Lifeboat St. John’s, Columbus collects cold weather survival items and other essentials for distribution to their friends and neighbors who live on the streets. St. Alban’s will contribute to this collection again this year, which will take place through January. The following items are requested to help fill the Life Boat. Place the items you're donating in the box in the living room. Cash to purchase boots and coats in sized needed by people who request them. Make checks payable to St. Alban’s with “St. John’s Life Boat Project” in the memo. Questions? Ask Pete Lowder.

For adults:

Warm hats

New socks (the warmer the better)

Gloves (warm, water-proof gloves, no thin, stretchy gloves, please)

Full-size blankets (no throws or lap blankets)

Hooded sweatshirts (no sweaters)

Long underwear, tops and bottoms

4 – 6 person tents

Tarps

Sleeping bags

For children:

Sweatpants and sweatshirts (sizes 8 and larger)

Socks

Warm hats

Warm, waterproof gloves or mittens (no thin, stretchy gloves, please)

Cash to buy toys (Children at Street Church are asked what they want and these items are purchased.)

Items may be new or used. Used parkas for adults and heavy coats for children are great. (If coats are used, please make certain that zippers work, buttons are not missing and that they are clean.)

Please DO NOT bring used clothing. They do not have storage space.

Christmas is a busy season for all of the organizations we support. Read the information on these pages about how

you can help others in need this Christmas.

December 2012 Page 7

Caring and Sharing in December:

Neighborhood House Food Pantry

St. Alban’s Social Concerns Committee selects an organization to receive the loose plate offering each month on Caring and Sharing Sunday. Contributions can also be made at any time using the envelopes in the pews.

Neighborhood House, Inc. is a settlement house on the Near East side of Columbus offering a variety of programs to assist children, families and single adults to become self-sufficient. Founded in 1909 by St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Neighborhood House is a Jubilee Ministry of The Episcopal Church: One of the ways the Episcopal Church addresses domestic poverty is through its Jubilee network, which consists of more than 600 Jubilee Ministry Centers. These centers empower the poor and oppressed in their communities by providing direct services such as food, shelter and health care, and also by advocating for human rights.

Although Neighborhood House provides many services, St Alban’s concern this month is the Food Pantry. Please be generous. More than ever, Neighborhood House is depending on our contributions to feed people in December. This offering will supplement our traditional Christmas food basket collection by providing funds for chickens, turkeys and other needed items. Caring and Sharing Sunday is December 9. Ms. Alisa Osei-Poku (Miss “O”), Director of Essential Services, will share information about HFF during an-nouncements.

Neighborhood House Christmas Food Baskets As we have done for more than 25 years, St. Alban’s will collect food for Christmas baskets for the Neighborhood House Food Pantry. For many families, it is a hardship or an impossibility to buy food for Christmas dinner. As you shop for your own Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations, please consider shopping for the Neighborhood House Food Pantry.

A basket for a family of 4 or 5 includes the following items:

Instant coffee 2 cans green beans evaporated milk

2 lbs. stuffing 2 cans cranberry sauce powered milk

4-5 boxes macaroni & cheese 2 cans corn 2 lbs. rice

2 lbs. beans (great northern or lima) 2 cans soup jelly or jam

2 boxes instant mashed potatoes peanut butter

a treat (candy, cake mix/icing, cookies)

Bring your donation of food to the Living Room between now and December 9. If you would like to contribute toward the purchase of turkeys or chickens, make your check payable to St. Alban’s and write “Christmas Baskets” in the memo space. Shopping lists are also available on the table in the Living Room.

Please be generous in continuing this wonderful St. Alban’s tradition.

Deadline for the January issue of The Red Door Monday, December 10

Stewardship Take heart… Now is the time when St. Alban’s calendar calls us to make a commitment to support the costs of running our church and its programs. The stewardship committee is seeking pledges as unrestricted gifts to meet the 2013 budget needs for worship, hospitality, education, ministry development, pastoral care, spiritual formation and outreach. Your annual pledge to St. Alban’s permits both planning and fiscal responsibility. As a steward of St. Alban’s, please take the time to consider your commitment for 2013. All of the church family knows that it takes treasure, talent and time to sustain the community of faith that is our parish. Now is your opportunity to commit to help in the area of fiscal stewardship. If you need a pledge card, please contact the office (admin@stalbansbexley.org) or stop in to pick up one. Everything we are and have are gifts from God. It is our privilege to respond in thanks to God in a variety of ways in our lives. Remember Mark’s words: “Take heart…He is calling you!”

Warden’s Notes

What do I see at St. Alban’s?

Our new Rector. Renewed vision. Distributed leadership. Team staffing. Abundant parish activities. Connections to the Diocese. Dedication to outreach. Calls to ministry. Young families. “Experienced” perspectives. Community.

All of these are happening because of you, long-time and recently affiliated members of St. Alban’s. Your leadership—chairing and serving on committees linking vestry to building and grounds, adult and children’s formation, hospitality, worship, social concerns and parish life—has exemplified the call of Common Ministry. Your stewardship of time, talent and treasure has supported St. Alban’s through a challenging period and provided a foundation for better things to come.

This is the time of year when members are called for further service as nominees for vestry and diocesan convention delegates, for stewardship, and to support what we collectively want St. Alban’s to be.

Please consider the call and how you may be able to share your gifts. What do I see at St. Alban’s? Together, I see an exciting time ahead.

With and In Christ,

Dan Fulton Senior Warden -Dan Fulton, Senior Warden

December 2012 Page 8

December 2012 Page 9

…...St. John’s Christmas Bags…..from page 4:

Items Needed for 70 Adult Bags:

pocketsize pack of Kleenex, Chapstick, toothbrush, toothpaste, small pad of paper, pen, travel-size lotion,

soap, shampoo

Items Needed for 20 Children’s Bags:

coloring book, box of 24 crayons, toothbrush, toothpaste, Chapstick, small stuffed animal

Collection of items ends Sunday, December 2.

Sunday, December 9: Join St. John’s at 5 p.m. at their Advent Sunday Evening Gathering for a light sup-

per and to fill the bags. We will meet at St. Alban’s at 4:15 p.m. and carpool to St. John’s. In order for St.

John’s to plan, please sign up on the sign-up sheet in the living room if you wish to participate in this event.

Sunday, December 23: Join St. John’s at 1 p.m. at Street Church to help distribute the bags. (We can carpool from St. Alban’s.) Shopping lists of needed items are also available on the table in the living room to take with you.

Calendar Highlights of the Season seasonal highlights at St. Alban’s consult the weekly bulletins for the most up-to-date information

Sunday, November 25, Sunday before Advent 9:15 a.m. Advent Wreath making workshop—all welcome

Sunday, December 2, I Advent 10:15 a.m. Children’s Choir will sing with Adult Choir

Sunday, December 9, II Advent 4:30 p.m. St. John’s Service Project (meet here to carpool)

Sunday, December 16, III Advent 10:15 a.m. Christmas Pageant in the Education Building

Sunday, December 23, IV Advent regular services

Monday, December 24, Christmas Eve 4 p.m. family friendly service with Holy Communion

10:30 p.m. Choral Prelude

11 p.m. traditional Christmas Eve Services with candlelight and Holy Communion

Tuesday, December 25, Christmas Day 10 a.m. Celebration of the Incarnation of Christ with Holy Communion

Sunday, December 30, Christmas I regular services

Sunday, January 6, Epiphany The Feast of Lights—the last service with our candelabra

Sunday, January 13, Baptism of the Lord We will renew our baptismal vows on this day