may-june, 2016 thechronicle · beryl moore 215-736-3608 ... holland, tom oram, celia apalategui...

TheChronicle The magazine of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Yardley, PA

May-June, 2016

A celebration of

ministry and a

fond farewell

ST. ANDREW’S EPISCOPAL

CHURCH Founded 1835

47 West Afton Avenue

Yardley, PA 19067

Tel: 215.493.2636; Fax: 215.493.3092

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.standrews-yardley.org

The Rev. Canon Daniel G. P. Gutierrez,

Bishop-Elect of Pennsylvania

Parish Staff

The Rev. Dr. Daniell C. Hamby, Rector

(Retired May 22)

The Rev. Lloyd H. Winter, Jr.,

Priest Associate

Mark Dolan, Music Director

TITAR Commercial, Cleaning Service

Bob Ebert, Sexton

Office of the Rector

Accounting Warden

Jennifer Duffield 917-846-1120

Rector’s Warden

Joan Thomas 215-369-8141

The Vestry

Angela Grady 215-860-8268

Porter Hibbitts 215-550-6791

Dave Richardson 215-295-3235

Steve Rupprecht 215-428-9568

Kathleen Johnson 215-321-0555

Dorothy Schrandt 215-337-9025

Doug Riblet 215-321-7920

Beryl Moore 215-736-3608

Gerry Yarnall 215-295-1589

Marilyn Slivka 215-321-3524

June

1: Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, 2:50pm.

6: Gift of Years, RCR

7: Camera Club, 7:00pm, PH

14: Property Committee, RCR

18: Aid for Friends, 8:00am, PH

20: Gift of Years, RCR

21: Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, 2:50pm.

22: GRACE book club, 2:00pm.

28: Prayer Shawl Ministry, 1:00pm, RCR

FOR YOUR CALENDAR

THE CHRONICLE MAY-JUNE, 2016 2

Write to The Chronicle: Reviews, Voices: Maximum 500 words.

Letters: Maximum 200 words.

News: Maximum 200 words.

Send via e-mail to editor Robin Prestage at

[email protected]

or call 215-295-7346. Cover: Daniell delivering his final homily as Rector of St.

Andrew’s on May 22, Photo: Robin Prestage.

Now you can get home delivery of The Chronicle Do you want to receive a printed copy of The

Chronicle sent by mail to your home address? With

effect from the September-October edition, an

annual subscription including five bi-monthly

issues is priced $20 to cover the costs of paper, ink,

printing and mailing. There is no form to complete,

simply write a tax-deductible check for $20 made

out to “St. Andrew's Episcopal Church” and

indicate "The Chronicle" on the memo line. Place

your check in the offertory basket at church on

Sunday or take it or mail it to the church office.

Any questions contact the editor, Robin Prestage

at 215-295-7346 or e-mail:

[email protected].

Photo Credits: To those who contributed photographs featuring

Daniell’s last Sunday at St. Andrew’s and his

ministry of the past 18 years, as well as other articles

in this edition: Peace Baxter, Sara Grady, Bud

Holland, Tom Oram, Celia Apalategui Pilkington,

John Sherrard, and Derek White.

Thank you, Robin Prestage.

CELEBRATING 18 YEARS OF MINISTRY


Special thanks to those who

worked so hard to make the

celebration party on May 22

such a success: Jennifer

Duffield, Joanne Smith, Liz

Lapiska, Amanda Drobac,

Michael Drobac, Lisa

O’Donnell, Mark Dolan, Sara

Sensenig, Randy Hill, Bob

Ebert, Pete Morris, Doug Riblet,

Cindy and Bill Vallier, Angela

Grady and Sara Grady.


4 THE CHRONICLE MAY-JUNE, 2016

Father Daniell has always been there for me when I

needed to talk about things and offered comfort and

advice and help. Earl Brommer.

Always be remembered for

"Listen to the ears of your

heart", which has become

one of my favorites

phrases. And loved, loved,

loved your sermons.

Valerie Beirne.

Dear Daniell, thank you for

all you have done for us. I

will always remember and

appreciate you. Elliott

DeForrest.

Gonna miss you. You’re

the man Dan. Spencer

DeForrest.

Hands down Daniell, you

are the best. One of a kind

who will be missed and never

forgotten. I am forever grateful that our paths have

crossed. Liz DeForrest.

We love traveling in the South, so it is a special

pleasure to visit Georgia vicariously each Sunday

morning. Daniell has been an inspiration and an

excellent teacher. Don & Patti Conover.

ALLEMANDE LEFT AND A GRAND RIGHT AND

LEFT. Marcie White.

Thank you for your thoughtfulness and kind words

over the years and that special way that you have

when connecting with people. We wish you much

love, health and happiness in the future. Linda and

Joe Lowe.

Best wishes on your retirement! We spent a lot of time

together working for St. Andrew's. We were a good

team. Now enjoy this new life of leisure. Kick back

and relax! Life is good! Cheri Peters.

I will miss your warmth, your sensitivity, your humor,

and your sermons. Enjoy your retirement. Gloria

Levitt.

What can we say to the Rector who baptized our son,

directed our daughter and son through confirmation,

gave us countless creative and stimulating homilies,

and strengthened our parish during some difficult

times? Thank you, Daniell, and Godspeed! Louise,

Doug, Sarah, and Andrew Riblet.

I was lost and you found me wandering. You

welcomed me and showed me the meaning of The

Holy Spirit. I am forever grateful and will never

forget. Jennifer Duffield.

We are grateful for the opportunity to worship with

you over the years. Your untiring support of our

family events is especially appreciated. Wishing you

good health and an enjoyable retirement. Bernie and

Soozie Myers.

Resplendent in robes, faithfully bearing gifts every

Sunday: Burnished homilies to start us on our week,

words calling up God’s unending love for us, the Holy

Spirit’s care for us (with “sighs too deep for words”)

Tweets for #GodspeedDaniell



and Jesus, always Jesus, beckoning us to follow. And

sometimes he sang to us; sometimes he reminded us

that when our hearts are broken, they are also broken

open; and sometimes, in a Georgia cadence not heard

enough in these parts, he told us stories that made us

laugh out loud. Thank you, Daniell, for all you’ve

given us. Joan Thomas.

Technology at the 4:00 children's service with Daniell

and "the Mr. Frankievich's". Can you find the blinking

pointer! Cindy Shaw and Bob Frankievich.

Thank you Daniell for all you’ve done for our St.

Andrews family and the spiritual formation of our

children. Love and best wishes. The Rupprecht

family.

Gospel and grits go together. Daniell fed our hunger

for both. May he keep on cooking in faith and with

hope and love and may every day be a feast day in the

Hamby household. Bob & Peggy Anderson.

We are most grateful to have had you be a presence in

our lives. You will forever be entwined in the

memories and history of our family. We are indebted

to you for your wisdom, love, and caring. Gerry and

Beth Yarnall.

May the return to your beloved southern roots bring

all that your heart desires. Peace Baxter.

May you have a long, fulfilling and healthy

retirement. Robin & Laura-Jean Prestage.

I will think of you when I play Bach or drink a latte.

Thank you for the words of wisdom in your sermons

and outside of the sanctuary. Your spiritual and

general life guidance has helped me tremendously and

will continue to stay in my life going forward.

Thanks also for making me smile. You're an

all-around good guy and will be missed. Meredith

Twardowski.

Spiritual leader par excellence and good at making me

LOL at church. Will miss your gentle guidance and

great good sense. Expect dulce de leche @ xmas. Alex

Villasante.

Dependable, Amazing, Nice, Interesting, Educated,

Loving, a Leader. These words and so many others

describe our amazing and one of a kind priest. Rowan

O’Donnell.

Good luck in ‘Bama, don’t have too much fun without

us! #Godspeed. Mitch Demmler.

May God and Jesus Christ protect you and bless you

as you have done so much for every member of St.

Andrew’s. Hope you enjoy ‘Bama! #Godspeed.

Bobby White.

Have a great time in ‘Bama! You were a great priest

and have a great sense of humor and personality. We

will all miss you. #Godspeed. Brody Ambroggio.

I hope that you have a great time in Alabama and

know that the church will miss you. #Godspeed.

Isabel Taylor.

I hope that your moving experience goes great and

that you have a fabulous time in ‘Bama! Best wishes!

#Godspeed. Miles Ambroggio.

It’s been a great eight years! We’ll miss you. Have fun

in AL! #Godspeed. Emmy Evans.

Love, joy, excitement, giggles, wine, cheesecake, and

chocolate! #Godspeed. Laura Evans.

You made church a great experience for me.

#Godspeed. Jake Rea.

Thank you for all that you brought to our church for

the last 18 years! You have helped us grow in many

ways. We are better off for the time we have had with

you. #Godspeed. Sara Grady.

Cheers to the Hambys! May your Alabama gardens

grow abundantly and your pantries be filled with pie.

#Godspeed. Jon Rea.

You welcome. You inspire. You love. You are

everything religion was meant to be. Our family has

been blessed by your ministry. We wish you a happy

retirement! The O’Donnells

FAREWELL


Reflecting on ministry at ‘remarkable parish’ HE calls himself a “simple

parish priest. “ And he says,

on greeting people, “Call me

Daniell,” with a soft Georgia

accent. He likes southern

stories, wine, desserts and

barbecue, not necessarily in

that order. His wife and two

daughters—and now a

son-in-law—are special

people in his life. But he is

much more than that.

He is the Very Rev. Dr.

Daniell C. Hamby and his

list of accomplishments runs

two full pages, single-spaced. He has been involved in

parish, diocesan, state, national and international

church activities for years. He loves music and has

been a musician for most of his life.

After almost 18 years as rector of St. Andrew’s

Episcopal Church, Daniell has retired, effective at the

end of May. His wife, Virginia, will retire from her

social work job at the end of August and they will

return to their native South to start a new life story.

Daniell is the longest-serving rector in this church’s

history, dating to 1835. There have been 27 rectors

since the church’s beginning, according to parish

records. He succeeded the Rev. Sharline Fulton, who

served as rector from 1988 to 1997.

What are some of the highlights of his career at St.

Andrew’s? “Ongoing

development of our parish life,

including the growth of our

outreach and youth programs.

“This is a remarkable parish,”

Daniell said. “We have a well-

educated group of parishioners

who are holding elected

officials at the state and federal

levels accountable to legisla-

tion to feed the hungry. It takes

a lot to go to their offices in

Harrisburg and Washington and

sit down and tell them

(legislators) that they are being

watched and being held accountable for legislation

dealing with this issue. They tell them ‘We are

watching how you vote.’ And we are training the

young adults to do the same thing,” he said. And our

church, like many, is beset with financial problems.

“Our biggest challenge is our physical plant. It costs

us $90,000 per year for upkeep on five Victorian

buildings owned by the parish. And we always need

repairs. A ramp collapse at the parish house will cost

$20,000 to fix and we don’t have the money to do it.

We’ve had two capital campaigns that raised about $1

million but that doesn’t cover ongoing costs. It costs

another $90,000 a

year for costs such

as heating, cooling

and salaries. How

will this parish—the

people, vestry and

the new rector—

deal with this?” he

asks. “We have not

recovered from the

2008 financial bust.

We were doing well

until then. Also, our

parish is growing

older, with some

passing away and

others moving from

the area. We need

Daniell looks back on his nearly two decades as

rector at St. Andrew’s in an interview with

Art Mayhew.

(Continued on page 7)

A snapshot of our world when Daniell became rector in 1998… Bill Clinton was in his second term as President.

The movie, Titanic, won 11 Oscars, including

Best Picture.

Animal Kingdom opened in Disney World in

Orlando.

Google was founded.

Average gas price: $1.06 a gallon.

Gallon of milk: $3.16

Dozen eggs: $1.09

Median income: $38,500

Cost of new house: $181,900.

FAREWELL


leadership from parishioners in their 40s and 50s; it is

time for them to step forward. But, we know people

are busy today and it’s hard to get them to step up.

“We have about 400 to 450 on our rolls and we need

to grow but that’s difficult to do with the size of our

church and the size of the parking lot.

“In addition to our parish family, we are the unofficial

church of Yardley Borough. We provide pastoral care

to local non-parishioners, have four AA classes, and

offer pre-school l program.

“We have never not responded to a local need.”

Daniell was born May 8, 1950, in Atlanta, GA, and

spent his early years in Atlanta and Marietta, GA,

Chattanooga, TN, Palatka, FL and Gainesville, GA

where he graduated from high school.

His father, Joe, was a salesman and later a

manufacturers’ rep who at one time raised chickens

for sale. Daniell said his father wanted to be a

veterinarian “but World War II stopped that.” His dad

also told stories about his relatives, some of which

Daniell worked into his

homilies.

Like most men at that time,

Daniell said his dad “always

wore a hat. I wish I had his

hats today, they were nice

ones.”

His mother, Hellen may have

been labeled a “homebody”

but she was often out of the

house and involved in a

variety of civic projects and

clubs.

“She was in the garden club,

the country club, the flower

club, and of course, the

church.”

To many Southerners of the

(Continued from page 6)


FAREWELL


time, church was a major part of

life. “I wore a coat, tie and shined

shoes to church every Sunday.

Part of [my] Saturday night ritual

was shining my shoes for the next

day. Sunday lunch at home

included critiquing that day’s

sermon and the pastor.”

In the 1960s in church, Daniell’s

love of music bloomed. His

family and church members

encouraged him to attend college

and concentrate on music. With

the help of scholarships, he

attended Presbyterian College in

Clinton, SC, graduating in 1973

with a B.A. in Music. “I was the

first member of my family to

graduate from college, earn a

doctorate, be published and

ordained. “

Another major personal event

occurred in 1973. Daniell married Virginia Sonnen

on June 16, 1973 and she was with him when he took

his first job as an intern pastor

of the First Presbyterian Church

in Opp, AL (1975-76). They

moved on to the First

Presbyterian Church in High

Point, NC from 1977 to 1981,

where their first daughter,

Elizabeth Lee Hamby, was

born on October 23, 1980.

Daniell became pastor of St.

Andrews Presbyterian Church

in Macon, GA in 1981. His

second daughter, Hannah

Sonnen Hamby, was born

there February 16, 1984. Five

years later, the family of four

would leave the South for Notre

Dame University in South

Bend, IN, where major

academic and professional

changes would take place.

He earned his master’s degree

in liturgical studies from Notre

Dame in 1990 and his doctor of ministry from

Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. In

his career, he has completed a variety of

post-graduate and continuing education courses.

While at Notre Dame (and still a Presbyterian), he



Below: Pictured during Daniell’s tenth anniversary garden

party, left to right, his mother Hellen, daughter Hannah and

sister Meredith.

At the Mardi Gras party.

FAREWELL


paired his love of music with the

ministry of the word as organist

and choirmaster at St. Michael’s

Episcopal Church in South Bend.

Influenced by his work at that

church, he became an

Episcopalian and was ordained

an Episcopal priest in 1994. Later

that year, he made a major move

and took a job as General

Secretary of the Consultation on

Church Union at Princeton

University. The organization

focuses on exploring the

formation of a united church. It is

still a work in progress.

At Princeton and its expensive housing market, the

Hambys looked for—and found—more affordable

housing in Yardley. Earlier, while commuting to

Princeton, he served as priest in charge of All Saints

Episcopal Church in Fallsington and assistant priest to

the rector, Sharline Fulton, at St. Andrew’s. He

became rector on September 1, 1998.

In addition to being a mother of two and the rector’s

wife, Virginia has had a busy and interesting life as a

social worker, including commuting daily by train to

Philadelphia. She works for Health Partners of Penn-

sylvania, which assists families with medically fragile

children to receive insurance benefits. She will retire

around Labor Day and with Daniell will move to

Eufaula, AL, a 13,000-population city “on the banks

of the Chattahoochee River” as Daniell defines it.

In moving south, Virginia and Daniell will be closer to

family. His mother, Hellen, and his sister, Meredith,

who both live in Albany, GA, where Meredith teaches

physical education; and to their younger daughter,

Hannah, a clinical social worker at Emory University

Hospital in Atlanta, where she lives.

Remaining above the Mason-Dixon Line will be their

recently married elder daughter, Elizabeth Hatuey

Ramos-Fermin, who lives in New York City and

works as an urban planner for the city’s health

department.

After hundreds of baptisms—“I am

now baptizing children of parish-

ioners who were children them-

selves when I came here”—

confirmations, weddings, funerals,

sermons and myriad other liturgical

tasks, Daniell is stepping into a new

life. What will Daniell miss most

about St. Andrew’s?

“Working with children and

attacking issues such as hunger and

social justice. We have wonderful

outreach programs that must be

continued and expanded where

possible.”

Art Mayhew


FAREWELL


Looking for a story of fate: HOW about being born one month later than your

future husband…in the same hospital?

Virginia Sonnen Hamby was born June 6, 1950, in

an Atlanta hospital where her future husband, Daniell,

was born May 8, 1950. “Daniell’s family lived in

Atlanta and my family lived in Forsyth, GA, which

had no hospital. When our mothers met, we

discovered we had been born at the same hospital.”

This fall, Virginia will accompany Daniell back to

Eufaula, AL, a

small city where

she spent her high

school years. They

will live ten miles

outside of town in

a home her parents

built for their re-

tirement. Both are

gone now.

They will move

from a home next

door to a fire house

to a quiet country

place. She has

grown use to the

fire alarm. When

she and Daniell

moved here, the siren was of World War II vintage.

“Every pet we had has gone deaf,” she jokes.

VIRGINIA was one of three children of Don and

Barbara Sonnen. “My dad was a forester who

worked for a paper company and my mom was a

homemaker who also enjoyed helping in middle-

school classrooms.” She has a brother, David, who is

a semi-retired software developer living in Ft. Collins,

CO, and a sister, Laura, a florist who lives in Eufaula.

Virginia moved to Eufaula as a high school junior

when her father was transferred from Forsyth, GA, to

a paper mill in the Alabama town. She graduated from

Eufaula High School and went to Presbyterian College

in Clinton, SC.

That’s where she met Daniell and earned her

bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology in

1973. They married the same year and began their

lives together, including having two daughters

(Elizabeth and Hannah) and moving several times

before settling in Yardley in 1994.

Along the way, Virginia carved out a career of social

work. She has worked in welfare, mental health, early

intervention of children with special needs, hospice,

residential care for adults and children with special

needs and now with a not-for-profit Medicaid and

Medicare insurance provider in Philadelphia. (Her

boss is fellow

parishioner Leah

French.)

Oh, and by the

way, she found

time to earn a

master’s degree in

social work from

Temple University.

For 22 years of

riding the train

from Yardley to

Philly for work and

college, she has

developed another

set of friends who

ride the same 6:40

a.m. inbound train

and the 5:44 p.m. train home. “We have our own little

social circle. Our train ladies even go to dinner

together from time to time.”

What will she miss about leaving Yardley?

“I will miss friends in Yardley, at work, on the train

and at St. Andrews. I also love the beauty and history

of the area and the proximity to our daughter

(Elizabeth) and son-in-law in NYC,” she said.

Oddly enough, for a Southerner, she will miss

shoveling snow. “I love cold weather; I send pictures

to my sister of me shoveling snow. She doesn’t

understand it. “But I do look forward to being closer

to family in the South, including our daughter Hannah

in Atlanta.”

That Southern family includes her sister in Eufaula;

and Daniell’s sister, Meredith and mother, Hellen,

who live in nearby Georgia along with other relatives.

Art Mayhew

VESTRY NOTES


WHAT a great celebration of

Daniell’s ministry with us it was:

On May 22, Daniell’s last Sunday

with us as Rector, we did what St.

Andrew’s does so well: from the

beautiful music arranged by Mark

Dolan and the heavenly choirs to

the amazing feast prepared by so

many wonderful St. Andrew’s

chefs, it was all that it should be in

thanksgiving for Daniell’s time

with us. Multitudes were fed. And,

to celebrate the Eucharist,

Episcopal priests Bud Holland,

Lloyd Winter, Nancy Dilliplane,

Sharline Fulton and Nancy Stroh,

and our former Deacon Pam Nesbit

and current member and priest

Megan Sutker stood with Daniell

in the crossing (beautifully

prepared by the Altar Guild) and

affirmed that we are the heart of St.

Andrew’s. We were also honored to

have Lucy Ammerman of the

Diocese of Pennsylvania

celebrating with us.

What’s next

The wardens and the Vestry have

been blessed to have Bud Holland

to help us in managing this

transition and working with the

Diocese. We now have priests

scheduled to celebrate most sum-

mer Sundays, and we also know

that there are at least four people at

St. Andrew’s who can lead us in

morning prayer when needed. The

wardens are meeting with a candi-

date for the important position of

parish administrator.

The Vestry interviewed a promising

candidate for interim rector, and we

will let you all know when that

process is complete. We will look

for opportunities to have the interim

rector, once

called, get to

know St.

Andrew’s

during the

summer.

The wardens

and the Vestry

continue to

look ahead to

the beginning

of the pro-

gram year in

September

when we hope

to have the

interim rector on board. (And, yes,

we will celebrate with a

welcome picnic!) We will plan for

a Vestry Town Hall to keep you all

informed of where we are in our

journey together and a “Mission

Sunday” where you will have the

opportunity to engage, ever more

deeply, in the amazing ministries of

this parish. While a parish profile

committee and a discernment

committee to find our new spiritual

leader will be convened only after

the interim is here, during the

summer the Vestry will be

considering the many gifts all of

you bring to the life of this parish,

and we hope that you will serve and

participate in whatever way is

needed.

On that note…

As we’ve said before, we all need

to remember that we are the heart

of this parish. And it’s up to all of

us to step forward to continue the

great ministries of this place, to do

the work God has given us to do –

even in the quiet of summer. Please

continue to serve as ushers,

acolytes, Christian Formation

teachers, nursery parents, altar

guild members, lay pastoral care

givers, prayer shawl makers,

participants in Aid for Friends and

outreach ministries. Continue the

great work of the property

committee. Help our common life

to be energized, even as we will

greatly miss Daniell. Sign up for

Coffee Hour as we gather between

the two services and for potlucks on

the occasional Tuesdays, and the

great feasts that St. Andrew’s does

so well. And please continue with

your stewardship. (We cannot seek

a new rector if our finances are not

stable.) If you’ve been sitting back

for a bit, now is the time to step

forward. As you continue to pray

for St. Andrew’s, please remember

the Vestry. We are mindful of the

great responsibility we have, and

we need your prayers.

Joan Thomas, Rector’s Warden

Jennifer Duffield, Accounting Warden

Our Journey Together Continues

Daniell attending his final Vestry meeting.

Photo: Bud Holland

OUTREACH

THE CHRONICLE MAY-JUNE, 2016

THE Christmas in June campaign

continues until June 12 and St.

Andrew’s is hoping to provide

grocery gift cards for each of the

families living in transitional

housing at the Robert Morris

Apartments. This project helps to

assist each family’s food budget

mid-year. The goal is to provide a

$10 grocery gift card from Giant

for the 101 members of the 39

families. Please take one of the

ornaments for a family from the

Christmas Tree Poster. Purchase a

Giant $10 gift card for each

individual in the family you

selected. Place the family

ornament, along with the grocery

gift cards in a pre-addressed

envelope addressed to St.

Andrew's in the church. Place the

envelope in the offering plate, hand

deliver or mail it to St. Andrew’s

church office. Extra $10 gift cards

will also be appreciated for any

additional families who move into

the empty apartments at RMA.

Contact: Mary Winegardner at

[email protected], Ann

Holland, 215-428-3571 or

[email protected] or Doug

Riblet, 215-321-7920 or

[email protected].

DURING Lent our Rite 13 and J2A

teenagers led us in collecting food

to Send Hunger Packing,

providing kits of food for Trenton

schoolchildren to take home on

weekends (see photo below). The

food drive collected 625 pounds of

food to be distributed through the

Mercer Street Friends Food Bank.

ST. ANDREW’S has a history of

helping Habitat for Humanity

build homes for people who would

otherwise not be able to afford

them. If you are

either 16 or 17 years

of age who can

work with a parent,

or older, can wield a

hammer or a paint

brush, and would

like to participate

with a St. Andrew’s

team home building in Trenton or

Lower Bucks County, or if you are

interested in providing needed help

at Habitat’s new Re Store in

Langhorne, please sign up on the

sheet at the back of the church or

contact John Poole at

[email protected], or 215-

8690-3430, or Doug Riblet (see

above). John and Doug are also

happy to answer any questions you

may have about Habitat’s work.

THE garage sale in the parish house

on April 30 netted $1,726 which

will help fund a July 30-August 6

trip to Guatemala for 14

parishioners, including six

teen-agers, where they will build

two homes in partnership with

From Houses to Homes. Unsold

items were donated to Habitat for

Humanity (see photo above).

Campaigns help local families, kids

12

Alex Evans (left), Rowan

O'Donnell and Jacob

Rea at the food pyramid

for Mercer Street

Friends.

Left to right: Mary Winegardner,

Cindy and Bill Vallier and Eric Laird and

his son James help load unsold garage sale

items into a truck to be taken to Habitat for

Humanity..

ADVOCACY


EVERY time we baptize a baby, a

child, or an adult, we recite the

baptismal covenant and promise

God that we will "strive for justice

and peace among all people, and

respect the dignity of every human

being." Now what does that mean?

Striving for justice and peace

means seeking to establish God's

realm on earth as it is in heaven. In

God's realm, all hungry people are

fed and all lions and lambs lie down

together peaceably.

We are engaged in two advocacy

efforts focused on hunger and peace

tight now. The first is seeking to

feed hungry children by urging

Congress to support child nutrition

programs, including summer meals

for out-of-school children. The

second is working to find common

ground for making improvements

in gun safety.

Feeding the Hungry

This April, parishioners wrote

letters to our congressional

representatives asking them to

support programs combating child

hunger at home and abroad.

Congress is very near enacting the

Global Food Security Act, as

championed by Bread for the World

and supported by Congressman

Fitzpatrick and Senator Casey.

Congress is now debating domestic

child nutrition programs.

On May 10, I and other representa-

tives of local churches and the

Interfaith Food Alliance met with

Congressman Fitzpatrick to discuss

these child nutrition programs. It

was a good and gracious meeting.

The Congressman embraced the

key point that these programs are a

sound investment in our

country's future produc-

tivity. Last year he co-

sponsored a summer

meals act and this year

(with my prayer fingers

crossed) I expect him to

do that same. The Con-

gressman was

especially appreciative of

the 45 letters our kids and

adults wrote to him about

hunger. Way to go, St. A's kids!

On June 7, Leah French and I will

go to Washington D.C. to

participate in Bread for the World's

Lobby Day. We will meet with

Congressman Fitzpatrick and

representatives of Senators Casey

and Toomey and we will have a

great time for a great cause, just as

we did last year. Contact me if

you'd like to go.

Gun Safety

On Palm Sunday in March, St.

Andrew's hosted a gun safety forum

attended by 45 people, including

State representative Steve

Santarsiero, and facilitated by

Barbara Simmons of the Bucks

County Peace Center. We

encouraged people to offer

differing perspectives in the hopes

that a civil and constructive

conversation could identify

common ground for incremental

reductions in gun violence and

improvements in gun safety.

A key participant in that

conversation was Dave Sager, the

president of Pennsylvanians for

Self-Protection, a responsible and

thoughtful gun rights organization.

Barbara and I are working with him

and others to advance this

conversation in constructive ways. I

anticipate having another forum in

the fall.

Peace and Reconciliation

Blessed are the peacemakers for

they will be called children of God

(Matthew 5:9). Please note that in

all our advocacy efforts, we strive

to be peacemakers and to offer an

alternative to the nasty, name-

calling, vilifying ways of our

political culture. We give credit

where credit is due, as with

Congressman Fitzpatrick's sponsor-

ing the summer meals bill and

Representative Santarsiero's spon-

soring a sensible background check

bill.

An Invitation

Please join our growing advocacy

efforts. Contact me at anderbob-

[email protected] or 215-968-6216 if

you'd like to help reduce hunger,

promote safety, model peaceful-

ness, and fulfill your baptismal

promises. Don't be a wuss.

Bob Anderson

St. Andrew's call: Hunger, Safety, and Peace

Among those who wrote letters to our

representatives seeking support for

programs combating child hunger were

Allyson Youngblood and daughter Nora.

POETS CORNER

"PAY attention. Be astonished. Tell

about it."

These imperatives are found in

Mary Oliver's Instructions for

Living a Life. All poets obey them.

God was the first poet. As Genesis I

describes, God made the world,

paid attention to what had been

created, was astonished, and

proclaimed: "My God, this is good,

really good." And see The Prologue

of John's Gospel: "In the beginning

was the Word and the Word was

with God and the Word is God."

ALPHONSE APALATEGUI was

the premier poet of St. Andrew's for

decades. He and his wife Anne

were our exemplars of beauty,

style, and drama. They led poetry

forums, Renaissance Fairs, and

Shakespeare readings. They told

Christmas stories and presented

Easter Vigil skits (who can forget

Anne as one of the glowing skeletal

Markettes singing Dem Bones?).

And they produced plays and

pageants, conjoining kids and

adults in joy and faith.

AT the parish forum on April 24,

we staged a poetry fest in honor of

Alphonse and Anne.

The parish house was packed; the

crowd was riveted. We cried and

we laughed and we led the

abundant life offered by both the

gospels and the best poems.

Ceci Apalategui Pilkington led off

the festivities with poems honoring

her parents, her brother Ben, and

Derek White. St. Andrew's alumna Hilary

Hudgins returned from New York

City to wow us with three of her

poems; Fran Leyenberger read

moving tributes from her son Whit

to his late dad Chris and his mom

on Mother's Day; Daniell read the

wedding day ode he wrote for his

daughter Liz; and Tom Conners

recited a poem he wrote on his

desire to stay 18 forever.

Several parishioners then read

favorite poems.

Terry Culleton, George School

teacher and former Bucks County

poet laureate, read a poem from his

new collection, Eternal Life.

Kevin Pilkington closed the show

with several selections from his

new collection, Where You Want to

Be.

TRUST me: if you have any whiff

of poetry in your soul you’ll want

to savor this book. The St.

Andrew's press is preparing a

booklet of the poetry fest readings.

Prepare to go barefoot because this

booklet will knock your socks off.

We paid attention. We were

astonished.

And now we've told you about it.

Come and see next year.

Bob Anderson

Poetry Fest: Joy, Rapture and Bow Ties


As many parish members will recall,

Alphonse Apalategui was a regular wearer

of bow ties and in honor of his memory

several distinguished gentlemen attending

the poetry forum were similarly attired.

They are, left to right: Robin Prestage,

Paul Cottone, Bob Anderson, Michael

Grady and Jim Grady.

Photo: Celia Apalategui Pilkington.

Alphonse and Anne Apalategui.

HISTORY CORNER


IN 1869 a “neighborly” event unfolded

which was not settled for almost 40

years. It seems that a neighbor, one

apparently living in a house that

occupied the now church parking lot,

fenced in his property but included

within this area land belonging to St.

Andrew’s. In 1870 the Vestry tried to

buy the house. The offer was refused.

In 1906 the church did buy the house

and it became the rectory and stood

until 1964 when it was deemed

unworthy of repair and was torn down.

On October 6, 1875 Abdiel Ramsey

then in Deacon’s orders was called to

take the services at St. Andrew’s. He

was paid $5/week. In April 1879

Ramsey was ordained to the priesthood

and his annual salary was increased to

$250/year. Ramsey was simultane-

ously serving St. Luke’s in Newtown

and that Vestry presented St. Andrew’s

a bill for half of the taxes and repairs

on the rectory of that church. The

record is not clear as to whether St.

Andrew’s complied.

The 40 years from 1890, when the St.

Andrew’s Church structure we know

today was consecrated, until 1930 were

fraught with disappointment and finan-

cial difficulties. In early 1891 Dr.

Osborne who succeeded Ramsey and

had inspired the parish for eight years,

resigned. The office of rector was

vacant for two years. In this period of

uncertainty a young man was elected

to the Vestry and became a stalwart

serving on the Vestry for a continuous

42 years. Jesse Harper is his name and

perhaps St. Andrew’s remains to us

today because of his devotion and

sustained efforts to preserve this House

of God. The Parish House was his

vision and labor. The first Rectory

referred to above was his foresight and

wisdom. Jesse also was a lay reader

and his surviving daughter Gladys

carried on by leading the Christian

education program at St. Andrew’s.

But back to the 1890s. Near Thanks-

giving 1893 Lewis H. Jackson was

called as “resident rector”. The stipend

was $325/year. In addition the Convo-

cation of Germantown agreed to pay

Jackson at least $200/year as a subsidy

for work at St. Andrew’s plus $25

more for holding services at the

Dolington Mission every two weeks.

An incident is noted about this time

regarding an agreement/disagreement

with a parishioner, Edward Nicholson,

Sr.’s heirs. Nicholson had deeded a

portion of the land for the church

cemetery with the understanding that

he/his heirs received half of the income

from the sale of lots. In 1894 the heirs

agreed to forego the income in ex-

change for perpetual care for the

family plot. This resolved the situation.

In 1896 Jackson resigned and given the

apparent hard economic times the

Vestry resolved that St. Andrew’s be

adopted as a mission. On the 14th July

1896 Bishop Whitaker appointed the

Rev. Joseph Wood, Jr. as priest to

serve St. Andrew’s as well as St.

James, Langhorne. Wood was respon-

sible for the initiation of a chapter of

the Daughters of the King which chap-

ter was in later years led by Gladys

Harper and ceased with her retirement

in the late1970s. The Sunday School

Building, a picture of which hangs in

the Parish House, was electrified

shortly after Wood’s arrival, and he

initiated the idea of pledge envelopes

and edited a church “paper,” The St.

Andrew’s Call.

In 1907 ivy was planted around the

church. This ivy had its roots at West-

minster Abbey from which cuttings

were taken and brought to the James-

town Colony in1609 by Captain John

Yardley, the master of the ship which

transported the colonists from the old

world to the new. A St. Andrew’s pa-

rishioner visiting Jamestown brought

back cuttings from the same plants to

Yardleyville, the settlement named for

William Yardley of the same family as

the Captain. This ivy over time proved

too strong for the handiwork of man,

damaging the stained glass windows as

well as the stone work and was

removed in 1984.

In 1912 plans for the Parish House we

occupy today were being made and

funds were solicited. The contract for

construction was signed in 1914 with

financing from contributions and a

mortgage on the rectory. The total cost

was ca $10,000 with Jesse Harper

contributing $1,000. Because of his

leadership and his generosity the

Parish House was named for his de-

ceased daughter, Gladys Harper’s twin,

Grace Leslie Harper, who died when a

teenager. On February 1, 1917 the

Parish House was dedicated by the

Bishop as well as St. Andrew’s rector

Lloyd Rhodes.

The Vestry minutes of November 29,

1915 records a curious item namely

that the rector Lloyd Rhodes had asked

permission to rent the Rectory! The

Vestry approved the request requiring

Rhodes to pay $10/month plus water

and electric bills. Interesting.

Next time: The years leading to the

Great Depression.

A look into St. Andrew’s past: Part III

Continuing the series in which Jaf Baxter recounts the genesis and history of St. Andrew’s.

Passages

Graduations:

Bryan Rupprecht from Providence College on May

15, 2016. Bryan will be starting to work for the

General Services Administration in its Emerging

Leaders program in Boston.

Olivia Duffield from Pennsbury High School with

honors and is headed to Elon University in the fall.

Sarah Riblet received a degree Masters of Research

with distinction from Queen's University, Belfast,

Northern Ireland. Her thesis addressed Irish

immigration to America during the period 1750 to

1820 and specifically the extent of Irish immigrants'

knowledge of life and conditions in America during

those years.

Alexander Baxter, grandson of Jaf and Peace

Baxter, from West Chester University with honors.

Mason Sherwood from Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, entering

the U.S. Army National Guard.

Moving:

Natalie Baxter Strange, daughter of Jaf and Peace

Baxter, has moved from Norwich, England, to

Amsterdam, Netherlands, where her husband the

Rev. Canon Alan Strange is now rector of Christ

Church, Amsterdam.

Baptisms:

Jonathan Sutker, Bradley Sutker, Bradley

Newman, Wesley Newman, Michael Wilson,

Elijah Popson, Kieran Bastiste, Kelly McGarth

Boland, Adley Whitman Byler

In Memoria:

Clayton C. Hayden, Bill French, Derek White,

Dean Harrison, Ralph Yardley, Jane Leef

Prayer:

Your life is not about you. It is about God and about

allowing Life and Death to “be done unto me,”

which is Mary's prayer at the beginning and Jesus'

prayer at the end. Richard Rohr.

may-june, 2016 thechronicle · beryl moore 215-736-3608 ... holland, tom oram, celia apalategui...

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