The Episcopal The Episcopal The Episcopal The Episcopal Church Welcomes Church Welcomes Church Welcomes Church Welcomes

YouYouYouYou

GRACE at MID-WEEK Seeking and serving Christ in all persons,

striving for justice and peace among all people, respecting the dignity of every human being

Meeting in the Chapel of First Congregational Church Stockdale Hwy and Real Road Use the Stockdale Hwy entrance

http://www.graceepiscopalbakersfield.com/ PO Box 20492, Bakersfield CA 93309-0492

June 26, 2013

Grace Episcopal Grace Episcopal Grace Episcopal Grace Episcopal ChurchChurchChurchChurch

a part of tha part of tha part of tha part of the Anglican e Anglican e Anglican e Anglican CommunionCommunionCommunionCommunion

Grace Summer Retreat Day in Tehachapi last

Saturday. Vic, Marilyn, Mal, Debby, Jason, Patricia,

Allison, Tim, Rachel and Deb went “up the mountain” to

Tehachapi (Jesus went up on a mountainside to pray.

Mark 6:46 NIV) for a day of community prayer and

conversation, silence, a shared Eucharist, and a social

lunch.

The Season of Pentecost The Season of Pentecost The Season of Pentecost The Season of Pentecost The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost June 30, 2013

Proper VIII

“Feast of Saint Peter & Saint Paul”“Feast of Saint Peter & Saint Paul”“Feast of Saint Peter & Saint Paul”“Feast of Saint Peter & Saint Paul”

Because June 30th is our last Sunday in the FCC Chapel, in

order to have the whole community gather for our farewell

service, there will be no 8 a.m. service.

10 a.m.

Holy Eucharist Episcopal Youth &

Childcare

Activity Packets are

available for any children

who would like to work

with one during worship.

11:30 a.m.

Grace Forum

“Grace's Next Chapter: Celebrating the Past &

Embracing the Future . . .” led by Matt Bader

Sunday’sSunday’sSunday’sSunday’s 10am S10am S10am S10am Service:ervice:ervice:ervice: Celebrant & Preacher: The Rev. Dr. Tim Vivian

Eucharistic Ministers: Stef Donev & Barbara Fleming

Lectors: Cari Drake & David Trujillo

Pianist: Jason Sliger

Choir Director: Christopher Borges

Verger: Philip Holt

Altar Guild: Jerry & Sara Chan Pettiford and Heather

Halka

Crucifer: Hunter Ross

Greeter: Robin Paggi

Ushers: Poppy Stewart & Greg Glenn

In the Communion of Saints and all holy men and

women, we remember the week of June 30: • Mon, July1 - Harriet Beecher Stowe, Writer and Prophetic

Witness, 1896

• Tue, July 2 - Walter Rauschenbusch, 1918, Washington

Gladden, 1918,

• and Jacob Riis, 1914, Prophetic Witnesses

• Thu, July 4 - INDEPENDENCE DAY

• Sat, July 6 - John Hus, Prophetic Witness and Martyr,

1415

Diocesan Prayer Cycle - We pray for the work and

ministry of the Diocese of Haiti and the congregation of

Saint Francis Episcopal, Turlock

The Readings for Sunday

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20

Galatians 5:1, 13-25 Luke 9:51-62

SPECIAL OUTREACH

COLLECTION for the ministry of the Episcopal

Church on the Pine Ridge Lakota

Sioux Reservation, next Sunday,

at the 10 a.m. Eucharist. Aaron

Conner recently gave a Grace

Forum presentation about his experiences at the Taizé-Pine

Ridge Reservation Gathering. The Episcopal Church has an

active ministry at Pine Ridge.

Please make checks out to: Grace Episcopal Church.

Memo: Pine Ridge. If you won’t be in church on June 30 and

would still like to donate, please send your check to Marilyn

Metzgar, 128 New Towne Street, Bakersfield, 93312.

Pine Ridge is extremely poor. Here are just two of the awful

statistics:

* 97% of of the population at Pine Ridge Reservation live

below federal poverty line.

* The unemployment rate vacillates from 85% to 95% on the

Reservation.

Father Robert Two-Bulls is the priest at Christ Church. Here is

a link to an article he wrote in Sojourners: http://sojo.net/magazine/2012/08/come-together-and-listen

This Week at Grace This Week at Grace This Week at Grace This Week at Grace & & & & Saint Saint Saint Saint Paul’sPaul’sPaul’sPaul’s This Wednesday, June 26 –

• 7pm Second Session of the Summer Book Club,

Chapel. We will be sharing ideas from The Holy

Householder, Living a Joyful, Abundant, and

Spiritually Satisfying Life in the Midst of the

World. The author, Debby Spaine, will facilitate

our discussions. The theme for this book study is

about growing in our ability to listen to God’s

voice within and to take what we hear back into

the living of our daily lives. This evening wil will

consider Chapters 6-8, Phenomena, Enhancing

Prayer, Contemplation You do not need a copy of

the book to join the discussion.

• 8:00 pm American Guild of Organists (AGO) Gala

Concert featuring Robert Ampt & Amy Johansen,

organ duo, at Olive Drive Church

Thursday, June 27 - 10:00 am AGO Post Convention

Organ Concert featuring Dorothy Young Riess, at

the Olive Drive Church

Friday, June 28– 5:30pm First “Conversation with

the Vicar”, Lengthwise 3 on

the north side of the

Marketplace, west of the

theater. As the last four

summers, there will be

occasional opportunities to

informally meet with the

Vicar in a group setting to

discuss anything. These

meetings offer a chance to get to know one

another better and share.

Saturday, June 29 – 6pm

to whenever. Parish

Potluck at the home of

Greg and Jackie Cooper

Glenn, 6001 Lisa Court

93304. Call 319.6635 to

let us know if you're

bringing a salad, main dish

or dessert. BRING YOUR OWN DRINKS! No pool, but

you can run through the sprinklers.

Sunday, June 30

10am Holy Eucharist, Youth Group & Childcare

11:30am Grace Forum - “Grace’s Next Chapter”

Next Wednesday, July 3 – 7pm A Liturgy & Eucharist

for the Sanctifying of a New Ministry, at Saint

Paul’s, 2216 17th Street. Dee Whitley will be our

homilist. The Summer Book Club will not meet

this evening, but will resume on July 10.

July at Saint Paul’sJuly at Saint Paul’sJuly at Saint Paul’sJuly at Saint Paul’s

Directions to Saint Paul’s From the southwest, from the northwest, from Hwy

99 or 58

Come to Oak and Truxtun. Travel east on Truxtun

to the next traffic light (just before Mercy

Hospital). Turn left at the light and take the next

right onto 17th Street. Go one block; the Church

is at the northeast corner of 17th and B Streets.

From the east

Travel west on Hwy 178 to “F” Street. Turn left

on 17th Street. Continue west until 17th and B

Streets. The Church is on the northeast corner.

Sunday, July 7 – Embracing A New Beginning

8am Taizé Holy Eucharist

10am Holy Eucharist, Episcopal Youth &

Childcare

Sunday, July 14 –

8am Taizé Holy Eucharist

10am Holy Baptism and Eucharist, Episcopal

Youth & Childcare. Our special guest will be the

Reverend Canon Kate Cullinane.

11:30am Welcome Sunday Potluck

Tuesdays in July and August beginning July 9 – 7-

8:30pm “Those Episkopols!” Location: TBA. A

class led by Tim and others for those wishing to

It’s appropriate that, as an outreach parish, we

turn our attention to those in need on our last

Sunday as Grace Episcopal Church.

be baptized or who would like to have a

child/children baptized, and for those wishing to

be confirmed or received in (that is, join) the

Episcopal Church. And everyone else!

The Episcopal Church is known as the "thinking

person's religion" to those of us who love her. It is

a Church solidly grounded in scripture, tradition,

and reason. It is also a Church that will not accept

simplistic answers to complex questions. Using

the funny and informative book Those

Episkopols by Dennis Maynard, we’ll discuss some

of the following questions and others frequently

asked by inquirers. Why do Episcopalians read

their prayers? Does God like all that ritual? Can

you believe anything you want and be an

Episcopalian? Why do Episcopalians reject

Biblical Fundamentalism?

Wednesdays in July beginning July 10 - 7-8:30pm

Continuing of the Summer Book Club, site TBA.

We are sharing ideas from The Holy Householder,

Living a Joyful, Abundant ,and Spiritually

Satisfying Life in the Midst of the World. The

author, Debby Spaine, will facilitate our

discussions. The theme for this book study is

about growing in our ability to listen to God’s

voice within and to take what we hear back into

the living of our daily lives. You do not need a

copy of the book to join the discussion.

Sunday, July 21 –

8am Taizé Holy Eucharist

10am Holy Eucharist, Episcopal Youth &

Childcare

Saturday, July 27 – Parish Potluck at Mal Schleh and

Debby Spaine's in Tehachapi

Sunday, July 28 –

8am Taizé Holy Eucharist

10am Holy Eucharist, Episcopal Youth &

Childcare

11:30am A Time to Embrace: In Conversation

with Pat Bentley, M.S. Pat is a licensed marriage

and family therapist. For those who were not

members of Grace Episcopal.

4pm Festival Welcoming Eucharist Our special

guest will be Bishop Chet Talton who will preach

and celebrate.

Grace NotesGrace NotesGrace NotesGrace Notes Celebrate!

Happy Birthday!

Cassie Deleersnyder July 1 Lilly Sosa July 1 Flower Sosa July 1 Jamee Eaton July 4 Vic Metzgar July 9 Pat Bentley July 11 Jadelyn Ross July 13 Barbara Fleming July 15 Camille Gavin July 16 Cody Hulsey July 21 Miriam Vivian July 22 Katherine Lisa July 23 Cari Drake July 24 Christopher Borges July 26 be. boswell July 27 Jackson Hulsey July 27 Becky Rule July 28 Tim Vivian July 28 Deon McAlister July 30

Happy Anniversary!

Linda & John Eviston July 2, 1977 Cathy & Matt Bader July 4, 2001 Marilyn & Vic Metzgar July 18, 1959 Miriam & Tim Vivian July 20, 1985 Stephanie & Ron Antongiovanni

July 23, 1976

July 3, 7 pm

Saint Paul's Episcopal Church

A Liturgy & Eucharist for the Sanctifying of a

New Ministry

Blessed are you, O God, who creates,

transforms, and sustains us. Your gifts are many,

and in wisdom you have made all things to reflect

your goodness. Be with us now and bless us as we

dedicate our use of this church for you, for ourselves, and for all God’s children.

Childcare provided.

From our Treasurer From our Treasurer From our Treasurer From our Treasurer ----

Until further notice please make

any/all checks to Grace Episcopal

Church. We will keep our Grace

Church accounts open for a while at least after our

move to St. Paul's.

The Communion of SaintsThe Communion of SaintsThe Communion of SaintsThe Communion of Saints

Walter Rauschenbusch, Washington Gladden,

and Jacob Riis Prophetic Witnesses, 1918, 1918, 1914

While attending Rochester Theological

Seminary, Rauschenbusch came to believe

that Jesus died “to substitute love for

selfishness as the basis of human society.”

For Rauschenbusch, the Kingdom of God

was “not a matter of getting individuals to

heaven, but of transforming life on earth into

the harmony of heaven.”

In works such as Theology for the Social Gospel (1917),

Rauschenbusch enumerated the “social sins” which Jesus bore

on the cross, including the combination of greed and political

power, militarism, and class contempt.

Like Rauschenbusch, Washington Gladden’s

ministry was dedicated to the realization of

the Kingdom of God in this world. Gladden

was the first American clergyman to approve

of and support labor unions. He became an

early opponent of segregation.

Though not a pastor like Rauschenbusch and Gladden, Jacob

Riis’s “muckraker” journalism did much to awaken the nation

to the plight of the urban poor. As a police

reporter for the New York Tribune, his work

took him to the poorest, most crime-ridden

parts of the city. Teaching himself

photography, he combined word and image to

display the devastating effects of poverty and

crime on so many in New York. His work led

future President Theodore Roosevelt, then City Police

Commissioner, to close down the police-run poor houses in

which Riis had struggled during his first months in New York.

The Holiness of a Reenchanted World

As we move forward in our new ministries at St. Paul’s, over

the next few months I’d like to share with you thoughts from

Christianity for the Rest of Us by Diana Butler Bass, an

Episcopalian. In the book Bass takes us on a journey through a

number of “reemergent” or “pilgrim” churches—Episcopal,

Methodist, Presbyterian, UCC—that are growing and living

transformational lives in faith. Much of what she shows and

says describes Grace-St. Paul’s, both who we are now, and

who we aspire to be.

—Tim

Intentional and Transformative Engagement

I discovered mainline churches that were deepening

spiritually and, often, growing numerically. The fifty

congregations involved in my study were not usually the

largest in their towns. Rather, they were solid, healthy

churches that exhibited Christian authenticity, expressed a

coherent faith, and offered members ways of living with

passion and purpose.

These churches exuded a renewed sense of mission and

identity, often having emerged from dire circumstances of

decline, crisis, threatened closure, or spiritual ennui. The

congregations embraced no evangelistic strategy, no

programmatic style of church growth. Rather, they were their

own best selves—creative and traditional, risk-taking and

grounded, confident and humble, open and orthodox. They

were often in tension with local fundamentalist Christians or,

surprisingly, their own denominations. Or both. . . .

All the congregations have found new vitality through an

intentional and transformative engagement with Christian

tradition as embodied in faith practices. Typically, they have

rediscovered the riches of the Christian past and practice

simple, but profound, things like discernment, hospitality,

testimony, contemplation, and justice. They reach back to

ancient wisdom and reach out through a life sustained by

Christian devotional and moral practices. They know the

biblical story and their own story. They focus more on God’s

grace in the world than on the eternal state of their own

souls.

An Episcopalian, a Lutheran, and a Roman Catholic died and approached the Pearly Gates. St. Peter was on a bathroom break and so Jesus was standing in.

When the Lutheran approached Jesus, Jesus said to him, “Who do you say that I am?” The Lutheran replied, “Why the Bible says...” “No!” interrupted Jesus, “Who do YOU say that I AM?” The Lutheran stuttered, and whoosh, the trap door opened and he fell into that other place.

The Roman Catholic approached Jesus and Jesus asked the same question, “Who do you say that I am?” The Catholic replied, “Well, the Pope says…” Jesus interrupted him and said, “No, who do YOU say that I AM?” The Catholic stuttered, and whoosh, the trap door opened and he fell in that other place.

Finally, the Episcopalian approached Jesus, and Jesus asked the question, “Who do you think that I am?” “Why, you are the chosen one, the anointed one of God!” responded the Episcopalian. Smiling, Jesus was about to open the gates when the Episcopalian continued, "On the other hand….”

Vicars’Vicars’Vicars’Vicars’ VoicesVoicesVoicesVoices Recommended

Readings from

our vicars. Check

them out!

• Alan Chambers Apologizes to Gay Community,

Exodus International to Shut Down

http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctliveblog/archives

/2013/06/exodus-international-alan-chambers-

apologies-to-gays.html

• 'Beers & Hymns' raises a glass to God

http://m.host.madison.com/ct/news/local/writers/lin

dsay-christians/beers-hymns-raises-a-glass-to-

god/article_033ef4cc-9268-11e2-86a5-

0019bb2963f4.html

• New end-of-life document quietly sweeps

nation

http://www.pewstates.org/projects/stateline/headlin

es/new-end-of-life-measure-quietly-sweeps-the-

nation-85899484943

Guest Column

The Post-Cynical Christian

—Jim Wallis

Over the past couple of years, I have

been so passionate about the common

good, that I wrote a whole book on the

subject and then talked about it almost

every day and night for six weeks across

the country. But, ultimately, what I

discovered in the end was more spiritual

than political.

Night after night, people would come into the events, in book

stores, universities, churches, and town halls, with what felt

like a very deep hunger for what we call the common good —

that our life together could and should be better. And they

wanted to know how they could help make that happen, which

is what the book is all about.

But, virtually every night, I would also feel from those who

came, along with that hunger, a very deep cynicism about

social change even being possible. And when it came to

Washington or Wall Street, the cynicism was overwhelming.

Virtually no one trusts either our political system or

marketplace to be fair, honest, moral, or even open to doing

the right thing.

And sadly, that cynicism, for many, even extends to their

churches or other religious institutions, which they don't

regard as playing an independent leadership role for the

common good that could hold other institutions accountable.

So, every night, my task felt more pastoral than anything else,

and I was doing much more than just talking about what the

book said. The most frequent comment I heard from people at

the book signing tables or on their way out was, “I felt

inspired tonight to commit myself and take personal action.”

And those were the words I most wanted to hear.

Here is what I tried to say every night — even more as the

tour wore on and the problem of cynicism became so

painfully clear.

For the whole column see:

http://go.sojo.net/site/MessageViewer?em_id=30341.0&dlv_id=3592

1

Lots to read

about on the

Internet

machine!

Yup! Just

click &

read!