Please join us at St. Gabriel the Archangel for Holy Week Services and Events-

All are welcome and we’d love to see you!

At St. Gabriel’s we have lots of ways for you to fulfill our Lenten practice of giving.

Compiling Toiletry Care Kits
Sr. Youth Group is working with St. Gabriel Community Outreach to collect mini-hygeine items to put together into toiletry care kits for those who are homeless. We are asking for donations of hotel-type items, sample and travel sizes (Dollar Tree has a good selection), or items purchase in bulk on Amazon. Put donations in the basket on top of the indoor donation bin by the front door or place in the outdoor donation bin.
-Shampoo
-Body or baby wipes
-Deodorant (most needed)

-Hand sanitizer
-Toothpaste
-Toothbrushes (most needed)

Our knitting/crocheting group is creating washcloths to include.

We are collecting until Easter Sunday, March 31st.

Sr. youth are also creating Prayer Stations in the narthex for the congregation to engage with each week to learn more about homelessness and support/solutions.


Collecting Empty Prescription Bottles

Sr. youth are collecting empty prescription bottles to fill with shampoo for our hygiene kits. If you have any, remove or block out the label with a Sharpie and bring them to church and deposit in the basket with the mini hygiene items.

TO REMOVE THE LABEL EASILY: Take a hair dryer and warm the label on the bottle up for a short time. The label should peel right off. If you don’t want to take the time, just block out your name and our youth will do it for you!

Collecting will be ongoing.


Selling Pre-purchased Full-sized Shampoo, Conditioner, and Soap 

SGCO is selling pre-purchased full-size shampoo, conditioner, and soap for people to purchase and donate for $1.25 a piece. Bring cash or use our Venmo account to pay. We sold out on Feb. 18th but will offer again Feb. 25th and perhaps beyond. Donations will go to Beaverton Resource Center for their Essentials Closet.


Youth Collecting Used Fabrics

One of our sr. youth is collecting donations of worn but CLEAN shirts, towels and washcloths and similar types of used fabrics to be turned into hand towels to reduce paper towel usage. These towels will be sold, and all funds will go to SCRAP or Habitat for Humanity, helping to further reduce items going into landfills. Over the next few weeks, there will be a box set out to collect these items labeled with a poster attached.


Thank you for all the generous donations so far!

As we continue to pray for Pres. Bishop Michael Curry’s recovery from his surgical procedure last Saturday, we are looking forward to the nationwide release of “A Case for Love” on Tuesday, January 23 (one day only) in theaters!

This event is a rare opportunity to showcase the loving, liberating, and life-giving nature of The Episcopal Church. It is a heartfelt, yet personally challenging movie inspired by the teachings and writings of Bishop Michael Curry, most well-known by non-Episcopalians for his passionate sermon about “The Power of Love” at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

You can purchase tickets through Fantom Events here.  At this writing, the closest theaters showing the movie is Bridgeport Stadium 18 Regal Cinema in Tigard and Cascade Stadium 16 Regal in Vancouver. We will keep you posted if a closer venue is added. The trailer is here. 

Our Epiphany Play “The Visit and the Flight,” presented on Sunday, Jan. 7th, included 30 kids and youth from ages 2 to 17. It concentrated on the Visit of the Magi and the Flight to Egypt. Sometimes it was serious, and sometimes it was so much fun! Thanks to everyone who participated!

A documentary inspired by presiding bishop’s teachings on love due for nationwide theatrical premiere Jan. 23rd- ‘A Case for Love’ grew out of Episcopal filmmaking ministry

BY DAVID PAULSEN- Episcopal News Service

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry was one of hundreds of people interviewed about the Christian notion of unselfish love for “A Case for Love,” a documentary premiering Tuesday, Jan. 23. Photos: Grace-Based Films.

A nonprofit movie company led by Episcopalians is about to unveil its biggest project yet. Its feature-length documentary inspired by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s message of unselfish love is headed for a nationwide theatrical release on Jan. 23.

The film is scheduled to appear in at least 1,000 theaters for the one-day initial release, and more dates could be added if large numbers of moviegoers turn out for the premiere. The nonprofit, Gracie Films, hopes to generate interest from streaming services.

The new film is structured as seven chapters featuring 14 individual stories of people from a wide range of backgrounds, whom Ide described as “ordinary people doing ordinary-to-extraordinary things.” The stories cover a wide range of experiences, from racial justice issues and the fight for LGBTQ+ rights to the foster care system and the military.

Between each chapter, the filmmakers include clips from some of their “people on the street” interviews, as well as some well-known public figures in politics, the arts, and religion, such as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, actor Sam Waterston and the Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas, canon theologian of Washington National Cathedral and interim president of Episcopal Divinity School.

Though some church leaders are interviewed, the target audience extends beyond churchgoers.

When Cur preached in May 2018 at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan, duchess of Sussex, his sermon was viewed by an estimated 2 billion people around the world and generated an immense wave of interest in the presiding bishop’s teachings about Jesus’ way of love, the biblical “agape.” Curry followed up with a two books of sermons.
Robertson added that the timing of the movie’s release at the beginning of a presidential election year, though not by design, has proved fortuitous. “If Bishop Michael’s message of unselfish love was important when he talked about it at the royal wedding, how much more so as we go into what could potentially be such an incredibly divisive year for many?”

Ide said the project talks had been gaining momentum in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. He and the rest of the filmmakers turned their focus for the rest of the year to helping their parish, All Saints’, transition to online and hybrid worship offerings.

By early 2021, they were eager to get back to “A Case for Love” and began traveling the country for interviews and to ask hundreds of people what they thought about the power of unselfish love. We will share the theater information where the movie will be shown when it is available.

Advent Outreach Cookie Project

Sunday, December 10th 10:00 am, 11:30 am

We need lots of people to bring homemade or purchased cookies by 10:00 am to place in bakery boxes to be delivered to people who could use a little holiday cheer. We also need delivery drivers after the 10:00 am service- sign up on the poster in the narthex if you can help.


There are two more Sundays to donate to the Giving Tree in time for the PCC Student Fair

Handmade hats and scarves

There are lots of beautiful handmade hats and scarves to be blessed this Sunday. An amazing number of people created and gifted these special items that add up to a bin full of hats and scarves for PCC students. Thank you!


Hygiene items needed
As part of your Advent practice, please bring items unwrapped and place them under the tree in the narthex by Sunday, Dec. 10th

Here’s your hygiene product shopping list:
O Shampoo
O Conditioner
O Body wash
O Bar soap
O Toothbrushes
O Toothpaste
O Floss
O Razors
O Shaving cream
O Menstrual products
O Deodorant
(Full sized items are preferred)

Other shopping list items needed:
O New and gently used coats and jackets in adult sizes.
O New gloves
O New hats
O New socks
O Gift cards for grocery stores.

We are also collecting paper grocery bags for the fair. Please place them under the Giving Tree or in the indoor donation box by the front entry in the PCC section.


PCC’s Student Fair Monday, Dec. 18th needs volunteers

Join other church members and volunteer at the market! It will be held on Monday Dec. 18th from 11:00 am- 2:00 pm on the PCC Rock Creek Campus, 17705 NW Springville Rd. Portland, OR 97229, Building 5 Lobby. Parking is free. You will need to fill out a volunteer form available by the Giving Tree or at this link here.


We Gave Beaverton School District’s Clothes for Kids a $1000 Donation!

St. Gabriels Community Outreach was honored to gift $1000 to the Beaverton School District Clothes for Kids to buy items that are most needed. They have a special partnership with Fruit of the Loom and can purchase items needed at cost.

The Beaverton Clothes for Kids center is located in a portable at the school district office. Families can sign up to come and select clothing, accessories, shoes, and even books for the kids. They just recently expanded into two portables and have double the shopping space than before.

They also partner with Eco-World, the Assistance League and Northwest Children Outreach who take any clothing items that they can’t give away.

The most pressing need they have at this moment, is gloves and mittens for children and jeans for elementary age.

They’re always excepting gently used clothing and new socks and underwear for children K through 12 as well as adult sizes appropriate for high schoolers. If you have items to donate, you can put them into the outdoor or indoor collection bins by the front entrance doors of the church.

by Allison Gannett

Dear Friends in Christ,

Ever since my visitation to St. Andrew in Florence, this hymn has been going through my head: “Day by day, dear Lord, of thee three things I pray: to see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly, day by day.” We sang the popular rendition from the musical “Godspell,” complete with a guitarist, a tambourine, and soloists. The tune is upbeat in the style of popular musicals of our day, which makes it easy to get stuck in a loop in one’s head.

My first exposure to this hymn was from Godspell; only much later did I discover it in our hymnal. The tune is different, but the lyrics are the same. The hymn stands out in our hymnal because of its simplicity. Instead of a multi-verse theological poem, Day by Day is more akin to a mantra or a simple prayer. This is likely one of the reasons it is easier to remember. It’s simple, gets to the point, and has surprising depth.

Only after repeating it numerous times do we start wondering, “How do I see Jesus more clearly?” As we go through our day, what are we seeing, and how are we understanding what we see? Are we seeing with only our eyes or also with our hearts?

Praying that we will love Jesus more dearly can sound wonderfully sentimental. But after several repetitions, this phrase might draw us into wondering what would it look like for me to love Jesus more dearly? To hold something dear is to cherish and to guard it. How might we live into loving Jesus that goes beyond mere sentiment? What would it look like to hold him so dear that nothing and no one will separate him from us?

What does it mean to pray that we follow Jesus even “more nearly”? This nearness is not about distance measured in inches or feet but by imitation and fidelity. How near are we to imitating his teachings, ministry, and way of life in our lives? How faithful can we be to keeping in step with Jesus such that we will know God revealed through him?

Being drawn into meditation inspired by a hymn is a form of prayer. And sometimes, the simple hymns, the ones that keep playing in our heads, can inspire the deepest and most soulful encounters with God.

In Christ,

+Diana

Join us as we celebrate All Saints Day and All Souls Day on Sunday, Nov. 5th

Many of us probably know something about Día de los Muertos or The Days of Dead, a holiday that originated in Mexico which coincides with the 3-part Roman Catholic holiday of All Saints Eve, All Saints Day and All Souls Day (October 31 – November 2). Día de los Muertos is not Mexican Halloween, rather it is meant to honor the lives of the deceased. Celebration of Día de los Muertos includes building ofrendas (home altars) on which are placed the favorite foods and beverages of the departed. A common symbol is the calavera (skull) which appears as masks, skeleton figures called calacas, and as the calaveras sugar skulls. There is much more to the celebration of Día de los Muertos and I invite you to take some time and explore this wonderful holiday.

European American culture in the United States doesn’t really have anything comparable to Día de los Muertos. Halloween has lost any religious meaning that it might once have held. However, as Episcopalians we do have a Service for All Hallow’s Eve (October 31) in The Book of Occasional Services, and the Episcopal Church (and the greater Anglican Communion) recognizes All Saints Day (November 1) as one of the seven principal feasts of the church year, and one of the four days recommended for the administration of baptism. All Soul’s Day (November 2) was abolished at the time of the English Reformation but in the Episcopal Church’s 1979 Book of Common Prayer it reemerged as the Commemoration of All Faithful Departed, though it is commonly called All Souls Day.

Our liturgical calendar allows for us to observe an All Saints’ Sunday when the holiday falls during the week. This year on Sunday, November 5, we will be observing All Saints Day as well as acknowledging All Souls Day. We will acknowledge All Souls Day by the recitation of a necrology.  A necrology is a list of the dead. In parishes where the reading of a necrology is done yearly, it only includes the names of those who have died in the past year but since St. Gabriel has never done a necrology reading, we will be reading the names of all those whose deaths we have recorded. We are also asking members of the congregation to submit the names of friends or family members who may have died who weren’t members of St. Gabriel or whose names we may not have in our records. To have the name of a loved one included in the necrology please get their name to Ann Horton, Parish Administrator by Tuesday, October 31.

On Sunday, November 5, folks are invited to bring photos or mementos of loved ones who have died to place on the display in front of the altar. The necrology will be read aloud at both services by various members of the congregation to commemorate those who have gone before and are waiting for us at God’s heavenly banquet table. For coffee hour after each service, you are invited to bring a dish that was a favorite of the person(s) you are remembering. Please let our office know (503-645-0744 office@stgabrielpdx.org) if you are planning on bringing something to share. We hope you can join us on November 5th at 8:00 or 10:00 am.
~Everett+

Dear Friends in Christ,

In a recent meeting, the convener began our work saying, “I have been feeling very overwhelmed and disheartened by all that is happening around us. So I want to open us with this prayer.” She proceeded to read the Prayer for the Human Family from The Book of Common Prayer. After the meeting, I reflected on her words and the prayer she chose. I appreciated her matter-of-fact confidence in knowing that in the midst of chaos, uncertainty, discomfort, and discord our core response ought to be prayer.

The next morning, I read this scripture verse for my usual devotions and it seemed as if I was reading it for the first time: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3)

In that moment the words “living hope” leaped off the page.

We refer to hope, hoping, and having hope a great deal in our everyday lives. “Let’s hope it doesn’t rain on game day.” “Hope you feel better soon!” “Hoping all will work out fine.” In these and so many other uses of the word, we are signaling our understanding that we are not in total control. There is an almost passive nature to hoping in this way. These secular references to hope are perhaps obvious in their acknowledgment of those things we cannot control.

But what does it mean to us as followers of Christ to be born into a living hope?

If our hope is alive, then we are meant to participate in this hope. Our participation is active; it is alive because Christ is alive in us. There is nothing passive about a living hope because this kind of hope is stirring up within us a desire to participate in life as revealed to us by God. To have a living hope is to embrace the work of this world, as mundane as it may be at times, with hearts that seek to truly see how we are called to love in this place at this time.

To have hope is to look ahead and wish for something good. However, a living hope calls us to look ahead with sure and certain confidence in the Good News of God in Christ. It is to know that God’s boundless mercy, known most assuredly in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, breathes new life into us even on our worst days. To be sure, I do not believe that having a living hope suggests that we ought to be jocular and upbeat all the time. It does ensure that whether laughing or solemn, we carry within us the quiet and undying confidence that following Jesus is how we know God. And this is, I’m fairly certain, the reason that having a living hope feels like hard work by which we float into God’s grace-filled embrace.

“…but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength;
they will fly up on wings like eagles; they will run and not be tired;
they will walk and not be weary.” (Isaiah 40:31 NIV)

Blessings,
+Diana

image from pptxworship

A Message from Our Bishop: Living in Harmony with God and Creation
Dear Friends in Christ,

One of the joys in serving this diocese is driving through the beautiful landscapes: woods and forests, rivers and streams, beaches and mountains. In the summer and early fall especially, the scent of the earth, of ripening wild berries, and the sparkling water of our ocean, bays, and rivers all remind me of the grandeur of God. The harsh reality of fires, floods, and earthquakes also reminds us of the vulnerable nature of our natural world. The beauty enjoyed one day can be swept away in minutes by a natural disaster. The tragedy of the fire on Maui continues to remind us of our fragility.

The frequency of these disasters, along with the magnitude of destruction, has drawn critical speculation and careful reflection on the ways in which our management of our natural world has accelerated these events. I recently read a Pew research report on the correlation between those who identify as “religious” and those who are aware of concerns about the science related to climate change. Those who describe themselves as religious believe, in overwhelming numbers, that the earth is sacred and created by God. Yet, of those same believers, very few believe that climate change is a matter of serious concern. One of the factors the researchers point to as an explanation for this disparity is that the faithful report they do not hear about climate change in church. Apparently, religious leaders are not lifting up climate change as a real and present danger.

I can only speak from my context within the Episcopal Church as I direct our attention to the Catechism. The second question of our very long Catechism sets forth the Q. and A. that directs our attention to our created world.

Q. What does it mean to be created in the image of God?
A. It means that we are free to make choices: to love, to create, to reason, and to live in harmony with creation and with God. (Emphasis added)
BCP p. 845
Surely as the second question, we are to surmise the importance of this teaching. Positioned to emphasize the first book of The Bible, Genesis, in which God creates and breathes life into all that is, this question in our catechism is prioritizing where we ought to start: with creation. And although some interpretations of the Creation story use verbs like “subjugate” or “dominate” to describe how humans are to interact with the created world, the overarching message about creation throughout the Bible is one of fecundity, generativity, and capacity to nurture and support life. God’s love, activity, and desire for us is that we should live in harmony such that the created world lifts us up with its life-giving force.

We are called, if not commanded, to become faithful stewards of the created world – to care for the water, the soil, the vegetation, the air. Without these, we cannot live. Without these, there is no life as we know it.

I was delighted to speak to one of the members of our Creation Care Working Group this past weekend as he described to me the important work they are doing to engage both the science as well as the common sense needed to respond to our rapidly changing climate. Earlier in the month, I met with a group of high school student leaders at Oregon Episcopal School who are passionate about climate change education. They told me they are eager to meet with our Creation Care Working Group to explore ways they can work together to address climate change in our diocese.

These conversations give me great hope about the way forward as we hasten to respond to a natural world that is groaning from neglect and misuse. We are called to “live in harmony with creation and with God.” There is an undeniable assumption that living in harmony with creation assumes that we are also living in harmony with God. There is an intrinsic connection and one that, in fact, cannot be separated. This returns us to the disconnect revealed in the Pew study. If we believe that the created world is sacred and that sacredness begins and ends in God, then our response to climate change ought to be informed by our desire to live in harmony with God. Living in harmony with God is living in harmony with creation.

Let us, in our worship, praise, and mission, shine a light on climate change and the unique ways God calls us to step up to live in harmony with our Creator, from whom all things have their being.

Blessings,

+Diana

For the first time, we are devoting a portion of the community garden to help Jyoti Rout run some experiments using corn to test some hypothesis that he has. Jyoti is trying to discover a new way for fast breeding corn, methods he thinks should be applicable to breeding other crop plants. His experiments involve growing many different corn lines, making different test crosses and observing the progeny.

By 2050, the world population is expected to grow to 9.8 billion from the current population of 7.6 billion. According to estimation reported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), by 2050 our world would need to increase food production by about 60% more. Therefore, developing faster breeding methods are necessary.

Current breeding methods involve crossing two or more parents and transferring the desired traits by repeated back-crossing with the chosen parent. This process is time and labor intensive and may take anywhere from 3-7 yrs. Jyoti hopes that his methods should speed up the processes of varietal development and save cost and resources.

This is not genetic modification. Jyoti will be happy to explain the difference and to and teach you about different corn lines that he is currently growing and even teach you how to make crosses in corn and other plants.

To reach Jyoti, please contact our church office 503-645-0744 office@stgabrielpdx.org and we can connect you. He invites you to visit the corn field and bless his experiments.

In our community garden, being situated so close to a place of worship, it gives Jyoti an immense happiness while he works with these plants for a noble cause. Jyoti appreciates all the support he has been receiving from the church and its leadership and his fellow gardeners. 🙏

We invite you to make a peaceful visit to our small corn field at the west side of our Community Garden and bless Jyoti Rout’s experiments.

~Tom Horgan

St. Gabriel is happy to announce that we have a new musician joining our music ministry in September as the pianist and organist for our 10:00 am Rite II Eucharist on Sunday mornings, Stephanie Thompson.

Stephanie takes delight in exploring textures and tone colors in solo and collaborative repertoire. A passionate advocate of art song, she is committed to text analysis and expressing poetic nuance in music.

She is staff accompanist and teaches classical piano and piano accompaniment at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, where she performs with all three choral ensembles. When not playing piano, Stephanie can usually be found entangled in yarn or trapped under cats.

She is an alumna of the Aspen Music festival and is a founding member of the Lewis & Clark Faculty New Music Ensemble, The Friends of Rain. She studied piano at Willamette University and USC and her teachers include Jean-David Coen, Antoinette Perry, and Daniel Pollack.

Welcome Stephanie!

Due to the extreme heat, our roof project has been delayed one week- please note new approximate dates.

What’s the status of our new church roof?

First of all, the repair of the water-damaged siding on one side of the church is complete, and it looks great (see photo)! Thanks to all who helped with this part of the project.

Now- we have a roofing update since the announcement last Sunday. On Tuesday August 8 we had the pre-job meeting with the roofing contractors. We are now scheduled to start on the three tab roofing on the steeple portion on Wednesday, August .

On Monday, August 14 the three tab shingles will be delivered and placed on the roof. No cars can be parked that day in the handicapped parking or on the other edge of the circle driveway because we do not know what time the shingles will arrive. The delivery truck will need to use the whole circle to deliver the shingles moving from one place to the other.

On Monday or Tuesday August 14 or 15 the porta-potty will be delivered. It will be placed near the bicycle rack. Therefore, they will need all of the handicap spaces empty to unload the porta-potty.

On Tuesday August 22 the 40-yard dumpster bin will be placed in the circle. They will need the entire circle to place it. If you are there on Tuesday, please do not park in the circle parking lot. As soon as they have unloaded the dumpster, the circle parking lot will be again available.

On Wednesday morning August 23 at 7:00 am they will start working on the pitched roof. They anticipate being done by Friday night August 25.

The crew will work from 7:00 am until 6:00 pm each day until completed. If we get an Oregon rainstorm, they will delay the roofing for one day at a time until they get it done. The entire time they are working on the pitched roof there can be no parking in the circle area, including the handicapped spaces.

On Sunday, August 27 the circle area will be available for parking including the handicap spaces. However, the dumpster will still be there and we will have to avoid it.

On Monday, August 28 the replacement of the flat roof will begin. The crews will work 7:00 am until 6:00 pm Monday through Thursday August 28-31 until it is completed. We anticipate the flat portion of the roof taking two weeks. The circle parking area will be available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday August 25-27 except the dumpster, will still be there.

If you have any questions, please email jr. warden Gene Dietzman at genedietzman@stgabrielpdx.org.

Thanks so much for your patience during this time of upgrading the building!

~Gene Dietzman, Jr. Warden

Roofing/Parking Lot Use Schedule:

NOTE: Dates could change if there is a rain delay or other circumstances

Aug 14- Tuesday, Aug. 15: Please don’t park in handicap parking spaces in circle parking lot
Tuesday, Aug. 15: Don’t park anywhere in the circle parking lot until the dumpster is delivered. Once it is placed you can park there again Tuesday only.
Wednesday, Aug. 16- Saturday, Aug. 19th: Don’t park in the upper circle parking lot including handicap spaces at all. Upper circle lot can be used on Sunday, Aug. 20th.
Monday, Aug. 21- Thursday Aug. 24: Upper circle parking lot closed.
Friday Aug. 25- Sunday Aug. 27: Upper circle parking lot open.

Episcopal churches celebrate Pride Month with special worship services, parade participation, fundraising events

By Shireen Korkzan/Episcopal News Service

Episcopal churches across the United States will be celebrating the 52nd annual Pride Month in June with events ranging from special worship services and festivals to hosting LGBTQ+ proms and advocacy discussions.

This June’s Pride Month events will take place as anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment continues to rise in the United States. Currently, bills targeting LGBTQ+ rights introduced by state legislatures have more than doubled since 2022.

Additionally, hate crimes targeting marginalized groups, including LGBTQ+ people, are predicted to rise in 2024 consistent with an ongoing trend in reported hate crimes during U.S. election seasons, according to a report by The Leadership Conference Education Fund. The current political climate is “rife with opportunities for the trend of increased hate to continue,” the report says. The Leadership Conference Education Fund is the education and research arm of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the oldest and largest civil and human rights coalition in the United States.

A number of Episcopal churches are hosting Pride Month events. Check online for additional events hosted by local dioceses and parishes. To see a list of churches and read the rest of this story, click here. 

~Photo:

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Dear Friends in Christ,

I have a confession. In the early days of the pandemic shut-down, someone sent to me (hoping to embolden and reassure) the words of Julian of Norwich: “All shall be well and all manner of things shall be well.” My immediate thought was, “Oh please. You obviously don’t know what we’re going through.” As the months dragged on, this quote echoed in the back of my mind. Eventually, it began to make sense. Not because medical science predicted a promising future and not because I had a psychological breakthrough. The quote made sense because I came to my faith senses. I remembered who was in control. It wasn’t me, and it wasn’t any of the people working so hard to control the virus. The only one I knew who was in full control was God. And the kind of control God has is, ultimately, a mystery. I find this to be deeply reassuring and grounding.

We have now been informed that the pandemic is officially over. People are still becoming infected by the covid virus, and we are all experiencing residual effects – and probably will for years to come. Yet, the news that the entire world is no longer on alert over the virus is an enormous shift in our reality.

I am wondering now about the spiritual residual effects of the pandemic. What do we know about ourselves as followers of Jesus that we did not know before the pandemic? What do we know now about our relationship with God that deepens or expands our understanding? How has our response to the pandemic affected our faith practices?

The author Cole Arthur Riley invites us to experience our lived reality as an ongoing revelation of God’s mysterious presence. “Awe is not a lens through which to see the world but our sole path to seeing. Any other lens is not a lens but a veil. And I’ve come to believe that our beholding—seeing the veils of this world peeled back again and again, if only for a moment—is no small form of salvation.”

A number of times during the pandemic, I observed that we would not fully comprehend what we were going through until we had distance from the experience. I predicted that researchers and scholars would be mining this period in history for years. For Christians, one of the central reflections ought to be on the ways that God was made manifest – deeply known and felt – in the midst of great suffering. The manifestation of God, as we know from the Scriptures, is often an experience of inexplicable awe. The extent to which we see our world through this lens will shape and inform our relationship with God.

If there is one thing we humans fight and resist, it’s being out of control. And if there’s one thing God reveals to us again and again, it’s that we are not in full control. In fact, God did not create us to be in full control. It is not part of the human call to be in ultimate control.

Seeing the world and all its uncontrollable events with a sense of awe changes everything. This is not to suggest that we see through rose-colored glass – as if putting a cheerful face on things will actually transform a devastating truth. Rather, we are called to engage our world with awe. I do believe that we were created for awe. We are created to live into our call to not be the center of the universe, but as stewards and collaborators – as God’s chosen to serve others while standing in awe and wonder as God’s love is revealed in the most unpredictable ways. Our faith forms us and calls us to embrace our limitations and, therefore, to be unfettered – free to walk with one another in all states of grace toward a life that heals, comforts, and connects us to the source of all being.

The pandemic is over, and for that, we are grateful. Even more true is what we know, by faith, on this side of the pandemic. God has never failed us, never left us, and in fact, has been with us even in the hardest and most isolated times. The truest way to know this is in each moment, however fleeting, that we were able to focus differently, allowing a sense of awe to anchor our hearts to God.

Blessings,
+Diana
~Article from Diocese of Oregon, image from Forbes

Join Us for an Adult Formation Class on Understanding the Parables

Come Monday, May 8, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm, in the church library or online via Zoom to learn what to look for and discuss Jesus’ parables. What is a parable anyway, and how is it different from a fable or moral tale? What is unique about Jesus’ parables? How might his listeners have received them? How can we take meaning from them in our world today?

Parables were important to Jesus – the Gospels relate at least 30 of them. But if you sometimes read or listen to one of Jesus’ parables and are left scratching your head, wondering what it means, you’re definitely not alone! Even his disciples sometimes asked for help. How can we gain a better understanding of these very special stories?

Carol Reifsteck will be facilitating our group, looking at several parables in depth. Put May 8 on your calendar and join us for a lively discussion. Newer members are most welcome – this is a great way to get involved and meet more people.

To get the Zoom link, please contact the church office office@stgabrielpdx.org or 503-645-0744. For those of you on Zoom, we have new equipment that will improve the sound and visual quality.

Hope to see you there!

Rod MacDow
Adult Formation Ministry

Our Jr. Youth Group of 4th-7th grade church school at St. Gabriel’s is going to busy the rest of the school year with their twice-yearly Ecochallenge challenge. Last Sunday April 16th the group cleaned the playground as their first project, raking leaves, pulling weeds, picking up toys, removing trash, and doing small repairs. It was raining, but the group voted to go ahead with the planned project, saying, “Hey- we’re Oregon kids- a little rain won’t hurt us.” The playground looks great now! The Ecochallenge ends in April officially but will go on for us through June 4th. Below are the goals they chose:


8 Jr. Youth Group Ecochallenge Goals 2023 April 16- June 4th

Climate and Ecosystems:
CREATE & SHARE A LOVE LETTER, POEM, SONG OR PICTURE: May 21st
(1) We will express our love and gratitude for our planet by writing a love letter, poem, song or taking a picture. We will share in the Ecochallenge feed/St. Gabriel’s social media.

WATCH A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE OR NATURE: June 4th
(2) (3) We will watch 1 documentary about climate change and then go on a Ecochallenge field trip TBD.

Economy and Communities
MEND (UPCYCLE) CLOTHING: May 7th Create something new from old socks
(4) We will mend clothing for myself, family or friends.

Health and Equity
DONATE FOOD: April 23rd Make soup kits for food bank
(5) We will find out what food programs are in our area and donate food and/or other items that they request.

Education and Livelihood
MAKE CLEANING PRODUCTS: April 30th
(6) We will make a few homemade cleaning products.iCloud Photos (2)

HOST OR JOIN A CLEANUP EVENT: April 16th Playground clean up
(7) Within my community at home or work, we will organize or attend a local cleanup event.

Basic Needs and Security
PREPARE AND SERVE A VEGETARIAN MEAL May 14th
(8) Prepare and serve a vegetarian meal for after service coffee hour in honor of Mother’s Day for the congregation.

The priest-in-charge’s awesome Easter shoes!

Welcome to St. Gabriel’s as we celebrate Easter!

Kids decorate the flowering cross

Everett+ in his bonnet

Easter bonnet contest- very hard to choose!

Rainbow Alleluia banner- when the basket was lowered, it held our Lent Madness Golden Halo winner Jonathan Daniels and rainbow wands for kids to wave whenever they heard “Alleluia!”

People could bring a crystal prism home with them to hang in a window and create rainbows all over their room

Palm Sunday worship and then a fun community event for kids was a good start to Holy Week at St. Gabriel’s!

Palm Sunday Community Egg Hunt!

Sunday, April 2nd at 3:00 pm sharp!

(youth helpers please show up at 2:00 pm)

Hundreds of hidden prize eggs, with special prizes awarded for those who find gold eggs.
The egg hunting will go on rain or shine.
Please dress and wear footwear appropriate for the weather.
Bring a basket if you have one or borrow one of ours.
Everyone is welcome, so invite friends and family.
Children through 5th grade are invited to hunt.

Everett+ will tell us a Palm Sunday story.

There is no charge to join in the fun. Come join us for the earliest egg hunt in the neighborhood!

St. Gabriel the Archangel’s senior youth group of 8th-12th graders gave a testimonial presentation on Sunday, February 26th on “The Pronoun Project.” Our youth started this work in October of 2022 as part of the People’s Ecochallenge, a nationwide digital platform based in Portland that has groups take on challenges to encourage new habits to build a more sustainable and equitable world. Our sr. youth chose to concentrate on how asking and using someone’s correct pronouns are two of the most basic ways to show people love and respect. But it goes so much deeper than that. They are also providing pronoun stickers and new hand-beaded lanyards for members’ nametags.

Here is what the group wrote together and presented along with youth leaders Abby Mulcahy and Gabbi Boyle, called “Neighbors”:

As Episcopals, we agree to a lot of things in our Baptismal Covenant. We say that we believe in God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and will follow the teachings of the apostles and prophets. We say that we will resist evil and proclaim the good news of the Gospel. But that’s not all. Towards the end of the Baptismal Covenant, we make two big promises.
First, we promise to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves. What does that mean? Who counts as our neighbor?
A neighbor isn’t just someone close to us. People all over the world, wherever they may be, are our neighbors. And a neighbor isn’t just someone who looks or talks like us. People of different races and people who speak different languages are our neighbors. And a neighbor isn’t just someone who agrees with us. People with different religious, political, or social beliefs are our neighbors.
As a senior youth group, we know that church is a place for us to show up and be loved as our whole selves. We know that there are not special qualifications for being someone’s neighbor. We are all united in God’s love.

The second big promise we make is to strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being. What does this mean?
To respect the dignity of every human being, we can start, funny enough, by loving our neighbor. We do not have to agree on everything. We do have to agree that every human being is important. This means that every person should have their needs met and determine their own path in life–and we should be part of making that possible. Every human being deserves the respect that too many of us take for granted.
Now, how do we strive for justice and peace among all people? There are a lot of people out there! This feels impossible. As a senior youth group, we have talked about how we are not called to solve every problem, but that we should be active in our faith. When we recognize that something is wrong or unjust, we have to do something about it. We are called to stand for Christ’s work in all that we do and, importantly, our job is NOT to determine who qualifies for justice and peace.
Some of you out there may be thinking to yourself, ‘what does this have to do with pronouns?’ We’ve been talking about the pronoun project for months now and, for the last few weeks, there have been inserts related to pronouns in the service booklet.
Pronouns are used in everyday speech and writing to take the place of people’s names.

How many times has someone used your name today? How does it feel when you’re called the wrong name? Pronouns are just like names.

We use pronouns a lot without even thinking about it. Asking and using someone’s correct pronouns are two of the most basic ways to show respect.

When people get it right or show that they are trying, it means a lot. If you make a mistake – just apologize and move on – we are all human! With God’s help we can expand our language to grow our community and deepen our faith

Ok but what does this have to do with the Baptismal Covenant? Pronouns are never explicitly mentioned, why should we care?
First, using correct pronouns are part of how we love our neighbor.
Second, using and talking about pronouns in community is how we respect the dignity of every human being.
Third, continuing to learn about and understanding how to use someone’s pronouns correctly is part of how we strive for justice and peace.
It can feel scary to try new things. As a senior youth group, we talked about how hard it can be to be in a situation to correct older adults and authority figures, how this can feel disrespectful. Even bringing up these topics can be hard and intimidating. But our Baptismal Covenant reminds us of our unity in God’s love. The words we use, the way we invite change or invite new neighbors are all part of our promise.

Eco-Social Justice Projects like the Pronoun Project belong in the Episcopal Church because they help highlight opportunities for us to find new ways to live out our Baptismal Covenant. We here at St Gabriel’s are a small community. As a senior youth group, we discuss how our relationships with God are deeply personal but that, in community, we also need to focus on the whole person.
The way I like to think about this is the way I talk to my friends. It’s ok for me to make mistakes because my friends know that I have good intentions and am trying to get it right. It’s not a big thing for them to correct me and move on so I can do better next time. It shows that we all care about each other and our relationship. Our friends are our neighbors, and our neighbors are our friends.
The senior youth group bulletin board has been updated to contain more information about pronouns. When you stop by, please take a sticker to add your pronouns to your nametag. We look forward to getting to know you all a little better.”

On Sundays February 26th- March 26th at 6:30 pm, please join us as St. Gabriel offers Lenten Evensong.

Each week will feature different prayer traditions and live piano instrumental music inspired by the text.

Week 1, February 26th: The text will be from the 1979 BCP and the music will be meditative hymns for Lent from the 1982 Hymnal.

Week 2, March 5th: The text will be from A New Zealand Prayer Book with instrumental music ranging from French composer Léo Delibes to American composer Stephen Sondheim.

Week 3, March 12th: The text will be from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with music by the Ukrainian composer Viktor Kosenko.

Week 4, March 19th: The text for Week 4, Laetare Sunday, will draw from a service for the Mother of Sorrows featuring music ranging from ancient hymns to compositions by Ralph Vaughn Williams and Boris Gounod.

Week 5, March 26th: The text will come from the Book of Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals with music from Hillsong Worship.

Meet Our Pianists:

Dan Gaynor (All Sundays except March 26th)
A native of Portland, pianist Dan Gaynor studied at Mt. Hood Community College and Portland State University with teachers including Randy Porter, Dave Barduhn, Darrell Grant and Glen Moore. He played with many musicians including Nancy King, Esperanza Spalding, Chuck Israels, Glen Moore, Bob Mover, Bobby Torres, Dan Faehnle, Marguerite Jeunemann, David Friesen, Kelly Joe Phelps, Alan Jones, Lawrence Williams, Rob Scheps, Robert Moore, John Stowell, Ingrid Jensen, Emily Braden, Ron Steen, Mel Brown, “Sweet Baby” James Benton, Chris Conrade, Dick Berk and many others. Dan is also a versatile vocal accompanist, with a wide knowledge of repertoire and musical styles. He appears on Oasis by David Valdez & Pere Soto, Good Morning Geek by the Portland Jazz Orchestra, and En Route by Ed Bennett. To read an article about Dan, please click here.

Clay Giberson (Sunday, March 26th)
Well-traveled geographically and musically, keyboardist and composer Clay Giberson’s artistic talent and musicianship are coming to the forefront, A Southwest Washington native, he studied in Coral Gables, Florida, University of Miami (B.M. Cum Laude, Studio Music and Jazz) and New York City, New York University (M.M. Magna Cum Laude, Music Technology) where he studied with Jim McNeely, Fred Hersch and Vince Maggio. Clay has released three recordings on the Seattle based Origin Arts record label. He has performed throughout Europe, Scandinavia, the Mediterranean, the South Pacific and Caribbean and Japan. Having been influenced by all types of music, Clay draws from these idioms in his own compositions and in the interpretation of others. He is currently on the faculty at Clackamas Community College where he teaches electronic music and piano.

 

Ash Wednesday Worship Services at St. Gabriel the Archangel- The Beginning of Lent

 

9:30 am Ash Wednesday Rite I Eucharist and Imposition of Ashes
A quiet service without music.
Join us in-person or online via Zoom (call office for link 503-645-0744 or use password on our website’s opening page).

12:00- 5:00 pm Ashes-to-Go
Drive up to the upper parking lot round-about to receive ashes.
You can call the office for an appointment during office hours, call us when you arrive, or just honk! 503-645-0744.

7:30 pm Ash Wednesday Rite II Eucharist and Imposition of Ashes
A quiet service without music.
Join us in-person or online via Zoom (call office for link 503-645-0744 or use password on our website’s opening page).

St. Gabriel’s jr. youth group of 4th-7th graders and their teachers baked, popped, frosted, dipped, rolled, and decorated their hearts out to raise money for something they chose that is dear to their hearts- supporting the planting of native plants. Thanks to the parish’s generous support, they raised $300 on Sunday, January 22nd! The money will go to either buying individual native plants, buying 1-2 larger shrubs or trees, or be donated to an organization that supports native plants- we will let you know what is decided. Visting fill-in priest Canon Linda Potter also joined in the fun. Thanks to everyone, especially Page Clothier, Tom, James and Nicholas Martin, Ann Horton, Polly Bass, the Parker family, everyone who baked and brought items to sell, and all who purchased goodies or even donated money without taking treats!

One of the great joys, and one of the most fulfilling, as members of the Gabriel Center, St. Gabriel the Archangel’s outreach ministry, is sending grants to agencies whose work serves the underserved in our community. This last Christmas season, our committee awarded $1000 grants each to William Temple House, The NAYA Family Center, and the Helping Hands Re-Entry Program. Additionally, PCC Rock Creek Panther Pantry, Westview Cat Cave and Beaverton Clothes for Kids received $500 each.

Some of these bequests were unexpected by the recipients, and others still gratefully received by organizations with which we have continuing relationships. We want to share a few ways the “thanks” has been expressed to the people of St. Gabriel, and some of the impact these donations make.

From Westview High School: “Thank you so very much for your generosity and support of Westview High School’s Free Student Clothing and Household Items Closet, AKA the “Cat Cave”. Your recent donations have made a tangible and lasting positive impact on our homeless and at-risk students…. As of December 6, we had served 130+ Westview students, over more than 400 visits, providing school supplies, clothing and shoes, personal care items, and household supplies, as well as a safe and welcoming space for our students. Without the support of community member such as you, this would not be possible.”

From the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA): “We are grateful for you, for our community of donors and partners, who have continued to support our mission as we navigate the pandemic and its impacts on the health of our community, providing life-affirming and life-changing services…. Our mission is to enhance the diverse strengths of our youth and families in partnership with the community through cultural identity and education. We could not do this without you! Thank you again for standing with NAYA and Portland’s Native American community.”

From William Temple House:
“Thank you for supporting a stronger, healthier community for our area neighbors!
Your gift of $1000.00 to the Nourish Our Neighbors campaign makes it possible for us to continue providing affordable mental health counseling, healthy food, and more to our community to those most affected by mental health challenges, hunger, and houselessness. Your generosity supports these vital services so everyone in our community is full nourished – emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
Together, we are building a stronger community through counseling, food, and connection. Thank you for joining us to Nourish Our Neighbors.”

From Portland Community College Foundation:
“Thank you for your recent gift in support of student success at Portland Community College. Your contribution will have a lasting impact on our students and our community.
Your investment…allows our students to pursue their goals and continue on a path towards fulfilling careers. And, because of your support, many of our low-income and first-generation college students believe they can finally realize their dreams of high-quality education. Thank you for making this possible!”
And a resounding THANK YOU!! to the community of St. Gabriel from The Gabriel Center. Your support through your pledges, donations, and gifts make this joyous work possible. Please continue on this path with us, doing the work God has given us to do!

~Kathy Prenger, The Gabriel Center

image from NWPriorityCU

“Helping Us Live Out Our Faith in This World”

There are wonderful things in the works at St. Gabriel the Archangel in the education arena. A new ministry of Adult Formation will be presented in the new year with the formal name “Christian Formation/Education.” Its intent is to develop our Christian faith and offer ways of actively living out our faith in this world. We would like to focus on four ways of moving toward this goal:

First, we have our Episcopal liturgy and Eucharistic practice – there’s a lot to learn that can deepen our worship experience.

Second, Christianity and our Hebrew heritage have a rich and varied history over three thousand years. By exploring the roots of our faith, we can find new ways of understanding our world today.

Beyond that, each of us is also an individual, looking for spiritual growth in our own way. We can explore new (and old) ways, within the Christian tradition, to enrich our inner world and relationship with God.

Finally, we can explore ways of acting, through the radical love of Jesus, to try and make our community, and the world around us, into a better place. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and our Bishop Akiyama are deeply committed to this goal, and we can become a part of that effort. These are not independent activities – they are tightly connected.

We are proposing four areas of focus beginning in 2023:

  • Episcopal Liturgy and Eucharistic practice
  • Christianity and our Hebrew heritage
  • Spiritual growth
  • Learning about acting in our community through the radical love of Jesus.

Episcopal Liturgy and Eucharistic Practice:
Cradle Episcopalians may be familiar with how our services are constructed and the sources of the Book of Common Prayer, but many of our members (including myself) have arrived from other religious traditions. And it’s just possible that long-time members might enjoy refreshing their knowledge.

St. Gabriel already has a number of ways to learn: At a recent service, Fr. Everett gave us a guided explanation of the Liturgy and Eucharist, along with a guide booklet to capture what he said. We will repeat that periodically and offer the booklet to new members.

Each year, our Liturgy focuses on one of the four Gospels – Matthew is the one for 2023. In mid-January, the Bible Reading group will offer a time where, over several weeks, we can all listen while volunteers each read one chapter at a time. Yes, we hear selections each Sunday, but it’s amazing how much more comes out with a full reading. It will deepen your appreciation of Matthew for the whole year.

When we have the right timing, we will offer a special training course, called a Catechumenate, which gives all the knowledge required for confirmation. One can take the course even if one has already been confirmed, and it’s especially useful for those who were confirmed in another tradition. It’s a fascinating journey through our religion and offers a lot to think about.

Finally, we will offer a series that takes us through the Book of Common Prayer – its history, structure, topics, the Rites and much more. There’s a lot to cover, so we will break it up into smaller bites and hold them from time to time.

Christianity and Our Hebrew Heritage
The Bible is a wonderful book, but it is not always easy to understand. Some passages conflict with others. Parables may leave one wondering what to think. Other parts can be genuinely disturbing. Yet, it is altogether a vast and inspiring canvas – a lifetime of study is not enough to take it all in.

In service, our Episcopal Liturgy selects key passages, and our priest helps us to gain a deeper understanding of what it can mean for us in these times, in our daily lives. But, useful as it is, a fifteen-minute sermon may not be enough time to really illuminate the text, and most of the Bible is never brought to light. We may hunger for more. The purpose of the Christian Formation Ministry is to take more time to explore the Bible, linking up to our priest’s goals and the Liturgy.

The Bible Reading Group has been meeting weekly for several years with the simple goal of hearing different books. After all, they were written to be read aloud. Many of the books that are not part of the Liturgy, as well as the Gospels and the Epistles, are read all the way through. If you’re interested, we’re going to have the group sponsor a reading of Matthew in the New Year.

A similar group meets weekly to read a Psalm three times, to gain a deeper experience of these beautiful songs.

In 2023, we will begin a monthly Bible Discussion Group, focusing on more specific topics to gain perspective on some of the interesting aspects of the Bible. For example, Jesus told many parables, some of which are, frankly, quite obscure. Why? What was the effect on those who heard Him? What can we take from them today?

Learning About Acting in Our Community Through the Radical Love of Jesus

What does that mean? Actually, it has many shades of meaning. At its core, it is not enough to learn about being Christian without using what we have learned. We are called, by God, to practice radical love on the ground, with real-life people and in real-life scenarios, to look out for each other and to look after each other, in practical terms. Jesus didn’t just preach and teach us to pray. With love and compassion, He healed, He fed, He changed the day-to-day lives of people he had never met before. More than that, He demanded that, to follow Him, we must likewise show our love in truth and action.

How do we go about doing this? First, we must learn how to look at others as God looks at them, without preconceptions or judgment. Only then can we begin to understand their deepest needs. To do this, we must learn how to create a safe place in our collective hearts and minds, a nonjudgmental space where people with differing beliefs can explore aspects of our spiritual and physical world. There, we can find truth.

Our society sometimes teaches us that uncomfortable facts should be feared and avoided. A “safe place” is a way to get past that, to encounter the world, with all its troubles, with unconditional love. That opens the door to action through forgiveness, compassion and mercy. Loving action, as Jesus demands, is the true path to justice.

Over time, we will choose from a variety of topics. Some may interest you, others may not. But each will allow us to understand, from a safe place of open discussion, the lived experience of people who are not as fortunate as we are, or who are simply different. The goal is to open a door for compassionate action.

So this is how our Christian Formation Ministry fits together. Through Liturgy, Bible and spiritual study, we can find ways to change ourselves, and thereby change St. Gabriel and our community. Radical Love takes us along the same path, in the other direction – we strive to change the world, which changes St. Gabriel, and by our actions we ourselves are changed. It is all one path, the Christian path.

Here’s a picture of what we’ve been discussing as the path of St. Gabriel’s Christian Formation Ministry:

I want to thank several people who have generously contributed to this: Terry Brennan, Ava Martin, Abby Mulcahy and Evelyn Shoop. As we go forward, I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions too. This ministry is for you – add to the conversation! You can reach me, Rod MacDow, at rod@stgabrielpdx.org.

 

Jesus image from bonifacius

 

Yes, we had terrible technical difficulties on Sunday, December 18th, but we still did our best to still capture a video version of our children’s Advent play with music “God’s Gift to Us: Immanuel,” and it was wonderful! Thanks to everyone who assisted in presenting this production as a gift to St. Gabriel the Archangel’s congregation.

The play about the prophecies and events leading up to the birth of Christ was adapted by Page Clothier from The Lectionary Story Bible by Ralph Milton. The music was arranged by Jessica Israels.

It can be viewed at link here, with the play starting at the 26 minute point.

At 8:00 am our senior youth ministers Abby Mulcahy and Gabbi Boyle presented a live reading of the play, and that is available at a link here starting at the 12 minute point.

Finally, to view our favorite children’s version of the nativity story “The Story of Christmas” as told by the children of St Paul’s Church, Auckland, New Zealand, click on the YouTube link here.

Enjoy!

Everyone is invited to join us for the first ever performance of our original Advent play “God’s Gift to Us: Immanuel.” The play is about the prophesies of Isaiah that the Messiah is coming in the form of a child, and then the events leading up to (but not including) the birth of Christ. The story leaves us still waiting anxiously for the baby to be born.

The play was written by Page Clothier based on the book The Lectionary Story Bible by Ralph Milton. Page is directing the play with much help from Whitney Joshi, Abby Mulcahy, Gabbi Boyle, Ava Martin, and Aiden McKee. Page created the costumes and props. The music was arranged by music director Jessica Israel and will be performed by Jessica, David Saffert, and members of the choir.

At the 8:00 am service our senior youth leaders Abby Mulcahy and Gabbi Boyle will do a live reading of the play without music, and at the 10:00 am service 20 children and teens will perform the play with music.

This play is a very special presentation and offered as a gift to St. Gabriel’s, and we hope you can join us in-person or over Zoom!
~image frompastorjohnsamecorner
NOTES to performers and parents:
Children participating in the play performance at 10:00 am should come to their regular classrooms at 10:00 am: preschool- 3rd grade classroom #2 and 4th-7th grade classroom #4 (youth room), to get their costumes on and prepare.
Senior youth/teen participants can sit on the purple pew with Abby and Gabbi until performance time (in place of the sermon).
If your child is sick or otherwise unable to attend and play their part, PLEASE contact Page by texting her at 503-720-1254 and letting her know so we can arrange a substitute.
After the performance, children will come back into the sanctuary to sit with their families with a pew project.
Prayers that you stay well, and see you Sunday!

image from abstrancy

Rev. Karen Tiegs’ “Advent for Every Body” Podcast Segment

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland has offered an invitation this Advent to join them as we consider all the ways in which human bodies have and continue to bear God in our world with Advent for Every Body, a daily Advent Calendar podcast. How is our understanding of God deepened and nourished in one another – in bodies that have been held up for generations as inappropriate, shameful, or incomplete?

St. Gabriel the Archangel parishioner Rev. Karen Tiegs spoke about her very personal take on the theme for the podcast for December 5th. Listen to her tender and thought-provoking segment by clicking the link below. “Anyone with cancer knows the challenge of loving our bodies when it seems like our bodies have turned against us.” Please continue to keep Karen+ and her family in your prayers.

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-mcuzn-132f108

Other daily Advent podcasts from Trinity can be accessed here.
~images from Trinity

Notes from the Corner Office…

Dear Beloved Community,

Madeleine L’Engle, who some of you might know as the author of A Wrinkle in Time, was also an essayist, a poet, and an Episcopalian. Her poetry often explored and expressed her Christian faith. In a collection of her poetry and essays, Miracle on 10th Street: And Other Christmas Writings, there is an essay entitled “Redeeming All Brokenness” in which she discusses John of the Cross. She writes, “Judgement: John of the Cross says that in the evening of life we shall be judged on love; not on our accomplishments, not on our successes and failures in the worldly sense, but solely on love.” 

What an amazing concept and if you stop and think about it, how obvious. Remember what Presiding Bishop Michael Curry famously said, “If it isn’t about love, it isn’t about God.” Of course, if God is love, then how we love is the only thing that matters. Not who we love because we are called by Jesus to love our neighbor (everyone), but how we love. 

“God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.” John 3:16. This is what we remember and celebrate on the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, otherwise known as Christmas. Imagine God, so in love with us that God wanted to reconcile us to God’s self. Imagine God, so in love with us, that God ached for us to turn back towards God and God’s love. Imagine God, so in love with us, that God took on our form, our existence, to teach us how to love each other and to love God. Imagine God, so in love with us that God was willing to suffer death on the cross, so that through the resurrection, we would be saved from sin and death. Imagine God, so in love with us, that God promised to return to the world to complete the remaking. 

How we love is all that matters. How we love informs everything else we do in this life. How we love is what defines us as disciples and apostles of Jesus. As the folk hymn says, “They will know we are Christians by our love.” As the holiday shopping season, which often competes with the Season of Advent for our attention, compels us to think about getting those in our lives “the perfect gift,” perhaps the what of the gift doesn’t really matter as much as the why of the gift. The why of course being love. 

In the peace and love of Christ,

Everett+
~image from gracebcdansville

Honoring Our Land

In our Prayers of the People each week, we pray for the Tualatin Kalapuya people, who originally occupied the land in most of the Willamette Valley. Do you ever wonder why?

Land acknowledgments have become more common recently. They serve as a way to honor the ancestors of our land and, in remembering their sacrifices, come to better understand our responsibility to protect it. At Portland State University, where I work, this has been customary at events for several years, and our commencement ceremony has even included a traditional drum performance of an honor song since at least 2017. As someone who identifies as both Anglo-American (my mother is of Irish, English and Welsh descent) and Native (my father is Lumbee, a tribe primarily centered in North Carolina), this has always been special to me to hear. Recently I attended a virtual conference held at North Carolina State University, and the acknowledgment not only included the Lumbee, but was given by a Lumbee. A lot of people in Oregon haven’t even heard of the Lumbee, so this moment filled me with a sense of community I hadn’t expected.

In some ways, saying this prayer is like a moment of silence for someone who has passed, or when we pray for those in need of healing or repose of the soul. For some, they may just be names on paper, but for those who are connected, those prayers bring deep feelings. The Prayers of the People bring us together in community as we focus our thoughts and words on something in common. I hope you will take a moment as we celebrate Native American Heritage month to remember the original custodians of our land and honor their legacy.

~Blessings, Becki Hunt Ingersoll

If you want to learn more about the Tualatin Kalapuya check out this site: https://ndnhistoryresearch.com/tribal-regions/kalapuyan-ethnohistory/
Image from Oregon Encyclopedia

Greetings, Beloved Community.

There are afternoons, like this one, when Ann has gone home and locked me in (to keep me safe or to keep me from getting out – you guess), that I sit at my desk looking out the windows of the corner office and am amazed at the beauty of this place and its surroundings.

This afternoon, as the sun moves over the east side of the church and is lighting up the trees which are turning color, I feel truly blessed that God has called me to St. Gabriel. There are mornings I wake up and think to myself – “This is really what I get to do with my life!” I think I may be waxing poetic because the anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood is about a month away. I will begin my third year as a priest on December 12th. If any of you remember, I was ordained on a Saturday and on Sunday I was the de facto priest-in-charge and Christmas was just around the corner. Dcn. Greg Rainey and I had the great idea to move our all-Zoom services from our homes into the church- which actually did turn out to be a great idea. What I remember is how this community worked to support me in my new ministry and came together to create a new way to worship. It was pretty wonderful.

It is not only the anniversary of my ordination that has got me ruminating and reflecting. We are about to begin a new liturgical year on November 27th. With the first Sunday of Advent we begin Year A 2022 – 2023 which coincides more or less with the end of my first six months as the official priest-in-charge. The year to come will be the first full liturgical year that I will be sitting in the corner office. All of this has got me thinking about what the new year will bring.

We are officially back in business so to speak. Actually, what we’ve done is to begin a new way of being St. Gabriel. Part of that is the result of the times we live in, part is the result of new people having joined our family, and part – perhaps the largest part – is the Holy Spirit powerfully pulling us forward. The coming year is going to offer new opportunities for folks to step into the role of ministry leaders as well as ministry members. The coming year is going to offer new opportunities for adult education and adult spiritual formation. The coming year is going to offer new opportunities for ways to experience worship. And that’s just the stuff we already have planned!

So, as the sun drops further in the afternoon sky, I will end this by inviting you to get ready for the church’s new year. We are going to be celebrating a traditional Advent this year by offering special Taizé Evensong services each of the four Sundays of Advent starting at 5:30 pm. These will be services of light, meditative music, prayer, and preparation for the coming of the Messiah. I hope you will join me and the worship ministry team.

In the peace and love of Christ,
Everett+

Where will you be as polls close for U.S. midterm elections?

Join us online for Election Day Prayers

Tuesday, Nov. 8th, 5:00- 9:00 pm PST

The Episcopal Public Policy Network Facebook page
The Episcopal Church Facebook page

Special guests from around the church will offer 10-15 minutes of reflection and prayer throughout the event. Scheduled guests include the following:

  • Presiding Bishop Michael Curry
  • House of Deputies President Julia Ayala Harris
  • The Rev. Chuck Robertson, canon for Ministry Beyond The Episcopal Church
  • The Rev. Charles Graves IV, missioner for Houston Canterbury
  • The Rev. Donna Gleaves, Episcopal Public Policy Network Ambassador, Montana
  • Willis H.A. Moore, Episcopal Election Activator, Hawaii
    Learn more

Join us at St. Gabriel the Archangel on Sunday, October 30th at 2:00 pm for a concert featuring Jecca Jazz Ensemble to raise money to help fund medical expenses for Clara Battles, who has been diagnosed with Niemann-Pick Type C; a rare, progressive genetic disorder commonly known as Childhood Alzheimer’s. Admission will be by donation. Spread the word and enjoy an afternoon of jazz for a good cause- our beloved Clara!

On Sunday, October 9th our Jr. and Sr. Youth groups and their families made a visit to our congregants’ local farm as part of their October People’s Ecochallenge goals. The group had lunch together, learned about the farm’s sustainability practices and how climate change has affected it, pet and fed animals, and harvested popcorn cobs. It was a glorious fall day in Oregon, and we are so grateful to our hosts and to God!

By Lexiann Grant For the Episcopal Cafe and Journal

“The discomfiture we feel may be our most accurate human sensation; reminding us we are not quite “at home” here. — C.S. Lewis

In his novel “Anxious People” Scandinavian author Fredrik Backman writes about how life hurts sometimes simply because we don’t feel like we belong in our own “skin,” that it doesn’t feel like it is ours.

We are often so uncomfortable in our own skins that we want to crawl out of them like a shedding snake.
Because we don’t feel we belong. Because we are uncertain about being where we are, or doing what we’re doing.

Because we are not at home within ourselves.

Some of us may point fingers and blame other people, while others chalk it up to fate or the universe. A few may be introspective enough to understand when our choices place us in a specific situation. Regardless we still don’t want to be us, within it.

Whatever our circumstance, we need to realize that either God put us where we are or will use us where and as we are. We are who we’re supposed to be, where we’re needed, like it or not, discomfited or not.

As a guide to those seeking to become comfortable within their own skin without numbing their reality, “The Big Book” of Alcoholic’s Anonymous advises, “…acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find…— some fact of my life — unacceptable to me. I can find no serenity until I accept that person (including myself??), place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment…nothing happens in God’s world by mistake.” *1

Acceptance might seem easier said than done. But Paul in his letter to the Romans suggests how:
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…whether living in plenty or in want.
I can do all this through him [Christ] who gives me strength.”

So … get comfy in your “skin.” It is not ours anyway; it is on loan from God.
Wear it. Move forward. Do what is in front of you. Turn it over, accept it.
Give thanks for having a life with doubts that provides an opportunity to do God’s work.

*1 excerpt from “The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, pg 417, 4th edition.
Parenthetical inserted text is mine.

Lexiann Grant is a retired writer & author, a former chalicer and layreader, but still an Episcopalian who enjoys encountering God in the mountain backcountry.

by Christine Sine- from The Episcopal Journal and Cafe

God has spread out for our delight a banquet that was twenty billion years in the making. A banquet of rivers and lakes, of rain and of sunshine, of rich earth and of amazing flowers, of handsome trees and of dancing fishes, of contemplative animals and of whistling winds, of dry and wet seasons, of cold and hot climates. But it is a banquet that works, this banquet called creation, the human planet. It works for our benefit if we behave toward it as reverent guests. (Matthew Fox Original blessing 112)

I have not been able to get these words out of my head this week. Every time I looked at a cloud formation, gasped in awe at the beauty of Mt Rainier or wandered my garden exclaiming at the beauty of the flowers, I thanked God for this incredible banquet twenty billion years in the making. Then I looked up at the stars, reminded of the incredible NASA photos of the place where stars are birthed. This banquet we call creation is incredible, and we are its guests, invited to admire the mystery of it with all our senses – looking, listening, tasting, smelling, touching – eating and drinking of the wonder around me.

Embracing the wild hospitality of God was my theme over the last few months. It revolutionized how I look at God, the world and our commitment to it. The concept of stewardship, so often used to define our relationship to the rest of creation seems so inadequate. It gives the impression that we are the ones in charge, responsible to look after all else that God created. God is seen as an often strict and critical master. There is no sense of mutuality, no recognition of the need to listen to the creation and consult it in what we do and how we steward.

If however I recognize myself as both a guest in God’s world and a host for God’s world my attitude changes. There is a sense of mutual relationship, of intimacy both with God and creation that is quite profound. I am a guest not a steward. My whole life is a generous gift of God’s lavish bounty. Beauty, abundance, joy, generosity and love, all these I receive from God and much more. All these are gifts to me of hospitality and caring. Gifts that I am responsible to share with all the other guests at the table – not just the human ones but also the animals and plants of God’s good creation.

Last week, in her article God’s Hospitality: Hosting and Guesting, Elaine Breckenridge asked: What does it mean to behave like a revered guest at the banquet God has created for us on our planet? The word “guest” invites me to consciously tread lightly on the Earth. Being a guest on the Earth has a more intimate feel to it than “being a steward of creation” or “reducing my carbon footprint.” It speaks to me of finding ways to reverence the Earth in the same way that indigenous people do.

Fox goes on to explain another stunning aspect of the hospitality of God – in the Eucharist God then becomes the banquet for us. When we share communion together we share the life of Jesus. The bread and the wine given from the earth, made by human hands to be shared with love and generosity are part of the banquet of God’s hospitality, and the sharing of them is an incredible opportunity to thank God for the amazing banquet of our lives. It is also more than that, however. It is a sharing of Christ’s life, and a commitment to live as followers of Jesus. As we share communion together, we are reminded of and celebrate together the life that Jesus shared among his community throughout the centuries and shares with us today. We are reminded and give thanks for Jesus the banquet feast of God who nourishes and sustains us in all that we do.

Last but certainly not least, according to Fox, God does not stop here.

God not only plays the host for us and becomes the banquet for us; God also has become guest for us. This is one of the deep meanings of the incarnation, that God let go of hosting long enough to become guest as well. It is as if the human race could understand the hosting side of hospitality, but the guesting side, was becoming more and more difficult to grasp. Love is not just setting the table and going out food; love is also the receiving end of the banquet. And for this the human race begged an incarnation, a fleshy enactment of the guesting side of God, of holiness and of hospitality. Jesus is an excellent guest, a true revelation of God’s guesting side. (Matthew Fox Original blessing 113)

Jesus is the guest who waits to be invited into our hearts and into our lives, inspiring and transforming us so that we long to become like him sharing our lives and our resources with those at the margins, those who need healing and those who need to see the love and generosity of our incredible God.

There is another dimension to this idea of God as guest I grapple with. It is easy for us to see God as our host, but God as guest is another matter. I am both inspired and stunned by the thought expressed by Richard Middleton in his book A New Heaven and A New Earth that our purpose is to transform the whole earth into a fitting place, a hospitable place, not just for humankind to dwell, but also for God to dwell. Can you imagine it? God longs for a beautiful place where all creation flourishes and enjoys abundant provision, a place in which God, too, feels welcomed and comfortable, able to walk once more in a hospitable relationship with humankind.

What is the appropriate response from deep within the human person to this banquet of blessings spread before us so lavishly? Fox asks, “True holiness, full hospitality, lead to gratitude.” Thankfulness and gratefulness bubble up inside us when we consider the wonder and mystery of a God who is both host and guest in this world. It is a thankfulness that seems to fill the whole universe and reverberate through every part of each ancient yet fresh day creation in which we find ourselves.

Take time today to get out and feast on the incredible banquet God still spreads for us. Feast your eyes on the wonder of cloud formations, listen to the wind whistling in the trees and the melody of birds around you. Stop and inhale the fragrance of the air after rain, run your fingers over the lavender and inhale its wonderful aroma and taste the fruit and herbs around you.

After your walk, sit in a quiet place and contemplate the wonder of a creation banquet feast that was twenty billion years in the making. Is there a response God is asking of you?

Two Weeks of Prayer for the Start of School

(Thanks to Lauren Gaines for writing them, and Ava Martin for offering them to us to share. Image from Romper)

Read aloud together one each morning before school. Children
can read one aloud for the family too!

Guide
Praying God’s word is not complicated. In this guide, I share with
you personalized prayers, but you can do this with any scripture
you read. After you read 2 to 3 verses, pray the words that stick
out to you. Declare the promises over your family.

Here is an
example of how to pray the psalms:
Read Psalm 121:3-4: He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep.
Pray: Thank you, heavenly Father, that you never sleep nor
slumber. You are always watching over my family and me. I
praise you because you are watching over me even when I sleep.
I do not have to be afraid because you will not allow my foot to
move. Thank you for your faithfulness. Amen.
Speak the words that the Spirit leads you to pray. God’s word is
so powerful, and when we speak it out loud, something shifts in
the atmosphere. Now for the two weeks of prayer.

1
Scripture: But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them
ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those
who love your name may rejoice in you. Psalm 5:11 NIV
Prayer: Heavenly Father we thank you today for your protection.
We rejoice because you spread your divine hand over us. Lord,
we ask you to watch over our coming and going this school year.

In your Word, you said you’d rescue us from every trap (Psalm 91
verse 3). We declare that promise over our house and over our
selves today. No evil will touch us. As we come and go this school
year, bring us all home safely each day. Amen.

2
Scripture: As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
Proverbs 27:17 NLT
Prayer: Jesus, we thank you for friends! Thank you that you
created us to be in a relationship with you and with each other.
God, I pray we form kind, uplifting relationships this school year.
Friendships that build each other up and sharpen one another.
God, I pray we will be wise when choosing friends. Give us
discernment to find true friends. Friends who will speak life to us.
Give us the ability to say no when necessary and the bravery to
stand up for what is right. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

3
Scripture: Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears
are open for knowledge. Proverbs 18:15 NLT
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you that you’ve given us
a brain. The ability to think and learn! This year help us develop a
thirst for knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. May we hunger
and chase after wisdom. Give us a deep desire to learn. Ready
our hearts to learn this year, at home, school, and church. Open
our ears and eyes to see the things You do, O Lord. We pray our
hearts crave knowledge and seek it out every day. Amen

4
Scripture: Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for
me to follow. Psalms 25:4 NLT

Prayer: Heavenly Father, show us the right path this school year.
May we not be influenced by the unwise, but seek Your higher
purposes in all things. Guide our choices. Order our steps and
make our paths straight. Show us the right path as a family. Lord,
we pray for wisdom from above. Show us where to spend our
time and energy this year. Guide us in everything we do and may
we have open ears to hear your voice. In Jesus’ mighty name we
pray. Amen.

5
Scripture: Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will
be wise the rest of your life. Proverbs 19:20 NLT
Prayer: Dear Jesus, give us hearts to accept instruction. Give us
the desire to learn from the wise and to accept correction. Soften
our hearts so we can gain knowledge from our teachers (and
parents). Teach us as parents how to instill respect and
compassion in our children. May we learn to honor and love
everyone we come in contact with throughout the day. Amen.

6
Scripture: I have told you these things so that you will be filled
with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! John 15:11 NLT
Prayer: We rejoice in your name today. Thank you Jesus for
setting us free and for dancing over us at all times. Lord draw us
to you today! As we rejoice in your love, fill us with unspeakable
joy. Overflowing JOY! As we moves throughout our day, may we
find little things to rejoice in. May we delight in learning! Keep our
minds focused on excellent, praiseworthy things. Thank you,
Jesus!

7
Scripture: Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly
loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12 NIV
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank you for your lovingkindness
toward us. God clothe us with compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness, and patience this year. May they stand up against the
bullies, speaking with love to each other at all times. Guide us to
encourage kindness and patience. As we plant these seeds, Lord
make them grow!

8
Scripture: I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen
you with power through his Spirit in your inner being. Ephesians
3:16 NIV
Prayer: We thank you for our teachers! We pray you would
strengthen teachers with your power this school year. Give them
guidance on instruction, strength to complete all the tasks, and
energy to joyfully interact with their students. God give our
teachers efficiency as they work. May they find times of rest and if
they do not know you, make yourself known to them this school
year.

9
Scripture: But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the
purposes of his heart through all generations. Psalms 33:11 NIV
Prayer: Thank you Jesus that your plans stand firm forever! God,
we pray you would reveal your wonderful purposes to us. Show
us and our teachers the gifts and talents you have placed inside
us. Fill us with joy as we search these gifts out. Reveal to us the
great things you have planned for our lives. Point us toward the
road you ordained for us. We thank you for your greater
purposes. In Jesus’Name, we pray. Amen.

10
Scripture: Common sense and success belong to me. Insight
and strength are mine. Proverbs 8:14 NLT
Prayer: Lord, we thank you for your promises and your
faithfulness. Today we claim your promise that common sense
and success belong to us. Thank you that we are filled with
wisdom and understanding. Throughout the day give us insight
beyond our years. In any situation we face, may we use sound
judgment. We thank you that you have given us a sound mind! In
Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

11
Scripture: ‘May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord
smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his
favor and give you his peace.’ Numbers 6:24-26 NLT
Prayer: Lord we thank you that you are the God of peace. We
thank you that even when the earth is trembling we can be still
and know you are God. Nothing can separate us from You. We
know the school year can be a stressful time for us, but we praise
you for giving us peace even in the midst of the storm. As we sit
in your presence and focus our hearts and minds on you, rain
down your perfect peace on our family. We trust that no matter
what, you will guide us, protect us, and be gracious toward us.
Amen

12
Scripture: Being confident of this, that he who began a good
work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ
Jesus. Philippians 1:6 NIV
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you that you are always
right beside us. We praise you because we can rest knowing you
never leave us! Remind us today how you hold our hands. Give
us strength and endurance to run the good race of faith. Your
word says you will carry on the good work you started until the
day of Christ Jesus. Continue touching our hearts. Remind us of
your steadfast love. Hold us up on your wings to keep fighting the
good fight. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

13
Scripture: Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and
there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring
the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that
are not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, And I will do all
My pleasure,” Isaiah 46:9-10 NKJV
Prayer: Lord, we praise you, you are the alpha and the omega,
the beginning and the end. Give us your might and strength.
Make yourself real in our hearts. Your purposes will be
accomplished no matter what. Reveal to us your heart. Amen.

14
Scripture: Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be
discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help
you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10
NLT
Prayer: Thank you Jesus that you are holding us up right now in
your victorious hand. Lord help us live victorious lives. May our
hearts not be discouraged by any setbacks this year. For we
know Our God has overcome every sickness and disease. We
claim the abundant life you promise for our families. May we
experience your mighty power this year. In Jesus’ Name, we pray.
Amen.

Guests, Not Hosts
based on this Sunday’s gospel reading, Luke 14: 1, 7-14

In the beginning,
our very first story about ourselves ends
with the reminder we were born hungry,
body and soul:

On the day before God rested, at the dawn
of time, God granted the newborn humanity
every herb and fruit tree for our food,
sprung from the same soil
as we were. God invites us all
to a seat at the wedding table of creation-
creation we are bound to
creation we are bound to care for,
into which we ourselves are woven
as a part of the whole. There is
one table, and it is the altar
and sacred precincts
of life itself, insisting on our unity
in shared need for nourishment.

And so it is that we are reminded
in our body’s hunger, and by our food,
from the juiciest boredom-plucked berry
and truffles worth their weight in gold,
to bologna with spelled-out first and second names,
that all the sustenance we receive
is provided from this fragile planet
by God’s tender loving-kindness.

And so it is the soul’s hunger
draws us around God’s holy table
for a foretaste of heaven,
bearing our offerings from God’s creation
formed by human hands, yes,
but sacrament at the invocation
of the finger of God in our midst.
It’s a wonder
our hair doesn’t stand on end.

We are fed
not through our words
but by holy gift
that calls us into God’s own unity.

You can have communion,
or you can have competition,
but not both.
We share with each other
what is not ours to give
or take away.

There can be no jostling or jockeying
for the best place at this table, just rejoicing
that all are invited,
that there is room to spare,
that we are guests, not hosts.

~By Leslie Scoopmire
Reprinted from The Episcopal Cafe, Aug, 24, 2022
image from ocatm.org

[To view as a video, please go here.]

I’m in Canterbury, England, at the Lambeth Conference of bishops. It’s August the
second. I don’t have a script in front of me, but I did want to talk with you—just briefly,
especially for our LGBTQ family. I know that there is legitimately some anxiety and
concern about the conversations and the direction that might emerge from this Lambeth
Conference, specifically regarding same-sex marriage.
I want you to know, though, that at the end of this day, when we did discuss same-sex
marriage and marriage in general, in the context of talking about human dignity, and the
ministry of reconciliation in Christ, I left that conversation hopeful. I left it hopeful, not
because we all came to agreement across all of our differences. No, no, we didn’t even try
to do that. I left hopeful not because I convinced anybody of where I stand, or that they
convinced me of where they stand. I left hopeful because this group of bishops today
seem to be able to recognize and affirm our love and respect for each other as brothers
and sisters in Christ in the body of Jesus Christ. And that we could find a way to honor
and respect our differences. If we love each other, and love our Lord. That, my friends, is
a sign of hope. That is a sign of hope. That makes room and space for all of us to be in
the course of our conversations.

There was a document that we reflected on—we didn’t take any votes; we didn’t try to do
that—it was called a call on human dignity. And in this call on human dignity, the
premise that was behind the document was that we have all been created in the image and
likeness of God. And that that image of God confers a dignity and a worth on every
human being. My daddy used to say nobody got any more of that image than anybody
else. We all got it equally which means we are equal before God, and we should be equal
before the law.

We began our discussions around human sexuality and around marriage. With that in
mind, and in the document that we were reflecting on, that document said that we in the
Anglican Communion live with a plurality of views on marriage. That there is what
might be called a traditional view of marriage between a man and a woman, and that
view is held probably by the majority, certainly, of Anglican churches around the world
and probably Anglicans—but that there is another view equally to be respected: a view
that includes and embraces same-sex couples who seek the blessing of God on their
loving relationships, their commitments and their families.

My friends, I’ve been a bishop 22 years. I’ve been a priest over 40 years. And I have to
tell you that as far as I know that is the first time a document in the Anglican Communion
has recognized that there is a plurality of view on marriage. And that these are
perspectives that reflect deep theological and biblical work and reflection. That they
reflect and respect the context in which we live and seek to address the pastoral needs of
our people, of all the children of God—that’s why I say today is a hopeful day.
There is work to do, but hope can help us run the race that is set before us. As the prophet
Isaiah said, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount
up on wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.”
This group of bishops today are finding a way to walk together as a church.
And the words that have echoed in our ears over and over again have been the words of
Jesus: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples.” Not that you agree. But
that you love one another. And so we are still walking together. And in our church, we
are making “plenty good room” for all of God’s children.

God love you. God bless you. And may God hold us all in those almighty hands of love.
# # #
For more info contact:
Amanda Skofstad
Public Affairs Officer, The Episcopal Church
askofstad@episcopalchurch.org

BY MARY FRANCES SCHJONBERG

[Episcopal News Service – Baltimore, Maryland] The 80th General Convention of The Episcopal Church is one for the history books, and not just for the decisions made but also for how the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way the church conducted its business.

The July 8-11 gathering – postponed a year because of COVID-19 and shortened from eight days – conducted what Presiding Bishop Michael Curry had referred to during the planning process as “matters essential for the governance and good order of the church.” Still, 412 resolutions were filed for consideration.

Legislative committees acted online most of the resolutions before gathering in Baltimore. That cleared the way for the House of Bishops and House of Deputies to devote the in-person gathering only to legislative floor sessions. They passed most of the resolutions in batches through consent calendars. Bishops and deputies had floor debates only on more controversial measures or on actions that they wanted to raise to greater prominence.

Among those essential actions, the bishops and deputies passed a $100.5 million budget for the next biennium (the 81st General Convention is scheduled for the summer of 2024), approved the first reading of a constitutional change to clearly define the Book of Common Prayer, continued the church’s commitment to reckoning with it history of racism, elected Julia Ayala Harris to succeed the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings as House of Deputies president and the Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton as vice president, and agreed to the reunification of two dioceses in Texas.

To read the full article, please go here.

The Second Annual
Mass on the Grass
Sunday, July 3rd 10:00 am 

Remember we told you to save the date? Well, that saved date is almost here! We’ve tested out the sound system – it works great. Soon our holy hill will be alive with the sound of the dulcet tones of members of the St. Gabriel choir leading us all in songs of praise.

So, bring your lawn chairs, shade umbrellas, and picnic brunch. Wear your shorts, t-shirts, Aloha shirts, mu’umu’u, and don’t forget sunblock and a hat. We’ll all be gathering on our rolling hillside lawn (there will also be seats at the edge of the patio) while Everett+ and company gather on the stage to celebrate al fresco Eucharist. Dogs are welcome on a leash. 

Please note, there is no 10:00 am online Zoom service this day. Please attend our 8:00 online service instead. 

We are collecting shampoo and deodorant at the Mass on the Grass as a donation drive for the Beaverton Resource Center to distribute to needly local families. If you can’t come to services on July 3rd, you can drop off donations any time in the outdoor donation bin by the front of the entrance doors.

 


~image from MailChimp

Dear Beloved Community:
Acknowledging the peoples and the nations who were the historic stewards of the land that churches stand on has become an important part of the Episcopal Church’s reckoning with the role it has played in their genocide and intergenerational trauma. Many parishes have begun to include a “Land Acknowledgement” statement alongside their Mission Statement; we felt it was important to add an acknowledgement to our weekly Prayers of People. So, starting this Sunday, and every Sunday thereafter, at both the 8:00 am and 10:00 am services, you will hear the following addition to the Prayers of the People: “We acknowledge the Chinook, Kalapuya, and Atfalati peoples, the traditional custodians of the land on which we now worship and we ask your blessing on their continuing contributions to the life of this region.” We are a people for whom prayer is of the utmost importance and making this acknowledgement a part of our weekly prayers as a people reflects, I believe, the seriousness of our intention.

In the peace and love of Christ,

Everett+

Last Sunday, June 19th, St. Gabriel’s Sr. Youth Group gave a sermon on the topic of Juneteenth at both services. Parishioners learned the meaning of the observance, and how it connects to our faith as Christians. It was also an opportunity to support our Youth as they develop into ever more mature Christian thinkers. They worked diligently and gave great thought to this topic. In the process they challenged themselves, and each other, to better understand how they can live life more reflective of Christ’s call to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Our Youth appreciated seeing you, being supported by you, and ministering to you through their sermon last Sunday. The sermon can be viewed on our YouTube channel . Thanks to our Youth and leaders for this meaningful offering.

Juneteenth image from epiphanyseattle.org

We are happy to announce that at our Pentecost services on Sunday, June 5th, our Sr. Warden Rod MacDow and the Missioner for Thriving Congregations Christopher Craun announced that the search committee and vestry made the decision to welcome our interim priest-in-charge Rev. Everett Charters as our permanent priest! As a fairly new priest, Everett+ will retain the title of “priest-in-charge for two years, after which his title can be changed to rector. Cheers rang out after the announcement at both services, as many congregants got exactly what they were praying for. We look forward to many years of Everett+ leading us, loving us, and forging forward into a renewed post-Covid reawakening at St. Gabriel’s!

The Sound Out of the Ground

Cain murdered and buried his brother

No one knew Abel’s blood had been shed

Out of the ground came a mournful sound

Abel’s blood cried out in his stead

Our precious children of Newtown

Ask us all for this one sacrifice

Grieve our demise with your eyes on the prize

Save the children, our blood paid the price

Young brother and sister died asking

Must we fall so that others seem tall

When we all see, we are one family

Life will be so much better for all

What is that sound coming out from the ground

It’s the blood of God’s fallen children

The blood in our veins should be crying

With their blood that’s still crying today

Rise above fear, speak out loud and clear

For our children, put weapons away

What is the sound coming out of the ground

​​​​​​​ It’s the blood of God’s fallen children

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​What is their crying trying to say

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ We’ve got to stop this senseless killing

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ We’ve got to stop this senseless killing

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ We’ve got to stop this senseless killing

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ We’ve got to stop this senseless killing

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ What is their crying trying to say

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ We’ve got to stop this senseless killing

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ We’ve got to stop this senseless killing

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ —James A. Forbes Jr.

~Everett+
image from Washington Monthly

Dear Beloved Community –

I’ve been thinking about public witness. At this week’s 9:30 Wednesday Eucharist, several folks witnessed or testified to times in their lives when they felt the very real presence of God working in their lives. I use the words witnessed and testified intentionally because they conjure up images of tent revivals, I actually said that it was like we were having a mini-revival. Words like a revival, witnessing, and testifying are not ones we are used to hearing very often in an Episcopal church but our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and his Evangelism Team have been organizing “Episcopal Revivals” across the country. So, they are words we should be hearing and talking about.

It was a Holy Spirit moment to be graced with hearing people I have come to know and love share their faith in this way on Wednesday. It was truly powerful. I wish more of you could have been there to experience it and perhaps to share your testimony. I also realize that the Wednesday Eucharist is attended by a group of “regulars” who have come to know, trust, and pray for the healing of each other. It is, even on Zoom, an intimate and safe space. This is what has got me thinking. What other ways can we create intimate, safe spaces for ourselves? This is not a question I want to try and answer by myself. I’m hoping that perhaps some of you who are reading this might hear the Holy Spirit calling you to work with me to think creatively about how it might happen. I see part of my job as your priest to toss out these spiritually baited fish hooks to see who strikes which I guess sort of makes me a fisher of people. So, consider this baited hook tossed into the waters of St. Gabriel. Can I get a witness?

In the peace and love of Christ,
Everett+

Notes From a Vestry Member….

Personal Growth

I have often looked at weekends as time to recharge and take a break from doing work. It has been easy to sit back in church and let others acolyte, do readings, host coffee hours, usher…you get the idea.

My attitude about this changed during Holy week when I realized that we need more people to actively participate because there were so many services, multiple readings, etc.  So, I decided to face my fear about not knowing how to pronounce all those people and cities mentioned in some readings and decided to volunteer to be a reader. However, I will start easing into it by reading the Prayers of the People.  I tend to over think things so for me, starting something requires more thought than continuing to do it.

For some of you, standing in front of people might be intimidating, so with the advent of hybrid services we all have the luxury of reading in front of our laptops. Though it might not seem like it is a big help, I was told that it will be very appreciated by existing readers to lighten their load – kind of like “many hands make for light work.”

I encourage us all to check our comfort level and find something you enjoy doing or might enjoy doing.  The beauty of this is that it is not a long-term commitment so if we try something and want to try something different next week, that’s fine.  We never know what new things we do will speak to us and how we will personally and spiritually gain from the experience.

~George Kyler   image from gregburdine

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