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Our monthly newsletters are available
online for your reading pleasure. You will be able to access our newsletters in three document versions -- in plain text
on this page, in PDF, or in Word. If you wish to print the
newsletter, we suggest using the PDF version. For PDF viewing
and/or printing, you may need to download Adobe Reader or update your
current Adobe Reader, available free of charge at
adobe.com. |
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GIVING IN LOVE –
GROWING IN GRACE
Regardless of what each of us “has done
for a living” or “does for a living”
all of us are called to be servants of Jesus
Christ. Each of us is called to ministry in
His Name. The purpose of this ‘epistle’ is
to invite you into the ministry of
stewardship.
What God asks of us is to accept His call to
renew our commitment to the tasks of
spreading the Gospel. Nothing so symbolizes
our acceptance of His call than the return
of a tithe, a portion of all that we have
been given, to make sure that God’s message
of salvation is made manifest through the
mission and ministry of St. Barnabas Church.
This time of year, all of us are given a
renewed opportunity to deepen our own
personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
God will prepare us for this work. God will
direct us in this work. God will guide us
in this work.
When you pledge to St. Barnabas you are
answering God’s call to you and
acknowledging His claim upon your life.
When you pledge to St. Barnabas, you are
saying with Isaiah, “Here am I, send
me.” As your pledge goes forth from
this place into the world, it goes in the
name of the Lord. God already has given you
so many gifts. He will give you even more.
The blessings thus far are mere shadows of
those to come.
In thanksgiving for what God has done and
will do in your life, please join us (Jane
and me and fellow members of St. Barnabas)
in your generous pledge to the 2008 St.
Barnabas stewardship effort. Joining
together with others, your gift will enable
our beloved parish to continue the vision,
to continue the mission, to continue the
work of Jesus Christ. Your gift will help
to sustain this parish as a mighty fortress
of grace and compassion in the midst of a
troubled and confusing world. Your pledge,
your commitment, and your love are necessary
parts of the witness of this parish to the
coming Kingdom.
Your pledge card will arrive in the mail
within the next several weeks. I pray that
you will prayerfully consider your giving
in love, and know that, in turn, you
will certainly grow
in grace.
Faithfully,
The Rev. Richard H. Elwood+
Rector
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October Sunday
School News
Contributed by
Karen Welch
“It is relationships, not programs,
that change children. A great program simply creates
the environment for healthy relationships to form
between adults and children. Young people thrive when
adults care about them on a one-to-one level, and when
they also have a sense of belonging to a caring
community.”
Bill Milliken
A dear friend of mine shared this quote
with me and I could not wait to share it with all of
you. To me, it describes our Christian Education for
Youth at St. Barnabas completely. We have an incredible
program, however, to each one of us, it is the
individual children to whom we minister. And we never
let the “program” get in the way of the child. Frankly,
I don’t think anyone anywhere could find a more caring
community than St. Barnabas.
Our “Sharing” in October will be
presented by the Sprouts, our 3, 4 & 5 year old class,
at the 11AM Worship on the 7th of October.
This is always a memorable event (!) so be sure not to
miss this one.
Our special project for October will be
“Coats for Kids.” During this time, we will collect
coats, jackets and heavy sweaters in all sizes (remember
adult sizes fit teens). On the 30th of
October we will take all these warm coats to the Needs
Council where they will be distributed to any who need
them. We will then come back to the church for a pizza
party with a Halloween Theme. There will be a
surprise. Come in costumes or not. The important thing
is for us ALL to be together.
Bless you all in the name of our Lord,
Jesus Christ. Amen |
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Outreach Report from
September Meeting
Contributed by Susan Kimbrell
10 Thousand Village update
– This group’s next sale will be October 13th & 14th at
Memorial Presbyterian Church on North Milam. St.
Barnabas will be hosting the next sale this coming
spring so get ready to purchase some unique items at a
special price.
St. Mary’s will be hosting the town’s annual
Thanksgiving dinner. They are in need of volunteers to
help with setup, serving, and cleanup. If you are
interested in helping the community, please contact St.
Mary’s church office.
Please help with the collection of winter apparel that
our youth will be collecting here at our Parish. Don’t
forget the sizes are adult to small children. Items
needed are coats, jackets, sweaters, gloves, hats – good
condition for someone else to use.
If you have one hour a week, Monday thru Friday, and
would like to enhance a child’s life, please contact the
Fredericksburg Mentoring Program. You would meet with
this student during his/her lunch hour and talk, play
games, eat lunch, etc. Please think about working
with our next generation of the Fredericksburg
Community.
The next meeting for Outreach will be October 16th at
11:15am in the Parish Hall. We will be finalizing
our fourth quarter outreach projects. Please come join
the fun. Our meetings last 30 minutes with lunch served
afterwards. |
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SENIOR WARDEN’S UPDATE
“encouraging faithful living”
A big thank you needs to be extended to the ECW for the
hard work put into events this year including the
carnival, all of which allowed the ECW to fund projects
which enrich the worship at St Barnabas. First, about
$5,000 was raised and given to replace the pew cushions
and clean and re-block the altar rail kneelers.
Recently, another gift of $11,000 was made to recover
the pew kneelers (estimated at $1,800) with the balance
ear-marked to help with other renovations to the church
(lighting, flooring and carpet). The Gifts and Bequests
Committee will be making a recommendation to the vestry
on proposals for upgrading the lighting and flooring in
the church with the $20,000 gift from the Estate of Dick
Hall. Along with the ECW gift, almost $30,000 will be
available for the project.
October is the month we begin the budgeting process for
next year. As Father Elwood stated in his column on page
1, it is also the time we begin thinking about next
year’s stewardship. When we budget expenses, we need to
look at what the various programs think they will spend.
Hopefully actual income will be more than we budget. How
much more is unknown, so we need to heavily consider the
amount you and I pledge during the Stewardship Drive. If
total budgeted expenses are much higher than estimated
income, then decisions might need to be made in funding
some programs or needs. I encourage everyone in the
parish to prayerfully consider the amounts they can
commit to God’s work through our church during 2008.
August’s Financial Report is below, and is the first
time during the year our expenses have been larger than
income. This is due, in part, to the fact August is
historically a low revenue month. Also, this year the
Jazz Mass occurred on September 2, therefore some
expenses were booked in August while the revenue appears
in September. If that is considered our income and
expenses would be about equal for August.
Keep encouraging faithful living and good things will
happen!
Thanks be to God
Charles Green |
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Daughters of the
King to Host October 7th Potluck
The St. Barnabas’ Daughters of the King will host
the October 7th Potluck in the Parish Hall.
Parishioners are asked to bring the following dishes
according to the first letter of their last name.
A through H Desserts and Bread
I through P Main Dish/Meat
Q through Z Veggies and Salads
The Daughters will furnish the drinks and
condiments. Please bring a friend for a great time of
fellowship.
INTERESTED IN
BECOMING A DAUGHTER OF THE KING OR FINDING OUT MORE
ABOUT IT?
Contributed by Judy
Taylor
The St. Barnabas daughters will host a tea for all
interested women on Saturday, January l2 at 10:30 a.m.
in the CEB.
New Daughter Training (a period of
discernment) will then begin on Saturday, January 26th,
and continue on Saturdays through March 15th.
The eight sessions will be held from
9-l2. The sessions will cover such topics as prayer,
spiritual gifts, and service to our parish. By
reaffirmation of the promises made at Confirmation, a
Daughter pledges herself to a life-long program of
prayer, service and evangelism, dedicated to the spread
of Christ's Kingdom and the strengthening of the
spiritual life of her parish.
Further questions? Contact Judy Taylor
at judytaylor@wildblue.net
or call 669-2284. Any daughter can be
identified by the special cross she wears daily and will
be glad to answer any inquiries. We hope you will
consider joining us at the tea to find out more! |
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Blood Drive for
the Military, October 16 – 18
National Guard Armory, 598 Armory Road,
Fredericksburg
Tuesday (10 AM to 3 PM), Wednesday (2 PM to 7 PM),
Thursday (2 PM to 7 PM)
Did you know that if the military runs short of blood,
they have to purchase it? We as a community are joining
our hands together again to do our part in Supporting
Our Troops with The Ultimate Care Package. Walk-ins are
welcome, but if you prefer to schedule a specific time
go to
www.militarylifeforce.com.
We’ll see you at the armory! Bring family and friends –
and remember, one donation
can save up to 3 lives! |
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Endowment Committee
Expanded
Contributed by Marilee Pankratz.
Photograph by Dick Elwood
The Vestry has appointed Chica Greenlee and Susan
Kimbrell to serve 3 year terms on the Endowment
Committee with existing members, Bob Gates, JP (John)
Phelps, Marilee Pankratz and ex-officio members Fr.
Elwood and Charles Green, Sr. Warden, and Robert Mosley.
“We welcome Chica and Susan” stated Marilee Pankratz,
chairman of the Committee. “Chica has spent many of her
professional years in fund development and knows the
importance of a strong Endowment program. Susan chairs
the St. Barnabas Outreach committee and has a heart for
the past, present, and future vision of Outreach for our
parish.”
Established in 2002, the Endowment Fund was created for
the purpose of providing funds for Outreach and Seed
Money for New Ministries. Funds for these two distinct
ministries will come from earnings from the Endowment
Fund. Since its initial gift, the Fund has received
numerous gifts of all sizes from individuals through
memorial gifts and bequests from the estates of our
former parishioners bringing the current balance to
$35,541.15. The Vestry has asked the Endowment Committee
to determine a fund balance goal to reach before
distributions are made. At that time, annual
distributions will be made to St. Barnabas’ Outreach
projects and as identified, seed money for new
ministries determined by the Clergy and Vestry.
The committee welcomes any questions about gifting and
will soon provide printed material about the Endowment
Fund for interested parishioners. Copies of the
Endowment Fund Policies are available for review in the
Church Office.
An Annual In-Gathering will be held this All Saints Day.
Everyone will be invited to make a gift to the Permanent
Endowment Fund in memory of a loved one. A letter and
gift envelopes will be sent in mid October.
or information about the St. Barnabas Endowment Fund,
please contact any member of the committee or ex-officio
members. |
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KAIROS
Prison Ministry Report
Contributed by Bud Parrish
Editor’s Note: KAIROS is a prison ministry in which
teams of dedicated Christians participate in a three day
course in Christianity with prison inmates inside the
prison. This KAIROS weekend was at the Connally unit #10
of the Texas Department of Corrections. Inmates and team
members gather around tables and people begin to share
their stories and witness for Christ. Many of the
inmates have never experienced the love of Christ until
their KAIROS weekend….RHG.
I thank the members of St. Barnabas who made cookies for
the Kairos weekend.I had nearly 75 doz. to add to the
amount other team members brought. The Kairos team was
approximately 50 people, with 30 on the inside team, and
20 on the outside team.In addition to the 42 inmates who
participated, there were approximately 15 to 20 inmates
who had previously been through a Kairos weekend who
were chosen as servants or stewards.
I was part of the table family of St. Paul, composed of
9 people, 6 inmates, a table leader, asst. table leader
and clergyman.The clergyman at our table was an active
Methodist minister, who happens to worship at an
Episcopal Church.He told me that he attended the 7:45
a.m. service at St. Barnabas about two months ago when
he was visiting Fredericksburg, and that Father Dugat's
sermon that day was "right on."
I helped load a suburban and a van on Saturday morning
with 2100 doz. cookies, in bags of one dozen each, that
were to be given to the inmates who were not attending
Kairos.
God's love and the work of the Holy Spirit was manifest
during the weekend. |
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BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7 - 4:00 P.M. - CHURCH GROUNDS
MARTIN SAYS TO HIS FRIENDS…….
‘BRING YOUR PEOPLE FRIENDS BUT PUT THEM ON A LEASH OR IN
A CARRYING
CAGE…..’ PLENTY OF WATER & TREATS FOR
ALL |
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ECW
Meeting
Monday, October 8th, 11:30 am in the Parish Hall. Dyana
Orrin will speak on Spirituality. A $7.00 donation is
suggested for the lunch. |
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Around the Parish with
Bob Gates
O.T.T.E.R. (Our Time To Enjoy Reading) needs a
few great volunteers to read fun books one on one to a
kindergarten student. Why do this? Because reading aloud
to a young child is the BEST way to spark an interest in
learning to read. When can you do this? Twice a week for
20 minutes from October 9th to December 18th. Lots of
times to choose from! Sharing your love of reading with
a child is a gift that lasts a lifetime. Please come and
help make a difference and have fun doing it. Call
Melissa Mial at Fredericksburg Primary School
997-7421…..For those of you who have been to a Cursillo
weekend, there will be an Ultreya gathering at Saint
Peter’s (Kerrville) on Sunday, October 14th at 4:00 p.m.
in Tucker Hall. There will be good music, good witness,
and good food as all members of the Cursillo Community
come together for worship and fellowship……..A matter of
interest…..Gwen Dugat and Sharon McMahon will present a
Two Person Art Show and opening reception on Saturday,
October 6th from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Viva Arts
Gallery at Mini-Mansions, 8407 Broadway in San Antonio.
For directions to Mini Mansions, you may pick up a map
with point to point directions from the church
office…….Alex Butter, son of Leo Butter, has been
accepted and is now enrolled at Texas Military Institute
(TMI) in San Antonio. TMI was founded in 1893 and is the
oldest Episcopal school in the southwest. It is a top
rated school academically and has many famous and well
known alumni, including the late General of the Army
Douglas MacArthur. Congratulations Alex, we are proud of
you…..Be sure and support the Military Blood Drive,
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday October 16th—-18th, at
the National Guard Armory. Hours are Tuesday (10 AM to 3
PM); Wednesday (2 PM to 7 PM) and Thursday (2 PM to 7
PM). One donation can save up to 3 lives. See story on
page four of the insert….Also on page four is the
schedule of what to bring to the October 7th Potluck,
hosted by the Daughters of the King…...Our Stewardship
Campaign will begin in October and the church is at a
pivotal and exciting point in the life of this parish.
Now that our debt has been eliminated we can pay
attention to matters and programs that had been shelved
or postponed due to lack of funding. Our clergy and
vestry are doing a superb job in directing and guiding
the programs and expenditures of the parish. I am proud
to be on staff at such critical time in the growth and
management of this parish. I invite everyone to join me
in prayerfully considering increasing our financial
commitment to this church…….We have been generously
blessed in so many ways in the past three years and the
blessings keep coming. I have never seen anything like
it, and we need to significantly express our thanks to
God for all that he is doing in our parish and in our
lives……..A sale is going on during October, November,
and December and it is for parishioners only!!! The
Saint Barnabas’ Cookbook, Flavors of Fredericksburg, is
on sale: Box of 6 for $60.00. It is a great gift or
stocking stuffer. To order please call Nanette Shannon
at 997-4730…A closing thought from Fr. Dick Elwood: You
know, of course, that we will be celebrating the day of
St. Francis as we have the Blessing of the Animals on
Sunday afternoon, October 7 at 4:00, on the grounds of
the church. Everyone welcome! Let us remember the prayer
attributed to him: “Lord, make us instruments of your
peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where
there is injury, pardon; where there is discord; union;
where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair,
hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is
sadness; joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be
consoled as to console; to be understood, as to
understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving
that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are
pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal
life.” Amen. |
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