June 15, 2006

Remember: Summer Evening Worship this Sunday!

• Worship will move this Sunday from 9:30am to 6pm.  This is "come as you are" summer worship, wearing the clothing of your afternoon adventures.
• Hospitality will be before worship at 5:30pm, with light refreshments and lemonade.  This Sunday, we welcome our summer intern Derek Elkins and his wife Kathleen!
• The Prayer Team will meet at 7pm following worship with an open invitation for all who desire to take part.

The Importance of Vision

Just before World War I, Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of worldwide Scouting, was pressed to make optional the requirement that a boy learn to swim before he could become a First Class Scout.  The reasons largely given were that it was too hard for boys to get to a pool or it was just too difficult for boys who had never been exposed to water as young children.  "Give these boys a break," was the essence of the argument.  Baden-Powell absolutely refused:  "When a boy become a First Class Scout, he has the founding in the mental, moral and physical qualities that go with making a good and useful man.  Mentally, swimming gives a boy a new sense of self-confidence; morally, it gives him the power of helping other in distress and puts a responsibility on him of risking his life at any moment for others; and physically, it is a grand exercise for developing wind and limb.  Every man ought to learn to swim."  His passion and vision for what a Scout ought to be remains to this day.  They have guided my aquatic instruction with boys for almost thirty years.  Not surprisingly, they were the first words uttered at my re-certification training last month:  "Scouting aquatics has no higher purpose than to teach boys how to swim."

Keeping a vision or living a mission is hard work.  It was hard for Baden-Powell as he shepherded the infant scouting movement.  It is equally hard for those of us called into the community called Beloved-a congregation that is nearing five years of age.  As tempting as it would be to "give ourselves a break" and take an easier, familiar or more comfortable path, we must keep to our mission if we are to be the blessing for the world that God desires us to be.  In the spirit of Lord Baden-Powell, perhaps all that is written in our statement of Mission, Values and Principles could be summed up like this:  "Beloved has no higher purpose than to help those on a spiritual search to encounter and be transformed by the risen Jesus."  To accomplish that, God will stretch us, inspire us and use us in ways we can't now imagine.  There is only one thing that I know for certain: a spiritual free swim is out of the question.             

J. Derek Harbin, priest

Around Beloved...Derek Elkins, a student at the Presbyterian School of Christian Education at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond (VA), found Church of the Beloved on the internet while looking for "emerging congregations"; he and Kathleen, his wife, worshiped at Beloved in mid-January and earlier this spring contacted us about the possibility of an internship this summer.  He will begin his internship this Sunday, June 18.  Kathleen, is also doing an internship with (Roman) Catholic Social Services in the field of refugee resettlement.  Please watch for more details about how the Beloved community can welcome and share meal hospitality throughout the summer months...By popular demand, Summer FaithQuest is being offered on Tuesday mornings for eleven weeks this summer.  Participants still have the vacation flexibility of choosing either six or nine weeks out of the remaining ten weeks.  Registration sheets are available at Beloved Garden or in the hospitality area after worship each Sunday...Beloved Band member (the drummer) Chris Allen and his band are finalists in an Oreo Cookie jingle contest.  In the spirit of American Idol, the winner will be determined by the total number of online votes received by July 20^th.  Listen to the jingle and vote as many times as you can for Chris' band by clicking here.  (The UPC code you need is 022172.)     

The 75^th General Convention...Bishops along with clergy and lay deputies from each diocese will pray and deliberate in this triennial gathering of the Episcopal Church from June 13-21 in Columbus, Ohio.  The election of our next Presiding Bishop will be held on June 18^th.  Please keep all involved in your daily prayers, both before and during this event.

Our own Deacon Deb Blackwood will be attending June 14-21 in a support role.   She will be working as a volunteer as well as participating in many of the daily worship services and helping write the prayers of the people for these worship services.  To read her daily blog, click here.

Almighty and everliving God, source of all wisdom and understanding, be present with those who take counsel at our General Convention for the renewal and mission of your holy Church.  Fill them with courage to pursue your truth and your peace.  Where the Church is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; that all may know and experience the love of the One who gave himself for us, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.