Dear Friends, September 2008

It hardly seems possible that I am writing a column that seeks to communicate information about a new year beginning. As I write this column my wife Nancy has already started her work with School District 49 and others in education will shortly be following suit. Traditionalist that I am, I did like it when the summer season ended with Labor Day and not the first week of August! However, I am powerless in this regard, so I shall go with the flow, so to speak. This column will be a potpourri of thoughts that I want to share with you about our life together. First of all, let me tell you how grateful I am to all of you for the outpouring of food over the summer.

Outreach I rejoice that St. Michael’s is truly a church with a heart for outreach. Regarding our food drive, it has been a Loaves and Fishes summer, not just Sunday. Most every week I receive a mailing from the various Colorado Springs food pantries saying that their shelves are often empty and that the need has never been greater. Thanks for helping to fill them. Together, we are making a difference. My hope is that this outpouring of food will continue throughout the year. Our wagon will be on display most every Sunday under the kiosk as a reminder of this feeding ministry. Each person bringing in just one item every Sunday can make such an important collective impact. Our week to host homeless families through the Interfaith Hospitality Network is soon upon us. Thanks to those who have volunteered to help. There still may be some last minute needs, so check out the easel in the Gathering Area. Late in July, a group of us from St. Michael’s were in attendance in the Powers/Woodmen corridor for the blessing of land upon which a new Habitat for Humanity house will be built. St. Michael’s is part of a collective effort involving 12 churches that will build the house. Please see an article in this issue of the Archangel containing details about how you can help with this project. All money received on our first Sunday collection funds this project.

Vision Statement

To be a church with a heart for Christian fellowship, compassion and service. We seek to celebrate and be challenged by the Good News of Jesus, as individuals and as a congregation.

Christian Formation The decision to hire Joe Hattick as a full-time Children, Youth and Family Minister is already bearing fruit. I am pleased that later this month Joe will be conducting a retreat for all persons who are exercising leadership in our Sunday school program. This is a first for us and it bodes well in helping to increase communication and fostering team building. All who work with children and youth are reminded that they must attend one of the diocesan Safeguarding God’s Children workshops. A workshop will be held here at St. Michael’s on Saturday, September 13. Please call the church office, if you plan to attend. We are grateful to Kaelin Kelleher for her conscientious work in this area. As in previous years, registration for Sunday school takes place each Sunday in August and into September. Please be sure to complete the insert that is the Sunday bulletin. Sunday School for all ages begins on September 14. I use the phrase, for all ages deliberately. There is a widely held idea in the church that Christian education is mostly just an enterprise for our children. I think this is especially the case in the Episcopal Church because of our emphasis on the liturgy. Quite frankly, I think we have depended upon the liturgy too much, at the expense of Christian education. I urge more of you to attend the

Adult Forum that takes place during the Sunday school hour. This month’s Archangel contains a schedule of the Adult Forum topics.

St. Michael’s Day St. Michael’s Day (Sunday, September 28) will have a different twist this year. Rather than having outdoor festivities following the service, we are planning an intergenerational event that will take place during the regular Christian education hour. Please see Joe Hattick’s column in this Archangel for more information. Suffice it to say that we will be focusing on St. Michael and will carry that focus over into the 10:30 Eucharist. We hope to make the 28^th a grand and glorious celebration of our patron saint.

Service Participants for Sunday Services The Prayer Book catechism tells us that our duty as Christians is to come together week by week for corporate worship. Our Sunday worship requires a lot of both preparation and participation. We are fortunate to have willing participation from so many in the parish, however, we could use help in several areas. First of all, we are in need of more acolytes for both services. The acolyte ministry can be carried out by children or adults. Our acolyte ministry is so ably and conscientiously led by Lester Sharpless. Please talk to him if you have any questions. You can find him most every Sunday in the acolyte room before each service. We really do need more acolytes, and I ask you to think and pray about assuming this ministry. Also, we could use more greeters, chalice bearers, ushers, readers and intercessors at the 8:00am service. At the 10:30 service, more ushers are needed, as well as chalice bearers. We would like to schedule four chalice ministers as the 10:30 service, but the roster is thin right now. New altar guild members are needed as well. If you are reading this column, I ask you to think and pray about assuming one of these ministries. Below you will find a tear-off sheet that may be sent to the church office, put on the secretary’s desk or placed in the offering plate.

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Yes, I would be willing to help with these liturgical ministries. (Please circle and put in the offering plate, on the secretary’s desk or mail to the church office.)

8:00am Service Acolyte Intercessor Reader Chalice Bearer Usher Greeter Altar Guild

Name __________________________Telephone _____________ E-Mail _________________________

The sympathy of the parish is extended to the family and friends of Nancy Ryan, who died on July 12, after a battle with cancer. A Memorial Eucharist and the committal of Nancy’s ashes in the St. Michael’s columbarium took place on July 18. Nancy served St. Michael’s faithfully in so many ways, including being a member of the Memorial Garden and Columbarium committee. We will miss her. Give rest, O Christ, to your servant with your saints, where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting.

Congratulations are expressed to the families of the following children who were baptized on July 13---Carolyn Cumby, Carissa Warren, Landon Lindvall, Brynn Sagendorf, Peyton Sagendorf. Give them an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and to love you, and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works.

The book featured for the current Rector's Book Circle is a novel by William P. Young, The Shack. One reviewer has said the following about the book, "I don't read many fiction books because I like to learn from the books I read. This is one of the rare fiction books that could change your life. It challenged me to think about views on individualism, success, and power. It even taught me to think differently about my family and friends. People know about the Trinity, but they only have a vague understanding of the relationship between The Father, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus. The Shack gave me a greater understanding of how God can be the Trinity at the same time. I also gained a greater of understanding of what God is love really means." The discussion will take place on October 27, with duplicate sessions at 11:00am and 7:00pm. The books ($12) will be available from St. Bede's bookstore by early September.

The Episcopal Church Women will meet on Monday September 8, at Noon. All Women of the parish are welcome at all meetings. Please bring a lunch if you wish, beverage and dessert will be provided. Also, please get any agenda items to Nancy Oswell 590-7730, by September 6. Thank you.

The next Sunday for baptisms is All Saints’ Sunday, November 2. Please contact the Rector if you desire baptism.

A new parish directory will be printed in early October. Copies of a draft directory will be available on September 7, 14, 21, and 28. Please take a moment when you are here on Sunday morning to make sure that all the information is correct, including your e-mail address. People who are new to St. Michael’s are asked to check the draft copy as well and make sure you are listed.

September brings the return of our Saturday morning men’s fellowship. The fellowship meets on the second and fourth Saturday of each month. This month’s dates are the 13^th and the 27^th. We begin with Morning Prayer and Eucharist at 8am in St. Francis Chapel, followed by breakfast. We extend a special invitation to all new men in the parish.

It has come to my attention that many members of the parish are not familiar with the wonderful Mother’s Day Out Program St. Michael’s has sponsored for many years. It is a time out for mom; to run errands, work out and yes, even just RELAX. In the mean time her children (ages 6months – 6 years) have a fun and safe environment to play, do arts and crafts, storytelling, etc. by our caring and loving Nursery staff. All the permanent nursery staff are American Red Cross certified in First Aid and CPR, and really have a way with children. The cost is minimal. So, if you’d like some time to yourself (or! know of someone else who might benefit from this service), please call Kaelin Kelleher for more information, 593-8114.

Wednesday, August 27, 7:30pm is the first Fall rehearsal of the St. Michael's Adult Choir. The choir will begin singing at the 10:30am service on August 31. We welcome new members.

The St. Michael's Bell Choir will start Fall rehearsals on Tuesday, September 16, at 7:30pm. We need and welcome new members and invite interested ringers to the first rehearsal. Some music reading ability is required. For more information contact Trent Ellis at 260-9161 or by email at trentellis@aol.com.

At our last annual meeting, we talked about the mortgage in general terms, showing only what the mortgage balance was as of the beginning of 2008 and that some additional principal payments were made. I made the comment that we may celebrate a “mortgage burning” rather than a balloon payment or a need for a new mortgage in February of 2012. That comment was met with enthusiastic applause!

Much has transpired on the mortgage over the years and especially so in 2008. The Finance Committee thought you would like to see where we are now and what the prognosis is for the future.

As background, St. Michael’s took out a mortgage in 2002 at an initial rate of 7.6% in the amount of $850,000. In August of 2003, we refinanced the mortgage at an improved interest rate of 5.6% which has been in place until Aug. 6, 2008.

Over time, we made additional principal payments as part of the annual budget. In addition, if we recorded operating surpluses at the end of the fiscal year, additional principal payment were made. For example, at the end of 2007, an additional principal payment of $41,400 was made.

In the first six months of 2008, the Vestry approved an additional principal payment of $50,000 from our undesignated cash reserves. Those cash reserves were in excess of $170,000 and we made the $50,000 payment in two installments of $30,000 and $20,000.

The provisions of our mortgage required that on Aug. 6, 2008, our interest rate had to be recomputed. On that date, the revised interest rate was recomputed to 6.31% and our mortgage balance was $278,684.

Our monthly payment has been reduced from $6,481 to $3,550 because of the lower principal being financed. We will continue, however, to make our budgeted payment which we have now rounded off to $6,500 to accelerate the pay down of the mortgage.

Based on the above, we have every expectation, that on February 12, 2012, the mortgage balance will be less than $15,000. If additional principal payments continue to be made from cash reserves or from possible year end surpluses, it may be possible to make a final mortgage payment sometime in 2011 barring any unforeseen financial surprises between now and then.

We hope this information has been helpful. I or any member of the Finance Committee would be happy to discuss the mortgage with you should you have any questions.

Acolytes

Training: Lily DiSilverio, David Emery, and Carolyn Sundahl have trained as crucifers. Congratulations, Lily, and welcome to St. Michael’s acolytes, David and Carolyn!

Next regular training will be Saturday, September 6, in three sessions: torch bearers and banner bearers from 9:30 to 11:00; crucifers from 11:00 to noon; and servers from noon to 1:00. For more information, please see the summer edition of The Archangel, call me at 554-4939 (work) or 930-2870 (home), or write to me at glsharpless@gmail.com.

If this schedule doesn’t work for you, one-on-one training at prearranged times is certainly possible. If you are interested, please see me at church or call or write to me.

Featuring--Joe Hattick and the St Michael’s Youth group. Heading south on September 14, they will be cooking up a hot time with some enchiladas for our guests! Please volunteer to help them cook, bake and serve up a good time this month. Sign-up sheets are posted on the kiosk. We would also like to spice things up a bit with some music from the wealth of talent at St Michael’s. If you would be interested in playing a guitar or organizing a group for the dinner on the 14th, please do let us know.

Additionally, we will be giving away school supplies during the dinner on the 14th. While shopping for your family school supply needs, please consider picking up a few extra items. Your donated items will be greatly appreciated and may be dropped off with the toiletry items by the mailboxes. Lastly, thank you for the over abundance of plastic containers. However until further notice, we will not be needing containers for the Lord’s dinner. Thank you as always for your amazing support.

Safeguarding God’s Children workshop is coming again, on Saturday, September 13, from 9am to 1pm. Everyone working with children in any capacity are required by the Diocese to attend this training once every 4 years. If you haven’t been in a while, do sign up!

Ground Blessing ceremonies for the Apostles Build house were held July 27, and construction is well underway at the site just north of Woodmen Road across from the new Penrose Hospital. St. Michael’s first workday is Saturday, August 30. We have six morning and six afternoon shifts to fill on each of our workdays. Our second workday is set for Saturday, October 19, and our third workday is Saturday, December 6. Some limited additional work opportunities are available for volunteers on Fridays and some other Saturdays. Please let Rich Page or Hodge Hartley know if you are interested in these other times. You don’t need to be an experienced construction worker to volunteer. Supervisors will direct your efforts in tasks that anyone can accomplish. We also need a few volunteers each time to provide lunch for the workers.

The signup sheet is posted on the kiosk in the gathering area along with a photo of the Merzlikina family that will be moving into the house. Galena Merzlikina with her four daughters, one son, and her mother came to the USA from Kazakhstan in March, 2003, in search of a better life and better education for the children. Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity is helping them move from their two bedroom apartment into a five bedroom house that they can afford to own with some sweat equity and your help.

Please join us for a progressive dinner, to be held on Saturday, September 27, 5:30pm, sponsored by the Mixers. The dinner will begin at the church with appetizers, wine and soft drinks. Tickets will go on sale September 7 for $20 per person. Additional host homes are needed. If you can help, please contact Nancy Lautenschlager (533-1415). Our progressive dinner is always a wonderful evening of fellowship and good food.

The death of our dear friend, Nancy Ryan, has resulted, among other things, in the elimination of all "memory" of the dedicated knitters who support St. Clare's Guild. I am seeking to learn who the remaining knitters are! If you supported this Outreach ministry activity, under Nancy's leadership, please give me a call at 268-0713 or e-mail me at grmmfm@msn.com

Renovare', Latin for "to renew," is a spiritual formation group at St. Michael's. Renovare' aids spiritual growth through balance, knowledge, and mutual encouragement and accountability. This discipline is founded on the six major areas of discipline found in Jesus' life and the traditions seen in the Church's history. If you are interested, please contact Christine Mattox, work phone 578-5570 or email ccrook911@aol.com. This group meets weekly. Renovare's A Spiritual Formation Workbook can be found in St. Bede's bookstore.

Your response to the plea for food donations to NCC has truly been outstanding! Thank you, thank you, thank you, for all items, large and small. It warms the heart to walk into the gathering area on Sunday and see the red wagon surrounded by bags and packages that will help fill the larder at NCC, and help fill the tummies of many needy families. Over 270 bags of food have been delivered to NCC since July. Let's keep up the good work!

Family Ministry

After the long summer break we are ready to start having fun again! On Sunday, September 21, after the second service we will host an ice cream social outside on the back porch. Come and enjoy seeing old friends and share a little sugary sweetness.

On the last Sunday of September, we celebrate St. Michael's Day here at St. Michael's! We will be shifting gears a little for this year's event. Plan to arrive by 9:15am. We will be having an intergenerational event in the St. Mary's hall that will fill the time between services with stories, crafts, bagels and fun. We will end our time in St. Mary's by forming a children's procession to go into the Sanctuary with all those who want to emulate St. Michael.
The whole parish is encouraged to come and celebrate with us. Happy St. Michael's day!

High School Students meet at The Well!

High school youth have a new place to meet! We will meet down stairs at The Well. Several things can be counted on at the Well. All are Well-come. The Well is a place of rest and a place to replenish. The Well meets Sundays 5-7.

When one raises sheep a common way to do it is to build a fence and post a guard dog. People who raise sheep like this tend to put a great deal of effort keeping the sheep under control, wary of every threat. They put lots of energy into mending the fence, patrolling the fence and hauling both food and water in and waste out. There is another way to raise sheep.

The Well. If one digs a well that never runs dry, the sheep may come and go. They may explore the world they live in. When they are thirsty or seek safety and shelter, The Well will be the place they return to. The Shepherd still watches out for threats, but instead of controlling the sheep, The Shepherd supports the sheep to learn the skills to navigate their world safely. So, high school students, come to The Well. Be ready to relax, enjoy and also learn how better to live in your world. Come drink deeply and return to the rest of the world refreshed and ready to meet the challenges the world has for you.

On September 21, we will meet formally at The Well for the first time. Then on September 28, we will celebrate with the whole parish in the morning for St Michael’s Day. Other upcoming events to watch for include: formal dinner, the fall retreat, the Holy House of Martyrs, rock climbing, and a Pre-Christmas Party.

Our first opportunity to get together in September will actually be an opportunity to serve others. September 14th we will be heading to Sacred Heart Church to serve the Lord’s Dinner to whoever comes. Contact Joe (joehattick@gmail.com - 201-4351 for details and volunteer assignments.

Good news for those who supported our efforts last year. As it turned out, the trip to England last year did not happen. The youth who are interested in going have clearly said they would like to organize their own trip. We have made great strides toward making this trip a reality. They have settled on three destinations: London, Paris and Heidelberg. While we are at each location we will absorb culture, language, religious history, art and food! Please support our teens as they pursue fundraising throughout the year to come.

We have heard your wisdom! We will ask you to drive less and invite your children to have more enjoyment. Middle School students will meet on Sunday mornings in the Rite 13 room. We will meet 9:15-10:15 on days when Sunday School meets. Middle school students will be well supported with an enhanced Sunday School hour that includes a safe and fun place to meet, interesting learning opportunities and a silly game of the week.

Middle school students are also invited to join us at The Well with the high school students on particular evenings. Come help us feed the homeless on September 14th; have an elegant dinner with us on October 12th; go on retreat with us October 17-19; and help run the Holy House of Martyrs on November 2.

Children’s, Youth and Families Steering Committee

We have formed a Steering Committee for Children’s, Family and Youth Ministries. Our first meeting is in September. The breadth of experience and depth of wisdom of this group is amazing. We look forward to great things coming out of that group. St. Mike’s is on the verge of more new and wonderful things.

Children’s

Ministry

September kicks off A new season of Sunday School! What an excellent year we have planned. The Sunday School Leaders have been working hard to prepare a happy and holy place and time for your children to be together and learn more about God. We will do the same rotation model we have done in the past. Expect new learning with a more intentional focus on Old Testament Stories.

This Fall we also have a wonderful opportunity for parents! Suzi Rowe is a certified instructor in Parenting With Love and Logic. Starting October 5^th, Suzi will be teaching Love and Logic to parents here at St. Mike’s during Sunday School hour! That’s right, while your children are learning more about God, you have a unique opportunity to learn new parenting skills and reinforce those excellent skills you already have. Suzi will especially focus on early childhood parenting with Love and Logic. Young families, what a great opportunity for everyone!