quite the sales pitch, bruce! · quite the sales pitch, bruce! st. mary’s is going green! the...

The Newsletter of St. Mary’s Anglican /United Church, Sorrento, B.C.

I suspect that each of us has a favourite poem or piece of literature that

we hold dear in our hearts, something that speaks to us and that has

shaped us. A life of faith is often grounded in such things: a favourite pray-

er, a scripture verse, a particular hymn. Catechisms in many traditions are

grounded in memory work because the "memory" of what is memorized

stays with us and gives us a foundation upon which to build our lives, guid-

ing us in our decisions and providing an inner scaffold that tells us who we

are.

I have a number of these "inner scaffolds" to which I return again

and again: poems, soliloquies from Shakespeare's plays, quotes from notable

people, prayers and bible verses. Of late, I came across a poem by Lauchlan

MacLean Watt (1867 - 1957), a Church of Scotland minister who was minister

of Glasgow Cathedral 1923 - 1934 and Moderator of the General Assembly

of the Church of Scotland in 1933. Included in a book of poetry called The

Tryst: A Book of the Soul that he published in 1907, its lilt and imagery is very

much grounded in the prayers and poetry of the ancient Celtic Church and

wouldn't be out of place in more modern expressions of Celtic Christianity

such as the communities of Iona and Lindisfarne. In the use of language

there are even echoes of St. Patrick's Breastplate , which probably comes from

the 8th century.

I have been using this simple poem each day as a prayer to begin the

day. I encourage you to use something similar at the start each day, some-

thing that becomes part of your "inner scaffold," something simple that you

can pray and hold in your heart through the day so that God may speak to

you. This poem happens to be mine at the moment. May you be blessed in

finding yours.

Quite the sales pitch,

Bruce!

St. Mary’s is going Green!

The twelve flood lights in our sanc-

tuary are being replaced with energy

efficient LED light bulbs. The con-

gregation was treated to a great per-

formance of salesmanship by Bruce.

Needless to say, by the end of the

pitch, all twelve new light bulbs had

been purchased by parishioners

swept up in the frenzy of getting in

on the action. St. Mary’s is doing its

part in the world to care for creation.

Thralldom

I bind my heart this tide

to the Galilean’s side,

to the wounds of Calvary,

to the Christ who died for me.

I bind my soul this day

to the brother far away,

to the sister near at hand

in this town and in this land.

I bind my heart in thrall

to the God, the Lord of all,

to the God, the poor one’s friend,

and the Christ whom he did send.

I bind myself to peace,

to make strife and envy cease;

O God, knit thou sure the cord

of my thralldom to my Lord.

Bruce

Saturday, June 4 9 am Last Ladies’ Breakfast before the summer break! We will

meet at the home of May Bruce, at 2530 Valley Place Rd.

Blind Bay. If you plan to attend call Verna Nitsche

at 250-675-4900

Friday, June 18 1 to 3 pm Strawberry Tea. Bring a Friend.

Saturday, July 9 8 to 1 pm Summer Giant Garage Sale !

Start saving your gently-used treasures!! For more information about these two fundraising events, please contact

Janice Cambruzzi at 250-675-5347.

Advance Notices:

Happy Father’s Day, Fellows!

A Father's Love

A father is respected because

He gives his children leadership...

Appreciated because

He gives his children care...

Valued because

He gives his children time...

Loved because

He gives his children the one thing

They treasure most - himself.

~~~~

Here are some of St. Mary’s finest

fathers enjoying their monthly

breakfast at Spinnaker’s

Restaurant in Blind Bay.

Guys, please know that we appre-

ciate all the work and care you

extend to St. Mary’s and its con-

gregation.

Inspirational Quotes about Fathers:

"No man can possibly know what life means,

what the world means, until he has a child and loves it.

And then the whole universe changes

and nothing will ever again seem

exactly as it seemed before."

~ Lafcadio Hearn

"I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the

need for a father's protection."

~ Sigmund Freud

"Fathers, don't aggravate your children. If you do, they will

become discouraged and quit trying."

~ Colossians 3:21

Saying Good Bye to long-time friends…

T he Rev. Dr. Helen Hobbs passed away in early May after a lengthy illness. Helen was the

Incumbent of the Shared Parish of Shuswap Lakes from 1996 to 2000. Many of you may

remember her ministry at the three point parish of St. Mary’s in Sorrento, St. Andrew’s/All

Saints in Chase and St. David’s in Celista. We have very fond memories of her ministry here

among us.

We are also sad to say farewell to long time parishioner Ruth Fenton Zenger who passed away

on December 19, 2015. Ruth was a Lay Minister of Word and Sacrament in our parish, she loved

and supported Sorrento Centre and was a dedicated advocate for

social justice in the world. Ruth was a supporter and past treasurer

of the BC-Yukon KAIROS network for many years. She was a

woman of many passions and not afraid to speak her mind.

On May 13, 2016, family and friends honored Ruth’s life at a spe-

cial Eucharist Service at St. Mary’s. Many friends attending were

Associates from Sorrento Centre who were in town attending the

Spring Work Week. After the service there was a procession across

the highway to the Memorial Garden at Sorrento Centre were

Ruth’s ashes were scattered near the place where Herb’s ashes had

been placed ten years earlier.

Ruth’s ashes were placed below a beautiful pink peony tree pictured on the right.

Arthur Kenneth “Ken” Dean DFC “slipped the surly bonds of earth” on April 14, 2016, shortly after his 93rd birth-

day. Ken was a highly decorated World War II veteran with extensive flying missions over Europe in a Halifax

bomber. His grandson Jeffrey read the following poem at the service:

High Flight

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,

and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I’ve climbed and joined the

tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds ~

and done a hundred things you have not dreamed of ~

wheeled and soared and swung high in the sunlit silence.

Hovering there I’ve chased the shouting wind along

and flung my eager craft through footless halls of air.

“Up, up the long delirious burning blue

I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace,

where never lark, or even eagle, flew.

and, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod

the high untrespassed sanctity of space,

put out my hand and touched the face of God.”

On this picture to the right, Ken is enjoying a ride in a 1979 MG Midget Sports Car owned by neighbours and fellow parishioners

Len and Siv Pettersson who took him for a “spin” last summer. Ken was full of life right to the end and we will miss his smiling

face and jovial response to the question “How are you, Ken?” - TERRIBLY AWEFULLY WELL !

Ken and Wendy recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a cake at the church.

Our Stories … Submitted by Verna Nitsche

J anice Cambruzzi was born in Burnaby; one of three chil-

dren to Ken and Doris Clark. She has a brother and a

sister. After her schooling of K-12 in Burnaby, Janice

went to The University of British Columbia for training

as a nurse. She then worked at The Vancouver General Hos-

pital in Child Psychiatry. She continued her studies for her

Masters in Nursing at The University of Oregon at The

Health Sciences Centre. After obtaining her Masters, she

taught Pediatric Nursing at The University of British Colum-

bia and lectured on the topic of Child Psychiatry. She ended

her nursing career to become a “stay at home mom”.

Janice has a long history with the Shuswap area. The

Clark family`s camping trips were often to Shuswap Lake;

with camping experiences at Saratoga Campground (used to

be next to The Scotch Creek Provincial Park), Blind Bay

Campground (used to be close to where Finz is now located)

and Blind Bay Resort and Fishing Camp (used to be across

from the old post office on Blind Bay Rd.). In Janice`s words

“All camping spots had to have the right view of Copper

Island”. When Janice did her Nursing Practicum, she chose

to do it at Shuswap Lake General Hospital—just so she could

stay in the area for another six weeks!

After marriage, Janice brought her husband out to the

Shuswap for a camping trip. He was not as impressed as

Janice was - but - they did purchase a cabin on Blind Bay

Road in 1984. It has the right view of Copper Island! Her

children, Michelle, Shannon and Darren were all introduced

to the Shuswap at a very young age - three days old, three

weeks old and three months old. They all visit regularly-

with their entourages!

Janice first attended St. Mary`s sporadically in the early

80`s, and more regularly around 1988. Rev. David Dingwall

was the minister at that time. In 1999, Janice volunteered to

help with The Vacation Bible School program at St. Mary`s.

When Janice is at her home in Burnaby, she is very in-

volved in many aspects of the programs at Deer Lake United

Church. Since 1987, she says that she has done almost every-

thing except finances, caretaker and minister! After being

part of the St. Mary`s Ladies` Breakfast group, Janice started

a program at Deer Lake. They serve champagne at their

breakfasts!

Janice has many hobbies which keep her busy. She is a

baseball and hockey fan. She supports her son`s hockey team

with great enthusiasm. She volunteers at The Vancouver

Christmas Bureau every year. She loves hunting for an-

tiques, hikes with a ladies` group every Friday, reads, experi-

ments with new baking recipes (especially cookies) and loves

to go out in her boat. Her boat will be fifty years old next

summer. She plans to decorate it with helium balloons.

So, if you see a strange “contraption” out on the lake next

summer……………??????????

At St. Mary`s, Janice has taken on the role as Steward-

ship Chairperson (don’t forget to read her article on Page 8

of this newsletter) and President of the Ladies` Guild. She

continues to do many tasks with enthusiasm and joy. We, at

St. Mary`s, are so fortunate to have her with us, if only for

part of the year.

With Copper Island in the background, Janice’s boat

is safely anchored at the Shuswap Marina.

The boat's name is “Maybe”. As in “maybe it will float,

maybe the engine will start, maybe it can be put into

reverse, maybe the anchor will hold” .... as you can tell

there is a bit of a story behind its name!!!

Pentecost 2016

Janice is slaving away over a hot BBQ!

Gathering outside after the service for a delicious BBQ

Saying farewell to David and Joy Thompson, Patrick and Lindsay

O’Dwyer, and Horst and Carole Jungnitsch with a lovely cake

made by Janice Cambruzzi

Welcome, Diane Davidson, to

our congregation! She is shar-

ing a meal with Melany, Verna

and Janice.

Staying cool on the lawn in

front of the church are Peter

Chalmers and a friend from

the Coast as well as

Shelagh Foard.

O ur annual BBQ at Pentecost was a great success again—the weather coop-

erated this year and we were able to enjoy the sunshine on our patio and

on the lawn around the church. We served hamburgers and bratwursts to about

60 to 65 people. People brought delicious salads and we had a farewell cake for

three couples that have left or will be leaving St Mary’s shortly.

During the service, we welcomed Diane Davidson to our parish, she resides in

Chase and has a long-time connection to St. Mary’s. Her ancestors were part of

St. Mary’s early community and some are at rest in St. Mary’s cemetery.

We also acknowledged our new tenants Hazel Torgunrud and Paddy Arnoldus

who moved into the house next to the Church at the end of April. We are so

pleased to have them among our midst.

Spring Presbytery – Sorrento, BC. Feb 19-21, 2016.

T his was my first Presbytery, so it was a new experience. I don’t know that I am

much the wiser about the workings of Presbytery except that it is “complicated”.

It was a mixture of worship, announcements and business.

New, first time, delegates were invited to gather at the back of the hall for a brief de-

scription of the structure of the United Church of Canada, and the Kamloops-Okanagan

Presbytery. I learned that there were;- 13 Conferences in Canada, 10 Presbyteries in BC,

32 congregations in this Presbytery. There are several ‘shared’ parishes – Lillooet, Barri-

ere, Celista and St. Mary’s, for example, and there are some currently looking into that

option, either combining as we have done or having ‘alternating ‘services in the same

building. St. Mary’s has a very long record of shared ministry, and also the experience of

multi point ministry – Sorrento, Chase and Celista. So we are a prime example of what

‘can be’. We have a good thing going here.

Luise Denter has already commented on, and thanked, all the volunteers who worked to make this meeting happen. She did not take

part in the Presbytery proceedings (technically, she was no longer the Presbytery Rep.), but what went on “behind the scenes” was a

major contribution to the success of this event. There was much positive feedback from the delegates; quality and quantity of food,

meeting dietary needs, billeting, and the general atmosphere of friendship and welcoming. ”St. Mary’s, you done good”.

I’m not going to give you a detailed account of what went on at this Presbytery, because I don’t really know all the details. There is a

wind of change blowing through the United Church and I suspect much of it relates to the need to become more efficient and reduce

costs. The proposal is to reduce the governance of the church from four ‘courts’ to three – simply put (and these are my words), cut

down on the bureaucracy. BC would become one ‘Region’ made up of ‘Clusters’ and ‘Networks’. What does that mean?. “I dunno”.

Does anyone really know at this time - I doubt it. It is going to be a long, drawn out process. There will be disagreement and dissen-

tion, but I suspect, and hope, that good will and forward thinking will prevail. Shared parishes are kind of out in ‘no man’s land’, but

cannot be ignored.

The United Church is not alone in these problems; all denominations are having to

adapt to changing dynamics in a changing world.

Spring Presbytery, Sorrento, BC. Hosted by St. Mary’s Anglican/United Church – a

combined parish. We are not alone. We live in God’s world. We have a good thing

going here.

Respectfully submitted,

John Howat,

Presbytery Rep.

Hosting Spring Presbytery—Oh, what fun it was !!!

It seemed like we were feeding the proverbial 5,000 !!!

Here are some comments from the Presbytery delegates’ evaluation forms: - good food - great sense of hospitality

- caring for special diets - delicious turkey dinner -- great energy of St. Mary`s lay people!

A BIG Thank You to all who pitched in—we couldn’t have done it without you!

Stewardship 2016 Submitted by Janice Cambruzzi

F irst of all, a quick note of thanks to all of you who shared your time with us in 2015 during our every member visitation

campaign. It was wonderful to talk with you about life at St. Mary’s and to get your input regarding what more is needed

and about what is working well. This year we would like to focus on making St. Mary’s a successful, sustainable commu-

nity. We need to begin to recycle our blessings in order to create more blessings. I have been reading a book titled “Holy Curren-

cies” by Eric H.F. Law. In this book Law outlines 6 blessings for Sustainable Missional Ministries. His currencies are:

Time and Place

Gracious Leadership

Relationship

Truth Wellness

Money.

It is felt that every church needs to use these currencies in order to live out God’s mission within the church and the community.

These currencies help us to build relationships, to establish respectful relationships and networks of mutually respectful connec-

tions. We want to be physically healthy as well as socially, economically, ecologically and spiritually well within our church and in

our ministry within the community. Of course we cannot do any of this without being financially healthy as well! However, Stew-

ardship is not just about the money. It is about the sharing of the time, the talents and the treasures that we all bring to St. Mary’s.

I would encourage anyone who is interested in Stewardship to read this very interesting book, it is an easy read and presents a

different way of looking at our resources.

I would like to share a story from this book that was very meaningful to me. It is quoted directly and is the introduction to a chap-

ter titled “Do More with Less”.

“When I was a child. My family always had guests for dinner. On any given day, there might be twelve to fifteen people at the

dinner table. Dinner was a time of joyful sharing of food and stories. I thought we were quite wealthy, feeding so many people

every night. Only when I was older, while talking to my mother about the good old days, did I find out that we were not rich at

all. My mother told me that some days she only had three dollars to feed fifteen people. How could that be? I could not remember

a day when there was not enough food!

What my mother did with three dollars was a miracle in itself. If you asked how she did it, she would tell you how she determined

what to buy in what season and, more importantly, her techniques in bargaining. But I think there is more to this miracle than just

knowing what to buy and how to bargain. Not only was everyone around that table filled every night; there were always leftovers.

I believe that the way we dealt with the leftovers at the dinner table is indicative of how the miracle of doing more with less was

accomplished.

Toward the end of dinner, there was always something left on a plate in the middle of the table. Everyone would be staring at it,

especially when it was a piece of meat, which was an occasional, special treat. But no one would make a move to take it. Then

someone would say, “Why don’t you take it Grandma? You are the oldest.” But my Grandma would say, “No, I’ve been eating

this stuff all my life. Give it to the little one. He’s the youngest and needs the nourishment to grow up to be big and strong.” Now

all eyes were on me, who was the youngest. But I, who also learned this ritual, would say, “No, not me. I am completely full be-

cause I have the smallest stomach. Give it to my older brother, he has an exam tomorrow.” My brother would say, “No, not me.

Give it to my sister. She has a piano lesson tomorrow…..” The ritual would go on around the table, each person would find an

excuse not to take the leftovers. While we offered it to each other, we also affirmed each other’s worthiness in the family. The lefto-

vers became a sign of the abundance we shared – we can do more with less.

At the dinner table of my childhood, I learned a very important life lesson. The lesson was very different from a more popular

spirituality based on scarcity, which drives us to take and keep and to have more than the other. If our goal in life is to take re-

sources and keep them, then everything is stationary; there is not any movement not any dynamic exchanges. The spirituality I

learned at my dinner table begins with the assumption that there is enough and therefor it is okay to have less than the other. By

insisting on having less than the other, we kept the blessing flowing in the form of the affirmation of each other’s worth thus gen-

erating a spirit of appreciation and affirmation.

Continued on Page 9

The Spirit

World Day of Prayer—March 4

T he service for the 2016 World Day of Prayer was written by the

WDP Committee of Cuba and had a definite Spanish flavour to it.

The theme for the World Day of Prayer was ““Receive Children—

Receive Me.”

More than 45 people from the different churches in the Sorrento com-

munity came together on a Friday afternoon to pray together and learn

about the culture of Cuba, the challenges facing Cuban Christians as

well as their dreams.

We learned that the Cuban National Flower is the Butterfly Jasmin.

The flower is known by its delicacy and pleasant perfume; it is also a

flower that is a reminder of the

resistance and struggle for free-

dom by the people of Cuba. It

was used by the women to hide

messages in its petals for the

troops in the field who were

fighting the Spanish colonialists.

Today the Butterfly Jasmin re-

minds us of the commitment that

inspires us to be united in the building of God’s Kingdom, giving fra-

grance and beauty to life. As a patriotic symbol the “butterfly” repre-

sents the purity of the ideals of the Cuban people and love for the just

peace of those who are fighting for the independence of their home-

land.

Together with our offering, we wrote personal commitments on special

cards to dedicate our lives to God in solidarity with our sisters in Cuba.

Shelagh is carrying symbolic Cuban gifts

As you can imagine, the music was lively with

accompanying drums by Jennie and Carole

Jesus consistently taught his followers to practice the spirituality of abundance. His followers did not understand what he was

talking about. Is it not foolish to give until you have nothing? When Jesus suffered and died on the cross, it confirmed their great-

est fears. When one gives everything away; one dies.

Then came Easter, and the Resurrection, and death was not the end but the beginning. The cross - to give until one has nothing,

which was foolishness and unsustainable to the world - became the cornerstone of a new kind of sustainable community. Jesus’s

followers finally understood what Jesus was showing them. All the miracles that Jesus performed – feeding the multitudes, heal-

ing the sick, and releasing the captive – were simply part of this spirituality of abundance. The dynamics created by giving until

one has less became an endless circulating of resources, like water working through the earth, rejuvenating lives and regenerat-

ing nurturing communities. Suddenly, do more with less made sense and was doable. Easter unblocked and released a flood of

blessing through Jesus’s followers, and with great joy and passion, they formed the first Christian communities – missional and

sustainable.

In order to practice this spirituality, people in our communities must believe in the abundance that comes from giving. If every-

one gives until he or she has less, it will generate a dynamic that will keep everyone giving and receiving. Eventually what we

give away will actually return to us in new forms with new gifts. Once we realize that giving is not a one-time losing game but

part of a dynamic process that keeps resources flowing in our community, we will have the courage to give generously.”

The stewardship committee thinks that this story has a lot to offer us and gives us all a lot to think about! We plan to have an

amazing and very different fundraiser this fall and hope that all of St. Mary’s, as well as the local community, will come out to

have some fun and to learn some local history!

Stay tuned – more to come………..

When coffee hour gets complicated … by Michelle Hauser

I was setting up chairs for Sunday School when I over-

heard the coffee hour team in the kitchen debating

about the urn and how many scoops they should use and

why on earth wasn’t the recipe written down somewhere.

And then I heard: “Let’s ask Michelle—she’ll know.”

As little as a year ago, these are not words I ever thought

I’d hear in my parish. For the better part of a decade, I’d

felt as though I were on the outside of church life looking

in, and then, all of a sudden, I became an answerer of

questions and a knower of where things belong.

What’s the saying? There’s a place for everything and

everything in its place. It makes no difference whether the

countertops are chipped laminate or polished granite, this

is the central organizing principle of an efficient kitchen.

At our church, the cupboards are meticulously labelled:

teaspoons; soup spoons; dessert forks; banquet dishes;

cups and saucers, etc. But even though the signage is ex-

cellent, there is a fair bit of way-finding for newcomers to

do, and the kitchen has always been a very intimidating

place.

A couple of years ago, one of our churchwardens came

back from a conference all fired up about the ministry of

hospitality and the impact it might have on us. As in,

“Hey folks, we might actually get to know one another!”

At some point the decision was made to demystify the

kitchen and encourage a rotation of coffee hour volun-

teers.

This wasn’t a novel idea in Churchland, but it was new

for us, and I jumped at the opportunity. As a woman with

a fairly intense personality, I thought maybe this was

something I could do without offending anyone. Having

grown weary of church fundraising committees—and

how easy it is to upset people in the ministry of money—

the thought of a non-threatening ministry was very ap-

pealing.

I don’t remember all of what I served for my first coffee

hour, or if it was right then when I hooked up with my

partner, Norma, but most memorable of all was that I

could actually hear the sound of ice breaking. A decade

on the fringe of parish life, and all it took to finally fit in

were some egg salad sandwiches and a poker face in the

presence of a coffee urn. (You just stare into its beady

little red eye and say, “You don’t scare me, Mr. Urn!”)

Soon, coffee hour became a regular ministry for me and

my new buddy, Norma, and I’m not ashamed to say that

our Sundays were very popular in the parish. We weren’t

showing off, but we both love to cook and we were hav-

ing fun bringing our best. I was also in love with the feel-

ing of having finally found my place within the church.

But it was too much fun for an Anglican to

have—I should have known it was too

good to last. Soon enough, the foothold of

popularity I’d gained with cherry crumble

tarts gave way and I came crashing down:

coffee hour got really, really complicated.

I won’t belabour all the nitty-gritty details,

but, suffice it to say there were about 3,000 emails in January

and February that had to do with coffee hour—the nutshell

version being that hospitality had ballooned to epic propor-

tions and gotten out of hand. Simplicity was the key to mak-

ing it work—that “some people” would have to tone it down

so that “other people” wouldn’t be so hesitant to take a turn.

That’s when The Napkin Decree was sent out from on high: if

it didn’t fit on a napkin, it was out of the question. And, most

heretical of all in my view, the crustless sandwiches were

banned. There was even an announcement in church: No

sandwiches!

I hosted my last coffee hour this past March, which is now

called “coffee time.” I suppose the rebrand was to signal the

dawning of a new day and that Sunday treats would be sim-

pler, more standardized and much, much, humbler.

On the morning of my final engagement, the fateful day I

would turn out the lights in the parish kitchen one last time,

my husband saw me trimming the crusts from a stack of

white bread sandwiches.

“I thought they said no sandwiches?” he asked.

“They did,” I replied, wiping egg salad from my blade.

Was it petty and rebellious? Yes. Was it un-Christian? Quite

possibly.

I wish I were a spoon, because if I were, I’d know exactly

where to go. But I’m not a spoon...which leaves me back at

the beginning: way-finding, navigating, trying to find a place

where I fit in.

Michelle Hauser is a former fundraiser turned newspaper columnist

and freelance writer. She and her husband, Mark, live in Napanee,

Ont., with their son Joseph, and worship at the Church of St. Mary

Magdalene. Her work includes contributions to CBC Radio, The

Globe and Mail, Chicken Soup for the Soul and The Kingston

Whig-Standard. She can be reached through her website at

www.michellehauser.ca.

This article was published in the Anglican Journal, May

2016, page 6, and posted online www.anglicanjournal.com

on May 7, 2015, and is reprinted here with permission.

http://www.anglicanjournal.com

R ather to my surprise, I have become our family’s primary gardener. For years, I thought gardening was my wife’s job. I

did the manly things —- pruning unruly branches, digging out rocks, moving lawns, repairing equipment. She did the

planning, the weeding, the dead-heading …

But her chronic leukemia leaves her short of energy. It dawned on me—sometime last summer—that if our garden was going

to be maintained, I was going to have to do most of it. And you know something? I quite enjoy it.

I get a sense of pride, of course, when azaleas explode like fireworks into multi-coloured crescendos of blossom. When laven-

der clumps become bee magnets. When oriental lilies trumpet their fanfare of praise at the skies. There’s a sense of satisfaction,

in organizing all those shades and textures into something beautiful. Also a sense of humility, in knowing that nothing I can do

will ever make a seed germinate.

LIKE A MANTRA

But there are pleasures in the more mundane tasks, too. A gardener friend described weeding as a “form of meditation”. I

used to hate weeding. It seemed so mindless. But I think she’s right—partly because weeding is mindless. You have to empty

your mind of the Shriner’s parade of random thoughts that normally romp through your neurons, and focus only on the task

before you.

The weeds themselves are as hypnotic as a Tibetan mantra. Each seedling requires your undivided attention; if your mind wan-

ders, you’ll miss one. Like beads on a rosary, each weed leads to the next, to the next, to the next … Hours pass. When I look

back along the bed, I can see that I have accomplished something. But my mind has been focused on task, not on destination.

The simple act of doing matters more than how far I get.

My mother used to quote a British author who said something like, “there’s more honest prayer done on one’s knees in a gar-

den than in all the churches of England.” Neither prayer nor weeding, I realize, works when performed sporadically—only

when things get out of control. Both disciplines require regular practice. Ignore either of them for too long, and you don’t

know where to start.

BRINGING OUT THE BEST

It even occurs to me, sometimes, that my past and present vocations have a lot in common. If writing is like creating a beautiful

garden, as someone once said, then weeding is like editing. It took me years to realize that editing doesn’t consist of rewriting

someone else’s prose, but of identifying the prize blossoms in a writer’s text and pulling out everything that obscures their

beauty.

I can’t say that I always enjoy gardening. Especially when wet branches drip icy showers down my neck. Gardens can also be

jealous lovers. They don’t seem to understand that I may also have other commitments.

I am still learning my spireas from my weigelias. I still have to ask whether this is an allium or an onion, when to plant dahlias,

when to hill potatoes. But I don’t resent the garden any more. We get along much better than we used to. We almost have a

relationship.

Jim Taylor is a one of Canada’s best known authors and editors among mainline churches and denominations.

He writes and sends e-mails and blogs to subscribers twice a week.

Weeding as a form of meditation… by Jim Taylor © 2014

Editor’s Note: If you don’t have a garden of your own to weed,

please sign up to weed the grounds around St. Mary’s Church. Really, it is very good therapy!!

(Pictures by Ina Branson)

St. Mary’s Anglican / United Church 1188 Trans-Canada Highway

Box 271

Sorrento, BC V0E 2W0

Phone: 250-675-2294

E-mail: [email protected]

An Ecumenical Shared Ministry

We are on the

web:

stmarysorrento.ca

Incumbent: The Rev. Bruce Chalmers

Phone: 250-852-3511

Editors’ Corner

Be a Blessing.

Let us: Take care of this world, it is a gift to us.

Find love in all people, they share it with us.

Make peace unconditionally, all life depends on it.

And be a Blessing. Always. Amen. (by Erice Fairbrother, Aotearoa/New Zeland)

Have a safe and creative summer,

Val Johnstone & Verna Nitsche, Co-Editors

Thank You …

A s a parish we depend on our

volunteers. Sometimes we

have to single out someone for ex-

traordinary efforts on our behalf.

Siv and Lennart Pettersson fit this

bill. We would like to

acknowledge all their efforts in the

painting and refurbishing of the

rental house. They truly went

above and beyond.

Our People’s Warden Howard Peto

presented the Petterssons with a

gift certificate to their favourite

restaurant “Stratis” in Sorrento. Thank you very much, Siv and Len.

Plant Auction

Val Johnstone was the successful bidder at

the little plant auction we held on May 22.

May the plants thrive in your garden, Val.

O n March 6, St. Mary’s hosted the Northern Lights Chamber Choir for an

afternoon of choral music and the Sorrento community was invited. The

formation of this choir was inspired by Margot Hewitt, a former parishioner of

St. Mary’s Church, who passed away in January 2009.

The choir presented songs of hope, joy, despair, love, longing fantasy … and

more. Soloists included Holly McCallum, Cello, Sydney Victor, Soprano, and

Jim McConnell, Soprano Sax. Jim Johnston was superb as accompanist.

We were please to receive a Thank You note from Steve Guidone, the choir’s

gifted conductor, along with a generous donation. Thank You! We look for-

ward to hosting this wonderful group of musicians again in 2017.

Northern Lights Chamber Choir

5th Annual Concert

quite the sales pitch, bruce! · quite the sales pitch, bruce! st. mary’s is going green! the...

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