Several years ago I wrote in this space about a long siege of rain that signaled an end to our summer, encouraging cottagers to return to their other homes, students back to school, and a diminishment of our Sunday group. I wrote passionately about my sadness at those partings. I said that I hated them. Still do. The people who attend St. Francis are dear to me. You are my family, and when we gather around the altar I want to see every one of you no matter where you live. If you aren’t present, I imagine that you are sitting in your normal place, singing the hymns, praying along with us, mixing it up at coffee hour. Your names are on regular rotation in my prayers during the morning sit. I am really pleased to welcome some new people to our parish family. We are lucky to have such interest in St. Francis. Soon our bishop will confirm and receive many of them. At the same time, it is hard when people move to other places, as have Hank Ingram and Phyllis and Peter Makuck. Hank is in Southern Pines

now, and Phyllis and Peter have moved to Wilmington. I deal with these changes by reminding myself that we know a thing or two about how to stay in touch with cottagers, their new status. I even had a great letter this week from Renfro, who, as far as I am concerned, is overdue in his visits to us. He knows it too.

When I wrote several years ago about the hard rain that was falling like a curtain, I consoled myself with the awareness that it is the nature of our parish to spread out. We have a chance to share the love that we have

come to know across a large geographical area. No matter where we are, we remember the feeling of receiving communion in a circle around the altar at St. Francis, hearing the choir sing, joining in singing The Song of St. Francis, and knowing that the presence of God changes our lives. Wherever we go we can share that feeling. Everett+

Spreading Out, Still

The Song of Saint Francis

It’s a Date!

11/03 Laughton-

Meadows Concert

12/13 Angel Tree

Christmas Carols

Pot Luck Dinner

12/16 First Presbyterian

Church Christmas

Cheer

12/17 Come to the

Manger

12/26 Messiah Sing-

Along

1/13 Hope Mission

Cooking

2/4 Souper Bowl of

Caring

2/22 Bunco

Saint Francis by the Sea Episcopal Church ● Salter Path, North Carolina November 2017

Vestry View “A Little of This, A Little of That” by Pat Jones

First, I want to thank the LobsterFest Committee for their awesome job. The committee is headed by Terry Smith with Linda Davies, Geraline Castle, Meg Bradford, and Sharon Watling working all year to coordinate this huge

undertaking. Just as important are all the parishioners who worked so diligently in the final days up to the LobsterFest. The LobsterFest is our main fund raiser for the year and very necessary to ensure the financial needs of the parish are met. Fortunately, this year the weather cooperated and the LobsterFest went off without a hitch. Again, Thank You to everyone who assisted in any way. If you are interested in serving the church, there is a need of some new faces to join our Lay Ministry. This includes Crucifer, Torchbearers, Chalicifers, Nursery, Lectors, Greeters, and Altar Guild. If you are interested, please contact Pat Jones at

patjonesnc@gmail.com. We will provide you with any training that is needed. On a lighter note: There is a saying by Virginia Satir, a family therapist, “We need 4 hugs a day for survival, 8 hugs a day for maintenance, and 12 hugs a day for growth”. As I spend my days with a 3 and 5-year-old I see that the young child

has this in them naturally. The 3-year-old

especially wants hugs all day long. We hug when

he gets up in the morning, when we are dressing

him, when washing his messy little face and

hands, at nap time, after nap time, when

dropped off at school, when picked up from

school. As adults we need to learn from the

young children who live their lives with what

comes naturally. Hugging is a handshake from

the heart. Did you give and receive your hugs

today??

2

One day as I was tending my plants at the

church, Father Everett noticed the surprise lilies

blooming by the angel. I told him that I had had

a discussion with the lilies and had given them

two months to “do something”. Then he said,

“how Franciscan".

I started to wonder if Saint Francis and Clare

talked to their plants too…I expect they did. They

understood their relationship to God despite

secular and cultural interruptions. Time in their

gardens probably led to meditation.

There is so much that disrupts our thoughts now

in this turbulent world, plants are a microcosm

of the world. There are those plants that allow

others of their kind to live in peace and others

that insist on routing them out. Not that I think

all weeds are evil, but I do think this speaks to

me in many ways.

How have plants changed me? Well they require

nothing but to be acknowledged, for their needs

of sustenance, water, sun or shade, space and yes

love. I believe we can communicate with plants,

and they respond to us a thousand fold with their

beauty and strength. They have no beliefs, just

the basics, and they are quiet and stately.

So while this provides me personal peace, how

does this figure in the big picture of the world we

live in. By clearing our minds, whatever that

takes, it increases our awareness of others and

allows us to love, help and accept them. I firmly

believe we are fulfilled many times over in this

way. We need to open our hearts, minds and

spirit if we are to experience God fully in our

lives.

So how can one person make a difference? I

believe that if each person passes this peace on to

the next, even if some do not respond, very

quickly a large number of folks become involved.

Some of them will find God; most of them we will

never meet, but that is the point. I encourage

everyone to find God’s love and pass it on. It will

change your life and those of others and maybe

the world.

“Gardening Thoughts” by Korin Gagnon

Page 3

Dear Friends,

Mark and I get a Christmas card from our old

friend, Jean, every year in October. Hers is

always the first one we display in our holiday

greeting card basket and while it seems early to

be receiving Christmas cards, we already have

“save the dates” on the church calendar for some

Christmas events which take weeks, months to

prepare. Here’s a little more detail about some of

them:

Saturday and Sunday, December 2 and 3 at 4pm,

the Carolina East Singers (CES) perform a

Christmas concert at First Presbyterian Church

in Morehead City. CES is a community choir led

by former West Carteret High School choir

director, Susan Gillis Bailey and Sunnie Gayle

Ballou, Music Director at First Presbyterian

Church (FPB). We include mention of it here

because St. Francis by the Sea choristers, Meg

Bradford, Scott and Libba Shelton, Terry and

Robin Smith, Craig Griffin and myself will sing in

this concert of traditional and popular Christmas

music for large choirs. A little something for

everyone, the concert includes Pergolesi’s

MAGNIFICAT. Tickets $10. Questions or tickets?

Please see any of the singers listed above. Come

and support your community choir.

Wednesday, December 13 at 5:30pm, church

family members of all ages are invited to gather

in the gallery/fellowship hall to stuff stockings

for Angel Tree gift recipients; at 6:00pm we will

share a simple potluck family supper; from 6:30-

7:30pm we will sing carols in the sanctuary led

by our friend, pianist Brenda Bruce. Brenda’s

program is her gift to the family of St. Francis by

the Sea in return for our warm welcome to her

last July at her concert of Familiar Favorites.

Brenda’s program includes all the popular and

familiar secular Christmas songs, kids’ songs,

well-known Christmas carols, and more. The

program will mark the gathering and giving of

the Angel Tree gifts. [See Denise Throckmorton’s

write-up in OUTREACH]

Saturday, December 16 at 11:45am, join with

members of the St. Francis choir and sing

Christmas Carols at the annual Christmas Cheer

Luncheon event at First Presbyterian Church in

Morehead City, an annual community-wide

ministry to local families in need. Wearing our

cheerful Christmas sweaters and sweatshirts, we

gather in the fellowship hall at FPC at 11:45, don

our headgear (reindeer antlers, Santa hats and

bells) and sing the first verse of all the Christmas

carols we know while lunch guests are seated and

served lunch. Then we are served lunch as a

group and stay (if you are able) to help with clean

-up. There is no rehearsal for this -- everyone can

sing a Christmas Carol! – please join us for fun,

fellowship and to spread some cheer to those in

need. The more the merrier and the quicker the

clean-up (done usually by 2pm). Questions? See

Libba Shelton or any member of the choir.

Sunday, December 17 at 5:00pm, the choir of St.

Francis by the Sea with Father Everett and a host

of 15 readers, along with the children and youth

who will create the live nativity scene, present

“Come to the Manger” a service of lessons

(readings), carols and anthems for choir and

congregation. This 35-minute service (no

sermon; no Eucharist) will be followed by cookies

and cider in the gallery/fellowship hall hosted by

the choir and the youth. A tremendous “thank

you” to Nina Hobbs for providing the “Come to

the Manger” service materials and sheet music

for the choir. Questions? See Beth Beswick or me.

Tuesday, December 26, 5:00pm – 8:30pm, all

are welcome to the fourth annual Handel’s

MESSIAH Sing-Along at St. Francis by the Sea.

We offer this event to all singers and spectators

throughout the region so all may participate in a

Grace Notes by Linda Laughton

4

live performance of the great masterwork in our magical, resonant sanctuary. Register early for a discounted fee of $16 (before Friday, December 22); otherwise $20 at the door. Doors open at 4pm; seating begins at 4:45pm; the music begins at 5:00pm. Full information about the event and a registration form is on the next page. This same information is available to our guests on our church website www.stfrancisbythesea.org. Thank you to Linda Keeter once again for creating the lovely poster/flier. Questions? See George Hirasawa or me.

In closing, if you are reading this “Grace Notes”

article before our November 3 gallery opening

and concert event, I invite you again to Lenore

Meadows’ gallery opening at 5:30 and the

Laughton-Meadows concert at 7pm. The concert

features pianist Barbara McKenzie, harpist

Christina Brier and a 13-piece small chamber

orchestra performing my original TRINITY

SUITE and Lenore’s composition STILL LIFE

DEEP CREEK. Both events are free/by donation

– all are welcome – refreshments are served. If

you are reading this after November 3, thank

you to Marianna Hollinshed of Beaufort for her

gracious giving, generous sponsorship, and her

friendship that made this event possible; thank

you to Layne Helwig for cheerfully orchestrating

the receptions; and thanks to all for your

support and attendance.

MESSIAH SING-ALONG INFORMATION

ALL ARE WELCOME to the fourth annual

HANDEL’S MESSIAH SING-ALONG,

Tuesday, December 26, 5:00 – 8:30pm at

St. Francis by the Sea.

We offer this event so singers and spectators may participate in a live performance of this great masterwork in our renowned live acoustic sanctuary. This is an opportunity to sing the entire oratorio or just the favorite choruses. Plus, the arias are offered for all to sing! We will use the G. Schirmer version (ed. Noble) of the Handel’s MESSIAH vocal score. Please bring your own score. A limited number of scores are available at the church. Refreshments will be served at the break between Parts One and Two. Music is led by Lewis Moore, Conductor; Brenda Bruce, Accompanist; and the string quartet of Chris Ellis, Dee Braxton-Pellegrino, Heather Barlow and Barbara Salter Gates. Registration is required for balanced sections and seating arrangement. Please continue reading for information about registration. REGISTRATION Deadline for the early registration discounted

price ($16) is postmark Friday, Dec. 22.

Please complete the REGISTRATION FORM on

the next page and return it to the church with

your payment by check made out to ST.

FRANCIS BY THE SEA, with MESSIAH noted

on the memo line.

If you miss the deadline for early registration

you may register at the door ($20) and a name

badge will be prepared for you while you wait.

Check-in time Tuesday, Dec. 26 begins at 4:00.

If you register early, your name badges will be

ready for you. The name badge is your “ticket”

to get a seat. Seating in the sanctuary begins at

4:45. The vocal sections will be clearly marked.

The music begins at 5:00. Please plan

accordingly; the entire oratorio run time is

approximately 3-1/2 hours.

Grace Notes by Linda Laughton, Continued

Page 5

MESSIAH SING-ALONG REGISTRATION FORM

Name: ________________________________________________

Cell or email (best contact) _________________________________

Vocal section (circle one) Sop Alto Tenor Bass Spectator

Please check one:

___Yes, I will bring my Schirmer (ed. Noble) Vocal Score.

___I will need to borrow a vocal score from the church.

*** Bring a friend! ***

Name: ________________________________________________

Cell or email (best contact) _________________________________

Vocal section (circle one) Sop Alto Tenor Bass Spectator

Please check one:

___Yes, I will bring my Schirmer (ed. Noble) Vocal Score.

___I will need to borrow a vocal score from the church.

St. Francis by the Sea * 920 Salter Path Rd * Salter Path, NC 28512

Page 6

MARTHA’S MISSION FOOD-A-THON GROCERY BAGS + DONATED FOOD = HAPPY FAMILIES We are collecting non-perishable food items for Martha's Mission food bank. Martha’s Mission provides food to an average of 300 to 350 families in Carteret County every month. A table is set up in the Parish Hall along with bags for you to take home and fill. Monetary donations are appreciated, please make your check out to St Francis with a notation that it is for Marsha’s Mission, put your check in the collection plate or drop off with Kathy in the office. We are accepting donations through Sunday, November 12th. Suggested items include: Cereal, canned fruit and vegetables, dried beans, rice, grits, pasta and pasta sauces, saltines, peanut butter, jelly, powdered milk, cooking oil, bread and rolls, soap, laundry detergent, diapers, and toilet paper.

SHARP KEMP& ST. JOHN HURRICANE RELIEF Skip Kemp flew to St. John to help Sharp and Margie Kemp with hurricane relief on the island of St. John. I’m happy to report that we collected $4,200 that Skip took with him to help with recovery efforts. HOPE MISSION Normally, we cook and serve a delicious meatloaf lunch at Hope Mission in December. We will not be cooking in December this year. We will be cooking and serving on Saturday, January 13, 2018. So, SAVE THE DATE, JANUARY 13, 2018. Details will be published in the December newsletter.

ST FRANCIS ANGEL TREE The St Francis Family Christmas Angel Tree will be set up the Sunday before Thanksgiving, November 19. This year we are adopting the students of Bridges Alternative School for our Angel Tree. The Angel Tree will be set up downstairs with colorful Angels. Each angel will be labeled with the child’s initials, sex, age, and a gift suggestion. We will also put together a snack bag stocking for each child and a collection of school supplies for each teacher. The Outreach Committee will provide a variety of snacks to fill stockings for each student. Details on the St Francis Angel Tree will be published the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

ANGEL TREE POTLUCK AND CAROLING When pianist, Brenda Bruce performed at St Francis in July, she was reinvigorated by the welcoming spirit of St Francis and has been moved to gift us with a family-style Christmas carol sing-a-long that will blend our Angel Tree gift return with a pot-luck dinner followed by caroling. The Outreach Committee is collaborating with the choir to make this fun, family event possible.

SAVE THE DATE: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13 from 5:30-7:30. Additional details on this event, will be published as time nears. If you have any questions, please see Denise Throckmorton, Linda Laughton, or Geraline Castle.

Reaching out with the Love of Christ to others in need” - St. Francis Outreach

= +

November Birthdays

12-Robin Smith 14-Ainsley Horton 15-Grace Kemp 15-Mary Lou Wilson

19-Dona Styron 19-Francesca Styron 30-Jeannie Baxter

5-Pat Gallow 5-Sarah King 10-Romaine Riddle 11-Sara Beck Pruitt

November Lay Ministry Schedule

7

November 5 November

12

November 19

Youth Sun-day

November 26

Vestry Pat Jones Beth Beswick Larry Castle Layne Helwig

Greeters

Lisa Parks

Charlie McCurry

Charlie McCurry

Barbara Bagby

Lisa Parks

Stover Morris

Barbara Bagby

Stover Morris

Lector Terry Smith Libba Shelton Kids Craig Griffin

Prayers Pat Jones Pat Jones Pat Jones Libba Shelton

Crucifer Scott Shelton Pat Jones Kids Scott Shelton

Chalice Pat Jones

Tim Bradford

Tim Bradford

Pat Jones

Martha Ed-wards

Pat Jones

Tim Bradford

Martha Edwards

Altar Guild Bobbie Hill

Meg Bradford

Betsy Randall

Bobbie Hill

Meg Bradford

Linda Davies

Meg Bradford

Linda Davies

Torchbearers Jami Turner

Ainsley Horton

Linda Davies

Sharon Wat-ling

Kids

Martha Ed-wards

Linda Davies

Offerings & Ele-ments

X X Kids X

Nursery Bobbie Hill Jeannie Baxter

Geraline Castle

Bobbie Hill

Children’s Homi-ly

X X

X

Audio Gary Keeter John Clarke Larry Castle Sam Moore

Coffee Hour

Pat Jones George

Hirsawa

Linda Keeter/Katherine &

Terry Parrish

Mary Kurek Romaine and Dan Riddle

The Song of St. Francis is a monthly publication of

St. Francis by the Sea Episcopal Church.

Sound side of NC 58 between Mile Marker 10 and 10½

920 Salter Path Road ● Salter Path, North Carolina ● 28512

(252) 240-2388 ● © 2017 All rights reserved

stfrancisbts@gmail.com ● www.stfrancisbythesea.org

St. Francis by the Sea Episcopal Church

920 Salter Path Road

Salter Path, NC 28512

First Class Mail

Save the dates!

Rector The Rev. Everett Thomas, Ph.D.

Deacon The Rev. Carol Eaton

Vergers Tim Bradford Marion Morris

Parish Administrator Kathy Nesline

Treasurer Dan Riddle

Sexton David Shapiro

Vestry Class of 2017 Tim Bradford

Larry Castle, Junior Warden Romaine Riddle

Vestry Class of 2018 Beth Beswick

Pat Jones Terry Smith

Vestry Class of 2019 Layne Helwig

George Hirasawa Barbara McCreary, Senior Warden

Clerk of the Vestry

Open

Music Director Linda Laughton

Art Gallery Director Tim Bradford

ECW Chair

Bobbie Hill

Outreach Chair Denise Throckmorton

Director of Youth Ministry Open

Sunday Schedule:

9:00 am — Adult Forum; 10:00 am —Eucharist Service

Nursery available; casual dress welcome

Wednesdays — 12:00 noon — Celtic Eucharist

St. Francis by the Sea Episcopal Church is a parish in the Diocese of East Carolina

The Right Reverend Robert Skirving, Bishop