St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church

Yesterday I wrote up the addendum to the lease that we'll be writing for partnering with the Lord's Pantry. I'm excited about it - it fits with our mission, and will mean a renovated kitchen, a greater opportunity to serve the community, and even the possibility of catering future events.

Yesterday I spent a fair amount of time listing the ideas and events that a confirmed Episcopalian should know about the church. that is, by the time the person is confirmed they should at least know who Queen Elizabeth, and Jesus, is.

The funeral was today. A nice service.

Eleanor Clark, formerly of White Plains, New York, and Brookline, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully in the presence of family on July 11, 2010 in Boston, Massachusetts at the age of 90.

Book Club for 2010-2011

Greetings everyone,

I'd like to start a book club. I have some suggestions for this year to get it started. Over the next few months, once we get a group together, perhaps we can adjust them. I've chosen them based on readability, although Trollope might be a bit more difficult. I think there is a balance between different types of non-fiction and fiction.

Lord Christ, only with your power can we move and experience your creation. We gather today to bless those who drive on two wheels, to invoke a new fellowship and mutual encouragement through driving safely.

Will you only drive sober, protecting yourself and others from harm?

I will, with God’s help.

Will you keep yourself in the eyesight of drivers?

Every summer is an opportunity for us to experiment with the liturgy. We’re trying some new music, some old music that we’ve never tried, and also having fun.

I came into work early today - finished up the newsletter. Since the computers were stolen, I've let a lot of work pile up. That and finishing the thesis.

Speaking of which, the readers gave the green light. I'll be Father Dr. Gawain de Leeuw as of May 14th.

Yesterday the church was robbed. Only three computers. It looks like they came through the kitchen, after which they broke the office pane. The cops came, and we called the insurance company.

It's more frustrating and violating than anything else. But we've uploaded most of what we currently work on. We're going to take steps to increase our security.

A lot of planning for Lent. It's not a community that has tons of time for education - Sunday mornigns are the best. Best to do two things together: eating and studying. I'm going to try to do a few bible studies, one intro to Christian basics, and perhaps a few after church studies.

The phone calls don't stop.

The American Redcross is offering a class for those willing to help others during major local disasters. The calss os on Saturday, February 27th 9am-5pm.

The application form is here.

Email or all Allison Calvert at Calverta [at] usa[dot]redcross[dot]org or call 914-946-6500 xt 260.

The annual meeting was held on Sunday. No priests or vestrymen were killed in the process. People were thanked. I gave a report outlining what we have to do to make the world a better place.

We were able to raise $500 for Haiti.

Yesterday a tenant decided to end her lease. Now painting, insulation, and other work needs to be done....

Have been working on the annual meeting. Made final edits on the report. Continued a fair amount of correspondence.

The ballasts and the lightbulbs over the stages have gone out and the Bengali association is having an event here (it's a puja for the goddess of learning). They volunteered to donate $500 for the cost, which should cover it completely!

Perhaps if candidates for ordination had several "360" reviews over the course of 3 years. These may help the church understand who is capable of handling and learning from feedback; and might also indicate who has the right characteristics for the priesthood. The ordinand, and the church, could select a dozen or so people to fill out a questionnaire about their perceptions of the cleric.

Haiti: The Three "Rs" of Disasters

It is important to remember that all disasters have a life cycle: "The Three Rs of Disasters."

Doing the public representative shtick. On Saturday morning went to the funeral of Bob Ruger, "Mr. White Plains." He was the quintessential volunteer; one of the last good government Republicans I know of. Presbyterian; faithful; progressive. Very much involved in helping his community.