News from the Congregation November 12, 2022

Nov 12

Written By Steven Lee; Marsha Ra & Joan Adams

‘‘‘Diocesan Convention’ ; ‘Wrath’ ” | Dates to Remember| Sunday Programs: 10:30am Worship Service In-Person and Online, 11:30am All Are Welcome Coffee Hour and Ofrendas Lecture/Demo! 4:00pm Evensong 4:30pm Wine & Cheese| Weekday Programs: Wed Bible Study on Paul’s Letter to the Romans (Returns Nov. 30), M-S Morning and Evening Prayer (Zoom)

Canon Lee

This Friday and Saturday is the 246th Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of New York at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown, New York. I am the Congregation of Saint Saviour's clergy delegate, and Joan Adams is the Congregation's lay delegate. Delegates to Diocesan Convention are also delegates to the Special Convention to Elect the Bishop Coadjutor, which will be held at the Cathedral on December 3. For more information and to watch the convention online, please visit:

https://dioceseny.org/ednyevent/246th-diocesan-convention/

A Message from the Wardens

Marsha Ra writes on the The Seven Deadly Sins:

Tradition has it that there are seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. I thought I might consider each of them: if and how I am guilty of them. Starting in no particular order, I begin with envy and how I personally struggle with it. (If this is all too personal to you, please read no further! )

The Seven Deadly Sins—part 2: Wrath

We have all experienced righteous anger—anger that sees an injustice and moves us to try to right the wrong. That is not wrath. Wrath is destructive and, like envy, I am definitely guilty of it. However, unlike envy, which I usually recognize immediately and laugh away, anger is more tenacious, more of a struggle. Anger can be something to wallow in. It can be a simmering, resentful sense of impotent rage that strangely I do not want to give up. Certainly anger can be short-lived, a loss of temper, a lashing out. An unexpected hurdle is placed in my way. “Why do I have to deal with this?” I ask. “How stupid all these rules are!” “Why do I have to show you my photo ID?” That type of anger doesn’t last, but it can hurt people around me. At times anger can snowball into fury. It can eat away inside me until I want to throw a plate, break something, hit someone! When I have been mistreated (or feel that I have been) I have slammed doors, screamed, broken dishes. Once I was so angry with someone that I tore up a beautiful blooming African violet that he loved. Rage turned to violence. I’ve known people who love their anger so much that they nurse it and feed on it for a lifetime. I hope I am not one of those people.

The psalms are full of expressions of revengeful rage. The end of psalm 137 comes to mind:

O daughter Babylon, you devastator!
Happy shall they be who pay you back
what you have done to us!
Happy shall they be who take your little ones
and dash them against the rock!

When psalm 137 is read on a Sunday, that last violent verse is left out, but it expresses rage quite well.

If one doesn’t act out, the rage it might be turned inward, which is not a good solution. Drink, drugs, excessive spending; some people are even known to mutilate themselves. I try to eliminate anger by eating. It doesn’t work. I just get fatter and more frustrated and angry with myself. Wrath cannot be overcome by indulging in the other sins. So how does one overcome it?

For me, I find reading the psalms helpful. The expressions of contrition in the Ash Wednesday service comfort me. Psalm 51 is more powerful and more complete, I feel, than the usual general confessions we say together:

Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure;
wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
that the body you have broken may rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
Give me the joy of your saving help again,
and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.

The only hope I have of overcoming the sin of wrath is to ask God to take it away, and somehow, miraculously, He does.

NEWS FROM THE CATHEDRAL - Cathedral of Saint John the Divine (stjohndivine.org

Dates to Remember

Nov 11 to 12 - 246th Annual Diocesan Convention at Westchester Marriott, Tarrytown, New York
Nov 13 - American Poets Corner Evensong honoring 2022 Inductee Lorraine Hansberry
Nov 16 at 7:00 pm - Meet and Greet at St. Andrew's, Harlem for candidates for Bishop of New York
Dec 3 - Special Convention to Elect Bishop Coadjutor at the Cathedral
Dec 6 - Episcopal Charities 25th Anniversary Tribute Dinner at the Cathedral
Dec 9 & 10 at 7 pm - Cathedral Christmas Concerts
Dec 21 - Performance of El Nino, an opera-oratorio by John Adams, at the Cathedral

Columbarium Visits - Please Schedule in Advance
Due to cleaning and ongoing construction at the Cathedral, some areas may occasionally be inaccessible. Anyone wishing to visit a loved one in the Columbarium is strongly encouraged to schedule their visit in advance via this Columbarium Visit Registration form.

HUMANITARIAN RELIEF FOR UKRAINE

Episcopal Relief & Development is supporting Action by Churches Together (ACT Alliance) as it provides critical assistance to support people affected by violence in Ukraine. Working through ACT member Hungarian Interchurch Aid (HIA) and other local organizations, ACT Alliance is providing emergency assistance such as food, shelter, water and basic supplies to refugees and people displaced within Ukraine. Donations to Episcopal Relief & Development’s Ukraine Crisis Response Fund will help the organization and its partners continue to provide assistance to people displaced by the crisis in Ukraine.

NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE Home - Episcopal Diocese of New York (dioceseny.org)

NEWS FROM THE CONGREGATION

The Weekly Sunday Hospitality continues.

Research shows that the more you give the more you get. The more you help, the more invested you become in your church and the more it feeds you. Isn’t that amazing? Do you enjoy the coffee and the treats--the time together every week for conversation and welcoming of visitors? To keep this ministry going we need to expand the number of people involved. If you are on the list of helpers and providers of snacks, THANK YOU! If you haven’t volunteered yet— why not join the team? There is nothing exclusive about it. All are welcome to help out. If you can come once a month or every 6 -8 weeks to set up before the service and clean-up after the coffee hour, please contact Marsha Ra or Sue Sobolewski. Or talk to us on any Sunday. We will get you started on this ministry.

NEWS FROM THE VESTRY

NOMINATIONS FOR VESTRY

Have you ever considered serving on the vestry? What does the vestry do?

Since the Cathedral has a Board of Trustees responsible for many of the things that vestries of parish churches deal with--namely all matters related to the building, land, and staff--our vestry is in the enviable position to deal primarily with issues related to building community and encouraging spiritual growth. The vestry has a special charge to offer welcome to potential new members and visitors alike. The vestry also manages the congregation’s assets—primarily the money collected through our on-going stewardship program and special collections for outreach.

To serve on the vestry:

You must be a baptized Christian and a member in good standing of the Congregation for at least one year prior to the election.
To be a warden you must be a confirmed Episcopalian and you must have served as a member of the vestry in the past.
You must be able to regularly attend vestry meetings. Vestry meetings are held in the evening of the third Tuesday of every month.

To run for the vestry, you must fill out and submit this electronic nomination form. Deadline: December 15, 2022. In January, we will distribute information about the candidates. The election takes place at the annual meeting, which is after the 10:30 AM service on February 5, 2023.

CHANGES TO THE BYLAWS

The vestry has been discussing changing the bylaws so that petition candidates must be proposed prior to the Annual Meeting. If you have any comments about this change, please contact the wardens, Marsha Ra or Joan Adams, or come to the vestry meeting on November 15, 2022, which will take place on Zoom.

GIVE/SERVE

Questions about Realm, the Congregation’s Online Hub for Giving, Volunteering, and Reaching Out to One Another
The Admin team would love to hear from you. Whether you need help making the shift to online donations, setting up your account, or just want to know what Realm can do for you, please contact Laura and Bob at this email address: info@saintsaviour.org

THIS SUNDAY

In-Person Worship at the Cathedral

10:00 am - Doors to Cathedral open.
10:30 am - Eucharist Service
11:30 am - All Are Welcome Coffee Hour plus Ofrenda Lecture
4:00 pm - Evensong
4:45 pm - Wine and cheese social

The Cathedral requires those entering its buildings to wear a mask.

You can also watch a Livestream of the Cathedral Worship Service
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/StJohnDivineNYC
On the Cathedral website: http://www.stjohndivine.org