A congregation of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota led by the Rt. Rev. Craig W. Loya FROM YOUR PRIEST IN CHARGE:
This week I read an article geared towards parents as their children go back to school.
Going back to school, the experiences, the feeling has always stuck with me. This time of year is different from the rest of the year. There is tension between new chapters, new experiences and endings. The earth, the seasons, they speak to me with great strength this time of year. The tension, the pull between those experiences can be daunting.
The article was from Harvard Business Review, and it was titled, “How Busy Working Parents Can Make Time For Mindfulness”. What I found unique about this article was that it didn’t make a list of to-do’s for parents to accomplish. It didn’t say if you follow my step by step guide, you will achieve perfect harmony and your life will be transformed.
The article touched on some helpful tips, but the gist of the article was about context. Thinking about where you are and how you can steal some peace and quiet to still your mind and bring calm to your busy life. The key and only “TO-DO” is to think about your day. Think about the many and varied contexts you experience as the day unfolds.
Clearly this is something for all of us, not just those with children getting ready to go to school.
The places we spend our time are often filled with opportunities to find peace and quiet, or at the very least some alone time that can be part of a ritual to bring some mindfulness to our busy lives. The problem is those places and those opportunities are often hidden behind our desire to move quickly from one place to another. How often do you find yourself at a coffee shop, or the doctor’s office with time to spare and the last thing you had planned on was having time to spare?
Coffee, Car, Train or Bus commute, at your work computer, prepping meals, all of these are contexts where you can add a bit of ritual. It could be a prayer that you find meaningful, it could be a verse of a hymn you love, it could be a mantra that helps center you. The author of the article, Michelle Gale writes, “Research indicates it takes eight weeks of regular practice to make positive changes to the brain. But if we wait until we have enough “bandwidth” to devote big blocks of time to it, we may never start.”
Mindfulness is a way to approach prayer and opening oneself to the Holy. Opening yourself to the Holy is a way to bring peace and wellness into your life. How do we find those spaces in our lives that occur repeatedly and are opportunities to discover how close we truly are to God and even more importantly to one another.
Share with me at my email, revaronkramer@stedwards-mn.org how you find time to experience the holy in your day, where do you seek out time to be mindful and awake to God in your life.
CONTACTING ARON:
Email: revaronkramer@stedwards-mn.org
Phone: 218-310-8749
ARON’S UPCOMING PTO
August 16th – August 20th: Aron on PTO, Elaine Barber will be supplying on August 20th.
September 20th – September 24th: Aron on PTO, Elaine Barber will supply on September 24th.
October 19th – October 22nd: Aron on PTO, Elaine Barber will supply on October 22nd.
THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS | August 13, 2023, Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 15
Genesis 45:1-15
Psalm 133
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
Matthew 15: 21-2
From Matthew 15:10-11
Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.”
Quote of the week
Listening does not grant the other side legitimacy. It grants them humanity—and preserves our own. —Valarie Kaur
LECTOR ROTA (OT, Psalm and NT readings and prayers of the people)
DATE DAY READERS
August 20 12 Pentecost Maryann Raymond and Steve Anderson
August 27 13 Pentecost Audra Rudys
ONLINE WORSHIP SUNDAY:
Topic: Sunday Morning Worship
Time: August 20, 2023 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
Every week on Sunday, Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/94331579175
Meeting ID: 943 3157 9175
Dial by your location
+1 253 215 8782 US
+1 301 715 8592 US
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/adWZoFu8tM
VOLUNTEER AND ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES:
KICK-OFF SUNDAY, WELCOME BACK SUNDAY, GATHERING SUNDAY
BEFORE CHURCH-
Join us for coffee and fellowship and, provided there is good weather, a walk around the property. See the pet Memorial Garden, take a look at the dilapidated swing set, take in the sights and sounds of nature. Help greet people as they arrive.
DURING CHURCH-
Sing! Sing! Sing!
Join us for an exciting and vigorous service that will be upbeat and energizing.
AFTER CHURCH-
Potluck Lunch and Games!
Bring your favorite family games to share. Familiar favorites and unfamiliar new games that might bring curiosity to all of us.
There will be a sign up at the Church for you to let us know what you are bringing. If you can’t make it in, email Aron at revaronkramer@stedwards-mn.org and let him know what you’ll bring. Good food and Fun games.
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S GROUPS
The men’s and women’s groups will be meeting again this week on Thursday, the 17th, at 6:00pm at Crossroads Deli in Minnetonka. All are welcome so please join us. Questions, contact Jeff or Joan Dow.
LABYRINTH WALK AND CONTEMPLATIVE MEDITATION
The Labyrinth walk will be changing for the Fall from the first Saturday of the month to the second. All are welcome to join and walk the labyrinth. Concurrently, a meditation experience will be held in the library for those interested in contemplative meditation.
Next Labyrinth Walk: September 9, 2023; 9:30am
FALL FUNDRAISER UPDATE
Planning committee members: Erin Bloxham, Kim Cooke, Joan Dow,
Debbie Enyert and Katie May
Official name for the fall fundraiser: St. Edward’s Fall Harvest Bazaar
Date/time for the bazaar: Saturday, November 4th, 2023 10:00 am-3:00pm
Categories for items that will be for sale at the bazaar: Baked Goods, Canned Goods, Handmade Crafts, Heirloom Treasures and Collectables.
In addition to items that will be for sale, there will also be special items for which tickets can be purchased the day of the bazaar in hopes of winning the items. As of this update, ticketed items include: two homemade quilts and a handcrafted ‘one of a kind’ hardwoods chess board.
There will be a simple lunch available for purchase during the bazaar from 10:30 am until 2:00pm
There will be a supervised, adult directed children’s ‘make and take it’ crafts activity available during the bazaar for a fee that will cover the cost of the materials used.
Beginning in mid-August and continuing through the end of October, there will be multiple opportunities for folks of all ages to make items for the bazaar.
A letter providing the ‘requirements’ for items donated for the Heirloom Treasures and Collectables will be mailed out to all parishioners the week of July 10th.
CHALICE BEARERS
Jeff Dow and Debbie Enyeart have stepped up to help with distribution of the wine for those who are still using the smaller cups. We could use one or two more volunteers. Once we get a couple more volunteers, a rota will be able to be created. If you are interested, please speak with Aron.
YOUTH MINISTRY
Aron has a few ideas and would like to meet with two or more adults to run the Sunday School experience on Sunday mornings.
If this is something you would like to do, please speak with Aron.
PRAYER LIST
AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH MONTH the prayer list will be set to BLANK, so please let the office know if you want the person being prayed for to remain.
THIS MONTH’S PRAYER LIST:
Amanda, Zach, Tess, Evie, Alex, Kate, Ellie, Nancy Z, Earl Z, Vickie W, Sarah, Arnie, Ukraine
OTHER TIDBITS AND SUNDRIES
If you need a directory please contact the office at office@stedwards-mn.org
If you have information which needs to be placed in the Happenings, please submit an email to the church office no later than Monday 10am