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monthly newsletter for St. David's Episcopal Church
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December 2011
The Rev. Lisa Mason
Rector
Ashley Miles, Head of
School
Robert Brewer
Director of Music
Sarah Kates
Director of Children and
Youth Ministries
Beth Crowley
Administrative Officer
Jerry Kirkpatrick
Parish Administrator
jerry-kirkpatrick@
sbcglobal.net
Suzan Reagor
Director of Exceptional
Adults Ministry
Donna Shreve
Financial Officer
The Rev. Lisa Mason
Life in the Fast Lane:
Fall 2011 in the life of St David’s
As we move from the fast pace of fall into the journey of Advent, a season of spir-
itual preparation for the mystery of Christmas, it is healthy and helpful to reflect
back on the last few months. Since late August, the halls of St David’s have been
full of children’s laughter Monday through Friday mornings as they make their way
to and from class in McAllister Hall. Several afternoons a week, a dozen young girls
don tutus and dance and tap the afternoon away. If there is ever a glimpse of the
kingdom of heaven, it is in the midst of all of these children happily experiencing
God’s love and joy. An added blessing during this time is watching our safety of-
ficer Mr. Frank, Frank Schweers, making sure that the kids move back and forth
from school to the church building safely while giving them the encouragement only
a grandfather can give.
Wednesdays in October offered several opportunities for formation. People gathered
for evening prayer followed by dinner and then went off to one of three classes. Ar-
turo Vasquez shared his passion and wisdom on spirituality through film, and by
popular demand, even extended his class as a first Wednesday of the month class for
Nov 2nd. A second class was offered to talk about grief and healing led by several
people from outside our parish, The Rev. Mary Earle, Diane Thrush, and Edwin Sa-
sek. The children and youth met with Enedina Vasquez, Sarah Kates, and Courtney
Gibb to explore and respond to the Lord’s Prayer and what it means in our lives.
Their beautiful art has been displayed in the DeForrest Gallery.
On October 13th, I accepted the call with joy and gratitude to become the seventh
rector of St. David’s. Days after accepting the call, I had several opportunities to
step (Continued on next page.)
For 2011 tax purposes, contribu-
tions must be placed in the offering
plate prior to December 31, 2011, or
hand-delivered to the church office
prior to December 31, 2011.
When the church office is closed
for the holidays, contributions
with the check dated no later than
December 31, 2010 may be dropped
in the mail slot on the Canterbury
Hill side on the church office
entrance.
(Continued from previous page.)
away and experience some continuing education and
formation. I attended my second Gathering of Leaders
Conference. This is a gathering of clergy from across
the country, forty at a time, who have been recom-
mended and invited to come together to learn, share,
and network with one another about ordained leader-
ship in the Episcopal Church today and in the future.
We discussed what it means for the church to be in-
struments of transformation out in the world. Are we
meeting the needs of the communities in which we
live and move and have our being? I was asked to
share how the Great Commission, Matthew 28: 19-20,
was being lived out at St. David’s and how we can
grow more in reaching out to our mission field of our
school, Terrell Hills, Ft. Sam and beyond.
This enriching experience was followed by clergy
conference at Camp Capers. We spent time with a
leadership consultant based out of Dallas taking a
close look at what it means and what it takes to be an
effective leader in the church. Most recently I attend-
ed the Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools
Conference in Dallas with a team of ten from St. Da-
vid’s Episcopal School. I attended several good ses-
sions on rector/head of school relationships, parish
and school interaction, strategic thinking, and vision-
ing.
These opportunities came at a great time as I transi-
tion from interim rector to rector. As I write this, my
institution is days away; it is an exciting time in the
life of the parish. We have journeyed through a lot
these last couple of years and we have experienced
healing. Now we are experiencing new life
and new hope. We have so much for which to be
thankful as a faith community. I believe God is al-
ready doing great work in our midst and there is so
(Continued in next column.)
Christmas Poinsettias
Each year at Christmas the
church is decorated beautifully
with poinsettias. If you would
like to contribute a poinsettia,
either in memory or in honor of
a loved one, please fill out this order form and
return it to the church office by Monday, Decem-
ber 19, so that it may be included in the Christ-
mas Eve bulletin. The cost is $15.
In memory of/honor of__________________
Given by:_____________________________
November 27, 2011
(Continued from previous column.)
much more in store for us as we continue this journey
before us together.
May this Advent be a time of prayer, reflection, and
preparation to see and give thanks for God at work in
our own lives and in the life of the parish. May we,
with God’s help, make ready in our hearts a place to
receive and experience the birth of Jesus Christ into our
lives.
Peace,
Lisa+
Sarah Kates
Director of Children & Youth Ministries [email protected]
On our journey… we met Jesus at Mission Road
Mission Road Ministries is a non-profit organization serving more than 830 children & adults with intellectual
& other developmental disabilities each day with residential, day services & vocational programs in San Anto-
nio, Texas helping clients reach independence, productivity & inclusion in the community. St. David’s has
been serving once a month on Sundays at Mission Road for 55 years now. Recently, we had the opportunity to
visit this marvelous place for five hours on a Saturday.
St. David’s Youth Group along with St. Luke’s and Reconciliation Youth Groups went to Mission Road last
Saturday to interact with the youth that live there. We split up into five groups and were paired with the five
different houses on campus. With the youth living in that particular house, our youth rotated through different
activities which included arts and crafts, basketball, sensory play, games and bingo. After the rotations we had
lunch together and then partook in one of their favorite activities, dancing.
Our youth were prepped the night before at the Lock-In for what it might be like to interact with children and
youth who have developmental disabilities. Some were comfortable, some were curious and some were fear-
ful. We told them to have open hands and open hearts ready to receive God’s love.
I thought I had already seen the face of Jesus in my other walks of life. The youth thought they knew what to
expect. We were both surprised and overwhelmed. Many said they didn’t know of a group of people so open,
welcoming and friendly. I cannot tell you how my heart sang as we spent time together dancing in the pavil-
ion with these precious children of God. Dancing is a uni-
versal language. It is an expression of joy and the Holy Spir-
it. No one had to speak any words. Communicating without
words is an extraordinary thing that seems impossible. We
found it possible that day.
I know Jesus was present that day. I would like to think I felt
like Elizabeth, once barren and when in the presence of the
pregnant Virgin Mary, was so overcome with joy that her
child leapt inside her womb. In this advent season, I want to
keep this feeling of joy deep inside my heart as I await the
coming of our Lord on Christmas. I yearn to meet Jesus
again in the most expected and unexpected places.
2011 Annual Reports
If you lead a ministry (Altar
Guild, Ushers, LEM, etc.), it’s
time to start working on your
annual report for the 2011 An-
nual Parish Meeting. Reports are due Monday, December
12. You may email your report to
[email protected], or drop it by the office.
Beth Crowley
Administrative
Officer
11/23 Church Office Closed at noon-Reopens
Monday, 11/28
11/24 Thanksgiving Day Service @ 10:00 a.m.
11/27 First Sunday of Advent-
Make Advent Wreaths
12/4- Pictures with St. Nicholas
12/9 School Brick Orders Due
Christmas Market Vendor Set-up
12/10- Pageant Rehearsal -9:00-a.m.11:00 .m.
Christmas Market-10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
12/11- Christmas Market 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Make Gingerbread Houses
12/12 Good Samaritan Food Bags Due
Ministry Reports for 2011 Due
12/15 Pick up Christmas Tamales
12/17- Pageant Rehearsal 9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
12/18- Pageant @ 10:30 a.m.
12/19 Altar Poinsettia Orders Due
12/21 Terrell Hills Blue Santa Toy and Book
Distribution
12/22 Church Office Closes @ noon
Reopens Tues, 1/3/2012
1/22/12 Annual Parish Meeting
New Prayer Books Needed:
What a wonderful need!
We have many prayer
books that are literally
falling apart and miss-
ing pages. This is won-
derful because it means
they have been well
used. We will be order-
ing approximately 40
new BCPs. If you would like to donate one in honor or
memory of a loved one, please make checks payable to
St. David’s Episcopal Church. The cost of each BCP is
$18.00 per book; you may donate any amount you
choose. We will have book plates in the office for you to
fill out with the name of the person(s) you are remember-
Check our website at
www.saintdavids.net for more detail.
Thanks for Listening.
Some of you have queried
why the disappearance of
the instrumentalists in the
choir (flute, violin and gui-
tars). A word of explanation seems appropriate.
The choir director, Bob, thinks it best to have simply a
vocalist choir, with his accompaniment only. Perhaps he’s
right----he’s an excellent musician.
It seemed to me that the congregation should know that
the “band” did not just get tired and resign. Indeed, we
enjoyed sharing the inner sounds that we hear. It was nice
just knowing you were out there. Thanks for listening.
December 3
Advent Gathering
All women are invited on Saturday, December 3, from 8:30
a.m. to 3:00 p.m., to an Advent Gathering sponsored by the
Diocese of West Texas Daughters of the King in the mis-
sion room at the Bishop Jones Center.
Guest speakers Carla Pineda and Patricia Brooke will lead a
teaching on "The Gift of Giving." In keeping with that
theme, there will be an orna-
ment exchange, so bring an
ornament to share. The
Daughters will also collect
new or gently used cold
weather items, such as sweat-
ers, hats, scarves, gloves, and
blankets for the homeless
community in San Antonio.
Cost is $8 and includes all materials, breakfast items, and a
soup and sandwich lunch with Christmas cookies. To regis-
ter online, go to www.dwtx.org and click on Special
Events. For information, contact Karen Duerr, president
DWTX Daughters of the King, at 210-355-8281 or Kim
Najera, secretary, at 210-690-7477.
Agape Ministry Report
The quarterly board meeting of Agape was held at Eisen-
hower Road Baptist Church on October 19.
Agape is a joint ministry supported by by more than 35
congregations, schools, community organizations, and a
sorority in northeast San Antonio. The ministry provides
emergency assistance to both the homeless and needy fami-
lies, in the form of food, clothing, household items, and
partial financial assistance with utilities and telephone ser-
vice in extreme cases.
Expenditures have been up and donations down this quar-
ter. This is not unusual for summer and early autumn. Food
(Continued in next column.)
(Continued from previous column.)
and clothing donations tend to pick up around the holi-
day season.
Due to the economy and to scanty harvests of beans and
peanuts, cheap protein is no longer quite so cheap. Pea-
nut butter, dry or canned beans, canned or powdered
milk are needed urgently. Other needs are for jelly, pas-
ta, rice, breakfast cereal, toilet paper, diapers (sizes
3,4,5), bar soap and bottled water. Large paper bags and
plastic bags (for lunches). As winter looms socks and
underwear will also be welcome
Volunteers are always needed and welcome at Agape.
They work in the food pantry, the clothing room, and as
interviewers for walk-in clients and families (training is
provided). The work is in two hour shifts and can be a
very enriching and eye-opening experience. You can
also substitute or fill-in on a one day basis. If you can
slap on a coat of paint volunteers will repaint the interior
facility in the near future.
The Fig Leaf, a thrift shop associated with the ministry,
is in the same complex as Agape. Donations and shop-
pers are welcome. I learned that military families sud-
denly reassigned to Fort Sam have found that this thrift
store can be a good resource for setting up house here.
The ministry is located at 123 Lanark, off Austin High-
way, near the Serna post office. Hours are generally 10-
12 a.m. and 2-3:30 p.m. Mon-Th and 10-12 a.m. only
Friday. Hours do vary so you might want to call ahead at
590-6655. Visitors are welcome and donations can, of
course, be brought to St. David's. Ask me for any further
information you need.
Agape will be closed Thanksgiving week and from De-
cember 17 to January 3. Joseph Ebbecke
Clay
McGaughy
Looking for a Christmas
Gift for a loved one?
Leave your legacy in the
St. David’s Courtyard with
an engraved brick!
The Schoolwill be taking orders through
December 9, 2011 and the bricks will be
installed during the break.
Be a part of this
exciting tradition at St. David’s!
Cost: $50 per Brick
Order forms available in
church or school office
Cash and Checks only. We can’t take credit cards.
Unique items from local
vendors and vendors from
Houston
Exotic items from around the
world
Food
Chicks, ducks and goats for
farms in developing nations
Come have fun, help others ,and
complete your Christmas shop-
ping
Do you want to be a vendor?
Contact the church office at
(210) 824-2481 before
December 1.
More information on our
website www.saintdavids.net
ST. DAVID’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL 1300 WILTSHIRE AVENUE, SAN ANTONIO, TX 78209, 824-2481
HO HO TAMALES!
It’s time to get your tamales ordered for Christmas!
We’re proud of our delicious “home-made” tamales, and we know you’ll enjoy them,
too!
CHRISTMAS TAMALES must be ordered by December 12th and picked up on De-
cember 15th between 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
_____ Dozen of OLD FASHIONED TAMALES $__________
$9.00 per dozen
_____Dozen of JALAPENO TAMALES $__________
$9.00 per dozen
_____ Dozen of BEAN TAMALES $__________
$9.00 per dozen
_____ TOTAL DOZEN $__________
Please return this order form, along with your check made out to
St. David’s Episcopal School. Tamales must be picked up by December 15th.
NAME: _____________________________PHONE: _________________
H A P P Y H O L I D A Y S A N D T H A N K Y O U !
