VSSC Church Calendar Sample

Virginia Street Church Loses Two Beloved Elders By Jim Erickson

With the deaths of Vivian Kelley at the age ofeighty eight and Josephine (Joey) Cowern atninety four, Virginia Street Church has losttwo beloved members. These two inspiringwomen were the last active members fromtheir generation with memories of the churchwhen some of its early founders were stillalive. Jo’s father was one of the earliest secre-taries of the New Jerusalem church (as it wascalled then).

Joey followed in her father’s footsteps takingan active role in the church. She spent manyyears serving as a member of the Board ofTrustees, she directed the annual ChristmasPageant, sang in the choir and taught SundaySchool. Because of her extensive knowledge ofthe church, people often turned to her for ad-vice.

Vivian started at the church as a young Sun-day School student. One of the most frequentways people described Vivian during heryears at the church was “gracious”. She had away of greeting strangers and long-timefriends with a smile and eloquent way ofspeaking that put them at ease. As a memberof the board she was able to get members torelax during tense moments.

Vivian served many years as volunteer wedding coordinator, a role in which her graciousness served the church very well. Vivian’s demeanorwas an important reason why many couples decided to get married at Virginia Street Church. For people who knew her, Vivian was thought ofas the quintessential public relations representative and hostess. Vivian also had artistic talents. She was a trained interior decorator and hada keen eye for tasteful decorating as evidenced by anyone who visited her beautiful home. In addition to decorating, Vivian liked to expressher artistic talent by painting landscapes.

Vivian and Jo loved the New Church and its philosophy living according to its principles and no doubt they are still leading lives of usefulnessin the spiritual world.

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New Year’s Day

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MartinLuther KingJr. Day

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Swedenborg’sBirthday - JulianCalendar

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January 2012December 2011

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The good of truth, the good existing with a member of the spiritualChurch, 8458, is compared to hoar frost because it forms more of a con-

tinuous sheet than snow. Consisting of tiny white flakes snow has referenceto truth, while hoar frost, being the nearest thing to it, has reference to truththat has become good, which is the good of truth. - Swedenborg AC 8459

A Rose is a RoseBy Eric Hoffman

Once again, as the new year commences we are invited to make decisions regarding thechanges we would like to see happen in our lives. In keeping with this tradition, I attendeda Winter Solstice celebration recently, during which we were given an opportunity to ex-press our intentions for the next year. My intentions are numerous, and most touch uponliving life with more passion. Let me explain a little bit about where this comes from.

On one of my last trips to the bookstore, I picked up a few bound collections of “Rose IsRose” by Pat Brady. This was a comic strip I first read, I think, in the pages of the SouthBend, Indiana, newspaper, and to my mind it’s one of the best strips ever written. It depictsa family—mother (Rose), father (Jimbo), son (Pasquale, 6 years old or so) and cat, plus acoterie of other characters such as Clem (a selfish cousin), Vicki the Biker (Rose’s fearlessalter-ego), and Pasquale’s Guardian Angel. I love the strip because it does such a good jobin depicting the myriad joys of the simpler things of life and living it with passion. It’s quitecommon for one of the family to go dancing off surrounded by rainbows, flowers, beachballs and sunshine after being smooched on the cheek or treated to a surprise love note orhead-butted by a kitten. The artist does such a great job, in my opinion, of showing a char-acter’s deepest heavenly delights.

We’ve had a few discussions this past year on what constitutes the Word of God. Whenmost people read the phrase a vision of the Holy Scripture comes to mind, but Swedenborghad a broader understanding of the Word. He wrote that the Word is that which conveysthe Lord’s ever-flowing truth. In this light, “the Word” may include not only the Bible, butthe sacred texts of other religions, the world of nature, and our own heavenly developmentas spiritually conscious human beings. Indeed, when we don’t let our self-serving egos ruleour decisions, and when we work to be of service to others and can find delight in it, we be-come expressions of the Divine Presence. We become more fully part of “the Word”.

Our challenge is to find ways of expressing the Word—the deepest, most heavenly aspectsof our inner life—in all that we do. Our work is a worthy recipient of our efforts, but evenmore so are our relationships with others. I’ve discovered over the years that one of my de-lights is to be of service to others, especially my family. I love doing the dishes and the laun-dry, especially if it gives my wife the freedom to accomplish something important to her. Ilove reading to my daughter in the evening, and when it can’t happen I think I miss it morethan she does. I love hearing about people’s lives, especially when I can offer a fresh per-

spective on their current challenges. There is no question in my mind that I am exposed to as much Truth through my relationships as I am when I studyScripture.

We Swedenborgians like to appreciate the deeper sense of our holidays. I see Valentine’s Day as a way of appreciating the Word that is expressed in myrelationships with others. I’ll be enjoying the romantic aspects of the holiday, too—you’d be surprised at how much of the Word that brings out—but Iwon’t be leaving out my non-romantic relationships. For those who currently have none of the romantic in their lives, Valentine’s Day can be very fulfill-ing as well, because the Truth that makes our romantic relationships so delightful also makes our other relationships deeper and more satisfying. I hopeeveryone has a meaningful and happy Valentine’s Day, and a spiritually prosperous New Year!


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Groundhog Day

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Diamond Jubilie ofQueen Elizabeth II

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Full Moon

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Swedenborg’s Birth-day—Gregorian Cal-endar

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Lincoln’s Birthday

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Valentine’s Day

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President’s Day

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Washington’s Birth-day

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Emanuel Swedenborg—Divine Love and Wisdom #427

T here are two loves, according to which the heavens are distinct, ce-lestial love and spiritual love. Celestial love is love to the Lord, and

spiritual love is love towards the neighbor. These loves are distinguishedby this, that celestial love is the love of good, and spiritual love the love

of truth; for those who are in celestial love perform uses fromlove of good, and those in spiritual love from love of truth. Themarriage of celestial love is with wisdom, and the marriage ofspiritual love with intelligence; for it is of wisdom to do goodfrom good, and it is of intelligence to do good from truth, conse-quently celestial love does what is good, and spiritual love doeswhat is true.

The quote below was taken from “Lives of theGovernors of Minnesota” by James H Baker (p. 158.)It was written by Edward C. Mitchall,the first ministerof the Virginia Street Church, reflecting on the death ofhis friend Gov. William Rainey Marshall.

William Marshall (b 10/17/1825 d 01/09/1870) wasthe fifth governor of the state of Minnesota (1866-1870.) He was a West Point graduate and dabbled invarious businesses including hardware, surveying,banking, dairy farming, and newspaper. He purchased“The Saint Paul Daily Times” and “The Minnesotan”and merged them into “The Saint Paul Press”, which isnow known as “The Saint Paul Pioneer Press.”

Marshall was lieutenant colonel of the Seventh Regi-ment Minnesota Infantry during the Civil War and hismilitary career ran from August of 1862 through Au-gust of 1865.

Marshall also helped form our church which was ini-tally known as “The Saint Paul Society of the Church ofthe New Jerusalem” Before the church on Virginia andSelby was built, the initial members met in the Gover-nor’s office, the YMCA, and then purchased the redand brick Methodist church on Market Street betweenFourth & Fifth streets (now the location of The SaintPaul Hotel.)

"William R. Marshall was a man whom it was easy to love. He was large-hearted,broad-minded and intellectual, generous, sympathetic, genial and consider-ate, and unusually versatile in his activities. At the time of his death, the

press of our state expressed its high estimate of his character, his ability, and his use- fulness, as a brave soldier,an able statesman, and a public-spirited citizen. And it is for me, as his pastor for the last twenty-three years of hislife, to speak of him as a man; of his loving faith in the Word of God; his steadfast trust in Divine Providence; thepurity and beauty of his social life; his unswerving loyalty to every good cause; his tender sympathy with all whosuffered; his uncompromising opposition to all forms of meanness; his chivalrous championing of all who wereoppressed; his dominant cheerfulness; his freedom from vindictiveness; his generous confidence in the goodintentions of others; his patient bearing under severe trials and sufferings. He was an active member of the NewJerusalem (or Swedenborgian) Church, and one of those who united in forming the Society of that Church, in St.Paul, in 1873. He was a good man to live with, and he endeared himself to all who came in close contact with him.”


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Full Moon

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Daylight SavingTime Begins

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St. Patrick’s Day

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Spring Begins

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New Moon

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"Continue to love me. Aye, let us love, as God would have us love one an-other, and let us realise, on earth, in spirit, what Swedenborg said when hesaw in his vision in heaven, that man and wife there were melted into oneangel" (from a published letter to his wife).

General William Booth—Founder of the Salvation Army.

Jesus said unto the disciples that He must suffer at Jerusalem, and that the Son of Man mustbe delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and that "they shall condemn him, and deliverhim up to the nations to be mocked, to be scourged, and to be crucified, and that on the

third day he shall rise again" (Matt. xx. 18, 19; Mark x. 32-34).

The spiritual sense of these words is,that Divine Truth, in the churchwhere mere falsities of doctrine andevils of life reign, shall be blas-phemed, its truth perverted, and itsgood destroyed. The Son of Man sig-nifies Divine Truth, which is theWord, and Jerusalem signifies thechurch where mere falsities and evilsreign. The chief priests and scribessignify the adulterations of good andfalsifications of truth, both of themfrom infernal love. By condemningand delivering Him to the nations issignified to relegate Divine Truthand Divine Good to hell, and to de-liver them to the evils and falsitieswhich are therefrom, the nations sig-nifying the evils which are from helland which destroy the goods of thechurch. To be mocked, to bescourged, and to be crucified, signi-fies to blaspheme, falsify, and per-vert the truth, and to adulterate anddestroy the good of the church andof the Word (as above). And thethird day He shall rise again, signi-fies the complete glorification of theLord's Human.

Emanuel Swedenborg—Apocalypse Explained n. 655 [10]


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Palm Sunday

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Maundy Thursday

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Full MoonGood Friday

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Passover

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Holocaust Remem-brance Day

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Honore de Balzac French author, 1799-1850

"I have come back to Swedenborg after vast studies of all religions.... Swedenborg un-doubtedly epitomizes all the religions—or rather the one religion—of humanity." -"Swedenborg's theology is sublime.... He alone enables man to touch God."

The Wonderful World of a Compost PileBy Erik Lange

W ith all of the wonderful smells of springfinally arriving after a long winter'snap, I'm sure you all have yourfavorites. Some that come to mind are:

lilacs, a fresh rainfall, Easter lilies, newly-mowngrass, someone grilling in the park. One of myfavorite smells of spring is a newly turned compostpile.

Each spring I turn the leaves that I collected in thefall and have been sitting in a heap all winter long.Even on a warm day the pile creates a “steamy” mistas I make my way into the superheated core.

I think most people think of a compost pile as asmelly mess, but I disagree. If the compost pile isworked correctly, there is no smelly mess. All you getis that wonderfully woodsy scent that one experiencesduring walk in a nature center or state park trail.

Sure I find all kinds of thing in the compost pile as Iturn it...lots of worms, perhaps an ant or two, andsome mushrooms. I even found a fresh raccoon killleft by a fox one year. I will often find things growingon and around the compost pile such as small treesand weeds that I pulled during the summer and leftfor dead.

Spiritually, I understand why one might correlate a rotting pile of leaves full of worms, ants, mushrooms and an occasional carcass with the depths of hell. Swedenborgtells us in Divine Love, and Wisdom # 341 that “Everyone knows that marshes, swamps, dunghills, and rotting compost heaps are filled with such creatures; also that nox-ious winged insects fill the atmosphere like clouds, and noxious vermin the earth like armies on the march, consuming its herbage even to the roots.”

I look at this a little differently as my experience shows me the good in taking the mixture that is created through the composting of leaves, and grass and makingsomething from it. One year I decided to take a section of the yard that was just sand and I filled it with this “compost” and watered it down late in the fall. The next springI had wild violets, ferns, lilly of the valley, and meadow rue growing in its place.

Turning the compost pile provides oxygen, additional moisture and it mixes the material that has been sitting outside with the composting material from the inside. As thematerial breaks down it heats up which is the cause of the swampy vapors. It is a very interesting process. Perhaps there is a spiritual difference between a well groomedcompost pile and one that is just left to its own. Without the turning, it takes a much longer time to break down. The constant re-exposure to air, and water assist thebacteria within the material to break it down into soil much faster.

This soil material is a wonderful additive and can provide much needed minerals to a garden. It is sort of like taking the experiences of life that the tree or field has taken induring the past year and using it to fertilize the growth of something new. The thunderstorm, the sunny bright days, and the broken limb are recycled and provide anurturing environment to that new head of lettuce or sunflower popping up.

There is something quite spiritual in the world of the compost pile. You can experience it yourself in your own back yard. Give it a try...you might experience a whole newworld.


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It seems to me that theNew Church has a great

mission in the world. Thepeople are in need of just themessage that Swedenborggave for mankind. Instead ofmerely listening to thatmessage, we should go outand teach it. We have aprecious treasure in thevessel of the New Church,and we must be careful notto value the vessel more thanthe treasure.

I sometimes think that the withdrawing attitude of the New Church keeps people from knowingwhat a glorious message it has in trust for those who are lost in the fogs of materialism. With allits abounding humanity, Swedenborg's message does not reach the ears of all sorts andconditions of men. If the message does not reach them, it is due not to any narrowness in theChristian ideal that it foreshadows, but to lack of zeal on the part of those who possess it. I wantto see the New Church put on its beautiful garments and shake itself from the dust of aloofness.

From “Vision of Service” —a classic sermon written by Helen Keller


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Flag Day

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New Church Day

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June 2012May

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Franklin Delano Roosevelt U.S. President, 1882-1945

"In a world in which the voice of conscience too often seems still and small there isneed of that spiritual leadership of which Swedenborg was a particular example."

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VSSC Church Calendar Sample