All Souls Weekly                 
Volume 2, Number 29, June 14, 2009

I’ve been reading a really wonderful book of obituaries.  Isaac Borocz, our parish administrator, gave me a copy of Priests And Prelates: The Daily Telegraph Clerical Obituaries, and it has been one of those books that makes one laugh out loud.  (If someone is nearby, I enjoy watching the expression on their face when I explain what’s so funny by saying that I’m reading a book of obituaries.)  Unlike most obituaries, the ones that appear in the Telegraph are not afraid to print the truth, for example, that a priest has “ended his tenure poorly,” or that a particular priest was charged with dereliction of priestly duties by his parish.  The collection includes the story of Monsignor Alfred Gilbey who fox-hunted weekly, wearing frock coat and gaiters, as well as the Rev. Brian Brindley who died surrounded by his acolytes in the midst of a five-course dinner at a famous restaurant.  What I find most comforting about the various glimpses into people’s lives is the honesty with which the obituaries are written.  Some people have not always been very nice.  Some have ended their careers in scandal and some have failed to live up to their own potential.  But they have LIVED, and most of these people have, in small ways, made a difference in the lives of those who knew them.

 
On Thursday of this week the Church celebrated the feast day for St. Barnabas the Apostle.  The Acts of the Apostles describes Barnabas as one who sold a field and gave the money he made to the apostles.  His name, we are told, means “son of encouragement.”  Whether the fact that he donated money at an important time in the early ministry of the apostles, or whether Barnabas offered support in other ways, it seems like a great thing that “encouragement” is remembered in association with his name. St. Barnabas reminds us of the importance an encouraging word or an encouraging deed can be for someone else.  These small acts of encouragement become the stuff of a good obituary. 

Some people work hard to write their own obituaries, choosing just the right words to describe how they would like to be remembered. But in reality, we all know that we “write” our own obituary every day, as we interact with others, as we offer encouragement and support to others, and as we some sign of the love of Jesus Christ to the world.  John Beddingfield

Your prayers are asked for . . . Robert Konefal, Steve Collins, I. Kathryn McKewen, Lexi Ball, Helen Horne, Bruce MacDonald, Polly Mitchell, Bob Colburn, Elizabeth McKee, Freddie Cameron, Robert Long, Frank Karel, Mark, Jane Titterson, Barb Chaffee, Harriet Martin, Chris Cobb, Landis Vance, Vickie Drell, Stephanie Russell, Ruth & Fred Huber, Jim St. George, Martha Holdgate, Chip Meyers, Mary Backus, Anne Marie Morotte, Ron Biggs, Steve Coon, Dorothy, Cindy Harvey, Jerome & Mary Ann Gariff, Walter Jason, Arthur Andrew Warren, Robert Osborne, Mary Beth McCutcheon, Bryan Powell, Regina Dading, Julia Gutierrez, and Ted Field . . . Pray for members of the parish in the foreign service or others who are working overseas, especially Daniel . . . Pray also for the members of our Armed Forces on active duty, especially Jack Severson, and Timothy Zlatich . . . If you wish to participate in our ongoing Internet Prayer Circle please contact Vicki Lowe at lowevg1@verizon.net.

Around the Parish . . . Father Beddingfield is attending the Credo Conference in California.  He returns to Washington on June 22 . . . Please also keep Father Worthley in your prayers as he travels over the next several weeks to Columbia, South America for his work with the Allianz Foundations . . . Attendance on Sunday, June 7 at the 8:30 a.m. Mass, 33; attendance at 11:00 a.m. Mass, 127 . . .  Total pledge offerings for the week were $10,211.00. The plate offering was $1,072.00.

Liturgical Notes . . . We welcome the Rev. Ronald Conner as our celebrant and preacher today . . . A reminder:  All Souls continues to offer both the 8:30 a.m. Low Mass and the 11 a.m. High Mass throughout the summer months . . . Flowers at the High Altar are given to the glory of God and in loving memory of Elizabeth J. and John E. Curry, given by Harriet Curry . . . The Sanctuary Candle burns for the Glory of God and in thanksgiving for All Souls Parish and all of its love, given by Robert Publicover, in celebration of his 60^th birthday on June 16. 

Childcare backup needed . . . Because of summer vacations, illness and unexpected schedule changes, our Sunday morning nursery attendants sometimes need to be away.  If you know of someone home from college this summer who is good with children and might appreciate some extra cash, please let the parish office know.
 

A Parishioner in Need  . . . An older parishioner of All Souls who lives in Woodley Park needs occasional help with shopping and running errands.  If you have a car and an hour or two, please contact the parish office for details.  This is a great opportunity to make a new friend (or deepen an existing friendship) and to be of tremendous help.

All Souls Are Green . . . We need your help to improve our parish's environmental stewardship and save money:  Saturday, June 20, starting at 9 a.m. in the undercroft we will be "re-lamping" parts of the church with compact fluorescent bulbs; installing weather stripping; and checking our overall building "envelope" and insulation levels.  

If you are somewhat handy, bring some tools and help us install weather stripping/insulation.  If you are less handy but still eager to help, you can change light bulbs and wash lighting fixtures.  We expect to finish by noon or 1 p.m.  For more information, contact Jeff Wells at jeff.wells@starpower.net or 202-746-0120.

Volunteers needed for the Bishop Walker School . . . The Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys is seeking volunteers to assist with administrative projects. The school is looking for people who are proficient with MS Word and MS Excel; can enter data into a mailing list database and/or assist in preparing marketing packets and with filing. The school office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, and is currently located at Episcopal Church House. In September, it will move to the new school building in SE Washington. Call Randy O’Donoghue at 202-299-6521 if you are interested in volunteering.

Summer Leadership Speaker Series at VTS . . . Virginia Theological Seminary’s Institute for Christian Formation and Leadership is offering a free summer leadership series. Register at http://www.vts.edu/icfl/lifetime/continuinged.asp

Speakers, topics and dates are as follows:  June 24: 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., “Facing into the Wind:  Lessons on Leadership from Conflicts in The Episcopal Church,” by the Rev. C. K. Robertson, Canon to the Presiding Bishop . . . July 1: 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., “Moral Life of Schools: Why Good Schools Are Counter-Cultural,” by Patrick F. Bassett, president, National Association for Independent Schools . . . July 8: 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., “When Conflicts Don’t Seem to Resolve:  Lessons from South Africa,” by Theresa Edlmann, founder and director, the SPIRALS Trust, Grahamstown, South Africa.

Readings for the Daily Office

Calendar for the Week

All Souls Memorial Episcopal Church

The Reverend John Beddingfield, rector; The Reverend Christopher Worthley, adjunct clergy;

Mr. Isaac Borocz, parish administrator; Dr. Philip Cave, director of music and organist;
Mr. Oscar Prado, sexton

2300 Cathedral Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008-1505

Voice: 202-232-4244, Fax: 202-232-8593

Email: allsouls1@aol.com

www.allsoulsdc.org

To receive this by email, sign up at http://lists.allsoulsdc.org/mailman/listinfo/asc_update