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Rector's Words
One of my favorite artifacts from
our parish history is an old newspaper clipping that is almost crumbling with age. It has no date, so I have looked carefully
on its back to see what other news is being reported to try to place it in time. The description of international events found
there implies that it comes from very early in the life of St. Matthias, as it seems to be around hundred years old (our parish
was started in 1892).
The brief article is about
the people of St. Matthias taking large pots of soup down to the railroad tracks to feed hobos riding on the transcontinental
railroad line that came through town. The article reports that not only were people from St. Matthias feeding these travelers,
many of whom had not eaten for days as they would not have wanted to leave their valuable free perch on a train from the midwest,
but that other Whittier residents were objecting, saying the soup would merely encourage others to become hobos and travel
to California.
If these events took place in
the 1890's, it would be easy to understand why people were hopping freights to survive. The economic life of that difficult
time saw 20 percent unemployment and numerous other challenges for people trying to survive unprecedented financial conditions.
California was a land of opportunity, or at least land developers were saying so in national advertisements. The advent of
modern transportation in the form of the vast web of railroads around the country meant that companies were leaving regions
for greener pastures hundreds or thousands of miles away, and workers had to find ways of keeping up or face destitution for
themselves and their families.
Knowing this historical background
makes that newspaper clipping all the more significant. It reminds us that the earliest members of St. Matthias were aware
that helping others, particularly in the midst of a national crisis, was a core part of being a Christian. They did so in
the face of community opposition, probably more a product of fear than selfishness, even as the parish was struggling to grow
and secure its own future. It also reminds us that in the face of seemingly overwhelming economic forces, the simple acts
of compassion and generosity Jesus told us about are good places to start our responses as Christians.
The Whittier portion of that
transcontinental rail line has just been transformed into a beautiful bike path through town. Government programs help people
in ways unimaginable to the unemployed of the 1890's. Yet our responses as Christians remain the same, to see who around us
is hungry, who around us is unclothed, who around us is alone. Then we help them, for it is in doing so that we are loving
Christ. Each weekday at our Soup Hour we do so for dozens, on Thanksgiving Day at noon we will do so for hundreds, and thereby
we continue the parish tradition of offering soup to the stranger and unwanted in the name of Christ. So if you are troubled
by our current economic times, know that God has given us a response to make, to look for someone who could use our help and
then reach out, doing what we can with the generous compassion with which God deals with us all.
The Rev. Bruce
Gray
Annual Parish Wine Tour
The St. Matthias
Wine Tour will be Saturday November 8 and will tour the Temecula region under the skilled guiding of our own parish wine expert
Larry Christian. We will once again have a behind the scenes tour at a winery and tastings at three locations. Contact Larry
or the parish office to make your reservations.
Community Forum for November
A Whittier College economist will speak at St. Matthias on Thursday November 13th at 7:00 PM. Professor
Simon Lamar has agreed to tell us about the current state of the economy, describe the various plans and options for recovery
and answer our questions. All are welcome from St.Matthias as well as the community.
Interfaith Field Trip
Curious about Islam? We are invited to a special tour of the Orange County Mosque on Sunday November
16th. We will leave the church at 12:30 PM and all are invited.
Annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner for Whittier
The Thanksgiving
Day Dinner will once again be on Thanksgiving Day from noon until 1:30 PM. All members of the community are invited to this
free, sit down, full service meal with all the fixin's. St. Matthias has offered this Thanksgiving Day event for over twenty
years, and typically serves around 800 meals. All the work is done by volunteers, and Dave Donovan will have a table set up
after each Sunday service for signups if you can volunteer to donate time, food, or money for the dinner. During the week
the office can be contacted to sign-up or to offer more information.
Alternative Christmas Gifts
The St. Matthias Alternative Christmas Gift opportunity is available until Christmas so that you
can make donations to the Soup Hour Ministry in the name of someone on your Christmas shopping list. All donations go to support
the St. Matthias programs to help the poor, including the Soup Hour, Cold Weather Shelter, and the Community Nurse programs.
Alternative Christmas donations can be made after church each Sunday or weekdays in the office.
Fall Pledge Campaign
I hope you have enjoyed hearing from
the Vestry Members each month about their spiritual journey and what St. Matthias means to them – I know that I have
enjoyed each of the “Minutes for Mission”. The Fund Raising portion of our Stewardship Campaign also continues,
with November 16th being Dedication Sunday, when we will offer our Pledge Cards and then receive a flower, to symbolize how
freely God gives all that we have and therefore all that we offer. Please feel free to speak with me, any Vestry member, or
Bruce if you have any questions about this year's Stewardship efforts. Anne Huffington, Stewardship Chair
Stephen Ministry
There are so many situations we come across in the course of our life’s
journey when we can feel lost or alone. It might be a devastating one, such as the loss of a loved one or a friend, or it
might be a life-changing situation like the loss or change of jobs, a move, a child leaving home, or retirement. These are
times when a Stephen Minister can join you on your journey and be a listening, caring Christian companion. There are a number of Stephen Ministers at St. Matthias who have been trained in Christian caregiving,, who are ready
and willing to become a part of your journey for as long as you need them. Please consider prayerfully whether you or someone
you know would benefit from the companionship of a Stephen Minister. Contact Fr. Bruce or a Stephen Leader: Faye Jackson,
Stan Jamieson, Kitty Coutts, or Sandy Jamieson. Benedictine Community The
Benedictine Community meets on the third Sunday of the month at 2:30 p.m. in Chase Room. You are welcome to attend a meeting
or two to check it out, and then join the group if you so desire. Continue
to Bring Plastic Bags
Please continue
to save and bring in market shopping bags. They will go to a rehab center for sorting and folding, after which they will go
to a food center to be used to distribute food to their clients. Please bring them with you when you come to St. Matthias
and place them in a bag hanging in the patio.
Fire at Camp
Stevens Update
The September 2007 fire
at Camp Stevens, near Julian, burned 60 percent of the lodging and one third of the open land. Bruce shared photographs taken
there of the undamaged St. Francis statue in its wooden peaked shelter sitting in the midst of the burn area. The first work
completed was the protection against sliding earth during winter rains. Nearly 300 volunteers worked on the weekends of October
and November to finish that task, and indeed heavy rains created runoffs that were well channeled throughout the winter. Next
temporary shelters were erected in time for summer camp, and halfway through those sessions the destroyed summer bathhouse
was replaced.
Bruce is a leader
of the board that is responsible for the camp and has seen and evaluated the damage along with others. Work with the insurance
company is going on now to arrange reconstruction payments, and plans for the first building to be restored have been submitted
to the county for approval. Work on that building, the Bishops Lodge, has started, with an expected completion time of spring
2009.
The summer camp program
was successfully offered this summer as in past years, though some damaged structures were replaced by tents. The camp has
suffered millions of dollars worth of losses, but it will be rebuilt through the prayers, financial contributions, and labor
of Episcopalians from throughout southern California.
ALIVE IN THE
SPIRIT!
The meetings led by Nancy
Jenkins on the third Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. are held in the Chapel. If you missed any or all of the previous ones,
you will readily be able to understand what follows. The topics for these gatherings is how to be faithful in a post-modern
world, so if you are interested in an up to date spirituality discussion group, come and try it out!
Nancy Jenkins
Sunday Adult Class Studies New Testament
At 9:00 a.m. on Sunday
mornings, the Adult Class is studying the New Testament in Chase Room, located just beyond the second patio from the church.
The class closes at 9:50 a.m. to allow time to get to the 10:00 a.m. service.
Parish Men’s Breakfast Men of the parish and their friends are invited to meet on the first Saturday
of the month at 7:30 a.m. at the Greenleaf Café, Wardman and Greenleaf. On such occasions one can not be sure of the direction
time will take — past memories, new ideas, a recent happening or a very good joke. Enjoy the time and company!
Young(ish)
Adults Group
The Young(ish) Adults will get together for lunch after church on an
upcoming Sunday-check the Sunday bulletin for the date. All adults of St. Matthias in their 20s, 30s and early 40s are encouraged
to attend, and babies are welcomed too! Contact David and Marla for more information.
Evening Stitching Group
The Stitching Group meets at 6:30 p.m. in St. Elizabeth’s Room on the
2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month. Those who want to meet with the group are welcome to attend with any stitchery project
you choose.
Weekly Needlecraft Guild
The Needlecraft Guild meets each Tuesday morning in St. Elizabeth’s
Room at 9:30 AM. Anyone interested in needlecraft of any kind is welcome to attend. You can bring your own project or simply
come and get ideas from others what you might want to try stitching.
Are You a Knitter? Ever Knitted a Helmet? Knitting
is like riding a bicycle — you never really forget how. If you know how to knit and would like to join guild members
from all over the country in knitting helmet liners for servicemen in the Middle East and Korea, please join the Needlecraft
Guild on Tuesday, at 9:30 a.m., St. Elizabeth’s Room. Bring two circular needles, each 16 ’’ long, one size
6, the other size 8. So I will know how much yarn to buy, please call if you plan to participate in this project. . Elizabeth
Barringer
Wednesday Morning Bible Study
On Wednesday mornings at 9:30 Bruce teaches a different Bible Study, which focuses
on the Scriptures assigned for the coming Sunday. Participants learn both the historic context and other meanings of the passages
that are too lengthy to make it into a Sunday sermon. As each session discusses a unique set of passages, new participants
are always welcome and easily acclimated!
Childcare News
When you visit the Nursery on Sunday mornings, you will meet Nichole Cervantes,
our nursery care person. Nichole is a student at Rio Hondo College. She has a child care certificate from Whittier’s
ROP program. Her assistance in our nursery is greatly appreciated.
Parish Nurse Available to Everyone
If you would like Judith Stockman, our parish nurse, to visit you at your
home, please call the church office. Judith works with the Soup Hour guests one afternoon each week taking blood pressures,
testing blood samples for diabetes, and answering questions about health problems. She also is at St. Matthias one Sunday
a month after the 10:00 a.m. service for checking blood pressures and diabetic values. Her work with us is paid for by a grant
from the Parsons Foundation.
Stephen Ministry
Stephen Ministry
is a confidential ministry: Continuous effort is made to maintain the bond of trust between the person receiving care
and the caregiver. Stephen Ministers are committed Christian people who provide a caring relationship that focuses on
the unique needs of each person and lasts as long as the needs exist. Anyone who wishes to have the committed services of a Stephen Minister may speak with the Rev. Bruce Gray and a Stephen
Minister will be assigned.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6
El Salvador Art Project
Articles are still being collected to be sent to El Salvador for the work
of Chencho’s work with gang members in El Salvador. Please bring them to the church to be packaged for shipment
. Your gifts will be greatly appreciated. At this time the most needed material is non-stretched canvas.
We Need to Know +++
Please let the clergy know of any members of the parish that are unable
to come to church and would like to receive communion. Yvette schedules the Lay Eucharistic Visitors and wants to
include all who need a visit.
If you know of someone who has been admitted to a hospital, remember to inform
the clergy. With the new privacy laws, the clergy can no longer check the roster for parishioners that may be hospitalized.
It is “Better We Know Twice Than Not At All!”
Sewing Machines
Vern
sent almost $2000 to the church in Enugu, Nigeria for the sewing machines. If there are people who would like to contribute
but haven’t yet, now is the time. St. Matthias has raised money for the program which will help young women have a respectable
trade, be financially independent, allow their families to move out of the slum and experience God’s love in a personal
way. Thanks to all who have been a part of the ministry. She is also sending Bibles of any translation that you are not using.
Model Railroaders Weekly Meeting
The time for meetings of the Model Railroaders is 6:30 p.m. on all Tuesday
evenings, with varied activities and opportunities for meeting others devoted to railroading. . If you want to know more about
the group or need to find out where the group will be on a particular Tuesday evening, please speak to Fred Torres at church
or by phone. He will be pleased to talk with you and answer your questions.
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