The Fisherman's Net
Newsletter of St Peter's
Episcopal Church
P.0.
Phone: (262)
966-7288
Email: stpetesnorthlake
New Website: www.StPetesNorthLake.org
SUNDAY WORSHIP
at 9:30 a.m.
SUNDAY SCHOOL
for (K-6 grade) at 9:30 a.m.
The Rt. Rev.
Steven Miller, Bishop of
The Rev. David
Deakle, Priest in Charge
The Rev. David
Couper, Interim Priest
Mr. Stephen
Marks, Senior Warden
Mr. Andrew
Marks, Junior Warden and Treasurer
______________________
January, 2005
A Note from the Interim Priest …
Welcome
to the first issue of “The Fisherman’s Net.”
Whether you are receiving this newsletter via your computer or by
“snail-mail,” I hope you will take advantage of it. The “Net” will be a regular monthly
newsletter not only so you will know what is going on, but also will be
available to our Sunday visitors who may want to get to know us better.
If
you have any information for this newsletter that you would like to share with
your church family or if you have requests for community prayer regarding
healing, thanksgivings, or celebrations (like birthdays and anniversaries),
please submit them to me (hopefully via email as I am the editor!) by the third
Sunday of the month.
I am pressuring our Wardens for monthly
articles, looking for folks to share book reviews, and other information that
will help build up the Body of Christ called St Peter’s Episcopal Church. It is also very important that you give me
your feedback about this newsletter -- as well as how you think our ministry
together is working.
If
we are truly going to be a church family we should remember these words from an
unknown author:
“A Family is a deeply rooted tree with
branches of different strengths all receiving nourishment from an infinite
source.
“A Family is where character is formed,
values are learned, ethics are created, and society is preserved.
“A Family is where all members contribute and
share, co-operate and work, and accept their responsibilities toward the good
of the group.
“A Family is where holidays are celebrated
with feasting, birthdays acknowledged with gifts, and thoughts of days gone by
kept alive with fond remembrances.
“A Family is where each can find solace
and comfort in grief, pleasure and laughter in joy, and kindness and
encouragement in daily living.
“Family is a haven of rest, a sanctuary of
peace, and most of all, a harbor of love.”
God’s blessings to you all,
David+
Thinking About the “Emerging Church”
There
is a story about the early American pioneers traveling west across the vast
prairie. From time to time, they would
stop the wagons, get down on the ground and listen. They were, wisely, listening for the ominous
thunder of buffalo, buffalo traveling by the hundreds of thousands that could
destroy their wagon train; a primitive, yet effective, early warning system.
So,
too, today, we who are interested in the future of our faith and the Church
need to put our ears to the ground and do a little listening; to stop, look,
and listen to what is happening around us.
We have already seen the evolution of one of those movements --
the growth of the non-denominational, “evangelical” church. That movement during the past forty years has
resulted in church goers drifting away from the so-called “traditional
denominational churches” to new “non-denominational churches” (many examples of this can be seen in
Waukesha County). These churches have
fostered a “come-as-you-are” theme in both dress and music.
We are presently experiencing a new and growing movement which is
being called “The Emerging Church.“ The
But what is it that really makes the
That begs the question as to whether or not a “traditional church
“ like St Peter’s can be emerging?” Can
we serve people in their culture with the Book of Common Prayer? In this new cultural world around us, can we
be an authentic (and desirable) Christian expression?
I think the answer to that is a resounding “yes” as long as we
acknowledge that what prevents a traditional Church from becoming an emerging
church is the understanding of mission: The need to say, live, and radiate
outwards, “We will come to you, find you, and ask you to come to us as you
are, rather than as we are. The
questions we, as an authentic Christian community, must struggle with are
these: “ Who needs to be reached out to
in the surrounding
I strongly believe that St Peter’s Episcopal Church was placed
here by God for a specific purpose – a purpose that is uniquely different from
our Catholic and Lutheran neighbors and different from St Anskar’s down the
road.
So, then, how is God is calling us to be more “emerging?”
Fr David Couper
For further
exploration of the
http://emergingchurchnetwork.com
Prayers and Thanksgivings
Please pray for our church and its growth in Christ.
Pray for healing for Fr Deakle and Rick‘s knee.
Pray for peace in the world.
And just as Jesus asked us, make a special effort to pray for our
enemies as well as those who work for peace.
Pray for the victims and their families of the Tsunami in the
Let's Celebrate!
Birthdays and Anniversaries
(I will be
asking you this month for your family’s birthdates and anniversaries so that we
can celebrate these important blessings of life.)
Senior
Warden’s Report
Dear People of
St. Peter’s,
This next year will be a “Challenge” for all of us at St.
Peter’s. Webster defines challenge as a
calling; an exception; a command; and a stimulating or interesting task or
problem. For us in a way it is all of
the above. It was the same when this
Church started shortly after the Civil War ended. Several pioneer families living in this small
community accepted a challenge to establish an Episcopal Church in
Today our Mission at St. Peter’s is
to be a Christian community of Faith and Love where our relationship with God
is nurtured and made visible with open hearts and minds through worship, Study
and outreach to others. We are at a
crossroads with another challenge at our doorstep.
Our devoted Priest for many years,
Fr David Deakle, will more than likely be retiring this coming year. Foreseeing this, we have called Fr David
Couper to serve in the interim period.
When Fr Deakle retires, Fr Couper will assume duties as our priest in
charge. He, and his wife, Sabine, will
have more time to reach out into our surrounding community to call new people
to St Peter’s. We are extending our
budget in order to do this. So, it is
very important that you attend our Annual Meeting on Sunday, February 20th,
and give us your input and help as you hear his thoughts and ideas.
This is a challenge for all of us at
St Peter’s to fund and assist this endeavor.
Please join us this coming Sunday when Fr David and Sabine join our
community and pray about your financial and personal commitment for this coming
year and come to the Annual Meeting after worship on February 20th.
Respectfully yours:
Stephen A.
Marks, Sr. Warden
Sunday
2 January -- 2
Christmas
First
Lesson: Jeremiah 31: 7-14
Psalm 84: 1-8
Second
Lesson: Ephesians 1: 3-6, 15-19a
The Gospel: Matthew 2: 13-15, 19-23
9 January -- 1
Epiphany
Isai
ah
42: 1-9
Psalm 89: 20-29
Acts 10: 34-38
Matthew 3: 13-17
16 January --
2 Epiphany
Isaiah 49: 1-7
Psalm 40: 1-10
I Corinthians 1:
1-9
John 1: 29-41
23 January --
3 Epiphany
Amos 3: 1-8
Psalm 139: 1-11
1 Corinthians 1:
10-17
Matthew 4: 12-23
30 January -- 4
Epiphany
Micah 6: 1-8
Psalm 37: 1-6
1 Corinthians 1:
18-31
Matthew 5: 1-12
For further
Sunday lectionary readings and help
visit: www.theworshipwell.org
Book Review
The Two
Income Trap, by
Elizabeth Warren, Leo Gottlieb Professor of Law, Harvard Law School and Amelie
Warren Tagaki, regular commentator to the nationally syndicated radio show,
“Marketplace,” 253 pp., Basic Books, 2004.
In an especially thought-provoking
book, Warren and Tagaki look at American middle-class families and their
economic stress. They found that: 1)
more women will file for bankruptcy this year than will graduate from college,
2) 70 percent (140 million) of all Americans say that they are carrying so much
debt that it is making their home lives unhappy, 3) the number one New Year’s
resolution in America in 2004 is to get out of debt (overtaking weight loss for
the first time), 4) this year, more children will live through their parents’
bankruptcy than their parents’ divorce.
One hundred and fifty one pages
later, they recommend that everyone raising a family should read a good book on
financial planning. But, they say,
beware, “in most cases their advice is aimed only at those lucky families for
whom work is steady, everyone is healthy, and there are no emergencies. Disaster,” they warn, “a lost job, a
premature birth, a divorce -- is the defining theme of the financial lives of
millions of families.”
Warren and Tagaki propose a
financial “fire drill” for middle class families: Can your family survive with
one income? Can you downshift your fixed
expenses? What is your emergency back-up
plan?
“The collective pressure on the
family,” they write, “the rising costs of educating their children, the growing
insurance payments and medical bills, the rising risks of layoffs and plant
closures, and the unscrupulous tactics of an unrestrained credit industry --
are pushing families to the breaking point.”
I found that these authors have put
together a short, but substantial, book on why middle-class families are going
broke -- and the primary reason is NOT what most of us think. This is a good and necessary read for
families today! Fr Couper
Liturgically Speaking…
Let me try and explain some of the things
I do as I lead worship during the
Eucharist which may (or may not) appear “different” to you:
1. First of all, I am a great believer in
participation -- the mass is never to be celebrated by the priest alone -- it
is to be the “work” of a gathered community and as such a community we do
things together (like prayers, readings, intercessions, etc.). So be prepared as I ask you to join me in our
celebrations!
2. Intercessions (Prayers of the People)
on p. 383 of the Book of Common Prayer are placed there to be examples
of prayers. I would like to see us work
toward a time when the Sunday Intercessor construct his/her own prayers for the
“Universal Church, its members and mission, the Nation and all in authority,
the welfare of the world, the concerns of the local community, those who suffer
and those in any trouble, and for the departed (with commemoration of a saint
when appropriate).” Also included would be the desired prayers, needs, and
thanksgivings of our parish community -- including birthdays, anniversaries,
thanksgivings, and prayers for healing.
While we pause for those prayers during worship, it has been my
experience that few of us give voice to those prayers (hence, the need for an
Intercessory prayer leader).
2. Another thing is that I pause after I
say, “Let us pray…” This gives each one
of us time to say our personal prayers for the day, recall our struggles, give
thanks after communion, and so forth.
The prayer or “collect” voiced by the priest calls us back (“collects”
us) and returns us to corporate prayer.
3. I use the contemporary Lord’s Prayer
because I believe it to be a more accurate translation of what Jesus actually
said (and meant); that is, we are talking about “sins,” rather than the older
English word “trespasses.” I think it is
a better description of what we are asking forgiveness for.
4. I usually don’t offer a prayer before
or after the homily. I feel the homily
should be a “seamless” flow from the Gospel to its proclamation through the
homily-sermon.
5. Rather than using a traditional
blessing at the end of mass, I think we should be thinking about our actions in
the coming week. After all, what
possible blessing could I give after we have just received the highest of all
blessings -- the sacred body and blood of Jesus? Fr. Couper
St Peter’s Cemetery
St. Peter's Cemetery is alive and
thriving... with a choice selection of family burial space plots available.
Cremation interment spaces are also available.
Make 2005 the year to end your procrastination. Beat the rush and
arrange your burial planning now. Call
Rick Luedke (367-6590) or Dan Naze (628-0478) for more information and full
details.
Vestry
Activities
There will be a
vestry meeting after worship on Sunday, January 23rd at the
church.
Annual Meeting
& Stewardship Sunday
Please don’t
forget this important date in the life of our parish -- SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH
(potluck and meeting after worship).
Sunday School
We will have
Sunday School for K-6 children every Sunday at 9:30 EXCEPT the last Sunday of
the month when we encourage children to worship the entire time with their
parents. On Sunday School Sundays, we
will have the children join worship at the passing of the peace. (Sabine is willing to do Sunday School unless
someone else feels called to this ministry.
As a general rule, the curriculum will follow the Gospel for the
day. If your children have any special
needs, please let Sabine know so we can team together).
Coffee Hour
We will hold a
coffee hour every Sunday after worship.
This is an important time for us to get to know one another better as
well as our visitors (and new priest and wife!).
Outreach and
Personal Growth
If we here at St
Peter’s are to grow as both individuals and as a church community it will require
some risk-taking. Whenever we attempt
new programs or approaches, some will be successful and some will not. It will be important that we try new things,
evaluate them honestly, make revisions, and try again. With that said, I would like to introduce you
to THE MARRIAGE COURSE!
"Building
healthy relationships that last a lifetime!"
What is The
Marriage Course?
Over seven
evenings spent together couples talk with each other about the important issues
that can get swept under the carpet in the rush of daily life. Topics covered include:
Recognizing
each other's needs,
Learning to
communicate effectively,
Resolving
conflict,
Healing past
hurt,
Knowing how to
make each other feel loved,
Relating to
parents and in-laws,
Good sex,
Making time
for each other, and
Having fun
together.
PRIVACY as a couple is always respected.
THERE IS NO
GROUP DISCUSSION AND NO REQUIREMENT TO DISCLOSE ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR
RELATIONSHIP TO ANYONE ELSE.
What's
involved?
Each evening begins
with a candlelit meal. There is then a talk by Fr. David and Sabine followed by
an opportunity to discuss the topic together -- as a couple. The setting is
welcoming, relaxed, and unthreatening.
Who is it for?
1. Those who want
to enhance their marriage.
2. Those in the
first five years of marriage.
3. Those at a
challenging state in their marriage, such as the birth of a child, a career
change, teenagers at home, or the "empty nest."
4. Those
struggling with issues in their marriage.
The course, while
based on Christian principles, is very helpful for any couple with or
without a Christian faith or church background. This is NOT a course for
evangelism.
So, come
yourself with your mate and/or invite friends to come with you.... You won't be
disappointed!
LOOK FOR THIS COURSE TO START
IN FEBRUARY!