“The Resurrection of the Earth” We often miss the obvious in hearing and reading the Bible. Consider the following: John 3:16, what Luther called the “Gospel in miniature,”  “For God so loved the world that He gave his only son…” God so loved the world, not just one species, homo sapien sapien.  Or ... Continue

On Wednesday, February 22, 2012 the Orcas Island Council of Churches met to welcome two new members to the Council  - Ann Hall, Pastor of the Lutheran congregation here at Emmanuel and Roger Maris, Pastor of the 7th Day Adventist Church and faculty member of the Christian School.  The primary ... Continue

A vision without a task is a dream; a task without a vision is drudgery; a vision and a task is the hope of the world.  (Anonymous) This past year has been spent in large part discerning and clarifying our vision for Emmanuel in relation to our mission, “to love God and God’s ... Continue

In my November Rector’s Ruminations, I invited your attention to a vision I S.E.E. (Stewardship, Environment, Evangelization) for Emmanuel Parish.  In reflecting on the “S” of S.E.E., Stewardship I noted that being a steward involves everything we do after we say “I believe” in how we spend our time, talent ... Continue

On October 2nd we began our annual Every Member Canvass.  In my sermon I shared a vision for Emmanuel Parish that can be summarized in three words – Stewardship, Environment and Evangelization (S.E.E.).  The first component of the vision, Stewardship encompasses and is the container for the two ‘E’s’ of ... Continue

I have been thinking about and reflecting on our Parish Meeting and dinner on September 11th a good bit over the past few days. Like many of you, I too, felt it was a special time. – the beautiful late summer evening, the simple elegance of the dinner, the fresh ... Continue

“What does it mean to be a member of Emmanuel Episcopal Parish?” And, What Does Such Membership Mean to You” On July 31st, I preached a sermon entitled, “What does it mean to be a member of Emmanuel Episcopal Parish?” In response to the question I identified nine aspects of membership ... Continue

Our Bishop’s Visit on July 17th provided the Vestry with an opportunity to review our parish ministry since his last visit three years ago.  The results of that preparation are included in this issue of the newsletter entitled, “Vestry Report for the Bishop.”  Our Senior Warden, Cathy Clemens and our ... Continue

As you may recall last month I reflected on what constitutes what we term “essential services” for and by the State given the threat of a government shutdown that loomed large.  I noted that the institution of government and those elected to represent and serve our ideals are called upon ... Continue

My reflections this month are a continuation of some concerns that I expressed in my ruminations last month regarding paying taxes.  I stated that beyond the legal requirement, we have a moral opportunity and imperative to pay taxes given the tax “benefits” and “dividends” that we enjoy as citizens.  Much ... Continue