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From the Vicar Located as we are on the corner of 12 Mile and State Street, the increased rush of yellow school buses and groups of children with backpacks reminds me that school is back in session. Whatever happened to Summer? All of us here at Church of the Holy Spirit know that this was one of the quickest summers on record as we opened our doors on May l9th and it has been a wild and joyous ride ever since. So here we are at the brink of Fall and the opening of our first program year. Heidi Willison and Julie Kuhn are busily painting classrooms, with help from Jeanine Wudkewych and others.
Summer Gross, our intern until December, will be offering a Wednesday evening series entitled, "Living A Purpose Filled Life", a 7 week series on this current and popular book. See the advertisement elsewhere in this news letter. We will also begin quilting on Tuesdays beginning the 16th of September and hope to complete a quilt to raffle in the bazaar on November 1. Exciting plans are underway for the Grand Opening of Holy Spirit on September 14 at 4 PM. The Bishop will begin the ceremony by knocking on our door with his crozier. We all want to be there for this grand ceremony and festivities. Especially exciting will be the great white tent that will hold these ceremonies on the grassy space behind the church. We have sent invitations to all the churches and hope for a crowd of 200-300 on that day.
As we welcome Charlene Crean on September 7, I want to remind all of you about the role of the deacon. As in the role of the first deacons, ( see Acts 6:1-8) their role is one of prayer, service to the poor and reaching out to the community in distribution of the outreach resources of the congregation. Charlene has been a deacon for many years, serving with her husband, Fr. John Crean, rector of St. Paul’s , our sister parish in Northwest Grand Rapids. She is the director of Social Work at Forest View Hospital and has an extensive background as chaplain to an Episcopal school in Hawaii where she and John lived , and as a therapist/social worker at Pine Rest Mental Health Services . She is not paid for her service here at Church of the Holy Spirit. She will be sharing her warmth, wisdom and many gifts with us. To help her in her role as deacon, we will be establishing a discretionary fund for her, The Holy Spirit Deacon's Discretionary Fund. Donations to it and to the Vicar's Discretionary Fund will continue to be taken on the first Sunday of the month. Specific gifts to establish this fund can be given to me at any time. This will enable Charlene to answer such needs as they become known. A word about Discretionary funds. They are funds which belong to the parish. Although the vicar and deacon decide how those funds may be used, the guidelines are quite specific that the funds be spent in outreach to the poor, and other situations of need as they occur. Periodic reporting of amounts spent are to be given to the vestry, or in our case the advisory committee, as required without revealing specific names of those receiving assistance. When you think about something for which you are especially grateful each day, put aside a dollar or two, or some change in a special place and direct that offering to the discretionary collection in the offering plate on the first Sunday of the month. If you feel called to be part of the Holy Spirit Outreach, please see me. We will be meeting in the next few weeks, as soon as Deacon Charlene Crean is "on board."
We are located right in the center of apple country, and I can sense the time of harvest all around us. That also means that the largest influx of migrant workers are here in our community. I am talking with state and school migrant program officials to see where we can be of service. This was part of the reason we were "planted" here in the Sparta area. I hope to have a few options for us in the next week or so.
We have been blessed in so many ways since our opening in May, by many generous people, by St. Andrew’s parish, and kindness from around the diocese. May our work and ministry continue to grow in this place, and may the excitement and energy of the Holy Spirit renew and lead us in the ways that we are to go.
Thanks be to God. SUE
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