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+ Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
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Let us rejoice! Our internet and phone lines are finally up and running again! The phone number for the Parish Office remains the same as previously: 503-363-0601.
The Church now has a new internet provider. You can access guest internet using the QR Code or password information posted by the bulletin boards in the narthex. If you are working on a project and need more enhanced internet service, the parish office can provide you the password for our private network. (Our “guest internet” has added safety / privacy features to prevent hacking, which is why we are only posting the login for the guest account publicly.)
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Word from the Rector…
Eve of the Feast of the Transfiguration
Return and Thanks
I had a very refreshing vacation in July, seeing friends, family, and favorite places as well as enjoying a period of being without responsibility. It usually takes me two or even three weeks to really unwind, so the blessing of having a long period away from parochial life is a tremendous help. By the time vacation ends I am feeling a renewed sense of call — and a greater appreciation for the community of disciples I serve. It is a true privilege to be your parish priest and to be allowed to share in the unique and joyous life of this congregation.
Thanks go to all of you for the many ways you led, served, supported the congregation while I was away. It is a testimony to the maturity and health of this parish that, year after year, you not only encourage me to take the time off, but show such equanimity and resource during it. That was the attitude I inherited when coming here, and I am grateful it has been maintained.
I particularly want to thank our Parish Administrator, who had to coordinate an onerous and at times utterly bewildering process of transitioning from our old phone/internet system to the new, modernized version. Assisted by the extraordinary array of gifted people in this parish (especially Jeremiah Miller and Ron DeWilde), Emma undertook the final stages of a process that has been in the offing since her arrival in the position. The result is splendid.
August’s Calendar of Feasts
The eighth month of the year is surprisingly significant in the Church Calendar. It begins with the traditional start to harvest (Lammastide) and proceeds through the great celebration of Christ’s Transfiguration on the Holy Mountain (on the 6th) which coincidentally is also the anniversary of the hideous light of the first atomic bomb used in war. This is followed by the annual commemoration of Jonathan Daniels (Episcopal seminarian and martyr for civil rights, whose killer went free) on the 14th, immediately before the great feast of the Dormition (falling asleep) of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the 15th—our main summer gathering and the main opportunity to consider St. Mary as not only the God-bearer, but also an inheritor of the prophetic tradition.
The end the month includes the Feast of St. Bartholomew the Apostle on the 24th (a popular time in the past for holding a “Church-Ale”), the feast of St. Augustine (probably the most influential theologian in Western Christianity until Thomas Aquinas) on the 28th, and the solemn marking of the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist on the 29th (presenting the confrontation between authentic faith and corrupt political power). The month concludes on the note of humility, wisdom, and simplicity when we commemorate the beloved St. Aidan of Lindisfarne on the 31st.
All together, August presents a sort of mini-compendium of feasts and fasts, agricultural, theological, and social celebrations—all of which affirm the truths of our faith and the goodness of God’s creation, but also subvert the established order of coercion, greed, and dehumanization which holds sway throughout so much of history and across so much of the globe.
I take great strength from the Church Year—not as a quaint collection of archaic practices or legends, but as living testimony to the power of God to heal, renew, challenge, and overcome. As we make our way through it over the coming weeks I bid you a deeper and deeper appropriation of its message about God’s direct participation in our world. Eventually, it will become the true calendar of your life: a guide through times of chaos and anxiety, a companion in seasons of uncertainty or sorrow, an instructor in the sacred mysteries, and ultimately opening out into an eternity beyond the confinement of hours, days, or years.
Glad to be back, and
In Christ,
Brandon+
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The Week Ahead…
Parish Office Summer Hours: Tue, Wed, Thurs: 9:30 AM – 2 PM
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Thursday, August 6: The Feast of The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Friday, August 7: John Mason Neale, Priest and Hymnographer, 1866
- Fridays are marked by acts of discipline and self-denial. If you wish to know more about the meaning of this practice and its benefits, please enquire with Fr. Brandon.
Saturday, August 8: Dominic, Priest and Friar, 1221
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+ 8 AM: Holy Eucharist (said). In-person.
+ 9:50 AM: Nursery open (Godly Play is on break for summer)
+ 10 AM: Holy Eucharist (sung). In-person and online.
Coffee Hour following the 10 AM Liturgy.
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Monday, August 10: Laurence of Rome, Deacon and Martyr, 258
- The parish office is closed on Monday.
Tuesday, August 11: Clare of Assisi, Monastic, 1253
Wednesday, August 12: Florence Nightingale, Nurse, 1910
- 10 AM: Rite I Holy Eucharist
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Prayer Requests from this Parish: Dale & Jeanné Cannon, Kerrie Harwood, Scott Kohl, Mike Martin, Liz McClure, Coralie Peterson, Juanita Rivera, Bill Ryan, Julia Smith, John & Judy Sullivan, Br. Matthew Tenney nOGS, Joan Williamson, Patti Wheeler, Rich Zorko, Family Promise, Salem for Refugees, Mending Wings Youth Ministries. For peace; for those who serve in the Armed Forces and their families; for rain and for all those affected by wildfire and those who fight the fires.
For Those with Birthdays Next Week: Judy Sullivan, Mary Raney
In the Diocese of Oregon: St Paul’s, Oregon City
In the Anglican Communion: The Episcopal Church
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Zoom Recording of Last Week’s Sermon
Sunday, August 2
Passcode: o6XH==cZ
Links will be valid for two weeks.
The Lectionary Readings for this past Sunday can be found here.
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St Mary’s Day
Saturday August 15 at 11 AM
We will celebrate with a morning Eucharist at 11 AM, followed by a picnic-style potluck (think cold salads and sides, cold fried chicken, quiche, mini sandwiches etc.) and a time for lawn games and other summer fun, including our annual youth water fight! You are invited to bring along your favorite outdoor games to play with others.
 We do need help with this event — contributing to the potluck, helping with set-up / food service, and clean-up. Sign-up sheets are in the narthex.
This Major Feast celebrates the life and witness of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the traditional date of her “falling asleep” in Christ. This is our main summer parish gathering, so please plan to join us for this special celebration and invite family and friends.
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Men’s Group
This group will meet on Thursday, August 20 at 6 PM. We usually share a meal together, followed by a time of discussion led by the host around a particular theme or topic, and ending with Compline. If you would like more information about the group please contact Ron DeWilde, Steve Cowgill or Chuck McFerron.
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Forward Day by Day
A simple, straightforward resource for saying simple daily devotions and finding daily spiritual encouragement, Forward Day by Day has developed a website Episcopalians may use for such things as daily scripture readings, a short spiritual commentary on one of the readings, and a well-formatted introduction to the Daily Office online. Sound, orthodox, flexible, and reliable, this is one of the better online tools for prayer in our tradition. Try it out for a season. |
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From Your Parish Librarian
Joseph of Arimathea was a member of the Sanhedrin, a judicial assembly of 70 judges who made rulings on Jewish law. It was the Sanhedrin that ordered Jesus’ Crucifixion and arrested and persecuted His disciples afterwards.
While the disciples were withdrawn in their grief and hiding in fear of the authorities after the Crucifixion, it was Joseph who bravely approached Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea, that the Lord’s body be released to him so he could properly bury Jesus according to the practices of Jewish tradition.
Another member of the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus, helped Joseph with preparing Jesus’ body for burial, and then they laid Jesus in the tomb that Joseph had carved out of a local limestone cave for his own burial.
That’s about all we definitively know about Joseph. There are Legends and stories about him that popped up in later centuries, but this glimpse of Joseph’s life is enough to hold a lesson for us:
We commemorate Joseph of Arimathea for his boldness in approaching Pontius Pilate, his piety in preparing our Lord for burial and for his generosity to the very early Church.
O that we might have such grace and courage to serve the Lord and our Church.
St Joseph of Arimathea’s feast day was a few days ago on Saturday, August 1.
–Bonnie Bonham–Parish Librarian–
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The St. Stephen’s Fund
Available to all
St. Timothy’s has a special fund to assist parishioners during times of financial hardship. This fund is overseen by a Board of Stewards, consisting of Fr. Brandon, Michael McFetridge, and David Tatman.
If you have a need, contact one of us. This fund is in a great position to help. It has helped pay bills, make home improvements, fix autos…and many other things.
All requests are handled with great discretion. This fund was established decades ago and has benefited many parishioners over the years.
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Collect for the Feast of the Transfiguration
O God, who on the holy mount revealed to chosen witnesses your well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistening: Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may by faith behold the King in his beauty; who with you, O Father, and you, O Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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This is our Family Promise Host Week. Please see the sign-up sheet in the narthex for opportunities to serve. You may talk to Steve Cowgill if you have any questions.
Our Fall Bible Study begins on Monday, September 14. We will be studying the Gospel of John and will meet weekly on Monday nights in the Parish Hall’s Fireside Room through to Monday, November 23. Please sign up in the narthex if you are interested.
Game and Movie Night
St. Timothy’s next Family Promise rotation is scheduled for the week of Sunday, Aug 30 – Sep 3.