Published by and for The Members and Friends of
St. Augustine by-the-Sea Episcopal Church

June, 2009 - Vol. 40, No. 065 - Archive - Search

Neighborhood Youth Association (NYA) The Neighborhood Youth Association (NYA) founded in 1906 has been serving low income families and at-risk kids from age 5-18. In addition, they run a licensed pre-school for kids ages 2-5 in Venice, for 36 children. We support the work of this fine Episcopal agency through funds donated on birthday and anniversary Sunday. Some have made it a practice to donate one dollar for each year of life (e.g. someone in my generation would give 60 dollars and more annually). We commend this to you for consideration but know that any donation is gratefully received and sorely needed. But, also be assured that no donation is required to receive a prayer/blessing. It is totally voluntary. For more information, see their website at www.nyayouth.org.

By The Well
by Tracey Allyson Clanton

It was a hot and sunny day,
When Jesus stopped along the way.
A strange young woman came up to him,
Jesus looked at her and hid his grin.
Although her clothes were torn and tattered,
To the man called Jesus, this was no matter.
She questioned him but not for long,
She believed because her faith was strong.
It didn't take very long for her to see,
The Messiah they sought, for it was He.
And when the others finally came,
The story of Jesus remained the same.

I watched this all from afar,
From up above among the stars.
When asked where in the story we fit in,
The answer is simple—There with Him.
So when God asks you for a drink,
Answer with no time to think.
"All that you ask, I shall give,
For it is in you that I live."

The Bible and Homosexuality: A Pastor's Argument for Acceptance
by Ben Daniel
On Saturday, August 19, 2006, I delivered the homily at a wedding in Leeds, Maine. The brides were radiant, both dressed in white, both in full possession of the particular beauty common to those in their early thirties, when the loveliness of lingering youth meets the gathering wisdom of nature adulthood. When I returned to California, with the permission of the brides, I wrote about the Maine wedding, first on my blog, and later as a commentary for KQED FM in San Francisco, the nation's largest NPR affiliate. The response to both bits of writing was the same: sincere appreciation from most of my readers and listeners and absolute outrage from others. MORE…

The Women's Retreat 2009
A group of 23 women met at the Holy Spirit Retreat Center in Encino to laugh, to cry, and to grow closer as they shared their stories and dreams with each other. Under the gentle guidance of their retreat leader, Dare Cox, together they moved their bodies, danced and chanted, painted, explored their hearts, their histories, and their ways of coping. MORE…

Can You Be A Christian Without Community?
by Gretchen Haight
In one of Hartshorn's Sunday morning classes, Richard Peace (St. A's member, UCC minister and teacher at Fuller Seminary), threw out a statement that took a few of us back. He said, "In order to be a Christian, you have to be in a church community." So I decided to talk with him, for Ebb & Flow, to find out exactly what he meant. MORE…

"Tending the Holy" at the Holy Spirit Retreat Center
by Christine Danelski
On Friday, April 17, twenty-two women from St. A's and our group leader, Dare Cox, who travelled from Michigan to be with us, arrived at the Holy Spirit Retreat Center in Encino for the St. A's annual women's retreat. The retreat center is run by the Sisters of Social Services, a Catholic Benedictine order founded in 1926. The founder of the order, Sister Margaret Slachta, was beatified in 2006 for work she did in Hungry which was instrumental in saving the lives of more than 1000 Jews during World War II. The retreat center is open to all – interfaith in its mission to provide spiritual renewal through contemplation, prayer, and reflection. MORE…

Parish Fun Weekend
by The Rev. Hartshorn Murphy
Our parish has traditionally scheduled three weekends away. One is the Women's Retreat about which a good deal is written in this issue of Ebb & Flow. The second is the Annual Men's Retreat. Admittedly, the men's weekend has been hit and miss recently. (Our 2009 retreat was cancelled due to a fire in Santa Barbara which destroyed the Mt. Calvary Retreat Center). Both of these weekends away are held in the Spring, sometime between Easter and Pentecost. The third weekend away is the Parish Fun Weekend in the Fall. MORE…

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