October Sunday School News

Bless you all in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Amen

Outreach Report from September Meeting
Contributed by Susan Kimbrell

10 Thousand Village update – This group’s next sale will be October 13th & 14th at Memorial Presbyterian Church on North Milam. St. Barnabas will be hosting the next sale this coming spring so get ready to purchase some unique items at a special price.

St. Mary’s will be hosting the town’s annual Thanksgiving dinner. They are in need of volunteers to help with setup, serving, and cleanup. If you are interested in helping the community, please contact St. Mary’s church office.

Please help with the collection of winter apparel that our youth will be collecting here at our Parish. Don’t forget the sizes are adult to small children. Items needed are coats, jackets, sweaters, gloves, hats – good condition for someone else to use.

If you have one hour a week, Monday thru Friday, and would like to enhance a child’s life, please contact the Fredericksburg Mentoring Program. You would meet with this student during his/her lunch hour and talk, play games, eat lunch, etc.  Please think about working with our next generation of the Fredericksburg Community.

The next meeting for Outreach will be October 16th at 11:15am in the Parish Hall.  We will be finalizing our fourth quarter outreach projects. Please come join the fun. Our meetings last 30 minutes with lunch served afterwards.

SENIOR WARDEN’S UPDATE
“encouraging faithful living”

A big thank you needs to be extended to the ECW for the hard work put into events this year including the carnival, all of which allowed the ECW to fund projects which enrich the worship at St Barnabas. First, about $5,000 was raised and given to replace the pew cushions and clean and re-block the altar rail kneelers. Recently, another gift of $11,000 was made to recover the pew kneelers (estimated at $1,800) with the balance ear-marked to help with other renovations to the church (lighting, flooring and carpet). The Gifts and Bequests Committee will be making a recommendation to the vestry on proposals for upgrading the lighting and flooring in the church with the $20,000 gift from the Estate of Dick Hall. Along with the ECW gift, almost $30,000 will be available for the project.

October is the month we begin the budgeting process for next year. As Father Elwood stated in his column on page 1, it is also the time we begin thinking about next year’s stewardship. When we budget expenses, we need to look at what the various programs think they will spend. Hopefully actual income will be more than we budget. How much more is unknown, so we need to heavily consider the amount you and I pledge during the Stewardship Drive. If total budgeted expenses are much higher than estimated income, then decisions might need to be made in funding some programs or needs. I encourage everyone in the parish to prayerfully consider the amounts they can commit to God’s work through our church during 2008.

August’s Financial Report is below, and is the first time during the year our expenses have been larger than income. This is due, in part, to the fact August is historically a low revenue month. Also, this year the Jazz Mass occurred on September 2, therefore some expenses were booked in August while the revenue appears in September. If that is considered our income and expenses would be about equal for August.

Keep encouraging faithful living and good things will happen!

Thanks be to God
Charles Green

Daughters of the King to Host October 7^th Potluck

The Daughters will furnish the drinks and condiments. Please bring a friend for a great time of fellowship.

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A DAUGHTER OF THE KING OR FINDING OUT MORE ABOUT IT?

Further questions?  Contact Judy Taylor at judytaylor@wildblue.net or call 669-2284.   Any daughter can be identified by the special cross she wears daily and will be glad to answer any inquiries.  We hope you will consider joining us at the tea to find out more!

Blood Drive for the Military, October 16 – 18

Tuesday (10 AM to 3 PM), Wednesday (2 PM to 7 PM), Thursday (2 PM to 7 PM)

Did you know that if the military runs short of blood, they have to purchase it?  We as a community are joining our hands together again to do our part in Supporting Our Troops with The Ultimate Care Package.  Walk-ins are welcome, but if you prefer to schedule a specific time go to www.militarylifeforce.com.  We’ll see you at the armory!  Bring family and friends – and remember, one donation can save up to 3 lives!

Endowment Committee Expanded
Contributed by Marilee Pankratz. Photograph by Dick Elwood

The Vestry has appointed Chica Greenlee and Susan Kimbrell to serve 3 year terms on the Endowment Committee with existing members, Bob Gates, JP (John) Phelps, Marilee Pankratz and ex-officio members Fr. Elwood and Charles Green, Sr. Warden, and Robert Mosley. “We welcome Chica and Susan” stated Marilee Pankratz, chairman of the Committee. “Chica has spent many of her professional years in fund development and knows the importance of a strong Endowment program. Susan chairs the St. Barnabas Outreach committee and has a heart for the past, present, and future vision of Outreach for our parish.”

Established in 2002, the Endowment Fund was created for the purpose of providing funds for Outreach and Seed Money for New Ministries. Funds for these two distinct ministries will come from earnings from the Endowment Fund. Since its initial gift, the Fund has received numerous gifts of all sizes from individuals through memorial gifts and bequests from the estates of our former parishioners bringing the current balance to $35,541.15. The Vestry has asked the Endowment Committee to determine a fund balance goal to reach before distributions are made. At that time, annual distributions will be made to St. Barnabas’ Outreach projects and as identified, seed money for new ministries determined by the Clergy and Vestry.

The committee welcomes any questions about gifting and will soon provide printed material about the Endowment Fund for interested parishioners. Copies of the Endowment Fund Policies are available for review in the Church Office.
An Annual In-Gathering will be held this All Saints Day. Everyone will be invited to make a gift to the Permanent Endowment Fund in memory of a loved one. A letter and gift envelopes will be sent in mid October.

or information about the St. Barnabas Endowment Fund, please contact any member of the committee or ex-officio members.

KAIROS Prison Ministry Report
Contributed by Bud Parrish

Editor’s Note: KAIROS is a prison ministry in which teams of dedicated Christians participate in a three day course in Christianity with prison inmates inside the prison. This KAIROS weekend was at the Connally unit #10 of the Texas Department of Corrections. Inmates and team members gather around tables and people begin to share their stories and witness for Christ. Many of the inmates have never experienced the love of Christ until their KAIROS weekend….RHG.

I thank the members of St. Barnabas who made cookies for the Kairos weekend.I had nearly 75 doz. to add to the amount other team members brought. The Kairos team was approximately 50 people, with 30 on the inside team, and 20 on the outside team.In addition to the 42 inmates who participated, there were approximately 15 to 20 inmates who had previously been through a Kairos weekend who were chosen as servants or stewards.

I was part of the table family of St. Paul, composed of 9 people, 6 inmates, a table leader, asst. table leader and clergyman.The clergyman at our table was an active Methodist minister, who happens to worship at an Episcopal Church.He told me that he attended the 7:45 a.m. service at St. Barnabas about two months ago when he was visiting Fredericksburg, and that Father Dugat's sermon that day was "right on."

I helped load a suburban and a van on Saturday morning with 2100 doz. cookies, in bags of one dozen each, that were to be given to the inmates who were not attending Kairos.
God's love and the work of the Holy Spirit was manifest during the weekend.

ECW Meeting

Monday, October 8th, 11:30 am in the Parish Hall. Dyana Orrin will speak on Spirituality. A $7.00 donation is suggested for the lunch.

Around the Parish with Bob Gates

O.T.T.E.R. (Our Time To Enjoy Reading) needs a few great volunteers to read fun books one on one to a kindergarten student. Why do this? Because reading aloud to a young child is the BEST way to spark an interest in learning to read. When can you do this? Twice a week for 20 minutes from October 9th to December 18th. Lots of times to choose from! Sharing your love of reading with a child is a gift that lasts a lifetime. Please come and help make a difference and have fun doing it. Call Melissa Mial at Fredericksburg Primary School 997-7421…..For those of you who have been to a Cursillo weekend, there will be an Ultreya gathering at Saint Peter’s (Kerrville) on Sunday, October 14th at 4:00 p.m. in Tucker Hall. There will be good music, good witness, and good food as all members of the Cursillo Community come together for worship and fellowship……..A matter of interest…..Gwen Dugat and Sharon McMahon will present a Two Person Art Show and opening reception on Saturday, October 6th from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Viva Arts Gallery at Mini-Mansions, 8407 Broadway in San Antonio. For directions to Mini Mansions, you may pick up a map with point to point directions from the church office…….Alex Butter, son of Leo Butter, has been accepted and is now enrolled at Texas Military Institute (TMI) in San Antonio. TMI was founded in 1893 and is the oldest Episcopal school in the southwest. It is a top rated school academically and has many famous and well known alumni, including the late General of the Army Douglas MacArthur. Congratulations Alex, we are proud of you…..Be sure and support the Military Blood Drive, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday October 16th—-18th, at the National Guard Armory. Hours are Tuesday (10 AM to 3 PM); Wednesday (2 PM to 7 PM) and Thursday (2 PM to 7 PM). One donation can save up to 3 lives. See story on page four of the insert….Also on page four is the schedule of what to bring to the October 7th Potluck, hosted by the Daughters of the King…...Our Stewardship Campaign will begin in October and the church is at a pivotal and exciting point in the life of this parish. Now that our debt has been eliminated we can pay attention to matters and programs that had been shelved or postponed due to lack of funding. Our clergy and vestry are doing a superb job in directing and guiding the programs and expenditures of the parish. I am proud to be on staff at such critical time in the growth and management of this parish. I invite everyone to join me in prayerfully considering increasing our financial commitment to this church…….We have been generously blessed in so many ways in the past three years and the blessings keep coming. I have never seen anything like it, and we need to significantly express our thanks to God for all that he is doing in our parish and in our lives……..A sale is going on during October, November, and December and it is for parishioners only!!! The Saint Barnabas’ Cookbook, Flavors of Fredericksburg, is on sale: Box of 6 for $60.00. It is a great gift or stocking stuffer. To order please call Nanette Shannon at 997-4730…A closing thought from Fr. Dick Elwood: You know, of course, that we will be celebrating the day of St. Francis as we have the Blessing of the Animals on Sunday afternoon, October 7 at 4:00, on the grounds of the church. Everyone welcome! Let us remember the prayer attributed to him: “Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord; union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness; joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” Amen.