A Message of Gratitude from Skylar…
I have been savoring the wonderful experience of last Sunday sharing Mass on the Grass, barbecue lunch, and delightful music with our neighbors and community. I am very grateful for all the planning and preparation that so many provided. Working together made it a pleasure and not too much for anyone. Nyna and Trevor of Fort Vine expressed how much they appreciated being part of our outdoor Service. They shared their surprising experience of weeping together while we beautifully sang Amazing Grace after Communion. They want to come back next year!
I also want to let you know that I will be away on retreat from Tuesday, 9/3 through Friday, 9/13. I am beginning a two-year program of retreats sponsored by The Academy for Spiritual Formation. I very much appreciate your prayers accompanying me and I will be eager to share my experiences when I return.
Happy to be your Senior Warden.
-Skylar Carroll
A Year of Journey, Growth, and Grace
By the time you receive this, we will have gathered for our Mass on the Grass worship and picnic, celebrating the gift of outdoor worship, music, and a good meal shared in fellowship. It was a time to honor the history of our Church, the St. David community, and most importantly, God’s work through us—today, in the past, and in the future.
As we stand in our 75th year within this beloved building, we reflect on the journey our community has taken together. Like the seasons of the earth, this year has marked the rhythms of beginning, ending, and renewal—a cycle that is central to Celtic Christianity. This ancient tradition teaches us that all of life is sacred, and our journey as a community is part of the greater divine cycle.
This year has been a testament to that truth. We have experienced new beginnings as we embraced changes brought by the vestry, endings as we let go of familiar patterns, and renewal in the ways we have gathered, communicated, and supported one another through the hard work of change. Throughout it all, we have relied on God’s grace and mercy, trusting in the sacredness of each step, even when the path was uncertain.
Celtic spirituality reminds us that every beginning, ending, and renewal is part of the divine plan. The Gospel, too, assures us of God’s constant presence and grace along the way. As we look back in awe at what we have accomplished together, we also look forward with hope and faith, knowing that God’s work through St. David’s continues to flourish, guiding us into the future.
May we continue to walk this path together, trusting that God will be with us in every season of our lives, as God has always been.
-Fr. Chuck+
A Spiritual Travelogue
September signals a return to work and school after sun-drenched days of vacation. These days, phone apps randomly show us photos that remind us of our trips and travels, conjuring up strong feelings of the respites we took from the daily stresses of our workaday lives.
Since COVID reminded citizens that there really is an outdoors, popular sites have been inundated with visitors. Despite the crowds, quiet places can still be found, both inside and out. A few favorites from my recent travels:
I wasn’t in church on Easter Sunday, 2023…or maybe I was, exploring the amazing red rock formations at Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah and Lake Powell, Arizona. Only God could be responsible for such wonder, such majesty! Passing wizened junipers that brought to mind the Valley of Dry Bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14), gazing up at towering spires, the words of the Easter Vigil Exsultet echoed magnificently:
“Rejoice and sing now, all the round earth,
bright with a glorious splendor,
for darkness has been vanquished by our eternal King.”
We are drawn to the light, and in quiet walks through towering redwoods or firs, aspens or alders, light calls to mind verses from the Creation story in Genesis: “Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.”
This shipwreck on the Oregon Coast at Ft. Stevens State Park may call to mind Noah’s ark, but standing among the ship’s beams I was reminded of Jonah’s words (Jonah 2:5-7):
“The waters closed in over me;
the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped around my head
at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land
whose bars closed upon me forever;
yet you brought up my life from the Pit,
O LORD my God.
As my life was ebbing away,
I remembered the LORD,
and my prayer came to you,
into your holy temple.”
It’s a 400-foot elevation hike to the bottom of a rocky canyon in Central Oregon where the Crooked River flows. I could hear the ram’s horn blowing and imagined the walls of Jericho tumbling down, yet sitting on a sun-warmed rock, watching the river flow by on its march to the Deschutes and then to the Pacific, the light of God surrounded me, the peace of God filled me, the power of God burst through my breast.
Sometimes I make it to a real church, with walls and a roof and stained glass windows. I enjoyed Morning Prayer in Baker City, Oregon. Built in 1873 and consecrated in 1889, St. Stephen’s Episcopal is the oldest church building still standing in Eastern Oregon. where I met Rev. Taylor Clark who bounded out of the chancel to introduce himself, nearly missing the beginning of the service in his enthusiasm! The church’s stained glass windows followed no particular theme; this one was installed in 1890 as a memorial but looked quite contemporary to my untrained eye.
A much larger, but no less welcoming congregation was present at St. Peter’s in Helena, Montana. While the first Episcopal services were held in Helena in 1867, this structure, its stone quarried locally, was dedicated in 1932. It serves as the cathedral for the Diocese of Montana.
The Chapel of the Transfiguration: What an apt name for this beautiful log Episcopal church in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming! Built in 1925 to serve ranching families who flocked to the little gathering place on Sundays, the church has hosted Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. No need for stained glass windows here; one can easily imagine Jesus in dazzling white.
Sometimes our spiritual pathway is obscured, sometimes it is laid out like a highway before us, but no matter, we see reminders everywhere that God is with us, in us, carrying us through this world to eternal life. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Sprucing-Up St. David’s Exterior
During the summer our energies often focus on outdoor projects around our homes. The same is true at St. David’s. This spring, Gethsemane Ministries pressure-washed the brick and concrete, removing a few years of moss and sprucing up the building considerably!
We are working with a contractor to install a new irrigation system, which will take place in August. In the meantime, a small group of “watering angels” has been dragging hoses and sprinklers around the grounds, trying to keep up with critical watering needs. And, of course, we have a few gardeners who continually battle the weeds, trying to keep our flower beds looking tidy.
In late August and September as the weather cools a bit, we are hoping to hire a painting contractor certified in lead-based paint removal to refresh the window and other trim around the church’s exterior.
Thanks be to God for all these gifts to St. David’s! If you’re interested in helping with any of these projects or other building-related work, contact Connie Reandeau, Jr. Warden.