Category Archives: Church

On
14 October, I wrote about
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church’s annual Blessing of the Animals
service. St. Andrew’s has an amazing choir that sings every Sunday.
For special celebrations, St. Andrew’s sometimes presents
handbells or
bagpipes.

English handbell ringing started out around 1700 as a way for
change ringers to
practice music outside of the church tower. (You can read more about change
ringing in Dorothy Sayers’ superb mystery
The Nine Tailors,
with Lord Peter Wimsey.) St. Andrew’s handbell choir is called Bells Angels.
They play during the service several times a year, most recently two weeks ago.

St. Andrew’s hires the
Los Gatos – Monte Sereno Police Pipes and Drums marching bagpipe band
for events such as the blessing of the tartans service
in March 2008. Because Andrew
is the patron saint to Scotland, bagpipes are an appropriate instrument in a church
named for him. Some photos:

English handbells

Bells Angels in action

English handbells

St. Andrew’s Banner

Bagpipes in Church

Marching band

Images Copyright 2008 by Katy Dickinson

Last Sunday was the popular Blessing of the Animals service at
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
(in Saratoga, CA). We took our cockatiel “Birdie” in her basket.

Last year, we took our cat, Valentino. The service, starting off with
a green parrot singing “Jesus Loves Me”, was predictably wild and well
attended. There were occasional dog squabbles, yips, and barks from the pews.
There were more dogs than any other animal but cats, turtles, rodents, and
even a fish came to church to honor

St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals.

Singing Parrot

Dog in Church

Cat Blessing

Dog Blessing

Bulldog Smile

Church Turtle

Enjoying the Service

Calm Cat

Church Hamster

Blessed Beta Fish

A Girl & Her Cat

Birdie Blessing

Birdie in the Car

Images Copyright 2008 by John Plocher and Katy Dickinson

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On
August 28, 2008, I wrote a blog entry called “Make Poverty History” about
“U2Charist” – the
U2 music and worship service
which will be at 7 pm tonight (20 September) at
Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church (13601 Saratoga Avenue, Saratoga, CA).
The funds offered at the event will benefit
Peter Kithene’s
project Mama Maria Kenya, and
Episcopal Relief & Development (ERD).

For some, it is nothing special to go to a Christian church for a service
or event, but for others this is a strange and scary prospect. For them,
I have a book to recommend:

How to Be a Perfect Stranger: The Essential Religious Etiquette Handbook 4th Edition, Editors: Stuart M. Matlins,
Arthur J. Magida (Skylight Paths Publishing, 2006), ISBN-10: 1594731403,
ISBN-13: 978-1594731402

I have the 1999 book by the same authors: How to Be a Perfect Stranger:
A Guide to Etiquette in Other People’s Religious Ceremonies. I have
found this book helpful when attending religious celebrations outside of my
experience.

The chapter on Episcopalian and Anglican includes “Guest Behavior
During the Service” such as:

“…a guest who is not Episcoplaian/Anglican
[is]…expected to stand and
kneel with the congregation, read prayers aloud and sing with the congregants,
if this does not compromise their personal beliefs. If one does not wish to
kneel, sit when the congregants do so…”

and “General Guidelines and Advice” such as:

“Episcopalians/Anglicans are quite diverse – socially,
racially, and ethnically. Generally, they rejoice in this diversity and
celebrate it. … What represents ‘good manners’ at home would be considered
‘good manners’ in church. Politeness is the key. Appearing overly reserved
or non-communicative – which can imply disapproval – is a typical mistake
that guests can avoid….”

The Barnes and Noble
Fundraiser for Santa Maria Urban Ministry
is coming soon! This fundraiser is to collect money to finish the SMUM playground.

Since 1983 SMUM has provided basic services in the inner city
of San Jose, CA: both short-term needs such as food, clothing and transportation,
and long-term transformation through education, counseling, and after-school
and seasonal programs. SMUM serves the needs of the community and promotes
self-sufficiency. My husband and I are volunteers for SMUM’s Studio 17
after school homework and computer lab club – this is a great program!

Shop at the five Barnes and Noble stores in the San Jose area (Almaden,
Gilroy, Westgate, Pruneyard, and Stevens Creek) on
Monday, October 6. Invite your friends, neighbors, and co-workers.
If you are unable to shop on that day, you can place an order by phone at
any time from now until closing on October 6. (Be sure to mention that this
is part of the fundraiser for SMUM.) Present this voucher at Barnes and Noble
when making your purchase on 6 October:

Pictures from the 2007 ballet folklorico group dancing at last year’s
SMUM benefit sale:

Images Copyright 2007 by Katy Dickinson and John Plocher

My home parish of St. Andrew’s
Episcopal Church (Saratoga, CA) hosted its 2nd annual Youth Dinner and Dance on
Sunday night. St. Andrew’s large and active youth community plans, manages, cooks for,
and runs the popular event to raise money for their Mission Trip. Sunday’s cajun-style
dinner was excellent and there was much sharing between those with catfish and those
served pork.

This past June, the youth Mission Trip was to Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi (on the U.S.
Gulf Coast), to rehabilitate houses as part of the
Katrina
recovery effort. Next summer, they plan to work in Mexico.

The Dinner and Dance is fun both for those who work and those who dine. My son Paul
was again one of the table servers. John, Laura, J.R. and I bid on auction items;
Laura won a day at a local spa. One of the unexpected treats was not only listening
and dancing to the CSB Big Band
but also looking at their elegant instruments during breaks. Photos:

Ready for dinner

Dance floor

Ready to serve

CSB Big Band

Saxophone mouth

Electric Guitar

Saxophones

Images Copyright 2008 by Katy Dickinson and John Plocher

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U2Charist and World MDG Blogging Day

My church is preparing to present a
“U2Charist” on 20 September 2008
at my home parish of
Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church (13601 Saratoga Avenue, Saratoga, CA).
A U2Charist combines music from the library of humanitarian band
U2 with worship and Holy Communion. For more
U2Charist information, call 408-887-2977. Also in development
is World MDG Blogging Day
on 25 September 2008 in support of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs).

St. Andrew’s speaker at the 20 September U2Charist will be
Peter Kithene,
Founder, President, and CEO of Mama Maria Kenya and the Mama Maria Clinic. Peter Kithene
was orphaned at age 12 but went on to found Mama Maria Kenya and the Mama Maria Clinic
during his Junior Year at the University of Washington in Seattle. In 2007, Peter was chosen one out of over 70,000 applicants from 93 countries to be CNN’s Global Heroes honoree of “Medical Marvel” for his work in developing rural healthcare in Africa.

The funds offered at the event will benefit Kithene’s project
Mama Maria Kenya, and
Episcopal Relief & Development (ERD). This month,
ERD achieved a
4-star rating from Charity Navigator for sound fiscal management. 4-stars is the
highest possible rating.

The U2Charist is a project of the 18 Episcopal member churches of the Santa Clara Valley Deanery, to bring wider attention to the
Millennium Development Goals, a set of eight health and welfare goals supported by nearly all of the 192 United Nation countries, including the United States.

Photos of Peter Kithene and Mama Maria Kenya

Peter Kithene

Mama Maria Clinic, Kenya

Peter Kithene with Patient

Images Copyright 2008 by Peter Kithene