Change

Change can be hard and we’ve had a lot of it this year.  After officiating in July at the marriage of our niece Sarah to Jay, John announced that he was retiring and that was the last priestly event he would do for the family.  The past 2 summers there have been funerals for one brother-in-law and one sister-in-law. Those life events are very important and serious and they demand a lot of time and effort for everyone involved.  John was ordained to the priesthood 30 years ago and we are both 75 years old.  It was time for a change—for real retirement.

That retirement from ministry meant he would not be preaching and celebrating several times a month at the Church of the Epiphany in Tempe, the Episcopal church we have been worshiping in for  5 years during our winters in Arizona.  That was a real change.  On top of that, the rector there (who happened to have attended the same seminary as John at the same time) retired.  The worship experience was different as a result.  Being a part of that church community and worship had been a central part of our life here each winter.

These changes were difficult to adjust to.  We decided to see if we could find a church where we could truly worship God in the Phoenix valley without driving 25 miles one way to the services.  That drive had meant John drove 400 miles during Holy Week last spring, serving at every worship service during that special week.  We wanted to find something closer.

After visiting 3 nearby churches, I wondered if we would find any place where we really felt we could worship.  I had to keep reassuring myself God would not abandon us.  There would be a church closer to where we live, where we would feel comfortable and reach out to God in this part of the valley.

In 1984 the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America entered into open communion, agreeing they could share clergy and members could worship and receive communion in either church, no matter which one they were a member of.  We think we have found a church home in an ELCA church and are working through this change with hope.

Social Gadabouts

Last weekend we were really social gadabouts--certainly not our normal routine.  Thursday we attended a party next door where our neighbors had just expanded their patio.  Friends offered to provide some music and everyone brought an appetizer to share.  Our neighbor Doug invited us, saying he wanted us to be aware of the party--either so you could come and enjoy it or to warn us it would be kind of loud.  It was both loud and enjoyable.

Saturday morning Deacon Lynn and her husband invited all the clergy and their families at the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in Tempe to brunch before all of us who are snowbirds left for a few months.  Everything was delicious and we enjoyed time with others ministering in this place.

Saturday evening we attended a birthday party at Buca di Beppo in Chandler for our friend Karen, also a member of Epiphany.  It was a fun evening with excellent Italian food.  What a great evening!

The rest of the week has been quiet and laid-back, also a good way to spend our time.

Fountain Cleaning

Last Saturday was Spring Cleanup Day at Church of the Epiphany. It is always good to spend time getting better acquainted with other parishioners and we enjoy helping spruce things up before Easter. John and I were assigned to the team that cleaned the fountain in the church courtyard.

The first step is to remove all the river rock surrounding the cross in the center of the fountain.

We then removed the screening that covers the iron grate supporting the rocks. Next, it was time to cut new screen wire to fit the grate.

The same screen material is used to protect the pump housing.

John used a shop vac to pick up all the gunk that had accumulated on the bottom during the past six months or so. The gunk is mainly mud and pine needles. I used a hose to wash that stuff off the sides and into piles so he could vacuum it up,

Next the grill and screen were replaced, then the rocks distributed around.

After the fountain was filled with water, I was given the job of turning on the pump.

I hope you can see the water flowing over the large rock platform in this picture.

On another note, remember this picture I posted earlier?

Unfortunately, we think the dove abandoned the nest. Hopefully it was only for a few minutes. This is what we saw the next time we walked along the same path.

Hard Work

Saturday, we joined with 34 other members of Epiphany Episcopal Church in Tempe, where we attend, for the annual fall clean-up day. We were assigned to the crew removing some cactus plants along the north wall of the church. There were a number of purple prickly pear cactus that had been infested with cochineal, an insect that leaves a white powdery substance on the pads of the cactus. (In early 2012, we volunteered at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in Texas, along the Rio Grande River. There we learned that cocineal was used by the early Spanish clergy to die bishop's robes. You can learn more about the insect and the dye in this Wikipedia article.)

The unwanted prickly pear plants where put onto a tarp, then hauled to a dumpster.

Next, we dug holes for new plants.

Finally, all the plant along that wall were in place.

Around the corner, there were even larger pots of vegetation to be planted. That meant large holes to dig. But John was up to the task.

In other areas of the grounds, people were trimming trees and bushes.

That meant the trimmed branches had to be picked up and taken to the dumpster.

Just look at how full the dumpster was.

A group of women spent the morning cleaning and organizing the parish hall kitchen.

Another group cleaned a very dirty, very old, very crowded basement. That explains why this woman was in a hazmat suit, going through the old church records they found there.

Finally, most of the work was done and lunch arrived. Everyone there was happy to share in this feast from Subway.