Fr. Jamie   Searching   Listen to this parable which I found in a book by Father Thomas Keating:  “A Sufi master had lost the key to his house and was searching the lawn outside, running his fingers through each blade. His disciples came along and asked what he was doing and soon were themselves engaged the search, getting down on their hands and knees and carefully inspecting the area. This went on for hours. Then one of the disciples asked, “Master, have you any idea where you have lost the key?” He answered, “Yes, of course. I lost it in the house.” The disciples looked at one another in astonishment. “Then why are we looking for it out here?” they exclaimed. The master replied, “Because there is more light out here!”  One way of looking at the story is to see the foolishness of the master. Unless one realizes, that such teachers, operating out of their own humility and wisdom are delighted to make themselves the fool if it results in the enlightenment of others.  We are, or should be, looking for something in our faith. Lent is the symbol of just such a search, a search which is year long and life long. The problem is that we are often looking for it in the wrong place. To make the matter doubly ironic we actually know where we should be looking, but because such a place is more difficult to see in and more complicated to sift through, we prefer the easier place where we will never find what we are looking for.  It is easier to look outside of ourselves, in people and events, to find the reason for our life and losses and needs. It is much harder to look within. But that is, in fact, the place where we will find it.  Father Keating says the word “repent” means to “change the direction in which you are looking for happiness.” If we are seeking it from or over others- security, self-esteem, power (those things which failed to tempt Christ in the wilderness) then we are looking in the wrong place.  This season tells us that we should begin our search for happiness in the place where it is sure to be found, that is, in the living God who we see marvelously in the risen Christ, who we allow to “Easter” up within us.  And, rest assured, there will be light enough.  Blessings! Jamie+   YOUTH NEWS   Bake Sale and Spring Fling The Youth Group will be sponsoring a bake sale on Sunday, March 14th, during the 9:00 a.m. Coffee Hour. There will be plenty of baked goodies to pick from so come on out an help support your local youth! During the bake sale we will be pre-selling tickets for the Spring Fling Dinner! The Spring Fling Dinner will be held on Saturday, April 17th, from 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. If you purchase your tickets early, you will get the tickets for only $10.00 per person, plus $2.00 per child. What a bargain!! Plus, if you buy 7.50 or more in baked goodies you will receive a ticket for the Spring Fling Dinner FREE! Now that is a steal of a good deal! Proceeds for this Youth Group Dinner will go to Haiti and to projects that the Youth Group has planned for the coming months. We appreciate all the support that we can get! So get your goodies and your tickets on March 14th, during the 9:00 a.m. Coffee Hour!  Thanks!  Amy MacNeill   from the deacon's desk...     Lent begins with the imposition of Ashes on Ash Wednesday, a reminder to us that “we are dust and to dust we shall return,” a reminder of our mortality. It arrives with not only the reminder of death, however, but also with the incredible promise of renewal and transformation and new life. So, we rejoice as we begin this great adventure and journey of transformation which holds the power to radically enrich our way of thinking, loving and believing. Although our journey is personal, it is also a journey in companionship with the Communion of Saints and with Christians in our own community and Christians all over the world who respond to this great trumpet call of Lent. We rejoice that God’s Spirit is our Lenten companion; for just as the Holy Spirit led Jesus into 40 days in the wilderness, so, too, the same Spirit is leading us through the 40 days of Lenten discipline and transformation. The Spirit is leading us to follow Jesus into the last days of His ministry, to follow Him through His passion and death on the cross and to rejoice in His resurrection to eternal life and the loveliness of the Easter celebration. During these forty days, we must stop the busyness and distractions of our lives in regular intervals of quiet time. We must seek a “lonely place” where we can nourish our souls, where we can enter into that great mystery of death, renewal, and resurrection.  If we don’t want to live our life on a treadmill, we have to create the time and the space to go to the mountains; for on the mountaintop we can hear the Voice, “You are my beloved.” Whenever we take time for prayer, especially time in silence, we climb the mountain, even if we only enter our bedroom or some quiet place. Prayer is the sacred mountain available to all who find time for it. Prayer is the vehicle which leads us to a relationship with God, which gives our lives their greatest meaning; for meaning is a human need. When our lives have meaning, we are strengthened. We know who we are and whose we are and what we stand for. Prayer offers us a place from which to meet the challenges of life. The symbol of a labyrinth is a good one to represent the journey of our lives, for the journeys of Lent and of life are less like linear paths than complicated labyrinths. Labyrinths are over 4,000 years old. The original ones appeared in the middle of the third century B.C. in Egypt. Later, labyrinths have taken on a variety of forms. Among the most common are walled gardens with tall hedges shaped in the form of a maze. Others are intricate passageways such as the one in the Chartres Cathedral. Some of them were below ground and some above ground. The complex twisting patterns of labyrinths have many loops, often almost retracing the same path. We can see how a labyrinth mirrors our own journey. There are blind alleys, dead ends and no short cuts. Yet, while we often can feel lost along the labyrinth path, traveling the maze of the Way of Christ is the greatest of all adventures. If we haven’t begun this adventure already, let us begin now. It is never too late! ...from the Lenten Quiet Day   ABOUT THE SEASON OF LENT …“Lent” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lencton—the time of year when the days grow long. The season begins on Ash Wednesday and ends with the Easter Triduum that includes Maundy Thursday through Easter Sunday, covering forty days (excluding Sundays). Since every Sunday is a “little Easter” celebrating the Resurrection, Sundays remain feast days even during the solemn Lenten season. The five Lenten Sundays are followed by the Sunday of the Passion (Palm Sunday), which ushers in Holy Week. …The forty weekdays of Lent represent the days of fasting and temptation that Jesus spent in the wilderness. During this time we think in terms of self-denial, which is an opportunity for discipline: the sacrifice of our will to the purpose of God. It is a time for opening our minds and hearts to reconciliation with God, self, and others. During the Lenten season we consider the nature of the ministry of Jesus and what it means to be a disciple. Now let us all with one accord, in company with ages past, keep vigil with our heavenly Lord in his temptation and his fast. Hymnal 147. --The New Prayer Book Guide to Christian Education   Daily Lenten Dicipline Suggestions 1) Daily devotions morning and evening 2) Read the Daily Office from the BCP 3) Attend all Wednesday evening Eucharist and all Holy Week Services 4) Read a Lenten spiritual book or a daily Lenten meditation 5) Study a book of the Bible using a commentary 6) Refrain from eating meat on Fridays 7) Give up sweets or a food you especially enjoy 8) Make a holy space where you can go to the “mountaintop” 9) Think of good habits that you would like to make a part of your regular discipline and commit to doing them during Lent, and, hopefully, thereafter 10) Meditate on scripture, possibly on the passages from the Sunday lessons. How is God speaking to you?   Community Outreach  The Outreach committee met on March 1st to evaluate the amount of money we will donate to various charities and missions. We had met in October and allocated the amount projected from the budget. Because the church had to cut back on expenses, we had to down-size out contributions. The finance committee has increased the priest's discretionary fund to $5000 a year. This fund is managed by the outreach committee phone crew. All these funds go to assist local families in crisis. We have had an increase in requests for funds over the last year because of the loss of jobs. The families who were just able to make it are no longer able to come up with the basics like rent and utility costs. We have six charities we have given to traditionally.  Camp Mikell $1000 Habitat for Humanity $650 Cherokee Family Violence Center $650 Emmaus House $800 Holy Comforter $900 SAMS $1000 The Lenten project is to assist the boys ranch. They have requested that we give white socks. Sizes in large youth and adult sizes are needed. Barbara Martin is in charge and will answer any questions you have. We will collect Easter Baskets for MUST. The deadline will be Palm Sunday. We recommend that you buy a prepared basket and then add items to it. The families receiving these baskets are unable to provide them for their children. We hope to help provide a Happy Easter for all who need assistance. Please give what you can.   ECW News and Events  ECW is ready to Shine in ‘09 We have kicked the year off, and we are beaming bright with the Lord’s work at hand!   We have now held two meetings with our new officers, Wanda Carr (treasurer) , Lori Flynn and Rebecca Thomas (co-presidents). Please check your St. Clement's Directory for email addresses and phone numbers.   In January, all tentative meetings were scheduled as follows: March 22nd Davis Hall 1:00 April 17th Wanda Carr’s house 7:00pm May – no meeting due to Spring Retreat at Camp Mikkel June 14th Davis Hall 1:00 July 3rd Emily Mikkelson’s house 7:00pm (Forth of July Party) August 16th Davis Hall 1:00 September – To be announced due to Riverfest prep. October 30th Carol Hammond’s House 7:00pm November 15th Davis Hall 1:00 December 4th Davis Hall (Christmas Party) 7:00pm All women of the church are members of E (Episcopal) C (Church) W (Women)! Any woman of the church may come to the meetings. Please, if you need to carpool, contact Rebecca, Lori or Wanda. We would be happy to help you find a ride! Any mom’s needing a sitter; we may be able to help you find one – just let us know! There should be nothing to hold you back from experiencing ECW! Directions to people’s houses will be emailed the week prior to the meeting. Girls Night Out! On March 20th, Deborah Howell will be hosting a movie night at her house! So, if you want a special movie, send your request to an officer. Bring a small appetizer to share and bring your own beverages (you can share those too if you would like). Come relax with the girls and enjoy some wonderful fellowship! Directions will be emailed out at a later date. We are planning on scheduling some more GNO, so keep your eyes posted for dates!    Attention all COOKS! ECW is publishing a new cookbook, but we need your help! If you have a famous recipe that everyone continues to ask you about, we would love for you to contribute it to our book! All recipes are to be submitted on an 8 ½ X 11 piece of paper CLEARLY written or typed! We will be providing recipe forms. If you would like one, please, pick one up in Davis Hall’s kitchen next to the “Recipe Drop Box”. Or, if you would like, we can email you the form. All recipes are to be left in the “Recipe Drop Box” or emailed to Rebecca Thomas by final deadline of April 5, 2009 Palm Sunday. Our hopes are to have these published in time for Christmas at the latest!   Spring Retreat Spring Retreat is right around the corner! Registration forms will be sent out very soon, but we do know the dates are May 1st – May 3rd! This is such a special time where life long friendships are formed! Please, come and experience God’s love and journey for women of the church!   Riverfest Riverfest is already in the works! So, keep your calendars open for September 26th and 27th, 2009. Come join us for in the fun of whipping up some delicious funnel cakes: We put the FUN in Funnel cakes!   MUST Ministries Needs  After speaking with the good folks at Must Ministries, we now have a clear understanding of their currents needs. They are in need of the following items: Food Items                         Non Food Items Canned Paste                               Blankets Canned Chile                                Comforters Beef Stew                                      Bedspreads Kidney Beans                                Towels Great Northern Beans Cannellini Beans Pinto Beans Cereal Powdered milk Currently they have enough Canned Tuna Fish, and Georgia State law prohibits the acceptance of Bathing Suits and Underwear.   If you travel for business or pleasure, the toiletries left in your room would make a great donation to Must Ministries. Even if you open the shampoo, Must will still accept it. (They cannot accept mouthwash or tooth paste once opened.) If you open a shampoo or conditioner and do not like it feel free to pass it along to Must. Must is grateful for anything we can share with them, since the need has grown so much. So while you shop this week. even if you put one thing in your shopping basket a week, think of the wonderful things we can do for Must Ministries. We are a small church, but we know how to make a great impact in our community for those in need.  Thank you, Jane Mulvey and Robyn Pinto  Daughter of the King  NOW is a good time to visit a Daughters of the King meeting. The weather is warming up and it is more comfortable to get out. We are a group of women who live a Rule of Prayer and Service to our neighbors, our church and to each other. We are busy people, just like you, who take time to meet together twice a month.   We support, encourage and pray with each other.  We meet on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the church. St. Mary's Chapter of Daughters of the King at St. Clement's. Our doors are wide open!   St. Fiacre's Garden Guild at St. Clement's  SPRING PARISH WORK DAY MARCH 28, 2009                   Please join us for the work day scheduled for March, 28, 2009. We will gather at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday morning and work until we have our grounds looking beautiful for our celebration   of Holy Week and Easter! Come in comfortable clothes. Bring gloves, hats, sunscreen ,water, kneelers and all the tools you need for working on the grounds or buildings. If you are good at pruning bushes, please come with the equipment to prune. We will need strong men to dig work the soil. Please mark your tools so they will not be lost. A list of all of the jobs that need to be completed will be posted on the doors. Some members of St. Fiacre's Garden Guild have adopted specific areas of our grounds. Please come prepared to take care of your special place on the work day . We need to purchase pine straw for our flower beds to help with weed control. SO....the watering can will be in the narthex for donations. St. Fiacre's Garden Guild members will receive a list of jobs that we need to accomplish on March 28. We hope all members will be present. We give thanks for the beauty of creation and pray that we will be good stewards of all that is given to us.   Fr. Jamie Stutler Cliff Morrison, Jr. Warden Bill and Bonnie Porch, St. Fiacre's Garden Guild   Annual African Team Ministries Sale       African Team ministries is an intermediary ministry between African and American churches of the Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Anglican denominations.  They provide funds for orphan and refugee relief, missions and evangelism, and AIDS prevention and care in East Africa. The sale of their handmade jewelry and crafts helps provide funding for these ministries.    Please mark March 29 and April 5 on your calendars as the dates for our annual ATM sale.  There will be a wide variety of jewelry, crafts and musical instruments at very reasonable prices for you to choose from for birthday, Easter, or Mother's Day presents, or just treat yourself and help a great cause!  Don't forget to tell your friends, neighbors and co-workers.    The merchandise will be out for sale throughout the morning's services on both days from 8:30 until 1:30. Any questions, call Mary Dyer.  Altar Guild News   The Altar Guild is now accepting donations for Easter lilies and Easter flowers.  This is a donation from the heart.  Please make your checks payable to St. Clements and note in the memo area, " Easter Flowers".  Thank you for your generosity.  If you have not signed up to donate the service flowers, it is not too late.  There are many opportunities available.  Please check the flower chart in the narthex.  This is a great way to remember birthdays, anniversaries and memorials.  Please remember to fill out a card located to the left of the flower chart.  Thank you for supporting this ministry. Susie Bishop Altar Guild Chairman  United Thank Offering The United Thank Offering is a program of The Episcopal Church for the mission of the whole Church. The first United Thank Offering was in 1889.  It began as part of Missionary efforts of the Women's Auxiliary to the Board of Mission, authorized by General Convention in 1871.  The mission of the UTO is to “expand the circle of thankful people.” To achieve this mission, we encourage daily prayers, offerings, and awareness of the abundance of God's blessings. During these difficult economic times it may seem especially hard to be thankful. But the season of Lent gives us a framework to use in changing that mindset. The discipline starts in the home by saying a prayer of thanksgiving as you drop coins into a special container, known as the Blue Box. It is a good reminder to give thanks to God for the gifts that have been given to us...a child's smile...a beautiful day...for healing of hurts...for garden fruits...for rain...for our families...  How long is your list? This is one way each individual can express thanks to God for all of the blessings in his/her life. Extend the discipline to as many areas of your life as possible— home, work, recreation, even your car! Look in the Church narthex for YOUR Blue Box—take one for each member of your family if you’d like!  In gatherings of United Thank Offering monies will be made at St. Clement’s in May and again in November. What Episcopalians are doing for others is exciting and must be encouraged to continue. Pray daily for more "Thankful Coins" and "Thankful Hearts." Let us join together in the United Thank Offering Prayer "Source of all creation, all love, all true joy, accept we pray, these outward signs of our profound and continuing thankfulness for all of life.  Bless those who will benefit from these gifts through the outreach of the United Thank Offering; and keep each of us ever thankful for all the blessings of joy and challenge that come our way; through him who is the greatest gift and blessing of all, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.     Amen" God bless you . . . and remember your Blue Box & thankful coins every day Mercy Gate Golf Passes   Mercy Gate, St. Clement's newly reorganized praise band, has golf passes available! Each pass covers greens fees and cart fees for one round at Bridge Mill in Canton and can be used at any time, including weekends and holidays. Regular prices for these passes are as follows:            Weekdays: $59 each            Weekends: $75 each            Holidays:    $75-85 each BUT, for the interested readers of The Anchor, passes are being offered as follows:             1 Pass:      $50 each            2 Passes:   $45 each                      4 Passes:   $40 each 100% of the proceeds will go towards purchase of a PA system for the church, to benefit all St. Clement's music ministries. Keeping in mind that quantities of passes are limited (don't delay!!), please contact Keith Hunt at kbhunt@opfive.com to secure yours.   With sincere thanks, The Members of Mercy Gate