Hands
to Heart to Head
Senior
Warden, October 2011
Christianity is a religion of doing. We can have deep discussions of whether the Apostle’s Creed or Nicene Creed better defines Christian orthodoxy, but at its heart Christianity is all about putting the Gospel into practice, not theoretical discussions of angels dancing on pinheads. So often we choose to lead with our heads instead of our hands or our hearts; so my proposal to you today is to try being a Christian with your hands first, and see how your heart and head follows.
By “head” I
mean your ego. That shallow
part of you that sees things
in black/white, us/them, right/wrong.
I once heard someone call it “your
reptile brain” – perhaps
the oldest evolutionary part
of your brain wired to ensure
survival in a dog-eat-dog world.
Being modern 21st century beings,
we spend a lot of time looking
at things rationally, and we’re
firmly convinced (especially
if you’re
an engineer) that is the best
way to approach things. Christ
really doesn’t
care about all this rationality.
He wants the deeper part of
you where all that irrational
love lives. So instead of trying
to be an intellectual Christian,
try just getting out and acting
like a Christian.
St.
Aidan’s
has always gotten a good turn-out
at events like Stop Hunger
Now or Vacation Bible School
that eschew theological discussions
and just help folks. Putting
the Gospel into action with
your hands exposes your heart
to the working of the love
of Christ. It is through these
self-denying actions that
you get closer to God. You
are slowly replacing your will
with the will of God. These
actions will guide your heart
in making decisions out of
love, not from your reptile
brain. Now that you can see
the results of your actions
you have a better vantage
point for those theoretical
discussions of Song Book selections
and transubstantiation vs.
consubstantiation.
We
have two big opportunities
coming up this fall for you
to give your hands and hearts
a workout. First is the annual
pledge campaign. In keeping
with the “hands
first” theme,
we are focusing on our
ministries and what they
need to be successful.
We need both your money
and
your time to make these
demonstrations of the Gospel
at work meaningful and
successful. The second opportunity
is the upcoming series
of Vision
Team events where we chart
a course for St. Aidan’s
based on what our hearts
(not
our heads!) are saying
about
who we are called to be.
To learn about our History
Night click here
Which
is a nice segue into why
we
use “call” so
much when talking about discernment
and the work of the church.
Jesus is calling your heart,
not your head. Your heart knows
what the right thing to do is,
and decisions of the heart (like
forgiveness) come without guilt.
Your head can make moral decisions
too, but as soon as the ego
creeps in, so does guilt. Please
don’t
guilt yourselves into pledging
or participating in the visioning
process, but do put your reptile
in a cage for a while and listen
to your heart.
Fred
Parkinson, October 2011
Senior
Warden
About The Vestry
Our vestry serves as the governing body of St. Aidan's. The members are elected every year and serve for a calender year from January 1 to Deccember 31. the Senior Warden and Junior charge of the church. The Hunior Warden oversees all the property concerns. Four new members are elected each year to serve a three year term. The wardens, treasurer and register are all appointed by the vestry.
The year next to each member's name is the year their term expires.
Senior
Warden:Chuck
Marks 2013
Junior
Wardens: Barry
Higgenbotham and Mark
Buckner
Treasurer: Jerry Alley
Register:
Jane
Bass
Mark Buckner 2014
Mike Canonica 2012
Serge Demchuck 2013
Jeff Diamond 2011
Barbara Duke 2012
Peggy Fanney 2011
Barry Higgenbotham 2014
Chuck Marks 2013
Sharon Metz 2013
Bill Moore 2014
Fred Parkinson 2013
Bill Seeley 2014
