Dear St. George family,
Over the last few days, I have had the pleasure of writing an article about our Summer of Service for The Church News, the official newspaper of the Diocese of West Texas. As you know, we had a project every week over the summer. We organized donations and assembled packages for Magdalenda House, joined in a backpack and school supply drive with the North Central Convening of Churches, and collected and assembled donations for West Avenue Compassion.
All summer long, I wrote a long list of items that we needed to have donated and a description of that week’s project for the eSpear. Marilynne, Keith, Happy, Haley, Maricela, Aimee, Daniel, Fr. Ram, and Dave all worked together to make sure that I had the information to publish so my St. George family would know what we needed to make the Summer of Service a success. Each week’s project came together even though we might have been a little worried about details from time to time. We had speakers from each of the organizations teach us about the people we were helping. We met new friends and reconnected with others we hadn’t seen for a while.
It worked very well to accomplish a task a week. For lack of a better word, it was “satisfying.” I think we all enjoyed it, and we knew we were “doing a good thing.”
However, I think that your perspective may change when you read the article or when you think back on the summer as a whole. A project a week became a discipline, or even more than that–a meditation, or a prayer. It was transformational. St. George serves. It is who we are.
We were able to transform lives with our Summer of Service. I know my life changed. I’m so honored to be part of this family and happy to have had the chance to share our Summer of Service story with the Diocese of West Texas. When it is published, we will notify you all.
As we approach the beginning of our Stewardship Season, I remember that Fr. Ram once said something like, “Your gifts of treasure, time, and talent enable the church to keep doing this good work that we are doing.” I think we are doing good work indeed, and I’m honored to be part of the St. George family. I look forward to seeing you all on October 2nd as we begin our Stewardship Season with a potluck supper after church!
-Laura L. Kelly
Sr. Warden of St. George Vestry
Leaders and advocates for from the greater San Antonio community gathered to discuss ways to break the stigma linked to mental illness at a conference titled “Pathways to Hope.” The conference which was free to the community was held at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts and 1400-plus people were in attendance. Therese Trahan-Edussuriya and Fr. Ram were in attendance.
Participants heard from local and state politicians, medical professionals who treat those with mental illness, ordained and lay church leaders and others. Kay Warren, wife of Saddleback Community Church founding pastor, Rick Warren (“40 Days” author) spoke eloquently about the importance of local churches taking the lead on helping those who suffer from mental illness and their families. Robert Emmet, founding pastor of Community Bible Church in San Antonio, also shared his experience with depression and the way his faith, along with medical and psychological professionals, brought him through it.
Fr. Ram participated in a panel discussion alongside other clergy who have experience with mental health issues and serving those with good mental illness through ministries in their local church. Video of all the speakers and panel discussions can be found at this link.
St. George has a long history of ministering to those with mental illness and their families. This ministry was birthed here by Jerry and Betty Fulenwider, both now deceased, whose tireless advocacy of fighting the stigma surrounding mental illness resulted in NAMI Family to Family classes which served both church members and those in the wider community.
Future plans include the re-institution of mental health ministries at St. George. More information will be shared as plans are formed. “It is crucial,” said Fr. Ram, “that we restart our mental health ministries. As we heard over and over at the conference, stigma has to be broken if people are to find the help needed to find health through proper management of their mental illness. Medical and therapeutic intervention and the support of a faith community can bring about health and fullness of life to those who suffer. Stigma kills. And we, the Church, are in the position to help people. The Church is called to be a partner with Christ Jesus in the healing of those who suffer.”
If you are currently in need of support as you or a loved one struggles with mental illness, please reach out to our Pastoral Care Director, Marilynne Herbster, or Therese, who is one of our Community of Hope chaplains, or Fr. Ram.
Therese writes-
As Father Ram has stated, stigma kills. This may sound like a dramatic overstatement, but most people are so afraid of being judged or treated differently that they fail to seek the help they need, and thus suffer in silence. In many cases, the torture of stigma leads to suicide. We, the Church, can educate ourselves and others, removing misconceptions, and offering compassion as well as practical assistance to those who are affected by mental illness. As the conference’s keynote speaker, Kay Warren, shared, we all need a place where we don’t have to whisper, where we don’t have to pretend. The leadership of St. George is committed to providing such a place for us all, but it takes every one of us to truly be successful. The good news is that it doesn’t require any effort or special training, just the willingness to be a friend. “In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you.” – Matthew 7:12
~Therese
To St. George School Parents, Parishioners, and Friends:
You are invited to attend a new Bible based study on John Ortberg’s book, “If You Want To Walk On 
Water, You Have To Get Out Of The Boat.” There will be a short video presentation followed by a brief discussion of the lesson led by Alicia Warr and Pat Whitehouse, both members of the St. George Family. The study will start Tuesday, September 27, 12 noon to 1:00 pm and will meet in St. John’s Room, upstairs in the Learning Center. Feel free to bring a lunch.
Hope to see you on Tuesday, September 27!
Summer has come to an end…let C 3:16 begin!! We are excited to kick-off a new year of family fun formation at C 3:16!! In this Sunday’s lesson, “Lost and Found,” children will discover how precious each person is to God and express what this love means to them through the stories of the Lost Sheep and Coin, Afterwards, families will participate in a fun and engaging activity together to further enhance the lesson. It’s great time for the whole family! So plan to join us at C 3:16 Sunday, September 11th at 10:00 am in the Parish Hall for a fun and engaging family experience! Breakfast tacos will be provided for all those who attend!! We hope to see you there!!
-Happy Wilson (hwilson@saintgeorgechurch.org)
As you contemplate the ways that you are “Called to Serve,” please consider becoming a 
part of our Vestry. Our Parish family is led, not solely by our Rector, but also by a Vestry who work in partnership to oversee the mission and ministry of the St. George community. The Vestry acts as a governing board and decision-making group. The Vestry is comprised of members of the parish in good standing and who desire to become part of a community of leaders learning and discerning together.
If you would like more information, please contact Fr. Ram or our Senior Warden, Laura Kelly, at laurakellymusic@me.com or any other members of our Vestry.
St. George will host Truckin’ Tomato Mobile Farmer’s Market on September 14th from 2:00 PM-7:00 PM. They’ll park in the Castle Lane lot for your convenience and they’ll return on the 2nd Wednesday of every month from 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM in the Castle Lane lot. We’ve invited them to our campus to take a little crazy out of your week and to let you shop for healthy food right here! This isn’t a fundraiser, just a way for us to tell you thank you! You may pre-order using the Truckin’ Tomato website or just walk up and shop.
All adults who work or volunteer with children within the Diocese must go through a Safeguarding God’s Children training. Please note that content is not appropriate for children under 16 years of age. The September 26th and October 7th workshops are at St. George, but you are welcome to attend any workshop within the Diocese.
September 10th– A Safeguarding God’s Children workshop will be held at Holy Spirit, San Antonio (11093 Bandera Rd, 78250), on Saturday, September 10, from 9:00AM to 12:00PM. There is no fee to attend. To register, contact Sara Carrizales at 210-828-6425 or 832-567-6725.
September 17th– A Safeguarding God’s Children workshop will be held at St. Francis, San Antonio (4242 Bluemel, 78240), on Saturday, September 17, from 9:00AM to 12:00PM. There is no fee to attend. To register, contact Jackie Sykes at 210-287-3357.
*September 26th– A Safeguarding God’s Children workship will be held at St. George Episcopal School (6900 West Avenue, 78213), on Monday, September 26th, from 8:15PM to 12:00PM. There is no fee to attend. To register, email Haley Bankey at Haleynbankey@gmail.com.
*October 7th– A Safeguarding God’s Children workship will be held at St. George Episcopal School (6900 West Avenue, 78213), on Friday, October 7th, from 5:00PM to 8:00PM. There is no fee to attend. To register, email Aimee Martinez at amartinez@saintgeorgeschool.org.