Senior Warden Updates

Updates from the Senior Warden, Susan Doswell

(Newest to Oldest Reports)

November 1, 2024

My dear friends,

Is it really November already? This time of the year, when the harvest is taking place, we always focus on remembering all for whom and for what we are most grateful. God’s bounty is all around us here at St. Columba’s. First, I will state again how very grateful we are for the presence and leadership of Fr. Michael and for his family. We are grateful for our St. Columba’s family, for the children in our Children’s Learning Center and their families and the staff, for the new faces we see in our pews, for the enthusiasm we see in our growing coffee hours after services, for those who take turns hosting coffee hours and facilitating other parish activities, for our LEMs, lectors, and acolytes, for our parishioners who loyally facilitate our food distribution programs, for the Altar Guild and the Flower Committee who work behind the scenes, for Carol in the office, for those who fervently pray, for the Monday Morning Work Crew, for our musicians, for those who teach our children, for those who help us manage our finances, and for the Vestry and all other leaders who step up and say, “Yes, I can do that.”

November starts off with the Celtic Christmas Faire on November 2 and 3. There will be lots of vendors, crafts, music and food. Please come join in on the fun and do a little (or a lot!) of Christmas shopping.

The following Friday and Saturday, Fr. Michael and our Diocesan delegates and alternates will be going down to Riverside for the Annual Diocesan Convention.

On Monday, November 25, our buildings will be tented for termites. This will be a 3-day project.

Details for activities can be found in this Celtic Courier.

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

October 1, 2024

My dear friends,

Looking back one year ago at St. Columba’s, we were deep into our quest for a new rector, having spent the previous fifteen months discerning the needs and our dreams for the future of the parish. Today, we are so very blessed to be addressing those needs and realizing those dreams under the vibrant leadership of Fr. Michael Anderson. He and his family—Francina, Lea, William, Lily, and Elanor—have brought new ideas, energy and youth, and through them, God has renewed our spirit of enthusiasm and optimism. Thanks be to God!

A number of events and activities are being planned. We especially look forward to the Blessing of the Animals, October 6 (and 9, CLC); Adult Forum continuing series on End-of-Life Planning, October 6 and 13; Oktoberfest, October 12, 4:00-7:00 p.m.; and our Celtic Christmas Faire, November 2 and 3. You can learn more about these events and others in the pages of this Celtic Courier.

Remember, as always, those who have entrusted us to pray for their needs, as found on our parish prayer list. May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

September 1, 2024

My dear friends,

It’s fall, y’all. Well, almost. We have been blessed with a mild summer, and now that school, football and a flurry of activities have begun, it’s beginning to feel a bit like fall.

We are looking forward to welcoming for the very first time Bishop Franklin Brookhart, Bishop Assisting, on Sunday, September 15. In addition to our Children’s Ministries, a number of adult education opportunities are being planned.

Moving beyond September, mark your calendars for October 12. We are planning an Oktoberfest as a fundraiser in lieu of our former barbecue. Our annual Celtic Christmas Faire will be held on November 2 and 3.

Please join us in fellowship at coffee hour following our Sunday morning services.

The Vestry is pleased to have Michele Hauser join us, as she has graciously consented to fill the seat vacated when Deborah Brown moved away. Your Vestry is here to serve Fr. Michael, you, and the needs of the parish. If you have any thoughts or ideas, please do not hesitate to speak with one of your Vestry representatives.

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

July – August 2024

My dear friends,

Summer and sunshine have finally arrived. Thanks be to God! Business continues around the St. Columba’s campus. Maintenance of the grounds and buildings is always ongoing, and attention is being given to some larger items, as well. I’m sure you have noticed our newly refinished furnishings in the chancel. This work was made possible by funds raised and designated by the Wine Fests held over a number of years. Bees, termites, and foxes, oh my! Recently, we had the bees removed from the northeast wall of the sanctuary. The professional said this is among the worst situations he has encountered. We are still investigating termite problems, and the fox family residing on our property seems to think they own the place. Safe and humane removal attempts are still underway.

Please take note of all the news and postings for activities in this issue of The Celtic Courier, as there will not be another sent out in August.

Have a wonderful summer! If you are traveling, stay safe and have fun. If you are staying in the area, please join us in worship and fellowship on Sundays.

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

June 1, 2024

My dear friends,

It has been several years since St. Columba’s has had graduating seniors, and this year we have two: Michella Harp and Eleanor Tyas, both graduating from Rancho Campana High School in Camarillo. Michella is the daughter of Margie and Brett Hanley, and Eleanor is the daughter of Lara and Peter Tyas and sister of Abigail Tyas. Graduation will be held on June 4 at Rancho Campana High School. Congratulations to Michella and Eleanor!

Saint Columba’s Day will be on June 9. Please take note of the information about our celebration found in this Celtic Courier.

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

May 1, 2024

My dear friends,

Spring has arrived, and, thanks be to God and all those who tend our garden, the roses are again in spectacular bloom.

At this time a year ago, I wrote to you that our Rector search had officially begun. “The Parish Profile, the Job Description, and all the accompanying paperwork were submitted and subsequently posted…” It seemed it had taken such a long time to get to that point. Then, it seemed a long time for the Search Committee and Vestry to find the perfect candidate for us. And then, we had yet another long wait in anticipation of Fr. Michael Anderson’s arrival. Now that Fr. Michael has been with us for three months, we look back and see that the 1-½ years went by rather quickly.

How very blessed we are to have Fr. Michael and his family with us! We are being renewed by his vibrant enthusiasm, his gentle spirit, and his wise (too wise for his young age!) leadership. Once again, thank you, Fr. Michael, for answering the God-inspired call to St. Columba’s.

It is heartwarming to see so many new faces in the congregation these days. Welcome, one and all, to St. Columba’s.

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

April 1, 2024

My dear friends,

Our Lenten season was profound, and together we walked the Way of the Cross in Holy Week right into a glorious Easter. THE LORD HAS RISEN INDEED. ALLELUIA!

Thanks to Fr. Michael, the Vestry, and all our brothers and sisters in Christ, St. Columba’s is alive and well. The Vestry and Fr. Michael will hold their annual retreat on Saturday, April 27. At this time, they will build community, create a plan for the year, and consider and articulate a vision for the parish. We look forward to a visit from Bishop Brookhart on April 28.

The Buildings & Grounds Committee continues to maintain the campus. The Health Ministry group meets regularly to ensure that the special needs of our parishioners are being met. The Food Ministries are feeding more and more clients each week. And the best news is, with the arrival of the Anderson family, the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program has more than doubled!

Please remember to pray for those who have requested our prayers, as listed in the Sunday bulletin and online.

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

March 1, 2024

My dear friends,

We are in Lent—our time of preparation for the unthinkable reality of the events of Good Friday and the subsequent miracle of the Risen Christ. I was moved by the beauty of the Ash Wednesday service at Mount Cross. There is holiness in coming together with our brothers and sisters in Christ to recognize our sins for which Jesus Christ gave his life when he died on the cross.

A number of offerings are available to us to enhance our Lenten experience. On Sunday mornings, we are once again doing Lent Madness, a fun game-like devotion in which we learn about some of the saints. At Mount Cross, Pastor Julie and Fr. Michael are facilitating a Wednesday evening study, “The Seven Last Words,” also known as the sayings of Jesus from the cross. During Holy Week, on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil (Holy Saturday), we will have our combined services with Mount Cross Lutheran and Camarillo United Methodist.

On Easter Sunday, March 31, there will be a Coffee Hour hosted by the Vestry.

Please find more information on these and other offerings in this edition of The Celtic Courier.

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

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February 1, 2024

My dear friends,

Welcome, Fr. Michael! Welcome, also, Francina, Leah, William, Lily, and Elanor. How happy we are to have all of you joining our parish family. We know God has a purpose for bringing you to us and that St. Columba’s is going to be blessed beyond measure as your ministries and ours mesh together. Thank your saying “Yes.”

Come, one and all, to our Annual Parish Meeting and Potluck following the service on Sunday, February 4.

Sunday, February 11 is Scout Sunday. Our Scouts will be participating in the service, and they will be serving pancakes in the Parish Hall. Please come by for breakfast before or after the service.

Also on Sunday, February 11, we will begin our Lent Madness series in the Mary Chapel after the service. After that day, we will meet in the Parish Hall.

Ash Wednesday is February 14. Please keep up with our Lenten services schedule in the Celtic Courier, Sunday bulletins, and on our website at stcolumbaca.com.

Again, WELCOME TO ST. COLUMBA’S, ANDERSON FAMILY!

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

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January 1, 2024

My dear friends,

Happy New Year! First, let us take a look back at 2023 and reminisce about some of the blessings God’s faithful people at St. Columba’s have experienced.

In consultation with Fr. Tom Quijada-Discavage from the Diocesan Office of Transition, our Vestry and Transition and Search Committees stood poised to do the work required for a rector search. The Transition Committee created a Parish Profile, leading to our job posting from late April to late June. In July, the Search Committee began the review and interview process.

Our food distribution programs, Project Hope and Food Pantry, continued to feed families and seniors throughout the year, in spite of budget cuts and rising food prices.

A committee was formed to evaluate and implement protocols for oversight of daily operations, and, to date, every aspect of parish life has been addressed. With only a few exceptions, someone has been designated to ensure the needs of the parish are being met. Lay Eucharistic Ministers, Altar Guild, Lectors, Ushers, Vestry members, Livestreaming Team, Health Ministers, Building & Grounds folks, and countless others have taken on extra duties and responsibilities facilitating worship, maintenance, and administration of St. Columba’s.

We enjoyed combined services and activities with our brothers and sisters at Mount Cross Lutheran Church and Camarillo United Methodist Church. We continued to pray daily for those who have entrusted us to do so.

We have thrived under the loving and wise guidance of our Interim Pastor, Mark Asman. We had contracted with Mark for one year, beginning mid-August 2022, and he graciously consented to stay for two more months. When we sadly told him farewell in October, we welcomed our second Interim Pastor, The Rev. Susan Klein. Susan, too, has been a constant inspiration to us throughout our Holy Seasons of Advent and Christmas and in our final preparations for our new Rector.

At the end of October, The Rev. Dr. Michael Anderson accepted our call to become Rector of St. Columba’s. Fr. Michael will join us later this month, with January 28 being his first Sunday here.

All in all, I’d say that, thanks be to God, we have had a busy, productive and joyful 2023 at St. Columba’s. And now, let us look ahead to some of the blessings to come.

We will all welcome Fr. Michael and his family, Francina, Lea, William, Elanor, and Lily, at a special Coffee Hour after our service on January 28. How happy we are to have this wonderful family come into our St. Columba’s parish family!

Our Annual Meeting is scheduled for February 4. We will have a potluck lunch while we review the reports for 2023, elect new Vestry members and Convention Delegates, and approve the 2024 Budget. Scout Sunday will be February 11, and our Boy Scout Troop will once again have their yummy Pancake Breakfast. Ash Wednesday is February 14; Easter is March 31. Our bishop visitation will be with Bp. Brookhart on April 28.

Please remember to pray for Fr. Michael and his family while they are packing up and moving westward from Texas. As we enter 2024, we are full of excitement and anticipation for the new things that are in store for us at St. Columba’s. May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

December 1, 2023

My dear friends,

In thanksgiving for all God’s blessings, we now enter the season of Advent. Advent is a time for preparing our hearts for the anniversary of the birth of Jesus and the anticipation for the second coming of Christ.

How do we do this? Together on Sundays we light the candles on our Advent Wreath with the intention of hope, peace, joy, and love. Many of us incorporate this ritual with Advent Wreaths at home. Advent Calendars are another way to live into the coming of Jesus. Some find daily devotions and daily prayers to be their Advent practice. During Advent let us strive to slow down and be thankful, forgiving, joyful, and ever mindful of the needs of others.

This Holy Season the hearts of our St. Columba’s family are filled with hope, peace, joy, and love as we look forward to welcoming Fr. Michael Anderson and his family early in the new year.

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

November 1, 2023

My dear friends,

Praise be to God! The Reverend Doctor Michael Paul Anderson has accepted our call to be Rector of St. Columba’s. Your Search Committee and Vestry are overjoyed to present Fr. Michael to you, with January 28 being his first Sunday to celebrate The Holy Eucharist with us.

Fr. Michael comes to us from The Episcopal Church of the Annunciation in Lewisville, Texas, where he has served as Director of Ministry and, for the last few months, as Interim Rector. He has a nondenominational evangelical background. While living in Scotland in pursuit of a Masters and PhD in the study of Theology and the Arts, he was drawn to the Scottish Episcopal Church and eventually felt a clear calling to the priesthood. Overall, Fr. Michael’s story is unique, but it is his story to reveal to us over the months ahead.

He brings with him to St. Columba’s and to Camarillo his lovely wife, Francina, and four wonderful children: Lea, 12; William, 10; and twins, Lily and Elanor, 7. Since Fr. Michael grew up in San Dimas and Francina hails from Duarte, they are happy to return to Southern California. Our journey through this transition has been long, often demanding and ultimately enlightening. Let us continue, inspired by the Holy Spirit, as we prepare to welcome Fr. Michael Anderson and his family as the newest members of our parish family.

In the meantime, as we recently said “farewell” to our faithful Interim Pastor for the last fourteen months, The Reverend Canon Mark Asman, we are blessed to have The Reverend Susan Klein join us for the next two months. Susan has served us as a substitute priest on a number of occasions in recent years. If you have not had a chance to meet her, please greet her after Sunday morning service or stop by to see her in the parish office during office hours on a Tuesday or Thursday. Welcome, Susan!

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

October 1, 2023

My dear friends,

Welcome to October. This fall, we at St. Columba’s have much for which to be grateful.

For this past year, our Interim Pastor, the Rev. Canon Mark Asman, has blessed us with his presence, his sermons, his leadership skills, and his compassion and love. It will be hard for us to send him on his way back into retirement, but please join us in a celebratory Coffee Hour on October 22, his last Sunday with us.

We are happy that the Rev. Susan Klein is poised to step in on October 23 as a short-time Interim Pastor for us. Susan, like Mark, will preside at worship services and provide pastoral care, as well as assist leadership in other areas of parish life. We will welcome her at Coffee Hour on October 29.

The Search Committee continues to work tirelessly in their quest for a new rector. In early October, the committee will meet with the Vestry to present their recommendations, and, following that meeting, the Vestry will make the final decisions and, hopefully, begin the hiring process with our new rector.

There are several events coming up this month, among them:

• • October 1–November 3 – CLC Nothing Bundt Cakes Fundraiser
  • October 4, 3:30– 9:00 p.m. – CLC Pizza Night Family Fundraiser at Toppers
  • October 14, 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.– Health Fair at St. Columba’s
  • October 29, 4:00 p.m. – “Is Religion Dying?” event at Camarillo United Methodist Church

You can read more about these and other events in this Celtic Courier, and you can find flyers for them on the table in the narthex.

As always, please remember to pray for all those who have asked for our prayers, as listed in our bulletins and online, and remember to pray for St. Columba’s, the Threshold Project, our Children’s Learning Center, our Project Hope food ministries, and our Clergy, Staff, Vestry, Rector Search Committee, and clergy discerning a call to St. Columba’s.

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

September 1, 2023

My dear friends,

As summer draws to an end and fall brings its inevitable changes, we find ourselves looking forward to a season of changes at St. Columba’s.

We have been so very blessed by Mark’s leadership through this past year, and we are grateful that he consented to stay two months longer than he had planned. His last Sunday with us will be October 22, so let’s send him off knowing how greatly he will be missed.

Since we will still be in our transition process at that time, the Rev. Susan Klein has graciously accepted an interim position, to begin on October 23 and end on December 31.

Our Search Committee is prayerfully and diligently working to discern who might best serve as Rector of St. Columba’s in the future, and our Vestry stands patiently waiting to receive and review their recommendations.

Please remember to keep St. Columba’s and our rector search in your daily prayers. May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

July 1, 2023

My dear friends,

May gray and June gloom had us all struggling to be sunshine for a while. Now that July is here, we are again blessed with the sunny days of summer.

What’s up for July and August at St. Columba’s?

Our Search Committee is anticipating receiving some names of applicants for our rector position. The restroom in the sacristy has been cleared of asbestos, and it is ready to be put back together with new drywall, flooring, toilet, and sink. We are beginning a decluttering and deep cleaning of the parish kitchen. The Buildings & Grounds Committee and the Monday Morning Work Group continue to do light landscaping and maintenance and are soliciting bids to fill the potholes in the parking lot. A couple of Sunday morning forums are being planned, so check the parish calendar for those dates. Meals for Six began in June, and we look forward to them again in July. Our Children’s Learning Center is in full swing with its summer program. Celtic Christmas Faire planning is going well.

Please join us for worship on Sundays and a bit of fellowship following the service. And, if you are traveling this summer, I pray for happy and safe travels for you and yours.

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

June 1, 2023

My dear friends,

When June arrives at St. Columba’s, we always look forward to celebrating the feast day of our patron saint, Saint Columba. A little nickel-knowledge: Columba, known as Colmcille in Ireland, is not only our patron saint, he is one of three patron saints of Ireland, after Patrick and Brigid of Kildare. Although Columba’s roots were in Ireland, he traveled with his twelve companions to Scotland where he founded a monastery at Iona and performed miracles.

On June 11, the closest Sunday to the Feast Day of Saint Columba on June 9, we will celebrate with our traditional picnic following our morning worship service and our annual visit from the friendly bagpiper, Bill Boetticher.

Please plan to join us in worship on June 11 and stay for the picnic. We will provide hot dogs with all the trimmings and Jeanette’s fabulous beans. If you wish, you may bring a potluck dish to share—whatever you choose: a side dish or a dessert, savory or sweet.

As we count our blessings, let us pray daily for those whose names appear on our parish prayer lists, those who are suffering with illness, grief, loneliness, or any other difficulty. Remember, too, to pray for St. Columba’s during our time of transition.

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love,

Susan Doswell

May 1, 2023

My dear friends,

Have you noticed our beautiful roses? Thank you, Monday Morning Work Group and all who participated in The Dance of the Thorns.

Our Rector Search has officially begun. The Parish Profile, the Job Description, and all the accompanying paperwork were submitted and subsequently posted by the Episcopal News Service, where they will remain posted for a period of two months. During and following those two months, our Diocesan Office of Transition Ministry will gather, review, and vet interested candidates. They will then send the names of potential candidates to our Search Committee for review and further investigation. We will advise you when we come to this point.

Thank you to our ushers, Lay Eucharistic Ministers, and Altar Guild members for taking on extra Sunday morning tasks. Thanks to our livestreaming team. At the time of this writing, a nice cabinet to house all the livestreaming equipment is being built. Thank you to all who have been involved in this project. Thank you to the Health Ministries Team for their cards, notes, and phone calls. Thanks to the Buildings & Grounds Committee who continue to work to maintain and improve our campus. And thank you to all who have been so diligent in helping to clear out years of collections in our office spaces.

Please remember always to pray for those whose names are on our prayer list, for those individuals and families who are recipients in Project Hope, and for St. Columba’s during this time of transition.

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love,

Susan Doswell

April 1, 2023

My dear friends,

I am happy to inform you that our Parish Profile and all the accompanying paperwork, including a Job Description for our rector’s position, have been sent to Fr. Tom Quijada-Discavage at the diocesan Office of Transition Ministry. Our job posting will appear for 2 months with Episcopal News Service, and it will be at least that long before out Search Committee begins to receive names of applicants interested in communicating with us. You can see our Parish Profile and the Job Description on our website: www.stcolumbaca.com.

Many, many thanks to the members of our Transition Committee for their hard work developing the Parish Profile to be used in the search. Members of that committee are Nancy Miller, chairperson; Jeff Chung; Marjo Gardner, Vestry representative; Lyle Hyde; and Richard Stone.

The Search Committee now stands prepared for getting on with the search process. Those committee members are Maurice Hill, chairperson; Gail Amendt; Tim Helton; Norma McQuade; Diane Off; and Sarah Wigert. Maurice will keep us updated, as appropriate, on their work.

We are pleased to be joining with our neighbors at Camarillo United Methodist Church and Mount Cross Lutheran Church for Holy Week services. Please be sure to check the schedule printed in this Celtic Courier and in the Sunday bulletins for the correct times and locations of your favorite Holy Week services.

On Easter Sunday, your Vestry will host Coffee Hour in the parish hall following the 9:30 a.m. service. Please come and join us as we continue to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

March 1, 2023

My dear friends,

Welcome to a spirit-filled Lenten season at St. Columba’s. I hope you have begun to avail yourself of some of our Lenten offerings listed throughout this issue of the Celtic Courier.

I’d like to draw your attention to the article about the needs of our food distribution program. As funding for both Project Hope and Food Pantry has diminished, we have combined them into one. Your donations of food and/or money are greatly appreciated.

We have set November 4 and 5 for our Celtic Christmas Faire fundraiser this year. We are looking into the feasibility of resuming the barbecue in 2023, as we, sadly, had to put it on hold in 2022.

The Children’s Learning Center continues to thrive. Remember the director and staff, and all the little children and their families in your daily prayers. Please continue to pray daily for St. Columba’s during our transition time. Remember, also, those who are working long hours to keep the parish running smoothly; remember those who are preparing to conduct our search; remember the prospective candidates out there who may be considering applying for the position we will offer; and remember our sisters and brothers who are ill or in any kind of need.

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

February 1, 2023

My dear friends,

We are still grieving the loss of Cliff and Bev Aggen. On January 14, we held a lovely service of Celebration of Life for them, and a reception afterward in the parish hall.

• • • • Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord;
      • And let light perpetual shine upon them. (BCP, p. 502)

Our time of transition continues. The Parish Profile is almost complete, and we hope to send it on to the diocese for posting early this month. Our Search Committee is poised and ready to begin vetting applicants. The timing of this is uncertain, but we will keep you updated as the search progresses.

February 12 is Boy Scout Sunday, and the Scouts will host a Pancake Breakfast here on that day. Scouting for Food collection is scheduled on Saturday, February 25.

Please find dates and offerings for Ash Wednesday and Lenten activities in this Celtic Courier and in other publications coming later this month and next.

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

January 1, 2023

My dear friends,

Happy New Year!

You might say that the holidays are behind us. Perhaps you’ve taken down your Christmas tree, stowed away all your Christmas decorations and disposed of all the remaining Christmas goodies (because your New Year’s resolution is to lose some pounds!). Well, at our house, we celebrate and enjoy our Christmas tree and décor all the way through the Twelve Days of Christmas, from December 25 until January 6. The Feast of the Epiphany, on January 6, is the Christian feast day that commemorates the arrival of the three wise men who followed a star to Bethlehem to visit Jesus, the newborn king. We celebrate the coming of these “magi” as the revelation to the world that God has sent His son, Jesus, for the love of all the peoples of the world. Alleluia!

We here at St. Columba’s have so much to look forward to in 2023. We are well into our time of transition between our former rector and a new rector. Our Transition Committee has been developing a Parish Profile that will be posted in about a month from now. Thank you for responding to the survey that will become part of the profile. The Search Committee will begin its important work reviewing applications and vetting prospective candidates for rector of St. Columba’s. Your Parish Treasurer is preparing a new budget for the Vestry to approve and present at the Annual Meeting on January 29. Vestry members and other key leaders are looking forward to a Leadership Retreat, led by our Interim Pastor, Mark Asman, on January 21. The annual Dance of the Thorns will take place on January 28. Plan to bring your gloves and clippers and join in the fun and fellowship while pruning our roses. And then, all spring and summer, when they are blooming profusely, you can say, “I did that!”

It has become clear over the years that St. Columba’s needs to develop a system for overseeing daily operations, regular maintenance and major maintenance that does not rely on only one person. Since we do not have funds to hire a professional person to do this, we need many volunteers to facilitate and assist with the various aspects of our parish life. As a beginning to this endeavor, Vestryman Carlos Barraza has created a manual of protocols for systems around the campus and “how-to’s” for activities such as making coffee, hosting a coffee hour, and locking up the buildings after events. The manual is very thorough, yet still a work in progress. We pray that you will see a need where you have expertise or interest and that you will come forward to help. “Many hands make light work,” my mother would often say.

There is another element to consider: What a marvelous gift this will be to a new rector, to have teams of parishioners that can plan, facilitate, troubleshoot, sort out, and resolve absolutely anything!

Please remember to pray for our brothers and sisters who are ill, grieving, or in any sort of need. Remember to pray our prayer for our time of transition at St. Columba’s.

May you be blessed today and every day in 2023.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

December 1, 2022

My dear friends,

In years past, St. Columba’s has participated in supporting Seafarers at the International Mariners Center in Port Hueneme by providing knitted hats, socks, cookies, and candies. Since the COVID pandemic, the Center has requested monetary donations in order to purchase these gift items.

Therefore, for our Christmas season outreach this year, we are offering our parishioners the opportunity to give a monetary gift to assist in this effort. If you would like to help bring holiday cheer to these Seafarers who are far from home, please pick up a flyer from the table in the narthex. There is a form on the flyer that you will fill out and enclose in the envelope with your check. Make your check payable to INTERNATIONAL MARINERS CENTER, 333 Ponoma Street, Port Hueneme, CA 93041.

Thank you, and all good wishes for abundant blessings throughout this Advent and the coming Christmas season. May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

November 1, 2022

My dear friends,

There are lots of fun things going on at St. Columba’s these days!

Carol Rocco and her committee have been working diligently to get ready for our annual Celtic Christmas Faire to be held on November 5 and 6. There will be crafts and a variety of gift items for sale. Come and bring your friends and do some Christmas shopping while enjoying music and yummy treats. Our Transition Committee, chaired by Nancy Miller, has been meeting on a regular basis as they develop our Parish Profile to be used in our search for a new rector. They are making arrangements for Story Day, November 19. Please mark your calendar for this important day, as this is the time for you to participate in determining the future of St. Columba’s.

Another date to put on your calendar: November 27. On this day, we will join with our sisters and brothers of Mount Cross, at Mount Cross, for an annual Advent Wreath-Making event. This will be a potluck lunch, following services that day. Please come and join in the fun and fellowship.

We have all received our stewardship packets. If you have already returned your card, I thank you. If you have not yet returned your card, I encourage you to prayerfully consider your 2023 gift to St. Columba’s and return it on or before November 20.

And, again, I offer you this prayer for our time of transition:

Almighty God, giver of every good gift, you have brought St. Columba’s to this important time in our history. Look graciously on us, and guide us through our search, that it may enable us to grow in commitment to one another and to the work of Christ in our community. Help us to hear your gentle voice and to be obedient to your will. Bless us in this search, that we may choose a faithful pastor to join us in our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

October 1, 2022

My dear friends,

You know Autumn is here, yes, even in California, when you are hearing a lot about football; children are settled in at school; Catechesis of the Good Shepherd has started up again; a new adult class has begun; people are scurrying around, seemingly busier than ever; our annual Stewardship program is underway; the streaming of the Taizé service has resumed; and our pews are a bit more full. Our interim pastor, Mark, the church staff, the Vestry, and numerous volunteers are fully dedicated to keeping St. Columba’s running smoothly, while preparing for changes to come.

Please read in this issue of The Celtic Courier and make note of all the special events that are coming up in October and November.

Again, I offer the following prayer for all of us to use during our transition at St. Columba’s:

Almighty God, giver of every good gift, you have brought St. Columba’s to this important time in our history. Look graciously on us, and guide us through our search, that it may enable us to grow in commitment to one another and to the work of Christ in our community. Help us to hear your gentle voice and to be obedient to your will. Bless us in this search, that we may choose a faithful pastor to join us in our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

September 1, 2022

We are so happy to welcome The Reverend Canon Mark Asman who will serve as our Interim Pastor while we search for a new rector. If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Mark, please make an effort to do so soon. We are already being blessed by his presence among us, I assure you.

Our Transition Committee, chaired by Nancy Miller, has begun its work on our Parish Profile to be used in our search.

The Celtic Christmas Faire is coming up on November 5 and 6. The planning committee, chaired by Carol Rocco, is busy obtaining a variety of vendors and food trucks. There will be music, fun activities for the children, and something sure to appeal to everyone who comes.

Our Dodger fans are anxious for Dodger Night on September 23. Go Dodgers!

Your Vestry has, sadly, decided that we are unable to facilitate a Barbecue this year. Limited human resources and the prediction of another possible surge of the Coronavirus in the fall were the determining factors in this decision. Let us pray that in the near future we will be able to reinstate this long-standing tradition in our parish life.

The Health Ministries group has been proactive throughout the COVID pandemic, and they continue to enthusiastically assist our congregants in maintaining healthy life practices.

The Buildings & Grounds Committee, ably led by Carlos Barraza, is busy, as always. The irrigation systems around campus have been a real problem for a long time. The work crews have worked tenaciously for months and have been able to identify and repair, one by one, all the weak spots. Undoubtedly, you have seen the beautifully refurbished front façade of the parish hall and the newly painted patio end of the parish hall. The west end of the classroom wing was also refurbished, replacing the wood veneer and unneeded windows with a lovely stucco wall. Have you visited the Nancy and Greg Larkin Labyrinth lately? It is looking fabulous! Thank you, Jeanette Barcroft. Many projects are being planned, as funds permit.

I would like to close this letter by asking for your prayers for St. Columba’s, your Vestry, the Transition Team and the Search Committee. I offer the following prayer that the Vestry has chosen to use throughout this transition time at St. Columba’s:

Almighty God, giver of every good gift, you have brought St. Columba’s to this important time in our history. Look graciously on us, and guide us through our search, that it may enable us to grow in commitment to one another and to the work of Christ in our community. Help us to hear your gentle voice and to be obedient to your will. Bless us in this search, that we may choose a faithful pastor to join us in our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

May you be blessed today and every day. In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

July 1, 2022

My dear friends,

July 1st brings us to a new and mostly unfamiliar era in our parish life. Our beloved leader of 22 years has retired, and we are on our own. We will be making our way through a time of uncertainty and self-evaluation as we search for someone to lead us into the future in new and interesting ways.

Before retiring, Fr. Greg arranged for supply priests to be with us for Sunday and Thursday services from now through August 14. By that time, we will have contracted with an interim rector to be with us for services and pastoral care for the duration of our search.

The process of the search can seem long and tedious. We have formed two committees: the Transition Committee, led by Nancy Miller, and the Search Committee, led by Maurice Hill. The Transition Committee is tasked with creating a parish profile that will give us up-to-date information on who we are as a parish, who we want to be as a parish, and what kind of person we seek to lead us in becoming who we want to be. Throughout July and August, they will be gathering information from the Vestry and other leaders, our parish Treasurer, and, most importantly, from all our parish members. The completed parish profile will be matched with the profiles of applicants, and the Search Committee will review and research these candidates. After narrowing the field to two or three, the Search Committee will present them to the Vestry. The Vestry will then make a decision on whom to call to be our new rector.

If you need clarification about these procedures, please feel free to speak with one of your Vestry members. We are here to represent and serve you.

We have a capable team consisting of the Vestry, the Transition and Search Committees, and a committed congregation, but we cannot rely solely on our own wit, charm, and intelligence. The Holy Spirit will be our guide at every step along the way. We will gather all the resources, including patience, that God has given us, thank God for these gifts and blessings, and prayerfully tend to the matters at hand.

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell, Senior Warden

2022 St. Columba’s Vestry: Susan Doswell, Senior Warden; Teri Helton, Junior Warden; Paul Amendt; Carlos Barraza; Loralee Brown; Marjo Gardner; Marianne Hyde; Doug Miller

Cliff Aggen (Sexton); Gail Hill (Treasurer); Norma McQuade (Clerk)

June 1, 2022

My dear Friends,

Where did the month of May go? Well, let’s see … Our food ministries were busy, having provided bags of canned goods, fresh produce, bread, and other staples to about 30 families weekly. The Monday Morning Work Crew worked on the various areas of the landscaping, paying a lot of attention to the irrigation system, watering areas not covered by the system, deadheading roses, and tending the planter near the front door of the church. A gifted gardener continued her loving care of the grounds in and around the Labyrinth. The Buildings & Grounds Committee has a number of projects in planning stages. Vestry members have settled in with their respective committees.

Plans are well underway for our St. Columba’s Day celebrations on June 12. Bishop Taylor will be with us for Confirmations, and this will be Fr. Greg’s last day to celebrate with us.

As I am writing this letter to you, the Vestry is still looking forward to an introductory meeting with Fr. Tom Quijada-Discavage from the diocese. The status of our Search and Transition Committees remains the same as when I wrote to you last month: they are in place and ready to begin their work procuring an interim priest and beginning the search process for a new rector. Fr. Greg has arranged for clergy for all services (Sundays and Thursdays) from June 16 – August 14.

If you have questions about what goes on around the church or about the transition process, please feel free to ask one of your Vestry persons. May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

May 1, 2022

My dear Friends,

Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia. BCP, p. 294

As we have experienced the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ and have come out on the other side in His glorious resurrection, I pray we are all invigorated and enthusiastic for all that lies ahead of us in our life at St. Columba’s.

Let us savor our remaining time with Fr. Greg, celebrating his 22-year ministry at St. Columba’s. Hugs are always welcome!

At the time of this writing, we, the Vestry, are still awaiting our first informational meeting with Fr. Tom, Canon for Formation and Transition Ministry. Our Search and Transition committees are in place and ready to begin their tasks.

Reflecting on Saint Thomas of Villanova in Lent Madness, The Rev. Laurie Brock, “Distinguished Celebrity Blogger” and rector of St. Michael the Archangel Episcopal Church in Lexington, Kentucky, writes, “Thomas has certainly reminded me that the Church is not a building or a set of fancy programs, but a messy community of people who are willing to love and serve—sharing our gifts, sharing our love, sharing our faith.”

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

April 1, 2022

My dear Friends,

We are well into Lent; and, I don’t know about you, but I am being spiritually well-fed by Fr. Greg’s timely sermons, Lent Madness saints and their biographers, and the Wednesday evening study group at Mount Cross. Other opportunities for our spiritual growth have included Monday evening Lectio Divina, Thursday morning Eucharists, a Friday evening Celtic Contemplative Prayer Service (online), a Saturday morning Guided Labyrinth Walk, and a Sunday evening Digital Prayer in the Style of Taizé. Please note in this issue of The Celtic Courier the many offerings for Holy Week, April 10-16. All of these lead us to A MOST GLORIOUS EASTER CELEBRATION on April 17.

Recently, our Sunday morning services have been blessed with several visitors. Let us continue to make each one feel welcome among us.

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

March 1, 2022

My dear Friends,

Life at St. Columba’s is never static. Some of the activities around campus during February included the Epiphanytide Book Club reviewing Rachel Held Evans’ Wholehearted Faith, the Children’s Learning Center building two beautiful outdoor classrooms that will serve to enhance learning experiences for all the age groups, the Monday Morning Work Crew and Buildings & Grounds Committee staying busy with landscaping and maintenance projects, our food ministries continuing to serve 20-30 clients weekly, and Fr. Greg facilitating a Confirmation class that meets on Sunday afternoons.

Many of you are asking about our plans as we prepare for Fr. Greg’s retirement. By the time you are reading this message, I will have been in touch with The Rev. Cn. Thomas Quijada-Discavage, who is Canon for Formation and Transition Ministry for the Diocese of Los Angeles. He will guide us in finding an interim rector and throughout the process of searching for and hiring a new rector.

The cherished season of Lent begins this week, and I want to encourage each of you to find at least one of the Lenten offerings that calls to you. Many opportunities are available for our spiritual growth and nourishment as we prepare for Eastertide.

May you be blessed today and every day.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

February 1, 2022

Dear Friends of St. Columba’s,

As we all are adjusting to the news that our beloved Fr. Greg will soon retire, your Vestry is busy preparing for the inevitable changes we are facing, while continuing business as usual. Worship services, study and prayer groups, food ministries, campus maintenance, the Children’s Learning Center, and parish life remain our priorities.

This Vestry is a great team, and we are counting on all the members of St. Columba’s to join with us in a variety of endeavors that will make for smooth transitions as we move forward. You will be learning more about this in the coming weeks and months.

“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free— and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many.” 1 Corinthians 12:12-14

We look forward to a busy and Spirit-filled year at St. Columba’s.

In Christ’s love, Susan Doswell

January 1, 2022

Thank you for allowing me to be your Senior Warden for this past year. Our trip was an interesting one. Coping with COVID should have given us the resolve to attack it more gracefully in the year to come.

We took the presents you bought and wrapped to the recipients at RAIN. There was an entire Outback-load of them and the presents were gratefully received.

We’re having our Annual Meeting on January 30 in the church, right after the 9:30 a.m. service. You are all invited.

Our food programs continue to serve our deserving customers. Darkness and inclement weather have made our most recent distributions challenging. Our parking lot can be an exciting venue on late Thursday afternoons.

Be well, Doug Miller, Senior Warden

December 1, 2021

Our Celtic Faire fundraiser—great fun and camaraderie as we work together to make Fr. Greg’s visions come to fruition. The set-up on Friday eventually came together but we couldn’t see until Saturday morning, with the banners in place, the colorful products arrayed, and the people in place, how alive it would be.

It’s hard to get the motivation to leave the house at times, but, for me, it is more fun if I participate.

On Sundays, at the end of our service, our virtuoso of the organ, Brett Hanley, plays a positive piece that deserves a listen. Let’s postpone the loud closing of the windows for the 3 or 4 minutes until he hits that final chord. Thank you for that.

Thursday, November 18, both our food programs distributed on the same day (the only time this year it happened). Some of our customers meet the requirements for both programs and they received food from both. St. Columba’s Pantry purchases their food with funds from a HUD grant from the city of Camarillo. Maurice has arranged to get great fresh produce from a local provider (it looks great). Project Hope is sustained by USDA products and your donations of cereal and common canned goods. We give to about 40 families each fortnight, and try to give each the same assortment. Hence that can of hominy from the back of the top shelf might sit on our shelf for quite some time while we wait for 39 others to match with it. We can put single “orphan products” on George’s “gourmet table” in the parking lot, where scuffles determine who gets what. Thanks for your donations.

Be well, Doug Miller, Senior Warden

November 1, 2021

I very much enjoy greeting you in the church on Sundays. My goal is to remember your names so come and challenge me on that. We promise you a seat then and on Thursdays at 10:00 a.m.

We hope you enjoyed the BBQ. The Vestry enjoyed putting it on. We should get together more often like that. Indications are that we met expectations for income.

Our food distributions continue each Thursday. We serve 25 to 40 families, depending on who shows up. Your donations of common canned foods or cereals are appreciated.

We hope for the day when we can kneel together, shoulder to shoulder, at the altar rail for Communion. Until then, we meet masked in church or online.

Be well,

Doug Miller, Senior Warden

October 1, 2021

We’ve passed the autumnal equinox. Last winter, we thought that, by now, we would be over the pandemic and getting on with our lives. Not happening. Our current situation seems like the “new normal,” so let’s live with it.

Our Thursday morning service is available at 10:00 a.m. (Lots of seating available.) Additionally, we look forward to seeing you on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m., with Coffee Hour later at 10:30 on the patio.

Our food ministries continue to serve needy families every Thursday. Because an outside group uses our parish hall on Wednesday evenings, we have to stage the food for Project Hope behind the curtain on Wednesday mornings before our Thursday morning bagging effort. We have learned how to bag our distribution on Thursday morning before the 9:00 a.m. opening time (even without Fr. Greg and Cliff).

If you would like to donate food, we can always use canned fruits and vegetables. Leave items at the back of the parish hall.

Be well,

Doug Miller, Senior Warden

September 1, 2021

We members of the Vestry are sporting new name tags. Since we are currently masked up for our in-person services, name tags are the best ways to identify us at services.

As listed in this Celtic Courier, we are having at least two in-person services each week. There is room for you at each of these events and, in fact, you might have an entire pew to yourself, should you need it.

We are meeting for Holy Eucharist at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays and at 10:00 a.m. on Thursdays.

Our two food distributions continue to be well attended on alternate Thursdays. Since our parish hall is being utilized by outside groups in the evenings, we are making adjustments to how we bag our distributions each Thursday. Between the two programs, we continue to help 45 families, and we continue to adjust how we do the job.

We hope to see you in the coming months. Be well.

Doug Miller, Senior Warden

July 1, 2021

The parish glaziers are at it again as the window in the west pantry is being repaired in the same manner as the one in the east pantry was. Bob Waite et al. are removing and repairing the putty that had deteriorated under years as a southern exposure to severe midday sun. By properly preparing the window frame so that the moisture won’t be extracted from the glazing medium, it should last for many years.

Mondays are days for campus repairs. Carlos Barraza’s weekly listing of projects helps to move them towards completion. Any who would like to help are encouraged to check in with Carlos or Bill Brown on Mondays.

St. Columba’s Thursday food programs continue to provide sustenance for numerous qualifying local families. Project Hope is connected to Food Share in Oxnard. With Cliff Aggen’s careful shopping, recipients get ample amounts of canned staples, as well as varying selections of fresh produce.

St. Columba’s Pantry, under Maurice Hill’s watchful care, provides some household essentials, as well as a topnotch selection of fresh produce. Some clients benefit from both programs, though others may only qualify for one of them. In either event, our parish can be proud of what these programs provide.

Hopefully, Zoom meetings are on the wane. As we joyfully return to in-person services, we are having to relearn to do those things that were routine in the past, like getting up, and showing up. Doff your PJ’s and join us and help if you can. (Knock wood, Cliff got the coffeemaker to work on the 20th.) We need ushers, other helpers.

See you soon, then.

Doug Miller, Senior Warden

June 1, 2021

During my early morning (5:30) walks, as I slow to smell the flowers, the tweeting, warbling, and squawking of the birds suggest that spring has enveloped us. And so have efforts to move us out from under COVID restrictions. If you met with us on the patio, that was a start towards normalcy. This month, we’ll be meeting indoors (with limits) beginning June 13.

As a novice usher, my recognition of you as masked members hasn’t always been right. (Had we known, our parish directory photos should have accented eyes.) I have found it allows much quicker makeup application before setting out for the day, however.

We are hoping to have a “picnic” on the patio on Sunday the 13th, St. Columba’s Day. Within the rules, we’ll provide some food and munchies and drinks, but a “real” gathering nonetheless. Hoping you can attend.

I’ve been involved in our food programs of late. Our Project Hope and St. Columba’s Pantry have involved 40 and 30 recipients respectively, on alternating Thursdays. Some recipients attend both distributions.

When outside groups return to meeting in the parish hall, Project Hope will be back to the way we did it before COVID, mostly assembling everything from scratch on Thursday mornings at 7:00. We may need some more help with that.

Kudos to the parish glazers and their window repair in the east pantry. More to be done on the west pantry.

Be well, everyone.

Doug Miller, Senior Warden

May 1, 2021

We hope you are enjoying our sometime Sunday mornings in the sun. We look forward to seeing a larger assortment of hats for the unshaded. And don’t forget the sunscreen.

We had thought that getting into the East Pantry to repair a broken window might be arduous, but we found that “many hands make light work” when the Monday Morning Work Crew pitched in to help. We got ten shelves of canned goods out of the pantry and exposed to the light. They are being inspected for “sell by” dates. The Parish Glaziers are preparing the window sash for repair and eventual reinstallation of the glass.

Our two food distributions are well received. Between them, over 45 families are being helped. Each Thursday one or the other efforts are handing out groceries to those who appear. Satisfied families are leaving with several bags of groceries each time. Be well.

Doug Miller, Senior Warden

April 1, 2021

Of late, church seems to consist of a series of Zoom meetings. Some days there are none, but on a recent Sunday, we Zoomed four meetings in a row. While we can comfortably do this in our slippers, it’s possible to lose your way and focus after a bit. The underlying reason for them all is to keep us moving forward as a parish in the most thoughtful and meaningful way.

The Return to Worship Group seeks to get us together safely in the weeks ahead. The plan devised is to have an outdoor patio service at 9:30 on Easter morning. (We would like to know how many plan to attend and we’ll call to ask you about it.) The weatherman has a vote as well, so we need to stay flexible. For those of you who cannot attend in person, the service will be streamed like before.

Further services will be held outdoors roughly every other Sunday in April and May. Beyond that, we’ll see what is allowed by circumstances, the governor, and the wishes of Bishop Taylor. Hopefully, at some point in the near future, we can meet again together inside.

In the meantime, the Budget Committee sees that we remain solvent, thanks to your generosity. The Vestry also monitors our finances and hopes that we can add to the bottom line in other ways. Stay tuned.

Our Project Hope and St. Columba’s Pantry continue to provide food and essential supplies for those who need them. Each Thursday, we distribute from one or the other of the projects. Volunteers make these events happen.

The Buildings & Ground Committee continues to cope with the ongoing challenges of caring for our aging campus. Your volunteer efforts are appreciated here also. The to-do list is lengthy and new things seem to pop up weekly. We try to eat our elephant “one bite at a time.”

In sum, we progress and move toward our numerous goals. Thanks for your help and understanding. Stay safe.

Doug Miller, Senior Warden

March 1, 2021

We thank the retiring members of the Vestry: Maurice Hill, Tim Helton, Jeff Chung, and John Dannenbaum. They will likely continue to serve our parish in the numerous other jobs they perform.

Meanwhile, Barbara Amick, Deborah Brown, Fran Cogswell, Gail Hill, and myself welcome new Vestry members Carlos Barraza, Susan Doswell, Teri Helton, and later Loralee Brown (who is finishing her Masters in Music at California State University Northridge this spring). We are getting acquainted and organizing to confront the opportunities that concern us currently (mainly helping get our church members vaccinated against COVID and pondering when we can start worshipping together again).

St. Columba’s Pantry’s first distribution results in 18 families being benefited. This is a good start and we’ll build on it in the future. This is my second year on the Vestry and I need to meet more of you. (Back when we used to go to church in person, I was a Thursday morning attendee and also an 8 o’clocker on Sundays.) I’ve been involved with Project Hope for two years and the Budget & Finance Committee. More later as I learn more.

The word is to “Double-mask, socially distance, and be careful out there.” Be well.

Doug Miller, Senior Warden

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Updates from the Senior Warden, Maurice Hill

(Newest to Oldest Reports)

February 1, 2021

In case you missed the Annual Meeting on Zoom on January 31, I want to take some time to say thank you and farewell as your Senior Warden. We have so much to be thankful for after making it through 2020!

Fellow parishioners, I’d like to tell you that it has been both an honor and a pleasure to serve as your Senior Warden this past year. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with, and learn from, so many wonderful and talented people—clergy, staff, Vestry members, other lay leaders and parishioners. What a blessing! Many of our interactions have been via Zoom, some in person (masked, socially-distanced!), many by email and text, and some by phone—we used every form of communication we could.

As I said, we have many wonderful and talented people at St. Columba’s! I’d like to highlight and thank Fr. Greg; Cliff Aggen, our Sexton, Carol Browning, our Office Manager; Brett Hanley, our Music Director; Wendie Roberts, our Director of Family Ministries; Rebecca Martinez, our Children’s Learning Center Director; and, of course, our Treasurer—my wife, Gail Hill for everything each of you did in 2020—your continued devotion to St. Columba’s in an unprecedented year is greatly appreciated. Thanks go to our 2020 Vestry members: Barbara Amick, Deborah Brown, Jeff Chung, Fran Cogswell, John Dannenbaum, Tim Helton, Doug Miller; our Financial Secretary, Sarah Monroe Allen; and our Vestry Clerks, Jeff Chung and Norma McQuade (Norma took over the role of Clerk in July). Special thanks go to our livestreaming crew: Tim Helton, Cliff Aggen, Nancy Miller, and Vinita Bhushan; and webmaster support from Bob Waite. Being able to participate virtually as a parish each Sunday (and some Fridays!) has been a godsend.

I thank each and every one of you for your monetary gifts this past year—we were able to have a balanced budget with carryover in a very difficult year. Many parishioners have been especially generous with their donations to our Church. We are also grateful for the $15,000 PPP loan/grant from the Federal government that we received to help us weather particularly difficult times.

Fr. Greg continued the St. Columba’s Reads program. It is a great time for every member of the parish to engage themselves on Zoom in reading and discussing meaningful books. Bishop Michael Curry’s book Love Is the Way, our current read, is especially pertinent right now. The learning, discussing, spiritual development, and fellowship is truly wonderful!

Special thanks are in order for the campus repairs, maintenance, and replacements that we did in 2020. The big project, of course, was installing a new roof over our parish hall, parish office and narthex. Many thanks to Cliff Aggen and Susan Doswell for getting it awarded and completed. Fortunately, with assist from the Endowment Fund in the amount of $30,000 and about $25,000 from an insurance claim, we were able to find the money in our various accounts to pay in full. Many thanks to all of our Iona Society members for their contributions to the Endowment Fund! Other major projects included applying stucco to much of the lower walls of the church and parish hall; the gas pipeline repair; and various tree trimmings and removals. Again, thank you in particular to our Sexton, Cliff Aggen, for overseeing these projects. A parishioner designed, built, and installed a wooden door for the east side of our parish hall—we have immense gratitude for that gift. Finally, I highlight Nancy Miller’s work to refinish the Stations of the Cross located on the exterior west wall of the church, Jeanette Barcroft’s tending of the labyrinth garden, Bill Brown’s work on the preschool plus various painting projects, and Julian Hoyle and his daughter’s work on deadheading the roses.

Gail and I look forward to seeing all of you later this year and will continue to pray for our parish. Maurice Hill

The New Year Brings Hope

As we move into 2021, we can all begin to feel hope—a time of rebirth or of being born again. 2020 was an exceedingly difficult year—a terrifying and lonely time during which so many of us were isolated and afraid. Now, we can begin to slowly move to a place of grace—with multiple vaccines in our midst, there is hope for a new and brighter year. But it will take more patience and perseverance from us as people gradually, but steadily take their vaccine. Some of us will start getting our jab this month; others in February, March, and April; some will have to wait until May and June. But gradually we will beat the virus and will once again return to our normal lives. We can look forward to all gathering together again to worship our Lord in his Church. We can look forward to spending time with our families and friends. We can look forward to celebrating fellowship together at coffee hour, our beloved St. Columba’s BBQ, and other get-togethers.

In the meantime, we can pray for each other and reach out to someone in the parish—someone we have not talked with in a long time.

Maurice Hill, Senior Warden

December 1, 2020

As we move into Advent, I’ve been looking back and thinking about our time at St. Columba’s in November 2020—as the pandemic continues. As Fr. Greg said in his sermon on Thanksgiving Sunday, despite the lockdown, the Lord has been good to me. The Lord has indeed been good to St. Columba’s! Over the month of November, many things happened. We safely held our first in-person worship services on the Church patio—with 20 people attending the first service and 36 people at the second; we continue to produce excellent livestream services on our website, Facebook, and YouTube; we had a gas leak in a pipe going into the church—the repair was expensive, but much less costly than what we originally thought; a parishioner graciously built and installed a birch door to replace the old, declining door in the parish hall—and is working on an eave to protect it from water damage; we had our Brazilian pepper tree and Italian Cypresses trimmed; we celebrated Julie Silvertrust’s birthday on Zoom (Julie and Mark moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, over the summer to be closer to their family); generous parishioners donated extra money to help the parish make it through 2020; and, despite a difficult financial year, our Endowment Fund investments grew and we were able to offer the church a $16,000 grant for 2021. On top of all that, we heard exciting news that three new vaccines have very strong efficacy and will be available to us next year.

Wow! That’s a lot to be thankful for in one month! And I give thanks to each and every person who gave or participated in making these wonderful gifts happen. There is no denying that the rest of the year and next will be challenging. We’ll be balancing the 2020 budget, planning the 2021 budget, doing continuing repairs and maintenance on our aging church (patio cover repair; painting doors, trim and buildings; and fixing plumbing leaks), and planning the best and safest ways to worship. But I have faith that, with God’s help, we will do well. And Gail and I look forward to the time when we can all gather together once again. We continue to pray for our parish family. May God’s love shine in each of your hearts!

Maurice Hill

November 1, 2020

Our Fall Pledge Program began last month. Many of you attended the Stewardship luncheon on Zoom with Bishop Diane Bruce. Bishop Diane told us, “When we share from our first fruits, as God shared God’s first fruit with us, we are modeling the same generosity God has shown us.” She asked us to give generously to St. Columba’s during this pandemic time. Please prayerfully consider your pledge for 2021 and try to return your pledge card by November 22—Thanksgiving Sunday when we will bless all the pledges received to date. A summary of the results (number of pledges and total amount pledged) of our pledge program will be announced during the livestreamed service the following week. If you haven’t yet received a 2021 pledge packet, please call the parish office.

As a result of the low case rate in Ventura County, we are able to offer in-person worship services on two Sundays in November—November 1 (8:00 a.m., on the patio) and November 22 (9:30 a.m. in the church). This is a good opportunity for those of you who are able to attend in-person worship services to see each other and worship together once again. Fr. Greg will offer communion (bread only) at each of these services. For those of you who are not comfortable with in-person services, we will still offer livestream services. If you don’t feel comfortable attending in-person services and would like a visit from someone in the parish, please let me or your Vestry contact person know or call the parish office. We care about each and every one of you.

The Vestry is discussing the need to hold fundraisers to help augment our budget for this year. Possibilities include: a modified BBQ (you’ll drive to church, park in the parking lot, and your to-go meal will be taken out to you); restaurant fundraiser (you’ll stop by the restaurant and purchase a meal; a donation to St. Columba’s will be made by the restaurant—up to 20 percent of your bill!). In both cases, if you are unable to pick up food, someone would be able to pick it up and deliver it to you. We are considering other possibilities as well—e.g., an online auction. Remember, these are fundraisers, so please participate if you are able!

Gail and I continue to pray for our parish family.

Maurice Hill

October 1, 2020

This year has reminded us in so many ways of the strength and closeness of our parish community. Even in all these months that we have been physically distant and unable to gather in person, the Spirit kept us together, connecting us. Many in the media or in our society kept referring to our churches as “closed,” but we were never closed—we continued following the Gospel call to live in love with our neighbors, finding ever new ways to seek and serve Christ in all people.

I want to share two stories about particular moments in our parish life this year in which our generosity of spirit and strength was clear. During this time of pandemic, when most of us were trying to just get by, we had heroes working to livestream worship services directly from our church to you at home. Our livestream heroes— Tim Helton, Cliff Aggen, Bob Waite, and Nancy Miller—tirelessly put together the video, computer software & equipment, Facebook & website connections, and streaming know-how to broadcast Fr. Greg’s services to our parishioners and the world. Vinita Bhushan is joining this group and plans to periodically help out. We also had heroes volunteer to continue implementing Project Hope during the pandemic. Since several of our usual volunteers were not able to assist due to the virus, new volunteers stepped up to bag groceries, take them out to our clients’ cars, and deliver them to clients’ homes. Loralee Brown, Judith Laurentowski, George Anderson, Tony Slade, Amelia Slade, Peter Johnson (a volunteer from Mount Cross), Bethany Larkin, Cliff Aggen, and Fr. Greg freely gave their faith-filled generosity to make this program work at a critical time.

These are just two of many stories that speak to the love we bear for each other and the world around us.

As we look to the year to come, we are more committed than ever to the ministry and love we share with our community and our neighbors. Our ministry is funded through the gifts of its parish members—your generous offerings given in grace and love. This year, we are asking for every member to take part in our stewardship campaign by making a pledge.

You will be receiving messages of Faith-Filled Generosity, this year’s Pledge Program theme, as we move through the weeks of this Fall’s stewardship season. The Gospel is rich with examples of how our faith kindles our love for each other and our Christian responsibility to share our love with the world. I invite you and your household to pray and learn, taking these weeks to consider how your generous response to God’s call has been shaped by this community and the friends who gather with you. Thank you for being a part of St. Columba’s Church and for your faithful, faith-filled gift to our annual campaign.

In the spirit of generosity and love,

Maurice Hill

September 1, 2020

Since the pandemic continues to be with us and we don’t have full use of our buildings, we have taken on major renovations. In the final weeks of hot, hot August, our parish hall and parish office building got a brand-new roof. And the flat roof that extends out from the narthex and over to the parish office was completely resurfaced and renewed. By the time you read this, the job will have been completed.

We’ve been blessed with the money to pay for this work: the Vestry decided to use several years of grants from the Endowment Fund, several parishioners donated funds, and we received a settlement from the property insurance because some of the damage was from high winds last fall. We still had to dip into a special fund to pay for the rest, but we had the funds to actually replace vs. just trying to repair a 30-year old roof. We thank all of you for your contributions and prayers during this time. A special note of thanks goes to Cliff Aggen for overseeing the roofing project. Finally, we have a new shield for our precious St. Columba’s Church buildings!

Now we pray for the time that we can actually use the buildings safely! The time will come, and we will be ready. We need to continue to reach out to other parishioners during this time as we have been doing. Give a parishioner a call, send an email, write a note, pray a prayer. In the meantime, I offer you a prayer to help us Be the Church as we continue our livestream services:

Almighty God of the Cross and Loving God of Community, we are not in a church building today but Church is never canceled. We are not wise, and not very often kind. But we are the Body of Christ in your suffering world. We know that our vocation is to be the Light of this Christ whose Body we are. Give us courage to be the Church and to keep our minds on what matters—which is to keep loving the world which you have called good. Buildings crumble; the Church Year passes; but your Church endures from generation to generation. Make this for us a Feast Day of your Protection, your Plenty, your Purpose, your Plan and your Peace. All this we ask, as we pray in silence, with all the Saints and with each other. Amen.

A prayer written by Rev. Dr. Barney Hawkins, Virginia Theological Seminary

July 22, 2020

The State of the Roof

In June, 2020, I reported to you about the condition of the Parish Hall and Narthex roofs. You’ll remember that the Santa Ana winds of late October, 2019, blew off many of the shingles on the Parish Hall roof. And you’ll recall that we experienced some leaks as we went through the rainy season. The flat roof over the Narthex was also slowly deteriorating due to weather, sun and age. Both roofs are beyond fixing at this point and must be replaced. We have good news! After going through a long and detailed evaluation of bids from several roofing contractors, Cliff and the Roof Team have selected a winning bid. At the Vestry meeting on Sunday, July 19, Cliff went over the bids and announced the Team’s decision. The Vestry approved the work to replace the Parish Hall and Narthex roofs. The Vestry and Budget and Finance Committee have been working on how best to pay for the work. We settled on using $30,000 from Endowment Fund Grants from 2018-2020; insurance money (over $20,000); some generous donations from parishioners ($4,000); and the rest from money set aside for a future sewer connection from the Rectory. The total amount for the roof replacements is about $70,000. You may we thinking – what insurance money? Cliff contacted our property insurance company to notify them that the Church incurred damage to the roof due to intense winds. The adjuster visited our property, climbed on the roof and determined that we had a valid damage claim. We were thrilled to hear that the insurance covered over $20,000 for damage.  Many thanks to Cliff for his dedicated efforts to find the best and most reasonable bid for this work, working tirelessly with the various contractors, and for patiently working with our insurer. Many thanks to the parishioners who have been so generous for their donations to the roof fund; and many thanks to the Budget and Finance Committee for finding the money. We look forward to having our new roofing contractor – All American Roofing, Oxnard – start work by mid-August. We know we will be getting the best roof available. It should take 10-15 working days to complete the work. And then we’ll have brand new roofs – ready to withstand the forces of nature for many years to come!

Message from the Senior Warden, as posted in the May issue of the Celtic Courier

During this time of quarantine, St. Columba’s has been very busy. Fr. Greg and his Zoom & camera crew (Tim Helton, Cliff Aggen, Bethany Larkin) have been producing wonderful services for all of us to view online. Several other people have also participated: Carol Browning (music); and readers Robin Nicholls, Paul Amendt, Jeff Chung, and Nancy Larkin. Fr. Greg and Brett have also participated in joint services with Pastor Julie Morris at Mount Cross. The readers have participated from their own homes via Zoom. Practicing physical distancing has been a critical component of all these activities! Our Diocesan bishop, Bishop John Taylor, calls it holy distancing.

Bill Brown has been able to do some painting around the church as well. Cliff is working with a tree service to remove a large pepper tree in the patio behind the parish office and continues some of his sexton duties. And, Nancy Miller refinished the outdoor Stations of the Cross in time for Good Friday. She used an excellent marine varnish to protect the wood for a long time. St. Columba’s continues to serve those in need in our Camarillo community. The Project Hope food distribution continues on the second and fourth Thursday of each month. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve had to ask the “younger” parishioners to help out with this ministry. We typically provide groceries to about 30 families every two weeks. The program has been modified so that our workers and clients can stay safe during the distribution of the groceries. Our clients remain in their cars while our workers place the bags in the trunk of their car. We had 12 new families for the distribution on April 23. With this increase in families, we need more staples. If you can, please pick up some extra groceries next time you are at the market, especially breakfast cereal, canned chicken, and shelf-stable milk (non-refrigerated), and drop them off at the parish office, Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–Noon.

If you or anyone you know needs food, please contact our parish office so that we may accommodate you. Food Share of Ventura County provides us with most of the groceries, vegetables, and fruit that we distribute. Food Share is holding weekly “pop-up” pantries in Ventura, Oxnard, and Thousand Oaks. Camarillo residents can go to any of these sites. You can find out more about these pantries and other forms of help at Food Share’s website:

https://foodshare.com/.

I know that this is an unprecedented time for all of us. So I ask that each of you include in your prayers our parishioners, clergy, staff, and Vestry. In particular, I ask for prayers for our parishioners who are in senior living facilities.

Gail and I look forward to seeing all of you—our parish family.