3 heroes honored

Vestry member at St. Michael's wins a Carnegie Heros award-

Longtime golfing buddies Haldeman and Ledgard had just sipped their first beers at Fat Daddy’s Place in Ligonier on July 11 when all hell broke loose.

Stephen P. Fromholz, 41, of San Antonio, who left the bar after getting into an argument with a patron over the volume on the television set, returned with a semiautomatic rifle he retrieved from his truck and fatally shot patron Donald Holler, 65.

“Honestly, in a situation like that, you’re put in it and you just think he had to be stopped somehow,” said Haldeman, 52, an insurance agent from Ligonier. “You don’t think ... you just react.”

Haldeman rushed the gunman, and Ledgard helped him take Fromholz to the floor, which knocked the rifle from his grip.

The pair held Fromholz down until police arrived.

“When you think about what could have happened and think what didn’t — you feel really blessed that Kirk was able to react that fast,” said Ledgard, 53, a contractor from Greensburg.

“Kirk was really the one who took the first step. I used him as inspiration and just followed my buddy,” Ledgard said.

More here-


http://triblive.com/news/2101203-74/carnegie-hero-fund-commission-marty-awarded-haldeman-ledgard-medals-think

A Statement from the Vestry Wardens and Rector of St. Michael's of the Valley Episcopal Church

We write as the vestry of St. Michael's of the Valley Episcopal Church. We rejoice in who we are as a congregation who loves our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and who wishes to make
him known to the world.

We are committed to Jesus Christ and also to The Episcopal Church and we rejoice in its rich historic, authentic tradition of worship, outreach, and evangelistic mission while also seeking
to be a place where all are welcome to worship the Lord and grow in grace.

However, recent actions in some portions of the church have raised great concerns for us.
Specifically the actions of the 76th General Convention in resolutions D025 and C056 which
we believe do not serve the Church well, especially in the wider context of our relationship to
The Anglican Communion. While we understand that we represent a congregation with
varying opinions on issues of sexuality, we also believe these resolutions open the door to
innovations, which are not in concert with the majority of the Church and certainly The
Communion. We are concerned that the passing of these resolutions will continue to strain our
international relationships and we believe that they encourage an ethical stance, which is
contrary to scripture. For these reasons we reject them.

We are also concerned with opening remarks made by The Presiding Bishop at the General
Convention. We find her statement that the "great western heresy (is that) we can be saved as
individuals, that any of us alone can be right with God" extremely troubling. We have read the
full text of her speech and while we appreciate her emphasis on exercising our faith in right
relationship, we believe her statement about individual salvation to be wrong, and we reject it.


The rest is here-

http://www.stmichaelsligonier.org/UserFiles/file/vestry%20statement%209-21-09.pdf

St. Michael’s Helps Inner-City Youth

A little shameless self promotion-

St. Michael’s of the Valley, Ligonier, sponsors a Backpack/School Supply Project for students attending The Neighborhood Academy in Pittsburgh.

Parishioners eagerly take one or more of the 80+ book bags and fill them with the necessary back-to-school supplies. The popular drawstring bags, purchased through the Outreach Commission are imprinted with the school logo and in the school colors of navy and orange. Each bag includes a hand written note of encouragement to the student.

More here

http://www.episcopalpgh.org/st-micheals-helps-inner-city-youth/

Good Stuff: St. Michael's Fair a Great Success

Yesterday's fair was a great success. Nice crowds and perfect weather. Over $11,000 was raised and will be given away to local charities. Thanks to all who volunteered and to all who came.

Good Stuff: St. Michael's Fair Today

The annual St. Michael's Country Fair is today Saturday, June 6, from 9 until 2. A tradition of the church for over fifty years there's lots to do. Rummage, used books, white elephant, horse rides, kids games, great music, and of course lots of good food. All the proceeds go to local charities. Pictured is Carol Fenton and me at set up last night with a hat and glasses found in rummage. Looks like I'm about to break into a chorus of "Crocodile Rock"!

Come and join us we're on Rt. 381 in Rector just three miles north of Ligonier, PA

Financial executive supported job training, church

Very few people have affected my life like Toby did. I will miss him very much.

Toby Biddle helped many achieve their visionary projects -- such as reaching out to Bill Strickland and his Bidwell Training Center in Manchester -- which changed Western Pennsylvania for the better.

The Very Rev. George L.W. Werner, dean emeritus of Trinity (Episcopal) Cathedral, Downtown, said Mr. Biddle was among the individuals who was able to provide Strickland with necessary funding to continue his work when he faced financial problems.

Livingston L. "Toby" Biddle III of Ligonier and Boca Grande, Fla., retired executive vice president of Parker/Hunter Inc., died on Sunday, April 26, 2009, in his home. He was 82.

"My father understood the necessity of gainful employment for those who didn't have the means or the contacts for obtaining an education," said Nick Biddle of Bend, Ore.

"Dad felt the training at Bidwell was a positive step for men and women to enable themselves to pull up their bootstraps and become successful citizens of a community, much as he did in his youth," his son added.

"Dad loved this country and enlisted in the Marines in 1943, after he graduated from Woodberry Academy in Warrenton, Va. And although he spent the war as an MP in Hawaii, he was proud to have served when his country needed him."

By working, and with the help of the GI Bill, Mr. Livingston, upon being discharged from the Marines in 1946, earned his degree from the University of Virginia.

More here-

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/obituaries/s_623092.html

St. Michael's Vestry Retreat

Tonight and tomorrow is the vestry retreat at St. Emma's Retreat Center in Greensburg. There probably won't be any posts here until Saturday night or Sunday.

Some thoughts on life at St. Michael's by Kathie Kendall

Kathie Kendall a member of St. Michael's and someone who is very involved in the life of the parish, took it upon herself to write the following and asked that I post it. Thank you Kathie for your encouragement and prayers.


When I entered the sanctuary this past Sunday I immediately saw two small children sitting, very comfortably, with their Sunday school teacher (not their parents). They were waiting with excited anticipation to take their part in delivering donated food items to the altar to be blessed by our Rector. These items had been donated by fellow parishioners serving as the Body of Christ. Then I watched a fellow parishioner straighten Jim’s stole so that it lay correctly before he processed down the aisle to begin our worship service.......as he does every Sunday.

I had just finished teaching a Sunday school class to students that come every Sunday to continue in their walk of faith, One junior high student began our class with a prayer of thanks that we are free to gather together, happy to share in fellowship with one another and eager to enhance their knowledge of Scripture. During the week there have been Bible studies to attend with fellow Christians. There were meals prepared and delivered to the Neighborhood Academy. Faith in Action volunteers are active in our community. The youth of our Church spent part of Saturday raking leaves for people who needed this service. Our Church hosted a wedding, friends met in our church to witness this Sacrament, with our Rector officiating. Women met to prepare our altar for Sunday worship so we could share the body and blood of Christ.

I am touched by Jim’s blessing for children too young to receive communion, by our Church’s commitment to support our young, newly baptized members, by Jim’s instruction to our children receiving their first communion, by the way our children are welcomed and loved as we worship together... all a direct reflection of how we serve as the body of Christ.

When I first attended St. Michael’s I was sorely in need of a spiritual guidance, a church home and a church family. I walked into St. Michael’s and felt the presence of God. Upon returning the next week and being greeted by name by Jim, I realized that I had found both my church home and my church family. Jim has been my spiritual guide and I appreciate his gift to preach. I believe that Jim fulfills the duties, obligations and ministrations entrusted to him. I believe he has nourished us and continues to strengthen us to glorify God, both by his instruction and example.

Jim and our church family have stood beside me and my family during both happy and sad times. I have never felt alone or forsaken and will be forever grateful for all that has come to mean to me and my family. My heart breaks for the extremely difficult position in which Jim has been placed. My heart breaks for our fellow Christians that feel they must leave our church due to whatever reason or for wherever they genuinely feel their hearts are leading them.

I know how confused so many of us feel and I mourn the loss of members of our church family. I have listened to people that have turned to Jim and wanted answers that he doesn’t have or that they don’t want to hear. I have heard criticism of Jim because he either isn’t keeping us informed enough or keeping us informed too much. I don’t feel that Jim has misled us and I do believe that Jim continues to welcome all people to worship with us, I believe that Jim continued to feed us. I also don’t feel that God has left St. Michael’s and I pray that eventually the people that have felt the need to find another church home will return to St. Michael’s when they realize that they may never be in a more supportive and loving fellowship. I just wanted you to hear from someone who isn’t leaving and who will continue to support and pray for Jim and St. Michael’s.

I would ask that you all keep Jim in your prayers:

Dear Lord, We are called to support our Rector. We give thanks that you have called Jim to lead us and bear the responsibility and authority to maintain the unity of our Church. Jim must serve as mediator between hurt and conflicted members of our church and other places he is called to be. Even Jesus found making everyone happy an impossible task. Jim needs our prayers, encouragement, appreciation, respect and honor. Lord, we lift up the hands of Jim and his family, give them shelter and rest. We pray that You will preserve their family time, that You will cover their home, that their financial needs be met. We ask that You protect them and let them know how much they are loved In Jesus name ................ Amen

Submitted by: Kathie Kendall

A Statement from the Leadership of St. Michael's of the Valley Episcopal Church Ligonier

A Statement from the Vestry of St. Michael's of the Valley Episcopal Church
Ligonier, PA

The Rector, Wardens, and Vestry of St. Michael's of the Valley Episcopal Church in Ligonier Pennsylvania, are aware that at the upcoming 143rd annual convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, resolutions will be considered that will attempt to remove the Diocese from the The Episcopal Church of America and realign it with the Province of the Southern Cone.

We do not support passage of these resolutions and wish to affirm that if they should pass that we will continue to consider ourselves to be a part of the Episcopal Church of America in accordance with our by-laws.

We also wish to affirm our commitment to Christian orthodoxy as contained in the Book of Common Prayer, the Apostle's and Nicene Creed and the thirty-nine articles. As leadership of the parish we reject any teaching or doctrine contrary to this historic faith that may be proclaimed by any national leader or the leadership of other parishes and dioceses. We will continue the Gospel ministry we have been engaged in for nearly sixty years, proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Feast of St. Matthew
22 September 2008

Note: passed by the vestry with two votes in the negative