Among the Flock

Visitations: St. James in Kemp; St. Matthias in Athens

Bishop Rob Price visited St. James in Kemp and St. Matthias in Athens on Sunday. The Rev. Elizabeth Papazoglakis is priest-in-charge at St. James, and her husband, the Rev. Tom Papazoglakis is priest-in-charge at St. Matthias. 

Bishop Price had a wonderful time with the parishioners known for laidback charm and good cooking. "It is a true saying worthy of all to receive that the farther east one goes, the better the spread at the reception! I had a delightful time at the Q&A following the service, having had the chance to get to know many of the members and what brought them to this warm parish family, Bishop Price said." 

At St. James many parishioners come from neighborhoods built around nearby Cedar Creek Lake where retirees move to live on the waterfront, and hit the golfing greens at several country clubs in the area.  Parishioner Linda Shehee said the demographic at St. James skewed older due to the retirees and joked that the parish youth group means those in their 60s. 

No longer in the work-a-day pace of the corporate world these retirees are using their gifts for the greater good and for them that means mission. That includes prison ministry and active support of One Man's Treasure, a group that provides gently used clothing to men just released from prison so they have appropriate clothing for church and job interviews.

But mostly, these believers love a food ministry because the need is great. For starters, the parish works with Maybank Area Good Samaritans where they are in a rotation with four other churches for volunteer work with the ministry. The food bank serves those in need in Henderson, Kaufman and Van Zandt counties. The church also participates in Angel Food ministry which identifies families in need with the school district's help and gives each family a week's worth of food once a month. The third food ministry involves adopting a family during Christmas and during back-to-school by giving food, Christmas gifts to children and school clothes. At Christmas the children are asked to give a list of presents they would like and the church gives them their number one pick on the list. The family also gets food to prepare a traditional Christmas meal. For the new school year the children are given the clothes and new sizes they need, said longtime parishioner Paul Lasiter. During one food delivery around Christmas, a family in need lived in a 30-foot trailer home with three kids who were all playing outside on a cold day in their undergarments. The mother, who worked two jobs, said if the church had not brought the food they would have eaten peanut butter sandwiches for Christmas. "I've cried a lot," Lasiter said. "It shows you exactly how blessed you are when you go. Our goal is that someday the kids will realize back then a bunch of Christians helped them out," he said. 

At St. Matthias the congregants are healing from previous challenges at their parish. Bishop Price and Bishop Fraser Lawton offered a special service with prayers for healing and peace. The bishops were warmly received and enjoyed a festive meal after the service having time to visit with many folks from the parish. 

"I was greatly moved by Father Tom's care for the congregation and the deep healing work that they have done together," Bishop Price said. "Our liturgy of reconsecration of the altar - painstakingly planned by Father Papazoglakis -  truly revealed the transformative grace that God can give through corporate prayer and worship." 

Recently, the Papazoglakis' have announced their retirement at the end of the year. "Mother Elizabeth and Father Tom are jewels in our presbyterate, " Bishop Price said. "I'm grateful for their work and I was privileged to conduct their last visitations as rectors." 

St. David's Celebrates Organist/Choir Director's 50 Years at Parish

“You have been here,” the Rev. Paul Nesta said, “as we've baptized our children, married spouses, and buried our loved ones. Your constancy and devotion to St. David's and to our Lord are an inspiration.”
 
These words by Nesta pointed to parish organist and choir director, Canon Dr. Pam Youngblood as the church honored her 50 years of service with Evensong and reception. That’s right, 50 years at the same parish, not a lot of churches can say that.
 
Youngblood began serving at St. David’s in 1976 while earning an advanced degree in music at University of North Texas after moving to the area from Tennessee. Soon she joined the choir at St. David’s and shortly after, the organist moved to join a religious commune. Youngblood served as interim for a few days and was then offered a permanent place. “I always felt like St. David’s was right,” she said. “It’s a call. And it’s been an important part of my life and who I am. One of my earliest memories when I was about four, my family was going to a Lutheran Church in Ohio and I heard, “Holy, Holy, Holy, and thought that was the greatest thing ever. Then the choir would come out and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I want to do that!’”
 
Youngblood has a hefty professional life in music. She performs in orchestra, leads a flute choir and works as the Dean of Arts and Design at Texas Woman’s University.
 
Youngblood is adored at St. David’s and the parish understands the magnitude of serving 50 years in the same church. It was with this understanding that they commissioned the British composer Cecilia McDowall to compose an anthem for the Evensong celebration. The anthem is to be published by Oxford University Press as a choral leaflet. Cecilia's text was George Herbert's Let All the World In Every Corner Sing. The world premiere of the anthem was at St. David’s. While Youngblood directed the rest of the Evensong, her coworker at Texas Woman's University, Dr. Joni Jensen, directed this anthem as Youngblood sat with her family. Clive Driskill-Smith was the guest organist for the service.
 
Bishop Rob Price served as celebrant for the occasion and also offered his remarks about such a faithful woman. “My mother was a choir master and organist so I know the work Dr. Youngblood has been putting in all these years,” Bishop Price said. “I listened to the practice late-nights when I was a child. There is a saying in Greek, mathein pathein, to learn is to suffer and we give thanks for your suffering…  to learn all these pieces as an offering to God and his people.  Thank you for your leadership in this place. Thank you for perfecting the praises of God’s people at St. David’s.”
 
Nesta, who works closely with Youngblood, gave a sermon through occasional tears as he talked about her meaningful work and how she was an example of the Godly discipline of stability. Even through tragedy when her beloved husband was killed unexpectantly during a car crash during Holy Week in the 1990s. “What we celebrate tonight is the virtue of stability that we have seen on display in the life of Dr. Youngblood,” he said. “Stability is recognizing God’s presence, right where we are, particularly in times of testing and loss. Stability is hard fought and it comes through the overlooked virtue of endurance.”
 
During the homily Nesta also teased Youngblood and talked about a story she tells of the early days when in the 1980s she worked with a rector she did not like and wanted to leave. Her husband told her, “you know you can outlast him.” Nesta added, “she really took that to heart, didn’t she?”  Nesta also said he remembers those words often after long nights working together on music programming “it’s almost as if she mutters under her breath, ‘I can outlast this one too,’” he joked.
 
Youngblood’s longevity in the parish is generational with parishioners telling her that she played at their wedding and their daughter’s wedding.  “That is such a privilege.” So what comes next after these 50 years?  “It’s been longer than most and for that I’ve been grateful,” Youngblood said. And I’m not leaving.”