Emmanuel Way January 2014


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g{x XÅÅtÇâxÄ jtç A monthly publication of Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Greenwood, Virginia January

2014

Our Rector’s Installation Emmanuel Episcopal Church of the Greenwood Parish will witness the installation of our rector, the Rev. Christopher M. Garcia on Thursday, January 9, at 7 p.m. The Rt. Rev. Shannon Johnston, bishop of Virginia will travel to our parish to install Christopher and join our celebration of his new ministry. This is a very important event in the life of our parish and everyone is invited to join and participate in this ceremony and celebration.

Greenwood Parish Annual Meeting set for February 23 The vestry approved the parish’s annual meeting date of Sunday, February 23, 2014 to follow a 10 a.m. service of Holy Eucharist. Please note that this will be a single service Sunday with no Sunday School or Adult Forum. This is an important meeting in the life of the parish at which we elect three new members to the vestry for three-year terms. The terms of Barbara Clark, Henry Oakey and Delores Smith expire this year. Nominations of new vestry members

will be announced in the next Emmanuel Way. The 2014 annual meeting will present the parish with the responsibility of adopting a set of bylaws for the first time in its more than 150-year history. This set of rules will govern the organization and management of Emmanuel Church, Greenwood Parish. A link to an online copy of the proposed bylaws will be in the next Emmanuel Way; paper copies will be available to those who do not have internet access. Each member of the parish is urged to place this date on their calendar and plan to participate in the 2014 Annual Meeting. The canons of the church state that all parishioners in good standing who are 16 years old or older and are known to the treasurer are eligible to vote. The meeting will be followed by a potluck/covered dish lunch in the Emmanuel Parish Hall.

bâÜ fxÇ|ÉÜ jtÜwxÇËá exÑÉÜà By Delores Smith December has been a busy month at Emmanuel. In addition to all the parish’s usual celebratory Christmas events, Father Christopher introduced two new programs, “Advent Conspiracy” and Advent Wednesdays. With the idea of celebrating Christmas without losing its true meaning, Father Christopher led three Sunday morning adult forums to help us worship fully during Advent and Christmas. His interesting “Advent Conspiracy” forums, emphasizing spending less, giving more, and loving all, were well-attended. The Advent Wednesdays with Holy Eucharist at 7:30 a.m., followed by a simple breakfast and a group Bible study, proved to be popular Advent observances. Father Christopher plans to offer similar early morning worship and discussion groups during Lent. With the arrival of 2014, we look forward to additional spiritually

fulfilling words and guidance from our beloved new rector. I hope that you each had a meaningful and glorious Christmas. May you have a healthy and happy New Year! God’s peace, Delores Smith Senior Warden

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The Rev. Christopher M. Garcia Rector

Can you hear it? Can you feel it? After Christmas, there seems to be a collective, huge sigh, as everyone relaxes a little bit and life settles down to normal once again – the annual secular cycle of eating, drinking, buying, and celebrating that began around Thanksgiving and continues until the New Year has spent itself out. The stores will calm down a little (at least until Presidents’ Day sales and the Super Bowl drives the next round of excitement). The church lives by a different cycle. On 6 January every year, we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany, or, more formally, “The Manifestation of Our Lord Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.” I love this old title, “The Manifestation of Our Lord Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.” Although it may appear awkward to our modern ears, this name captures perfectly what we are about. When used as a verb, manifest means “to show plainly; to make to appear distinctly, usually to the mind; to put beyond question or

2 doubt; to display; to exhibit.” (We get the word epiphany from the Greek epiphaneia, “manifestation, striking appearance,” or epiphainō, “I appear, display.”) The word that Scripture uses for Gentiles can just as well be translated as nations. So what is purpose of this season? Simply to declare Jesus’ identity, and to do so all peoples, all nations. So for the eight Sundays we have this year between Epiphany and Lent, our lectionary takes us to Scripture passages that show us the physical events in Jesus’ life that reveal his identity: the adoration of the visiting wise men, his circumcision and naming on the eighth day of his life, his presentation in the Temple a month later, his baptism in the Jordan River and the inauguration of his public ministry, his calling of his first disciples, and his transfiguration before his passion. As we hear Jesus’ story again these next few weeks, we ask ourselves how we can enter into his story and make it our story. Each time we baptize a new Christian, we all promise to “proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ.” Our lives are meant to be different from the culture around us. Our lives are meant to be a reflection of Jesus’ love at work in us. Because we know God’s love, we are changed. Because we know God’s love, we are transformed to love others. Yours in Christ,

Something new is being explored Good news! A small parish team is exploring the use of the Village-toVillage model as a way to enhance our pastoral care and contribute to our community at Emmanuel. The “V-toV” model is used by hundreds of nonprofit groups nationwide who want to help people in their homes and communities. It recognizes that at some time in our lives we all need the skills and help of others, and sometimes we are the people who can help. We’ll have more news in the

The Emmanuel Way months ahead in the Emmanuel Way. For more information now, contact Doris Desha Savage.

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January 2014 Lord” as we continue to shape and build our New Ministry together in 2014. Let us in 2014 search together for the “plentiful harvest” of ways and means to expand the outreach and inreach that is Emmanuel. Let us walk together with Christopher as he lives into the following words from his service of Institution as Rector of Emmanuel Church: “grant that together they may follow Jesus Christ, offering to you their gifts and talents…” If we can, together, take and follow these steps, 2014 will be an exciting and wondrous year at Emmanuel Church. Thanks be to God. Faithfully, Don

Christian Education News The Rev. Deacon Donald Cady

Dear Friends in Christ, As I write this article for the newsletter, it is still December 2013. So my first impulse is to review the many blessings we the Emmanuel family have received these past twelve months. But, I believe we have already thankfully acknowledged these blessings in our conversations, writings and forums. So instead, let us look to 2014. January 9 marks the day when Christopher will be instituted and welcomed as the new rector of Emmanuel Church, Greenwood. Perhaps, we will want to consider 2014 as our continuing Celebration of New Ministry. In the Celebration of a New Ministry service from the Book of Common Prayer, the Liturgy of the Word suggests Luke 10:1-2 as one of several possible Gospel readings. In it Jesus says, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Perhaps this is what the Lord is asking us as a parish and as individuals to do as we begin and continue our new ministry. Let us dedicate ourselves to becoming active “laborers of the 2

By Cathy Boyd Director of Christian Education Epiphany at Emmanuel brings many revelations of “God With Us.” I want to call your attention to several upcoming Epiphany Christian Education events: Sunday, January 5th: Shrine Mont Sunday -- From 10 -11 a.m., Paris Ball, director of formation for the Diocese of Virginia, and Kirk Gibson, Shrine Mont’s director of development, will speak to us about the programs planned for the 2014 season. For newcomers to the Diocese of Virginia, Shrine Mont is a retreat center and the spiritual home of our diocese, centered around an outdoor shrine made of rock from the Allegheny Mountains. The programs at Shrine Mont offer something for everyone, and for all ages. Please come to learn more, and tell everyone what Shrine Mont means to you. Wear your favorite Shrine Mont apparel! Friday, January 17th: F.I.R.E. -Our next Family-Centered Intergenerational Religious Education session will take place on at 6 p.m.. We will continue to study the evolution of Israel as a people through an imaginary game involving space travel! Saturday, February 1st: Epiphany Creativity -- The Epiphany Season commemorates the divine

3 made manifest through Jesus Christ. The divine in us is made manifest through our creative endeavors. What’s your creative endeavor? Whether it’s collage, cooking, knitting, jewelry-making, music, painting, photography, rainbow loom, woodworking; whether you’re a beginner or have had years of experience; whether you’re deep into a project or need inspiration, come share your creative endeavor with others. From 9 to 11:30 a.m., we’ll play and work, teach and learn. Then we’ll have lunch together and set up the Parish Hall to display our creations on Sunday between the services. For more information or to offer your help in organizing this event, please contact Cathy Boyd on email at [email protected]. Friday, February 7th, Youth Group First Fridays -- Save the Date! Youth Group First Fridays will be offered for our middle and high school students. More details to follow, but rest assured, you won’t want to miss it! July 9-13, 2014: Episcopal Youth Event, Philadelphia, PA -Youth enrolled in 9th -12th grades are invited to apply and register for the Episcopal Youth Event (EYE) to be held at Villanova University in suburban Philadelphia. EYE is a every-three-year gathering of 1,000+ young Episcopalians from across the nation. The focus of the 2014 EYE is the 5 Marks of Mission, to understand the importance of mission. An optional 3-day mission experience in Philadelphia will follow EYE ’14. Twenty-four students from each diocese can attend, with no more than 2 students from each church. This will be a wonderful opportunity for two of our youth to meet other young Episcopalians, be inspired, and become leaders in the process of planning future missions for the youth of Emmanuel. Paris Ball will tell us more about EYE ’14 on Sunday, January 5th at 10 a.m. in the Emmanuel Parish Hall.

Disciples Kitchen

The Emmanuel Way Our last DK date was for a chili lunch on Dec 16 (Mon), at Second Presbyterian Church, Waynesboro. A reminder will be going out about future dates. New volunteers can contact Amanda Poor for upcoming DK dates and additional information by email at [email protected].

Food Pantry Report The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank’s Food Pantry operated by Emmanuel and Holy Cross at Holy Cross Church reported distributing 2,745 pounds of food to 431 individuals serving 156 households on the first Saturday of December. The pantry had 2,700 pounds of turkeys to distribute from Cargill turkeys and 14, 244 lbs. of food including USDA tomato sauce, orange juice, ruby red grapefruit juice, spaghetti, rolled oats, vegetarian beans, corn, cranberry juice, green beans; to which we added: banana nut muffins, blueberry muffins, honey almond granola, frosted flakes, assorted meats, assorted groceries, beef chili beans, chicken noodle soup, green beans, macaroni and cheese, pinto beans, baked beans, quick oats, tomato juice, tomato soup, Ritz crackers, quick oats, and chili beans. The December distribution involved 32 volunteers and served 56 adults 65 and over, 123 children and 252 adults under 65 for a total served of 431 persons. The pantry is operated on the first Saturday of each month between 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. and is always looking for volunteers to handle the packing and distribution On the Wednesday following the first Saturday, the “Bread Fund Packing” begins at 10 a.m. and continues until the work is done. Join us at Holy Cross in Batesville on either the first Saturday of the month or the following Wednesday at 10 a.m. for some good, honest, outreach work that benefits our greater community. Emmanuel’s pantry effort is chaired by Cindy Kirchner. 3

January 2014

The Greenwood Grapevine reports Attendance at Emmanuel’s Christmas Eve services was well above average and filled the church with song and celebration. We welcomed many new faces to Emmanuel and especially at the 11 p.m. Holy Eucharist by candle light.

The Emmanuel Way Published on or before the first day of each month, with the single exception of the month of July, The deadline is the 20th of the month preceding the month of issue.

7599 Rockfish Gap Turnpike Post Office Box 38 Greenwood, Virginia 22943 Email: [email protected] Website: emmanuelgreenwood.org Phone: 540-456-6334 James E. Crosby………….. Editor Email: [email protected]

The greening of the church is an exciting time for all those who participate.

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The Emmanuel Way

January

January 2014

2014

The greening of Emmanuel Church, Greenwood Parish is an annual preparation for the Christmas services highlighted by the Holy Eucharist by candlelight at 11 p.m. Christmas Eve.

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The Emmanuel Way

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January 2014

SUN

MON

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WED

THURS

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January 2014 Sunday Schedule 9 am HE & Children’s Worship 10 am Christian Education—Sunday School & Adult Forum 11 am HE Key HE—Holy Eucharist MLR—Marston/LaRue House PH—Parish Hall LH—Ledford House HC—Holy Cross, Batesville AA—Alcoholics Anonymous WBS—Women’s Bible Study

Special Events Thursday, January 9, 7 pm Installation Service for the Rev. Christopher Garcia Friday, January 17 Friday FIRE, 6:30 pm, Parish Hall

Please check the Sunday bulletin for changes and additions. If you would like to schedule an event, please call the office at 540540-456456-6334.

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5 See Sunday

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6 Village to Village Meeting. Noon, PH AA Meeting, 8 pm, PH

7 10 am Staff Meeting

8 Bread Fund Packing, 10 am, HC Choir rehearsal, 7 pm

9 10 WBS, 10:30 am, AA Meeting, 8 MLR pm, PH Celebration of New Ministry, the Rev. Christopher Garcia, 7 pm

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13 Finance Committee Meeting, 5 pm, MLR AA Meeting, 8 pm, PH

14 10 am Staff Meeting Mountainside Tea Party , 3 pm Vestry Meeting, 7

15 Choir rehearsal, 7 pm

16 Contemplative Prayer, 5:30 pm, church

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19 See Sunday Schedule

20 Martin Luther King Day Office closed AA Meeting, 8 pm, PH Newsletter deadline

21 10 am Staff Meeting

22 Choir rehearsal, 7 pm

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26 See Sunday Schedule

27 AA Meeting, 8 pm, PH

28 10 am Staff Meeting

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Schedule

12 See Sunday Schedule

Sunday School & Adult Forum resume

17 Friday FIRE, 6:30 pm

Bread Fund Distribution, 8 am, Holy Cross

AA Meeting, 8 PM, MLR

WBS, 10:30 am, MLR

24Annual Council, Richmond, VA AA Meeting, 8 PM, PH

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25Annual Council, Richmond, VA