festive reception following his first sermon at Emmanuel.
Shrine Mont group of 2013
The Emmanuel Way A monthly publication of Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Greenwood, Virginia October
2013
Our Senior Warden’s Report By Delores Smith Celebrations. We all love them, and we have much to celebrate at Emmanuel. We are celebrating the beginning of a new year of Christian Education, including classes for children and youth, Adult Forums, and Family Intergenerational Religious Education sessions. Recently, we celebrated SignUp Sunday as we volunteered to serve Emmanuel in many different capacities. We look forward to a celebratory coffee hour at the end of September when the congregation gives special recognition to the members of our search committee. In early October, we hope to celebrate the arrival of our new rector, Father Christopher Garcia, by honoring him and his wife with a
If Bishop Shannon Johnston’s busy schedule allows, we anticipate a Celebration of New Ministry service and reception in the fall. Yes, we have much to celebrate. God has been good to us, and we celebrate His love. This autumn, there is yet another kind of celebration, a quiet one, at the home of one of our parishioners, my Uncle George. Born on October 13, 1913, George Ellinger is the oldest living life-long member of Emmanuel Church, Greenwood. George and his late wife, Louise Dowell Ellinger, his Greenwood School sweetheart and also a life-long member of Emmanuel, were very active and loyal members of Greenwood Parish. They sang in the choir and were custodians of the cemetery for more than half a century. Over the years, they devoted countless hours to various church committees and out-reach programs. George also served as a vestry member, including his service as a junior warden and as a senior warden. He served as a trustee as well as a member of the Endowment Board. Raised in a pretty house in Greenwood, where he still resides, George does not live far from his Emmanuel friends and regular visitors, Betty and E. O. Woodson, Jimmy Woodson, Gladys Clarke, Margaret Washington, Brian Scruby, Fred Shields, and Blair and Barry Jones. Although he does not wish for much fan-fare, we would be remiss in not sending happy birthday wishes to George on his one hundredth birthday! God’s Peace, Delores Smith
Rector’s Reflections
The Rev. Christopher M. Garcia Rector
Dear friends in Christ, I write this to you on the afternoon of my last worship service at Christ Church, Georgetown. Yesterday, I packed up my office at Christ Church and loaded my van with books. Saying good-bye to good friends and hearing their congratulations and best wishes for my ministry at Emmanuel has been bittersweet. I am excited by this new call, but I feel the tug of the familiar as this chapter draws to a close and I prepare to turn the page to a new chapter, together with you While attending the recent Emmanuel parish retreat at Shrine Mont, I was reminded of the power of narrative. Our stories matter because they shape us. Our stories define how
2 October, 2013 we see ourselves and who we show to the world. I enjoyed hearing the stories of many members of this parish: stories about growing up at a beautiful country church called Emmanuel, stories of what drew you to Albemarle County, stories of life at Emmanuel. Not all stories are easy and pleasant: a few of you shared stories of hardships and tragedies. Your incredible diversity of talent and gifts give character and depth to your stories and your stories will shape our future together. At Shrine Mont, I had the chance to share some of my own story. An important part of my story is how I met my wife, Cheryl, and how we have built a life and a family together these past 23 years. Some of you had the chance to meet our children, Elizabeth, 20, a sophomore at James Madison University, and Thomas, 18, a senior at West Springfield High School, in Fairfax County. I shared a bit of my discernment and my path to priesthood – and how some of that journey took place in Charlottesville, when we lived there in the 1990s Few stories take straight lines; most have bumps and detours along the way. Because our son, Thomas, is a high school senior this year, he and Cheryl will continue to live in Springfield for the rest of this school year. I have rented a townhouse near Emmanuel where I expect to live for most of each week, but I will be back to Springfield a couple of nights each week this year. Cheryl and I look forward to house hunting in the springtime, and we plan to move into a “permanent” home near Emmanuel next summer I am looking forward to the next chapter of my story as part of our story together – I long to hear more of your stories, to learn about life at Emmanuel, and to understand its rich past. I want to hear what brought you to this special place, and what makes you want to be part of this wonderful community. I look forward to hearing your hopes and dreams about the future, as we discern together what God has in mind for the years ahead at Emmanuel.
The Emmanuel Way I look forward to exploring with you how we are part of a larger story – the larger story of the God who loved us, the God who loved us so much that he came to be with us: God-with-us, Emmanuel. This larger story – and our part in it - is too good not to share. Hundreds of people drive by our beautiful church every week. Many are hungry to hear the Good News of what goes on inside, the good news that spreads from our doors and from our lives, from this Emmanuel. Will you help tell that story?
Crozet has stated they will offer a discount for coats that will be donated.
Father Don’s Message
Yours in Christ,
The Rev. Deacon Donald Cady
Dear Friends in Christ,
Jamie Bourque visits with Father Christopher and his daughter, Elizabeth, and son, Thomas, during a tie-dyeing operation at Shrine Mont.
Warm Coat Drive Underway We will be collecting warm coats through October 19 and distributing them to those in need this fall. If you have gently used coats, (infant to adult) coats that you can donate, please consider doing so. Please look for the big brown box in the parish hall. We will also accept hats, mittens, gloves and scarves. Help us to keep families in our communities warm this winter. All items need to be in good condition and clean. B&B Cleaners in 2
In a recent homily from Luke’s Gospel, I talked about the two worlds of the haves and the have-nots. You may recall Jesus’ parable about the rich man and the poor man, Lazarus. The moral of the parable was simple: Riches do not guarantee salvation in the kingdom of God. What particularly struck me about this story was the image of a chasm between the two worlds that could not be narrowed or crossed. While I know that narrowing the chasm is difficult, it is, as I said in my homily, a moral imperative that we all strive to reach across the chasm. Emmanuel Church has now begun to take the next steps as we continue to grow our mission in the service of God’s church. It is my hope that while we continue the many ways we already serve the poor, the sick, the less fortunate, we will challenge ourselves, whether young or old to find new ways to narrow and cross the chasm. I hope also that Christopher, our new rector, pastor and teacher, will
3 October, 2013 challenge us to look for new ideas and future as we move to the next stage of Emmanuel’s mission. I believe that if we accept the challenge, each of us, all of us together will be able to not only narrow the chasm between the haves and the have-nots, but will find ways to reach across. Faithfully, Don
Haiti Mission Trip – February/March 2014 Emmanuel will partner with the Building Goodness Foundation to help build a women’s health clinic in a rural community southeast of Port-auPrince. The Tom Gato Women's Health center will be about 3,000 square feet devoted to several aspects of women's health and childbirth. The trip will be held in February or March 2014 and is intended to continue the church’s efforts to offer parishioners the opportunity to participate in an extended stay (1 week) international mission experience. Volunteers should expect a tiring but richly rewarding adventure which promises to “build community and improve lives”. Upon their return, Emmanuel hopes that volunteers will share their stories, photos, videos. etc. with the congregation via an adult forum. Anyone interested in learning more about the trip can contact Chris Lehmbeck –
[email protected] or Tim Scruby, as well via -
[email protected].
Name Tags Show our Welcome By Doug Connell Having Christopher Garcia with us this month as our new rector makes October a most exciting month not just for the Emmanuel family, but for the Garcia family as well. We'll have no trouble identifying them by name, but imagine the task they'll have in learning the names of 300 new friends here.
The Emmanuel Way Please remember to wear your Emmanuel name tag if you have one, or to fill one out on your way into church each Sunday if you don't have one in hand. It's all a part of our tradition of welcoming all who enter our church and an essential welcoming gift to Father Christopher and his family.
The Greenwood Grapevine reports Linda Marchman has just published a book. It's title is "Gone Astray" and is available as an ebook. You can download it to a Kindle or Ipad. She is working on getting it published as a print book. The book is about the adventures of a stray cat, told from the cat's point of view. Madison Stone, 13 and an 8th grader at Henley Middle School, recently made the Cavalier Lacrosse Club travel team. The team is coached by UVA Women's Lacrosse coaches as well as the Western Albemarle Girls' Lacrosse coach. This is a great opportunity for her. Congratulations! Richard Nicholas, author of the Virginia Regimental History series will be a featured author at an Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society presentation and book signing on October 4 from 4 to 5 pm along with The Jefferson Brothers by Joanne Yeck, Secrets of the Blue Ridge by Phil James, and Sheridan's James River Campaign of 1865 through Central Virginia. Emily Bardeen and Mike Garin announces the birth on July 26 of their granddaughter, Adelyn Reese, "Addy", daughter of Chris and Katie Garin Langley of Norfolk.
Women’s Bible Study By Carolyn Rhondeau Women's Bible Study will meet each month on the 2nd and 4th Thursday at 10:00 AM in the church 3
parlor. Join us as we continue Conversations With Scripture: The Gospel of Matthew by John Y. H. Yieh. If you need a book, it can be ordered through Amazon.com. For questions, send me a note at:
[email protected].
Christian Education News By Cathy Boyd Director of Christian Education "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it." ~ Hebrews 13:2 This verse from St. Paul's letter to the Hebrews was the focus of our discussion as students, their parents, and teachers gathered before Sunday School started on September 15th. We established that angels are hard to recognize; it's good to show hospitality and kindness to strangers AND each other, because we never know who might be an angel among us, bringing blessings from God. These are all good ideas to keep in mind as we receive new friends in our community: the Garcia family! We then adjourned and followed the festive balloon trails to our respective Sunday School classrooms, where more learning and fellowship began. We welcome newcomers into Sunday School, for ages pre-K through adult, at any time. For more information, please visit our website, call the church, or email Cathy Boyd, Director of Christian Formation at
[email protected]. Christian Formation Director prayer request! As I near the end of my studies at Mary Baldwin, I am embarking on my Inquiry Research Project. I am seeking to tie together my studies in Environment-Based Learning and interest in spiritual ecology. More specifically, I am investigating "green" practices that congregations of all faiths have adopted. I ask your prayers that my planning and research moves along in a timely manner; and for your
4 October, 2013 potential involvement in a survey and interviews. I look forward to sharing what I learn!
The Emmanuel Way
Altar Guild Needs Help “The Altar Guild has lost a significant number of members due to moving away and other unforgiving personal circumstances,” states Patsy Crosby, altar guild president. “We really need to increase our numbers so that individual’s service does not become so frequent that we suffer burn out which we are currently facing,” explained Patsy. If you are willing to serve your parish in this way, it is a very rewarding ministry in which to become involved. Communicate your interest by contacting Patsy via email at
[email protected] or 434823-2277 in the evening. You are welcome to drop into the sacristy before or after any service to observe members of the Altar Guild at work and discuss the duties and chores involved.
Getting a closer look at the porch spinning operations at Shrine Mont is John Poor.
The inter-generational games proved most entertaining.
Prayer boat construction was fun and exciting proving the creativity of our youngsters. The campfire proved to be a real treat for those who love Smores.
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]
Dining and visiting important activity at Mont.
4
is an Shrine
Dancing proved to be a great inter-generational activity that filled the ballroom at Shrine Mont with shouts of glee. The launching is pictured below.
5 October, 2013
The Emmanuel Way
Important Dates to Remember October 6 – Our new rector, the Rev. Christopher M. Garcia, will celebrate his first services at Emmanuel. October 11 – The Family Intergenerational Religious Education (F.I.R.E.) will celebrate a Passover Seder dinner at 6:30 pm. Reservations required by October 8. October 19 – The Warm Coat Drive will be accepting donations at the Ledford House
5
