EPIPHANY 2011
THE BRANCH The Newsletter of St. Bartholomew’s Church The Winter Season:
in the shorter days, in the barren scape, in the longer nights, spring is actually born.
11 0 2 y n Epipha “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:5,8 NIV
Our Mission We are a family of believers (kingdom community), on a journey to the fulfillment of our God-given purpose. Our mission is: 1) To bring people to know Jesus Christ; 2) To provide clear and life-changing discipleship training;
Will you hibernate like little furry creatures? Will you dress warm and venture out? Will you craft within, beside the warmth of a fire? Will you moan and whine about the cold? Will you parade and make merry like the carnival season, it is? Will you seek and be light in creative ways? Every season has its turn. Every season has its worth. Welcome to this Epiphany Season.
3) To help people discern their life’s purpose and provide opportunities for them to fulfill that purpose in ministry and mission. The fruit of our endeavor is that God be glorified in all the world (worship).
The Branch - Sept 2008 - Page 1
INSIDE Staff Clergy: The Rev. Dr. Jerry Smith, Rector The Rev. Dixon Kinser, Assistant Rector for Youth & Young Adult Formation The Rev. David Wilson, Pastoral Associate
Office:
Kingdom Ta lk - Fr. Jerr y Smi th"
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Putting a Pra yer to A Fa ce - C hristopher Kee ler"" "
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Transla ting Epiphany - Fr. Dix on Kins er" "
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The C hristma s Pa geant in Photos " " Advent at St. B’s in Photos" "
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Pam White, Director of Operations Jane Long, Office Manager Annie Heyward, Administrative Assistant Sally Chambers, Interim Director of Communications Teresa Robinson, Childcare Coordinator
A Ne w Yea r with O ne focus" - Ma rjie Sm ith "
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Why We Do What We do? - Be v erl y Ma han
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Parish Ministry:
Vestr y Nomina tions" "
Carla Schober, Director of Family and Children's Formation Corinne Wilder and Shelby Hoggard ! Childrenʼs Formation Assistants Gaylene Latham, Nursery Director Elizabeth Madeira, Elementary Coordinator Brea Cox, Preschool Coordinator: Shari Smyth, Catechist Coordinator: Steve Lefebvre, Assistant Director for Youth & College Formation Bev Mahan, Verger
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Epiphany: The Gift of the Stor y " " - Ste ven Lefebvre " " " "
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From Gl or y to Glor y""
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St. B’s Bookstore: Allison Hardwick, Manager
Preschool & Mother’s Day Out: Suzy Floyd, Preschool Director
Music: Eric Wyse, Director of Music David Madeira, Director, Chamber Singers Teresa Robinson, Administrative Assistant
Gary Mumme and David West, Sr. participate in the Habitat build.
Vestry Judson Abernathy, Dorman Burtch, Carmen Hall Vanessa Hardy, Denise Kemp, Ashley MacLachlan, Paul Miller, Kay Morreale,Trey Myatt, Charlie Reasor, Rachel Sefton, Adam Wirdzek (Officers: Charlie Reasor - Sr. Warden; Dorman Burtch - Jr. Warden; Dan Cleary, treasurer; and Gary Mumme, clerk)
See the light of the Epiphany shining some place in par4cular. Let us know. Email stories, prose, poetry, art or photo’s to
[email protected]. Help us tell the stories of our community!
4800 Belmont Park Terrace Nashville, TN 37215 phone: 615.377.4750 email: churchoffi
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Epiphany: A Pilgrimage Continues... entral to our pilgrimage in Christ is the annual celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany. Historically, it has been perceived as synonymous with the visit of the three wise men (or Magi) although more than this, the festival is the announcement that the Gospel is not the sole domain of the historic Jewish peoples (as originally thought) but of all peoples on earth.
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The apostle Paul put it this way “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” We can rightly interpret the word “gentile” to mean all who were not under the original Abraham covenant or circumcision. I suspect that few of our number can claim this heritage. Consequently we can all heave a sigh of relief for the Epiphany message. God’s saving Grace is as much for us as for anyone! The implications of Epiphany have greater claim than this great news though. This has been a season that the church has understood as a primary season for evangelism. If we have the privilege of enjoying membership in God’s family because of His overwhelming Love, so then, we ought to be compelled by this same love, to invite others to share it. In fact, Paul would also write that God’s grace has been made known to us for the dual purpose of drawing us to His Kingdom and sending us from the safety of His sanctuary so “that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in
Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with conBidence through our faith in him.”
KINGDOM TALK by Fr. Jerry Smith
Research has recently conQirmed that one of the motivational forces at work in contemporary church growth is the inherit need to belong. We long to know we are part of a larger family. Belonging to God and participating as an active member of His family is terriQic. But it can very easily lead to a comfort that might be equated with being a couch potato. No one has the drive to lay around on their couch all day, but because it is welcoming and warm, safe and secure, our furniture can easily
We are a people who have been called to be sent
Rector
exists, as one archbishop of Canterbury is reported to have said, precisely for those who do not yet belong! Interestingly, the Magi did not build permanent residence with the holy family once they had arrived at their destination. They stayed long enough to understand the value of the gift and then they went back and shared the message with others. This Epiphany I invite you to value the gift that God has given us in Christ and then be open to how He wants you to share this great gift with others. Only then, will His name be made known, His glory revealed. And both making his heart sing. Together we are called to share the Gospel
become more than it was intended. It can become so safe that we chose never to leave. As followers of Jesus, it is important that we know the security of God’s great love for us. But His love need not only be a place of security. It needs to be the motivation that drives us to be sharing God’s great Love with others. We are a people who have been called to be sent. The church
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The Work of Christmas begins at the Epiphany When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with the flocks, then the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal those broken in spirit, to feed the hungry, to release the oppressed, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among all peoples, to make a lile music with the heart… And to radiate the Light of Christ, every day, in every way, in all that we do and in all that we say. Then the work of Christmas begins.
Art submitted and edited by Nita Andrews.
The message of the Feast of Epiphany announces to all people, everywhere: Rise up in splendor…your light has come, The Glory of the Lord shines upon you! Let the work of Christmas begin... -- Howard Thurman, adapted
The Epiphany Blessing: May Almighty God who led the Wise Men by the shining of a star to find the Christ, the Light from Light, lead you also in your pilgrimage to find the Lord. Amen. May God, who sent the Holy Spirit to rest upon the Only- begotten at his baptism in the Jordan River, pour out that Spirit on you who have come to the waters of new birth. Amen. May God, by the power that turned water into wine at the wedding feast of Cana, transform your lives and make glad your hearts. Amen.
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Putting A Prayer to A Face SSG Christopher Keeler is the brother-in-law of vestry member, Denise Kemp.
Dear St. Bʼs,
your consistent prayers ment to thank you all for mo a e tak to like t jus I would ay. God has proven my family while I was aw d an lf se my for ern nc co and prior to embarking on ways that I did not expect in life my in ain ag t ye lf Himse usly during the most Having been there previo q. Ira to y rne jou nd co se this ch different experience. n say that this was a mu ca I r, wa the in d rio pe t violen the most difficult test I sier, but it was probably ea be to it nk thi uld wo Some gles were not as much in up to this point. The strug life s thi in gh ou thr en be have appointment and rfare as they were in dis wa l ca ysi to ph t ec dir of lm the rea t it takes double the effort anged so much there tha ch ve ted ha s uc nd ing co Th . ly on us ati vio frustr that was pre (in most cases the work me do a quarter of the work t now). Draw down beca uc nd co impossible to en ev or lt my ficu dif for d ibly lea red c is inc s the logisti ich is no simple task. I wa the primary objective, wh r base compound to a ou g vin mo closing and for ible ns ar po res s wa d an team s wasnʼt even on the rad ay. Prior to deploying thi aw les mi 0 10 y t. arl en ne ym on plo locati gh the de ssion about halfway throu but became our teamʼs mi of the trip. The lesson of throughout the duration ed ain str y His rel ve se s wa e Moral God and do the work for ply never give up. Trust sim to s wa er t en oth d ym an plo s de urʼ this I believe yo ly motivation remaining. sake, though it be the on lped me to stand in those he d an keep me going d lpe he rs ye pra ʼ es on loved to quit the most. moments when I wanted at for Christ. No matter wh r you set out to do, do it ve ate kes Wh . sta up mi e at giv r wh r ve Ne . No matte shoulders, never give up ur yo t on jus rry u ca yo u if r yo t tte igh be we would be agree with the lie that it r ve ne m, ns fro tia ling ris Ch ree e as youʼr weʼve failed times we feel as though e the “sat this one out”. Often r neighborhood or becaus ou in le study group Bib a ve ha we t nʼt tha do se we tho e or us t beca me to Chris en praying for doesnʼt co be ʼve r we ou h er wit mb ive me str ily fam s. We can find their way to the Cros t witness to never seem to believe that God is distan n ca We . want to give up t jus we st t ate tha gre ch the mu so flesh times like we once did, but some because we donʼt feel Him rld wo the all n who in spite of witness is in that Christia a step d appears to have taken Go en falling on him and wh r the Fa the d does the will of back, doesnʼt give up an regardless. Respectfully, SSG Christopher Keeler
Emily, Christopher, Bethany and Julia
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Translating Epiphany: The Grand Completion of Christmas he reason I do youth ministry is due in no small part to a woman named Laura Lipscomb. Laura was my youth minister for two years, but when she took the job at the church where I grew up I had already decided I wasn’t interested in Jesus. As a sixteen year old I was convinced that my Episcopal Church was not only hypocritical and judgmental (those are easy stones to throw) but also incomprehensible. I did not understand it. Life with God seemed like an extraneous extra for people who were already so inclined and not something vital to human existence. Laura changed all that.
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Laura’s time spent with me in conversation coupled with the youth community she crafted did something powerful. They translated the Gospel into a language I could understand and as a result I was compelled to take my own faith risk. Shortly after this “conversion” I remember distinctly thinking, “I want to be to another teen, the kind of person Laura was to me.” The problem all along had not been with the Gospel. The problem had been that the language and symbols used to express that Gospel, while perfectly natural to some, were unnatural to me. Laura had acted as an interpreter and as such I got the message.
A MISSIONAL LIFE by Fr. Dixon Kinser Assistant Rector for Youth & Young Adult Formation
Epiphany is the season of the The problem all along had Christian year when not been with the Gospel. we celebrate the The problem had been that arrival of the Magi to worship the Christ the language and symbols child. The word used to express that Gospel, epiphany means while perfectly natural to “manifestation” and the season bears this some, were unnatural to me. name because it remembers when God’s glory was is to embrace our vocation as made manifest to the rulers of Jesus translators. Like Laura, let foreign lands. The kings represent all the nations outside us not assume that everyone around us speaks the same of Israel and their worship of language but instead Qind points Jesus is a powerful picture that of connection so we can the Gospel is for all the peoples interpret God’s very good news of the world. to any and everyone. May we However, Epiphany’s invitation consider how our church body does not end here but only can live, share money, serve, begins. We have to do more than listen, seek justice and forgive in just recognize God’s Glory ways that translate God’s manifest in Jesus. We must also healing of all things to a broken make that glory manifest to the world. May we consider how world with our lives. This has our personal and family lives always been the purpose of already decipher God’s glory; Immanuel because there is no reinforce where our translations Christmas without Epiphany work and reevaluate where they and no Epiphany without don’t. Finally, remember that Christmas. Epiphany is not an just as Epiphany is a season of epilogue to the Christmas story, hope, light and joy, good but actually it’s grand translations of the Gospel will completion. always produce the same. All this brings me back to Laura. Perhaps our call this Epiphany
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Peace to you as live out this season of light. The Branch - Epiphany 2011 - Page 6
The Greatest Story Ever Told in Pictures. THE CHRISTMAS PAGEANT by Carla Schober Director of Family & Children’s Formation
Photos by Pam White
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Advent at St. B’s.
Photos by Marjie Smith
75 St. B's ber 6 at the Pichert house. Over cem De on rty Pa t ven Ad l nua to An ECW ase contact
[email protected] Ple p. shi ow fell and fun d, foo women shared oming activities. be added to the mailing list of upc
St B’s Family Christmas
rne, Pictured above: Julia Caruthers Tho a, Rhe tt Ma er, Lau Tim Charlie Lowell, on. Dix Fr , son Ma e Dennis Holt, Stev t: Pictured clockwise from top righ id Dav n, rnto Tho boy Katherine Bom deira, Ma id Dav k, dze Wir y Thornton, Am Cole, Marjie Smith, Jim Pitchert, Justin Sophia Lauer. Please recycle. The Branch can also be read online at www.stbs.net
Photos by Jon Zadick
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A New Year with OneFocus Street that is owned by married Vandy professors. by Marjie Smith It is referred to as
[email protected] the presiden@al palace, since Michael is found my mousing finger president of our small once again flying to bring up neighborhood associa@on. They the electronic calendar so I could live in one of the homes within our see what we had signed up for. It historic overlay that has been maintained as authen@cally as was one of the busiest weekends possible to its original look, as of the year and by happenstance opposed to our house, which was we had three supper clubs, three refurbished before the overlay and nights in a row. How does one get departed from authen@city on into three supper clubs to begin occasion. We had brought our next with?
ONE
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Well, there is the legit way, where you sign up and you are assigned one; then there is the supper club for supper club leaders, which has met a couple of @mes. And then we formed, along with Miss Allison from the bookstore, a supper club for newcomers who hadn’t had @me to sign up. And there we were with all of them strung out like marshmallows on a S’more and us geEng ready to do that @me-‐lapse photography thing where each night we would do a similar scurry out the door with something different under our arms. The three nights of feas@ng had been preceded by our own Historic East Nashville annual potluck, a supper club of sorts. So, in reality, we had four consecu@ve dinner clubs, and now, the hips to match. And so we found ourselves, on the Thursday night, munching at a beau@ful historic houses on Holly
Note: Marjie has changed the name of her column for this year from “Ruminations” to “One.” This year she wants to focus on one moment in time: one hour, one day or one short period to better look at life in the Body of Christ and its many evolutions.
door neighbors with us to the potluck and their one-‐year-‐old, Eloise – shhhh; she’s listed as my granddaughter on my zoo pass – was as keen as I to explore the place. Her newly-‐discovered precision legs could not keep s@ll as she toured the lower quarter of the walls. Her view will enlarge over @me and I hope she never loses her inves@ga@ve tendencies.
On night two of the marathon, we drove up the steep incline to where the Villager home is nestled for an evening of appe@zers with the other supper club leaders. It was like a grand reunion as we hailed folks with whom we’d been in various supper clubs over the years. I’m not sure why people fear joining these ea@ng extravaganzas. The worst that can happen is you eat something that drives you to your Epi-‐pen. I never @re of going to the Villagers. There is always something going on there. Being the first to arrive, we were told that Tim was s@ll missing because he was pain@ng something under the house and she feared saying anything to him in case it was her Christmas giU. Now, “under the house,” is a place I have never been at the Villager establishment, but any @me something has been needed over the past six years, be it pain@ng tools or an old fan, Tim has been able to procure it from “under the house.” It sounds like a magical place akin to Santa’s workshop. Inside the house is some incredibly interes@ng art, including Nyla’s winsome collec@on of giraffes in all sizes and crea@ve modes. Their walls also sport an amazing succession of textured pieces by an ar@st whose name I cannot recall. On supper club night three, we headed in the opposite direc@on to the River Planta@on area where so many people were flooded in the Continued on next page
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One (continued from page 9) spring. Fortunately, Bonnie Bashor wasn’t one of them, so with her two li[le hounds welcoming us with voices that belied their @ny size, we arrived to try out Bonnie’s Italian fare. Smart lady that she is, she opted to provide us with a couple of different pastas and sauces. We provided the side dishes. We were divided into two groups and I’m not sure what the people in the dining room did, but Kris@n Searfoss, Anna Kammerer and I spent a good deal of the @me telling stories and mastered rather well the art of laughing and swallowing at the same @me. Supper club four was intertwined with the St. Bartholomew’s Family Christmas, one of my favorite evenings of the year. Allison had arranged for the supper club to sit
together in the loU to listen to the musical talent at St. B’s and go back to her place aUer to eat desserts and nibblies. I was unable to sit with them, since I was helping out, but I can promise you that Allison always out does herself. The thing I love about Allison’s house is that there is always a Christmas tree up whether it is Christmas or not. What a smart woman. We haul ours out, unfold the branches, and swear that this is the year we’re going to get a replacement for the 20-‐year-‐old thing with the branches falling off. But we don’t, and we back the side of the tree that’s missing a branch into the corner and it anchors our decora@ons for another year. Perhaps, if we had leU it up,
like Allison, it would never have lost its branches. And so it was, we took one series of evenings in the busy Christmas season and enjoyed the warmth of the homes of people we know and love. Supper club is one of the finest inven@ons for keeping people in a larger congrega@on cycling through each other’s lives, homes and prayers. And there is no place like the south for good food!
The Ordination of Jason Ingalls
acred Order of Priests on Jason Ingalls was ordained to the S e: with the Rev Tim Jones, January 8th, 2011. Pictured abov Jerry. Right Corner: with Bishop John Bauerschmidt and Fr s on Jason. clergy from the Diocese laying hand Photos by Anna Howard, Daily Ikon
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Instructed Eucharist: Why We Do What We Do? any have asked for a copy of the instructed Eucharists conducted last year. The text of the instruc@on is too long for one column in The Branch, and so it will be spread across several issues. The third in the series of instructed Eucharists and the first in 2011 will be offered on Sunday, January 30.
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There are six components to every liturgy:
The service of Holy Eucharist is divided into two parts. The first is known as the “Liturgy of the Word,” and the second as the “Liturgy of the Sacrament.” The word liturgy means the work of the people. In the Liturgy of the Word we gather in the Lord’s name, proclaim and respond to the Word of God, and pray for the world and the church. We do this, not as spectators watching performers, but as the people of God ac@ng together, each
1. Preparing to hear the Word 2. Hearing the Word 3. Responding to the Word 4. Preparing for the Sacrament 5. Receiving the Sacrament (communion, bapAsm, matrimony, etc.) 6. Responding to the Sacrament You will find these six elements in every service. Typically, when Episcopalians gather for public worship on a Sunday, we have a service of Communion, or Holy Eucharist. We do this because this is the way Chris@ans have worshiped since the earliest days of the Church. When Jesus ins@tuted the first Eucharist at the Last Supper, he commanded all of his followers to con@nue the prac@ce. It is the clearest, strongest way we know to tell the story of Jesus’ death and resurrec@on, and to maintain our bond with him and with one another.
with our appointed part to play. Several things have happened prior to our gathering in the Lord’s name. The Altar Guild has prepared the altar. In addi@on to the special tablecloths on the altar, other decora@ons, or hangings, are placed on the lectern and the pulpit. Some@mes there are banners. No@ce that the colors change with the church calendar, and match the vestments worn by the clergy.
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WALK THIS WAY by Beverly Mahan Verger
Flowers have been arranged. The acolytes lit the candles behind and on the altar. The candles remind us that Christ is the light of the world coming into our lives. The altar candle on the Gospel side is lighted last and ex@nguished first, adhering to an ancient church custom that the Gospel never stands alone. The two candles@cks carried by the acolytes symbolize that our Lord is both human and divine; both perfect Man and perfect God. As for our own prepara@on, we are encouraged to enter the sanctuary before the service starts and spend a few moments clearing our minds and opening our hearts to receive the Word and Sacraments. And we restrict our coming and going during the reading of scripture and during the consecra@on of the bread and wine because God has promised to make Himself present with us in the Word and Sacraments. We don’t want to miss Him, and we don’t want to distract others from encountering God in this very room.
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A Call For Vestry Nominations Our church vestry is an elected
body, or board, that administers the temporal affairs of the church, that is, it adopts the church’s budget and authorizes all expenditures for the mission of the church and maintenance of the church property and buildings. The vestry is comprised of 12 members elected from the congrega@on, each serving three years. For the sake of con@nuity, terms of service are staggered with four members elected each year. St. Bartholomew’s Annual Mee0ng is set for Sunday, March 6, 2011. Part of that agenda will be to elect four new members to the Vestry to replace those four vestry members rota@ng off. Nomina@ons for elec@on to the vestry come from members of the congrega@on. A “member” is defined as someone “confirmed in the church” and “duly registered at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church.” Every member is asked to consider service on the
vestry as part of one’s Chris@an journey as well as consider those other members of the congrega@on to recommend for nomina@on and elec@on. Our Junior Warden, Dorman (Butch) Burtch will be responsible for collec0ng nomina0ons. We ask that you contact Butch with nomina@ons some @me during January, but not later than February 6 so that each nominee can be contacted to agree to serve if elected. Send nomina@ons to
[email protected] or directly to his cell-‐phone, 390.4808. Keep in mind that elec@on to the vestry is done by cas@ng lots at the annual mee@ng. Each nominee will draw a number unknown to the congrega@on, and those present will vote for four numbers. Those four numbers receiving the highest number of votes are elected. If you have any ques@ons, please contact the Junior Warden
St. Bartholomew’s Annual Parish Meeting Sunday, March 6th, 5:30pm.
EVENTS
... p U g n Comi The annual CONVENTION of the EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF TENNESSEE will take place at St. B’s Friday and Saturday, January 21 – 22, 2011. The staff and vestry ask for you to please continue to pray for the annual convention. Please pray for the final details to be compelted in the coming weeks; the clergy and the delegates; the work to be done and the decisions to be made; and the continued healing of our Diocese, the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.
Please Pray. God is Near. O God, you have made of one blood a" the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek a%er you and find you, bring the nations under your fold, pour out your Spirit upon a" flesh, and hasten the coming of your Kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever Amen.
Please Save the Date for this church wide family affair.
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Epiphany The Gift of our Story
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few months ago I led a conversa@on on the infamous “Prodigal Son” story. I came across a commentary that asked me to consider the role of the Prodigal in that story. He suggested renaming the story “ The Man with Two Sons.” What if the story wasn’t so much about the redemp@ve story of a rebellious son but instead about a graceful father? What if the perspec@ve of this story isn’t about the love that we get from Jesus no ma[er what? What if this story is about an uncondi@onal love for people in spite of their ability to hurt us? This is striking me because I just watched the film, “Into The Wild,” for the second @me. I saw it three or four years ago when I was in college and certainly accessed the film through the eyes of the main character, Christopher McCandless, who went “into the wild.” But from this perspec@ve the film is an u[er tragedy. This movie is a true story about a recent college graduate, who travels all around the country looking for happiness, running away from his demons, and looking to fill the emp@ness his broken family leU. During his journey he runs into a handful of broken people, who reach out to him and offer him their love. But he keeps pushing them all away, headed for some roman@cized wilderness, to a place of
solidarity, where he finally realizes all he ever wanted was love. And then, (spoiler alert) he dies! Perhaps, him dying with a smile on his face, his story he leU behind, and the people’s lives he touched along the way, can be sen@mental pieces, but s@ll in the end, the poor kid just dies. But what if this story isn’t about him. At the beginning of the credits at the end of the movie, Sean Penn, the film maker,
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. from the Gospel of john Chapter 8, Vs 32
personally thanks the family for “courageously” telling their story. Juxtapose this with Prodigal’s son story, it got me thinking. What if this story isn’t about a kid who went to Alaska, but this story is about a family who finds redemp@on and hope aUer his death. I was thinking about how ugly their story was: A dad with his secret family from a different marriage; And a mother, her alcoholism and the abuse of her children. Two parents, @relessly working to keep up their image in the community. And to that end let us not forget the worst part: it was their dysfunc@on and violence that led their son to
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by Steven Lefebvre Assistant Director of Youth & College Formation
choose the Alaskan wilderness where he perished. What if this story was about them? What if the message of “Into The Wild” isn’t about going on some great adventure to go find the Kingdom of God or love or some other Hollywood sen@mentality, but rather telling your story; telling your story with all the ugliness, all the shame, all the heartache and vulnerability. What if in doing so, there is space for healing, for wholeness, for redemp@on. Granted, we must hold in tension the tragedy of their lost son, but perhaps the goodness of this story is, simply put: that it was told. Because it wasn’t un@l this story was told that people were finally able to change their direc@on towards wholeness. This is the value of the Epiphany season. We must tell the story of our journey, honestly and authen@cally. If we make the claims that God is the truth, then we must tell God’s story and our experience of God with the utmost authen@city. Sharing the story of God, giving the world the giU of Christ incarnate, requires our authen@city because God is unfabricated. The Branch - Epiphany 2011 - Page 13
EVENTS
traffic e h t ut of reat o p e St a ret o t n i Step St. B’s Men’s Retreat Feb 4-5th, Dubose Conference Center, Monteagle, TN Cost depends on meals, lodging and duration.
Questions? Pricing? Email Sean Root,
[email protected].
g at h e r at s lt u d A g n u Yo me f o r a n t h e Sm it h h o t. Ad ve n t f e a s
Sean would love to get a head count so email him if you’re planning on going!
Silent Directed Retreats
Epiphany Gift (continued from page 13) So may you draw others to the one true God and not some fic@onal and @dy half-‐truth. May you be compelled to tell your story. May you be unafraid of shame and guilt. This journey can be messy at @mes but God ul@mately promises the salva@on of wholeness, freedom and peace to those that are willing.
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Jesus is longing for an ever-deepening relationship with us. Directed Silent Retreats and Quiet Days are opportunities to take time away from all the demands in our lives to be with Him, to grow in relationship with Him and to allow Him to give to us. If you are interested in coming away with Him this year, please contact Gail Pitt at 615-714-9311 or
[email protected]. Upcoming 2011 Retreat Dates: February 4-6 & 25-27 March 4-6 April 1-3 & 15-17 April 29- May 1 May 6-8 & 13-15 The Branch - Epiphany 2011 - Page 14
From Glory to Glory The title “From Glory to Glory” comes from Paul’s revelation into The title “From Glory to Glory” comes from Paul’s revelation into God’s eternal destiny for each of his children. “And we...are being God’s eternal destiny for each of his children. “And we...are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory.” transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory.”
Anniversaries Greg & Marilyn Droman Georgeanna & Ted Goldthorpe Dixon & Kristin Kinser Beth & Grant Lehman Charlie & Sonja Lowell Tom & Dana Sherrard Dave & Nancy West
Mr David Logan 1/18 1/1 1/2 1/8 1/3 1/8 1/20
Birthdays Dean Abernathy Mrs Kendra Allen Wilder Allen Aja Baldwin Donald Berschback Derek Brown Chad Burgess Ms Zena Carruthers Mrs Nancy Cason Joshua Daniel Anna Dinwiddie Mrs Allyson Edwards Mitchell Flynn Ross Goodman Mr Thomas Hall Mr Josh Hayden Ella Holmes Nick Ingham Mr Scott Kammerer Rev Dixon Kinser Mr Peter Lamothe Mrs Virginia Lamothe Mr Brian Langlinais
01/26 01/15 01/25 01/19 01/09 01/16 01/13 01/18 01/02 01/20 01/31 01/30 01/27 01/16 01/17 01/25 01/03 01/18 01/24 01/04 01/02 01/27 01/28
Ms Elinor Madeira Mrs Lindsey McRae Jonathan Miller Mr Deng Mourter Ms Darcy North Ms Sherry Paige Ava Lee Poindexter Olivia Rae Poindexter Robby Pullen Mr Bryan Rodgers Davis Simpson Aleksandra Stone Mrs Mary Stone Mrs Andrea Sullivan Elliot Swihart John Thornton Ms Melissa Trevathan Mr Lyon Tyler Mr Nathaniel Tylor Dr Jule West Ms Deborah Whiteside
01/20 01/26 01/09 01/30 01/01 01/10 01/17 01/22 01/05 01/18 01/27 01/19 01/13 01/11 01/19 01/17 01/16 01/01 01/03 01/28 01/16 01/05
Births Warren James Ramsey" " Parents: Marc and Jenny Ramsey
12/3
Townes Holwegner Clements" 12/17 Parents: George and Natalie Clements
Transfers In / Out Sally Chambers - Transfer In
For the Glory of God that shines through little ones For the Glory of God offered through those who tend to little ones. For the Glory of God, thanks be, for our Preschool and
Baptisms James Abrum Trone 12/19 parents: Misty and James Trone " Nathan Andrew Rainey 12/19 parents: Stephanie and Stanley Rainey Ison Peter Daniel Puckett parents: Susan and Joshua Puckett
Mother’s Day Out.
1/2
Conner Thomas Prichard parents: Kimberly and Christopher ( 1/9 ( Prichard" Christopher Prichard Kimberly Prichard
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1/9 1/9 The Branch - Epiphany 2011 - Page 15
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Jason and Monique Ingalls, with the Chambers Singers
o by Anna Howard, Daily Ikon Ordina@on to the Priesthood; Phot
The Branch - DecDecDec 2008 Page 16
