The Emmanuel Way


[PDF]The Emmanuel Way - Rackcdn.com3aeb93606db191aa6eb8-e18715aa5137102103abab6b7c06e410.r32.cf2.rackcdn.co...

0 downloads 139 Views 764KB Size

The Emmanuel Way

Exciting New Connections at Emmanuel

A monthly publication of Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Greenwood, Virginia April

2014

Vestry Elected Leadership The Emmanuel Vestry has elected Doug Connell as the Senior Warden and Joe Shinstock was elected as the Junior Warden for 2014 terms of office.

Doug Connell (center) caught in a discussion with John Savage (left) and the Rt. Rev. Shannon Johnston, bishop of Virginia.

A team at Emmanuel is exploring the idea of starting a community sharing program. The Emmanuel version, called “Emmanuel Connections,” will be expanded to include all parishioners. Everyone needs a little help at some time in their lives and a little help can make a big difference. Similarly, everyone has something to offer to help those around them. The goal is to match the two to complete the connection. A broad array of connections could be available from transportation, pastoral care, technical assistance, helping a family with a newborn, to assistance with shopping or simple home tasks. Emmanuel Connections would connect people needing some sort of help with volunteers willing to provide assistance. Many existing programs and ministries could all come together, supported by a common framework and supported with a common coordinator. A survey assessing the needs of parishioners of all ages and the number of potential volunteers is included in this issue of Emmanuel Way, as well as an on-line version on our website. Please take the time to help us by completing it. “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” Galatians 6:2

Faith and Females Event Set

Joe Shinstock is our new Junior Warden .

The Diocese of Virginia will host its first Faith and Females event for girls and women May 17 at St. James the Less, Ashland. We hope to have a gathering of high school and college aged students females and women of all ages, who will meet to discuss the intersection of women's ministries and faith. Please consider attending - or recommending a young woman who you think might be a good candidate! No cost to attend. Learn more and sign up

Rector’s Reflections

The Rev. Christopher M. Garcia Rector

“Rejoice now, heavenly hosts and choirs of angels!” So begins the Exsultet, the ancient, extraordinary hymn to the new Light that opens the Great Vigil of Easter. The Great Vigil is our first celebration of Easter Day, and it is the greatest liturgical celebration of the church year. Our Great Vigil begins at 8 p.m. on Saturday, 19 April. I hope you will join us as we journey from darkness to light, remember God’s love for us in our salvation history, renew the promises we made at baptism, and welcome the Easter festival. You won’t want to miss this unique and moving liturgy. As I write these words, we are in the middle of Lent. Today is sunny and promises to be warm, but just a few days ago we had six inches of snow on the ground – again! I think the weather is a good metaphor for the season of Lent, and indeed for the reality of our spiritual lives: we move forward, we fall back; things get better, and then we lose our focus on God. Yet God never ceases to reach out to us, to call us to new life. God’s promise is sure. Will we embrace it? Your Vestry gathered on Friday and Saturday, 14 and 15 March, for a planning retreat. We shared fellowship, took stock of what we are doing well, and asked ourselves what new ministries God might want of Emmanuel Church. We elected Doug Connell as Senior

2 Warden, Joe Schinstock as Junior Warden, Eugene Ferguson as Register, and reelected Sandy von Thelen as Treasurer. I thank all of them, and all of our Vestry, for their leadership and willingness to serve. We began the conversation about how we might make better use of Ledford House and the rest of our campus. You can expect this conversation to continue in the weeks and months ahead. What is God calling us to do? What vision of the future for Emmanuel will you support? Our Lenten journey at Emmanuel this year is rich and full. We share Eucharist on Wednesday mornings at 7:30 a.m., followed by a simple breakfast, warm fellowship, and a reflective Bible study. We gather on Thursday evenings at 6 p.m. to explore Lenten prayer through art (and again, with good food and fellowship). Many have taken advantage of our book tables, and new small groups have formed to discuss LoveLife, the daily on-line reflections offered by the Society of Saint John the Evangelist. If you have not sampled these fares, please do so. The more deeply you embrace the Lenten journey, the brighter and more meaningful you will find Easter. Plan on joining us for Holy Week services. Holy Week begins with the Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday, on 13 April. At both 9 and 11, we will process with palms (weather permitting) from the courtyard, around Marston-LaRue House, and into the church, where we will hear the Passion gospel. I am always struck from how quickly we move from “Hosanna!” to “Crucify him!” On Thursday, 17 April, the Triduum begins. In these Three Days, we enter into the passion, death, and burial of Jesus, embracing the reality of our loss even as we anticipate the celebration to come. On Maundy Thursday, 17 April, we gather at 7 p.m. to remember our Lord Jesus’ commandment to us, to love one another, and to remember that love in the sacrament of the Lord’s Table. The Maundy Thursday liturgy ends with one of the most devastatingly moving liturgical moments of the church year, as the church is stripped

The Emmanuel Way of ornament, recalling how our Lord was stripped for us on this night in preparation for the Cross. On that night, Jesus asked his disciples, “Could you not stay awake with me one hour?” (Matthew 26:40) From this plea comes the church’s tradition to pray with Jesus through this night. Will you take an hour’s shift so we can pray with Jesus from Thursday to Friday? The Triduum continues on Good Friday, 18 April. We gather this day at noon and at 7 p.m. to remember the Cross. This profoundly sad day is ultimately Good, because of the saving work that God accomplished in Jesus for us. At the foot of the Cross, we face our own emptiness and our need for a Savior. “How wonderful and beyond our knowing, O God, is your mercy and loving-kindness to us, that to redeem a slave, you gave a Son.” The somber darkness continues through Holy Saturday, to be pierced by new Light at the Great Vigil. I look forward to when we can sing, “Rejoice and sing now, all the round earth, bright with a glorious splendor, for darkness has been vanquished by our eternal King!” Yours in Christ,

April 2014 reviewed what we feel the Lord calls us to accomplish, how to recognize and encourage the wonderful personal gifts distributed throughout the congregation, and how best to tailor the best practices of our history with new needs of the burgeoning communities around us. The Congregational Survey of 2012 provided a jumping off place for this work, but I was especially impressed by the many new ideas that have come from the new members who have entered our Sanctuary since we published our Parish Profile and called a new clergy team. New people, new ideas and new opportunity create a powerful focus for our work this year: bringing more folks into the work and finding better ways to use the facilities that support all the In-reach and Out-reach activities that comprise our Emmanuel Way. Our Lenten reflections can help us all to find new ways to Love and to Serve. Thank you for your confidence, and for the prayers that will enable all that we do together.

Father Don’s Message

Our Senior Warden’s Report By Doug Connell Who Are We? Who Are Our Neighbors? What is God Calling Us to Do? It’s a pleasure to greet you as the new Senior Warden of this historic church. What a humbling experience to follow Delores Smith and so many other gifted members of our Emmanuel family in Striving to Live in Christ and Do His Work From This Place. The stirring power of the Holy Spirit was evident at our mid-March vestry retreat, where your new vestry 2

The Rev. Deacon Donald Cady

Dear Friends in Christ, Recently the Community of Deacons (formerly the vocational deacons) spent a Saturday in conversation and reflection with

3 Bishop Shannon. The subject for the day was Evangelism. One of the questions Bishop Shannon posed to us was, “do you fear Evangelism, if so, why?” As you might expect, much of the discussion on this question focused on today’s evangelical church and its political overtones. However, with the Bishop’s lead, we soon returned to the true substance that is Evangelism, the sharing and spreading the Good News that is Jesus. It is what the New Testament, the four Gospels, the Book of Acts and Paul’s letters are giving us—the “Good News.” Bishop Shannon asked about Evangelism in our lives this Lent. What are we doing differently this Lent to “expand the circle?” Secondly, he asked how could we as deacons, called to a servant ministry, share our faith, the good news of Evangelism, through our work and service we do in our churches and communities. In a recent homily I talked about several small ways I’m trying to share the “Good News” this Lent. As we approach the remaining weeks of Lent and move into Holy Week and the glory of Easter, let’s remind ourselves that we are all called to be deacons. We are all called to servant ministry. And then let us continue to reach out and find and serve those with whom we can share the “Good News.” Let us come to understand that Evangelism is seeing, Evangelism is doing. And by doing we are seeing Jesus. Faithfully, Don+

Christian Education News By Cathy Boyd Director of Christian Education As I said in my February newsletter article, I will report on the three workshops that I attended as part of the Forma (Episcopal formation community) Conference in January. The first was “Expanding the Circle: hybrid networks for inperson/at-home small group learning” presented by the Rev. Kyle Oliver. Kyle is the Digital Missioner and

The Emmanuel Way Learning Lab Coordinator at the Center for the Ministry of Teaching at VTS, and spoke about moving the church from more traditional models of teaching and learning to methods that use technology to help further the mission of the church in the 21st century. Kyle helped me see how technology can be used to reach parishioners whose busy lives prohibit their in-person attendance at church events, but may be able to watch a YouTube version of last Sunday’s adult forum or comment in an on-line discussion of a Bible reading. The second workshop I attended was the Episcopal Relief and Development’s “Asset-Based Community Development.” I have been curious for a while about ERD, so I was excited to see how they work. The presenters gave us two case studies for engaging in the AssetBased Community Development (ABCD) process. The first case was about disaster risk reduction for a community in the Philippines. The second was for a fictional parish in the USA that could very well be just down the road. For both cases, the ABCD process takes the very positive strategy of mining the assets that already exist in a place, and developing them further to serve the common good of an organization and community. I could really see this process being used to plan programs, especially youth programs, at Emmanuel. Is there a better way to start something than recognizing the value of what already exists and building on that? The third workshop that I attended was “Creating and Facilitating Mission and Pilgrimage Experiences.” Three women who have extensive experience promoting, planning, and executing powerful mission and pilgrimage experiences made a presentation. They also introduced us to their service and website, Inspiring Mission, which specializes in developing and supporting unique and meaningful mission and pilgrimage experiences for Episcopal churches. Although they talked about missions to far-away places, they also emphasized that mission in near-by places can also transform and deepen awareness. With 3

April 2014 such a rich history of supporting missions, and our proximity to the Blue Ridge Mountains, Emmanuel seems a ripe setting for some kind of local mission & pilgrimage program. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to attend this conference. Forming faith is an exciting, epic adventure!

Disciples Kitchen By Amanda Poor Planning ahead, we are scheduled to serve breakfast on these Saturdays; May 17, July 19, September 20 and November 15. We are scheduled to serve lunch on these Mondays: February 17, April 21, June 16, August 18, October 20, and December 15. Children aged 10 and older are welcome to come and help. Recipes for the Saturday casserole and Monday chili are on the Disciples Kitchen page of the Emmanuel website.

Our March 21st F.I.R.E. was postponed. We will resume on Friday, May 16th. We look forward to seeing you then! Please join us on Friday, May 16th from 6pm-8pm for our Family Centered Intergenerational Religious Education program. We will study the Mess-Ups and Make-Ups of the Judges in fun, interactive ways. Let us know you are coming and what you will bring via SignUp Genius here.

Greenwood Grapevine Matthew Capshaw received the Sportsmanship Award for 9th Grade Basketball at the Winter Sports Banquet at Western Albemarle High School on March 10, 2014. Richard Nicholas advised that Sarah Katherine Nicholas, granddaughter of Richard and Linda

4 Nicholas, was confirmed in St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas on March 9 by the retired Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Rev. and Rt. Honorable Dr. George L. Carey. Anne and Donovan Dagner offered this reminder: Mark your calendars! Our popular annual Parish Weekend at Shrine Mont will be August 29-31st! Watch for registration details after Easter and make plans to be there!

The Emmanuel Way neighborhood that’s safe, where everyone knows each other and the kids can have play dates and birthday parties. Before I found Habitat, high rent and bad credit didn’t allow me to live in a lot of places. Now, all the sweat equity and work on my credit is paying off. Thanks to all the donors and volunteers, I’m dreaming of decorating my house. But it’s not just that—I’m dreaming about being able to leave a legacy—something for my son to build on when he gets older. -Angel Turner, Habitat Partner Family

New Registrar Named The Vestry has appointed Eugene Ferguson as the registrar to fill this position following the resignation of Julia Shields after more than 30 years of service in this capacity.

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]

Habitat for Humanity

This month’s Emmanuel Way begins a series featuring the work of our mission partners such as Habitat for Humanity. My son, Zachariah, is the light of my life. It seems like he grows every five minutes! He’s a sweetheart and very smart and I plan on giving him a bright future. Having our own Habitat home means stability, a blessing of a

Habitat Partner Family, Angel Turner and son Zachariah. Our Mission : Our primary mission is to build homes in partnership with low-income families, volunteers and the communities of Greater Charlottesville and is grounded in the conviction that housing is more than a roof over one’s head. Housing is transformative: with a safe, decent and affordable home and a stable community, families can provide security for their children; their sense of dignity and pride grow; their health, physical safety, and emotional security improve; and their educational and job prospects increase. Our Model : Habitat does not give away houses, but instead offers Partner Families the opportunity to earn “sweat equity” building their homes and those of their neighbors. Utilizing volunteer labor and donations, Habitat is able to sell homes to Partner Families at no profit with a zero interest mortgage. In turn, Partner Family mortgage payments feed the Fund for Humanity, allowing us to build even more homes. Get connected: For nearly two decades, Habitat has been consistently blessed by generous support from Emmanuel Episcopal Church at Greenwood. In fact, Emmanuel has 4

April 2014 been a leader among other area Episcopal churches of “Region XV” that have pooled volunteers and resources to aid Habitat in providing a hand up to our neighbors in need through more than a dozen home/family sponsorships. Volunteer – Members of the congregation ages 16+ are invited to join other local Episcopalians for a fun day of work and fellowship on the construction site. No experience necessary! Upcoming “Region XV” build days are: 4/5, 5/3, 7/12. Habitat also offers family-friendly activities and seeks a variety of nonconstruction volunteers including Partner Family Advocates (requiring just 1-2 flexible hours per month), office receptionists, meal providers, photographers and children’s activity leaders. Contact Volunteer Manager, Rachel Nelson, to sign up or for more details: [email protected] // (434) 293-9066 Donate – If you support Habitat individually, you can allocate your gift to the “Region XV Episcopal Churches” sponsorship simply by adding this to the memo line of your check or the special instructions field of the webpage: www.cvillehabitat.org/donate-now.

A 47-unit of mixed-income neighborhood on Elliott Avenue will replace a former municipal dump. Ground breaking is expected in the summer of 2014.

Last year, Habitat, completed the Sunrise neighborhood—the first trailer park in the country to be redeveloped without displacing residents.

5

The Emmanuel Way

April 2014

Emmanuel Connections An outreach program to help members of Emmanuel live well in their homes and communities. To all members of the Emmanuel community sixteen years and older: In recent months, a church team has been gathering information to create a plan for “Emmanuel Connections,” a network through which our members can give assistance to and receive assistance from one another. This outreach program, supported by a coordinator and volunteers, is in the very early stages. We need your help in identifying what services are needed and the level of volunteer support. Current ministry groups; such as, Disciples’ Kitchen, Altar Guild, Women’s Bible Study, etc. will continue and become a part of this project. This survey is for informational purposes only. You will not be obligated to give or receive services. We ask that you respond by April 15, 2014. An online survey will also be available at the church website. Question 1: Needs/Interests Please check the column to identify services or programs that you need OR that someone in your family needs. This is not an obligation but only for information purposes. Examples are included but needs would be suited to individuals. Volunteering: Check the column if you would be willing or able to assist in a certain area. You are not obligated to any service at this time.

Need or Interest

Needed

Assistance with financial tasks (balancing checkbook, paying bills, tax preparation, guidance) Transportation (drive to appointments or errands, pick up) Home maintenance (household repairs, cleaning, de-cluttering, trash removal) Outdoor help (lawn care, snow removal, gardening) Household assistance (laundry, meal preparation, shopping for groceries) Technical help with computers, TV, or phones Pet care (emergency walking or feeding pets) Assistance with health needs (home safety, filing insurance claims, health care options, wellness programs) Pastoral care (home communion, memorial planning, phone check ins, priest visits)

5

I could volunteer

The Emmanuel Way

6

April 2014

Question 2. Comments and Suggestions Please suggest other professional or personal skills you may be interested in sharing as a volunteer or name other needs of parish members that were not included here. Question 3. Events and Activities Would you be willing to assist with social and/or educational activities at Emmanuel? (pancake breakfast, community monthly lunches/dinners, luncheon speaker series, yoga classes, craft classes, school service projects) ‫ ܆‬Yes ‫ ܆‬No ‫ ܆‬Maybe

Contact method Name: ____________________________________________________________ Email:____________________________________________________________ Phone:____________________________________________________________ USPS:____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Thank you for helping us build Emmanuel Connections! Please return paper surveys to boxes in church/parish hall or return email by April 15, 2014. Emmanuel Episcopal Church P.O. Box 38 Greenwood, VA 22943 540-456-6334 [email protected] www.emmanuelgreenwood.org

May we live in Christ and seek to do His work from this place.

6

The Emmanuel Way

7

April 2014

Christian Formation: Life-Long and Life-Wide By the Rev. Stacy Williams-Duncan As Episcopalians, we believe that words matter. One of the historical, theological, and liturgical foundations of our tradition is that, “our praying shapes our believing”. This is also true in how we talk about the education programs offered by our parish. The most effective and transformative parish-based programs are formative, inclusive, and intergenerational. Some of you may think the terms Christian Education and Christian Formation are completely interchangeable. While they can be used that way, there is a more subtle distinction that is important to understand. As a Christian community, our parish (hopefully) offers people the opportunity to grow as a disciple of Christ and deepen their faith life. This is about providing opportunities for people to be formed as Christians. It is possible to be educated in a subject that doesn’t interest you in the least. It is not possible to engage in formation without having your mind, soul, and heart changed and expanded. Using the term “Christian Formation” is an intentional choice. We are about forming and growing Christians of all ages. In some Episcopal Churches, Christian Formation is limited to a poorly attended Sunday School for children, confirmation classes every couple of years for Junior high kids, and an inconsistent Sunday morning forum for adults. If the goal of Christian Formation is to support people as they deepen their Christian walk, we have to provide opportunities for people of all ages. It is not enough to reinvigorate Sunday school, Confirmation, and Forums. We must also think outside the box about how provide formation opportunities for working parents, busy high school students, parishioners who spend their days in Charlottesville, and those who live in Nelson County. We must invest energy into adult and intergenerational programs, as well as ask ourselves what our children need from their church that they can’t get anywhere else. Having opportunities that support people at each stage in their Christian walk is what life-long formation is about. Besides being there for people through the years, transformative Christian Formation programs integrate aspects of life that take place outside of the church community. Our Baptismal theology teaches us that all we each do, lay or ordained, is about living out our ministries in the world. Our work, hobbies, volunteer activities, and what we do for recreation are opportunities to use our God-given gifts, celebrate the abundance of creation, or work for peace and justice. By concretely addressing the life events that are important to our members – starting school, getting a driver’s license, a promotion at work, retirement, birth of a grandchild, etc. – we make the connections between Sunday morning and the rest of the week more explicit. This life-wide approach also allows gives us opportunities to demonstrate God’s presence in all aspect of our lives. Fr. Christopher, Cathy, and I are committed to working with the Emmanuel community to develop life-long and life-wide Christian Formation programs that will meet your needs and help you grow in your faith. To do that, we need your help. If you are interested in hearing more about these ideas and helping chart the course of next year’s programs for children, youth, and adults, please plan to join us on May 17.

Christian Formation Planning Day Saturday, May 17 9:00 am – 12:00 pm In the Parish Hall Faithfully,

The Emmanuel Way April

First Class Mail

2014

7

Sun

April 2014

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sunday Schedule 9 am HE II & 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 0 Women’s Bible Study Special Events Wednesday mornings in Lent: Eucharist at 7:30 am followed by breakfast and Bible Study, April 2 & 9 Thursday Evening Lenten Series: Potluck at 6, followed by a program and Compline Spring Work Day, Saturday, April 12, 8-noon Holy Week Palm Sunday, April 12. services at 9 & 11 Maundy Thursday, April 17, potluck at 6 pm, Service at 7 pm followed by Stripping of the Altar Good Friday, April 18, Liturgy at noon & 7 pm Easter Saturday , April 19, Great Vigil of Easter at 8 pm Easter Sunday, April 20, Services at 9 & 11 am, Easter Egg Hunt at 10 am 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.

6 See Sunday Schedule

7 AA Meeting, 8 pm, PH

1 Staff Meeting, 10 am

2 Lenten Morning Worship, 7:30 am

3

8 Staff Meeting 10 am

9 Lenten Morning Worship, 7:30 am Bread Fund Packing, 10 am, HC Choir Rehearsal, 7 pm

10 Women’s Bible

Thursday Evening Lenten Series, 6 pm

Study, 10:30 am, MLR Parlor

4 AA Meeting, 8 PM, PH

5 Bread Fund Distribution, 8 am, Holy Cross Altar Guild Meeting, 11 am

11 AA Meeting, 8 PM, PH

12 Spring Work Day, 8am—noon

18 Good Friday Liturgy at noon & 7 pm

19 Great Vigil of Easter, 8 pm

Contemplative Prayer, 5:30 pm, church

13 Palm Sunday See Sunday Schedule

20 Easter Sunday See Sunday Schedule Easter Egg Hunt, 10 am

Newsletter deadline 27 See Sunday Schedule

Legacy Hospice Memorial Service, 2 pm

14 AA Meeting, 8 pm, PH

21 Disciples Kitchen Lunch, 10 am, 2nd Pres. Church, Waynesboro AA Meeting, 8 pm, PH 28 AA Meeting, 8 pm, PH

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

16 Choir Rehearsal, 7 pm Contemplative Prayer, 5:30 pm, church

17 Maundy Thursday, Service at 7 pm Potluck at 6 pm

22 Staff Meeting 10 am

23

24 Women’s Bible Study, 10:30 am, MLR Parlor Contemplative Prayer, 5:30 pm, church

Mountainside Tea Party, 3 pm

29 Staff Meeting 10 am Mountainside Tea Party , 3 pm

30 Choir Rehearsal, 7 pm

AA Meeting, 8 PM, MLR

25 AA Meeting, 8 PM, PH

26