The Emmanuel Way A monthly publication of Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Greenwood, Virginia September 2014
The Rt. Rev. Edwin F. Gulick, Jr. and our rector, the Rev. Christopher Garcia greet parishioners following a service of Holy Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist during the bishop’s visitation on Sunday, September 28.
Bishop Gulick’s visit to Emmanuel Church drew a near capacity attendance Bishop Ted Gulick visited Emmanuel Church on September 28 to preside over the service of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist. Sophia Anne Bowles was baptized and Elizabeth Lynch was confirmed during the 10 a.m. service. A reception followed the service in the courtyard in honor of the bishop’s visit and in recognition of the candidates for baptism and confirmation.
Rector’s Reflections
The Rev. Christopher M. Garcia Rector
Beloved in Christ Jesus,
This column marks the end of my first year at Emmanuel Church. Thank you for the gracious, generous, and loving welcome you have given to me and my family. Every day that I drive on to our beautiful grounds I give thanks for this call and for this parish family. It has been a wonderful, powerful first year as your Rector, and God willing, I look forward to many more. You will read in the Rev. Deacon Don Cady’s column of Don’s decision to accept a call to Grace Church, Keswick. I have relied heavily on Don, and I will miss him dearly. His departure will leave a big hole in our staff. Don’s last Sunday with us at Emmanuel Church will be 26 October. Don will begin his ministry at Grace Church on All Saints’ Sunday, 2 November. Don and Deede have been part of our Emmanuel family since 2011.
2 Don began as a deacon-intern in formation. In February 2012 Don was ordained as a deacon, and Bishop Johnston assigned Don to serve here at Emmanuel. Don has assisted on Sundays and with specific outreach and pastoral care ministries. Like all vocational deacons in our diocese, Don receives no pay. He serves our local church for a limited number of hours each week, and also serves a wider ministry directed by our bishop – in Don’s case, coordinating our diocesan outreach to veterans, an important and wide ranging ministry. We will miss Don and Deede. I owe a special debt of gratitude to Don for his friendship, unfailing support, wise counsel, and steady service throughout the past year. My transition in as your new rector could not have been nearly as smooth or successful without Don’s loyal and cheerful assistance. Don and Deede go with our love and best wishes. Don’s departure raises the questions that many of you have asked me during this past year: when will we call an Associate Rector? From 2005 to 2012, Emmanuel had two fulltime priests on our staff. In 2005, Emmanuel called its first associate rector, the Rev. Sarah Kinney Gaventa, who served with us until 2009. From 2009 to 2012, the Rev. Peter Carey served as Emmanuel’s second associate rector. Since Peter’s departure in June 2012, we have had one full-time priest. In March of this year, we called the Rev. Stacy Williams-Duncan as our part-time priest associate. We pay Stacy for ten hours’ work each week. Stacy assists with Sunday worship and Christian formation, and is also a full-time doctoral student at the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education. After completing her doctorate, Stacy plans to serve the larger Church by training seminary faculty members in research-based practices of teaching and learning. With these transitions in mind, we need to think about calling a fulltime associate rector. Having a fulltime associate will support all areas of parish ministry. There are many needs in pastoral care, in outreach, and in Christian formation that a single priest simply cannot meet. Having a second
The Emmanuel Way priest who serves full time will permit more hospital calls; more home visits; more clergy teaching in support of both our children’s, youth group, and adult formation programs; more clergy-led Bible studies; more seasonal program offerings; and more support to our many volunteer ministries and outreach mission partners. One rough rule of thumb is that one priest can meet the pastoral needs of a congregation with an average Sunday attendance of about 100 members. Our Sunday attendance averages 180 people, and it is growing. From 2005 to 2012, Emmanuel provided a vital function to the wider Church by helping to form new clergy, when you loved and supported Sarah and Peter early in their priesthoods. Perhaps 2015 is the time to think about doing so once again. In a few days you will receive our annual stewardship mailing. As each of us fills out our own pledge card, God uses us together to plan and budget for God’s work at Emmanuel Church for 2015. We use what God has given us to provide pastoral care, worship experiences, and education for our children. We use what God has given us to provide classrooms and worship spaces and gathering rooms for outreach programs. God has used us to do great things this year at Emmanuel – we had a tremendously successful Vacation Bible School, reaching out to our own members, to neighbors and to nonmembers families.. We renovated and repurposed Ledford House, largely through volunteer effort and donations, making ready more space for classes, meetings, and outreach ministries. We honor the long-time wishes of those who came before us and set up our Endowment Fund by giving away our endowment income each year: in 2014, we gave $111,500 to support the ministries of twenty mission partners. Week in and week out, we offer prayer and praise to God at Sunday worship services. We reach out to newcomers and long-term parishioners alike, offering pastoral care, fellowship, and support, making the love of Christ present and real. How will you use your gifts in 2015? 2
October, 2014 How will you be part of what God is doing here at Emmanuel? Day by day I give thanks to God for the gift that is Emmanuel Church. You are the Body of Christ here, proclaiming the Good News to family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Thanks be to God.
Lined up prior to the service are the Rev. Christopher Garcia, our rector; the Rt. Rev. Edwin F. Gulick Jr, bishop; and the Rev. Deacon Donald Cady.
Rev. Stacy’s Message
The Rev. Stacy Williams-Duncan One of the commitments we make in the Baptismal Covenant is to “continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers”. Helping you do this is the mission and ministry
3 of the Adult Formation Team. All the groups we offer and classes we coordinate are designed to support your Christian journey. If you are someone who is curious about the Bible and would like to get to know a small group of people well, please consider joining one of the Bible Study groups. The longstanding Thursday Morning Women’s Bible Study meets twice a month at Emmanuel. We also have two new Bible Study groups forming. A new Tuesday Noon Women’s Bible Study will meet in Charlottesville beginning 14 October, and a co-ed Bible Study will meet one evening a month beginning later this fall. Beginning the first Sunday in October, we will have two adult classes on Sunday mornings. I hope many of you will commit to attending. Each class lasts 3-4 Sundays. This allows us to offer a wider variety of subjects and involve more people. I know that for many, the thought of adding one more thing feels like a lot. Either a Bible Study or a Sunday class will take time. The time you invest will be rewarded. These groups are places where you will be fed with spiritual learning and supported by deeper relationships with others who attend Emmanuel. There will be places where we will seek and find God together. They will contain moments of laughter and insight. Making room in your busy life for “teaching and fellowship” is an act of making room for God, the most rewarding thing any of us can do. Peace, Rev. Stacy
Our Senior Warden’s Report By Doug Connell Who Are We? Who Are Our Neighbors? What is God Calling Us to Do?
The Emmanuel Way It’s fall along the Blue Ridge, with beauty that reminds us of God’s amazing creative power and of new seasons in our life of worship here. Our new Sunday School and Adult Formation programs are into their second month, a second exciting year of F.I.R.E. is under way, Emmanuel Connections is up and running, new visitation ministries have begun, and Advent will be with us almost before we know it. We have lots to be thankful for: the natural beauty which surrounds us, and good work and good people to accomplish it as the hands and feet of Jesus in the world. The Vestry will be translating our thankfulness – and the opportunities we have for service – into a framework for making it all come together in the New Year. The primary elements are a stewardship plan and a parish budget for 2015. Both are tools for coordinating our common life and our service to our neighbors. In their simplest form, these elements constitute an inventory of gifts – of time, individual talents, and financial support - that enables our mission here. Our time and talents are the foundation for contact ministry, things like worship, pastoral care and formation; financial gifts provide a safe and comfortable physical plant, a parish staff robust in capability, and a medium for enhancing our collaborative outreach efforts with ministry partners across the community. The sum of this inventory is quite simply the ministry of our church, here at Emmanuel and with our neighbors. We’ll hear more about the stewardship plan from our chairman, Keith Davis, this month, and specifics of budgeting from our Finance Committee. October is a time for us to reflect upon what God is calling us to accomplish in the new year, and to determine the best combinations of gifts to succeed. I hope we all will join in the process. Together, we can accomplish great things as we live out our mission in this place. Many blessings, Doug
3
October, 2014
Father Don’s Message
The Rev. Deacon Donald Cady
Dear Friends in Christ, My The Emmanuel Way column this month is to say goodbye. October 26 will be my last Sunday with you as your deacon. On the following Sunday, November 2, I will become the deacon at Grace Church, Keswick. My assignment by Bishop Shannon Johnston as deacon at Grace has been under consideration for several months. Originally, when discussed by Bishop Johnston, Rev. Miles Smith, rector at Grace, and Christopher, the assignment was to take place late last spring. However, the Grace vestry asked for more time. Bishop Johnston has directed me as part of my deacon’s ministry to focus on two areas at Grace. The first is to help the congregation at Grace to strengthen and broaden their mission and outreach in the community, the church and the world. The second is to renew and build greater ties with our diocese. Both are large tasks, but I believe our Lord will walk with me as I seek to fulfill this mission. I would be less than candid if I did not share with you another reason why Deede and I are embracing this new assignment of ministry. Simply
4 said, it is distance. Each time I drive to Emmanuel whether for services or meetings, it is fifty miles around trip, an average of about five hundred miles a month. Added to that is Deede’s two hundred miles for Sunday services each month—that is a great deal of time on Interstate 64. More importantly that just the mileage, the distance does not, has not, allowed me, as your deacon, to be as closely involved as I would like with the daily activities of Emmanuel parish. For me, I feel this lack of presence has been short-changing the people of Emmanuel. After three and half years with you here at Emmanuel, Deede and I leave with truly mixed emotions. I am excited and blessed to undertake the new challenges and opportunities the bishop’s assignment has put before me. We are happy that by returning to Grace, we will both serve our Lord within the community where we live. On the other hand we leave a very loving community, dear friends who have supported me, walked with Deede and me as I rose to ordained ministry. This will be very hard to leave behind. However, I leave as your deacon knowing and celebrating an amazing journey we have traveled together these past three and half years. Together we have walked a path of much change and more importantly, new opportunities and growth. I truly believe that Emmanuel Church during this period of change has both strengthened and expanded its vision and mission for the present and its future. Emmanuel is most fortunate and blessed to have Christopher as its rector. He is a leader, a teacher, a builder, a true man of God, who will carry through God’s will for the mission of Emmanuel Church. Christopher from the very beginning of his ministry at Emmanuel has extended to me his hand as a friend, supporter and partner. Emmanuel, you are truly blessed to have Christopher as your rector. I also believe that during my time here, Emmanuel’s vestry has continually renewed and expanded its vision and work for the temporal affairs and growth of the parish. The
The Emmanuel Way Endowment Fund has gained new direction and structure to help carry out the important outreach and mission that is so much at the core of Emmanuel. Our worship, Sunday services, celebration of the Eucharist and Christian Education have all taken on new meaning, new direction and new outreach. Truly, thanks be to God. Finally let me salute the outstanding, dedicated and loving staff that is Emmanuel—Cathy, Charlie, Janice, Julia, Larry and Stacy. It is you who make it happen. I thank you for all you have given me. So, I end by not saying goodbye, rather by thanking you all for the love each and everyone has shown Deede and me. With love and faith, Don+
Our Junior Warden’s Report By George Lindroth Fellowship and pride of accomplishment! That’s what we offer to you for your participation in the Building and Grounds Committee. Emmanuel wants to establish a Building and Grounds Committee to further the outstanding work of volunteers who assisted in the conversion of the Ledford House to a facility for our youth and adult programs. We are not necessarily looking for journeymen mechanics, but rather those who are comfortable with changing toilet flush values, replacing A/C filters, replacing electrical breakers (and knowing how to turn off the power to the panel first), and of course, using a hammer and skill saw. Please send me an email to
[email protected] if you are interested and what skill or interest you have to offer.
4
October, 2014
FIRE: Fellowship and Intergenerational Religious Education On Saturday, September 20, we had a terrific turnout for our FIRE session entitled "Building a Church Family." We ended with a very meaningful Holy Eucharist in the courtyard. Through LEGO building, a play, a group discussion, and a collective mural creation, we explored the ways in which we serve as the Body of Christ and live out our faith with each other and in our larger community. The Blundin family shared with us the history and vision for the program. They began FIRE as an opportunity to strengthen intergenerational relationships outside of Sunday worship services through the interactive and creative exploration of God's word. Matt Blundin talked about the values that have guided the program: Equity of voice, Active Listening, Openness to the creativity in ourselves and others, Collaboration, and Having Fun. When talking about the FIRE culture, Amy Blundin said, “We all discern God's will in our lives in different ways. Recently, when I asked Rev. Stacy how she was able to "hear" God in her life she responded, ‘I tend to hear God in the midst of a spiritual conversation with a friend, when I am walking and allowing my thoughts to flow in rhythm to my steps, when I let my heart move the paintbrush, or when I decide not to edit my words as I type.’ We hope FIRE will provide the opportunity through movement, creativity, and discussion, to help you hear God's will in your life.”
5
The Emmanuel Way
By creating FIRE, the Blundin family gave a great gift to our parish. This year, many people will share the leadership of the FIRE program. The culture and focus of FIRE will continue building upon these values. If you would like to help with FIRE, please see the sign-up sheet in the parish hall. Please come join us on October 18 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Emmanuel Parish Hall when the Dagner family will lead us in a Halloween themed celebration exploring how we can be a light in darkness. Future FIRE dates for 2014 are November 8 and December 20.
September Bread Fund Report
Fall Cleanup set for November 8
Breakfast was served to over 50 people Saturday, Sept. 20 at Basic Methodist Church in Waynesboro. With an additional 28 meals given as takeout, we distributed over 70 meals in total. Because of the generous supply of bread products donated by Panera Bead, we have decided to discontinue serving muffins with breakfast. Apple butter was a new addition to the menu and very well received. We will repeat that. All of your generous gifts of toiletries and toilet tissue were placed in the church's emergency cupboard to be distributed as needed. Our next Disciples Kitchen will be lunch Monday, October 20 at Second Presbyterian Church in Waynesboro. This chili lunch will continue to offer cornbread muffins. I was told that chili can't be eaten without cornbread! Second Presbyterian also maintains a smaller emergency cupboard, so donations will also be put to good use. Of particular need are both toilet tissue and laundry detergent. Small boxes of powdered detergent work the best as they are easier to manage. They can be purchased for $1 at the Dollar Tree and sometimes at Walmart. Thank you for your continued support both with your food, your time and your donations. We will finish the year with breakfast, Saturday, November 15 and lunch Monday, December 15. You are welcome to join us in any way...click the serve tab on the Emmanuel website and that will lead you to more Disciples
Emmanuel’s Fall Cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, November 8. This will be our preparation for this seasons Advent. Join us Saturday morning from 8 a.m. till Noon. Cleaning supplies will be furnished, along with loads of coffee and doughnuts.
Help us to keep families warm in our community this winter We will be having our second coat drive this year sometime in November! Donate your gently used coats to those in need: October 1st thru October 31st 2014. There will be a box in the parish hall beginning October 1st. We will also accept hats, gloves, scarves and mittens. If you wish to be involved in this rewarding ministry please contact Rita Chatman by calling 434-361-0056 or email:
[email protected]
We distributed 3,357 lbs of food to 116 households covering 331 people broken down to 191 adults, 96 children (under 18) and 44 seniors (over 65). Let’s anticipate more signups as we move into fall. For information concerning the Bread Fund, contact Cindy Kirchner by calling 434-361-2553 or emailing her at:
[email protected]
Disciples Kitchen
5
October, 2014 Kitchen information.
Our Mountainside Senior Living effort Mountainside Senior Living is a subsidized assisted living facility in Crozet. It relies on volunteer giving of money, programs, and activities. Mountainside management especially seeks help getting the residents out of their rooms and involved in community activities. Emmanuel volunteers will assist Mountainside residents to layout and install a Bluebird Trail in Crozet Parklands. The Team needs help cutting lumber into blue bird house components (plans provided by the Virginia Bluebird Association). Our volunteers will take the components to Mountainside and help the residents assemble the houses this winter. After coordination with Crozet Parks and the Bluebird Association, Emmanuel volunteers and Mountainside residents will install the houses as a Bluebird Trail in time for the 2015 nesting season. Emmanuel, with help from the Bluebird Association, will train the residents to monitor and report the bluebird population. This is a wonderful outreach opportunity for anyone interested in woodworking and/or bluebirds and/or the elderly. If interested contact Gren King, 434.361.9150 or
[email protected]
Emmanuel “Connections” Update! Emmanuel established a program titled Connections, earlier this year to provide a means for linking parish members with needs and volunteers able to help. The Connections committee wants to really get things geared up, and has determined that home repair-maintenance, technology,
6 and transportation are three key areas to concentrate on. October is designated home repair-maintenance month. If you can use help at your home (gutter cleaning, leaf raking, checking smokealarms, minor electrical-plumbing etc,), please contact the church or one of the two committee members listed below. If you are able to volunteer in this area, same thing goes. Another example of our parish family working together! Please contact Harry Lankenau (434-760-9507,
[email protected]), or BB Vaughn (
[email protected] ).
Eldering Workshop: October 25 & 26 “Eldering” is a term coined by Rabbi Zalman Schacter-Shalomi to describe the process of growing into wisdom and spiritual maturity as we advance in years. Our culture has become very youth-oriented, leading many of us to fear getting older, slowing down, losing our place in the workings of the world. On Sat, Oct. 25 and Sun, Oct 26 a group of “women of a certain age” (in this case, over 60) will gather at St. Paul’s, Ivy for a workshop to address the challenges and the possibilities of Eldering with Grace. The registration fee is $15 and includes lunch and snacks. This workshop/retreat is being jointly hosted by St. Paul’s, Ivy and Emmanuel Church, Greenwood, and is being led by Dona Wylie and a committee of women from both parishes. Donna Wylie is a certified spiritual director, having graduated from the Stillpoint Center for Christian Spirituality. Her background is in pediatric nursing and counseling and she has led workshop and trainings in a variety of settings. She is a member of St. Paul’s, Ivy. We are very excited about this opportunity for fellowship, sharing and learning and we hope that this experience will lead to an ongoing source of spiritual and social support for those experiencing the challenges
The Emmanuel Way and exploring the possibilities of their senior years. We are still in the planning stages for this workshop, so we encourage you to watch your emails and/or church bulletins for details in the coming weeks. If you have questions or would like to participate in the planning of this workshop, please contact Dona Wylie at 434-9536185 (
[email protected] ) or BB Vaughn at
[email protected].
The Sunday Altar Flowers Have You given lately? Have You admired the gorgeous displays of flowers each Sunday? Have You ever had the opportunity or been given the opportunity to take them home and enjoy them for a week, or maybe taken them to a nursing home for the residents to enjoy? Why not spend $50 on a Sunday of your choice by signing up on the flower chart, found on the door into the sanctuary, and then you can enjoy the flowers at home or give them to someone special. It is only $50. Think of the joy you give to everyone attending Emmanuel, as well as for a week afterwards. If you have questions, call Karin Bonding at 434 293 4626.
October, 2014
Greenwood Grapevine Congratulations to George Ellinger who celebrates his 101st birthday on October 13th. If you wish to send him a birthday card, please mail your birthday greeting to the following address: George Ellinger Shenandoah Nursing Home 339 Westminister Drive Fishersville, VA 22939 Charlotte Minor Cheape Marston John Marston is working on a book entitled “John Marston’s Book on his Mother.” Charlotte Marston was the wife of the Rev. Lee Marston, a past rector of Emmanuel Church, Greenwood Parish. John is looking for memories, reflections or short stories of his mother that might be held by members of our church. If you have anything to share with him, send your input to:
[email protected].
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: www.emmanuelgreenwood.org Phone: 540-456-6334 James E. Crosby………….. Editor Email:
[email protected] Sophia Anne Bowles, the candidate for Holy Baptism, was bright eyed and ready for the service. 6
The Emmanuel Way
7
October, 2014
The Good News By Cathy Boyd The wind is blowing cooler air and the light is changing. The leaves and acorns (they’re back this year!) are falling. I am working two jobs and finishing my graduate degree. Last week, my travels for work and school took me to Staunton, Alexandria, Charlottesville, and Harrisonburg in four days. To say that my attention span is like that of a three-year-old would be insulting to the three-yearold. I think that I am in good company; we all have a lot on our minds. But what I love to focus on is good news. Yesterday, my friend texted me with Good News. This is a friend from St. Margaret’s School, an Episcopal high school for girls.. We have known each other since we were 13 and 14 years old. We read Jane Eyre, To Kill a Mockingbird, Romeo & Juliet together, played field hockey, giggled away the hours at DQ, Rexall and Lowery’s. We sat together in chapel Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for four years.
The
Emmanuel Way October
My friend became a single mother at age 18. With her mother’s support, she raised her son to be an honors student, a concert violinist, an Eagle Scout, and an acolyte at their Episcopal church. He earned a full scholarship to a top state university and is now working on his Ph.D. in music at another. All the while, for about 20 years, my friend worked as a hostess at a chain restaurant. She gained a lot of weight during that time and became diabetic. A few years ago, during a dinner visit, she described how, a few months before, at age 40, she had flown on an airplane for the first time. She described the sheer joy of that experience with the wide-eyed enthusiasm of the 14-year-old teenage girl from St. Margaret’s. She said, “Cathy, I want to be a flight attendant.” Her face clouded over with self-doubt. “But first I need to get in shape,” she said.
A few years passed between our visits. Last fall, she called to say that she had a diabetic episode in front of her son. It scared her so badly, but it motivated her to lose weight, eat healthier, and exercise. She lost 75 pounds, which brought her to back to her field-hockey-playing stature. Yesterday, she texted me from Kansas City to say the next text she will send me will include a picture of herself in her flight attendant uniform. I am proud of my friend beyond words. Her story is one of humility, sacrifice, struggle, darkness, courage, patience, persistence, transformation, and rebirth. It is a story filled with Good News. The seasons, our lives, and the world are all are turning and changing. How can we focus? We can focus on the Good News that is present in our lives and in our neighbors’ lives.
First Class Mail
2014
7
8
The Emmanuel Way
8
October, 2014
