January 2014 message

JANUARY 2014 • VOLUME 16, NUMBER 1

“The Donkey’s Dream” Christmas Pageant 2013

The Church - Swimming in the Deep End: 2 Annual General Meeting: 4 Getting Jazzy with Jim Cullum: 5 Get Fit with the Daniel Plan: 9 Remembering Chi Rho: 10 Something That Lasts: 12 From the Library: 14

FROM

In this issue:

The Church: Swimming

Music Ministry ...................... 5

Youth Ministry ...................... 7 Family Ministry..................... 8

Planned Giving....................12 Outreach...............................13 Page Turners.......................14 Calendar of Events ............15

Sunday Services: 7:30 a.m.

Holy Eucharist, Rite 1 9:00 a.m.

Family-friendly Communion Service with Music 10:00 a.m.

Christian Education for Children, Youth, and Adults 11:00 a.m.

Choral Eucharist, Rite 2 6:00 p.m.

Holy Eucharist, Rite 2

Cover photos by Leslie Miller

2

Deep End

Jesus exclaimed to Peter that “not even the gates of hell could prevail against the Church” (Matthew 16:18). If that’s so, the Church is a far more powerful entity than we often give it credit. This is the first in a series of Patrick Gahan’s essays on the Church. From what he says, we Christians are swimming in a much bigger pond than we ever imagined.

World Missions ...................... 6

Our Church Life..................10

in the

PATRICK GAHAN Rector patrickg@cecsa.org

I

love the Church. So there, now I have said it.

I really do. Even as a conservative Christian, I have grown weary of Church bashing. The complaint list is long that I have heard recited – many times from my own lips, in fact – but now I want to take the opposite tact and recount what I love about this ancient Church of ours.

A definition is in order here. Looked at ideally, the Church – with a big “C” – is the very body of Christ, as Saint Paul was inclined to say. As the body of Christ, we are mysteriously connected to Christ and to all Christians who lived in the years before us and those who will live on in the many years following us. (Romans 12:5) I imagine the Church as a great ocean holding us all together within Christ, even as the tides come in and go out, the storm waves toss us to and fro, and calmer waters prevail again.

The Church is Where We Belong.

If we belong to Christ, we must belong in the Church, as well. We could no more live in Christ and not live in his body than a fish could live out of the ocean. The Church is the umbilical cord connecting us to Christ and other Christians. When we speak of the big “C” Church we are not denoting an institutional entity defined by a series of human functions; rather, we are describing a living, metaphysical organism “in which we live and move and have our very being” (Acts 17:28).

The Church with a big “C” has no notion of denominations; regardless of how loudly one group or another declares their ascendancy.

I’ve been caught up in the immensity of the Church from time to time. One time I recall was at the maximumsecurity prison in Tennessee Colony, TX. A group of us from Christ Episcopal Church in Tyler visited the prison every two weeks to lead worship and Bible study there. As a matter of fact, it was there that I caught up with Bill Harris, who was serving one of his earlier sentences. I was surprised when a local Roman Catholic clergyman approached me to ask if we would minister to the large group of his charges because his diocese was stretched too thin to do

I imagine the Church as a great ocean holding us all together within Christ, even as the tides come in and go out, the storm waves toss us to and fro, and calmer waters prevail again. so. Suddenly, our prison fellowship more than tripled into a veritable sea of seekers who desperately wanted to turn their lives around. Not a word was spoken of labels during those months – only the one Lord in whom we all were a part. Christ cannot be divided. (1Cor. 1:13) He is either entirely present or not at all.

The Episcopal Church is one part of that ideal big “C” Church, and much of the time we operate as that mysterious organism. When we come together for worship, we join the chorus of all Christians on earth and in heaven.

The ushers may count 460 individuals present on a certain Sunday, but, as John learned, we are really part of “a multitude no one could count.”

From our Rector...

(Revelation 7:9) The preacher may not deliver an encore performance that day, the choir may come off a little flat, and the temperature in the nave is, again, irritatingly out of whack, but our every moment at worship is transcendental.

We are often clueless to this touch with ultimate reality.

The Church Gives Itself Away.

Furthermore, when we offer acts of mercy to those who are in need, we are extending the very presence of Christ to a hurting world. We may think the food we distribute on Saturdays is too paltry to make a measurable dent in hunger. We may consider the one-onone tutoring we offer children at James Madison Elementary a meager effort in the face of the immense educational challenges this nation faces. We may be tempted to dismiss our sponsorship of families at Christmas who are desperately trying to gain or regain independence, because what are twenty-two families amongst so many?

In human terms, we may be woefully inadequate. But we are not primarily engaged in a humanistic endeavor.

Anytime the Church attends to the needy or hurting, we are making Christ actually present in very much the same way he becomes present to us at worship.

I experienced this during our SAMMs Christmas dinner a few weeks ago.

When I walked into the Parish Hall, a young African-American boy ran over to me, embraced me around the legs, and did not lessen his grasp for several seconds. At first, I did not recognize the child, but then I realized that he was a child whose family we had sponsored the year before. Not only did we make sure the boy, his little sisters, and his mother had gifts under their tree for Christmas, but we invited the children to attend our Vacation Bible School, and we sent the boy to camp later in the summer. I also remember his mother bringing the boy to see me late in the spring of last year because he was being negligent in his studies and disrespectful to his mother at home. What began with a Christmas supper amongst strangers, became something much more – a

relationship inaugurated, orchestrated, and inundated with Christ. The little boy felt that divine love and acted on it. He completely disarmed me and put me in my place. I thought we were just offering up some Christmas charity and cheer. That is never the case when

Anytime the Church attends to the needy or hurting, we are making Christ actually present in very much the same way he becomes present to us at worship. the Church steps out, because our Lord is in the lead and becomes the ground of even our smallest effort. Thought of in that way, the Church gives our life away because Christ gives away his.

To consider Christ a great teacher or primarily a healer or exorcist is to miss the point and him completely. Christ is Lord because he sacrifices his life for others. We can only be his Church when we give sacrificially in his Name.

(Romans 12:1-2)

is the whole truth about God garnered from the terrible spectacle of Christ on the cross? The cross shows us the truth about God’s love for us. It is the truth of the father running out to his prodigal son who appallingly dishonored his family (Luke 15:11-32). It is the truth of Jesus forgiving Peter, who pathetically betrayed him on the night of the Lord’s arrest and interrogation (Luke 22:5622). It is the truth of the landowner inequitably paying those who worked just one hour the same as those who worked all day (Matthew 20:1-16). The truth of God’s love seen from the cross is that we do not get what we deserve, which is separation from God and death. The love from the cross declares, “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

More than once, a longtime member of our parish will tell me, “Patrick, when I enter the church on Sunday, I focus on that cross just behind the altar. It is always there to greet me.” The shiny brass cross that has stood behind that altar for over 100 years tells us far more truth than any eloquent sermon preached by Ben Benitez, John MacNaughton, Ted Schroeder, Chuck The Church Tells the Truth.

Collins, Bill Frey, or even Sam Capers.

The cross is the whole truth for the I love the Church because it bears that Church. All of what we have done or truth about God. With so many “truths” failed to do is reflected in the light of exposited all that brass around us, we The shiny brass cross that has stood c r o s s . find it hard to behind that altar for over 100 years tells If we believe that the have not Church has the us far more truth than any eloquent f o r g i v e n corner on the ther, sermon . . . the cross is the whole truth awen osee truth, but it does. our Modern folks are for the Church. All of what we have reflection tempted to echo that done or failed to do is reflected in the in Pontius Pilate’s cross.

If muffled inquiry light of that brass cross. we have to Jesus, “What turned is truth” (John a w a y 18:38). Jesus could have said to Pilate, from Jesus, we see our reflection “just wait a few hours and you will see in that cross. If we have imagined the truth – when they hoist me onto the there is some pecking order amongst cross you’ve ordered.” That’s the truth Christians, we see our reflection in that to which we continue to point – the cross. Our reflection calls us into that cross. Saint Paul, who without a doubt truth where we cannot stay the same, is the most astute Christian theologian where we must allow ourselves to be of all time, lowered the truth on the loved into something more, someone cosmopolitan congregation at Corinth, more like our Savior.

“I know nothing but Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). So how “Do you love me,” asks Jesus of Peter?

3

From our Rector...

“You know that I love you, Lord,” answers Peter.

“Feed my sheep.”

“Do you love me, Peter?” Jesus asks again.

“Yes, Lord, you know that I love you,” Peter retorts with a more strained voice.

“Feed my sheep,” the Lord repeats.

“Peter, do you love me?” Jesus asks a third time.

“Yes, Lord. Why do you keep asking me this?” Peter pleads.

“Feed my lambs” (John 21:15-19).

Every one of us is Peter. The Lord knows how we have betrayed, dismissed, and denounced him. Rather than indict us, as we certainly deserve, Jesus asks us to love others in light of his cross. That’s the truth that the Church heralds.

Everything else is commentary on that theme.

The Church Gives Us Purpose.

Yet, I can assert with absolute confidence that Sara’s and Clay’s and Will’s and In a heart-to-heart conversation with Grant’s time will pass quickly. In the my daughter-in-law Sara recently, I blink of an eye, Grant will no longer observed for her that life goes by so fast. be a baby. In another blink, he will no Just a blink of an eye ago, her husband, longer be a boy. In the end, the only our son Clay, was a toddler scrambling thing that will remain is the love that is across our sacrificially stark quarters Their lives will be hard, harder than s h a r e d at Ft. Hood, TX. most, perhaps. But love will be the b e t w e e n Another blink them and of an eye, and ocean in which they swim, because those whom I see Will, my they are in Christ. their lives grandson at that touch. Their same age. Surely lives will be time doesn’t race by that fast; but it hard, harder than most, perhaps. But does, and there is no holding it back. love will be the ocean in which they swim, because they are in Christ.

I blinked again to greet the birth of our second grandson Grant. His path will We swim in that ocean, too. In that be harder, as most all of you know by ocean, we are caught up in a stream that now, for Grant is challenged with Down is taking us somewhere. Our histories Syndrome. Grant’s challenges, in fact, have a destination that all converge were why Sara and I were speaking. upon the shore of that city where The gravity of Grant’s upbringing has Christ’s love reigns – “where death is hit Sara hard, as it would any young no more, where crying and pain are mother. As the grandfather, I perceive no more, for the Lamb is seated on the only a small part of what she is going throne” (Revelation 21:3-5). through. I do not have the insight or knowledge to critique the future for her Your brother, and our son.

Patrick U

Annual General Meeting of Christ Episcopal Church Sunday, January 26 9:45 AM All confirmed, active members 16 years and older are eligible to vote for vestry representatives. Information on vestry nominees has been mailed separate from this publication. Copies are available in the church office.

9 AM and 11 AM services will be held as usual. 9 AM will be slightly shorter for the meeting to begin at 9:45 AM. The 11 AM service will begin following the conclusion of the AGM about 11:15 AM.

4

MINISTRY Mardis Gras Sunday Jazz Mass

W OWEN DUGGAN Director of Music and Worship owend@cecsa.org

e are currently planning for our 2nd annual Mardis Gras Jazz Mass with Dixieland jazz legend Jim Cullum, to take place at the 11:00 service on Sunday, March 2. I recently spent some time chatting with Jim and having him bring me up to speed on the history of this unique ministry which he began 34 years ago.

The first Jim Cullum jazz mass, and Jim believes the first of its kind, took place in 1980 at Trinity University’s Parker Chapel under the auspices of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. It became an instant success and was repeated not long afterward at Christ Church. Over the years he and his band have played at churches all over the country including Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and churches in Connecticut, Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico and all over Texas.

Jim recalls doing a service at San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio that was introduced by then mayor Henry Cisneros and led by the Catholic Archbishop, resulting in a letter of congratulations on official letterhead being sent directly to Jim by His Holy Eminence Pope John Paul II. Jim also talked about participating in other important ecumenical services including one given on World Communion Sunday that took

with Jim

Cullum

place in Boerne.

A soft spoken man and serious Episcopalian, Jim teared up when recalling stories of significant, life-changing conversions that happened on several occasions in conjunction with the masses. And he recalls the many people that have told him that when his band is present, they personally discover the meaning of the traditional gospel hymns as never before. As a music minister I know this to be the highest compliment of all.

Please join us with Jim and his talented band on Mardi Gras Sunday right before Lent, and bring a friend or two or three. It promises to be a truly special time of worship and fellowship for our congregation and community.

Owen Duggan

O

n Good Friday, April 18 at 1:15 PM Christ Church will present a choral-orchestral performance of Dvorák‘s Stabat Mater. The Stabat Mater text, “At the Cross her vigil keeping, stood the mournful Mother weeping, close to her Son to the last….”, is of anonymous medieval origin but has inspired composers and artists throughout the Christian world for centuries. Guest conductor Troy Peters has been invited to lead the choir and orchestra. Anyone interested in singing is invited to contact me at owend@cecsa.org. Rehearsals will begin on Thursday evenings in February.

Want

R

oll up your stuff, dust off your staff and come join us on a journey to the Promised Land!

All Kindergarten through elementary– age students are invited to join the Christ Church Children’s Choirs as they embark on an adventure to bring the story of Moses to life. “Are We There Yet?” is a delightful and humorous retelling of the Exodus from Egypt told through music composed by Allen Pote and lyrics written by Tom Long (who visited in the fall).

to

Wander?

Mastersingers (grades 3-6) will lead the charge through the Red Sea with Minisingers (grades K-2) joining as well. Rehearsals are held Wednesday afternoons from 4:15-5:15 PM (Mastersingers) and 4:30-5:15 PM (Minisingers). Everyone is invited and welcome to join.

Important dates: February 28-March 1 Overnight Retreat for Mastersingers (tie-dye T-shirts, make props, play games, rehearsals, etc.!)

Wednesdays, April 9 & 23 - outreach

performances during regular choir times Saturday, April 26 - Morning final dress with all present Sunday, April 27 - “Are We There Yet?” presentation at both services with Celebration Luncheon to follow Come join this fun and worthwhile project—when else will you be able to wander for 40 years?

For more information, please contact Ruth Berg: 422-9963 or ruthaberg@ gmail.com

5

MISSIONS Taking Christ Into

2014

is shaping up to be another exciting year for World Missions at Christ Church.

UGANDA A trip to Uganda is planned for the second half of June to be led by John Harrison. We will work in the Children of Uganda orphanages and BRIEN KOEHLER with Bishop Nathan in Hoima. Already Associate Rector for a dozen people have expressed an Mission and Formation interest in going this year, but there brienk@cecsa.org is room for anyone else who wants to go. The Children of Uganda dance troupe will be here in February. This will be a chance to interact with this great group of kids.

Please contact Catherine Easley or John Harrison if you are interested in helping out with the group while they are here.

HONDURAS FOR ADULTS Brien and Terry Koehler will be leading another trip to Chalmeca, Copan, Honduras. We will be leaving from San Antonio on Saturday, June 28 and returning to San Antonio on July 5. The trip is for adults, and will concentrate on ongoing construction projects underway leading to a completed new church and training center for the Copan Deanery. We will also work, worship, and share our faith with the “locals” and experience a day of Honduran tourism before our return to the US. This trip will cost about $1500/person with costs shared three ways (Church funds, sponsor funds raised by participants, and participants).

BUT no one should let funds block their interest in this project.

Contact Brien (brienk@cecsa.org) or Terry (tabascoroad@ hotmail.com) for more info.

UNDER CONSIDERATION FOR HONDURAS: A YOUTH TRIP A Youth Mission Week, very tentative date (Depart Tuesday July 8, return Tuesday July 15). The work of the mission week could include construction, Bible School, a day of sharing faith with Honduran teenagers, a visit to the ruins in Copan, and an awesome zipline experience. Contact Clark

6

the

World

in

2014

Niles (clarkn@cecsa.org) or Brien Koehler (brienk@cecsa.org) for more ideas and possibilities. This trip will cost about $1500/person with costs shared three ways (Church funds, sponsor funds raised by participants, and participants). BUT no one should let funds block their interest in this project.

RUSSIA AND MEXICO Trent Timberlake is planning a trip to Russia and/or Belarus in mid summer. Please contact him if you are interested.

There is a possibility for another trip to Hogar Infantil in Chiapas (Southeast Mexico). The twenty people who went three years ago really got a lot from this trip. Dates are open for anytime in the summer. Please contact John Harrison for more details.

As is our custom, participants are encouraged to raise funds for these trips and the Church will continue to help financially. Check your calendars and sign up for any of these great trips.

UNDER CONSIDERATION FOR DOMESTIC CHURCH-WIDE MISSION TRIP: NEW ORLEANS This trip would be for a multi-generational family centered mission “long weekend” in July. We would depart on a Thursday morning for the drive to New Orleans, with a Sunday evening return. Three nights in New Orleans, with two full days of mission/ outreach projects in the continuing rebuilding of life in the “Big Easy”.

This program is designed for individuals or families with children in middle school and above. Parents are encouraged to accompany their children. This is a “first-taste” mission trip experience that is affordable and doesn’t require a large amount of time.

It might be just right for you and your family or friends. The project is a shared program offered by World Missions, Outreach, Family Ministry, and Youth Ministry of Christ Church. Contact the leaders of any of these departments for more information.

Brien

MINISTRY

Spring-time Fun

T

CLARK NILES Director of Youth Ministry clarkn@cecsa.org

he spring semester is already upon us. And before we go any further I want to highlight our two new interns, Willie Macha and Moriah Moreno. What a blessing these two have been to our teenagers, and hopefully will continue to be for a while.

Moriah grew up in Brady, Texas and is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in counseling. She is here in S.A. working on her masters degree at Wayland Baptist University. Depending on her schedule she will be with us for another year or more. If you get a chance to meet this vivacious young woman, it will not take you long to see how our youth are drawn to her.

Moriah is engaging and fun and has an infectious smile.

with our Interns

Willy grew up right here in San Antonio and graduated from Alamo Heights High School in 2011. Willy was evidently very good in baseball, for he won a scholarship to play college ball in South Dakota. He missed San Antonio and working in ministry with young people

to be active, is great for our guys, and not hard to look at, according to our girls.

Both Moriah and Willie are already having a very positive effect on the youth ministry here at Christ Church, and they have really only just begun.

Spring Semester

at The H.E.B. Foundation youth camps and family camps, so he moved back.

He is still involved in the Foundation’s camps and is working in Young Life as a volunteer leader with the junior high ministry called “Wild Life”. He also plans to get back in school this spring.

Willie is a lot of fun to be around, loves

We are very excited to offer the 2.0 series which has been adapted for teens and written by our own Rev. Patrick Gahan. We will gather at 9:45 AM on Sundays in the Carriage House for our study. It will be great for all our young people and works beautifully as a foundation for our youth confirmation class that started Sunday, January 5th. I want to encourage all our young people to join us for a great line-up of speakers that will present the material. You can bet our interns and youth team will make this not only interesting but fun.

In Christ,

Clark

2014 Youth Confirmation Program – Key Dates

A

ll students in 8th grade and above who are contemplating Confirmation in 2014, get ready for a great experience full of learning, fun, and fellowship! Put these dates on your family’s calendar and come add your special gifts to the body of Christ while you take the next step in your spiritual journey. If you are interested, but have not filled out the registration form yet, give Clark a call immediately. (210-844-4834) See you soon!

Sunday, January 5th Confirmation classes begin at 9:45 AM in the Carriage House followed by the Commissioning Sunday celebration for Confirmands and their families at the 11:00am worship service.

Saturday, February 21st- 22nd Youth in Action conference at Diocesan Council. Join other youth and delegates from Christ Episcopal for this optional weekend event at St. Mark’s in San Marcos.

(Nominal contribution to offset travel and lodging costs may be requested.)

Tuesday, March 4th Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. This is a volunteer service opportunity, involving preparation and serving of the pancake dinner to parishioners and guests. The proceeds will go towards our youth mission trip to Honduras this summer.

Sundays, March 9th & 16th, Spring Break – No Confirmation or Youth Classes.

Saturday, March 22nd - 23rd, 2014 Confirmation Class Retreat at the Harrison’s Ranch. Fun, fellowship, and worship for the 2014 Confirmands, youth retreat staff and Youth Ministry team. We will depart from the church Saturday morning and return Sunday afternoon.

Transportation is provided from the church by vans. ($25 contribution requested to offset costs; scholarships available.)

Sunday, April 6th, 2014 Confirmation Sunday at 11:00 AM service in Christ Church sanctuary for Confirmands and their families. Reception following.

7

MINISTRY Communion Preparation Class Begins

O

HALLETA HEINRICH Director of Family Ministries halletah@cecsa.org

ur Children’s Communion Preparation Class will begin Sunday, February 9 for all first graders and older who wish to learn more about Holy Communion and enrich their understanding of the receiving of this great gift of the Risen Life of Christ. The class will be held during the Sunday School hour from 10 - 10:50 am in FMC room 208, our Level II Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Atrium. The class will continue for eight sessions and conclude on May 11 with our Communion Celebration hon-

nion Class. It is both a spiritually meaningful and community building time for children, parents, and teachers. All participants wonder and learn together as we delve into the meaning of God’s great love for us through Christ as expressed in Holy Communion.

Please contact Halleta Heinrich at the church at 736 - 3132 or halletah@cecsa.org with any questions or concerns regarding the class.

oring class participants and their families. The Communion Class is not a prerequisite for the receiving of Communion, although Baptism is required.

A Parent Orientation will be held on Sunday, February 2, at 10 am in Children’s Chapel on the second floor of the Family Ministry Center for those who are interested in their children participating in this year’s Communion Class. A class schedule will be distributed as well as the opportunity for parents to sign up as class helpers on a rotating basis. Parents will also be asked to sign up to be leaders at the Communion Retreat that will be held Saturday, May 10 in preparation for the Communion Celebration the next day.

Parents and children are encouraged to invite friends from outside of Christ Church to come and be part of our Commu-

Dealing

with

“D

ealing With Today’s Teens” by Mark Gregston, a Christian parenting class for parents of teens and preteens, is back by popular demand. Many of our parents attended this class last year and found this offering to be very helpful and a wonderful opportunity for building community and mutual support.

Class will meet during the Sunday School hour (10 - 10:50 am) in the FMC Movie Theater room 302 from January 12 - March 30. Nancy and Mark Wright, Chad and Amy Case, Cindy and Charles Huey, and Catherine Easley will facilitate this class. A DVD presentation

by Mark Gregston , Christian leader and expert on teen and preteen adolescent behavior, will introduce each session.

Discussion among class participants

8

Girls in the 2013 Communion Class

Today’s Teens....and Pre-Teens Too!

will take place as a response to each week’s topic.

The lesson topics and scheduled dates follow: January 12 - Understanding Your

Teen’s Needs January 19 - Understanding Your

Parenting Role February 2 - Understanding Your

Teen’s Behavior February 9 - Understanding Your

Relationship February 16 - Understanding the

Purpose of Pain February 23 - Developing Boundaries

for Your Teen March 2 - Developing a Belief System

for Discipline March 23 - Issues of Control March 30 - Wrap Up Session

Class will break for Annual Parish Meeting January 26 and Spring Break March 19 and 26.

A Participant’s Guide and Workbook will be available for the class. An offering of $10 is requested to cover the cost of workbooks. Please come to as many of these classes as possible if you are a parent of teens or preteens and invite a friend. Each class stands on its own and extra DVDs are available for classes missed.

Contact Halleta Heinrich at the church at 736-3132 or halletah@cecsa.org with any questions.

Halleta

Family Ministry...

Wednesday Nights: Get Fit for the New Year with The Daniel Plan - Forty Days to a Healthier Life “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect..”

Romans 12:1-2

O

ur life is a gift, our body is a gift, and a healthy body is a tremendous gift - all from our gracious God. In this new year we will all have the opportunity to begin transforming ourselves into the acceptable sacrifice God desires by being part of “The Daniel Plan’’ created by Rick Warren, bestselling Christian author and Pastor of Saddleback Church in California.

Based on solid scientific and medical research, combined with the strength of God’s teaching,“The Daniel Plan” offers a path to a wholly healthy life. Our Wednesday Night offering is a six week program designed to introduce the “Daniel Plan” essentials: Faith, Food, Fitness, Focus, and Friends, and Living the Healthy Lifestyle of The Daniel Plan. We will hear from Rick Warren each week in a brief DVD presentation based on solid Biblical teachings and the five essentials of the program. Small group discussion and support will follow each DVD session as we endeavor together as a Christian community to be the best we can be to the glory of God. Friends are welcome, so invite them!

Facilitating “The Daniel Plan” will be Gretchen Duggan and members of the Wednesday Night Leadership Team: Kathleen Fry, Jennifer Berg, Holly and Dennis Tottenham, and Rebecca and Stew Facile. The Daniel Plan book and a participants

study guide will be available for a suggested offering of $25 for class members. Please contact Halleta Heinrich at the church at 736-3132 or halletah@cecsa.org if you would like to reserve a book. Please call the church or RSVP online for the dinner. Contact Halleta with any questions. Check out The Daniel Plan website http://www.danielplan.com for further details.

Our kitchen manager, Elizabeth Martinez, promises to cook us some delicious, healthy dinners following recipes from the Daniel Plan, Cooking Light, and other great resources.

Yum! The adult choir will be following the plan at their weekly dinners as well. Look out! Christ Church is getting fit!

The schedule of Daniel Plan lessons: Session 1: Faith: Nurturing Your Soul - January 22 Session 2: Food: Enjoying God’s Abundance - January 29 Session 3: Fitness: Strengthening Your Body - February 5 Session 4: Focus: Renewing Your Mind - February 12 Session 5: Friends: Encouraging Each Other - February 19 Session 6: Living the Lifestyle - February 26 Our Wednesday Night Schedule Includes: A Healthy Dinner and Fellowship Time: 5:15 - 6:00 PM The Daniel Plan Program: 6:00 - 7:00 PM “Kids In Christ” Program in FMC Rooms 205 and 206: 6:00 - 7:00 PM for older 3-year-olds through fifth graders with Movies, Games and Art Centers as well as an opportunity for Study Hall.

Nursery Care: 5:00 - 7:00 PM in FMC nurseries 105 and 106 for infants through young 3-year-olds. Bring finger food for toddlers, twos, and threes.

9

Adult Formation Spring 2014

C

hrist Church has a vision for its members: we will be Christians who not only know what we believe but also what we should do. Knowing the faith of Jesus Christ and living into the mission of the Church are the two “tracks” of Christian maturity, and our formation curriculum is designed to help you become a more effective disciple of Jesus Christ.

This spring and summer we will offer seven opportunities for adults (in addition to the regular offering of Christ Church 1.0 and 2.0 classes under the leadership of our Rector).

Devotional Classics will continue beginning January 5 and concluding March 2. This course will introduce you to spiritual writers both ancient and modern, and show you how to

live a balanced Christian life in seven basic ways. It will be held on Sunday mornings at 10 AM in the Parish Hall.

The Sunday Morning Bible Study takes an up close look at the readings used as the basis for preaching at the Sunday services. The Bible Study meets in the Capers Room at 10 AM, January 5-March 2, and April 27-May 18.

Our Bishops and the Resurrection will be our special Sunday morning Lenten series. Christ Church will welcome Bishop Lillibridge, Bishop Frey, and a full complement of our retired Bishops week by week. The bishops will offer their own reflections and testimony about the meaning of the resurrection of Jesus in their lives and ministry.

This program will be offered on Sunday mornings from March 9 through April 13. All members and friends of Christ

Chi Rho Bookstore - 38 Years “In that same year, the Chi Rho Bookstore Committee was formed – an outgrowth of the sale of Christian Books which began at the first Faith Alive – to operate a one-room bookstore in the entry to the parish hall, spreading the written word through the ministry of making Christian books, cards and gifts easily available” -from Christ Episcopal Church: The First Seventy-Five Years 1911-1986

T

he Chi Rho Bookstore ministry started in the early 1970s – in a closet in what is now the foyer of the Parish Hall.

John MacNaughton was rector and Jack Walters senior warden when Annabell Sharp McGee approached them with a plan to sell books that were needed in Christian education classes. It has been in operation from 1975 until the doors

10

of

closed on Rally Day September 8, 2013.

Through the years many ministries inside and outside the parish have been funded by the proceeds of the Chi Rho Bookstore. And it has been a source of service and fellowship among its many members.

Church will be enriched by these presentations.

After Easter: The Sunday Morning Bible Study will resume, and we will offer two four-part programs: Personal Evangelism and “Fantasy and Faith” (an examination of the literature of Tolkien, Lewis, and others as ways of discovering the Christian virtues).

In June, Brien Koehler will present a four week series on discovering Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. And, our summer book study in July and August will consider Unconditional: The Call of Jesus to Radical Forgiveness by Brian Zahnd and Miroslav Volf. (Details of our After Easter courses will be provided soon.)

Service DONATIONS FROM THE BOOKSTORE 1975-1013 Totals: $30,000 ( 1975-2013) Bexar County Detention Ministries Camp Capers Scholarships CEC Altar Flowers CEC Acolytes CEC Priests’ Discretionary Funds CEC Food Pantry CEC Music Ministry CEC Pew Bibles CEC Seminarian Fund CEC Youth Ministry Christian Assistance Ministry Good Samaritan Center Habitat for Humanity Memorials Piedra Negras Flood Relief Prayer Books Bibles for children

Our Church Life...

Advent 2013

11

SOCIETY

Something

that

A

fter worship last Sunday, I was dashing back to the vesting room to disrobe and head to lunch, when I spied an attractive young woman sitting on one of the benches in our Columbarium Garden with her head in her hands.

Clearly she was upset; thus, my lunch would have to wait.

Lasts: The Importance

of

The same must be said for our financial foundation. Christ Church must build up its financial endowments or the future foundation of our ministries is on shaky ground. In recent months, for instance, we have painted the exterior of the main sanctuary building

I stepped out into the garden and sat beside her. I asked her, “What hurts so bad?”

“So many things,” she said shaking her head.

“What do you need,” I queried further.

“I need a place like this,” she offered. “I need a place that lasts – that’s been here for a long time and will be here a long time.”

The woman’s words roused me.

So much of what I revere about Christ Church is its history and solid witness throughout the past 100 years. Barbara Frey’s words are so often on the surface of my heart: “I have never been in a fellowship where so many people have celebrated all of the main events of their lives as they have at Christ Church.”

Barbara gives voice to what this young woman and so many others are seeking – a place that lasts.

A Strong Foundation One of my most ardent crusades along with our leadership is that Christ Church be made strong to extend its ministry years into the future – to endure long after I am no longer rector.

Evidence of this crusade has been our insistence that we undertake long deferred maintenance of our buildings and campus.

This has demanded Robert Hanley’s meticulous oversight and many, many thousands of dollars.

The result of ignoring these needs would be gravely irresponsible and utterly disastrous.

12

and offices at a cost of $54,000. The cooling tower in the Family Ministry Center failed, and the repair was nearly $20,000 (and we thought the FMC was still new!). The necessary renovation of the Carriage House bathrooms to serve our teen and Food Pantry ministries will cost $50,000. Just repairing the side door to the nave, which most of us use on Sundays, cost in excess of $1,400. So imagine the expense of these recurring repairs ten years from now. How about in twenty-five years?

Annual contributions will be unable to fund all of these demands.

Planned Giving Expanding Our Witness Few would argue that Christ Church has a strong heritage of exceptional music, serious outreach, and expansive world mission. Recall, however, that during our last economic reversal these areas of ministry were significantly cut or had to find additional funding elsewhere.

Significantly fortifying our parish endowments could protect these hallmark ministries and others from these financial reversals, which are certain to come our way.

A good example for us to follow is the Estelle Beaumont Ellison Fund, from which we offer nearly $100,000 of seminary and college scholarships each year.

In any given year, we support the bishop’s children at college as well as the children of the local maintenance man or nursery worker. Through this fund, Christ Church has made it possible for many of the current priests in our diocese to complete their seminary education, while also raising their young families. Now imagine if we were able through our testamentary giving to endow our Music, Local Outreach, World Mission, and Annual Capital Maintenance work. If we can achieve that, the support of our outstanding music ministries, the needy in San Antonio, our hard working missionaries, and the upkeep of our beautiful, historic buildings will never be in doubt – no matter how the American economy is playing out in a given year. Viewed this way, our response to planned giving is vitally important to Christ Church.

Getting Honest With Ourselves Each one of us is going to die. Not a single individual at Christ Church is immortal. Our main residence will change in days to come. When we die, our giving to this church we have continued on next page...

Planned Giving continued... loved so well will end. I should add that our senior members have been wonderfully gracious to Christ Church. Making up for those subtractions from our lives – both personally and financially – is doubly hard. Therefore, I urge each one of us to make some provision in our wills, life insurance polices, estates, or some other testamentary vehicles so that our giving to Christ Church continues to bless the next generations.

Plaques adorn so many of our wood and masonry walls around the campus, testifying to the love of those who preceded us.

Our call is perhaps even more urgent than theirs, and that is why the Vestry founded the Great Commission Society, for those members of our parish who have remembered Christ Church in their estate planning. We must preserve what those before us built and expand the ministries of which they dreamed. Our call from God is to insure that the light

of Christ Church never be extinguished, that our witness will last!

How To Make a Testamentary Gift The best avenue to make provision in your estate for Christ Church is to consult your family attorney, CPA, or life insurance broker. If you need additional counsel, several attorneys at Christ Church are well-versed in estate law.

If you have made a decision to include Christ Church in your will, please contact Tom Frost, Chairman of the Great Commission Society, or Patrick Gahan, rector. We do not need to know the specifics of your financial decision, only that you have made provision for the church in your estate. If you wish your plans to remain anonymous, we will certainly honor that request.

Snack Pak 4 Kids - Feeding Hungry Kids  27.1% of the children in Texas are food insecure. Texas ranked 11th highest in the US

, 27.1% of kids in Bexar County – that’s 124,000 children – are food insecure Feeding America)

(According to

I

n November, The Christ Church Community Outreach Committee launched a new program to help “food insecure” children at our adopted James Madison Elementary school.

We are so glad to have Karen Von Der Bruegge as the leader for this project. These children from very low income families often go hungry over the weekend. Some of the families are homeless. Some just have too many mouths to feed with the limited income coming into the home.

on the

Weekend

a volunteer who discovered that the child she was mentoring often came to school hungry.

Snack Pak 4 Kids programs are sponsored by many churches and organizations throughout Texas. In San Antonio there are several other churches sponsoring elementary schools. A survey found 100 percent of Lamar Elementary (San Antonio) teachers said the program is beneficial and they wanted it to return the next year; 80 percent said it improved behavior and 73 percent said it improved academic performance.

Christ Church is providing “Snack Paks 4 Kids” to 20 of the neediest students at James Madison every Friday. The food is delivered to Christ Church and our “Outreach Volunteers” pack the bags that are delivered to the school. The school counselor and teachers discreetly place “Snack Pak Bags into the selected student’s back packs. The bags are filled with nutritional snacks such as peanut butter and crackers, juice, milk, canned ravioli and spaghetti and meatballs.

Teachers in schools with Snack Pak 4 Kids programs report improved behavior and academic performance. See the article in the San Antonio Express News, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013 at: www.mysanantonio.com “Kids Anywhere can feel hunger.” Even in Alamo Heights. The article tells the story of

The Snack Pak Program can always use more peanut butter!

If you would like to donate peanut butter (18 oz. jars), please leave contributions in the parish hall marked “Snack Pak 4 Kids”. If you would like to volunteer to help pack the bags, please contact Karen Von Der Bruegge at Karen3@aol.com.

13

Our Church Life..

PAGE TURNERS – From

Rector’s Book Stack

The Contemplative Pastor: Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction, by Eugene Peterson: Most of you know Peterson through his powerful Bible paraphrase, The Message. What most people don’t know is that he wrote much of that translation and several other books while serving as the sole pastor of a burgeoning Presbyterian church outside of Baltimore, MD. What drew me most to this volume is Peterson’s insistence that pastors once again become the “cure of souls.” Cure is from the Latin cura, which means “care” or “cure.” In Peterson’s own words, “Curing souls is not a narrowing of pastoral work to its devotional aspects, but it is a way of life that uses weekday tasks, encounters, and situations as the raw material for teaching prayer, developing faith, and preparing for a good death (p. 59).”

L

eave it to our new Parish Librarian to give me another Job! Richard Albanez, medical doctor, military colonel, engineer extraordinaire, has accepted our call to serve as our librarian after the long and most fruitful tenure of April Groos. April left the Christ Church Library in first-rate shape, and Richard is working hard to enrich our collections. At the same time, Richard has asked that either he or I write a review of the books we are reading for each edition of The Message. Here are some of the best books that I have read since last November:

S T hrove

14

the

uesday

The Gospel of Matthew: God With Us,

by Matthew Woodley: I confess that I am a Bible commentary junkie. I own at least six full sets of commentaries and I always read a commentary volume to complement my morning Bible selection each day. Rarely have I been as sold on a commentary the way I have been with Woodley’s work. He has reopened the Gospel of Matthew for me.

As this is Year-A in our Sunday Lectionary, Matthew looms as our main Gospel reading each week. You will hear much of Woodley’s wisdom and insight laced within my sermons in future Sundays.

P

ancake

S

upper

The Sacred Wilderness of Pastoral Ministry, by David Rohrer: Because I serve as an Examining Chaplain for the Diocese of West Texas and because I feel very strongly about forming younger clergy for their vocation, I picked up Rohrer’s text. He uses John the Baptist’s ministry as a vehicle to illuminate the call and work of the pastor. I particularly appreciated his comparison of a pastor’s work to that of a town crier and a midwife. Regarding the former, the pastor must stay awake to what God is up to and announce it to the people – regardless of how the news may be received in the fellowship. In terms of the latter, the pastor does not give birth to anything but assists those he serves in giving birth to the Good News God has implanted in them through the Holy Spirit.

The Spies of Warsaw, by Alan Furst: Okay, I have to leave theology from time to time. For fun I have been reading Furst’s novel about pre-World War II Poland. The hero is a somewhat weary French WWI veteran colonel, who is now on the front lines of espionage against the Third Reich. I became a Furst’s fan this summer when I read his work, The Spies of the Balkans, in which an aging Greek police officer emerges as the unlikely hero. (The older heroes give me a boost!)

Patrick U

March 4

l 5:30 PM

OF EVENTS Christ Church Staff: January 15: Life After Loss begins (six-week program) 12:30 - 2:00 PM contact Carol Miller

Children’s Choir/Musical rehearsal 4:15 - 5:15 PM contact Ruth

Berg 422-9963 or ruthaberg@gmail.com January 19: Junior Daughters of the King Valentine Project

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM in room 226

Camerata San Antonio Dvorak Concert 3 PM in the Sanctuary January 22: Life After Loss 12:30 PM

Children’s Choir/Musical rehearsal 4:15 - 5:15 PM

The Daniel Plan Wednesday Night Program begins 5:15 in the Parish Hall January 26:

Annual Parish Meeting 9:45 AM in the Sanctuary Kids Movie Day 9:45 AM in FMC 302

January 29:

Life After Loss 12:30 PM Children’s Choir/Musical rehearsal 4:15 - 5:15 PM Daniel Plan Program 5:15 - 7:00 PM

February 2: Parent Orientation for Communion Preparation Class 10 AM in FMC Chapel February 5:

Life After Loss 12:30 PM Children’s Choir/Musical rehearsal 4:15 - 5:15 PM Daniel Plan 5:15 - 7:00 PM

February 9:

Children’s Communion Preparation Class begins

February 12:

Life After Loss 12:30 PM Children’s Choir/Musical rehearsal 4:15 - 5:15 PM Daniel Plan 5:15 - 7:00 PM

February 13:

Valentine Tea 4:00 - 6:30 PM

February 14:

Valentine’s Day

February 19:

Life After Loss 12:30 PM Children’s Choir/Musical rehearsal 4:15 - 5:15 PM Daniel Plan 5:15 - 7:00 PM

February 26:

Children’s Choir/Musical rehearsal 4:15 - 5:15 PM Daniel Plan 5:15 - 7:00 PM

February 28 - March 1: Overnight Retreat for Mastersingers contact Ruth Berg March 4:

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper 5:30 PM

March 5:

Ash Wednesday

March 9:

Daylight Savings Time begins

The Rev. Patrick Gahan, Rector patrickg@cecsa.org The Rev. Scott Kitayama, Associate Rector, scottk@cecsa.org The Rev. Brien Koehler, Associate Rector for Mission and Formation, brienk@cecsa.org Carol Miller, Pastoral Care Administrator, carolm@cecsa.org Halleta Heinrich, Director of Family Ministry, halletah@cecsa.org Clark Niles, Director of Youth Ministry clarkniles82@gmail.com Dr. Owen Duggan, Music Minister owend@cecsa.org Joshua Benninger, Organist joshb@cecsa.org Ruth Berg, Director of Children’s Music, ruthb@cecsa.org Robert Hanley, Parish Administrator robert@hanleypmservices.com Darla Nelson, Office Manager darlan@cecsa.org Donna Shreve, Financial Manager donnas@cecsa.org Gretchen Comuzzi Duggan, Director of Communications, gretchend@cecsa.org Anna Jewell, Executive Assistant to the Rector, annaj@cecsa.org Donnis Carpenter, Receptionist donnisc@cecsa.org Elizabeth Martinez, Kitchen Manager elizabethm@cecsa.org Robert Vallejo, Facilities Manager robertv@cecsa.org Rudy Segovia, Hospitality Manager rudys@cecsa.org Joe Garcia, Sexton joeg@cecsa.org

15

Angels from “The Donkey’s Dream” Christmas Pageant 2013

The Message (USPS 471-710) is published bi-monthly by Christ Episcopal Church, 510 Belknap Place, San Antonio, TX 78212. Periodical postage paid in San Antonio, TX. Postmaster: Please send address changes to Christ Episcopal Church, 510 Belknap Place, San Antonio, TX 78212. Volume 16, Number 1.

Periodical Postage PAID San Antonio, TX Christ Episcopal Church 510 Belknap Place San Antonio, TX 78212 www.cecsa.org