January 2015 message

January 2015 • Volume 17, Number 1

2014’s Holy Family in the Children’s Christmas Pageant

Rest: The Re-Creative Discipline: 2 Valentine’s Tea and Concert: 5 Are You Up to the Challenge?: 8 Major Renovation: 10 Annual General Meeting: 11 Beach Bound: 12 From the Rector’s Book Stack: 14

FROM

In this issue: Music Ministry ...................... 5 Family Ministry..................... 6 Our Church Life ................... 8 Youth Ministry ....................10 World Missions ....................11 Pastoral Care.......................12 Planned Giving....................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 Visit us on-line at www.cecsa.org

Cover photos by Susanna Kitayama

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Rest: The Re-Creative Discipline Losing Ourselves

G

ive my wife Kay a puzzle and say “good-bye.”

Kay will come into the door after nine hours on her feet at the PATRICK GAHAN surgery center, Rector an hour commute patrickg@cecsa.org on I-35, and she’ll take out the newspaper and go to work on her puzzles – even before she changes out of her nursing clothes.

She will start with the Word Jumble, go next to the Cryptoquip, and end up with the Sudoku. Once Kay takes out that pencil, she is lost in the numbers and letters. Terrorists could attack the neighborhood, and she would refuse to evacuate until the final square of her Sudoku was correctly filled in.

A jigsaw puzzle will cast an even deeper spell on Kay. The kids and I have learned the futility of asking her a question or an opinion when she is enrapt in one.

During our time in Maine each summer, Kay sets out one 1,000-piece puzzle after another. Conversing, eating, and quite obviously, working are out when Kay is absorbed in her puzzles.

Of course, that’s the point. Kay does not work during her puzzle times. She rests. She knows that for Kay to be “Kay,” she must step away from worry, tedium, and work and restore herself.

That’s not to say rest does not come at the cost of other things. Kay’s ability to turn off the world has driven me absolutely crazy at times in our 39-year marriage. When the three children were young, I’d occasionally arrive home to riotous calamity. Every cushion in the living room would be piled into a formidable fortress, the pots and pans from under the kitchen cabinets pulled out for discordant musical accompaniment, and the bathtub tap running upstairs to either bathe or baptize the terrified family cat. Kay, for her part, would be reading a novel,

cozily oblivious to the pandemonium.

I would issue some angry comment; although, I know full well that I was actually jealous of her uncanny ability to detach from the chaos.

My jealousy has slowly turned to admiration, for I now know that Kay’s determination to rest is not a selfish, but rather a sacred activity. Jesus himself asserted, “Only the one who loses her life will find it” (Matthew 6:25). Rest is equivalent in importance to study, Bible reading, prayer, and – yes – work amongst the daily priorities of our spiritual disciplines. Without the discipline of rest, we are ill equipped to fulfill the other disciplines and will become resentful of their demands.

“My jealousy has slowly turned to admiration, for I now know that Kay’s determination to rest is not a selfish, but rather a sacred activity. ” Losing ourselves in rest actually brings us back to life. Confronted with one of the greatest tasks in all of Israel’s long history, the onslaught of the Assyrian Empire, the prophet Isaiah urged King Hezekiah not to act, but rather to rest in the Lord. Alas, the king would have none of it. The seduction of human action was too great: For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.’

But you were unwilling.

Isaiah 30:15 NO Help Wanted If we believe the Bible, rest is programmed into our creation. On the heels of God creating human beings – “male and female He created them in His image” – God rests (Genesis 1:26-

From Our Rector...

2:3). God seems to be in an almost frenzied rush to fashion the earth, its creatures, and its people, yet then he comes to a full stop and rests for the entire seventh day. In doing so, God sets the sacred cycle in motion of work and rest.

“By commanding Israel to keep a Sabbath, God was... issuing a distinguishing decree that would mark those who truly love God. They will strictly maintain a day of rest.”

I must be quick to add that the Biblical sense of God resting is not one of Him propped up on the sofa, eating potato chips, and watching NFL football. No, the scriptural notion of God resting after the creation of the world is better understood as Him completing his work and moving into His creation.

N.T. Wright, the noted New Testament scholar, writes, “Like someone building a home, God finished the job and then went in to take up residence, to enjoy what He had built.”1 In effect, God is showing us the steps of a productive and fulfilling life. Work is good, but we must take the next step where we rest and enjoy the fruit of our labor.

This holy dance of work and rest is reinforced in the Ten Commandments Moses receives from God On Mount Sinai. “Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy. Six days shall you work, but the seventh shall be kept as holy to the Lord…(Exodus 20:9).

The Sabbath is a measurable gift from God. Pharaoh made no allowance for a rest day. Indeed, not one of the ancient nations surrounding Israel recognized a Sabbath Day each week. By commanding Israel to keep a Sabbath, God was not only stating the obvious – people need their rest, but also he was issuing a distinguishing decree that would mark those who truly love God. 1 N.T. Wright, Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters

They will strictly maintain a day of rest.

Considering the prominence of the Sabbath keeping for the ancient Jews, we may better understand why Jesus raised such a furor amongst his people every time he healed or fed people during that seventh day. The Jews were not merely shallow or narrowly rigid.

Jesus was tampering with the most overt characteristic of being a Jew, of what they considered a complete life – keeping 24 hours of uninterrupted rest.

Jesus, for his part, wanted to expand their understanding of Sabbath and of the Father who offered it to them.

He wanted his people to see that the Sabbath was less of a requirement and more of a gift. “Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath,” states Jesus (Mark 2:27). Deeply seated in our physiology and our psychology is a need for substantive rest. Jesus knew that, yet he also knew that humanity needed to rest in God – to be assured that God will take care of our needs.

Thus, Jesus feeds the hungry and heals the sick on the Sabbath Day to demonstrate the Father’s fidelity to humankind, which he has fashioned in His own likeness. Jesus exemplifies the Father’s determination to complete his human creation.

Accordingly, Jesus, through his healings and feedings, pointedly illustrates a divine fact we humans often dismiss.

God does not need us to run the world.

He does that quite nicely without us.

We fall into the most destructive kind of idolatry when we imagine that our work is indispensable to the world.

Job’s joust with God on this very matter earns him an earful from the Lord: ‘Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?

Tell me, if you understand.

Who marked off its dimensions?

Surely you know!

Who stretched a measuring line across it?

On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?’

Job 38:4-7

Stepping Off

the

Merry-Go-Round

Nevertheless, we continue to act as if the world is dependent on our frenzied labor. Just this month The Economist published an essay entitled “Why is Everyone So Busy?” The authors noted that the workweek for American males is at least twelve hours less, on average, than it was in 1965. Nevertheless, college educated males have seen their actual leisure time drop by more than six hours per week.2 Occupational enjoyment coupled with a heightened sense of job insecurity account for some of this shrinkage. A less measurable variable is that we do not know how to rest and, therefore, we are afraid of it and feverishly avoid it.

Even though we are “off the clock,” so to speak, we nervously fill up our off hours with work instead of daring to seek refreshment and reflection.

“...college educated males have seen their actual leisure time drop by more than six hours per week” One of the foremost business leaders of the last century has much to teach us on this score. Lee Iacocca, the man who miraculously turned around the Chrysler Corporation and restored the Statue of Liberty, was very deliberate in taking his weekly Sabbath. Once he arrived home on Friday night, he devoted himself to his family unreservedly and wholeheartedly.

On Sunday night, he would take out his calendar and set priorities for the week. Once refreshed, he could get on with crucial creative work and decision-making.

By maintaining that rhythm, he saved thousands of citizens’ manufacturing jobs and many more individuals’ pensions. What’s more, Iacocca repaid the $813,000,000 loan from the federal government years before the note came due. Clearly, the rhythm of hard work and intentional rest prepared and preserved this man for one of the most heroic and truly creative feats in all of American business history.

2 “Why is Everyone So Busy,” The Economist, December 20, 2014, 93-96

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From Our Rector...

Our endless cycle of activities bespeaks our fear that if we stop we will miss something; when Iacocca and others show us the opposite is true. If we do not rest, we will miss something – perhaps the biggest things. That point was punctuated for me recently as I read Leighton Ford’s engaging book The Attentive Life. In the book, Ford, the 77 year-old brother-in-law of Billy Graham, takes an honest look back on his long life and ministry. Towards the end, he admits that for Christians rest must become intentional. In music, he asserts, a rest is a pause that cannot be filled without spoiling the score. Furthermore, he states that if something is arresting, it makes us stop and take notice. Without rest, we cease taking account of our lives, and we may waste days upon days in a circle of empty endeavors. Leighton asserts, “God’s rest for us involves freedom— to trust, to live out his dream for us, to work, create, let go, and move on.”3 Considered in this way, Jesus’ words to his followers take on greater meaning than for them to simply step away from work: .

must step away from the usual routine of life so that we may catch sight of our larger purpose and strengthen our most important relationships.

One more point Leighton Ford makes about Sabbath that arrested my attention was his observation that while activity is the hallmark of our early years – going to school, carving out an occupation, and raising a family, rest is the symbol of the second half of life – when the furious march of life subsides. Taking Sabbath along the way can fashion us for the life ahead of us.

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“The wise person knows that our occupation is how we make a living, but it is in our vocation - how we see ourselves in Christ that we make a life”

Turning Off

A young woman in the parish illustrated this last point for me only a few days ago.

“I am sure that my kids will be the very last to have smartphones,” she declared.

“No way will my family be staring into their phones while supposedly eating together at a restaurant!” As humorous as her words may sound, we all know this is not a laughing matter. Young children who cannot discern when it is time to disengage from one activity so they may fully engage “The failure to take our ‘Come to me, all you those they love necessary rest not only are on the road who are weary and are carrying heavy hamstrings our ability to to a succession burdens, and I will of surface give you rest.

Take relate with those we love, r e l a t i o n s h i p s my yoke upon you, and missed but also it can have quite and learn from me; for I am opportunities gentle and humble in deadly consequences.” for meaningful heart, and you will find flesh and blood rest for your souls. For exchanges. my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’

The failure to take our necessary rest Matthew 11:28-30 not only hamstrings our ability to relate

with those we love, but also it can have “Yoke” denotes imperial demands – quite deadly consequences. Growing “the yoke of the emperor.” Additionally, up in Alabama, I was enthralled by the Jesus’ constant opponents, the great football coach Bear Bryant. When Pharisees, had fashioned Israel’s faith at last he retired from coaching, he into a seemingly endless list of religious died within weeks. I presume he had demands. Jesus flips the meaning, lost his reason for living. I garnered however, and offers his followers then the same observation during my time and now reflective rest where our in the military. A career First Sergeant “souls” can be restored, and we may or a Command Sergeant Major retires live into our full humanity. In effect, we after thirty or so years of service, only to expire within months of hanging 3 Leighton Ford, The Attentive Life: up his uniform. Thomas Keating, the Discerning God’s Presence in All Things luminous Trappist monk and architect (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Press, 2008), 176of Centering Prayer “maintains that we 178.

spend the first part of our lives finding our role – what we are conditioned by our culture to do – and the next part finding our true selves, what we were called by God to be.”4 The wise person knows that our occupation is how we make a living, but it is in our vocation – how we see ourselves in Christ – that we make a life.

Surprisingly, less sophisticated cultures have much to teach us in this regard. When Kay and I were serving in the isolated outposts of Newfoundland, we would often be invited over to a neighbor’s house for tea. Situated there on the stark, rocky coast, the villagers’ homes were simple and sparsely appointed. When Kay and I would arrive for teatime, you would have thought Queen Elizabeth II was invited, as well.

Dark brown tea was simmering on the stove, china cups and saucers arranged perfectly on the rude sideboard, while every sort of sweet confections were arrayed across the dining room table.

Kay and I would take our places at the table for hours, drinking voluminous cups of tea and eating innumerable cookies and cakes. When we would finally push ourselves away from the table to get up and make our way back to the work of the parish, our hosts would invariably exclaim, “Lot’s o’ time.

Lot’s o’ time.”

The Newfoundlanders knew what we did not – resting was the work of the parish. We had lot’s o’ time to do less important things.

Your brother,

Patrick U 4

Ford, 176.

MINISTRY Emotional Connection “Music is theology”

the

handmaiden

of

– Martin Luther

M

artin Luther’s words, though scarcely legible, still endure scrawled inside one of my first organ music books I acquired over 20 years ago.

My first music teacher, Roberta Keller, JOSH BENNINGER gifted this book, a collection of Felix Director of Music Mendelssohn’s organ sonatas, to me. and Worship joshb@cecsa.org She penned Martin Luther’s quote in the book, and thus she was my first source of wisdom with regards to the principal function of church music, which, by the way, is not to sound pretty. Yes, the choir must sound bright, unified and beautiful. True.

But before that, the choir and musicians must produce an emotional connection between the music and the listener.

Remember, the words are vastly more important than the music. Take David Kauffman’s choral version of “Behold”, performed at the Festival of Lessons and Carols just a few weeks ago. The opening passage and refrain go like this: “Behold, the mighty one has done great things for me.

And Holy is your name. My soul exalts you, behold my Lord, whose mercy lies on me.”

These words are undeniably mighty and powerful. However, supplement a flowing melodic line, a rich blend of voices,

piano and strings and only then do the words transcend to loftier heights and significance. For example, after the choir and orchestra finished the final notes of “Behold”, it was evident that there were several “wet” eyes in the congregation.

This is what I am talking about. Selecting and performing the right music that creates an emotional, and lasting musical connection between the word of God and God’s people is what the music ministry of Christ Church is here to do.

If the choir and musicians fail to realize an emotional connection on a consistent basis, then the music becomes merely pretty, enjoyable to listen to and admire for art’s sake. I firmly believe that the music ministry is not here to perform concerts, but instead exists to enrich the service of worship. This will become self-evident as I prepare the music program for 2015 and look for innovative ways to draw out the many talents present within our choir and city musicians.

In looking forward to the new year, I foresee several marvelous opportunities to continue this emotional bond between the music ministry and the congregation of Christ Church. Before you know it we will be in Lent, reflecting on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ in moving and reflective worship services such as Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter. Within this collection of significant liturgical moments, you can rest assured that the music ministry will continue to place the words ahead of the music and keep the emotional connection alive and strong.

Josh Benninger

A Valentine’s Opera Recital: Love Arias February 8, 2015 at 3 PM Please join one of CEC’s leading sopranos, Virginia Peche, as she explores the many forms of love expressed in opera arias. Featuring works from Mozart’s Magic Flute, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Gounod’s Faust and Bellini’s La Sonnambula.

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MINISTRY Children’s Communion Class

“W

ho is Jesus? Why does he want to have communion with us?” These are some of the basic questions we discuss together in our Children’s Communion Class.

HALLETA HEINRICH Director of Family Ministries halletah@cecsa.org

The class begins Sunday, February 8 and concludes on Sunday, April 12 with a Children’s Communion Celebration.

A Communion Class Parent Orientation will be held on Sunday, February 1 at 10 AM in the Children’s Chapel on the second floor of the FMC for all parents interested in their child participating in the class.

The Communion Class is designed to enrich the children’s Communion experience. The only requirement for receiving Communion is Baptism, so the class is not mandatory.

Children in first grade and above are eligible to take part in the class. The class will be held during the Sunday School hour from 10 – 10:55 AM in FMC rooms 205 and 206.

Parents are asked to participate in the Communion Class by being helpers in at least one of the sessions and during the Communion Retreat, which will be held Saturday, April 11 or in the planning of the Sunday Communion Celebration that concludes the class. Please contact Halleta Heinrich at the church at halletah@cecsa.org or phone 736-3132 with any questions.

2015 Communion Class Schedule: February 1: Parent Orientation February 8: “Who is Jesus? ” and “ Who Are We?”

The Good Shepherd (John 10:1-12) and The

True Vine (John 15:1-17) Presentations February 15: “What Is the Lord’s Supper?’

Biblical Background and Reenactment

(Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

and I Corinthians) February 22: “ How Do We Celebrate the Lord’s Supper?”

Altar Guild Presentation and The Upper

Room Presentation in the church March 1: “How Do We Prepare Our Hearts to Receive

Holy Communion?” Part I:

Prayer with The Hand Prayer Presentation March 8 and 15: Spring Break - No Class March 22: “How Do We Prepare Our Hearts For Holy

Communion?” Part II

Confession and Reconciliation - The Found

Sheep Presentation (Matthew 18:10 – 14

and Luke 15:1-7) March 29: “Who Are We, the Church, As A Christian Community?”

A culmination of all Gospel and Book of

Common Prayer lessons April 5: Easter – No Class April 11: Communion Retreat from 10 AM - 3 PM at the church April 12: Children’s Communion Celebration Day

during the 11 AM service

Halleta

YOU’RE MAKING SUMMER PLANS ALREADY?!

Save the Date!

Christ Church VBS Coming June 8 – 11 We Are Trekking to “Hometown Nazareth – Where Jesus Was A Kid”

Leaders. We will visit with Jesus’ mom Mary in Mary’s House each day so she can tell us stories of Jesus as a kid.

P

lease save June 8 – 11 on your calendar now for our great Christ Church Vacation Bible School, and tell all your friends outside of Christ Church to do the same. Amy Case will once again be directing this Holy Land Adventure and Marketplace style VBS the children have come to love. Most of VBS occurs on the beautiful, shaded Christ Church grounds so “It feels like camp!” according to many of the children. We want lots of kids to come

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participate as Family Tribe Members, as well as teens and adults to serve as Tribal Moms or Dads, Tribe’s Big Brothers and Sisters, Marketplace Shop Keepers, Drama Team Members, and Recreation

Contact VBS D i r e c t o r Amy Case at amygcase@ gmail.com or Halleta at halletah@cecsa.org or 7363132 if you have questions or know you want to help. We begin our serious VBS planning in February.

Family Ministry...

And

the

Beet Goes

on....

K

Kids Movie Day Sunday, January 25 9:30 – 11:00 AM In FMC Movie Theater Room 302 During the Annual Parish Meeting

ids will see the latest Veggie Tale movie release “Beauty and the Beet” – A Lesson in Unconditional Love, on Sunday, January 25 from 9:30 – 11 AM in the FMC Movie Theater room 302 during the Annual Parish Meeting.

Veggie Tales always have a biblical basis, and the Key Bible Verse for this

new feature is “ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (I John 4:11). Some healthy snacks will be served including veggies, of course, and maybe some pickled beets to fit the theme.

Parents should pick up their children in the movie location at the conclusion of the meeting. Nursery care will be provided for infants, toddlers and young three year olds during the meeting.

Showing Jesus’ Love - Children’s Service Project Children and Families Service Project and Breakfast Saturday, January 31 9 – 11 AM in the FMC Tomlin Room

O

ur children want to show the love of Jesus to those in our Church Family and neighborhood who may feel lonely and alone. No one demonstrates the love of Christ more than kids! They will show the love of Jesus by making Valentines for those in our community

who may need to be reminded that Jesus loves them and His love will NEVER leave them.

Children and families will gather in the first floor FMC Tomlin Room from 9 – 11 AM for Valentine making and continental breakfast. Valentine making materials including Bible verses about God’s love will be available to paste or print in each Valentine.

This special service project is being

sponsored by our Christ Church Outreach Ministry through the leadership of Gavin Rogers, our 12x12 Mission Coordinator and Children’s Ministry.

Please contact Gavin at www.12x12. com or Halleta Heinrich at halletah@ cecsa.org or 736-3132 by Wednesday, January 28 at 12 noon if you plan to come. Nursery care will be available for infants and toddlers with your RSVP.

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Get Ready

to

Read! the Bible regularly. The problem is most people get bogged down with traditional through-the-Bible reading plans so they just give up. The E100 Challenge is simple, achievable and creates a contagious enthusiasm for reading the Bible.

B

eginning February 14, Valentines Day, Christ Church will embark on the Great Bible Reading Adventure. In 100 days, we will read the 100 most important passages and stories from the Bible. This is a 100 days that may change our lives!

Are you aware that 90+ percent of American households own at least one Bible? However, the staggering statistic is that only 20 percent of those who own Bibles will ever read through it completely in their lifetime.

This statistic includes regular churchgoing members. With these statistics in full view, it is unfortunately easy to conclude that Bible sales far outpace Bible reading!

Our prayer is that God will use your leadership and this program to ignite a Bible reading revival in your church.

We have tested The E100 Challenge in hundreds of churches across the country and pastors all tell us the same thing: “The E100 Challenge is the one Bible reading program people actually enjoy and complete.” In short...The Challenge works!

The reading list, put together by the prestigious Scripture Union, is comprehensive, yet manageable in even the most hectic daily schedule.

This is what the creators of this exciting program have to say about its importance for all Christians: The Essential 100 Challenge (The E100) is an effective Bible reading program built around 100 carefully selected short Bible passages — 50 from the Old Testament and 50 from the New Testament. It enables people in your church to get the big picture of God’s Word and in the process develop a daily Bible reading habit.

Most pastors, regardless of their denomination or theological perspective, want their people to read

Based on feedback from pastors, we’ve designed The E100 Challenge to be flexible. It works with any Bible translation and any time frame.

Sign-ups will begin in late January.

Commit yourself to this 100 days of transformation and growth!

Advent - Epiphany 2014-2015:My New Year’s Resolution!

Sunday Proper Lesson

January 11 Baptism of the Lord Mark 1:4-11

Inspiration

They came Confessing their sins.

January 18

Epiphany 2

John 1:43-51

Jesus said to them, “Follow me!”

January 25

Epiphany 3

Mark 1:14-20

Repent and believe the gospel!

February 1

Epiphany 4

Mark 1:21-28

Come out and Be Silent!

February 8

Epiphany 5

Mark 1:29-39

She got up and Served them.

February 14

Last Epiphany

Mark 9:2-9

He was Transformed before them.

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Resolution I will Confess my sins to God and get well.

I will Follow Jesus’ leading instead of my own.

I will Repent and change my life’s direction.

I will Be Silent and wait for the Lord.

Once healed, I will Serve the Lord.

I will be Transformed into the likeness of Jesus.

Our Church Life...

Sunday School

C

hrist Church offers a full program of Christian Formation classes for Adults. Our program begins with Christ Church 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 (a structured series taught by our Rector on a regular schedule throughout the year).

In addition to the basic classes, we are offering the following classes during the spring semester of 2015: LIVING IN THE WORD Most Sundays: A year round course facilitated by Marthe Curry, PhD and Scott Rose.

The Apostle Paul encouraged the believers in Rome to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2). The best place for Christians to find renewal is in the Holy Scriptures, and our rector Patrick Gahan has provided a weekly study guide that makes this both easy and challenging!

Please join us each Sunday morning in the Capers Rooms as we explore a passage of Scripture from the weekly lectionary through Patrick’s search questions. Discussions are open to all.

EPISCOPAL DNA January 4 - February 15 A six-week course presented by John Boyce and Brien Koehler.

What are the essential “markers” of Episcopal DNA? What makes us who we are? The Anglican Communion (of which the Episcopal Church is one part) traces its lineage back to the Apostles, but there have been some “defining moments” in our history.

The Articles of Religion (produced in the sixteenth century) are such a moment. They set our boundaries, and give us our theological personality.

How we worship, teach, and engage the church’s mission have been influenced deeply by the Articles.

In the late nineteenth century, a new statement of our vital principles of church unity was formulated and published. It is known as the “ChicagoLambeth Quadrilateral”, and the four points of the quadrilateral are Scripture,

is

NOT

just for kids!

Ministry, Creeds, and Sacraments.

Our Episcopal DNA course will look at how the Articles of Religion and the four “points” of the Quadrilateral blend together to make us who we are.

THE FAMILY PROJECT Begins January 11 A twelve-week course facilitated by Cindy and Charles Huey, Nancy and Mark Wright, Catherine Easley, and Amy and Chad Case.

What is Family? Does it Matter in Today’s Society? These questions will be approached in The Family Project Sunday School Class. The class is for families of all ages, sizes and makeup. This Focus on the Family produced series presents the case that there are no perfect families, but through Christ, all family situations can be redeemed.

A combination of discussion and video clips will make up this twelve session offering. Participant Guides will be available for an offering of $10 per book in the class.

THE CROSS OF CHRIST February 22-March 29 A six-week course for Lent presented by Brien Koehler and members of Christ Church.

This course will be based on topics presented in John Stott’s classic work The Cross of Christ. “I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross. . . .

In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?”

With compelling honesty John Stott confronts this generation with the centrality of the cross in God’s redemption of the world…. Can we see triumph in tragedy, victory in shame? Why should an object of Roman distaste and Jewish disgust be the emblem of our worship and the axiom of our faith? And what does it

mean for us today? Recommended reading: The Cross of Christ, John Stott February 22: March 1 & 8: March 15:

March 29:

Approaching the Cross The Heart of the Cross The Achievement of the Cross Living Under the Cross

BOOK STUDY OF UNCONDITIONAL April 12-April 26 A three-week course.

If Christianity is not about forgiveness, it is about nothing at all. In this book readers will be confronted with the stark reality of how deeply we are called to show Christ-like forgiveness and mercy to those to whom we may feel least inclined to offer forgiveness or mercy. In a three-week study, we will look at the several sections of Zahnd’s book where he uses Jesus’ direct teaching to powerfully convict us of the Christian’s need to practice radical forgiveness.

Recommended Reading: Unconditional,

by Brian Zahnd THEOLOGY OF MISSION AT HOME AND AROUND THE WORLD May 3-May 17 A three week course presented by Marthe Curry, PhD and George Olson.

Great Commission ministry is the responsibility of the Church—the whole Church. Each member has a part to play in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ and making disciples in every place. How can an effective theology of mission be implemented today? What makes mission work effective? What can each person, lay or clergy, old or young do to be part of the Great Commission?

In this three week presentation, our class leaders will bring their experience of Christian Mission across the world to the foreground in sessions designed to inform and inspire. Marthe Curry is Director of World Mission Development for the Diocese of West Texas. George Olson is a member of Christ Church engaged in full time mission with his family through New Tribes Mission in the Philippines.

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MINISTRY

What’s Happening

in the

Carriage House?

T

here’s a lot of something going on! On Sunday, January 4 we paid tribute to one of the wise elders of youth ministry, Clark Niles.

It was a wonderful ROB HARRIS way to send out Interim Director of a faithful servant Youth Ministry of Christ into the robh@cecsa.org greater mission field in style. But ministry with our teens is not over; something new is breaking forth. You better get ready for the ride! Now to the nitty gritty: in the next year, Youth Ministry at Christ Church will be going through MAJOR renovations.

Specifically, I would like to discuss three key elements of that renovation.

2.

The Renovation Team In the summer, a group called Youth Ministry Architect visited Christ Church to undertake a study of our existing youth ministry program.

We have received the results of this study and are breaking ground on the architectural blueprint they provided us.

A Renovation Team, made up of Christ Church parishioners, has been formed.

In the next several months they will be forming a vision and strategy for the future of ministry to our teens.

Additionally, the Renovation Team will lead a search for the calling of a new Youth Minister.

3.

4.

The Interim Period

5.

Using the word “interim” may sound uninspiring, but fear not; there will be nothing static about this interim period. I have officially taken over the responsibility of Youth Ministry in our parish and will be assisted by a dynamic team. We have some ideas already percolating that I would like to share with you:

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1. A prayer ministry has been formed

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to support our Youth. These prayer warriors will be exhaustively lifting our teens and our ministry with them to the Lord.

Sunday mornings will continue from 10:00 a.m. – 10:50 AM, in the Carriage House. Confirmands and Middle School-aged youth will meet for study and Senior High Youth will meet upstairs for Bible Study.

Beginning February 1, we will begin Sunday Fundays for Middle School aged youth. Youth will be invited to have lunch with us in the Parish Hall at Noon; then travel to an exotic location. February 1 we will be heading to play Lazer Tag. We will return to the church by 3 PM. THESE SUNDAY FUNDAYS WILL OCCUR EACH FIRST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH. We will engage in a service opportunity for Youth the last Sunday of each month. The next service project will take place on February 22 and will be a Habitat for Humanity build. This event is open to Middle School and Senior High Youth.

I would like to call a Parents Summit, Wednesday, February 4.

The evening will last from 7:30 – 9:00 PM and will be held in the Carriage House. At this Summit, we will discuss plans for the interim period, pass out vital information, have some delicious desserts, and some fun too. PARENTS, PLEASE MAKE IT A PRIORITY TO BE THERE. Beginning on Tuesday, February 10, 7:30 – 9 PM, in the Carriage House, we will kickoff OASIS for Senior High

aged Youth. OASIS will be an evening of Eucharist like the first church did it. We will begin with an Agape dinner, followed by a reading of the Gospel, a short video presentation, small group discussions, prayers, and we will end in the sharing of Holy Communion. The evening will focus on where Christian life intersects with contemporary issues.

We will look at the ethics of leading moral Christian lives and have some fun too.

7. The Middle School Girls Bible Study will continue to meet at Panera Bread in Lincoln Heights, ably led

by Tobin Simpson.

I have always believed that it takes SWEAT for a ministry to become a blessing that brings blessings. It takes Service, Worship, Education, fun Activities, and Training in discipleship.

It takes not just my sweat, or a youth professional’s sweat, IT TAKES ALL OF US, sweating and serving together to make God’s dream a reality for our teens and our community.

I hope you’ll sweat it out with us and make the Youth Ministry a PRIORITY at Christ Church.

Rob Harris

Laying hands on Clark during his Retirement Reception

MISSIONS The Legend Continues

A

t Christ Episcopal Church, our commitment to world missions is legendary! For decades we have supported longterm missionaries in the field, sent shortBRIEN KOEHLER term mission Associate Rector teams to Africa, for Mission and Mexico, and Formation Central America, brienk@cecsa.org and supported individuals in missionary outreach. We do this because it is part of the Great Commission ministry given to us by Jesus.

As this article goes to press, Terry Koehler and Nita Shaver are in Honduras (with Brien Koehler there as a helper) leading a workshop designed to help women supplement their family incomes by making quality needlecraft projects to be sold in Honduras through quality tourist shops. The thirty Honduran women are all members of the Episcopal Church, and many have been known to us for some years.

The opportunities for small business are severely limited in Honduras, and this project (a joint project between “Threads of Blessing” of the Diocese

of West Texas and Christ Church) is a source of hope and joy to these ladies.

In July, Christ Church will offer three organized short-term mission trips.

Here are the details: 1. Honduras for adults (July 7-14, 2015) This short-term mission trip will engage its participants in construction, women’s projects, and Bible School for children.

The work will take place in the Copan Deanery of the Diocese of Honduras of the Episcopal Church. Construction will focus on the upgrading of an existing church building to add facilities for dormitory and kitchen use. The refit building will serve as a training center for the regional needs of the Church. Terry and Brien Koehler will be the team leaders.

2. Guatemala for youth (June 29July 12) This short-term mission trip will engage our youth in a varied program of mission service in Guatemala. It is offered in partnership with St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Kerrville, and Gavin Rogers will head the leadership team.

3. Short FUSE, our introduction to a mission trip experience for all ages

(middle school minimum), crossgenerational family participation encouraged, in Waco, Texas (July 16-19, 2015). Singles welcome and also encouraged. The Short FUSE is a cooperative ministry with Christ Church Outreach. The ShortFUSE (FUSE=Family Urban Service Experience) is conducted in partnership with Mission Waco, one of the premier urban ministry organizations in the U.S. Our team will experience a “sampler” of ministry opportunities serving children, the elderly, and the homeless. This is an easy opportunity: it is close to home, it doesn’t take much time, and it isn’t expensive. We have doubled the capacity for this trip in 2015 based on highly positive feedback from 2014 participants. Participants in 2014 ranged in age from 14 to 80!

You can start supporting these three mission trips now with your prayers.

Pray for God to lead the planning of each so that his will is always our primary goal. And pray about your own participation. Details, costs, and signup will be available in March. If you can’t wait for information, please call Brien at 830-200-1905 or send an email to brienk@cecsa.org.

Brien Koehler

Annual General Meeting of the Parish Sunday, January 25 9:45 - 11 AM in the Sanctuary Financial and Ministry Reports Election of the 2015 Vestry (Five new members) ALL parishioners 16 years and older are encouraged to attend 11

CARE

Looking

C

ommunity of Hope West Texas Region is sponsoring our Annual Retreat at Mustang Island on March 14th and 15th. You CAROL MILLER do not have to Pastoral Care be a member of Administrator carolm@cecsa.org COH to attend.

We want you to come, join the fun, and listen to a wonderful presentation by Brother Michael Gallagher and Fr. Peter Funk from the Holy Cross Monastery in

for a

Beach Get-Away?

Beaumont. Their topic will be “The Christian Journey and Why Community of Hope Now?” They will also include discussions about Humility and Stability as Benedictine values.

Reverend Scott Kitayama will be our Worship leader with his wife, Susanna, as our music director. Reverend Eric Fenton will also be attending.

You may arrive at Mustang Island on Friday evening to join us for a wonderful dinner and time for just visiting.

Our first session begins on Saturday morning at 10:30 with Morning Prayer.

We have three sessions on Saturday and

one on Sunday morning, ending with Holy Eucharist at 10 AM. Brunch will follow - then back home after spending a wonderful time at the coast with wonderful people in our West Texas Region.

You would just love being a part of this special time. For more information call Carol Miller at Christ Church, (210) 736-3132.

Carol Miller

Pastoral Care Shares Communion Monthly

E

very month on the second Thursday, the Pastoral Care Team and Clergy participate in a Communion service at the Forum at Lincoln Heights. In January we had a total of 24 residents participating. Jill Adams, Theresa Wilson, and Martha Ann Thaddeus from the Skilled Nursing Unit were able to join us for the service. Reverend Scott Kitayama is in charge of the service, finishing with Holy Eucharist. We then branched out to visit our parishioners

who were unable to attend. If we only had a piano player, that would make the time more special for us and the residents. Would you like to volunteer?

Every month on the third Sunday, Reverend Rob Harris and the Pastoral Care Team provide a communion service for the residents at Chandler Nursing Home. This year we gave Christmas gifts to fifty residents that have attended our service. The gifts included hand cream, lip balm, very

Thanks

T

to the

hank you to everyone who pulled an ornament off the Pajama Tree and purchased pj’s for some of the children at James Madison. On January 5, the first day of school, there was a pajama party to welcome them back to the new year.

Many of your purchases were “modeled” by the students.

See the happy faces in the photograph at right. Again, many thanks for making this a special Christmas for many of our James Madison children.

Karen Von Der Bruegge

12

colorful socks, and a bag of cookies. All were graciously received. We are always looking for more volunteers to help with the service, which is scheduled at 2:30 PM. After church a small lunch is provided to those helping with the service.

Those interested in volunteering with either of our monthly communion services should contact Carol Miller at (210) 736-3132.

“Pajama Angels”

SOCIETY

The Show Must Go On! Park. We took some time “catching up” on our lives. At that time in 2008, I was in deep despair over the recent death of my most wonderful father and from my recent divorce. Laura Nell, first, invited me to visit her Wednesday night group. Later she strongly encouraged me to try out the church services. At some point, she enthusiastically told me that the church had hired a new Rector.

The very day I attended, I knew I was “home.”

T

he following is a 2015 interview by the Great Commission Society with Karla Pollock, the creator of Christ’s Church’s new drama ministry. The debut performance of ‘A Christmas Carol” has made Karla an instant celebrity in her new parish: GCS: Karla, what drew you to Christ Church?

Karla: Laura Nell Burton approached me when we were neighbors in Olmos

Cast Photo by Jimmy Covelli

GCS: What keeps you at Christ Church?

Karla: The sermons. The friends I’ve made. The music. The true, sincere spirituality that fuels the community outreach.

GCS: How have you enjoyed sharing your theatrical expertise with your new church?

Karla: Amazing! No one will ever realize what the experience of sharing

“A Christmas reconnection.

Carol”

did

for

my

GCS: What’s next?

Karla: I am very excited about a script I have prepared entitled “Resurrection,” which is written in the form of a Medieval Easter pageant.

GCS: What motivated you to add Christ Church to your will?

Karla: I joined Christ Church less than a year ago, and yet, what I have received from this church is greater than what I expected. I find myself totally drawn into the sermons. Parishioners have made me feel so warmly welcome, and Halleta has “found a place” for me in the church community. It is only right that I support the church that supports me.

GCS: How important is it to you that the ministry of Christ Church remain vibrant after your lifetime and why?

Karla: Just as I want my own children taken care of when I pass away, I want the HEART of what Christ Church represents to forever be available to believers who find their blessed way to Christ Church.

13

Our Church Life..

PAGE TURNERS – From

I

n the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible P o l a r Voyage of the USS Jeannette,

by Hampton Sides. We often imagine how horrible it would be to be stranded on a desert island in the Pacific, yet imagine the horror of being stuck in polar ice some 1,000 miles north of Siberia for over two years! That is what happened to the men of the USS Jeannette in 1879, as they made an attempt to reach the North Pole. When, John, our youngest son, gave this book to me on the occasion of my birthday, I bet he did not know that the story would keep me awake at night. How the men make their way across the frozen ice to Siberia is beyond human reckoning. And how the gallant commander and his wife keep their love alive across the thousands of miles and days is equally astounding.

George Melville, one of the survivors of the expedition who would rise to the rank of Rear Admiral, wrote these lines as he buried some of his fallen comrades: In the awful silence of that vast waste we tenderly laid our dead comrades to rest. We were overawed by the simplicity of obsequies, the oppressive stillness, the wonderful wilderness of white. There, the everlasting snows would be their winding-sheet and the fierce polar blasts would wail their wild dirge through all time. Surely heroes never found a fitter restingplace.

I must add a note of gratitude here to Torgie and Nancy Torgerson, who personally introduced me to the esteemed author, Hampton Sides.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed.

This must be my season for adventure books. I found this one in an airport

14

the

Rector’s Book Stack

bookstall, where I have found some of my most treasured reads. This one did not disappoint, as memoir and pilgrimage rank amongst my favorite volumes. Strayed’s earthy account has garnered national attention and will shortly be released on the cinematic screen. I suggest that you read her work first. It is riveting – not only because Cheryl Strayed is a novice hiker who backpacks alone along the 1,100 miles of the treacherous, everchanging Pacific Coast Trail from the Mojave Desert to the Bridge of the Gods connecting Oregon to Washington, but because of the transformation that takes place in this entirely broken young woman. Hers is a story of a personal exodus, yet without pious sentiment. I will warn the reader that her life is at once hopeful and terrible at the same time. Warning: Strayed spares none of the dark facts of her life. Looking back on her journey, Strayed writes:

What I loved about this book – and I do love it, for I have bought and given away ten copies – is how the 77 year-old Ford honestly reflects on his lifetime of ministry and family life. Additionally, he is so well read that T.S. Eliot, Ranier Maria Rilke, May Sarton, Anthony Bloom, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Billy Collins, and Julian of Norwich all make appearances on the pages. But the best quotes are garnered from Ford himself:

It seemed like years ago now—as I stood barefoot on that mountain in California—in a different lifetime, really, when I make the arguably unreasonable decision to take a long walk alone on the PCT in order to save myself. When I believed all things I’d been before had prepared me for this journey. But nothing had or could. Each day on the trail was the only possible preparation for the one that followed. And sometimes even the day did not prepare me for what would happen next.

Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters, by N.T. Wright. Whenever I read a book by N.T. Wright, I get the impression that he just writes it cover to cover without using a single note or taking few breaks. He maintains such fluidity with his writing and preserves such an ease and confidence with his subject.

Wright’s command of the New Testament is equaled by very few in our generation. This short volume, only 231 pages in length, showcases his facility with the scripture, yet more importantly, it displays his deep understanding of Jesus. Wright propels his chronicle of Jesus around what he calls “the perfect storm” – the Roman storm of Augustus, who reigned from 31 BC to 14 AD, which aligns with the Jewish storm of Second Temple Judaism, the religious expression that results from the Babylonian exile.

When these two storms encounter the hurricane of God in the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, a tsunami hits that first century world and has continued to flood into ours.

The Attentive Life: Discerning God’s Presence in All Things, by Leighton Ford.

Combine the fervor of Billy Graham with the ardor of Thomas Merton and you get Leighton Ford.

The author is, in fact, Billy Graham’s brother-in-law.

His book, however, looks at an individual Christian’s day and the entire sweep of a Christian’s life through the lens of the historic seven hours of monastic prayers – Vigils, about 3 AM; Lauds, at sunrise; Prime, at the beginning of the workday; Terce, at midmorning; Sext, at noon; None, at midafternoon; Vespers, at sunset; and Compline, just before bedtime.

The end of our lifelong journey and quest is not merely a change of location, as if some celestial moving van could take you and me and our stuff from our current address to a house in the sky. It involves a profound transformation, the emergence of our true self, so that in becoming like Christ we most truly become ourselves – at home in our skin and in our soul, as Irenaus said, ‘humans fully alive.’

What were the winds that were gathering speed just then, rushing in upon Jesus from various directions? cont’d.

OF EVENTS Christ Church Staff: January 11:

Youth Confirmation classes begin

January 14:

Two Tables resumes, 5:30 - 7 PM in the Parish Hall

January 18:

3rd Sunday Lunch Bunch at Order Up, 12:30 PM

January 25:

Annual General Meeting of the Parish, 9:45 -11 AM in the Sanctuary

January 31:

Children & Families Service Project, 9 - 11 AM in the Tomlin Room

February 1:

Communion Class Parent Orientation, 10 AM in the FMC Children’s Chapel Sunday Funday - Lazer Tag for Middle School Youth, 12 - 3 PM

The Rev. Rob Harris, Assistant Rector for Community Formation, robh@ cecsa.org

February 4:

Parents Summit, 7:30 - 9 PM in the Carriage House

February 8:

Children’s Communion Class begins, 10 AM in FMC Valentine Opera Concert, 3 PM in the Sanctuary

Carol Miller, Pastoral Care Administrator, carolm@cecsa.org

February 10:

OASIS for High School begins, 7:30 - 9 PM in the Carriage House

February 13:

Women’s Tea, 4 - 6:30 PM, 720 Ivy Lane

February 14:

Valentine’s Day Essential 100 Begins

February 15:

Gumbo Lunch, 12 PM in the Parish Hall 3rd Sunday Lunch Bunch at Order Up, 12:30 PM

February 17:

Fat Tuesday

February 18:

Ash Wednesday Services at 7:30 AM, 12 PM, & 6 PM

February 22:

Youth Service Project - Habitat for Humanity

March 14-15:

Community of Hope Annual Retreat, Mustang Island

What am I reading just now?

Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition, by Christine D. Pohl. Clay, our oldest son, taught this book in his Sunday school class in Louisville, KY. The back cover blurb caught my attention: For most of Church history, practicing hospitality was central to Christian identity. Yet

The Rev. Scott Kitayama, Associate Rector, scottk@cecsa.org The Rev. Brien Koehler, Associate Rector for Mission and Formation, brienk@cecsa.org

Halleta Heinrich, Director of Family Ministry, halletah@cecsa.org Joshua Benninger, Music Minister & Organist joshb@cecsa.org Ruth Berg, Director of Children’s Music, ruthb@cecsa.org

Page Turners What did it mean to be caught in the eye of the storm? As Jesus rode into Jerusalem that fateful spring day (Palm Sunday), what did he think he was doing?

The Rev. Patrick Gahan, Rector patrickg@cecsa.org

continued

our generation knows little about this rich, life-giving practice.

Lila, by Marilynne Robinson.

This book is the third in Robinson’s trilogy centered on the aging Congregational pastor, John Ames, in the small town of Gilead, Iowa. Set in the late 1950’s, the first book in the trilogy, Gilead, won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize. Robinson’s books are masterpieces of the first order and demand reflection by the serious Christian reader.

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

Your brother,

Patrick U 15

St. Nicholas (aka Bishop Frey) and his helpers at the 2014 Christmas Pageant

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 17, Number 1.

E P I S C O PA L Christ Episcopal Church 510 Belknap Place San Antonio, TX 78212 www.cecsa.org

Periodical Postage PAID San Antonio, TX