March 2014 message

March 2014 • Volume 16, Number 2

Our Children in Sunday School

Holy Week at CEC: 3 Where We Fall in Love with God: 4 Golfing for Missions: 7 Return of the Prodigal: 9 Return of the Bishops: 10 Party Time!!: 12 From the Library: 14

MINISTRY In this issue: From Our Rector .................. 4 World Missions ...................... 6 Youth Ministry ...................... 7 Family Ministry..................... 8 Our Church Life..................10 Planned Giving....................13 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

Front Cover photo by Susanna Kitayama Back Cover photo by Mary Ellen Archer 2

Recreating

a

Masterwork: Dvorak’s Stabat Mater

O

ne of the most exciting things about a work of art is that it can have many lives.

Other artists may choose to borrow from, adapt or transform the OWEN DUGGAN original. A longDirector of Music and lost Greek statue Worship once rediscovered owend@cecsa.org may inspire a Michelangelo to sculpt a figure of King David. This process of admiration and imitation from one artist to another may be seen when a composer encounters a great piece of scripture or poetry and chooses to recreate it through music.

The Stabat Mater (Dolorosa) text is thought to have originated in the 13thcentury as a hymn, with its authorship uncertain. It is a poignant and humanistic portrayal of Mary’s feelings as she stood near the cross of her son Jesus as he died. It has inspired and been set to music by a number of great composers including Vivaldi, Haydn and Rossini and in 1883 it was set by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak.

Dvorak began his formal study of music of the Christian faith at age 16 in Prague. This formative time is when a young composer acquires the tools and develops a musical language that will be used to express his personal style.

By acquiring this rigorous form of training and exposure to the masterworks of the day and of the past, a great composer is then able to fashion an original statement

using a language all his or her own.

Ideas and sentiments can now become transformed into sound, in this case human voices and orchestral instruments. We enjoy the fruits of this labor in four dimensions: melody, harmony, rhythm and orchestration.

Melody is the part you are humming on the way home from a good church service. Harmonies are the background melodies and chords that accompany the main melodies. We don’t always know they are there but they can have a pronounced emotional effect on us.

Rhythm keeps our toe tapping, creates suspense or excites us to move. And finally orchestration is the assignment of the various parts to individual singers and players of different voice types and instruments. In case you think that the orchestration is less important than the other features, try thinking about the menacing opening theme of Jaws played on a flute instead of a bowed double bass.

In Dvorak we have one of the great orchestral masters repainting, so to speak, the deeply reflective and spiritual response to the crucifixion already set forth by the original author of the Stabat Mater hymn. We invite you to come and experience it by attending both the Christ Church “Way of the Cross” service on Good Friday at noon followed directly by the choir and members of the San Antonio Symphony performing a full length concert of D v o r a k ’ s setting of the Stabat Mater.

Owen Duggan

Worship

Holy Week

at

Christ Episcopal Church

Holy Week Schedule PALM SUNDAY April 13 9:00 & 11:00 AM The Telling - of the Passion of Christ MAUNDY THURSDAY April 17 6:00 PM The Tasting - of the Last Supper GOOD FRIDAY April 18 12:00 PM The Tears - on the Way to Calvary Followed by the music of Dvorak at 1:15 PM HOLY SATURDAY April 19 10 AM The Liturgy of Light & Easter Egg Hunt 5:00 PM The Testimony - of the Great Vigil of Easter EASTER SUNDAY April 20 7:30, 9:00 & 11:00 AM The Triumph - of the Resurrection

Children’s Palm Sunday Procession Sunday, April 13 At beginning of 9 and 11 AM Services Children should gather at the front steps of the church by 8:45 AM for the 9 AM service or 10:45 AM for the 11 AM service to receive palms to wave during the Palm Sunday Procession on Sunday, April 13. Children will return to sit with parents after the procession at the 9 AM service and will be taken to Children’s Chapel for a special Palm Sunday lesson at the 11 AM service. Early arrivers get the big palms, so make sure you are on time. Palm Sunday wouldn’t be the same without kids in the procession!

no evening service

Easter Egg Hunt & Liturgy of Light Saturday, April 19 10 AM Families should gather in the first floor FMC Tomlin Room to prepare for the Liturgy of Light service. We will process up to Children’s Chapel for a beautiful, but brief service which teaches us about the true meaning of Easter. We will celebrate the fact that on Easter morning so many years ago, Light conquered darkness, and the Love of Christ conquered death. Each family will receive the Light of Christ as a reminder of the gift of the Risen Life of Christ.

We will celebrate the gift of Jesus with an Easter Egg Hunt on the church lawns after the service. The egg hunt is for toddlers to second-graders. There will be an Easter Scavenger Hunt for third to fifth-graders with prizes and treats at the end. There will be an Easter Family Craft and yummy snacks. The Easter Bunny will be here to pass out special Easter Eggs and for great photo opportunities.

Don’t forget your cameras and Easter baskets!

Flowering the Cross Easter Sunday, April 20 At Beginning of 9 and 11 AM Services Children will help bring a bare cross to life as they Flower the Cross on Easter Sunday morning at the beginning of both the 9 AM and 11 AM services. Children should bring flowers from home and gather at the front steps of the church at 8:45 AM or 10:45 AM in order to join the Easter procession.

Those in attendance at the 9 AM service will join their parents after the flowering procession. Children at the 11 AM service will be accompanied to Children’s Chapel for an Easter lesson after the procession. Chapel Children will be accompanied by staff to join parents for Communion at announcement time. No Sunday School will be held on Easter Sunday.

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FROM

The Church: Where We Fall in Love with God story & photos by Stacy Jackson 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 second in a series of pieces on the Church.

This one is adapted from a 2013 photo interview conducted by Stacy Jackson, a student at the Art Institute of San Antonio. that if God loves you, you are given a purpose, that your life is not meaningless. I also had lived enough life by the time I was nineteen or twenty years old to know that I could be pretty destructive if left to my own devices. I think every woman or man, if left to their own schemes, can do a lot of damage amongst their closest relationships. When we start imagining, even in a small way, that we’re God, humans are capable of all sorts of despicable things. So, beginning here in San Antonio, I began to submit myself to the Lord who loved me.

Stacy Jackson: How did faith change you?

Stacy Jackson: How did you come to faith?

Patrick Gahan: The core of my adult faith was developed in this very city of San Antonio oddly enough. My high school years were spent at St. Andrew’s School in Sewanee, TN, a school founded and run by the Order of the Holy Cross, an Episcopal monastic order. At St. Andrew’s, I was submerged in Anglo-Catholic, High-Church observances. We worshiped throughout the week, and the monks figured if you could see the altar, they had not spread enough incense. The worship was filled with mystery and music and really quite beautiful.

After high school, I attended Trinity University at their invitation. I had never been to Texas before early football practice that summer of my freshman year. There, under the careful tutelage of Inter-Varsity and Campus Crusade for Christ, I learned that the Lord God was not just this ubiquitous, overarching power, but that He was very personal.

For reasons well beyond my understanding, I came to believe the God of the Universe, the God of everything, really loved me, Patrick Gahan.

Patrick’s Notes: I need be careful here to clarify that my years at St. Andrew’s were as important to my faith as the ones at Trinity. In a very real sense, the insistence by the monks that I be submerged in worship ‘set the table’ for my personal faith. It is from my own experience that I urge parents to make worship a priority in their children’s week. Parents do have that power.

Through my Christian mentors at Trinity, I began to realize

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We live in a world that tends to be consumerist, and that leads to an ugly narcissism in people. We want what we want and we want it right now. In the New Testament Jesus states clearly that it is “only through losing our life that we will find it” (Matthew 10:39; 16:25; Luke 9:24; 17:33). And it is by becoming “poor in spirit” that we truly begin to comprehend the great love that God has for us and understand His ultimate purpose for our lives (Matthew 5:3). Jesus’ message is so very different from what the world blasts us with – “You don’t have enough!” “You must seek power.” “Oh, if only I owned this one thing.” “They just don’t appreciate or understand me.” Jesus’ message is certainly the antithesis of that, and he was not alone in that preoccupation. If you read the Hebrew prophets of the Old Testament, they call Israel to a life unabsorbed with self so that they could center on those who need them (Amos 8:6; Isaiah 58:6-9).

Patrick’s Notes: The more I read the Gospels, the more I see Jesus fulfilling and embodying the yearnings and warnings of the Hebrew prophets. It is not enough just to claim Jesus as our Lord. We must serve him by sacrificially extending ourselves to those in need.

Jesus’ witness leads us to see how costly our sacrifice can be.

Living faithfully as a disciple of Jesus is a full-body commitment and experience.

Stacy Jackson: What is your view of other faiths?

Patrick Gahan: Let me start

From our Rector... off by stating that I’m not interested in lambasting other world religions or another’s closely held faith. Saints James and John both said that you will know a person’s faith by its fruit or works (James 2:18; Revelation 2:19). Yet, for me, observing the span of world history, the most complete revelation of God is Jesus. The scripture says in him the fullness of God dwells (Colossians 1:19, 2:9). Okay, what do we learn from that? If the fullness of God dwells in Jesus, it tells us that God is immensely personal and that He will go to any length to be with His creation. It also tells us that God’s love is sacrificial and there is no quota to how far he will go to rescue us from our selves. In Jesus, there is a sense that that the world is not really headed towards Armageddon, but instead it is headed towards the love that Jesus manifests.

In John’s Gospel Jesus is called the “Word” (John 1:1). The “Word” in Greek is logos, and essentially it means that if we want to know what God is really up to, we must look at Jesus – the “Word,” the intention, the appearance of God on earth.

So, for me, the Christian faith is known and experienced through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Word.

I do not see any other portrait of God that is so complete and so wonderfully expressed.

Granted, I was not born in the Middle East or another part of Asia or Africa so that I was attracted to Islam. Furthermore, I am not Jewish, but I have spent my life in the presence and friendship of many Jews. Those two monotheistic religions can be quite captivating. I just don’t see in either one of them the complete portrait of God that shines so brightly in Jesus (John 14:7). That’s not an arrogant stance; there is nothing arrogant or strident about it. I have no desire to diminish anyone’s faith, but the fullness of God that I have experienced in Jesus is frankly incomparable.

Stacy Jackson: Why did you choose the Episcopal Church?

Patrick Gahan: The Episcopal Church extols the beauty and artistry of God. If you come to an Episcopal celebration on a Sunday, one of the first things that will strike you is the people have really thought deeply and prepared extensively to make something truly beautiful. We believe that through the poetry and magnificence of our worship, someone might fall in love with God – or fall back in love with Him. It’s certainly not that our worship is better than other traditions, but that someone may walk through those heavy oak doors and get caught up in the cadences of the music and the measured beauty of the language. Episcopalians never take

worship for granted. It is of central importance to us.

It is so important to us that we must give it away.

Patrick’s Notes: My favorite quote regarding Episcopal worship comes from the late Dean of Sewanee Theological Seminary when I was a student up the road at Saint Andrew’s: ‘When Anglicanism is at its best, its music, its liturgy and its life can create a world of wonder in which it is very easy to fall in love with God.’ The Very Rev. Urban T. Holmes.

As I grow older, another thing that I treasure about the Episcopal Church is our commitment to inquiry. The Church must engage the culture. We cannot possibly run away from the culture in which we live. We are not the Amish. We believe that we cannot become isolationist and serve God to the fullest. It is a hurting world, and we are set right smack in the middle of it.

So, you’ll read in the news about the Episcopal Church grappling with very tough issues – those with loads of emotion behind them. We wrestle with questions of sexual expression, economic fairness, military interventions, capital punishment, abortion, and we have Episcopalians on both sides of all these very important questions. But, we are still in the same church, because when we are truly “on our game” we are a people who respect inquiry even to the point of those we love vehemently disagreeing with us.

Patrick’s Notes: The importance of inquiry and allowing disagreement is not an abstract concept for me. My mother, who was Anglican to the marrow of her bones, fiercely disagreed with my conservative views on most every one of the issues I listed. And yet I will go to my grave knowing she was more faithful to Christ than I will ever be.

I must conclude by stating that even in the midst of our disagreements, there is something far greater holding us together. While I do not believe the Episcopal Church is more enlightened than other traditions, I know that we are a people who value creativity, artistry, and optimism. Furthermore, if a person is looking for a top-down authoritarian model of Christianity, the Episcopal Church is not a good choice.

We are so democratic it is almost painful.

That will be a subject to discuss on another day.

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MISSIONS Mission 2014

A

t a recent meeting of the Missions Committee (a standing committee of the Vestry with members appointed by the Vestry), Frances Harrison nominated Melynda Gulley to serve as Chair of the committee. With a second from Marthe Curry, Christ Church member and Executive for World Mission of the diocese, and a unanimous vote from the committee BRIEN KOEHLER membership, Melynda was elected Associate Rector for to succeed John Harrison, whose Mission and Formation dedication to mission is well known brienk@cecsa.org throughout our parish and diocese.

Congratulations to John on the completion of many years of service, and to Melynda as she assumes the leadership of this important committee.

Our Mission Trips—Summer 2014 Christ Church is committed to spreading the Gospel at home and abroad. Continuing our well established tradition, four Missions opportunities are available for all ages this summer: Domestic Mission: Short FUSE to Mission Waco July 17-20, 2014 Each year Christ Church offers a Short FUSE—-Family Urban Service Experience-- working in a variety of social outreach ministries away from the comforts of home. The Short FUSE is an ideal Missions opportunity for families (minimum age is middle school) and individuals with limited time. Mission Waco is a well respected and long established Christian ministry, and Christ Church will partner with them for the Short FUSE 2014. Open to all ages from Middle School to Senior Citizens. Families are encouraged to consider participating together. Grandparents and grandchildren, parents and children, other creative combinations. Singles are also welcome and encouraged. The Short FUSE is scheduled to begin on a Thursday morning, and the program concludes Sunday afternoon. Cost: $125/person* Contact Brien Koehler at 830-200-1905 (brienk@cecsa.org) for more info.

Foreign Mission: 28-July 5, 2014

Honduras

June

Christ Church’s will continue its work in the Copan Deanery of the Diocese of Honduras.

The mission work will include construction, women’s workshops in micro-enterprise, and

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Bible School for kids. This trip is open to adults and to middle or high school age youth accompanied by a parent or guardian. The Cost: $1600/person* (airfare and all ground arrangements). Contact Terry Koehler at (512)659-3403 (tabascoroad@hotmail.com) for more info.

Foreign Mission YOUTH– Guatemala July 1-14 Offered in partnership with St Peter’s Episcopal Church, Kerrville, and organized by Students International Mission, this trip is open to High School Students. Cost: $1800/ person** Contact Clark Niles at (210)844-4834 (clarkn@ cecsa.org) for more info. **Significant fund raising opportunities and financial aid are available to Christ Church youth members in need of support.

Foreign Mission: Uganda Summer (two weeks in late June or July) 2014 Continuing Christ Church’s well established traditional mission work in Uganda, this trip will involve a variety of projects supporting ministries to orphans. This trip is open to adults and to middle or high school age youth accompanied by a parent or guardian. The Cost: $3750/person* (airfare and ground arrangements). Contact John Harrison at 210822-0575 (jrhsr@flash.net) for more info.

Important information for all considering a foreign mission trip experience: All adult participants in a Christ Church Mission trip must complete a short course in child protection. The course (titled “Safeguarding God’s Children”) will be presented at Christ Church without charge to all Mission Team participants at a variety of times so that meeting this requirement before departure on a mission trip is easy. All participants in foreign mission must have a passport with at least six months validity remaining before expiration *Financial Aid through the Missions Committee (up to 50%) is available to Christ Church members needing assistance to be part of a mission team.

Brien “The Lord is my Shepherd” Bible School project, Honduras, 2013

MINISTRY

Growing Habits

I

was reading a little book that my son gave me the other day, and was struck by how powerfully these few words speak to our young people in the 2.0 series and youth confirmation class: “I hope you see church membership is more than getting your name on a roll. It’s different from the perks and privileges you have CLARK NILES when you are in a social club. To Director of the contrary, church membership Youth Ministry is about sacrificing, giving, and clarkn@cecsa.org forgiving. . . Before you make the pledge, think carefully about the words you will read. Think especially carefully about the words in the Bible about church unity. And pray before and after you make the pledge.” -- I am a church Member, by Thom S. Rainer I am reminded by these words of our Lord’s prayer, before He went on to the cross in John 17:20-23, about his desire that God would make us one. Also in Ephesians 4:1-2 and Philippians 3:13-15, that we be like minded. All of this is empowered by the way we love God and each other. And it

of the

Heart

is this love that creates our unity. When the world observes this love in us, they come to believe in Jesus as the savior of the world.

I used to think this unity and oneness was easier for young people than for adults, but not so today. It seems much more difficult than ever before for our youth to become immersed into a particular committed community of believers as described in the New Testament. They go to different schools, they are involved in so many different activities, all of which require more and more of a time commitment than ever before.

Yet, we have an awesome group of young people who truly desire to be known intimately and to walk with God. A huge commitment has been made to be here at Christ Church every Sunday for almost three months. That has been very difficult for some of these young people and their parents.

May it grow into a habit of the heart and not some kind of box being checked saying “the job is done.”

Please be praying for our Young People!

Sincerely,

Clark Niles Attention

all

Golfers

The youth are hosting a golf tournament on Monday June 2nd as a fund raiser for our Youth Mission Trip to Guatemala this summer.

CEC Youth will host the tournament with St. Peter’s Episcopal in Kerville.

The tournament will be played at Tapatio Spring in Boerne, TX. Please let us know if you are interested in playing in the tournament to support Youth Mission. We are also seeking financial contributors.

Attention all 2014 High School Graduating Seniors Please contact Clark Niles if you plan to attend Youth Sunday on May 18th, to be honored with an afghan blanket with the Christ Church logo. We have to order these two months ahead to be sure they arrive in time. Contact Clark at clarkniles82@gmail.com, clarkn@ cecsa.org, or call (210)844-4834.

Interested parties, please contact Clark Niles at clarkn@cecsa.org or (210) 844-4834. Youth participants will contact you with details.

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MINISTRY Let’s Stamp Out Hunger!

W

HALLETA HEINRICH Director of Family Ministries halletah@cecsa.org

e will kick off our “Stamp Out Hunger!” Lenten Mission and Outreach Projects on March 4 at the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper beginning at 5 pm in the Parish Hall. Each family will receive a Rice Bowl “bank” in which to collect coins to be sent to the Rice Bowl Project which feeds orphans in the poorest areas around the world.

Rice Bowls should be placed on the dining table of families as a reminder of the needs of others and of our many blessings this Lent. We will call in the filled Rice Bowls on Sunday, April 27, during the Sunday School hour when we “Stamp Out Hunger” by stomping on the rice bowls to break them open so coins can be counted and sent to the Rice Bowl Project. Kids should wear sturdy shoes!

project help your family grow closer together and to God as we strive to serve the less fortunate as Jesus directs us.

Make sure your family attends the Youth sponsored Pancake Supper on March 4 to eat a yummy breakfast for dinner, learn about our Lent mission and outreach projects, and to support our Christ Church youth. A lenten devotional aid will be distributed at the supper to help your family’s Lent be more meaningful as we prepare for the Easter Resurrection.

Halleta

On March 4, we will also begin collection of rice and beans, staples of the Christ Church Food Pantry, which feeds the poor in our church neighborhood. Rice and bean offerings may be brought to Sunday School or Children’s Chapel all during Lent. Children are encouraged to help you select food offerings to be made to the Food Pantry. May this Lenten

Join

us at

Vacation Bible School - June 9-12! hosting VBS with our friends from St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.

P

reparations are already being made for Vacation Bible School 2014! This year, we will take a journey into the wilderness with none other than Moses himself!

We have a new, earlier date for VBS this summer: June 9th to 12th from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Once again, we will be

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Approximately 100 children will be with us to learn through songs, crafts, games, drama and even bread-making that “God Guides and Provides!” We need many volunteers to make VBS a success including: small group leaders, crafts/games/ snack assistants, decorations helpers, registrars and much more.

Being a part of VBS is a fun, meaningful, memorable experience for the kids and volunteers. Additionally, college students and teens (incoming 6th graders and older) can earn service hours for this ministry...all while becoming role models (and sometimes heroes) for the children.

VBS will take place at Christ Episcopal Church for children ages 4-years through incoming 5th graders. Children under 4 may register if there is an adult in the family volunteering at VBS. There is a registration fee of $25 per child for registrations before May 15, with a family cap of $50 -- an incredible value for 4 days of fun! After May 15, the fee is $30. Early registration guarantees each child a t-shirt, so don’t wait!

The online registration link for participants and volunteers is www. groupvbspro.com/vbs/hl/cecstmarks.

This link can also be found on our website at cecsa.org/children or by contacting Amy Case (amygcase@gmail. com) or Halleta Heinrich (halletah@ cecsa.org).

Join us June 9-12 for a memorable and fun week with some incredible kids!

You won’t regret it!!

Family Ministry...

Wednesday Nights: Return

of the

Prodigal

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e are excited to announce that guest speakers for our Wednesday Night Lenten program are our Bishops Gary Lillibridge and David Reed, and Cannon Joann Saylors. They will lead us in an exploration of Henri Nouwen’s book “The Return of the Prodigal Son – A Story of Homecoming” as he relates to the Parable of the Prodigal Son found in Luke 15:11 – 32. Nouwen is inspired by Rembrandt’s painting “Return of the Prodigal Son” as it leads him to understand this great parable in new and profound ways. He realizes that all Christians as they journey through life can see themselves as all three major characters of the parable – The Younger Son, The Elder Son, and ultimately, The Father.

Wednesday March 12 “When We Are the Prodigal Son”

by Bishop David Reed

Wednesday, March 19 “When We Are the Older Son”

by Cannon Joann Saylors

Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) is considered to be one of the most influential spiritual writers of the twentieth century.

Nouwen was a Dutch born Catholic priest, psychologist, and professor at Notre Dame University, Yale Divinity School, and Harvard Divinity School. His final position is Chaplain to a L’Arc community for mentally handicapped adults. Through all his study and experiences, he has much to teach us.

The schedule for our Lenten Wednesday Night Program follows: 5:15 – 6:00 PM – Dinner in the Parish Hall 6:00 – 7:00 PM – Teachings and discussion based on “The Return of the Prodigal Son” 6:00 - 7:00 PM - Children’s Lenten Program in the FMC for three-year-olds to 5th graders 5:15 - 7:00 PM Nursery care in FMC rooms 105 & 106 for infants to young 3-year-olds. Parents should bring finger foods for toddlers not eating in the Parish Hall.

Wednesday, March 26 “When We Are the Loving Father”

by Bishop Gary Lillibridge

Copies of Nouwen’s Book “The Return of the Prodigal Son” have been ordered for class participants. Please contact Halleta Heinrich at halletah@cecsa.org or call her at the church at 736-3132 if you would like to have a book reserved for you. An offering of $12 per book is requested. Checks may be made out to Christ Episcopal Church for payment.

ROOOAAAAD TRIIIIIIPPP!

I

magine embarking on a road trip that lasts forty years— and you’re not quite sure where you’re going! Come join the Christ Church Mastersingers, Minisingers and guests as they unravel the story of Moses in a CEC premier production of “Are We There Yet?” With lyrics by Tom Long and music by Allen Pote, this delightful retelling of the Exodus is suitable for all ages. So bring the family and join us on Sunday, April 27th at both the 9 and 11 o’clock services to experience God’s mighty power, protection and provision as He calls Moses to lead His people out of bondage and into the Promised Land.

Copyright © 2011 The Zondervan Corporation

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The Christ Church Bible Study

and

Preaching Series

T

he importance of the cross is punctuated across the lines of the New Testament Gospel hymnody, yet few of us have come to know the real meaning or power of Jesus’ cross, and we certainly do not yet know what it means take up our own cross. Yet Jesus starkly announces, “Whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27). Paul seconds Jesus’ declaration with his own admission to the cosmopolitan Corinthians, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Even Isaac Watts, arguably the greatest hymn writer of the 17th century, composing over 750 hymns over the course of his life, penned: When I survey the wondrous cross

on which the Prince of Glory died;

my richest gain I count but loss,

and pour contempt on all my pride.

Lent 2014: Getting Cross - Wise!

This Lenten season, let’s delve into what it means that the cross is the central symbol of our Christian faith, how important it is that Christ was “obedient to death on the cross” (Philippians 2:8), and why it is so important that we undertake our own cross in this short life of ours.

Date Day Scripture We get Cross-Wise…

Wednesday, March 5

Ash Wednesday

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sunday, March 9

Lent 1

Matthew 4:1-11

…by walking through temptation.

Sunday, March 16

Lent 2

John 3:1-17

…when we exit the darkness.

Sunday, March 23

Lent 3

John 4:5-42

…by getting honest.

Sunday, March 30

Lent 4

John 9:1-41

…when we want to get well.

Sunday, April 6

Lent 5

John 11:1-45

…by confronting our death.

Sunday, April 13

Palm Sunday

Matthew 27:11-54

…by standing beside Jesus.

Thursday, April 17

Maundy Thursday

John 13:1-17, 31-35

…by falling on our knees.

Friday, April 18

Good Friday

Passion Story

…by walking with Jesus

The Bishops

T

he Christ Church Adult Education Department is honored to offer a Sunday Lenten series featuring the personal witnesses of our bishops. The schedule is as follows: March 9: Bishop John MacNaughton March 16: Bishop Bill Frey March 23: Bishop John MacNaughton March 30: Bishop Jim Folts April 6: Bishop Gary Lillibridge April 13: Bishop Bob Hibbs

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are

…through a series of false starts.

Coming!

These spiritual leaders will talk with us about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, what it means to them, and how it has shaped their lives.

Please join us at 10:00 AM beginning March 9 in the Parish Hall for this rare opportunity.

Our Church Life...

Adult Formation

W

hat do you do when you have completed the famous “1,2,3” of Christ Church (the foundation courses of Christ Church 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0)? Or, what do you do while waiting for the next “1,2,3” to complete your sequence?

Adult Formation at Christ Church is your answer, in both cases.

We offer a wide range of formation options year-round for Adults. Our spring and summer offerings are: Sundays, April 27-May 18 (no class on the Church 100th birthday) Fantasy and Faith: Using the work of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, Charissa Fenton will explore the world of Christian virtues and examples found in these familiar works.

Made famous through decades of reading and now through films, the stories are more than mere fantasy and more than good entertainment for children.

Narnia and Middle Earth are full of meaning for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. Join Charissa for an introduction into the depth of these works and how they can lead us to new ways of seeing our Christian life. (Three Sunday morning sessions) Person to Person Evangelism: Is there a balance point between private faith on the one hand, and, on the other hand, standing on the corner with a bullhorn calling people to repent? Is there a way to call people to repentance in Jesus’ name and incorporate them into the life of the local church that won’t drive people away, but actually works? Drawing on

Hamlet Steals Hearts

for the

Spring

over a decade of experience among university students, Muslim and Jews, Dr. Duane Miller will share his experiences and insights on how we can call people to faith in Christ without being offensive, but while being clear about our faith. Topics covered will relate to the New Testament roots of evangelism, changing currents in late modern American society and culture, and the relation of sacraments to evangelism. (Three Sunday morning sessions) Living in the Word: Scott Rose and Marthe Curry host a continuing Sunday morning Bible Study that is focused on the Sunday readings at worship. Using Patrick Gahan’s weekly study guide, the participants share and reflect upon the meaning and application of the Bible passages in a very open format. All are welcome to be part of this group. (Three Sunday morning sessions).

Sundays, May 25 and June 1, No classes (short break for teachers) Sunday, June 8 and Sunday, June 22 Taste and See: Using material originally presented during the Community of Hope annual retreat at Mustang Island Conference Center (March, 2014) Brien Koehler will present a study of God’s call to reconciliation of his people to himself, from the fracture of the Fall in the Garden of Eden to the Marriage of the Lamb in Revelation. We will see how the Holy Eucharist is the Sacrament that makes the beginning and the end ours at all times. (Two sessions, June 8 and June 22)

at the

Valentine Tea

11

Our Church Life...

Sunday, May 4, 2014 Come celebrate the 100th birthday of the sanctuary! l Bishop Lillibridge will preach at 9 & 11 AM l Cake reception on the lawn at 10 AM l Casual lunch after the 11 AM service Come and begin making memories for the next 100 years.

Anne Wright & Sally Watson, Co-chairs

12

SOCIETY

Are You Kidding Me? nest.” I have ensured that my family knows exactly what there is and where it is.

Ferne Burney and Tom Frost at Rally Day 2013

M

y father had done everything he needed to do to ensure my mother’s safety and security after his death, but his information was scattered throughout their house, hidden in what could only be described as a “rat’s

Valentines Day

at James

Most experts recommend creating a comprehensive folder of documents that family members can access in case of an emergency, so that they aren’t left scrambling to find and organize a hodgepodge of disparate bank accounts, insurance policies, and brokerage accounts. This can be stored with an attorney, in a safe-deposit box, or kept at home in a fireproof safe with a combination that a family member knows.

An original will is the most important document to keep on file. A will allows you to dictate who inherits your assets, and if your children are underage, their guardians. Dying without a will means losing control of how your assets are distributed.

Instead, state law will determine what happens. But other

documents are important too. How do you want to be memorialized? Do you have a burial insurance plan? Who needs to know that you have died?

The Great Commission Society will be hosting a seminar on May 17 in the Conference Room to help those who would like to know more about organizing all of these important documents into one place.

We will help you construct your own personal “Book of Knowledge” for those who are left behind you. Ferne Burney will be leading the course that takes much of its information from “The 25 Documents You Should Have Before You Die” from The Wall Street Journal.

Please call the Pastoral Care office at the church (736-3231) to let us know that you are interested in attending this seminar.

Ferne Burney Sun

Madison

T

he Community Outreach Committee sponsored a Valentine’s Breakfast for the James Madison Teachers and staff. We had a friendly crew of greeters and servers from Christ Church to welcome the teachers. Christ Church members also sent messages of appreciation to these terrific teachers. Principal Barbara Black and her staff have created an incredibly positive and upbeat environment for these students. If you are interested in serving as a tutor or listener please contact Linda Harvey: LVHarvey433@yahoo. com or 210-313-5660 or Barbara Black: bblack@saisd.net.

Saturday, April 5 9 am – 12 noon in Parish Hall For All Who Minister to Children and Teens

A

“Safeguarding God’s Children” training will be held at Christ Church Saturday, April 5, from 9 am – 12 noon in the Parish Hall for all adults and older teens who work with children and youth. Participation in this seminar is a requirement of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas for protection of our children, youth, and those who work with them. If you minister to children or youth in any way, please plan to attend. Our own excellent in-house trainers, Linda Harvey and Carmen Lewenthal, will lead the seminar. A fun children’s program will take place in the FMC for children of class participants as well as nursery care for infants through young three-year-olds. Healthy snacks will be served for all.

RSVP to Halleta at the church at halletah@cecsa.org or call 736-3132 if you plan to attend.

13

Our Church Life..

PAGE TURNERS – From

the

Rector’s Book Stack

he jousts powerfully with the new boisterous atheists – Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, and Sam Harris. I love it when our faith tradition does not shy away from the hard questions.

McGrath is a gift. This work needs to makes its way to the library.

The Foreign Correspondent, by Alan Furst. I flew through this spy thriller.

As usual, Furst’s hero is middle-aged and understated. In this case, Carlo Weisz is an Italian émigré living in Paris, who has fled there in order to escape the fascist persecution of Mussolini.

Weisz is a “foreign correspondent” for Reuters, but he is up to his neck in clandestine operations executed over the border in his native and beloved Italy.

Meraviglioso! (which is “wonderful” in Italian)

R

aising Henry: A Memoir of Motherhood, Disability & Discovery, by Rachel Adams. Tom Frost read a review of this book in the New York Times about a mother giving birth to a Down Syndrome son. Tom then ordered, read it, and gave it to me. I was, as you can well imagine, very touched by his solidarity with Kay and me in our quest to understand our new grandson and the emotions our daughter-in-law was experiencing. This is a particularly good book for Clay and Sara, as the author and mother of “Henry” is an English professor at Columbia where Clay recently studied. Both Clay and Sara are English teachers at Louisville Collegiate.

The Passionate Intellect: Christian Faith and the Discipleship of the Mind, by Alister McGrath. If McGrath is not the leading Anglican theologian of our day, he must be in the top three.

Furthermore, his writing style is quite accessible, even though he is writing about very challenging subjects. This volume contains eleven of McGrath’s essays in which he looks at subjects ranging from George Herbert’s poetry to C.S. Lewis’s prose to Martin Luther’s theology. I was most drawn to McGrath’s synthesis of science and Christian faith. He paints an entirely new picture of Charles Darwin for me, and

14

Christian Beginnings: From Nazareth to Nicaea, by Geza Vermes. Frances Harrison often puts me on to challenging texts. This is one of them. Vermes, who just died last May, was the Professor of Jewish Studies at Oxford and a foremost authority on the Dead Sea Scrolls and on the history of the Christian movement that erupted after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Curiously, Vermes was raised a Hungarian Jew, became a Roman Catholic priest after World War II, yet returned to Judaism later in his life. Using Biblical and other historical texts, Vermes asserts that the principal beliefs of earliest Christianity were the Kingdom of God, The Crucified, Risen, and Glorified Messiah – Jesus, and the Second Coming of Christ.

Vermes contends that the fervor with which Christians held these principal beliefs significantly declined when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire.

Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim’s Tale, by Ian Morgan Cron. When Bp. Frey calls to say, “You need to read this book,” you go to www.amazon.com and order it immediately. The good bishop, as usual, was not wrong. Chasing Francis is an important volume for evangelicals to read. The protagonist, Chase Falcon, is a young, successful, smart, pastor of a mega-church just 45 minutes outside

New York City. His tidy world comes crashing down on his head when loss, doubt, and painful past relationships assail him. The elders of the church are thrown into a fever pitch of anger over their prized pastor and put him on a leave-of absence. He goes to Italy to visit his uncle Kenny, a Franciscan monk. Between wild car trips, aromatic plates of pasta, cups of black espressos, vats of red wine, and the visits to the most beautiful shrines of Italy – Chase recovers his faith, yet in a very different form than before. He returns to his congregation convicted that they must pursue – transcendence, community, beauty, dignity, and meaning. If you want to find out how the people took that news, you’ll have to read the book yourself.

That’s all for now, but I warn you that Doug Daniel has me reading Napoleonic naval books that have me rollicking on the high seas so much that I need a Dramamine!

Perhaps it’s time you take a voyage through one of our Parish Library selections.

Dr. Richard Albanez, our well-read Librarian, has the stacks shipshape.

Your reading partner,

Patrick U

photo by Stacy Jackson

OF EVENTS March 4:

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper 5:15 PM

Christ Church Staff:

March 5:

Ash Wednesday

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

March 9:

Daylight Savings Time begins

March 12:

Return of the Prodigal, Bishop Reed 5:15 - 7 PM, Parish Hall

March 19:

Return of the Prodigal, Cannon Saylors 5:15 - 7 PM, Parish Hall

March 21 - 23: Community of Hope Retreat at Mustang Island

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

March 26:

Return of the Prodigal, Bishop Lillibridge 5:15 - 7 PM, Parish Hall

March 29:

Poverty Experience at Laurel Heights

April 5:

Safeguarding God’s Children Seminar 9 AM - 12 PM, Parish Hall

April 6:

Confirmation with Bishop Lillibridge

April 13:

Palm Sunday

April 17:

Maundy Thursday Service 6 PM

April 18:

Good Friday Stations of the Cross 12 PM Stabat Mater 1:15 PM

April 19:

Easter Egg Hunt 10 AM Holy Saturday Baptism Service 5 PM

April 20:

Easter

April 27:

Children’s Musical “Are We There Yet?” 9 & 11 AM

Darla Nelson, Office Manager darlan@cecsa.org

May 4:

Birthday Bash on Belknap 100th Birthday Celebration Bishop Lillibridge presiding at 9 & 11 AM

Donna Shreve, Financial Manager donnas@cecsa.org

May 10:

Children’s Communion Retreat 10 AM - 3 PM in the FMC

Gretchen Comuzzi Duggan, Director of Communications, gretchend@cecsa.org

May 11:

Mother’s Day Children’s Communion Celebration 11 AM

May 18:

Youth Sunday

Community

C

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

Anna Jewell, Executive Assistant to the Rector, annaj@cecsa.org Donnis Carpenter, Receptionist donnisc@cecsa.org

of

Hope Beach Retreat

ommunity of Hope West Texas Region is sponsoring our Annual Retreat at Mustang Island on Mar. 22nd and 23rd. You do not have to be a member of COH to attend. We want you to come, join the fun, and listen to a wonderful presentation by Rev. Brien Koehler of Christ Church. His topic will be “Taste and See: Finding Jesus in the Mystery of the Eucharist”. We will have four sessions beginning at 10:30 am on Saturday morning and ending with the fourth session at 9:00 AM Sunday morning. We will then have Holy Eucharist with brunch to follow. Rev. Scott Kitayama will be our Worship leader. Call Carol Miller, 7363132, for more information. The registration deadline is March 14th.

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

Celebrating Rev. Rolly Polk, the longest serving priest in the Diocese of West Texas

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 2.

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