March 2017 message

March 2017 • Volume 19, Number 2

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper

The Sounds of Silence: 2 Grab your basket - it’s an Easter Egg Hunt: 7 Traveling for Jesus - CEC Summer Missions: 9 Don’t Miss the Bus: 11 What is Patrick Reading Now?: 12 Photo Album: 15

FROM

In this issue:

Silence

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

This is the ninth in a series of ten essays Patrick is writing on the lesser-known stained-glass windows in the nave of Christ Church.

Family Ministry..................... 6

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Youth Ministry ...................... 8 Our Church Life ................... 9 Page Turners.......................12 Great Commission..............13 Calendar of Events.............14 Photo Album........................15

PATRICK GAHAN Rector patrickg@cecsa.org

ot long ago, I was visiting a dear friend in the hospital who was recovering from orthopedic surgery.

I expected to find him wincing in pain; yet, instead,

I walked into his room to find him

smiling contentedly. When I asked him how he was at ease after such a painful ordeal, he responded, “No leaf blowers.

I can’t hear a single leaf blower in this hospital room. I forgot how wonderful silence could be.”

That is, of course, one kind of silence.

The version we like and for which we are famished. Jesus beckons us into his comforting silence with the oft quoted words, “Come to me, all who labor and

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 Gretchen Duggan

The top of the Passion Window

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From Our Rector... are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). My friend was experiencing a good dose of the silence we crave.

We know, however, there is a different version of silence we experience from time to time that is terribly discomfiting, if not harrowing. During those desolate seasons of life, we desperately call on a word from God, but He seems mute, and we receive not a syllable. The disturbing crucible of divine silence is hauntingly communicated in Martin Scorsese’s film, “Silence,” adapted from Endo Shusaku’s novel by the same name. Set in the 17th century, the film tells the story of two Portuguese Jesuit monks, Fathers Garupe and Rodriguez, who stealthily sail to Japan and clandestinely set out to evangelize the peasants there along the rocky coastline. The monks are captured and repeatedly tortured.

Worse still, they are made to witness their helpless converts be slowly and exactingly tortured for days on end until their deaths.

After Father Garupe perishes while trying to save villagers who have been bound in wicker rugs and thrown into the raging ocean, Father Rodriguez offers these stark, terrible words, which carry the theme of both the book and the film: “The rain falls unceasingly on the sea. And the sea, which killed them, surges on uncannily—in silence…

Behind the depressing silence of this sea, the silence of God…the feeling that while men raise their voices in anguish God remains with folded arms, silent.”

Rodriguez’s words remind us of the similar anguished words of the late Elie Wiesel’s admission in his book, Night, after he endured for years the horrors of Auschwitz: “Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence, which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live.”

Contrary to their testimony, Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), in his The Future of an Illusion, accused Christians and Jews of merely looking for a father figure in order to take care of the vicissitudes of life for them, a daddy to

assuage the pain.

The scripture testimony does not support that goal. I do not know a person of faith who, even for a moment, imagines that God acts on his or her every request, hurt, and intercession.

Most have known something of the silence Father Rodriguez and Wiesel declare.

The Psalms, the ancient hymn book of the Jews and, by far, the most routinely read book of the entire Bible, does not seek to pacify our pain when the chorus rings out: ‘Lord, you have seen this; do not be silent.

Do not be far from me, Lord.’

(Psalm 35:22) ‘O God, do not remain silent;

do not turn a deaf ear,

do not stand aloof, O

God.’ (Psalm 83:1) ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of

my groaning?

O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.’ (Psalm 22:1) The last psalm, we know best as Jesus’ cry of torment from the cross. His words pierce the unbearable hours of silence leading to his death. His voice knells across the ages, ringing with the certainty, ‘Surely he had borne our griefs and carried our sorrows’ (Isaiah 53:3). Jesus is God with us through the dark passages of life through which all must travel. Nevertheless, in our grossly over-commoditized world, people do not understand how we retain our faith in Christ without some measurable pay-off. As a boy growing up in the deep South, I cannot number the times a dour man or a dowdy woman stopped me in the A&P or at some city crosswalk and asked me, “Do you know where

you’d go if you died tonight?” Even then, as a rough and tumble youth, I questioned this overt quantification of the Christian faith, as if we were merely part of an equation: You believe = You get.

Lucky for me, I did not grow up in a home where the capitalistic dream was realized. I could save my breath crying out for rent money, new shoes, or fried chicken on Sunday. The transactional god of immediate gratification hung out at another address. My mother’s piety took us deeper places than the relief of our every hurt or want. She, in fact, adored the silence, the stillness of the house after the four of us children were abed or in the dark hours of the morning before we awoke. She loved God in the absence of things. Little did I know, until one Christmas Eve, that she bequeathed that love to me.

I was fifteen at the time, and when I was home from school, the rector of our parish invited me to serve as weekend sexton. I would do all the yard work for the church on Saturdays and open, clean, and close the church on Sundays.

Because I had been doing that work since I was twelve, I knew every corner of the parish buildings and grounds.

George Pickens, the august Senior Sexton of All Saints, loved to see me arrive home, so that he could catch a break on weekends and holidays.

In those days, before the perfectly choreographed Christmas Eve dinner, the large nave was filled to overflowing by 10 PM in expectation of the 10:30 Eucharist, which would end at midnight

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From Our Rector... with peels of “Joy to the World!” “Merry Christmas” was offered to one another with an earnest immediacy that I still miss.

After everyone departed in the warm afterglow of the celebration, I headed to the Parish Hall to wash the two hundred porcelain coffee cups, sweep the floor, scrub the kitchen, and then head to the church to pull hundreds of bulletins from the book racks and red cushions, vacuum the chancel and nave, lock-up, and then make my way home. Arriving at two AM, the house was so quiet that I could hear my sister and brothers breathing in the room they shared, making the house seem like a giant hibernating beast.

Jesus’ fingers point to the triangular lancet windows on his left and right, which present the scourge and the crown of thorns – two instruments used by the Roman soldiers to torture and humiliate our Lord. Hovering above the two lancet windows are three long nails, appearing more like railroad spikes and symbolizing the dreadful means of his execution. On either side of those terrible nails are two angels,

Too exercised to head directly to bed, I sat at the linoleum table in the dining room, ate a snack, and bathed myself in the dark silence, which seemed to connect heaven and earth as the world solemnly awaited the birth of the Christ child. The cadences of my siblings’ breathing gave way to the remembrance of the words of the gradual hymn the worshippers had sung three hours before: How silently, how silently, The wondrous gift is given; So God imparts to human hearts The blessing of his heaven.

Phillips Brooks, 1835-1893 Silence marked my first profound religious experience, and, like my mother, I continue to covet the quiet as the meeting place of God with man.

In admission to this truth, St. Paul acknowledges the gentle, quiet grace that is conferred to us through the words of the venerable prophet – ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear hears, nor the heart of man conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’ (1 Corinthians 2:9 & Isaiah 64:4).

Only one of the glorious windows surrounding the nave of Christ Church depicts this silence in which Christ’s grace is extended. The Passion Window, which is the most arresting of the original ten, portrays Christ hanging on the cross above the disciple John and his longsuffering mother, Mary. As Jesus’ body begins to sag, his wounded hands open up in a sign of blessing over them.

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who are not singing, nor speaking, but with arms serenely crossed, praying in desolate silence. At the moment of our dear Lord’s death, silence overflows heaven and falls as tears on the earth.

The angels paint the intersection where the silence of divine encounter and the silence of abject sorrow meet.

They are no longer two, but one, like the enduring marriage of a couple, who no longer need to speak, because the silence mediates between them.

Perceived that way, Jesus’ death is not merely a perfunctory transaction negotiating our salvation. No, Jesus’ death is an invitation to enter into the heart of God, who does not hover above our sorrows, but joins us in the darkness. ‘He is acquainted with grief,’ the scripture attests (Isaiah 53:30). Yes, his and ours. We do not have to wonder

why the devils in C.S. Lewis’s Screwtape Letters conspire to fill the world with “noise.” The demons know that even the darkest silence of despair may break open our hearts and lead us deeper into God, where our mute, insufferable sorrow is embraced by the soundless, solemnity of the Lord’s passion.

Our family has experienced both sides of that silence. Three years ago, our grandson Grant was born with Down Syndrome. Kay and I were overjoyed by his arrival; even though we knew the little, beautiful fellow had many challenges ahead of him. On the other hand, our fiercely strong and able daughter-in-law Sara was disconsolate.

A gray shroud of silence seemed to envelop her, except for her eruptions of tears and apologies. When we left her in order to return to San Antonio, we did not know when or if she would return to herself. These many months later, her tormenting silence has been overtaken by peace that surpasses understanding and explanation. Sara reflects on her experience in this way: “You know, when Grant was born, someone told me it was like having all of my dreams for my son fall away at once. Maybe that was the case for a little while (hence my depression and shock). But the past three years have been this glorious experience of developing new dreams for him, ones that are even more beautiful and inclusive and real-life and inspired by him. Grant has introduced me to this whole other life and world that is wonderfull...and it’s one I probably would never have known if he weren’t my guide. More than anything, I am just so grateful.”

Sara knows what the ancient psalmist knows – the invitation into God’s silence is transformative and transcends the pain that precedes it. ‘I have calmed and quieted myself, for I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child, I am content’ (Psalm 131:2) Your brother,

Patrick U

MINISTRY The Great Universal “I suppose death is one of the great universals really, that sooner or later, we all experience bereavement and loss. And when people listen to a Requiem, they’re weaving their own thoughts and memories and experiences into the music and the words that they hear. It’s very much a two-way piece, one in which people will always have a personal response.” – John Rutter

JOSH BENNINGER Director of Music and Worship joshb@cecsa.org

O

n Good Friday, April 14 at 12 o’clock, the Christ Episcopal

Church Chancel Choir and members of the San Antonio Symphony and friends will present John Rutter’s Requiem. Six movements from this masterwork will be interlaced amongst the fourteen

Stations of the Cross meditative readings. These readings encompass the last moments of the life of Jesus Christ, from his condemnation to his crucifixion, death and burial.

“I suppose you’d say that a Requiem is any kind of musical work, generally choral, which is in some

sense about life and death.” – John Rutter A Requiem, at its heart, is a set of prayers for the soul of the dead based on themes of death, life and renewal. John Rutter’s Requiem fits this definition, as it is written with an overwhelming sense of moving from darkness into light.

While the flogging, torture and death of Jesus is certainly dark and tragic, it happened according to the will of God so that we could be freed from our sins. ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’ (John 15:13) As previously mentioned, six of the seven parts of the Requiem will be interspersed throughout the liturgy of the Good Friday service, beginning with the Requiem aeternam (Grant them rest eternal) and Out of the deep (Psalm 130). Next is the Pie Jesu with soprano solo and the Agnus Dei followed by a breathtaking oboe solo in a tender and comforting setting of Psalm 23. The Requiem finishes with the Lux aeterna, complete with a setting of words from

the 1662 Book of Common Prayer (“I heard a voice from heaven…”).

John Rutter completed the work on his Requiem in 1985. At the time he said, “I thought it would only get one performance.” Within the next six months he was flooded with requests to have it performed all over the world.

This work may be compared directly to the Requiem of Gabriel Fauré for the numerous similarities in the choral writing, rich harmonies and simplicity.

In fact, Rutter himself said that Fauré’s Requiem was the musical inspiration that compelled him to write his own.

Rutter’s Requiem remains a timeless musical work that continually reminds me that we are not alone in this world.

God is always present. God is always faithful. All we need to do is seek Him out and let the love of Christ fill our hearts.

Josh Benninger

Children’s Musical

H

ave you ever marveled at the completeness of God’s ways? Come join the children’s choirs of Christ Episcopal Church as they sing of God’s plan to save the nation of Israel through a most unusual heroine.

On Sunday, May 7 at both the 9 and 11 o’clock services, you’ll be treated to “Malice in the Palace: the story of Esther.”

The Mastersingers and Minisingers will share the unlikely story of Esther, an orphaned Jewish girl raised by her faithful uncle Mordecai.

As Esther enters the palace of the king, there is malice all around. Will Esther be able to save her people from total destruction? Will the evil Haman’s plans to eradicate the Jewish nation succeed? Come see what happens when Esther steps out in faith – and God steps in.

Ruth Berg 5

MINISTRY

“…

and a little child shall lead them.” Isaiah

W

e have r e c e n t l y completed a unit of study in Children’s Chapel on World Mission in cooperation with the Diocese of West Texas HALLETA Missions HEINRICH Committee.

Director of It was Family Ministries e n t i t l ed halletah@cecsa.org “ J e s u s Loves the Little Children.” We focused on a ministry our diocese sponsors through the organization Love4theLeast to the refugees in Kurdistan in northern Iraq escaping from war through the onslaught of ISIS. Many of these refugees are children, and many are Christians from some of the most ancient Christian communities in the world who have been driven from their homes and everything they own to live in desert tent cities.

The good news I want you to know is that our kids care!

When I asked our children if they could imagine what it would be like to lose their homes, their clothes, their toys, and all other familiar comforts of childhood, their empathy and compassion was palpable as shown in their faces. When shown pictures of these refugee children standing waiting in line for food or hugging a bag of rice or a picture of Jesus, our children wanted to help. Some children wanted to go themselves to help these kids who don’t really look that different than many of us. When I informed them that this was probably impossible at this point for us to go, they offered that we could write notes or pray. That is what we did.

Here are some of the beautiful messages our children wanted to share with the children of Kurdistan: “Remember God is always with us.”; “You are loved.

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Be safe.”; “Jesus is with you. Jesus will give hope.”; “Dear children of Kurdistan, Just Remember Jesus loves you all the time.”; ”God loves you, and I love you, too.”; “Pray today for food, safety, comfort, and love.”; “God loves you more than you know.”; “Always know the Lord is with you through good times and bad.”; “Jesus loves you!

He is with you always! God is a miracle

11:6

worker. He will send them if you ask.”; “I am writing to tell you that we are praying for you.”; “I’m sorry you have to leave your homes for war.”; “I hope you are good. There are many people that love you. I love you, too.”; “God can help you. Sorry what’s happening.”; “Jesus loves the little children with all his heart.”

I wish I could share with you the beautiful art the children did to decorate these messages.

Some of our children were too young to be able to write notes, but shared their love by drawing pictures. We blessed the cards before we left Chapel, and miracle upon miracle, a representative from the mission in Kurdistan is coming tomorrow to Christ Church as I write this to you. I will send all these cards with him to far away northern Iraq so he may give them to these precious refugee children as a gift of love from our children.

God called me to minister to children more than thirty years ago. I think he knew I needed to be surrounded by their kind of faith – strong and sure and simple. My prayer is that the faith of these children will remain with them all the days of their lives. The ultimate faith according to faith development experts is child-like faith.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

— Matthew 19:14

It’s interesting that the older I get, the more child-like my faith is becoming. I guess I’m reaching the ultimate in my long journey of faith. I thank God for placing me where I am. Maybe it’s not what I had planned, but it’s God’s plan and His plans are the best! I thank God that the little children have led me and continue to do so.

Gratefully Yours,

Halleta

Family Ministry...

The Meaning “Because I live, you also will live.”

- John 14:19

I

love Holy Week and Easter around Christ Church – the Palm Processional, Easter Egg Hunt and Liturgy of Light, the Flowering of the Cross. What a celebration of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ! It’s beautiful, meaningful and fun for our children and the Church Family. Sometimes finding a new way to write or speak about these beloved rituals is difficult.

After all, I have been writing and

All children should gather outside the front steps of the church before the 9 and 11 AM services to receive palms to wave during the procession. Those who come first get the biggest palms!

Children in the 11 AM procession will be accompanied to Children’s Chapel for a special Palm Sunday Egg Hunt that helps teach the events of Jesus’ life during Holy Week.

Easter

teaching about these events for nearly thirty years! Praise be to God! I prayed for new insights to share with you, and God answered my prayer with this: “Because I live, you live also.” These are words Jesus spoke to his disciples to comfort and prepare them for his death and resurrection as recorded in John 14:19. This verse came to me in a Bible Study I am part of on the Gospel of John. We were asked which words of Jesus gave us the most comfort within a paragraph of the fourteenth chapter we were studying. All of us chose this

How We Celebrate Easter Children’s Palm Procession Palm Sunday, April 9

of

with

Our Children

Children’s Easter Egg Hunt and Family Liturgy of Light Saturday, April 15 Families will gather at 10 AM in the FMC Children’s Chapel for the Liturgy of Light. In this service each family will receive the Light of Christ as a sign of the Risen Life of Christ which gives us life eternal. Following the service which defines the true meaning of Easter, we celebrate with our Easter Egg Hunt on the church lawns. There are hunts for all ages - toddlers and twos, preschoolers, and early elementary. Students in third through fifth-grade will have a Scavenger Hunt with prizes. The Easter Bunny will be present for great family photos! Don’t forget your baskets!

verse. Why? Because it is the meaning of Easter. Because he lived here with us, died on the cross, defeated death, rose from the dead to live again forever, we live. We have the power of his risen life within us. He is life. He is the resurrection. Him in us gives us life forever. Not only does it give us this eternal life, but all those we love who have him within them. It’s pure. It’s simple.

That’s why we celebrate Easter. Because of him, we live!!!

at

Christ Church

Flowering of the Cross Procession Easter Sunday, April 16 At the beginning of the 9 and 11 AM services, the children will gather outside the front steps of the church with flowers brought from home with which to flower the cross inside at the front of the church. This much beloved tradition brings a bare cross to life as a symbol of the resurrection through the gifts of our children. Children in the 11 AM procession will be accompanied to Children’s Chapel for an Easter lesson with an Easter prize. Children will be brought back into church to join their families for Communion.

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MINISTRY Knowing What’s Essential

H

elping our students become disciples of Jesus Christ is one of the main missions of CECSA Youth.

We believe this can be achieved through various GAVIN ROGERS forms of Christian Youth Minister f o r m a t i o n , gavinr@cecsa.org programming and education. However, we also know that there is no substitute for personal study and prayer.

To help our students in this area we have decided to provide students with “The Essential Jesus: Youth Edition”

reading guide by Doug Fields. The challenge is an exciting way to read through the Bible. The guide will take us through the 40 days of Lent and beyond. The challenge is based on 100 carefully selected passages (25 from Old Testament and 75 from New Testament) that helps us get the storyline of Jesus without getting bogged down. We truly believe our lives can be changed by scripture because the words from Hebrews remains true: “For the word of God is alive and active.

Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

The Study Guide will be made available

TACO TUESDAYS! Starting most Tuesday Mornings we will offer what we call “Taco Tuesday” breakfast and devotional for our high school students before school. Currently we will meet at 7:15 AM at La Comaraca at 5131 West Road. (We will provide transportation to school, if needed, by our youth volunteers.) We will be going over the devotional book “God Came Near” by Max Lucado. Contact Gavin for more info at gavinr@cecsa.org.

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to all students and families in our youth department. We will make the cards available during Sunday School, in the church office, and during confirmation.

Once you receive your card, here is what you do: 1. Find a Bible translation that is easy for you to understand.

2. Set aside a special time and place to read the Bible each day.

3. Use the guide and punch out card to track progress.

Much Love,

Gavin & Gaby

Summer Missions: Spreading God’s Love Around

C

hrist Church is offering five outstanding mission trips this summer.

Please consider joining one of them.

ALL AGES MULTIGENERATIONAL BRIEN KOEHLER MISSION: Short Associate Rector FUSE to Waco for Mission and July 20-23, 2017 Formation The Short brienk@cecsa.org FUSE (Family Urban Service Experience) is designed for individuals or families who wish to have a mission trip experience but cannot do a longer trip for whatever reason. The Short FUSE is offered under the direction and supervision of Mission Waco, one of the premiere multi-dimensional Christian social ministries in the United States.

Our teams do service and maintenance

projects to assist Mission Waco, as well as “pop-up” Bible school in lowincome housing projects. We also have opportunity for ministry and worship with the homeless in Mission Waco facilities, and, as a group, we receive instruction and information about social ministry issues and solutions.

The weekend closes with worship at the famous “Church Under the Bridge” on Sunday morning. This program is open to people from 8th grade to Senior Citizen age. Students under 18-years must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Contact Brien Koehler

brienk@cecsa.org ADULT MISSION: CHALMECA, HONDURAS July 3-10, 2017 Returning to our familiar mission field in Honduras, our 2017 team will multi-task with our fellow Honduran Episcopalians. Our week will include a discipleship training workshop for lay leaders from the Copan Deanery congregation, construction, repair and improvement of several substandard houses, a Bible school for children, a program specially planned for women, a visit to the worldfamous Mayan ruins, and comfortable accommodations and safe food for the week. Needed especially for this trip: people fluent in Spanish and willing to teach a discipleship program to approximately twenty-five individuals.

A two-person teaching team would be ideal. Other participants do not need to speak Spanish. Contact Terry Koehler tabascoroad@hotmail.com JUNIOR HIGH MISSION: “SOUL TRAIN: ST. LOUIS” June 9-16, 2017 Our 2017 Junior High Mission Trip will be to St. Louis! This year we will board the Texas Eagle Amtrak Train and begin our journey to the “Gateway to the West.” We will have fun all over the city visiting fun sites, (The Arch, The City Museum, Cardinals Baseball Game), and eat lots of good food.

More importantly, we will be serving those in need each day at various local mission sites. During the train ride we will have Bible Studies and time to fellowship with one another in the viewing and meal cars. ALL ABOARD THE SOUL TRAIN! This trip is open to rising 6th graders to rising 9th graders. Contact Gavin Rogers at gavinr@cecsa.org COLLEGE AND UPPER HIGH SCHOOL MISSION: GUATEMALA MISSION TRIP 2017: June 19 – July 2 While serving in Guatemala and living

the

World

in host homes, we will care for local children, teach art classes, vaccinate cattle, build stoves, and much more as we bond together during our 13-day outreach. An excursion to Lake Atitlan and local villages is also likely! We will travel with Students International whose mission is “to bring students and the poor together cross culturally

to encounter God, share the good news, disciple and serve others in occupational ministries.” This trip is open to people age 15 years through college. For more info visit www.stint. com. Contact Gavin Rogers at gavinr@ cecsa.org.

HIGH SCHOOL MISSION: NEW YORK CITY: July 17-24 Our 2017 Senior High Trip will once again be to “the city that never sleeps.”

For our mission, we will partner with Dorothy Day’s Catholic Workers House and serve those in need in the city. We will try to live by the example Dorothy set while living in the home. She said, “Love casts out fear, but we have to get over the fear in order to get close enough to love them… As for ourselves, yes, we must be meek, bear injustice, malice, rash judgment. We must turn the other cheek, give up our cloak, go a second mile.” While we are in New York, we will visit Central Park, a Broadway Show, the Statue of Liberty and other fun NYC spots. This trip is open to rising 9th graders to 12th grade

Brien Koehler 9

Our Church Life...

Threads

of

Blessing Bind Women

in

Ministry Across

needs. When they moved to San Antonio some years ago, Terry was delighted to discover Threads of Blessing as an opportunity for the women of this region. Her encouragement and love for them is evident. Linda and I were pleased to be there to support her.

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rom January 9 – 16, four of us journeyed to Chalmeca, Honduras for the annual Threads of Blessing workshop. The team, led by Terry and the Reverend Brien Koehler from Christ Church, San Antonio, included Linda Jones from St. Mark’s, San Antonio and me, Helen Schnelzer from Christ Church, San Antonio.

Our flight to San Pedro Sula was easy and brief (compared to Uganda) and rental cars (with 4-wheel drive!) were waiting. A team from an Episcopal church in Louisiana, friends of Brien and Terry, joined us at Houston airport and stayed at the same hotel. Our missions were separate, but we so enjoyed their company at breakfast and in the evenings. Their presence added another dimension to this mission.

They worked in a village called El Carmen painting the church (inside and out) and organizing a Vacation Bible School for the children. They have helped build this church over the years - much as we did with the Women’s Vocational Training Center in Nebbi.

This was the final step. At the end of our day, we gathered together to share stories and evening prayers.

Terry did an amazing job of organizing both teams and also creating the craft projects for the Vacation Bible School.

Brien and Terry have been working in Chalmeca for many years and have helped raise the funds for a school and the church amongst a myriad of other

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We spent four days full of joy with these beautiful, gentle, determined women. Their needlework is artistry executed with a keen eye for color and design, and a determination for excellence. Some of it reflects the Mayan culture of the area, and some examples reflect their heritage as Lenca Indians. We are very proud of all they are producing – placemats, napkins, hand towels, tote bags, and exceptional pieces worthy of framing or exhibiting as pillows.

Each morning, we left the hotel around 8:30 and returned about 8 hours later. The journey to Chalmeca took us briefly along the main road, and then along a narrow gravel and rocky road that wound its way up a mountain. There is a charm to the area despite the poverty. Bougainvillea blooms everywhere, and the houses are painted a bevy of bright colors.

The church is high on the mountainside with glorious views of the mountains across the valley.

We met in the new Church building with lots of windows and shutters, but no glass, providing good air circulation that was not present in the old church building next door. This now serves as an “all-purpose” room where the women slept on mattresses during the workshop. Churches in the Diocese

the

Globe

of Louisiana, where Brien and Terry were living some years ago, began the construction of the new church. It was completed by Christ Church, San Antonio with help from the Diocese of West Texas. The “all purpose” room was rehabbed by Christ Church with grants from the Diocese of West Texas.

The women were waiting for us when we arrived – so friendly and warm with hugs and smiling greetings for all of us - stranger or friend. I have come to love their gentleness and quick smiles, but also recognize the strength behind them. Brien and Terry are very important to these people.

Our days began with prayers and Bible study using the same theme we had used two months prior in Uganda – “Who will roll the stone away for us?” based on Mark 16:1-8. In Uganda, Mama Phoebe Orombi led the study that was so insightful for all who were present.

Now Suyapa, a Lutheran pastor, and friend to the Koehlers, led the study with equal inspiration and depth – three women … strong … unafraid … determined … devoted to their Lord.

How do we apply this to our own lives?

It was an emotional experience for me to hear it preached in both places – God’s hand reaching out in love to care for Threads of Blessing women on each side of the globe.

We showed the women a map of the world and where Threads of Blessing currently serves. We also showed them our website, still under construction, but about to go public. They understood and were pleased with what it meant when they saw the work and photographs of some of their members.

We listened to testimonies and heard the beginnings of new ventures.

Yolanda, the leader of the women in this area, is opening a bakery to serve the local community. After giving a tithe to the Lord, she is putting all

Our Church Life...

...Threads other funds from her needlework back into her business. She is also eager to continue her education to become a Deacon.

Romelia is having difficulty with her pregnancy, having lost one child at birth already. Her seven-year-old son encouraged her when she was tired telling her “Mommy you can do it, keep going,” and drew her attention to a small plaque in their home with a verse from 1 Philippians 4:13 - I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. When she asked her doctor if she should stop her embroidery and rest, the doctor replied, “No, this is keeping you alive.” She, too, gives first to the Lord.

A young widow told of the sadness when her husband became ill and died very suddenly leaving her with two very small children and no income. However, despite her poverty, she is making a living for them through her needlework and clothing she can make and market as a seamstress. We learned that her

of

Blessing - Continued

sewing machine was broken. Then we discovered that many of the sewing machines were not functioning, so we visited the Singer Sewing Machine store to learn the cost of replacing them.

A quick email to the World Mission Department at the diocese, secured the funds to purchase ten!

more important due to blight on the coffee beans. Most of the people in this area depend on picking coffee for their livelihood. The only way to recover is to pull the plants up from the roots.

It takes 3-5 years for the new plants to mature; hence there has been little income for many of these families.

One woman with a window onto the road has opened a small, small grocery store called a pulperia. When people walk by, they can purchase basic needs.

As her needlework sells, she adds to her stock. With the proceeds she has been able to send her children to school.

Beyond that expense, everything goes back into her business.

Saturday, after the workshop, was a day to be “tourists” and we visited the Mayan ruins in Copan, a two-hour drive away. We were able to view the ancient designs the women are using in their embroidery.

Orfilia, the wife of the Lay Leader in the nearby village of El Carmen, said there had been so much rain they lost their corn crop. She was thankful to the Lord for Threads of Blessing because she was able to buy food for her family with the earnings from her embroidery.

Threads of Blessing income has become

Ladies, Don’t Miss

F

or their final event of the season, the Christ Church Women are hitting the road. Ladies, please join us on Thursday, April 6, for a private bus tour of three of San Antonio’s most beautiful and historic buildings: Mission San José, Mission Concepción and San Fernando Cathedral, recently honored as World Heritage Sites. This distinction coincides with the year-long celebration

of the three hundredth anniversary (1718-2018) of the settlement of San Antonio, so we will have much to enjoy, even if we’ve been to these places in the past.

the

On Sunday, we drove back to San Pedro Sula and spent the night before leaving on Monday. It was a blessed week sharing God’s amazing love and grace with the women of Threads of Blessing.

As in Uganda, we left knowing how much they had inspired and touched our hearts and lives, and trusting that we had been the same to them.

To God be the Glory!

Helen Schnelzer

Bus!

We will board our bus in the Christ Church parking area no later than 8:30 AM, and we will return at 12 PM. Everyone is encouraged to wear comfortable shoes.

Our trip starts from CEC and goes to Mission San José, the “Queen of the Missions,” including its impressive visitors center. Then we move from the big to the small: Mission Concepción and its beautiful restoration. Our last stop before returning to Christ Church is the downtown area of Main Plaza and San Fernando Cathedral.

Our guide is Ferne Burney, longtime member of Christ Church and dedicated singer in the choir. Ferne is a certified professional tour guide and a certified tourism ambassador.

She is owner of Totally Yours Texas Tours. In her previous professional life she was in pharmaceutical sales and management for a total of 37 years.

Some of her other activities include

The Woman’s Club of San Antonio (of which she is Vice President), the Office of Historic Preservation, and the Fiesta Commission, to name a few.

The cost for this scenic outing, including bus and snacks, is $25. Your check payable to Christ Episcopal Church secures your spot. Please put “CCW Bus Tour” on the memo line.

Last year’s Christ Church Fellowship tour to the Missions

11

Our Church Life..

PAGE TURNERS – From

K

presented stocking. this year; volume, is

nowing my great affection for Frederick Buechner, the lyrical Christian writer of penetrating memoir and disarming fiction, Kay found The Storm, penned by him in 1998, and it to me in my Christmas Buechner turned ninety so the short, lesser-known a particular treasure to me.

The novel’s allure for me is amplified by the fact that its plot, theme, and characters are modeled on The Tempest, by William Shakespeare.

The protagonist in the novel, Kenzie Maxwell, is exiled, in a sense, to a lush Florida island, where he wiles away his days in the company of his wealthy third wife. However, like Shakespeare’s Prospero, he is haunted by old injuries inflicted on him by his brother, and he hungers for revenge.

Kenzie’s real exile is a matter of the heart.

In the end, as can be predicted, it is a storm, a “tempest,” that brings the whole company of disparate, lonely, young, and old people together in a most magical way. The gale lessens to a breeze, the night air softens, and the curtain comes down on the novel as each character – the last being Kenzie himself – drifts into untroubled slumber.

We are such stuff As dreams are made on,

And our little life Is rounded with sleep.

Prospero, The Tempest, Act 4 On the cover of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s epistolary book, Between the World and Me, the esteemed Toni Morrison (b.1931) is quoted, “This is required reading.” I was unconvinced as I completed the small volume. Beginning his meandering letter to his fifteen year-old son, Samori, on Memorial Day, Coates muses, “It is Memorial

12

the

Rector’s Book Stack

Day – cookouts, block associations, and driveways. The Dream is tree houses and the Cub Scouts. The Dream smells like peppermint but tastes like strawberry shortcake. And for so long I have wanted to escape into the Dream.”

The Dream, however, eludes Coates, especially after Michael Brown is shot six times before he died in Ferguson, MO, and some years before, his dear college friend, Prince Jones, was shot eight times before he died in Prince George County, VA. No convictions were issued in either case. Like any parent, Coates fears what kind of world he is leaving to his adolescent son.

With that stated, I do not wish to misrepresent the book, for much of the message is hopeful and, at times, joyful. Coates, who is a celebrated correspondent for The Atlantic, writes persuasively about his intellectual awakening at Howard University and the rousing of his artistic vocation while living in Paris.

I had to step back from the book to digest its meaning for me as an American, a father, and a Christian.

Also, I had to try – with humility and limited success – to put on Coates’s brown skin. Things look much different from that side of the epidermis, which must be done if we are to have “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” for all in this country, and that is precisely why Morrison asserts, “This is required reading.”

Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery of Living,

by Krista Tippett, has been my morning meditation book for the past two months.

My oldest son Clay and his wife Sara gave me the book for

my birthday because they had studied it in their Young Adult Sunday School class and reaped great benefit from its pages. Some of you may know Krista Tippett on account of her celebrated career as a broadcaster and her awardwinning interview show, “On Being,” through which she has hosted the greatest religious figures, scientists, civil rights workers, and inventors on the planet. Tippett has no interest in picking up grains of nifty information; instead, she harvests for her listeners whole crops of revolutionary, yet attainable, insights on how to live a meaningful life in the here and now.

I must admit that over these two months alone, I have garnered two sermons and three articles from Tippett’s exhaustive and captivating interviews. Adding to the volume’s beauty and value is Tippett’s own deep thinking, which she persuasively expresses. In her conclusion, she vests us with a word of hope that cuts across the grain of our current biting and alienating discourse: I am consciously shedding the assumption that a skeptical point of view is the most intellectually credible. Intellect does not function in opposition to mystery; tolerance in not more pragmatic than love; and cynicism is not more reasonable than hope. Unlike almost every worthwhile thing in life, cynicism is easy. It’s never proven wrong by the corruption or the catastrophe. It’s not generative. It judges things as they are, but does not lift a finger to try to shift them.

No book has ever taken me into Advent anticipation like Father Elijah, by Michael D. O’Brien. I was expecting a long yarn with a theological glaze.

Instead, I received a novel so prophetic and Biblically astute in its content that I was actually shaken throughout the long, evocative story. The parts of our sacred Christian story that I had conveniently tamed came roaring back into my

Our Church Life...

PAGE TURNERS – psyche thanks to O’Brien’s skillful and faithful writing. I should have known more was afoot here, as Fred Shockley has been after me for months to read the novel. Once engaged in the volume, Fred disclosed the true instigator – the literary sage, Bishop Frey!

The protagonist of the novel is the reclusive Carmelite priest, Father Elijah Schafer, who is living in peaceful seclusion when suddenly summoned

continued

by the Vatican. We come to learn that Father Schafer was once David Schafer, a survivor of the Nazi Holocaust in Warsaw, and vetted to be a world leader. After terrorists murder his wife, he converts from Judaism to Christianity and undertakes austere monastic vows, thereby stepping aside from the world’s stage. The pope calls him out of his coveted obscurity to combat a most attractive, sophisticated, and well-orchestrated

evil set upon eradicating the faith. All through the novel, I continued to recall C.S. Lewis’s admonition that we should not imagine “the Devil as a comic figure in red tights.” No, we will most likely find the Devil in a finely tailored pinstripe suit. That is where Father Elijah finds him and unmasks his identity and intentions.

Patrick

SOCIETY

Speaking

of

Taxes...

ROLLOVER is for our older members who are required to take a RMD (required minimum distribution) from their IRA, unless it’s a Roth.

Ferne Burney learns from Becky and Kern Huff: Becky: I have some gift planning suggestions that might be useful for our members and some that they might not have already considered, utilizing their IRAs. Ferne: With April 15 looming ahead, many people are looking for many ways to reduce tax liabilities and give to someone other than the government.

What ways have you considered or actually done?

Becky:

The

IRA

CHARITABLE

It works like this: • You must be 70-1/2 or older at the time of your gift.

• The transfer generates neither taxable income nor a tax deduction, so you benefit even if you do not itemize.

• If you have not yet taken your RMD, your IRA charitable rollover gift can satisfy all or part of that requirement; e.g., we could suggest that if your RMD is $10,000, why not give a portion to Christ Episcopal Church? (This is a great way to assist in fulfilling your pledge commitment.)

You may transfer up to $100,000 directly from your IRA to CEC, but it must be a direct transfer from your financial institution and not the check you write AFTER you receive your RMD. Ferne: What about our parishioners who are under that age?

Becky: If you are between 59-1/2 and 701/2, you can make a charitable gift from your IRA during your lifetime without penalty. If you take distributions from your IRA – even if paid directly to CEC

- you’ll have to report the distribution as taxable income on your tax return in the year of distribution. The advantage of making a gift to Christ Episcopal Church is that you will be eligible for a charitable income tax deduction, which may offset the income tax triggered by the distribution.

Ferne: How else have you and Kern remembered Christ Church in your estate?

Becky: Another option to join the Great Commission Society (love the name!) is to simply pledge a portion of your IRA to CEC. Your will does not have to be changed; you simply change your beneficiary designation.

Ferne: I have done the same with my IRA. My daughters have always been the beneficiaries, but now are happy to share a portion of that estate with the church they love so much.

Please contact the Rector, Patrick Gahan, or Tom Frost if you would like to join The Great Commission Society with a gift to the church. If you have remembered Christ Episcopal Church in your will, we would like to know that.

Your contributions or your will can remain anonymous if that is your wish.

13

OF EVENTS March 8:

Pub Theology at the Friendly Spot, 7 PM

March 10 - 12: Community of Hope Retreat to Mustang Island

Christ Church Staff: The Rev. Patrick Gahan, Rector patrickg@cecsa.org

March 12:

Daylight Savings Time begins

March 15:

No tutoring or Children’s Choir - Spring Break

The Rev. Scott Kitayama, Associate Rector, scottk@cecsa.org

March 19:

Noisy Offering and Food Pantry Offering, 9 & 11 AM Manna Bags Outreach Activity, 10 AM in the Tomlin Room

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

March 21:

Taco Tuesday Youth Breakfast Devotional, 7:15 AM off campus The Well Dinner Party, 6 PM at the Nitschke’s home

March 23:

RSVP deadline for CCW Bus Tour of the Missions

March 25: The Well Bike and Brunch, 9 AM - 12 PM leaving from CEC parking lot March 28:

Taco Tuesday Youth Breakfast Devotional, 7:15 AM off campus

April 1: Parker Lecture Series - Ronald Rolheiser, 9AM - 2 PM in the Parish Hall April 2:

World Missions Day, 10 AM in the Parish Hall

April 6: CCW Bus Tour of the Missions 8:30 AM - 12 PM leaving from CEC parking lot April 8: The Well Wild Game Cooking Showcase, 11 AM in the CEC parking lot

The Rev. Rob Harris, Associate Rector for Community Formation, robh@cecsa.org Carol Miller, Pastoral Care Administrator, carolm@cecsa.org Halleta Heinrich, Director of Family Ministry, halletah@cecsa.org Lily Fenton, Nursery Director lilyf@cecsa.org Gavin Rogers, Youth Minister gavinr@cecsa.org Gaby Berry, Assistant Youth Minister gabyb@cecsa.org Joshua Benninger, Music Minister & Organist, joshb@cecsa.org Ruth Berg, Director of Children’s Music, ruthb@cecsa.org

April 9:

Palm Sunday Sunday Funday for Youth Bowlero Bowling, 3 PM

April 12:

Holy Wednesday Tenebrae Service, 5:30 - 7 PM in the Parish Hall

April 13:

Maundy Thursday Service, 6 PM Vigil in the Veterans Chapel, 7:30 PM to 7 AM

April 14:

Good Friday Service, 12 PM

Donna Shreve, Financial Manager donnas@cecsa.org

April 15:

Children’s Liturgy of Light and Easter Egg Hunt, 10AM Easter Baptism Service, 5 PM

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

April 16:

Easter Sunday Services at 7:30, 9 & 11 AM

April 17:

Church offices closed

April 21- 23: New Beginnings - DWTX Junior High Retreat, Church of the Resurrection, San Antonio April 23:

Children’s Communion Celebration and Reception, 11 AM Operation Paintbrush Outreach Activity, 12 PM off campus

April 28:

Christ Church Fellowship Fiesta! Fiesta!, 7 PM off campus

April 30:

Musical Offerings Concert, 3 PM in the Sanctuary

May 2:

The Well Cinco de Mayo Dinner, 6 PM at the Hunter’s home

14

Robert Hanley, Parish Administrator parishadmin@cecsa.org Darla Nelson, Office Manager darlan@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

ALBUM

Children’s Communion Celebration Sunday, April 23 at 11 AM Reception on the lawn after Come congratulate these children, pictured above, who have worked so hard for eight weeks learning about the gift of Holy Communion.

15

Congratulations to our newest bride and groom!

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 19, Number 2.

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