Rejoice
February 2014
118 N. Washington St. ✠ Alexandria, VA 22314 www.HistoricChristChurch.org ✠ 703-549-1450
New Year Report from Your Wardens, January 2014 we touch on those below.
By John Lawson, Senior Warden and Janet Osborn, Junior Warden
Budget Transparency
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e hope all of the Christ Church family enjoyed a wonderful Advent and Christmas season. And we wish you all a healthy, happy, and spiritually rewarding 2014. As your wardens for the current vestry year (May 2013–April 2014), we wanted to provide a brief report on the past few months and look ahead to the new calendar year. The Vestry has worked to fulfill the Strategic Plan approved by the parish and prior Vestry. Our priorities have been to increase budget transparency, grow membership, improve our wel-
John Lawson, Janet Osborn, Senior Warden Junior Warden coming and inclusion practices (including for youth), and honor our existing members. We’d like to focus in this report on the key goal of budget transparency. Also, like all Vestries, we have had to deal with our fair share of “incoming” issues, and
Working with the Rector, staff, Treasurer, and Finance Committee, the Vestry has initiated and/or supported a number of steps to make progress toward the foundational goal of greater budget transparency: •Inclusion of monthly financial reports in emails to all Christ Church members. This information was always available on a by-request basis. We felt it made sense to proactively distribute this data to the whole church family. Members are sent the same reports that go to the Vestry and Finance Committee. continued on page 10
Heating, Ventilation, & Air Conditioning Project Progress
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ork began on schedule early in January to replace our quickly decaying heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems that serve the church and parish house buildings. The chiller that served us well for many, many years (before failing completely last July 16) and cooling tower that supported it are being deconstructed and removed. Equipment that will replace these items was ordered in late December and is expected to arrive in about three months. Numerous air handlers will be replaced and that work will be underway soon. The current schedule expects air conditioning to be available in the church by early June. We will see exterior scaffolding outside the portico between late April and early July with interior scaffolding present for a week
or two in late April. The gallery will be closed during that short period, but we expect the church to be available for use on weekends. This construction project is expected to proceed like most construction projects, with numerous adjustments to the schedule as we move forward. Equipment delivery dates will change, weather will interfere, or some other unexpected event will require our contractor to adjust what is done when. We will be careful to adhere to agreed upon schedules so that we do not incur additional costs. Get ready for the church version of musical chairs in the next 12 months. Between now and late January next year everything that happens in the three buildings that make us the parish house will move! Questions like “can you direct me to the forum” and
“where’s the nearest men’s room” will become much more difficult to answer!
Rejoice is the official monthly publication of Christ Church, Alexandria, Virginia, an Episcopal church in the Diocese of Virginia. The Rt. Rev. Shannon Johnston Thirteenth Bishop of Virginia The Rt. Rev. Susan Ellyn Goff Suffragan Bishop The Rt. Rev. Edwin F. (Ted) Gulick, Jr. Assistant Bishop of Virginia Vestry John Lawson, Senior Warden Janet Osborn, Junior Warden John Burns, Susan Davis, Elizabeth Dakin, John Kennedy, Brian Shannon, Kevin Smith, Steve Vajs, Stephanie Waldhoff, Peter Wyckoff, Janet Zavrel Tykie Tobin, Treasurer Andrew Baird, Assistant Treasurer Clergy The Rev. Pierce Klemmt, Rector The Rev. Ann Gillespie, Senior Associate Rector The Rev. Heather VanDeventer, Associate Rector for Faith Formation and Evangelism The Rev. Dr. Diane Murphy, Priest Associate Emily Lukanich Ministry Resident John Hogg, Fares Naoum Seminarians The Rev. Dr. Alvin C. Johnson, Jr. Director of Ministry Resident Program Director of Music M. Jason Abel Christ Church embodies God’s unbounded love by embracing, liberating, and empowering people, whoever you are and wherever you find yourself on your journey of faith. The Rejoice deadline is the third of the month preceding the publication. Please send proposed articles to membership@ ccalex.org. Those accepted are subject to editing for length and content. Tara Knox edits Rejoice and is the staff liaison while Craig Keith provides design and layout. Carol Donlan gives her time and talent as an advisor for Rejoice.
@historiccc
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Choral Evensong for the Feast of the Presentation By Jason Abel
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he Christ Church choir presented a special Choral Evensong on Sunday, February 2 at 5:00 p.m. The choir sang works by Herbert Brewer, Craig Phillips, Peter Hallock, Johannes Eccard, and Charles Wood. Incense was used at this service. The choir was joined by guest organist, Colin Lynch. Mr. Lynch is the Associate Director of Music at Trinity Church, Copley Square in Boston. He played a prelude beginning at 4:40 p.m. It is rare that this particular feast actually falls on a Sunday, so we were able to sing some beloved hymns and service music that is rarely heard. Mr. Lynch is an award winning organist and a highly skilled musician; his playing was a wonderful addition to this evening. A reception followed the service in the Meade Room.
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Region IV Delegates Named
t their January 28 meeting, the Vestry approved the following slate of Delegates for the Region IV Council: Cindi Bartol—Sustaining Delegate David Ashley—one year term Zack Baize—one year term Geoff Giovanetti—two year term
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Susan Hahn—two year term Kris Vjas—three year term John Lawson*—three year term We are grateful to them all for serving.
*Senior Warden John Lawson recused himself from the Vestry’s vote, on the advice of Nancy Knapp, the Parliamentarian.
Finance 101: Our Most Expensive Endeavor
he cost incurred by employing people is by far the largest expense area for the church, but of course, we employ those people to do work of the church. When we look at the programs and ministries of the church, including the cost of staff in those areas, it is maintaining and improving our buildings that are the most expensive things we do. In fiscal year 2013 (July 1, 2012–June 30, 2013) we spent about $80,000 taking care of the church and churchyard. That includes repairs, utilities, ongoing maintenance on heating and cooling systems (HVAC), investigating long term solutions for our HVAC needs, and improvements
such as churchyard lighting upgrades and improved fire prevention. The Parish House cost about $142,000 during that period for similar upkeep and HVAC items and renovations such as replacing four custom doors and completing upgrades on the Meade Room and main level Men’s Room. The Fowler House, including the space rented from the church by Ross Dress for Less, cost about $176,000 in upkeep and maintenance in FY13 and an additional $20,000 was spent on general property matters. In addition to these costs we spent more than $270,000 employing staff to manage and maintain our properties in FY13.
The Wonder of Science and Faith By the Rev. Pierce Klemmt
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lizabeth Gilbert, the notable author of Eat, Pray, Love and her newest piece of fiction The Signature of All Things, was interviewed by Time magazine. She had some interesting responses to probing questions. She began by confessing she was excited to write about spiritual things, discovering there is a divine imprint on everything … which surprised her because she admitted to previously believing in only what could be proven. She also grew troubled with orthodoxy in any form, particularly the experts of the evolutionary debate historically divided “by men of science and men of God.” Now, she lamented, “we
have only a world full of scientists who have no faith and the faithful who have no reason.” Which is worse? She concluded by describing her faith journey as “chasing wonder” and how, for her, the “most rubber-to-road” part of spirituality is to figure out how to be a compassionate person. Well, this is about as good a definition of an Episcopalian as I have heard. But what interests me about a woman who claims to be “a prove-it-to-me-and-I-will-believe” person is that these dividing lines between proof and truth are as much alive in the scientific community as they are in the church. Take, for example, the three scientists who recently won the Nobel
Laureate in Chemistry. Together, they broke some pretty hardened orthodox lines of argument by doing research that did not involve test tubes or lab coats. Instead, they explored the universe of how molecules behave virtually with computers. Their method was challenged by many and their momentous discovery of how chemical bonds are formed and broken may not be ‘proven’ for years. But in describing how they did it, Dr. Levitt when observing the behavior of molecules confessed: “It’s like seeing all the actors before Hamlet and all the dead bodies after, and then all you have to do is wonder what happened in the middle.” So does it strike you as interesting that the best in human discovery in both faith and science happens when we wonder? Go figure. Go wonder and God will appear.
Capital Campaign Begins
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fter a two-year period of study and with input from the Vestry and the entire church family, we are excited to be moving forward with the urgently needed renovation of our Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system. These renovations will meet the needs of our mission and ministries, while still preserving all the important features of this treasured historic landmark. Funding for this project comes from three major sources: established reserves, gifts from the Foundation, and donations to the Capital Campaign. Christ Church has already secured a portion of the funds needed for this project, including tapping into existing reserve funds, a bank line of credit, and a multi-year commitment from the Foundation. To fully fund this project we will need to raise a
minimum of $1,800,000 via the Capital Campaign. We are pleased to announce that Lee & Ted Ellet and Ann & Chris McMurray have agreed to co-chair the Capital Campaign. At services on February 9, they will officially announce the start of campaign. We invite you to help Name Our Campaign during the next week. Look for information in your email, on the website, and on Facebook to make a suggestion. Be creative! To reach the $1.8 million goal for this campaign, Christ Church needs all of our families to join the effort by making sacrificial, multi-year pledges. By making a sacrificial gift to the campaign, you show your commitment to the past and the future of our Church
and its ministries. As responsible stewards of the church we love and cherish, all church households are encouraged to join through thoughtful giving. Each family is asked to evaluate carefully and prayerfully the needs of Christ Church. If you have not already been asked, you will be contacted in the coming weeks by a volunteer and asked to pledge your support. These renovations will enable us to make a deliberate commitment to continue Christ Church’s mission and ministries. We are blessed to worship in beautiful and historic church facilities made possible by our forbearers in the faith. Through courage, prayer, generosity, and determination, we are confident Christ Church will succeed in this journey of faith.
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High School Students Participate in Book Focus Group at VTS By Susan L. Hahn
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wo Christ Church teens participated in a focus group on Saturday, January 11, with Dr. Lisa Kimball, Ph.D. at the Virginia Theological Seminary campus. Dr. Kimball is the Director of the Center for the Ministry of Teaching at VTS, and Professor of Christian Formation and Congregational Leadership. The focus group was designed to let high school students inform the development of a book intended for clergy, youth leaders, and parents, A Room of Christ’s Own: A Call For the Faith Formation of Teens in the Home. The members of this Virginia focus group (which also included teen parishioners from the Old Presbyterian Meeting House and St. Paul’s Alexandria) and its counterpart in Ottawa, Ontario, have the opportunity to continue as an advisory board for the book project. The book is an outgrowth of the Doctor of Ministry thesis project of one of Dr. Kimball’s former advisees, now colleague, The Ven. Dr. Peter John Hobbs (“PJ”), who is the Director of Mission for the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa, Canada. As a parish priest he was a respected and well-liked youth minister. His Doctor of Ministry thesis project explored the introduction of spiritual practices regularly used in his parish youth group to households, intentionally engaging parents and teenagers in the practices together. By request of the teenagers, the project particularly focused on Lectio Divina, inviting families to use this ancient practice to engage scripture at home. Lectio Divina is a traditional Benedictine practice of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God, which treats Scripture as the Living Word rather than as texts to study.* The families
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that took on these practices had a positive experience, learned to talk about their faith more openly, and really enjoyed their time together. Dr. Valerie Steeves, the third colleague on the project, is Associate Professor, in the Department of Criminology at the University if Ottawa. She is an expert in Internet privacy, human rights and technology, and media stereotyping. She is an active parishioner in PJ’s former church and one of the parents who experienced Lectio Divina at home with her daughters. Dr. Kimball and her colleagues are proposing to write a book that expands on Dr. Hobbs’s initial work and will discuss the challenges and the opportunities of being spiritual and religious at home with teenagers. Drs. Kimball, Hobbs and Steeves held the initial teen focus group to assure the issues they address and the recom-
By Susan Hahn
mendations they make are authentically validated by young people. For the focus group, Dr. Kimball sought a few high school students who would be comfortable talking honestly about their faith and spirituality and about being a teenager. Dr. Kimball said the goal of honest feedback “was achieved!” She said the young people, high school sophomores and seniors, “spoke frankly and insightfully about the pressures they experience to ‘succeed,’ their yearning to be taken seriously as individuals who want to think for themselves, who love God, care deeply, and struggle to articulate their faith in public for fear of being judged as ‘one of those Christians.’ ” They had excellent advice for the authors, and genuine respect and gratitude for their parents. *Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lectio_Divina#cite_note-Benner47-2
100 Meals for $100
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arishioners were cordially invited by our high school-age students to join together for an elegant, simple family style meal at the forum on Sunday, February 2 in the Auditorium. Participants in the presentation of 100 meals for $100, saw how you may be able to feed your family on a challenging budget with assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The high school students shared what they are learning about hunger in our community and nationwide, and what we can all do together, as a parish, to tackle hunger. The students designed, shopped for and prepared the meal. This event supported the Youth Group’s 2014 Souper Bowl of Caring Food Drive that resulted in donations of 814 food items for the Lazarus
Channel 4 News interviews student organizers of 100 Meals for $100. See more photos on page 10.
Pantry. Your donations to the pantry help our neighbors who struggle on a daily basis with hunger. In December the Lazarus ministry, with 26 volunteers, distributed 940 cans of food, 1,138 pounds of fresh meat and produce and used $454 for the pantry to provide assistance to 206 people.
Children, Youth & Family Ministries By Mary Beth Abplanalp
Youth were asked to comment on the Youth Ski Trip. Here are some of their responses:
“Doing worship together in the cabin with candles was so cool.”
Super Bowl & SOUPer Bowl
Family, friends and neighbors came to a casual, fun-filled evening of football and outreach, watching the Super Bowl on February 2 in the Teen Center. This parish-wide event is perfect for all ages to stop by for a quick visit or stay for the whole game. Even those who are not big football fans came to enjoy the food and fellowship, and a movie and board games for the kids and the young-at-heart. As part of this event, the youth groups collected canned food for the SOUPer Bowl of Caring food drive.
“We got really wet because it rained while we were skiing, but we didn’t care.” “Tubing was my favorite part!”
day School teachers are hard at work telling bible stories and sharing the love of God with our children and youth. We are grateful every day that these dedicated volunteers answered a call to teach our faith and will publicly recognize them for their service on Sunday, February 16. During the 9:00 and 11:15 a.m. services, we will offer special prayers of thanksgiving for our Sunday School teachers as well as all teachers, counselors, educators, coaches, administrators and school personnel for their commitment to education. Join us for a reception to honor and greet these faithful servants in McMurray Commons following the 9:00 service.
Why Pancakes?
Participants brought a side dish to share during the game and canned food to donate to the food drive. 814 food items were donated to benefit the Lazarus ministry food pantry.
Teacher Appreciation Sunday is February 16
In the Fowler House on Sunday mornings, week after week, our Sun-
“I enjoyed having fun and meeting new friends. It was so fun!” “We stayed in an awesome cabin and made s’mores over the fire in the fire place.”
“Why do we always serve pancakes on Shrove Tuesday?” This is a great question and I hear it a lot! Well, Shrove Tuesday, also called Fat Tuesday, is the last day before the season of Lent. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, the season of Lent is a time of prayer, fasting and penitence in preparation for Easter. Shrove Tuesday is the last chance for Christians to indulge themselves with rich foods that they wouldn’t consume during the 40 days of Lenten fasting. Pancakes became
the traditional meal served on Shrove Tuesday because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were forbidden during Lent and wouldn’t keep until Easter. We hope you’ll join us for this festive Shrove Tuesday meal on Tuesday, March 4 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Auditorium. Stop by the church after school or work for a delicious breakfast-for-dinner feast hosted by the Brotherhood of St. Andrew’s and the Christ Church Youth Groups. This Mardi Gras event will feature food, fellowship and games for children and adults of all ages. Yes, there will be prizes and pancake races too! You don’t want to miss it! Donation of $5 per person requested.
Blessing of Our Scouts
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ave the scouts and scout leaders in your family of today and yesteryear wear their uniforms on February 9, Theological Education Sunday, and join us for a blessing of the scouts at each service.
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Mission Sunday By Kris Amundson
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n my childhood church, Mission Sunday was treated as a costume drama. Each year, one or two children would be invited to dress up in a costume that represented one of the places where the church did mission work. Those children and their parents (OK, let’s be real—in the 1950s, it was their mothers) would then scour the World Book Encyclopedia to come up with an ‘authentic’ costume. The photograph of me wearing a Native American costume, complete with yarn braids, has mercifully been lost to the ages. The message we got from this dress-up activity was that mission was something Out There. It was not part of our regular worship. That’s not what happens at Christ Church. On Mission Sunday, March 2, we will celebrate our relationships with Christians from around the world. These are people we know. We share in their celebrations. We enter into their sorrows. This year, we will lift up our brothers and sisters in
South Sudan, where a civil war has already claimed too many lives. Some of the loose plate offering from our Christmas Eve services has already been used to fly medical supplies into the Diocese of Renk. But we know more is needed. We will also remember our mission partners in Honduras, where we show God’s love to young girls whose only other alternative would be a life on the streets or in abject poverty. We will pray for the medical team at Mengo Hospital, where we have relationships that stretch back more than 30 years. And we will lift up the work of our mission partners in the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. We know that everyone at Christ Church cannot be part of a mission team. But everyone can pray for our mission partners around the world. We can all help our children learn that our Christian ministry calls us to be present in some of the most broken places in the world. We invite you to join with us on March 2, World Mission Sunday.
Christ Church & Relieving Hunger By Megan McCullough
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eflecting on the many ministries that happen here at Christ Church, a common theme has emerged. Relieving hunger has been the priority of many of our groups and as a justice issue here it continues to gain momentum. Many of our traditional outreach ministries have always been concerned about local hunger. Approximately 70 people shop in our Lazarus food pantry weekly, providing food for 194 family members. In addition to receiving fresh meat and produce we give out about 350 cans of food each week to our Lazarus guests. Our thanksgiving distribution provides a Thanksgiving meal to 175 families in Alexandria. Even our Christ Child Project is concerned about the hunger needs and so in addition to presents for the children each family receives a $25 gift card to the grocery store for their Christmas meal. Christ Church
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volunteers make bag lunches about a week a month for our hungry neighbors in Alexandria who gather at Meade Memorial Church. Once a month, our volunteers deliver Meals on Wheels to our elderly and homebound neighbors.
In late November, a group of our teens created an advocacy project to coincide with the Rev. David Beckmann’s sermon in support of Bread for the World Sunday. This postcard campaign was aimed at letting our Senators and Congressional Representatives know about concerns with the new cuts in food stamp benefits. In early December the teens had the opportunity to personally deliver the 150 postcards and meet with Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Tim Kaine and Rep. Jim Moran. They are not stopping there. On February 2, the Teen Forum looked ahead to our Lenten SNAP challenge and created a simple meal for 100 people with $100 to serve during the forum. This tied in to our Souper Bowl of Caring hosted by the Youth Ministry that brought a crowd together to watch the Super Bowl while hosting a canned food drive. continued on page 7
Resolution on South Sudan Passed by Diocesan Council
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he resolution below in support of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan was approved by the 219th Annual Council of the Diocese of Virginia. The resolution was respectfully submitted by Russ Randle and the Rev. Pierce Klemmt, Rector of Christ Church and the Rev. Oran Warder, Rector of St. Paul’s, Alexandria and the Rev. Ross Kane, also of St. Paul’s. Resolved, by the 219th Annual Council of the Diocese of Virginia that we send greetings and assurances of our fervent prayers for peace and protection for our friends and colleagues in the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan in this difficult time in the new nation of South Sudan, and that we ask our congregations to start or continue such public prayers; and be it further Resolved, that the Bishop is hereby asked to appoint a task force to help our congregations and individuals in our diocese effectively respond to requests for help from South Sudan; and be it further
Relieving Hunger
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During our Lenten Season this year as we spiritually hunger for God in our lives we will also be focused on issues of hunger both local and global. Our Mission and Outreach committees are coming together to offer a joint Lenten practice of participating in the SNAP (food stamp) challenge. We will be encouraging all
Resolved, that the task force study the means by which our Diocese can become a more effective partner with Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD), the American Friends of the Episcopal Church of Sudan (AFRECS), and with US AID in addressing the requests for relief and development assistance to our partners in the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan. The task force shall report its finding and recommendations to the Executive Board by June 1. Rationale: The Diocese of Virginia and its congregations have been long time partners with our faithful friends in the Episcopal Church of Sudan, which recently changed its name to the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan. The outbreak of civil war in South Sudan, beginning December 15, 2013, has created turmoil and great distress, as well as demands on the church both to mediate an end to the violence and
to provide for the internally displaced persons who are fleeing potential pogroms. This fighting has worsened the very difficult situation our friends face in one of the poorest nations on earth, a bad situation our partners have been trying mightily to address. This resolution sends greetings to our partners, asks our people to pray for and with our partners, and asks for the Bishop to appoint a task force to help our congregations in their short term response to requests for help from our friends in South Sudan. The resolution also asks that this task force study whether the Diocese can become a more effectively partner with ERD, AFRECS, and with USAID in assisting our colleagues in Sudan and South Sudan, and to report findings and recommendations to Executive Board by June 1. Consultations by AFRECS with USAID and with ERD suggest that such Diocese of Virginia efforts may significantly increase the amount of government and NGO financial aid provided to our South Sudanese partners for relief and development. This task force would evaluate these possibilities as well as the risks of such an effort, and make appropriate recommendations to Executive Board in time for action this summer.
of our parishioners to try to eat on a food stamp budget for a week to be in solidarity with our neighbors who regularly feed their family on a very limited budget. Look forward to many resources and support as we attempt this challenge as a parish community. March 8, International Women’s Day we will be hosting a day of reflection, stories, and food as we share about the hungers of our immigrant neigh-
bors and the way food brings families and cultures together. These are just some of the ways that our church has been involved in alleviating hunger needs and advocating for an end to hunger. If your ministry is also involved in hunger-related issues or wants to propose a way to be involved in alleviating hunger during Lent please send me an email at mmccullough@ccalex.org.
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February 9 is Theological Education Sunday By the Rev. Ann Gillespie
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ur Presiding Bishop, Katherine Jefferts Schori, asks all Episcopal parishes to dedicate one of the Sundays in early February to raising awareness about theological education, a fancy way of saying how we are formed by God into the people God intends us to be. Most people assume that theological education refers to seminary and they would be right. Seminary is required education and formation for all people in an ordination process. But even the seminary in Alexandria, Virginia Theological Seminary, does much more than educating future priests. Did you know that VTS has a variety of programming and classes for anyone in the community who is interested? Last year, I taught a wellreceived class in the Evening School of Theology called Finding God in Your Body. For more info about theological education for people like you here is the link: http://www.vts.edu/podium/ default.aspx?t=117981. To celebrate theological education Sunday this year, we are so excited to
welcome back our former seminarian, the Rev. Melanie Mullen, to preach at all of our morning services. Melanie did her field education at Christ Church from 2010-2012. She is now serving as an associate at St. Paul’s, Richmond. (See the article on this page about our guest preachers in February). Seminary is not the only place to get theological education, however. Many of our children have been formed into the people God intends them to be through attending camp at Shrine Mont. On February 9, we also welcome Kirk Gibson, Director of Development at Shrine Mont, to speak at the forum about the importance of keeping Shrine Mont camps sustainable and available to all. At an open gathering at 6:00 p.m. on February 9, Bishop Ted Gulick will be here to share the story of his formation experience as a camper and counselor at Shrine Mont Camps and look where that’s taken him! Join us for these enlightening offerings on theological education.
Rev. Dr. William “Bill” Bradley Roberts to Preach February 16
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e are pleased to welcome the Rev. Dr. William “Bill” Bradley Roberts, DMA, as our guest preacher on Sunday, February 16 for the 9:00 and 11:15 a.m. worship services. Bill, a member of our parish, is also the Professor of Church Music and Director of Chapel Music at Virginia Theological Seminary. He was ordained in the Baptist tradition when he was in his twenties, was confirmed in the Episcopal Church in 1980, and has spent most of his career as an Episcopal church musician. Prior to joining the faculty at VTS, he held church music jobs in Washington D.C., Tucson, AZ,
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Newport Beach, CA, Louisville, KY, and Houston, TX. Bill has served as Chair of the Episcopal Church’s Standing Commission on Church Music and Chair of the ecumenical Leadership Program for Musicians (LPM), which focuses on the needs of small congregations. He is a composer of music for the church, and his hymns, service music and choral anthems appear in various collections. Bill has spent time at the French ecumenical community of Taizé and has also studied chant at the monastery in Solesmes, France. His book Music and Vital Congrega-
The Rev. Melanie Mullen Visits as Guest Preacher
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n Theological Education Sunday, February 9, we will welcome the Rev. Melanie Mullen as guest preacher at the morning services. Melanie served as a seminarian intern here at Christ Church. She went to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia in 2012 to lead the parish in creating a new Downtown Mission ministry. Downtown mission ministry is tasked with envisioning new ways of being a church. As missioner, Melanie leads the parish in developing programs and alternative liturgies, and engagement opportunities aimed at reaching out to the 15,000 new residents and workers reclaiming downtown Richmond. Melanie has a Masters in Divinity at Virginia Theological Seminary, and most recently, she served as Interim Diocesan Youth Missioner for the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, DC. Along with a wealth of varied experience, Melanie brings with her an entrepreneurial and pioneering spirit, as well as a deep and contagious commitment to the spiritual exploration and development of all.
tions (New York: Church Publishing) is used as a textbook for training clergy and musicians. Gothic records recently released a recording of his music made at Washington National Cathedral. Many also might recognize him as the composer of the hymn tune Old Town, Not the building, but the people, written for our 140th anniversary.
Changes Come to Water into Wine By the Rev. Heather VanDeventer
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ew things are afoot for the Water into Wine marriage preparation class at Christ Church. As you read about in the October edition of Rejoice, we decided to move to a small group cohort model of classes for Water into Wine classes beginning in 2014. We are pleased to announce that Christ Church parishioner, Dr. Lynn Turner, will offer PAIRS as a part of Water into Wine. PAIRS stands for Practical Application of Intimate Relationship Skills. This curriculum has been in use for over 25 years, across the country and around the world. As the PAIRS curriculum website (pairs. com) states, “The purpose of the PAIRS course is to teach research-validated skills that help men and women of all ages and stages of relationship improve communication, strengthen bonding, empathy, emotional understanding and expression, and learn to constructively navigate conflicts and differences on behalf of healthy relationships that are an ongoing source of love, pleasure, and happiness
– something we think is as important in life as air, food, water, and shelter.” In addition to the PAIRS curriculum, Water into Wine will continue to offer classes on money matters and spirituality, two important topics for engaged couples to explore and discuss with each other. We are also delighted that Water into Wine with the PAIRS curriculum will be open to couples who are already married or partnered. Any relationship can benefit from investing focused time to improve ways of communication and emotional availability to one’s beloved. Water into Wine covenant preparation program begins with a weekend workshop and continues with an evening session on three Thursday nights following. The next weekend workshop will be March 7 and 8; preregistration is required. For more information or to register, please contact Cindy Wright, the Administrative Assistant for Worship, at 703-778-4936 or via email, cwright@ccalex.org.
Upcoming Events By the Rev. Heather VanDeventer
I Love a Parade!
Christ Church will march in the George Washington Parade on Monday, February 17. Children, youth, and kids at heart of all ages are invited and encouraged to participate. Let us know that you want to march by emailing the Rev. Heather VanDeventer, hvandeventer@ccalex.org, or Jenny Considine, jenny_considine@ yahoo.com. See you at the parade.
Shrine Mont Parish Weekend
Save the Date: June 13–15 Join us for community, worship, and fun! Questions? Email ccshrinemontparishretreat@gmail.com.
Lenten Quiet Day
Retreat Leader Kathy Brown Saturday, March 22 9:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m., McMurray Commons $35 registration fee. Questions? Email Phil Lyons at philipblyons@aol.com.
Rites of Passage Births • Henry Drummond Bartlett, son of Liz & Grant Bartlett • Henry Siler Bateman Hanback, son of Carrie Sue Casey & Lucas Hanback • Cassin McCready Coakley, son of Elliot & Ashley Coakley, grandson of Lisa & Jim Coakley • George James Terwilliger IV, son of Zach & Anne Terwilliger Wedding • Heather Mae Cable & Andrew Barringer Fake Baptisms • Oliver Hamilton Aberg, son of Jennifer & James Aberg • Alice Eleanor Hecht, daughter of Jolyn & Daniel Hecht • William Francis Moran III, son of Eleanor Konzman & William Moran, Jr. • Thomas Emerson Pauley, son of Taite Bergin & Jonathan Pauley • Siena Brigantine Trabandt, daughter of Anne & Scott Trabandt • Ada Jane Wyman, daughter of Shelly & Grant Wyman Deaths • Giselle Alfred • William Carpenter • James E. Davis II • Agnes Dubberly • Norman B. Gunnerson • Travis Jackson • Ann Koopman • Audrey Grace Maggiano • Marjorie Marie Sutherland • Jack Teel • Julie Van Fleet • Ronald Weitzel
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Wardens’ Report continued from page 1
•Setting specific goals for yearly pledging. The Vestry, working with the Stewardship Committee, changed recent practice and set a goal for the coming fiscal year (FY 2014-15) at $1.6 million. We have asked staff to regularly report on our progress toward that goal. •Estimating volunteer hours for ministries and programs. This information is vital for capturing the true investment in our programs, and it provides data to the Vestry at budget time about which programs are attracting the most in-kind support from church members. •Missional budgets. Allocating the time of paid staff at Christ Church is also very important for making informed budget decisions. It is another step toward helping the Vestry, in our canonical responsibilities over church budgets, understand how our investment in salaries and benefits are being deployed. • Elimination of 5% fee on designated funds. In the Vestry’s final action of 2013, we voted to eliminate the 5% cost accounting recovery fee for designated funds. As a member of the previous Vestry, your current senior warden supported the recommendation of the Finance Committee to allocate 5% of any funds outside of regular pledging to capture the cost of administering those funds and providing supplies for Lazarus guests and other ministries. However, the 5% fee, while considered a “best practice” by many non-profits, created unnecessary confusion, and it possibly was impeding donations to designated funds and pledging alike. So, the Vestry, on a motion by the senior warden, voted unanimously to terminate the fee. Thanks to Michelle Cox, Stephanie Kelly, and colleagues for working over the holidays to make this policy change effective as of December 31, 2013. continued on page 11
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Students prepare and serve 100 meals for $100 and share their research on hunger issues with parishioners.
Christ Church On-the-Go to Visit Oak Hill
T
he next mission trip for Christ Church On-the-Go will be to return to the Church of the Epiphany, in Oak Hill (Herndon), VA. We will go on February 23, 2014, 10:00 a.m. to worship and have fellowship. As we did before, we will take muffins and treats to share with their congregants during coffee hour. We are delighted to be able to meet the new Priest-In-Charge, Hillary West. Come share in our mission of worship and fellowship with our neighbors. For more information contact Betsy Hahn at 703-598-4345, or at HahnInc@aol.com.
Youth Ministry Renovation Update By Lisa Tenore
T
he Youth Ministry Renovation Team finalized plans for the Visioning Retreat to be held February 6 and 7 from 6:00–9:00 p.m. and February 8 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. During January we sought participants, met with our focus group, distributed pre-retreat surveys, and held a coffee hour. In March and April we will share the statements of
Mission, Values and Goals established during the visioning process, and our plans for restructuring the Youth Ministry based on them. Please contact Lisa Tenore (ltenore@itr-llc.com), Kristi Thomas (kcthomas7@comcast. net), Anne Ramsey (ramsey_anne@ yahoo.com), Dan Plafcan (dan.plafcan@gmail.com), or Donna McCaffrey (donna.mccaffrey@mac.com) with questions or comments.
Wardens’ Report continued from page 10
We will continue to focus our attention on budget transparency and other elements of the Strategic Plan. The wardens and Rector have agreed that Pierce’s annual evaluation will be based on progress made toward achieving agreed-upon milestones in the Plan.
Youth Ministry and Confirmation The Vestry strongly supports the Youth Ministry Renovation project and worked with the Rector to allocate funds for the continued work of the Youth Ministry Architects and our in-place youth ministry team. The August decision by clergy and staff to again delay Youth Confirmation resulted in an intense period of reflection and discernment, with the Vestry taking a firm position to restore Youth Confirmation for the current church year. We all are gratified by another vibrant launch of all of our Sunday School and youth programs, including Youth Confirmation, in September and feel deep appreciation for the clergy, staff, and volunteers who make it work.
Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Plan
Thanks to the good work of the Rector and staff, prior vestries, and, especially, our invaluable Properties/ HVAC Committee, planning for the replacement HVAC system was well underway by last summer. Nevertheless, it was still a jolt when the air conditioning compressor for the historic church failed last June. We all felt the Holy Spirit at work as the congregation adjusted, and filled the happy (and cool) space of the Auditorium Sunday after Sunday. And, when the weather finally turned cool again, we were all very happy to return to our historic sanctuary, gleaming from a top-to- bottom cleaning by a wonderful volunteer team.
HVAC Project Funding
Figuring out the best approaches for
funding the HVAC replacement has required a huge investment of time by the Rector, staff, Treasurer, Foundation Board, Finance Committee, Vestry, and many others. We were grateful for the strong show of support from the congregation at the All-Parish Meeting on November 17 for the fundraising plan, including use of reserves set aside for this purpose, annual Foundation support, the launch of a capital campaign, and the establishment of a line-of-credit to expedite construction. HVAC plans are moving ahead on several fronts. Final terms were approved with our contractor, RM Thornton, and they have already begun construction work. Preceding that, Treasurer Tykie Tobin, Senior Administrative Director Michelle Cox, Chairman Dave Canfield and others on the Finance Committee, and Foundation Trustees Stetson Tinkham, Will Edington, Anne Reed, and others all did a wonderful job of soliciting bids for the line-ofcredit to local banks. On Tykie’s recommendation, the Vestry approved a very competitive proposal from Burke and Hebert Bank. This $1.5 million lending facility, with no requirement to mortgage any church property, will give us the working capital we need to launch and complete the HVAC replacement on schedule. Even before the HVAC funding campaign begins officially, Rector Klemmt, Development Director Tara Knox, and others have been working on the “quiet phase” of the campaign with some of our most valued, longterm supporters of the church. They will have some positive developments to report in the near future. We appreciate their pro-active engagement over the holidays and into the new
year to lay the groundwork for a strong campaign launch.
Dealing with Cost Increases
Unfortunately, the cost of HVAC construction and the fundraising campaign to help pay for it have gone up even in the short time since the November 17 All-Parish Meeting. When the “100% design” was completed by the contractor in December, identified construction costs had increased significantly. The revised costs of $2.375 million are within the “plus-minus” range allowed in our contract, but nevertheless higher than the $2.1 million estimate that the Vestry approved and which we reported to the congregation. Also, apart from the design process, a fundraising consultant for the HVAC campaign was not budgeted. We had carefully weighed the possibility of conducting the campaign with current staff and volunteers only. However, advice and counsel from former wardens, as well as highly experienced development professionals in our congregation, have led us to conclude that hiring a consultant is both prudent and necessary. The need to complete our current pledge campaign, while simultaneously raising HVAC funds, was a strong factor in our deliberations. With a sense of urgency, the Vestry addressed this cost escalation in telephonic and in-place meetings in December (a month when the Vestry traditionally does not meet). Our agenda was 1) deal with the reality of these new costs and 2) prevent (hopefully) the need for any more messages like this one about future increases. We unanimously approved total new funding of up to $2.7 milcontinued on page 12
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Wardens’ Report continued from page 11
lion for HVAC replacement, professional assistance to raise necessary funds (hopefully in a short, but intensive campaign), direct out-of-pocket costs, interest on the line-of-credit, and contingencies. A complete allocation of costs will be forthcoming, as well as a timeline for the fundraising campaign. We also established that the consultant would help us look beyond HVAC fundraising and lay the groundwork for future campaigns to replace the organ, build up the Foundation corpus, and expand our outreach and ministries ahead of Christ Church’s 250th Anniversary Celebration in 2023. Thanks to an ad hoc committee of terrific volunteers who have been convened by the Rector and are advising the Rector and Vestry on proposals and contracts.
Other News and Notes
• Congratulations and salutations to Pierce Klemmt for his 20 years of service as Rector of Christ Church. At an informal gathering after the 9:00 a.m. service on January 5, Pierce
and Tuke both were honored for the many contributions that they have made, and continue to make, to Christ Church and our missions and outreach at home and around the world. • Please continue to pray for peace in South Sudan. And pray for our brother Bishop Joseph, who visited Christ Church just last October and who has lost five members of his family in the fighting, and for all others who are mourning the loss of their loved ones during this crisis in the world’s newest country. •Blessings to the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pans for their joyful ministry to alleviate the nutritional needs of our community. (And thanks for the tasty, surprise gift of Brunswick stew just before Christmas!) •Thanks to the Christ Church staff for working so closely with the lay leadership on the range of budgeting, financing, fundraising, accounting, facilities, and other issues that we are all juggling at this moment. •The Nominating Committee is working to fill slates for several Christ Church lay leadership positions. Please look for announcements about
nominations for the Vestry and other positions in the church. Seriously consider offering yourself (don’t be shy) and/or other capable individuals (they will forgive you) who are willing to donate their time and talent to leading the ministries of Christ Church. • We are looking for volunteers to donate a few hours to calling our various lists to collect pledges and wrap up the current pledge campaign (we need to “clear the decks” before the HVAC campaign begins). Thanks to all who have made these calls in recent weeks, especially the Stewardship Committee. Vestry and other ministries are also working the phones, but we need more callers for a final push. Please contact Tara Knox if you are willing to help: 703-778-4928 or tknox@ccalex.org. •Finally, we’d like to give a shout out to our fellow Vestry members. They are a passionate, dedicated team with deep commitment and a ‘bias for action.’ It’s been an honor to work with them all during our own time of change and complexity in Christ Church’s long history.
New Safety Feature to be Added to Restrooms
P
arishioners and visitors to Christ Church will soon see a new safety feature added in some of the restrooms. As in other public restrooms, receptacles for the safe disposal of sharp items such as used medication needles are being installed here. As a welcoming congregation, we want to ensure the safety of our parishioners, staff and visitors. With evolving knowledge about safe disposal of sharps medical waste, the addition of the safety disposal receptacles, approved by the Property Committee, is a prudent step. They will help protect our facilities staff when they are disposing of trash in the restrooms. The receptacles will be locked and we
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will follow the medical and environmental protocols set by the City of Alexandria for disposing of the collected items. Lancets, needles and syringes can deliver medicine for conditions including allergies, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, infertility, migraines, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis and psoriasis. According to the EPA, people use needles and other sharp items to treat a variety of medical conditions in the home, and on occasion, in public restrooms as well. Used needles and other sharp items should be disposed of in appropriate receptacles for regulated medical waste.
Parishioner David Hoover, LCSW, MDiv who is Education Program Manager of the Inova Juniper Program said, “I think it is a great service to have as many places as possible to safely dispose of used syringes. It is not always easy to do. It provides a community service, supports public health and enhances the common good.” Receptacles will be located in restrooms near the Parish House main entrance, the Meade Room area, the Parish House basement, and the Fowler House (not in the childcare restroom or those in the yet-to-bebuilt-out space).