Volume 10, Number One | Homecoming 2016
Christ Church on Capitol Square
A Parish of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina
120 E Edenton Street, Raleigh, NC 27601 919.834.6259 | christchurchraleigh.org Rector The Rev. James P. Adams Editor / Art Director Jeremy Tackett Contributors The Rev. Jennifer C. Brown The Rev. Mary Davila The Rev. Meg Buerkel Hunn The Rev. Callie E. Swanlund Jack Arnold Eliza Brinkley Sloane Brooks Sophie Burkhardt Dawn Carter Martha Cox Ann Daniel Croft Tyler Cunningham Leighton Harrell Gaye Hill Naomi Hill David Jernigan Katie Johnson Sarah Johnson Bess Moye David Simons Lucy Smith David Stahl Liz Stroff Frank Watson Photography Tyler Cunningham Kelly Graves Jeremy Tackett Blanche Williamson
On the Cover Chalice bearer Alison Eisenstadt serves Communion to Jack Oates, son of Mary Ruffin Hanbury and John Oates, during worship at Christ Church - August 14, 2016
Have a comment or an idea for a future Epistle publication? Send your thoughts to: Jeremy Tackett, Director of Communications jtackett@christchurchraleigh.org or visit www.ChristChurchRaleigh.org.
In This Issue Features 11 On Mission Glory Ridge
Sophie Burkhardt, Bess Moye, and Frank Watson
Finding Accomplishment through Relationship Eliza Brinkley
Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa Leighton Harrell and Naomi Hill
Addressing the World’s Growing Water Crisis David Simons
16 The 10th Annual Run for Young
Honoring the Life of Christ Church Youth Member Sadiki Young Lucy Smith
18 Why Can’t We Be Friends?
A 2016 Election Survival Guide The Rev. Callie E. Swanlund
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22 Building for the Third Century
Christ Church Continues “Growing to Serve” Gaye Hill
25 Reaching out to Raleigh
Learn about two ministries serving those right here in our community. Dawn Carter and Jeremy Tackett
30 Room for All Children in the Manger
The Christ Church Christmas Pageant Katie Johnson Photos by Blanche Williamson
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Sections 4 Rector’s Letter 6 Sermon: How Do You Mend a Broken Heart? The. Rev. Jennifer C. Brown
8 Ministry Perspectives: Pastoral Care
Jack Arnold, Ann Daniel Croft and Tyler Cunningham
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29 Worship In Song: A Life Celebrated in Music David Stahl 32 Moments to Remember
From the Rector’s Desk
Celebrating the Story of God’s People Dear Parish Family, The pages of this Epistle tell the story of a community that is finding meaning and purpose in service, a people coming alive more and more to the power and purpose of God. When religion is the topic of discussion, the conversation often turns to what we believe about the after-life, about heaven and hell. Human beings are more than a little curious about life after death, and we all have our opinions on the subject. All the research tells us that people are endlessly fascinated with the topic of what comes after this earthly life. I want to tell you that I live with the hope of heaven for myself and those I love. However, if we read the Scripture with care, what we learn is that God is much more interested in how we live life before death. God is interested in what happens next in your life and mine. God cares how we spend the gift of the life we have been given. Nonetheless, accepting the grown-up reality that our lives will have an ending some day, just as surely as they had a beginning, opens our eyes to the great gift that is this day. “This is the day the Lord has made,” the Scripture says, “Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
The writer Anne Lamott talks about her young friend, Rick, who was dying of lung cancer. “He’s so savoring the moments of his life right now, so acutely aware of love and small pleasures that he no longer feels that he has a lifethreatening disease: he now says he’s leading a diseasethreatening life. People like this can seem luckier than we are, because they are so aware of the divine in everything, while we are still picking the scabs of our everyday lives and feeling sorry for ourselves.” God longs to make us holy people, to ignite our goodness with divine holiness. We see the Kingdom of God, or glimpse it at least, in the life of this parish and in all that is beautiful, good, and true. Extending a compassionate hand at Wake Relief or the Diaper Train, teaching Sunday school, offering time, attention, and care to a StepUp participant, singing in the choir or serving at the altar, pounding nails and carrying wood to help build a house for a hopeful Habitat family, helping a new friend with reading – these are not acts of charity but grateful responses to God, from whom all blessings flow, who wants an abundant life for us, and who calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves. I am more grateful than words can say for our Christ Church family. Every day, I give thanks for you and the life we share and I believe that God’s best for us is still to come. In Christ’s Love,
The Rev. James P. Adams
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Christ Church Epistle - Homecoming 2016
Easter 5, Year C, RCL, Gospel Text: John 13:31-35
How Do You Mend a Broken Heart? Sermon given by The Rev. Jennifer C. Brown (April 24, 2016) I beg your forgiveness for quoting the Bee Gees – but I loved them as a teenager – and they seem to speak to our gospel today…
achieving and aspiring and covering over. I never told a soul. And if I wanted to call her I went out to Nassau Street to the public telephone, so that no one could hear me and no one would know.
[And] how can you mend a broken heart? How can you stop the rain from falling down? How can you stop the sun from shining? What makes the world go round? How can you mend this broken man? How can a loser ever win? Please help me mend my broken heart and let me live again.
Reflecting now – I think that I was literally trying to disappear from the world. Because I think it is what we do with a broken heart.
In my freshman year of college, being a part of the varsity swim team was a dream come true. Everything, every single thing, that I had aspired towards was happening. I had a niche, I had a specialty (in the 200 yard butterfly), I had a beautiful campus and wonderful teammates and lots and lots of dreams that all seemed to be coming true. In the spring of 1980 our team was on the way to winning the Ivy League Championships. It was all taking place at Blodgett Pool on the Harvard University campus. I found myself – as an excited freshman – in the final of the 200 yard butterfly. The coach was counting on me to bring it home, to seal the deal. In fact, it all turned rather nightmarish as I barely had the energy to even finish the race. The truth was, that some months before, I had basically stopped eating. I ate a lot of junk food I guess; but I didn’t take care of myself – and I was sort of disappearing before my teammates’ very eyes. My coach seemed confused about my lack of energy and poor performance. And it’s taken about 35 whole years to understand what was happening to that young freshman girl.
This May it will be 20 years since graduating from seminary and beginning my very first parish job, in Beverly Farms, Massachusetts. And in those 20 years I’ve grown as a priest, I hope! – but I’ve also gone from young to middle aged; from childless to two teenagers and step children and grandchildren, from married to divorced and married again. So, like all of you – lots of living happens in 20 years time. But if I had to sum up my learning, I would note three things. First, that there seems to be no limit to the myriad ways that people incur broken hearts. Broken hearts happen in every conceivable way. I feel like I watch it all the time – in myself, my family, and in all of you, my beloved fellow travelers along the way. Our hearts break, you see, over and over and over again. Second, to deal with this fact of life there seem to be only a handful of responses; we humans are not terribly creative when it comes to this: we shut down, for a time, or forever; or we get angry (and walk around like that for a while); or most commonly, we try to disappear – cover over – make the visible invisible. We find ways to go away from our broken hearts, to detach from them, to leave them behind. Because it hurts. It hurts SO much.
Third, and last, and most importantly, Jesus speaks to this broken heart situation; this broken heart condition. He gives us the only antidote. He tells us and shows us and lives for us and I can finally admit that I was suffering, not so much from an dies for us – to teach the ONE ANTIDOTE. The only thing that eating disorder as from a broken heart. You see my mother, who heals a broken heart. It’s very counter-intuitive. We resist every had been my best friend, had gotten real sick just before I left day. We hate it at some level. And so he tells us again and again for college. We never did get to say ‘goodbye.’ In her mentally ill and again. He lives for it and he dies for it. The only antidote to a state, she had tried to take her own life. For most of my freshman broken heart is to love. More and more… year she was hospitalized unbeknownst to any of my roommates Only recently, 10 years after her death, have I begun to wear or friends. And no one in our family got counseling – we my mom’s earrings which she gave to me for getting into college. were far too proud and far too private for that. So we just kept 6
Christ Church Epistle - Homecoming 2016
Only recently have I placed her photograph beside my bed. Sometimes our hearts take a long time to open up again. To risk loving, again. But our faith tells us that it’s never too late. And it brings you abundant life and joy. So we must try – for it is the mandate of Jesus.
That is the story of redemption. That is the story of resurrection and new life. Taking our heart break; knowing it is part of the human story – and heeding the words and life of Jesus: love me, love each other, love again.
Today he tells us, little children I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me, but you will not find me. I am going to disappear and your hearts will break. You will be tempted to shut down, to numb out, to disappear, or get angry. But I have only one word for you – love. Love big. Love so much the world takes notice. Love your broken hearts back to life. Whatever it takes. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another… Dr. BJ Miller was a sophomore in college when his world changed forever. (See On Being, public radio broadcast, Jan. 28, 2016 transcript.) He had just returned to the Princeton campus after Thanksgiving break and was eager to see his friends. They went to the Wawa, a 24-hour grocery store, around 1 or 2 a.m., to get some snacks and hang out. There was a little shuttle train, that sat beside the campus, famously called “the Dinky.” The train track and train itself were shut down that time of night; so they climbed it like you’d climb a jungle gym, not at all thinking it was a daring stunt or anything. BJ happened to be the first one up. And when he stood on the darkened train, he had a watch on, and the electricity arced to the watch, entered the arm and blew down and out his feet. It was 11,000 volts and this young healthy college sophomore became, in an instant, a triple amputee, losing part of an arm and both legs. 25 years later he is a physician and executive director of the Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco. In an interview, BJ describes the movement from invisibility to visibility. From a heartbreak story to a love story. In the beginning, he would camouflage the lower limb prosthetics. It was the norm to put flesh colored foam covers over the legs so they would look more natural; and they have the shape of a “real” leg. Some while after the accident, BJ returned to Princeton, and majored in architecture, modern architecture in fact. He learned about Louis Sullivan and others pulling the appliqué off the buildings and delighting in the structures themselves. And so BJ began to pull the covers off his own legs—at first forcing himself with great emotional difficulty. Eventually, though, he began to
delight in the weird structure that was now his legs. He says, “these legs aren’t some cheap imitation of what I lost. These are wholly new things. These are different things that deserve their own space and credit. I love them, and I am interested in how they look.” Similarly for his arm, he’d had a great deal of skin grafting. For years he wore a sock over it. At first, a white medical stocking. Then he got creative and started wearing paisley or argyle socks on the arm to have a bit of style around it. Then, maybe five years in—he just pulled the sock off one morning. He did not need to cover it up any more. He says he thinks he’d been subconsciously working towards this moment – this UNVEILING – for years. Learning to see something new and beautiful where there has been unbearable pain, heartbreak and loss. That is the story of redemption. That is the story of resurrection and new life. Taking our heartbreak; knowing it is part of the human story – and heeding the words and life of Jesus: love me, love each other, love again. Don’t give up. Notice your heartbreak – hide it for a while if you need to – but then, begin to notice its tender beauty. The ways in which you are utterly human. So the question is – how do you weave your heartbreak into your life? How do you stay at the table of life – and actually show up – allow yourself to be seen, risk loving and being loved: in your particular body, with your particular history, with your particular sadness. Jesus says: I know your heartbreak and I know your losses. But I want you to choose life; I want you to see your own peculiar beauty, within your own peculiar heartbreak. The Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius used the phrase: lachrymae rerum—“the tears of things.” There is a sadness in the backdrop of our lives because all things are passing, and we are all of us struggling to do our best within this backdrop of sadness and beauty, loss and hope. A while back, a friend gave me a quote that I like so very much. It comes from the Jewish Talmud. “Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers ‘Grow, grow.’” You and I are like these blades of grass, with God whispering for us to grow, grow. Even now I am growing closer to my dear mom who suffered so much and who resides on the other side of the veil of life. But my own heart is expanding as I let her back in – and this is a thing of beauty…and a thing of hope. Amen. Editor’s note: You can hear audio of this sermon and access an archive of sermons given at Christ Church, online at www.ChristChurchRaleigh.org.
Sermon: How Do You Mend a Broken Heart?
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Ministry
Perspectives:
The life of a church is found in the stories of her people — stories that are vast, inspiring, full of hope and joy. As we collect these stories, these endlessly varying perspectives, and share them on these pages, you are invited to remember, to celebrate, to pray and to give thanks. You are invited to join in the good work God is doing at Christ Church, and to tell stories of your own.
Pastoral Care Growing a Deep and Unexpected Friendship An Encounter with an Earthly Angel by Jack Arnold
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hen I received an email asking me to consider joining the ranks of Pastoral Care Givers (now Friendly Visitors) at Christ Church, I was sure that it was a mistake. Perhaps Jenny had been given a wrong email address. And though I felt I was surely the least likely available candidate, I very nervously said yes. What transpired was one of the most surprising and deeply enriching experiences I have had in my years at Christ Church. On the drive to Springmoor for my first visit with the amazing 93-year-old woman who would become a dear friend, the recurring thought, “What will I talk about for 30 minutes?” was foremost in my mind. When that first visit ended, and I finally looked at my watch, I realized I had been there for almost two hours. During monthly visits over the next three to four years, a deep and abiding friendship formed. As our friendship grew and trust developed, conversations became at times deeply personal. I realized over time, especially as her health began to decline, how much she appreciated our visits and the deepening of our relationship. And while that was of crucial importance, and really the goal of the visits, I truly felt that I was the lucky one, that I was the one who benefited most from our time together. The unlikely friendship and bond was a rich and profound blessing. Even now, after her death at the age of 97, it is a friendship that I miss deeply.
Stephen Ministry at Christ Church by Ann Daniel Croft
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n earthly angel called a Stephen Minister literally saved my life. Treading water for more than eight years and trying to maintain a “normal” family life for a child when one’s spouse has been diagnosed with terminal cancer is challenging and life changing. After turning down the Rev. Jenny Brown at least three times (because I could not fathom adding anything else to a jam-packed life), she wisely told me when I was ready to let her know, as she had the perfect person for me. Shortly after my husband’s death, I knew it was time for help. The lovely lady whom Jenny paired me with was a gift from Heaven. She walked every mile with me as I grieved, became an empty nester, and started rebuilding a different life. I cherished our time together and our friendship continues to this day. What a blessing this ministry gives to people. If you have bumps in the road, I urge you to let a Stephen Minister come into your life. To find out more about Stephen Ministry at Christ Church, or to learn how to get connected, contact The Rev. Jenny Brown at jbrown@christchurchraleigh.org, or call the church office.
Allowing Ourselves to Be Loved by Tyler Cunningham
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y story of care receiving began shortly after my husband and I started attending Christ Church. We moved back to Raleigh in 2006 and had been trying to start a family for some time already. We began to undergo rounds of very frustrating and inconclusive tests. We were sent to a doctor who began some low level intervention and, after four failed attempts, he referred us on to a specialist who had to put us through more invasive testing with the same inconclusive results.
We were at a crossroads - moral, emotional, spiritual and physical. We decided to take a leap of faith and attempt a higher level of intervention. At this point we had completed the Newcomers’ Class at church, but didn’t yet have a network of support. A few weeks before our first IVF attempt, I filled out a prayer card in the pew during a Sunday service. Within an hour of the service’s conclusion, Winston Charles – who happened to live around the corner from us – called and asked if he could (continued on next page) Ministry Perspectives: Pastoral Care
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Ministry Perspectives: Pastoral Care (continued from previous page) stop over for a visit. He prayed for us, and with us, and opened our hearts to receiving additional support from the church family. Our names were put on the prayer list, and we were remembered by parishioners who had never met us. I took part in a healing prayer in the Chapel with lay ministers laying their hands on my shoulders and praying specifically for a successful result. Unfortunately, we weren’t successful in that attempt and were devastated. When I was at one of my lowest points, I received a prayer shawl. It was a beautiful, hand-made shawl in this gorgeous shade of green. I was moved beyond words when I read the prayer card that accompanied it and realized that women of our church had made this beautiful piece, had prayed over it and blessed it, and had given it a home with me. That shawl became a part of me. It wrapped my shoulders in support when I underwent our second attempt a few months later. It laid on my lap day after day as I rested and waited for the results. Soon enough we learned that attempt had also failed. I was entering into what I think was a state of depression at this point —worrying that my life was going to take such an unplanned turn and not being able to accept that yet, or ever. Then we received altar flowers after a Sunday service in support. We were being shown over and over that we were not alone. This family of people, whom we really didn’t know all that well, “saw” us, recognized somehow that we needed God’s abundant and perfect love to be revealed to us repeatedly. We were numb but we kept showing up to church and holding the hands of anyone who reached out. Looking back, I realize that in many other aspects of our lives we retreated, but at church we kept leaning in. It was like we were just being held up on the shoulders of so many, some of whom we knew and so many whom we had never met. Two agonizing weeks after our third attempt, we got the call that it had been successful. We were nervous and scared and happy and optimistic. Our 9lb 3oz son, Davis, was born in June 2008. We were visited by clergy in the hospital and received communion in our home and our waistlines expanded from all the casseroles! About 18 months later, on a routine doctor’s check up, we were told our son had a lump in the roof of his mouth. Within 24 hours we were sent to an ENT and quickly to a specialist at UNC for an excisional biopsy. The roller coaster of life continued and we were paralyzed with fear and anxiety once again. No parent wants to consider the possibility that their child could be facing a horrible illness, not to mention a surgery just to determine if the illness existed—this child that we had worked and prayed so hard for and were still just celebrating. At this point, reaching out for help was a little easier because we were so broken with worry and we knew there was a network of people who wanted to help us just because we were a part of this unbelievable church family. Once again, we were blessed with a beautiful, sweet prayer shawl - this time 10
Christ Church Epistle - Homecoming 2016
Tyler and Mike Cunningham & sons, Davis and Miller
it was a rainbow of sweet baby blues and pinks and greens. We carried it with us to the hospital and held him in it while the anesthesiologist administered the first round before taking him out of my arms and back to surgery. The biopsy was, thankfully, benign and time marched happily and gratefully on. In 2010, we underwent another round of IVF in hopes of giving Davis a sibling. Our first attempt was successful and we couldn’t believe it. We felt we had gotten over an enormous hurdle and were not going to have to relive the pain and emotional turmoil we went through a few years before. At about 13 weeks, right after we had announced our news to most, I had a subchorionic hemorrhage and thought I had lost the baby. Hours after arriving at the ER, we heard the amazing sound of a very, very strong heartbeat. We were so incredibly grateful but very scared. Several dear friends from church visited me and held a healing prayer service in my living room. I had never experienced anything like this before. I was profoundly moved as the four of us sat on the floor of my family room holding hands. I listened to each of them voice prayers for me. I was in awe of this moment in my life. A moment when I felt so sad and scared but so unbelievably loved by these women and by God. That experience will remain one of the most touching and memorable of my life. In March 2011, my second son was born kicking and screaming and full of spunk. We loved every inch of him and doted on this little bundle relentlessly. Early in the next year, about 10 months after Miller was born, I collapsed unexpectedly in our home and was taken immediately to the hospital where they discovered severe internal bleeding due to an ectopic pregnancy. My doctors did a wonderful job and while the recovery was difficult, it was full and relatively quick both physically and emotionally because at this point we were entrenched in the church. Those whom we felt early on were friends had become family. We belonged to this place, we belonged to these people and they belonged to us. For better or for worse, we were connected to each other. I believe one of the greatest gifts God ever gave me was the courage to ask for help and support. I believe Mike and I had to realize our own vulnerability and accept it and in that small act, allow others to love us. I will forever be grateful to the care givers in the church for encircling my family with love and demonstrating God’s true grace.
On Mission: Glory Ridge 2016
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n June 5-8 Christ Church youth ventured to Madison County for our third annual Glory Ridge mission. Participants worked alongside staff and residents on an array of projects from demolition to porch building to organization to heavy yard and field work. The following reflections were shared to the Glory Ridge Facebook page by our team. Thank you for sharing in this journey with us and for your continued support to help our team “make work worship” with the residents of Madison County.
On this year’s trip to Glory Ridge, I had the opportunity to work alongside of Ms. Vicky. My group helped tend to chores on her property. She showed us the true meaning of joy by being content with the things she was given. Ms. Vicky talked about how her faith kept her strong through the loss of important people in her life. This inspired me and my work group to come together in accomplishing what seemed like “impossible” tasks. In the end showing us the difference that can be made when you are appreciative of what you have and the others around you.
Glory Ridge 2016 was another eye opener for me. About 20 high schoolers went this year to help repair and improve homes in remote areas of Madison County. We were divided into groups to help different families that could not otherwise afford repairs. My group helped out a resident named Vicky. We sanded and painted doors, fixed door knobs, added fire alarms, organized her shed, fixed her tractor mower, and mowed her fields. As expected, I learned a lot about household repairs. I also thought it was cool figuring out how to fix her tractor. But the best part was seeing how much Vicky appreciated our services. Glory Ridge is definitely a worthwhile experience in that you help others, learn new things, and get to hang out with your friends.
Glory Ridge has continued to be a highlight of the summer for both my dad and me. It is a great opportunity to give back to the community and renew a bond with God. While you’re there, you expect to make an impact on someone’s life, but you never fully expect the impact they will make on your life. My dad and I have both had the amazing opportunity to meet people that have incredible stories and come from all different walks of life. Their stories of courage and perseverance shine a whole new perspective on your life. I found at the end of the trip that I was striving to make as much of an impact on the lives of the people I was helping as they had just made on mine. From doing this trip for three years now, my dad has become the biggest role model for me in terms of giving back to the community. Having this experience together has made our bond so much stronger, and we have a little slice of heaven that we both look forward to going back to every summer.
On Mission
Finding Accomplishment Through Relationships A Perspective on Mission by Eliza Brinkley
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f there is one thing I remember from the training I attended in preparation for my year as a Young Adult Service Corps missionary, it is that being in “right relationship” is better than being right. The Young Adult Service Corps, or “YASC,” is a program of the Episcopal Church. The program recruits and sends out Episcopalians, 21-30 years old, to do service work with a partnering diocese in the Anglican Communion. I was assigned to live and work in the city of Cap Haitian in Haiti as an ESL teacher at the Centre d’Agriculture St Barnabas, or CASB. CASB has operated as an institution of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti since 1984, serving as both a college offering agricultural technician certifications for Haitian adults, as well as a center for education and support for farmers in the surrounding community. CASB, which has struggled in recent years to attract students to its college component and to bring in enough revenue from its own agricultural yields, is undergoing campaigns to revitalize its academic and agricultural programs. From the beginning of my mission term in September 2015 to the end this past July, I found my biggest sense of accomplishment not from teaching English, nor from helping with revitalization projects. Instead, it became clear that the best contribution I had to offer was the potential to form and sustain trusting relationships with the people I worked with. Knowing the language certainly played a primary role in this— once I’d gotten a handle on Haitian Kreyòl, I started to develop a level of comfort with communicating. Being able to converse with ease, however, was just half the battle of maintaining strong working relationships. Cultural and economic differences often created obstacles in my efforts to understand the perspective of my students and of the employees at CASB. What I realized over the course of my last few weeks in Haiti was that, through encouragement and kindness, I seemed to have won the respect of everyone at CASB, particularly my students. Even though many of them finished the course not being able to utter more than a basic sentence in English, there was a special bond that I had created with each of them. In a country where many people are distrustful of foreign aid workers, these students still trusted, admired and welcomed me into their circle. On my last day at CASB, I was asked to be the “marenn” (“godmother” in Kreyòl) of the Class of 2016 for their graduation. Although my efforts to make strides in my students’ English learning didn’t amount to much, I instead accomplished something that was more important, though less tangible.
Pictured at left: Eliza poses with the students in her English class.
Students at the Centre d’Agriculture St Barnabas work on a group project writing a menu you could find at a restaurant using food vocabulary. The students also wrote a script to act out a scene between a server and customers.
The church cannot hope to continue to do the work it is doing without the cooperation and support of the people it is serving. Missionaries are a crucial part of this, as they are the ones who are on the ground for months at a time, keeping morale up and continuing to ensure that our partners in other countries continue to have faith in the church and in its leaders. Missionaries’ primary job is to uphold the notion that being in “right relationship” is better than being right. They are the link between cultural and economic divides—bringing everyone under the unifying love that was shown to us by Jesus Christ. It is important to make sure that a poultry barn is designed and constructed in the best and most efficient way. It is important to make sure that an academic program at a school is providing quality education and is holding its students to a standard. But the precursor to all of this is the foundation of honoring one another’s beliefs, no matter how they differ. As the Baptismal vows in the Book of Common Prayer state, we must respect “the dignity of every human being.” God calls us to continue to revisit that base of respect, honor and love for our brothers and sisters around the world, particularly when tension builds or we become exasperated with one other. It’s the only way we will ever be able to see and reap the seeds we have sown. Read more about Eliza’s time in Haiti on her blog, available at inwardspiritualgrace.blogspot.com. On Mission
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Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa Lift Every Voice 2016 Editor’s Note: Lift Every Voice 2016 was held July 3-10, in Cape Town, South Africa. More than 90 youth and young adults from across the United States, Botswana and Cape Town participated in this conference, focusing on South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation process, strengthening skills in listening to the stories of others, and discerning how to respond to these stories as disciples of change. The following reflections are from two Christ Church members who made the trip. It’s In Our Hands by Leighton Harrell
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bout a month ago, my brother Kieren and I traveled to South Africa to participate in a faith-based antioppression program called Lift Every Voice. We spent most of our time in Stellenbosch, a suburb of Cape Town. I saw God in many, many ways while we were there. From the physical beauty of the country to the conversations that took place, I was truly blessed to have this experience. Never before have I felt more empowered to dismantle global systems of oppression through processes of resistance, truth and reconciliation. While I was there, Beth Crow, the lead Youth Missioner of the Diocese of North Carolina, Bishop Anne Hodges-Copple and I had the amazing opportunity to share breakfast and conversation with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. All of his words were very profound, but what really resonated with me was his mentality on the role of young people in movements for justice. He told me that the youth always have a unique energy that holds adults accountable. Furthermore, he said that he is continually given hope by young people fighting for justice. His words inspire me daily, and I hope to bring that passion to all the social justice work I do in the future. Choosing to “Jump In” by Naomi Hill
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ou have to experience life fully. If you don’t, you will miss out, there is no doubt about it. Even if experiencing life fully means wet shoes, ratty hair and wearing clothes that aren’t yours. (The rain on our trip to see the penguins was unexpected but made the hot fish and chips a million times better.) When I immerse myself in what I am doing, I find that I fall in love with life a little bit all over again. Going into my trip to South Africa, in many ways I had no expectations, but in other ways I did because what I came away with was so much more than I would have ever expected. Originally, I decided to go on this trip because I felt I was uneducated on the topic of racial injustice, and wanted to learn more about a country I knew very little about. I expected there to be singing, dancing, even a few laughs. I did not expect to find another example of the vulnerable love I have experienced in only my remote favorite places. I think, as a whole, this trip can be described as a culmination of both love and heartbreak, because we experienced both in a variety of ways. We walked through the informal townships in Soweto, which is the lowest level of poverty I have ever seen. I saw something 14
Christ Church Epistle - Homecoming 2016
Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Christ Church Youth Member Leighton Harrell at breakfast in Cape Town, South Africa
other than heartache - I saw joy and kindness reflected in the people living there fighting for their rights. (They were promised government houses after apartheid, but nearly 45,000 people are still living there without anything being built.) A young, shy, girl came up to the group - keeping her distance, but clearly interested. Luckily, I caught her eye and stuck out my tongue. She smiled, but hid, so it became the best game of hide and seek I have ever participated in - we each saw each other in our truest and most vulnerable forms. I saw her the way she should be seen, as a child filled with joy wanting to play, and I hope she saw me as a taller kid who wanted to play just as much as she did. Age, race, background, none of it mattered to us in that moment because we were happy to be in one another’s company. Through Lift Every Voice, I learned very clearly what companionship means and how important relationships with others are. By being “in the trenches” together, you are connected through whatever you are enduring. There’s a catch, though; you can’t be bitter or disdainful - you have to understand you made the choice to be there. You chose to jump in with both feet instead of starting with a toe or sitting out altogether. By jumping in, you are making the choice to be present - to live life in the way you choose. I find those who make that choice are happier because no matter the outcome, they tried. They braved the storm coming out stronger than before. In South Africa, together we loved, laughed and learned through early mornings, long flights, cough drops and tissues, and knowing that we can overcome whatever is holding us back.
Addressing the World’s Growing Water Crisis GlobalH2O - A Clean Water Initiative by David Simons
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hrist Church outreach dollars and volunteers have helped provide clean drinking water to over 110,000 people by supporting the nonprofit GlobalH2O. Since 2010, GlobalH2O has completed 65 wells. With an all-volunteer work force, 100% of donations are dedicated to digging wells and providing clean drinking water. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (www. unhcr.org) started World Water Day in 1993, and estimated at that time there were over three billion people in the world without access to clean water. On World Water Day 2016, UNHCR announced that the number of people without clean water was now 630 million. Several million people die every year around the globe from water-borne diseases, and even worse is that the majority of those dying are children under the age of five. GlobalH2O has focused on Northern Uganda, close to the Sudan border. There are over 8 million people in this district and almost all of the roads are dirt. The people live in small clusters of three to five huts scattered in the African bush country. These clusters comprise small villages, and it is these villages which petition the District Water Officer for a well. Once approved by the Water Officer, GlobalH2O helps the
people in the village create a Water Committee which will be responsible for maintaining the well and the pump. GlobalH2O provides education for the Water Committee including hygiene, record-keeping and pump maintenance and repair. GlobalH2O continues to raise funds to provide clean and safe water in poor countries where there is none. GlobalH2O was founded in 2009 by James Wilde, son of Christ Church member Carolyn Simons, along with Christ Church member Dave Simons and Christopher Wooten of Charlotte. In addition to outreach, Christ Church members are also involved with an annual Octoberfest fundraiser for GlobalH2O including the Little German Band, food, and a silent auction. The next Octoberfest will be held on Sept. 25, 2016, 3 - 6 p.m. For more information or to volunteer, contact David or Carolyn Simons at 919-782-9161 or visit www.globalh2o.org. Pictured at top left: GlobalH2O founder James Wilde auditing a well established in Uganda in 2010. Pictured at top right: Local children watch in awe as a drill rig operates in their village. On Mission
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Honoring the Life of Christ Church Youth Member Sadiki Young by Lucy Smith
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he Run for Young 5K run/walk originated in 2008, one year following the untimely death of Christ Church youth member Sadiki Young. He was the passenger in a deadly car accident and, in his memory, the youth ministry of Christ Church has put on a 5K race every year since. The proceeds collected from the race are used to provide teenagers in the area with safe driving instruction, as well as support the Christ Church Youth Ministry Endowment Fund. Each year the race has continued growing to become Sadiki Young a fun, family tradition not only among the Christ Church community, but for many others in Raleigh as well. This event not only raises awareness about safe driving techniques among teenagers, but also is an annual celebration of Sadiki’s life.
I began serving on the committee last year after learning about the race from a friend. I was eager to help out because the race provides such a necessary service to our community, while honoring the victim of such a tragic incident. It’s a unique committee on which to serve, as it is truly student-run. There are definitely adults who assist the committee, but they really look to the students to make the majority of the decisions. Serving on this committee has been a great experience, and I love seeing our efforts pay off when the race finally comes together. The 2017 race marks the 10th annual event, and we look forward to celebrating with the Christ Church family and the greater Raleigh community! We have some exciting new plans in the works and hope that you will join us with family and friends for a great day honoring Sadiki. Lucy Smith, a 2016 graduate of Broughton High School, was a student member of the Run for Young Committee.
“After running the race a few times, I thought it would be fun to get involved with the cause. It has been a treat to get to know some of the talented and dedicated students that serve on the committee, and our focus on truly impacting our community’s youth with Sadiki’s story has grown every year.” - Bailey Anthony, Run For Young Committee Chair
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Christ Church Epistle - Homecoming 2016
2008 Alex Krisulewicz served as an acolyte with Sadiki and helped with the vision of an event to honor Sadiki’s life. He served as the student chair for three years and has stayed involved, volunteering ever since. Alex is pictured here (navy shirt) with some of Sadiki’s family.
2010
2011 To honor Sadiki’s love of music as well as his talent, bands were added along the race course for entertainment for runners and walkers. Sadiki played a variety of instruments and was in various bands growing up. Today we have bands ranging from high school students to professional jazz groups.
The coldest year on record for all of our races was 2010. Temperatures were in the 20s at the start time, when the race was still held on a Saturday morning. These were some dedicated participants!
2012
A fresh new logo was designed incorporating the music and athletic parts of the event.
2013 This race saw our highest number of registrations at 698. This included an impressive 197 race day registrations. The sunny and 70s weather certainly helped!
2015
2017
Student co-chairs Elise Mutter and Peyton Seate had the opportunity to interview with Clear Channel radio in their studios. Their 30-second spot ran on several stations throughout the Triangle for multiple weeks leading up to the race.
The 10th Annual Run for Young will take place on Sun., Jan. 8, 2017 at 2 p.m. Registration for the event will open on November 1.
Run for Young
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For the Children by Gary Snyder
The rising hills, the slopes, of statistics lie before us, the steep climb of everything, going up, up, as we all go down. In the next century or the one beyond that, they say, are valleys, pastures, we can meet there in peace if we make it. To climb these coming crests one word to you, to you and your children: stay together learn the flowers go light
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Christ Church Epistle - Homecoming 2016
Why Can’t We Be Friends? A 2016 Election Survival Guide by The Rev. Callie E. Swanlund
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was recently visiting my parents during a major party’s national convention. As the nominee came on to speak, one of my parents jumped up and said, “Well, I’m going to bed!” In that moment, I realized that there are people I love deeply who differ from me greatly. And I’m struggling to reconcile that. I imagine you, too, have found yourself across the aisle from a loved one or friend in recent weeks and months. The thing is, we are all beloved children of God, but we’re not all feeling incredibly loving toward one another right now. In a world where we can communicate with one another instantaneously, we might imagine that connection with and empathy toward one another would be infinitely easier than it was 50 years ago, or even 10 years ago. And yet we find ourselves wearied by the world - by the heartbreaking violence, by the political vitriol, by the constant state of fear we find ourselves in, and by the ways in which we often find ourselves on the defensive for our beliefs and opinions. Writer Margaret Wheatley says, “I believe we can change the world if we start listening to one another again.” But how can authentic conversation happen when our guard is up? And – of immediate importance – how can we tolerate one another until the November election and even come out on the other side with relationships intact? Just as we have the freedom to choose the candidate whom we feel best represents our ideals and our hopes for this country, we also have the freedom to choose how to live our lives in the months leading up to – and even following – the election. We can choose to let our hearts be filled with fear and anger, or we can choose to let hope and love lead us in our interactions with one another. While it may feel like this upcoming presidential election is the only thing of importance, there is life beyond this. There are people with whom we share many things in common other than our ballot. So I invite you to try the following practices for surviving the election and finding ways to love our neighbor throughout.
Seek Jesus in one another. In many ways, our tradition is a reminder that we are all beloved children of God and of the great lengths God goes to be in relationship with us. In times of discord, it’s imperative to remember this. It’s easy to vilify the other, those with whom we disagree or seem to hold nothing in common. And yet if we each strive to follow God, we must look for signs of God all around us, including seeking Jesus in the faces and hearts of every person we encounter on the streets, in the workplace, and in our community. If we believe that God is truly among us (and as Christians, we do!), then it would follow that God would not only show up in expected people and places, but also in the unexpected. Even if you have to squint your eyes and strain your ears, try to find at least a glimpse of Jesus in that person who seems to be your polar opposite. Maybe they, too, are seeking God within you. Embrace brokenness. Our world is filled with brokenness. We bear witness to daily violence in our news, are told to be vigilant against the enemy (who is also depicted for us), and watch as groups on the margins are continually oppressed. I talk with many people who are wearied by the world, people who dare not hope for wholeness because the world seems beyond repair. And yet it is sometimes when our hearts are broken wide open that we are able to see glimpses of the Kingdom of God shining through. As Leonard Cohen sings, “There’s a crack in everything // That’s how the Light gets in.” Our brokenness is causing us to turn toward one another and have new conversations about what our shared future might look like. In Japan, there is an art form called kintsugi, in which shattered pottery gets repaired with gold lacquer, amplifying the cracks and making the object’s brokenness part of its history and beauty. Perhaps today’s brokenness is an opportunity for us to help restore God’s creation to that which God intended. (continued on next page)
Why Can’t We Be Friends
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Take beauty breaks. Fear and darkness have the tendency to have a firm grip upon us, whereas joy and beauty set us free. One antidote to the violence and vitriol is to turn toward signs of hopeful and loving humanity in our world. You can read feel-good stories at huffingtonpost.com/good-news and goodnewsnetwork.org, and see everyday Americans facing the struggles and pleasures of this world at humansofnewyork.com. Each day leading up to the election, you can also challenge yourself to take a photo that depicts beauty, or to keep a gratitude journal where you document those things you are thankful for. Rather than ignoring the woes of the world, these practices can help us cultivate a sense of wonder and awe in God’s creation and remind us of God’s hope for wholeness. Let us consider the lilies, as Jesus reminds us in Luke’s gospel, for “they neither toil nor spin. . . [I]f God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!” Face(-to-Face)Time a friend. Facebook is a great connector, Twitter a great marketplace for the sharing of ideas, and Instagram a perfect platform for capturing moments of joy and wonder in God’s creation. And yet all of these mediums can remove our sense of one another’s humanity. When we’re not sitting face to face with each other, it’s easy to throw out reasonable rules of engagement. It’s easy to see people in fragments or labels, representing one issue or group that is certainly not the sum of their person. Because points can be misconstrued on social media and because it’s easier to make hurtful comments when we can’t see someone’s reaction, it’s imperative that we also have real conversation with one another. This may look like a private message to someone you seem to be having a public misunderstanding with online, picking up the phone to say hello to an old friend, or striking up conversation at a coffee shop. Keep in mind that social media can be life giving or soul sucking, so if it’s feeling like the latter, taking a sabbath is always a possibility. Engage in true conversation. I don’t mind talking about my children (they’re quite cute!) or how I spent my weekend, but I find that the thing that satisfies my spirit and stimulates me the most is true and meaningful conversation. There are times when I’m talking with another person and I feel a soul connection forming between us. There are also times where a friend and I dare greatly and have conversation in which we speak hard truths, but walk away having greater empathy and respect for one another. We each have deeply-held hopes and fears that guide our beliefs, but we don’t often share these with one another. True conversation is one in which we leave feeling that we’ve had the chance to speak and be heard, and knowing that we listened well. The next time you speak with someone you know or someone you don’t, or the next time you find yourself trying to win an argument or get your point across, Margaret Wheatley encourages us to sit down and take turns answering
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Christ Church Epistle - Homecoming 2016
these questions: What is my faith in the future? What do I believe about others? What am I willing to notice in my world? Share your greatest hopes and your greatest dreams for your neighborhood, nation, and world. Observe the places in which you connect. Breathe through the places you diverge. Thank one another for speaking truth and for listening. Be the change. It’s up to us — not just those we elect — to bring about the Kingdom of God. When we put all of our hope on a single person or group, we forget our call as disciples to use the gifts God has given us. Join a community group that radiates your values, volunteer with one of the many outreach ministries at Christ Church or elsewhere, offer your gifts of time and money to communities in need, and use your voice and privilege to effect policy change. Jesus spent his life serving those on the margins, even when it made others uncomfortable, even when it put him in danger, even when it cost him his life. So let us be inspired to go forth into the world and make it a better place. Pray. Pray and pray and pray and pray. Pray for our country, pray for our enemies, pray for God’s presence to be known, pray for us to have patience and love and hope. Use the prayer “For Our Country” found in our Book of Common Prayer: Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. And whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed and lost by the chaos of it all, turn to the simple mantra found in Psalm 46: Be still, and know that I am God. For God is here among us. God is in you and in me. Come the morning after the election, I imagine God wants us all to wake up and turn to one another and continue working together to bring about Shalom: the Reign of Peace, the Kingdom of God.
Building for the Third Century Christ Church Continues ‘Growing to Serve’ by Gaye Hill Setting a New Cornerstone Christ Church is bursting at the seams. With more than 3,200 individual members from nearly 1,300 households, the current space occupied by Christ Church simply is not adequate to meet the needs of its congregation. And for The Rev. Jim Adams, the renovation and expansion are exciting precisely because they are needed to accommodate the energy and needs of an enthusiastic and ever-expanding congregation. “Our parish is blessed with a vibrant, growing congregation and our gathering spaces, in particular, are inadequate to accommodate the numbers of people and activities that we are doing.” Jim noted that under the direction of Liz Stroff and Sloane Brooks, the youth and children’s ministries have expanded to the point that they often do not have enough room to meet. Similarly, the Adult Education programs
have grown, and the Parish Hall is frequently overflowing during such programs. “During our Lenten Faith Matters film program, the Parish Hall could not hold the crowd and some people had to sit in the hallway,” Jim said. Ryan Capp, Christ Church Operations and Facilities Manager, saw the limitations of the current space firsthand when the congregation gathered for Rally Sunday. “It was exciting to see the lobby packed, but I couldn’t help but notice the need for a larger facility to create a more welcoming area. The Parish Hall was full during Adult Formation classes, and the need for an expansion was evident,” said Ryan. Jim observed that however compelling they are, growing numbers are only part of the motivation behind the effort to expand Christ Church’s facilities. “For me, the church is the place where we come to be inspired by God in worship and, from the sanctuary, we are sent out to share God’s love with this world in outreach and mission. Our calling – especially as a downtown church – is to turn the church inside out, converting the gifts we are given here into the gifts we give to the beautiful but broken world.” Scope of Expansion and Renovation With 8,000 square feet of renovations and 5,000 square feet of new space, this project will significantly improve Christ Church’s
capacity to accommodate its lively parish activities. As one of the most historic and visually appealing churches in Raleigh, Christ Church’s sanctuary is often filled to capacity, particularly on holy days such as Christmas and Easter. The project includes expanding the Parish Hall and enhancing it with state-of-the-art audio and visual capability. The new sound and video system will allow for overflow seating in the Parish Hall in a way that more fully reflects the beauty of the service taking place in the church. The expanded Parish Hall itself will also be beautiful, inviting and highly functional, with space to welcome more than 400 people standing, and banquet seating for approximately 240. (The current Parish Hall seats 125.) With more space in this welcoming, historic room, the church will be able to accommodate those who attend receptions following large funerals and other services, the annual Legacy Guild Dinner, the Lenten
Faith Matters series, outreach events, guest speakers, and other popular adult education offerings. The kitchen will be relocated adjacent to the larger Parish Hall, where it will be significantly expanded and updated. This new kitchen will offer ample dry storage as well as additional freezer and refrigerator space. Redesigned with a spacious, highly efficient layout, it will allow kitchen staff or volunteer teams to work together seamlessly. Ryan observed that this aspect of the renovation will be particularly welcomed by those who prepare meals for the church. “The church’s kitchen staff has always done their job with excellence, and the updated and expanded kitchen will allow our staff to continue their great work,” said Ryan. One of the most exciting components of the project is the creation of a new gathering space to be called Christ Church Commons. Centered where the current lobby is located and expanding into what is now office and parlor space, the Commons will comprise a large, welcoming space that will accommodate parishioners for coffee hour and other special events even as other programs take place in the Parish Hall. Such
programs include youth and children’s activities, outreach projects such as the StepUp Ministry Life Skills Program, Stop Hunger Now packaging events, adult education presentations, and social gatherings. Blount Williams, building committee member and former Vestry Senior Warden, said he welcomes that expanded capacity. “I am excited that once the building project is complete, we will be able to accommodate many of these activities simultaneously while, today, we can only accommodate one event at a time.” Finally, the expansion will also include a much-needed attractive and accessible new entrance designed to allow for safe, easy pick-up and drop-off. Historic Preservation According to Blount, great care has been taken to plan the renovation and expansion in a manner that honors the church’s historic and architectural status. “I am proud that our Building Committee has chosen to maintain an architectural standard consistent with the existing buildings on our church campus – a standard established by Richard Upjohn, our original architect,” said Blount. Brandy Thompson, an architect with Clearscapes who is working on the project, said that the addition is intended to blend into the historic property while also creating an appropriate sense of entry and arrival for the employees, parishioners, and guests. According to Brandy, the exterior of the addition (continued on next page)
Building for the Third Century
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Deep and Broad Support
is designed in a similar architectural style as the 1913 Parish Hall and Chapel wing, while utilizing 21st century building techniques and technologies. The new entry and main circulation pathway is aligned with a view to the existing bell tower to offer a constant reminder of the history and importance of Christ Church in Raleigh.
Jim noted that this ambitious project is only possible because of the wholehearted efforts of parish volunteers and the more than 500 families who have given their generous financial support to the Age to Age Campaign.
Brandy noted that the interior of the new addition will reference the warm character of the church with wood wainscoting and acoustic wood ceilings, while the interior of the Parish Hall will be restored and extended within the existing building footprint. She said the renovation at the existing Parlor and Commons areas offers the most exciting opportunity to tell the story of the growth of Christ Church architecturally. In that area, the current finishes will be stripped away from the original stone wall of the Parish Hall and Chapel wing to reveal the original stone wall of the building, including the backside of the arched colonnade and east wall of the Sacristy. Full glass walls will replace the existing aluminum storefront system to bring more views of the gardens into the space and allow the existing archways to become the visual edge of the space. “The architecture of the addition and renovation will quietly reflect the significant architectural heritage of Christ Church while supporting the growing community of believers who will make Christ Church their home over the next century,” said Brandy.
“Thanks to the phenomenal leadership of Margaret Bratton and Martin Borden, and the hard work of more than 90 volunteers, we exceeded our goals. There is a deep and broad support for the new building as well as the other two goals of the campaign – paying off the debt and establishing the Cornerstone Outreach Fund. People are very excited!” said Jim. Jim said that Christ Church’s members are stewards of an amazing architectural legacy – and this project will be faithful to, and continue, that legacy. “We have been the beneficiaries of generations of leaders who faithfully anticipated the needs of the parish and expanded facilities to accommodate what God was doing in the life of the parish. Our gorgeous church and Parish Hall are obvious examples of this commitment and, more recently, the construction of the Baker Wing made it possible to have programs for children and youth. In many ways, this project is simply the logical next step in our growth.”
Reaching out
Raleigh to
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry wrote that being a Christian is about “following in the footsteps of Jesus...and in so doing, helping to change the world from our nightmare into God’s dream.” Christ Church parishioners do just that every day; stepping outside the church doors and into the city we call home. We invite you to learn more about two ministries - Clark’s Promise and StepUp Ministry - serving those right here in our community.
Alleviating Suffering, One Person at a Time Clark’s Promise - An Enduring Legacy and a Vision Fulfilled by Dawn Carter
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lark’s Promise was started in 2009 by Rob and Linda Grew after the death of their son, Clark. Traveling late at night to visit his younger brother at Hampden Sydney College, Clark fell asleep at the wheel, struck a tree and was killed instantly. Clark Grew was 23 years old.
the number of beds provided by local shelters so many make their homes in tent encampments, cars or hotels. Without access to the internet and transportation, it is difficult to locate and travel to services. Clark’s Promise pioneered Homeless Engagement Care in Wake County and serves the unsheltered, chronically homeless population.
In the days following Clark’s death, the Grew family received the love and support of more than 2,000 people. Despite Through a grant made to SouthLight Healthcare, Clark’s the darkness, Linda and Rob realized life still held goodness Promise funds a Homeless Engagement Team. The purpose of and promise. The decision was made to create a memorial Engagement is two-fold: to engage in relationship building and that would embody and reflect Clark’s image. Clark Grew to link and bring people to community services. Our Homeless championed the underdog and Engagement Specialist, Amanda forever questioned poverty Renfroe, goes out into the The mission of Clark’s Promise is to alleviate the streets of Raleigh each day to and homelessness. Clark’s suffering of those experiencing homelessness on Promise is a memorial that seeks meet the homeless where they the streets of Raleigh, one person at a time. to embrace Clark’s desire to live. She begins by establishing improve the lives of people that a relationship based on trust make their home on the streets of Raleigh. and respect. The homeless are accustomed to being overlooked and shunned. Once she establishes a solid relationship, she The mission of Clark’s Promise is to alleviate the suffering of works to determine each person’s individual needs and then those experiencing homelessness on the streets of Raleigh, one connects and transports them to shelters, community programs, person at a time. behavioral health, substance abuse treatment, medical While trying to decide on a focus for Clark’s Promise, the services as well as dental and vision care. Her responsibilities Grew Family discovered that a gap existed in the continuum include referring people to services, transportation, obtaining of care for those experiencing homelessness; Raleigh lacked homeless verification, obtaining IDs, assistance with securing Homeless Engagement Care. Shelters provide residents access employment and housing and providing help to those needing to services and help, but Raleigh’s homeless population exceeds (continued on next page) Reaching out to Raleigh
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(continued from previous page) assistance with filling out applications for Social Security Disability, Medicaid and Food and Nutrition Assistance. Kathryn Schley, our Homeless Program Service Manager is the other part of our Engagement Team. Her position is also funded by a grant from Clark’s Promise to SouthLight Healthcare. Kathryn is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and is responsible for program development, providing a bridge to services through intake and counseling for identified clients, grant management and community collaboration between city and county organizations. Amanda is our heart and Kathryn is our brain. Clark’s Promise is an outreach ministry of Christ Church. Our volunteer committee oversees program development while the Vestry of Christ Church provides governance. Initial funding for Clark’s Promise was provided by the Grew family and was matched by the Darden family. Continued support comes from over 600 individual donations and small grants. We receive donations from internal Christ Church organizations: Episcopal Church Women and the Christ Church Outreach Ministry, as well as family foundations. We receive donations from end-of-year requests to the Christ Church Parish, our donor base and downtown businesses. Clark’s Promise acts solely as a funding agency and our work is centered on fundraising: The Hilltopper, our signature fundraiser, is held in the fall while our art sale, Colors!, is sponsored in the spring. People frequently ask how they can help. There are many ways. We are always looking for people to join our committee. Our mission benefits greatly from ideas, experience and expertise. We are always in need of volunteers for our fundraising endeavors and whether you desire to take on a small role or are looking for a task that you can immerse yourself in, we can help you find that job! If time is not your friend, please consider a monetary contribution which can be made through our website. If you would like to talk to us, you will find our contact information at www.clarkspromise.org. You can also find us on Facebook; simply search for Clark’s Promise and like our page to receive updated information on your Facebook feed. Clark’s Promise would like to acknowledge the support and help that we receive from the staff, vestry and clergy of Christ Church. Each day, you help us in so many small and large ways. The benefit is immeasurable, and we are deeply grateful for the foundation you have provided. To the many people who have donated their time and/or treasure to Clark’s Promise - thank you for your gracious and generous support. Your backing allows us to provide help and hope every day to those experiencing homelessness in Raleigh. Thank you so very much. 26
Christ Church Epistle - Homecoming 2016
Shanise’s Story Christ Church Members and StepUp Ministry Partner for Success by Jeremy Tackett
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hen Shanise stepped into the offices at Christ Church to share her story for the Epistle, it was immediately apparent that she wasn’t a stranger coming to an office for an interview. She was a member of the family, and this was a homecoming. She and I were meeting for only the first time, but Jack and Marianne Ford, two Christ Church members who volunteer with StepUp Ministry as copartners, were reuniting with a dear friend. Marianne would tell me later that when she saw Shanise that day, she knew there was no better voice to tell the story of what StepUp was all about. Shanise Manyfield-Russell moved to the Raleigh area two years ago, an Indiana transplant by way of Nashville. With her young grandson in tow, she set out to find her place in the community with her son and soon-tobe daughter-in-law. Shanise had worked years before as an educator and was ready to make her way to the workforce here in Wake County. With her resume updated and her career portfolio polished, Shanise began her search. However, the road ahead would not be easy. The process to enter the education system in North Carolina is a difficult one, as she would quickly learn. Despite her background in the field, Shanise was unable to find the position she had hoped to secure. Shanise’s daughter-in-law told her about an employment services program in Raleigh that she thought might be able to help. Shanise called StepUp, and was signed up for their Employment Training Workshop. StepUp’s Employment Training Workshop is a 32-hour, week-long program that, according to the organization, “teaches the skills needed to sustain employment: networking, resume writing, how to dress appropriately, time management, conflict resolution, communication skills, strategic thinking and interview preparation.” Working alongside an employment counselor, with the resources of StepUp, participants practice the skills learned during the workshop. This process, through a collaboration of effort by the organization and the individual, works to lead participants toward gainful employment. Excited at the prospect of a lead, Shanise attended her first StepUp meeting. There she met Angela Coleman, StepUp’s Life Skills Program Director. From that first meeting, Angela worked to meet any needs Shanise might have. She asked about housing, which Shanise had already — she was living with her son at the time — and she asked about a car. Shanise told her that she had a good car, and a second one that she had given to her son and daughter-in-law. The discussion moved to employment needs. Shanise proudly produced her resume and transcripts, noted her experience in the education field, and offered references to support her search. After Angela reviewed her resume and suggested a few edits, she encouraged Shanise to apply for positions with school systems in the area because she was already “Job Ready.” Since Shanise was not able to attend the employment training workshop due to other obligations, Angela suggested she attend the StepUp Life Skills program. This affirmation that Shanise was further along in the process than she knew, in that moment, did not feel affirming. She felt, in her words, “crushed.” Angela assured her there was another program offered by
StepUp that she felt would be a fit, and asked Shanise to call her to discuss it further. Only a few weeks later, Shanise would find a position in the school system at Walnut Creek Elementary. A coworker at the school knew Angela, and encouraged Shanise to learn more about the StepUp Life Skills program. She did make the call, and attended her first Life Skills meeting in March 2014. The feeling when she left this meeting? Shanise says, “From the very first meeting, I was in love. This was a brand new marriage. It was a honeymoon that lasted, and it’s still going on.” A new journey had started, but she wasn’t journeying alone. Shanise soon would be joined by her copartner, Jefferson Griffin. Copartners, who are often area community and business leaders, make a nine-month commitment to the StepUp program. Once they have completed a five-week training program, copartners meet weekly with program members like Shanise to work through the Life Skills program, with special focus on financial literacy and goal setting. StepUp volunteer leaders like Jack and Marianne will be quick to tell you that these relationships between copartners and participants are the cornerstone of a successful program. Week after week, participants build not only a set of life skills, but also relationships that will serve them long after they graduate from a one-year training program.
StepUp Life Skills Graduate Shanise Manfield-Russell
success is “being willing to share your story.” Encompassing those keys, Jack says, is a willingness to “be coachable.” By these measures and by many others, Shanise’s is certainly a story of success. In March 2015, Shanise completed her year of Life Skills training and graduated in a ceremony held at Christ Church. I asked her to describe graduation day. “Oh my. I couldn’t be contained,” she tells me. “I put it right there with all of the other great celebrations of my life - my wedding, the birth of my children, my children’s graduations … it was one of those.”
Graduation day, while it was a time of joy and celebration, didn’t mark I put (my StepUp graduation) right there with the end of Shanise’s relationship all of the other great celebrations of my life with StepUp. Today, she remains an - my wedding, the birth of my children, my active alumni program participant, children’s graduations … it was one of those. something she describes as “blissful.”
For Shanise, this relationship gave her the opportunity to grow from the very start. She recalls, with great enthusiasm, her first meeting with Jefferson - including her surprise that StepUp staff had chosen to pair him with her. As she laughs, she tells me that getting to know Jefferson, who she describes as “strong-headed like I am,” taught her to stay humble and get better at “agreeing to disagree.” She credits her copartner relationships as a tool God uses to keep her “on the right path of humbleness and humility.”
As she has made the transition to the alumni program, she’s held on to the lessons she learned during her year in Life Skills. She still saves money, though saving is no longer a program requirement. And, she still won’t miss a weekly meeting. Every Thursday, you can find Shanise at the weekly alumni gathering. She still has her StepUp family to share stories, to recap and review her week, to celebrate and struggle together. With each new class of graduates, she tells me that her alumni group grows. Some will choose, as she has, to stay involved and continue the journey together.
As they got to know one another, it became clear to her that StepUp had taken great care in making the participant/ copartner pairings. She notes that Jefferson was a college athlete - something he had in common with her three sons. His mother was an educator like she and her mother. She realized that in the eyes of StepUp’s leaders, the differences between she and her Marianne sums up the StepUp ministry as simply, “an copartner were much less important than what they shared in amazing partnership.” She says that with every class you meet common. In this ministry, they were truly paired to move forward new participants and you think, “I hope this is going to work.” together. Then, she says, “all of a sudden, you click. You don’t think you’re going to have things in common, but you have tons of things This intentional relationship between participants and their copartners also served as a form of accountability for Shanise. “I in common. It becomes such a joyful thing. You find yourself cheerleading for everyone. You want every single one in the just couldn’t imagine missing a meeting,” she tells me. Looking group to graduate, and every single person is interested in the back to that first introductory meeting, she says it was clear that others.” those who had the strongest connections to their copartners would have the greatest chance to succeed and complete the program.
For her, Shanise says, that’s absolutely what happened.
Jack also notes a few other characteristics that he has seen To learn more about StepUp ministry, including how to get consistently in successful participants. Someone likely to succeed involved as a volunteer or participant, contact Suzanne Templeton, in the StepUp program will be “somebody who is willing to listen StepUp’s Volunteer Coordinator, at stempleton@stepupministry.org, to other ways of going through life and is willing to change if what 919-781-0156, or visit www.stepupministry.org. they’re being taught makes sense to them.” And the other key to Reaching out to Raleigh
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Worship
A Life Celebrated in Sacred Music The 2016-2017 Al Purrington Sacred Music on the Square Concert Series by David Stahl Our parish recently mourned the death of Alfred Luther Purrington III, a beloved parishioner who faithfully served Christ Church for all of his eighty-two years with us. Al was baptized and confirmed in Christ Church. He served five times on the vestry, including serving as Clerk, Junior Warden, and Senior Warden. Al represented the church many times as a delegate to the Diocesan Convention, was elected to the Diocesan Council, and served as Chancellor to the Diocese. In 2006, Al received the Bishop’s Award for his service to the Diocese, and was awarded the Christ Church Cross in 2009. In recognition of Al’s ardent dedication to Christ Church, and with the blessing of his family, the vestry passed a resolution dedicating the upcoming 2016-17 season of Sacred Music on the Square to the memory of Al Purrington. The 2016-17 Al Purrington Sacred Music on the Square Concert Series at Christ Church promises to be the most ambitious season to date, with ten concerts scheduled from September 2016 through May 2017. Living into its mission to bring world-class music to Raleigh, Sacred Music on the Square will present The Bach Festival. Conducted by Organist and Choirmaster David Jernigan, this series of four concerts will bring collaboration between the North Carolina Baroque Chamber Players and the newly formed Raleigh Bach Soloists, a professional vocal ensemble of singers dedicated to the stylistic performance of Baroque music. This skilled group of musicians will perform three concerts featuring some of Bach’s most famous and vivid church cantatas, along with three of Bach’s six motets. The festival will open with music from Bach’s Clavier-Übung III, his most complex and technically demanding organ work. Three additional concerts will round out the festival: Bach’s Advent in Leipzig, New Year’s in Leipzig, and Easter in Leipzig. In sharing his excitement for The Bach Festival, David Jernigan notes, “The music of Johann Sebastian Bach, like the paintings of Rembrandt or the writings of Shakespeare, represents one of the greatest artistic achievements of humankind. Impressive in both size and scope,” David further explains, “the Bach lexicon has remained one of the most studied and performed bodies of work for nearly three hundred years. Its unprecedented level of complexity, virtuosity, and genuine artistic beauty revolutionized music throughout Europe.” Pictured at left: Altar in the Chapel of the Annunciation at Christ Church
In addition to The Bach Festival, the 2016-17 concert series will feature a threepart Organ Festival, and performances of Duruflé’s Requiem and Harris’s Faire is the Heaven. Other highlights from the upcoming series include a festival of hymns and anthems for Easter, and an evening of Abendmusik, complete with wine and hors d’oeuvres, in the soon to be completed Christ Church Commons.
Alfred Luther Purrington III
In order to provide quality, professional music to Christ Church and the community, Sacred Music on the Square is seeking support from parishioners. The fundraising goal for this concert season is $25,000. To reach that goal, Sacred Music on the Square is offering membership to its Friends of Sacred Music. Donations for this season may be made at one of six giving levels: Supporter
$50 to $199
Contributor $200 to $499 Donor
Sponsor
$2,000 to $4,999
Benefactor $5,000 to $9,999
$500 to $1,999 Patron
$10,000 and above
Donations made at the level of Sponsor and above may include the option for naming and sponsoring individual concerts within the series. Sacred Music on the Square is encouraging parishioners who love sacred music to show their support by making a contribution to the Friends of Sacred Music fund. Those who wish to contribute may send a check made payable to Christ Church with “Friends of Sacred Music” on the memo line, or make a donation online at www.christchurchraleigh.org/donate. The 2016-17 Al Purrington Sacred Music on the Square Concert Series at Christ Church is shaping up to be a memorable season. From its inception, Sacred Music on the Square has sought to provide outreach and ministry through sharing God’s music with our church and community. David Jernigan firmly believes that, “God gave us music as a glimpse of heavenly beauty.” It is in this spirit that David and all the many talented musicians working under his direction hope to honor Al Purrington for his lifetime of devotion to Christ Church. Worship: A Life Celebrated in Sacred Music
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by Katie Johnson
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Photos: Blanche Williamson
hrist Church has always had a Christmas pageant. And it was the same pageant every year, until 1999, when thenNursery Directors Jennifer Moran and Carrie Johnson, and Amelia Johnson decided they wanted to try to do something different. Inspired by a pageant she’d seen at a church she had attended in Richmond, Amelia brought a script back to Raleigh and she, Jennifer, and Carrie got to work to create a Christ Church version.
are all based on the Bible. “The pageant has grown bigger because we have more characters,” Jennifer said, “But every single character we have is in the Bible.”
“We had to change things because we had so many kids. And there are no auditions” for the fourth and fifth grade individual parts, Jennifer explained. “Every year we rewrite the pageant to do whatever makes kids feel special - if you want a speaking part, you get a speaking part. If you want to hold a baby, you get to hold a baby. Once we even had someone play electric guitar.”
The pageant also serves as a lesson to the children who participate. “It’s based on lessons and carols, and it’s important that the kids know who people are and understand everything happening in the story,” Jennifer explained.
The team wants to make sure all kids are included - even those who might not want the chance to shine on stage. “Some kids don’t want to be a part in the pageant, but they might draw the picture for the program or they might be an acolyte,” Jennifer said.
Putting on the pageant is a lot of work, but the kids are really the ones in charge and the most important part of the event. “We let the kids do everything,” The first year, getting the costumes “We tell them that it’s their first time to give said Jennifer. “We try to stress together was a challenge - but one to all the kids, no matter what that the whole church met with open a gift to the church - more people come to the happens, you are the most arms. “We didn’t have a budget at pageant than anything else all year - and it’s important part of the pageant. first,” Jennifer said. “Amelia made all their first chance to give back.” If there were no animals in the the angel costumes out of pillowcases stable, the stable would have been and tinsel. Finally, we went to an cold and Baby Jesus would have been cold. Every person in the ECW meeting and told the ladies there that we didn’t have any pageant has an equal value to the pageant. We want the kids to wings for the angels. Anna Smith said, ‘We have to have wings!’ feel like they have a real part and a really important job.” and the ECW opened up their budget to get us wings.” The team putting on the pageant, which now includes All of the costumes are labors of love with special stories Jennifer Moran, Jennifer Doerfler, Sloane Brooks, and behind them. “We wanted the [speaking] angel costumes to countless other church members, also stresses to the children be extra special,” Jennifer said. “So we put a call out for old how important the night is to the church as a whole. “We tell deb dresses to make the costumes for the angels of the Lord, them that it’s their first time to give a gift to the church - more and that’s what those are made of. This year my mom [Rachel people come to the pageant than anything else all year - and it’s Smith] made a Mary costume that matches the painting in the their first chance to give back,” Jennifer said. chapel of the church, so it really is ‘our’ Mary. Every year we “It is the most wonderful thing to be a part of,” Jennifer says. have been able to add a little something to make it special.” “We tell the kids, no matter what happens, it’s going to be With every year’s rewrite comes the same challenge - to perfect.” make sure to have enough individual parts for each child that This year’s Pageant will be held Sunday, Dec. 18. at 5 p.m.
Christ Church Epistle - Homecoming 2016
Moments to Remember
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1, 2, & 3 The Rt. Rev. Anne Hodges-Copple confirmed, reaffirmed or received 70 members of Christ Church during our Bishop’s visitation on Sun., April 24. 6 The Rev. Callie Swanlund prepares to light the Paschal Candle from the New Fire, beginning the service of the Great Vigil of Easter. 32
Christ Church Epistle - Homecoming 2016
4 The Rev. Mary Davila gives the homily for the Ash Wednesday Service for Families.
6 5 The Rev. Meg Buerkel Hunn imposes ashes upon The Rev. Jenny Brown during the 2016 Ash Wednesday service.
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1 Youth Ministry Director Liz Stroff poses with youth leaders and Christ Church students on closing day at Camp Trinity.
2 Brothers Kieren and Leighton Harrell during Lift Every Voice 2016 in Cape Town, South Africa.
3 Seniors Hardy Hogan and Sarah Mitchell give the children’s homily on Graduation Sunday.
4 Students and leaders supporting each other as they tackle the ropes course at Kanuga.
5 Kieren Harrell and Naomi Hill on safari through Kreuger National Park in South Africa.
6 Tosh Holdstock, Lily Fogleman, and Maida Watson play with the son of a farmworker in Newton Grove. Moments to Remember
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Moments to Remember
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1 A snapshot of the Saturday night barbeque and bluegrass at Kanuga for the All-Parish weekend.
2 Kids at Kanuga learn how a walking prayer labyrinth works.
3 Closing Eucharist Sunday morning at Kanuga in the beautiful Chapel of the Transfiguration.
4 Field games are a highlight of the children’s program at Kanuga!
5 Maddison Wooten, Hannah Sewell, and Mary Emma Graves stop for a quick photo during their mother-daughter hike.
6 The Friday night bonfire is a great way to kick off All-Parish weekend at Kanuga.
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Christ Church Epistle - Homecoming 2016
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1 The Rev. Callie Swanlund blesses Izzy, dog of Christ Church security guard Lonnie Johnson, during Blessing of the Animals.
2 Youth lead games at the Halloween Carnival for the children of Christ Church.
3 The Rev. Meg Buerkel Hunn holds the attention of two pups during Blessing of the Animals.
4 Richard Barnes and Bruce Hunn provide music during the Blessing of the Animals.
5 Children take a break from the fun to watch their friends at the Halloween Carnival.
6 The Choir of Men and Girls during a recording project at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Greenville, N.C.
7 Prayer, verse, and quote cards are created by members and friends of the Christ Church Youth Ministry, and are distributed throughout the parish. Moments to Remember 35
P.O. Box 25759 Raleigh, NC 27611-5759
The Bach Festival: David Jernigan plays Clavier-Übung III Sunday, September 25, 7 p.m. Johann Sebastian Bach’s first published and most complex organ work, Clavier-Übung III (Keyboard Practice) is a collection of pieces based on Lutheran service music and hymn tunes. This is the second of a two-part performance of the complete ClavierÜbung III and will feature the very grand Prelude and Fugue in E-flat major (The “St. Anne”) as well as several chorale preludes.
Midday Organ Recitals Fridays, October 7, 14, 21, 12:05 p.m. Take a break from work and enjoy a thirty-five minute lunch time organ recital. Recitalists include Duke Chapel organist Christopher Jacobson, and Homer Furgeson of Emanuel Episcopal Church in Southern Pines.
Duruflé Requiem and Faire is the Heaven Friday, October 28, 7 p.m. Maurice Duruflé’s impressionist Requiem, op. 9, is easily one of the most famous and highly regarded choral works of the twentieth century. A sacred masterpiece, the Requiem interweaves the ancient chants of the Latin mass for the dead in a kaleidoscopic fantasy of modal harmonies and florid lines. The Christ Church Adult Choir and Choir of Choristers and Lay Clerks team up with soloists John Kramar and Jami Rhodes to sing this work for organ and orchestra as well as William Harris’s Faire is the Heaven. This concert is offered in remembrance of all from our parish who have died.
The Bach Festival: Advent in Leipzig Friday, December 2, 7 p.m. The first in a series of three concerts, David Jernigan conducts the Raleigh Bach Soloists and the North Carolina Chamber Players in performances of J.S. Bach’s most well-known advent cantatas Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (BWV 140) and Nun komm der heiden Heiland (BWV 62), as well as the famous motet for double choir Komm, Jesu Komm (BWV 229).
The Bach Festival: Cantatas and motets for New Year’s Friday, January 6, 7 p.m. The Raleigh Bach Soloists and the NC Baroque Chamber Players take us back to New Years in Leipzig with cantatas, 171, Gott wie dein Name (God so your name is, so also is your praise), and 190, Singet dem Herrn (Sing a new song to the Lord), both composed for the six-day celebration of New Year’s in Leipzig. These celebratory cantatas boast large orchestras with three trumpets and oboes and will be paired with the motet based on the same chorale tune as cantata 190, Singet dem Herrn.
Chamber music with wine and hors d’oeuvres Friday, February 24, 7 p.m. This first concert in the newly renovated Christ Church Commons features North Carolina Symphony principal second violinist Elizabeth Phelps and harpsichordist Beverly Biggs in an evening of baroque chamber music. Experience this music as it was meant to be heard, with friends, wine and hors d’oeuvres. Tickets for this event are $25.
The Bach Festival: Music for Celebration! Friday, April 28, 7 p.m. The Raleigh Bach Soloists and the NC Baroque Chamber Players conducted by David Jernigan conclude this year’s Bach Festival with the early Easter cantata, Christ lag in Todes Banden, the celebratory cantata Lobe den Herrn, and the motet Lobet den Herrn alla Heiden whose spritely conclusion of “alleluias” makes it perfectly suited to the Easter season.
A Festival of Hymns and Anthems with Bruce Neswick Wednesday, May 24, 7 p.m. Bruce Neswick, internationally renowned organist, choral conductor, and composer leads the congregation and choir in a festival of hymns and anthems for Easter and Ascension.
Additional Services Lessons and Carols Sunday, December 11, 5 p.m. Lessons and Carols illuminates the prophecy and birth of Christ through scripture and song.
Choral Evensong First Sunday of Each Month, 5 p.m. Choral Evensong (sung evening prayer), a combination of the ancient services of vespers and compline, is celebrated daily in many Anglican and Episcopal cathedrals around the world.