the message-july 2012
DESCRIPTION
July issue of The MessageTRANSCRIPT
JULY 2012 • VOLUME 14, NUMBER 3
The Difference: 2Spreading His Love: 5
Mission Accomplished: 6Students Seeking Christ-like Character: 9
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In this issue:
Music Ministry ...................... 4
World Missions ..................... 5 Youth Ministry ..................... 5
Children’s Ministry .............. 6
Outreach .............................. 9
Our Church Life .................10
Pastoral Care ......................13 Calendar of Events ...........15
The Difference
PATRICK GAHANRector
F R O M
been in prison? Bill will be like a modern Rip Van Winkle.
Mostly, I am worried that the new technologies, increased consumer-ism, and the amplified hedonistic culture will fill him with fear and drive him back to his old life. When I candidly told him these things in my last letter, Bill responded:
Pat, don’t worry about me. I am now a different man. Tawnya and I have been talking and praying about my release for some time. I will not be chasing after technologies or trying to accumulate possessions. I have made up my mind to attend all the Sunday worship services at Miller Heights Baptist Church, Wednesday worship, and the Men’s Bible Study. We will have family devotions in our
house, which I will lead. The Internet will be screened that streams into our home. We will live within
our means according to the guide-lines of Financial Peace University. I know that I cannot do this in my own strength. I will continue to rely on Jesus. As I said, I am a different man now.
Our Stories
Bill’s response to my last letter got my attention. He reminds me that our Christian faith is much less a philosophy or a set of precepts than it is a way of life – a way to build our life’s story. When our Lord was born of Mary and entered humanity just like the rest of us, that was the beginning – not just of our salvation – but the begin-ning of a new way of living. We are more like Bill than we think. Until we submit to Jesus Christ and are
Sunday Service Times:
8:00 a.m. Spoken Communion Service
9:15 a.m. Adult/Youth/Children
Sunday School
10:15 a.m. Communion Service
with music
6:00 p.m. Spoken Communion Service
On the cover: Children in VBS
Photo by: Susanna Kitayama
Bill’s Story
Bill is differ-ent.
I hope you get to meet him some day, but that will have to wait be-cause Bill is in prison.
Kay and I have known Bill for 33 years. When I was a young infan-try lieutenant and Kay a fairly new ICU nurse, we would invite children from the Texas Baptist Children’s Home in Round Rock to spend weekends and holidays with us.Clay, our oldest, was just a toddler in those days, so we had plen-ty of room. Of all the children we invited to share our home and lives, Bill most pulled at our heartstrings. He became like another son to us and even moved in with us for a while after I mustered out of the military.
Tragically, Bill later turned to crime and has been incarcerated for 21 years. He has been married to his sweetheart Tawnya for 19 years, but they have never spent an eve-ning together. In the midst of all this pain and separation, Bill and I trade letters pretty much every oth-er week. Now that he is up for pa-role for the third time, I am hopeful he will be restored to his family and friends. With his possible release on the horizon, I have felt a keen sense of urgency to write him some solemn warnings about this strange new world that he will reenter. Can you imagine how much the world has changed during the time he has
I know that I cannot do this in my own strength. I will continue to rely on Jesus.
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From our Rector...
reborn into this new way of living, we are imprisoned in the tired old ways of the world. We will continue to seek happiness that is fleeting, fulfillment where there is none, and meaning on dead-end roads.
Each time I pass by the front doors of our church, I am reminded of the new road of life to which our Lord Jesus invites us. Perched above that formida-ble stone entrance is the famous Charles Umlauf (1911-1994) sculp-ture of Jesus. The theme of Um-lauf’s piece is taken from Matthew 11:28-29, where Jesus is speaking to the crowds and suddenly breaks out into prayer for them:
‘Come to me, all you who are wea-ry and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’
The image Jesus uses here leads us to envision a team of oxen yoked to their master, as he plows straight furrows. That hardly seems “easy.” However, until we are yoked to Christ and follow his will and man-ner of life, we are on a path that leads us in pointless circles. Christ invites us to give over to him our burdens that have proved much too weighty for us and then follow him, learn from him, and lead a life worth living. Bill has learned this after 21 years behind thick stone walls of the Texas prison system. The burdens of separation from his family, the temptations that have beset him in such a despondent place, the sense of futility that has overcome him again and again – all have taught him that there is no real
life except the one that is yoked to our Lord. He is determined to con-tinue living along that straight path when he is again on the outside of those walls.
A l t h o u g h we are not pressed be-hind iron bars, we may feel as if we are collaps-ing under the
burdens we have long carried. Our burdens may be the needs of our family at this particular juncture in our life – young children or ag-ing parents or a marriage that is strained. Our burdens may stem from our work or lack of work. Our burdens may extend from our past, dark memories that choke the life out of us. Christ calls us to give that weighty cargo to him and then follow him into a different life. Perhaps, for a while, we should all stream into the front doors of Christ Church and beneath that no-ble sculpture in order to remember Jesus’ enduring invitation.
The Good Life
What will this new life yoked to Jesus look like? Again, like Bill’s witness, it cannot be a life that is directed by the world or by us. It must be a life centered on Christ. That may sound utterly im-possible to those of us caught up the throes of incessant demands. Yet remember, Christ says to put those burdens on him. Our new life in Christ will displace the frenzied, complicated pace of the world with simplicity. It will usurp the mind-less activities we have adopted for
mind-full ones. It will supplant our procession of self-serving pursuits with communion with others. It will overcome our rampant con-sumption with fervent generosity. It will replace our estrangement from those we once loved with rec-onciliation. In short, in this new life yoked to Christ we will be restored to our real self – our God-breathed, God-inspired, God-animated self.
Bill knows the secret to all this: Christians are different. We are different, not so much because we think differently, but because we live differently. The good life Christ offers does not fall on us like a brick from heaven but shows up slowly as we put one foot in front of the other on the path leading to Him and away from those empty pursuits that once defined and in-carcerated us.
What Does the Bible Say?
I have reported to you what Bill wrote, and I have told you what I think, but what does the most pro-lific writer of the New Testament have to say about how Christians live differently? During all of July and August, I will write a weekly Bi-ble study on this subject, and Scott, Bishop Frey, and I will preach on that same subject each Sunday.
I hope we all find that these Bible studies and sermons challenge the deadly ho-
meostasis in our lives and makes us more than a little… different!
Your brother,
Patrick U
Come to me, all you who are weary and carrying
heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
We are different, not so much because we think differently,
but because we live differently.
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M I N I S T R Y
OWEN DUGGANMinister of [email protected]
Calling All Students!Calling all Students: save your Wednesday afternoons and experience the joy of making mu-sic for the Lord!
There is no better way to tuck God’s Word into your heart than to sing it, and we invite you to join the Minisingers (grade K-2) and Mastersingers (grades 3-6/up) this fall.
We will meet after school on Wednesdays at the church, so save that day to “… sing for joy to the Lord!” For more information, please contact Ruth Berg (422-9963) and watch for infor-mation in Sunday bulletins and newsletters.
From our Rector...
Sunday, July 15 Proper 10 (B) | Ephesians 1:3-14 …we have a destiny. Sunday, July 22 Proper 11 (B) | Ephesians 2:11-22 …we bring people together. Sunday, July 29 Proper 12 (B) | Ephesians 3:14-21 …we are empowered.
Sunday, August 5 Proper 13 (B) | Ephesians 4:1-16 …we grow into maturity.
Sunday, August 12 Proper 14 (B) | Ephesians 4:25-5:2 …we make no room for the devil.
Sunday, August 19 Proper 15 (B) | Ephesians 5:15-20 …we make the most of our time.
Sunday, August 26 Proper 16 (B) | Ephesians 6:10-20 …we put on the full armor of God.
*Each Bible study is posted on the website in advance of the week
it is assigned. The sermon texts are posted shortly
after they are delivered.
Sunday, July 1 Proper 8 (B) | 2 Corinthians 8:7-17 …we finish what we start.
Sunday, July 8 Proper 9 (B) | 2 Corinthians 12:2-1 …we find strength in weakness.
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. Psalm 95:1-2
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J u n i o r s and every-one else who trav-eled to Uganda.
Our Junior Daughters cont inue to keep the prom-
ise of daily prayers, faith and ser-vice to the Lord in our community and different parts of the world. Thank God for this wonderful op-portunity!
by Elizabeth Martinez
Two of the Junior Daughters of the King participated in a outreach mission trip to Uganda this June 16-28. Along with John Harrison, Cath-erine Easley, Clark Niles and other youth par-ticipants from Christ Church, they met with the children from the Sabina Home and the Daughters of Charity in Uganda.
Supported by the Children of Ugan-da organization, the Sabina Home and Boarding School in Southern Uganda accomodates over 600 chil-dren from vulnerable homes in the surrounding community where the population has been particularly hard hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Clothes and under garments were
collected and distributed to the children. The Juniors, Isabella Easley and Kath-erine Norvell helped paint
a couple of show-er doors and visited the students during school hours. They also interacted with the children playing sports such as soccer “football”, helping with their chores, and ex-changing email addresses.
On Saturday, June 23 a carni-val of craft stations was set up in the din-ing hall of Sa-
bina Home. Isabella and Katherine face painted the young children while oth-er craft stations in-cluded beading, pic-ture taking, and face masks and cross decorating.
It was a meaningful experience for the
M I S S I O N S
Spreading His Love
I hope your summer has been great. It is half over and that seems way too fast! Wanted to drop you a note to remind you to register for D-NOW, August 17-19. It’s coming together nicely with a band from the Dallas area and a trip to Sea World on Saturday.
Registration is $20 this year. It includes all meals (except while at Sea World), and a T-shirt. You can register online at cecsa.org/youth. The Sea World group pass is $23, unless you have your own pass. Partial scholarships are available, just call me.
I can’t wait to see everyone again! Get signed up soon so we can get you plugged in to your host home for Friday and Saturday nights. Don’t forget, friends are welcome. If you have any questions give me a call at210-844-4834.
CLARK NILESDirector of Youth [email protected]
Almost Time for D-NOW
M I N I S T R Y
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M I N I S T R Y
HALLETA HEINRICHDirector of Children’s
“The Penniless Princess”Sunday, September 2 | 9:15-10:45 a.m.
FMC Movie Theater, Room 302
Special Sunday School & Chapel Event “Whatever is true, pure, and lovely… practice these things.”
Philippians 4:8
Sweet Sara Crewe has everything a little girl could want – a loving family, lots of friends, and a closet full of frilly dresses! But when life takes a turn and Sara goes from riches to rags, will she realize that her true worth lies not in what she has, but what she has in her heart? Come find out in this inspiring new story from Veggie Tales that reminds kids who they are in God’s eyes. Yummy snacks will be served for all of our “princes” and “princesses” during the event. After all, they are children of the King!
Help Children Discover Their True Worth!
All students may bring their back-packs to be blessed in Children’s Chapel and during Children’s Ser-mon time during the 10:15 service on Rally Day, Sunday, August 26.
School starts for many the follow-ing Monday, so it’s important to start off the school year with God’s blessing. Backpacks contain the
Blessing of the Backpacks
Our Christ Church/St. Mark’s Episcopal Church SpaceQuest VBS was a great success! Thanks to God’s plentiful provision and the tireless work of over 65 vol-unteers, more than 150 kids heard and lived the prom-ise of John 14:6 “I am the way, and the truth and the life.” We were also blessed with 13 kids and two volun-teers from the Good Samaritan Center who joined us each day. The kids rotated through space stations in-cluding Bible study, snack, recreation, craft and music and ended each day with worship in our sanctuary. It was a wild and wonderful week and all involved were blessed. Take a look at our awesome volunteers! Liz Adams, Ellen Adams, Margaret Amberson, Alicia Amberson, Nancy Lee Archer, Mary Corinne Archer, Mary Ellen Archer, Suzie Bacon, Erin Badger, Henry Barrett, Ruth Berg, Davis Bray, Laura Nell Burton, Amy Case, Allie Cochran, Jennifer Colglazier, Jill Cooper, Ann Cross, Larkin Crow, Gretchen Duggan, Kaitlyn Eberhardt, Rebecca Facile, Mary Lew Finster, Barbara
Mission AccomplishedFrey, Lisa Galloway, Kerri Grellner, Halleta Heinrich, Heather Herschell, Liza Huey, Anne Ivy, Chris Janes, John Janes, Sarah Kardys, Libby Kissling, Susanna Kita-yama, Tyler Kuykendall, Meecia Little, Haley Martinez, Sheila Mayfield, Patricia McAlpin, Katie McDonough, Avery Miller, Leslie Miller, Carla Nelson, Mateo Nel-son, Virginia Peche, Nick Perez, Shea Pollom, Caroline Schubach, Margaret Schubach, Renne Sethness, Kathie Sherman, Harris Stephens, Julie VanZandt, Robin Voi-ght, Jenna Warnicke, Sally Watson, Leigh Welder, Kath-arine Welder, Anne Wright, Sussanah Wright, Jackson Wymer, Olivia Wymer, Greg Zuschlag, Dana Zuschlag. Marcus and Leticia from the Good Samaritan Center, and our preachers for the week: Mike Chalk, Rector, Saint Mark’s; John Barrett, Associate Rector, Christ Church; Andy Lobban, Chaplain, Good Samaritan Cen-ter and Assisting Priest, St. Mark’s; Patrick Gahan, Rec-tor, Christ Church (our astronaut!). *please forgive us for any names we may have left out!
tools of a student’s trade and the work God has called them to do at this time in their lives.
So don’t forget the backpacks! Each student will receive a symbol of faith to hang on their backpacks af-ter the blessing, to remind them of God’s constant presence with them through all their endeavors.
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Children’s Ministry...
Photos by Susanna Kitayama
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Children’s Ministry...
Growing Up at Christ Church – Growing In the SpiritChildren’s Sunday School10 a.m. | Family Ministry Center
Growing up at Christ Church is a true blessing! Christ Church has always made ministry to children a top priority. Sunday School is the heart of our Children’s Minis-try where the Gospel message of Christ is presented each Sunday by loving Sunday School Shepherds. Through the use of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at two levels for preschool 3 year olds through sec-ond graders and Workshop Rotation Model for third through fifth grad-ers, Christ Church is providing the very best Christian formation pos-sible for our children.
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Level I: Preschool
3 Year Olds – KindergartenRooms 201 & 204
The goal of the Level I Good Shep-herd Sunday School is to help our youngest children know Jesus as their Good Shepherd who always loves them unconditionally. The en-vironment of the class can be com-pared to a loving sheepfold where choices are given to the children each week within loving boundar-ies. Children are presented with Bi-ble lessons from the life and teach-ings of Jesus, Biblical geography, seasons of the Church year, and the sacraments of Holy Communion and Baptism, as well as a weekly Prayer Table Time, art reflection time, and opportunity to help maintain their class environ-ment. The children are very happy in this child-friendly, Christ-centered, Bi-ble-centered place!
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Level II: 1st & 2nd Grade
Room 208
First and second graders are ready to be part of the community of Christ, branches of The True Vine – Jesus. They are aware of God’s unconditional love in Christ and are now ready to acknowledge that they are an important part of His plan. Central to Level II Good Shep-herd Sunday School is the knowl-edge that God has always had a plan of salvation for the world through Christ and we are part of that plan. Bible lessons from the life and teachings of Christ are pre-sented and expanded upon with the added acceptance of responsibility in making choices between right and wrong based on God’s laws of love. Prayer Table Time, Biblical Ge-ography, the Sacraments of Com-munion and Baptism are part of the curriculum as well as art reflection time and seasonal celebrations of the Church year. More group work occurs at this level to meet the growing needs of this age group to socialize and build friendships.
The Village of God’s ChildrenWorkshop Rotation Model
3rd, 4th, & 5th GradeRooms 301,302, & 303
We are reviving our Workshop Rota-tion Model Sunday School this year for our older elementary children. Each four or five weeks a new unit of Bible Study will be taught with the additional support of related rotating workshops such as Art, Drama, Cooking, Movies, Games, Music, Outreach/Mission Projects and Gardening. The first Sunday of each unit will contain a heavy em-phasis on Bible Study with a con-tinuing emphasis on the Bible ba-sis of the unit each following week
along with the addition of various activities. Creative Workshop Spe-cialists will be called in to present and direct the supporting activities. We are fortunate to have the Village of God’s Children spaces on the third floor of the FMC including a Movie Theater, an Art Room, and a Drama Room as well as the Tomlin Room Kitchen on the first floor for cooking workshops.
Village of God’s ChildrenUnits for 2012-2013
Unit One“The Body of Christ- What the Church is Intended to Be”
Unit Two“Stations of the Creche- A Walk from the Old Testament Prophets to the Nativity”
Unit Three“The Miracles of Jesus– Miracu-lous Things He Did and Lives He Touched”
Unit Four“The Mystery of Easter– Christ’s Death and Resurrection and What It Means in Our Lives”
Unit Five “Let There Be Light– Celebrating God’s Creation”
Unit Six“Twelve Who Changed the World – What It Means to Be a Disciple and Follower of Jesus”
At 8:00 a.m. each Thursday morn-ing during the school year, you’ll find 50-60 Robert E. Lee High School students -and even a few teachers -
gathered in the multipurpose room of the school library. After 10-15 minutes of praise and worship, the students listen intently as a guest speaker or a fellow student chal-lenges those in attendance to be shining lights for Christ on their campus. At the conclusion of the talk, everyone joins hands to form a circle around the room and pray for their school and community.
“I didn’t know you could do that at a public school” is a common response I get when I tell people about this outreach that will begin its third year at Robert E. Lee High School when school resumes in Au-gust.
Originally sanctioned as a Fellow-ship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Huddle when it started in 2010, this group is now known as C4 (Christ, Character, Community, Commitment). The desire to in-clude students not in athletics is what prompted the name change, but the “4 C’s” represent the prin-cipals that have been central to the group from the beginning –know and share Christ, build godly Char-
acter in your life, support one an-other as members of a Community, and honor your Commitments.
Seventeen Lee High School stu-dents attended the FCA Leader-ship Development Camp at Har-din-Simmons University, June 4-8. This is the third summer that students from Lee have been able to attend an FCA Camp due to the generosity of Christ Church and other donors who have provided money for scholarships to cover most of the costs associated with camp. While each student is required to make some effort to pay a portion of those costs, without
the scholarship funds provided by Christ Church and others, camp would be beyond the means of their families. Including this group, over
60 Lee High School students have been able to attend an FCA Camp since this program started in 2010.
Each student who attends camp on scholarship is required to write a letter of thanks when they return home. Here are a few excerpts from this year’s let-ters:
“The things I’ve learned on Thursdays and at Camp are priceless and the stories of perseverance
and sacrifice are amazing – Camp was an amazing experience, simply what I needed in my life.”
“I am so grateful for all your help… you guys don’t understand how much you have done for my life. Going to Camp for the second year helped me achieve goals and gain the tools I need to become a true leader and warrior for Christ.”
“The best part was being able to learn about how to grow in your re-lationship with Christ and how to become a leader. To be in an au-ditorium with 1000 other kids, all wanting the same thing as you… that was truly a blessing.”
Before we started in the summer of 2010, the Lee campus had been without any sort of sustained on -campus ministry for almost 10 years. Our presence has opened the door for other ministries to be established at Lee, so your giving reaches beyond even the students who are involved in C4. Thank you, Christ Church for your continued support of this outreach to stu-dents at Robert E. Lee High School.
Tim Adams
CREED: Community Renewal thru Evangelism, Education and Development
“I am so grateful for all your help… you guys don’t understand how much you have done
for my life.”
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Students Seeking Christ-like Character
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“What’s the point of Christ Church 2.0,” I am sometimes asked. So why do I feel so strongly about this core course in our Adult Christian For-mation series?
First, I contend that it is essential that we study and discuss the cen-tral beliefs and practices of the Christian faith. I suppose if we hu-man beings had the ability to per-fect ourselves, we would not need to engage in this formative study, but then again we would not need a Savior either. Christ Church 2.0’s curriculum is centered on our rela-tionship with Jesus Christ and the way we fully live into that relation-ship.
In truth, it was my wife Kay who en-couraged me to design this course and write the book that accompa-nies it. While serving in Maryland, she read a text I was using for Baptismal and Confirmation instruction. Upon finishing the text, she lamented, “Pat, you could read this entire book and not know what a Christian is, and you certain-ly wouldn’t know how to live like one!” So, I was off to the races.
The book Kay coaxed out of me is entitled, Foundations of Disciple-ship, and it covers the subjects we study in Christ Church 2.0:
1. What is the Life of Faith?2. Why is Jesus Christ the Focus of Our Faith?3. How Does the Holy Spirit Animate Our Faith in Christ?4. Why Do We Have a Church?5. How Do I Begin to Pray?6. Why Must Christians Discipline Themselves?7. How Do I Start Reading the Bible?8. What’s All the Fuss About Eternal Life?
The Point of Christ Church 2-Point-0Amazingly, we can cover all that material in eight 45-minute ses-sions, and enjoy ourselves a great deal in the process. And that brings me to the second and equally im-portant point of Christ Church 2.0. During those eight discussion class-es together, we form a community of sorts. Because most 2.0 class-es are made up of ten to eighteen folks, it provides an intimate oasis within a parish that sometimes can seem rather large and daunting. We always have a longtime member or two join us for the class to act as sponsor. The sponsors put out the weekly welcome mat for the partici-pants and host a party for us at the end.
The third point of Christ Church 2.0 seems a little selfish on my part. Because I am the lead teach-er of the class, I get to know most everyone who enters the parish
or who is preparing for baptism, marriage, or a leadership position in the church. In this way, the pro-cession of people who enter our parish become friends with the rector right away. This is an invalu-able gift to our shared life together. As for time commitment, the en-tire course requires a commitment of six hours. For baptism you can add another thirty minutes to an hour and for the sacrament of mar-riage another two to three hours of counseling is necessary. If our life in Christ is the centerpiece of our lives and if baptism and marriage are the highest expressions of the love we bear for the Lord and our family, we should be eager to spend this small amount of time in prepa-ration… which amounts to about
two Saturday shopping trips.
Finally, at each 2.0 class, we look closely at the nodal points of the Eucharist. As Holy Communion is the central act of worship for us Episcopalians, this gives us a chance to examine those unusual things we do and say on Sunday. Here’s a list of what we’ll learn together:
1. What is the real point of our wor-ship in the Eucharist?2. Who chooses the Bible passages that are publically read and why?3. Why do we recite those archaic Creeds?4. What is the baseline of our Episco-pal faith as expressed in the Prayer Book?5. Why do we interrupt our solemn worship with the Peace?6. Do Episcopalians believe in the real presence of Christ in the sacra-ment?
7. Is it important that we say the Lord’s Prayer at every worship celebration?8. Why does one of the priests yell at us at the end of worship to “Go…”?
I hope that I have made my point about Christ Church 2.0. Frankly, it would be easier for me if we did not encourage and even insist that so many people take it. But that would be terribly irresponsible on my part and yours. The world in which we live is overtly non-Christian and is growing in its hostility to Chris-tians and the unique life to which our Lord Jesus Christ has called us. We must know what it means to be a Christian and how to live as one. It is equally important that we pass this life-giving, essential knowledge to our children and grandchildren.That’s really the point.
Your brother,
Patrick U
“We must know what it means to be a Christian… It is equally important that we pass this knowledge to our children
and grandchildren.”
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Our Rector, Patrick Gahan, will present a preaching series and Bible Study on the Fruit of the Spirit in September. The children of Christ Church will be presented with their own Fruit of the Spirit series in Children’s Chapel during the 11:00 a.m. service and as part of the 9:00 a.m. Family Service that begins on September 9 with our new Sunday schedule.
Our Church Life...
It’s going to be a fruitful year! Christ Church will kick-off our Fall Christian Education offerings with Rally Day on Sunday, August 26.
The Rally Day Parish Potluck and Fellowship Time will be held after the 10:15 service in the Parish Hall, in celebration of the new Sunday School year. The church will pro-vide a fried chicken main dish and beverages with parish members asked to bring side dishes. Please bring the following to according to your last name initial before the 10:15 service ready to serve cold or at room temperature:
A – J: Side Dish or SaladK – T: Desserts
U – Z: Breads and Rolls
Christ Church 2.0.3 Sunday, September 9 to Sunday, October 28
Christ Church 2.0.4 Sunday, November 7 to Sunday, December 11(excluding Thanksgiving weekend)
Christ Church 2.0.5 Sunday, January 6, 2013 to Sunday, February 24
To enroll, contact, Anna Jewell at 736-3132 or [email protected]
New Classes are forming for Christ Church 2.0
Get Ready For a Fruitful Year
“ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control…” Galatians 5:22-23
There will be information available during Rally Day on all educational offerings for the new school year including Sunday School for all ages, Choir for all ages, Wednesday Night programs, and weekly Bible Studies. Fun arts and crafts activi-ties and games will be available for the children.
Our theme for this year comes from Paul in his letter to the Galatians as he teaches them what fruit would be born out of the presence of God’s Holy Spirit in them. Paul speaks to us through God’s same Holy Word today as we submit to His Spirit bearing the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith-fulness, gentleness, self-control.
Fruit of the Loom, that is...Rally Day Outreach Project for CAM
Bring an offering of much needed underwear for Chris-tian Assistance Ministry clients to Rally Day on Sunday, August 26.
Underwear in all sizes for adult men, women and chil-dren are needed as well as bras for ladies and socks for all. It is our belief at Christ Church that there should be
Come Bearing Fruitan outreach element involved in all we do as a Church family whenever possible, so please find the first letter of your last name below and bring an underwear offer-ing accordingly. New underwear, please! We know your offerings coming from generous hearts will bear much fruit for you that give and for those who receive.
A – H: Men’s underwear and socksI – P: Women’s underwear, bras, and socks
Q – Z: Children’s underwear and socks
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Our Church Life...
The Simple Life: Have you ever thought how much happier you would be if you could just simplify your life?
Have you asked yourself, “If I could just simplify my life enough get back to doing the things I really want to do. If I could simply match my priorities with who I really am. If I could just simply have the time to make and keep healthier rela-tionships. If I could simply spend
Wednesday Nights this Fall
At Christ Church it is the Kitchen Cabinet, a newly formed committee appointed by Patrick to support Elizabeth Martinez, our faithful and hardworking kitchen manager.
The Kitchen Cabinet is reviewing all functions of the kitchen and is working with Elizabeth on recommen-dations and possible changes.
The kitchen is a busy place and it’s amazing just how many different functions there are in a given month: Wednesday night dinners, Sunday breakfast, various lunches, receptions, coffee and cookies, and funeral receptions.
Elizabeth often handles events on her own and does the clean-up by herself. It’s time to provide her with needed help and support. One of our biggest challeng-es is finding volunteers who are willing to prepare and serve meals.
Do You Know What is Behind the Kitchen Door? We are closing the kitchen for three weeks in August in order to thoroughly clean and reorganize. The kitchen will reopen in time for Rally Day and Sunday breakfast on August 26.
Please come to our table at Rally Day and consider volunteering. In the meantime, we welcome all ideas and comments. Please call or email any of us with your ideas.
In His Service,
Elizabeth MartinezAnne WrightSally WatsonFerne BurneyEllen JohnsonPauleen NettingGarnett Wietbrock
my money on things that matter. Above all, if I could just simply move back into a closer relation-ship with God, then… !”
You’re not alone if you are asking these questions. Christians all over are asking them, too. That’s why be-ginning in early September, Christ Church will devote two months of Wednesday programs to The Sim-ple Life.
Using the 2009 book by Thom and Art Ramier, Time, Relationships, Money, God: Simple Life, we will work through this study in inven-tive, conversational ways that will be of benefit to all of us, no matter the stage in life.
More details will be coming later. In the meantime, anticipate simply getting the help and wisdom we need!
Sunday morning adult education at Christ Church will be led by a distinguished core of instructors. Scott Rose has been tapped to serve as Dean of the Faculty, whose number includes
Marthe Curry, Tim Adams, and Harry Parker. Scott is already considering a course of study that will not only intrigue us, but also will challenge us.
Classes commence at 10 a.m. in the Parish Hall on Sunday, September 9. None of these faculty members have been placed, as yet, on the Christ Church tenure track!
The Faculty
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by Renee Sethness
Does Christ Call Us to be there for each other in our time of need? YES!
A truly healthy, vibrant, healing church is one where the people minister to one another. It is not a church whose ministry is centered on the clergy, but rather it is cen-tered on Christ in the belief that he intends to make each one of us a priest.
Peter expresses this vision in his first letter, “Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let your-
selves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spir-itual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” 1 Peter 2:4-5.
If we begin to believe, really believe, that each one of us baptized believ-ers has been anointed a priest of God, then it will rightly follow that we will become consolers, up lift-ers, and healers for each other.
Secondly, a truly healthy church thinks of itself as a single body and not as a collection of isolated selves. Paul states this fact repeat-edly.
He writes to the Romans, “So, we, who are many, are one body in
Christ, and individually we are members of one another” Romans 12:5. And to the Corinthians he adds, “If one member (of the body) suffers, all suffer together; if one
member is honored, all rejoice to-gether” 1 Corinthians 12:26. Thus, to Cain’s specious question in the first book of the Bible, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Genesis 4:9, God responds with a resounding “Yes!”
The Community of Hope is a body of believers who are committed to their own priestly ministry of car-ing for others.
The Community is well-trained to go out to the hurting, yet what makes them unique is that they are trained just as well to take care of
themselves through daily prayer, Bible reading, study of the Rule of Saint Benedict, and holy conversa-tion and support from others in the Community.
Patrick Gahan has said more than once that the Community of Hope has more greatly enhanced the three parishes he has led as rector than any other single ministry. “To have a group of people that are pre-pared, willing, and devoted to the care of those who are hurting, lone-ly, despondent, or bereaved is God’s dream come true in the parish,” says Patrick.
C A R E
Christ’s Call for a Healthy Church
“If one member suffers, all suffer together;
if one member is honored,
all rejoice together” 1 Corinthians 12:26.
“To have a group of people that are
prepared, willing, and devoted to the care of those who are hurting, lonely, despondent, or
bereaved is God’s dream come true in
the parish”
The Community of Hope is a body of believers who are committed
to their own priestly ministry
of caring for others.
When and how can you be trained for your role
in this ministry?
Training for Community of Hope will be at Christ Church, once a week, two hours per ses-sion for a total of 10 weeks, be-ginning in September. The day of the week and the time are ne-gotiable and will depend on the needs of the majority of those taking the classes. Instruction will be provided by expert guest speakers as well as the clergy.
Christ Church needs you. Are you open to this important ministry?
To learn more about the classes or this ministry contact Carol Miller at 736-3132, [email protected] or Sudie Holshouser at [email protected].
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by Jean Goetz
I just completed a study of the book of Acts and cannot help but re-call the last two verses. We are told that Paul stayed in his rented house for two years and boldly and with-out hindrance preached and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul in-deed lives at Chandler House.
Christ Church has had a ministry at Chandler for at least twenty years. Dan and I have been a part of this for the last five years, coordinat-ing a service on the first, third, and fifth Sundays each month at 1:30
p.m. Attendance averages twenty each week and we begin to gather around 1 o’clock. It takes time with wheel chairs, walkers, and some good strong legs.
Singing and listening to Bible read-ings fills the room with joy. Thank-fully, Sarah McLain faithfully helps with name tags and is another
friendly face to all. Father Kern Huff and his wife Rebecca are there the third Sunday. The res-idents welcome this priest and his staying to anoint them with oil.
Praising God in voice is some-thing I especial-
ly enjoy and once in a while I sing the right notes. We surely could use your help with these services which begin at 1:30 p.m.
Why do we do this? It is because of all the “Pauls” who minister to us. These Pauls are not imprisoned in their homes, but they do have limited mobility. These Pauls live in the assisted living area, the inde-pendent living area, and the skilled care unit. Some are male and some are female. All show forth their love of Jesus Christ.
You may know some of them, Rollin Polk is a former priest at Christ Church and still worships here most Sundays. I have learned much from him and also from Jean Bruton.
One Sunday only six people attended the service and Jean knew I was disappointed. She reminded me that “wherever two or three are gathered to-gether in His name,” He is with us.
This woman remembers her Bi-
ble verses and knows when to share them. She grew up in the shadow of Christ Church and attended Saint Mary Hall School. She still loves birds, flowers, and reading myster-ies.
Jean will proudly tell you with that chuckle in her voice and twinkle in her eye that Bishop Capers was her Godfather and explained to me that this was not Sam Capers, the former rector of Christ Church. I’ve
been a Texan for only six years and I need to be taught such things.
Jean Bruton is certainly one of those Pauls living at Chandler House and she gives so much to all those around her.
Saint Paul and Chandler House
Pastoral Care...
“These Pauls live in the assisted living area,
the independent living area, and the skilled care unit.
Some are male and some are female.
All show forth their love of Jesus Christ. “
Rollin Polk
Becky, Kern, Sarah, Jean & Dan Goetz
Jean Goetz, Jean Bruton, Kern Huff
15
August 3-5: The Happening #122
August 17-19: D-Now Weekend
August 18: Christ Church 1.0
August 17-19: D-Now Weekend
August 26: Rally Day
September 3: Labor Day / Church Office Closed
September 7-9: Camp Capers Father-Son Retreat
September 14-16: Camp Capers Mother-Daughter Retreat
September 15: Christ Church 1.0
September 20 - November 15: Women’s Fall Bible Study
* All events at Christ Church unless otherwise noted.
Christ Church Staff:
The Rev. Patrick Gahan, [email protected]
The Rev. Scott Kitayama, Assistant Rector, [email protected]
Carol Miller, Pastoral Care Administrator, [email protected]
Halleta Heinrich, Director of Children’s Ministry, [email protected]
Clark Niles, Director of Youth [email protected]
Dr. Owen Duggan, Music Minister [email protected]
Joshua Benninger, Organist [email protected]
Ruth Berg, Director of Children’s Music, [email protected]
Christ Church Support Staff: Robert Hanley, Parish [email protected]
Darla Nelson, Office [email protected]
Donna Shreve, Financial Manager [email protected]
Carmen Mercado Cary, Director of Communications, [email protected]
Anna Jewell, Executive Assistant to the Rector, [email protected]
Donnis Carpenter, [email protected]
Elizabeth Martinez, Kitchen [email protected]
Robert Vallejo, Facilities Manager [email protected]
Rudy Segovia, Hospitality Manager [email protected]
Joe Garcia, [email protected]
O F E V E N T S
Baptism Dates
All Saints’ Day Sunday November 4th
The Baptism of Our LordJanuary 13, 2013
Holy Saturday March 30, 2013
The Bexar County Detention Ministries - Family Renewal CenterFor children of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated.
Accepting donations through August 12, 2012.
School supplies needed:Backpacks (clear or mesh), tissue boxes, antibacterial sanitizer, jumbo col-ors for 3 yr olds & kinder, 4 oz. bottles of Elmer’s glue, colored markers, pencils, scissors, water colors, spiral subject notebooks- wide ruled, pens (blue, black or red ink), plastic school boxes, 1 inch binders, map col-ors, 24 ct crayons, loose leaf paper -wide ruled, rulers, pink erasers, glue sticks, and uniforms: khaki pants, polo shirts, shoes.
For more information, contact Natalia Tovar at 210-299-4540.
Stuff the Backpack Program
Dear Friends,
Though you gave the three of us ample notice, I was not prepared for the wonder-ful outpouring of love and encouragement that marked our service last Sunday eve-ning. It was a powerful celebration and I want to thank all of you for this loving tribute. Barbara and I were very deeply moved.
We were especially grateful to be included in such illustrious company with Ben & Jo-anne, and John & Shirley. They have long been highly respected friends and com-panions in this bishop business.
As you know Chrsit Church occupies a very special place in our hearts. To have a place in the Bishops’ Chapel just seems to make it official.
God’s richest blessings for all of you,
Bill Frey
Material is published according to timeliness and relevance to the vision of the church. Visit www.cecsa.org/publications for deadlines.
Christ Episcopal Church 510 Belknap Place
San Antonio, TX 78212www.cecsa.org
Bishops John MacNaughton, Bill Frey and Ben Benitez at the Bishops’ Chapel Dedication on June 17, 2012.
Bishops’ Chapel
Photo by Susanna Kitayama