The Vine Newsletter (July 2007)

The Search Begins…
On the evening of Tuesday, June 12, 2007, the first meeting of the Rector Search Committee was held in the Parish Hall at Emmanuel Church, under the direction of the Venerable Faith Perrizo, Archdeacon and Deployment Officer of the Diocese of West Virginia.
Now that the Church Assessment Tool (CAT) results are back – those special surveys that the members of Emmanuel Church were asked to fill out earlier this year – Venerable Faith will be assisting the Search Committee in its very important and detailed work of selecting candidates for consideration as the next rector of our church. The next step in the process will be for the Committee to create special profiles, one which will be sent to prospective priests, and the other will be uploaded to the deployment database at the Church Offices in New York City. Once the profile has been submitted to the database, priests who have qualifications that match the needs and vision of the church (as determined by the CAT) will be selected for consideration and provided to the Committee. Additionally, inquiries and resumes will be accepted by the Search Committee from all Episcopal priests who might be interested in serving our community in Keyser.
The members of the Rector Search Committee are: Beverly Davis (Prayer Chaplain), Kenneth Dyche (Chairperson), Spring Fertig, Andrew Rankin, Sue Riley (Recording Secretary), Francine Shanahan, Ralph Smith, Michael Summers (Correspondence Secretary).
From The Book of Common Prayer –
For the Selection of a Minister
Almighty God, giver of every good gift:
Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a rector for this parish, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Pot luck brunch on Sunday, July 8, and Dining In for the MDGs
Celebrate summer with a pot luck brunch after the 10 o'clock worship on July 8.
In addition, with the halfway mark in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) [listed below] upon us, to raise more awareness and contributions to the cause we are "Dining In for the MDGs" on the 8th. As part of our parish pot luck brunch, everyone is invited to contribute the amount of money they would have spent if they had dined out that day. We'll give that money and any additional contributions to help achieve the MDGs.
At the 74th General Convention in June, the Episcopal Church set the MDGs as a mission priority for the Episcopal Church. In 2000, 191 nations—including the United States—agreed on a plan to cut extreme global poverty in half by 2015. They identified eight goals:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
2. Achieve universal primary education for children.
3. Promote gender equality and empower women.
4. Reduce child mortality.
5. Improve maternal health.
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
7. Ensure environmental sustainability.
8. Create a global partnership for development.

A quick note from Kim, senior warden
Many thanks for all members who helped with the installation of the carpet. It is beautiful!
Also, keep your eyes open for construction in Patchett Hall. The vestry has approved the funding of an elevator! Installation should begin late summer and should be complete before Christmas. We give thanks to God for all these blessings.

Jottings by Joyce
We are settling into the long "green" season of the church year, the Sundays after Pentecost when we hear about events in the life of Jesus and how we are to be disciples following his example. We may consider how we can be more Christ-like with the people we encounter in our daily lives, ranging from store clerks to family members.
The Rector Search Committee is beginning their work of discernment, first in presenting Emmanuel in a profile and then in selecting rector candidates. Let us keep them and their work in our prayers.
I will be in Texas for my father's ninetieth birthday celebration in mid-July. Call Kim Pifer in case of emergency.
I give thanks for the vitality I see in this church.
Blessings on your journey,
Joyce

Youth (a vital part of Emmanuel) news
Do you like parades, fire and serving at God’s table? Become an acolyte!
Acolyte training will be on Sunday, July 15, at 9:00 led by Sonny Rhodes.
Youth are meeting after coffee hour every other Sunday in the A-frame loft with Michael Miller, Sue Riley and David Rankin as sponsors.
We thank the Youth for helping with coffee hour on July 1.
Peterkin camp is blessed to have so many of our youth participating this summer. Katie Rankin and Codi Gourlay recently returned from senior camp. Anticipating intermediate camp are Ian Rankin, Shawnee Gourlay, Carrie Miller, Alyssa Williams, and maybe some of their friends.
We give a great big "THANK YOU" to Sue Riley and Bud and Mae Summers for transporting children and youth to and from church each week.

Congratulations to Russell Miller and Kristen Gough on the birth of Layla Marie on Thursday, June 21, weighing 5 lbs. 15 oz.

John D'Elisa, Marcy and Dawn thank Emmanuel for the prayers, care and concern during his illness. Even as we miss John's humor, the Johns Hopkins medical personnel are enjoying his wit. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.

In the spotlight – YOU: Join the Showcase highlighting a repertoire of talent

From the young to the not so young: Lots of diverse kinds of talent can be found among the people of Emmanuel, and we want to showcase its many forms. You all have varieties of talent: artistic ability, craftsmanship, musical talent, storytelling, and who knows what else!

So we want to spend a couple of hours having a Talent Showcase one Sunday afternoon in August. What talent you will share with us? Tell the Rev. Joyce, Kim, or call the church office so we can put you on the list.

Outreach report for the first half of '07

Our Outreach Committee takes very seriously how we distribute ten percent of the Patchet Fund. We have had three requests for help from parishioners and friends of parishioners amounting to $750.00 for the first half of the year. We weigh each case and how much we can afford out of what we have set aside for this purpose.
We also give regularly to community agencies that help others who are in need. So for this year we have given Faith in Action $1,000.00, Helping Hands $400.00, and Energy Express $1,125.00.

We also sponsor Activities for minimal expenses under $100.00 while supporting youth. We gave $300.00 for the Teal Steel Band who entertained us May 19, 2007; and we supported the Keyser High School Softball Boosters as we have two young parishioners on the team. We gave them $250.00.
We have several larger projects in the planning but we are careful of the money we are given to responsibility take care.
Respectfully,
Sharon Floyd

Golf tournament fund raiser for Helping Hands, July 28 at Polish Pines golf course.
Cost is $30. Sign up by contacting Sharon Floyd or the golf course.
Faith in Action food pantry is in special need of canned meat and peanut butter. They also need canned vegetables, rice and pancake mix. They are at 112 Center St., and are open Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 1-3, and Tuesday from 10-3, or place your food in the basket by the door of the church.

Sunday school learns about people in other countries
Sharon Floyd's class of 2-9 year olds learned about people in other countries. They constructed houses representative of Ethiopia, the back country Indians of Canada, Indonesia, Thailand, Israel, Ireland, Greece, and Japan and made presentations to parishioners after coffee hour.

They had eye-opening experiences in learning that some Ethiopian children put fresh animal dung on the walls of their houses each day. They also learned that while some local children may consider themselves poor, they do have a house, food, and toys, while many children in other countries do not.

Vestry minutes are posted on the parish hall bulletin board.

One Nation Under God – In honor of Independence Day, quotes from US presidents
-It is impossible to govern the world without God. He must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith.... - George Washington
-I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. - Abraham Lincoln
-It is only when men begin to worship that they begin to grow. - Calvin Coolidge
-Without God the world would be a maze without a clue. - Woodrow Wilson
-No one can worship God or love his neighbor on an empty stomach. - Woodrow Wilson
-We could find no more appropriate way to begin our days and our duties than to pray." ... I find for myself...a sustaining strength from moments of prayer. – Lyndon Baines Johnson
-Prayer reminds us that a great people must be humble before God, searching for wisdom – constantly searching for wisdom – from the Almighty. - George W. Bush


Pentecost as “ordinary time”
In some liturgical traditions, Pentecost is known as "ordinary time." Although the word "ordinary" comes from the word, "ordinal," "to count," we think of ordinary as boring, uneventful. Seen in that way, I am bothered by the term "ordinary time" because as Christians, there is no ordinary time. All time is marked by God’s presence and grace in our lives, making all time extraordinary. Then again, it’s perhaps good to have time in the Church year officially referred to as ‘ordinary time’ as a way of reminding ourselves that God can be found in the ordinary, everyday of our lives. — The Rev. N. DeLiza Spangler, Anglican Digest, Pentecost 2003, 13.