The Vine Newsletter (September 2007)

Do you want to receive the newsletter via your computer??
To conserve paper and toner and to lessen postal expense,
we ask if we may send you the newsletter by email and/or by visiting the church website,
www.emmanuelepiscopalchurchwv.org. If you’d like to receive future newsletters electronically, please email the church office, withus@verizon.net. Thanks, and trees thank you too.

Talent and Hobby Showcase – Sunday, September 9, 3 PM
What talent or hobby will you share with us? A favorite story or joke?
You all have varieties of artistic ability, musical talent, craftsmanship, storytelling; who knows what else!
Let’s have some fun, be a little silly, and enjoy being together.
If able, please bring a snack and/or drink to share.

Join us at Acolyte Festival 2007 at Washington National Cathedral
Saturday, October 6

The 28th Annual National Acolyte Festival includes a Festival Holy Eucharist with a procession and rededication of Acolytes at 10 AM, followed by lunch and workshops and tours. They will receive a festival acolyte medal too! Please let the office know if you would like to attend, and we will gather sufficient transportation. Scholarships are available for acolytes. Registration with lunch, no Acolyte Festival Medal is $23. Lunch includes a choice of turkey, cheese or peanut butter and jelly sandwich!
Workshops include: Holy Smoke: The Work of the Thurifer; IM-ing w/God [prayer]; Dressing Up and Marching Around [learn about church gear]; Gargoyles of the Cathedral with a self-guided tour; Brief History of Everything Interesting to Know about Acolytes [and learn about the role of the server]. For additional information, call the office, 304-788-4475.
We need to know if you want to go and to have registration fees by Monday, September 17.

Know anyone desiring baptism or who wants to become a member of Emmanuel?
The next baptismal day of the church is All Saints’ Sunday, November 4. If you know of anyone who would like to be baptized or to become a member of the church, please contact the Rev. Joyce or the church office so arrangements or instruction can be made.

The Episcopal Church 101: Sundays at 9:00, September 23 and every other week

Originally scheduled for June during the Christian education/formation time, we will talk about the Bible, the Episcopal Church, its beginnings and history, the liturgical year, the sacraments, Anglican ethos, the Book of Common Prayer, being part of a community of faith, and other topics. This may serve as a refresher or preparation for baptism, confirmation or reception into the Episcopal Church. Please invite anyone who may be interested. This will be every other week [Sept. 23, Oct. 7, 21, etc.] with the regular formation topics on alternate weeks.

Also September 23 – an Instructed Eucharist at 8 and 10 telling us the whats and whys of our liturgy.
UTO In-gathering September 2, 9, 16

During the first three Sundays in September we will be holding our UTO in-gathering. Our offering will be sent to convention September 27th - 28th. The diocese of West Virginia has often been the recipient of UTO grants in the past. Envelopes are available on the small table as you enter the church. Contact Tamela Rankin or the church office if you need additional supplies.
Theology of the Offering


The Mission of the United Thank Offering is
to invite people to offer daily prayers of thanksgiving to God and outward and visible signs of those prayers which will benefit others. God calls each of us to grow in awareness of God, our own relationship with God, and our relationship in community with all whom God has created. As habits of daily thankful prayer mature, our personal relationship with God grows. Daily prayers of thanksgiving strengthen our being and doing. The blue box can be a reminder of our many blessings. Uniting our own gifts of thanks with those of others keeps us in thankful relationship them and with all of creation. In sharing our thank offerings with those throughout the Communion who seek to address compelling human need and extend the mission of the Church, we deepen our sense of participation in the lives of others. The shared prayer and money offerings help others to respond to God's call and to grow in their own deepened sense of living within the greater Christian community. Through our shared stories, God calls us to continue to grow into the fullness of the Kingdom.
The 2007 United Thank Offering grants responded to the call to “feed my sheep”, both physically and spiritually. The two largest grants will build a hospital in Pakistan and a church in Homer, Alaska. Other grants will help rebuild the Grace Day Care Center in New Orleans, severely damaged in Katrina; purchase a mini bus for St. George’s, in Baghdad, Iraq, enabling children to safely attend school now being held at the church because of the war damage; and purchase a former convenience store for use as a food pantry in a rural area of West Texas. The smallest grant provides a small parish in Mississippi with Sunday school materials and patterns to make children’s altar furnishings. Each spring UTO Committee members review and research each grant from their respective province. Calls to the applicants help committee members understand the area, the ministry, and particularly the compelling human need the grant, if awarded, will address. Of the 202 applications, UTO was able to fund 104 grants of $2,439,342.46. Episcopal dioceses in the United States received 48 percent; overseas and regional grants received 52 percent. UTO is a spiritual and financial partner in the mission work of The Episcopal Church, encouraging daily thankful prayer and offerings. UTO grants focus on addressing compelling human needs and expanding the mission and ministry of the church. – Tamela Rankin, UTO chair


Get well prayers are extended to Al Crall, and Leona Smith, who are recovering from surgery.
Special thanks go to
Sheila Dyche for endless work as treasurer, paying the bills and keeping the finances in order.
David Rankin for sharing his talent with us as music director and for taking our newspapers for recycling
Michael Summers for making over 200 Anglican prayer beads, rosaries. He can put one together in ten minutes; what a one person factory!
Thanks also to the congregation for donating school supplies, items for the food pantry, and for supporting the Potomac State College student information fair.
Faith in Action Food Pantry needs: macaroni & cheese, pancake mix (water) and syrup, noodles, soup, chili, crackers, cereals, oatmeal, canned vegetables and fruit, tuna, tuna helper, rice, pasta and sauce.


Dawn and Fred Downey, Emmanuel
members who work at PSC, and Sue Riley PSC Student Information Fair a Success!


For the very first time Emmanuel Episcopal Church made its presence known amongst the students at Potomac State College during the Student Information Fair, which was held on Tuesday, August 28th on the main quadrangle. We brought boxes of Episcopal literature, Anglican Rosaries, pretzels, lemonade, and used our church banner as the backdrop for our display table; even though parking was a nightmare and we had to trudge up the hill with our materials, the time and effort were totally worth it.
We distributed well over 100 Anglican Rosaries (that’s 3,300 beads, for the record) to students, faculty and staff of PSC, and they were amazingly popular with everyone. All who received a rosary also received the special brochure that contained information about Emmanuel’s church family and schedule of services, and there quite a few individuals who expressed interest in coming to worship with us. In fact, we became acquainted with an Episcopal student from Massachusetts who wasn’t aware of our existence. There were 16 students who signed up to join Emmanuel’s Yahoo news group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EmmanuelEpiscopalChurch/), and we were able to have some serious conversations about the love of Jesus Christ and His Church with many. Because of this success, the Evangelism Committee plans to attend the Student Information Fair next year.
Emmanuel Church was well-represented by the Rev. Joyce Wilkinson, Kim Pifer, Michael Summers, Sue Riley, Dawn and Fred Downey, and Mike Miller, and all of this was made possible by the generosity of several members of the parish who contributed funds for the event. The Evangelism Committee expresses its gratitude for all who assisted in this project to bring the message of Jesus Christ to the youth of our area, for we were able to plant the seeds of faith into the hearts of all who came to visit our table. – Michael Summers, evangelism chair


Rector Search Committee Update…


The Rector Search Committee anticipates seeing the initial match-results for prospective candidates through the Church Deployment Office (CDO) database system by the next meeting, which will be held in early September.
The Search Committee did approve the text for the hard-copy profile of Emmanuel Church that will be mailed out to those priests inquiring about our opening for a rector. The text itself is based in part upon that which is found in the new brochure that will be given to visitors to our parish, but with more detailed information concerning the history of Emmanuel Church, facts about the Mineral County region, expectations we have for our rector, and the compensation package. Once the vestry approves of the parish profile, it’ll be duplicated and will be disseminated to all candidates.
So now the very difficult part of the work of the Search Committee will begin, and we ask that everyone make daily use of the “Prayers for a New Rector” cards that you have received. Please pray that we will be guided and inspired by the Holy Spirit, and that the priest Jesus Christ desires for us to lead us will be attracted to our special family. - Michael Summers

The enclosed page of rector search prayers is blank on the back for you to write your own prayer.
Upcoming dates to remember Recycle our newspapers!!
September 9, Sunday 3 PM, talent and hobby showcase Bring your newspapers to the
September 14, Saturday, Helping Hands bowling parish hall for recycling.
September 17 Monday, RSVP due for Acolyte Festival on 10/6 David Rankin will take them to
September 23, Sunday, Instructed Eucharist at 8 and 10 Cumberland for their animal shelter.
September 23, Sunday, Episcopal Church 101 at 9
October 4, Thursday, United Way Day of Caring
October 6, Saturday, National Acolyte Festival; RSVP by 9/17
October 7, Sunday, Episcopal Church 101 at 9
October 20, Saturday 10:00, Blessing of the Animals
October 21, Sunday, Episcopal Church 101 at 9; Helping Hands Walk
November 4, All Saints’ Sunday, a baptismal day of the church


“This Little Light of Mine” is theme for 130th Diocesan Convention

The diocesan convention will be September 27-29 in Flatwoods. The focus is the youth and children of our diocese. For additional information see the forms on the bulletin board, in the office or see the diocesan website, http://www.wvdiocese.org/diocesanconvention. Registration is due by September 14. Michael Summers is our delegate with Tamela Rankin as alternate.


Jottings by Joyce

I grew up five blocks from the intercoastal canal on the upper Texas coast and would sit on the levy and watch the oil tankers and tugs with barges. When I moved to Charleston, WV, my house fronted on River St., and I watched coal-carrying barges traveling on the Kanawha River. The first time I visited Keyser, Sharon Floyd gave me a tour. We drove a long way on a street paralleling water. I was intrigued by that street, being drawn to the water, and had to locate it on my city map. [Yes, Keyser does have a city map!] Happily I now live on Water Street and see the changes in the creek water level due to rain, snow melt, and evaporation. Last month portions of the creek were almost dry showing the rocky bottom and causing the ducks to move to a wetter area. No more babbling water sound.
We can be like that creek, becoming almost dry in our spiritual lives. We also need to be renewed, need regular replenishment like the rain gives the creek. We can connect with God daily and weekly in worship and fellowship with our church community. This replenishment is life-giving, both for ourselves and, by extension, for others we connect with and support in our daily lives, like the water is for the ducks.
We also can recall the life-giving waters of baptism. And as we enter the last third of the long “green” season of Pentecost, we continue to learn how to live in the life-giving ways of Jesus.
I invite your participation in the upcoming fall activities and events for renewal, refreshment, replenishment.
Blessings and peace, Joyce

With the beginning of the school year, A prayer for protection for all of us:

Lord, guard us, your children, wherever we wander,
Release us from pressures we cannot withstand,
Lift us high when we falter or founder,
Place our feet on rocks and not on sand.
Give us your hand as we walk through the darkness,
Strengthen our souls with bright hope from above,
Keep joy in our hearts against all the world’s starkness,
And fill all our emptinesses with your love.
Amen. –Ms. Miranda K. Smith, p. 50, Women’s Uncommon Prayers

These are the rector search prayers we are asked to pray often.
The space below is for you to write the prayer of your heart for Emmanuel.

PRAYER FOR THE SEARCH
FOR A NEW RECTOR AT EMMANUEL CHURCH

Dear Lord, we are seeking a Rector for Emmanuel.
We ask for a priest who will lead us in teaching, preaching, prayers and duties.
May the priest not only show love for You but compassion for our parishioners.
We pray that this priest will seek Your guidance in all that is undertaken.
We also pray that You will send one who is interested in the community
and will participate to spread Your Word in our town.
We ask for a Rector who has a deep faith and a relationship with You,
who walks daily with You and will teach us the right pathway
to build up Emmanuel with an eye to the future.
May we find one with whom we can work so that we may do Your will. Amen.
Prayer by Beverly White-Davis


PRAYER FOR THE SEARCH
FOR A NEW RECTOR AT EMMANUEL CHURCH

Lord, for your tender mercy's sake
we pray for guidance in our search for the future Rector of Emmanuel Church.
We pray that we may be open to your leading;
that when the time comes we may hear that still, small voice of wisdom.
We pray also that you will send the right person to lead this flock.
And we pray especially, that during this time of renewal
we may renew our lives in Jesus Christ who died for us,
that our joy may be complete; and in the world to come, life everlasting. Amen.
Prayer by John D’Elisa
(1942-2007)

You are invited to write your own prayer for Emmanuel here.