The Vine Newsletter (November 2007)

as Advent approaches

Advent, the beginning of the church year and the four week time of spiritual preparation for the coming of Jesus, begins December 2. We will offer several opportunities to prepare our hearts for new life in Christ within, time for calm and thoughtfulness before and during the hustle and bustle of preparation for Christmas.


“Advent” Wednesday noon lunches at Emmanuel, November 28 – December 19

Keyser Area Ministerial Association (KAMA) is sponsoring four “Advent” lunches with the theme “Rejoicing in hope” on Wednesdays November 28, December 5, 12, and 19 at Emmanuel. Food and program will be provided by other KAMA churches. We welcome participation and your help in preparing sufficient coffee and tea for the attendees, set-up and basic cleaning afterward. Please let us know when and how you will assist.


Labyrinth and Advent prayer study with Keyser Presbyterian Church
Because Advent is an opportunity to reconnect with what is deep and holy and because the pre-Christmas season is so hectic, a time of quietness is especially appropriate during this season.
Emmanuel Episcopal Church in cooperation with Keyser Presbyterian Church is pleased to announce a four-part Advent study on the discipline of prayer.
 Thursday, November 29th at 6 PM at Emmanuel: an introduction to the Labyrinth, Breath Prayers, and Centering Prayers.
 Saturday, Dec. 1st, 10 AM to 3 PM and Sunday, Dec 2nd, Noon to 5 PM, at Keyser Presbyterian: a Labyrinth will be available for your pilgrimage
 Thursday, December 6th at 6 PM at Keyser Presbyterian: investigate the ancient practice of Lectio Divina.
 Tuesday, December 11th at 6 PM at Emmanuel: learn about prayer beads through the centuries, create prayer beads and participate in a Taizé music and prayer service.
 Thursday, December 13th at 6 PM at Keyser Presbyterian: conclude with ways to approach prayer using contemporary methods as well as the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to boldly pray.
Emmanuel is borrowing an 11-circuit labyrinth from St. John’s, Frostburg. Since it is too large for our facilities, it will be placed in the parish hall at Keyser Presbyterian across the street.

Advent Event – Sunday, Dec. 2: Wreath-making, alternative gift market, make cards
On the 1st Sunday of Advent, we will light the Advent wreath during worship. During the 9-10 Christian formation time and during and after coffee hour, you may make an Advent wreath.
Alternative gift market –December 2 – Birthday Gifts for Jesus
How will we celebrate Jesus' birth this year? To give to Jesus, we find him in the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and the imprisoned. You will have the opportunity to give a donation in honor of family members and friends as a Christmas gift instead of [or in addition to] another sweater, DVD, or dust-collector for a shelf. See page 2 for continuation.
Give “alternative” gifts year round; alternative gift market on Sunday, Dec. 2

Most of us have far more sweaters, ties, videos, CDs, and “dust catchers” on shelves, than we need. Instead of accumulating more, give alternative gifts for Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, any gift giving occasion or just to give thanks from our abundance. If you must, give a small ‘real’ gift and also a contribution to help better the world. This is the time of year to stack up contributions for income tax deductions. Whatever motivation causes you to act! We can give a donation in honor of Uncle Ned or sister Joan. Some families discuss and decide on a recipient each year. If they like the outdoors, give to protect the mountains, to plant trees or to help the homeless. Is your family sports minded? Give to an organization for boys and girls locally or for AIDS orphans in Africa or for clean water to drink. Suggestions are virtually endless. Give to Habitat for Humanity for decent housing around the world. Give to Heifer International so people can have animals for food and a livelihood. As they become self-sufficient, they pass on the gift, an animal offspring, to another person, and the joyful story begins again. Give to Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) to help people in need from natural disasters, war, poverty, diseases as AIDS, for education, and more.
Local and international organizations: Helping Hands, Faith in Action food pantry, Energy Express, Episcopal Relief and Development, Heifer International, and others will be represented to accept your gift for people in need.


Our prayers go out to the families of Ralph Smith on the death of his wife for 57 years, Leona, and
Patty Redman and Thelma Stewart in the death of Susan Mitchell, respectfully mother and sister.

Thank you, Emmanuel, for $205 in support of the Rev. Joyce walking for Helping Hands. Total for Helping Hands Walk was around $2500.

Faith in Action food pantry needs for foods for Thanksgiving baskets and for every day. Thanksgiving foods include dressing mix, desserts as cake mix and icing, cranberry sauce, canned vegetables.

Angel Tree is gathering names. We hope to provide for some families this year. Details to follow.

Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) to begin the First Sunday of Advent
as mandated by General Convention 2006 and our bishop.
A Lectionary is a table of readings from Scripture appointed to be read at public worship. The association of particular texts with specific days began in the 4th century. The Revised Common Lectionary provides these new features: the option of semi-continuous reading of the great Old Testament narratives on the Sundays after Pentecost and the inclusion of women and their role in salvation history. The Revised Common Lectionary preserves around 90% of the Gospel readings in the Lectionary of The Book of Common Prayer 1979.
Why is the Revised Common Lectionary of value to the Episcopal Church?
• It is an ecumenical lectionary shared by most Protestant denominations and widely used throughout the Anglican Communion.
• It provides new opportunities for ecumenical Bible study and shared resources for teaching and preaching.
• It has improved the choice of appropriate texts for Sundays and Festivals.
• It incorporates most of the readings with which the church is familiar.
• Most new resources for preaching, teaching and the planning of worship are already being developed to support the Revised Common Lectionary.
[From the Episcopal Church Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music.] The lectionary is available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/documents/RCL_pages_for_BCP-cropped.pdf and other sites.]
A brochure about the RCL will be available at the church and will be sent to our yahoogroups site.
Christmas Eve time[s] of service
We’ve had requests to consider the Christmas Eve worship time. Some of the young and the older and the in between say 11 PM is too difficult. So we are polling our readership.
Do you want one worship service or two: early only, late only, or one of each, realizing attendance would be split between two, if offered.
Return this form to 301 S. Mineral Street, Keyser 26726, or call the office [304-788-4475], or email us [withus@verizon.net] with your vote by Wednesday, November 21.

One service (select 1 time) Two services (select 2 times)
___ 5 PM ___ 5 PM
___ 6 PM ___ 6 PM
___ 7 PM ___ 7 PM
___ 8 PM ___ 8 PM
___ 9 PM ___ 9 PM
___ 10 PM ___ 10 PM
___ 11 PM ___ 11 PM
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All Saints’ Sunday, November 4

In commemoration of All Saints’ Day and All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day) on November 1 and 2, we welcomed James Scotty Hicks as a new saint of God through baptism and Sandy and Dennie Wolfe as new members by transfer. We also welcomed several long time attendees who were not entered in the parish register previously. A table of remembrance for living saints and saints who have died held pictures of our beloved, including a sonogram of a future grandson. During the Prayers of the People we remembered family members and friends who have died.

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As we remember the saints who have died, we also are reminded of our own deaths some day in the future. A funeral arrangements guidelines and workbook is available for preplanning.
The Minister of the Congregation is directed to instruct the people, from time to time, about the duty of Christian parents to make prudent provision for the well being of their families, and of all persons to make wills, while they are in health, arranging for the disposal of their temporal goods, not neglecting, if they are able, to leave bequests for religious and charitable uses. Book of Common Prayer, page 445.


The Blessing of the Animals was held on the back parking lot with lots of life in attendance: 46 people, 26 cats, 14 live dogs + 1 large stuffed dog, 2 goats, and numerous pet pictures. The Humane Society and the group wanting a cat shelter were present. Pet lovers brought cat and dog food and donations for the Humane Society and for Mineral County Animal Control for bedding.    

Register for West Virginia Major State Day at Washington National Cathedral: January 27, 2008.
Go to the National Cathedral Website , and under programs, find Major state day info and registration. www.nationalcathedral.org OR http://www.cathedral.org/cathedral/programs/stateday.shtml.
Our WV chair for this event is Hollie Mitchell, WMitch8315@aol.com, 304-776-8315.
World AIDS Day is December 1. 39.5 million people are living with HIV, including 2.3 million children.
Episcopal Youth Fellowship on the move


Episcopal Youth Fellowship continues to happen’! Our youth gather in the loft at 9:00 AM on Sunday mornings for Christian Formation and again every other week after school for “Manic Mondays!” Recently, the group has also enjoyed two trips out of town and has planned a third.
Six of our acolytes and four sponsors traveled to Washington National Cathedral last month for our church’s first-ever participation in the National Acolyte Festival: Codi and Shawnee Gourlay, Andrew and Ian Rankin, Alyssa Williams, Chalet Roy (acolyte-in-training), Kim Pifer, David Rankin, Sue Riley, and Joyce Wilkinson. Upon an early arrival, one of our youth, when looking up at the spires still shrouded in morning mist, said it must look like the school Harry Potter attended! Over a thousand robed young acolytes processed down the center aisle of the great cathedral while carrying church banners, candles & high-flying streamers from home; the colorful procession took an hour! The stained-glass window with the moon rock was not far from our seats and also drew our attention. As the morning worship drew to a close, we claimed our spot on the cathedral grounds to fuel up (tasty bag lunch) for afternoon workshops. Our kids elected to see how the celebratory processional streamers operated; they come with really long poles! And then off to a slide show and remarks about the famous gargoyles of the cathedral. Darth Vader? Who knew he’d be there?
Most of our teens had only read about the Lincoln Memorial, Viet Nam Wall, Washington Monument, the White House, and the Capitol. They never imagined they’d actually get to see them! But see them we did; just ask our feet! The weather was gorgeous and prayers from at least one of our parishioners back home helped us find not one, but two parking spaces downtown! “I didn’t really want to go, my mom made me go, but I never thought I would have this much fun”. That sums it up. We “did good” for our youth on that one!
So who wants to sign up to be scared half to death? Some of us did; some said “no” at the outset. The brave ones left for Cumberland’s CiCi’s Pizza and then off to Cumberland’s Emmanuel Episcopal Church for their youth-sponsored fund raiser in which the tunnels beneath the church were transformed into a haunted house for Halloween. “Three dollars a victim.” Some of our kids turned back at the chain saw!! (Seems like a good idea.) Participating were Alyssa, Ian and Andrew, Chalet, Codi and Shawnee, David Rankin, Michael and Carla Miller, and David Gourlay.
Coming up, some of us will stay overnight at the Cumberland YMCA. This event is sponsored by the Potomac Highlands Mission Community. Activities scheduled include swimming, basketball, playing on the indoor soccer field, devotions, climbing wall (that must be for the adults!) and pizza. Hanging out overnight with 75 youth! Imagine!
Thanks to volunteers who have helped our youth staff or plan to help our EYF. Sandy and Sheila will help Tamela with our “MMon!” meals. Carla was thrilled to accompany the brave souls in the tunnels. Thanks to all of you for keeping us in your prayers. – by Sue Riley

Jottings by Joyce

Originally, in the Eastern Church, Advent focused on the Annunciation when the angels told Mary that she would bear a child; but in the West it came to concern the first coming at the nativity, the future coming at the end of time, and the present coming, through grace, to our hearts. Thus the themes of the coming judgment and of joyful expectation.
From Growing together: spiritual exercises for church committees by Rochelle Melander and Harold Eppley: Emmanuel, God with us, we rejoice in the opportunity to grow closer to you and to one another. Dwell with us as we meet, unite us as we work, and awaken us to your presence. Amen.
Questions from the book I invite us to consider: * What does it mean to grow spiritually?
* In what ways have you been spiritually nurtured by the Christian community?
* What can we do, both inside and outside the church, to help each other grow spiritually?
One Advent hymn begins “Sleepers, wake!” May we awaken to new opportunities to live as followers of Jesus.
Joyce

The Rector Search Committee Update


October has been a very busy month for the Rector Search Committee of Emmanuel Church. Thus far we’ve sent out 29 introductory packages to prospective candidates from the Church Deployment Office database, and as of this writing we now have three priests who have submitted their resumes and other documentation for our consideration. Believe me; it’s totally exciting to see the many months of our labors showing fruit! We will continue to send out information packages to CDO matches and other priests who express an interest in possibly submitting their resumes so they can be in the running as well.
Archdeacon Faith Perrizo came in October to instruct the Committee members how to conduct telephone interviews with the priest-candidates and the reference contacts they’ve submitted. The primary goal for November will be to review the resumes we’ve received thus far (and in the days to come), and then begin the process of conducting initial telephone interviews with priests we feel would be well-suited for our parish.
The telephone interviews are crucial because they will provide the Committee with greater insights into the personality and ministry of the candidates, not only from the candidates themselves but also from the personal references that have been provided. Each candidate must submit at least three names, addresses and telephone numbers of individuals who are current or past members of the candidate’s congregation, or who have participated in the candidate’s pastoral/ministerial endeavors. The Committee has prepared very specific questions for both priest-candidates and their reference contacts that are directed to the needs and goals of Emmanuel Church; of course, the members of the telephone interview teams will be able to ask questions of their own in order to clarify matters.
Teams of two to three Committee members will be assigned to conduct the interviews with the reference individuals, with each team handling only one reference. In this way all of the references can be contacted with greater efficiency. Detailed notes of the conversations will be prepared and submitted to the full Committee for review.
While the references are being interviewed, another team of at least three members (but may include the entire Committee membership) will meet at Emmanuel Church to conduct the telephone interview of the candidate via speakerphone. Again, the Committee members may ask questions that aren’t on the official interview question form, and the candidate will be encouraged to ask questions of the Committee.
Once the telephone interviews have been completed, the Committee will then meet together to discuss the results and determine whether a particular candidate is suitable for our parish. If it is the case that the Committee finds that the qualifications and ministry style of the candidate aren’t a good match with Emmanuel Church, we will notify the individual of our decision; otherwise we’ll continue the dialogue with candidates who have “made the cut.”
The next step following the telephone interviews would be to send representatives of the Rector Search Committee to visit the parishes of those candidates who are still being considered so that we can see the priest in action, as well as speak with the Vestry leadership of the parish for additional information. It is anticipated that the on-site visitations will not be scheduled until after January 2008. After the on-site visits the field of candidates will be narrowed, and those priests seriously recommended by the Rector Search Committee will then be invited to Emmanuel Church for interviews with the full Vestry.
The Diocese’s established procedures for selecting and calling the next Rector of Emmanuel Church may sound complicated and arduous – and they definitely are. However, when you consider that we are seeking out the next priest who will lead our parish into the future, bringing fresh insights and vision so that we can make the most of our great potential for the growth and expansion of our ministry, it is necessary for us to take such pains. The search process is designed to be a very thorough and prayerful time of discernment, and in the end Emmanuel Church will benefit from it.
The Rector Search Committee once again asks for the prayers of the people of Emmanuel Church during our work, that the Holy Spirit will direct and guide us in seeking the right priest for our community, and that the Spirit will inspire the right person to be attracted to us. Additionally, please remember that you may submit the names and contact information to the Committee of priests in good standing who you believe would be good matches for our parish – but make sure that you get their permission first. – by Michael Summers


We give thanks to God for all the blessings in our lives.
A Litany of Thanksgiving (Book of Common Prayer, page 837) – suitable for Thanksgiving Dinner
Let us give thanks to God our Father for all God’s gifts so freely bestowed upon us.
For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea.
We thank you, Lord.
For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women, revealing the image of Christ,
We thank you, Lord.
For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends,
We thank you, Lord.
For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve,
We thank you, Lord.
For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play,
We thank you, Lord.
For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering and faithful in adversity,
We thank you, Lord.
For all valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and justice,
We thank you, Lord.
For the communion of saints, in all times and places,
We thank you, Lord.
Above all, we give you thanks for the great mercies and promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord;
To him be praise and glory, with you, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
For stewardship of creation (Book of Common Prayer, page 259)

O merciful Creator, your hand is open wide to satisfy the needs of every living creature: Make us always thankful for your loving providence; and grant that we, remembering the account that we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of your good gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.