The Vine Newsletter (December 2007)

We are in the middle of the season of Advent anticipating and preparing for the bold proclamation “A Savior has been born.”
A story – A woman was Christmas shopping with her two children. After many hours of looking at row after row of toys and everything else imaginable and after hours of hearing both her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, she finally made it to the elevator with her two children.
She felt what so many of us feel during the holiday season time of year: overwhelming pressure to go to every party, every housewarming, taste all the holiday food and treats, get that perfect gift for every single person on our shopping g list, make sure we don't forget anyone on our card list, and the pressure of responding to everyone who sent us a card.
Finally the elevator doors opened and there was already a crowd in the car. She pushed her way into the car and dragged her two children in with her and all the bags of stuff. When the doors closed she couldn't take it anymore and stated, "Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung up and shot."
From the back of the car everyone heard a quiet calm voice respond, "Don't worry we already crucified him." For the rest of the trip down the elevator it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. (Story is from an unknown source.)
As we hustle around readying our homes for company or thinking about what to pack in our suitcases and buying gifts to please, what are we
doing to ready ourselves to receive the perfect Gift, to please the Spirit of love asking for a
warm and welcoming reception? Spend some time preparing your heart and your spirit to welcome anew the real Spirit of Christmas, the Spirit of love, the Spirit of Jesus.
Keep the One who started this whole Christmas thing in your every thought, deed, purchase, and word. Think of how different this whole world would be if we all did that.

On Christmas Eve beginning at 11 PM we will receive and celebrate the extraordinary Gift from God, Jesus incarnate in our lives. What gift can we give the Christ Child? The gift of ourselves offered humbly and lovingly is pleasing to God. As we enter these final weeks of Advent, we anticipate this amazing exchange of gifts and prepare our hearts, minds and spirit to welcome again the presence of Christ within.

I give you, the people of Emmanuel, a large “Thank you” for your time and energy given to God and to the church this past year and for your fellowship and kindnesses to me. In thanksgiving I am giving donations in your honor to our local Helping Hands and Faith in Action food pantry and to Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) for their work throughout the world for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals to eliminate extreme poverty and preventable diseases that kill.
I will be in Texas Dec. 25 – Jan. 2 and have arranged clergy coverage for emergencies. Please contact Kim Pifer if there is a need.
May you have a blessed Christmas and abide in the peace, love and joy of Christ,
Joyce


If you would like to designate Christmas poinsettias in memory of, in thanksgiving for, or
in honor of someone,
please turn those in [printed] by Sunday, December 16.

Sunday, December 23 –Pot luck lunch and “greening” of the church
Advent Wednesday noon lunches continue at Emmanuel – December 12 and 19
KAMA sponsors the lunches with a message from Rejoicing in Hope by James A. Harnish continuing on December 12 and 19 at Emmanuel. Food and program are provided by other KAMA churches
Take a few moments for refreshment of both body and spirit during this busy, even hectic season.
Pass the word, especially to those who may be losing hope in this season.

Advent prayer study continues with Keyser Presbyterian Church
Advent is an opportunity to reconnect with what is holy, and since the pre-Christmas days tend
to be hectic, a time of quietness is especially appropriate during this season.
The four-part Advent study on the discipline of prayer sponsored by Keyser Presbyterian and Emmanuel continues:
 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: ways to approach prayer using
contemporary methods as well as the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to boldly pray.
Previous sessions included an introduction to the labyrinth and a labyrinth walk, breath prayers,
centering prayers, and the ancient practice of Lectio Divina.

Alternative gifts – Birthday Gifts for Jesus
On birthdays we honor the one whose birth we are celebrating. To give to Jesus, we find him in the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and the imprisoned (Matthew 25: 31-46). We can help in our own community or aid people far away. You may give a donation in honor of family members and friends as a Christmas gift and for any gift-giving occasion.
Local and international organizations: Helping Hands, Faith in Action food pantry, the crisis shelter, Episcopal Relief and Development, Heifer International, and others will be represented to accept your gift for people in need on Sunday, December 9, and you may donate afterward also.

Dates to Remember
Sunday, December 16 Names for poinsettias due; vestry meeting at noon
Sunday, December 23 Greening of the church after pot luck lunch
Monday, December 24 Candlelight festive Nativity of our Lord Holy Eucharist, 11 PM
Sunday, December 30 Morning Prayer, 8 AM; Lessons, carols and pageant, 10 AM
Sunday, January 6 Epiphany; committee reports due for annual meeting
Sunday, January 20 Annual meeting, 9 AM
Saturday, January 26 Vestry retreat
Wednesday, February 6 Ash Wednesday



Christmas pageant of a different sort on Sunday, December 30 at 10 AM
There were these four angels … young people, although they had been around in Old Testament times … and the thing they most wanted to do was to sing in the heavenly choir. But they had bumbled around with all their angel-school homework and seemed to be stuck on this side of the clouds. And then came their really big assignment, location Bethlehem! Their story is the subject of a short skit which will be paired with scripture and congregational singing of beloved Christmas carols on Sunday Dec 30 at the ten o’clock service. Sharon Floyd cast the skit from Emmanuel Episcopal Characters Inc.
Come early for a good seat!

From your Senior Warden
Merry Christmas Friends! This year has been a challenging and enlightening time, yet much remains to be done. Our vestry will be losing two members, Phyllis Bruce and Andrew Rankin. Andrew has the opportunity to serve a regular three year term since he has only served a one year replacement. We appreciate the hard work this young man has done for Emmanuel and know he is only beginning his service to the Lord.
May we continue to pray for those suffering illnesses, loss of loved ones and times of loneliness and confinement. This year we ask each of you to help our church grow with love and support for each other and for those who lead us in our search for a closer relationship with Christ. I give many thanks to you for helping me with my duties as senior warden. I wish each of you a joyous Christmas and a healthy, loving New Year.
I received these holiday thoughts below in a Christmas card from loved ones. To me, they are a new look at an old theme, that of gratitude for the many mundane things that constitute our everyday lives.
God’s Love to you.
Kim Pifer

On Being Thankful
I love the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends.
I love the taxes I pay because it means that I’m employed.
I love the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat.
I love a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need
fixing because it means I have a home.
I love all the complaining I hear about our government because
it means we have freedom of speech.
I love a spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking.
I love my huge heating bill because it means I am warm.
I love the piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby,
and we have clothing to wear.
I love weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means that I have been productive.
And I love all the many cards I have to write over the holidays, because it means
I have friends and family that I care about deeply!




Triangulate or talk with the one involved?
In Family Systems Theory, triangulation is when one person has a problem with another, or two people have a problem with each other, and one or both "triangle in" a third member. This is not helpful; neither is it biblical. Matthew tells us that one talks with the other directly. For healthy communication, if you have a concern, complaint, recommendation, question, or compliment, please take those directly to the person involved, especially if it is the rector.

The Rector Search Committee Update

Wednesday, May 14, 2008
To the People of Emmanuel Church:

You have most likely been reading the monthly updates in The Vine Newsletter from the Rector Search Committee of Emmanuel Episcopal Church of Keyser regarding the process of searching for and calling the fourth permanent rector of our parish. Since many of you are anxiously awaiting the conclusion of this process, we felt that we should present our sisters and brothers in Christ with a more formal report.
The process has been a long and sometimes difficult venture for all involved, but it was entirely necessary since we wish to find the priest best qualified for our needs as a community of faith. We have read and analyzed numerous profiles and resumes of priests who are available, and all of us have been working together in a prayerful manner to find ordained men and women who exhibit the personal and pastoral characteristics crucial to sustain Emmanuel Church now and for growth in the future. Tough questions have been asked and even tougher decisions have been made.
We are pleased to announce to you that there are three highly qualified priests who have engaged in mutual discernment with Emmanuel Church, and we have been quite impressed with the evidence of their education, personalities, pastoral skills, compassion, outreach ministries, work with children and youth, and an abiding love for Jesus Christ and His Church. The telephone interviews that the members of the Rector Search Committee have conducted with both the priest-candidates and their ministerial references were very moving, spiritually uplifting experiences for all involved; we are confident that any of these individuals would be an asset to our congregation. Therefore, the Rector Search Committee has voted to end the consideration of any new candidates by December 15, 2007 so that we can focus upon the next steps in the endeavor.
During the months of December 2007 and January 2008 the Committee will observe the priest-candidate celebrating a Sunday Holy Eucharist in his/her own parish, complete with a sermon. Once these observations have been completed, the next step will be to prepare a final list of candidates from which the Vestry of Emmanuel Church will conduct the actual personal interviews here in Keyser. Then the priest-candidate who is deemed to be best suited for our parish will be called and installed as rector. It is our intention to conclude the liturgical/homiletic observations no later than mid-January, and we have committed ourselves to completing this very important venture by no later than Easter of 2008.
We want to thank you for your continued prayers and your patience in our work for Emmanuel Episcopal Church. Please be assured of our diligence in finding the next permanent rector for our church, and that we can now see the “finish line” in the days ahead. May our Lord Jesus Christ bless and strengthen Emmanuel Church as we strive to do His work in the lives of others.
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
THE RECTOR SEARCH COMMITTEE:
Ken Dyche (Chairman)
Sue Riley (Recording Secretary)
Michael Summers (Corresponding Secretary)
Beverly Davis, Spring Fertig, Andrew Rankin,
Francine Shanahan, Ralph Smith
        
If you have not returned you Time/Talent and pledge forms, please do so soon.
Thank you to all who have returned them.

Thanks – to Emmanuel from KAMA for sharing your Patchett parish hall with the Keyser community during
the KAMA Advent lunches [see top of this page]. (I’ve received many compliments on the hall from
people experiencing it for the first time. - Joyce)
- to Francine Shanahan, Marcy D’Elisa, Kim Pifer, and Ginny Poland for set-up assistance at the
KAMA lunches.
- to Kim Pifer, Karen Naylor and Francine Shanahan for leading Sunday adult formation
- to Sue Riley, David and Tamela Rankin, and Michael Miller for ministry with the youth
- to Sharon Floyd and Kim Miller for children’s formation and church school.
- to Karen Naylor for assistance at the labyrinth walk
- to the Ken Dyche, chair, and the rector search committee (page 4) for their time and discernment
- to Beverly Davis for the ECW presentations and Sonny Rhodes for the Men's Breakfasts
- to Michael Summers for the extensive website, leading the Guild of Sts. Peter and Paul, and newspaper
contributions
- to David Rankin and the choir for the fine music enriching our worship
- to the altar guild, coffee hour hosts, counters, and the many faithful Emmanuel parishioners who give of
themselves in innumerable ways and hours
- a special Thanks to Kim Pifer, senior warden who gives countless hours and energy to parishioners
and to the church buildings and grounds
- to June Cooper, parish secretary, for her work in the office

Christmas is for Healing
by Sr. Macrina Wiederkehr


Loving you, of course
I am not at all interested in how much money
you are spending on Christmas gifts this year
but rather, in how much blood, sweat, and tears
you are shedding
to make Christ a vital part of your life
for you and I will never be able to erase
the fact that he came:
to touch lives – to break bread
to heal hurt – to forgive sins
to wash feet – to calm seas
to walk on water – to give us the Spirit
and to care immensely

Yes, to care enough
to be born in our Bethlehem
to live in our land, and weep over our cities
and die and rise again.

So now it’s Christmas
and I am not sure what part of you is crippled
or where you need to feel God’s saving power
but with everything in me
I believe that Christmas is for healing
And he came to heal.

So if you can trust Jesus enough to
walk out on the waters of getting involved,
of washing feet and anointing people,
of breaking bread and working miracles,
I am almost sure his saving presence
will touch those blind and crippled parts of your life
and Christmas will come to you.

More than anything else
I want to give you Christmas this year
It’s a gift, an offer
You can take it if you like
but I can’t really give it to you
like a wrapped up package.
It is deeper than that,
It is warmer, brighter, holier,
It is more personal.
Christmas is more challenging
than a wrapped up package.

It is an offer
It is a mystery
It is birth
It is hope.
It is Christmas and
God can never be born enough…

    
Sunday, January 6, committee reports are due for the annual meeting on January 20.


“O Antiphons" featured in 10 AM Advent Prayers of the People
and “O come, O come, Emmanuel”
An antiphon is a response, often chanted to a psalm or some other part of a religious service.
The “O Antiphons” refer to the seven antiphons for the Octave before Christmas, Dec. 17-23, with Dec. 24 being the Christmas Vigil. In the Church of England they have traditionally been used as antiphons to the Magnificat (the Song of Mary, Luke 1:46-55) at Evening Prayer during this period. Today the O Antiphons are most familiar to us in the hymn "O come, O come Emmanuel" with each verse of the hymn paralleling one of the antiphons.
The origin of the “O Antiphons” is not known, but they were mentioned around 500. Each one highlights a title for the Messiah from scripture (mainly from Isaiah) with praise, a petition and a call for him to come. They are in Latin: O Sapientia (O Wisdom), O Adonai (O Lord, Ruler of the House of Israel), O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse), O Clavis David (O Key of David), O Oriens (O Morning Star or Rising Dawn), O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations), and O Emmanuel (O Emmanuel, God-with-us).
The Benedictine monks arranged the antiphons so that the first letter of each taken backward form a Latin acrostic, ero cras, meaning, “Tomorrow I will come,” giving a joyful conclusion to our Advent preparation on Christmas Eve.

Sharing the bounty – Bring your clean jars and plastic containers: pint, quart, half-gallon to the kitchen so we can share leftovers.