Acts 2:1-11 May 11th, 2008
John 7:37-39 Pentecost/Mother’s Day
In the Name of God, who is Spirit and who is Holy. Amen
Pentecost is an excellent day on which to begin a new chapter in a parish’s unfolding story. And when you add Mother’s Day to the mix, then we are triple blessed. For the next few minutes I will try to keep those three realities of mother, church, and new beginning in focus.
A while back, Barbara, my wife, was in Williamsburg helping her mother move from her apartment into an assisted living unit. Mom has not been very happy with the new arrangement. She was reluctant to give up some of the trinkets she has gathered over the years, reluctant to acknowledge the necessary changes in her life, but new circumstances required some letting go of old memorabilia. So Barbara returned to Fort Ashby with some things of her mother’s. We have hung in our home a Bavarian cuckoo clock that has hung in Mom’s dining room for as long as I can remember.
Mom’s name is Agnes and she is 95 years old, the last surviving of Barbara’s and my parents. For the past 44 years she has been a great mother-in-law and I love her dearly. Even though she grumbles at times, she can be funny and even a bit flirtatious, as she has always liked to be. When Barbara and I last visited, we took Mom out to lunch. She told us where she’d like to eat. She studied the menu with care. A gin and tonic, she thought, was in order. We had a good time together.
Over the past couple of years Mom has taken some falls that knock the stuffing out of her for a while. Her emotions are frayed and she is lonely, even though she has a lot of company, and she is fearful but does not know of what.
If it is a painful thing to see our parents as they struggle with changing life circumstances. I can only suppose that it is much worse to be on the inside of that struggle, trying to make sense of changes that don’t seem fair or necessary. Mom has adapted to using a walker, but she is rebelling against the other changes going on in her life. She does not like the sense that the boundaries of her life are shrinking. She does not like this new feeling that the world is somehow alien, perhaps even hostile. When she says she wants to go home, that means where she lived until fifteen years ago.
She did not used to be like that. As a young mother of three daughters – Barbara being the middle child – Agnes would push her girls out into the world to explore and to meet new people. Barbara tells stories from her childhood about forts built by the creek behind her home, and about playing with friends, unsupervised for hours. By contrast, our two grandchildren in Colorado hardly ever have an unsupervised moment. When Barbara was called home it was not because the world was dangerous but because supper was ready. Barbara remembers once when a man came to their house. It was the late 1940s, employment was scarce in upstate New York, and the man was looking for a meal. In those days they were called hobos. Mom made him a sandwich and talked with him as he ate it on the porch. It was simple hospitality.
Throughout her life, Mom has loved to play music. When Barbara and I were dating, as we walked up the pathway to her home we could hear Mom playing her Wurlitzer organ. She rarely played for any audience other than herself.
Above all, from her mother Barbara knew with complete conviction that she was loved. Her mother told her that regularly. No comparisons were made nor were conditions laid down. Barbara and her sisters were loved, and not much was feared.
Mom was widowed ten years ago. We, her family, all worried that she’d miss her husband so much that she’d shrink inside herself. Though she still misses Gerry, she did anything but shrink. She continued to make new friends in the retirement community to which they had moved a few years earlier. It is in the nature of retirement communities that the population turns over with some regularity. It is important to make new friends. In the years of her being a widow she has seemed even more unapologetically herself. She became a bit more connected to her faith. In her better moments she has had a sense of moving onward.
But moving onward doesn't always mean a cheerful journey. The death of someone we love is a burden to carry. Onward for my mother-in-law meant making a new life after 60 years of a partnership in which she had become a mother and grandmother and great-grandmother. Onward for Barbara and her sisters means feeling less grounded, less able to relax while Mom carries on. And Mom does carry on, often irascible, sometimes charming, and occasionally confounding. She loved Bill Clinton and would have kept on voting for him; and now she loves George W. Bush just as much. Loves ‘em both. Go figure.
And in all of that, Agnes might not be a bad image for how the church is called to be. Today is the Feast of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church. And it’s a day when my life is joining with yours, so it’s a new birth for all of us.
One of the medieval images used to describe the Church is “Mother.” It does seem to me that Mother Church is a lot like my beloved mother-in-law. She is in danger of becoming brittle in her old age. We are irascible and contentious about things that either do not matter or that Jesus would resolve simply by opening his arms a little wider, welcoming a few more people into the family. We are often pretty good at feeding people who are hungry – but too often we do it through the safe distance of an anonymous check.
I fear that the church is no longer the young mother who sends her children out to meet new people and to explore, unsupervised for hours. The church has become old, pre-occupied with fear, caught up in worldly conflicts and forgetting that her Lord makes all things new, young again. How might it be if we, as church, decided that the most important thing was to make sure that we each are loved – without comparison and without condition. Loved.
- How might it be if we sat down with someone who is eating a needed sandwich and we talked with them for a while? Not trying to straighten them out, but just being a kind ear.
- How might it be if we loved equally people on both sides of a political divide?
- How might it be if we made music and danced for the pure delight of it?
- How might it be if we were all encouraged to explore the world in which we live – explore it without fear of being so closely supervised that we are nervous about our own thoughts and questionings.
This morning’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes the puzzling and happy chaos of the earliest disciples of Jesus as they felt a new Spirit move amongst them.
This was an adventurous spirit that embraced people across every imaginable line of division. This spirit was one that made all things new and propelled the early believers out into the world as ambassadors of God’s love for all people. The promise of that spirit is what embraces Emmanuel Church in Keyser, WV, as we gather today.
We live in a fearful and backward-looking age, in which the church sometimes seems trapped in nostalgia, convinced of its own rightness and resentful of new ideas, trapped in a religiosity that is more interested in being safe than in being either adventurous or generous.
We forget that we come from adventurers like Abraham and Moses and Paul and most particularly Jesus. They were guided only by promise and hope. Those whose faith we claim never knew what was around the next bend. They only trusted that God was with them. And we all know that that is what “Emmanuel” means – God with us. Both personally and institutionally, as we try to protect what we have earned, created or horded, we forget that Jesus promised a new creation, more in the tradition of Moses the adventurer than of the Pharisees who had transformed faith from a lively relationship with God into a set of rules.
We are called to better than that. We are called to love one another and to love strangers. We are called to love people at all points of any political spectrum. We are called to a lively relationship with God, not to an obligation to maintain the political balance of an ancient institution.
Do not forget for a moment that we are called to serve the hungry, not to argue about doctrine. We are called to welcome the stranger amongst us, not check credentials and vie for status.
So on this Feast of Pentecost I give thanks for my mother-in-law Agnes. I give thanks for the way she pushed her daughters out into the world to be adventurous. And I give thanks for all mothers who have taught their children that the world is an exciting place to explore, that the hungry should be fed, and that they- both the children and the hungry - are loved without comparison and without condition.
As we all begin together this new Pentecost for Emmanuel, may Mother Church grow in such an understanding of what it means to be church.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Sermon by Bishop Martin Townsend, D.D., Priest-in-Charge
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
The Vine Newsletter (May 2008)
CROSS ROADS:
Dear People of Emmanuel Church,
The past few weeks seem to have been a gracious time of hopes and opportunities coming together. Bishop Klusmeyer had talked with me about Emmanuel Church, asking if I might be interested in working with the church community in Keyser. He spoke of you with affection and understanding. I talked with Kim Pifer and sent her my resume. She arranged for me to meet with the Vestry. After an energized two hours, we had formed a shared hope for the opportunities ahead. Shortly, on behalf of the Vestry, your Senior Warden called me to ask if I could come to Emmanuel as your priest and pastor. Both humbled and excited, I have accepted the Vestry’s invitation to become your Priest-in-Charge.
That is what has happened recently. Let me go back to when he groundwork for our meeting was laid. In 1972 I was the rector of a parish in the Maryland suburbs of Washington. Barbara, my wife, had grown up in a small town as had I. We needed an escape from the beltway, so we bought some land in the hills just east of Fort Ashby. The next year, with the help of lots of friends, we built a vacation home on the land. Ever since, we have been adding to that house, growing it in stages and calling it Shepherd’s Croft. (I was a shepherd of sorts and Barbara was an actual sheep breeder and shepherd.) Most of the work on our home we have done with our own hands, learning how to be carpenters, plumbers (not very good ones), stone masons, painters, and all the other things you have to be as a home builder. We have so loved being here and have enjoyed our neighbors so that Mineral County has become home.
Over the years I have served as Rector of St. Christopher’s Church in New Carrollton, MD, Trinity Church in St. Mary’s City, MD, Christ Church in Blacksburg, VA, and Bishop of The Diocese of Easton on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. After retiring from Easton I served for two years as the Interim Rector of the Church of the Redeemer in Cincinnati, OH, Assisting Bishop in Newark, NJ, and then for two years as the Interim Rector at Trinity Church, Upperville, VA.
Thank you for inviting me into your lives, allowing Barbara’s and my path to join with yours. It continues to amaze and delight me that after being a deacon, priest, and bishop for forty years, I still get excited as God guides me into new stages of my life.
Your wardens and Vestry described something of the challenges that you have recently faced and what some of your dreams and strengths are. I liked what I heard and I greatly look forward to knowing all of you. My first Sunday at Emmanuel will be May 11th, which is the Feast of Pentecost, also Mother’s Day. It is an auspicious day for giving thanks and for new beginnings. Winter and late frosts are past. Red bud and dogwood are bright bursts of color on our back ridge. It is a time for planting our gardens with a confidence that they will yield fruit. As one of my favorite Easter hymns declares, “Now the green blade riseth… Love is come again like wheat that springeth green.”
May God bless the joining together of our journeys.
See you on May 11th.
In Christ,
+Martin G. Townsend
THE SENIOR WARDEN’S REPORT:
Hello Friends!
There seems to be a few of us that like to sit towards the back of the church. I am not sure why we do this but it seems to be a practice that many of us have acquired. While sitting in the back you may have noticed the cold coming through the old wooden church doors. Not only do we get cold sitting back there but if the door doesn’t latch we have to get up and close it to keep the traffic noise from interfering with our worship. Well, this will be coming to an end. The vestry has approved two new metallic outside entrance doors. These doors will match the color of our Parish Hall doors, and will a sign of welcome to all those who come to visit us.
We are still correcting money for inner sanctuary doors. We are approximately halfway there! Last spring, when we installed the new carpet the old swinging doors would no longer swing. They had given their all throughout the decades. The vestry looked at several options and decided upon two wooden closing doors that will be walnut finished (the design matches our inner parish hall door), with a glass cross in the upper half of each of the doors. Above these doors will be a stained glass window designed by the talented Nancy Marshall, the local artist who created the gorgeous windows in the Parish Hall. This should fill our worship area with beauty, light as well as enhance the reverent quietness. If you would like to help with this project, please send a check to Emmanuel Church with a memo for Inner Door Fund marked on your check.
How wonderful to think of all that will enter through these doors to hear the word of God and receive His Sacraments!
Thanks be to God.
Kim Pifer
Senior Warden
THE FEAST OF PENTECOST:
O
God, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. [Book of Common Prayer, page 227]
“ALLELUIA AEROBICS” MAKES A COMEBACK…
Thanks to the volunteering spirit of the indomitable Ginny Poland, we’re pleased to announce that the “Alleluia Aerobics” classes for women will once again be offered at Emmanuel Church.
The classes will be held on Monday nights each week, from 6:00 PM until 7:00 PM at the church, and there will be a nominal fee of $1.00 per class. All the women of the parish and the community are invited to come to work on physical fitness in a comfortable and relaxed environment.
For additional information about “Alleluia Aerobics”, please contact Ginny Poland or Marcy D’Elisa.
FUND-RAISER FOR BARBARA HOTT:
Emmanuel Church and St. James Episcopal Church of Westernport are planning a fund raiser for Barb in the upcoming months. If anyone would like to make a monetary contribution to the Barb Hott Fund, please place in offering plate or mail with a memo on your check. This money will go to Barb with your get-well wishes to help her during her chemo treatments or towards our fund raiser, please note what you desire. Emmanuel is asking all of our parishioners to help in any way possible during Barb's chemo treatments. Please keep Barb, Tori and Family in your prayers. For more information or input on plans, please contact Kim Pifer at (304)790-1814 or (304) 788-6253.
PRIEST-CELEBRANTS FOR MAY:
o May 4 -The Rev. Donald Vinson
o May 11 - The Rt. Rev. Martin Townsend
o May 18 - The Rev. John Valentine
REACHING OUT TO OUR PARISH FAMILY…
We have many people at Emmanuel Church who have illnesses and other concerns in their lives, and they need not only our prayers but more tangible signs of our love and support. So we’re asking for volunteers to do one (or more) of the following:
1. Get together and send out “get well” or “thinking of you” cards to those who have been ill and/or haven’t been at church in a while;
2. Give a telephone call to sick and shut-in members to see how they’re doing and if they should need anything.
3. Visit members who are in the hospital or nursing homes to see how they’re doing.
4. Volunteering your time (and automobile) to help people get to medical appointments.
Please pray about serving as the hands, feet and heart of Jesus Christ to our fellow believers who are in need. If you’d like to help in this important ministry, or if you’d like to get more information, please see Kim Pifer, the Senior Warden of our parish.
DIOCESAN WOMEN’S CONFERENCE:
The Practice of Prayer
With Guest Speaker
Rev. Margaret Guenther
May 16-18, 2008 at Peterkin Camp Conference Center in Romney, WV
Additional information, including a registration form, is available on our website: http://www.wvdiocese.org/pages/pdfs/WomensConf2008.pdf
SAFEGUARDING GOD’S CHILDREN TRAINING SESSIONS:
Editor’s Note: All persons at Emmanuel Church who work with children should attend this special training. Kim Pifer, the Senior Warden, will be attending on June 20th and is willing to take whomever needs to go.
Safeguarding God’s Children: A Program of Sexual Misconduct Prevention Training provides participants with information they need to protect the children they know and care for in their personal and professional lives. The training sessions includes two parts; the morning portion is based on the Church Pension Fund’s program and focuses on child abuse prevention and awareness, and the second portion addresses issues of sexual harassment and abuse prevention, both in adult and youth populations.
Training is required for all clergy, paid lay employees, and volunteers working closely with youth or shut-in and/or disabled persons. This includes youth choir directors, directors of Christian education, and youth group advisors. Clergy who have not had training in the last five years are expected to attend to renew their awareness.
Sessions currently scheduled are:
o April 19: Lawrencefield Parish, Wheeling
o April 26: Trinity, Martinsburg
o June 20: Peterkin, Romney
Additional sessions will be added later this year and information will be made available when they are confirmed.
A brochure with registration form can be found on our website at http://www.wvdiocese.org/pages/pdfs/sexbrochure.pdf or contact Mollie in the Diocesan Office: 304-344-3597 or mbailey@wvdiocese.org.
PETERKIN SUMMER CAMP SCHEDULE:
There’s still time to save money and register for Peterkin Summer Camps! The deadline to receive a registration fee discount for all of the camps has been extended until May 15, 2008.
Senior Camp: June 22-28, 2008
(Youth entering grades 10-12 and recent High School graduates)
This camp provides guidance into adulthood through personal growth, team work, and spiritual direction. Programs provide time for campers to ask and reflect on questions related to social, moral, personal and religious concerns.
June 29-July 3: ½ week camps (New themes/programs for 2008)
Family Camp: July 6-12, 2008
(Families and Adults)
A week of family renewal in a caring Christian community, Family Camp brings together families of all kinds in a fun and relaxing atmosphere away from the daily demands of life at home. This camp offers discussion groups for all ages, as well as a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities.
Junior Camp: July 13-19, 2008
(Youth entering grades 4-6)
Campers at Junior Camp are introduced to a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Christian. This camp offers instructional themes, worship, music, and a wide range of activities that allow campers to explore their relationship with Christ and each other.
Intermediate Camp: July 20-26, 2008
(Youth entering grades 7-9)
This camp is designed to help young people grow as individuals and as members of the body of Christ. Many fun and engaging activities are offered to encourage campers to renew old relationships and form new and lasting friendships as they move closer to adulthood.
Creative Arts/Hallelujah Hike: July 27-August 2, 2008
(Creative Arts Camp – Youth entering grades 4-7; Hallelujah Hike – 13-18 years old)
Creative Arts Camp allows young people to explore and celebrate their gifts and talents. Music, writing, the visual arts, and crafts are some of the talents that are nourished and expanded during this camp.
Hallelujah Hike is for those with an adventurous spirit! The Hike is designed to promote Christian identity and growth through community living in a rustic outdoor setting. Hikers have a chance to discover their connection to nature through tent camping, outdoor cooking, hiking, backpacking, adventure trails, plants and wildlife.
Registration material can be found on our website at http://www.peterkin.org/pages/camps.html.
WISDOM FROM THE FATHERS OF THE CHURCH:
St. Cyril of Jerusalem (315-395)
Great indeed is the Baptism which is offered you. It is a ransom to captives; the remission of offences; the death of sin; the regeneration of the soul; the garment of light; the holy seal indissoluble; the chariot to heaven; the luxury of paradise; a procuring of the kingdom; the gift of adoption. But a serpent by the wayside is watching the passengers; beware lest he bit thee with unbelief; he sees so many receiving salvation, and seeks to devour some of them. Thou art going to the Father of Spirits, but thou art going past that serpent; how then must thou pass him? Have thy feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15); that even if he bite, he may hot hurt thee. Have faith indwelling, strong hope, a sandal of power, wherewith to pass the enemy, and enter the presence of thy Lord. Prepare thine own heart to receive doctrine, to have fellowship in holy mysteries. Pray more often, that God may make thee worthy of the heavenly and immortal mysteries. Let neither day be without its work, nor night, but when sleep fails thine eyes, at once abandon thy thoughts to prayer. [Lectures on the Christian Sacraments: the Procatechesis]
RECIPE OF THE MONTH:
Gazpacho
This is a cold soup from Spain that’s perfect for the summer months that are approaching very soon. It can be eaten from a bowl or sipped from a cup – if you choose the cup/glass method, you’ll probably want to use your blender or food processor to make it smooth. It looks better that way.
Ingredients:
3 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, drained
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped cucumber
½ cup chopped green pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups tomato juice or vegetable juice cocktail (such as V-8)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Garlic Croutons (recipe below)
Method:
Combine first 8 ingredients in container of an electric blender; top with cover, and process 1 minute or until finely chopped. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Stir in tomato juice and Worcestershire sauce; cover and chill (about 2 hours). Stir in vinegar and olive oil just before serving. Garnish with garlic croutons. Serves 8.
Garlic Croutons:
6 slices white bread
2 large cloves garlic, minced
½ cup clarified butter or olive oil
Trim crust from bread. Cut bread into ½ inch cubes. Sauté garlic in butter/oil in a skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add bread cubes; sauté until golden. Drain on paper towels.
Recipe taken from America’s Best Recipes (1988)
BOOK REVIEW:
Celebrating Common Worship & Hour By Hour –Simplified Versions of the Divine Office
The Divine Office doesn’t mean the place where the Supreme Being does His paperwork or meets with staff. In traditional Christian spirituality and liturgics it refers to a set series of prayers (consisting primarily of psalms and readings from the Sacred Scriptures specially appointed) that monks and nuns gathered to pray throughout the day. Originally these services were based upon the old Jewish synagogue services that existed at the beginning of Christian history, and were later augmented and developed by the Desert Fathers and Mothers in Egypt and other early monastic communities. The intent behind the practice of the Divine Office is the sanctification of time, or perhaps marking out specific periods to remember the presence of God. In Benedictine spirituality, which is the basis for much of the spiritual tradition of the Anglican Communion, praying the Divine Office is known as the Opus Dei – the Work of God.
Over the years the Christian laity became attracted to the practice of habitual, structured prayer as a means of deepening one’s spirituality, and since the invention of the moveable type printing press and vernacular texts, along with more simplified versions of the Divine Office, an increasing number of Christians from mainline churches are adopting the practice.
If you’re interested in incorporating this time-honored, Bible-based and beautiful practice into your spiritual life – and you don’t want to drag around a rather hefty volume that seems overly complex to use around with you – here are two options you may wish to consider.
Celebrating Common Worship: In the 1980s the Church of England created a number of alternatives to its standard 1662 Book of Common Prayer, and Celebrating Common Worship is the official substitute to the old Daily Office in the BCP. It’s a nice one-volume edition that is meant to be easily carried, and to be honest the English is probably more refined than in the American version of the Office (which would only make sense, after all). The brilliance of Celebrating Common Worship is that it arranges all of the various liturgical seasons of the Church in such a way that everything fits into one book that provides considerable variety and flexibility.
Hour By Hour: I highly recommend this little Office Book for those who wish to begin the practice of sanctifying time throughout the day, and especially for people who are very active. Hour By Hour is very abbreviated and only contains Morning Prayer, Daytime Prayer, Evening Prayer, Vespers and Compline for a one-week cycle according to the format of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer Office; however, this is a wonderful way to develop the habit of daily prayer (there’s no need for you to overwhelm yourself). Plus, it has a very durable leather cover and its price won’t break the bank.
Both of these books are available at the Episcopal Bookstore of Seattle, WA (http://www.episcopalbookstore.com/) or Amazon.com. They are priced at under $25 dollars, as opposed to the $116.00 price tag for the complete Contemporary Office Book of the Episcopal Church.
There is, of course, a completely free method for praying the Divine Office for those of you who are friendly with the Internet, and I can highly recommend two sites:
Oremus (http://www.oremus.org/): This ministry gives you the option of subscribing to the daily Divine Office according to the format found in Celebrating Common Worship, which you would receive on a daily basis via email.
The Mission of St. Clare (http://www.missionstclare.com/): Through this site you can actually download the full text of the Divine Office (Morning or Evening Prayer) according to the Contemporary Office Book of the Episcopal Church. In this way you won’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to purchase the actual book, nor will you be required to learn how to navigate through the rubrics. Everything is clearly laid out for you.
Submitted by Michael Summers
WE NEED STUFF!
Once again the beleaguered editor of The Vine makes his plea for your help in making our little newsletter a success.
I know that everyone at Emmanuel Church has something to contribute toward the content of The Vine, and it would be wonderful if you were able to share with us. Please think about submitting some of the following:
o Inspirational quotes and poetry
o Your favorite recipes
o Reviews of Christian books you’ve read
o Photos and recollections from the past of Emmanuel Church
o Photos from your vacation
o Cute photos of your children, grandchildren, pets
o Anything you feel would edify the people of our parish
Depending upon space considerations, I’ll do everything I can to publish your materials in future editions of The Vine.
I’m hoping to be bombarded with your stuff in the very near future!
Dear People of Emmanuel Church,
The past few weeks seem to have been a gracious time of hopes and opportunities coming together. Bishop Klusmeyer had talked with me about Emmanuel Church, asking if I might be interested in working with the church community in Keyser. He spoke of you with affection and understanding. I talked with Kim Pifer and sent her my resume. She arranged for me to meet with the Vestry. After an energized two hours, we had formed a shared hope for the opportunities ahead. Shortly, on behalf of the Vestry, your Senior Warden called me to ask if I could come to Emmanuel as your priest and pastor. Both humbled and excited, I have accepted the Vestry’s invitation to become your Priest-in-Charge.
That is what has happened recently. Let me go back to when he groundwork for our meeting was laid. In 1972 I was the rector of a parish in the Maryland suburbs of Washington. Barbara, my wife, had grown up in a small town as had I. We needed an escape from the beltway, so we bought some land in the hills just east of Fort Ashby. The next year, with the help of lots of friends, we built a vacation home on the land. Ever since, we have been adding to that house, growing it in stages and calling it Shepherd’s Croft. (I was a shepherd of sorts and Barbara was an actual sheep breeder and shepherd.) Most of the work on our home we have done with our own hands, learning how to be carpenters, plumbers (not very good ones), stone masons, painters, and all the other things you have to be as a home builder. We have so loved being here and have enjoyed our neighbors so that Mineral County has become home.
Over the years I have served as Rector of St. Christopher’s Church in New Carrollton, MD, Trinity Church in St. Mary’s City, MD, Christ Church in Blacksburg, VA, and Bishop of The Diocese of Easton on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. After retiring from Easton I served for two years as the Interim Rector of the Church of the Redeemer in Cincinnati, OH, Assisting Bishop in Newark, NJ, and then for two years as the Interim Rector at Trinity Church, Upperville, VA.
Thank you for inviting me into your lives, allowing Barbara’s and my path to join with yours. It continues to amaze and delight me that after being a deacon, priest, and bishop for forty years, I still get excited as God guides me into new stages of my life.
Your wardens and Vestry described something of the challenges that you have recently faced and what some of your dreams and strengths are. I liked what I heard and I greatly look forward to knowing all of you. My first Sunday at Emmanuel will be May 11th, which is the Feast of Pentecost, also Mother’s Day. It is an auspicious day for giving thanks and for new beginnings. Winter and late frosts are past. Red bud and dogwood are bright bursts of color on our back ridge. It is a time for planting our gardens with a confidence that they will yield fruit. As one of my favorite Easter hymns declares, “Now the green blade riseth… Love is come again like wheat that springeth green.”
May God bless the joining together of our journeys.
See you on May 11th.
In Christ,
+Martin G. Townsend
THE SENIOR WARDEN’S REPORT:
Hello Friends!
There seems to be a few of us that like to sit towards the back of the church. I am not sure why we do this but it seems to be a practice that many of us have acquired. While sitting in the back you may have noticed the cold coming through the old wooden church doors. Not only do we get cold sitting back there but if the door doesn’t latch we have to get up and close it to keep the traffic noise from interfering with our worship. Well, this will be coming to an end. The vestry has approved two new metallic outside entrance doors. These doors will match the color of our Parish Hall doors, and will a sign of welcome to all those who come to visit us.
We are still correcting money for inner sanctuary doors. We are approximately halfway there! Last spring, when we installed the new carpet the old swinging doors would no longer swing. They had given their all throughout the decades. The vestry looked at several options and decided upon two wooden closing doors that will be walnut finished (the design matches our inner parish hall door), with a glass cross in the upper half of each of the doors. Above these doors will be a stained glass window designed by the talented Nancy Marshall, the local artist who created the gorgeous windows in the Parish Hall. This should fill our worship area with beauty, light as well as enhance the reverent quietness. If you would like to help with this project, please send a check to Emmanuel Church with a memo for Inner Door Fund marked on your check.
How wonderful to think of all that will enter through these doors to hear the word of God and receive His Sacraments!
Thanks be to God.
Kim Pifer
Senior Warden
THE FEAST OF PENTECOST:
O
God, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. [Book of Common Prayer, page 227]
“ALLELUIA AEROBICS” MAKES A COMEBACK…
Thanks to the volunteering spirit of the indomitable Ginny Poland, we’re pleased to announce that the “Alleluia Aerobics” classes for women will once again be offered at Emmanuel Church.
The classes will be held on Monday nights each week, from 6:00 PM until 7:00 PM at the church, and there will be a nominal fee of $1.00 per class. All the women of the parish and the community are invited to come to work on physical fitness in a comfortable and relaxed environment.
For additional information about “Alleluia Aerobics”, please contact Ginny Poland or Marcy D’Elisa.
FUND-RAISER FOR BARBARA HOTT:
Emmanuel Church and St. James Episcopal Church of Westernport are planning a fund raiser for Barb in the upcoming months. If anyone would like to make a monetary contribution to the Barb Hott Fund, please place in offering plate or mail with a memo on your check. This money will go to Barb with your get-well wishes to help her during her chemo treatments or towards our fund raiser, please note what you desire. Emmanuel is asking all of our parishioners to help in any way possible during Barb's chemo treatments. Please keep Barb, Tori and Family in your prayers. For more information or input on plans, please contact Kim Pifer at (304)790-1814 or (304) 788-6253.
PRIEST-CELEBRANTS FOR MAY:
o May 4 -The Rev. Donald Vinson
o May 11 - The Rt. Rev. Martin Townsend
o May 18 - The Rev. John Valentine
REACHING OUT TO OUR PARISH FAMILY…
We have many people at Emmanuel Church who have illnesses and other concerns in their lives, and they need not only our prayers but more tangible signs of our love and support. So we’re asking for volunteers to do one (or more) of the following:
1. Get together and send out “get well” or “thinking of you” cards to those who have been ill and/or haven’t been at church in a while;
2. Give a telephone call to sick and shut-in members to see how they’re doing and if they should need anything.
3. Visit members who are in the hospital or nursing homes to see how they’re doing.
4. Volunteering your time (and automobile) to help people get to medical appointments.
Please pray about serving as the hands, feet and heart of Jesus Christ to our fellow believers who are in need. If you’d like to help in this important ministry, or if you’d like to get more information, please see Kim Pifer, the Senior Warden of our parish.
DIOCESAN WOMEN’S CONFERENCE:
The Practice of Prayer
With Guest Speaker
Rev. Margaret Guenther
May 16-18, 2008 at Peterkin Camp Conference Center in Romney, WV
Additional information, including a registration form, is available on our website: http://www.wvdiocese.org/pages/pdfs/WomensConf2008.pdf
SAFEGUARDING GOD’S CHILDREN TRAINING SESSIONS:
Editor’s Note: All persons at Emmanuel Church who work with children should attend this special training. Kim Pifer, the Senior Warden, will be attending on June 20th and is willing to take whomever needs to go.
Safeguarding God’s Children: A Program of Sexual Misconduct Prevention Training provides participants with information they need to protect the children they know and care for in their personal and professional lives. The training sessions includes two parts; the morning portion is based on the Church Pension Fund’s program and focuses on child abuse prevention and awareness, and the second portion addresses issues of sexual harassment and abuse prevention, both in adult and youth populations.
Training is required for all clergy, paid lay employees, and volunteers working closely with youth or shut-in and/or disabled persons. This includes youth choir directors, directors of Christian education, and youth group advisors. Clergy who have not had training in the last five years are expected to attend to renew their awareness.
Sessions currently scheduled are:
o April 19: Lawrencefield Parish, Wheeling
o April 26: Trinity, Martinsburg
o June 20: Peterkin, Romney
Additional sessions will be added later this year and information will be made available when they are confirmed.
A brochure with registration form can be found on our website at http://www.wvdiocese.org/pages/pdfs/sexbrochure.pdf or contact Mollie in the Diocesan Office: 304-344-3597 or mbailey@wvdiocese.org.
PETERKIN SUMMER CAMP SCHEDULE:
There’s still time to save money and register for Peterkin Summer Camps! The deadline to receive a registration fee discount for all of the camps has been extended until May 15, 2008.
Senior Camp: June 22-28, 2008
(Youth entering grades 10-12 and recent High School graduates)
This camp provides guidance into adulthood through personal growth, team work, and spiritual direction. Programs provide time for campers to ask and reflect on questions related to social, moral, personal and religious concerns.
June 29-July 3: ½ week camps (New themes/programs for 2008)
Family Camp: July 6-12, 2008
(Families and Adults)
A week of family renewal in a caring Christian community, Family Camp brings together families of all kinds in a fun and relaxing atmosphere away from the daily demands of life at home. This camp offers discussion groups for all ages, as well as a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities.
Junior Camp: July 13-19, 2008
(Youth entering grades 4-6)
Campers at Junior Camp are introduced to a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Christian. This camp offers instructional themes, worship, music, and a wide range of activities that allow campers to explore their relationship with Christ and each other.
Intermediate Camp: July 20-26, 2008
(Youth entering grades 7-9)
This camp is designed to help young people grow as individuals and as members of the body of Christ. Many fun and engaging activities are offered to encourage campers to renew old relationships and form new and lasting friendships as they move closer to adulthood.
Creative Arts/Hallelujah Hike: July 27-August 2, 2008
(Creative Arts Camp – Youth entering grades 4-7; Hallelujah Hike – 13-18 years old)
Creative Arts Camp allows young people to explore and celebrate their gifts and talents. Music, writing, the visual arts, and crafts are some of the talents that are nourished and expanded during this camp.
Hallelujah Hike is for those with an adventurous spirit! The Hike is designed to promote Christian identity and growth through community living in a rustic outdoor setting. Hikers have a chance to discover their connection to nature through tent camping, outdoor cooking, hiking, backpacking, adventure trails, plants and wildlife.
Registration material can be found on our website at http://www.peterkin.org/pages/camps.html.
WISDOM FROM THE FATHERS OF THE CHURCH:
St. Cyril of Jerusalem (315-395)
Great indeed is the Baptism which is offered you. It is a ransom to captives; the remission of offences; the death of sin; the regeneration of the soul; the garment of light; the holy seal indissoluble; the chariot to heaven; the luxury of paradise; a procuring of the kingdom; the gift of adoption. But a serpent by the wayside is watching the passengers; beware lest he bit thee with unbelief; he sees so many receiving salvation, and seeks to devour some of them. Thou art going to the Father of Spirits, but thou art going past that serpent; how then must thou pass him? Have thy feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15); that even if he bite, he may hot hurt thee. Have faith indwelling, strong hope, a sandal of power, wherewith to pass the enemy, and enter the presence of thy Lord. Prepare thine own heart to receive doctrine, to have fellowship in holy mysteries. Pray more often, that God may make thee worthy of the heavenly and immortal mysteries. Let neither day be without its work, nor night, but when sleep fails thine eyes, at once abandon thy thoughts to prayer. [Lectures on the Christian Sacraments: the Procatechesis]
RECIPE OF THE MONTH:
Gazpacho
This is a cold soup from Spain that’s perfect for the summer months that are approaching very soon. It can be eaten from a bowl or sipped from a cup – if you choose the cup/glass method, you’ll probably want to use your blender or food processor to make it smooth. It looks better that way.
Ingredients:
3 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, drained
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped cucumber
½ cup chopped green pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups tomato juice or vegetable juice cocktail (such as V-8)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Garlic Croutons (recipe below)
Method:
Combine first 8 ingredients in container of an electric blender; top with cover, and process 1 minute or until finely chopped. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Stir in tomato juice and Worcestershire sauce; cover and chill (about 2 hours). Stir in vinegar and olive oil just before serving. Garnish with garlic croutons. Serves 8.
Garlic Croutons:
6 slices white bread
2 large cloves garlic, minced
½ cup clarified butter or olive oil
Trim crust from bread. Cut bread into ½ inch cubes. Sauté garlic in butter/oil in a skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add bread cubes; sauté until golden. Drain on paper towels.
Recipe taken from America’s Best Recipes (1988)
BOOK REVIEW:
Celebrating Common Worship & Hour By Hour –Simplified Versions of the Divine Office
The Divine Office doesn’t mean the place where the Supreme Being does His paperwork or meets with staff. In traditional Christian spirituality and liturgics it refers to a set series of prayers (consisting primarily of psalms and readings from the Sacred Scriptures specially appointed) that monks and nuns gathered to pray throughout the day. Originally these services were based upon the old Jewish synagogue services that existed at the beginning of Christian history, and were later augmented and developed by the Desert Fathers and Mothers in Egypt and other early monastic communities. The intent behind the practice of the Divine Office is the sanctification of time, or perhaps marking out specific periods to remember the presence of God. In Benedictine spirituality, which is the basis for much of the spiritual tradition of the Anglican Communion, praying the Divine Office is known as the Opus Dei – the Work of God.
Over the years the Christian laity became attracted to the practice of habitual, structured prayer as a means of deepening one’s spirituality, and since the invention of the moveable type printing press and vernacular texts, along with more simplified versions of the Divine Office, an increasing number of Christians from mainline churches are adopting the practice.
If you’re interested in incorporating this time-honored, Bible-based and beautiful practice into your spiritual life – and you don’t want to drag around a rather hefty volume that seems overly complex to use around with you – here are two options you may wish to consider.
Celebrating Common Worship: In the 1980s the Church of England created a number of alternatives to its standard 1662 Book of Common Prayer, and Celebrating Common Worship is the official substitute to the old Daily Office in the BCP. It’s a nice one-volume edition that is meant to be easily carried, and to be honest the English is probably more refined than in the American version of the Office (which would only make sense, after all). The brilliance of Celebrating Common Worship is that it arranges all of the various liturgical seasons of the Church in such a way that everything fits into one book that provides considerable variety and flexibility.
Hour By Hour: I highly recommend this little Office Book for those who wish to begin the practice of sanctifying time throughout the day, and especially for people who are very active. Hour By Hour is very abbreviated and only contains Morning Prayer, Daytime Prayer, Evening Prayer, Vespers and Compline for a one-week cycle according to the format of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer Office; however, this is a wonderful way to develop the habit of daily prayer (there’s no need for you to overwhelm yourself). Plus, it has a very durable leather cover and its price won’t break the bank.
Both of these books are available at the Episcopal Bookstore of Seattle, WA (http://www.episcopalbookstore.com/) or Amazon.com. They are priced at under $25 dollars, as opposed to the $116.00 price tag for the complete Contemporary Office Book of the Episcopal Church.
There is, of course, a completely free method for praying the Divine Office for those of you who are friendly with the Internet, and I can highly recommend two sites:
Oremus (http://www.oremus.org/): This ministry gives you the option of subscribing to the daily Divine Office according to the format found in Celebrating Common Worship, which you would receive on a daily basis via email.
The Mission of St. Clare (http://www.missionstclare.com/): Through this site you can actually download the full text of the Divine Office (Morning or Evening Prayer) according to the Contemporary Office Book of the Episcopal Church. In this way you won’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to purchase the actual book, nor will you be required to learn how to navigate through the rubrics. Everything is clearly laid out for you.
Submitted by Michael Summers
WE NEED STUFF!
Once again the beleaguered editor of The Vine makes his plea for your help in making our little newsletter a success.
I know that everyone at Emmanuel Church has something to contribute toward the content of The Vine, and it would be wonderful if you were able to share with us. Please think about submitting some of the following:
o Inspirational quotes and poetry
o Your favorite recipes
o Reviews of Christian books you’ve read
o Photos and recollections from the past of Emmanuel Church
o Photos from your vacation
o Cute photos of your children, grandchildren, pets
o Anything you feel would edify the people of our parish
Depending upon space considerations, I’ll do everything I can to publish your materials in future editions of The Vine.
I’m hoping to be bombarded with your stuff in the very near future!
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