"Yes, thank
you. We had a good trip and a wonderful summer." My standard reply to the
many kind inquiries from parishioners (and colleagues at the College) about our
recent visit to Oxford. It was
good to be back in England for a whole host of
reasons. Certainly we did not miss the heat and humidity of a North Carolina
summer. England was relatively cool, and it was great to sleep at night with
the windows flung wide open!
Even more so, it was good
to reconnect with old friends and colleagues, to have time for sustained study
and writing, to slow down and be still, and to experience the splendid worship
and spirituality of the Church of England.
When traveling in the
"old country", many American Episcopalians have come away with a
distorted impression of the Church of England. Small congregations, modest
clerical salaries (English priests all receive the same adequate stipend +
rectory to live in), and less than ideal facilities suggest to our experience
that this is a decayed and dying Church. I beg to differ. In fact, I find in
the English Church a wealth of spirituality that is both remarkable and
compelling. Why is this?
There is, of course, no
single answer. In part, it has something to do with spiritual commitment. Attending Church is no longer fashionable in
England (in fact, some would say that it has become downright unfashionable!);
hence, those who frequent the inside of a Church now do so out of a sense of
spiritual (as opposed to social) commitment that is both deep and sustaining.
The impact of
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Adult Christian Education 4
Adult Inquirers 5
General Convention 2
Keenagers 4
Monday Night Bible Study 6
Rally Sunday 2
Search Committee 4
Supper Club 6
Stewardship 2000 3
this was obvious: the Gospel seems to have a marked
influence upon the way English Christians spend their money, raise and educate
their children, balance the demands of work and family, share their faith with
others, and reach out to those in need both at home and abroad.
It also has something to
do with what I call "essentials." The Church of England (like the
early Church?) seems to focus on what is "essential" to the life of
faith. In other words, the "issues" which set (and dominate) the
agenda elsewhere are much less conspicuous in England. (Frankly, I found it
refreshing that the Church of England still clings to the "old"
notions of the Trinity, as opposed to the so-called "new trinity" –
"gender, race, and sexuality" – which have come to dominate the life
of the American Church!)
Whatever the reasons (and there may be others), the
result was spiritually uplifting. We thus return to See Clergy Corner on page 2
Clergy
Corner
continued from page 1
the hectic pace of our normal existence renewed,
refreshed, and inspired.
I hope and pray that each
of you had a wonderful summer. I also hope and pray that the past few months
have been characterized by sustained spiritual growth in your lives and that,
as our parish prepares for the commencement of a new spiritual year, you are
excited about being a child of God, and all that implies!
We remain very grateful
for our recent experience, and for the transforming of our hearts and souls.
Blessed be the Name of the
Lord. Amen.
General
Convention
Reflections
From Our Presiding Bishop
(Paraphrased
from Presiding Bishop’s August 2000 letter)
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I write this letter in the
first weeks after our General Convention. Many who took part would say it was
both figuratively and literally a mountaintop experience.
After Convention I spent
several days at a monastery in New York to allow myself time and space to let
the Convention experience settle and speak its own word to me. As one who spoke
much during Convention I needed to adopt the stance of listener in order to
know what God had said to me at Convention, to find out what is the deeper word
being addressed to us as a faith household.
One image that immediately
stood out for me was the large Convention banner depicting the face of Christ.
What made the banner unusual was that Christ’s image was composed of many
diverse faces, who through baptism, form the body of Christ. This banner says
to me that the work of our community is to claim our oneness in Christ. We’ve
been given the community. We haven’t created it ourselves. However, we must claim
it, so that difference is reconciled in one body. We claim the gift of
community by breaking down walls of hostility and division. I believe all
gathered at Convention understood that, despite our different perspectives, we
are members one of another called to live the costly mystery of reconciliation.
Another word I’ve pondered
is jubilee. Over the past year I’ve spoke about it and its theme ran through
the Convention. However, when I first thought of it as a theme, I don’t think I
fully understood what it means if we take the rich biblical notion, which means
to begin to do the work of release, remission, and the reordering of
relationships according to God’s passionate desire for the free and full
flourishing of all that God has created. I don’t think any of us knew where
this jubilee theme might take us. However, it did lead us to ask a very
profound question – “What does it mean to live with one another in the
communion of the Holy Spirit?” And our daily encounters with one another kept
the question before us, not as something theoretical but as something
participated in and lived in day by day.
Truth is encountered in
communion. That truth, however, never stands on its own; it is always drawn by
the Spirit of Truth from the fullness of Christ. Any truth held apart from
Christ, who is the Truth, is idolatry. Our Convention was searching after truth
in a context of communion. This meant that, by God’s grace, we moved during
those mountaintop days beyond notions of winning or losing (either/or) to a capacity
to welcome paradox (both/and) as an integral to our genuine orthodoxy and
catholicity. It required of us all a willingness to listen not simply with the
mind ready to oppose or correct but with the ear of the heart ready to welcome
others in the strength of God’s ever-welcoming compassion.
Genuine communion requires a
dying to self and therefore self-interest. Such transcending of one’s own
personal desires for the sake of the other is a consequence of love and it can
even live with unanswered questions.
Convention contained many
instances of this kind of compassionate and loving attention to one another,
and on all sides there See General Convention on page 3
General Convention
continued from
page 2
was a willingness to seek after communion rather than
resolution. How we live with one another says far more about us than the
decisions we make. There were, of course, instances in which sin rather than
grace was revealed, as we reminded ourselves each day in our corporate
confession at the Eucharist.
What stands out most clearly
is that we moved into a greatly expanded and deepened sense of the Episcopal
Church as truly a Eucharistic community. A community growing every day beyond
compromise and conflict into communion, more able to bear one another’s burdens,
whatever they may be, and in this way fulfill the law of Christ.
Now we have come down from
Convention’s mountaintop experience and we have been changed. We are not the
same people, or, in a sense, the same church in virtue of what we lived
together there. Jesus came down from the mountain following the
transfiguration, and set his face toward Jerusalem and the work God had given
him to do on our behalf. There is work for us to do as well: the work of
mission as a Church to restore all people to unity with God and each other in
Christ. This is an ongoing task in every age, and it’s my hope and prayer that
the decisions, discernments and continuing questions which emerged from our
Convention will assist our whole church in being faithful to God’s intent and
make us a sign of hope to a broken and divided world.
As I ended my time of
retreat, I realized that I’ve been given a great sense of joy about who we are,
a sense of hope about who we are becoming, and a sense of wonder at the grace,
and the power, and the love of God. May our community continue to grow into
God’s purposes for us, giving thanks for all that has been, and offering
ourselves for all that might be.
With gratitude and
affection, I am, yours ever in Christ.
The Most Reverend
Frank T. Griswold
Servant Life Readies For
Exciting Rally Sunday
The Servant Life Council is busy readying itself for
an exciting upcoming Church year; and looks forward to kick it all off on Rally
Sunday. Each ministry will be represented, along with sign-up sheets for you to
become involved in those you feel called to. We’ll also have a collection point
for focused donations to the Food Pantry and Episcopal Farmworkers
ministries.
n PARISH FOOD PANTRY. Provides emergency food for walk-ins.
Standard collections are made the 3d Sunday of each month.
n COAT MINISTRY. Collects new
and good condition used coats throughout the year for distribution through
several local service agencies.
n MEALS MINISTRY. Continues to
provide prepared meals to parishioners, and monthly to the staff/volunteers of
the CARE Clinic. Volunteers are always needed who are willing to periodically
prepare and deliver a meal.
n PASTORAL CARE and LAY
EUCHARISTIC MINISTER VISITATION TEAMS. Have continued to grow and extend the
capabilities of the parish to reach out to those parishioners needing these
ministries. Persons interested may sign up or contact the church office.
n EPISCOPALIANS FOR HABITAT.
Has built four houses locally, and provided the support for our Mission Team to
build a house in Honduras. People interested in this ministry can volunteer any
Saturday (8AM-1PM) at Habitat Village (Buxton & Sessoms St.) to help in
house building. No special skills are required.
n ADOPT-A-FAMILY Program. Will
return stronger than ever; and we will be looking for volunteers to serve as
sponsors to help deliver to the 25 families that we’ll adopt this year.
See Servant Life on page 4
Servant Life
continued from
page 3
n ALTERNATIVE GIVING (Habitat,
Heifer, World Crafts, etc.) PROGRAM will again be emphasizing the opportunities
for unique methods of holiday gift giving.
n MISSION GROUP. Sends out a short-term mission team each
year, alternating between an overseas and an Appalachia area location. In June
2000 they went to Honduras on a building/medical mission. They also conduct
fundraisers for our two Partners in Mission (The Rev. Robert Mbinda in Tanzania
and Wycliffe Bible Translator Coleen Anderson).
n LATCHKEY Program. Resumes this month, providing mentoring and
help with homework to at-risk children through the Branson BRIDGES center on
Davis Street. Volunteers have a unique opportunity to help within the local
community in a structured environment.
n
Support
to Urban Ministry, the CARE Clinic, CONTACT and the Family Life Center were
maintained last year, both financially and with volunteers. We look for even
greater participation this year; and will also be continuing our support to the
Episcopal Farmworkers Ministry at Newton Grove, Cumberland County’s Interfaith
Hospitality Network for Homeless Families, and Fayetteville’s Homeless
Coalition.
We look forward to everyone visiting
us at our Rally Sunday tables, as we show the many ways in which you, the
parish family, pour out your thanks to God through your faithful commitment to
answer God’s call by using our Gifts of God to go out and serve the people of
God. This promises to be yet another banner year for Holy Trinity members to be
Servants of the Church; and we look forward to the highest levels of
involvement ever.
Stewardship 2000
Your Gifts To Give
Frances Morketter- Each Sunday, as we end our
services, we are given the words, “come in to worship, go out to serve.” I think these are very thought-provoking
words that we all should not take so lightly.
I also feel we could add, somewhere, “come in to serve too.” There are many wonderful ways right here in
our church where we can offer up our time, talents and gifts in a glowing way
that not only helps the church’s needs but also is a way to serve the Lord. We all have individual gifts that were given
to us so that we may give and share them with others. When I say “share” I mean giving of your time, or a talent you
may have, or even funds that you are able to give to help your church family
continue to do the job it does so well!
Think of the spiritual fulfillment you are able to receive any given
Sunday you desire. Our church is here
every day, all year, ready to serve you and your family in any way necessary.
Are you there all year for your church?
There are so many areas that need love, care, involvement, attention in
our church. We need you to step
in. What are your gifts? You do have them!
When
I took Disciple class, we were told the last session we would need to bring a
list of each classmate’s “gifts” and share them with each other. Well, I was so worried what I might
hear. Did I have gifts? What if no one said I had good gifts? I didn’t know what I would hear. That ended up being such a wonderful day of
bonding and inner spiritual growth for me.
For someone to point out the gifts that you hold, that you may not even
be aware of having, that, in itself, is a gift. You all hold these gifts, gifts like: faith, love, teacher, prophet, healer, helper, service, apostle,
knowledge, hospitality, evangelist, wisdom.
Which gifts do you have? We all
possess some and what a great thing to do with a gift but to give it! Our Stewardship 2000 theme is “The gifts of God for you the people of God,
take them and….” What are you going to
do with these gifts? Think about your
gifts and how they will work for you and your church family. We are so blessed here at Holy Trinity See Stewardship 2000 on page
5
Stewardship 2000
continued from
page 4
with such a special parish family. Let’s take care of our family by sharing and
giving our gifts so that they may be best used in serving our Lord.
Search Committee
Nancy Broadwell- The search committee is continuing to receive
names, so if you have encountered an outstanding priest over the summer let us
know.
We
have studied all the resumes that have been received to date. We are still waiting to receive resumes from
some that have been sent the profile.
The response to the profile has been very positive so we can be proud of
what we have presented. Several people
who have received the profile have indicated that this is not a good time for
them to make a move for various reasons.
This has been disappointing for the committee but we still have some
excellent prospects.
We
have begun telephone interviews with the priests we find who most fit our criteria. We ask a series of questions that help us
begin to get a feel for that person other than on paper. The next step will be to talk to the
references that these persons have given for our use and request a video of a
sermon if possible.
If
all these things look positive then we will schedule a visit to the parish of
that priest and spend some time with priest and family as well as attend a
service. All this will take time. We are committed to finding for Holy Trinity
the best possible priest for the next step in our journey to be the people of
God in this place. Please continue to
pray for us
Adult Christian Education
Studies
The Fall’s Adult Christian Education program will
kick off on September 17th. We’ll begin with a 2-week (Sept. 17th
and 24th) presentation and discussion on our General Convention led
by our own delegate, Nancy Broadwell. (Note: On Sept. 17th we’ll
also have a short introduction to the Endowment Program prior to Nancy’s
presentation.) Then during the next 4-weeks (Oct. 1st, 8th,
15th, and 22nd) we’ll again offer a dual-track program.
During it you may choose between a 4-week study on the Serenity Prayer
facilitated by Pat Davis; or two 2-week studies, the first entitled “Jubilee
and Jesus” wherein we’ll explore what this year of Jubilee means to us in our
modern world, and the second entitled “Come and See” which is an invitation to
conversation about our lives together in the Episcopal Church. The remaining
six weeks (Oct. 29th, Nov. 5th, 19th, 26th,
Dec. 10th, 17th) will be a focused Scriptural study (with
a work book) of John’s Book of Revelation in which we’ll look at his depiction
of our hope for our futures. Note that there is no Adult Christian Education
scheduled for Nov. 12th (Bishop Daniel’s Visit), Dec. 3rd
(Annual Parish Meeting), Dec. 24th (Christmas Eve), or Dec. 31st
(New Year’s Eve). Also, to assist in your spiritual preparation during Advent,
Deacon Dave will again be conducting a Parish Quiet Day on Saturday, December 9th.
These promise to be very interesting programs; but can only be as successful as
your level of participation. So we hope
to see all our adult members joining us each week to make these sessions
stimulating and insightful. Also, if you have a particular subject you’d like
to be involved in facilitating, please contact Martha or Dave so we can discuss
how best to fit it within our parish program.
Keenagers
Margaret Peterson- The sharp (we think so,
hence the “keen” in our name!) “over-fifty” men and women of Holy Trinity will
meet at noon on Tuesday, September 12, in the Church Library.
We
gather on the second Tuesday of each month for a light lunch, an interesting
program, a bit of business, and much relaxed socializing.
Come
join us!
Evening
Eucharist and Healing Service Returns
Dave Davis- In our
continued effort to provide the Sacrament of Healing, we will again be offering
an evening Eucharist service, during which this Sacrament will be offered. The
service will be held on the second Wednesday of the month at 7PM beginning September
13th. While the Sacrament of Healing
will still be offered during the
service on the 4th Sunday of each month, our hope for the evening service is to
continue offering this Sacrament in a much more focused and personalized
environment. We hope that anyone suffering illness of body, mind or spirit will
join us and take advantage of this precious opportunity.
Adult Inquirers Class
Deepens Understanding Of The Church
Dave Davis- Our
current Adult Inquirers Class held their initial class on August 29th. This
program was reworked to provide more time for study, group discussion and
personal interaction as the group works at deepening their understanding of the
church. The course is designed for not only those new to the Episcopal church,
but also for those looking to learn more about it or relearn things they may
have studied long ago. It also serves as a basis for those looking to be
Confirmed, Received or Reaffirmed in the church. Instruction will center on
Scripture, History, the Book of Common Prayer, our Liturgy and Traditions, the
Sacraments, Spirituality and Servanthood. Classes will be held on Tuesday
evenings (Sept. 12th, 19th, 26th, and Oct. 3rd
10th, 17th, 24th) from 7-9PM in the Parish
Hall. We are very excited about this new group of pilgrims; and ask that you
keep the program, and especially these sojourners, in your prayers as they
progress in this part of their journey. Our program will be completed in time
for our Bishop’s Confirmation visit to the parish this Fall. If you have questions,
please contact Deacon Dave.
Endowment Corner
“Take my life, and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee; Take my moments and my days, let them flow in
ceaseless praise.”
Insuring the Ministry
of the Church
You
use life insurance to guarantee your family an income, if you die. Why not use life insurance to guarantee your
larger family, the church, an income in a similar way?
Life
insurance offers some unique and creative ways to make a gift to the church.
For
example, by making the church the beneficiary and owner of a life insurance
policy, you not only get to deduct an amount equal to your premiums from
taxable income, you effectively leverage your gift, ultimately giving the
church a gift that is much larger than all of the premiums that you paid.
Or,
you could take out an insurance policy that upon your death will go into an
endowment that will generate the amount of your usual annual pledge, thereby
insuring that your support of the church will continue in perpetuity.
Or,
you could use the income generated by a charitable trust to purchase a life
insurance policy that will ultimately replace, or in some instances, surpass,
the amount of the principal removed from your estate by the charitable gift.
These
are just a few of the creative ways that life insurance can be used to fund the
mission and ministry of your church for many years to come.
Weighdown Workshop Slashes
Prices!!!
Kathy Oyama- The home office of the Weighdown Workshop wants
everyone to participate in this important program, so prices have been
slashed! The Exodus from Strongholds
series is a bible study based on the principles of loving God with all our
hearts, souls, minds and strength.
We learn how to love God See Weighdown on page 7
Weighdown
continued from
page 6
more than we love food, shopping, smoking, T.V. and
yes, even ourselves! We learn how to
put God first in our lives, above all worldly passions.
In
an effort to reach as many as possible, the price of the program has been cut
to $19.95. For your money you will
receive a workbook containing a weekly bible lesson and one audiotape entitled
“Strongholds Basics.” We would strongly
encourage the purchase of the weekly audiotapes for $39.95, but this is no longer
required and these tapes can be purchased at anytime during the course of the
program.
During
the 12-week session, we will meet on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 – 8:00
p.m. Forty-five minutes of class time
is devoted to a videotaped lesson and 95 minutes to bible study, prayer, and
discussion. If you would like more
information, an open house will be held on September 5, at 6:30 p.m., in the
Johnston Room. You may also contact
Kathy Oyama at 323-9779 or Louise Hall at 484-9478 for details.
Monday Night Bible Study
Group Returns
Dave Davis- Once again we’ll offer those desiring an evening
Bible study an opportunity to join us for some fun and insightful
discussion. During the Fall session,
Deacon Dave and Keith Merritt will facilitate this group as we look at Paul’s
Letter to the Romans. This book is
often referred to as the Gospel of Grace, as it offers so much Good News for
God’s People. The group meets each
Monday evening, beginning September 11 through December 11, in the Parish
Library, from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Babysitting will be available in the nursery (NOTE: The group will not meet September 26 and
October 9). Holy Trinity has truly been
blessed with the capabilities to offer three different and distinct
opportunities to study Scripture. Our
Disciple course, along with the Wednesday
morning and Monday evening Bible study groups, provide every member of the
parish various ways to enter into open exchanges on the Word alive in their
lives. We invite all members of the
parish to be involved in one of these formats of studying the Bible and
exchanging ideas in a group setting.
Supper Club
Alexa Haar- Twice a year people can sign up to participate in
Supper Club. Both singles and couples
are welcome! Participants are assigned
to a group of 8-10 people, and each group meets once a month in a group
member’s home for dinner. All
participants contribute to each dinner, and the dinner locations are rotated so
that each member or couple can host a dinner at his/her/their home. Supper Club provides a wonderful opportunity
for both newcomers and “old-timers” to have fun and get to know one another
better in an informal setting.
Please
turn in your Supper Club registration to the Church Office by September 24. On Sunday, September 24, we will have a
Supper Club Reunion Dinner in the Parish Hall.
Those who have participated in Supper Club before and those who are
interested in being part of Supper Club, are invited to attend. The dinner will be potluck and begin at 6:00
p.m. A nursery will be provided. Please turn in your reservation for the
Supper Club Reunion by September 17.
Hope to see you there!
Fellowship Bridge
Alexa Haar- If you are a bridge player, please consider signing
up for Fellowship Bridge! We meet once
a month in members’ homes to enjoy some fun and fellowship over a game of
bridge. Bridge expertise is not
necessary, just come prepared to have a good time. If you do not have a partner, one will be assigned to you. We meet the first Saturday of every month
beginning in October. Twice a year we
have a potluck dinner. Please register
for Fellowship Bridge by September 17, in the Church Office. If you have Bridge-playing friends who are
not members of Holy Trinity, please feel free to ask them to join us. The more the merrier!
