All Saints' Episcopal Church
Roanoke Rapids, NC
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The Messenger, February 2007 |
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Dear Brothers and Sisters, Here we are in February. February, in terms of weather and general disposition, must be the most meager and miserable among the twelve months… I congratulate whoever decided that February would receive the least amount of days… The season of Lent begins later this month. The 21st of February (Ash Wednesday) reminds us of yet another bleak moment in the Christian calendar: the last days of Jesus Christ. Lots of people dislike Lent, even more than I dislike the month of February. We find the absence of the alleluias and the addition of spiritual discipline(s) as more clutter in our already over-crowded and busy lives. We can pass February as something we just skip over or we can look at it as a gift. In the stillness of February, we find ourselves more focused in our need to become centered on Jesus Christ. This is a time to look honestly within ourselves and discover our gifts. We all have gifts. The gifts that we all bring to All Saints’ are monumental because we have gifts that work together. Focusing on our gifts may be hard in the bleakness of this month. However, this can be a time to center on how we live out the Gospel in the world. I remember part of a memoir from Helen Keller. She stated that joys and happiness lie within each of us. External conditions are the accidents of life. Our greatest gifts are love and service. Joy is the holy fire that keeps our focus and purpose lit in times of darkness. As we resolve to keep our focus on God, then and only then do we develop the force-field that guards against gloom and despair. Discovering our gifts in Jesus Christ is the secret to a healthy life. It doesn’t require sacrificing our souls: it requires love, encouragement and the understanding of who we are and to whom we belong. We have that faith. We have our gifts. We have the faith-based journey. All of us at All Saints’ have the ability and faith to: Walk by faith, not by sight. (II Corinthians 5:7) February may seem like the longest month and bleakest month of the year. In the stillness of this cold, bitter month, when we are locked in or snowbound, let us take a look at our faith journey… It is a journey that has no road maps or agenda. It is a journey that we discover on our own… Our gifts of faith and love cannot be imposed… They come from within… Our faith journey is realized in the stillness and darkness. We are called to help each other discover the gifts that Christ has given us. The question is not what we do with our faith: the question is where we place our faith. Faith is saying Amen to God… Our faith of this church is heard by the human heart… The 28 days of February do not have to be a bleak interlude that we hope will pass quickly. Even if the sun is dimmed outside, the light of the Spirit can glow within and help each of us to focus on Christ, develop our unique gifts, and help others to do likewise. May our Lord continue to bless us and our hearts as we continue in the darkness Peace be with you. EYC NEWS I apologize for the confusion about starting back up. I hope that we can get back on track and start this spring semester with a bang. We have a lot to get started on… we will be working on the pancake supper that will come on us pretty fast, and I hope to get a few other projects too. Hopefully we can have a work day in the community were we can serve others. We will also need to start thinking about the events at the Summit, and start asking your parents to think about being an adult participant. Just to update everyone on a few things. I wanted make sure you were all aware that the Diocese was gracious enough to foot All Saints’ share for the Summit scholarships that many of our youth participate in. I also wanted to let you know that due to unexpected, increased costs from Dewey’s, our projected profit from the Sugar Cake sale will only be about $80 on the 155 items that were sold. With that being said, if you still have not paid for your sugar cakes/cookies, please get that money to me ASAP. As always, any additional support that you would be willing to give to the EYC is graciously accepted. Your support goes directly towards activities and programs the youth at All Saints’ participate in. I hope to see you all each Sunday of this month, maybe we can come up with a Super Bowl party or something. Can we have Every Youth Committing to come this semester? Get your ideas together and bring ‘em. In Him, SHROVE TUESDAY PANCAKE SUPPER
Our next monthly meeting will be Wednesday, Feb 21st which is Ash Wednesday and we will vote to see if we change this meeting to either the 2nd or 3rd Tuesday of the month so please do attend so that your vote can be counted. Betty Pearce has mentioned that our Bible reading for that meeting is Mark 6 30-44. Dee Gordon will be calling on individuals to help with the meal preparation. We will host the Church Women United World Day of Prayer on Friday, March 2nd. There were 39 participants at this meeting last year so please attend this function at All Saints’ so that we can host this meeting properly. Do we have anyone in need of the Lex Matthews scholarship? I have received an application and this needs to be received in Tarboro by March 15th. Please call me if you have any questions concerning this scholarship which is for women 23 years of age or older. I have also received notice of the Annual Quiet Day in preparation for lent in Scotland Neck at Trinity Church on Wednesday, Feb 14th. I plan to attend and would like very much to have others with me. The leader will be Mrs. Philip (Nancy) Craig. Registration starts at 9:30 with Medications at 10 AM. Lunch will be $5 and reservations must be made by Feb 9th. The lunch has always been very good. I will also attend the Annual Meeting information session at 10AM in Tarboro on Saturday, Feb.3th for the Annual Meeting to take place in Tarboro on November 9-10, 2007 at Calvary Church. I will make contacts because this letter probably will not reach you in time for the reservation date of Jan. 31st. Sincerely, St. Frances Guild News The St. Frances Guild is an out growth of Christian Social Relations which is an office in the ECW. It is a group of parishioners who visit, send cards or take food as needed. Peggy Barber is Chair of this group and has asked that cards be sent to the following. Dr. Graham Jarman is at home and is recuperating. Please send cards to his home, PO Box 832. Weldon, NC 27890. Goldie Shaw at Guardian Care and her phone number is 537-5451. Selma Wright is back in Guardian Care and is doing well. (Any nursing home residents -see your ECW booklet) If you know of someone who would like to be contacted or visited by this group, please call Peggy Barber at 537-6368 or Vickie in the parish office at 537-3610.
JOYS…Congratulations to the new Vestry Members: Scott Barber, Billy Green, Bill Pierce and Mary Wellman. Thanks to all that accepted the nomination to run and to the outgoing Vestry Members, Jack Barber, Scott Harris, Julie Rountree and especially Liz Thiele for serving as our Senior Warden for two years. & CONCERNS…We send our deepest condolence to Julian Gardner on the recent death of his niece Donna S. Whitley.
EYC Episcopal Urban Caucus 2-7 to 2-10
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
FEBRUARY WORSHIP SCHEDULE Ushers: Bill Pierce, Ed Deese and Fletcher Carter
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A Note from Margie about Convention The 191st Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina was a wonderful event shared by many of us at All Saints’. Val and Tony Short, Peggy and Scott Barber, Pat Barnes and Mary Wellman all attended as delegates or alternates. Our junior delegates were Louis Moncure and Angela Page. It was a unique opportunity for two of our youth to be involved at the national level of the Episcopal Church. There were many resolutions that were passed, some being that we are called to observe the Global Day of Peace, look into alternative sources of energy and especially our Global Missions awareness for the new millennium. There were many, many more issues discussed and passed. Please feel free to contact me for further information. The greatest thing about Convention was the convention itself. It was amazing to be able to not only participate, but to be a part of the larger church. We found lots of affirmation as to the health and direction of our Episcopal Church as it works not only in the Diocese of North Carolina, but in the larger world as well. As Bishop Curry hoped, we left the convention re-dedicated, re-consecrated
and re-committed to the work of making a difference in this world in the name of
Jesus Christ.
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