The Messenger, June, July & August 2009

In an article from Weavings, Gunilla Norris writes, “Many of us are juggling so many things that we are run by our lives rather than living them as gifts from God.  What if we could learn to stop for a moment many times a day?  What if in those moments we could decide to notice the sheer miracle of being alive?  We would then be taking awe breaks instead of coffee breaks.”

A lot of us are wondering about our faith as we find ourselves embedded in hard economic times.  Summer is here, and everything winds down as we try to take some time to smell the roses.  I have traveled a lot this year, mostly to big cities where the energy and the pace of life is always in the fast lane.  I grew up in the city, so the hustle and bustle is very energizing for me.  I have watched people constantly moving with iPods or phones in their ears, sipping coffee on the move, and running to make it to the next destination.  This has made me wonder about city life.  While it energizes me, I also remember why I left it.  It was the times when it would take almost an hour to go one city mile, the never ending grocery store lines, and the concrete jungle that prohibits human bonding.  The city is such a busy place, that it prevents us from looking at our faith and stopping to examine who we really are.

Here in the serenity of Roanoke Rapids, it is still difficult to take time out to discover who we really are, to discover our faith journeys.  The busyness of our lives over shadows our need to be alone to ourselves; to be with ourselves, broken and whole, full of joy and anguish.   Even Jesus took time to go to a lonely place apart.  This summer, let us allow ourselves the freedom to take some time to discover the real joys of life in our faith journeys.

In times such as we are in, we tend to focus on our sufferings.  We focus on what we don’t have, on what could have been ours, and on what we are entitled to.  Suffering and loss do not mean that God is not with us, they mean that we can take the time to discern who we are and how the joys and tragedies of life are shaping our spiritual journeys.

On Easter, we had lots of visitors.  They were folks who were taking time out along the way to enhance their faith.  One couple said that they were on their way to Florida and they saw our web page.  They said that it was so inviting that they wanted to come and share our faith journey.  They didn’t stay for coffee, but they shared with me that they felt at home at All Saints’ as they journeyed to their place apart.

We are all in different places in our spiritual growth.  As we take the time to be with God, we will find that God is present in the midst of the best times and the worst times of our lives.  It’s a challenge as we strive to find time to be apart and to discover our faith journeys.   Because faith does matter…

Blessings,
Margie

Margie’s new cell # 252-676-3035


Summer Hours

Beginning on Sunday, June 7, 2009
8 am and 10 am Holy Eucharist

Sunday School will resume on Sunday, September 13th.



The Messenger is published the last week of each month by: All Saints’ Episcopal Church
Rector: The Rev. Dr. Margie Holm
Editors: Ms. Vickie Irby (Parish Administrator)
Miss Summerlee Walter

  Deadline for the next Messenger: August 20, 2009.

Publications can be found on our website at www.allsaintsrr.org, Webmaster: Mr. Bob Pearce

 If you do not wish to receive The Messenger, please contact the parish office at 252-537-3610 or allsaintsrr@embarqmail.com to have your name removed from the list.

Thanks to Mike and Cathy Scott for printing this Messenger in color.

Books, Books, Books!
Open your minds and your hearts...

GREAT SUMMER READS!!

Bad Girls Go Everywhere: The Life of Helen Gurley Brown
By Jennifer Scanlon; Oxford, 2009

This is a very interesting book that addresses the hardships that women encountered (and still do) in the male- dominated professional world.  Some of us can remember Helen Gurley Brown’s first book that was published in 1962, Sex and the Single Girl.  She has spent most of her life as the avatar (personification) of a pragmatic feminism tailored for the girls who were stuck in the secretarial pool.  Helen Gurley Brown did not set out to change the system per say; she tried to show women how to work in the existing system to get what they wanted and what they deserved.  The author, Jennifer Scanlon, is an award winning scholar and a Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies at Bowdoin.   She gives us an insightful look at Brown’s life by recounting her transformation from ambitious working girl to influential promoter of the power of the feminine.

Outcasts Unite: A Refugee Team, an American Town
By Warren St. John; Spiegel & Grau, 2009

Soccer, immigrants and politics…  A small town in Clarkson, Georgia adjusts to the sudden  presence of  refugee teenagers who play a global game on the manicured park lawns.  The boys who came to this town did not want to give up their favorite game, and neither did their coach.  The coach, a Jordanian-born Smith College graduate is a tough soul who brings together a group of multi-colored athletes into a cohesive unit.  Even the town mayor comes on board, after declaring that baseball would be the only game played in Clarkson.  The author, Warren St. John, is a soccer fan as well, and, he shows us that the beautiful game is this story’s music.

Sag Harbor
By Colson Whitehead; Doubleday, 2009

This book examines the life of a fifteen- year-old boy who is one of a small few  black students attending an elite Manhattan prep school.  Benji spends the school year with upper-middle-class white kids, and his summers are spent hanging with middle-class African American kids.  This is not an action book and, outwardly, it appears that little actually happens.  However, it is a coming of age novel in which Benji experiences his first kiss, the removal of braces, BB gun battles, riffs on slang, New Coke, and bad pop music.  These issues all matter because they show us how Benji is finessing a workable identity in the world around him.  Many of us can relate to our coming of age years!

Crazy Love
By Leslie Morgan Steiner; St. Martin’s, 2009

This is a memoir of tragic and abusive love.  Leslie Morgan Steiner is a Harvard educated writer who writes for Seventeen Magazine.  She does not fit the steretotype of a person coping with an abusive relationship.  This book helps us to understand why women find it hard to leave such relationships.  In today’s society, we know a lot about how and why women stay with their abusive spouses/partners.  Husbands and lovers are good at isolating their partners from friends, family, and other sources of support and help.  There is also another dynamic that we don’t know so much about, and which we see Steiner fails to break away.  She pities her husband and wants to rescue him, as do many women who act as caregivers to the exclusion of their own health.  Steiner states that women don’t need moralistic lectures and self help courses, they need people who are willing to be around them to be courageous enough to help.

The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt
By T.J. Stiles; Knopf, 2009

This is a book about a high profile man who built a steamship empire, then the nation’s biggest railroad, and also engineered what we would call today the stock split.  At the turn of the nineteenth century, Vanderbilt’s fortune was estimated at 100 million dollars, which was unheard of at that time.  He was ruthless and didn’t give much money to charity: however, he did bequeath money to Central University in Nashville, later to be named Vanderbilt University.  This is a great book for historians, but it is slow reading as it takes time to digest all the fistfights, shipwreck, family turmoil, and market manipulations.  As one journalist quoted, “His fingerprints can seem to be everywhere on our history.”

Kids Reading

A Child’s Garden:  A Story of Hope
By Michael Foreman; Candlewick, 2009

A time of war has destroyed a young boy’s home in a nameless foreign country (probably Palestine).  One day, he notices a patch of green sprouting up from the earth in his yard.  He cultivates the vine, even though it is destroyed time and again by the war.  One Spring, he learns that the grapevines and gardens are resilient.  “Let the soldiers return, roots are deep and seeds spread…”  This is a deep meaningful book that is appropriate for any age reader.

The Girl Who Threw Butterflies
By Mike Cochrane; Random House, 2009

This is the story of a young girl trying to sort out her life after suffering the loss of her father and the seclusion of her mother.  As she tries to cope, she joins the boy’s baseball team at school.  Her late father taught her to throw knuckleballs, and she impresses her coaches and peers.  This book tells a sensitive and gentle story that gives us a picture of the trials and tribulations of the coming of age of a young adolescent struggling to find her place in the world.

The Curious Garden
By Peter Brown; Little, Brown, 2009

A young boy who lives in a dark, unnamed city discovers an abandoned garden in an old railroad yard.  Through trial and error, he nurtures the garden, which develops into a rich and beautiful masterpiece.  This story can be seen as an ecological fable, celebrating the creativity and perseverance of a young boy’s own vision of Eden.

Acolytes

Beginning this month, Summerlee Walter will be chairperson of the Acolyte committee.  Since February, Summerlee has been receiving a stipend from the Bishop’s office and from All Saints’.  Part of her increased responsibilities will be to chair the Acolyte and Youth committees at All Saints’.

I want to take a moment to thank Pat Barnes for her diligent and faithful work with our Acolytes.  She has painstakingly mentored and coached our acolytes during the past four years.  That is not to mention the special care that she has given to the church vestments.

Pat has been elected as the President of the ECW (Episcopal Church Women).  Congratulations!  Also, we give her a tremendous thank-you for all of her hard work serving the people and needs of All Saints’.   Thank you Pat!

Blessings, Margie

New Arrival

Keaghan Olivia Moser was born on May 12, 2009.  She weighed 6 pounds 17 ounces, was 19 inches long, and is the granddaughter of John & Charlotte Moss.

Special Note from The Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, The Office of Youth Ministry

We are pleased to inform All Saints’ that Garrison Gordon, Rebecca Gordon, Hall Mebane, and Summerlee Walter have been accepted to serve on the CCY, Chartered Committee on Youth, (formerly the DYC) for the school year 2009-10.

Please keep them in your prayers, as they  attend a retreat in June for leadership training and prepare for youth events in the upcoming school year.

Special Note from The Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, The Office of Youth Ministry

We are pleased to inform All Saints’ that Garrison Gordon, Rebecca Gordon, Hall Mebane, and Summerlee Walter have been accepted to serve on the CCY, Chartered Committee on Youth, (formerly the DYC) for the school year 2009-10. 

Please keep them in your prayers, as they  attend a retreat in June for leadership training and prepare for youth events in the upcoming school year.

CONGRATULATIONS
GRADUATES

Marseille Mosher -High School
Justin Burke
Kristen Green
Luis Maradiaga
Adam Short
Laura Stanley

*********************

All Saints’ Scholars at
Roanoke Rapids
City School

Emma Barber **
Shiloh Burch
Ella Carter *
Marshall Carter ***
Patrick Fiorill ****
Garrison Gordon ****
Rebecca Gordon ****
Edward Gowen*
Bracy Irby*
Hall Mebane ****
Colin Mosher*****
Danika Mosher ***

These students have mastered a demanding set of criteria and have been recognizes as some of the school district’s top academic achievers.

    *First time recognized scholar
  **Second time recognized  scholar
 ***Third time recognized scholar
****Fourth time recognized  scholar

KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!!

SUMMER Scripture Readings

June, 2009

Trinity Sunday, Proper 5 June 7, 2009

Isaiah 6:1-8, The calling of Isaiah into the heavenly kingdom.
Psalm 29, The vision of the glory and power of God.
Romans 8:12-17, We are heirs of Christ by adoption. We become children of God.
John 3:1-17, The story of Nicodemus’s new birth in Christ.

The Second Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 6 June 14, 2009

I Samuel 15:34-16:13, Samuel, under God’s direction, anoints David as king of Israel.
Psalm 20 , The prayer asking God’s help for the new king.
2 Corinthians 5:6-17, Whatever happens, we are to live by faith.
Mark 4:26-34, Two parables: the seeds and the mustard seed.  The growth of the Kingdom in Christ Jesus.

The Third Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 7 June 21, 2009

I Samuel 17:(1a, 4:11, 19-23),32-49, The story of David and Goliath.
Psalm 9:9-20, God protects the oppressed and punishes the wicked.
2 Corinthians 6:1-13, The life of discipleship is not easy but Paul encourages us to live our lives fully in Christ.
Mark 4:35-41, Jesus calms the sea.

The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 8 June 28, 2009

2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 – King David laments over the death of Saul and Jonathan.
Psalm 130 A penitential psalm: Out of the depths, I cry to you.
2 Corinthians 8:7-15 Paul’s request for relief and aid.
Mark 5:21-43 Two healing stories: Jairus’s daughter and the hemorrhaging women.

The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost   Proper 9 July 5, 2009

2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9&10 The beginning of David’s reign.
Psalm 48 Praising God for Zion.
2 Corinthians 12:2-10 Paul is content in weakness.
Mark 6:1-13 Jesus is rejected in his hometown and the sending out of the Twelve.

The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost Proper 10 July 12, 2009

2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 David brings the ark to Jerusalem.
Psalm 24  The Liturgy for entering the Temple.
Ephesians 1:3-14  The Doxology: celebrating the blessings in Christ.
Mark 6:14-29  The martyrdom of John the Baptist.

The Seventh Sunday after PentecostProper 11 July 19, 2009

2 Samuel 7:1-14a  Nathan is instructed by the Lord to inform David not to build the Temple.
Psalm 89:20-37  Praise for God.  The covenant with David.
Ephesians 2:11-22  Unity in Christ Jesus.
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56  The feeding of the five thousand.

The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost Proper 12 July 26, 2009

2 Samuel 11:1-15  The story of David, Bathsheba, and Uriah the Hittite.
Psalm 14  All have gone astray.
Ephesians 3:14-21  Prayer for the reader’s formation.
John 6: 1-21  Jesus feeds the five thousand and walks on water.

The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 13 August 2, 2009

2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a   The parable of Nathan regarding the sin of  David with Bathsheba.
Psalm 51:1-13  Nathan coming to David.
Ephesians 4:1-16  There are many gifts, in our one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.
John 6:24-35  I am the bread of life…

The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 14 August 9, 2009

2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33  The death of Absalom.
Psalm 130  A penitential psalm: Out of the depths, I cry to you.
Ephesians 4:25-5:2  Paul describes life in the community of faith.
John 6:35, 41-51  Whoever eats of this bread will live forever.

The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 15 August 16, 2009

I Kings 2: 10-12; 3:3-14  Solomon asks for the gift of wisdom at the beginning of his reign.
Psalm 111  The works of the Lord are great in all who delight in him.
Ephesians 5:15-20  Be sure to live as wise people.
John 6:51-58  Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me and I in them.

The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 16 August 23, 2009

I Kings 8:(1, 6, 10-11), 22-30, 41-43 Solomon’s prayer for the dedication of the temple.

Psalm 84 A pilgrimage psalm: How lovely is your dwelling place.
Ephesians 6:10-21  We are called to put on the armor of God.
John 6:56-69  The Bread of Life discourse.

The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 17 August 30, 2009

Song of Solomon 2:8-13   Love poetry.
Psalm 45:1-2, 7-10  The Psalm for a royal wedding.
James 1:17-27  Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.  Become doers of the Lord.
Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23  The things that go into the body do not defile. It  is the things that come out of the heart that defile.

Outreach notes

The Outreach committee met on Monday, April 27th.  Debbie Hammack gave an informative presentation about the John 3:16 Center.  It is a nonprofit community program for youth and their families in Littleton.  They provide cultural, educational, and spiritual opportunities, including after-school tutoring, recreation, uniforms and school supplies, supper camp, classes, weekend and holiday enrichment, a food pantry, clothing, home furnishings, and aid at Christmas.  83% of donations goes into community service.  The Outreach committee decided to donate $500 at this time, designate a second Sunday for the John 3:16 Center, and support their annual banquet.

We reviewed donations thus far this year:

January -- $224 for Stop Hunger Now (Retained for the next food packaging event)
February -- $147 for Food for the Poor (Additional donations went directly to the organization without going through All Saints')
March -- $222.25 for the National Bone Marrow Registry
April -- $410 for Gifts for Life
(Episcopal Relief and Development)

Other donations came from our budget, not from second Sunday loose offerings:
Flowers for Nora Batton's birthday -- $75
Donation to A. H. for her electric bill -- $250
We approved the following donations:
$50 -- Easter gifts for seminarians
$200 -- Food pantry
$200 -- Snacks for Families Supporting Families 
$350 -- Food for the Poor
$500 -- John 3:16 Center

We agreed to pay for the radio broadcasts of Margie's sermons for 3 months.  The vestry has also voted to support this.
Second Sunday loose offerings are designated as follows:
May -- Penick Village
June -- Thompson's Children's Home
July -- John 3:16 Center
August -- back-to-school supplies for area children
 Outreach at All Saints' is an important ministry.  Please continue to be generous on Second Sundays.

Mary Wellman, Chairperson

P.S. All Saints’ Food Bank is low again.

The John 3:16 Center, C.A.R.E (Child Abuse Resource and Education) sent a Letter of thanks to All Saints’.

“Without caring and supportive people in churches such as yours, we would be unable to continue our project.  Thank you for your continued support and for being important in the lives of the children in our community.”
 

Sincerely,
Shannon Smiley,
Assistant Director

Care Package for OUR Marine Jack, and his buddies

Here are some ideas for things that Jack and his buddies might like, as most of their needs are being met.  Please, do not feel the need to send everything, but it’s always nice to know that you are remembered back home.  Items for Jack can be mailed to:

HN Scanlon, John W.
CLR 2
Unit 72222
EPO AE 09510-2222
 

 Jack is stationed somewhere around Dewar in Afghanistan.   We thank all of you for your care and support of Jack and the other troops.   Anything you send will be appreciated by somebody if not Jack.  Please keep in mind to send small or travel size items.

Toiletries and Hygiene Products (small boxes)
Powered laundry detergent (small boxes)
Sunscreen
Nail clippers
Paperback Books (Jack loves history and alternative history books)
Quality boot socks (Size 11 plus)
Music CD’s—Sea chanties, folk music
DVD’s—Documentaries or anything
Memory cards and flash drives
Batteries—AA, AAA
Copies of Daily Hearld or any local newspaper
Individual Wet Wipes
Individual Nice’n Clean glass wipes to clean goggles and sunglasses
Beef Jerky, beef sausage, cheese, crackers etc.
Nabs and any kind of snack
Small packages of coffee, particularly Starbucks
Powered Gatorade
Candy—Jack is not a candy eater, but other Maries are.  Sun Chips are Jack’s favorite chips.

We pray for their safe return!

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

June 21 – 25, 2009
5:30—8:00 pm

This year All Saints’ will be hosting Vacation Bible School with the First Presbyterian Church

The theme is Camp E.D.G.E.
Experience
Discover
God
Everywhere

CAMP E.D.G.E. takes children to an extreme adventure camp where they Experience and Discover God Everywhere! CAMP E.D.G.E. Vacation Bible School is not your typical stroll through the woods.  It's an action-packed, adrenaline-filled expedition that teaches kids that their strength and might come from God.  Through rockin' contemporary music, larger-than-life recreation games, and cool, challenging crafts, you'll show your kids how to live on the E.D.G.E. in their faith. CAMP E.D.G.E.

The Schedule

5:30 pm—6:30 pm Dinner (covered dish on the 21st)
6:30 pm—6:40 pm Mission
6:40 pm—7:00 pm Music
7:00 pm—8:00 PM Classes and Crafts

Day by Day Lessons:

Session One:  God is with Me.  I will stay close to God.
     Bible Story:  Trek to the Promised Land (Joshua 1:1-11; 3:1–4:18)
     Bible Verse:  Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God. –    Isaiah 41:10

Session Two:  God guides me.  I will follow.
      Bible Story:  Trek to Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-12)
     Bible Verse:  I am the Lord your God, who teaches you for your own good, who leads you in the way you should go.  – Isaiah 48:17b

Session Three:  God teaches me.  I will learn.
     Bible Story:  Trek to the Pharisee’s House (Luke 14:7-14)
     Bible Verse:  You call me Teacher and Lord – and you are right, for that is what I am. – John 13:13

Session Four:  God loves me.  I will love God and others.
     Bible Story:  Trek to the Upper Room (John 13:3-20; 13:33–14:30; 16:12–18:1)
     Bible Verse:  This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. – John 15:12

Session Five:  God sends me.  I will go.
     Bible Story:  Trek to Galilee (Matthew 28:1-10, 16-20)
     Bible Verse:  And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.” - Mark 16:15

Senior Youth (grades 6-12)  will be working on a project with the Canal Trail  (students in vacation bible school install carriers for 5 – 10 interpretive rails for trees and wildflowers along the Roanoke Canal Trail.  As you know the Canal Trail has many “jewels” along its 7.5 mile distance.  Some of these are the many beautiful trees and wildflowers.  RRHS through their Learn and Serve grant program has been preparing 23 interpretive panels that will installed along the trail to teach some of the rich natural diversity the trail has to offer).

Episcopal Church Women

I am so sorry that more of you did not get to our annual picnic. The weather was iffy, however it turned out to be real nice. Margie Holm had some delicious, somewhat hot, chicken wings and a very good spinach dip waiting for us upon our arrival. We had a lot of other good foods there also; Frances Hursey had a potato salad, Peggy Barber had some baked beans, Frances Jones had that good caramel cake, and Betty Pierce had furnished some brownies. We also had a good assortment of drinks furnished by Margie Holm and Deedie and a unique bucket from Sally Hardison. I brought some deviled eggs and a pea – corn salad. Sandy Lehman had sent the eating utensils, plates, and napkins and of course Deedie had picked up some fried chicken.  Thank you everyone. Margie’s home is lovely and the addition really puts you on the lake with a beautiful view. Those of you who were not there missed a good evening.

There were a number of request for the pea - corn salad recipe so I am giving it to you now . Compliments of Ruth Harris, Betty’s mother in law.

Pea – Corn Veggie Salad
servings - 15

2 cans shoe peg corn (I found Green Giant)
2 cans tiny peas
2 cans bean sprouts
1 large jar pimento
1 large can water chestnuts (cut intothirds)
1 med. green pepper (cut inyo small pieces)
1 onion med.-small (cut into small pieces)
celery small amount (cut into small pieces)
 

Drain all veggies
Heat to boiling

1 ½ cup vinegar
1 ¾ cup sugar
3 Tbsp. water
2/3 cup oil

Turn burner off. Put veggies in marinade and leave in refrigerator at least 24 hours.  Drain, when ready to eat.

ECW Installation Ceremony

On Sunday June 14th, the installation ceremony for the ECW officers will be held at the 10:00 service. Officers taking a new term are: President Pat Barnes, Vice President Sally Hardison, Secretary Sally Hardison, Devotional Life Frances Hursey, and Food Administration Sadie Carol Ward.

I have enjoyed working with you and wish each of you a very good summer.

Sisters in Christ,
Ruthie G

CHURCH PERIODICAL CLUB

The Church Periodical Club’s ingathering is once a year in May.  From one May to the next May, Mrs. Frances Hursey has faithfully saved pennies in her C.P.C. jar.   For six years, she has given a jar full of pennies “with a big smile” on church Periodical Club Ingathering Sunday, averaging about ten to fourteen dollars a jar.  She is a dedicated supporter of Miles of Pennies.

Did you know a mile of pennies is $844.80?

These pennies help buy books and computer supplies for children in pre-school through high school.  Along with giving her pennies, she helps the eight o’clock membership with recycling aluminum cans for Miles of Pennies also.

Wow!!!! Look what one person can do!!

Mrs. Frances Hursey is a true pioneer for many projects and activities here at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, so on behalf of Mrs. Margie Musgrove, Church Periodical Club Co-Coordinator and Ms. Patricia Barnes, former Diocesan Church Periodical Club Director, we are extremely appreciative and give thanks to Mrs. Frances Hursey for showing such love and devotion to the Church Periodical Club and being a true role model for I WILL WITH GOD’S HELP.

Showers of blessings!

Saints’-On-Wheels

Saints’-On-Wheels trips give an opportunity for church members and friends to explore God’s creation with fun and fellowship.  Get to know some really nice people….your fellow Episcopalians!  Please call Vickie in the church office at 537-3610 if you want to go.  If you need to be picked up, let her know.  We should have at least 7 people to go.  Cost per trip will be $10 to cover the cost of gas.  Meals, drinks, admission fees, and other personal purchases will cost extra.  Parents must accompany their children.

Thursday, June 11^th
J.C. Raulston Arboretum and the Farmer’s Market
Raleigh

We will leave at 9 a.m. and visit the Raleigh Farmer’s Market.  You can buy whatever is seasonal.  Afterwards we will have lunch at their restaurant.  Then we will go over for a visit to the Arboretum. www.ncagr.gov/markets/facilities/markets/raleigh  www.ncsu.edu/jcraulstonarboretum

Saturday, July 4th at 5 p.m.
Halifax Independence Day Fireworks

Our own display located on the lawn of the Halifax County Courthouse.

We’ll leave at 4:30 from the office and see this yearly local event, guaranteed not to disappoint.  They are scheduled to have concessions and live music by local Band Exit 173.   Pete Luter is scheduled to jump from a vintage bi-plane.  No charge for this one!

No trip is currently planned for August.  Your trip ideas are always welcome.  If something comes up for August, we will announce it in Church.  You are welcome to invite your non-Episcopalian friend(s); we call it recruiting.

A Special Thanks to all you loyal Saints’ Wheelers.

The Fourth of July

The Fourth of July is a day on which we remember when we became independent from Britain.  It was the birth of democracy.  We often take our freedom for granted, but let us remember the thousands each day who leave their homeland to find the peace and freedom to which we are so accustomed.  The United States of America, like the Episcopal Church of the United States of America, is a diverse community that is made up of wonderful and dynamic people who celebrate our heritage and independence.  Through our differences, we are able to acknowledge and respect the dignity of each and every human being.  Thanks be to God…

We lift up our hearts, O God, on this day of celebration

in gratitude for the gift of being Americans.

We rejoice with all those who share

in the great dream of freedom and dignity for all.

With flags and feasting, with family and friends,

we salute those who have sacrificed that we might have the opportunity to bring to fulfillment our many God-given gifts.

As we deny all prejudice a place in our hearts,

may we also clearly declare our intention to work for the time when all people, regardless of race, religion, or sex, will be granted equal dignity and worth.

Come, O gracious God,

who led your children Israel from slavery, keep us free from all that might hold us in bondage.

Bless our country and join our simple celebration

that we may praise you, our Source of freedom, the One in whom we place our trust.

Ed Hays
A Pligrim's Almanac:
Reflections for Each Day of the Year, p. 111

General Convention
July 8 – July 17, 2009 in Anaheim
 in the Diocese of Los Angeles, California

Imagine Eucharist for 8,000 people. Imagine a marketplace of goods and ideas. Imagine quiet conversations among friends, old and new. Imagine one of the largest legislatures in the world. Imagine the utter silence of prayer before momentous decisions. The every-three-years gathering of the Episcopal Church known as General Convention is all of these things. The 75th gathering begins in Columbus, Ohio, on June 13 and runs until June 21. Bishops and elected deputies, clergy and lay, from Episcopal dioceses all over the world will make broad decisions about our policies and our worship.

Those decisions take the form of resolutions agreed to by both the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. The House of Deputies ranges in size between 800 and 1,000 members. There are 311 bishops eligible to sit in their house. Resolutions come from the groups which carry out the work authorized by the previous convention, bishops, dioceses, provinces (geographic collections of diocese), and deputies. Committees hear public testimony on all resolutions before they come to the houses. Deputies cannot be instructed to vote one way or another. They agree to have an open heart so that they can prayerfully listen to others and be led by the Holy Spirit. And, they cannot refuse to vote on an issue. Convention is more than legislation. All business stops each morning so that everyone can join in the Holy Eucharist. The exhibit hall is a marketplace in which organizations and interest groups present their wares, recruit members and do their best to infl uence legislation. Many church-related organizations hold meetings in conjunction with Convention.

Episcopal Life

Living the Question

When the Episcopal Church meets together as the General Convention in Anaheim in the Diocese of Los Angeles, California, from July 8 – July 17, it will be the 76th time the church has gathered to be guided by the Holy Spirit in setting the direction of the church’s mission and ministry.

The Episcopal Church’s Office of Communication offers this series of six bulletin inserts to help Episcopalians learn more about the church and how it makes decisions about its mission and ministry. To know where we are going, it helps to know where we’ve been, so we begin at the beginning.

Henry VIII and the separation from Rome

The Episcopal Church began because Henry VIII wanted a divorce, right? Not really. There was more going on in the 16th century than Henry’s marital problems, some of it political and some of it theological.

Through prior centuries of war and turmoil the church in Rome worked to preserve European civilization. It enforced rules of conduct, appointed rulers, and controlled the economy. A monk named Martin Luther and others protested what they saw as the church’s excesses and interference with people’s faith.

King Henry didn’t like Luther’s reform movement but he wanted more control of the church in England. He, like many political leaders of his time, wanted his people’s undivided loyalty, and he had other uses for the English money that supported the church in Rome. Henry broke from Rome, and England suffered as Roman Catholics and Protestants battled for control of the church and the government.

Henry’s daughter, Queen Elizabeth I, devised religious and political arrangements, including the third version of The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) in 1559, that left the English church with both Roman Catholic and Protestant characteristics. Walking this middle way between the traditions makes us a sacramental church that promotes thoughtful debate about what God is calling us to do and be as followers of Christ.

While the words of the BCP were first heard in what is now the United States on San Francisco Bay in 1579 (when explorer Sir Francis Drake prayed after putting ashore), what is now the Episcopal Church grew up in colonial settlements on the East Coast. After the Revolution, its members forged a church with no formal loyalties to England.

So The Episcopal Church began with a question. Could a church change its loyalties in this world and still be loyal to Jesus? The Reformation’s answer was yes. It showed that we learn more about God when we ask our questions and listen for the answers in prayer and in the words of others in our communities. We began in a disagreement and our history tells us that the church survives disagreements when it stays focused on the importance of coming together to give thanks to God and to do God’s reconciling work.

Text by Mary Frances Schjonberg, national correspondent for Episcopal Life Media.  Read more about it:
A History of the Episcopal Church, by Robert W. Prichard, Morehouse Group, © 1999

Welcome to the Episcopal Church: An Introduction to Its History, Faith, and Worship, by Christopher L. Webber, Morehouse Publishing, © 1999

Why I Come to the Altar of God

I come, not because I am worthy, but because I have sinned and fallen short of what, by God’s help, I might have been.

I come, not that there is magic in partaking of Christ’s body and blood, but because of the Lord’s command, “Do this for the remembrance of me.”

I come, because Christ bids me to come.  It is His table, and He invites me.

I come, because here is portrayed the sacrifice of my Lord who gave Himself for me.

I come, because I find myself drawn closer to God, the Christ of Calvary, and to those who kneel with me at Holy Communion.  Yes, I am made to feel my kinship to all those everywhere who proclaim Christ as Savior.

I come, because I rise from the Lord’s Table with a new strength, courage, and power to live for Him who died for me.

The Anglican Digest
Pentecost A.D. 2009

Let us pray for those who have died.
Harry House, The Rev. Alfred (Fred) Clark Martin, Brittany Hicks, and Joanna Curry Warren.

Gracious God, by your mighty power you gave us life, and in your love you have given us new life in Christ.  We now entrust all your servants to your keeping, in the faith of Jesus Christ who died and rose again, and now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit in glory forever.  Amen