The Courier

July 2003

Volume 56, Issue 7

WORSHIP BY DESIGN

 

Our Capital Projects are well on their way. Under the leadership the Team has begun work that will provide “Grounds That Beautify”. This first phase of the Capital Projects will result in off-street parking, and improved lighting for after-dark events at the church. Anne Strain tipped us off to a product that looks very hopeful. A plastic grid would be buried just under the surface of the ground, and grass planted on top. We are currently researching the claims of the manufacturer. But if they prove true, we could then use the product on the south lawn (Barclay Street side) and achieve both of our goals: provide off-street parking for about 20 cars, while maintaining the look of the lawn, i.e., no gravel or asphalt “lot.” I don’t want to get everyone’s hopes up too high, but we are keeping our fingers crossed!

 

Another phase of the Capital Projects will be to design our interior worship space so that the choir is placed along the central line of the building allowing their voices will carry down the length of the nave. In their current position, the sound waves must make a right turn in order to carry: something not all sound waves can easily accomplish. As with all the projects, I have no interest in rushing toward a solution. The changes we are proposing will be in place for many years to come. We need to be thoughtful and careful as we proceed. We experimented with the choir singing from within the sanctuary for the first three Sundays in June. Everyone is asked to write their impressions and pin them to the “murmur” cloth on the chapel gate. Take a look and see what others are saying. I have connected the Diocesan Liturgical Commission, asking for their advice as well.

 

Whenever a “best” design emerges, the time to make the actual physical changes will be the summer months, when worship attendance is lowest, and no major festivals are celebrated. We could be looking at the summer of 2004, or 2005, depending upon the results of our study. In either event, once a design is finalized we will need to have the financial strength to hire contractors and complete the work. Therefore, please keep current with your capital campaign pledge. It would be a shame to go through all of the trial study to produce a great design, and then discover that we cannot do the work due to a lack of financial resources.

 

There is another benefit that I would like to point out arising from the temporary changes made in our worship space. When we move the ecclesiastical furniture around (altar, lectern, choir seating, etc.) we not only try out various acoustical arrangements, but we also break the attachment of liturgical space to our expression of faith through worship. I believe that mot of us measure our worship experience on one of two models. We judge a worship service based upon how it differs from the church we grew up in, or how it differs from the worship form at the time of our true “conversion” or acceptance of the Christian faith. The specific elements of worship at these formative moments can become for us indicators of the integrity of faith.

 

I want to break that attachment intentionally so that our faith stands outside of any single, particular form or worship. By doing so, we gain the freedom of exercising our faith in a variety of worship settings. Maybe you have attended a service in another church while on vacation or a business trip. If it was too different from what you were used to, you may have come away feeling like you “hadn’t been to church.” If so, that indicates a close attachment to form of faith.

 

For myself, I have attended eucharists in Central America that would cause many to flee in horror. Once while in Nicaragua, I went with the Bishop to a new mission congregation. They were in the process of building their church structure, but until it was finished, they were meeting in a corral that had a corrugated aluminum roof. The bare ground sloped at a fairly steep angle, upon which a collection of chairs (no two alike) had been carried from homes. Another time in Panama, I went with a Diocesan officer to a far-flung congregation that was meeting in a lay leader’s house. The adode home had no doors, so during the service, chickens and pigs wanderd in and out, among the worshipers. Nevertheless, the Word was proclaimed; hymns sung, and bread and wine blessed, broken and shared.

 

For us Christ Church, I would like our faith to have the strength to adapt to a variety of worship forms, without being compromised. Our faith is in life, not in the forms. The forms will always change. Our faith endures.

  

Michael

 

 

 

A NOTE FROM GOD

July 6

Psalm 123

Ezekiel 2:1-7

2 Corinthians 12:2-10

Mark 6:1-6

July 13

Psalm 85

Amos 7:7-15

Ephesians 1:1-14

Mark 6:7-13

July 20

Psalm 22:22-30

Isaiah 57:14b-21

Ephesians 2:11-22

Mark 6:30-44

July 27

Psalm 114

2 Kings 2:1-15

Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16

Mark 6:45-52

 

 

Read What Your Treasurer is Saying to the Church

 

Our independent auditor Theodore Eglit finished his audit of the financial position of the parish for the calendar year ending December 31, 2002 in March. His finding was that our records “present fairly in all material respects, the financial position of Christ Episcopal Church” and are “in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.” Joe Crown and I went over his report with him before I presented it to the Vestry in May. Mr. Eglit reduced his regular fee in view of the continuing financial straits of the parish.

 

In May we also reviewed the procedures for the Sunday counters in order to make them more comprehensive and to streamline them when possible. As of now, we have 18 volunteer counters, with two counters volunteering each Sunday. That means each counter only has to take one Sunday every other month. The counters when they are at work are somewhat invisible, but what they do makes the financial functioning of the church greatly easier. They deserve our appreciation and thanks.

 

The counters have asked that those of us who still use pledge envelopes on Sunday not to paste them shut—opening forty of fifty sealed envelopes adds to the time it takes to do a count and seems to be generally unnecessary.

 

Finally, don’t forget the advantages of the electronic payment of your pledge. If you are interested, see me.

 

Loyd Lee, Treasurer

 

 

SUMMER CAMP IN SESSION

 

Drop by the church on a weekday and witness the transformation: children and counselors are gathering each day on our lawn and in our basement, playing games, reading, writing, drawing, and filling our church with laughter. Our talented staff of eleven, headed by Camp Director, Tory Walley, is working hard to enrich the lives of 57 children this summer. Our thanks go out to the many generous parishioners who have made monetary contributions, donated books, baked cookies, participated in fund-raising events, assembled lunches, etc.

 

Don’t worry…if you haven’t made a contribution to the camp this year, you still have time! The summer promises to be exciting, but we still need your help making it all happen. This year we face several challenges: the Poughkeepsie School District will not be providing food during either the first or last week of camp; we have received a record number of requests for scholarships; and we have had to hire an extra counselor at the last minute to take the place if a Clayton volunteer who came down with mononucleosis. Contributions of any size are greatly appreciated! We also need drivers for special activities and volunteers to help out with the camp barbeque. Leave your name at the church office, or call Margaret Dietsche at 473-9378 or Sally Taylor at 297-2676, if you are interested.

 

Thanks you for your help!

The Summer Camp Committee

 

I AM YOUR CHURCH BUDGET

 

Through me families are launched in marriage, persons are baptized, the young

are trained in Christian character.

I provide a church school and youth activities to your children.

I heat your church building and keep it in repair for your comfort and use. I do

your custodial work.

I reach out to your community and country preaching, teaching, healing in

Christ’s name.

I help to train ministers in the seminaries, and 1 provide assistance to those who

retire after years of faithful service to God through the church.

It is through me that the sick find spiritual strength, the troubled and the

discouraged are steadied.

I go out into the world preaching the Gospel in every language. I carry the Word

to people of every race, color and clan.

I am your budget. Believe in me, support me that I may carry on in your name.

With your help I make possible all of these services. As the budget, I am you at work.

But I do need your help. I do need your support. Without you to undergird me, I

am helpless. You are my foundation, my supporting walls.

I am your money, your prayer, your concern –translated into action. I can do

only what you, through sacrifice, make it possible for me to do.

 

(Source anonymous)

 

 

DIRECTORY/E-MAIL UPDATES

 

New Address: Joe & Marylou Crown            Elizabeth Frost                        Paul Conrad

                       747 Magnolia Avenue             Lutheran Care Center             199 Union Ave.

                      Charlotte, NC 28203               965 Dutchess Turnpike           Pough., NY 12601

                       1-704-332-8466                    Pough,. NY 12603                 pconrad@carthageabstract.com

 

 

SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL OUTING

 

Our summer evening event this year is an encounter with the Bard. Historic Boscobel in Garrison is the venue. We plan to carpool there, enjoy a catered picnic and take in a performance of Antony and Cleopatra on Wednesday evening August 20. Cost will be $42 per person for the dinner and play, a bargain for such a spectacle. Contact Bob Sherer (471-5918 or sherer38@juno.com) for tickets.

 

AN ODE TO THE CATHECUMENS

 

This poem is to celebrate this season’s Catechumns. The class this year is eight in all (not chimpanzees, but humans). We honor them regardless of the fact we have a code. So we won’t write a song to sign, but just a plain ode ode.

 

            All eight are solid citizens, with not a one notorious

            Not Nicholas D. Currie; not Jason P. Gregorius.

            I’d say the value of all eight exceeds that of a sparrow.

            It’s true of Steve Battaglia; it’s trie of Jim Herrero.

 

            We’ll honor them with music, on saxophone or organ!

            A jig for Robin Angstrom! A fanfare for Christ Morgan!

            We hope today they’ll have a chance to do some major feastin.

            Congrats to Irene Currie and to Andrea Easton.

 

            The steady hands of sponsors of eight have kept time from calamity.

            A pair of Flads and Sherers; Jean, Peggy, John, and Amity.

            Three others plan the syllabus, send notes, take care of spill-ups:

            Jacqueline Vierno, Marge Bliss, and Michael Phillips.

            (I mean take care of spillups, send notes, and plan the syllabus:

            That’s Jacqueline Vierno, Marge Bliss, and Michael Phillips.)

 

            Last Friday they all gathered for a weekend of Discernment.

            Did they WANT to be confirmed today? Or instead take a deferment?

            They put together scrapbooks, asked questions of their sponsors,

            And thought about their ministries, and wrote down all the answers.

 

            The process verged on raucous, like punk, or Ethel Merman,

            But when the dist had settled, all had indeed determined

            Once hymns were played,

            And prayers were prayer,

             And sermons had been sermoned

            That on the twenty-fifth of May, each one would be confirmed.

 

            The day has come, the time is here! The bishop is in the hall!

            These kids this morning were confirmed! God help us bless them, one and all!

 

                                                                                                              Robin Angstrom

 

 

HOMILY- ARDEN VIORES

 

Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is the ability to take effective and faithful action in the face of fear.

 

In our day, whenever a diagnosis of cancer is confirmed, the result is fear. What do I do now? How do I find the right medical care? What effect will this have on my family, my work, my life? How much must I endure through various treatments? How long will I life? Many, many questions arise; few have immediate answers.

 

Sixteen years ago Arden Viores received a diagnosis of cancer. Her cancer was the sort that typically races quickly through one’s system, having fatal results. Arden took her diagnosis with courage, the courage to act effectively and faithfully in the face of fear. She sought aggressive treatment. She applied herself to living a full and gracious life. She participated in a community of cancer patients, offering others strength and encouragement. She lived with a heightened awareness of life as a gift, and eventually came to see her illness as a gift as well. Of course she would like to have never contracted the disease. But once it was confirmed, she found a deepening of ties and friendships with a circle of neighbors, and she came to a deeper level of true love with her family.

 

As followers of the Christ, it is courage we seek. In his own time, he could have let things stay as they were. Power, both spiritual and political, was held in the hands of a few greedy and self-aggrandizing officials. The spiritual life of the many had become a corrupt cash generating machine for the authorities. God’s hopes and longings for a just and compassionate world were held hostage. With great courage, Jesus spoke out. He confronted those in power. He spoke the truth as God had given it to him. He died with his courage.

 

This thing called courage is for us of courageous action, so Arden is example for us as well. It is easy to let the world be how it is, how the few in power would like it to be so that they and they associates benefit greatly. But our faith calls us to speak and act, in the name of God, for the holiness of all people and of all life. In that courageous act, we discover true love and true peace. Amen.

 

THE ENCOUNTER

 

There it was, all laid out; Donny from the city in his uncomfortable long black dress coat, buying seafood for his mama—embarrassed as hell—with her WIC coupons. Jeremy was there, watching back in the line at the cashier—pissed.

 

See Jeremy is a really good man, trying to desperately keep his family together on part-time jobs with no benefits. And there he is, this black man sliding along the backs of prostitutes; wearing fancy clothes. Buying lobster tails while Jeremy has to struggle to buy even the cheapest of foods for his sick wife and his children. His fury at this disparity is enormous enough to fell mountains.

 

Donny shares the same desperate struggle though he is alone now. His girl friend, Denise, asked him to stop coming by after he lost—first his job, then his own apartment. He had worked his way through college and found a job in a go-go start-up during the heady days of the internet bubble. Options, his own investments, everything disappeared before his eyes and nothing had worked right since.

 

Donny rode the train north from the city that afternoon after a job interview to see his mama, now dying at her small apartment, of cancer. The clothes came from a crisis center where he had gone, desperate to find something decent to wear for the interview. The clothes were nothing he would have worn voluntarily—too showy, too theatrical. But they were more appropriate than his sweats and sneaks.

 

He spent almost half his meager cash on the train north and another $3.50 on the cab to his mom’s. She was so delighted he had come, she insisted on having a festive dinner; sent him out, insisting that he buy seafood, her favorite coupons.

 

Jeremy told a friend later about this pimp who bought lobster tails with WIC coupons at the super market. Jeremy was pissed that an injustice was done in his sight; that he did not have the resources to buy what he really wanted to feed his family while a pimp (obviously feeding on the backs of poor girls) was able to buy expensive foods. Not only that; doing it by taking money from Jeremy’s pocket by using government coupons paid for by taxes.

 

But what he failed to see was that the seafood was really a package of crab meat that had been marked down as almost out of date. In fact, it was a package that Jeremy himself had inspected and rejected. He did not want to buy out of date food for his family.

 

Donny’s mom died two days later. Donny is still out of work. Before he was fired (excuse me, laid off) from his last job, a supervisor was overheard remarking, “Jeez, a black boy that tall, if he cain’t make it in bucketball, he ain’t no good anyways.”

 

                                                                                                                                                David Newsome

 

FROM THE BATON OF LAURA RUSSEL, MUSIC DIRECTOR

 

Summer rehearsals for Bach in full swing!

Rehearsals began at Christ Church in late June for the 2003 Hudson Valley BachFest.

This summer more than half of the Christ Church Choir is participating, including Angela Colclough, Michael Wood and his son Geoffrey, Diane & Bob Sherer, David Lumb, Sam & Louise Im, Sally Vasse, Betty Olson, Sally Doe and her daughters Laura & Katy, Marge & Jim Bliss, Bonnie Nicholson, Paul Frazer, Susan Russell, and Hal & Mary Gregorius. The full BachFest choir now stands at over seventy members, including eight teenagers (some singing with their parents). The featured choral work is Bach’s Magnificat, to be performed with orchestra on Saturday, August 9th at 7:30pm at Christ Church.

 

Summer Bach Children’s Choir looking for members

 

A children’s choir, ranging in age from 3rd through 9th grade, are singing in the BachFest too. New members are welcome. If you know of a child who might be interested, please contact Susan Bialek at 229-6295 right away.

 

For more information about the BachFest weekend, email Laura Russell at LRussell@netstep.net or go to the BachFest website: www.hudsonvalleysocietyformusic.org and click on “BackFest”

 

Pastoral Letter from the Primates of the Anglican Communion

 

“I have called you friends. II ( John 15.15)

 

United in Common Prayer and Witness

 

To our sisters and brothers of the Anglican Communion: Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the Joy of the Holy Spirit. We met as Primates of the Anglican Communion in Gramado, Southern Brazil from 19th to 26th May 2003, at the invitation of the Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil, to bring before God our common life as the

Anglican Communion and to take counsel together on the life of our churches. Five Primates were unable to be with us and we prayed especially for the Archbishop and people of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, facing the difficulties of the SARS situation.

 

We gathered first and foremost in a spirit of common prayer and worship, listening for the voice of God as revealed in the Holy Scriptures and manifested in the lives of our communities. We give thanks to God for what was shared among us –for the welcome of the Brazilian Church; for the music and worship led by local Christians; for the Bible studies led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, David Ford; and for the stories of witness and Christian discipleship from across the Anglican Communion.

 

In particular, we listened to stories of the growth of our churches in mission, of the creation of new dioceses and provinces and of the fruits of discipleship. They reflect in the richness of our diversity across the globe and the abundant resources of the Gospel to address all people in all situations.

 

We heard accounts of how many people, including faithful Anglicans, have faced extreme situations of natural disaster, disease, the threat of terrorism, social unrest, war and its aftermath. We were moved by stories of Christian witness:

·        .in Sudan, where the Episcopal Church faces the huge challenge of helping to transform a culture of war to a culture of peace;

·        .in other African nations, such as Burundi and the Congo, where despite war, death and disease, the Anglican Church is courageously expanding its mission in circum- stances of deprivation and hardship;

·        .in the Holy Land, where we are saddened by the unbroken chain of violence but encouraged by some recent signs of progress towards a resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict;

·        .in Afghanistan and Iraq, where the humanitarian crisis is in many ways worse than before the recent conflicts, and where we see a need for greater United nations involvement in repairing the damage;

·        in some island states in the Pacific, where the Anglican Church is playing a peace making role in conditions of great political instability and corruption

 

We thank God for the courage and wisdom that he has given in these situations and affirm our solidarity with all who face alienation, persecution or injustice. We are mindful of those who live out their Christian faith as small minorities within their societies.

 

We give thanks for our life together in the Anglican Communion, for the way in which churches of the Communion support one another and, in particular, for the contribution which the Episcopal Church (USA) continues to give to many provinces across our Communion. We send our brotherly greetings to George and Eileen Carey, with thanksgiving for all they achieved in their ministry among us.

 

We rejoice in the fellowship we share with other churches and denominations, at the same time recognizing that any true ecumenical endeavor has to be built on the mutual recognition and respect which we must accord each other as fellow members of the Body of Christ.

 

Our Work Together

 

We take to heart the words of Dr. Esther Mombo, who urges us to “talk to each other rather than about each other”. We welcomed our brother in Christ Rowan Williams, to his first meeting with us as Archbishop of Canter- bury. We listened to him as he shared some of the priorities for his ministry. As reflected in the agenda of our meeting, these are:

·        Theological education, which is facing different kinds of crisis in all provinces;

·        The continuing engagement of our churches with HIV/AIDS;

·        The nature of communion itself and, in particular, how we might be drawn together and renewed in an Anglican Gathering.

 

Theological Education

 

It is our conviction that all Anglican Christians should be theologically alert and sensitive to the call of God. We should all be thoughtful and prayerful in reading and hearing the Holy Scriptures, both in the light of the past and with an awareness of present and future needs.

 

We discussed what basic standards of theological education should be provided for and expected from all members of the Church. All regions face major challenges in this area, particularly in the provision of resources in non-English speaking provinces, and we considered how these should be met.

 

We recognize that there is a distinctive Anglican approach to theological study. This is reflected not only in the way our worship and liturgical life express our belief, and in our attention to Scripture read in the light of tradition, but also in our respect for the exploration and experiment.

 

Theological education in the Anglican communion honors each local context and, at the same time, calls us together into communion and mutual accountability. Therefore, though we wish to develop common standards of theological education worldwide, we value the uniqueness of the work of the Holy Spirit in each place.

 

Supportive of the Archbishop of Canterbury and, with him, convinced of this need, we affirm and encourage the work of the Anglican Communion Task Group on Theological Education.

 

HIV/AIDS

 

We pondered the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on our lives and in our communities and provinces as we shared our experiences and sorrows. HIV tears at the very fabric of our nations and homes. We admitted that the “Body of Christ has AIDS”.

 

Adhering to the teachings of the Church, we determined to engage more deeply in challenging cultures and traditions which stifle the humanity of women and deprive them of equal rights. We agreed that our greatest challenge is to nurture and equip our children to protect themselves from HIV, so that we can fulfill the vision of building a generation without AIDS.

 

AIDS is not a punishment form God, for God does not visit disease and death upon his people: it is rather an effect of fallen creation and our broken humanity. We were reminded at our meeting that Christ calls us into community as friends so that we might befriend others in his name. In that spirit, we resolved to build on what has already been achieved and to re-commit our efforts, prayers and support for all who are living with, and dying from, the effects of HIV/AIDS.

 

Our Shared Communion in Christ

 

As primates, we believe that the 38 provinces and united churches in the Anglican Communion are irrevocably called into a special relationship of fellowship with one another. We thank God for our common inheritance of faith, worship and discipleship – an inheritance which has sustained our journey as one Christian family, and in which we have been united in our proclamation of the Gospel.

 

We recognize that all churches, and not just Anglicans, face challenges in applying the Gospel to their specific situations and societies. These challenges raise questions for our traditional teaching and understanding – questions which require of the Church a careful process of thought and discussion in order to discover a way forward that is true to our inheritance of faith in Christ and to our duty as Christians to care for all people.

 

Recalling the Virginia Report’s exhortation that we should strive for the “highest degree of communion possible with tolerance for deeply held differences of conviction and practice” (Report of the Inter-Anglican Theological and Doctrinal Commission, 1997, chapter 1), we are committed as Primates:

  • To the recognition that in each province there is a sincere desire to be faithful disciples of Christ and of God’s Word, in seeking to understand how the Gospel is to be applied in our generation;
  • To respect the integrity of each other’s provinces and dioceses, acknowledging the responsibility of Christian leaders to attend to the pastoral needs of minorities in their care;
  • To work and pray that the communion between our churches is sustained and deepened; and to seek from god “a right judgment in all things” (Collect of Pentecost)

 

Human Sexuatlity

 

We take seriously the duty laid upon us by the Lambeth Conference 1998 to monitor ongoing discussion of this matter and encourage continued study and reflection in the context of common prayer and worship. We are grateful to the Archbishop of the West Indies, Drexel Gomez, for taking forward our discussion on matters of sexuality by introducing the booklet “True Union in the Body?”, which fruitfully illuminated our study. We are also grateful to Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold for drawing our attention to the Report of the Theology Committee of the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church (USA) on the issue. We commend the study of both documents.

 

The question of public rites for the blessing of same sex unions is still a cause of potentially diverse controversy. The Archbishop of Canterbury spoke for all when he said that it is through liturgy we express what we believe and there is no theological consensus about same sex unions. Therefore, we as a body cannot support the authorization of such rites.

 

This is distinct from the duty of pastoral care that is laid upon all Christians to respond with love and understanding to people of all sexual orientations. As recognized in the booklet “True Union,” it is necessary to maintain a breadth of private response situations of individual pastoral care.

 

Anglican Gathering

 

We discussed the proposal for an Anglican Gathering of lay and ordained people, drawn from all parts of our Communion, which could be held in association with the next Lambeth Conference.

 

There would be significant financial costs, but we firmly believe that such an event would offer the communion an important opportunity to renew its life, witness and mission together. The Archbishop of Cape Town, Njongonkulu Ndungane, has offered to welcome a Gathering and the Lambeth Conference in Cape Town, which has facilities for such events. We encouraged the Archbishop of Canterbury to move ahead with planning for the Gathering in 2008. This would be an occasion for celebration, learning and the deepening of our communion.

 

Invitation to Prayer

 

Having been renewed in the fellowship of our meeting, we invite Anglicans everywhere to pray with us. In his Bible studies, the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke of the joy we have as friends of God in Christ. “Jesus’ joy is given to us”, he said, “so that we might become nourishing to one another, nurturing and feeding one another in the Body of Christ.” It is this vision of the rich blessings to be found in the fellowship of Christ’s Body that inspires us.

 

Give thanks to God for the vibrant life of the Brazilian Church; for the diversity of the Anglican Communion, with its 75 million Christians, witnessing in 164 countries in a thousand languages; and for the faithful and courageous witness of Anglicans as they seek to bring God’s love into situations of hardship, danger and despair. Pray that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Anglican Communion may everywhere be a faithful witness to what God has done in Christ, and to the abundant fullness of life to which he calls us.

 

The fire of love which binds together the Father and the Son be shed abroad in our hearts by the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and renew is in our lives and in our discipleship; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always.

 

POST ON YOUR REFRIGERATIOR

 

SUMMER WORSHIP SCHEDULE

 

            June     8am & 10am at Christ Church

            July      9am at Christ Church

            August  9am Shared Eucharist at St. Paul’s Church, Mansion & Hamilton Streets.   

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