The Courier

December 2001

Volume 54, Issue 12

Led by the Spirit

I suppose every church would like to think that the Holy Spirit is in some significant way guiding and directing its life and work. Churches are spiritual institutions and not merely helping agencies or service organizations. God's Spirit is supposed to be here, and close to the heart of all that we do.

But how do we tell? How do we chart, or measure, or even recognize that the Holy Spirit has taken up residence at Christ Church, and is actively working in the middle of all that we do? The Spirit does not punch a time clock, or leave written notes on the Rector's desk or in the Warden's mailbox, or leave other clear and obvious physical evidence of its wants and wishes. Although the guiding presence of the Holy Spirit is something we desire, the discernment of that Spirit is not at all easy.

At the Annual Meeting, scheduled for December 2 at 9:00 a.m., I will introduce some of the principles we learned at the weekend at the Cathedral in Sacramento which have enabled them to place the movement of the Spirit at the center of the parish. At the Annual Meeting we elect Vestry and Wardens. This year, the nominating committee is looking especially for members of Christ Church who are open to engaging the process of discernment because the Vestry will begin to take seriously the task of discerning the Holy Spirit for our parish. The Vestry at Trinity Cathedral has been doing this for the past seven years and it has made an enormous difference in the atmosphere of the congregation. The principal task of their Vestry is to discern the Holy Spirit in the life of the parish and as a partner in ministry. And everyone who becomes involved in the Cathedral knows it.

Does the Cathedral Vestry always and in every case accurately discern the concerns and wishes of the Spirit? No. We humans are known for our consistency in making mistakes. But the fact that the Vestry is sincerely trying and has put this activity as its primary function reorders everything else that takes place there. The leadership group is a group of discerners. The real of the Cathedral is the Holy Spirit, and the Wardens, Rector and Vestry are doing everything they possibly can to provide avenues for the Spirit to be known and followed.

Early in February the Vestry will be going away for a weekend retreat. At that time, they will do two things. Firstly, they will receive training in the discernment process and secondly, use that process to write a vision, mission, and values statement for Christ Church in 2002. The author behind these documents will be the Holy Spirit of God, or at least, the closest we can humanly come to writing them on the Spirit's behalf. Once written, members of the Vestry will be taking them to the Episkopoi and other ministry groups in Christ Church to share them, and explain how each ministry can use them to guide and direct their work.

Please join us on the second of December, not just to vote, not just for breakfast, but also to hear about this important next step in our common life in Christ.

Michael

Note From God

v Dec. 2: Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:8-14; Matthew 24:37-44; Psalm 122

v Dec. 9: Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12; Psalm 72

v Dec. 16: Isaiah 35:1-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11; Psalm 146

v Dec. 23: Isaiah 7:10-17; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25; Psalm 24

v Dec. 30: Isaiah 61:10-62:3; Galations 3:23-25; 4:4-7; John 1:1-18; Psalm 147

Dinner and a Movie

There will be an all parish pot luck dinner and a movie on Saturday, December 8. The evening will begin with a communion service at 4:30 p.m. followed by dinner and the premiere showing of the Sunday School video "The Story of Esther". All are welcome!

The deadline for the January "Courier" is Sunday, December 16. Please bring items to the parish office. Thank you - Michele.

A Modern-Day Parable: A lady had recently been baptized. One of her coworkers asked her what it was like to be a Christian. She was caught off guard and didn't know how to answer, but when she looked up and saw a jack-o'-lantern on the desk, she answered: "It's like being a pumpkin.". The coworker asked her to explain that one. "Well, God picks you from the patch and brings you in and washes off all the dirt on the outside that you go from being around all the other pumpkins. Then He cuts off the top and takes all the yucky stuff out from inside. He removes all those seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all to see. It is our choice to either stay outside and rot on the vine or come inside and be something new and bright."

Episcopal Relief and development - First Sunday of Advent, December 2, 2001 - Christ Church Annual Offering for Episcopal Relief and Development

What's Happening? Today (Nov. 13) I called Carol-Ann Dearnaley at ERD to get an update on the work of the September 11 Disaster Relief Fund. She explained that the \$125,000 emergency relief grant to the Diocese of New York was used for direct relief for victims and rescue workers. That includes the food, shelter, services, supplies provided at the Seamen's Church Institute and being provided now at St. Paul's Chapel where Deacon Mary and others of Christ Church served one day last month. This help is as varied as a pair of boots for a worker to replace his burned out pair to paying the Waldorf-Astoria to cook food for the rescue and construction teams. An ERD grant to the Diocese of Washington provided monetary relief for out-of-work people at Reagan Airport.

Approximately \$4 million has come in to date for the September 11 Disaster Relief Fund. The ERD Board is meeting this second week of November to make plans and desisions for Rehabilitation and Development. Help will go to young people and undocumented workers, both groups having minimal financial backup, and to small businesses, and to many others.

HOW DO I MAKE MY OFFERING TO EPISCOPAL RELIEF & DEVELOPMENT?

1. If it is your practice to send a December offering directly to ERD, feel free to continue to do so. In that case, please write on your offering envelope at Christ Church -- "Sent directly \$50.00" (or whatever amount you sent) or tell me, so we may include your offering in the total reported here.

2. Make your check at Christ Church payable to Episcopal Relief and Development, and your check will be forwarded to the ERD Office and you will be included on their mailing list.

3. Make your check payable to Christ Church marked for ERD, and your gift will be combined with others from Christ Church and sent to ERD in one larger check and your CC Financial Statement will reflect your special offering.

Our 2000-2001 Offering totaled \$3,437.

Our Christ Church goal for 2001-2002 is \$3,000.

Gordon R. Plowe for the Community Ministry Episkopos

Youth Catechumenate

The following are the dates that the Youth Catechumenate Group will be meeting:

v December 2, 2001

v January 13, 2002

v February 10, 2002

v March 3, 2002

v April 14, 2002

v May 5, 2002

Please mark your calendars.

Thank you, Jackie Vierno

Consumer Alert!

As we consider the spirit of Thanksgiving and plan our long weekend activities, the forces of consumerism are also making big plans for us. The day after Thanksgiving is the heaviest shopping day of the year and commences a season in which half of our annual consumer spending occurs. Consumerism depends on our buying (generally on credit) to feel good and to impress others. To combat this trend, a movement has emerged around the country. It's called Buy Nothing Day, and it is observed on the day after Thanksgiving. People concerned with the effect of consumerism on their lives have resolved to spend the day after Thanksgiving in enriching family activities: a trip to the country, reading aloud, making music together, preparing for the Advent season in a spiritual way and other thoughtful activities.

Happy Buy Nothing Day!

On the Internet: www.adbusters.org

Correction

Correction regarding Father Weinhauer in the November "Courier": Instead of merely encouraging them, the young woman Julia witnessed throwing themselves into Fr. Weinhauer's arms had actually been ordained by him previously and were there simply to participate.

Advent II/Guadalupe Weekend - December 8-9

This year we will be adding another option for the weekend of the Latino congregation's patronal festival, the Virgin of Guadalupe. There will be an additional Advent II eucharist on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. where the same readings and sermon will be heard on the following Sunday morning. The hymns will be accompanied by piano instead of organ, to give us a little different sound. The Eucharist will be followed by a potluck supper and the gala premiere showing of the video "The Life of Ester" written and produced by our very own Sunday School children. (One could attend services on Saturday evening, and sleep in on Sunday morning, returning to church a little after 1 PM for the Guadalupe festival ... if one wanted.) So here's the schedule:

v Saturday, Dec 8, 4:30 p.m.: Advent II Eucharist, followed by potluck supper, followed by video

v Sunday, Dec. 9, 8:00 a.m.: Advent II Eucharist, Rite I

v Sunday, Dec. 9, 10:00 a.m.: Advent II Eucharist, Rite II

v Sunday, Dec. 9, 1:00 p.m.: Patronal Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, followed by a reception

From our Wardens

On November 10 the vestry gathered for its annual mutual study of ministry in the community room of Saint Nicholas, New Hamburg. The study is a development of the diocese which is intended to replace the conventional annual performance review which is done for most business and government employees. Keeping in mind that a congregation does not hire a rector, but rather calls the individual to a joint ministry of the Gospel, we therefore make an annual study (to avoid the idea of review) to see how the parish and its pastor work together. To maintain an objective atmosphere, a third party leads the session. Our facilitator was the Rev. Lewis Johnson, a priest on the staff of St. Michael's in Manhattan who is a psychotherapist. The vestry and rector reviewed the church's activities, rating their effectiveness on a scale ranging from Excellent to Help! Plans for future action emerged from this discussion. We also reviewed the rector letter of agreement and position description, now over five years old. The resulting revision will appear on the vestry agenda in December.

The Capital Campaign Committee continues to be actively engaged in defining the church's needs in order to present a coherent case to the parish as the basis for the campaign. The vestry will review the plan at its December meeting.

The completion of the footing drain project around the foundation of the office wing should help maintain a dry mold-free lower level for the many programs that use that part of the building. Thanks to the property episkopos for organizing the work. Much has been done to improve the lower level. Take a tour if you haven't seen it recently.

The eight o'clock congregation especially is pleased with the new nave thermostat which gets the temperature up in time for early worship. Thanks again, Property.

Bob Sherer, Senior Warden and Phyllis George, Junior Warden

Alternative Gift Ideas

Now that Columbus Day has opened the secular "Holiday Shopping Season" it's time to think about alternative gifts to replace commercial products whose usefulness and economy are suspect. Here is a list of sources you may wish to consider. The Heifer and UNICEF gifts are made to needy people in the name of a family member or friend. The other sources are for items to be sent to your regular gift list.

Heifer Project International

Box 808

Little Rock, AR 72203

(800) 422-0474

info@heifer.org

www.heiferproject.org

Domestic animals and trees for people suffering from hunger and poverty

Koinoia Farm

Route 2

Americus, GA 31709

Pecan and peanut products sales support teaching of peace, kindness, and simplicity

Pueblo to People

(800) 843-5257

Crafts from Latin America

SELFHELP

Box 500

Akron, PA 17501

(717) 859-4971

Crafts from developing nations. A program of the Mennonite Central Committee

SERRV

Self-Help Handicrafts

500 Main Street

New Windsor, MD 21776

(800) 423-0071

www.serrv.org

(Sales Exchange For Refugee Rehabilitation Vocations). Crafts from developing nations.

UNICEF Holiday Shopping List

333 East 38 Street

New York, NY 10016

(212) 686-5522

(800) 367-5437

www.unicefusa.org

Medicine, water purification, nutrition, clothing and shelter supplies for children in need

The Companions of Christ Church will sponsor an Advent Evensong and Quiet Day the weekend of December 7 and 8, 2001

The Evensong service will be on Friday evening at 6:00 p.m. Evensong services are open to all. The service is followed by a pot-luck supper for the women of Christ Church, their guests and visitors. Please plan to join us for an evening of sharing of worship, food and fellowship.

Quiet Day will be on Saturday, beginning with coffee, tea and assorted muffins, etc. There will be Morning Prayer at 9:30 a.m. followed by a Meditation, quiet time for Reflection and a period of sharing and discussion. At noon there will be alight lunch. In the afternoon the same routine will be observed. The Day will conclude with a service of Compline.

You are welcome for all or any part of the day. This is an opportunity to find some quiet time for prayer and meditation in the midst of a busy season.

We are very pleased and blessed to have with us Sister Elena, OPA, to lead the Quiet Day for us. Sister Elena will present the meditations for the weekend. Friday evening's reflection will be "Two Women Grinding Meal." Saturday reflections will be "Two Women Crowned with the Stars." The morning reflection will focus on Mother Ann Lee of the Shakers and the afternoon reflection will be on Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose feast day will be celebrated by our Latino Community on Sunday, December 9.

Sister Elena is well known to many at Christ Church. She was active in our Latino ministry and in the Companions from 1996-98. In August 2001 she left the Order of St. Helena to become one of the founding members of the Anglican Order of Preachers, a Dominican community of men and women within the Anglican Communion. She presently serves as Pastoral Associate at St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church in Augusta, Georgia, and is an adjunct member of the history faculty at Aiken Technical College in South Carolina. Her meditations this weekend will consider three theologies of crisis: the "Rapture", Shakerism and devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

We encourage that as many of you as can join us for all, or as much of this weekend as possible, and will take advantage of a quiet and reflective time in the midst of what often becomes a busy and stressful time.

Please Join Us for as much of the Worship and Fellowship as you can

For information, contact Diane Sherer, 471-5918

From the Baton of Laura Ramsey Russell, Choir Director

I am absolutely thrilled to be your Choir Director here at Christ Church, and I am looking forward to creating an exciting and spiritual music ministry with all of you! Many of you have asked me about my musical background and my history at Christ Church, so what follows is a thumbnail sketch.

I first joined the Christ Church choir in 1987 when Woody Entrekin was organist and choir director here. Paul Frazer and I were married in Christ Church in 1990, and we both sang with the choir until the early 1990's when I began nearly a decade of commuting to graduate school. That decade is mostly a blur to me! Looking back, I recall a balancing act of combining work, graduate school, two teenage boys and a new marriage. I received my Master of Fine Arts from SUNY-Purchase in 1993 and my Doctorate of Musical Arts in conducting from The Hartt School in Connecticut in 1999. While I was attending graduate school I also taught conservatory students, first at SUNY-Purchase and then at the Hartt School. In 1998 I began working locally as Chair of the Music Program and Director or Choral Activities at Marist College, a position I held until recently. Paul and I returned to Christ Church and to the choir in early 2000, at the same time that Lee Dettra arrived.

I have directed college choirs - including choirs at Marist College and Dutchess Community College - and community choirs - including Cappella Festiva (in which I sing). Musical theater and light opera are also loves of mine, and I have served as conductor for many of the Gilbert & Sullivan operettas as well as operas by Menotti, Mozart and Donizetti, and musical theater works such as Three Penny Opera and Fiddler on the Roof. Although I have sun in church choirs all my life, and have assisted many church choir directors over the years, this is my first "gig" as principal choir director!

My first religious experiences involved music, and the earliest memories I have of going to church are memories of beautiful, powerful organ and choral music. As a child, (and still to this day) music was the most immediate form of worship for me - music brings me closest to the divine. It is with a combination of intense excitement and deep humility that I begin my work at Christ Church. Excitement at the wonderful musical gifts we as a community bring to worship here, and humility at being offered the opportunity to serve.

Musical Notes from Laura:

Come and join the choir! The Christ Church choir is a wonderful, warm, welcoming group united in the joy of singing and dedicated to providing music for our Sunday worship service. If you think you might want to sing with us, please call me. We rehearse Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. and Sunday mornings before the 10:00 a.m. service.

Help us build our music library: The cost of music is extremely high, and photocopying is illegal ... so we welcome donations that will enable us to add to our music library. You may make a donation for a particular piece of music, or you may trust my music judgment! Please contact me if you would like to help.

Mozart Requiem benefit: My heartfelt thanks go to everyone who attended the benefit concert on Sunday, November 4 at Christ Church. More than 200 people filled the church and donated \$1,465 to the United Way's "September 11 Fund". Nearly 100 singers from all over the Mid-Hudson Valley swelled the chorus. My deep appreciation also goes to our own wonderful choir for their hard work and support of this event.

Christmas Eve Choral Concert: At 10:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve, the choir will perform Benjamin Britten's wonderful work Ceremony of Carols with harp.

TO MY CHRIST CHURCH FAMILY, I WISH YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS – Michele

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