AUGUST 2016 - ccfssi.orgccfssi.org/images/newsletters/Christ-Church-Newsletter_August_2016Comp.pdfAUGUST 2016 In This Issue. children’s summer - page 2 eyc mission - page 3. fall

AUGUST 2016In This Issuechildren’s summer - page 2

eyc mission - page 3

fall activities - page 4

special outreach - page 5

calendar - page 7

From the Rector

Later this month we will have a chance to witness a rare event. 93-year old Ernest Andrus will step into the water off East Beach and complete his cross-country run, becoming the oldest person to do so. Some of you may have read the article I wrote for Elegant Island Living about Ernie earlier this summer. I first found out about him from Don-na who read an article in Runner’s World magazine last year. Ernie’s story is fascinating, and like thousands before me, I was sucked in.

Ernie is a WWII Veteran and he is running to raise aware-ness and funds for a memo-rial LST ship like the one he served on in the war. Landing Ship Tanks were one of the tools that ultimately helped the Allies win the war, and the last working ship requires maintenance and care to keep it going. Ernie hasn’t raised what he hoped he would, but he is trying to help the group with its expenses. He’s also a very nice guy who has some great stories to tell. He’s told them all across the country as he has made is way to Georgia. As of the beginning of this month he’s only about 30 miles away from Saint Simons.

Ernie has a very slow pace, which no one can criticize him for, given his age. To stay healthy he only runs about six miles at a time a few times a week. That means he’s been at this cross-country journey for

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Christ Church ClergyTom Purdy •Rector Becky Rowell • Interim Associate Rector

DeaconJames D. Wethern

Assisting ClergyNancy AcreeBob BrownDavid Somerville

Christ Church Staff Harrison Branch •Sexton and Assistant Cemetery SuperintendentOscar B. Covington, Jr. •Cemetery Superintendent Brad Hamil • Youth MissionerJulie Hancock • Communications AssociateStan Kyker • Financial Administrator Glenn Queener • Parish Administrator Ed & Lynne Turner • Volunteer Ministry for Sunday SchoolKathleen Turner • Organist and Choirmaster

Office HoursThe office is open Monday through Friday - 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m

office: 912-638-8683www.ccfssi.org

From the Rector continued

Wardens and Vestry Members Susan Shipman • Senior WardenTony Kreimborg • Junior WardenGene Rackley •

TreasurerEdward BlandMark DavisSusan GarrettScott McQuade

Sandy Rice Beth Smith Nancy Stoddard Slade TurnerRalph Wade

more than two years. His penultimate run will take him across the FJ Torras Causeway, and then on Saturday, August 20, he will being at the Morning-star Marina and run the last leg of his odyssey, finishing at the Coast Guard Station.

I have fallen into a role of helping other locals organize the celebration for Ernie’s incredible accomplishment. We’re organizing logistics around the finish line, the celebration, and the final run itself. We’re also organizing a time for people to meet Ernie later in the day when he’s not mobbed on the beach. If you want to be a part of this special day, here’s what you might want to know: Ernie will begin his run at 6:30 am on the 20th of this month, and should finish around 8:30 am. All are invited to either join him on the run (walk), along his route (Kings Way), or at the Coast Guard Station beach to celebrate his final leg.

There will be shuttle service for those who wish to park at the Coast Guard Station parking lot and be shuttled to the starting line for the final run. We’re looking for some volunteers to help with the celebration logistics too, so if you’re interested, please let me know that you’re available to help.

I am amazed by Ernie’s perseverance and spirit. It is humbling to wit-ness. He’s got a deter-mination that is rare and special, and represents the mindset of a gen-eration that figured out how to come togeth-er to literally make the world a better place. We seem to give up on our goals and our hopes much too easily today. We tend to let cynicism and partisanship guide our actions and our words, throwing our hands up about how to tackle the big and very real problems we face. If just for a moment, on August 20th, we’ll remember that nothing is impossible, if we will work at it with God’s help.

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Christ Church - A Summer for Children

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

For four weeks this summer, the Christ Church Parish House and the surrounding grounds were alive with the laughter, shouts, singing and pounding feet of the children who came to enjoy Vacation Bible School, Camp Kanuga and two weeks of the Merritt Levitan Memorial Creative Arts Camp. The walls are still vibrating! Counselor Maggie Holt had this to say about her time with the children: “Getting to hang out with the crazy kiddos from the Creative Arts Camp reminded me of one of my favorite verses: ‘And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man’ (Luke 2:52). I was pleasantly surprised to see how clever and imaginative each child was, in his or her own way, and how they grew in that, over the course of just a few days.”

Favorite activities this summer?

“Bounce in the bouncy!”

“Skits!”

“Water play!”

“My favorite was the jewelry room - I loved it!” - Reaves

“Jump house, or actually arts and crafts...” - Whit

“Jump house! Can I turn it on?” - Bo Best quotes:

Parent: “The kids are having so much fun we don’t want the weekend to come!”

“We ate worms today...”

“It’s over already??”

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EYC Mission Trip Report

Our mission team enjoyed a week of service at a variety of organi-zations in Palm Beach. We teamed up with St. Mark’s Episcopal in Palm Beach Gardens to assist with many jobs aiding outreach min-istries in the area. Our team got to clean, organize, and paint at St. Ann’s mission on Monday and Thursday. On Tuesday we spent half the day at the Homeless Coalition and the afternoon at St. George’s helping with the summer camp for local kids in Riviera Beach. We spent the day on Wednesday at the food bank and sorted food for local ministries and filled many pallets full of family-size portions for a backpack ministry similar to our own in Glynn County. During our last day of service on Thursday, we volunteered at a local ani-mal shelter where we cleaned cages and helped with laundry. That afternoon we headed back to St. Ann’s as mentioned above.

As it is true with most mission trips, our team experienced a week that taught us many lessons about how fortunate we are, and how important it is to be the hands that meet the needs of those who don’t have the things we have. We were humbled by the fact that we take for granted things such as food on the table, a roof over our heads, and days without fearing for our safety and just trying to survive. It certainly increased a desire in all of us to join God where the need is greatest in our own community by helping with

our own local ministries on a regular basis, knowing that there are always spots to fill. I am thankful for and proud of our students who sacrificed a week in their busy lives, and am extremely grateful for the support of family, friends and parishioners! Please read the reflections that Jack Parker and Maggie Holt were kind enough to share about their experiences.

God’s peace!Brad

The Hearts of Palm mission trip was my 1st mission trip

and extremely enjoyable! We were busy all week and tru-

ly enjoyed each other’s company. One of my favorite days

was when we worked in a

soup kitchen, and I realized

that even in a place as nice

as Palm Beach County, people

are struggling with poverty. I

looked forward to future mis-

sion trips.

Jack Parker

In our time in Palm Gardens

we served the local ministries

who serve the community full

time. It was a neat experience

to head down to what I thought

was a place of oceanfront ho-

tels and expensive restaurants,

and have my perspective chal-

lenged. It turns out that there

are a variety of impoverished

people there, including a significant community of home-

less. I was reminded of what I truly treasure, as we went

from serving people with no money, but the love of Christ,

to seeing people so poor that all they have are Porsches and

designer shopping bags.

Maggie Holt

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Christ Church - Upcoming Activities, Studies and Outreach

Though the heat certainly belies the fact, autumn is surely on the way and with it come manyexciting opportunities for for service, study, worship and fellowship at Christ Church.

Outreach - Glynn Episcopal Ministries We will resume our work with children at Burroughs-Mollette when school begins and are currently collecting school supplies for all local children in need. If you would like to help, please purchase items from the list below and bring them to the church office by August 14th.

BACKPACKS! (for elementary and middle school) 3 ring binder #2 PencilsPink Eraser Broad Tip Markers Glue Sticks - 8Bottle of School Glue Box of Tissues Bottle of Hand SanitizerPair of Fiskar Blunt Tip Scissors Pencil Box Washable MarkersPlastic Pocket Folders with Brads Ruler Colored PencilsMarble Composition Notebooks Red and Blue Pens Crayons - 1 box of 24Pkg. Wide Ruled Loose Leaf Paper Wide Ruled Spiral Bound Notebooks

Formation - Fall Wednesday Night Bible StudyContinuing the theme of Spiritual Growth, the Wednesday Night Bible Study will begin on September 28. We will study the Book of James over 7 lessons and the classes will end on November 9th. The lessons will be held each Wednesday in the Vestry Room, beginning at 6:00 pm and ending at 6:55 pm. It will take the form of teaching, discussion and reflection. All are wel-come. Please contact Godfrey Draviam at 912-638-8747 for more information.

Formation - EYCWe are very excited about the upcoming fall and spring and plan to repeat many of the activities that we really liked last year, but will also be adding a few new things into the mix! First, we are going to have drop-in’s regularly throughout the fall and spring, on Sunday evenings for EYC. Second, the service opportunities our students and adults experienced sparked a greater desire to schedule more of them throughout the coming months! Lastly, we will be adding an EYC Eucharist that will take place monthly, be-ginning on Sunday, October 2nd, at 6:00 pm. This will be led by students, adults and

clergy and will be open to any who wish to attend. It will include creative liturgy and music that is sometimes softly meditative and other times loud and upbeat! Please join us!

Formation - Spiritual Practices WorkshopsThe icon writing workshop* happening on August 24 - 27 is the kickoff event for our Spiritual Practice series that will begin in early September. Following this workshop, Hank Methvin, Kristi Hamil and Mtr. Becky will teach a six-week series featuring a dif-ferent practice each week. Some practices are ancient and some more modern, but all bring us into the presence of our Lord and can deepen our faith. Participants may attend all six workshops or attend those that speak to them. Each week’s practice will be announced in advance. More information will be coming soon.*Please contact Mother Becky at [email protected] for more information and availability for this workshop.

GEMGLYNN EPISCOPAL

MINISTRIES

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Christ Church - Focus on International Outreach

The International Seafarers’ Center - A Safe Port in the Storm

Established in 1738 and recognized by George Washington as one of the original five ports for entry into the United States in 1789, the Port of Brunswick is now the third busiest port in the United States for total roll on/roll off cargo and second busiest for roll on/roll off imports. Colonel’s Island Terminal is among the largest deepwater agri-bulk operations in the US South Atlantic. Hundreds of ships, from all over the world, bearing

nearly 3.5 million tons of cargo moved across the docks at the Port of Brunswick during 2015 alone. Each of those ships was manned by a crew of hardworking people, many of whom had not seen their families and home countries for months or years.

The International Seafarers’ Center was established in 1982, as a non-profit, ecumenical, Christian organi-zation to provide a safe harbor for all merchant mariners who travel through the Port of Brunswick. Thir-ty-four years later, the ISC now operates two hospitality centers that provide a cozy home environment for visiting seafarers to rest, relax, and receive aid when necessary, regardless of their race, language or religion. The International Seafarers’ Center provides services that meet the spiritual, emotional, physical and material needs of seafarers who visit the Port of Brunswick, Georgia.

ISC volunteers are the friendly faces in a strange place who make the seafarers feel more at home. Volunteers visit the ships, drive transportation vans, and staff the two centers, interacting with seafarers and port workers to be the hands of God when and where needed.

You can become one of the nearly 100 ISC volunteers if you feel called to share your time with seafarers who are far from home, or if you’d like to help the Seafarers’ Center in any of the myriad other ways that keep the ministry going: reception duties, office assistance, clothes closet, maintenance and yard work,

computer skills, and more. A longer list can be found on the Jobs Preference Form on the ISC website found at www.seafarerscenter.org.

If you think that volunteering at the International Seafarers’ Center might be right for you, call 912-267-0631 and speak with the Director of Volunteer Services. Decide how often and when you can volunteer, and they’ll work with your schedule to find the best time and place for you to help.

It doesn’t take any sort of special background to be a vol-unteer with the ISC. They offer a full orientation program for all newcomers and pair each new volunteer with a seasoned volunteer to start. And there are quarterly vol-unteer trainings on special topics, such as communications skills, foreign cultures, port safety and security and ship visiting. The ISC will work with you to obtain the neces-sary credentials to come and go on the Port. All training is designed to assist you to better assist the seafarers.

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Christ Church - Focus on International Outreach

The Reverend Becky Rowell is a vol-unteer at the International Seafar-ers’ Center and serves as a Chaplain at both the center and on the visiting ships when she is needed. She loves the work she does and eagerly rec-ommends it to all who are interested meeting and helping all kinds of peo-ple from around the world. She and fellow volunteers, Robert Randall and

Vicki West were recently invited to dinner by Captain Mahesh C. of the visiting cargo ship, Wisteria Ace. Mother Becky described the the visit.

“We had an absolutely delicious, beautifully prepared dinner with the captain that evening. They served green lentils, chapa-ti, and chicken. We had yogurt for dessert.”

“Captain Mahesh C. has been a ship captain for about 20 years. His current ship, the Wisteria Ace, is owned by a Japanese line, MOL, but it’s a tramp ship which means they don’t have a regular schedule of ports. At each port, they learn where they will next go. They’ll be heading to the Panama Canal next and the captain promised to send me ‘snaps’ of the locks as they go through. It’s an eleven hour trip!”

“In the course of the conversation that night, we discussed many topics. We compared and contrasted our different religions. Captain Mahesh C. is Hindu and shared photos of his nephew’s baptism. Only boys are baptized. They are sprinkled with water. Mango branches are used. We also talked about political issues throughout the world and though we all had different opinions, it was a fascinating discussion. At one point, the captain stopped and said, ‘This is what we need to be doing more of - talking to one another.’ It was a lovely evening.”

If you would like to know more about the International Seafar-ers’ Center and how you can help with this important interna-tional mission, please call 912-267-0631 or visit their website at www.seafarerscenter.org. Mother Becky will also be glad to answer any questions you may have about the ISC. You can contact her at [email protected].

The InternationalSeafarers’ Center

is pleased to present its 16th Annual

International Night OutFriday, September 23, 2016

6.00 p.m. Morgan Center, Jekyll Island

This year’s event will feature cuisines from Europe, Brazil and Oceans of the World prepared by award-win-ning chefs from the Jekyll Island Club Hotel.

Come and dance to the lively tunes of the Coastal Empire Orchestra. Bid on spectacular items in our Silent Auc-tion. Have a delectable and fun night out with family and friends while sup-porting a good cause!

Tickets are $100 per person and lim-ited. Call (912)267-0631 to purchase your tickets and secure your reserva-tion.

If you are unable to attend but would like to contribute towards the event, please make your check payable to “International Seafarers’ Center”, in-dicating in the memo line INO 2016 and mail it to 307 Newcastle Street, Brunswick, GA 31520. All donations are welcomed.

The net proceeds from the event will go towards expenses incurred in keeping the Center operational and accessible to thousands of seafarers who visit the Port of Brunswick an-nually.

Christ Church, Frederica • Episcopal6329 Frederica RoadSt. Simons Island, GA 31522

Worship Services

Unless otherwise noted, the worship services are as follows:Evening Prayer is said daily at 5 p.m. at Christ Church. Morning Prayer is said Monday - Saturday at 8:00 a.m. at St. Ignatius’ ChapelSaturday: 5:30 p.m. Holy Eucharist at St. Ignatius’ ChapelSunday: 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist, 1928 BCP; 9:15 a.m., Holy Eucharist, Rite II;11:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite I.

Upcoming EventsAugust 7 - Blessing of BackpacksAugust 7 - Blessing of DriversAugust 10 - Adult Formation IAugust 10 - X ComplineAugust 24-27 - Icon Writing WorkshopAugust 28 - EYC Kick-off August 28 - Sunday School Teachers’ Orientation

SAVE THE DATESeptember 6 - Choristers Begin

September 6 - Trebles BeginSeptember 6 - Handbells Begin

September 7 - Adult Choir BeginsSeptember 11 - Sunday School Begins

September 14 - X ComplineSeptember 22 - Homecoming Golf OutingSeptember 23 - Seafarer’s Center Benefit

September 25 - Homecoming SundaySeptember 28 - Fall Evening Bible Study Begins