Epiphany - The Alleluia Community · When we re-ceive a gift, the appropriate response is gratitude. We’ve all coached our children through it: “Say thank you ... 6th Grade Orff

Vol. 44, No. 43 January 8, 2018

I always struggle with just a touch of melancholy as we leave Christmas behind us. Santa 104.3 returns to pop music; the twinkle lights slowly dis-appear; festive decorations get packed up; and routine life resumes once again.

I love that Epiphany gives us one last chance to celebrate. I love this or-nament of the wise men, a gift from my dear friend, Anna Reilly. I love nearly every version of We Three Kings.

The wise men sought truth, en-countered Christ, and returned by a different way.

In the atrium, we will celebrate

Epiphany

By Kelly Dolin

Epiphany by reading the story of the three wise men. We will talk about their long journey. We will note that they fell prostrate in the presence of their savior. We will read that they re-turned to their country by a different way.

They returned to their country by a different way. An encounter with Emmanuel -- God with us -- should in-volve something different.

So what is different? Exhaustion? Weight gain? Credit card debt? Good memories? A renewed sense that God came to Earth? A deeper thirst to abide in His love? A desire to be like Mary, to ponder these things in my heart?

The wise men experienced an epiphany – “a sudden, intuitive per-ception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something” according to dictionary.com.

In The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, we use the word “essen-tial” a lot. We try to focus on the es-sential. The Christian faith is about essential relationships; it’s about the deep, abiding love we have for God and He for us. We can know the “what’” of our faith, but it’s so much

more essential to know the “Who.”The Incarnation can remain just

another Bible story we learned as chil-dren, about as meaningful as a color-ing sheet we remember from Sunday school. Or it can become an essential reality, an abiding love, an epiphany.

This saving love, of course, is the real gift of Christmas. When we re-ceive a gift, the appropriate response is gratitude. We’ve all coached our children through it: “Say thank you to Grandma for the sweater, Jeffrey.” The wise men required no coaching. They were overwhelmed in the pres-ence of their Savior, and they were changed.

Epiphany is sometimes called “Little Christmas.” Who can’t use a little Christmas right this very min-ute? So celebrate Epiphany! And as you take down the last of the Christ-mas decorations and box up the glit-ter that has brightened your world, pause to read Mathew’s account of the wise men. Think about these men who travelled afar, sought the light of Christ, and were changed. May all of us, like them, return by a different way.

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Meet Beth Coile and Brenda Hat-field – two of Alleluia Community’s newest underway members are mother and daughter! Beth and her late husband David moved around a lot in the early years of their mar-riage, since David was in the Navy, but they finally settled in Hephzibah where they raised their four children, and belonged to St. Joseph Catholic Church. They had heard of Alleluia Community, and knew several of its members, but never felt drawn to it. “We actually believed Alleluia was a cult,” Brenda laughs. “That’s what we were told. Then I met the Hatfields and began to learn the truth.”

Brenda was the first to begin feel-ing the pull to Alleluia. When her par-ents moved to Maryland for David’s job, Brenda went with them along with her daughter, Allison. During that time away from Augusta, she be-gan to feel called to come back to Alle-luia, but couldn’t see a way to make it happen. She began to pray for God to make a way. When her sister, Karen, invited her and Allison to come live

with her in Aiken, SC, Brenda’s initial response was “No.” It seemed insur-mountable to find a job and child care. What if it didn’t work? There were too many unknowns.

Then Brenda heard God say, “This is what you’ve been praying for.” Brenda knew it was time for her to return to Community. This was in 2006. In 2007 Josh and Brenda were married, and they went underway to-gether.

In 2008 Josh and Brenda dropped their underway, but Brenda’s heart remained attached to Alleluia. She continued to relate to the Phillips Support Group as she homeschooled Allison and attended Community functions. She became an Associate member in 2016 and has continued to pray for God to make a way for her and her children. In 2017, after many years of prayer, she is finally able to once again go underway in Alleluia. Her daughter Allison is a freshman at Alleluia Community School and her son Charlie turned 4 years old in De-cember. Brenda works at University

Hospital as a discharge analyst. Beth began to feel drawn to Al-

leluia after her husband of 37 years unexpectedly passed away in October 2013. They were living in Maryland at the time. “David was my best friend,” Beth recalls about her high school sweetheart. “We had known each for 43 years. I was lost without David, and I began to pray for God to bring me closer to Him. I needed family and a community to belong to.”

Beth moved back to Augusta in May of 2014. She first began attend-ing Alleluia prayer meetings to sup-port Brenda, but found that she really enjoyed them. Kathy McKeown in-troduced her to a bereavement group which brought her even closer to de-siring community after experiencing the support they had for one another. She knew that God was answering her prayers, and became an Associate member -- relating with the Phillips Support Group along with Brenda. Then in October of 2017, she made the commitment to go underway. Beth has four adult children and five grandchildren, and works as a dog groomer, which she has enjoyed do-ing for over 40 years.

Both Brenda and Beth believe they are called here to grow in God’s love, and to help Alleluia grow as well. “When I think about where I’m going to be in the future,” Brenda ponders, “this is home, and I ask myself, how can I help Alleluia grow?”

By Janet Hatfield

Meet the Newest Alleluia Underway Members

Brenda Hatfield with Charlie and Allison

Beth Coile

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ASC Christmas Celebration: A Season, A Reason to Hope

The annual Alleluia Community Christmas Celebration was held on December 14 under the direction of Middle School Principal Andy Hat-field. The High School Music Ministry Class performed a variety of Christ-mas Carols leading up to the opening of the evening’s program with All in a Silent Night sang by the High School Choir along with the Elementary School.

The Music Ministry Class under the direction of Bob Garrett followed with a performance of God Looked and Saw No Hope on Earth, and the Elementary School accompanied by the 8th Grade Orff Orchestra sang Vir-gin Mary Had a Baby Boy.

A special ensemble of Noah Ceys-sens with select alumni Kevin Hat-field, Ania Hatfield and Rachel Visin-tainer performed O Come, O Come Emmanuel, followed by the 7th Grade Orff Orchestra performing Feliz Navi-doodad.

Teacher Janet Hatfield read An-other Christmas Story, then the Kin-dergarten Bell Choir delightfully per-formed Away In a Manger. The High School Choir along with the Elemen-tary School followed with a perfor-mance of Joy to the World.

Superintendent Chuck Horn-sby spoke on Bringing Hope and the 6th Grade Orff Orchestra closed the program with We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

Cookies and punch were enjoyed by everyone following the program. Many thanks goes to the various teachers, parents and alumni who assisted with practices, decorating, sound/lighting and baking which made the evening such an entertain-ing success.

High School Music Ministry Class caroling

High School Music Ministry Class led by Bob Garrett

7th Grade Orff Orchestra

High School Choir and the Elementary School

Special Ensemble

The Kindergarten Bell Choir

Janet Hatfield Chuck Hornsby

6th Grade Orff Orchestra

8th Grade Orff Orchestra

By Barbara Harshman

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© 2018 Alleluia Community, adm. by Alleluia Christian Service Center, Inc. P.O. Box 6805, Augusta, GA 30916-6805, (706) 798-1882. All rights reserved. Submit articles for the Dove to [email protected].

The Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant Communities and Fellowships

18th International ConferenceJune 29 ~ July 1, 2018

General Conference Clergy Day - June 28

Dr. Mary HealyProfessor of

Sacred Scripture

Damian StayneFounder of

Cor et Lumen Christi

Gilberto BarbosaPresident of

Catholic Fraternity

Jim Murphy President of ICCRS

Many More Speakers and

WitnessesFor more information or to register, go to

www.catholicfraternity2018.org

Hosted by The Alleluia Community

Gym Restroom Renovations at Mid Point

Thank you all, especially the women, as you waited for the renova-tion of the women’s restroom in the gym. We are almost finished and hope that you appreciate the improvement. Many thanks must be given to Bob Harmon for overseeing the project, his daughter Amy for the color palette, and the many workmen who contrib-uted. Nelson Parris, Tom Jackson and the Electrical crew, Frank Densmore, Eric Sterett, Ross Ott, and many oth-ers all contributed man hours.

It truly is an improvement of our facility and continues our multi-year plan to turn the gym into a venue that

Views of new facility from entry includ-ing handicap access

View of sink area, changing table and stalls reflected in mirrow

can be used for many other activi-ties. We started with a new floor and roof. And we have continued with improved lighting and sound and, of course, it is air-conditioned. We have invested over a quarter million dollars thanks to your financial support. We are grateful for every contributor, no matter how small.

We will be hosting the Interna-tional meeting of Catholic Charis-matic Communities and Fellowships in June, and are planning to have the men’s restroom completed by then. Thanks again for your continuing sup-port.

By Kurt Eyrich