Layreader March 2015

HEAVENLY

RESTSERVICES

Sundays8:00 a.m.Rite I with

Holy Eucharist in the nave

9:15-10:15 a.m. Sunday School

10:30 a.m.Rite II with

Holy Eucharistin the nave

1:00 p.m.Morning Prayer

in Swahili

Weekdays8:00 a.m.

Morning Prayerin the chapel

Wednesdays5:30 p.m.

Healing Service, Holy Eucharistin the chapel

Service liturgy is from the Book of Common Prayer.

March 2015 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 3

Potluck Suppers and Lenten Program on the EucharistMake plans now to attend Heavenly Rest’s special Lenten program

on the Holy Eucharist each Wednesday night in March. Our evenings begin with a Potluck Sup-per in the Parish Hall at 6:00pm and we invite you to bring your favorite “covered dish” to share with the congregation. Food for children will be provided. A special presentation on the Eucharist will follow at 6:30pm and there will be activities for children in the lower level of the Parish Hall. Speakers, in order, include Philip LeMasters, Orthodox priest and

head of the Religion Department at McMurry University; the Rev. Cliff Stewart, pastor of First Central Presbyterian Church; Bruce Lampert, chaplain at Hendrick Medical Center; and Mother Susanna Cates. Check the Heavenly Rest website regularly for the latest details.

Wednesday Evening Healing Services

During LentWednesday Healing Service

will take place at 5:15pm instead of 5:30pm through March 25th so all of our

parishioners may enjoy the dinner and teaching programs

of our Lenten Series.

O U R M I S S I O N As a community of faith centered in God through liturgy and Christian Practice, the Episcopal Church of the

Heavenly Rest exists to: CARE for members of all ages and stages of life; SHARE God’s inclusive and healing love with all people;.CREATE opportunities to grow in Christ; SERVE the church, the community, and the world.

Fat TuesdayFun!

Theological Education Sunday, March 8thThe School of Theology at the University of the South, Sewanee is sending a special guest to the Church of the Heavenly Rest to preach on Sunday, March 8th. Justin Briggle is in his second year of seminary at Sewanee, and will be our preach-er at both 8:00am and 10:30am services, offering a special emphasis on theological education in the church today. Justin is Postulant for Holy Orders in the Diocese of Texas and is from Marshall, Texas. He and his wife have two young children. Please make plans now to support theological education in our seminaries by attending.

Many thanks to all the vol-unteers, cooks and singers that made our Mardi Gras

celebration so fun!!! Pictured at Right: Courtney Bryant,

Camie Garvey, Mindy Morrison, Lauren & Jason Long, Dawson Bryant, Diane & Josh Stearns

Below, left to right: Moreen & Rick Mansell and

Connie Collier; Becca Kello and Nora Goolsby; and Pat Garren.

If your birthday or anniversary is not listed or is incorrect,

contact the office, 677-2091.

Blessings are given at both morning services:

Birthday Blessings, March 1 Anniversary Blessings, March 8

Children’s Blessing: March 15

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Care. Share. Create. Serve. • March 2015

Happy Anniversary

Happy Birthday

March 29Lindsay and Jay Hardaway

March 1Joshua BackSimon Back

Nolan KelleyMarch 3

Emma MorrisMarch 5

Kathleen JacksonMarch 6

Molly HensonJustin Marderosian

March 7Helen Chaney

March 8Katlyn Deneé

MooreMarch 9

Letha MorrisJoy Ramsey March 10

Bob BeckhamLauren Fulenwider

Eleanor RockettMarch 12Dian StaiMarch 13

Meredith BackCash Cockerell

March 15Dick Orsini

Linda PinkstonMarch 16

Sharlyn Garoutte March 17

Quentin GarciaStephen Suttle

March 19Tom AgertonRob Beckham

Laura LangfordRick WillisMarch 20

Archer Fulenwider

March 21Connie BoydCaitlyn WestMarch 22

Hattie WillardMarch 23

Jan HensonAnn Lobdell March 24Terri Cress

Karrie PartinGreg YostMarch 25

Ron Rathbun

March 26 James Wagstaff

March 27Amy Edington

March 28Robin DennisKathy Huston

March 29Carolyn Barnett

Nicholas ProcopioMark PuckettGene Sherman

March 31Perry Fincher

MarchCelebrations

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE (Please check our website for the latest news and updates.)

Palm Sunday, March 28: Blessing of the Palms and reading of the Passion Gospel at both services.

March 29-April 1: Noon Holy Eucharist on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in All Saints Chapel. At the end of each service the Sacrament of Reconciliation, commonly called Confession, will be

available to all who desire it. A light lunch will be served in the Parish Hall following each service.

Wednesday evening, April 1: Passover Seder meal, hosted by Mother Susanna in the Parish Hall. This Jewish meal recounts the night Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. For Christians, it prefigures

God’s redemption in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. RSVP is requested: [email protected].

Maundy Thursday, April 2: 7:00pm Service of Foot Washing, Holy Eucharist and Stripping of the Al-tar. Mother Susanna will be our preacher and our service will conclude by candlelight in the Chapel of Repose. Anyone who wishes to remain all night in watchful vigil is invited to stay. Security is provided.

Good Friday, April 3: 8:00am and Noon services. Reverend Amanda Watson will preach at the early service when the reserved sacrament will be consumed.

Father Luke preaches at the noon service and Dr. Wes will provide special music. All are invited to observe the Stations of the Cross in the Nave following the service.

Holy Saturday, April 4: 9:00am - Liturgy for Holy Saturday in All Saints Chapel.10:00am - Holy Saturday Children’s Events begin with an Easter Egg hunt for all ages

on the east lawn of the church, followed by a great story time inside the church. The morning concludes at 11am with a special visit to the tomb.

7:00pm - Holy Saturday Easter Vigil and Striking of the New Fire. This service begins in the Columbarium at Heavenly Rest and moves into the Nave

as the Light of Christ brightens the darkness around us. Dr. Doug Thomas will be our preacher and each member of the Confirmation Class will be recognized and honored at this service.

Easter Sunday, April 5: Special service times will be 9:00am and 11:00am. Brass musicians will accompany our Easter music program. Father Luke will be our preacher.

Easter Brunch, 10-11:00am, will be served between services in the Parish Hall. A special gift awaits each child within the gates of the Columbarium.

Join us as we participate in the overwhelming joy of Easter resurrection!

Abilene Interfaith Council Presentation

Tuesday, March 3Abilene Interfaith Council

will present “Buddhism 101”

on Tuesday, March 3, at 12:00 noon in Parish Hall. History of the religion and varieties of Buddhism will

be discussed by Noel Singleton and Craig Thompson.

A potluck lunch will be served and pizza will also be available. Event questions:

(325) 692-3353.

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http://www.heavenlyrestabilene.org

YouthInAction

SAVE THE DATE: APRIL 17-19, 2015 PRIMARY YOUTH EVENTFor youth currently in second-fifth grades,location to be announced later! DIOCESAN YOUTH CHURCH CAMPS THIS SUMMER:• Quarterman Sr. (completed grades 7-12) June 7-14 at Cathedral Ridge in Colorado• Quarterman Jr. (completed grades 2-7) June 28-July 4 at Ceta Glen near Happy, TX

Highlights from the DiocesanMidwinter Middle Youth RetreatHeavenly Rest middle schoolers who were able to attend had a great time at the Midwinter Retreat at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Odessa Texas. One of the many high points was when our girls from the Al-leluia choir sang during Eucharist– they did such a great job! (see back page) Pictured below right are Beatrice, Riziki, Pascalina, and Penina joining in the singing earlier that weekend. Below are Michael Scarborough, Sam Mehaffey, and Parker Eddington, also having fun at the Midwinter Retreat.

Youth Group Events in March• 5-7:00pm on Sunday, March 29: a Scavenger Hunt for both youth groups combined, JEYPs and EYC. • Each Wednesday night there will be a special program for youth. After eating with everyone in the Parish Hall at 6:00pm, we will go to the youth house until 7:30 to discuss our Lenten topic on Eucharist. I promise it’s going to be a lot of fun– see you there!

Children’s Program during LentThe children at Heavenly Rest will be learning about Holy Eucharist throughout the Lenten season. On Wednesday evenings following the potluck supper, the younger children will gather to discover a bit more each week about the sac-rament and its meanings. This new knowledge will be put into practice as they prepare for a special event the final week: an actual Holy Eucharist church service that they will work to-gether with the youth groups to create...a very special event for all.

Building On Our Heritage of

Faith, Hope and Love: Construction Planning

After a successful fund raising process we have begun organizing for the construction phase of the

capital campaign. The con-struction period could take two years and we hope to

begin this summer. The Vestry has appointed

Mike Denny as chairman of construction, and he has been working closely with our architects, church lead-ership and staff to imple-

ment the goals of the Parish. There will be four com-mittees formed to handle

various phases of construc-tion. The four committees

authorized by the Vestry are: • Great Hall Committee

Nolan Kelley, chair• Sacred Music Center

CommitteeJudy Godfrey, chair

• Parish House Committee Kim Snyder, chair

• Furnishings CommitteeJill Bishop, chair

Other committees will be formed as needed.

If you are interested in par-ticipating in the work of any one of these committees or have any questions, please

contact a committee chair or member of the Vestry.

Please continue to pray that God would carefully and graciously guide the mission of the Church of

the Heavenly Rest. Above, Davis Goolsby and Lucy Hardaway display the results of another project at Heavenly Rest - they made themselves into stained glass windows with the colorful arched crowns they created.

Marian, Robin, and Michael enjoying the Mardis Gras party

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ParishStewardship

Outreach Committee ReportAs you may know, each year, for the past few years, the Vestry has increased our church budget for outreach. For 2015, the total budget for the Outreach Committee is $60,000. This is a $12,000 increase over last year’s budget. Such a commitment to the care of those in need would not be possible without the generous support of this congregation. It is because of you that we are able to respond to people’s needs. Let’s see how much good we can do for others.

One of our strategies is to provide fi nancial assistance to a variety of human service agencies in our community, many of whom I have mentioned in past reports. In January, 2015, Peggy Beck-ham and I attended a luncheon at Global Samaritan Resources and were impressed with what we learned. They collect donations and store material goods such as: • medical, hygiene, building, and educational supplies • furniture, mattresses, blankets, and baby beds • shoes, clothing and dehydrated foodThe organization then acts as a clearing house and distributes these goods to individuals and families in our community [including some from our church] as well as to other cities, states and nations. They have a network of connections across the United States and around the world. For example, when we were there they were preparing to load a food shipping container with medical supplies that will be shipped to Africa for Ebola relief. They truly are a Global enterprise, and in helping them Heavenly Rest participates in a world-wide mission. It is especially remarkable that they accomplish this with only four paid employees– the majority of their work is achieved through volunteers. If you would like to know more about their work or would like to be involved

Together We CAN Pack the Pantry!Our Lenten Season Food Drive has begun, and we hope that we can Pack the Pantry by Easter! Just one donation from each one of us for the seven weeks of Lent would make a signifi cant difference in the lives of others. Little by little, person by person, we can Pack the Pantry.

The students at St. John’s Episcopal School agree. They were given the goal to collect 1800 items by Easter. This seemed like an impossible number to them, but then they learned if each student brings just one donation each week of Lent, they can reach this amazing goal. The re-sult: 203 nonperishable goods were collected in the very fi rst week...thank you, St. John’s students and families! We are also extremely fortunate to have the United Supermarket on Buffalo Gap Road join our effort in packing the pantry. The team mem-bers at United will be collecting nonperishable items through Easter, and all donations received will be delivered to the church.

Why Pack the Pantry? If you ask any of the 23 Heavenly Rest vol-unteers why they work in the Food Pantry, you will get all kinds of stories, each different but equally inspiring– they are the reasons they give their time so freely. Clearly, great things are happening in our Outreach basement. We are grateful for the efforts of these volun-teers and the generosity of members of our church and community which allow us to serve others as we share God’s love.

(continued next page)

Together We CAN Pack the Pantry!Our Lenten Season Food Drive has begun, and we hope

Heavenly Rest Chamber Music Concert Series Mark Ackerman, oboeMartha Saywell, piano Sunday, March 15, 5pm Mark Ackerman was the

principal oboist of the San Antonio Symphony since 1975, and just recently re-

tired that postion. He studied with Rhadames Angelucci at the University of Minnesota

and Marc Lifschey at the San Francisco Conservatory. He has collaborated with

pianists John Browning and Warren Jones, the Emerson Quartet, and is the artistic director of the Olmos

Ensemble. He has served on

the University of Texas at Austin faculty and currently

serves Trinity University, Texas State and Texas Lu-theran University faculties. On March 15th, Mark will be collaborating with Dr. Martha Saywell of An-

gelo State University and will be performing works

by Schumann, Mozart, Schwantner and Brahms.

A “hand huddle” by St. John’s students wearing their yellow wrist bands

that remind them to Pack the Pantry.

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Miracles on Walnut StreetWonderful things happen at Heavenly Rest’s Thrift House on Walnut Street. Not only are we able to provide clothing and household goods to struggling families in our community, but

we are also able to witness beautiful acts of kindness. Please read the following interactions reported by the ladies who work and volunteer at Thrift House.

“Two young ladies with a baby came into the store. They really needed clothes for the baby but did not have enough money. A woman in the check-out line behind them offered to pay the dif-ference for them. The grateful young women remarked that some day they would help someone else and pay this act of kindness forward.”

“A woman came to the Thrift House who was getting ready to move to Hawaii. She needed a dress for one final event before moving, but she did not bring cash with her– only a credit card. She really loved the dress and thought it was perfect. Once again, a woman behind her in line overheard her predicament and paid for her dress, asking for nothing in return.”

“There was a woman who came in who had just moved to Abilene, obviously from a bad situation. She said she was so happy to find the Thrift House because, despite being down and out at the moment, she could still maintain her dignity in the well cared for items placed for sale. We assured her that we also knew what it was like to struggle at times, and agreed about the importance of looking nice to help build confidence. While visit-ing with her we were able to encourage her and assure her that good things will happen.”

These are just a few examples of what this outreach ministry means to so many people in our community. Please consider be-coming a part of the Thrift House. Any time that you can share with this ministry is greatly appreciated in so many ways. Con-tact Shirlene (672-3812) at the Thrift House for more informa-tion. Stay tuned for more “Miracles on Walnut Street.”

THRIFT HOUSE:Creating Moments of JoyWhy don’t you put some time into Heavenly Rest’s Thrift House Ministry? Quick…what’s your first-impulse reply? If you said “too busy,” “scary place,” or “what exactly is it that they do there?” you’re among the Parish majority. If pushed for more information, you might add, “I work full time,” “I’m already over-committed to other ministries here,” or “I think we could be doing better things with our Outreach ministries than messing with old clothes.”

So, why did God put us up to this Thrift House thing in the first place? How can we justify Jesus’ command to “feed my sheep” in a store filled with old stuff? This is what I think: Jesus knew exactly what he was doing when he pushed those ECW ladies into starting a thrift store almost 60 years ago. The secret is: it’s not the stuff! It’s creating moments of joy in the lives of others. Thrift House is a community that includes everyone who passes through its doors. It works like a beehive. Every member contributes to the well-being and growth of the others. We all arrive feeling stretched thin from the stress in our personal lives, trying to cope with too much to do in too little time. The fabric of people’s lives has become threadbare from economic uncer-tainty even as we see the market soar. This tension has become another form of unquiet that robs us of God’s peace.

Thrift House creates a safe haven where people who have lost their dignity, who grieve for losses, and who wither from isola-tion ask only to be loved. Every one of us has been empowered with God’s peace. Help us create moments of joy with your time and talents by volunteering with us.

We are located at 761 Walnut Street and our hours are Tuesday through Friday, 9:30am–4:30pm. We accept consignment cloth-ing, jewelry, and household items by appointment during store hours. – Jean SeymorePS: We’ve started painting the inside of our building on weekends. Sure could use some help here!

as a volunteer at Global Samaritan Resources, contact Myra Dean at 325-676-9991.

On the home-front, our committee also subsidizes discretionary funds for our clergy. Our priests and deacon have frequent contact with people from our community who have personal, family and emergency needs. Their discretionary funds allow them to com-bine personal assistance with pastoral care: the gospel in action.

Over the coming months I will keep you appraised of the work of your Outreach Committee. At the same time, we want to hear from you. Our goal is to glorify God by providing relief to human suffering. Let us know if you are aware of someone to whom we can provide practical assistance; contact us if you know of a human service agency that has a specific need to further their work. And remember,“…happy are those who provide for the poor.” Proverbs 14:21b


MarchCalendar

5:30am B.O.B.S

8:00am Morning Prayer

6:30pm Curate’s Study


9:30-11:30amHands-onOutreach

10am Staff mtg

6:00pm Change Ringers

6:15pm - EFM


SJES Chapel

9:30-11:30am Hands-on Outreach

5:30pmHealing Service Holy Eucharist*

(5:15pm on Feb. 25)6:15-8:00pm

EYC grades 9-12

7:30pm Adult Choir


Please take time to thank your Sunday Servers. They work hard to make each service run smoothly. The server schedule can be found on the website at www.heav-enlyrestabilene.org, where it will be updated with changes over the course of the month and e-mailed to the servers at the beginning of each month. If you would like a hard copy of the server schedule, please call the office at 325.677-2091.

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9:30amBible Study

withMother Susanna

9:30-11:30am Hands-on Outreach

7:00pm Bagpipes

ParishFellowship

8:00am Rite I Holy Eucharist

9:15am Sunday School

10:15am Adult Choir*

10:30amRite II Holy Eucharist*

1:00pm Morning Prayer

in Swahili

5:00pm Change Ringers

5:15-7:00pm JEYPs grades 6-8

Childcare is available every Sunday, 7:30 a.m-Noon,

unless otherwise noted. *childcare will be available

for this event **childcare can be arranged

upon request

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY • Weekly Schedule at Heavenly Rest - Holy week schedule can be found on page 2...

• Scheduled on Alternating Weeks2nd & 4th Tuesday, March 10 & 24

Centering Prayer (Bishop Mayer Room), 4:00pm

1st & 3rd Tuesday, March 3 & 17St. Margaret’s Guild, 6:30pm

For an up-to-date calendar of events, please visit the church website at heavenlyrestabilene.org.Looking for the monthly schedule for Sunday duties? Go to the website, and click on this:

Pucketts’ Performance to benefit the PhilharmonicThe prodigious piano-playing Pucketts are performing at the Paramount on March 28 to benefit the Abilene Philharmonic. Mark, Lauren and Halle Puckett will perform a highly entertaining, eclectic concert on two grand pianos with Maestro Itkin joining them to perform a quartet.

The Pucketts are often leading the cause of musical education in our community. This past year, the Philharmonic’s education program provided materials and concerts for 6,000 school-aged children. Underprivileged children also received free tickets to attend concerts, which included over 350 for the Holiday Pops concert this year. These deserving and appreciative children had the opportunity to experience highly accomplished musicians, meet vocalist and Super Bowl Cham-pion, Ben Utecht, and complete their experience with a visit from Santa Claus.

This is a wonderful opportunity for the Parish to support not only the Pucketts, but music edu-cation in our community. The Pucketts bring honor to our church family and to our community. Donations are accepted, but not required. Tickets are $30, and for $40 guests experience the per-formance and also a reception following the event to congratulate the Pucketts.

Appreciation Event for Peter Kent & FamilyPeter Kent, our Parish Administrator, will soon depart for his job with the Headquarters of the United States Air Force in Europe. An appreciation event is planned for Peter, Sandra, Rachel and Colin on Sunday, March 15, in the Parish Hall following the 10:30am service. Sandra and the children will remain in Abilene until the end of the school year, when they will join Peter in Ger-many. Please join us as we celebrate and bless the Kents as they make this important transition.

SundayServers

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BackPage†Dear Friends,

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men could not unscramble Humpty-Dumpty! How can any mortal heal a broken heart? Reuniting body and soul requires returning our hearts to the One that created us. This is how Lent is spent. When a baby is conceived in the womb, heart development begins before the formation of the brain stem. As we mature, it is very common to give priority to our brainy ideas and lose our ‘heart-awareness.’ As adults, we usually put brain first and heart second, reversing God’s development intention. Thus, we often misunderstand love— and mess up a lot of relationships, both divine and human.

Jesus told a parable about the hypocrite praying in the temple. He does not need God’s forgiveness because he is independently righteous. This Pharisaic mind is ‘hyper-active’: I can create in my head a full courtroom scene where I present the evidence against my adversary and prove that my negative behavior is justified. I can focus on super-villains, like ISIS, and without doing anything good, be a righteous hero— my moral superiority is achieved by mere mental comparison to some greater, horrendous, evil.

10 Years of ServiceHeavenly Rest would like

to express appreciation to Lucy Marak who is

retiring from the nursery after ten years of dedicated

service. She recently re-cieved a beautiful bouquet

of f lowers at a Sunday service and further acts

of appreciation are being planned. Lucy has done an excellent job of caring for the children of this con-gregation, including the Swahili Morning Prayer

congregation. She has been a pleasure to work with and

has taken excellent care of our nursery facility. In retirement, Lucy plans to spend more time with her family… the only child

care she plans to do, is for her grandchildren!

A full-to-overflowing Parish Hall at the Mardi

Gras dinner– another positive sign of a growing

need for a new Great Hall. Read about construction

plans on page 3 of this Layreader.

Many thanks to the Abilene Reporter-

News for photos of the Ash Wednesday

service.

The parable also tells us about a publican, heartsick over his sins, who passionately cries out for God’s forgiveness. We share with this ancient sinner, ‘we have not loved God with our whole heart!’ We are shattered into a multiplicity of sins– mine, yours, ours and theirs.

This is the overwhelming immensity of the sin of the world... the sin in which we are active, culpable, separated and alienated participants.

Lenten labor prays out, breaths out, and cleanses out the hard, cracked, sharp pieces of self-righteousness which isolate our hearts. On Good Friday we see the full horror of our failed love– but we also feel the tender, tenacious, passionate love that endures our rejection and can make us whole. On Easter Sunday we realize with joy God’s power and love, totally sufficient to overcome all that would separate our souls from our Divine Lover.

Keep a humble and holy Lent! It is from the bottoms of our hearts, that we gain access to the heights of our souls. Faithfully,

Luke+

Heavenly Rest Office Hours Monday-Thursday: 8:30a.m.-12 noon; 1-4:30p.m.

Friday: 8:30a.m. - 12 noon(325) 677-2091

[email protected]://www.heavenlyrestabilene.org

Return Service Requested

Non-ProfitOrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDAbilene, TX

Permit #249

VISIONThe Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest is a Christian community of faith rooted in the Anglican

tradition. Empowered by the Holy Spirit through Word

and Sacrament, we seek

to know the reconciling love of God and to share

that love with others.

Church of the Heavenly Rest602 Meander StreetAbilene, Texas 79602-1009

Telephone (325) 677-2091

Care. Share. Create. Serve.

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCHThe Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts-Schori, Presiding Bishop

THE DIOCESE OF NORTHWEST TEXASThe Right Reverend J. Scott Mayer, Bishop

PARISH STAFFThe Reverend N. Luke Back, Rector

The Reverend Susanna Cates, CurateThe Reverend Amanda Watson, Deacon

Bikole Mulanda, Swahili Minister Peter Kent, Parish Administrator

Dr. Wes Gomer, Organist and Director of Music MinistriesApril Powers, Financial Manager

Katie Young, Office Assistant, Youth and Christian EducationLaura Wright, Communications Coordinator

Susetta Rockett, Music AssistantShelly Reed, Director: Junior Ringers & SingersCourtney Bryant, Christian Education Assistant

Barbradon Brooks, HarpistArnulfo Guerra, Sexton

Dorothy Guerra, Housekeeper

More from Midwinter Retreat

Layreader March 2015

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