THE CHIMES - Christ Church › wp-content › uploads › ... · 2019-01-29 · Christ Church | Macon, GA October 2017 The Chimes 4 Ministry of the Month: “Weekend Lunch Program”

An Attitude of Gratitude This week a young newsman knocked on my door asking if I was grateful to have my power back on. While that would seem to be an obvious response, apparently he was having difficulty finding people who were not just wanting to complain about the amount of time they had been without power. Electricians had come from far and wide to assist with the monumental task of getting power back to the people of Macon even though there were other areas that were facing much greater devastation than we did. He was looking for appreciation for the long hours and long journeys that had been made to get our power back up so our lives could return to normal. Having endured many a blizzard up North where people were without power for weeks- which also meant no water and no heat in freezing temperatures- this was merely an inconvenience not a hardship for us (although certainly there were others who were experiencing hardship). These workers had themselves endured hardship to minimize ours. There is so much we take for granted in our lives when things are going well, so much that has to “go right” for life to go smoothly, that it isn’t until the storms of life hit that we realize how much we have to be grateful for. Electricity, the internet, healthy bodies and minds, healthy relationships, transportation, comfortable temperatures are all things we take for granted and when they are missing they can disturb our sense of peace if we let them. However, if our sense of peace is rooted in our relationship with the Lord none of these things can disturb our peace. Instead they may be inconveniences or even serious challenges but they cannot shake us to the core or our take away our peace.

When we practice an intentional stewardship of our time talent and treasure that involves giving back to the Lord in gratitude for all he has given to us and done for us it works to maintain this sense of perspective in our lives and that peace that passes understanding in our spirit. It maintains within us a sense of gratitude for how much we are loved and cherished by God. Just like any relationship, we need to be working at our side of the equation. God’s love for us is constant. We read in Romans 8: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him who loved us. For neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” In other words, if God feels far away, guess who moved? We need to be standing on that firm foundation of Jesus Christ and walking with Him to keep our minds in that place of perfect peace. We can make a practical step in that direction by being intentional about expressing our commitment to the Lord in our pledge of time talent and treasure. Give back to the Lord out of the first fruits of your labor, not out of your leftovers. Make a commitment to be a part of a ministry of the church whether it be on a weekend lunch team, serving in some way at the altar, teaching Sunday School, or one of the many other ways of serving at Christ Church and in our community. Live out your gratitude in your life and you will find your heart is filled to overflowing with gratitude and the love of the Lord. They are truly connected. We have been blessed in order that we might be a blessing to others and in all of it to be blessing the Lord by figuratively and literally praising him with the whole of our being.

—The Rev. Cynthia C. Knapp, Rector

THE CHIMES

“Growing by God’s Grace into a Family of Faith and Ministry”

In This Issue

Looking Ahead ....................... p. 2

From the Vestry ..................... p. 2

Children’s Ministry ................. p. 3

Ministry of the Month ............. p. 4

ECW ...................................... p. 5

Young Families ...................... p. 6

EYC ....................................... p. 6

Music Ministry ...................... p. 10

Christ Church | Macon, GA October 2017

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From the Vestry It is time to begin forming this year’s Nominating Committee. This committee will include the four Vestry members whose term is ending (Lizzie Clark, Nan Harper, Emory Johnson, and Molly Muse) and four members of the parish. We would like this committee to reflect the diversity of our parish. This group will be formed between October 1 and 22. Anyone who would like to be considered for the Nominating Committee should contact Lizzie Clark at [email protected] as soon as possible. By Oct. 22 the committee will be fully formed and the names will be announced to the parish. At that point anyone who would like to be considered for the vestry themselves or who would like to nominate someone for a position on the vestry (with their consent) may contact a member of the nominating committee to put forward any names. (This allows more time for members to put forward names so we are out in front of the busy holiday season.) Any names that are to be presented for “nominations from the floor” must be received by the senior warden before January 7th which is two weeks before the Annual Meeting on January 21, 2018. On January 7th the Nominating Committee will make known the names of the four nominees to the parish to be voted on at the annual meeting. We ask for your prayers for wisdom and guidance as they prayerfully discern this selection process balancing the upcoming needs of the vestry with the gifting of the new vestry members.

This process is a return to the way the vestry was elected at Christ Church in the past but adds additional members to the nominating committee, the opportunity for parishioners to request to be on the nominating committee and 30 additional days to submit names for the vestry. It is a change that the vestry has been discussing putting in place for well over a year. It is also consistent with the Cannons of the Diocese and is the practice of the diocesan Cathedral, St. Philip’s in Atlanta.

Looking Ahead

• Oct 1 | EYC Middle & High School | 4:15pm The Situation Room (427 Poplar Street)

• Oct 2 | Prayer Yoga with Sue Davy | 6pm Meets in the Great Hall

• Oct 3 | Daughters of the King | 6pm Lawson Kelly, guest speaker Home of Wendy Johnson (116 Maimont Cir)

• Oct 3 | Theology on Tap | 7pm Barefoot Tavern (468 Second St)

• Oct 4 | Lawson Kelly | 10:30am Meets in the Cloister Room

• Oct 5 | Gift of Gab | 5:30pm Home of Melody Blake (229 Rutledge Way)

• Oct 12 | Welcoming & Nurturing Committee Davis Room @ 5:15pm

• Oct 15 | Annual Parish Picnic | 4pm Sheridan Farmhouse (955 McCowan Rd, Forsyth)

• Oct 15 | EYC High School @ Parish Picnic Activities planned for senior high

• Oct 17 | EYC Middle School | 7pm Meets @ the Baxley’s

• Oct 17 | Organ Concert | Mr. Matthew Brown 7:30pm in the Nave of Christ Church

• Oct 19 | Executive Committee | 12pm Meets in the Davis Room

• Oct 19 | Gift of Gab | 5:30pm Home of Molly Muse (4987 Wesleyan Woods Dr)

• Oct 19 | Organ Concert | Jonathan Poe Noon @ St. Joseph Catholic (830 Poplar St)

• Oct 20 | ***NEWSLETTER DEADLINE***

• Oct 24 | Vestry Meeting | 5:15pm Cloister Room; All are welcome to attend

• Oct 25 | Fall Festival | Begins @ 5:30pm

• Oct 26 | Worship Committee | 3pm Meets in the Davis Room

• Oct 28/29 | Christ Church Weekend Lunch

Christ Church | Macon, GA October 2017

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Children’s Ministry

Christ Church | Macon, GA October 2017

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Ministry of the Month: “Weekend Lunch Program”

Weekend Lunch: Feeding our Homeless, Hungry and Less Fortunate…

Our Ministry Teams served 1,150 meals to our area guests during the Month of September!

We extend our gratitude and appreciation to the following Team Leaders & Volunteers for preparing and serving these meals: St Peter Claver Catholic Church - Juan & Claudia Bravo, Christ Church - Holly Leachman, St Pauls Episcopal Church - Dr Hillary Ellwood, St Francis Episcopal Church - Joseph Whidby and 1st Baptist Church of Christ - Dan Riley

October’s Weekend Lunch Teams (*subject to change) • October 7th/8th Bakers Delight - Charla Baker • October 14th/15th High Street Unitarian Universalist - Carol Maddox-Lucas • October 21st/22nd St Francis Episcopal Youth - Joseph Whidby

• October 28th/29th Christ Church Brotherhood of St Andrew - Hal Brickle

RACKing it up… Weekend Lunch CAN-A-THON!

All Donations for our kitchen upgrade and canned goods for the pantry are greatly appreciated!

Food items needed are corn & green beans. We also need racks and shelving for the kitchen.

Volunteerism Volunteerism is a one-way deal—all output, with no returns and no rewards. MYTH!

Quite commonly I hear, ‘Hal, our people are busy, they work hard in the marketplace, they're raising kids, they're doing stuff in the community’. So, I decide to not ask them to do more than what they are currently doing. But, something starts boiling in me. Because what I'm really being told is that we don't want to ask people to put serving towels over their arms and step up to volunteering for the cause of Christ in the local church out of fear that doing so will diminish the quality of their lives. It will just add one more stress to already stressed-out people. It will put yet another burden on the backs of people who are already hunched over from carrying too many burdens; I can't tell you how much I disagree with that position.

Volunteerism done right, volunteerism done biblically, wisely, and in the power of the Holy Spirit will not diminish the quality of a person's life. It will do precisely the opposite! Volunteerism done right will dramatically and often radically, positively transform a person's life. Inviting a person into servanthood in the cause of Christ is often one of the kindest, most life giving, joy-producing, spiritually-enriching opportunities you can offer somebody. Volunteerism done right will add immeasurably to the quality of the people in our congregation's lives. Volunteerism done right will grow our faith, deepen our trust, stretch our skills, enrich our relationships, increase our joy, and last, but hardly least, it will set us up for the commendation every sincere Christ follower wants to hear at the end of their time here on planet Earth:

"Well done, son. Well done, daughter. You loved me, you served people, you used your gifts, you made a difference in this fallen world. Way to go!" Is there anything better than that?

So, I am inviting each of you to think about volunteering, how you would like to serve and to consider Christ Church’s Weekend Lunch Ministry. I believe that all people, including men, women and children, have the right to live without the fear of not knowing where their next meal will come from. I also believe that the homeless, hungry and less fortunate deserve a safe and spiritually supportive environment to help provide some needed love and respect along with some essential nourishment in their lives. Volunteer opportunities are currently available in a variety of areas involved in serving meals from our kitchen in Jones Chapel. I invite you into servanthood. We are recruiting now to serve on a team and/or volunteer your time and talents. Christ Church weekends are listed below. Please call (478) 745-0427 to help with eliminating hunger in our community.

Contact Information Hal Brickle: Weekend Lunch Coordinator Office: (478) 745-0427 ext. 128 [email protected]

Christ Church | Macon, GA October 2017

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Episcopal Church Women

Christ Church | Macon, GA October 2017

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Young Families We had a great Young Families Taco Night recently. Thanks for all of you who came. We parents had a chat about the Young Families’ ministry here at Christ Church and a few ideas and suggestions were brought forward.

The main idea was to have a monthly young families gathering. In October that will be the All Saints’ Service and Halloween party at the church on Wednesday the 25th. November’s event is TBA, but then December’s event will be the St. Nick service on December 6th at the church.

We’ve also created a Facebook Page “Christ Church Young Family Ministry” where we can share news, resources, and plan activities. Events and services will continue to be advertised in the weekly bulletin and the Chimes.

Other ideas are also in the works, but please one request, we’d like to be able to stay on top of communicating together, especially as we recognize birthdays and baptism anniversaries. So if you could please email either myself ([email protected]) or the office ([email protected]) with your contact information, names of your children, birthdays, anniversaries, baptism anniversaries, we will make sure our data is correct so we can stay in touch and minister to you all more effectively.

Episcopal Youth Community We are excited about building our youth program at Christ Church and the parents have been working hard to put together the schedule for the fall. Katlynn Cross, who had been hired to work with the youth did not turn out to be the right fit for us, so we are shifting gears to put together the program using volunteer support until we are ready to hire a full-time youth minister again. We are planning to wait and find student interns until we are sure we have found the right person before returning to a full-time hire. Chet and Cynthia Knapp will be working with the parents (and any additional interns) to minister to our youth and encourage them in their faith journey. The following is our calendar for October:

Sunday, Oct. 1 | EYC Kick-off Party at the Situation Room/Dinner at Fatty’s Pizza

This will include Middle School and High School. They will meet at the Situation Room at 427 Poplar St. 4:15 for a brief prayer and introduction time to set up their situation room experience. We expect to finish at the situation room by 6:00 and walk the 2 blocks to Fatty’s Pizza for dinner.

A donation to the Weekend Lunch Program will get your child free admission and free pizza! An email will be sent out to let people know what they need most. This fun activity and dinner will be generously funded by the church. PLEASE RSVP FOR THIS EVENT TO [email protected]

This will take the place of EYC meeting for both groups this week.

Sunday, Oct. 15 | 4:00-6:00 pm Parish Picnic

The High School EYC is encouraged to bring a change of clothes as we have planned an event for that group that involves getting quite wet. You are welcome to bring a friend and should be prepared to be very active. This will function as our meeting that day.

Tuesday, Oct. 17 | Middle School EYC at The Baxley’s 7:00-8:15 You are welcome to bring a friend!

Wednesday, Oct. 25 | EYC Assist Helen Stewart with the Fall Festival. Please email Helen if you will be there to help

Sunday, Oct. 29 | Haunted Montrose for Middle School and High School Time and details TBA

Christ Church | Macon, GA October 2017

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Music Ministry

Jonathan A. Poe, Organist-Choirmaster We have several music events coming up in the month of October and at the beginning of November. The first event is an Organ Concert by Mr. Matthew Michael Brown on Tuesday, October 17 at 7:30pm in the Nave of Christ Church. A reception will immediately follow the concert. Donations to benefit the Weekend Lunch Program will be collected. On Thursday, October 19 at noon, I will be playing the organ at St. Joseph Catholic Church for their “Third Thursday Interlude.” Both concerts are free and open to the public.

Sunday, November 5 at 5pm will be our annual Choral Evensong celebrating the Feast of All Saints’. The Canticles for this service, the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, are composed by Sir Herbert Brewer and we are singing Martin Neary’s setting of the Preces and Responses. Our Choristers will join the Christ Church Choir for this service. A reception will follow.

I would love for you to be a part of our vibrant Music Ministry. If you or your child are, contact me by email [email protected] or phone (478) 745-0427 ext. 123 anytime for more information.

Organ Concert: Mr. Matthew Michael Brown

Tuesday, October 17 @ 7:30pm

Nave of Christ Church

Concert is free and open to the public Donations to support our Weekend Lunch Program are appreciated.

A Reception will immediately follow in the Cloister Room

MATTHEW MICHAEL BROWN has served the mission of First United Methodist Church of Salisbury, NC as Director of Music and Organist since 2008. At First Church, he oversees the Stanback Department of Sacred Music and is Artistic Director and Founder of the FirstARTS Concert Series. His choirs have accepted invitations to sing in the Washington National Cathedral and twice as guest choir in New York's Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue. Prior to his appointment in Salisbury, he served on the music staff of Grace Church (Broadway at 10th) in New York City. While living in New York, he was also studio pianist for the late Rita Shane, former dramatic coloratura soprano of the Metropolitan Opera.

As a conductor, his choirs regularly present choral masterpieces with members of North Carolina's leading orchestras. Recent performances include Handel's QUEEN CAROLINE TE DEUM, Haydn's LORD NELSON MASS, Duruflé REQUIEM and Gjeilo's SUNRISE MASS. As a collaborative artist, he enjoys frequent performances with singers and instrumentalists, including solo organ accompaniments for major choral works.

Mr. Brown regularly concertizes throughout the USA and abroad, and several performances have been heard in radio broadcasts of American Public Media’s Pipe Dreams and the nationally syndicated program, With Heart and Voice. He is honored to have performed as a guest artist for series and festivals in Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral, London; Barcelona Cathedral, Spain; Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York; Princeton University Chapel; Assembly Hall of the Mormon Tabernacle; Trinity Church Copley Square, Boston; and the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta. He has premiered works by North Carolina composers Kenneth Frazelle and Dan Locklair. He will present recitals this season in the Washington National Cathedral; Shandon United Methodist Church, Columbia, SC; and Christ Church Cathedral, Nashville, TN.

He holds degrees in organ performance from the North Carolina School of the Arts and the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. Through the generosity of The Robert Carwithen Foundation, he continued private organ studies for two years in the United States and abroad with Dame Gillian Weir. A former organ student of David Higgs, Jack Mitchener, and Wayne Leupold, he also studied improvisation with William Porter.

Mr. Brown served as Dean of the American Guild of Organists Charlotte Chapter from 2014-17, and is the Course Manager for the Royal School of Church Music Carolina Course at Duke University. Beyond his professional responsibilities, he enjoys serving on the board of directors for several charitable organizations in his community.

Christ Church | Macon, GA October 2017

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Christ Church (Episcopal) 582 Walnut Street Macon, GA 31201

The Chimes