CCALEX Rejoice May 2014

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RejoiceMay 2014

118 N. Washington St. ✠ Alexandria, VA 22314 www.HistoricChristChurch.org ✠ 703-549-1450

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By the HVAC Committee

Now that we have seen that con-struction is actually underway,

we will soon be seeing additional activity begin inside the church. On Saturday April 12, there was a large crane on site to remove the old equip-ment and place the new equipment. We have placed photos of the crane on the website at www.ccalex.org. Choose About Us, then HVAC. The old chiller has been removed from the basement of the Old Parish House and the old cooling tower has been removed from the Fowler House roof. New equipment has replaced them in those locations.

Scaffolding outside the church tower allows for removal of the old air handling unit and the installation

of a new unit. Two new air handling units, that will supply both heat and air conditioning, were installed in the church basement during March and April.

Once the tower air handling unit is installed toward the end of May, scaffolding will be put in place in the church balcony for purposes of relocating the return air vent in the ceiling, away from the organ pipes and over the west balcony rail. This is being done to prevent dust from be-ing pulled into the organ pipes.

During this period, cooling con-nections between the chiller in the Old Parish House basement and the cooling tower on the roof of the Fowler House will be made. Testing and activation of the air conditioning

Salute to the Seniors of Historic Christ Church

At the one-time Parish home of George Washington and Robert

E. Lee, crossing the Delaware in snow may be one of the few things our ‘older Americans’ at Historic Christ Church haven’t done…. yet. On any given day of the week you’ll find active and faithful seniors growing bolder, rather than older, as leaders in ministries, outreach and missions, joining forces with parishioners of all ages in continuing lives of service.

You’ll find seniors among our le-gions of volunteer Sunday School teachers and shepherds, in the kitch-en with Sisters of the Traveling Pans, serving among leaders on the Parish Vestry and on the board of the Christ

Church Foundation. You’ll find them among those acknowledged as Alex-andria Living Legends, and minister-ing to parishioners in mourning at

post-memorial service receptions in the Meade Room. Our seniors are among those doing the jitter-bug or line dancing at the Shrine Mont Par-ish Retreat sock hop, leading teens through the halls of Congress to advocate for hungry people, pitch-ing in on a mission trip to Our Little Roses in San Pedro Sula, clearing the historic Wilkes Street Cemetery and assuring a warm hospitable welcome to all in the Meade Room and Fowler house on Sundays.

If you don’t see some of your favor-ite seniors around on occasional Sun-day mornings, they might be among the parishioners with Christ Church

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Construction Update

system for the church is expected to be completed in early June.

There will be no access to church balcony while scaffolding is in place there. This also means there will be no organ or piano accompaniment for music that day, but that should not keep innovative Christ Church pa-rishioners from enjoying their music. We expect access to the balcony will be restricted for one Sunday.

Once installation inside the historic church is complete and the system is operational, work will move across the churchyard and relocation of staff will begin. A relocation committee has been working for some time to as-sist in making this process as smooth as possible.

The ever-active Fran and Gant Redmon helping out at Shrine Mont.

Page 2 ✠ Rejoice ✠ May 2014

Rejoice is the official monthly publication of Christ Church, Alexandria, Virginia, an Episcopal church in the Diocese of Virginia.

The Rt. Rev. Shannon Johnston Thirteenth Bishop of VirginiaThe Rt. Rev. Susan Ellyn Goff

Suffragan BishopThe Rt. Rev. Edwin F. (Ted) Gulick, Jr.

Assistant Bishop of VirginiaVestry

John Lawson, Senior WardenJanet Osborn, Junior Warden

John Burns, Susan Davis, Elizabeth Dakin, John Kennedy, Brian Shannon, Kevin

Smith, Steve Vajs, Stephanie Waldhoff, Peter Wyckoff, Janet Zavrel

Tykie Tobin, TreasurerAndrew Baird, Assistant Treasurer

ClergyThe Rev. Pierce Klemmt, Rector

The Rev. Ann Gillespie, Senior Associate Rector

The Rev. Heather VanDeventer, Associate Rector for

Faith Formation and EvangelismThe Rev. Dr. Diane Murphy,

Priest AssociateEmily Lukanich

Ministry ResidentJohn Hogg, Fares Naoum

SeminariansThe Rev. Dr. Alvin C. Johnson, Jr.

Director of Ministry Resident Program

Director of MusicM. Jason Abel

Christ Church embodies God’s unbounded love by embracing, liberating,

and empowering people, whoever you are and wherever you find yourself

on your journey of faith.

The Rejoice deadline is the third of the month preceding publication. Please email

proposed articles to [email protected]. Those accepted are subject

to editing for length and content. Susan Hahn edits Rejoice while Craig

Keith provides design and layout. Carol Donlan gives her time and talent

as an advisor.

@historiccc

A Message of Thanksgiving to Christ Church

Finance Committee 101

A goal of the Christ Church stra-tegic plan is to better inform the

parish about the handling of money and general financial matters at the church. To that end, members of the finance committee have prepared in-formation about the workings of the committee.

This is the thirteenth in a series about the work of the committee to appear in Rejoice.

‘Who Decides How Much Money is Spent on Our Little Roses?’Submitted by The Finance Committee

The Vestry ultimately decides how much money is spent from the budget each year on everything the church accomplishes. Missions such as Our Little Roses, ministries such as Chil-

dren, Youth and Families, programs such as Worship, and even supplies such as soap, are funded from the budget approved annually by the Vestry.

Before the Vestry ever sees the first pass at a yearly budget, a great deal of work has been done to illuminate and clarify needs and goals in each category.

The Mission Committee, supported by the Director of Outreach and Mis-sion, decides how the funds budgeted by the Vestry for mission work will be apportioned to each of the missions our parish supports. Contributions made to Christ Church which are specifically designated by the donor to Our Little Roses, or other missions, also are used to fund this important work.

By Seminarian Fares Naoum

The 11th of May will be my last day in Christ Church as a semi-

narian. I thank all of you for giving me the opportunity to serve and learn in the Christ Church. I found this opportunity a blessing for me, since I have met all of you and was a part of your Church.

I would like to thank all the priests, especially my supervisor, the Rev. Ann Gillespie, and the Lay Commit-tee members, for their support. I have experienced the love of Jesus Christ through your warm hospitality, your amazing outreach ministries and the worship life.

In Christ Church, I preached my first sermons, and it is a blessing and a pleasure as well to have this op-portunity. Moreover, it is gratifying to preach in Christ Church, since all the parishioners interact with the preacher, and this gave me a lot of

confidence. I have received many en-couraging comments, which strength-ened me during this year.

While I am leaving Christ Church as a seminarian, I am happy to let you know that I will see you again in the Fall, which will be my last year of studies at the Virginia Theologi-cal Seminary, as a friend of Christ Church.

Finally, I want you to know that I am getting married on the 29th of June, 2014, and hopefully I might come back to VTS with my wife to be. Please continue to pray for me, my fiancé, family, the Diocese of Je-rusalem and the people of the Holy Land.

I will keep Christ Church in my heart as well as my prayer.

In Christ,Fares NaoumThe Diocese of Jerusalem

Rejoice ✠ May 2014 ✠ Page 3

New BeginningsBy The Rev. Pierce W. Klemmt Senior Rector

Every year in May we hold our All-Parish meeting to nominate

candidates for Vestry leadership, hear and read reports from staff and ministry leaders celebrating our ac-complishments, update the progress of our strategic plan and select a person deserving the recognition of the Rector and Wardens’ Award. We will also announce the results of our Capital Campaign for the renewal of our HVAC system. The Vestry you choose will ultimately call your next Rector. We will need everyone pres-ent as we begin this new chapter for

Christ Church. I hope you put Sun-day, May 4 in your calendar.

Having nearly 40 years of All-Parish meetings in my ministry, I will cherish this one unlike others. It will be the first public fo-rum of my transition into retirement. Like having to come to terms with being 65 years old (how did that happen so quickly?), relin-quishing the role of Rec-tor will be equally daunt-ing. On my last birthday Ann Gillespie gave me a refrigerator magnet which reads: “Everything will

be ok in the end. If it’s not ok, it’s not the end.” This is an assurance we all

can trust with God. Good endings bring the promise of new beginnings.

A transition committee has been called by the vestry and they reported and answered questions regarding the steps we are taking to lay the ground-work for how my ministry with you will end and the process they will engage to begin the search for

your next Rector. I hope you were with us at the meeting.

At the end of the All-Parish Meeting on May 4, Capital

Campaign Co-Chairs Ann & Chris McMurray announced to a full house in the Auditorium that Preserving our Legacy – Protecting our Future cam-paign had reached the goal of raising $1.8 million to support the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning project. With the help of members of the audience who made a pledge or increased their pledge that day, along with more than 300 donors and pledgers, the total raised is now $1,802,751.

Ann McMurray emphasized that this accomplishment was only pos-sible with the generosity of many contributors and the hard work of 50 wonderful campaign volunteers. She asked the volunteers present to stand and be recognized for the time and talent they have poured into this suc-cessful effort.

The parish would like to recognize and thank each volunteer who made the campaign a success.

Campaign Co-ChairsTed and Lee EllettChris and Ann McMurray

Parish Visitors & VolunteersSome of these volunteers called to recruit Visitors. Our Visitors attended meetings, made calls, visited with parishioners. Still others made forum presentations or helped to plan the campaign.

Capital Campaign Reaches Goal

Services Switch to Summer Hours

Our summer worship sched-ule of 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., and 5:00 p.m. services begins on Sunday, May 25.

Anne ShineBeverley StinsonRandy TeagueBob ThomsonStetson & Sandy Tinkham

Tykie Tobin

Unalane AblondiAbas & Eileen Adenan

Chip AndreaePatrick ArcherDave AndersenJay & Cindi Bar-tol

Andrew BairdJane BairdJanet BeckmannBilly BrierreJohn BurnsElizabeth DakinSusan DavisPaul DohertyCarol Donlan

Tom HahnJessica HughesMark & Emily Ilich

Rev. Richard Jones

John KennedyFred Koester John LawsonVince LaPointeDon LoweWillie Moncure Ridge MultopJanet OsbornLee QuillDavid RiggsLiz Rudolph

Bridget WeaverAdrianne WegnerEleanor L. WilsonPeter WyckoffDick Wyler Margaret Zeigler


Worship Schedule Listening Sessions, May 11 & 18

We invite all who are interested to a listening session concern-

ing some possible changes to the Sun-day morning schedule. Please join us on Sunday, May 11, at 9:00 a.m. (fol-lowing the 8:00 service) or Sunday, May 18, at 12:20 p.m. (following the 11:15 service), in the Library to share your input, ideas, and questions.

Another session was held on April 27 at 10:00 a.m. If you could not make it to the earlier session, please consider joining us for one of these upcoming meetings.

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Celebrate Our Parish Youth on Youth Sunday, May 18

By Heather Hembrey

The Christ Church Sunday School program is already planning

for the upcoming academic year, which begins in September. Christ Church children who will be in 1st–5th grades will begin the year with a six-week unit on “What Makes My Church Special?” In this unit, students will discover many unique things about which our parish can be proud, such as its history, its minis-tries, its grounds, and its pipe organ.

They will explore these through custom designed workshops about music, art, stories and games, cooking and archaeology.

Throughout the rest of the 2014–2015 academic year, Christ Church elementary-age students also will explore our faith by learning about John the Baptist and Baptism, pray-

By Mary Beth Abplanalp

During the presentation of candi-dates for Holy Baptism, the con-

gregation is asked, “Will you who wit-ness these vows do all in your power to support these persons in their life in Christ?” The enthusiastic answer, “We will.”

With the end of school year right around the corner, we will have a chance as a church community to live into this baptismal covenant by rec-ognizing our youth on Youth Sunday, May 18.

The end of the school year marks a time of great change; accomplishments are realized, change in routine allows pause for reflection, and new doors of opportunity surface. High school se-niors are particularly aware of this time of transition as they venture on to new

Youth in 5th through 12th grades and their families are invited to

the end-of-the-year potluck dinner from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 18 in the Auditorium to cel-ebrate a wonderful year of fellowship and fun. We’ll recognize the ac-complishments of students and their youth leaders and enjoy looking back at the year during the youth ministry slideshow. Get ready for a fun evening! Please bring meal con-tributions to share as follows: Junior High— side dish, salad, or dessert; Senior High—main dish.

endeavors. Change can be exciting, but it can also bring feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. It is an essential time for our entire church community to pub-licly recognize these milestones and in-tentionally express our love, admiration and support to our young people.

We will welcome senior Cailin Ramsey to the pulpit as our youth preacher during the 9:00 and 1:15 a.m. services on May 18. During the 9:00 service we will pray for all gradu-ating seniors and send them forth into the world.

If you know someone who is gradu-ating from high school, please contact Mary Beth Abplanalp so we can in-clude them in our prayers. Come and celebrate our graduating seniors and all our youth as they finish another school year!

ing, Jeremiah and the Old Testament books of Judges.

Students and unit instructors will again use such activities as art, music and stories to explore these lessons in a variety of ways.

While the curriculum will provide our young parishioners many new opportunities to grow and learn in our faith, each adult parishioner is invited to be involved in this growth, either as a shepherd assigned to the same grade of students week after week, or as an activity leader. Are you a judge? Do you like to cook? Do you have a special talent that can en-hance children’s Christian education experience? If so, please contact Mary Beth Abplanalp to discover how you may become involved in the Christ Church Sunday School program.

Sunday School: What Makes My Church Special

Youth and Family Year-End Celebration

Pot-Luck Dinner on May 18

P


Get way outside the Beltway, a

two and a half hour drive from Northern Virginia, for a parish weekend of renewal and reconnection on Father’s Day weekend, June 13-15.

Registration is open now through June 2 to join in a weekend of relaxed fel-lowship and fun for all at the 35th annual Christ Church Parish Retreat at Shrine Mont. There is an early bird discount for those who register by May 27!

Relax and enjoy a weekend that in-cludes special activities for everyone in the pastoral Shenandoah Moun-tains setting of Virginia’s diocesan retreat center in Orkney Springs. Recharge your life with fun and food, worship, reflection, and time for in-spiration. Porch sitting, swimming, knitting, a sock hop, great meals and more all await your participation at Shrine Mont. Share time with your fellow parishioners in a place where

time moves slower. You can even have a conver-sation that is longer than a ‘Tweet.’

Volunteers to plan and produce this special time in ‘a place apart’ for the parish are welcome and needed. To volunteer please email

[email protected]

A Few Nitty Gritty Details— All About a Shrine Mont Parish Retreat:

• A place for hiking, pond fishing, pool swimming, a bonfire to make s’mores, and summer evening porch sitting.

• A place to get to know other pa-rishioners, rekindle friendships, and start new ones.

• A place where cell phone recep-tion is low and you can relax.

• A place for worship of God under the highest ceiling of any cathedral in the world.

• A place for children of God of all ages, singles, couples, and families.

Our senior high youth enjoyed a memo-rable overnight ‘lock-in’ that included a surprise outing to celebrate Eucharist with The Rev. VanDeventer, Children & Youth Minister Mary Beth Abplanalp, and youth group leaders the evening before Palm Sunday, at the Jef-ferson Memorial as the cherry blossoms were at peak bloom.

Join the All-Parish Fun at Shrine Mont Ballot Sunday is May 11

There are eight outstanding can-didates for Vestry. You will have

a chance to vote for four on Ballot Sunday, May 11. To view the nomi-nees’ photos and get to know them better by reading their personal statements, please visit our website at www.ccalex.org and choose About Us, then Vestry Nominees 2014.

Thank You to Our Retiring Vestry Members

Retiring from the vestry this year at the end of their terms of ser-

vice are John Burns, John Lawson, Kevin Smith,* and Steve Vajs. Christ Church has been blessed to have their dedication, leadership, and unfailing service. Please thank them when you see them.*Because Kevin was elected in 2013 to complete the last year of a retiring Vestry member’s term, he is eligible to be re-elected to serve a full term this year.


Parishioners Take On a Challenge for Hunger AwarenessBy The Outreach Committee

On Sunday, April 6 we celebrated Outreach Sunday and an end

to the Supplemental Nutrition As-sistance Program (SNAP) Challenge week at Christ Church.

Outreach and Mission sponsored a variety of Lenten practices that focused on alleviating hunger and becoming more aware of hunger in our local community. Parishioners participated in a variety of ways such as: helping to carry our shopping items from the food bank to our Laza-rus pantry, praying for those who are hungry, and donating food for our Lazarus guests.

We had 35 parishioners participate in the SNAP challenge, whether for a day or a whole week. A SNAP chal-lenge budget meant that they could only spend $1.30 per meal per person. Families with young children used the challenge as a time to talk about living on a very tight budget and how that impacted choices. Teenagers made SNAP meals for their families and were mindful of how much pro-duce and other food that they nor-mally eat were not items they could afford on a SNAP budget.

We hosted a forum where parish-ioners shared their experiences and observations in living the SNAP

Challenge with the congregation, providing time for everyone to reflect on their Lenten practices and what they learned about the SNAP budget.

Taking the SNAP Challenge for a week does not provide a full picture of the reality of those who struggle daily to put food on the table, but the challenge increased awareness of this struggle with hunger. Outreach members provided a welcome feast to celebrate those who had intentionally taken on hunger to be in solidarity with those who regularly live on a SNAP budget. Many thanks to every-one who participated.

The Feast of Pentecost

Sunday, June 8, is the Feast of Pen-tecost and we warmly invite you

to come and bring your neighbor to our services. On that day we celebrate the birth of the Church, and the gift of the Holy Spirit that allowed all to hear God’s word in their own lan-guage. Be sure to wear red.

We will conduct baptisms and offer a special blessing for those who have made Christ Church their spiritual home during the past year. Following the 10:00 a.m. Pentecost service, we will have an All-Parish Potluck Pic-nic in the churchyard.

OLR Pizza Party At Del Ray Pizza

Over thirty parishioners braved driving rain Wednesday evening, April 30 at Del Ray Pizza to join in celebration and raise funds for Christ Church’s

Our Little Roses (OLR) Mission this summer. Funds raised will provide sup-plies for projects and crafts for the residents of OLR in San Pedro Sula this summer when Christ Church missioners are there, as well as a day trip off the campus and home for the young girls. You can still support this mission of presence and educational support with a contribution to Christ Church, add-ing OLR in the memo line.


A Lenten Book Study Journey with HaroldBy Susan Cambon

When asked to host a Lenten Book Study Group, I was

delighted! The book was one I had wanted to read, and Paul and I en-joy entertaining. It would be fun! And then came the next question … Would I also be willing to lead it? I could think of so many reasons to say ‘no’—I am an introvert; I am too busy; I don’t feel ‘called’ to a ministry of leadership; and, probably most im-portantly, I’m afraid.

Reluctantly, I agreed, reasoning with myself that since I had not given up anything for Lent, this could be my Lenten challenge. The thought of taking on this responsibility terrified me, though, and I began to pray in earnest my usual ‘go to’ prayer—“Oh God, help … please!”

By The Rev. Heather VanDeventer

May 4: Spring All-Parish Meeting; Auditorium, 10:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m.

Christ Church holds two all-parish meetings a year. The spring meeting focuses on the ministries and pro-grams of the church and reviews what has occurred in the program year that is nearing completion. Candidates for vestry are formally nominated at this meeting. Question and answer time is always provided. Note that the 9:00 a.m. worship service is abbrevi-ated and that Sunday school starts at 10:00 a.m. to accommodate the meet-ing. Come and take your place in the councils of the church and attend the spring all-parish meeting.

May 11: Faith and the Diplomatic Effort; Meade Room, 10:15 a.m.

We welcome Don Beyer, parish-ioner and former Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, to the Sunday forum at Christ Church.

Sunday Forums in MayDon will share from his experiences as Ambassador and how he balanced the demands of that role with being a person of faith. Join us in the Meade Room.

May 18: 2014-2015 Program Year Budget Forum; Meade Room, 10:15 a.m.

The Wardens, John Lawson and Janet Osborn, and Treasurer Tykie Tobin, along with other members of the vestry and finance committee, will answer questions and discuss the approved 2014-2015 program year budget (fiscal year 2015). Join us in the Meade Room.

May 25–June 22: The Sunday fo-rum will take a pause until June 22. Enjoy fellowship with fellow Christ Churchers and the Pinkerington Ohio Jazz Band and Chorus on May 25, the Bishop’s visit and reception on June 1, and the Pentecost Potluck Picnic on June 8.

People signed up to attend, and the pressure mounted. Armed with prayers and Rev. Heather’s helpful study and discussion guide, I forged ahead. But guess what? I needn’t have worried! My prayers were answered in God’s usual way—through other people.

The fellowship before we began calmed me. The support of the group carried me, and my fears dissolved. As we followed Harold on his pilgrim-age, I learned early on that no answers were required from me—that there was much wisdom in our group. Each person brought a unique perspective to the conversation. The sharing of ideas and personal stories was a wonderful way to connect with each other.

After meeting for five weeks, I was truly sorry to see our journey come to

Bishop’s VisitJune 1

The Rt. Rev. Shannon S. Johnston, Diocesan Bishop,

will be at the 10:00 a.m. service on June 1 for baptism, reception, reaffirmation, and confirmation. A reception to honor all will follow the service in the Audito-rium.

an end. There is a line from the book that I love—“Already the world had more people in it for whom he cared.” That sums up how I felt as we parted. I will miss our time together.

What a surprise to find that in giv-ing up my reluctance to lead, I would gain so much!

A Look AheadMay 11, Vestry Election Ballot SundayMay 18, Youth Sunday & Vestry InstallationMay 25, Summer Schedule StartsJune 1, Bishop’s VisitJune 8, Pentecost & Potluck PicnicSee below for the May Forums and be sure to check Parish Life for week-ly schedules.


Try adding some of these sugges-tions into your daily schedule and see what works best for you. The benefits of including the time for these prac-tices are worth it.

Prayer and Meditation Time—These can be very powerful tools. You can start out with 10 minutes and work your way up to 20-30 minutes a day.

Exercise—If you don’t already, you can start walking 15-20 minutes a day. Walking can be a great stress reducer.

Eat Well—Take the time to eat 3 balanced meals a day with 2 healthy snacks. We should all be doing this. Keep healthy snacks in the car for those long days.

Support—Care-giving can take an emotional toll on the caregiver. There are support groups in this area for caregivers. The internet has great resources.

Connect—Ask around to see who else is caring for a loved one. You can meet for coffee or a meal. Talking with other caregivers can be invalu-

Rejoice Guest Column by Ruth Cunningham, RN, FCN

With today’s growing aging popu-lation, most of us will at some

time be caring for an aging parent or relative. As a caregiver and a nurse, I know this can be a very overwhelm-ing time. Take heart, you are not alone. Most of us find ourselves in this role without any preparation. Either there is a medical event or we come to the realization one day that our loved one will now need our help on a more regular basis.

Working with caregivers as a nurse and being one myself, I have learned there are things that we can do for ourselves that can help us with this new role.

Make caring for yourself a prior-ity. For some, this can be a difficult concept to put in practice. You may feel you don’t have enough hours in the day now. I understand. I am still a work in progress on this way of think-ing. Care-giving is challenging. Care-giver burnout is all too common.

In 1963, the President of the Unit-ed States decreed that the month

of May would be set aside annually to honor older Americans. The Epis-copal Church, too, sets aside this month to celebrate the contributions and leadership of those many seniors who donate thousands of volunteer hours yearly to the glory of God and their parish family.

Christ Church Senior Adults, will celebrate their 31st year of fellow-ship and service together in June. This group has inspired over 20 other churches in the metropolitan area and surrounding states to begin or augment their senior ministries. In January of 2005, Christ Church was recognized by the Diocese through

Christ Church Senior Adults Ministry Celebrating 31st Anniversarythe presentation of the Jeanne Beggar-Betsy Power Award given an-nually for excellence of Senior Adult Ministries. And in May of 2007, Christ Church was awarded the Ex-cellence in Aging Award by the City of Alexandria for its services to and with seniors within the Alexandria Community. This group has been renewed and enriched by caring and interested seniors (55 and over) some with their own aging parents now living into their 90’s. The next generation of leadership, Fran Usher and Betsy Hahn, have moved into providing quarterly luncheons in coordination with the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pans. Thanks be to God!

On-the-Go on a mission of presence for our Diocese of Virginia Dayspring Churches. Our Christ Church seniors are helping raise grandchildren and cheering on every joyful achievement or standing by every sorrow we bear at every age. Our seniors are among those sharing in the work in our Bag Lunch program, our Lazarus Ministry, our Children, Youth and Family min-istry, joining in the Christ Child Proj-ect program or Thanksgiving client food pantry set up. They offer support in various ways for singles and young parents, and a comforting perspective on life’s challenges.

And, yes, you’ll find seniors among those who participate in many roles of worship including clergy, choristers, overseeing acolyte training—they are writers, videographers, docents, lay readers, ushers, leaders in prayer, verg-ers and serve on the alter guild. They are among our keepers of history, our mentors of youth, and include amaz-ing and accomplished leaders in our community and national government, and they participate in groups that pray.

During May, the month the nation has officially celebrated Older Ameri-cans since 1963, we salute and give great thanks for our Christ Church se-niors—as we try to keep up with you!

Salute to Seniorscontinued from page 1

Caring For Those Who Care For Our Seniors

As our aging population grows in number and diversity, the Church is challenged to increase its apprecia-tion and attention to its seniors, some still active into their nineties, health-ier and still eager to contribute their time and talents to the betterment of this world we share. May the heritage they leave of service, courage in ad-versity, and faith continue to inspire the generations to come as they have inspired us!

continued on page 9


Each May the nation celebrates Older Americans Month to recognize older Americans for their contribu-

tions and provide demonstrate our nation’s commitment to helping them stay healthy and active.

This year’s Older Americans Month theme is “Safe Today. Healthy Tomorrow.” The theme focuses on injury prevention and safety to encourage older adults to protect themselves and remain active and independent for as long as possible.

With a focus on safety during Older Americans Month, the Administration for Community Living is raising aware-ness about this critical issue. By taking control of their safety, older Americans can live longer, healthier lives.

Older adults are at a much higher risk of unintentional injury and even death than the rest of the population. Unin-tentional injuries to this population result in at least six

Older American’s Month 2014 Celebration Features Focus on Safetymillion medically treated injuries and more than 30,000 deaths every year.

With a focus on this year’s celebration theme, we offer a few tips from the Administration for Community Living on simple ways to avoid the one of the leading causes of injury among older adults, falls:

Install handrails and grab bars wherever they are helpful, especially around stairs and in bathrooms.

Ensure ample lighting inside and outside of your home, particularly around frequently used walkways. Add one or more nightlights between your bedroom and bathroom.

Choose shoes with non-slip soles that provide support without bulk that could cause you to trip. Use a walking aid, if needed to improve balance and stability.

Find more helpful safety tips here: http://www.acl.gov/news-room/observances/oam/2014/docs/OAM-SafetyTipSheet.pdf

Lazarus the Musical!

If you love musicals, and if ending hunger and poverty is part of your

faith call, join in for an inspiring eve-ning when Bread for the World stages a one-night performance of Lazarus: the Musical. The special event is at 7:30 p.m. on May 31 in the Cramton Auditorium at Howard University—discounted tickets are available. The performance leads in to the upcoming 40th Anniversary of Bread for the World and its national conference and lobby day at Georgetown Univer-sity in early June.

The new Lazarus premiered last year to a sold-out crowd in Washing-ton, D.C. So don’t wait! Buy your tickets now at Ticketmaster. To get the discounted price of $20, use the Bread member and friend discount code endhunger (regular price is $40).

The musical tells an inspiring con-temporary-world story of judgment and redemption, hunger and hope, in a modern-day retelling of Jesus’ par-able about the hungry man at the rich man’s door in Luke 16:19-31. (This passage is also the inspiration for the name of our Lazarus Outreach ministry.)

Lazarus is an original work of Bread

for the World, written by Rev. Joel Underwood in the mid-1980s. This masterful musical features more than 30 original songs, including Where Can I Find Bread? and Faith of a Mustard Seed. Renowned composer Bill Cum-mings revived the musical in 2013, pro-viding a variety of musical styles.

The musical portrays the relation-ship of two central characters in life and in the afterlife—a rich man named Dives, and a beggar, Lazarus. The musical brings the Biblical story into contemporary times where ex-treme wealth and poverty are found side by side. Additional characters in-clude Dives’ five brothers, their wives, landless laborers, and children living in poverty, and features Abraham, a troubadour, as the story narrator.

While it recognizes the somber end-ing of the original Biblical story, Laza-rus allows viewers to consider what might have happened had Dives been given a second chance. Along with Dives, the audience is also given a new opportunity to respond to hunger.

When: May 31, 2014, at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7:00)

Where: Cramton Auditorium, Howard University 2455 Sixth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20059.

able. You can learn from each other. Be a resource for each other. Be pres-ent for each other.

Ask for help—Contact other fam-ily members. If they cannot help out logistically, maybe they can help financially, if needed, or offer emo-tional support. Also, let friends know what you are going through. Send email updates.

Faith Community—Remember to notify someone in your faith com-munity. There may be times when talking with someone in your faith community will be of great comfort. Be kind to yourself. You may have feelings about care-giving that are not always positive. To do ‘good’ is not always easy. Sometimes it takes sac-rifice. But know that the unexpected blessings that come from caring for a loved one are priceless.

About the Author: Ruth Cunningham is a newly commissioned Faith Community Nurse at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Haymarket, Virginia, a flourishing Dayspring Parish in the Diocese of Virginia. She applauds the Christ Church On-the-Go mission, and is pleased to submit this article to Rejoice for Older Americans Month.

Caringcontinued from page 8


By Russell V. Randle

Bishop Joseph Garang Atem Zo-rial, our covenant partner and

Bishop of Renk Diocese in South Su-dan, visited us from April 29 to May 1 in order to meet with the State Department, USAID, and the U.S. Institute for Peace, and to con-fer with Episcopal Church leaders, about the South Sudanese civil war, peace efforts, and the need to avert a developing famine.

That civil war started December 15, 2013 and so far more than 10,000 people have been killed, dread-ful massacres of unarmed civilians continue to take place, more than one million people are internally displaced or refugees, and several mil-lion face starvation in the summer rainy season. Genocide on the scale of Rwanda is a serious risk, as is one of the worst famines in a generation.

On April 29, Bishop Joseph spoke

at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Alexandria, telling us that the war began over political differences be-tween the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir of the Dinka tribe, and the former Vice-President, Riek Machar of the Nuer tribe, none of which justified warfare. While people were often slain because of their tribe, no one could explain the political aims behind the violence, he said.

The Bishop asked us to pray hard for peace and for the church. His work in Renk, one of the most trib-ally diverse places in South Sudan, prevented large scale violence there until the week of April 20, when rebels from Malakel unsuccessfully attacked. Until then, Dinka, Nuer, Shilluk and other tribes had managed to live together peacefully, Bishop Jo-seph reported.

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop,

Our most recent On-the-Go mission trip was to St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Woodbridge, Virginia attending worship with the parish’s priest in charge, the Rev. Kathy Guin. The next On-the-Go mission of presence in support of the Diocese of Virginia Dayspring program is being planned for this summer, to St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Heathsville, Virginia.

Katharine Jefferts Schori

Births

• Keira Murphy McCullough, daughter of Megan & Casey McCullough

Baptisms

• Lydia Martinez Bohlen, daughter of Barbara Martinez & William Bohlen

• Luke Thomas Boyle, son of Colleen & Aloysius Boyle

• William Aloysius Boyle, son of Colleen & Aloysius Boyle

• Josephine Reed James, daugh-ter of Megan & Ryan James

• Charles Elmer McNeill IV• Sally Pape Netter• Samuel Harrison Reilly,

son of Danielle & Mark Reilly• Eleanor Patricia Siegrist,

daughter of Carrie & Adam Siegrist

• Jenny Amber Sokatch• Steven Duane Weber

Wedding

• Elizabeth Stuart Brierre & James Mott Rawlings

Rites of Passage

Prayers with Bishop Joseph for Peace in South Sudan

The Most Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori, is expected to designate Sun-day, May 18 as a day of prayer across the Episcopal Church for peace in South Sudan. Please continue to pray for peace and please let your elected representatives know how important such peace is to faithful American Christians.

Read more about the work of the Episcopal Church in South Sudan here: http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/04/28/global-network-aims-to-raise-awareness-stop-the-genocide-in-south-sudan/


Memorial Day Service of Remembrance at Wilkes Street

Join us for a special Memorial Day Service of Morning Prayer at the Wilkes Street Cemetery in Alexandria

at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, May 26. The Rev. Heather VanDeventer will officiate. All are welcome. The service will take place rain or shine.

The historic Christ Church Wilkes Street Cemetery today is maintained by nearby community residents and Christ Church parishioners who volunteer together at least twice a year to clear away brush, vines, and other in-vasive plants to honor those buried there.

Christ Church purchased land there for its graveyard on December 15, 1808 and on April 20, 1809, the Christ Church vestry decreed that burials in its churchyard would cease as of May 1, 1809, “and that the Warder or Treasurer be authorized to make sale of lots in the ‘new’ burial ground to any person.”

According to the City of Alexandria history informa-tion on its web site, the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex includes graveyards for 13 churches and burial associa-tions. It is illustrative of how cemeteries and grave mark-ers changed over 200 years. City history information notes within the complex there are early austere colonial-era headstones, later stones with carvings with religious or fraternal meaning, tall obelisks and life-size statues of angels from the mid and late 19th-century, and smaller, more uniform headstones of the 20th century.

The Wilkes Street Cemetery includes examples of stones with a colonial profile dating to the early 1800s, and features work by local stone-carvers William Chauncey and Charles Lloyd Neale.

Notable persons interred at the Wilkes Street Cem-etery include:

Major Samuel Cooper, Revolutionary War soldier who fought at Bunker Hill, Trenton, Brandywine, German-town, and Monmouth (1840); Gen. Samuel Cooper (Major Cooper’s son) who was the Adjutant and Inspec-tor General U.S.A and C.S.A. (1876); John Bathurst Daingerfield (1886) and his wife Rebecca Holmes Fowle Daingerfield (1885); Thomas Lawrason (1819) who built a house at 301 S. Saint Asaph visited in 1824 by the Marquis de Lafayette; James Lawrason (1824) who was a lieutenant in the Revolutionary War; Edmund Jennings Lee, a noted public servant, mayor of Alexandria and at-torney (1843); Commodore Sydney Smith Lee (1869), Confederate States Navy and brother of Robert E. Lee and his wife Anna Maria Mason Lee (1898).

Here are directions to the historic cemetery: from Duke St., take S. Henry St. to the first light. Turn right on Wilkes St. and go to the end. There is street parking nearby and a small parking lot on the right near the en-trance to the cemetery.

Christ Church parishioners gathered on Saturday, April 26, to participate in Rebuilding Together, to assist in fixing up and renovating a house for a low-income or disabled senior in the Alexandria community. It was a wonderful opportunity to reach out to the community and to help a neighbor.

There was a full house at all services on Easter, April 20. Scores of children found thousands of eggs. More photos on page 12.


Farewell

Three long-term employees left Christ Church at the end of

April. In a restructuring to cut the cost of staffing, two positions were eliminated, that of Receptionist and Membership Coordinator. The Senior Administrative Director also retired at the end of the month. We would like to thank them for their service as we say good-bye.

Rose MinorRose was the Receptionist for Christ Church for 19 years. Her ministry for the Church touched everyone. She was a good and faithful staff member, who brought special gifts to us at Christ Church. The grace Rose showed to every new person appearing at our door and her reliable presence for every parishioner and person in need was a rock for us. The job duties she carried out, be-yond being the well-known ‘face’ of Christ Church to so many, kept the office running. She was the go-to per-son to find anything, fix anything, or help with anything. We will all miss ‘Mama Rose,’ remember her humor and charm daily, and wish her love and luck as she moves on to her next adventure.

Suzanne FromanAs the Membership Coordinator for seven years, Suzanne provided our welcome to newcomers, collected and edited the news for Parish Life, handled the contracts for use of our facilities, kept the calendar of events, and updated the record of the all the important Rites of Passage in our community—a true gate-keeper and shepherd. No matter the chal-lenge, she did all this with a personal warmth and interest in each indi-vidual she helped, from new parents to mothers of the brides. Suzanne always demonstrated an empathy for the other person in the conversation. The volunteers in Christ Church Gift Shop will also miss their best promoter.

“One of my most poignant memo-ries of my time here was how Ricardo shepherded me into the office on my first day with such care. He was so helpful and always looking out for people. I have enjoyed my interac-tions with the parishioners the most and working with the staff here was a pleasure. I’d like to leave everyone with a reminder to always think of the Gift Shop first when you need to buy something. The work of all those volunteers and the proceeds go di-rectly to Outreach & Mission work!”

Michelle Cox by the Rev. Pierce Klemmt

From time to time a deeply valued member of our church staff retires or resigns and is called to new ventures in another vineyard of God’s garden. In May of this year Michelle Cox and her husband, Glenn, are planning to move to their home outside of Win-chester, Virginia, in the Shenandoah mountains.

In the past eight years, Michelle has served as Senior Administrative Director. She has brought a broad ensemble of remarkable executive skills to bear on our finance, prop-erty, human relations, and general oversight of business practices. In our urban setting, she has created a safe and welcoming campus for ministry and sacred space for rest and renewal. Joined with our properties committee, our campus of buildings and grounds has never been in better shape. With her leadership, our vestry budget pro-cess, finance committee, and program support have been powerfully guided by assessing priorities and strategic di-rection. Building upon the strengths of those she has followed, Michelle has expanded the capacities and blessed us with her perspicacity, her faithfulness, and grace.

Easter

Documents

CCALEX Rejoice May 2014