Winter Messenger, 2015-2016

the messenger

PAGE 4

Our Habitat House is almost complete! Read about a parishioner’s experience as he and his daughter helped build more than a house.

ALSO INSIDE

Dr. Norma Givens gives her firsthand account of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s election and installation.

WINTER 2015 - 2016

Growing in Love and Grace

CHRIST CHURCH EPISCOPAL CLERGY

The Rev. Harrison McLeod Rector

The Rev. Robert Chiles Associate for Pastoral Care

The Rev. Gary Eichelberger Associate for Faith Development

& Worship

The Rev. Jeffrey Meadowcroft Assistant Priest

The Rt. Rev. Donald HultstrandBishop-in-Residence

The Rev. David JacksonSenior Chaplain of CCES

The Rev. Peggy MuncieExecutive Director of Canterbury

Counseling Center

Known as the “Parish in the Heart of the City,” Christ Church Episcopal is blessed by the beauty of its physical surroundings, which have been preserved and expanded by the energy and vision of its faithful stewards, both past and present. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are inspired to be A Joyful Community Sharing Life in Jesus Christ.

Christ Church is home to a diverse group of parishioners, composed of individuals who live in Greenville proper as well as various communities in and around the Upstate. We are a house of worship, prayer, education and care for all people, both in our parish and within our community, and offer a place for everyone. We hope you will join us.

The Messenger is a quarterly publication of Christ Church Episcopal. All articles are written by Christ Church parishioners and friends.

1 | The Messenger Christ Church Episcopal | 2

At our recent annual meeting, Duane and Joyce Ford spoke eloquently and with inspiration about their life here at Christ Church. At the conclusion of their remarks, Duane said Christ Church “was where they were planted, and where they were awaiting the resurrection.” How wonderful to hear of their experience at our parish, and how wonderful to be reminded of the work and privilege we all share.

As we live together here as a community, we are all indeed, “waiting for the resurrection” and as we wait, we share in God’s holy and redeeming work of building up the Kingdom of God. Our work is sometimes sharing in a worship service, sometimes preparing a meal for a friend or neighbor, sometimes hanging

sheetrock in a Habitat House, sometimes administering a chalice, sometimes teaching or participating in a Bible study or sometimes just offering someone a kind word or welcome to a newcomer.

At some point, you may have been the person who offered Duane or Joyce any of these small and seemingly insignificant acts of kindness that revealed to them the face of Christ and led them to make Christ Church their spiritual home.

As we continue to grow in love and grace into the very Body of Christ, let us each offer ourselves fully to the work before us as we “await the resurrection.”

Faithfully,

The Rev. Harrison McLeod, Rector

Cover Photo by The Rev. Bob Chiles


Have you ever had an experience where you simply sat in the presence of someone you love in complete silence? Where in the past there had been lots of words and sharing of thoughts and ideas with each other, but this particular time you just remained in each other’s presence, for the sheer delight of a deeper kind of knowing? You may have even felt awkward, tempted to fill the silence with talk, but as you embraced the silence and allowed yourself just to be in the other’s presence, you experienced something deeply intimate. This, to me, is Centering Prayer.

Centering Prayer is a form of silent prayer without words. It is an interior, silent way of being with God and being present to God, to develop a deeper relationship with Him. In this sacred time, we come without words and let go of the interior noise of our thoughts and feelings, just for now. We set aside twenty minutes to be fully present to God. He is already present within us, and in this time of prayer we consent to that reality. We surrender control by letting go of thoughts and words and simply rest in God’s presence.

Of course, it is not humanly possible to have no thoughts – but when we notice a thought or feeling interrupting our silence with God, we use a sacred word that we choose for this silent prayer time to gently let go of the thought and return fully to God. For example, right before I wrote this article, I sat for twenty minutes in Centering Prayer. Guess what thoughts kept coming to mind? Yes, all my thoughts about a good way to write about this prayer. My intention in my twenty-minute prayer time was to be present to God, giving Him my full and undivided attention. So when the thoughts came, I returned mentally to my sacred word, “Abba,” to help me return to my intention to remain present to God’s presence and action within me. The article would come later. Using the sacred word allowed me to let go of the ideas about the article for a time and just be present to my Lord and my God.

Many of us experience a deep longing to slow down and be still so we may listen to God. Over and over, the Scriptures invite us to a place of waiting and resting. “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him…” (Psalm 37), “Wait for the Lord; be strong

By Cynthia Fore

God’s PresenceResting in

What is Centering Prayer?


Centering Prayer Groups at Christ Church

Parish House, Room 217

Mondays, 5:30 - 6:45 PMWednesdays, 12:15 - 1:30 PM

Cynthia Fore, [email protected] or 828.423.5876

Judy Lineback, [email protected] or 864.423.1688

and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27). Centering Prayer is a form of contemplative prayer, an ancient way of listening to God, used by both monks and lay people for centuries. By practicing this way of silent prayer, twice a day for twenty minutes each time, we are taking our relationship with God seriously enough to meet Him, wait for Him and rest in Him for this deepening of our relationship with Him.

As with any new habit, learning how to practice this form of prayer takes some help and a commitment of time. The basic “how to” of Centering Prayer is set out in the four Guidelines printed below. There are

now two Centering Prayer groups that meet at Christ Church, designed to support both people who are new to the practice and those who have been doing it a long time. See the meeting times and contact information below. We welcome you to come be with us as we seek to deepen our relationships with God.

“We surrender control by letting go of thoughts and words and simply rest in God’s presence.”

The Guidelines

1. Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God's presence and action within.

2. Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly, and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God's presence and action within.

3. When engaged with your thoughts, return ever so gently to the sacred word.

4. At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.


Christ Church has a long and mutually rewarding history with Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County. Greenville’s very first Habitat House was built by Christ Church in 1987. Nine houses later, ground was broken in the Sterling Community on September 1 on our 10th build.

I participated in two of those earlier builds, and was happy to offer my (at best) very limited construction skills to another. I was especially excited that this time my daughter, Rebecca, was going to join me. Initially, I was a little skeptical of convincing Rebecca to spend her Saturday helping out at the Church’s Habitat build. Most 16-year-olds loath to give up their precious Saturday morning sleep time. I was pleasantly surprised when she agreed, without hesitation, to join me and the 20 or so other volunteers that Saturday.

Our workday was one of the first ones of this year’s build so we were prepared to do some hammering. Early work on a Habitat House tends to move pretty quickly. This year was no different. Rebecca

and I arrived to find all of the walls and roof trusses up and most of the exterior sheathing attached.

After a brief orientation and safety briefing, we were divided into work groups. Rebecca and I, hammers in hand, joined our supervisor, Kitty, and a handful of others to work on attaching stainless steel hurricane ties to the trusses. This involved mostly working (under Kitty’s close supervision) at the top of an 8-foot step ladder affixing the ties to the joists and to the top of the walls.

While we were at work, other groups went about their business of attaching exterior insulation board, installing roof sheathing, cleaning the job site and other tasks associated with home construction. When you volunteer to work on a Habitat House, there is never a lack of things to do. The work can be physically challenging and, at the end of the day, you are tired. But, through Habitat, any able-bodied person can help a family in need attain adequate, decent and affordable housing.

One of my favorite aspects of a Habitat build is that the future homeowners are there working alongside you. Habitat requires that all of their future homeowners put in at least 200 hours of volunteer time on their home. In our case, the homeowner, Jermittia, was there working as we were – providing “sweat equity” in her future home.

Rebecca summed up our experience when she said, “I really enjoyed being able to come together with others in the community to work on something so important to another person.” When you work on a Habitat build, you quickly come to the realization that you are doing much more than helping to construct a home. You are helping to build a future for Jermittia and her son.

By Ben Norwood

Buil dingmore than

Houses


“If the Lord calls you, He has something for you to do; He has a place for you!” This is a statement I heard as a young child when the discussion at my home was about people who claimed a call to ministry, yet they never received an invitation to pastor a church. Admittedly, this thought has resonated with me. From this philosophy ascribed by my late sweet grandmother, I conclude that the Lord has something for Michael Bruce Curry, The Most Reverend Michael Bruce Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church and Primate, to do!

I am happy to share my most memorable and lasting impressions of Bishop Curry’s election and installation. They are: 1) his response to questions at the General Convention; 2) the traditional walk from the House of Bishops to the House of Deputies; and 3) the Prayer Vigil and Installation. A precursor that may have cemented the idea and provided the impetus for people to think that Bishop Michael Curry should be a candidate for Presiding Bishop was the sermon he preached at the 77th General Convention in 2012 entitled “Crazy Christians.” He brought the Convention to an exceptional spiritual high. Since then, he has published a book entitled “Crazy Christians.”

During the 78th General Convention in Salt Lake City this summer, the candidates made a presentation and responded to questions in the House of Deputies.

The initial part of one question acknowledged Bishop Curry as a brilliant and inspirational preacher, but his leadership capability was the major focus of inquiry. Methodically and calmly, he began his response by comparing the status of the Diocese of North Carolina in 2000 when he became Bishop to the present. Afterward, he said that he had surrounded himself with highly competent people and that they were empowered! Aside from the brilliant record he accumulated during his tenure, the ideal of empowerment, which is the very essential element of trust, made him truly an exemplary candidate.

After the House of Bishop’s significant vote that elected Bishop Curry on the first ballot (with 122 votes), he was escorted to the House of Deputies by the Presiding Bishop Katherine Schori and accompanied by the deputation from the Dioceses of North Carolina. The processional seemed triumphal in nature – the cadence you could feel. There was synergy. There was joy all through the convention center, and all I could think of at that moment was the hymn “We are marching to Zion!” The vote in the House of Deputies was conducted and the results were 800 to 11. For once, the President of the House of Deputies permitted a celebration and immediately there was a roaring applause.

The Prayer Vigil held Saturday, October 31, marked the beginning of the celebration in Washington, DC. When I heard the organ playing the processional hymn, “The Church is one Foundation,” it started my rejoicing in the Holy Spirit. I felt good! Bishop Curry was smiling; he was joyous, and he was engaging the entire weekend. You could feel the depths of his soul and feel his desire to do the will of our loving Savior in leading our church.

As expected, his sermon was incredible – the content and the delivery. He told an unforgettable story of an African-American couple who attended an all-white Episcopal Church during the 1940s, which was the segregated era. The wife was an Episcopalian; the husband was studying to become a Baptist minister. As the husband sat in the back of the church, he observed the white priest offer the cup to his wife. The husband was so amazed and taken aback that he became an Episcopal Priest. This couple became the

When the Church Listens to the Holy Spirit… Michael Bruce Curry Becomes


parents of the 27th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.

I really believe that The Most Reverend Michael Bruce Curry, the 27th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church and Primate, is the chosen one. His steps have been ordered and the Lord has something for him to do! And, I believe that he feels as Pope Francis

said about himself: “God has him in this job and He will just have to take care of him.” We should pray for the new Presiding Bishop!

Dr. Norma Givens was a Deputy from the Diocese of Atlanta to the 78th Annual Convention. She attends Christ Church.

When the Church Listens to the Holy Spirit… Michael Bruce Curry BecomesBy Norma Givens

“The public face and style of the Episcopal Church shifted Sunday with the installation of Michael Bruce Curry, the denomination’s first African American spiritual leader.”

What they’re saying...

"Bishops Curry’s rhetoric soared as he drew in snippets of hymns, scriptural texts, references to movies, stories, and jokes. He cried out; he whispered; he evoked shouts of “Amen” and applause. It was undoubtedly a rare experience for many Episcopalians: they were hanging on his words in the 12th minute, and they were still doing so when the sermon ended 12 minutes after that.”


I had the privilege of meeting Lord George Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, at a dinner hosted by Pat and Darrell Jervey. He was in Greenville for a preaching series at Christ Church. When I met him, I introduced myself and greeted him as Lord Carey. He quickly said, “Please, call me George,” and introduced his wife, Eileen. He was warm and welcoming and greeted each person the same way.

In 2007, Lord Carey, was the keynote speaker at the Renewal Conference at Kanuga. He spoke each morning and evening and we were able to share several meals with him. He is an outstanding speaker and a deeply spiritual person. He is very interested in knowing each person personally. In conversation with him, he is more interested in you than hearing himself speak.

In October 2014, at Kanuga's Board of Visitors, we again had the pleasure of being with the Careys. He is honorary Co-Chair of the capital campaign for the restoration of the inn and the lodge at Kanuga. He preached on Sunday and gave us this gem: “Fear is the dark room in our lives where negatives are developed.” This statement has had a great impact on my life.

We are privileged to have George at Christ Church to lead a pre-Lenten retreat. He will lead us in mediations and there will be times for quiet reflection. He recently celebrated his 80th birthday, and he is a very young 80! I encourage you to prepare yourself for a holy Lent with this gift that we will have with Lord Carey.

Lou O'Brien

“

”

Save the Date!Lord George Carey,

former Archbishop of Canterbury,

will be at Christ Church February 6 - 7, 2016


Last January, I had the opportunity to co-teach the Children’s Communion class at Christ Church, and that experience continues to be one of the highlights of my time here. I will never forget the response that I received from one of the children when I asked them if they had any idea why we use wafers instead of loaves at communion. As I held up a loaf of bread and a communion wafer, the eyes of this particular seven-year-old widened, his hand shot up, and he exclaimed, “If you used a loaf of bread, some people might want a piece with crust – and others might want a piece with no crust . . . ” Though I had never thought of it before, crust-free wafers clearly reduce the potential for rancor at the altar rail.

At Christ Church, the Children’s Communion class is offered for children who are in second grade or older who want to deepen their understanding of what it means to come forward to the altar rail in church and receive the Body and Blood of Christ. Moreover, though many of the children in the class have already been receiving communion for some time, other children in the class are preparing to receive communion for the first time.

From time to time, I have the opportunity to speak with parents about the decision as to when their baptized children should begin receiving communion. Based on the tradition that was

in place during their childhood, some parents are inclined to have their children wait until after taking the Children’s Communion class before they receive, and I understand the thinking behind that decision. (Though, when a baptized child has a strong desire to receive the Body of Christ and is prevented from doing so, Jesus’ words in Matthew 19:14 do give me pause: “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.”)

When these opportunities for discussion arise, I often start by noting that my three children - who are now eight, five, and two - have never known a time when they were not welcome at the Lord’s Table. Each of them was baptized as an infant and, as has been the custom for most of the first two thousand years of the church’s history, received their first communion immediately after their baptism - as a culmination of their full initiation into Christ’s Body the Church.

Though a more modern concern has dealt with whether infants and younger children can understand what is happening when they receive communion, I am reminded of the Sunday several years ago when my two year old son - after having received communion and returned to the pew with us - tapped me on the shoulder as I was kneeling in prayer. As I turned to look down

at him, he had cupped his empty hands together, extended them to me, and firmly proclaimed: “The Body of Christ.”

After we receive the Body of Christ, we walk away from the altar as the fortified Body of Christ - ready to go out into the world to do the work that God has given us to do. Whether we begin receiving as infants, as children, or as adults, we can always benefit from further reflection on the mystery of the eucharistic feast. And so I look forward to the amazing things that our children will teach us as we gather for this next year’s Children’s Communion class.

Children’s Communion Class is scheduled for Wednesdays, January 13 - February 3, in Graham Library. The children will participate in a special service and brunch on February 7. Please contact Hedrick Lewis, 282.3103 or [email protected], no later than Wednesday, January 6 to register your child.

By The Rev. Gary Eichelberger

Let the Lit tle Children ComeReflections on Children’s Communion Class

”


Have you ever been sad at Christmas? This season is typically marked by joy and light, cards and carols, and gift-giving as we celebrate Christ’s coming among us so long ago in Bethlehem. But for many of us, the Christmas season also calls to mind the remembrance of family members and friends that we have lost to death. And so our joy is often tempered with grief and sadness. Our loss may be recent, just within the past year or two; or it may be a loss from years and years ago. But our loved ones are never forgotten, and so our

grieving continues as a mark of our affection and love.

Christ Church will offer a new worship service to speak to this loss and grief on the afternoon of Sunday, December 20 at 2:00 PM in Markley Chapel. The service is called A Blue Christmas, and takes its shape from a service of the same name designed by Grace Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC.

This will be an opportunity to actively honor those loved ones who are now in the Company

of the Saints, and to remember them. These words from the Book of Common Prayer speak to our task: “Grant, O Lord, to all who are bereaved the spirit of faith and courage, that they may have strength to meet the days to come with steadfastness and patience; not sorrowing as those without hope, but in thankful remembrance of your great goodness, and in the joyful expectation of eternal life with those they love.” Please come!

Blue Christmas ServiceDecember 20 at 2:00 PM in Markley Chapel

If you have ever lost someone you love, you know how difficult Christmas can be, especially if you lost a loved one close to this time of year. Everyone else seems happy and cheerful, but you may be sad.

Those who love much, grieve much, and grief never goes away.

Please join us for a quiet service of worship and remembrance that will include Eucharist and special prayers for those we have lost, and prayers to support those who grieve. Before the service, at 12:30 PM, we will offer a light lunch in McCall Parlor for $5/person. Reservations

for lunch are due to Annette Cook, 672.4141 or [email protected].


Pat Callander by Brice & Tracie Sweatt

Mary Harris by Lena B. Chapman

Anthony Pickett by Joanna B. Stone

Hugh Emmett Wright by W. Emory Gash

Alletta Wood Jervey by Marcy & Dexter Hagy, Lou & Buzz O’Brien, Jean & Julian Dority and Cat & Mike Martin

Allen Johnson Simpson by James A. Simpson, Jr. and David L. Simpson

Mary Jane Tester by Lena B. Chapman

Dorothy Grant by Betty A. Carver

Charlotte Pool Bennett by Mary Wills & Tom LeCroy

Donald Lewis Powell by Susan & John Dulin

Josephine Britt Bridgers by Marie C. Parker, William & Suzanne Freeman and Mr. & Mrs. Andy Goldsmith

Larkin Hamilton Jennings III by Laird & Scott Green

Carolyn Dickson Parsons by Marion & Kelly Powell, Virginia W. Fenton, J. W. Weeks, Edgar & Beverly Sherman, Frances G. Blue, Joanna B. Stone, Jean A. Foresi, Carrie & Kenneth Plauger, CRTS, Inc., Ashmore Bros., Inc., Warren & Elizabeth Hughes, Jeanne B. Bouton, Fort Valley Museum, Inc., Darcie E. Stuart, Lake Hartwell Sail & Power, Maurice Brown and Sheely L. Miller

Nellie Baarslag Poster by Jeanne B. Bouton, Wyndham Robertson, Zack & Jeannie Dusenbury, Joanna B. Stone and Charles D. Bauer

Marguerite Taylor Ramage by Mr. & Mrs. Hugh Aiken, Jr., Sara Lynn & Jan Postma, Bill & Cathy Bradford and Frances O. Stone

Jerry Lynn Shirley by Kathy L. Corwin and Mr. & Mrs. Billy Mac Allen

Memorials Given in the Third Quarter

of 2015

A memorial gift to Christ Church is a thoughtful way to express sympathy for the loss of a special person. Gifts can also be made in honor of or in thanksgiving for those who are living. The church acknowledges these gifts to the

donor and provides a list of the donors to the family of the deceased or to the honoree. Memorial funds may go to a ministry that touched the deceased or the honoree, or to the Christ Church Endowment.

GIFTS WERE GIVEN IN MEMORY OF:

What is the difference between pledging and giving to the church? At Christ Church, we conduct an Annual Giving Campaign each fall. Our purpose for this is to be able to make long-range plans for the operating budget that governs the many worship, outreach and discipleship programs that are offered in addition to the regularly scheduled worship services. By having an operating income estimate, our Vestry and various other lay committees can create a budget that will support our many and varied activities.

Pledging is also a personal commitment between you and God for your giving plan in support of the work of the church. It serves as a reminder to each of us to give

out of our first fruits, not from what we have left over.

What if my finances change during the year? Life has a way of changing our plans and our finances are no different. As stated on our pledge cards, “This commitment may be increased or decreased due to changing circumstances.” A brief call to one of our priests, or our finance office, is all it takes to change your pledge.

What if I get behind or ahead on my pledge? We send you a statement every quarter so you can keep track of your giving throughout the year. Any question about the quarterly statements can be directed to our finance office.

Are there other ways to give to Christ Church? In addition to supporting our Annual Giving Campaign with a pledge for the operating expenses, we have many opportunities for specific or special gifts for a wide variety of needs. Our Legacy Gift program, the Vardry McBee Society, is a group of faithful parishioners, past and present, who have acknowledged their gratefulness to God and their love of this parish by making a permanent gift to the church during their lifetime or at their death.

For more information about pledging, Annual Giving or Legacy Giving, please contact Rusty Miller, Giving Coordinator, or visit www.ccgsc.org/stewardship.php.

Annual Giving: Pledging Versus Giving

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 367GREENVILLE, SC

Address Service Requested

10 N. Church Street • Greenville, SC 29601 • 864.271.8773 • www.ccgsc.org

Hashtags are everywhere. People get their news from social media. Networks are becoming more interactive and are evolving. It’s true: social media is here to stay.

And it plays a huge role in the church.

But the church is old, established and traditional, you say. Social media is important, but not an integral part of a community.

We disagree. Social media has become an integral part of how we live today. In fact, global active internet users total nearly half of the world’s population. 30% of the world’s population use social media, and users have risen by 176 million in the last year.

Because social media is an integral part of the lives of so many people, it makes sense that the church should be there with them. We are, if nothing else, a joyful community sharing life in Jesus Christ. Social media is just another way to do so.

In short, we’re embracing social media at Christ Church.

As parishioners, you, too, can embrace social media as a part of your ministry. But how?

It’s pretty simple. By posting pictures of Christ Church events, a picture of where you are in Bible study, a picture of the biscuit you got for free at our Annual Meeting, you are expanding our (and your) community through social media.

Pretty cool, huh?

When you post a picture of a Christ Church event on Instagram, use the hashtag #JoyfulCommunity and tag @christchurchgvl, and everyone who follows you on Instagram will see it. They might click to our Instagram page and follow us. They might ask you about your church. You never know who your ministry affects, and that’s one of the reasons that social media makes such an important and effective ministry tool.

Want to be a part of the conversation? You can find us at the social media networks below, and in the hashtag #JoyfulCommunity.

Source:www.socialmediatoday.com

Social Media & Ministry A #JoyfulCommunity Sharing Life in Jesus Christ

Documents

Winter Messenger, 2015-2016