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Eastertide at Christ Church
Friday, June 3, 2011
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Whoever you are, and wherever you
find yourself on the journey of faith, you are welcome at Christ
Church, as you are, to receive the blessings of God so freely given.
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I am pleased to announce that Kate Spelman has accepted my call to be the next Assistant Minister of Christ Church.
 | | Kate Spelman |
Kate will be ordained a deacon this Saturday, June 4th, in the Diocese of Chicago, and her ordination to the priesthood will be next winter. In June, Kate will travel to El Salvador to continue her Spanish language studies, and will begin at Christ Church on July 1st.
Kate is a Delaware County native and is excited to be returning to Philadelphia after a ten-year sojourn in the Midwest and New England. Baptized and confirmed in the Diocese of Pennsylvania, Kate attended the University of Chicago. She stayed in Chicago after graduation to work as a college admissions officer and discovered her call to the priesthood at St. Paul and the Redeemer in Hyde Park, who sponsored her for ordination. St. Paul and the Redeemer's rector is the Rev. Peter Lane, whom Christ Church sponsored in the ordination process. Kate is a recent graduate of my alma mater, Yale Divinity School, and earned her Certificate of Anglican Studies, as I did, from Berkeley Divinity School.
Christ Church has been served by amazing assistant ministers for more than 200 years. In my era, Wes Smedley began his ordained ministry at Christ Church, as did Susan Richardson. During Susan's tenure, we were also ably served by our vicar, Carol Anthony who helped lead us through the challenging times of construction and my sabbatical.
When Susan was called to be rector of Grace/St. Paul's Church in Mercerville, NJ this past October, the Rev. Callie Swanlund came on our team as the part-time, interim Assistant Minister to see us through this transition. We have rejoiced with her and her husband Phil Fackler at the birth of their daughter, Eliott. I give thanks for all that Callie has done with our children and youth and the Bridge community. She is a fine pastor and preacher, and she has been of great assistance to me these past few months. I am very grateful for all that Callie has been able to contribute to our common life.
With Kate's appointment, Callie will, like Palmer, become an associate priest here at Christ Church, serving as able and available until she receives her next call in our diocese.
I had many excellent applications for the Assistant Minister position, and we brought four finalists to visit, meet parishioners and experience worship at Christ Church. When discerning whom to call, I think not only about the gifts a person has to bring to Christ Church, but also about who we, as a community, can enrich and help shape as priests for the Episcopal Church. I believed we will be enriched by Kate's preaching, her commitment to outreach and social justice work, her expertise with children and youth, and her ability to continue our evangelical outreach to the unchurched, especially in their 20's and 30's.
At the heart of the gospel is the proclamation that the church belongs not to the people who are already in it, but to the people who have yet to find their way into its fold. Jesus came not for the found, but for the lost, not for the well, but for the sick, not for the free, but for the imprisoned. In all that we are, we are to respond to God's call to reach beyond our walls with Christ's message of abundant love and grace. In Kate, I believe we have found a great partner for team Christ Church to help us take the next steps of opening our doors more widely, and welcoming in those who have to find us, so that we all may go back into the world, rejoicing in the power of the spirit, and transforming the world, for Christ's sake.
Timothy Safford
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Sunday, June 5--The Sixth Sunday of Easter
9 AM--The Holy Eucharist, Hymns and Sermon10:10--The Forum: The Tutoring Program at CHAD
11 AM--The Holy Eucharist, Sermon and Choral Music
Remember! On Sunday July 3
One Service--10 AM
A joyous celebration of the history of our faith in the founding of the nation.
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First Friday Concert tonight, June 3, at 8 PM with Poor Richard's String Quartet
The last First Friday Concert of the season features the beautiful music of the Poor Richard's String Quartet.
Become a tutor at CHAD in the Fall
On Sunday, June 5th, during the 10:10 AM Forum, parishioners Gail Larson and Sheila Brown will report about our tutoring program at the Charter High School for Architecture and the new program helping students to prepare their college entrance essays. Come and hear how you can be involved. RSVP here.
Noted author Tim McGrath lectures at Christ Church, Wednesday, June 8, 7 PM
He will speak about his book, John Barry: An American in the Age of Sail. The man regarded as "the Father of the American Navy" was the son of a hardscrabble Irish farmer from County Wexford. who arrived in Philadelphia during the restless decade before the American Revolution. The event is free, and books will be available for purchase. More info on the Christ Church website.
Parish Work Day and Garden Day!
Looking for a way to volunteer and help Christ Church be hospitable and lovely for all our visitors? Come and work at the Parish Work Day and Garden Day on Saturday June 11, starting at 9 AM. RSVP here. |
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