From the Vicar...

A Lenten journey that's been thirty years long!

A colleague of mine recently wrote of a seminary professor she had had who told her that it takes a long time to learn how to be a priest. On March 12th, I will mark the thirtieth anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood, and I think it's safe to say her professor was right! The reason is that being a good priest is a lot less about what you know or what you do than it is about how you prepare your heart - and how you then let your ministry reflect that spiritual preparation. It really is all about the journey, and not the destination.

Roy Oswald of the Alban Institute describes it this way: "Being an effective pastor involves continual spiritual growth. Spiritual depth does not happen by accident; it takes hard, intentional, work. Basically, it is a lifelong process involving big chunks of time set aside for reading, prayer, solitude, and reflection." The longer I work in parish ministry, the more I realize how true this is.

We are familiar with wilderness journeys as described in various places in the Biblical   

narrative. Whether forty days, or forty years - or a lifetime! - our hope is that like Jesus all of us will come through the wilderness journey shaped more fully into the people God created us to be. That has been my experience in thirty years of being a priest - but I believe it is also true of all of us in our lay vocation and ministry.

We know the stories of Moses, the people of Israel, and of Jesus in the wilderness. These are all experiences of which we are reminded in this season of Lent. Lent ushers us into our own wilderness journeys. With the church's encouragement and assistance we engage in Lenten practices, be they Bible study or centering prayer or simply what I call "holy conversations." All are elements that support our relationship with God and help us to consider the areas in our lives that God wants to shape or change.

Though we know God longs for our transformation, most Christians find it challenging to voluntarily enter a wilderness experience that might lead to change. We cannot help but want the comfort and security of the familiar even though we know that God is never content for us to remain within our self-made comfort zone.

Since change happens anyway, what if we embraced the change God has planned for us? In many ways, that is the question that has been at the heart of my prayers and reflections as this thirtieth anniversary of ordination approaches. What if we chose to start or continue our wilderness journeys ready for travel, willing to follow the path God has before us, and confident that wherever the road leads we are walking in the midst of God's plan for our lives? What if we let go of our hesitation, resistance, and devotion to the familiar and ran into the wilderness certain that our steps are ordered and our path lit by the light of Christ?

Lent gives us a chance to explore, to seek, to discover all that God has to offer. And for me, at this specific moment in my life, it has given me the opportunity to learn that my whole ordained ministry, while surely overall an Easter experience, is, before that, a Lenten journey. It is all about spiritual growth, introspection, self-examination and prayer.  

In sum, this thirtieth anniversary is all about making sure I am a priest who is grounded in God and able to focus on connecting us all with the love of God. I ask your prayers as this significant date in my journey approaches.

Faithfully,

Rev. David "Chip" Robinson  

The sacrament of reconciliation

The Sacrament of Reconciliation (Book of Common Prayer, pp.446ff) is a rarely-used, yet always-available opportunity to seek spiritual refreshment in troubling times. If your conscience troubles you and the confession of sins in the common liturgy has not proved sufficient to bring comfort, you might want to consider meeting with me to share in this confidential sacrament of solace and spiritual strengthening. I will be available throughout the Lenten season, whenever it might be convenient to meet with you. Simply give me a call and I would be most happy to prepare you for this rite, and then walk with you through it.

-    The Vicar

Our Lenten Program for 2013...

Our Lenten worship

Sunday services throughout the season of Lent strike a simpler, more penitential tone than those normally offered through the rest of the year. By changing the liturgy in different seasons of the Church Year, our worship will be deepened as we experience different windows that are opened to God by our service.

At Christ Church... There will be no sung liturgy until Palm Sunday. By offering the Eucharist in a more austere setting through the remainder of Lent, we will be reminded of that "stripping away" that is at the heart of the season's self-examination and repentance.

At Trinity Church...  At Trinity Church's 8:45 a.m. Eucharist this Lent, the Penitential Order with Holy Eucharist, Rite One, will be offered. Like the liturgical setting we are using at Christ Church, this liturgical setting reminds us, through its penitential language and tone, of our call to prepare our hearts for the Paschal feast.

Shared Ministry Bishop's Committee Retreat

The combined Bishop's Committees of our Shared Ministry met last Friday night and Saturday at at St. George's York Harbor, Maine to discuss the status of the Shared Ministry and to plan its future.  To see photos of the fellowship and brainstorming click here.  

• Trinity Church 
• Christ Church 

A reminder about name tags

In my early time here, I have discovered that Christ Church folks are great about wearing their name tags on Sunday morning - and Trinity folks are less so. I know some feel uncomfortable wearing them, but name tags let our guests know who we are. It makes them feel more comfortable. Please check the rack by the church entrance in the Narthex. If you don't find a tag with your name on it, let the usher or the Vicar know, and we'll be sure to make one up for you. In the meanwhile, there are blank extras on the shelf by the guest book. Make one up and slap it on! When we all are "tagged" we can better welcome our guests and show them we are doing our best to create a hospitable atmosphere.

                                                                                                            - The Vicar

 

Gospel for Kids

During the Gospel for Kids we will be looking at how we sometimes reject Jesus from our lives and do things that do not please him. We will look at how when people rejected him in his hometown. We will work on ways that we may welcome him into our lives.

Youth Database

If you have a youth between preschool and High School please consider sending J.R. Bridle your e-mail address, so that he can add you to the youth e-mail list, and get you the most up to date information the fastest. 

JR Bridle 

j_bridle@hotmail.com

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Sunday Schedule

1st & 3rd Sundays

• At Christ Church: Godly Play (10:30 am) 
• At Trinity: Gospel Lessons for Kids (8:45 am) 

 2nd & 4th Sundays

• At Christ Church: Gospel Lessions for Kids (10:30 am) 

• Gospel for Kids

    

Volunteers Needed: J. R. needs a volunteer to help out at each church to run the Gospel for Kids programs. This commitment is for two Sundays. If I could get six volunteers that would mean every volunteer would miss TWO Sundays the whole year to offer our expanded Sunday school offerings.    

Alexis Zaricki, Music Director

• Trinity: 8:00 am - 8:30 am
• Christ Church: After the 10:30 am service

• Saturdays: Food Pantry at Hobbs House Trinity. 10:00 am - noon (Sandi Nickerson & Gordon Lane)
• Sundays: The Christ Church "Holy Roller" Bus (Chuck Ott)
• 1st Saturday of the month: Portsmouth Salvation Army Suppers, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm (Jean Wadman)
• 2nd & 4th Mondays of the month: St. Vincent Soup Kitchen, Hampton (Ginny Bridle-Russell & Phoebe Bischoff)
• 1st Sundays of the month: Pastoral Visit to the Oceanside Rehabilitation Center, Hampton (Bob Main & Belinda Wilkes)
• The Canister Ministry at Trinity. Have you ever walked out of Trinity Church, and noticed those random boxes by the exit? Were you curious to what that ministry was all about? Well there are actually several ministries being offered in a one drop stop. Learn more   

Contact Amanda or Aidan for clothing donation drop off or clothing needs 603.918.6816 or email dress4schoolsuccess@comcast.net.

 Content Submission Guidelines 

The Shared Ministry E-News is an electronic newsletter for members of Trinity Episcopal Church, Hampton and Christ Episcopal Church, Portsmouth. It is published weekly on Thursdays. We welcome submissions that have a connection to the ministry of these churches. Inclusion of submissions is at the discretion of Reverend Robinson.

Please email submissions to porthamp@gmail.com or mail to the office at Trinity Church, 200 High St, Hampton, NH 03842 or Christ Church, 1035 Lafayette Rd, Portsmouth, NH 03801. Entries should follow the Submission Guidelines.

NOTE: The deadline to send a submission is Wednesday at noon.