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Note from the Vicar...
"Come and See" postponed until Epiphany season
Last weekend, I received disappointing news from Susan Garrity, my colleague at St. Thomas', Dover. The Diocesan Council, to whom we had jointly submitted a grant application to support our "Come and See" project this fall, came to the reluctant conclusion that they must reject that application for now, citing lack of sufficient funds in the remaining 2013 diocesan budget, and concerns that our service area overlaps other churches that were not participating until early 2014.
Susan and I had a significant conversation as to what to do about this, and initially found ourselves moved to "press on," noting that the major value of "Come and See" is the person-to-person invitations and the congregational formation process leading to those invitations, not the "mass media" support the Council grant would have enabled.
When I brought this to our Come and See coordinating team the following Wednesday night, however, we began to see some "holes" in that way of looking at things. After prayerfully weighing the alternatives, we came to the conclusion that we should hold off until we can do this cooperatively with St. John's, Portsmouth, and Christ Church, Exeter in early 2014.
Among the factors in our decision were the tight time frame with our fall Stewardship campaign (which would need to be complete before our November "Come and See Sundays") and the remaining steps in our Covenant ratification process. Some among us also had some concern about the "burn-out factor" when you also consider such community-intensive events as the Holly Berry Fair at Trinity and the Christmas Fair at Christ Church. We would be asking a lot of things of our folks within a very short time frame.
While we who had worked so hard on this over the last few months are disappointed that we will not be going forward with "Come and See" this fall, we see a number of advantages to offering the program in the Epiphany season rather than now. We even began outlining a timeline that will give us a much less "time-crunched" formation process than we were envisioning this fall. With the luxury of a particularly long Epiphany season this year, we can make "Come and See" even more effective than the plan we currently had in place.
Faithfully,
Fr. Chip
Rolling out the proposed Covenant
Last summer, the combined Bishop's Committees unanimously endorsed the draft Shared Ministry Covenant presented by the Covenant Working Group. Here is the process the Bishop's Committees established for adoption by the congregations at large:
- The final text with an explanatory cover letter was distributed to all households in both congregations last week either by e-mail or, for those without e-mail, normal mail. If you did not get a copy, there are extras near the entrance of both churches.
- Open non-legislative forums will be held to introduce and discuss the Covenant in both congregations. Christ Church's forum will be after the 10:30 service this Sunday, Sept. 22; Trinity Church's gathering will follow on Sept. 29 after its 8:45 service.
- Each congregation will hold a special parish meeting in the context of its regular Sunday liturgy on Sunday, Oct. 6. The meeting will take the place of the sermon that day. As a full opportunity for discussion will have occurred at the open forums, this is anticipated to be a straight presentation, motion, and "up or down" vote. An affirmative vote of two-thirds of those present in both congregations will be required for adoption.
- The Covenant, if so adopted, will be sent to the bishop for final approval. If he approves, a signing ceremony will be scheduled allowing him to celebrate with us the signing and inauguration of our Shared Ministry Covenant.
Going into the hospital?
Due to privacy laws, churches are no longer routinely informed if you or a loved one is admitted to the hospital. Please be sure you let us know when and where you will be a patient so we can be in touch with you and include you in our prayers and healing ministry. Don't assume the Vicar knows - he would much rather hear from several people than from no one!
Blessing of the Animals set for Oct. 6
On Sunday, Oct. 6 at 12:00 noon, children and adults are invited to celebrate God's creation through a special "Blessing of the Animals" service, to be held on behalf of both congregations on the Christ Church lawn.
Oct. 6 is the Sunday nearest the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi (Oct. 4), and in Episcopal churches across the country, people of all ages are being encouraged to bring their pets for a blessing as a way of honoring that gentle saint's memory.
Francis was known not only for his humility, but his love of God's creation. At the Blessing of the Animals service that day, you are invited to bring your cats or dogs, hamsters, gerbils, fish, rabbits or birds to receive God's blessing. More exotic species, such as snakes, turtles, or lizards, are also welcome, as long as they are caged for their own as well as the congregation's safety.
Fr. Chip will call all who have pets at home, but forgot to bring them, forward for a blessing to "send home" - or you may bring a stuffed animal as a "stand-in." You are encouraged to invite friends to join you that day, either to witness the blessing of your pet or to bring pets of their own for a blessing.
NOTE: Due to the Special Parish Meeting (see above) and the Blessing of the Animals, the Laying On of Hands at Christ Church will occur at the close of the Oct. 13 service instead of on Oct. 6.
The Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit and "Jerusalem" Film at Boston's Museum of Science
On Saturday, Oct. 12, Christ and Trinity Churches will be sponsoring a field trip to Boston's Museum of Science to see the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit and the exciting new IMAX film, "Jerusalem."
Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit - In 1947, a goat herder wandered into one of the many hidden caves along the banks of the Dead Sea - and concealed inside were ancient scrolls that had not been seen in 2,000 years. These Dead Sea Scrolls include literary writings of the times and the oldest known texts of the Bible, making their discovery perhaps the most significant archaeological find of the last century.
Enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see fragments of the priceless scrolls (some never displayed in North America), along with one of the most comprehensive collection of antiquities from Israel ever organized. Highlights include a three-ton stone from Jerusalem's Western Wall, limestone capitals from the first temple period (1000 - 586 BCE), ossuaries from the early Roman period, and an ancient signature preserved for millennia on the Archer Seal. Together these artifacts reveal precious details about the culture, rituals, and beliefs of an influential Iron Age people. We have reservations to see this exhibit at 10:30 a.m.
"Jerusalem" Film - Take an inspiring, eye-opening tour of one of the world's oldest, most enigmatic cities. Destroyed and rebuilt countless times over 5,000 years, Jerusalem's timeless appeal endures. Learn how it became the center of the world for three major religions and how its historical, artistic, and spiritual connections have made it so important to so many different cultures. Our reservations to see this 50-minute film are for 12:00 noon.
You must submit your paid reservation no later than Sunday, Oct. 6 to be included at the group rates shown below. We must have 15 paid reservations to qualify. This is open to all both within and beyond our two congregations.
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Adults
(12-59)
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Seniors (60+)
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Children
(3-11)
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Museum/Scrolls:
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$29.25
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$27.25
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$26.25
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Jerusalem Film:
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$ 5.00
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$ 4.50
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$ 4.00
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Total:
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$34.25
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$31.75
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$26.25
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Please make checks payable to "Trinity Episcopal Church" with the memo, "Field Trip." Our carpool will leave the Christ Church lot at 8:45 a.m. and the Trinity Church lot at 9:00 a.m. Drivers, be aware that parking at the Museum of Science garage costs $13.75 per car for a 3-4 hour stay - so it behooves us to pack as many into each car as possible! A change in Fr. Chip's schedule With the advent of our new Saturday evening service at Trinity, Fr. Chip's Saturday schedule will be changing. Instead of being "on duty" in the morning, ending in early afternoon, he will now be off in the morning, working Saturday afternoon through the conclusion of either the 5:00 service or any event that might follow it. As before, he has no set office hours in either church that day, but arranges his schedule according to the pastoral and/or administrative needs of that particular day. He will continue to be in the Trinity office Monday and Wednesday mornings 9:00-noon, and in the Christ Church office Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:00-noon. Church School teacher(s) needed After much soul searching and prayer, J. R. Bridle has come to the conclusion that he cannot continue as the Sunday School program teacher for our two congregations. This leaves us with an important vacancy to fill - and no one signed up in our Time and Talent drive last spring as a possible successor. If you have suggestions as to persons who may be recruited for this important ministry, please speak with Fr. Chip or the Wardens. Our current schedule places our program teacher at Christ Church on 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month, and at Trinity on 2nd and 4th Sundays. There are two students currently at Trinity, and possibly as many as five at Christ Church (a new family had expressed interest for this coming fall). Any person(s) who volunteer will need to take Safe Church training if they do not have it already, and will need to undergo a background check in accordance with our Safe Church policies. | 
