From the Vicar...

 

 Are we looking at our feet...or listening to the music?

 

The evangelical author Max Lucado compares the role of the Spirit in our lives to a guy who wants to learn to dance. He's a rational, intelligent sort of guy, so he goes to the bookstore and buys a how-to book. He takes it home and begins studying. He does everything it says with meticulous care. When the instructions say sway, he sways. When the instructions say lean, he leans. When the instructions say spin, he spins. He even cuts out paper footprints and arranges them on the family room floor so he will know exactly where to step.

  

Finally, he thinks he's got it down pat. He calls his wife in and says, "Honey, watch!" With book in hand and reading aloud so she'll know he's done his homework, he follows the instructions, step by step. It says, "Take one step with your right foot." So he takes one step with his right foot. Then it says, "Turn slowly to the left." He turns slowly to the left. He keeps it up, reading and then moving, reading and dancing, through the whole thing.

  

Then he collapses exhausted on the sofa and says to his wife, "What do you think? I executed it perfectly!" To which she replies, "You executed it all right. You killed it!"

  

The dumbfounded husband says, "But I followed the rules, I laid out the pattern, I did everything the book said ...""But," she sighs, "you forgot the most important part. Where was the music?" With that, she puts on a CD. "Try it again. Quit worrying about the steps and just follow the music." She holds out her hand, and he gets up and takes it. The music starts, and the next thing the guy knows he's dancing - without the book!

  

Lucado closes the story by noting how prone Christians are to follow the book while ignoring the music. We love to debate doctrine, study the biblical record, seek to understand the Church's response to that record and its attendant doctrine - but then we stiffly step down the dance floor of life with no music in our hearts. Dancing with no music is tough stuff. Jesus knew that. For that reason, on the night before his death, Jesus introduced the disciples to the One whom Lucado calls the "song maker of the Trinity," the Holy Spirit.

  

This coming week, we will be on the "dance floor" of Holy Week. It is not a joyful dance...yet. But as this string of powerful services unfolds, the temptation will be to "stick our noses in the book" (or the service leaflet) rather than allow the music of those liturgies' power to wash over us. Let's see if we can open ourselves to "do" Holy Week differently this year - and let the "song maker of the Trinity" speak to us as we walk the journey with Christ.

  

Faithfully,             

Fr. Chip 

 

 

Holy Week and Easter schedule

 

Palm Sunday, April 13      

8:45 a.m. at Trinity Church - starting in Hobbs Hall

10:30 a.m. at Christ Church - starting on the front steps, weather permitting

(Note: No Saturday evening service at Trinity on April 12.)

 

Holy Tuesday, April 15          

7:00 p.m. - joint liturgy at Trinity Church

 

Maundy Thursday, April 17          

7:00 p.m. joint liturgy at Christ Church

After the service, you are invited to remain in prayer in the Lady Chapel, which will remain open for any who so desire.

 

Good Friday, April 18           

12:00 noon - Ecumenical services at St. John's, Portsmouth and the United Methodist Church, Hampton

2:00 p.m. - Stations of the Cross at Christ Church

7:00 p.m. - Joint Good Friday Liturgy at Trinity Church

 

Great Vigil of Easter, April 19                  

8:00 p.m. - joint liturgy at Christ Church

(Note: No Saturday evening service at Trinity on April 19.)

 

Easter Day, April 20                  

8:45 a.m. at Trinity Church - festival Eucharist of the Resurrection

10:30 a.m. at Christ Church - child-friendly Eucharist with Easter Egg Hunt following   

 

 

Good Friday Offering

 

Since 1922, Episcopalians have supported the ministries of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East through the Good Friday Offering. Through the work of the Episcopal dioceses in the Middle East, Christians maintain a peacemaking and stabilizing presence in the region, serving their neighbors regardless of faith background. To make a donation to the Good Friday Offering, please write a check payable to Trinity Church, with the memo, "Good Friday Offering." A plate will be stationed at the rear of the church to receive your offering at the Good Friday liturgy.

 

 

 

There will be ecumenical Good Friday services in each of our communities, both at noon. The Hampton service, which Fr. Chip will be part of, will be at the United Methodist Church on Lafayette Rd. In Portsmouth, the service will be at St. John's, 101 Chapel St. Both will consist of readings interspersed with musical selections and various prayers and litanies. At the Methodist Church there will also be a Prayer Labyrinth in the parish hall for any who wish to quietly walk the circuits in their stocking feet.

 

Our own liturgies will be a Stations of the Cross service at Christ Church at 2:00 and the Prayer Book Liturgy of Good Friday at 5:00 at Trinity Church. The latter will include an anthem at the Veneration of the Cross by the combined choir.

  

  

THE GREAT VIGIL OF EASTER

SATURDAY, APRIL 19 AT 8 P.M.                            

 

For several years now, Christ Church has observed a custom that is well on its way to becoming a parish tradition. What is it? It's the ringing of bells at the "alleluias" of the Great Vigil of Easter .

 

On Saturday evening, April 19, you are invited to bring a bell, small or large, to the 8:00 p.m. Easter Eve service. We will gather in the darkness on the front steps of the church (weather permitting), light the New Fire of Easter, process the Paschal (Easter) Candle to the strains of the glorious chant, Exsultet, hear the marvelous stories of God's work in salvation history and then ring those bells as we celebrate the First Eucharist of Easter. An agapé feast follows in the Marshall Room. This is a joint worship opportunity for both churches. (You are invited to bring something fun and creative for that - it's our first "feast" after the forty days of Lent!)

 

 

Easter Sunrise service at North Beach

  

If you are an early riser, you might want to attend the joyful seaside service at North Beach in Hampton. The Rev. Michele Bagby Allen of the North Hampton Congregational Church will be the preacher at the 5:45 a.m. service. Our own Fr. Chip will be among the participating clergy. Following this ecumenical service, there will be a pancake breakfast at the United Methodist Church on Lafayette Rd. All are invited.

 

 

Spring sing! An Eastertide choral celebration

 

After the success of our Epiphany ecumenical choral celebration, we've decided to offer a sequel. On Sunday, May 4 at 2:00, the combined choirs of several area churches will be gathering at Hampton's United Methodist Church on Lafayette Rd. for an Ecumenical Eastertide Choral Celebration. Each participating choir will offer one Easter anthem from its repertoire - then all will join for a mass singing of Handel's "Hallelujah!" chorus. 

 

 

You asked for it...Fr. Chip's sermons online

 

The suggestion was made at last month's Bishop's Committee meeting that our Vicar post his sermons on the church websites. Beginning this week, they are now posted. You will find them linked to the "Worship" page on our websites:

 

 

  

Our Shared Ministry Cycle of Prayer this week and next

 

Each week, in both of our churches, we pray for one ministry we share and one or two households in each church. About once every six weeks, we will instead using the Shared Ministry Collect we prayed throughout the opening months of our Shared Ministry.

 

In our prayers the next two weeks, we give God thanks for...

 

Apr. 13	Christ Church Sunday School; Rickie Chesley of Christ Church; J.R., Coleen & Faith Bridle of Trinity Church
Apr. 20	The Prayers of the People will conclude with the Collect for our Shared Ministry

 

Final session of "Via Media" at Christ Church

 

The final session of our Via Media series will be held on Sunday, April 27 at 12:00 noon. We will begin with a soup and bread lunch in the Marshall Room (the room where coffee hour is held), and will continue with video and discussion in the classroom next door. Our topic will be "So What? What does it mean to be a Christian today?"                                        

 

Calendar Drawing winners

 

On Tuesday, April 1^st, we held the first drawing of our Calendar Fundraiser. Fr. Chip and Cindy are drawing the winning ticket each morning and notifying the winners. Here are our winners so far:

 

Tuesday, April 1	$50 gift certificate to Hampton Center Hardware donated by Gordon Lane
	Winner: Colleen Tam
Wednesday, April 2	Simple Will or Power of Attorney donated by Sarah Wolf Boyd
	Winner: Jean Moak
Thursday, April 3	$30 TJ Maxx/Marshall's gift certificate donated by Nancy Stiles; $20 cash donated by Ginnie-Lee & Mark McCaddin
	Winner: Richard Maxfield
Friday, April 4	$25 Walmart gift certificate donated by Iris McLaughlin; $30 Ocean Wok gift certificate donated by Bob Main
	Winner: Mike Spinelli
Saturday, April 5	$30 Philbrick's Fresh Market gift certificate donated by Hope Murray; $20 401 Tavern gift certificate donated by the merchant
	Winner: Debbie Stillings
Sunday, April 6	$25 restaurant gift card donated by Cindy Taylor; $25 cash donated by Ginnie-Lee & Mark McCaddin
	Winner: Rusty Bridle
Monday, April 7	8 nature photography note cards donated by Kris Ebbeson valued at $25
	Winner: Joyce Phoenix
Tuesday, April 8	Reflexology session donated by Liz Malone valued at $60
	Winner: Sarah Wolf Boyd
Wednesday, April 9	$35 Salon de Vai gift card donated by Diana Jodoin; $15 cash donated by Ginnie-Lee & Mark McCaddin
	Winnner: Diana Moulton

 Winners will be announced each week in the E-News.  We wish good luck to everyone!

  

 

A new E-News editor for Trinity Church

 

This week, Trinity Church is "breaking in" a new editor for its submissions to the E-News. The Rev. Dr. Bob Gallagher is a semi-retired Episcopal priest who worships at Trinity and has experience earlier in his life as a newspaper editor. We are pleased to welcome him to our E-News team.

 

We invite and encourage parishioners to submit articles about their own "Faith Journey"

Have you ever noticed how some pastors, at Communion time, invite anyone "of faith" to approach God's Table? Such an invitation is general because the Spirit of faith blows where and how She wills. In the words of a seminary professor, you can't put handcuffs on the Holy Spirit. And so, your "Faith Journey" is as unique as the many ways the Spirit blows and will be published without restraints, common sense always being in season.

          If your many gifts do not include the King's or Queen's English- not to worry. The editor is one of those 'geeks' who actually enjoys editing. Once an English teacher, always an English teacher!

          Length of the article? Once again, the handcuffs are off. Still, you have probably found that, oftentimes, less is more! My most effective homilies have been short and to the point. But take the space you need to share your faith journey, even if we choose to publish it in episodes. Or, even if you return to share more at a later date.

          Looking for a springboard for your article? Consider the following by Thomas Merton who traveled East and West in a continuing search to find and know his God better:

    "My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone."    

Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude

 

(Rev. Dr.) Bob Gallagher, Fellow Parishioner and Co-Editor at Trinity, Hampton

 

  

 

May 17 at Trinity Church

Celebrate the history, lore and legends of the Isles of Shoals - fishermen and pirates...ghosts and grand hotels!  Trinity Church in Hampton and Christ Church in Portsmouth invite you to join us on May 17th at Hobbs House, 200 High Street Hampton, NH, to celebrate the rich history of the Isles of Shoals with an original program by actor Stephanie Voss Nugent.  The doors open at 6:30 p.m. and refreshments will be served; the presentation begins at 7 p.m.  Tickets are $10.  For more information or to reserve your tickets please see Ann Newell or Gordon Lane at Trinity Church, or Kris Ebbeson at Christ Church

 

 

The Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire has revised the Safe Church Policy during the summer of 2013. The curriculum for Safe Church Training now consists of three hours of online training and three hours of class training. On-line Modules must be completed prior to attending any Safe Church Class.

 

Anyone in need of refresher training is asked to take the new Initial Safe Church Training. Refresher training is required every three years vs. five years. Please contact your Safe Church Minister to verify when you are due to take your refresher training.

 

Please register with your Safe Church Minister. You may register anytime. Even if you plan on attending a class this fall you may register now and complete your online training whenever is convenient for you between now and the fall. For Christ Church, contact Patsy Tremblay at pehjat@comcast.netor call 603-205-2195. At Trinity Church, contact Patrice Wood at phwood2013@gmail.com.

 

Training classes for this spring are offered the following Saturdays from 8:30am to noon except as noted on May 22nd below:

 

April 26, 2014 - All Saints', Littleton

May 22, 2014 - Trinity Church, Meredith, 6pm to 9pm, Thursday

May 31, 2014 - Trinity Church, Claremont

 

Training classes for the fall are offered the following Saturdays from 8:30am to noon except as noted on October 7th below:

 

September 13, 2014 - Trinity Church, Meredith

September 20, 2014 - Christ Church, Exeter

October 4, 2014 - St. Barnabas, Berlin

October 7, 2014 - Church of the Good Shepherd, Nashua, 6:30pm to 9:30pm, Tuesday

November 15, 2014 - St. Thomas, Hanover

November 22, 2014 - St. Paul's, Concord

  

Transportation Assistance for Senior Citizens (TASC)

Providing transportation assistance to eligible seniors and others with medical mobility issues. Currently serving the NH seacoast communities of Exeter, Greenland, Hampton, Hampton Falls, Kensington, North Hampton, Rye, Stratham and Seabrook.  Contact:  603-926-9026

 

Contact Amanda or Aidan at Dress4 School Success for clothing donation drop off or clothing needs 603.918.6816 or email  dress4schoolsuccess@comcast.net. during the school year.  All requests are confidential.

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.