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From the Vicar...
Our Bishop's Committee retreat: seeking God's guidance for liminal times
On Saturday, members of the Bishop's Committees of our two churches gathered with Canon to the Ordinary Hannah Anderson and Congregational Initiatives Missioner Benge Ambrogi to examine the histories that have brought us to where we now are in our Shared Ministry and begin to glimpse where God might be taking us next.
Our day began with a Bible study on the story in the 4th chapter of Mark about Jesus stilling the storm. The familiar story was of a calm Jesus stilling the winds and the waves while the disciples reacted to the storm with fear. Several themes in the story parallel our journey over the past four-plus years: the sense that we are "traveling" from "one side" to "the other" in a sea of uncertainty; how Jesus models for us a way of making that journey without being paralyzed by fear; and how Jesus never lets us quite be "at home" - we are always "on the move."
After some personal story-telling about "liminal times" in our own lives ("liminal time" being both a "here and now" time and a "not yet" time), we used this journey model as a basis for telling the stories of our two congregations.
- Suzanne George, in her description of Christ Church's history, talked of the church's early roots as a mission to brewery workers in Portsmouth. Even early in its ministry Christ Church faced some turbulent times: an early priest absconded with endowment money; in 1963, the original church building burned; later there were conflicts with priests who had either engaged in misconduct, or, in the case of one, "came out" as being a gay man at a time when the church was not as engaged and open as it is today about human sexuality.
- Diana Jodoin provided a narrative on Trinity's history, which included the joyous moment when Trinity was received as a full Parish in 1972 and the not-so-joyous times when a number of clergy faced difficulties in the congregation. One, Warren Deane, was an "interim" who, despite the title, stayed 14 years! Following the successful tenure of Peter Lane, more hard times led to the return to Mission status.
- The birth of the Shared Ministry brought its own stories of "liminal time." The conflict surrounding Kathleen Cullen's tenure as Priest-in-Charge brought stories both of heartache at ways we mistreated her, and sadness that this had been such a challenging ministry for her so soon after her ordination. We agreed there remain wounds - hers and ours - that continue needing the healing grace of God. At the same time, there has been much to celebrate more recently, including our Covenant for Shared Ministry.
When asked what excited us now, responses ranged from the inauguration of our Saturday evening service at Trinity to the bright, smiling faces of the children who now regularly attend at Christ Church. In both churches, the people were perceived as a real strength of the congregation; several remarked on the peacefulness we now have as opposed to the turbulence of years gone by. The gifts and experience of our current Vicar were also mentioned by several as key to our current health.
After a lunch break, the committee broke into groups by congregation to do an assessment of where things stand now and what actions need to be taken going forward:
- The Trinity group spoke of the need for a clearer vision. While there is lots of outreach, and many in the congregation are involved in that work, we need to do more to get our name "out there." Signage was one example cited. People in Hampton are simply not aware Trinity Church is here. They know about Hobbs House, but seem to have no clue there is a church here as well. The need for people to provide transportation to and from church was another concern raised. "Targeted recuriting" vs. constantly making announcements seeking help was also mentioned as something needing attention.
- The Christ Church members spoke of the need to reassess what it means to be a "progressive" congregation when many of the things that distinguished Christ Church in this area years ago are no longer exclusive to our congregation anymore. Little Blessings was seen as a strength - but due to our small size we do little else by way of outreach (our ministry at Salvation Army being a significant exception). As one member described it, Christ Church is not a "restful" place to go to church - there is so much for each member to do, there is no time for quiet or restoration. As a result, the "burn-out" level is high.
As the day drew to a close, it was agreed that the day's conversation was a good start - but only a start. To keep the insights gained at the retreat moving forward, it was agreed that we would appoint a task force to carry the themes and ideas of our work forward. Two members of each Bishop's Committee would be asked to serve on it; an additional two "at large" members would be sought from each congregation to round out the team. Be watching for details as the team forms and begins its work.
Fr. Chip
Our Shared Ministry Cycle of Prayer
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...
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June 26
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Christ Church Bishop's Committee; Peter Monte
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July 3
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Concluding collect for our Shared Ministry
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Rockin' for a reason! Cold Spring Harbor
to perform at Hobbs House 
Cold Spring Harbor, a Billy Joel tribute band, will perform live at the Hobbs House Community Center, 200 High St. in Hampton, on Sat., July 16 at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. This is a family-friendly show for all ages, and a portion of the proceeds will go to Hampton's End 68 Hours of Hunger project. Great evening, great music, free hot dogs and a chance to do some good!
Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Be watching for advance tickets in the next week or so. For more about Cold Spring Harbor, go to www.coldspringharborband.com.
Outdoor Eucharist and cookout at Trinity
Sunday, July 31 at 11 a.m.
On Sunday, July 31, Trinity Church will host an outdoor Eucharist and cookout (members of both churches welcome). The service will be at 11:00 a.m. in the shaded courtyard beside the church. The cookout will follow on the lawn. Bring your lawn chair and a side dish or dessert to share. Hot dogs, hamburgers and beverages will be provided. Please RSVP indicating how many from your household are coming to trinity55ad@gmail.com. This will help our food and set-up crews in their planning. Oh, and as for a rain date...we won't need one. It never rains on our cookouts! (If, ahem, it does, we'll come inside.)
For those of you who cannot (or prefer not) to come to the outdoor service, there will be a brief celebration of the Holy Eucharist at Trinity Church at the usual 8:45; Morning Prayer will be offered in the Christ Church chapel at 10:30.
Women Singing Out! to host summer yard sale at Christ Church
WSO! (Woman Singing Out!) is having a yard sale at Christ Church,
Sat. July 16 (rain date July 30) form 8 a.m.- 3 p.m. Come and find some great bargains, or if you wish to donate things for WSO! sell, drop them by the church that morning. Or if you have a lot to sell and would like to rent a 10' x 10' space (bring your own table) for $35, call 603-749-6656
and leave a message and someone will get back to you.
You can also contact Betty Lane or Suzanne George for more information. Since Christ Church is providing the space, WSO will give Christ Church a space for free, but someone will have to organize the effort and set up a table. This table can be for anything--food, plants, yard sale items, or whatever you wish.
Explore your Medicare options
A free public information night at Hobbs House
Mark your calendars for this free workshop to help you understand the basics of Medicare and discover options available to you. The workshop will cover Social Security and Medicare, Medicare Parts A, B and D, supplements, deductibles and coinsurance, how to apply and much more!
Join us on Monday, June 27 at 7 p.m. in Hobbs House's Hall for an informative session about your personal Medicare options with Tom Hutton, a trained representative from the Brownell Insurance Co.
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