December 2013                                                                          Issue 36 
  
The Advent Season

      The first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the church year, always falls on the fourth Sunday before Christmas day. The church year progresses through Advent season, the twelve days of Christmas, and into the Epiphany season.  

With that introduction let me wish one and all a
HAPPY NEW CHRISTIAN YEAR.

     The Christian year is centered on the life of Jesus, our Lord and Savior, through the readings, as well as other liturgical activities.
     As the church seasons change, we should be aware of the theme and purpose of each season. Advent at one time was regarded as a festal season in which white vestments were worn. As the theme of the Second Coming developed and came to dominate the season, it became more like Lent.
     It is actually a season of joyful expectancy and the penitential element is reduced. As we will notice, the last week of Advent, from December 17, will be taken up with the preparation for the coming of Christ in his nativity, with  Mary, Joseph and John the Baptist being prominent.
     The Jews, on the other hand, had a different way of regarding time. For them, time was regarded as being in two stages: The Present Age and the Age to Come.  The Present Age was infected with evil, incapable of being cured. The Age to Come was known as the golden age of God as well as the Jewish supremacy. The in-between age was known as the Day of the Lord, which would be a terrible time of cosmic upheaval and destruction.
     Looking at our Christian calendar and heritage, we can understand why we observe certain practices in the Church today. The main purpose is to give meaning as well as to teach us about God and His participation in history through His Son, Jesus. As we journey through this Christian year, may we grow to know Him, love Him and obey His will as we serve Him to make this world a better place for all.

Bishop Romero
National Chaplain
National Council

 

National Council at Simpsonwood Retreat Center, Norcross, Georgia

 

   After having first met at our National Office in Woodstock, Georgia, Thursday and Friday, November 7 and 8, 2013, we "retreated" to Simpsonwood to continue work on finances, Triennial planning, updating brochures, bylaws, strategic planning, how to more effectively communicate within the Order, and other items intended to assist Daughters to live into their vows. While still working on agenda items on Sunday, we also worshipped together and had some quiet periods of reflection. This photo was taken after our morning Eucharist. Our meeting concluded Monday morning, November 11, 2013. 

Heber Valley, Wasatch Mountains

  


In This Issue
The Advent Season
National Council Meeting
Come to the Mountain
England, Compass Rose
Rome and the Convocation
Reaching Out
Quiet Day
Trinity, Pinopolis, SC
Junior Triennial Quilt
Advent Meditation

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Come to the Mountain of the Lord!
      As we look to Triennial 2015 we need to prepare to be in the heart of Utah's Wasatch Mountains as well as at the Mountain of the Lord.  The Old Testament reading for the first Sunday of Advent, Isaiah 2:2-5 tells us:

"In the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord."

     We know that Jesus Christ is the way to the Mountain of the Lord; however, the National Council of The Order has a plan to help you prepare for the mountains in Utah!  During the next 18 months we will be walking, running, biking, swimming, and skiing our way from the National Office in Woodstock, GA to the Zermatt Resort in Midway, UT.  Along the way we will share information on exercise, health, diet, high altitude, and much more. We encourage all of you to join the endeavor, keep a log of your miles traveled, check with your doctor about any health concerns, learn more about a healthy lifestyle, and enrich your journey to the Mountain of the Lord.  Watch for updates through The Order's electronic media and The Royal Cross!

Come, walk in the light of the Lord! 
 England and the Compass Rose Meeting
Archbishop Justin Welby with four Daughters of the King:
Emily Thrasher, Pam Runyon, Marcia Allison (a Daughter who presented an icon to the Archbishop), and
The Rev. Dr. Margaret Short, Emily's sister.
     
     At the Compass Rose Society meeting in Canterbury on October 10 and 11, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, outlined his three priorities: a renewal of prayer and religious life, including a Rule of Life; reconciliation and bridge building; and evangelism. And then he mentioned Fresh Expressions! We were stunned and thrilled that he had just described the Daughters of the King!
    We took a picture of the Daughters present (Pam, Emily, The Rev. Dr. Margaret Short, and Marcia Allison from Bonita Springs, FL) at the CRS banquet with Archbishop Welby. 
     On October 14 we took a train to Oxford to meet with Fr. Mike Moynagh, the author of a new book due out in June, 2014, on the Fresh Expressions movement entitled, Being Church, Doing Life. He has included a brief section on the Order with a description of the "Literacy and Laundry" project undertaken by a DC chapter. We are hopeful that this will pique interest in DOK in the UK.

Emily Thrasher
International Chair
Rome and the Convocation of Episcopal Churches
Recessional after the final Eucharist of the Convocation convention
with the congregation singing, "Lift High the Cross."
     
     The convention of the Convocation was held October 17-21 at St. Paul's Within the Walls Episcopal Church. Rosemarie Valentine (Regional Coordinator for Europe) gave my sister, The Reverend Dr. Margaret Short, and I a warm welcome and had a great display of pictures, brochures, and the DOK Europe banner that she had designed.  We met the members of the The Paulines for the Kingdom Chapter, the first in Italy, who were very active at the convention as they hosted all the coffee breaks during the four days. We presented a DOK apron to Robina Kawungu, the St. Paul's chapter President, who served as registrar at the convention as well as helping with hospitality. Bishop Pierre Whalon gave me  the opportunity to bring greetings from the National Council and share a little about the Order and the new chapters in Europe. On Sunday they celebrated the final Eucharist and concluded with the bishop's announcement that the final hymn was the hymn of the Order of the Daughters of the King, "Lift High the Cross"!

Emily Thrasher
International Chair
Reaching Out:  Starting With Your Parish Rector
     During Advent we await the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and we prepare for the great celebration of our Savior's birth on Christmas.  Mary sits on my kitchen table next to an empty cr�che. She is waiting.  These symbols remind me to find rest and wait so I can listen in the midst of preparing to celebrate Christmas.
     Over the years I've noticed that during the "dark months" of November, December, and January, there are more funerals.  Our priests become really busy with special services. They give up time with their own families to be with bereaved families. We expect this.  I wonder how many of us take time to care for our priests?
     Here is a suggestion:  Gather your chapter and discuss what special service you as a chapter can do for your priest to let him/her know s/he is special and you support him/her.  There are lots of ideas to care for your priest in the Chapter Manual, but if you look on the website under forms, you will find that the manual is under repair, so here are some ideas to get your brainstorming started.
  • Remember his/her birthday, ordination anniversary and send Christmas and Easter Cards.
  • Surprise him/her with a gift card for a favorite restaurant or movie theater.  (Be sure there is enough on the card to include the spouse/partner/friend.)
  • Be a source of joy when you are around him/her.  Be positive and supportive and considerate of his/her workload.  
  • Has there been a death or illness in your priest's family?  Send cards.
Lyn Zolman
Service and Evangelism Chair
Quiet Day
     On November 16, 2013, the Emmanuel Chapter of the Daughters of the King at Emmanuel Church in Athens, Georgia, met for a beautiful pre-Advent Quiet Day. During silence, Daughters had the opportunity to walk a canvas room-size labyrinth or use smaller tabletop or handheld labyrinths as their physical conditions would allow. Periods of silence were punctuated by meditations given by seminarian Mia McDowell (Sewanee), postulant for Holy Orders. The day concluded with Holy Eucharist.

Sara Baldwin
President, Emmanuel Chapter

Trinity Junior and Senior Daughters of the King go a-caroling (Trinity Church, Pinopolis, South Carolina)

Junior Daughters' Triennial Quilt
     Wouldn't it be lovely to have a visual image of how just how many and how diverse we Junior Daughters are?  I certainly think it would be wonderful.  To do this, I propose that we create a Junior Daughters' quilt with squares created by our chapters around the country.  Each chapter should create a quilt square (see instructions below). Next at the National Junior Directress Retreat in August 2014, the Junior Directresses, with help from the Diocese of Texas, will begin assembling the quilts.  Finally, these quilts will be finished by the Junior Daughters themselves at Triennial and displayed with the Junior Daughters during the retreat. 

Instructions for quilt squares:

     Cut a 10" square of cotton fabric.  The fabric should be something that reflects your chapter or excites your chapter, with the restriction that it should be light in color, either a solid or a print.  On the back side of the square, mark in pencil or tailor's chalk a line 1" from the outside on all four sides.  On the front side, staying within the 8" marked square, decorate the square.  You can decorate the square any way you wish.  You may write or draw on it with fabric markers.  You can sew designs or appliques on it.  You can add buttons or ribbons to it.  Let your creativity flow.  The front of your square must include the name of your chapter, the city and state where you are located, and the year in which your chapter was instituted. The completed square should be sent to: St Mary's Episcopal Church, Attention: Brandylee Marsh, 15415 N Eldridge Pkwy, Cypress, Texas 77429.

Susan Keith
National Junior Directress
Advent Meditation
      In part, the Gospel  for the first Sunday in Advent, Matthew 24:41-44, reads "Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what days your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
     The word that jumped out at me from the reading was the word "awake". Awake to the Holy Spirit working in us. Awake to what is happening in the world around us. Awake to how we can show the love of Jesus to those around us this holiday season. Awake to the call of being ready to do the work we are called to do. Awake to the renewal of the Spirit in our churches.
     As Daughters of the King, we are called to pray, serve and evangelize. This Advent let us be awake to the needs and thanksgivings of others in our prayers. Awake to the service we can give to our churches, our chapters, our charities and to our loved ones. Awake to evangelize, living out the gospel messages in our everyday lives.
     Now, turn off the television, put down the newspaper, put down the book, turn off the radio and close your eyes, take a deep breath, clear your mind of the troubles that you are wrestling with. Give yourself some quiet time this Advent to: "be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour". Don't let your spiritual house be broken into.
     May you find the peace and love of Christ this Advent. Renewal of your spirit. Joy in the Light of Christ.

Donna Abramov
Worship & Devotions Co-Chair
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