October 2014
Issue 46
The Song of Creation

 

Let the people of God glorify the Lord,

praise him and highly exalt him for ever

Glorify the Lord, O priests and servants of the Lord,

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

 

Glorify the Lord, O spirits and souls of the righteous,

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

You that are holy and humble of heart, glorify the Lord,

praise him and highly exalt him for ever. 

 

Let us glorify the Lord: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

In the firmament of his power, glorify the Lord,

praise and highly exalt him for ever.

 

Book of Common Prayer, page 89

Spirited Walking Meditation

 

Our theme this month is wisdom.  

 

Wisdom is more than knowledge. Wisdom is what you do with your knowledge. Wisdom is fitting new knowledge into what you knew before so that it makes a unified whole. Wisdom is knowing what it is you don't know. Wisdom is knowing that there is often more than one right answer. This week reflect on the wisdom you have acquired thus far in life.

 

For when wisdom finds a welcome within you, and knowledge becomes a pleasure to you, discretion will watch over you, reason will guard you. Proverbs 2:10-11

 

Click here to read the rest of this month's meditation and the effect of exercise on cholesterol. Participate in the on-going discussion centered on these articles on the Spirited Walking page of the website.

 

A Plea for Donations for International Crosses

 

Most of our International Daughters' chapters are in underdeveloped countries where we are asked to provide crosses for those who are admitted to the Order. We have two assembled countries, Haiti and Malawi, which have their own source for crosses, but we are sometimes asked to assist with the cost. All other developing countries are currently using the rhodium-plated bronze crosses that are the size of our large senior crosses. As the Order expands, we are experiencing growth that has depleted the donations in the International cross account. 

 

The Lord has opened doors in many new countries and revived the Order in others. If we are to follow His lead, we will need more donations to cover the $15 cost of new crosses. Would you or your chapter consider helping us replenish this account, so that we can continue to support these women who wish to pray, serve and evangelize in community with us?

 

If you have questions, please contact our International Cross Chair, Lana Valenta, at [email protected]. Your donations may be sent directly to the National Office with "International Cross Account" written in the memo line of your check.  Thank you for your prayerful support.

 

Emily Thrasher

International Daughters Chair

 

In This Issue
Spirited Walking Meditation
A Plea for Donations for International Crosses
It Began in a Corn Field
Preparing for YM Online
Junior Daughters' Chaplain
On a Prayer Walk
Service and Evangelism

Cross+Links Editor

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It Began in a Corn Field

 

 

We stood in the back of Bishop Carlos Lainfiesta's truck, in a corn field near Chichicastenango, Guatemala. It was late August, 2012, and we had come from St. Peter's Church, Arkansas. We were there to plan a medical mission trip, but we looked at each other and said, "We need to start a DOK chapter here."

 

The initial plan was to form a chapter in Chichi, the home of Bishop Carlos Lainfiesta, Bishop of the Western Region of the Diocese of Guatemala. Prior to the St. Peter's mission trip in April 2013, our dear friend and mission trip coordinator, Marianne Welch, presented basic information about DOK to Bishop Carlos and was able to determine that he would be open to considering a chapter in Guatemala.

 

Our April 2013 medical mission trip began in Quetzaltenango (Xela) Guatemala. Dinah was carrying DOK information that she, with Marianne's help, would present to Bishop Carlos when they were in Chichi. The time in Xela was short, but Dinah met some wonderful women and felt the pull of the Holy Spirit so strongly that she considered leaving the information with them instead of taking it to Chichi! Knowing she needed the Bishop's approval, however, she continued to Chichi and was able to have time with him to share the mission of DOK and our plans for a chapter. To her surprise, Bishop Carlos said that knowing the women of Xela and the support they would receive from their rector, Father Roberto Armas, he felt like Iglesias San Marcos would be the place to first present DOK to Guatemala!

 

And so it began.  We knew it would require money, time, and the support of many...but most importantly, it would require prayer!! As the process progressed there were bumps in the road, tears, and frustration, but through it all, we knew we had the support of the National Daughters of the King Council Members, the wonderful Daughters of the Diocese of Arkansas, and ultimately the Keller Grant committee members in Arkansas who funded the trip for the institution of the Chapter.

 

On Sunday, September 28, Bishop Carlos Lainfiesta, his wife Reverend Edna, and Father Roberto Armas joined us at Iglesis San Marco to admit the 11 women of the Santa Maria Magdalena Chapter of The Order of the Daughters of the King�, the first Daughters' chapter in Guatemala. Both the Bishop and Father Roberto spoke of the strength of these 11 Daughters and the importance of women in the church. The Bishop told us that the church would not function or exist without women. It was such a joyful day! It was the perfect end to a journey that we are certain was led by the Holy Spirit. We have such confidence in these new Daughters, we are certain that they will make a difference in the lives of the members of San Marcos and people of Xela. We hope that they will be the seed that will grow Daughters of the King in Guatemala.  We can't thank Bishop Lainfiesta and Reverend Armas enough for their support, and we are so grateful for the prayers we have had from all of our Sisters in the U.S.!!

 

We ask that you continue to keep the Daughters of the Santa Maria Magdalena Chapter in your prayers!

 

Dee Sanders, Dinah Reed and Beth Brady

Imogene Chapter

St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Arkansas

 

Preparing for Your Membership Online

 

As you probably know by now, the Web Development Committee and the National Office staff have been working hard to bring Your Membership (YM) online and we're almost ready. We expect to roll out the first phase of the new membership-based website in mid to late November. Here are some simple preparations you and your chapter can make to be ready to access Your Membership online:

  1. Make sure the National Office has your current email address. 
  2. If you don't have an email address, or you know someone in your chapter who doesn't have one, consider setting up a free email address on Google or Yahoo. 
  3. Update your Chapter Officers, including their current email address. 

Instructions for signing in and accessing Your Membership (YM)

  1. If a Daughter has a valid email, she will receive an individual welcome email message listing her initial username (current member #) and a temporary password to sign in for the first time.
  2. The email will include instructions for signing in and accessing her member profile, and will tell her how to change her username and set up her personal password.
  3. Step-by-step Instructions will also be available on  the website homepage to guide members through the sign-in process

For Daughters who do not have a valid email, a list will be emailed to each chapter president and/or they can email or call the National Office for assistance.

 

With YM, members will be able to

  • Pay dues and make donations online (This is already available, but the process will be streamlined and tied directly to your individual membership profile.)
  • Place orders online, track orders, and keep records of all orders placed through the Online Store.
  • Update their own Member Profile with contact information, etc.

Additional member benefits will be implemented in phases, so stay tuned through Cross+Links and encourage your chapter to sign up and stay connected through Cross+Links too!

 

Our new online membership website saves time for our National Office Staff by increasing efficiency and also saving paper and postage costs. We do know, however, that a substantial number of Daughters are uncomfortable with online payments and even with computers and email in general. Please reassure them that our National Office Staff will continue to accommodate dues payments and orders by mail. 

 

The Web Development Committee (Pam Runyon, Jen Mariano, Annemarie Delgado, Christine Budzowski, along with Mary Fletcher and Lynn Kimbrell from the National Office)

 

Junior Daughters' Chaplain

 

As National Junior Daughters of the King (JDOK) Chaplain, it is my greatest hope that the Order will be able to increase its reach, inspiring greater numbers of young women to become members, and supporting the Senior Daughters who become their JDOK Directresses.   

 

With the busy schedules that so many of us have, I want JDOK to be compelling, interesting and fun so as to capture the imaginations and energy associated with youth. At the same time, it is my hope that Junior Daughters and their senior Daughter leaders will find through their participation in the Order: (1) that they will learn about their faith, and (2) that they will establish practices that will help them to continuously grow spiritually.

 

My vision is that as Junior Daughters approach adulthood, their lives will have been so transformed by their time in JDOK that they are equipped to stand firm in their faith and empowered to help make the world a better place.  

 

It is indeed an honor to serve as Chaplain to the girls and women in The Order of the Daughters of the King�. 

 

Mother Deborah Jackson'

Junior Daughters' Chaplain


On a Prayer Walk with the Hannah Chapter

 

Early last spring, while discussing prayer, Jennifer Howard (Directress of the Hannah Chapter of the Junior Daughters of the King) and I found ourselves contemplating the idea of walking and praying. The more we talked, the more our ideas grew, and we suddenly found ourselves entertaining the idea of holding a prayer walk as a way for both our Junior and senior Daughters of the King to implement the act of prayer as a way to actively serve others. Walking through the community in prayer for our neighbours and for those in need, praying for our city as a whole, and wrapping Marshall in prayer, was an idea that lay heavily on our hearts. We brought this idea to our rector, Father John Himes, and were pleasantly surprised to learn that our "new" idea of a prayer walk was in fact, an ancient practice within the Anglican/Episcopal tradition, known as "the Beating of the Bounds." It became clear that a tradition of praying for the community long preceded any of us, but that with all the heartbreaking headlines and events around the world, this was surely the time to revive this ancient tradition.

 

A grant from the Alpha Fund enabled us to mobilize in wonderful ways and we were able to effectively spread the word throughout our community. We were interviewed on the radio and by our local newspaper. We were able to utilize both traditional media venues and social media to not only invite our community to join us, but also to engage with them by providing scripture and prayers on an ongoing basis leading up to the walk.

 

From the beginning, I felt led by the Holy Spirit to Jeremiah 29:7 as our scriptural foundation for this Prayer Walk. This verse spoke to the work we were being called to do.

 

"Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace." 
Jeremiah 29:7

 

As we moved forward, God was opening doors for us in such wonderful ways, and on the day of the Prayer Walk (September 14, 2014) we found our small church filling with people who were also keen to lift up our city in prayer. It was such a blessing to have Junior and senior Daughters walking together alongside members of our congregation and of our community. Students from one of our local colleges came out to volunteer and the fellowship that day was exceptionally moving. Around 120 people participated in our Prayer Walk as we were led in a liturgical procession through our downtown and surrounding area. We lifted up every aspect of our community in prayer, from local and national leadership, to our specific community needs as well as our desire to see God continue to work through and bless our community churches, as we all strive to share the gospel with those in need.

 

Clergy and parishioners of Trinity Episcopal Church lead a Prayer Walk through Marshall, Texas.

 

Our chapter of Daughters of the King is striving to find ways to help our Junior Daughters feel mentored and supported by our Senior Chapter, and this Prayer Walk was such a wonderful way for us to all come together, doing precisely what our Order calls us to do. Prayer, service, and evangelism were all in action on the day of this Prayer Walk. After our prayer walk, we were able to host a hot dog cookout which allowed for fellowship and opportunities for those not from our congregation to learn more about our church and the Daughters of the King.

 

This Prayer Walk blessed our Chapter immensely and our congregation hopes to continue this tradition in the future, as we continue to grow and learn from this first experience. Our vision is not only to grow this tradition in our church, but we hope to inspire other churches in our city to start their own prayer walks in their own neighbourhoods. What a truly powerful blessing it would be to see a city-wide network wrapping our community in prayer.

 

Magdalena Altnau

Vice President, Hannah Chapter

Trinity Episcopal, Marshall, Texas

 

Service and Evangelism

 

Donna Gonzoles and Linda Trikur delivering gift bags to residents of Sugar Valley Lodge.

 

Grace Chapter at St. John's Episcopal Church in northwestern Pennsylvania (Province III) has a service project that involves a number of people.  Several years ago, we adopted a shelter for the low income and homeless populations called Sugar Valley Lodge.  Each month we take them birthday bags.  Every resident who has a birthday that month gets a small gift bag, and residents look forward to them! 

 

We also set up a "Thanksgiving tree" the weekend following Thanksgiving.  We decorate our tree with tags with first name, age and the residents' wish list of wants and needs.  The tags are returned with their gifts.  We go out early Christmas morning and distribute them.  We always find "extra" gifts under the tree and nobody goes without a Christmas present. 

 

Our church has a chapel that a small Lutheran church uses for Sunday services.  Several Lutheran ladies have joined our chapter.  Both churches help support our service project with donated items and time. 

 

Some of the residents of Sugar Valley Lodge are being moved to a new facility out of our area, and we plan on asking churches in that area if they will adopt those residents while we continue our ministry at Sugar Valley Lodge. 

 

Robin Murray

Grace Chapter

St. John's Episcopal Church, Franklin, Pennsylvania

 

 


 

Almighty God, giver of all gifts, 

we thank you for all the generous gifts given to the Endowment Fund 

in thanksgiving, honor and remembrance 

by members and friends of The Order. 

 Guide us in the wise use of these funds that our work will be to the honor and glory of your Son, 

our Savior Jesus Christ. AMEN. 

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