April 2015
Issue 52

 

[The young man said] to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here."
Mark 16:6
Easter Message:  Crossing Borders 

It has been a real privilege to have crossed different borders: from Belize to Guatemala and from Guatemala to the United States. Living in these countries gave me a unique opportunity to learn new languages and culture by living and accepting people different from my own race and culture. One good example was to see real poverty in Guatemala; I thought I was poor while living in Belize, but to see people in Guatemala actually dying because they had nothing to eat was not my experience. Yet amidst their poverty, they were kind and willing to share the little they had with me as a stranger in their land.  It has been a process of learning and accepting the differences which has enriched my personal life in so many ways. I am sure that in that process, in some way or another, I have been able to do the same for those persons I met on my personal journey.  Relationship is like that: You receive as you give with all your heart, mind and soul.  

 

For three years the disciples journeyed with Jesus in a special relationship; they gave up everything they had to follow him. They had no idea where the result of that relationship would lead them. It could be they had a different agenda when they accepted the call to be a disciple. They too had to cross borders to learn something new about themselves and about the mission they were given in forming a new Israel.

 

The death of Jesus on the cross was not only a disappointment to them, but a shock as well. The disciples on the way to Emmaus were actually telling Jesus about their disappointment, but they invited Jesus for a meal and it was in that meal that they were able to understand what Jesus had taught them, but more importantly they recognized Jesus was alive. This is what relationship is all about, sharing a meal together, not just meeting in the living room but where family and best friends usually meet together for a meal.  

Meeting people on common ground means that you trust them, not that all will be well but that you are willing to take risk in the relationship. Sometimes we learn more from a failed relationship than a stable relationship. We all need that "eye opener" to understand and to get a clearer picture of our experiences while crossing borders, and a failed relationship helps us sometimes. Most of us live in multicultural communities, and we hardly know anything about those persons who look different from us; perhaps we don't even say "hello" to them. We don't have to, but I must say that a smile or a "hello" can mean a lot to the person we greet.

It would make a big difference, even at our own church, if the person sitting next to us could receive a smile or a "hello" from us. That smile or "hello" could mean so much; it could begin a personal relationship. I know there are some people who are not interested in that, but the world would be a better world if we could all get along better. I know for sure it would help some dying congregations.

The purpose of the death and resurrection of Jesus was to help us to accept how much God loves us and to put that love into action. Our response to His love is through a personal relationship with Him. If we are in that type of relationship with Him, then we must love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Not that loving our neighbor is an easy task, but experiencing the love of God will motivate us to do what is right. As difficult as it is, we will want to do it and to know that He will help us to accomplish that difficult task.

Our journey is to understand that as difficult as it is to do what is right God will give us the necessary resources to make the task possible. Our personal relationship with Him helps us to depend on Him as well as to trust Him on our journey.  That relationship also helps us to trust others, which helped the disciples in the growth of the Church. I have learned that in crossing borders it is important to trust others in order to achieve harmony and peace, but more importantly, to learn about who I really am in the sight of God.  

Bishop Sylvestre Romero
National Chaplain
In This Issue
Easter Message
Check Out Our Website
Spirited Walking Meditation
Setting the Scene
New DOK in a New Country
Institution of Junior Chapter
Open House
I Love This Cross
Chapter's Corner
You Took My Parking Place


Cross+Links Editor

Assistant Editor
Quick Links

       Order Form 
       Transition Form

Province Presidents
 
Province I
Donna Abramov

Province II
Janet Papa

Province III
Laura Richard

Province IV
Lindy Kirk

Province V
Pam Sebura

Province VI
Lyn Zolman

Province VII
Brenda Amos

Province VIII
Sara MacDonald 
 
National Office

or
 
 770-517-8552 





Check Out Our Website

 

Biographies for our 18 nominees to serve on National Council 2015-2018 are now available for reading on our Order's website.   Log into the website as a member, go under EVENTS > TRIENNIAL 2015 > 2015 NATIONAL COUNCIL NOMINEES to access the biographies.  Delegates will be voting 15 of these 18 known nominees to National Council at the Triennial Business Meeting in Utah.  These biographies will also be included in the printed material distributed at Triennial 2015.    

 

Spirited Walking Meditation

 

Our theme this month is Sabbath.

When God provided us the commandments by which we should live our lives, he included the requirement to keep holy the Sabbath day.  In today's hustle-and-bustle world, we often forget this commandment.  The secular world schedules sports activities and even meetings on this day.  Quickly it becomes the day to get errands and chores completed before starting a new week.  This month focus on keeping the Sabbath day holy, recognizing that God rested and so should we.  Do something that celebrates God's gift of life and takes care of ourselves.

A suggested thought:
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Exodus 20:8

Click here to read the rest of this month's meditation on heart health and high blood pressure. Participate in the on-going discussion centered on these articles on the Spirited Walking page of the website.

Setting the Scene:  The Introduction of the Order in Ecuador  

 

 

Revda. Lourdes Inapanta was introduced to The Order of the Daughters of the King by Joyce Pipkin about a year and a half ago.  Joyce helped Lourdes obtain the packet necessary to start a chapter and then introduced her to Jan Lewis, who lived in the city of  Loja in Ecuador.

 

Lourdes and Jan struck up a beautiful friendship which drove them to organize the Daughters of the King in the Diocese of Central Ecuador. Last year, they organized four missions: three in the City of Quito and one in the city of Ambato.  The most beautiful event was the workshop that was organized in the Mission Christ the Liberator, October 26, 2014.  Sadly, the chapter in Ambato did not continue. The three chapters of Quito were successful. Lourdes was deeply thankful for Jan, her work and effort despite the difficulties. Jan was very supportive.  

 

Lourdes then met Revda. Connie Sanchez at the Workshop of Women of Province IX in Quito last year. Connie shared some ideas for chapters during her talk at the Provincial Synod in February 2015.  Also in February 2015, Jan announced the news that she was retiring and introduced them to Lana Valenta, who would continue working with them in preparation for the institution of chapters on March 8, 2015.   

 

Christopher DeVine, Mariana Bauman, and Lana Valenta.
 

Mariana Bauman and Lana Valenta, both National Council members, traveled to Ecuador to present the charters for these chapters in a new country.  Prior to the Services of Institution and Admission, they were able to spend a bit of time being tourists.  Mariana and Lana were blessed to be joined by Christopher DeVine, Mariana's son who has been living in Peru for the last year. His language skills were put to use with taxi drivers, etc. On Sunday they visited a major Plaza in this historic city.  (Quito is a UNESCO site because of its Spanish colonial architecture and history.)  It was a warm sunny afternoon and they enjoyed the people and the ambiance of this beautiful place. They saw women in indigenous dress, some with babies on their backs, a group of young men and boys breakdancing to a blaring boom box and a civic demonstration with banners and shouting, protesting treatment of women. Later that evening they learned from Bishop Scantlebury that it was the International Day of the Woman!  How appropriate, he pointed out in his sermon, that these women would become Hijas Del Rey on such a day.

 

Demonstration on the Plaza.


Lana Valenta, International Chair
Mariana Bauman, PR and Communication Chair, Strategic Planning Chair 

New Daughters in a New Country

It is always a joy to welcome new Daughters into the Order.  It is a special privilege to welcome new Daughters in a country where our Order has been unknown.  These are special women, willing to walk in a new way to be followers of our Lord.

On Friday, March 6, 2015, Lana Valenta and I arrived in Quito, Ecuador, a city 9300 feet above sea level and situated close to the Equator.  We had come with paperwork, charters, crosses and a letter from our National President, Pam Runyon, welcoming these special women into our Sisterhood.

We also came with a travel companion - Grace!  It was God's Grace helping us through difficult plane connections, hotel and communication problems and that old enemy, travel fatigue.  Obviously the Lord wanted us there for this event!

Saturday morning Lana spent with Rvda. Lourdes Inapanta, preparing for the Sunday Service of Admission.  God's Grace had also provided Lourdes with a young American assistant, Carolyn Williams, who was able to help with the process of translating and helping these two Norte-Americanas find their way with directions, etc. We also were blessed by the arrival of my son, Christopher DeVine.  In addition to using his language skills while playing tourist, we also put him to work helping us prepare the crosses with blue cords.  

The Service of Admission - for three chapters and twenty-four Daughters - began in the late afternoon on Sunday, March 8, 2015.  It was held in Rvda. Nancy LLumiguano's small misin church, Misin Emaus, almost an hour away from Rvda. Lourde's Misin Cristo Librador.  (Quito is a very large city.) We and Rvda. Lourdes' group took a bus there, arranged for the event.  The church was packed with family and friends of our "about to be" new Daughters of the King (including two of the three priests!)  Drums, percussion instruments and guitars all blended with several singers throughout this lively service.  The excitement was extraordinary!  The third priest, Rvdo. Juan Carlos Quionese Mera, was quite literally jumping for joy! These were people who clearly were used to worship "con gusto," and they were excited for these women who were taking such an important step.  



The faces of the new Daughters reflected their seriousness and their joy.  Eyes were filled with tears, lips were trembling as they read their vows and hands gently touched the crosses around their necks.  Their faces remain with me. Both Lana and I were filled with thanksgivings for the work of the Holy Spirit and the profound happiness of these women.

I have participated in many Spanish Services in the USA but nothing quite like this!  Part of the unique flavor came from the fact that many of the songs and prayers were sung to melodies of old (to us) pop and rock songs from the USA.  We sang the Lord's Prayer to 'Sounds of Silence' by Simon and Garfunkel and some of the other tunes came from rock bands like the "Kinks."  Not so unusual when you realize that some of our USA hymns are sung to old European folks songs and African American Spirituals. Music is indeed an international language!  Thankfully, the Gospel of our Lord also translates well!

Our Order's Prayer has taken on a new meaning for me; now, when I read "...give your blessing to our Order wherever it may be throughout the world," our new Daughters in Ecuador have become part of that prayer.

Mariana Bauman
PR and Communication Chair
Strategic Planning Chair

Institution of Junior Chapter 


Clockwise from top left: Pastor Ken Taylor, Mandi Taylor,
Anna Stevenson, Janet Cole, Rosario Mora-Bates,
Annika Skoug, McKenna Taylor, Sara Heck
and [in the middle] Madelyn (Maddi) Taylor.

The first Lutheran Junior Daughters Chapter in the United States was instituted on March 15, 2015. The Rebekah and Esther Chapter is located at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Strum, Wisconsin. Anna Stevenson, Province VI Junior Directress, flew all the way from Colorado to present our Charter, as the personal representative of Susan Keith, National Junior Directress. The three Chapter Directresses are: Sara Heck, Mandi Taylor, and Janet Cole.

In February, during their time of study and discernment, the girls and their friends had an overnight Lock-In at the church. They began with a pizza supper and then tested over 14 Prayer Games all night. Subsequently, the girls took the games home to teach their families. Games were not played to win or lose, but just until everyone had a turn or finished a game.  Games included board games, "Where's the Bible?", bubble prayer games, prayer journals and even building Towers of Thanks with math cubes. The girls also viewed a movie (with popcorn!) about missionary Gladys Aylward, performed science experiments with a message, sang old and new songs, finger-wove blue and white prayer bracelets, Prayed in Color, and walked a Prayer Labyrinth. The favorite part of the Lock-In was the flashlight scavenger hunt in the darkened Sanctuary. The last girl finally fell asleep at 1:20am! A good time was had by all. The girls look forward to someday meeting other Junior Daughters.  

Sara Heck
Directress, Rebekah and Esther Chapter

 

Open House











The Executive Board of the Order recently hosted an open house.  The morning began with Eucharist celebrated by Bishop Romero, National Chaplain.  Daughters in attendance from the Atlanta area then had an opportunity to share fellowship, view a demonstration of YM, preview The Chapter Manual, and look into archives.  This time of shared fellowship was enjoyed by all.

 

I Love This Cross

 

Our "I Love This Cross" Gallery continues to display crosses gathered from around the world, crosses made of all sorts of diverse material and reflecting the diverse spiritual gifts of the Daughters who submitted the photos of the crosses.  These crosses reflect the faith journey of the maker in a specific point in time; his (or her) journey then resonates in us - first as photographer, then as viewer.  I hope all you viewing this gallery will experience the same uplifting inspiration the makers and photographers of these crosses first experienced.   


Remember, the Gallery remains open for new submissions which will be displayed on a recurrent basis throughout 2015.      

 






Far Left:  Cross of Remembrance, Province IV Retreat, Kanuga Conference Center, North Carolina, October 2014.

Middle Left:  This cross with a mountain scene was given in remembrance of retreat time spent at Kanuga Conference Center through 2014.  

Middle Right:  Cross outside Lambeth Palace, England 

Far right:  Cross hung in sanctuary of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Naples, Florida

Susan O"Brien
Editor, Cross+Links 

Chapter's Corner

How do we gently communicate with each other at all levels of leadership? Being a Daughter places us in a unique situation where we are Sisters in the Order and live in the world. How should we lovingly communicate with each other?

First and foremost gossip must be discouraged at all levels. We must strive to spread the Gospel not Gossip. When you hear something about another Daughter, it is your responsibility not to repeat it to another Sister or to the Sister involved. Sometimes we forget that as a uniquely beautiful family we are called to speak lovingly one to another and not fall prey to parking lot gossip sessions among other Daughters.  Being sisterly as Daughters, we have a sacred responsibility to speak to each other directly and not go through a third party. Going through a third party, we only seek to hurt each other and our sisters.  We all must keep our own council and remember the role of confidentiality.

Secondly, we all must get to know what each other's communication styles are. Some of us are good at visual (written) communication, and many of us are solidly fixed with auditory (verbal) communications.  This may be related to being introverted or extroverted.   Some of us are not big on reading the vast amounts of email we may be presented with each day. Please remember email is not the equivalent of a conversation.  I'm one who likes telephone calls since my cancer diagnosis. Reading tires me out greatly, and I like hearing inflections in the callers' voices and my brain works better on the telephone. Remember, there are still  Daughters who are not email savvy, so please take that into consideration; they may still be "snail mailers " and like phone calls.  Just knowing how we like to communicate with you and our learning styles will take the frustration out of wondering why you may or may not be receiving a response.

Thirdly, as a leader at the beginning of any new leadership post, we need to find out the communication style of the Daughters whom we serve. When you update your rosters at the chapter level, find out how each Daughter  would like information given to them; keep a president's and secretary's list that lists the preference for communication:  email, "snail" mail, text message, or telephone - being mindful of this can help build community in a positive way.

These are my suggestions on how to lovingly communicate with each other. Remember we are sisters and family members, and we are all in this together.  We must set good examples in our faith communities by speaking and listening with "The Ear of the Heart" as St. Benedict talks about when describing obedience.  Being obedient helps us to live out our vows of Prayer, Service, and Evangelism.

Sara Macdonald
President, Province VIII 

You Took My Parking Place at Church

One day, a man went to visit a church.  He got there early, parked his car and got out.  Another car pulled up near the driver, got out and said. "I always park there!  You took my place!"  The visitor went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat and sat down.  A young lady from the church approached him and stated. "That's my seat!  You took my place."

The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome but said nothing.  After Sunday School, the visitor went into the sanctuary and sat down.  Another member walked up to him and said, "That's where I always sit!  You took my place!"  The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still said nothing.

Later as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood up, and his appearance began to change.  Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet.

Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?"

The visitor replied, as his hat became a crown of thorns, and a tear fell from his eye, "I took your place!"

This was published in "The Herald", the newsletter of the Episcopal Church of the Nativity, Port St. Lucie, Florida, with the following request:

 

"When you receive this, say a prayer... That's all you have to do.  There is nothing attached.  This is powerful.  Just send this to four people and see what happens... Maybe, just maybe, we can get the world to start thinking of who took our place..."


I decided to ask to have it published in Cross+Links.

Lyn Zolman
Service and Evangelism Chair  


 

Almighty God, whose beloved Son willingly endured the agony
and shame of the cross for our redemption:
Give us courage to take up our cross and follow Him;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and for ever. Amen.

Book of Common Prayer, page 252
 Thank you for Subscribing! 

 

Thank you for subscribing to our monthly electronic monthly newsletter, Cross+Links. In this communication you will receive information about  The Order of the Daughters of the King�  that complements our quarterly publication, The Royal Cross.

 

Please encourage other Daughters, clergy and interested people to become subscribers as well. Over  4,500 email recipients are now signed up to receive Cross+Links!

When you use the link above to forward this issue you can be sure the version your friend receives will look just the same as this one. Thank you for spreading the word!