J u. n E. Christ Church Parish Address Service Requested JUNE with a heart and place for all. A joy-filled church

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1 A joy-filled church with a heart and place for all. Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Urbanna, VA Permit No. 6 JUNE 2017 J u Christ Church Parish Address Service Requested Location: Rt. 33 & 638 Christchurch, Middlesex County, Virginia Mailing: PO Box 476; Saluda, Virginia Tel: ccparish@verizon.net Web: christchurchmiddlesex.com Sunday Services: 8 am A quiet traditional Service of Holy Communion & 10:30 AM A Family Service of Holy Communion with Music and Choir The Rev. Stuart Wood Priest in Charge n E What is the hardest thing you do as a priest? Psalm 100 encourages us to be joyful in the Lord all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness and come before his presence with a song. Our hymnals are meant to draw all Episcopalians together musically.

2 Father Stuart s Message for June 2017 People will sometimes ask me, What is the hardest thing that you have to do as a priest? They may expect me to say something like preparing sermons or officiating at weddings or funerals, but I would actually have to say that the hardest thing that I have to do is select hymns for worship services. While Psalm 100 may encourage us to be joyful in the Lord all ye lands; serve the Lord with gladness and come before his presence with a song. It doesn t tell us what kind of song it should be. It becomes even more difficult when we realize that every congregation is made up of people from different backgrounds and traditions. What one person likes another may not care for at all. Just think about the many styles of music that are out there. There is classical, contemporary, gospel, country, bluegrass, Hip-hop, rock and reggae, Gregorian and Anglican chant, and charismatic and praise music to name a few variations. I hadn t remembered until I presented a Lenten study on church music that hymn singing didn t really become a part of Episcopal worship until the end of the 1800 s. Before that, it was only sung canticles, Psalms, and service music that were used in public worship and they were usually done by a choir and not the congregation. Though the music in the Episcopal Church can be as diverse as its worship services, the Canons and Rubrics (Title II, Canon 5) says that the final authority over the music used in an Episcopal service is "the duty of every Minister." Our hymnals are meant to draw all Episcopalians together musically in the same way that the Book of Common Prayer draws us together in prayer and liturgy. The hymns suggested for any given service are meant to reflect the season of the Church year and the context in which they are used, but that s often easier said than done. Mike Floyd, 6/1 Buddy Wyker, 6/4 Pam McClelland, 6/11 Libby Allen, 6/12 Roxanne Jones, 6/13 Anne Lewis, 6/14 Amy Schact, 6/16 Sarah Geeson, 6/21 Ginny Hartung, 6/23 Peggy Dent, 6/26 Howard Reisinger, 6/27 Michael Gorin, 6/30 Bob & Barbee Phipps, 6/2 Doug & Brenda Brizendine, 6/3 Clayton & Susan Neal, 6/10 Paige & Virginia Bishop, 6/13 Rich & Anne Donoff, 6/13 Bill & Jackie Brown, 6/15 Fred & Suzanne Berry, 6/17 Jim & Lydia Dudley, 6/19 JOHN & Susan Hilliard, 6/20 Dave & Ann Wilcox, 6/23 Bruce & Susan DeSimone, 6/28 Chris & Roxanne Jones, 6/28

3 Military Messages By Mike Floyd One afternoon while at church waiting for the Marines from Fort Lee to arrive, I met and talked with Marine veterans with notable injuries from combat. They and their spouses were unaware of the Chesty Puller Run by Marines from Fort Lee, but had come to General Puller s gravesite to pay their respects. They asked the significance of the coins left on the General s grave. I didn t have an answer, so I decided I should find out so that I would be prepared the next time I was asked. The following is part of an article from gravingwitthjenn.com: According to some, leaving coins on a headstone has very specific meaning for military burials. Leaving a penny indicates you knew the deceased, a nickel means you were in boot camp together, a dime signifies serving in the same company, a quarter tells the family you were with the deceased when they died. - To add to the complexity of choosing hymns is the hymn tune that goes with it. Sometimes I ll think, Oh I know that hymn only to find out that I m not at all familiar with the tune that may have been selected for it in the hymnal. Thus the bulletin may sometimes indicate an alternate tune meaning that we re only using the text and not the music. What I might remember from my days in the Methodist Church, or from the 1940 Hymnal may be different in the 1982 Hymnal and I m sure it is the same for many of you. As a help to me, I am going to ask that you take the time to look through our hymnal and list some of the hymns that you know and love and then leave them in a box that I ll have outside of the main office. I will use them to compile a list that I can use along with the other resources that I use in choosing hymns. This still will not guarantee that we will all know the hymns used on a given Sunday, but it should mean that we are at least singing someone s favorite that week. And as some parishioners have said to me, it s good to occasionally learn something new. Apparently this tradition dates back to Roman times, but started in the U.S. during the Vietnam War as a way to leave messages to the family of the deceased without contacting them directly. Sometimes coins are left as a down payment for the deceased, a promise to buy their comrade a drink in the afterlife. No matter what the original intent of the coin-leaver may be, it seems clear that a coin left on a headstone is a symbol of remembrance and respect. A way of telling all who pass by that the person who was buried there was loved and visited often. - r - Faithfully, Fr. Stuart Maybe next time I wander through a cemetery, I will bring a pocketful of pennies.

4 HOW IS YOUR TAX STRATEGY WORKING? Many of us just completed our taxes for Did your taxable investment portfolio increase in value? Did your tax obligation increase? If so, now is the time to plan for your 2017 taxes. You can implement a more tax-efficient strategy. Taxable investments that have appreciated in value are a blessing. You would have more wealth, however, should you sell some of your appreciated investments, you will create a tax obligation. According to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. stocks saw their best performance since The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 13.4%. The S7P 500 was up 9.5% and the NASDEX was up 7.5% Here is a way to fulfill your commitment to the church and reduce your tax obligation: Recently several parishioners made their annual pledge commitments by gifting appreciated stock to the church. These parishioners are benefitting from a tax strategy that allows them to avoid the tax consequences of a sale by gifting the church with stock at the appreciated value. The church, in turn, sells the stock and utilizes the funds as a pledge. Perhaps you own shares of stock purchased some time ago that has increased in value. You also may benefit from this tax strategy that allows you to give the church appreciated stock. The church benefits from the value of the gift at the time of the sale and you avoid the tax obligation on your gift. TELLERS Beginning in 2016, Christ Church began a Teller Program. The tellers organize, count and verify the offertory in preparation for a bank deposit. Like ushers, two people perform these duties together. This is a very common church procedure and a standard accounting practice for any business or organization dealing with cash and other securities. Tellers are expected to hold all information in strict confidentiality. Their honesty, reliability and attention to detail in working with numbers are very critical aspects to the process. Our current group of tellers have been active since the beginning and take their duties extremely seriously. Should you have any questions with regard to this program, please speak with the treasurer, Susan Guillotte or any member of the Vestry. MOVIE AND POPCORN It s summertime and the living is easy. Because so many of us are so very busy during the summer, it has been decided to furlough the movie & popcorn program until September. No movies & popcorn in June July, or August.

5 JULY AND AUGUST NEWSLETTERS As in the past, the July and August editions of the Christ Church Newsletter will be combined into one edition, the July-August Newsletter. If you have an article you would like to see in the combined July-August newsletter, please get it to me by mid-june at the very latest. We are leaving on a long-planned vacation shortly thereafter and Mike Floyd indicated he didn t want to have to finish it up for me. Thanks. WHY YOU NEED A PROOFREADER FOR THE CHURCH NEWSLETTER The Fasting & prayer conference includes meals. Scouts are collecting aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children. The sermon this morning: Jesus Walks on the Water. The sermon tonight: Searching for Jesus. ECW, don t forget the rummage sale. It s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husband. Don t let worry kill you off let the church help. THE END (Tax Strategy Continued) Should you wish to make a gift or pledge in this manner, please contact the Parish Treasurer, Susan Guillotte, at You may also benefit from this strategy with a gift to the Christ Church Endowment Fund. This information should not take the place of competent, qualified, legal advice. Consult with your attorney or financial advisor. The church is not in the business of giving tax advice. AMAZON SMILE Many of us have found great value in shopping through Amazon. A wide selection, good product reviews, competitive prices or better and 2- day delivery are all reasons we use this service. It saves a lot of driving time searching for items that are not found nearby and is generally very efficient. There is another benefit, however, which many are not using and that is the charitable arm of Amazon, called Amazon Smile. You can now select Christ Church Parrish, Middlesex, Va. As a qualified recipient of a rebate from our purchases. Amazon Smile will donate 1/2 of 1% of all qualified purchases (which are virtually all purchases) to Christ Church Parish and deposit the total amount quarterly. 1/2 of 1% may not seem a lot, but it is amazingly generous and absolutely free to us. Think back to your purchases over the past year Go to Amazonsmile.com and select Christ Church Parish, Middlesex, Va. As your charity and use Amazon Smile when you shop. Christ Church's Finance Committee will smile too.

6 Members who supported Church Calendar for June, 2017 June, ;45 BSA Troop mtg, Parish Hall 4 8;00 Holy Eucharist, Rite I 4 10:30 Holy Eucharist, Rite II 7 9:30 Mid-week Eucharist, Chapel, 8 6:45 BSA Troop mtg, Parish Hall 11 8:00 Holy Eucharist, Rite I 11 10:30 Holy Eucharist, Rite II 11 3:00 Brotherhood Picnic, All are invited. Deltaville Maritime Museum 12 6:00 Vestry mtg, Parish Hall 14 9:30 Mid-week Eucharist, Chapel 15 6:45 BSA Troop mtg, Parish Hall 18 8:00 Holy Eucharist, Rite I 18 10;30 Holy Eucharist, Rite II 21 9:30 Mid-Week Eucharist, Chapel 22 6:45 BSA Troop mtg, Parish Hall 25 8:00 Holy Eucharist, Rite I Prayers for Healing 25 10:30 Holy Eucharist, Rite II Prayers for Healing 29 9:30 Mid-week Eucharist, Chapel 29 6:45 BSA Troop mtg, Parish Hall NEWS OF THE BROTHERHOOD What a great breakfast the Brotherhood and their guests enjoyed on Mothers Day. Special Thanks to Carl Eichenlaub for preparing the wonderful breakfast. Thanks also to our President, John Quilter, and the other members who helped put this special breakfast together. So you thought you had seen the last of John Quilter. NOT SO! He has one more duty to perform before we let him fade away. I know he is already hard at work putting together our annual BROTHERHOOD PICNIC, which he has scheduled for Saturday, June 11th, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., rain or shine, at the Maritime Museum at Holly Point, Deltaville. Fried chicken, ham, potato salad, cole slaw, baked beans, beer wine, soft drinks and water are on the menu. ALL PARISHONERS ARE INVITED as well as any guests you may have at the time. Come join us for the opportunity for fellowship and great fun. Since June will be John s last month as President of the Brotherhood, it gives me the opportunity to thank him for a job well done and to introduce our incoming president, Dr. John Hilliard and our presidentelect, Jeff Loustaunau. They take over on September 1st and are eagerly looking forward to their chance to honcho the CCP booth at the upcoming Oyster Festival. Good luck fellas, have fun.. DISPLAY CASE Christ Church Parish enjoys a very rich history and our new display case is always available for additional stories and pictures. Vel Gray has shared a photo of the church which I will have copied and displayed soon. If you have a special story to tell, or would like to help with the display, please let me know. Marilyn South.