CLOSE CALL. From the Rector. A Newsletter of Christ Episcopal Church, New Brunswick NJ. Dear Friends,

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1 A Newsletter of Christ Episcopal Church, New Brunswick NJ September 2016 CLOSE CALL From the Rector Dear Friends, I dare you to train for a marathon, and not have it change your life. Susan Sidoriak, Marathon Runner I found this quote this past summer as I was preparing to begin my training for the Philadelphia Marathon in November (pray for me and Karen and Inori), and although it is a marathon quote, I think that it speaks a lot to life in ministry and to life as a follower of Jesus. We ve all heard it s the journey not the des- na on, right? I think this marathon quote says something similar about life. Training for a marathon takes a lot of planning. It takes a lot of flexibility from your family who basically are training with you as they watch you leave the house only to return several hours later looking and smelling like a wreck and having to deal with your sudden desires to eat everything in sight and to sit in baths of cold water and ice. It takes a change in diet and nutri on. It takes mental and spiritual endurance. It takes the willingness to push yourself through the boundaries you and others have set for you in order to make it to the next mile. I see this kind of training as life training because life takes planning along with flexibility. It takes change and endurance, and it takes a willingness to be vulnerable and uncomfortable. Doesn t Jesus ask us the very same thing as followers of the Way? I believe that Jesus invites us into a disciplined life of prayer. He also invites us to be flexible about preconceived no ons of other people and about old habits that we cling to. Jesus invites us into a lifelong period of growth, where our mental and spiritual lives are challenged where we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and uncomfortable for the sake of building up the reign of God here on earth. This is what I believe, and I also believe this: what Jesus asks of us each and every day, if we take Jesus gospel message seriously, will change our lives. What that means for each of us is different, but what Jesus invites us into is a life of transforma on. Even as much as I struggle with that on a personal level (transforma on isn t easy, folks), I believe in my heart that is exactly the kind of life Jesus calls us into. What about you? Peace and blessings, Joanna+ Inside this issue From the Rector... 1 Mark Your Calendar... 2 Fall Adult Forma on Series... 2 Backpack Blessings... 2 Scarlet Days of Service... 3 Fall Rummage Sale... 3 Vestry Mee ng Notes... 4 Vestry Roster... 4 Stewardship Update... 4 Pastoral Care... 4 Treasurer s Notes... 5 Financial Corner... 5 Elijah s Promise Race Against Hunger... 5 Louisiana Flood Response.. 5 Food Pantry Schedule... 6 Food Pantry By the Numbers... 6 Thank You Doug!... 7 Food Pantry Help Needed.. 7 Benefit for Karl Manger... 8 Music Notes... 9 #EpiscopaliansVote Liturgical Ministers Weekly Schedule A close is the precinct or space around a cathedral or a church.

2 Mark Your Calendar Christ Church Special Events (At Christ Church unless noted otherwise) Sunday, September 4 Last Summer Service Hours Sunday, September 11 8 & 10:30 Regular Service Hours Rally Sunday Sunday, September At the George St. Playhouse Hope on the Horizon: A Special Program for Karl Manger Fall Adult Formation Series Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer With wisdom, compassion and gentle humor, Parker J. Palmer invites us to listen to the inner teacher and follow its leadings toward a sense of meaning and purpose. Telling stories from his own life and the lives of others who have made a difference, he shares insights gained from darkness and depression as well as fulfillment and joy, illumina ng a pathway toward voca on for all who see the true calling of their lives. Led by Rev. Joanna and others, this series promises to offer a transforma ve approach to discovering our life s voca ons and callings. Sunday, September 18 Church School Begins Backpack Blessings Saturday, October 1 Scarlet Days of Service Work Day Dates (Each session begins at 7p.m.) Tuesday, October 4 th Tuesday, October 11 th Tuesday, October 18 th Tuesday, October 25 th Tuesday, November 1 st Chapter* 1: Listening to Life 2: Now I Become Myself 3. When Way Closes 4. All the Way Down 5. Leading from Within Friday, October 21 The Execu ve Council Eucharist (Time tbd) Saturday, October 22 Fall Rummage Sale Sunday, October 30 New Consecra on Sunday Tuesday, November 8 th *Please read the assigned chapter before coming to the session that day. If you would like to par cipate and want us to order your book for you, please sign up in the back of the church or by contac ng the parish office by Sunday, September 18 th. If you are purchasing/downloading your own copy of the book, please sign up by Sunday, October 2 nd. Backpack Blessings 6. There is a Season Students, bring your backpacks! Teachers and administrators, bring your work bags! On our first Church School Sunday, September 18th, we will be sending you all into the next school year with a special blessing at both services! Don t forget to invite your friends. We will bless them as well. See you there! Page 2 Close Call

3 Scarlet Days of Service John Ager Once again the Rutgers University Programming Associa on (RUPA) has offered to support Christ Church as part of their bi-annual Scarlet Days of Service on Saturday, October 1. It would be nice if Christ Church parishioners were able to par cipate and meet the students. The projects I have iden fied include: 1) Finish pain ng the exterior fence on Church Street 2) Paint the iron fence around the grave plots opposite the tower 3) Scrape, prime, and paint the Sexton s house 4) Paint the interior hallways from the Choir Room front door to the Choir Room rear door Students will start their service between 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., depending on the loca on, and will par cipate in at least hours of service. The Property Commi ee will be mee ng at 10 a.m. on Saturday, September 3, to scope out the details of the work and assess supplies needed to support the work we will undertake. We will also be on site early on Saturday, October 1, to stage materials in prepara on for the students. All are invited to par cipate in this ministry of maintaining the Christ Church grounds as a welcoming and contempla ve space. Fall Rummage Sale Aus n Cooper On Saturday, October 22, 2016 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m., the Fundraising and Special Events Commi ee will host a rummage sale. Please begin iden fying and se ng aside fall/winter clothes for adults and children (clean), including shoes, and drop them off on the following dates between 9 a.m. and 12 noon: October 1 & 2 October 8 & 9 October 15 & 16 Volunteers are needed to sort and price items prior to the rummage sale as well as assist for two-hours shi s on October 22nd. A sign-up sheet will be placed in the church. Those interested in volunteering or have ques ons may also contact Aus n Cooper, chair of Fundraising and Special Events, either via mobile ( ) or (aus nrcooper@gmail.com) September 2016 Page 3

4 August Vestry Meeting Notes Here are the top three topics of discussion from the August mee ng that the Vestry would like to share with you as we look to this coming program year: 1. Changes in our approach to Stewardship 2. Changes in our approaches to Chris an Forma on for all ages 3. Changes in our approaches to engaging people in ministry around the church For more specific details, please contact one of your members of the Vestry! A list of members is located in the box to the le of this ar cle. Christ Church Vestry If you wish to become involved in any of our ministries, please contact the Vestry commi ee chairs. The Rev. Joanna P. Hollis Presider (Rector) H. Arthur Phills Rector s Warden Sheila Cooper People s Warden John Ager Property Beth Binde Evangelism/Communica ons Aus n Cooper Fundraising/Special Events Carole Forsythe Finance Mel Garber Outreach Jean Houvener Music Mervis Johnson Pastoral Care Penelope La mer Chris an Forma on Debra Lowe Clerk of the Vestry, Insurance, Personnel Andrew Murphy Stewardship Beverly Sto Fellowship Patricia Warren Newcomers/Inclusion Stewardship Update: New Consecration Sunday Coming on October 30! Andrew Murphy, Stewardship Chair This year Christ Church will be u lizing a wholly new approach to stewardship and the financial support of our ministries: New Consecra on Sunday, which has been used with great success around the Diocese and in Episcopal congrega ons across the country. You will be hearing much more about the program in the coming months. According to Herb Miller, who pioneered the program in the Methodist Church, New Consecra on Sunday focuses on the need of the giver to give and invites everyone to consider taking one step-up in their personal stewardship as a disciple of Christ. The emphasis is not on paying the bills of the church. Instead, members are asked to consider what God is calling them to give in thanksgiving for the blessings they have received. Please mark your calendars for October 30, New Consecra on Sunday, at which me we will submit our personal es mates of giving and celebrate with a fes ve brunch a er church. Details to follow. Pastoral Care If you are in crisis, having surgery, are in the hospital and are in need of pastoral counseling from a clergy person, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our clergy team: The Rev. Joanna Hollis Archdeacon Pete Cornell Deacon Cathy Brunson If you would like to schedule home communion, please contact Rev. Joanna and she will arrange for either herself, one of the other members of the clergy team or a Lay Eucharis c Visitor to bring communion to you. If you would like to be reached out to by one of caring members of the Pastoral Care Team for friendly and prayerful visits or are ill and would like to request help with meals, please contact Mervis Johnson, Chair of Pastoral Care (contact info below). Please do not hesitate to contact either Rev. Joanna ( , rector@christchurchnewbrunswick.org) or Mervis Johnson ( , or JohnsonMJE27@aol.com if you know of someone who is in need of care or counseling. Page 4 Close Call

5 Treasurer s Notes Jonathan Gloster, Treasurer Thanks to all who have con nued to keep their pledges payments up to date through this summer season. It has made a big impact on our cash flow over the past couple of months. As a reminder, if you are out of town traveling during the summer months you can send in regular payments via automa c bill pay that may be available for your bank. Have them make the payment addressed to Christ Church, New Brunswick, NJ Include pledge payment in the memo field. That bank will automa cally mail a check to the church on the date you specify. You can also may a pledge payment via credit card. Go the Support Christ Church sec on of the Church web page and click the Donate bu on. A secure payment with be sent to Christ Church via Paypal. A final method is to simply mail a check to the church at your covenience. Financial Corner July 2016 Actual Budgeted Income $ 23,956 $ 24,368 Transfers * $ 18,400 $ 0 Expense $ 35,227 $ 36,688 YTD Through July 2016 Actual Budgeted Income $162,509 $170,576 Transfers $ 64,400 $ 0 Expense $247,739 $256,813 * this makes up for investment transfer we skipped in April (The Financial Corner is updated on or about the 15th of the month.) Elijah s Promise Race Against Hunger 2016 Join Rev. Joanna at this wonderful event! You don t have to be a runner! There is both a 5K run AND a one mile family walk! All are welcome! For more info or to register, go to: h p:// Responding to Gulf Coast Floods In mid-august, parts of the US Gulf Coast experienced historic levels of flooding, with at least seven dead, and tens of thousands unable to return to their homes. Episcopal Relief & Development s US Disaster Team has been in close contact with dioceses in the region and is providing support for their local efforts. The immediate response will help provide basic necessi es to those most impacted. Affected dioceses will then coordinate with Episcopal Relief & Development to meet needs in the coming months and years. Currently, the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, its churches and their ministries are reaching out to those in need of assistance, assessing what needs to be done and serving as best they can. If you would like to make a dona on toward ERD s US Disaster Fund to assist in these efforts to aid the flood vic ms, please go to episcopalrelief.org/ gulfcoas lood, or please send checks payable to Episcopal Relief & Development. Checks may be mailed to P.O. Box 7058, Merrifield, VA September 2016 Page 5

6 Food Pantry Schedule September 2016 Tuesday, September 13 8 Truck unloading Volunteers Needed Wednesday, September :30 Distribu on Saturday, September 17 10:30 -N Distribu on Wednesday, September :30 Distribu on Friday, September :30 Distribu on Saturday, September 24 10:30 -N Distribu on Friday, September :30 Distribu on Food Pantry Cleaners September 2016 Meegan Adames Sheila Cooper Allison Murphy Pantry by the Numbers Douglas Wilson, Food Pantry Coordinator It has been an interes ng summer at the pantry. The temperatures are, as expected, warm, which can be challenging for our volunteers in the basement pantry rooms. However we are not deterred and our patrons/clients are served regularly, leaving with bags of food that will help out during the week. Interes ngly, our clients/patron par cipa on levels differ drama cally from one month to the next, with no rhyme or reason that I am able to ascertain or figure. One notable sta s c is that since re-registra on began in April we have signed up almost 60 new par cipants. Some mes we hypothesize or ponder as to why we have seen a small increase in July following an off June with a slight decrease. It should be noted that the USDA-funded SNAP (Supplemental Nutri onal Assistance Program, formerly called Food Stamps) has undergone monetary cuts, including the culling of able-bodied, working-age singles, and reduc ons in monetary awards for families. Summer need increases are also fueled by the temporary suspension of school feeding programs when children are once again back in the home for lunch and breakfast. When the numbers decrease, I like to think that maybe the economy has shi ed a li le and more people are working. Some mes we hear that a neighboring pantry has go en a new source of food and is giving out boun ful bags. A few years back there were only 13 pantries serving residents of New Brunswick; now there are twenty official sites people in need can choose from. Food Pantry Metrics 2014-Present January 271/664/ /353/ /423/121 February 190/450/ /371/ /458/148 March n/a 163/254/ /378/172 April 174/683/ /450/ /446/151 May 324/740/ /426/ /484/141 June 241/600/ /450/ /381/140 July 260/649/ /372/ /513/225 August 265/662/ /463/171 September 229/683/ /345/111 October 191/470/ /455/172 November 209/304/ /483/173 December 135/356/ /387/132 primary registered/persons in household/children served Page 6 Close Call

7 Pantry by the Numbers, continued. Etcetera Literacy Ini a ve: Recently a Literacy group based in Hamilton Township contacted us about distribu ng recent issues of never-circulated magazines to our patrons. A month of ing back and forth, a couple of missed phone contacts and we were the recipients of two boxes of stuff. Many issues of Highlights for Children, and other age/gender appropriate reading material were available. It was enjoyable to watch grandparents taking extra copies so all their grandchildren could have their own. One volunteer brought some to her part- me daycare job to use with her kids. She reported back how much they enjoyed reading together and doing the puzzles. The Food Pantry is more than a bag of food to these folks: It is a means of engaging the mind, which is be er engaged when a person is not hungry. There is no metric here to measure the joy of reading, and what simply pu ng reading material in front of a young child will do for inspira on. Volunteers needed: Serving our neighbors in need is what we, as Chris ans, are called to do. Pantry par cipa on offers mul -levels of Chris an accomplishments. For the volunteers it is inner reward for the hours given to serve. For some it is paying back, others paying forward, and for others it is just serving. We con nue to need drivers to pick up food, once monthly, at MCFOODS in East Brunswick. The food available on a weekly basis includes valuable produce/fruits/bread/cereal as well as other key staples. This supplements our monthly Community Food Bank of New Jersey delivery. MCFOODS pickups are crucial to enabling our pantry to stretch limited resources when commodi es and Coop purchase products are in short supply. Please give some thought and prayer as to where you can help. Dona ons needed: We always need your grocery bags. But recently we have found a need for your empty egg cartons. Think of this as your recycling ini a- ve to benefit our pantry. And please help plan a food drive with your neighbors, civic group, or social club. Thanksgiving is coming and it would be a wonderful opportunity to give more! Doug Wilson will be leaving us on August 31st to focus on other things (including a new job). Thank you, Doug, for all you have done this past year not only in keeping the Food Pantry afloat, but adding to the ministry with your crea vity and enthusiasm! Urgent: Food Pantry Help Needed The Food Pantry is currently at a crisis point. Our current volunteer Coordinator has stepped down as of the end of August and the Pantry is not a sustainable ministry without lay leadership. Recruitment efforts, including adver sing, are moving forward to find a new Coordinator. However, in the mean me, we need assistance in two par cular areas, just to maintain basic func onality: Administra ve Du es (The bulk of these du es can be done from home) Coordina ng volunteers Submi ng reports Ordering food Opera onal Supervision; overseeing important aspects of the pantry opera on (These ac vi es are mostly done on site) Unloading of the truck Monitoring what food we receive from various sources Making sure everything is running smoothly, etc. If you are interested in possibly helping in some way, please contact Rev. Joanna at rector@christchurchnewbrunswick.org) for more informa on. September 2016 Page 7

8 Other Ways to Help Karl Manger Since the Fall of 2007, Karl Manger, a member of Christ Church who has sung with the Parish Choir for more than 20 years, has been living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig s Disease. ALS is not a contagious disease. ALS is a disease that a acks the muscles. In March of 2013, Karl hired a homemaker to help with household tasks he can no longer do. The homemaker works mornings for three hours Monday-Saturday with some of the following tasks: shower, dress, prepare coffee and a light breakfast, clean the bathroom, etc. But there are s ll some cri cal things that Karl needs help with which are too costly for him to purchase. The biggest obstacle is help with dinner. If you so choose, you could help to prepare a meal with Karl s gentle and detailed instruc- ons. All meal ingredients are provided and you do not have to bring anything. Or, if you prefer, you could go Dutch and either go out to dinner or bring in take-out. Could you spare a couple of hours just once a month or perhaps every two to three months? If you would like to explore the possibility of helping Karl, please feel free to contact him at or kgmanger@aol.com Please Join Us and Help Support Our Parishioner and Friend Karl Manger You are cordially invited to HOPE ON THE HORIZON A Special Program for KARL MANGER DATE: Sunday, September 11, LOCATION: George Street Playhouse 9 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick DONATION: $20 please consider an addi onal contribu on as you are able: $1,000 $500 $250 $100 $50 $25 other The a ernoon will begin with a small recep on of light refreshments and wine. The recep on will be followed by a screening of the documentary Hope on the Horizon: An Expedi on for ALS to benefit Karl s personal financial ba le. The screening will be followed by a choral program and comments by Karl and others. This a ernoon will be the me for you to show Karl your love and support. *****TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED FROM***** PENELOPE LATTIMER (pela mer@aol.com or telephone: or JOHN SHERIDAN (music@christchurchnewbrunswick.org) or PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE AND MAKE A DONATION VISIT h ps://karlmanger.eventbrite.com Page 8 Close Call

9 Music Notes John Sheridan It is almost impossible to believe, but this coming program year, September 2016 through June 2017, will be my sixth year here at Christ Church my seventh, if you count my me with you as interim director star ng in It has been a wonderful me with you all, ge ng to know you, leading you in song, direc ng our wonderful choirs, playing our splendid organ. It has also been a challenging me as, together, we have bid farewell to one rector, spent two years in self-reflec on with an interim rector, and welcomed a new rector. I am proud of what we all have been able to accomplish in our mutual music ministry: not only hundreds of worship services, but as many as six vocal choirs, each with a dis nct mission, outreach to our community and to the diocese, and many well-a ended and beau ful concert events. It has been a joy to be your director of music and I look forward to the coming year. As always, I will be talking in detail in each month s Close Call about the coming month s events. But in this column, at the beginning of the program year, I d like to focus on a couple new items on our agenda. First, we are reorganizing the children s choir. We have yet to choose a name for this choir, but it will be a joint choir, comprised of children from about third to sixth grade from both Christ Church and our neighboring parish across the street, First Reformed Church. The choir will alternate rehearsals between Christ Church and First Reformed, and will sing the first Sunday of each month at First Reformed Church, and the third Sunday of each month at Christ Church. I will be co-direc ng this choir with my colleague, Ben Berman, Director of Music at First Reformed Church. By combining forces, we not only will be able to achieve a larger number of singers than we each would be able to do on our own, but we also will build on a long-standing rela onship between our two parishes, and provide our children with a valuable interdenomina onal experience. I am very excited about this new choir and look forward to hearing our children s voice raised in song during worship. Meanwhile, as you may have no ced, we have a pre y large group of preschoolers coming up. Singing in the children s choir requires the choristers to be able to read, and these li le ones aren t quite ready for that yet. So, Margaret Brown-Stansbury will be leading them each week during Sunday School in song. Look forward to hearing their voices, as the Christ Church Cherub Choir, at Christmas Eve and Easter! With the addi on of these new choirs, Christ Church will have four parish choirs. More than ever, the name Parish Choir makes li le sense for our one choir that bears it. Each choir, including that one, has a unique mission that ideally should be communicated by a unique name. Thus, I ve asked the members of the Parish Choir to choose a new name for themselves. It will be the same choir, with the same mission just a new name. Look for that new name soon! As you know, my predecessor ran a series of vespers recitals on Sunday a ernoons. When I arrived on the scene six years ago, I did not con nue these. However, I have come to believe that without them, we lack a kind of introspec ve worship experience that many people value, and that Sunday mornings don t provide. To that end, this year we will offer five Sunday a ernoon vespers services. We will also repeat the Hallowe en Spooktakular, and will be producing both a fall and a spring choral concert. As always, other musical groups will also be producing concerts in our space, par cularly Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts and the early-music choral ensemble, Aura Polyphonica. Watch this space for more informa on about all these upcoming events. Our exis ng choirs the Parish Choir and the Can cum Novum Choir con nue, and there are openings in both. Please drop by our booth at the Ministries Fair on Sunday, September 11, to find out more about these choirs and other opportuni es for music ministry at Christ Church. Or, feel free to contact me directly through the church office or at music@christchurchnewbrunswick.org. September 2016 Page 9

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12 Christ Church Energy Vision We, the body of Christ Church, seek to share God s love through our rela onships with each other and our extended communi es. Parish Mission Statement Historic Christ Church is a mutually suppor ve Chris an community worshiping in the living Anglican tradi on of beauty in liturgy and music. Christ Church bears witness to the love of Christ in prayer, service and fellowship. WEEKLY SCHEDULE Sunday 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist w/music, Rite I 9:30-10:20 a.m. Church School (Begins 9/18, no Church School 3rd Sunday) 9:30 a.m. Men s Ministry (2nd Sunday) 9:30 a.m. Choir Rehearsal 10:30 a.m. (10 a.m.9/4) Choral Holy Eucharist, Rite II, followed by Coffee Hour 8:00 p.m. GLTB Narco cs Anonymous Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. Open AA mee ng for men and women in the Auditorium. Monday 7:30 p.m. Can cum Novum Rehearsal (Begins 9/12) 7:30 p.m. Narco cs Anonymous Tuesday 7:00 p.m. Vestry (second Tuesday of the month, no mee ng in July) 8:00 p.m. Narco cs Anonymous Wednesday 12:15 p.m. Holy Eucharist in the Sanctuary 6:00 p.m. Food Pantry (second and third Wednesdays of the month) 7:00 p.m. WomenSpirit Thursday 8:00 p.m. A.A. Big Book Study 8:00 p.m. Parish Choir Rehearsal Friday 9:00 a.m. Food Pantry (last two Fridays of the month) Saturday 10:30 a.m. Food Pantry (last two Saturdays of the month) EVERYONE IS WELCOME HERE. h ps:// Christ Church 5 Paterson Street New Brunswick, NJ Telephone Fax The Rev. Joanna P. Hollis Rector rector@christchurchnewbrunswick.org The Ven. Peter Cornell Archdeacon deacon@christchurchnewbrunswick.org The Rev. Deacon Cathy Brunson Deacon cb.deacon@christchurchnewbrunswick.org The Rev. Gerald Skillicorn Priest Associate The Rev. Joan Fleming Rector Emerita John Sheridan Director of Music and Organist music@christchurchnewbrunswick.org Julia Utz Parish Administrator admin@christchurchnewbrunswick.org Brian Breen Sexton Lisa Keenan Bookkeeper books@christchurchnewbrunswick.org Jonathan Gloster Treasurer treasurer@christchurchnewbrunswick.org Eric Sanders Assistant Treasurer es.treasurer@christchurchnewbrunswick.org Food Pantry Informa on foodpantry@christchurchnewbrunswick.org Parish Office Hours New Hours for Fall 2016 Monday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday 9 a.m.-noon Close Call deadline is: Monday, September 19, at 9 a.m. for the October 2016 Issue closecall@ christchurchnewbrunswick.org