Newsletter Summer, 2013

Transcription

1 wew 1 Newsletter Summer, 2013 Resurrection Anglican Church On the Gulf "Bringing all to Christ, with no one left behind" In This Issue: Fr. Warren s Message Fr. Jan s Rule of Life Deacon Nan s Notes Warden Al s Work Outreach Ministry- David Goff Issue Date Parish life photos Bishop Martin Minns and his daughter Rachel

2 A Message from Fr. Warren Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Recently I had the opportunity to talk about our church to the Edgewater Rotary Club. I started off by telling them that we were still a pretty small parish; that in total we were about 15 souls in our core group. I heard a couple of low giggles after that statement. And then I told them that in an average month our little parish easily touches the lives of over 100 and perhaps over 300 persons per month! That got their attention. I asked them, do you know how we do that? We do it through the power of being a missional church! Here are some of the things we all, as a faithful congregation, are doing in the community around us on a monthly basis: we visit those in prison, we visit the dying through Hospice Chaplaincy, we visit those at the Senior Center in Bay St. Louis, we run and facilitate support groups, we minister to our veterans, we minister to those with addictions, we play music for a special worship group, we volunteer for non-profits, we participate in bible studies, we offer Chaplaincy services to one of the largest NRA affiliated clubs in the southeast. And while all this is going on, our Church Warden faithfully keeps the church building going so we can come together every Sunday to worship and offer thanks to God. This is outstanding work, with everyone in the congregation involved in some type of missional ministry. This missional work combined with the missional attitude of Resurrection Anglican Church on the Gulf, have created opportunities for us to explore new directions, and this exploration is leading to new growth. For example, based on some relationship building which Chaplain Nan started several years ago, we have been offering a Sunday 5pm Mass in Spanish. This is a seasonal offering and should resume again in October. Additionally, we have entered into an arrangement to provide oversight and support, as well as a monthly Eucharistic Liturgy, to the Interdenominational Special Sunday School Class. Both of these new worship activities are aligned with our mission to be a welcoming place of worship with no one left behind. All of our worship activities taken together now mean that Resurrection Anglican Church on the Gulf is a place of worship for approximately souls every week! But we have only scratched the surface in the Missional work we have ahead of us. We have now posted 4 Mission related jobs on our website. Go to the website, and click on the Mission page. You will see the jobs posted. The worship leader jobs alone have the potential to double the number of folks we take the gospel to on a weekly basis! As new ministries unfold and as we delve deeper into the various ministries we already have underway, I want you to be assured we will not lose our focus on the 2

3 very most important mission of our Church: to worship God. Our 11am Mass is a critically important part of the overall life of the Church. It is here that we offer our prayers, our adoration, our gifts, and ourselves to God almighty. It is here that we are fed on the Word of God, enlightened through preaching of the Word, and then spiritually united with Christ in the heavenly banquet at the Lord s Table. From here we are sent out to proclaim the Gospel to the world; by words and deeds. Remember also, it is here, in the Mass, that we are also healed and refreshed. The work we all do in mission is important; but the work we do in worship [the Liturgy] is important too. At the end of the week, as we re keeping the Sabbath, and as we walk out the church door, charged to spread the Gospel, I do hope that we feel mentally and spiritually refreshed, or, renewed. I urge you, lay your burdens at the foot of the cross, and let the hope of the Resurrection be your hope too. Go forth into the world with that hope supporting you and your work. God bless, Fr. Warren B. Mueller, Vicar Being the Church in Difficult Times By: Fr. Warren B. Mueller, Vicar Our church has spent time praying and thinking over how to be the Church in difficult times. We have deliberately tried to fashion this strategy in the spirit of mission which is such an important part of the Anglican Church in North America. Our strategy grew out of the perception that people will become increasingly frustrated by a country and political processes that no longer seem to work. They will start to search for something more fundamental; something greater than the mere works of man to put their faith in. When they reach their low point in hope, we want to be the face of Christian Hope which comes from faith in the risen Christ. Operationally, our strategy consists of the following four elements: 1. Profess the Faith that was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3) 2. Profess America, as founded, to be part of God s providential plan for mankind. 3. Be a place of comfort for those who walk through our door. 4. Be a place of Hope where our faith is placed in the risen Christ who is the author of our salvation and the salvation of the world. These four strategic elements will be discussed in more detail in future newsletters. You can also download the whole text of Being the Church in Difficult Times at the About Us page on rachurchotg.org.

4 A Life of Prayer Fr. Jan s Rule of Life Thoughts on a Rule of Life It is a special time during the day and night for me to communicate with My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It gives me strength to live from day-to-day. Many years ago, I had the opportunity to read and study about the saints and some of the mystics in the church. One of the books that I read was, Fire Within, St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and the Gospel on Prayer. The book was written by Thomas Dubay, S.M. The book not only discussed the saints, but also outlined different kinds of prayer: Centering Prayer; Lectio Divina; Welcoming Prayer; Contemplative Prayer; and other kinds of prayer. I was fascinated with what I had read in the book. I give the book good reviews. Around the same time that I was learning about the saints, my spirituality and the care for my soul, I continued reading and studying about Our Lord and the Church and began attending the four-year diocesan school for ministry in my Diocese. I know now that this prompting to grow spiritually was given to me by the grace of God and the Holy Spirit. I had been very active in the church and in my community. And, little did I know, at the time, that years later, I would be called to the diaconate, priesthood and service in the church. In 1996, as an Episcopalian, I pronounced life-long vows and joined The Order of the Daughters of the King (DOK) in a nearby church. The Motto of the Order is beautiful and has been my motto for my Rule of Life, since I joined DOK. It reads, For His Sake I am but one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, I ought to do. What I ought to do, by the grace of God I will do. Lord, what will you have me do? The Rule of Life of the newer Order has four parts: Prayer, Service, Study, and Evangelism. I am also an associate member of the Community of St. Mary, Southern Province, Sisters of St. Mary, Sewanee, Tennessee. The Sisters of St. Mary is a branch of the oldest religious order in the Episcopal Church, USA. I pray for the Community members and its ministries daily. I am also an Oblate in the (Episcopalian) Order of Julian of Norwich (OJN), mother house in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Oblates are individuals, either laypersons or clergy, normally living in general society, who, while not professed monks or nuns, have individually affiliated themselves with a monastic community of their choice. They make a formal, private promise (annually renewable or for life, depending on the monastery with which they are affiliated) to follow the Rule of the Order in their private life as closely as their individual circumstances and prior commitments permit.

5 OJN is a religious order of the Episcopal Church, founded in America in 1985, which seeks to live into a rich monastic heritage and to carry it forward into the future. The foundation of the order is classical monastic spirituality and practice, drawn from Benedictine and Carmelite sources and infused with the spirit of Blessed Dame Julian of Norwich. OJN remains by definition a contemplative order, meaning that the primary purpose of the Order is to maintain a life of consistent and regular prayer. The ministry of the Order is first of all to be a community of prayer and contemplative presence. To be called to OJN thus means to be called to a life of regular liturgical and silent prayer, meditation, study, and to work that is normally performed in a monastery grounds. The Meaning of their life is largely interior and hidden. I live the life of an Oblate in OJN, seriously committed to living the spiritual and contemplative life in the world. I live under an adaptation of the regular vows of: Oblate Poverty; Oblate Chastity; Oblate Obedience and Oblate Prayer. Since, becoming an Oblate Probationer, in 1998, in the Order of Julian of Norwich, I have been practicing the Oblate Rule of Life, as well as the Rule in DOK, and also the rule in The Community of St. Mary. If you are interested in learning more about Religious Orders I encourage you to contact me for more information. Blessings, Fr. Jan Goff +

6 Deacon Nan s Notes any spiritual, worship, or pastoral care. My heart jumped for joy at this great opportunity! Our first service was like...a scene from the passage of the fishes and loaves on the hillside. For our first worship service at the small, and very rural, trailer park, we used a folding table and made an altar in the middle of a field. The documented migrant workers who work at a local seafood processing plant on the Mississippi Gulfcoast had been on my mind and heart since the BP Oil Spill of April That incident had put the company and their jobs in jeopardy, as we learned through some discussions with them at the time because I am bilingual and was able to interpret. It is a large seafood plant for oyster fishermen right here in our area. Most of its employees are from Mexico. They are contracted to live and work here for 10 months and then return home to Mexico. They leave their families, their wives and children for all of those months and do not return home for visits. Over the past year, I prayed and discerned that I could take an action step in the mission field of the Hispanic community. I mustered up my courage and went to meet with the owners of the cannery and chatted with them about my going in and providing pastoral care. As we talked, the owners also told me that a couple of years ago a priest would come by every so often and do things like impose ashes on Ash Wednesday. The priest was transferred and since then all of these migrant workers have not had When we started the service, there were maybe 10 men. Everyone was standing because there were no chairs...just grass. As I read through the Gospel, every time I d look up...there were more men standing in the grass. First, about 10, then about 15, then more...and more and more..and then a few couples...and more just kept showing up. When it was over, Fr. Warren said he counted 55 folks!!!!! From that point on, one Sunday at a time, God transformed us from a group of strangers into a fellowship. A fellowship of men and women who stepped forward and volunteered to make worship possible. Some set up the altar, some volunteered to be Lectors, and one even rang the Sanctus Bells and wants to become a Lay Eucharistic Minister. One Sunday at a time, they told us who they were; about their children; about their families and their concerns. One Sunday at time, the barrier of language was dropped and the language of God s Love for His flock was shared and multiplied just like the fishes and loaves. All it took was mustering up the courage to.. Deacon Nan

7 Church Warden Al s Work God doesn t ask us to do great things. He asks us to do small things with great Love. (Mother Teresa) As Church Warden, I wear a couple of different hats. The main hat I wear is that of doing whatever needs to be done to make Church a welcoming place. It also means doing whatever needs to be done outside of Church. It means being Church in Action. In June, my wife, Gerry and I decided to take a much needed vacation. A week after tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma and Southern Missouri we pulled our little camper (and 2 dogs and 2 cats) for a vacation that began in Springfield, Missouri. Once there, we went to our favorite place which is the Bass Pro Shop. After spending three days in Springfield, we loaded up and drove down to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. We toured another favorite place. It is called, The Passion Play. Check out their website at One of the tours there is called The Holy Lands Tour. There we saw glimpses of what life was like during the time of Jesus. The tour has also helped to bring my Bible study to life. Unfortunately, we missed the actual Passion play due to bad weather. Interestingly, on every trip to and from the campground, we passed a house with a "Kairos" sign on it. Because of Fr. Jan & David Goff s involvement in Kairos, we knew what that sign meant. We prayed for everyone there and for everyone represented there. All in all, in spite of the bad weather, we were grateful for being able to take a road-trip vacation. Once home, I built 2 candelabra stands and 2 plant stands for church. The stands are for use, in the area behind the altar, when we have High Mass for Holy Feast Days. The stands match the large cross, behind the altar, made by Fr. Warren when we began this Parish. Also, Fr. Warren and I helped a parishioner move into his new digs. This camaraderie of support is an outgrowth of our Men's Movie Night ministry group. My spiritual life also includes helping others who are outside of church. That includes helping my buddy fix his lawnmower. He is part of a four-man group. We meet regularly, in the mornings, at the coffee shop for coffee and fellowship. As usual, fixing the mower was a group effort. Between our various ideas and efforts we finally got the mower working! So, what next? Well, I m working on the logistics of our upcoming Blessing of the Animals Event in October. Though I wear different hats, I see my work for the Lord as doing small things for His Glory. I ll leave the big things to Him. In His Service, Al Reynolds

8 Outreach ministry Q & A with David Goff David s experience serving in the Kairos Prison Ministry Q Were you ever involved in outreach ministry before your Kairos experience? A- Not within an organized outreach ministry. I was always involved at church doing things needed, cooking, etc. I also served on the Vestry. Q How has being involved in Kairos affected your Spiritual Life? A- I m more aware about people and about what Scripture says in the Bible. Being able to witness to someone to come to God is very, very special and rewarding. Kairos is a nice brotherhood of men from all walks of life and from all denominations. I really enjoy the prayers, the music, and preparing the food we serve to the incarcerated men. Q- What would you say to other men who are not involved in any outreach ministry service? A- I would say, you need to try it!. Pick yourself up and do something. Everybody came into Kairos thinking, I m only going to do this once. Instead you find that there is a camaraderie and a special brotherhood. In outreach ministry, one has no other issues or agendas other than doing something for another. For example, inmates do not get sugar for their coffee, much less cookies, or even fried chicken. During one Kairos retreat, I met an inmate who had been there for 15 years without having had fried chicken. It sounds like a simple thing, but for this man, it was a big deal. He was so happy to be able to eat the fried chicken we had prepared for them. In prison, these are men who have done unspeakable things to others both before and after they became incarcerated. Then they encounter Christ on a Kairos retreat and it has a great affect on them. That is why Kairos is very well accepted in the prisons both by the inmates as well as the administration and Correctional Officers. It changes lives and results in much improved behavior within the prison as well as a greatly reduced recidivism rate. For more information see David or visit the website at,

9 Parish Life photos (Bishop Lebhar blessed our Altar during his visit) (A visit with Bishop Lebhar ) (Mission accomplished- Seminary completed!)

10 (Our First Christmas!) (Our monthly Pot-Luck feast thanks to Gerry s entrée) Missioners in Cambodia, Fr. Gregory Whitaker (far right) and his family)

11 (Our ACNA Bishops marched as part of Anglicans for Life in the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C.) (Millions marched in the annual March For Life in Washington, D.C.)

12 (Welcome to our newest additions!!!! Our friends of the 9:00am Special Needs Worship Service. Here are parents, (L-R) Hilda, Helen, Art, and Myrt) (Lenten Worship, a special and spiritual time in the life of the parish)

13 (Clergy Convocation is greeted by a Military Honor Guard) (Convocation Mass can you spot Fr. Warren and Dcn. Nan?)

14 (Our newest friends working hard at the seafood processing plant) (A warm welcome to our newest members from Mexico who formed the 5:00pm Spanish Mass)

15 (Fr. Warren celebrating Easter Mass)