Lay Director s Message

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1 Inside this issue: Bishop s Message Spiritual Director s Message 2 2 The Official On-line Publication for the Episcopal Cursillo Movement of the Diocese of Southeast Florida Published Quarterly Volume 1, Issue 1 Lay Director s Message Winter 2015 A Little History of Our Fourth Day Apostolic Actions to Share? Weekend News Cursillista Seminarian s Message Ultreya Cursillo Calendar Episcopal Cursillo Ministry Join the Cursillo Mailing List President s Letter Waiting is a time to prepare the way of the Lord. It is a time to look at our feet, to see where we are, and to be present there. It is a time to examine our lives: to ask ourselves what we want, what we hope for, what we may need to let go of, and to take it to God in prayer. We are in the expectant waiting season of Advent and my heart is filled with joy for so many reasons. We have the gift of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the abundant blessings God sends our way. For me, one of them is Cursillo and the ministry and fellowship of loving serving Christians. I thank each of you for your ministry and the work you do for God's people. I especially thank Bishop Frade for the gift of his pastoral leadership and appointing Dede Lewis as his representative to the Secretariat and Cursillo community. She has been and is the heart and soul of Cursillo in our Diocese and we cannot thank her enough for the wisdom, passion and knowledge she has poured into Cursillo over the decades. We will miss both of you but surely hope to see you often around the Diocese. The year of 2015 is almost behind us. As a community, we have shared the love of Christ on several weekends, at ultreyas Pam Anderson Lay Director and in the work the Secretariat and Servant Community have accomplished. I thank each member of the Secretariat for their service. Without dedicated leadership, our Cursillo ministry would not be the vibrant ministry it is. I want to express our gratitude to Douglas Jackson for his diligent work as the 4th Day continued on last page

2 Page 2 Counting On You The Bishop s Message For the past 15 years my wife Diana and I have been blessed by being part of the Cursillo community of Southeast Florida. We have worked very hard to strengthen our movement and we will continue praying and supporting you because we know the incredible transformation that Christ can do not only on the weekends but through the group reunions and Ultreyas. We also ask you to consider supporting our work with abandoned, abused and orphaned girls of Our Little a Roses Ministry in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. For more information go to: Blessings and De Colores! + Leo Frade Bishop of Southeast Florida Thanks Bishop Frade for all your support and leadership throughout the years! Spiritual Director s Message Advent is almost here! We await Jesus. The Incarnation of God changed the world from darkness to light. How can we keep moving toward the light? In this time of vulnerability and transition, the constant is our Lord. The reason we are committed to the Cursillo ministry; we remember Cursillo is for the Glory of God. I just finished teaching Romans Chapter 8 and was reminded of the power of Paul s words: Romans 8:28 New International Version (NIV) 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who [a] have been called according to his purpose. And he continues: 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, [a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Thus when we hear about the tragedies of Paris, Beirut, and Mali, we must remind ourselves of Paul s words. This is the reason we are committed to the Cursillo ministry; we remember Cursillo is for the Glory of God. We believe that the light will overcome the darkness and that Jesus is Lord. Without Jesus, life is not worth living. Let us remind each other of the power of love as we celebrate Thanksgiving, Advent and the Incarnation. In Christ s Name we pray, Mother Mary Ellen

3 Winter 2015 Page 3 A Little History of Our Fourth Day Tommy and I have been grouping for 32 years. Different times, different places and different people. Our two groups work together to make Thanksgiving Baskets for the needy, Christmas stockings for children at Christmas and always making Palanca for our Cursillos and Tommy s sister's Cursillo in North Carolina. We support each other in all we do in our Fourth Day. It is the best hour of our week. Here s our message to you: Its time to join a reunion group, to keep your Fourth Day going; And to take what you have learned, so you can keep on growing. Your group is there to support you, when you are feeling sad; But also there to laugh with you, when you are feeling glad. You will begin each group, with your Cursillo prayer; And then it will be time, for each of you to share. Your Apostolic Action, will show your group what you can do; As you follow God's plan, that He has made for you. But sharing your close moment, is a specially close to me; As sharing the moment you felt closest to God, is certainly the key. So join a reunion group very soon, MAYBE EVEN TODAY; And continue your Fourth Day in a very special way. Decolores, Betty Riggs What Apostolic Action Have You Shared Lately? As a practicing Cursillista, how closely are you adhering to your Rule of Life in your Fourth Day? Are you in an active Reunion Group? Christ is still Counting On You (and on all of us), to commit our lives to Piety, Study and Apostolic Action. These are spiritual practices that should feellike and be performed-like any other naturally occurring life habit or practice. And, indeed we should do them without expectation of fanfare, or need for accolade or applause. However, there are times, when a shared close moment, or a shared example of one s Apostolic Action can be the catalyst to inspire, motivate or strengthen someone else into action. If you or your Reunion Group have stories about life in your Fourth Day, such as close moments, or Apostolic Action that you wish share with the wider Cursillo Community, please contact the Lay Director, Pam Anderson, See her contact information on the COY website), so that your story or stories may considered for inclusion in future editions of the COY. De colores, Juanita Miller

4 Page 4 Counting On You WEEKEND NEWS EWC #111 May 19 22, 2016 My name is Cheryl Faulstich. I worship at St. John s in Hollywood. I attended Northern Indiana Coed Cursillo Weekend #7 where I sat at a table named Injoy. With much JOY in my Heart and Soul I said YES! when asked to be the Rectora for EWC 111. This is not something I have strived for but have prayed for God s calling. I just knew my scripture for the weekend would be The joy of the Lord is my strength - Nehemiah 8:10 - but God had other plans for the scripture. My husband and I do devotionals every afternoon and on January 8, 2014 Jesus Calling by Sarah Young had the scripture Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12. I took a moment, closed my eyes and asked God if this was the scripture to choose for EWC 111. I felt an emotional flow of the Holy Spirit saying YES! I told Matt+ what I believed the Lord had said to me and he said, You know what today would have been don t you? As I looked at the date I realized it would have been my mother-in-law s birthday. I claimed the scripture as a special gift from her. One of the table saints will be St. Rita in honor of her. I believe God answers prayers everyday if we are open to listen, learn and inwardly digest his Word. I thank you in advance for all your support! Your Sister in Christ, Cheryl Faulstich Rectora, EWC #111 EWC #93 October 6 9, 2016 My name is Douglas Jackson. I worship at Church of the Ascension in Miami. I attended EMC #80 where I sat at the table of St. Luke!! I would like to thank the Secretariat for selecting me to be the Rector for EMC# 93. It is truly a blessing at this time. I am asking the community to keep me in their prayers as I undertake the task of putting the team together and hope those who are called will step forward to do Christ work in this section of the vineyard. The harvest is plentiful but the reapers are few. Pray that the Lord of the harvest may send out many reapers. God bless you all, and a holy and blessed Christmas. Your Brother in Christ, Douglas Jackson Rector, EMC #93

5 Winter 2015 Page 5 A Cursillista s Message From Seminary By Rick Bauer Dear Brothers and Sisters, My Name is Rick Bauer. My family and I used to worship at St. Mark s in Ft. Lauderdale, but now worship at Virginia Theological Seminary. I attended EMC# 92 where I sat at the Table of St. Luke. It is my sincerest hope that you are all in high spirits and in excellent health as we prepare to welcome in a season of joyous expectation! This Advent will be a particularly unique one for our family, as we playfully rustle through the fallen leaves and begin to bundle up for our first real winter here in the nation s capital. Ricky and Christian are showered with love as they grow and learn in this wonderfully vital environment, and our trust in the Lord guides the rhythms of our daily life. We have felt your continued prayers and are incredibly thankful for the cards, texts, FaceBook posts, and phone calls that keep us linked to our amazing spiritual home. We deeply miss the St. Mark s community, and I reflect often upon our time together. It is hard to adequately express our appreciation for the loving trust that you have all graced us with as we continue to bloom in this journey. Our family is humbled, inspired, and reverently dedicated to love and to serve the Lord and His Church. Residential seminary life is unlike anything that I have ever experienced! The imperative of full formation for the Episcopal Priesthood is taken very seriously at Virginia Theological, and everyday flows naturally into the next under the mantra... Classes, Chapel & Lunch. The approach here is that we learn and grow best in the context of Christian community; where study, worship and meals are shared experiences. As a result, I have come to know many inspired new people and have developed a number of beautiful new friendships. The Holy Spirit is most certainly at work here, and I have an authentic sense that very real change for the better is taking place in my mind and in my heart. While the beauty and history here really lends itself to mindfulness, contemplation and prayer; it is also quite bustling! There is seldom a week at VTS where a distinguished guest isn t willingly available to share the details of his or her spiritual journey and to offer up invaluable counsel. Just by meandering campus, I have already bumped into the Archbishop of Canterbury, struck up conversation with our new Presiding Bishop, and talked music with the editor of our 1982 Hymnal. There are opportunities to learn around every corner here! In between daily worship in our chapel: I have been studying Liturgy, Systematic Theology, Church Music, Biblical Greek, and have been taking intensive courses in both Old and New Testament interpretation. On the near horizon, I will be exploring both clinical pastoral work and Christian mission studies, while delving further into inter-faith dialogue with additional Islamic studies. So, I m keeping busy! But, I regularly take time to just be in the moment. In truth, I probably experience God most starkly outside of the classroom and the chapel, in the silences that pepper our days. If there is any one thing that I would dare to preach at this point: it is simply to remind ourselves to STOP...TAKE A DEEP BREATH...and THANK THE LORD with our whole continued on last page

6 Page 6 Counting On You Bethesda-By-The-Sea By Douglas Jackson It was a bright, sunny South Florida day on October 17, The Diocesan Grand Ultreya was held in the North Sector at the beautiful Church of Bethesda-by the-sea, in Palm Beach. The Church dates back to 1513, however the present structure was built between The trees at the front of the church and throughout the courtyard were beautifully decorated in the colors of the rainbow. The Cursillistas started arriving around noon from all over the Diocese. They brought the food, drinks and desserts for the event, and Fr. Hallock Martin from Holy Spirit blessed the food. Following a sumptuous meal, the Cursillistas and guests entered the Sanctuary for the Ultreya. The organist, Mr. Harold Physer, played a medley of songs as everyone entered the sanctuary and got seated. The church has one of the most magnificent organs in South continued on next page

7 Winter 2015 Page 7 Bethesda-By-The-Sea ULTREYA (continued from previous page) Florida. The medley was well received by the audience who gave a rousing applause. The master of ceremony, Mr. John Archer, officially commenced the event. After that, The Rev. James Harlan, Rector, welcomed everyone to his church parish and expressed how delighted he was to host this Grand Ultreya. The Rev. Jeffery Beebe and Rev. Susan Beebe gave the opening prayers. Mr. Tom Harman brought greetings on behalf of the Lay Director Pam Anderson who was away attending The National Cursillo Conference. After singing a couple of very familiar songs, the Cursillistas gathered in their Floating Reunion groups. The Lay Speaker for the afternoon was Ms. Shirley Pardon from St. Phillips Episcopal Church, Coral Gables. She spoke about her Fourth Day since making her Cursillo Weekend. She shared that she has grown spiritually over the years, and on a recent trip to the Holy Land in Jerusalem with Bishop Leo Frade, she experienced a very close encounter with Jesus Christ. She explained that all this would not have been possible if she had not attended a Cursillo weekend. The Lay Response was given by Tom Chan from Bethesdaby-the-Sea. He reiterated Ms. Pardon s statement, and indicated that attending a Cursillo weekend has allowed him to grow spiritually. He also spoke about his trip to the Holy Land and why it meant a lot to him. The Clergy Response was given by Rev. John L. Ferking, who spoke about growing up in a Christian family and the impact that it had on his spiritual life. He talked about the need for families to return to hosting daily devotions around the dining tables. He discussed the impact that Cursillo has made in his life, and encouraged the Clergy and the Laity to make an effort to attend a Cursillo Weekend. With no responses from the floor and no announcements, Rev. Jeffery Beebe and Rev. Susan Beebe gave the closing prayers, and all in attendance left the church bubbling in the name of the Lord! Ultreya!!! Cursillo Calendar January 23, 2016 Ultreya, St. Benedict s Church, Plantation April 16, 2016 Ultreya, South Sector, Church of the Transfiguration, Opa-Locka May 1, 2016 Cursillo Sunday May 7, 2016 Ultreya, Central Sector, Church of the Atonement, Lauderdale Lakes May 19-22, 2016 Episcopal Women s Cursillo Weekend #111, Duncan Center, Delray Beach June 25, 2016 Ultreya, North Sector, Church of the Good Shepherd, Tequesta October Episcopal Men s Cursillo Weekend #93, Duncan Center, Delray Beach November 5, 2016 Grand Ultreya, Central Sector, Location TBD Is your parish hosting a 4th Day Celebration?? Let the Community know about it! Share it here in C.O.Y.!! Send your Announcements, Fliers, Stories, etc., to jrwells2@comcast.net

8 Page 8 Counting On You EPISCOPAL CURSILLO MINISTRY (ECM) (Formerly National Episcopal Movement) The Episcopal Cursillo Ministry had a name change last year. The Presiding Bishop asked us to consider changing for two reasons. Firstly, we were no longer limited to the United States. There is Episcopal Cursillo in Jamaica, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and other countries. It was also felt that Ministry more accurately reflects what we are. At last year s conference this was approved. This year, the ECMC Conference was held in Seattle in October. What a great setting and it was a great conference. With the work to control costs, the conference was held in the Cathedral which was also a great site to visit. There were District Meetings, the Annual Meeting and workshops. Pam Anderson was a member of one workshop panel talking about Dioceses which were continuing to have successful weekends to share information about what was working. Another panel shared some new ideas and formats that had been tried and were very successful. This has been done in Arizona and Seattle with great success. They found that some pilgrims could not participate when they needed to take Friday off work and this enabled them to access people who previously were unable to attend a weekend. In the past, there was concern that making any changes would violate our contract with the Roman Catholic Church. There has been some exchanges with the Roman Catholic Cursillo and they have assured us that what is being done will not present a problem. These were interesting presentations with possible new ideas for all. The other major happening at the Conference was a plan to change how the ECM allocates its resources. In the last few years, ECM has reduced costs by eliminating paid positions and closing the office. Volunteers now do all activities. There are still some expenses and Friends of Cursillo make either one time or continuing donations which support the costs of the organization. The other sources of income are the Diocesan contributions. This money is being directed to assist Dioceses that are struggling or need some support. This may be assistance to renew Cursillo in a particular Diocese, assist with costs of an ECLW, or have a consultant experienced Cursillista assist in a Diocese. I feel it is very exciting for ECM to be reaching out to Dioceses offering assistance and also finding willing experienced volunteers to help with these projects. It is a great way to use the Diocesan contributions to further our Ministry in areas where either it needs to be boosted or renewed. Please remember to go to the website for news and for the Fourth Day Newsletter. De colores, Barbara MacKenzie Join the Cursillo List SEF Cursillo has a new and improved way for communications via through MailChimp. To join the distribution list for regular communications, just send your address to Humphrey Braaf at Braafcommunications@gmail.com and he will add you.

9 Winter 2015 Page 9 President s Letter Annual Conference, Seattle Praise God for all of the Cursillistas who did good work on the Seattle Conference! I did feel that it all came together splendidly. God really answered our prayers, both large and small. Michael Knowles, a local Cursillista and caterer (Camelot Catering and Cake Design) offered good lunches and dinners on Friday and Saturday, especially the delicious little desserts. Daryl Story brought the local musicians together with those from far away and chose songs appropriate to the Conference theme and the Bible lessons. Both Bishop Greg Rickel, from the Diocese of Olympia, and Bishop Lloyd Allen, from the Diocese of Honduras, spoke well and interacted comfortably with each other and with Conference attendees. In the Eucharists on Friday and Saturday, we honored Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, Bishops, 1555, Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1156, and Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, c. 115 martyrs all and reminders of how precious our Christian faith is. People donated generously to Syrian refugees and Chaplains on the Harbor, and lots of people became Friends of Cursillo. Our keynote speaker, the Rev. Scott Gunn, editor of Forward Publications, was as wise and funny as I had hoped. He spoke after dinner Friday on Renew a Right Spirit within Me The Renewal of Our Heart, Our Church, and Our Communities. Scott also offered two workshops, one on Friday afternoon, The Art of Pilgrimage, Near and Far, and one on Saturday Social Media and the Church: Using New Tools for Ancient Practices. The other six workshops, presented by clergy and lay people from around the country, picked up on his key points and reinforced each other s ideas, developing the theme of the Conference Renew the Face of the Earth. I was proud to have twenty-five people from the West, out of a total of 70. That makes sense, but it is the best Western representation I have seen since I have been on the Committee. Lots of people at this Conference were attending for the first time. They were fully engaged and seemed glad to meet each other. Conversation was productive even in the General Sessions. President Pat Steele was able to allow people to ask the difficult questions about changing Cursillo ministry while keeping the essential Cursillo spirit and to sort out reasonable answers. I came home exhausted, but motivated to move on. God is in charge, but we are responsible. In the coming year we intend to respond to the challenge from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to reach out to the Galilees of our respective lives, to spread the evangelical and missionary word of Jesus Christ to those on the margins of society, and, sometimes, on the margins of hope. First, we will revise the Pastoral Plan for Episcopal Cursillo Ministry to reflect Bishop Curry s mission for the Church. Having completed the transition from a single paid NEC Office Manager to a staff of ECM volunteers, we are ready to devote annual diocesan contributions to a mission fund for assisting financially challenged dioceses. We hope to encourage veteran Cursillistas to offer their wisdom and experience to support the ministry in their dioceses. The recurring ECM expenses (fees, insurance, postage & delivery, telephone, website, ECM travel) should be covered by Friends of Cursillo monthly pledges. The ECM Committee will meet again in March 2016 in Houston. The next ECM Conference will be on Long Island, October 20-23, Carol Williams

10 Page 10 Counting On You Cursillista Seminarian s Message (continued from Page 5) hearts for the incomprehensibly beautiful gift of life. I love and miss you all. Cursillo has played a major role in lending me the ears to hear and the eyes to see this call as a path for my life. Particularly in the context of 4th Day fellowship, I came to a completely new understanding of the meaning of Christian community. Looking back, I think that I understood my spirituality as a pretty private thing between me and God for most of my life. But I learned to share my personal experience of God and to be held accountable as a Christian to others MUCH better as a result of Cursillo. Our community held me through a very trying discernment process and made me feel like it was alright for me to step off of the stage and into the service of Christ. It is amazing...i have NO idea what is to come of my future, but I am dedicated to listening for the whispers :)...but you know...i think that the greatest gift of a deeply Christian life is how much we can truly enjoy other people!!!! Christian community can really transform us!! Anyways, lest I ramble for eternity...i miss you!!!! Yours In Christ, Rick Bauer Postulant for Holy Orders Lay Director s Message (continued from Page 5) Committee Chair for several years. He has left the Secretariat to lead next year's men's weekend - EMC #93. I have learned at lot this first year as your Lay Director. I pray that I will continue to serve you well and this ministry will be all that God intends it to be. As we move into 2016, let us seek to pray and live with expectant joy as we see God's movement and love in our lives. "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, Here am I. Send me! Isaiah 6:8 (NIV) On behalf of our Diocese, I was privileged to attend the ECMC in Seattle the middle of October. The conference consisted of worship, singing, fellowship, eating and exchanging of ideas - both success and challenges to our local Cursillo ministries. It is encouraging and uplifting to share our spiritual journey with others along the road. Our ECM President, Carol Williams, sent us a letter and our own, Barbara MacKenzie, our District Representative, sent one as well. Enjoy our Counting on You! In His service, Pam See us on the Web