Volume 11 Number 6,7 & 8 Summer from the Rector. The Rev. Donald Lowery. General Convention of the Episcopal Church

Transcription

1 The Bell Tower The Church of the Holy Innocents Newsletter Volume 11 Number 6,7 & 8 Summer 2015 Inside this Issue From the Rector From General the Rector Convention of... June and July From the Rector...cont. From Parish the News Rector...cont. Parish Youth News Group Weds. Vacation Evening Time Services Youth Rector Group Away Wolfe Deacon s Scholarships Bench Deacon s Bench...cont. Community Treasurer s Report News Ascension Day Service June Schedule of Events Parish News cont. July Schedule of Events ECW / Tabitha Deacon s Scholarships Bench... ECW News June Schedule of Events Vestry Notes July Schedule of Events Bees Knees August Schedule of Events Christian June Birthdays/Anniversaries Formation Unified Vacation Serving Bible Schedule School June July Birthdays/Anniversaries and July Birthdays and Unified Anniversaries Serving Schedule Remember In Your Prayers Special August Birthdays/Anniversaries Dates Unified Serving Schedule Unified Spotlight Serving on... Schedule for June and July The Church of the Holy Innocents The 210 Church South of the Chestnut Holy Innocents Street Henderson, 210 South North Chestnut Carolina Street Henderson, Telephone: North Carolina Telephone: hinnocents@centurylink.net Church hinnocent@ncol.net Web Site Address: Church Web Site Address: Visit us on Facebook Visit us on Facebook from the Rector The Rev. Donald Lowery General Convention of the Episcopal Church The Episcopal Church is both hierarchical and democratic. Episcopal means, governed by bishops and indeed we are. The church is divided into jurisdictions known as a Diocese and each diocese has a bishop. In fact, if it is a large diocese, either in number of members or geographical size it may have more than one, with one bishop in charge and others working under that bishop s authority to provide assistance. We have our Diocesan Bishop, the Right Reverend Michael Curry and a Suffragan who assists him, the Right Reverend Anne Hodges-Copple. In the United States, over the whole pile of bishops is our Presiding Bishop, the Most Reverend Katherine Jefferts-Schori. At the same we are also synodical and democratic. That means that each diocese has a convention that consists of clergy and lay delegates. The lay delegates are selected out of each parish by the vestry. At the national level, our supreme governing body is the General Convention. It consists of two houses, just like our state legislature and the Congress of the United States. The House of Deputies consists of four lay persons and four clergy elected from each diocese. The House of Bishops is made up of all the bishops in the Episcopal Church. In the end, final authority for the governance of the Episcopal Church rests with the General Convention General Convention meets every three years. This year it will meet from June 25 until July 3, 2015 in Salt City, Utah. It should be very interesting for vast groups of Episcopalians to descend on the center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also known as the Mormons. I wish I could be a fly on the wall to listen to the comments on both sides of that divide. At this convention, ++Katherine Jefferts-Schori completes her term as Presiding Bishop. A new Presiding Bishop will be elected by the House of Bishops and then ratified by the House of Deputies. As I think most of you are aware, our own Bishop, the Right Reverend Michael Curry is one of four candidates for the position. Many believe he is the candidate most likely to win the election. However, one can never really predict. Almost no one considered Katherine Jefferts-Schori to be a viable candidate, yet she swept the convention off its feet. We must pray that God s will be done and God will raise up for us the leader who can help the Episcopal Church minister the Good News of Jesus Christ in the Twenty-First Century. The election will be held on June 27, From the Rector cont. pg. 2

2 Summer 2015 What happens if Bishop Curry is elected? He will return to the Diocese of North Carolina to wind down his Episcopate. Bishop Curry would be enthroned as Presiding Bishop on November 1, 2015 in the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. If he were to be so called, the Standing Committee takes over the management of the Diocese until a new bishop is elected and 2016 would be devoted to our own new search for new Bishop for the Diocese of North Carolina. While I am not the stuff of which bishops are made, I do have several people in mind whom I will suggest to the search committee as possible candidates for the position. We will see what happens, June 27 will tell all. Parish News The Rev. Donald Lowery The Youth Group will meet in June except on June 21, when I will be away. The Youth group will not meet on July 5, 12 or 19 th. We will resume regular meetings on July 26 th. The Rev. Donald Lowery We will hold Communion with Healing Service on June 3 rd. June 10 th and 24 th will be Communion. All these services are at 5:30 p.m. No classes are attached afterwards during the summer. Please note, I will be out of town on June 17 th so there will be no Communion service that day. There will be no healing service or communion services in July. I will be in and out of Henderson during July. A 2 normal Schedule should resume in August. Rector Away The Rev. Donald Lowery I will be on retreat at the Hermitages in Valle Crucis, NC, June I will then proceed to Beech Mountain where I will conduct the marriage of Nicole Lynn Huber and Joel Thomas Cheatham, IV. After the wedding I have accepted an invitation to spend June 21 st, 22 nd and 23 rd with Scott and Marcia Hartness at their mountain cabin. I will leave town again on July 1 8 to visit my parents and sister in Maryland. My mother has been very ill and in hospital and so I may extend that trip depending on what I find when I get there, though I will be back for Sunday, July 12. I will be attending my Lowery Family Reunion on the weekend of July 17, 18, and 19. Then, God willing my life should return to normal. Wolfe Scholarship Awards Marsha Nelson, Chair The Wolfe Scholarship Committee met in the Hughes House on May 20, 2015 to select scholarship recipients for the school year. The Wolfe Committee members are Tom Church, Anne Almand, Lisa Miravalle, Marsha Nelson, and Frank Folger. Four students were selected to receive Wolfe Scholarship Awards as follows: Nicholas Andrews(Lenoir-Rhyne University) (Junior year) Alexis vanvenrooy( Bryn Mawr College) (Senior year) Samuel (Sam) Long (UNC-Chapel Hill) (Junior year) William Parish (Lenoir-Rhyne University) (Sophomore Year) Congratulations to each of you!!! to our High School Graduates Matthew Williamson graduated from Vance County Early College High School and Vance-Granville Community College with an Associate of Arts Degree. He is the son of Katherine and Scott Williamson and the grandson of Hazel P. Peck and the late Thomas D. Peck, Jr. He will be attending East Carolina University this fall. Lorenzo Antonio Ortiz graduated from Kerr-Vance Academy. He is the son of Ana Maria and Genaro Ortiz. He will be attending William Peace University this fall. to our College Graduates Luke Stark graduated from College of Charleston with a Masters of Accounting degree. He is the son of Sharon and Bill Stark and he will be employed by McGladry, LLC. Luke received his undergraduate degree from COC and was one of our Wolfe Scholars!! Anderson Stark graduated from the Kenan - Flagler Business School at UNC- CH with a degree in Business Administration. She is the daughter of Sharon and Bill Stark and a Wolfe Scholar. Anderson will be employed by Oracle. Kathryn Blackburn graduates from Appalachian State University this summer and then she will be going to Dental Hygiene School at GTCC in August. She is the daughter of Kate Blackburn and a Wolfe Scholar. HI Grounds Committee John Foster If you have any suggestions regarding the appearance of our church s grounds, please share your thoughts with Grounds Committee member John Foster. Thanks!

3 Treasurer s Report Bob Nelson, Treasurer THE BELL TOWER DiOCese News 50 in 50 Campaign Sweet Potato Ball The Sweet Potato Ball, a festive evening of music and dancing to raise money for the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry, will be held in the new Great Hall of the Chapel of the Cross, Chapel Hill, on Friday, June 5 from 7:30 to 10:30. Music will be provided by the Headliners, with a special guest appearance by The Soul Concern, the rock 'n roll band of the rector, Stephen Elkins- Williams, from his seminary days, reuniting for this one occasion after 40 years! Light hors d'oeuvres will be served by the Catering Company of Chapel HIll, and a cash bar will be provided by the Carolina Brewery. A limited number of tickets are available at event/spb or by calling Tickets are $50 apiece, $25 of which goes directly to the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry in Newton Grove. If your household buys two, you will fulfill Bishop Curry's request for Harvest for Hospitality. (Harvest for Hospitality) As we travel this summer, please remember that the church still has to pay its bills. Pledge checks and special donations can always be mailed in to the office at : The Church of the Holy Innocents 210 S. Chestnut Street Henderson, NC, As of May 26, we have raised $ at Holy Innocents for the 50 in 50 campaign. Thank you for your support for this worthy fundraising event for the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry! 3

4 THE BELL TOWER ECW & Tabitha Guild Both groups will resume meetings in September. Details will be in September newsletter. Summer 2015 The Deacon s Bench by the Rev. Harrel Johnson Since we are getting ready to take a bit of a vacation, this edition of the Deacons Bench is just a tad longer than my usual monthly submission. I write this on the eve of Pentecost. That time in our liturgical calendar that is often called the Church s birthday. There s no better time to celebrate the diversity of the Kingdom of God than on the Day of Pentecost. Separately, our differences are too diverse to list, but put together, our individual uniqueness creates a beautiful kaleidoscope we call the Body of Christ. Sadly, today we see people and nations torn apart by racism, religious chauvinism, man-made borders and cultural bigotry. We have become a culture of usversus-them, where the other is to be feared and never trusted. This is not a new occurrence, but one would have hoped that humanity would have learned from its past mistakes and recurrent genocides over the ages; however, here we are in the 21st century, repeating history again with chilling efficiency and cruelty. Pentecost is a reminder that God s Holy Spirit is given freely to all people with no respect for race, culture, socioeconomic standing, gender or any other distinguishing mark used by people to differentiate one person from another. In God we are one. Note... The next church newsletter will be issued in September. Please newsletter items to: mjnelson@nc.rr.com If you are traveling this summer, you can download the church news letter from the church web site at: On the Day of Pentecost, reported in the Book of Acts, people gathered in Jerusalem from all corners of the Roman Empire. They represented competing economic interests, diverse cultures, a myriad of languages and different religious traditions. Nevertheless, God s grace was given freely to all who heard the message preached by St. Peter, and thousands converted to Christ. These aliens who converged on Jerusalem returned to their homes and spread the message of Christ, and the church began to spread like a wildfire engulfing dry brush. From its inception, the church was a diverse group of people who hailed from a variety of cultures and languages. It was in the midst of this great diversity that God sent the Holy Spirit upon his church and started a movement that would change the history of the world forever. The message of Christ hasn t changed, but those who claim to be his followers have often failed miserably in living up to that message. The greatest temptation facing Christians isn t necessarily losing their passion, but rather, losing sight of the fact that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female. In God s kingdom there are no illegal aliens or undocumented workers. We who have died with Christ in baptism are resurrected to be a new people bound in love and service to one another. The Holy Spirit is given freely, without respect for citizenship or socioeconomic class, and God continues today to pour out his Spirit on all humanity. The Holy Spirit works as a transformative agent in the lives of believers. Just as Jesus glorified humanity when he ascended to the Father, the gift of the Holy Spirit restores our relationship with God. The Holy Spirit compels us to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves. One way we do this is by reaching out to the unloved, the hard to love, and the rejected in our midst and loving them, emulating our Heavenly Father s love for us who are called by His name. May the gift of the Holy Spirit given at Pentecost renew us today and stir up within us those spiritual gifts which God has so richly and freely given to us when we were baptized into Christ s holy church. Have a nice summer!! 4

5 Summer 2015 June 2015 Schedule of Events July 2015 Schedule of Events August 2015 Schedule of Events DAILY MORNING PRAYER Monday - Thursday (weekly) 7:30 am, Hughes House No Adult Forums and Children s Sunday School Classes in June. Classes will resume in September. Wednesday June 3 5:30 pm, Communion & Healing Service Sunday June 7 Wednesday June 10 Sunday June14 Wednesday June 17 (No Communion Service) Sunday June 21 Wednesday June 24 Sunday June 28 DAILY MORNING PRAYER Monday - Thursday (weekly) 7:30 am, Hughes House No Adult Forums and Children s Sunday School Classes in July. Classes will resume in September. Sunday July 5 Sunday July 12 Sunday July 19 Sunday July 26 Wednesday July 30 DAILY MORNING PRAYER Monday - Thursday (weekly) 7:30 am, Hughes House No Adult Forums and Children s Sunday School Classes in August. Classes will resume in September. Sunday August 2 Wednesday August 5 5:30 pm, Communion & Healing Service Sunday August 9 Wednesday August 12 Sunday August 16 Wednesday August 19 Sunday August 23 Wednesday August 26 Sunday August 30 All services are conducted in the Church, unless otherwise noted. All services are conducted in the Church, unless otherwise noted. All services are conducted in the Church, unless otherwise noted. 5

6 June Birthdays Karen Rollinson....6/04 Lehman Ford... 6/05 Anora Rainey... 6/05 Zoey Elizabeth Rollinson...6/06 Sharon Stark... 6/10 Tim Seitzer, Jr.... 6/11 Bettie Cooper... 6/11 Bill Stark... 6/14 Alexis Van Venrooy... 6/21 Margaret Williamson... 6/22 Amy Johnson.. 6/28 Lisa Miravalle...6/30 June Anniversaries Mary & Graham Shearin... 6/02 Martha & John Zollicoffer... 6/04 Gillie & Tom Church... 6/06 Betsy & Bob Herford... 6/11 Karen & Tony Rollinson, Jr.....6/11 Betsy & Al Catlett... 6/13 Stephanie & Cliff Rogers... 6/20 Jean & Don West... 6/24 Remember In Your Prayers Pray for Healing and Comfort: Cynthia Shaw, Helen Church Miles, Trayce Wheless, Barbara Collins, Staci Barnett, Harry Collins, Mary Ann Hill, Barbara Madigan, Melody Shearin, Carolyn Lowery, Belinda Catlett, Hazel Peck, Mary Shearin, Peggy Polak, Marion Devoe, Frances Saunders, Vivie Drake, Graham Shearin, Rorin Platt, Bill Duff, Tommy Greenway, Lisa Adcock, Barbara Foster, Al Thompson, Hannah Youngblood, Marshall Cooper and Jean Gaddy Scholl. June Special Dates Flag Day, June 14, 2015 Father s Day, June 21, 2015 First day of Summer, June 21, 2015 THE BELL TOWER JUNE Unified Serving Schedule lemonade will be served on the lawn after the 10:30 am service June Acolytes Crucifer Lay Reader / Chalice Bearer Ushers Altar Guild Flowers 7 LC Olmert Jason Elliott Uriah Ford 8:00am - Rick Palamar 10:30am - Nick Long John Van Venrooy Honor Graduates 14 Lorena Negron Juliana Negron Genie Parish 8:00am - Hut Wester 10:30 am - Ruth Hartness John Van Venrooy Betsy & Al Catlett 21 Ethan Holloway AJ Holloway 8:00am - Lucy Gray 10:30am - Richard John Van Venrooy Shirley Young Griselle Woodward 28 Brennan Olmert Tucker Olmert Lehman Ford 8:00am - Alton Stainback 10:30am - Nancy Whitt John Van Venrooy Shirley Young Ida Cranz note: if you are scheduled to serve and have a conflict, please contact your own replacement & notify the church office. 6

7 Summer 2015 July Birthdays Kathy Taylor...7/08 Jan Cheatham...7/10 Craig Clodfelter... 7/11 Kathryn Blackburn... 7/17 Ida Cranz... 7/19 Bob Nelson... 7/20 Judy Finch... 7/23 Lou Almand... 7/23 Jean West... 7/26 July Anniversaries Marsha & Bob Nelson... 7/04 Valerie & Don Gwynn... 7/24 Remember In Your Prayers Pray for Healing and Comfort: Cynthia Shaw, Helen Church Miles, Trayce Wheless, Barbara Collins, Staci Barnett, Harry Collins, Mary Ann Hill, Barbara Madigan, Melody Shearin, Carolyn Lowery, Belinda Catlett, Hazel Peck, Mary Shearin, Peggy Polak, Marion Devoe, Frances Saunders, Vivie Drake, Graham Shearin, Rorin Platt, Bill Duff, Tommy Greenway, Lisa Adcock, Barbara Foster, Al Thompson, Hannah Youngblood, Marshall Cooper and Jean Gaddy Scholl. July Special Dates Independence Day, July 4, 2015 Saint James-Apostle July 25, 2015 JULY Unified Serving Schedule lemonade will be served on the lawn after the 10:30 am service Jul Acolytes Crucifer Lay Reader / Chalice Bearer Ushers Altar Guild Flowers 5 Mary Beth Parish Sarah Rose Parish AJ Holloway (flag) Genie Parish 8:00am - Nick Andrews 10:30am - Ruth Hartness Nick Long Anora Rainey Marsha & Bob Nelson 12 Lorena Negron Juliana Negron Uriah Ford 8:00am - Hut Wester 10:30am - Richard Nick Long Anora Rainey Anne Bliss 19 Ethan Holloway AJ Holloway 8:00am - Steve Flannagan 10:30am - Nick Long Nick Long Jane Zollicoffer 26 Jason Elliott Lehman Ford 8:00am - Lucy Gray 10:30am - Alton Stainback Nick Long Valerie & Don Gwynn note: if you are scheduled to serve and have a conflict, please contact your own replacement and notify the church office. 7

8 Summer 2015 August Birthdays Marsha Nelson /04 Stephanie Rogers... 8/08 John Gwynn..8/09 Brennan Olmert... 8/10 Tucker Olmert. 8/10 Catherine Olmert. 8/14 Matthew Williamson... 8/15 Harrel Johnson....8/17 Martha Zollicoffer... 8/18 Jan Colvin...8/18 Sam Long 8/21 Mary Beth Seitzer 8/25 Shirley Young 8/26 Anderson Stark.. 8/28 Maurice Floyd... 8/30 Remember In Your Prayers Pray for Healing and Comfort: Cynthia Shaw, Helen Church Miles, Trayce Wheless, Barbara Collins, Staci Barnett, Harry Collins, Mary Ann Hill, Barbara Madigan, Melody Shearin, Carolyn Lowery, Belinda Catlett, Hazel Peck, Mary Shearin, Peggy Polak, Marion Devoe, Frances Saunders, Vivie Drake, Graham Shearin, Rorin Platt, Bill Duff, Tommy Greenway, Lisa Adcock, Barbara Foster, Al Thompson, Hannah Youngblood, Marshall Cooper and Jean Gaddy Scholl. Linda & Porter Shaw.. 8/03 Ginger & John Dow... 8/07 Anne & Lou Almand...8/09 Marcia & Scott Hartness.... 8/10 Barbara & Frank Madigan.. 8/16 Barbara & Chip Hight..8/18 Anora & Mike Rainey. 8/23 Anniversaries Special Dates The Transfiguration August 6, 2015 Saint Mary the Virgin August 15, 2015 Saint Bartholo mew-apostle August 24, 2015 AUGUST Unified Serving Schedule lemonade will be served on the lawn after the 10:30 am service Aug Acolytes Crucifer Lay Reader / Chalice Bearer Ushers Altar Guild Greens/ Flowers 2 Mary Beth Parish Sarah Rose Parish Genie Parish 8:00am - Rick Palamar 10:30am - Nick Long Greg Taylor Shirley Young Roberta Scott 9 Lorena Negron Juliana Negron Uriah Ford 8:00am - Alton Stainback 10:30am - Ruth Hartness Greg Taylor Barbara & John Foster 16 Ethan Holloway AJ Holloway 8:00am - Steve Flannagan 10:30am Richard Greg Taylor Anora Rainey Anne Almand 23 Jason Elliott Lehman Ford 8:00am - Hut Wester 10:30am-Tom Church Greg Taylor Anora Rainey Ruth Hartness 30 Mary Beth Parish Sarah Rose Parish Genie Parish 8:00am - Lucy Gray 10:30am - Nancy Whitt Greg Taylor Anora & Mike Rainey note: if you are scheduled to serve and have a conflict, please contact your own replacement and notify the church office. 8

9 THE BELL TOWER CONGRATULATIONS to Genie Parish Marshall at KVA Graduation Selected for Vance County School of Excellence Leadership Program CONGRATULATIONS to Our 2015 College Graduates Luke Stark (COC) (Masters of Accounting) Anderson Stark ( UNC-CH) (Business Administration) CONGRATULATIONS to Uriah Ford Recipient of Rotary Youth Leadership Award CONGRATULATIONS to Our 2015 High School Graduates Lorenzo Antonio Ortiz (Kerr-Vance Academy) Matthew Williamson (Vance County Early College High School) 9

10 PHONE: THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY INNOCENTS 210 South Chestnut Street Henderson, NC The Church of the Holy Innocents All are welcome to join us as we joyfully greet each person present at our worship. May our love and respect for one another be steady and true as we strive to follow Christ our Lord.