COMFORTABLE WORDS A Monthly Communication from Holy Comforter Church Serving the Episcopal Community of Angleton Since 1897 SEPTEMBER 2013 www.holycomforterangleton.org Sunday Worship Schedule 8:30 AM Holy Eucharist 9:30 AM Christian Education 10:30 AM Holy Eucharist Children s Church Celebration Sunday Mission Statement We are an Episcopal Community, called to be a loving refuge in Jesus Christ, welcoming and serving all. What s Inside Carol s Column Pg. 2 Parish Particulars Pg. 3-7 School Pg. 8 Godly Play Pg. 9 Calendar Pg. 10 Vestry & Financials Pg. 11 This is our opportunity to say farewell to Mother Carol and George The Taylor-Hille Family is hosting the reception following the 10:30 Worship and the Vestry et. al. are providing extra food. You are invited to bid them Adieu! 1
Mother Carol s Column September, 2013 Beloved Parishioners and Friends, These past six years at Holy Comforter have been among the best years of my life. Together we have grown and flourished in surprising ways! Who could imagine that I would meet the man of my dreams in Angleton and begin our married life together right here at HC! You blessed me with your patience and participation as I completed my Doctor of Ministry degree. You affirmed my leadership and pastoral presence at every turn. I am so verygrateful for you all! I hope and trust that my ministry has been a blessing to you as well! Over these years together we have developed our campus in beautiful ways: our prayer garden, the lovely grounds, the expanded playground, updated kitchen, and the charming Parish House, that has afforded meeting space and office space that was sorely needed. More importantly, we have grown spiritually together. Now we worship twiceon Sundays, and our Average Sunday Attendance (ASA) is 96 and rising. We have a good number of children (complete with children s ministry director!) and teens/acolytes. We have two thriving annual community events, Bluegrass & Bar BQ and Fish Frys. We are a happy and holy place to worship! It is difficult to say good bye I have loved you and you have loved me. I wish you every good thing, as HC Parish continues to move forward. I will continue to hold you in my heart and in my prayers, and I ask that you do the same for me. May God bless you with exceeding abundance! Love and blessings, Mother Carol 2
Parish Particulars A Message from our Senior Warden Dear Fellow Parishioners, I bring tidings and well wishes from your Vestry. By now you know that Mother Carol will be leaving us. She has accepted a job at thediocesan level ( for those new to the Church that is the Episcopalian equivalent of the corporate level). She is professionally advancing and we are tremendously proud and happy for her! What does this mean for us? It means the parish will embark on asearch process. The search process is carefully guided by the Diocese and the Vestry. Please be assured that both entities are already actively working on behalf of HCEC and HCES. The Vestry has met with the Canon to the Ordinary, Ann Normand. She is Bishop Doyle's right hand helper person and commissioned to assist in the transition. She has instructed the Vestry on the upcoming process. She is extraordinarily informative as well as encouraging in assuring the vestry that HCEC has the completesupport of the diocese. Canon Normand commended us on the work we have done with Reb Scarborough. She noted that the mission statement, core values,and vision we have completed will be a tremendous asset to the search process. I look forward to sharing our adventures in the upcoming weeks and months with you. You will be hearing a lot more from your Vestry and me as we progress through the process. In the meantime what do we do? We celebrate Carol and all that she means to us! She and George will be with us for two more weeks. Don't miss this opportunity to let them know how much they mean to you. Sincerely yours, Ellen Eby- Senior Warden 5
Parish Particulars Coffee Hosts for September 1 Sherry & Ed White 8 HOST NEEDED 15 Taylor-Hille Family 22 HOST NEEDED 29 HOST NEEDED Please contact Betty Mogford at 979-345-2968 if you would like to serve PRAYERS Please help us keep Holy Comforter s prayer list current! Notify the office when particular prayers are no longer needed. 849-1269 Mon-Thurs 9-4 Newcomer Ministry Have you been practicing the phase "Would you like to come to church with me?"? We have two great events coming up that would be perfect for a guest to attend. CelebrationSunday, September 15, will be a very festive time as we appreciate and celebrate Mother Carol's ministry to us. Also, our 3rd Annual Bluegrass Festival on Saturday, October 26,would be a great way to introduce our church and its wonderful members to your friends. Any Sunday is a good Sunday to invite someone to church. They may just be waiting for you to ask. Stewardship Snippets Green Tip for August Wash only a full load of clothes when doing laundry! If light or partial loads are necessary, use the lowest waterlevel setting. Use cold water as often as possible to save energy and to conserve the hot water for uses that cold water cannot serve. Living Generously Jesus models a profligate generosity of spirit in his willingness to forgive. This same spirit draws us into the same expansiveness, into the same eagerness to forgive, into the same profligate generosity. Br. Mark Brown Society of Saint John the Evangelist 3
Parish Particulars COFFEEHOUSE THEOLOGY 9:30 PARISH HALL Labor Day Sunday! Blessing of Our Work (Both Services) Sunday, September 1 Bring a symbol of your work Ellen Eby FYI: Vestry Contact Information eeby08@yahoo.com Mike Hattaway hamilton-studios@juno.com Allan Dinsmore allan_becky@live.com SuZan Carpenter carpenter.suzan@gmail.com Ronnie Johnson cjrj1987@att.net Tom Long tomlongiv@yahoo.com Kerry Payne kdp@yne.net Penney Reed penney67@hotmail.com Kandy Taylor-Hille kandyt@bcls.lib.tx.us Girl Scouts of America There will be a Girl Scout recruiting event at Holy Comforter in the Parish Hall the evening of September 24 at 6:30. Any girls who would like to explore becoming a member of the girl scouts is invited to attend! Holy Comforter s Nominating Committee announces nominees for leadership terms 2014-17 For Vestry (2 positions) Susan Minkert Moore Eric Herbst For Endowment Board (1 position) Cindy Stevens The nominating process is now open to the Parish. Nominees for each position must sign an expectations form (found in the baker s rack in the narthex or in the office) and return it to the church office by September 15. Leadership elections will be Sunday, October 6 at each service. 4
Parish Particulars When our Rector is gone, how does this work? Glad you asked! M. Kristin Sullivan, Supply Priest, is in charge of Liturgy & Worship and Pastoral Care. She will be at HC every Sunday plus one weekday. Call the church office if you have a Pastoral concern, so that M. Kristin can be informed. After September 16, you may contact her directly at supply@holycomforterangleton.org. Ellen Eby, Senior Warden, is in charge of everything else! She will lead staff and vestry meetings; she will oversee the daily goings-on at HC. She and the vestry will appoint and empower a search committee. You may contact her at eeby08@yahoo.comor 979-215-3091. She welcomes your e-mails, calls, and texts. Office: Preston Weatherly, Office Administrator, will continue to keep the office in good working order: finances, newsletters, worship bulletins,calendaring, etc. His office hours are Mon-Thursday, 9-4. Paula Haenchen, Newcomer Coordinator provides office support on Fridays, 9-12. The Rev. Dr. Michael Lloyd will join with members of the St. John the Divine Chorale to provide theological commentary on pieces they will perform by George FridericHandel. This unique collaboration is a first of its kind performance. Selections will include: Surely he hath borne our griefs(messiah) Worthy Is the Lamb (Messiah) He was despised (Messiah), mezzo-soprano Can I see my infant gor d(solomon), soprano One of the newly-discovered Gloria arias for soprano Wednesday, September 4th 6:30-8 PM Saint John the Divine Church 2450 River Oaks Blvd. Houston, TX 77019 The Rev. Dr. Michael Lloyd is the new Principal of Wycliffe Hall, a theological college within the University of Oxford. He is the author of a popular-level systematic theology entitled Café Theology. Wycliffe Hall is an evangelical center for the study of Christian theology, an Anglican seminary for the training of Christian ministers, and an international center for theological study and research. 6
Parish Particulars September Anniversaries 12 James & Patricia Arnold 19 Roland & Cecile Johnson September Birthdays 4 Nissa Picard 6 Brooklynn Short 10 Barbara Thomas 17 Shelley McCoy 20 Roland Johnson 24 Barbara Marin 25 Emily Peck 26 Pam Massingill Saturday October 26 th 4:00pm -8:00pm. Bluegrass and BBQ Committee: Andrea Demopulos-Coats Chair 979-864-6192 (cell) or andreademopulos@yahoo.com Patty Green and Dan Swords Live Auction James Northrup Coke Wagon, Water, and Beer tent Christi Cole BBQ Kandy Taylor-Hille Volunteer coordinator Bonnie McDaniel and Kurt Ruthstrom Entertainment Patty Green Sponsorship and Marketing Eric and Maureen Herbst Event logistics Barbara Marin Silent Auction In case you wonder, Where s Preston? Fr. Preston will be Clergy Supply at the following Churches: September 8 Saint Mary s Episcopal West Columbia September 15 Trinity Episcopal Jasper September 29 Trinity Episcopal - Jasper 7
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Whether you rode a stick horse or a real one, threw a hoop to lasso a steer or just donned a cowboy hat, fun times were had by all at the Back to Sunday School Rodeo Round-Up! Special thanks to everyone who helped make this event special for our children. If you were unable to make the Sunday School planning meeting in August, don t worry. We still have lots of areas where we need help in the ministry to our children. Please consider leading a class or simply being the second person in the room to fulfill our Safeguarding God s Children requirements. September 1st Children stay in church with their families September 8th Godly Play, The Creation Story with Tom & Barbara September 15th Godly Play, The Flood & The Ark with Linda & Cecile September 22nd Godly Play, The Great Family with Barbara & Bruce September 29th Godly Play, The Exodus with Sciobhan & Kim 9
SEPTEMBER 2013 SEPTEMBER 2013 12
Holy Comforter Episcopal Church Vestry Synopsis The regularly scheduled meeting of the Holy Comforter Episcopal Parish Vestry was held on July 9, 2013, with Mother Carol presiding. The meeting was opened at 7pm with prayer. Members present were SuZan Carpenter, Mike Hattaway, Tom Long, Ronnie Johnson, and Kerry Payne Absent were Kandy Taylor- Hille, Ellen Eby, Allan Dinsmore and Penney Reed. Also present was Pam Massingill, clerk and past treasurer Jack Fleet. Information Approval of Minutes -The minutes from the June regular meeting were read & approved. HCES Report- Preparations for a new school year taking place soon. As always, lots of excited children on the upcoming rolls for the new school year with only a few openings left. Jr. Warden s report Mike Hattaway- Gave update on work around the church campus. Some discussion took place on improvements made or to be made. Property Report Tom Long- Discussion of some issues to address such as sticking door took place. The property has been shown and was actually being shown as we were meeting. Rector s Report- Mother Carol Bishop Harrison s visit went very well! We had a great vestry meeting and confirmed 4 people. Nominating Committee for October s 2014 leadership election has met. Committee is off-going vestry members: Ellen, Mike, and SuZan. The HC Fish Fry has donated $500 (10% of profit) to St. Thomas an official presentation will be made to Mildred Wasson, the director, on Sunday, July 14. The Friends of Holy Comforter awarded a $1000 scholarship to Susanna Nordin, member and acolyte at HC! Parish presentation is Sunday, August 4. Discussion Management Company Report-- Tom Long Very detailed discussion of property, management company costs, etc. Thanks to Tom for a very detailed account. Repayment agreement for Friends of HC loan Kerry Payne Presented a very thorough HCEC Loan Repayment report in which he had several options to choose from for the actual repayment to be made. Discussion took place and thanks for such a detailed job were given. The vestry voted to send Kerry's report with all repayment options to members of the Endowment Board, for their discussion and approval of a preferred option. M. Carol will e-mail the report to Endowment Board members. Financial Report- Jack Fleet presented a very detailed financial report for both the current month as well as for the year. Jack made suggestions of ways to continue to be financially stable. He also addressed questions presented about our current financial status and the direction it was taking. He complimented the church as a whole for being efficient and economical in its financial decisions and choices. Motions were made and passed to accept the financial reports. With no further business, the meeting was closed at 8:24 pm with prayer and compline. Respectfully submitted, Pam Massingill, Clerk of the Vestry Financial Report General Fund July YTD Operating Income 20,873 180,581 Operating Expense 27,326 151,970 Designated Gifts (Memorial, Discretionary Fund, etc.) Income 1,721 7,524 Expenditures 1,708 7,519 Friends of Holy Comforter Endowment Fund: Balance as of 07/31/2013 - $426.744.00 Value of mineral properties and other assets is in addition to this amount. 11
Holy Comforter Episcopal Church 227 S. Chenango P.O. Box 786 Angleton, TX 77516 Return Service Requested Holy Comforter Episcopal Church Sunday Schedule 8:30 AM Holy Eucharist 9:30 AM Adult/Youth Christian Education 10:30 AM Holy Eucharist Children s Church Infant and Toddler care is provided from 8:15 AM until Noon Contact Information Parish Office: 979-849-1269 Parish Fax: 979-849-4361 Email: info@holycomforterangleton.org Web Address www.holycomforterangleton.org Parish Day School 979-849-4602 Extended Day School 979-849-1672 Diocesan Center 1-800-318-4452 or www.epicenter.org Bishop Episcopal Diocese of TX Rector Head of School Office Administrator / Theologian Music Director Children s Ministry Director Newcomer Ministry Coordinator Ronnie Johnson Tom Long Penney Reed Mike Hattaway Vestry 2013 The Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle The Rev. Dr. Carol Petty Nancy Standlee Fr. Preston Weatherly Yuri McCoy Linda Peck Paula Haenchen Ellen Eby Allan Dinsmore Kandy Taylor-Hille Kerry Payne SuZan Carpenter Ellen Eby, Sr. Warden Mike Hattaway, Jr. Warden Pam Massingill, Clerk Allan Dinsmore, Treasurer