The Paraclete February Easter, 2012
Newsletter of The Church of the Holy Spirit Gallup, New Mexico To Know Christ and Make Him Known, through Love
Foyer Groups are Forming! What? Small groups of 8-10 persons sharing simple meals and fellowship. Foyer Groups are not intended to do anything, but simply to be what Christians are: groups of people who gather together and love one another. Why? To have fun and provide an opportunity for us to meet each other and/or to become better acquainted When? Each group meets once a month, at a time convenient to the group, with the meeting lasting 2 to 2 1/2 hours Where? In the homes of the Foyer Group members rotating Who? Each month, two members host a gathering. They convene the group and welcome all into the home. How? The Group can decide to have simple potluck meals with members bringing different parts; or the hosts can furnish the meal; or they can go out to dinner together. Or they may decide just to have coffee and dessert rather than a full meal What Next? Sign up to join one of our newly-forming Foyer
Groups! Holy Spirit Bishop s Committee meets Sunday, February 26, around noon. Everyone is welcome to attend. The Church of the Holy Spirit Ministers Bishop: The Rt. Rev. Dr. Michael Louis Vono Co-Vicars: The Rev. Lynn Perkins, The Rev. Roger Perkins Bishop s Warden: Andy Burke Bishop s Committee: Charles Arnold, Michael Baldonado, Cindy Bohnas, Peter Handeland, Linda Thornton, Larry Winn Treasurer: Ed Hally Delegates: Randy Reeve, Daniel Woodard. Alt.: Ed Hally Organist: Loren Omoth Acolytes: Katrine Burke, Logan Burke, Peter Handeland Prayer Ministry: Linda Hally, chair; Cynthia Caruso, Linda Thornton Altar Guild: Allison Dollar, chair; Emy Aideyan, Laura Arnold, Jean Blackgoat, Debbie Johnson, Loren Omoth, Paula Pakkala, Lynn Perkins 2
Evensong at Holy Spirit Sunday, March 4, 2012 4:00 p.m. English Tea in the Fellowship Hall followed by Service of Evening Prayer With special musical offerings Invite your friends and come enjoy fellowship over tea, sandwiches, cakes the beauty of the late afternoon the wonder of music in our warm and lovely nave the splendor of the liturgy of Evening Prayer
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper February 21 5:30-7:00 pm Holy Spirit Fellowship Hall Contributions will go to NetsforLife Ash Wednesday Service February 22, 2012 at 7:00 pm Imposition of Ashes and Holy Eucharist Rite 1 3
Dame Julian of Norwich: Meditations on the Passion of Christ On Saturday, March 3rd, The Church of the Holy Spirit will host a Lenten Women s Retreat on the topic of Dame Julian of Norwich: Meditations on the Passion of Christ. Our retreat leader will be the Reverend Dr. Jeanne Lutz, priest-in-charge at St. Christopher s Episcopal Church, El Paso. The day will start with a gathering time at 8:30 am for coffee and registration. The first of three meditations will begin at 9:00 am. Between meditations there are suggested scriptures for private, quiet reflection, so participants are encouraged to bring Bibles. Lunch will be served around noon. After the third meditation and quiet time, the day will close with Eucharist, bringing the Retreat to conclusion around 3:00 pm. Dame Julian s feast day in the Episcopal calendar is May 8th, the day on which many scholars believe that she received
sixteen visions of the Passion of Christ in 1373. Julian spent the next twenty years reflecting on those visions and recording them in two books, a shorter version and a longer one. She became an anchoress (recluse) attached to the Church of St. Julian in Norwich at some point after her showings, as she called them. During Julian s lifetime, she was renowned as a spiritual director and became one of the first theologians, and the first woman, to write in English. Julian s exposition of the Passion of Christ is a beautiful and optimistic work of theology, stressing the love of Mother Jesus for humankind and the union of God and the soul. Many consider Julian of Norwich to be one of the foremost medieval mystics in the Church. Jeanne Lutz was ordained to the priesthood in the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande in 1988. She has served churches in Albuquerque, Las Cruces, and El Paso, including eight years at Peace Lutheran Church, Las Cruces, under the terms of the full communion agreement, Called to Common Mission. Dr. Lutz has 4
made a concentrated study of Dame Julian, offering quiet days in Las Cruces, Albuquerque, Horizon City, and Roswell. She also made Julian the subject of a class project in her doctoral studies at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The March 3, 2012, Women s Retreat at Church of the Holy Spirit is open to all women in the area. There is no charge for the retreat; an offering basket will be available for those who would like to contribute to defray the costs of the lunch and retreat. The Penguin Classics book Julian of Norwich: Revelations of Divine Love, which contains Dame Julian s writings, is available from Vicar Lynn at cost ($9.78). Christian Formation Schedule On Sundays at 9:15 am AND on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm we are studying John Ortberg s book: The Me I Want to Be: Becoming God s Best Version of You
Popcorn Theology! @ 7:00 pm At the Fellowship Hall Invite your friends & join us for popcorn, soda, & a movie! Fri. February 24: The Body Fri. March 30: St. John in Exile Communication Committee Members Needed We need 2-3 folks who are interested in helping to get the word out about Church of the Holy Spirit and all that is happening here. This would involve help with the website, the newsletter, liaison with the Diocesan Communications Committee, newspaper and radio articles and ads, flyers posted, etc. Interested? Please let Vicar Lynn know. And THANKS!! 5
The Church of the Holy Spirit supports the Community Pantry each month with a gift of $200, which is being used for the Food Backpack program in 29 area schools. Students in need of food are given food backpacks each Friday to help assure that they don t go hungry over the weekend. Outreach from Holy Spirit Diabetes Support Group February 16 & March 15 @ 5:30 pm The third Thursday of each month is our regular monthly support group meeting. The Diabetes Support Group is open to all type 1 or type 2 diabetics not just to folks from Holy Spirit. Please help us get the word out to others in the community. Volunteer Opportunities at The Community Pantry
Volunteer opportunities at the Pantry include: packing boxes and/or bags of foods; stuffing envelopes and filing papers; breaking down boxes; and keeping the Pantry building clean and sanitized. Volunteers younger than 16 must have a chaperone. Julia Warthen, Holy Spirit liaison to the Community Pantry CARE 66 is on the move! While the residents and staff of CARE 66 are getting relocated and settled into their new home in the remodeled Lexington Hotel, on Historic Route 66, Church of the Holy Spirit will suspend our monthly dinners for the residents of the CARE 66 homeless shelter. We will resume serving dinners in April. 6
Call 863-7561 to schedule an appointment Outreach from Holy Spirit Spa Day Monday, February 27, 2012 11:00 am to 7:00 pm UNM Gallup Cosmetology Department manicures * pedicures * facials $5 each
or just walk in! (all proceeds go to Battered Families Services, Inc.) Holy Spirit is Going Green After our Fall study of St. Francis of Assisi, we decided it was high time that we show our concern for God s Creation. So we are no longer using disposable cups, plates, cutlery; we are recycling paper and cardboard; and we are looking for other ways to be gentler with our environment. Stay tuned for special Christian Formation speakers and discussions! 7
Invite-A-Friend-To-Church Sunday February 19 And join us for our January-February Potluck Birthday/Anniversary Bash Sunday, February 19 @ 11:45 am Potluck signup sheet is posted in the Fellowship Hall
WANT TO GET CLOSER TO EACH OTHER AND GOD? Find out how on a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend! Marriage Encounter is 44 hours where married couples can get away from jobs, kids, chores, and phones - and focus only on each other. If you'd like greater depth, growth, and enrichment in your relationship, you'll like the difference a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend can make! The next Episcopal expression of Marriage Encounter in Albuquerque is April 27-29, 2012. Married couples of all faiths and backgrounds are welcome. If you would like more information, talk to Vicar Lynn or Vicar Roger. 8
New Dishwasher on the way! Thanks to our Going Green (see page 7), we are doing a whole lot more dishes these days. The Diocesan Trustees have approved our using $3500 of capital funds to do some kitchen upgrades, including installing a new dishwasher. This should help Reconciliation of a Penitent Reconciliation of a Penitent, or Penance, is the rite in which those who repent of their sins may confess them to God in the presence of a priest, and receive the assurance of pardon and the grace of absolution. BCP page 861 This sacramental rite of the Church is always available. The season of Lent is a most appropriate time for us to consider availing ourselves of this rite. If you would like to do so, simply contact Vicar Roger or Vicar Lynn to schedule a time.
us assure that we are properly sanitizing our dishes and it may well result in saving water! Watch for the changes to come. Calling ALL Musicians! We need you to make a Joyful Noise at Holy Spirit Let Loren Omoth know if you d be interested in being part of our Music Ministry during our Worship Services. Thanks! 9
Outcome from our Mission and Ministry Envisioning Retreat On January 20-21, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and with the superb leadership of the Rev. Brian Winter and the Rev. Jan Hosea from the Diocese s Congregational Life and Development Team, some 12-15 folks from Church of the Holy Spirit explored our parish s mission and ministry. We talked about what we love most about this parish as well as our challenges here. We described how we have seen God working in the lives of those in the pews here, what we believe our parish s most significant spiritual gifts are, and how our parish relates to the community in which we live. We asked ourselves what our parish s spiritual life is like and what we need it to become. We talked about our dreams for new life in our parish in the future. On Saturday morning, after Morning Prayer, Brian+ led us in a guided meditation to explore the heartbeat of the Church of the Holy Spirit. The expanded vision statement on the cover of this Paraclete reflects the outcome: To Know Christ and Make Him Known, through Love
We then got down to the business of getting specific as to what new areas we intend to focus on in 2012. Here is what resulted: Outreach: Transportation for CARE 66 residents to church on Sundays Expanded participation in work at Community Pantry (Julia Warthen, lead) Volunteer to serve at Missionaries of Charity, Inc. soup kitchen (Loren Omoth, lead) Offer our backyard for Community Garden; go forward with other green activities Music/Cultural: Choir rehearse hymns before 10:30 service each Sunday Instrumentalists at Easter Sunday service English Tea with Evensongs Recorder Consort begin playing next Fall Pastoral Care: Quarterly Healing Service Rejuvenate Order of St. Luke in Gallup area 10
Quarterly Healing Service to Begin at Holy Spirit Thursday March 1, 6:30 pm One of the outcomes of our MMER (see page 10) was the realization of the need for a regular Healing Service in Gallup. So we are stepping up to provide it! The service will be open to the community and will include Holy Eucharist, prayer, anointing and laying on of hands. This is an expansion of the special prayer at the altar rail that is offered each Sunday during our regular services. If you know of anyone who might benefit from such prayer (and who among us would not??), please help us spread the word and invitation. Our study of The Me I Want to Be has led to many deep and meaningful conversations. One of us offered these words from a popular song, which speak beautifully of the flow of the Holy Spirit, by which each of us is invited to be carried forward to the Me God created us to be
The Rose Some say love it is a river that drowns the tender reed. Some say love it is a razor that leaves your soul to bleed. Some say love it is a hunger an endless, aching need. I say love it is a flower and you its only seed. It s the heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance. It s the dream afraid of waking that never takes the chance. It s the one who won t be taken who cannot seem to give; and the soul afraid of dyin that never learns to live. When the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long, and you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong, just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snows, lies the seed that with the sun s love in the spring becomes the rose. 11
Our Holy Week Schedule of Services Palm Sunday (April 1) Liturgy of the Palms and Holy Eucharist at 8 am and 10:30 am Maundy Thursday (April 5) Seder at 6:00 pm Holy Eucharist at 7:00 pm followed by stripping of the altar Good Friday (April 6) Stations of the Cross at 6:00 pm Good Friday Liturgy with Communion from the Reserved Sacrament at 7:00 pm Easter Vigil/Sunrise Service (April 8) at 6:30 am
Festive Easter Eucharist (April 8) at 10:00 am Easter Morning Potluck Breakfast April 8, 8:15 am Come to the Sunrise/Vigil Service and stay for Breakfast and Fellowship! Signup Sheet is posted in the Fellowship Hall The Church of the Holy Spirit 1334 Country Club Drive Gallup, New Mexico 87301 505-863-4695 hschurch@hotmail.com www.holyspiritgallup.com 12