October 2015 NEWS FROM THE NARTHEX At Emmanuel Episcopal Church, we strive to provide people the opportunity for growth in their faith through our mutual love, respect and acceptance of one another. From father Robert PEACE & ALL GOOD! Dear Brothers and Sisters, The few days of cooler whether that we ve experienced has helped in a number of ways. First, it was just pretty darned nice to sleep with opened windows and not conditioned air. Second, it forced us to think about the coming of a new season. Fall is a gift given to us, in which we have the opportunity to start the process of becoming still. Leaves falling off trees, shorter days and longer nights, packing away things the soon-to-be-past seasons all the while making room for something new. It s always about the cycles and the seasons of life. Change is in the air as they say. If grapes and grain are not crushed, there can be no wine and no bread. If the seed doesn t fall to the ground and die, there can be no harvest. If our life is not broken, there will simply not be the deepest relationship with God that we can have. In her delightful portrayal of her journey to faith, Anne Lamott quotes a Leonard Cohen song: Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything. That s how the light gets in. Cracks do allow the light to get into our dark and messy lives and they are also the way in which the light that is within each of us gets out to illuminate others. When we attempt to cover the cracks of our lives, there is no way for light to get in or out Imagine that. Change for us is necessary because the life we really want and the life God wants for us is probably hidden in our biggest problems, our worst failure, our deepest fear or our most pressing disappointment. Whether we accept it or not (on a conscious level), despite how odd it might seem, brokenness more than any other force in the world has the power to mold our character into the unique shape God intended it to possess. Accepting the reality of my broken life, cracks and all, is the starting point in becoming the person God created me to become. In a few short weeks we will celebrate Thanksgiving in a variety of ways. One of them will be our Emmanuel Thanksgiving Dinner. It is truly an inspiring time each year when we tend to people who have been broken and offer nourishment not only for the body, but also for spirit and soul. Companionship, warmth of welcome and the ability to be present to allow light to shine through the cracks both ways. It is an opportunity to reach within and both show and find Christ. Although all of us have some brokenness we can face that brokenness with grace to heal what needs to be healed and let the light of God s love within us be a lamp of radiance guiding others to new possibilities. That is the ministry of the church, today and always. In his love, Robert
News the narthex WOMEN S BOOK STUDY The Women s Book Study group meets every Sunday in the Library and follows the same schedule as the Catechsis program. Right now we are reading the New York Times bestseller, Carry On Warrior: The Power of Embracing Your Messy, Beautiful Life by Glennon Doyle Metlon. Contact Phyllis Niolon for more information at pniolon@gmail.com Elder Connection Lunch & Learn The Elder Connection committee is sponsoring a lunch and learn event on October 15 th, 10:00 am 1:00 pm in the Common Room. Our topic will be advance planning of final affairs. This program will feature elder attorney Kelly Holloway Fortson, Bentley and Griffin speaking on the critical documents everyone needs for elder care, Fr. Robert on planning a funeral or memorial, and Dee Forester on planning a legacy. Since there will be a simple lunch served, RSVP by October 11 th to either Dee Forester (706-207-1849) or Gwen Bottoms at gbottoms@depauw.edu. Faith Formation Faith Formation in the Episcopal Church is simply lifelong growth in the knowledge, service and love of God as followers of Christ, being informed by Scripture, Tradition and Reason. At Emmanuel, adult faith formation includes Sunday Adult Formation, Natural Spirituality, Women s Book Club, 20 s/30 s Ministry, and Monday Morning Bible Study Group. For more information, call 706.543.1294 x202 or email Father Robert at rector@emmanuelathens.org. Adult Formation for October The Adult Faith Formation Committee offers programs that explore Holy Scripture, Anglican tradition, and Church history to deepen personal faith, strengthen community, and share the Gospel. Adult Formation meets in the Westminster room, downstairs in the Formation Building. Please join us for these offerings in October. October 4 and October 11: The Spirituality of Stewardship. This 2- part discussion is led by Fr. Robert Salamone. October 18, October 25 and November 1: In the Footsteps of Saint Peter, a DVD presentation. In this documentary series produced for the BBC, join David Suchet public television s Hercule Poiroit as he traces the footsteps of one of the most important figures in early Christianity, the man we know as St. Peter. Suchet travels Peter s humble Galilean birthplace to Jerusalem, where a terrified Peter denies his beloved friend and teacher on the eve of the crucifixion. Encounter Peter s miraculous postresurrection transformation and discover the role Peter played in keeping the early church splintering. The series also explores the question: what happened to Peter after he mysteriously vanished the biblical account? This 3-part discussion is facilitated by Br. Brian Paul Freese, OP.
3 GROWING BLESSINGS... BUILDING FUTURES, PHASE II: THE PRESERVATION, RESTORATION & RENEWAL OF THE CHURCH The Ark We are a spiritual family, alive in faith, and ready to respond to God s call to share the joy of Christian life. The blessings we have received encourage us to move ahead with our next phase of our original Growing Blessings, Building Futures process. Our proposed plans call for us to Preserve, Restore and Renew our beautiful church. The primary goals of our Phase II project are to restore and preserve the architectural integrity and beauty of our church for future generations while, at the same time, renewing the church to serve the needs of the liturgy and enhance our worship experience. We will soon begin our parishwide appeal to fund our Phase II project as well as retire our remaining debt Phase I. Stay tuned you will hear more about our appeal in the weeks ahead. On November 7-8, we will be sharing CAREGIVER GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP The next Caregiver s Grief Support Group will explore healthy and healing nutrition for those for whom we care. Please join us on Thursday, October 29 th at 12:30 pm; Robin Bewley Johnson will present the program. Friends and family are most welcome. more information about this appeal at the worship services. At that time, you will receive your appeal packet that will contain both your annual pledge card and your three-year campaign contribution card. We will then ask everyone to spend the following weeks praying and considering how God is leading to respond to this appeal. Then, on November 21-22, Commitment Sunday, we will ask everyone to bring your response envelope to church. These are exciting times for our parish. The preservation, restoration and renewal of our church will further energize us as a spirit-filled community as we live out our mission in the world. We pray that God blesses us. May Christ dwell in our hearts through faith, as we are rooted and grounded in love. Ephesians 3:17 The Ark United Ministry Outreach Center would like to thank Emmanuel for your support with time and resources over the years. The Ark has been proud to work as an extension of the mission of its supporting congregations to serve the working poor of Athens in a responsible, efficient, and empathetic way. For over 25 years, the Ark has served as a bridge for hardships due to life s unexpected financial hits and losses, and has done so by keeping 15,000 neighbors becoming homeless, preventing 20,000 utility disconnections, and more. We are honored to announce that this October, we will be reaching our one million dollar mark in financial assistance, and it is truly all because of you! Please join us on October 20 th at 4:00 pm as Mayor Nancy Denson declares it Ark Day. Let us celebrate you (with treats, goodies, and hugs) for all you ve done to make this possible! Please check out our Million Dollar video featuring pictures, videos, and stats that show what a million dollars in giving looks like! http://www.kizoa.com/video- Maker/d24318858k9706177o1l1/million-dollar-
News the narthex For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. Matthew 25:35 It s that time again! Emmanuel s opportunity to return thanks! Volunteers are needed to help organize our Annual Thanksgiving Dinner. Here s what we need: One volunteer to contact the Food Bank for donations of desserts; to arrange a pick-up time on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving; and deliver them to the Common Room. One volunteer to contact Thornton Brothers for donation of carry-out containers and other serving plates, cup, etc. They graciously delivered them to the church last year. Emmanuel s annual thanksgiving dinner One volunteer to contact Marilyn Appleby at the Athens Housing Authority and work with her to obtain a list of shut-ins needing a meal delivered. One volunteer to co-ordinate donations for gift bags i.e., toothbrush/toothpaste, toiletries, etc. and to ask for volunteers to help fill gift bags. Later in the fall we will be asking for cooked boneless turkey breasts and hams, as well as someone to get volunteers to help carve the meat on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Beginning in November, we will have sign-up sheets available for volunteers to serve food and drink to our in-house guests and sit with them while they eat. We will have sign-up sheets for drivers to deliver meals and a sheet to sign up to help us clean up after the dinner is over. Again this year we will ask for donations of canned goods, coats, hats, gloves and blankets. Emmanuel will be the only church serving those in need this Thanksgiving. Emmanuel IHN Volunteers Mark your calendars for our next IHN hosting on November 1 st -8 th. It s not too early to go to the Sign- Up Genius to volunteer help host our guests. Note that our next hosting occurs the week we revert back to standard time daylight time. The Interfaith Hospitality Network of Athens, Inc. is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to provide immediate shelter and guidance to homeless families with children. Once accepted in the program, IHNA provides food, shelter, daycare,a nd transportation as needed. IHNA helps to create structure out of chaos by creating a goal-oriented plan so that those desperately in need can focus beyond daily survival, to a life of stability. Contact Eric McQueen or Weyman Johnson with questions. erin.wallace.mcqueen@gmail.com weymanjohnson@icloud.com Please contact Dee Forester or Lindsey Payne if you can help this ministry. With gratitude both of us, Lindsey and Dee
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News the narthex Preparing The Atria for our young EmmanueLITES After a summer full of training, building, and preparing for our young children, our hearts and our Atria were full as we opened our doors on our first Sunday morning of this year. We are so thankful for all who came together to hammer, paint, glue, sew and help us prepare. You are invited to learn more about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program. Simply contact Georgia Collier in the church office to set up a tour and orientation for your ministry group, your friends, or just yourself. Georgia Collier May the light of Christ remain with all of His children, always. October Birthdays 1 Delaney Evans 2 Craig White, Kristian White, Suzanne Herrin 4 Chase Brown 5 Janet Williamson 7 Wally Eberhard, Heidi Simmonds, Sean Hogan 8 Erin Gray 9 Simon Hogan 11 Hoyt Bonynge, Coles Ehlers 12 Janet Macchi, Rebecca McCarthy 13 Bob Bretscher, John Waters, Scott Shaw, Sara Baker, Camille Martin, Micaela Hobbs, Sarah Hicks 14 Adrian Pritchett 15 Naomi Norman 16 Brooks McAlister, Clara McLanahan 17 Meg Powell, Lesley Appleby, Amelia Kolodsick 18 Balfour Hunnicutt, Lucy Kemp 19 Stephen Bartlett 20 Zachary McCaskey 21 Beverly Sligh 22 Jack Wesley Cook 23 Buddy Broadnax, Benjamin Walters, Quinn Moore 24 Jody Vrana, Allen Wagner 25 James Dolphus, Preston Stanfield 27 Jan Wheeler, Marilyn Appleby, Parker Brown, Christian Domenick 29 Jane Payne, Gordon Sligh, Henry Terrell, Wyatt Matthews 30 Stephen Gray, Caddie Grow 31 Carol Winthrop
Emmanuel s Service & Faith Formation schedule is as follows; only exceptions are listed on the calendar below: 7 Wednesdays: 5:30 pm Healing Service & Eucharist, Chapel Saturdays: 5:30 pm Holy Eucharist Rite II, Chapel Sundays: 8:30 am Holy Eucharist Rite I, Church; 9:15 am Faith Formation for Children & Youth; 9:30 am Adult Formation, Westminster, and 10:30 am Holy Eucharist Rite II, Church Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 12:00 Homeless Lunches Prep, Common Room 3:00 pm EFM, Lib 5:00 Combined Choir Concert 1:30pm Prayer Shawl Ministry, Old Music Suite 4:00 pm EFM, Lib 12:00 Homeless Day Center Lunches Prep, Common Room Sunday Evening Live 4:00 pm EFM, Lib 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10:00 Bible Study, New Beginnings 4:45 Daughters of Coventry Retreat the King 10:00 am Nat. Spirituality, Lib 5:00 pm 20 s/30 s Group, Library 7:30 AL-Anon, OMS 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Church office 10:00 am Nat. closed in Spirituality, Lib observance of 7:30pm AL-Anon, Columbus Day OMS 10:00 am Elder Connection Lunch and Learn, Common Room 11:00am Eucharist at Lanier Gardens 6:30pm Stephen Ministry, Canterbury 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 10:00 Bible Study, Coventry 10:00 am Nat. Spirituality, Lib 5:00 pm 20 s/30 s Group, Library 7:30 AL-Anon, OMS 9:00am Stephen Ministry, OMS 4:45pm Daughters of the King 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 4:00pm EFM, Lib 10:00am Bible Study, Coventry 10:00 am Nat. Spirituality, Lib 7:30 AL-Anon, OMS 7:00 pm Vestry Meeting, Vestry Meeting Room 12:30pm Caregivers/Grief Support, Lib
News the narthex October 2015 From Emmanuel Horace and Sara Newcomb to St. David s Episcopal Church Austin, TX To Emmanuel Jon and Kimberly Tomlinson Megan Ernst Holy Innocents Atlanta GA Katie Tavernier First Lutheran Norfolk, VA Ashley Block Church of the Messiah Winter Garden, FL Michael Chestnut St. Steven s Athens, GA Transitions John, Amber and Declan Hawkins St. Augustine of Canterbury Oklahoma City, OK Baptisms Isabel Noel Marks Parents: Daniel Robert and Melissa Mackenzie Marks Lily Ann Lane Parents: Randall and Descygna Templeton Alana Kai Lane Parents: Randall and Descygna Templeton Nathan Tomlinson Parents: Jonathan Michael and Kimberly Castro Tomlinson Deaths Dev Weeks Patricia Cooper Jim Jacobson Bob Bowen The 2015 Vestry Shooter Roberts, Senior Warden Sarah Ehlers, Junior Warden Phil Bettendorf Brian Freese Clara Herrin Weyman Johnson Roger Lange Naomi Norman Crysty Odom Brooke Stortz Diane Wahlers Erik Wells Emmanuel episcopal church 498 Prince Avenue Athens, GA 30606 NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID ATHENS, GA PERMIT NO. 231