From
the Rector
Dear
Friends,
In this issue
focused on “children and family
ministry,” I am delighted to remind you that David Frazelle will begin
his
tenure as Associate for Parish Ministry at the Chapel of the Cross this
month.
The other staff clergy and I have been eagerly awaiting his arrival
after a
long staff vacancy of 14 months! But I know that you will welcome his
arrival
as well, for he and Emily (a former UNC Law School graduate), will add
significant dimensions to our parish life and
ministry.
Originally
from Raleigh, David received a
Bachelor’s degree from the University of the South and the Master’s of
Divinity
degree from Virginia Seminary before being ordained deacon this past
June.
Since then he has completed hiking the Appalachian Trail (I first
mistakenly,
but perhaps instinctively, typed “Trial”!) from Maine to Georgia, a
distance of
2,168 miles! Following that Herculean task, “King” David (his assigned
trail
name) may be even happier to see us than we are to have him here.
As the
Associate for Parish Ministry, David
will have special responsibility for youth ministry as well as young
adult
ministry. His youth, talents, training, and dedication will be great
assets in
that capacity. Carolyn Alexander Williams will continue her energetic
role as
EYC program coordinator. Tammy Lee, his predecessor, but currently
Associate
for Campus Ministry, will now be able to focus completely on her new
responsibilities. I am most grateful to them and to other staff members
and
parishioners, including parents and leaders of Cross Ties, for picking
up the
slack caused by a long vacancy. Our youth and young adult ministries
have
continued vibrant during this period and, thanks to the efforts of
many, are
positioned to grow even stronger with the addition of David to our
staff.
Like
the other staff clergy, David will have
wider responsibilities as well. He will (from his
position description) “assist
the Rector in leading the Chapel of the Cross as pastor, priest, and
teacher,
sharing in the councils of this congregation and of the whole Church,
in
communion with the Bishop of North Carolina. By word and action,
informed at
all times by the Holy Scriptures, the
Book of Common Prayer, and the
Constitutions and Canons of the General Convention and of the Diocese
of North Carolina, the Associate will proclaim the Gospel, love and
serve
Christ’s
people, nourish them, and strengthen them to glorify God in this life
and in
the world to come.” Liturgically, for his first six months, David will
fulfill
the role of deacon, i.e., proclaiming the Gospel, preaching, leading
the
prayers, preparing the table, and sending us forth into the world to
love and
serve the Lord. In June, God willing, we anticipate his being ordained
to the
sacred order of priesthood.
Please join
me in warmly welcoming David and
Emily Frazelle to the Chapel of the Cross.
-
Stephen
Vestry
Actions—October 21, 2004
At its
October
meeting, the vestry:
·
Approved
the
recommendations of the Social Ministry Committee for disbursements from
the
Discretionary Outreach line item in the amounts of $2000 to the Martin
Luther
King Scholarship Fund, $500 to the Orange County Prison Ministry Annual
Christmas Program, $200 to the Orange County Department of Social
Services
Annual Christmas Program, and $750 to the Episcopal Relief and
Development Fund
for Hurricane Relief in Haiti, with the (granted) request that the
vestry match
the $750 request for Haiti
·
Approved
the nomination of
Harry Watson, Carrie Fesperman, Martha Dill, and Beverly Rockhill to
the
University Ministry Committee
·
Approved
the nomination of
Barbara Tremblay to the Social Ministry Committee
·
Approved
revisions to the
by-laws of the Pre-School at the Chapel of the Cross
·
Received
a report from
Vivian Varner on the 2004 advertising project
·
Discussed
the model to be
adopted for the future of the Johnson Intern Program and requested that
further
information be gathered before a decision is made
·
Learned
that the
stewardship campaign is off to a good start, with individual letters
already
having been sent to parishioners, calls being made to parishioners, and
pledges
beginning to be received
·Learned
that a new effort
is being made this year to include children and youth in the
stewardship
process.
Even
Smaller Hands Have Something to Offer
Gretchen S.
Jordan, Christian Education Director
Service
Opportunities for Children and Youth
There is a saying that children are the future. I
celebrate and claim
that children are the present! Each child has time, talents, and
treasures to share with the church. Their very presence in worship is
a treasure. Our responsibility as staff, leaders, and parishioners is
to tap into their talents and treasures and to offer them ways to
volunteer and be in service. The Stewardship Formation Committee
included children and youth in this year’s annual giving
campaign. The pledge cards for children and youth provided a way for
them to indicate a pledge of treasures, time, and talent. Some of the
opportunities for children include singing in a choir, serving as a
lector for the 9:00 service, ushering, assisting in Children’s
Chapel as a Youth Saint, assisting with child care supervision in the
nursery, participating in some of the mission and outreach programs,
praying for our Church and the world each day, collecting money for
some of the special offerings (such as the Advent and Lenten offerings
or UNICEF), and helping with a church work day.
A new program, Youth Saint, was created
in 2003. This program is for
third graders and older to serve as assistants to the adult leaders in
Children’s Chapel. The first year, nine children participated.
This year there are 19 Youth Saints! Children are assigned twice a
month to assist the adult leaders. On a recent Sunday, the Chapel
service had 46 preschool-aged children. What a help these Youth
Saints are! Our choir program enrolls more than 40 children; many of
them sing each Sunday as a part of the Junior Choir and an active
group of first and second graders are in the Training Choir. Eleven
children in costume walked through neighborhoods around the church on
Halloween collecting money for UNICEF; they collected over $350.
Countless contributions are received from smaller hands each week as
children drop hygiene items and canned goods into the baskets around
the church. For those of you who do not have children and youth in
your home, the children and youth pledge cards are posted on the
bulletin board in the dining room. And if your child did not receive
a letter and pledge card or forgot to offer it during the annual
campaign, it is not too late. Just stop by the office and secure
another one.
A Different Voice
Have the 9:00
service worshippers noticed a
different voice from the lectern in recent months? Children and youth
are now
reading one of the lessons on the second and fourth Sundays of each
month at
the 9:00 service. Having completed an orientation with the
parish lay-reading
chair, Laurie Gosnell, these young leaders are offering the Word of the
Lord
with strong voice and grounded presence. The seriousness and
pride that each
one of them has exhibited reinforces that “a child will lead them.” The
young
people participating this year are Emma Lo, Caroline Williams, Frank
McBride,
Lucy Dempsey, Lauren Peterson, and Daniel Ripperton. The Children and
Family
Ministry Committee (formerly the Church School Committee) hopes to
create more
opportunities for our younger ones to fully participate in leadership
roles in
the life of the parish. If your child is interested in reading
scripture in the
9:00 service or if you have suggestions of children or youth who may be
recruited for this role, please speak with me or a committee member.
Worship
Education for First and
Second Graders
Before
entering the first grade, children
participate in the Children’s Chapel program. In Children’s
Chapel, children
are directed toward communion with God through responses, hymns, The
Lord’s
Prayer, and stories. They learn
a posture of reverence and develop
attentiveness to the experience.
As children
make the transition into first
grade, they are invited to participate in the Training Choir. In
addition to
music education and preparation for offering praises to God through
song, the
Training Choir provides a rich worship education. Since some children
and
families are not able or choose not to participate in the Training
Choir, the
Children and Family Ministry Committee has endorsed a new worship
education
program. This program is being developed to help younger elementary
children
gain a better understanding of worship and to facilitate fuller
participation
in the service.
Once a month,
September through May, the first
and second graders are invited to join me in the campus center during
the 9:00
service. Each session focuses on some aspect of the service and
includes
worship experiences. Each session is self
contained. Parents are engaged in the process through practice and
review at
home and by guiding their children in specific ways during upcoming
worship
services. A brochure, Children
in Worship, has been created to
help
parents and parishioners with simple ways to engage with children in
worship.
These are available in the parish office and dining room.
The session
titles/topics included in the
program are: Our Worshipping Space, Leaders in Worship, Our Bulletin
Guides Us,
Praise and Prayer through Music, Our Book Companions (the hymnal and
the prayer
book), the Sacraments, Responding to God’s Call through Our
Stewardship, and
the Liturgical Calendar. Remaining dates are: December 12, January 23,
February
20, March 13, April 17, and May 10.
Church
School and Curriculum
If you ask
someone about Christian Education
in their church, 99% of the time they will talk with you about the
Church
School program, period. While this is an important component of any
Christian
education or Christian formation process, we know that it is just that,
a part
of a much bigger picture. After all, at best Church School is offered
about 40
Sundays a year and only allotted about 40 minutes per Sunday. In our
highly
mobile society, it is rare for a child/youth to attend even 70% of the
time.
But Church School is a part of the picture. The Children and Family
Ministry
Committee is ultimately responsible for all classes and the choices of
curriculum.
First and
foremost, the classroom provides a
place where children and youth can feel safe, secure, welcomed, and
affirmed;
it is a place where they can experience the love of God. It is only in
this
environment that effective learning and growth in the faith can take
place.
Our parish
uses a variety of curricula and
printed resources throughout the Church School. All curriculua used
offer a
reasonable embodiment of the “data of our faith.”
For many
years the Episcopal Children’s
Curriculum (ECC) has been the curriculum chosen for the first through
sixth
grade classes. The ECC provides both teachers’ and students’ materials;
and
while similar in format and function across age levels, it reflects the
changing characteristics of the classroom situation. This curriculum is
biblically based and liturgically oriented. It is designed to follow
the Bible
in ways understood by young students. But the presence of biblical
material does
not mark the ECC as distinctively Episcopal. Like all Christians, we
look to
Holy Scripture for the content of our faith and practice. Our
Episcopal
liturgy, set forth in The Book of Common
Prayer
and The Hymnal
1982, invites us to enter into a
relationship with God’s Word. Students are
encouraged through exposure and experience to learn words and actions
for
participation in the worship and liturgy.
Our seventh
and eighth grade class began the
year under-girded by the Episcopal Youth Curriculum’s short course,
Witnesses
of Faith, which offers stories of some saints. We are combining some
aspects of
the Journey to Adulthood (J2A) curriculum with the saint materials.
There is
parish interest in adopting the J2A curriculum, a six-year tract,
all-inclusive
youth ministry program for sixth through twelfth grade. With the
anticipation
of our new deacon’s arrival in December, evaluation of this program has
been
delayed. The Youth Inquirers’ Class for ninth graders interested in
confirming
the vows their parents made at infant baptism is held each Sunday
morning
during the Church School time. This program is designed by an able team
of
teachers in consultation with staff and it offers the youth the setting
in
which to ask questions and move toward ownership of faith. The tenth
through
twelfth grade class has designed their own curriculum on “Issues Facing
the
Church Today.” Students are assuming some of the teaching and
facilitating role
under the able adult leadership of Bob Millikan.
For the
youngest in our program, a primary
goal is to offer a place that is safe, secure, and where each child is
affirmed
and celebrated. The child will experience God through those who offer
care,
love, and nurture. I call the team of teachers for our two-year olds
“the
rockers and cuddlers!” The three year-old-class is using an Episcopal
curriculum entitled Living the Good News. Some stories from the Old
Testament
are heard during the fall of each year, but the majority of the year is
spent
with stories of Jesus. In earlier Cross
Roads this year, you read about
the four-year old’s Catechesis of the Good Shepherd curriculum and the
Kindergarten’s Godly Play curriculum. Both of these curricula are
guided by
Montessori methodology. They use a sensory-motor style of storytelling
as a primary
means for encountering God, so God is experienced, not just learned
about. It
gives appropriate freedom so young children can respond to stories of
God
through continued working with the story and art materials. If you have
never
experienced this classroom model, I encourage you to visit. Mysteries
are
unveiled in this setting!
There are 252
students enrolled in our Church
School program this year. The greatest challenge for the Church School
program
is space. We are bursting at the seams! Most classes are above room
capacity.
Since much of our space is shared, the challenge of offering a space
conducive
to learning is an additional challenge. We have second graders using
space
designed and equipped for four-year olds and we have elementary aged
children
in space
designed and equipped for adults.
The
Children and Family Ministry Committee members for 2004-2005 are
MaryKate
Cunningham, Valerie Bateman, Lisa Walter, Dana Campbell, Margaret
Conrad,
Jeannie Riek, and Molly Dempsey (chair).
Parent
Gathering Classes
Stephanie
Perun
Last year
during coffee hour and Sunday school
time, Gretchen Jordan, Christian education director, invited parents of
Sunday
school aged children to gather in the campus center to meet and greet
and
participate in fellowship. At these gatherings, once a month, a guest
speaker
was invited to discuss timely topics, including “Unplugging the
Christmas
Tree,” teaching your children about money, and how to talk to your
children
about grief resulting from the loss of a loved one.
At the end of
the Sunday school year Gretchen
asked if some of the parents who had participated would be willing to
meet and
plan a series of classes or sessions for the next Sunday school year. A
committee was formed, including parishioners Allison Worthy, Sarah and
Rob
Shapard, and Larry and Deb Elmore.
The committee
met over the summer to discuss
ideas about seminars that could be conducted during a 45-minute session
two or
three Sundays a month. Many topics and local experts in certain fields
were
mentioned as possibilities.
So far this
year the following classes have
been scheduled— to date they have been very well attended:
·
October
- “Setting Limits”
with Lynn Johnson (a two-week program about how to get your children’s
attention and get them to cooperate without losing your mind.)
·
Children
and Stewardship
with Kevin Trapani.
·
November
- “Unplugging the
Christmas Machine” (a three-week series about how to celebrate with
your family
the true meaning of Christmas this holiday season.)
Sessions for
2005 will include:
·
Talking
So Your Kids Will
Listen and Respond with Lin Crocket
·
How
to Keep Healthy
Relationships and Balance in Your Life with So Many Demands
·
Is
Your Child Kindergarten
Ready?
·
Toilet
Training
·
Effective
Rule Making
·
Family
Discipline
·
Developing
Responsibility
If you are
interested in seeing other topics
included or joining the planning committee, please contact one of the
committee
members or Gretchen Jordan. We hope to see you in the campus center on
Sundays
during church school time.
Inquiring
Minds Want to Know
The Rev. Dr.
William H. Joyner, Jr., Deacon
This title
line is
used to advertise supermarket tabloids like Weekly
World News or National
Enquirer, showing pictures of
aliens living in western states or revealing
the latest escapades of movie stars. In the Youth Inquirers’ Class, the
Chapel
of the Cross tries to encourage questions, not about aliens, but about
God,
Jesus, the Church, life, death, and faith. We get some hard questions:
If
Christianity is the way, are all other religions wrong? If we believe
in one
God, why do we talk about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? What does
the
Church teach about homosexuality, the death penalty, abortion, . . . ?
The
class is about discussing these kinds of questions, about learning
about the
Church and the faith, about young people deciding whether the faith
they may
have been committed to as infants by their parents and godparents is
what they
want to take as their own. This is not a class on comparative religion,
on
setting out different choices on a menu, but about carrying out part of
our
parish mission: to learn and teach the Christian faith. But it is not a
class
that is supposed to encourage only one point of view, either – the
inclusiveness of our Anglican tradition, even in the midst of conflict
in the
Church, not only allows but also encourages us to explore these kinds
of
questions.
Our class
went on a retreat in September. In
addition to playing paintball and having pillow fights, we got 12
people on a
small platform, on a swinging log, and over an 11-foot wall; we planned
worship; we sang songs that many remembered from Vacation Church
School; we got
hurt playing football and volleyball. And we learned about each other
and
became more of a team going through this year of inquiry not alone, but
together.
The Book of
Common Prayer says that “In
the course of their Christian development, those baptized
at an early age are expected, when they are ready and have been duly
prepared,
to make a mature public affirmation of their faith and commitment to
the
responsibilities of their Baptism and to receive the laying on of hands
by the
bishop.” In the Youth Inquirers’ Class, it is our responsibility to be
sure
about the “duly prepared” part. But it is a responsibility shared by
all of us:
the families, the clergy, and the whole parish of the Chapel of the
Cross. The
“ready” part is the responsibility of those in the class, with the
guidance,
love, and prayers of their families and their parish.
We ask that
the members of the Chapel of the
Cross, who welcome all the youth inquirers into the household of God,
whether
or not they choose to be confirmed, continue to pray for the class on
its
journey this year:
O God, you
prepared your disciples for the
coming of the Spirit through the teaching of your Son Jesus Christ:
Make the
hearts and minds of your servants Andrew, Laura, Valerie, Caroline,
Dylan,
Blake, Chase, Walsh, Katie, Sarah, Emma, Mary Ann, Christine, and Karl
ready to
receive the blessing of the Holy Spirit, that they may be filled with
the
strength of his presence; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
How
Does EYC Work These Days?
Caroline
Alexander Williams, EYC Program Coordinator
Episcopal
Youth
Community (EYC) truly does require a whole community to
flourish. Youth from
the parish and local towns, ages 11 to 18, make up the first part of
that community.
For some members EYC is their only link to the Chapel of the Cross,
while
others are active in the Junior Choir, Youth Inquirers’ class, or
Vacation
Church school. Each week we serve up to 40 youth who attend 10
different local
schools. Another important group is their parents. Parents encourage
their
teenagers to come to youth group, provide transportation, pay costs not
covered
by the church, and cook dinner every Sunday. A third group is our
leaders. We
have eight dedicated volunteer leaders, ranging from college student,
to
graduate student, to working young adult, to mother and father. The
leaders
plan programs for each Sunday, lead the youth in small group
activities, and
mentor and supervise the trips and outings. Our priests are
another part of
the community. The Rev. Tammy Lee has been our advocate and
mentor for the
past decade and we are excitedly looking forward to the Rev. David
Frazelle’s
arrival this month. You, the parishioners, are the last part of the
community.
You give money and support to our youth through the Chapel of the
Cross. Last
year in the long-range planning survey, you rated serving youth as one
of the
most important aspects of the parish. The significance you place on
youth
ministry influences how well our community can function. Please
continue to
support our youth and advocate for our long-term goal of a full-time
youth
minister.
EYC meets on
Sunday evenings throughout the
school year from 5:30 to 7:30 in the parlor. Our theme this year is
from
Matthew 25: 35-36;40. “For I
was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I
was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and
you
invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you
looked
after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. . . The King will
reply, ‘I
tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these
brothers of
mine, you did for me.’”
Through EYC,
we are striving to love our
neighbors actively. We began the year with some old favorites:
performing
random acts of kindness around Chapel Hill and hosting a fall carnival
for the
younger members of our parish. We will continue this month by helping
to tell
the story of Jesus’ birth in the annual Christmas Eve Pageants.
This spring
we plan to step out of our comfort
zones to feed the hungry by participating in the 30-Hour Famine. We
will each
personally experience a taste of hunger, while educating others, and
raising
money to feed hungry children around the world. We hope that you will
be
involved in this upcoming effort. We also plan to visit and feed sick
youth at
the Ronald McDonald House and learn about youth in prisons in North
Carolina.
As with any
community, EYC also needs group
bonding and fun activities. We are full of those! Some of our favorites
include
capture the flag on the UNC campus, fall overnight, laser tag at
Adventure
Landing, winter ski trip, cheering on the Durham Bulls, and our high
school
spring beach trip.
EYC requires
a whole community to thrive, and
we are so glad that you are a part of it.
Parents
of Teens Support Group
Maria
Saunders-Hopkins
This group of
parents of teenagers meets each
Sunday in room 31 after the 9:00 a.m. church service. The group began
last
spring, with much support from Gretchen Jordan, when some parents were
talking
after church about the challenges of parenting a teenager today in our
society,
which is so saturated with violence, explicit sexual messages, and
substance
use. The group was conceived as a place where parents could come to
talk about
their worries and challenges when parenting a teen and get support from
other
experienced parents. How do we, as Christians, raise children with
solid,
unwavering values that will see them through the turbulence of
adolescence? How
is our Christian faith manifest in this process? And how does our
parish
support us in doing this? (Sunday school, Youth Inquirers’ Class EYC,
the
choirs, acolytes, volunteer opportunities with Vacation Church School
and
more).
We’re looking
forward to David Frazelle
joining the church staff in December. Part of his role will be as a
youth and
family minister. As we get to know David, we hope to explore with him
additional opportunities for supporting parents and teens as they
navigate this
critical developmental period when life values begin to be solidified.
The Parents
of Teens Support Group meets to
share stories and ideas....a place to come and talk and learn that
you’re not
alone. In addition, part of our function is parent education. Group
members
recommend books and other resources. We plan to invite parent educators
to
speak on teen topics.
The Parents
of Teens Support Group is an open
group. We welcome anyone to come any Sunday. If you’re a parent of a
teen, have
any connection or interest in teens, or can tell us how you’ve
successfully
raised a teen—please join us!
Children’s
Christmas Pageant
MaryKate
Cunningham
O come all ye
faithful! And that means
everyone, young and old alike, to celebrate the great story of
Christmas with
an all-inclusive opportunity – the Children’s Christmas Pageant. This
wonderful
family event gives even the smallest children in our parish the chance
to shine
in a performance we share with each other and through which we rejoice
in the
birth of the Baby Jesus. This pageant is different from the more formal
pageants held on Christmas Eve. It is not as much a presentation as it
is a
participatory event, and there is no rehearsal ahead of time. The
children just
show up, pick a costume, and put on a show!
A
long-standing tradition in the parish, the
Children’s Christmas Pageant is designed for preschool and elementary
aged
children. All are encouraged to participate. The Training
Choir, under the
direction of Linda Everhart, provides us with some special music, older
children are invited to take the leading parts requiring a bit more
preparation
and responsibility, and all others (including some parents) can choose
to be
angels, shepherds, wise men, or stable animals. Costumes are provided
unless
you prefer to use your own. It is not unheard of for a lion left over
from
Halloween to show up and share some “Peaceable Kingdom” time with a
lamb. A
narrator leads and prompts everyone through the performance that ends
with a joyous rendition
of “Joy to
the World.”
My children
have participated in this special
event for the past five years, and last year I was privileged to serve
as
narrator. My children and I look forward to participating again this
year. It
is a wonderful part of our parish’s overall ministry to children and
families.
The glow and wonder on the children’s faces as they become a part of
the great
story of Christmas is a joy to behold. I can’t imagine a Christmas
season
without it.
Please join
us for this year’s pageant on
Saturday, December 18, in the chapel. Starting time is 2:30, but if you
need a
costume please arrive early in order to choose one and get dressed.
Members of
the Children and Family Ministry Committee will be available to help
with
costumes beginning at 2:00 in the parlor. After the pageant
is over, we will
all celebrate in the dining room with cookie decorating and apple
cider.
Caroling
to Homebound Parishioners
Heather
Benjamin
On Sunday,
December 12, at 2:30 in the
afternoon, we will hold our third annual event of caroling to homebound
parishioners of the Chapel of the Cross. Anyone who has joined us in
the past
knows first hand what a wonderful experience this is for old and young
alike.
We meet in the dining room, where adults help children to make simple
ornaments
or small gifts to take on our visits. All the while, we practice the
carols we
will sing, with the help of a couple of talented musicians to get and
keep us
on key.
Fueled by hot
chocolate and Christmas cookies,
we break up into groups and head out to the four corners of the parish
to
spread some Christmas cheer. The look of delight on the faces of those
we visit
warms the heart, especially when the older children present them with a
small
token, and the young ones belt out “Silent Night.” Last year we visited
almost
40 parishioners, including several at Carolina Meadows, Carol Woods,
and
Britthaven, along with those living at home.
While the
focus of this event is sharing
Christmas joy with those who can no longer join us at church on a
regular
basis, it is also a wonderful way to teach our children about caring
for and
sharing with others. My children began asking about it as soon as they
could
think far ahead enough to Christmas, wondering when we would go, what
we would
make to bring, and who we might visit this year. They love to sing
carols and
give gifts, and I look for every opportunity to help them think about
Christmas
not as a toy-getting frenzy, but as a time to slow down, look around,
and
consider ways in which they can share their many blessings with others.
Our time
together as a group also allows parishioners
of all ages and abilities to share their talents and some true
Christmas
spirit. Last year we made punch-art angels to hang in
windows, and the
children and adults were so enthusiastic we had more than enough to go
around
during our visits. My own group gave one to everyone we encountered at
Carol
Woods, including patients in the hallways or sitting in parlors, and
those that
heard us singing and came over to join in the festivities.
This year we
hope to have even more
participants. Please consider joining us for this wonderful, spiritual,
joyful
Christmas event.
Special
Advent and Christmas Offering
The Jerusalem
Princess Basma Centre for
Physically Disabled Children (JCDC) will be the recipient of our
seasonal
offering this year. Children, youth and adults are encouraged to pick
up an
offering box in the dining room to collect money through the seasons of
Advent
and Christmastide. Boxes are to be returned on January 9 at
our Epiphany
Intergenerational Event.
The JCDC is
one of the programs supported by
the Diocese of Jerusalem. This program was established in 1965 as a
home for
disabled children of Palestine, primarily those suffering from polio
and
paralysis. It was run by the Lutheran World Federation for 10 years and
then
became a charitable organization in its own right. Services to children
and
their families are provided in three facilities located in East
Jerusalem,
Ramallah, and Nablus.
Since its
establishment, the Princess Basma
Centre has been instrumental in the process of rehabilitation and
education of
hundreds of children with special needs from all over Palestine.
Through the
various forms of treatments and help, the centre has given these
children an
opportunity to be integrated within the family and community and thus
they are
able to lead a fuller life.
Children
under the age of 15 are admitted for
a period of one week to three months, depending on need. Being a
charitable,
non-governmental, non-profit institution, the children’s families are
charged a
nominal fee of $100. a month. (Results from a cost analysis conducted
in 1998
showed that the actual cost per day per child is US$120.) Mothers are
admitted
with their children free of charge.
As well as
basic medical care, the services at
the centre include: physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, recreational therapy,
an
occupational centre that has the biggest workshop in the West Bank for
the
making of prosthetic and orthotic devices, an academic school with two
kindergartens and six elementary mainstream education classes, and an
out-patient
physiotherapy department that treats 25 to 35 clients daily from within
the
East Jerusalem area and other areas in the west bank.
In addition
to direct care and treatment of
children, JCDC has a continuous and ongoing Mothers’ Empowerment
Project. The
main aim of this program is to transfer the mother/professional
caregiver
relationship into a real partnership model, in order to create a group
of
empowered mothers who can form a nucleus for local and regional support
groups.
Training courses are conducted by professionals on medical, social,
psychological, and advocacy related issues. This project is continuous
and
ongoing.
Additional
information about the Jerusalem
Princess Basma Centre for Physically Disabled Children is available
through the
Web-site for the Diocese of Jerusalem: www.jerusalem.anglican.org.
Thompson
Children’s Home Winter Clothing Drive
The sixth
annual Winter Clothing and Gifts
Drive for Thompson Children’s Home will be held November 28 - January
9. New
winter clothes and other gifts for children in TCH’s residential
treatment
program for abused and neglected children will be donated by Chapel of
the
Cross parishioners. Thompson Children’s Home, located in Charlotte, is
an
agency of the three Episcopal dioceses of North Carolina and provides
residential care and services for children in court-involved protective
custody
with departments of social services across the state.
Choose one or
more ornaments from the display
in the parish dining room. Purchase items listed and return gifts
unwrapped
with ornaments attached to the dining room display or parish office.
Gifts
received by Sunday, December 12, will reach the children by Christmas.
If you
would prefer that we shop for you, you may write a check to the Chapel
of the
Cross Rector’s Discretionary Fund with a notation “for Thompson
Children’s
Home” and items will be purchased for you.
Please note
that, due to health regulations,
TCH is only able to accept new clothing for children ages 6 to 12 years
old in
its residential programs. However, their daycare child development
centers
welcome gently worn clothing for infants and children through five
years old.
Donations to the child development center can be brought to the church
during
the Winter Clothing Drive.
Since 1999,
the Chapel of the Cross has been a
leader in providing clothing for the children at Thompson Children's
Home. It
is one of two parishes in North Carolina providing year-round,
head-to-toe
clothing for TCH. For more information, please call or email the TCH
Winter Clothing
Drive co-chairs, Lorraine McBride at Lbmcbride@aol.com,
and Allison Worthy at aworthy@nc.rr.com.
T’was
the Night Before (a Green) Christmas
From the
Environmental Stewardship Committee
T’was
the night before Christmas –
a
time to reflect
On
how friendly we’ve been
to
the earth, in respect.
The
tree glistened brightly,
‘tho
few lights were strung;
Instead,
strings of popcorn, and
candy
canes hung.
The
gift-wrap was paper
from
news of the day,
Tea
towels, cloth bags and
used
wrap we had saved.
Gift
tags were cut from cards of last year
And
clusters of pine cones
donned
presents with cheer.
We
planned to go skating,
and
sledding in snow
With
snacks in containers to reuse,
don’t
you know?
We
plugged our car batteries
for
just a short while,
With
dimmers and timers
as
part of our style.
Next
year we’ll need cards
and
ribbons and trim;
So
we’ll save them to use again and again!
Was
it difficult for us? It did take some thought.
But
results were well worth it,
and
of waste there was naught.
With this
variation of Clement Moore’s
traditional poem (and with gratitude to the Environmental
Agency of Alberta,
Canada), the Environmental Stewardship Committee invites you to
consider how
our celebration of the birthday of Jesus has evolved, for many people,
into a
whirlwind of commercialization and a binge of consumerism – hardly
reflective
of that simple birth in a manger. This article is to ask you to
consider how
this consumerism impacts our planet Earth, God’s creation.
According to
the Michigan-based ULS Report
(Use Less Stuff), during the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s
Day,
Americans increase the trash they generate by 25 percent– about five
million
extra tons. And nearly 70% of that goes into landfills. It doesn’t have
to be
that way.
Here are
suggestions for celebrating a greener
Christmas. In so doing, you may experience the added joy of
re-discovering the
true joy of the Advent Season.
·
Buy
your gifts from local
artists, craftsmen, and farmers’ markets to strengthen local economies
and
reduce fuel consumption associated with shopping farther afield.
·
Give
a ‘certificate’ for a
service that you will perform: babysitting for a busy friend, cooking a
meal,
gardening for a day.
·
Make
donations in the
names of families and friends to charities, non-profit groups, and to
the
church.
·
Make
your own gifts. Baked
goods, canned jellies, artwork, woodwork and other handcrafted items
can
capture your spirit in the gifts you give.
·
Save
wrapping paper and
bows for reuse.
·
Make
tree decorations from
food or used materials: cranberry wreaths, dried apple ring
clusters,
gingerbread ornaments.
·
Bring
your own shopping
bags when you shop; consolidate your purchases into one bag rather than
getting
a new bag at each store.
·
Give
gifts that require no
wrapping paper at all: tickets to concerts, museums, gift
certificates, or
house plants.
·
Purchase
cards made with
recycled content; make new cards from old ones; phone or send
electronic
greetings.
·
Compost
your food waste.
The true
spirit of Christmas is found in
giving. All of us can participate in ‘giving’ a healthier planet to the
next
generation and to generations beyond.
BecomIng
Better Stewards of our Global Climate
Linda B.
Rimer, Environmental Stewardship Committee Chair
In the
November
2004 issue of Cross Roads,
the Environmental Stewardship Committee
described the growing consensus that our global climate is changing,
and that
the change is attributable to human activities. The article quoted the
letter
signed by our Presiding Bishop, along with 30 national religious
leaders and
leading scientists, pleading for the Congress of the United States to
take
action to address what is being described by many as the greatest
environmental
threat facing the planet today.
Just in
the
last
four months, organizations and publications as varied as Business
Week, The Conference Board, and National
Geographic,
have added their voices
to a call for action to mitigate climate change. The September issue of
National
Geographic, devoting an
extraordinary 74 pages to the subject, captures the
highlights of the article in the beginning with these terse phrases:
“. .
. carbon
dioxide levels rise; mercury climbs; oceans warm; glaciers melt; sea
level
rises; sea ice thins; permafrost thaws; wildfires increase; lakes
shrink; lakes
freeze up later; ice shelves collapse; droughts linger; precipitation
increases; mountain streams run dry; winter loses its bite; spring
arrives
earlier; autumn comes later; plants flower sooner; migration times
vary;
habitats change; birds nest earlier; diseases spread; coral reefs
bleach; snow
packs decline; exotic species invade;
amphibians disappear; coastlines erode; cloud forests dry; temperatures
spike
at high latitudes . . . Things that normally happen in
geologic time are
happening during the span of a human lifetime
If you are
reading this and thinking that
global climate change is far too large an issue for any individual
action to
make a difference, please pull out your Bibles and re-read Genesis
2:15. Though
translations vary, the basic idea is that God put humans in the garden
(Earth)
to “till it and to keep it.” The Hebrew verb ‘to keep’, “shamar”, is
the same
word in the Aaronic blessing “may the Lord bless and keep you” (Numbers
6:24).
We are called to nurture, sustain, and care for creation the way God
nurtures,
sustains, and cares for us.
So what can
each of us do to mitigate climate
change? Because the biggest source of climate change pollution is
carbon
dioxide released from the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil,
energy-saving actions all serve to protect our climate. Examples
include:
·
Choose
an energy efficient
vehicle
(http://www.fueleconomy.gov)
·
Drive
less – when
possible, choose alternatives to driving such as public transit,
biking,
walking, carpooling; bundle your errands together so you will
make fewer trips
·
Buy
energy-efficient
appliances. They may cost a bit more up front but you will save money
on your
electric bill and help protect your climate. Look for the Energy Star
label
(http://www.energystar.gov/)
·
Replace
your light bulbs
with compact fluorescent bulbs
·
Turn
off lights,
televisions, videos, stereos and computers when not in use
·
Weatherize
your home or
apartment
·
Invest
in renewable energy
e.g., NC GreenPower (http://www.ncgreenpower.org/)
·
Let
your voice be heard!
Join our Bishop in a collective plea to our Governor, state
legislators, and
Congress to address climate change; use your vote.
But in the
end, be informed! Here are
additional websites where you can learn more about climate change.
Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change: http://www.ipcc.ch/
Pew
Center on
Global Climate Change:
http://www.pewclimate.org/
United
Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change:
http://unfccc.int/2860.php
US
EPA: http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/index.html
US
Department
of Energy:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/ggccebro/chapter1.html
Interfaith
Climate Change Network:
http://www.protectingcreation.org/
Always
remember, we are called to nurture,
sustain, and care for creation the way God nurtures, sustains, and
cares for
each of us.
Johnson
Intern Program
Mary Agnes
Rawlings, Director
I
would like
to
take time to update parishioners on several exciting happenings in the
Johnson
Intern Program. The Exploratory Committee continues their planning
process as
we move toward the 501-c-3 not for profit status of the program. The
committee
is currently involved with restructuring the board to include broader
community
representation, continuing dialogue with our partner Public Allies, and
developing a short- and long-term financial strategic plan. The primary
foundational pillars of the program will remain in the Episcopal
tradition
aligned and rooted in core Christian values and historical Christian
spirituality.
While the
task of creating a revitalized
program is exciting, it has been through several recent transforming
experiences that have concretized, for me, the tremendous potential of
the
Johnson Intern Program. These experiences also offered me insight into
the
reason I believe JIP continues to provide a life-changing opportunity
for young
adults to be engaged in social justice issues of the world.
Over the past
several weeks, I have been
involved in a leadership training opportunity at the Legacy Center in
Morrisville, NC. While being a part of secular training, I have had a
profound
spiritual awareness of the power of human ability for creating a better
world.
One Sunday afternoon our team gathered to challenge ourselves to make
difference in the world in a spectacular way through an activity of
feeding the
poor. It was our task to decide what method we would use and the manner
in
which we would carry out our plan. The only parameter given was that we
could
not donate our own money and we could not directly feed anyone. As I
began, I
thought about the scriptural story of Jesus feeding of the 5,000 with a
few
loaves of bread and several fish. My experience as our team set out was
perhaps
similar to that of the disciples, a bit skeptical and critical of the
whole
situation. Without giving away the details of how we accomplished the
feat, at
the end of 2½ hours we had fed 69,000 people! (Yes, I did
intentionally
place
three zeroes at the end of that 69)! My family fed 3500 and I never
stepped
foot out of the training room. In the moment we tallied our results I
realized
how small I had held my God-given ability to effect change in the
world. I then
thought more specifically whether the work of programs like the Johnson
Intern
Program might be the most important work of the Universal Church.
Perhaps we
have only brushed the surface in realizing the potential impact of
young adults
on the world. I asked myself whether I believed it feasible to consider
that, a
Martin Luther King or Gandhi would be drawn to such a program in their
earlier
formation years. Lastly, if we did believe God gives such a powerful
potential
to individuals, what investment would we then make to the 20,000 such
Johnson
Intern Programs of the world in response? Just thinking…
UNC
Scholarship
Availability
The
Office of
Scholarships and
Student Aid at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is
accepting
applications for the John Osgood Blanchard and Elizabeth Amis Cameron
Blanchard
Scholarship for the academic year 2005-06. The scholarship carries an
annual
renewable award of $6,000 for residents of North Carolina and $12,000
for
out-of-state residents, and it is available to both incoming freshmen
and
currently enrolled students at the University. To be considered,
applicants
must meet the following criteria:
Be the son or daughter of an
Episcopal priest OR
Be baptized and confirmed in
the Episcopal Church.
Selection
for
the award will be based
on academic achievement, though financial need is taken into
consideration.
Applicants who are already attending UNC should have at least a
cumulative
grade point average of 3.0 to be eligible. Incoming freshmen applicants
will be
considered on the basis of the information provided in their
application for
admission to the University, and an offer of admission is a
prerequisite for
eligibility. Any student who feels he or she may qualify for financial
aid
should file the FAFSA (available at www.fafsa.gov) and CSS Profile
(www.collegeboard.com)
no later than March 1st.
Interested
applicants should submit a
letter of interest, together with supporting documentation (letter from
a
Rector stating one's membership in the Church or copies of baptism and
confirmation certificates) to Dr. Dan Thornton, Senior Assistant
Director for
Scholarships, by February 1, 2005. Recipients will be notified in April
whether
they have been selected to receive the award.
Please
mail
to: Office of
Scholarships and Student Aid
208
Pettigrew Hall, CB # 2300
P.O. Box
1080
Chapel
Hill, NC 27514
For
more
information, please contact
Dr. Thornton at (919) 962-4168 or email him at dan_thornton@unc.edu.
Also, you
may consult the website of the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid
at http://studentaid.unc.edu
for detailed information on this and other
scholarship and financial aid opportunities at the University.
From
the
Parish Mailbox
From the
Annual
Giving Campaign Committee
Because
of
your generous response to the
Annual Giving Campaign, we begin the glad season of Advent with
thanksgiving
and confidence that the Chapel of the Cross will go forward with its
vital
missions in the community and in the world.
Though
we can
never say “mission
accomplished,” I want to express profound gratitude to the scores of
people who
worked with devotion and dedication on this part of the parish’s
stewardship
initiative.
Annual
Giving
Committee:
Paul
Carew,
Junior Warden and Chair of Vestry Stewardship
Formation Committee
Terry
Johnston, 2004 Annual Giving Campaign Chair
David
Ross
Kevin
Trapani
Michael
Stafford
Lynn
Wilson
Caller
Coordinators
Laurie
Alexander
Laurie
Gosnell
Syd
Alexander
Carter
Kersh
Mark
Ashness
Mark
Pandick
Robert
Comey
Stacey
Tompkins
David
Dill
Carolyn
Van Sant
Martha
Dill
James
Vaughan
Volunteer
Callers
Laura
Alexander
Katrina
Hunt
John
Boswell
Fred
Irons
Watty
Bowes
Susan
Irons
Christopher
Bross
Robert
Jessup
Charlie
Browning
Perri
Kersh
Vincent
Collura
Larry
Logan
Matthew
Conley
Charles
McClaskey
James
Crow
Jack
McElreath
George
Evans
John
Nelson
Miriam
Fahrer
James
Noonan
Richard
Farrow
Larry
Rowan
Stanley
Finch
Philip
Smith
Carolyn
Folds
Joan
Stynes
Jim
Freeman
Dick
Taylor
Dottie
Gration
Karen
Taylor
Selby
Gration
Doug
Thompson
Eugene
Gross
K.T.
Vaughan
Winston
Hagler
Karen
Vernon
Charles
Head
Caroline
Williams
Paula
Head
Ron
Wood
Frank
Holt
Thanks
to all
of you for your time, your energy, your ideas, and your
commitment—for all you did to secure our parish’s future and to further
the
kingdom of God.
Faithfully,
Ann Henley
Chair,
Annual Giving Campaign Committee
October
2004
Dear Chapel
of the Cross
Family,
It is such a
joy to be home and get the chance
to be at the Chapel of the Cross and share what it is that we have done
together these last three years in Ecuador! It is hard to believe that
three
years have passed already, but as I look at returning to Ecuador in
January, I
look forward to continuing our partnership and work there. As a token
of my
appreciation to all of you and the encouragement and support you have
given,
please accept this hand-painted Eucharistic set from Ecuador.
Much
love
and many thanks,
Cameron
Graham
Altar Flowers
for Christmas
Offerings
of
flowers for
the altars of the Church and Chapel are especially appropriate for
memorials or
thanksgivings at Christmas. If you wish to contribute toward Christmas
flowers,
please complete this form and bring or mail it to the church office by
Friday,
December 17. A
check in
the amount you wish to contribute should be made payable
to: The
Chapel of
the Cross, memo line Christmas
flowers.
Mailing
Address:
St.
Hilda’s Altar Guild – Christmas flowers
The
Chapel of the Cross
304
East Franklin Street
Chapel
Hill, NC 27514
Enclosed
is
my check for $ __________
Please
print
in ink (full names, no titles):
Memorials
My name,
address, and daytime contact
number:
Liturgical Readings
and Preachers for December
Sunday,
December 5 The
Second Sunday of Advent
Psalm 72; Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans
15:4-13; Matthew
3:1-12
7:30 a.m.
Holy Eucharist Rite I Ms. Lee
9:00 a.m.
Holy
Eucharist Rite II Mr. Elkins-Williams
10:00 a.m. Lessons
and Carols Ms Fischbeck
(Carolina
Meadows)
11:15 a.m. Holy
Eucharist Rite I Mr. Elkins-Williams
5:15
p.m. Holy Eucharist Rite II Mr.
Elkins-Williams
9:30 p.m.
Sung Compline
Sunday,
December 12
The
Third Sunday of Advent
Psalm 146; Isaiah 35:1-10; James
5:7-10; Matthew
11:2-11
7:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite I Mr.
Elkins-Williams
9:00 a.m. Advent
Service of Lessons and Carols
11:15 a.m. Advent Service of Lessons and Carols
12:45 p.m. Holy Eucharist Rite II Ms.
Jamieson-Drake
4:00 p.m.
Holy
Eucharist Rite I Mr. Elkins-Williams
(Carol Woods)
5:15
p.m. Holy Eucharist Rite II
Dr. Pfaff
Sunday,
December 19 The
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Psalm 24; Isaiah 7:10-17; Romans
1:1-7; Matthew
1:18-25
7:30 a.m.
Holy Eucharist Rite I Ms.
Jamieson-Drake
9:00 a.m.
Holy Eucharist Rite II Mr.
Frazelle
11:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite I Mr.
Frazelle
5:15 p.m.
Holy Eucharist Rite II Mr.
Frazelle
Friday,
December 24 Christmas
Eve
2:00 p.m.
Holy Eucharist Rite I Ms.
Jamieson-Drake
(Carol Woods)
3:00 p.m.
Christmas Pageant
5:00 p.m.
Candlelight Christmas Pageant
7:30 p.m.
Holy Eucharist Rite I Ms.
Jamieson-Drake
11:00 p.m. The
Christ Mass
Mr. Elkins-Williams
Saturday,
December 25 Christmas
Day
10:00 a.m. Holy
Eucharist Rite I
Mr. Elkins-Williams
Sunday,
December 26 The
First Sunday after Christmas
Psalm 147; Isaiah
61:10—62:3; Galatians 3:23-25;4:4-7;
John1:1-18
7:30
a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite I Dr. Morley
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite II Ms.
Lee
5:15 p.m.
Holy Eucharist Rite II Ms.
Lee
Send
items for inclusion in future "Cross Roads."
The deadline is the first Thursday of the preceeding month.
©
2004 The Chapel of the Cross
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