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Hospitality
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From the Rector Dear Friends,
In this issued focused on the important ministry of hospitality, I reprint for you my sermon of August 29, 2004 on this subject, referred to, as you will see, in the following excellent article by our Co-chairs of Hospitality, Barbara Day and Mary Schoenfeld. - Stephen
"Hospitality" can be one of those weasel words for us. It can refer to something as cheap and as self-serving as a room at a convention with free drinks designed to solicit your business or your vote - a so-called "hospitality suite." Or it can mean a profound experience of preparing for others, and so in a real sense for ourselves, a welcoming space for encounters with God. When the author of The Letter to the Hebrews solemnly exhorts us to show hospitality even to strangers, it is more than an enjoinder to smile and be nice. It is an encouragement to honor the divine image in others and to make more tangible for them God's gracious love at work around them and in our world. When members of the Altar Guild come on Friday to care for our sacred spaces and on Saturday to arrange the flowers and then again on Sunday to prepare for and clean up after our sacramental worship, they are showing hospitality. When parish volunteers opened our doors for two weeks this summer to the shelter residents, providing a clean and cool space and a listening ear and food each morning, they were practicing hospitality. When Loaves and Fishes plans and implements the Parish Barbecue to welcome students among us and to provide us all the nourishment of a festive meal, they are exhibiting hospitality. When the Building and Grounds Committee helps provide beautiful and welcoming outdoor spaces or maintains the air-conditioning or renovates the parlor in brighter, more vibrant colors, they are demonstrating hospitality. When parents of our teenagers prepare and serve a meal on Sunday evenings to our EYC, helping them to find a place among us, they are providing hospitality. When Parish Visitors go out to call on those who cannot physically come and be with us, especially when they are able to bring them the consecrated bread and wine from our sacred meal together, they are displaying hospitality. When Church School teachers dedicate themselves each week to providing a nurturing environment where the Christian faith can be not only taught but caught, they are embodying hospitality. When parishioners team together to host a reception after a funeral, providing a gracious space where family and all who mourn can strengthen and support one another, they are modeling hospitality. You see, genuine hospitality lies at the heart of the ministry God calls us to do. More than simply good manners or repaying social obligation (as Jesus notes in today's Gospel) or putting a good face on things, true hospitality, which requires our time, our money, and our openness to others, embodies and expresses God's love for all and makes it known in concrete ways. It is not that only well taken care of people can be attentive to God's presence in their lives. As Tammy Lee noted in a remarkable sermon six weeks ago, quoting Mary Anderson, "It is not that God cannot be found or heard in barren or inhospitable circumstances....God is not limited but we are....God can speak in any situation but we frail creatures that we are.... cannot often hear....unless our creature comforts are attended to." We all know that is true for us. When we feel most welcomed, most cared for, most attended to in terms of our human needs at any particular time, then our hearts are most open and receptive and God's life-giving presence is a more tangible reality than it was before. As we begin this new school year, when students and newcomers arrive, when the full scope of the parish's liturgical, educational, pastoral, and outreach ministries open up, when the energy of new beginnings fills us and lifts us up and calls us to new and deeper responses, let us heed the Divine invitation to be hosts, to invite all who hunger for God, whether or not they can repay, to welcome, to nourish, to sustain. Let us not ignore or dismiss this great calling. In the words of today's scripture, "Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." Hebrews 13:1-8 Luke 14:1, 7-14
Vestry Actions - December 16, 2004
At its December meeting, the vestry: • Officially welcomed David Frazelle to the parish • Adopted the 2005 staff compensation plan • Adopted the clergy housing allowance for David Frazelle for December 2004 • Adopted the 2005 clergy housing allowances • Authorized the Parish Administrator to contract with North Carolina Professional Accounting Services for parish bookkeeping and accounting services, in an amount consistent with the Parish Accountant line item in the budget • Accepted with gratitude the undesignated gift of $2800 from the estate of Marty Ensign • Accepted with gratitude the gift of $5000 from the estate of Annie Lee Jones for the purpose of improving the interior rooms of the parish buildings • Accepted with gratitude the designated gift of 1000 shares of Wachovia stock, given by A. C. Elkins in memory of Shirley Elkins, the specific designation of the gift to be determined • Approved the 2005 budget and, while indicating the need for additional pledges, acknowledged the generosity of the parish in enabling a budget featuring increases in staff pay and parish programs and a decrease in the need for transfers to balance the budget • Gratefully acknowledged the generous gift of new Vietri dishes from Frances Gravely • Learned that the winner of the Carolina Inn gingerbread house competition was a model of the chapel • Learned that Peter Gomes will preach at a service of solemn evensong on Pentecost Sunday, May 15, 2005.
Senior Warden's Report Dick Taylor
At the December 2004 meeting of the vestry, the budget for 2005 was adopted - one month ahead of schedule! For the first time in memory, the vestry actually adopted a budget prior to the beginning of the year and the period covered by that budget. Due to the generosity of our parishioners and the strong response to the annual giving campaign, we were able to fully fund the new clergy position as well as increase the program and outreach budget significantly. All of the requested increases in the budget were not funded, but the full requests for outreach and Christian education were included. Music, youth ministry, stewardship, and communications were increased - though not as much as requested. The budget was in part based upon assumptions that prior year pledges not yet received would be returned - we encourage anyone who has not made their pledge to do so soon. The vestry and finance committee are grateful for the strong support that the parish has shown for the ministry of the Chapel of the Cross. For the last several years, January has been full of difficult and long meetings so as to cut program budgets below levels needed by staff and volunteer leaders. This year, we cancelled the budget work session - the hard work was done last fall in the successful annual giving campaign.
Annual Meeting and Vestry Election Schedule Wednesday, February 2: Sunday, February 13, 6:30 p.m.: Sunday, February 20: Sunday, February 27: Sunday, March 13: Friday/Saturday, May 6-7:
The Ministry of Hospitality Barbara Day and Mary Schoenfeld, Hospitality Co-chairs
"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." Hebrews 13:1-2 Welcoming Prayer Holy Spirit living within us, guide our hearts and minds as we welcome today all those who worship with us at Chapel of the Cross. Give us discerning hearts so that every one who crosses our threshold feels welcomed in the spirit of your love. Help us to recognize each person as an individual sent by you who will enrich our lives. And most of all, O God, let this be a place of love and acceptance of all your children; in the name of your Child, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. (From Women's Uncommon Prayers, Elizabeth
Geitz et al., Editors, Morehouse Hospitality is our intended way of life at the Chapel of the Cross; we must be intentional about remembering and sharing it within our Christian community. We are Anglicans, and a part of the Anglican community, held together through the maintaining of relationships locally, on the diocesan level, and worldwide. As a communion we interact when we come together. We participate together as we worship and at the table. Relationships are fundamental in the Anglican Communion and they enrich the life of the church. We need each other not only in being Anglicans but in being the Body of Christ as well. Under the wise spiritual counsel of our rector [See the reprint of his August 2004 sermon, beginning on p. 2]we are embarking on a renewed and retraditioning emphasis on "loving one another" within the sacred space of the Chapel of the Cross. In reclaiming a vision for a vibrant and vital Christian community, the noted theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in Life Together, describes the Christian practices important to life in a community of faith. These practices include daily worship, confession, care, study, prophetic witness, and hospitality. In the Christian journey at the Chapel of the Cross we embody faith and experience the Spirit's call through the ministry of hospitality in loving and caring for each other. Practicing "holy habits" as a way of life in our parish is what a Christian community practicing faith together is all about. This is where we understand ourselves "as being part of the one, holy, catholic Christian church, where it shares actively and passively in the sufferings and struggles and promise of the whole church." (Bonhoeffer, Life Together, 1954, New York: Harper & Row. p. 37.) The Episcopal National Church has asked us to examine ourselves in relation to where we are in "Hospitality Top 10?" Let's take a look: 1. Preach and teach the biblical perspectives on hospitality regularly. Our clergy and staff are excellent in this regard. A notable example is Stephen's sermon on August 29, 2004 titled, "Showing Hospitality." 2. Discuss hospitality as a lay ministry for the entire congregation, not one committee. We are undertaking new initiatives and we fully realize that our hospitality comes from each person reaching out in an engaging, open, and loving way to one another. The "coffee hour" provides a great opportunity for this. The Loaves and Fishes Guild has done a fine job through the years. We are now trying to have coffee with refreshments after both the 9:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services. The senior choir has taken the lead in helping with this after the 11:15 a.m. service. Many others have joined in. We notice an increase in attendance and lingering a bit longer when there is food along with good coffee. 3. Host an "Invite a Friend Sunday" twice a year. This is something we have done in previous years and we are exploring it as a possibility for our parish in the near future. 4. Post hospitality ministers at every door before and after the services. We do have greeters who warmly welcome attendees and give particular emphasis to newcomers. Our goal is to have them before and after every service. At a recent gathering, where we published an invitation to attend, additional new volunteers "signed up" to become greeters. 5. Make your worship bulletin as user friendly as possible. Our service bulletins are quite comprehensive and beautiful as well; we do continue to use both the Book of Common Prayer and The Hymnal with very clear directions given in the bulletins. 6. Say the Welcoming Prayer each Sunday. We are saying this prayer at many meetings and gatherings in our parish; it is also available in the parish house in the tract rack and on the newcomers' table each Sunday. 7. Use a friendship tablet in every pew to
obtain everyone's name and address. We are working on a welcome
card for the pews; currently newcomers are greeted and encouraged
to complete a "welcome card" in the parish house at the welcome
table. Folders have been made especially for newcomers with
information about all of the many wonderful parish ministries
(including those highlighted in this issue). A personal follow-up
letter is sent by the rector during the first week and a phone call
is made as well. In addition, inquirers' sessions are provided for
newcomers and for confirmation 8. Deliver bread and information to newcomers' homes on the day they attend. A newcomers welcome group lovingly delivers home-baked bread; the goal is to deliver it within the first week after newcomers attend church and fill out the welcome card. 9. Do not stay for a visit. Motto: Be bright; be brief; be gone! This is the general proposed way; however, it is the intent to be perceptive and respond as needed. 10. Assign shepherds to new people and integrate them into the life of the congregation. This new hospitality ministry is now in place with seven shepherds offering loving care to newcomers. Additionally, we offer special sessions for newcomers outlining church programs and offering as well guidelines helpful for becoming a member of our parish. Our shepherds are working to integrate new members into small groups (i.e., foyer dinners, adult forums on Sundays and during the week) and to keep them aware of continuing church activities and events. We have invited newcomers to meet with the hospitality group for their feedback regarding their experiences within the congregation. Dinners are being planned for new members. The intent is to "welcome every newcomer as an angel sent by God." A shepherd sharing her story with us recently about how she was welcomed into the church 15 years ago said: "I felt so warmly cared for by Lucy and Ron Davis who first invited me along with other newcomers, all of whom sat around the dining room table, enjoyed a meal together, and got to know each other. From then on, the Davis' greeted me most Sundays, introduced me to others, and always updated me with upcoming church activities. My faith journey was enhanced by their warm and loving hospitality." We are experiencing the Spirit's call to love and care for and serve each other. The goal is for newcomers to participate fully in our everyday faith practices as did the early Christian communities: "But you are a chosen family, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people to be God's private property, so that you may announce the virtues of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9) As we journey together in faith, let us continue to be intentional in our hospitality, inviting everyone to come in and find God and the Holy Spirit at work in our lives and in the sacred space of the Chapel of the Cross. In our many Christian practices, prayer, spiritual formation, studying the Word of God, ministry, mission, healing, inclusion, social justice, stewardship, let us engage the practice of hospitality with love and compassion for all God's people. We are reminded that everyone has gifts and we must identify and nurture those gifts, "Jesus began His public ministry with a clear and somewhat narrow view of what it encompassed. He ended it with an awareness of the Father's love for all humanity, not just the Jews. If we are truly about God's business, loving souls and mending broken hearts, what we have to offer will only be expanded by what we receive from those whom God sends to us." (Episcopal Church Foundation, 2004.) We have prayed for over 150 years in this holy place. It has so very much to offer each and every one on a pilgrimage of faith. Let us offer it with open arms, love, and peace. "Enlarge the site of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes." (Isaiah 54:2)
The Divine Life of Hospitality David Frazelle, Associate for Parish Ministry
Hospitality is nothing less than a participation in the very life of God. Being created in the image and likeness of a Trinitarian God means that we are created in the image and likeness of a community of persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - who endlessly receive one another in divine hospitality. The life of Christ reveals perfect receptivity to the Father. The baptism, resurrection, and ascension of Christ reveal the Father's perfect reception of the Son. The Holy Spirit is the love received by the Son from the Father and back again in an endless dance of love given and received. Since, then, we are created in the image and likeness of this divine community of hospitality, we are created for receiving one another in love. Jesus' table fellowship and healings in the gospels, the authentic Pauline epistles, the practice of Eucharistic hospitality in the early Church, the Benedictine tradition of hospitality, social justice ministries that put us face to face with others: these are just a few elements of our tradition that bear powerful witness to the central place of hospitality in our life in Christ. It has been a great joy for me to encounter the living tradition of Christian hospitality incarnate at the Chapel of the Cross. Thank you for your warm reception and welcome expressed in so many ways, from cards to conversations to invitations to table fellowship. If we have not yet met, I invite you to introduce yourself to me. If we have met, I invite you to introduce yourself again, for I am vastly outnumbered. In either case, I look forward to knowing you better as we grow together in our participation in the divine life of hospitality.
The Ministry of Greeting Lou Hightower
There are many volunteers within our parish who serve as
greeters for Sunday liturgical services at 9:00 a.m., 11:15 a.m.,
and 5:15 p.m. Our greeters literally spearhead the ministry of
hospitality. They are the first parishioners to meet newcomers to
the Chapel of the Cross and they regularly establish the
convivial Greeters are posted at the tower entrance to the church 15 minutes before the service, following the service, and at the newcomers' table in the dining room. Each location has a different set of one or two greeters. (For the current quarter, due to a lack of volunteers, greeters are serving only at the newcomers table after the service. The ushers are assisting parishioners at the tower entrance. This will last only through February.) The schedule for greeters is detailed in the quarterly
liturgical calendar along with specific duties to be performed at
each location. As with other ministries, greeters submit preferred
dates for serving by filling out absence postcards sent out by the
parish administrative All greeters, upon arrival at the church, retrieve their name tags from the designated box in the dining room bookcase. The duties of greeters vary between the two locations. At the tower entrance, greeters control the outer doors and assist parishioners in ascending the steps. They staff the entrance until the processional hymn begins then close the doors and go to their pews. Following the service, they position themselves near the tower and main doors to assist the clergy as needed in directing newcomers to the dining room. That concludes their tower duties. At the newcomers table before the service, greeters position the newcomers banner and set the table with the box of supplies located in the bookcase. Following the service, greeters go directly to the table, put out the assorted literature and applications and are alert to receive and assist newcomers. Also, whenever possible, greeters will introduce newcomers to other parishioners and clergy. Afterward, greeters return supplies to the bookcase and leave completed applications in parish office. That concludes table duties. Any parishioner is welcome to serve as a greeter and can specify at which service(s) he or she desires to serve. Greeters are oriented by the scheduler and generally alternate at both the tower and the table. Serving as a greeter provides a truly rewarding experience. It offers a unique opportunity to establish and to maintain friendships and to share our many blessings.
If you are interested in serving as a greeter, please contact the parish office at 919-929-2193.
Usher Ministry Bill Yeager and Ken Robinson
Ushers play an important role in welcoming people to the Chapel of the Cross. They may be the first parishioner to speak to a newcomer. In addition to giving them a bulletin and helping them find a seat, ushers may provide information about childcare and directions to restrooms or other church facilities. They also provide directions to the newcomers table after the service. The most important characteristic of an usher is his or her smile and the ability to remain composed even when things are not going well. As the usher guidelines say, an usher should "Be friendly, approachable, and helpful, but unobtrusive. Do what is necessary to make all worshipers feel welcome and comfortable." Ushers help to create an atmosphere conducive to worship by being sensitive to the needs of the congregation and assisting those in need without disturbing others. They may unite family members who arrive separately, direct people to available seats, and distribute the headsets to people with a hearing impairment. They also count the congregation, collect the offering, and release people during communion. After the service the ushers collect any bulletins, trash, or personal belongings left in the pews. Four or five ushers are scheduled for the 9:00 a.m. and the 11:15 a.m. services each Sunday; six or more ushers may be scheduled for special services at Christmas and Easter. Leadership for the ushers is currently in transition. Ken and Diana Robinson have scheduled the 11:15 ushers, but they recently resigned, so a new person (or persons) is needed. Bill Yeager has scheduled the 9:00 ushers, but with his resignation in November; new leadership is also being lined up for that service. Ushers are assigned to two or three services during a calendar
quarter. Their assignments are posted in the parish's liturgical
calendar along with the greeters, lay readers, and acolytes. To
minimize conflicts, everyone on the roster receives a postcard
about six weeks before a liturgical quarter begins so that they can
indicate any dates when they will be unavailable. The people who
prepare the schedules take these dates into consideration; but,
since the cards are returned at least four months before the last
service in the quarter, conflicts often arise. Ushers who find that
they have a conflict on a Sunday for which they are scheduled
arrange their own substitutes by calling someone else on the roster
and swapping dates with them. The names and phone numbers of ushers
(as well as greeters, lay readers, and acolytes) are listed in the
back of the All ushers are volunteers and new volunteers are always welcome. Ushering is not difficult; the most important quality of an usher is the ability to keep smiling and calm when someone you are helping is not. Children sometimes serve as ushers with their parents; often they make better ushers than adults because they tend to be less self-conscious. Children also help newcomers, especially other children, to relax in a strange place. New ushers receive a copy of the usher guidelines and work with experienced ushers for several quarters before they graduate from the novice category. This is a great way for new parishioners to meet a variety of other parishioners.
The 12:30 Sunday Social Hour Peggy Quinn
Although not a real fan of surveys, I was puzzled in the past when I read that our Chapel of the Cross was not viewed as "friendly" by survey respondents. This came as a shock to me, and I dismissed these comments as uninformed. But occasionally and regrettably I have heard this remark from others who attended our church and then chose to go elsewhere. We all have our reasons for preferring certain congregations, but I certainly felt that the Chapel of the Cross, one of the most deeply caring and conscientious of churches, should not be faulted due to lack of friendliness. This got me to thinking about hospitality--a basic outreach of the church in welcoming and greeting newcomers and strengthening our community through conversation. There are many other wonderful events at the Chapel of the Cross offering hospitality to parishioners, but the hour following the 11:15 a.m. Sunday service provided a ready-made opportunity to demonstrate our friendliness to newcomers and visitors. With the help of many choir people and the support of the clergy and the choirmaster, Lee Thomas, Emilie deLuca and I launched the first social hour reception after the 11:15 a.m. service on October 31. Volunteers have organized all of the receptions; many helpers have brought finger food or other easy munchy foods. The Sunday team includes a "leader," who is "the host" and makes sure that the tables are set and that there are enough volunteers bringing food that Sunday. "Helpers" can either bring food or help with the reception itself. One of our goals is to provide greater interaction among newcomers and parishioners on Sunday morning. We want newcomers, visitors, and parishioners to experience first-hand the hospitality, friendliness, and deep caring that is so characteristic of the Chapel of the Cross. After having sung, prayed, and received communion together, conversation and refreshments with our fellow worshippers is a meaningful opportunity to grow in the love of God and to build up the fellowship of the Church. The 12:30 Sunday social hour is also great fun and welcomes all parishioners both in attending and in helping. Margie Pfaff, Mark Pandick, Larry Logan, Carolyn Folds, Frances Widmann, Bill Lycan, Michael and Julie McVaugh, Doug Kelly, Margo MacIntyre, Mary Schoenfeld, KT and James Vaughan, Robert Wright, Barb McMullen, Karah Rempe and Jonathan Hiam, and Lyn Francisco are among our volunteers to date. Volunteering to help with the 12:30 social hour and working side by side with fellow parishioners is actually a great thing to do. If you'd like to help, there is a sign-up book in the parish office during the week and at the social hour on Sunday morning. Or, you can give me a call.
Hospitality Begins with Each of Us Barbara Hastings, Parish Administrator
One of the things that impressed me most about the Chapel of the Cross when I came to work here was the way in which this parish uses the gift of its buildings to do God's work in the community. The building is open almost continuously, and we are allowed to be stewards of a gift from God. This parish readily accepts its role of stewardship. You give your money and time to support the operating needs of the parish and many activities within the parish and in the community. However, stewardship also requires hands-on involvement in things that might not be glamorous or exciting. Stewardship often involves doing the small tasks necessary for the building always to be ready for the next group to use the space. Each of us has the responsibility to leave the space we use in better condition than we found it. Our cleaning staff comes in five nights a week to clean. We no longer have a sexton or housekeeper on staff during the day to do the small things that are not the responsibility of the cleaning crew. Thus, all of us who use the building need to do our part. Let me give you some examples of ways that you can be a good steward and make our building more welcoming. • Could you help in the kitchen by leaving it the way you would like to find it (whether that's how you found it or not)? Several of our staff and volunteers recently spent the equivalent of two days cleaning cabinets, putting away dishes and organizing them for efficient use. Generally, you'll find everyday china in the dishwasher room, frequently used items in the pantry and kitchen cabinets, items for receptions as well as glass dishes in the buffet by the kitchen, infrequently used items under the mirror, and paper supplies and trash bags in the closet by the fireplace. There are charts in the kitchen on the refrigerator and bulletin board that show where items may be found. • Would you be sure the dishes and utensils you use are washed, dried, and put away? Administrative staff members spend several hours a week away from their usual jobs picking up and putting away items left out by parishioners. Charts in the kitchen will help you find the proper place for most items. • If you take trash to the trash house, please tie the tops of the bags so the trash doesn't fall out if the bag turns over. Our facilities manager has to put spilled trash back in the bags before the garbage men will take it. It's an unpleasant job that can be prevented with a little forethought. • If you see something not working properly or needing attention, would you write it down and leave it in my mailbox, Tom Mander's mailbox, or in the slot in the office door? You often see things that we don't because there are many of you and only a few of us. We would rather have something reported more that once than not at all. • Could you straighten your meeting room at the end of your meeting by throwing trash away and returning items you use to their proper place? We frequently lose equipment within the building because it was left out or not returned to the place from which it came. • Could you push down the trash in an overflowing trash can or do some of the other small things that make the building look neater? All of this may sound picky, but we each have a part to do. It's often the little things that are the most worrisome. If we all make it our job to be good stewards in whatever way we can, God's house will be a more welcoming place for everyone.
Loaves and Fishes Guild Liska Lackey, Guild Chair "And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled." Luke 9:16-17 The miracle of the loaves and fishes is told repeatedly in the Gospels. A large number of people have gathered with Jesus and he has been teaching them all day. The people become hungry but the apostles do not have enough money to feed the crowd. Then a young man steps forward with his five loaves and two fishes and offers them to Jesus. From this offering the whole crowd is fed. The purpose of the Loaves and Fishes Guild is to provide refreshment when we are gathered together, including Sunday morning coffee hour and approximately 12 parish-sponsored dinners and receptions throughout the year. The guild is also available to assist with other parish events
that include hospitality and fellowship. If you would like the
guild's assistance, please contact Liska Lackey at least four weeks
prior to the event. Your group will be responsible for providing
the event Working with fellow guild members offers an opportunity for fun and camaraderie, as well as joy in offering hospitality to all of us who gather together. If you would like to help or if you have any questions please e-mail guild chair Liska Lackey at llackey@unch.unc.edu.
Bread Bunny Needs Boost Nancy Tunnessen
Some months ago, I wrote an article for Cross Roads describing the tradition at the Chapel of the Cross of delivering a small loaf of bread to newcomers to the parish. Bread is an ancient sign of hospitality and welcome. Whether that symbolism predates the meaning of bread for Christians in the Eucharist, I am not certain, but sharing what we have, in the form of a loaf is bread, carries a universal, welcoming meaning. I also described the bread deliverers as a bit like the Easter Bunny, dropping the loaves around Chapel Hill, anonymously and unannounced, spreading, hopefully, a moment of cheer and welcome. But, sadly, the bunnies are running out of steam ... we need an infusion of energy and volunteers. We are currently many weeks behind in bread baking and delivery. While our goal is to welcome newcomers the week they make themselves known to the Chapel of the Cross, it is now frequently more than a month later before bread is delivered. Optimally, it is easier and more fun for teams to deliver bread - a driver and a navigator. Poring over maps and plotting routes, we learn our way around Chapel Hill using roads we might never have found. This volunteer task is actually terrific for newcomers. If you would like to help rescue a terrific ministry, please contact Nancy Tunnessen at ntunnessen@nc.rr.com.
Foyer Dinner Groups Jane Steenstra
How can people new to the Chapel of the Cross get to know other parishioners and, equally important, how can parishioners get to know those who've recently joined our parish? Its size, along with a choice of four separate Sunday worship services, present for us a challenge to know more than a small portion of our community. Several years ago, to help meet this challenge, foyer dinner groups were formed. Both singles and couples join these groups. Diners have found these gatherings to be an excellent way to both meet and really get to know and appreciate the unique qualities of fellow parishioners, and some wonderful friendships have formed. Currently, there are more than 80 participants. The dinners are casual, cooking is shared, and participants take turns hosting the meals. The host family provides the main dish and usually draws up a general menu. The other members let the host know what additional menu item each chooses to bring to the meal. Meals are usually dinners and are hosted in a home; but other possibilities are brunch, lunch, or a picnic. Once the group is formed, members decide what they prefer. They might also decide that they'd like to include children some or all of the time. Foyer dinner groups are re-organized once a year to maximize the opportunity for parishioners to meet, and there are two sign-up opportunities: in September and January. January sign-up provides a second opportunity for people who were unable to join in the fall. Notices appear in Crossings at these times, announcing where sign-up sheets can be found and what the response deadlines are.
Extending Your Hospitality to Other Creatures in God's Creation Linda B. Rimer, Environmental Stewardship Committee Chair
In keeping with this month's theme of hospitality, the Environmental Stewardship Committee invites you to consider the hospitality that you may, or may not, choose to extend to the other creatures with whom we share God's creation. We are referring to those back yard creatures that share our environment in the Chapel Hill area, such as birds, butterflies and moths, bees, chipmunks, turtles, and squirrels - to name some of the most common ones. Perhaps a more appropriate and enlightened way to approach this subject is with the acknowledgement that these creatures are actually sharing their environment with us! Perhaps you already provide a welcoming garden or yard, either by accident or design. Or perhaps you take Matthew 6: 28-29 quite seriously ("Consider the lilies of the fields, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."), concluding that God already takes abundant care of these creatures. What more could they possibly need from humans ? Fortunately, Matthew never experienced the widespread application of pesticides and herbicides that kill both desirable and less desirable plants and animals; or fertilizers that can be harmful if over-used. Neither did the cities and towns of Biblical days - or even in early America - choose today's pattern of urban growth that consumes land voraciously and destroys far more acres of forests, meadows, marshes, and wetlands than are needed to accommodate population growth. In certain ways, we have improved our stewardship with regard to pesticides and herbicides. You may recall Rachael Carson's 1962 landmark book, Silent Spring, which captured the reality for readers that the use of pesticides such as DDT was leading to the contamination of the food chain, cancer, genetic damage, and the deaths of entire species. In fact, it is said that one of the most important legacies of Silent Spring was a new public awareness that nature was vulnerable to human intervention. And while as a society we have regulated and reduced our use of broad spectrum pesticides applied indiscriminately, as individuals, we have increased our use of backyard chemicals in our striving for the "perfect" lawn or garden. Our sprawling urbanization is another matter. North Carolina
added 1,400,000 residents during the 1990s, with 44% being in the
Research Triangle and in Charlotte. Between 1992 and 1997, it is
estimated that NC converted 11.6 acres/hour of open space and farm
land to developed uses. Between 1987 and 1997, the Triangle alone
saw development consume 148,600 acres. As a result, "natural The bottom line message: creatures who share their outdoor environment with us can benefit greatly from our wisdom to extend hospitality that supports their needs for food, water, shelter, and places for them to raise their young. Fortunately, there are several sources of information on how to do this, e.g., the National Wildlife Federation (http://www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat/) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (http://southeast.fws.gov/maps/nc.html). The National Wildlife Federation even offers a certification program for Backyard Wildlife Habitats, a process that is educational for the whole family. The basics include making an inventory of your backyard for plants that already support wildlife, deciding on which creatures you want to attract (birds, butterflies, bees, bats), then developing and implementing a plan to attract and support them. What you plant (trees, shrubs, nectar plants), how you tend to those plants (chemical applications), and how you structure your backyard (water availability) will all determine just how hospitable your backyard is. Your rewards will be great. Creating a welcoming habitat for "non-human" creatures is fun, educational, relaxing, and beneficial to air and water quality - all the while providing limitless opportunities to demonstrate your stewardship of God's creation.
Journey Through Lent Devotional Materials: Resources for all ages are available in the dining room. Special Lenten Collection Emphasis: Shoebox
Ministry & Heifer International February 6 February 8 Shrove Tuesday: 5:00 p.m. Pancake Dinner sponsored by ECM February 9 Ash Wednesday Services 7:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II 9:00 a.m.
Reconciliation of a Penitent February 12 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Lenten Quiet Day at St. Philips Episcopal Church, Durham February 13, 27, and March 6 10:20 - 11:05
a.m. Special Adult Education Class: Prayer as the natural God-breathed experience of Living Opportunities to experience Lectio Divina The mind and heart connection in prayer Understanding the crucial importance of intention when entering prayer Being faithful to both Scripture and Church teaching as related to one's personal desire to make sense of a world which abounds in diversity, confusion, and conflict Presenter: Mary Agnes Rawlings is the Director of the Johnson Intern Program. She holds a Master's in social work from Florida State University and a Master of Arts in Christian spirituality from Creighton University. Mary Agnes also received training in the practice of contemplative prayer and group spiritual direction at Shalem Institute in Washington DC. The purpose of the Lenten prayer series is to provide sacred space for all individuals to experience their own personal spirituality while inviting participants to practice both old and new ways of praying. Ecumenical Holy Week Labyrinth Walk Nine local churches will again sponsor this opportunity to the community. A canvas labyrinth patterned after the famous Chartres Cathedral labyrinth will be in the sanctuary of Olin T. Binkley Baptist Church from 4:00 PM Sunday, March 20, until Friday, March 25, at designated hours. Watch for upcoming announcement of times. A youth walk will be held Sunday from 4:00 - 8:00 for area youth groups and a children's walk will be held at 4:00 Tuesday afternoon.
Susan Moeser to Give Recital Benefiting Habitat for Humanity Annette Kahn, Concert Committee Chair
Peter DeSaix, chair of the Chapel of the Cross-UNC-Student Habitat for Humanity Partnership, has announced that Susan Dickerson Moeser, D.M.A, will be the performer at the first annual organ recital for the benefit of the Partnership. The concert will be at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 15, at the church, and a reception with the artist will follow the recital. Dr. Moeser is the University Organist and Instructor of Organ at UNC-Chapel Hill. She has had faculty appointments at the universities of Nebraska and South Carolina and the Pennsylvania State University, teaching organ, music theory, and music history. Having won the prestigious Fort Wayne National Organ Playing Competition in 1983, she is a well-known recitalist and has performed throughout the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Portugal, and South Korea. Dr. Moeser and her husband, Chancellor James Moeser, are members of the Chapel of the Cross and have participated with other parishioners and students in building our Habitat houses. Since 1993 the church has had the privilege of working with several student groups at UNC and also with our Sister Parish, St. Paul AME Church. The Partnership has twice received the Governor's Award for Distinguished Community Service, and the UNC Campus Chapter has twice received awards from the National Chapter of Habitat For Humanity as the Outstanding Large Campus Chapter in the USA. The partnership members in 2004-2005 with the Chapel of the Cross are St. Paul AME Church, the UNC Campus Chapter of Habitat for Humanity, the Kenan-Flagler Business School Student Habitat group, the UNC City and Regional Planning Habitat group, Cross Ties and Episcopal Campus Ministry. Our Habitat Partnership has a proud tradition of service, having produced over the last 11 years 17 houses in Orange County and sent annual mission trips to several other countries. A maximum of 350 concert tickets are available and may be ordered with this invitation.
Benefiting the Chapel of the Cross-UNC-Student Habitat For Humanity Partnership Tuesday, February 15, 7:00 p.m.
______ I/We will attend and would like to support Habitat with a donation: ______ I/We will not attend but would like to support Habitat with a donation: _____$1000 SERAPHIM* _____$500 CHERUBIM* _____$250 THRONES* *Includes reserved seating for two persons _____$100 VIRTUES _____$50 ARCHANGELS _____$25 ANGELS $_____ OTHER _____ I/We would like to attend but are not donating at this time Number of tickets _____
Tickets will be mailed for requests received by February 7. Other tickets will be available for pick-up at the parish office or at Will Call on the night of the event.
Please Print NAME _______________________________________________________________ ADDRESS ___________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________
Please make check out to Habitat for Humanity of Orange County [a 501(c)3 organization] and write "Benefit Concert" on the memo line. _____I would like my donation to remain anonymous. For more information or with questions, please call 919-929-2193.
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