Matthew`s Musings - Church of the Resurrection, Copley Parish

The Epistle
The Church of the Resurrection
December 2014 - January 2015
December 2014 - January 2015
The monthly
The Church of the Resurrection (Episcopal)... where everybody is someone and Jesus is Lord
Newsletter
Matthew’s Musings
of
Copley Parish,
located at
Bridge and
Anchor Drives
Joppatowne, MD
410-679-8700 (O)
443-610-8533 (C)
craigmatthew3801
@gmail.com
[email protected]
“A Bridge to the
Future, Anchored in the
Past”
Sunday Worship:
8 AM
Holy Eucharist
Said Service
10 AM
Choral Eucharist and
Sunday School
Tuesday Worship
7 PM
Office Hours:
Wednesday and Friday,
9 to noon
Epistle Editor
Dani Rice
Ricepaddy2@
comcast.net
410-679-4249
The past few weeks have been
quite a whirlwind and this is a good
time to take stock of what we have
recently accomplished.
It hardly seems a month ago that
we began to set up the hall for our
Halloween Haunted House. I am
deeply grateful for Craig's leadership
and hard work as well as the many
volunteers who joined him in setting
up, enacting, and taking down the
Haunted Hall. This year we made a
distinct leap from the last year's set
up. We doubled the number of
rooms from three to six (all without
the room separators we removed for
Bingo), we had over a dozen volunteers who were children in the
neighborhood (we didn't even have
to go looking for them- they showed
up willingly because they remembered the last year's Haunted Hall),
and already by Saturday evening we
exceeded our profits from the previous year. Many people commented
that our Haunted Hall was certainly
professional quality.
The next week was another signature event on our calendar. Many
thanks to Judy and Galib for their
work and investment in the Night at
the Races. With over 40 people participating, the evening was a grand success. Again, I am grateful to all those
members who gave of their time setting up and taking down this signature
event.
The visit of Canon Slater was a
positive and affirming time. He was
impressed with the warmth of the congregation as well as our energy in worship and outreach. In addition, his
meeting with the vestry affirmed that I
as the priest in charge have developed
a strong and reliable working relationship with the vestry, and that this cooperation is bringing forth important
ideas and projects that reach out into
the community. The canon left with
some advice: allow the new parish
leadership to develop and define their
own roles.
Touching on the change in parish
leadership, I want to thank the departing leaders as well as those who are
stepping in to new roles. Many thanks
to departing people's warden Christine
and I am grateful that Mary Lou is taking the warden position. Many thanks
to our departing vestry members:
Carol, Herb, and Nancy and congratu-
Deadline for
February
www.copleyparish.org
01/20/15
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Continued on page 2
December 2014 - January 2015
The Church of the Resurrection
The Epistle
Matthew’s Musings II
continued from page 1
Much of the workshop was spent sharing ideas
and stories about what creative purposes different
parishes came up with all over the Episcopal
Church. Parishes all over the country were opening
day care facilities for children and the elderly,
hosting exercise classes, renting out space for a
bed and breakfast or functions like quinceaneras,
and many more ideas. Imagine the pride I had
when Canon Slater bounded over to my table to
tell me that the head of the ECBF had glowingly
told the story of a parish she visited which offered
a Halloween Haunted House to the community. He
cheered our parish on since we were already doing
that.
The point is that we are doing that and much
more. With all the events and outreach we are doing, I can tell you assuredly that we are on the
right track. We are doing what we ought to be doing. Our leadership change will revitalize our parish. Our events will give us greater financial security and purpose for our hall. Projects like the
prayer shawl ministry, Reading Buddies, and St.
George's Food Pantry outreach are the backbone of
our mission: To feed the hungry, comfort the sorrowing, to instruct others. I am delighted to say
with confidence, that we are doing what we ought
to be doing and our next agenda is to consider how
to build on our successes and make new and creative inroads in serving and reaching out to the
communities of Joppa and Edgewood.
In your charity, please remember those who
need our prayers especially: Helen, Clara, Pat and
Karl, Herb and Barb, Louise, and Joann and Ed.
lations to Kathleen and Linda (our new parish registrar). Incidentally, the remaining vestry members
are Pam, Diane, and Ken.
I am deeply grateful to Jim for his service for
going on 20 years as property warden. I am also
delighted to give him a break and allow Ronnie to
take the burden off Jim's shoulders. When she left,
the only piece of advice that Dr. J. insisted on was
that I ought to give Jim a rest. His job has become
simply too burdensome or too long and he, of all
the parish leaders, deserved his hiatus as soon as I
could find someone to take the load off. Ronnie is
our new property warden, with responsibility for
the parish building and the grounds. I know that Jim
still has an interest in several projects, including the
display cases in the narthex, the computer network,
as well as the cemetery. I'm sure we'll still see Jim
cutting tree branches outside when the temperature
warms up, since I think this sort of work is his true
love.
I announced the changes in parish leadership at
the annual meeting. They were embraced and applauded there and ratified by the first sitting of the
new vestry. I also spoke of the Episcopal Church
Building Fund (ECBF) workshop I attended the day
before.
The ECBF recently reinvented itself to focus on
building up congregations and to serve as a resource for congregations trying to come up with
alternative uses for their old buildings. To me the
real takeaway of the workshop was two processes:
first, to brainstorm and think creatively for repurposing our parish plant; second, to evaluate these
various ideas and perhaps put them into place.
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The Epistle
Money
Matters
Pledge Sheets
were handed out at
the Annual Meeting, and most were
turned in, although
a lot of folks were
not in attendance.
Our “barebones” budget for
the year is $81,350,
and the pledges received to date come
to $34,070, which
leaves us with a
short-fall of
$47.280.
So, the question
is, what are we going to do about it? If
you have not turned
in your pledge,
please do so.
The wolf has
been at our door for
so long the county
wants us to buy him
a license.
We can’t live on
fundraisers and
Redner’s tapes,
folks.
The Church of the Resurrection
December 2014 - January 2015
Parish News and Notes
Our deepest sympathy to
Kathy Grumbach on the death
of her sister, Edith Graham.
Edie died on November 8th, after a lengthy illness. She was
just a few days short of her 81st
birthday.
Pat reports that Karl is doing
very well with his pulmonary
therapy. Making good progress
and wishing he had started it
earlier.
Nancy Neal, who attends the
8:00 service, has been home
bound for several weeks. Please
remember her in your prayers
and drop her a note - or give
her a buzz.
Clara Lema was admitted to
the hospital on Monday, November 24th, for back surgery
(ug! no fun) and is progressing
“as well as can be expected” as
they say in the medical world.
Nancy Anderson and her sister, Pat Parkent, along with
three other members of her Flyball team, No Speed Limit, won
the Division 10 championship
at an international Flyball tournament held in Indianapolis the
weekend of October 16th.
Nancy was running her sister's
dog, Tejano, at the tournament
hosted by the North American
Flyball Association. Flyball is a
performance dog sport that is
somewhat similar to a dog relay
race. A team of four dogs and
their handlers run against another team. As the first dog is
released, it must run and clear
four jumps and reach a box at
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the end that contains a ball.
The dog must trigger the box
which causes the ball to spring
from the box. The dog must
catch the ball and run back
with it over all of the jumps
past the starting point. The
races run by Nancy's team usually last between 18 and 20 seconds.
Definitely not like this dog!
http://
www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/
11/19/golden-retriever-dogfails-obedience-testvideo_n_6186890.html
Speaking of dogs, Carmen
Klement called to say her dog
had died at the age of nineteen.
Those of you who remember
Carmen know that Monkey had
been her only companion for
the last eleven years. Her address is available if anyone
would like to send her a card or
note.
December 2014 - January 2015
The Church of the Resurrection
The Epistle
From the Rector’s Warden
For the short period that I have been Rector’s
Warden there have been many ups and downs here
at Copley Parish. The important thing to note is
that we are marking the second anniversary of Fr
Matthew D'Amario as a pastor. He is the third we
have had since my coming to this parish who, being younger, brings a different perspective and experiences. My appointment this past year was a
big change to the leadership structure. It was made
not because of poor performance of my predecessor, but out of the need to change things up and
give people a break. It has become evident that
people have worked in church positions longer than
they worked for a single company during their career and probably working harder. It is time for
people to step up and lend a hand.
Unfortunately, this year was marked by an increase in unfounded rumors about what was being
done or not be done to our church. I have heard
that there was a move to make us more like a
Catholic church, we were creating a hospitality
committee, and the Outreach Warden was making
decisions about the facilities. Most of these rumors
were based on personal opinion, fueled by the misinterpretations of electronic mail. This was the
leading cause of much turmoil and many of these
situations could have been averted. Hopefully, this
chapter in our history is closed.
This year has also marked many transformations. The grounds have changed with the moving
of the sheds and the removal of the old pine tree
out front. Neither of which we had a choice; Harford County ordnance dictated the sheds be moved
and Mother Nature that the tree come down. On
the interior, Cliff Tacie re-lettered the plaques over
the altar, the hall had a drastic makeover, the secretary’s office rearranged, the conference room has
been reconfigured to better accommodate its meetings function and we are currently working to get a
better display of historic Joppa Town.
In the area of outreach, we continue to make
great strides on as a part of the community. We
partnered with Riverside Elementary School to create a reading program to benefit children that has
continued to grow. Regular food drives, food donations and cash donations are becoming a fixture
at our church to support St George’s Food Pantry.
Moreover, we continue to become a centerpiece of
the community through various events at our
church. Some have been long standing fixtures
like AA and Boy Scouts, while others are new
outreach like health screenings and haunted
houses. Getting our kitchen up to code and our
hall clutter free have made us more of a public
venue. However, while we had successful endeavors, there were some unsuccessful attempts at
bringing great ideas to life; all of which have
given us valuable knowledge for the future but
caused some friction in the short term.
There is one alarming change that cannot be
ignored. We are in a downward trend and the impact is being felt in many areas. The change in
age demographics has left us with fewer young
children in the parish, so we no longer have acolytes and adults have taken on the role of crucifer.
It cannot be ignored that the size of the parish is
on the decline. While we are always welcoming
of new members to our parish family, we are
missing familiar faces for various reasons, some
of which are beyond our control. The irreversible
effects of an aging congregation are just a small
contributor of the issue and we need to look
within to reverse the trend. Fewer members leave
us with less hands to get the work done and a decrease in finances to meet the budgetary requirements. Fewer people are on the Rota, less folks
are helping out with building and grounds upkeep,
and it is hard to get the few members to volunteer
for Vestry and other positions. The trend is evident during Sunday services as more pews go vacant. If this trend continues, it will not be a question of will we close our doors, but when.
When we searched for a new priest, we were
“looking for a dynamic person who will provide
direction and encourage spiritual growth, increase
the population of the church, and lead us to financial stability. Our church family extends throughout multiple counties and we are looking not only
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The Epistle
The Church of the Resurrection
December 2014 - January 2015
From the Rector’s Warden, con’t.
Like Model
Trains?
The Mason Dixon
Large Scale Railroad Society will
have a display in
Bel Air Town Center. (Where Chili’s
is.) November 28,
29, 30, from
12:00pm to 8:00pm.
Thursdays and Fridays from 5:00pm
to 9:00pm. Saturdays noon to 9:000
and Sundays from
noon to 5:00
Christmas Eve
and Day - CLOSED
New Years Eve
and Day - CLOSED
Last run date will be
Saturday, January
10, 2015.
for a leader but an active member in our
community. We want our new rector to
be friendly, approachable , and compassionate; Have a love for children and
family; And most importantly, be open
to change.” This is what we wanted;
this is what we advertised in our parish
profile in 2010. We have that person,
Stephen
We Are Rolling up the Carpet
From Karen & Ken Hawley
For the past three decades it has been our privilege to share Christmas Eve with
you at our annual Open House. That first Christmas spent in Maryland, with our
family so far away, you gave us the sense of
"home". That Christmas
without walls, floors, or heat - you
came again. Then
there was the Christmas
where the eggnog
was unaccountability
overly spirited,
and the ones marked by sing
-a-longs.
Remember the broccoli soup
on the ceiling?
All these memories are joyful
and each of
you have become a precious part
of our family's
Christmas tradition. It is with deep
regret that the time
has come to roll up the carpet. Health and time constraints have taken their toll
and, alas, we are no longer able to host this gathering.
Merry Christmas...
The trains change
weekly, so go often!
See more about
them on their web
site:
www.mdlsrs.com
but the only way he can get the job
done is with the full support and cooperation of each member of this parish. It isn’t big things that are hurting
us; it’s an overabundance of small
things.
Jim and Dani Rice
invite you to
The Annual
Rice Paddy Open House
on Sunday, December 14th, 2014
12124 Philadelphia Road
from 2 until 6 PM
Come When You Can
Leave When You Must
410-679-4249
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December 2014 - January 2015
The Church of the Resurrection
The Epistle
From the Grounds Up
Hello!
I am honored to have been appointed to the
position of Property Warden. My plan is to continue to keep the high standards and quality of
the upkeep of the church as my predecessor Jim
Rice.
Ron Young
Good-bye!
It is with mixed feelings (angst, joy, glee, happiness, etc.) that I at long last (20 years give or
take) relinquish the title of Property Warden to
The Church of the Resurrection. I have been proud
to be trusted with this vital ministry and happy to
work with so many helpful and caring members
over the years but enough already!
I am pleased with the way our church is presented to the public with our beautiful buildings and
grounds and I know that your new Property Warden
Ron Young will continue to work with you in maintaining things in good order.
I will be available to assist in the various goingson but will not be ‘in charge’ any longer. Retirement! What a great thing to look forward to!
Jim Rice
December 6th
December 6th is going to be a very busy day!
We will be having our annual Christmas Bazaar and Bake Table at the church beginning at
10:00.
At the same time, Joann and friends will be
at Redner’s from 10:00 until 1:00, collecting
canned and non-perishable foods for St.
George’s Food Pantry. St. George’s feeds over
300 families each month, so this is a very important part of our outreach.
Meet, greet, and be grateful! Say Hello to
your friends and neighbors as they enter the
store, ask them to purchase something to donate,
and then thank them warmly when they leave.
JoAnn needs at least two more volunteers for the
day. This is an awkward day, but the girl Scouts had
the entire month of November booked, so here we
are. To volunteer, please call JoAnn at 410-5988088, or Dani at 410-679-4249.
Also, Holy Trinity, Churchville, will hold their
annual Breakfast With Santa from 8:30 to 11:30 on
the 6th. (You can eat breakfast and still make it back
in time to shop at the Bazaar and help JoAnn.) Information is on the table in the narthex.
Cookie Baking and Tree Lighting
Come join us Dec. 13th for baking Christmas cookies, singing Christmas carols
and lighting the Christmas tree! Bring your own ingredients at 10:00 and the
kitchen will be available for all who wish to enjoy the fellowship of common
baking! Christmas music will be playing and we will also be singing Christmas
carols together. When darkness falls, around 5:30, we will make our Christmas
tree on the flagpole. Come join the Christmas fun!
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The Epistle
The Church of the Resurrection
December 2014 - January 2015
Service Rota - December 2014
Altar Guild - Nancy Anderson, Barbara Baker & Pat Rawlings
December 7
Crucifer:
O.T.
LEM
Prayers
Ushers
December 21
Paula Sanders 
Dorian Burton
JoAnn Geier
Ken Grumbach
O.T.
LEM
Prayers
Albert & Clara Lema
O.T.
LEM
Prayers
Ushers:
Christine Moser
Ken Hawley
Dani Rice
Ushers
Dani & Jim Rice
December 14
Crucifer:

Crucifer:
December 28

Crucifer:
O.T.
LEM
Prayers
Christine Caines
JoAnn Geier
Gene Wilkinson
Ushers
Amanda & Tony Roman

Christine Caines
Dani Rice
Kathy Grumbach
Carole Kehring & Jim Rice
January 4
Please see the Website for the
Christmas Eve Rotas.
Acolytes:
A note to the folks who read
The Prayers of the People:
A copy of the Prayers, with all the blanks filled
in, can be found on the
Welcome Table in the narthex,
to the right of the large cross.
O.T.
LEM
Prayers
Ushers
Paula Sanders 
Christine Moser
JoAnne Geier
Ken Grumbach
Albert & Clara Lema
To find out what you will be reading go to:
http://www.lectionarypage.net/
Use the RCL list.
If you are unable to serve on your assigned Sunday, it is your responsibility to find a substitute and
contact the church office (410-679-8700) so the correct name will appear in the bulletin.
Chief Usher: Jim Rice 410-679
Lay Readers: Dani Rice 410-679-4249
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December 2014 - January 2015
The Church of the Resurrection
The Epistle
December 2014
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
4
5
6
Bazaar
10 AM
Teresa
Kowalczyk
7Advent II
8
9
Rebecca
Meyer
10
11
15
12
13
Cookie
Bake & Tree
Lighting
Judy Kawaja
14 Advent
Food Drive
10 AM
(see pg 6)
Carole
Kehring
St. George’s
Noon - 3 PM
16
17
Dot Czisny
(see pg 6)
Vestry 6 PM
18
19
20
III
Rice Paddy
Open House
2 - 6
21Advent
Louise
Strausburg
22
23
IV
29
Virginia Ches
Annie
Hendricks
Pam Reiter
25
26
27
Gary Sanders
 Family
Service 5:00
Choral Service 10:30
Mike
Woodfield
28
24Paula &
30
31
The Church of the Resurrection (Episcopal)
410-679-8700
Office Hours Wed & Fri 9- noon
Tuesday 7 PM HC - Said Service
Sunday 8 AM HC - Said Service
10 AM - Choral Eucharist, Sunday School & Nursery
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The Epistle
The Church of the Resurrection
December 2014 - January 2015
Service Rota - January 2015
Altar Guild - Dulcie Carey & Dani Rice
January 4
Crucifer:
O.T.
LEM
Prayers
Ushers
January 18
Paula Sanders 
Christine Moser
Joann Geier
Ken Grumbach
O.T.
LEM
Prayers
Albert & Clara Lema
O.T.
LEM
Prayers
Christine Caines
Kathy Grumbach
Ushers
January 11
Crucifer:

Crucifer:
January 25

Crucifer:
O.T.
LEM
Prayers
Christine Caines
JoAnn Geier
Ushers
Ushers:

Dani Rice
Carole Kehring & Jim Rice
February 1
A note to the folks who read
The Prayers of the People:
A copy of the Prayers, with all the blanks filled
in, can be found on the
Welcome Table in the narthex,
to the right of the large cross.
Acolytes:
O.T.
LEM
Prayers
Ushers
To find out what you will be reading go to:
http://www.lectionarypage.net/
Use the RCL list.
Paula Sanders 
JoAnn Geier
Ken Grumbach
Albert & Clara Lema
If you are unable to serve on your assigned Sunday, it is your responsibility to find a substitute and
contact the church office (410-679-8700) so the correct name will appear in the bulletin.
Acolyte Head: Ken Hawley 410-852-0003
Chief Usher: Jim Rice 410-679-4249
Lay Readers: Dani Rice 410-679-4249
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December 2014 - January 2015
The Church of the Resurrection
The Epistle
January 2015
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
The Church of the Resurrection (Episcopal)
410-679-8700
Office Hours Wed & Fri 9- noon
Tuesday 7 PM HC - Said Service
Sunday 8 AM HC - Said Service
10 AM - Choral Eucharist, Sunday School & Nursery
4
11
5
12
6
13
7
14
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
8
9
10
Vestry 6 PM
Ron Meyer
15
16
17
22
23
24
Rebecca
Smith
Ron Young
30
31
St. George’s
Noon - 3:00
18
19
20
21
Ellen Tacie
25
26
27
28
29
Tim Meyer
Tony Roman
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The Epistle
The Church of the Resurrection
December 2014 - January 2015
Burn Those Calories!
Ever wonder how long it takes to burn off those
Holiday calories? Well, thanks to Heath.com, you
don’t need to wonder any more. (However, you
may not like the answers.)
Sweet Potato Casserole: Sweet potatoes are good
for you. Brown sugar and marshmallows are not.
Ski downhill for 35 minutes to burn off 250 calories.
Giant Turkey Leg:
Over 1,000 calories enough for three
meals. Run the Turkey Trot 5K run and then run it three
more times.
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy: Oh! Cream and butter and salt! Yum. 230 calories for 3/4 of a cup. Do
jumping jack for 25 minutes.
Glazed Ham: Good choice! A three ounce slice is
only 120 calories. Go hiking for 15 minutes.
Apple Pie: Apples are good, but the
added sugar and fat don’t help. 300 calories per
slice. Build a snowman for an hour.
Pumpkin Pie: Actually one of the better choices.
Limit yourself to 1/8 of a pie and you
can ice skate it off in 45 minutes.
Store Bought Stuffing: one-half cup has 150 calories. Run it off in 15 minutes.
Green Bean Casserole: Only 120 calories, but a
total sodium bomb. Volunteer at St. George’s for a
half an hour.
Pecan Pie: You don’t want to know. Sugar, eggs,
corn syrup, and pecans? Shovel snow for an hour
and 15 minutes.
St. George’s Winter Gear Give-Away
In addition to Christmas Food, St. George’s will be giving out much-needed winter
clothing on December 10th.
If you have items which your children - or you - have outgrown, or just gotten tired of
wearing, please bring them to the church before that date. A bin will be provided in the
narthex. While we are primarily looking for gently worn children’s clothing, items for
adults are also needed and welcomed. Coats, jackets, mittens, gloves, hats and scarves.
Feeling gratitude and not expressing it,
is like wrapping a present and not giving it.
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December 2014 - January 2015
The Church of the Resurrection
The Epistle
The Church of the Resurrection (Episcopal)
Bridge and Anchor Drives
P.O. Box 222
Joppa, MD 21085-0222
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The Epistle