Ambassador Edward Gabriel

TIDINGS
The Newsletter of Christ Church – St. Michael’s Parish (Episcopal)
Pentecost: From Fear to Proclamation
Sunday, May 19th
“Hail thee, festival day! Blest day
that art hallowed forever, day when
the Holy Ghost shone in the world
with God’s grace. (Hymn 225, The
Hymnal, 1982). On March 30th we
moved from Lent and Holy Week
into Easter as we celebrated the
resurrection of Jesus the Christ.
From Easter Day until the Feast of
Pentecost we live in that season of
Eastertide—the fifty days between
these two momentous events for all
Christians. Throughout this season
we hear stories of Jesus’ postresction
resurrection appearances—the road
to Emmaus, doubting Thomas,
Peter on the beach. The Gospels are filled with stories of how the
disciples and many of Jesus’ followers were so fearful in the aftermath
of the resurrection: they hid, they were confused, and they went back
to their prior vocations. Eventually, however, their behavior changed.
The risen Christ continues to teach the disciples and leaves them with
the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is this Spirit that transforms these
disciples from fear-filled followers into followers who proclaim the
news of Christ’s resurrection to all with ears to hear. We celebrate this
transformation on the Feast of Pentecost, which falls on May 19th. Please
plan to join us for this inspiring and spirit-filled celebration in the life
of the Church. And wear RED!
Sunday Morning Adult Forum: May 12th
Ambassador Edward Gabriel
Sunday morning, May 12th is a very
exciting day at Christ Church. In addition
to welcoming back our former rector
Erv Brown, we also welcome The
Honorable Edward Gabriel, former U.S.
Ambassador to Morocco. Ambassador
Gabriel will speak on the topic of “The
Arab Spring and its Legacy for
Christianity in the Middle East”
May 2013
Welcoming Back
The Rev’d Erv Brown
Guest Preacher
Sunday, May 12th
Please join us in welcoming back to
the pulpit of Christ Church, the
Reverend Erv Brown. Erv served
Christ Church as its 33rd Rector from
1995 until his retirement in 2002.
Since retiring from Christ Church
Erv has served as an interim rector
in parishes in Massachusetts and
Maryland and assists at Memorial
Church in Baltimore. A gifted
preacher and speaker, with a passion
for the Holy Land, we are excited to
welcome Erv back to Christ Church
on May 12th where he will preach at
both services.
Memorial Day Weekend
Sunday, May 26th at 9:00 AM
Combined Service of
Worship
“Trinity Sunday”
Lemonade on the Lawn follows the service!
103 Willow Street, P.O. Box S
St. Michaels, MD 21663
Tel: 410-745-9076 Fax: 410-745-5760
e-mail: [email protected]
Office Hours: 9:00AM – 4:00PM, Monday-Thursday
Weekly Service Schedule:
Morning Prayer – 9:00AM Mondays through Fridays
Holy Eucharist (Londonderry) – 1:30PM 1st & 3rd Thursdays
Sunday Services: 8:00AM & 9:30AM
Submissions to the TIDINGS monthly parish
newsletter are due on the
10th of the previous month
Please email items for publication to
[email protected]
or leave in newsletter editor’s mailbox
located at the parish house
Newsletter editor: Peter Houck
Prayer
Through no fault of her own, my mother had trouble falling in love with me when I
was an infant. Some of it was timing--I was born less than three months before her
beloved father died. I am not sure he ever held me, and I know, being a mother
myself, how watching your parent adore your child expands your heart, connects you
differently with both your own parent and your child. She didn’t have that, and she
was grieving her father’s death during the first year of my life. There were some days
when my newborn demands simply felt too much, and though my diapers were
changed with care and my tummy kept full, the affection and adoration that I might
have had was swallowed by a deep grief for a beloved father.
Does this mean I don’t know how much my mother loved me? No, as if I hadn’t already figured it out, my
mother’s stubborn clinging to life my last year of seminary underscored her commitment to my well-being. Five
times those last nine months I was called to her deathbed, where she immediately rallied, once I arrived. My family
nick-named me ‘the elixir of life.’ The evening of my graduation from seminary, my sister and daughters and I called
to share the day’s joyful events, and the next day she stopped eating. A week later we were planning her funeral.
As I learned about infant development, and how my infant experience of my mother affected my view of life, I
began to understand that, like many others, I have translated my early responses to my mother into my standard
response to God. In the parlance of infant mental health, I adapted to my mother’s limited energy by becoming an
infant who perpetually “saved it for the big one.” We are the ones who, as babies, willingly signaled our caregivers
about needs like wet diapers, empty tummies or gassy bellies. But boredom, desire for connection or other needs
that did not risk survival--not so much. It turns out, babies are exquisitely sensitive to the energy level of their
caregivers, and learn early on that when there isn’t much available, it is best to ask for only what is truly essential.
So, guess what? Though in my head, and by past experience, I understand that God’s love, attention and energy for
me are boundless, asking for God’s help usually isn’t my first thought when I bump into my own personal troubles.
As a baby I got a PhD in self-sufficiency; and to take care of my needs myself is the knee-jerk reaction I have been
working to unlearn for much of my adult life. But, thanks be to God (and I say that with great sincerity!), “I can
figure this out” or “I can do this myself” have, over time, lessened as I have learned to ask “Help me understand,”
and “Help me do what you want me to do.”
Anne Lamott has a new book on prayer called Help, Thanks, Wow; The Three Essential Prayers. The title alone is
an important reminder that we don’t need to be sophisticated in our prayer and that prayer begins simply by trusting
that God longs to share our deepest moments. Like my mother, who I am sure also longed, but unlike her too, in
that God’s capacity for meeting us in the midst of all the circumstances of our lives is unbounded. So, I am still
learning to pray, learning to ask for God’s companionship and learning to recognize it when I have forgotten to ask,
and expect to be learning that for my whole life. You too?
-- Lynn+
Looking Back on Ten Years
Ten years ago this month, I was interviewed via telephone by the search committee
of Christ Church (this is before Skype and Facetime became the primary vehicles for
search committee interviews). Afterwards, the committee arranged to visit me in
Chicago; and Fritz Riedlin, who was then the Senior Warden; Helen Bower and
Sandy King traveled to St. Chrysostom’s for an in-person interview. Shortly
thereafter, Abigail, Asa and I flew to BWI, where we were met by search committee
chairman, Chris Whyman, who told me that I was one of 106 candidates. Not to get
too bogged down in the process, but in September 2003, we arrived in St. Michaels
to begin our new ministries with you at Christ Church. Abigail served as associate
here for seven years, from 2003-2010. And on September 28th, I will mark my tenth anniversary as your rector. In
many regards, this time has flown by; yet ten years, a decade, is a long time.
Clergy consultants often divide a rector’s tenure into distinct chapters or segments that seem universal, regardless of
denomination or geographical location. The First Year is filled with excitement and challenge, and the primary
feeling is “Which door does this key open?” It’s really a honeymoon of sorts, as you learn how the parish “works.”
It is a time filled with coffees, teas and other small group visits and gatherings. The Second Year is an extension of
the honeymoon, albeit here with a capital campaign and breaking ground on a new parish house. The Third Year is
a time for finding one’s stride and getting comfortable in one’s role as rector. You have a sense of the parish, its
history and goals, and a sense of the direction in which you wish to lead the parish. At Christ Church, this time
coincided with the completion and dedication of the new parish house and establishing outreach, wider mission,
and hospitality as the hallmarks of our parish.
By the Fourth Year, many clergy become restless. It can be a time when clergy struggle to rediscover their passion
for ministry, and many leave their parishes for new calls or enroll in D.Min programs. Fortunately, at Christ
Church, this time in my ministry coincided with the fundraising and building of a dental clinic on the campus of El
Hogar in Honduras and with our record-high average Sunday attendances and revenues pledged to the parish. The
Fifth Year is often a latency year. People begin to trust you; some even like you. A core group has come to love
you. It is a time for taking stock and looking ahead and contemplating a sabbatical, which is exactly what happened.
After a wonderful fifth anniversary celebration organized by Chris Whyman and Alison Sanford, my family and I
spent a part of our Sixth Year on sabbatical in Australia. This is also a period of ministry management and staff
turnover as the parish may move into a new direction post-sabbatical. The pivotal years occur in years Seven and
Eight, when an emotional shift happens. You are officiating at the funerals of “friends” rather than “church
members,” and an entire generation of children who grew up in the church has moved into adulthood. The Ninth
Year is marked by a transition from “management” to one of “relationships.” You realize that this is your church
and your home and, as such, your relationship with the congregation becomes deeper, more honest, more intimate,
and more vulnerable. Ministry becomes more about relationships and less about programs and management.
And that is where we stand on the threshold of year Ten. By now, you know my strengths, my foibles, my
shortcomings and my passions. And I know both the strengths and the growing edges of our parish. Our ministry
has become more shared, more trusting, as we look to accomplishing new things together while nurturing our
parish community. We know what we have done, but are not sure of what’s next. It is indeed an exciting time and
maybe a little frightening. Nevertheless, now is the time when our ministry begins again as we pray about the life
and direction of this parish in the years to come.
--Mark Nestlehutt
PARISH LIFE A Lent, Holy Week and Easter Sunday Thank
You
– Carolyn Wasdyke, Senior Warden
As I reflect upon the extraordinary season of Lent, Holy Week and Easter Sunday, I wish to thank each person who
participated in the multitude of services and events. Thank you to the Church Staff, the Acolyte Guild, the Altar
Guild, the choirs, the eucharistic ministers, the Flower Guild, participants in the Passion Narration, those who sat
vigil, as well as the greeters, readers, ushers, and members of the vestry. A special and heartfelt thank-you goes out
to Mark and Lynn, who provided their spiritual leadership and extraordinary dedication throughout the entire
season. Because of each of you, Christ Church offered a series of meaningful and spiritual opportunities to mark
the sacrifice that Christ made for us, as well as to celebrate his Resurrection.
The Lenten season was observed through our “Popcorn
Theology” series, which examined the themes of pilgrimage
and journey, with an engaging discussion following each film.
The Covenant Church dinners provided an opportunity to
share a meal and spiritual message, as we joined in
fellowship with our neighboring churches.
Palm Sunday marked the beginning of Holy Week, which
began by joining our neighboring churches with the
distribution of palm branches in Muskrat Park. The Passion
of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke narrative was enacted
by our children and adults, a solemn event that concluded
with the clergy and parishioners recessing in silence.
Sharing an agape meal on Maundy Thursday with simple
Lenten fare and scripture readings was a meaningful way to
remember Jesus’ last supper. Following the agape meal, we
gathered in the church for the Maundy Thursday Liturgy, which included the moving experience of the foot
washing and stripping of the alter, leaving the church empty and barren, like a tomb.
Our parishioners volunteered to keep vigil for one hour of prayer or
meditation throughout the night, just as Jesus had commanded his
disciples to stay awake while he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Good Friday morning ended the all-night vigil and was followed by a
12:00 noon liturgy. The Stations of the Cross service was held that
evening, an adaptation to local usage of a custom widely observed by
pilgrims in Jerusalem. The Great Vigil of Easter was a beautiful
candlelight service held on Saturday evening to mark Christ’s Passover
from death to life, followed
by a celebration of cake and
champagne in Etherton Hall.
Easter Sunday brought the opportunity to attend one of four services,
beginning with the Sunrise Service at the Maritime Museum. Children
joyfully took part in the traditional Easter egg hunt in Muskrat Park.
My hope for the future is that we can carry the spiritual messages from
these special events with us throughout our year to help us bring
meaning to our lives and the lives of others.
Scenes from Palm Sunday in Muskrat Park – Photos by Elizabeth Foulds
Maundy Thursday
Agape Meal, Eucharist and
Foot Washing
Photos by Jim Proctor
Images from Easter
Sunday by Jim Proctor
PARISH & COMMUNITY LIFE
Transformation -- The Spring
Rummage Sale -- Judy Sandground
From the photos below taken by Bud Keiser, you can see that our physical space in Etherton Hall was transformed
during the week of April 7 for our Annual Spring Rummage Sale.
Our parishioners who were in that space during the week – bringing donations, dropping off food and snacks,
unloading, sorting and folding, pricing and counting - were touched by the amazing process we experienced.
Transforming all those boxes and bags of used items into a real store with departments and merchandise enticingly
displayed is challenging and requires creativity. It is hard work but the friendships and reconnections made are very
special and help us become closer as a parish family.
When the shoppers arrived on Friday (in the rain) and on Saturday, our volunteers reached out warmly and with big
smiles to make them feel welcomed and comfortable. During the traditional $2 bag sale on Saturday, it sounded like
a great party with much laughter and conversation. The experience was a bit transformative not only for our
volunteers but also for the shoppers who left with armloads of things that they can use or wear or give or play with.
At the end of the sale everything that was left was transferred into big bags and taken away to support the work of
three local charitable organizations. All the tables, racks, hangers and shelves were carried out, and Etherton Hall
was transformed back to the space we all know. The ECW bank account grew (another transformation) by $9,697.
This money will be dispersed to charitable organizations assisting children, families and the elderly, and we pray
these gifts will have a transforming effect on the recipients. So the next time you think of the word
“transformation,” please think of our rummage sales and of all the good that they do.
Below: the volunteers, the buyers and sellers, and finally, the piece de resistance, displayed by the author.
St. Michaels Running Festival 2013
With the 2013 St. Michaels Running Festival – affectionately known by many
as “SMRF” – just over a month away, race organizers Sparrow Rogers and
Peter Paris have once again reached out to the parishioners at Christ Church to help make this event a success for
the community and local charities. The race already has over 2,200 participants signed up, with approximately 12 %
of runners supporting one of our local charities. In 2012, the event raised over $10,000 for the YMCA, St. Michaels
Community Center and Hurricane Sandy Relief efforts. This year, they are raising funds for many other community
partners such as Habitat Choptank, the Humane Society, the YMCA, the
Community Center, the Women’s and Girls’ Fund, the Yellow Ribbon Fund,
the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, the Lila Bean Foundation for
Pediatric Brain Cancer Research, the St. Michaels Elementary School PTA –
and others! Their goal is to raise twice as much this year as they did last year,
and they need a lot of help from volunteers to make it all happen.
If you are available to help at the race on May 18 or to help with pre-race
preparations on May 16 and May 17, please contact Volunteer Coordinator
Visit
BevLee Kegan at [email protected] or 410-770-9000.
www.RunStM.com for all the event details and help us make this event great
for our community!
Above: Some of the hundreds of runners in last year’s St. Michaels Running Festival. These runners were competing
in the half-marathon. Photos were provided by Peter Paris, the festival’s co-organizer.
The St. Michaels Community Food Pantry
-- Beth and Howard Eckel
Thanks to the continued generosity of parishioners, local residents, and community organizations, the Food
Pantry’s shelves are nicely stocked, and there is chicken in our freezer. Our neighbors-in-need were grateful to
be offered a small deli-ham, oranges, bananas and jelly beans during their visits the week before Easter. We’re
fortunate to have several new additions to our volunteer roster: Bill Corba, Joyce Rall, and Neil Armstrong.
CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Christian Formation for Children
-- Lee Thomas (who also provided the image below.)
Our Church School program year for 2012-2013 is coming
to an end – our last classroom day will be on Sunday, May 19th, so
mark your calendars! We’ll spend time in the next few weeks to
review and reflect on our time together since September, and share
ideas for some possible summer activities. (We’ve decided to host
our Open House in the Fall rather than in May, so we can look
forward to that as plans develop.) For the past nine months we
have been ‘stepping out in faith’ with our children, and I’ve so
enjoyed the journey…and hope the other volunteer leaders and
children have too! I want to take this opportunity to thank
everyone involved in our program – our children and their families,
our volunteers in the classroom, our ‘guild’ of supporters, our felt
cutters, gluers, and assembly teams, our paparazzi, our bulletin
board designer, our classroom renovators, our classroom
‘custodians,’ and our vestry and clergy. I especially want to thank Reverend Lynn for her inspiration,
encouragement, and seemingly boundless energy along the way. We are truly blessed to have so many involved in
our children’s ministry – Alleluia!
Above: Our Beulah Land Creation Story, created by our many volunteers.
Youth Group Painting Bowls -- From the left: Ashleigh Kerrigan, Chris Newberg, Mimi Sanford, Zoe
Thomas and a friend, all working on (or contemplating) their bowls. The painted bowls are sold to raise funds to combat hunger.
.
May Birthdays and Anniversaries
Birthdays
5/1
5/3
5/4
5/6
5/10
5/11
5/13
Jim McCloud, Susan Vail
Paul Makosky
Betty Jacoby
Gene Rall
Edie Huddleston
Timothy Magee
Ed Young
5/14
5/16
5/17
5/20
5/21
5/26
Darya Campi, Molly Taylor
Carol Carlson
Jim Campi
Norman Shannahan, Joan Zwemer
Karen Orem
Shirley Gooch, Alison Sanford
5/29
5/30
5/31
Don Bickert, Melissa Malcolm,
Adison Parish
Diane Dinkel, Ryleigh Kealy,
Leigh Nash, Barbara Wroth,
Robert Zeigler
Jo Crouch
Anniversaries
5/11
5/12
James & Sherri Atkinson; Andrew & Robin Donald
John & Martha Austin
From the Parish Register:
5/14
5/20
John & Emily Miller; Fred & Linda Tompkins
Philip & Louisa Parkinson
One Baptism: Elijah Matthew Mabe, April 7, 2013
REACHING OUT
Bear one another’s burdens and in this way you will
fulfill the law of Christ… For all men must carry their
own loads. Galatians 6:2, 5
Recently, at a Stephen Ministry gathering, the idea came up to share some of the
concepts we learned in training that we have found helpful in our daily relationships.
Before I became a Stephen Minister, I had already assumed the role of confident
and hopefully, non-judgmental listener to various friends and family. I was usually
inclined to try to “fix” the problem at hand. Sometimes solutions would be so clear
to me that I would become frustrated with repeated conversations that never resolved the issue. I thought my role
as friend included problem solver. WRONG. Enter Stephen Ministry training.
In one of our Stephen Ministry workbooks, there were three very effective
illustrations. The first depicted a distressed person standing in the bottom of a deep
pit. Looking over the edge is another figure wondering how to help. Then, an
illustration shows both figures in the bottom of the pit, miserably stuck. The warning
to the class was clearly “Don’t climb down into that pit!” You might become as
overwhelmed and troubled as the person you are trying to help. Finally, illustration
number three depicts the figure on the edge tossing a lifeline to our friend at the
bottom. Empathy is defined as “feeling another’s problems WITHOUT actually
taking them on yourself.” This was difficult for me.
Stephen Ministry training emphasizes this simple fact. GOD is always the solution
and cure for all that ails us. HE is the lifeline. We, as Stephen Ministers, as friends, as
parents, and as spouses, can listen, encourage and throw God-inspired lifelines to those in need. We can pray and
care deeply, but we do not have the answer. Only GOD can “fix it.” – Susie Granville
Sunday, May 12, Will Be Our United Thank Offering Ingathering. For 124 years,
UTO has been an active outreach arm of the Episcopal Church. In its early years, the Women's Auxiliary collected
money at General Convention and used it to expand the mission of the church. Then the grants supported training
church women to become missionaries at home and abroad and funded the building of schools, hospitals and
churches.
Today, UTO supports new, innovative projects and programs all over the United
States and around the world. These programs alleviate poverty and transform unjust
structures of society. In these efforts, UTO continues its focus on women and
children in need. In 2013, $30,000 was granted to the Virginia Diocese to establish a
faith-based reentry program for incarcerated women in The Virginia Correctional
Facility for Women.
That’s half of our story. The reason we contribute, because we are thankful, is the other half. On May 12, we will
become prayers of thanksgiving in action. Our thank-you note to God will be written on May 12 in the form of a
check or as a contribution in the collection plate.
Many of St. Paul’s letters opened expressing his need to give thanks to God. In his letter to the Thessalonians: he
wrote, “I give thanks to God for you all;” to the Colossians, “We always thank God for. . ;” to the Corinthians, ”I thank my
God always concerning you for. . ;” and to the Ephesians: “I do not cease to give thanks for. . . . How will we end that
sentence? “I give thanks to God for____________.” Note: When writing check, please make Christ Church the
payee, and on the memo line, please write United Thank Offering. Thank you. -- Carol Carlson
News of Habitat – John Hunnicutt
“For a community to be whole and healthy, it must be based on
people’s love and concern for each other.” -- Millard Fuller, Founder of
Habitat for Humanity
Become a Habitat volunteer.
There are many ways to get involved, and they don’t all require taking hammer or saw in
hand. Of course, help with construction is needed, but also needed is service on a
committee, lending a hand in the office, taking on a special project or providing
guidance to an existing Habitat homeowner. What are some specific volunteer
opportunities?
-- Family Selection Committee: help identity future Habitat Choptank homeowners.
-- Homeowner Support Committee: support and assist a Habitat homeowner.
-- Mortgage Servicing Committee: help manage homeowner mortgages.
-- Site Selection Committee: join in the responsibility for land acquisition, land
planning and environmental and community impact.
-- Partnership Committee: help guide partner families through the process of
becoming homeowners.
-- Faith Relations Committee: join in cultivating relationships and partnerships with the faith community.
Essential to any Habitat construction project are the “Cookie Crew” and the “Lunch Bunch” who ensure that
jobsite volunteers are well cared for with cookies and lunch. So ignore any apprehensions about your construction
skills, and volunteer your culinary skills.
If your aspirations include being part of the construction of a house or apartment and creating a home for a family,
then volunteer in participating in the tasks of flooring, renovating, painting, tiling, insulating, framing, landscaping
or weatherization. No level of construction experience or skill is unwelcome. If your talents lend themselves to a
retail enterprise, the Habitat ReStore, an outlet that accepts donated household goods for resale, needs volunteers
to accept the donations, organize and inventory the materials and goods for resale, greet and assist customers and
manage checkout. There is work to be done and families to help. Consider joining some of your fellow
parishioners in building a future for others in our community. Contact John Hunnicutt for more information.
CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS
Men’s Club: May Focuses on Our
Veterans
We close our program year by celebrating the
veterans of this great nation. Pictured at left is
Anthony “Tony” Principi, Vice President,
Board of Directors of the Wounded Warrior
Project, will address the group on May 11th at
8:00 am. A Vietnam veteran himself, he was
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from 2001 to 2005 and brings a wealth of
experience, knowledge and the current thinking on caring for our veterans.
Make your reservation now! Call Ray Wasdyke at 410-745-8547 or e-mail him
at: [email protected] . Come and join us and bring a friend to join you
for all these breakfast events. Have a good breakfast for only $10 and listen to a
great speaker talk about our nation’s veterans, May 11th at 8:00 am in Etherton
Hall. If you have questions or ideas for future speakers, send me an e-mail: [email protected] .
Docents’ Guild – Linda Makosky
CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS The Docents' Guild Spring meeting took place on
March 23rd. Twenty-two docents enjoyed companionship, coffee and crisp cookies
provided by Chair Irmy Webster. We were happy to meet our newest docent, Julie
Hart, seen at right. (Photos were provided by the author.)
Julie introduced herself by giving an important credential; she is the daughter of the late
Peg Tyler. Peg was the much-loved first scheduler of the guild, known then as the
"Visitors' Guild." Julie went on to say that she is a retired Lutheran minister and we can
think of her as a "Lutherpalian!"
Another highlight of the meeting was the presentation by Lee Thomas of her draft of a
revised Docents' Handbook. Lee, seen at lower right, led a lively brainstorming
discussion, bringing out many useful suggestions for improving and expanding the
handbook.
With the advent of May, docents begin their scheduled shifts in the church. We look
forward to many interesting experiences during the coming season. Anyone interested
in becoming a docent is always welcome. To join the group, please call the scheduler,
Lillian Watts, at 410-745-9999, or email her at [email protected].
The Lay Weeders
-- Lin Clineburg; Photo by Bud Keiser
On a chilly Wednesday morning before Easter, the intrepid Lay Weeders began the annual spring clean-up at the
Christ Church Parish House and churchyard. The pansies planted last fall had struggled through the winter with
only a modest percentage in robust good health.
We weeded, raked, removed old growth from
plants and prepared the ground for the new
season with George Short’s help on the rototiller.
New violas were planted for the Easter
celebrations, and the Parish Garden was dressed
for spring.
If you would like the opportunity of serving your
Church as a Lay Weeder, our group of merry
gardeners would be glad for your company. We
meet on Monday mornings at 8:00 am
throughout the seasons, as the need arises.
Please contact Lin Clineburg at 410-745-0025 .
Pastoral Care Is Important
A short reminder; Pastoral Care is part of our individual relationships to the Parish. The Clergy want to reach
out to us when we are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity. Our confidence and privacy are
respected, but sometimes no one tells the Clergy of our needs. Pastoral Care is yours for the asking, and the
Wardens hope you ask. -- George Dixon, Junior Warden
CARING for CREATION
Living with a Warming Climate -George Kaplan, Chair, Environmental Ministries Commission
I’m writing this during Holy Week, and up here in Cecil County we just had a 3-inch snowfall that closed the
schools for a day. The daffodils look sad poking up through the snow, but they will survive. It seems as if spring
will never arrive, although the songs of the birds in the morning and the frogs in the evening tell us otherwise. By
the time you read this, spring will surely be in full bloom.
We complained a lot about how long this past winter
seemed to last, but a look at local history books tells us that
winters a century ago were a lot harder. Harvesting of ice
from the Susquehanna River in wintertime was big business
back then, and destructive ice jams in the spring were not
unusual. On the left: ice blockage at Port Deposit on the
Susquehanna in ca. 2004. (Source: Maryland State Archives)
In the winter of 1852, railroad tracks were laid across the
frozen river between Havre de Grace and Perryville.
Scientific measurements tell us now that the planet is
warming, and local evidence of that isn’t hard to find.
As polar ice melts, sea level everywhere is slowly but
inexorably rising, perhaps by two feet or more by 2100. This is a problem for the Eastern Shore, because we have a
lot of very low-lying land. Dorchester County will be the hardest hit of all Maryland counties, because much of its
area is less than 10 feet above the current sea level. A few years ago, Old Trinity Church (Dorchester Parish) in
Church Creek created a “living shoreline,” using a natural buffer of marsh grass to protect its property from wave
action erosion as sea level rises. The shoreline also provides new shallow-water habitat for marine life. Camp
Wright Director Dee Zeller wants to do something similar there.
Another place where the encroaching water is being felt is the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, south of
Cambridge. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (which manages Blackwater) estimates that several thousand acres
of wetlands have already been lost to erosion and sea level rise, at a rate of about 300 acres (about ½ square mile)
per year. The marsh ecology is not able to adjust rapidly enough to this change, and areas of dead trees can be seen
at Blackwater, evidence of the rising salt water level. Below: some of the dead trees at Blackwater Refuge.
As announced at the diocesan convention, the staff of the
Pickering Creek Audubon Center has been working with the
Environmental Ministries Commission to arrange a Diocese of
Easton “Day in the Marsh” event at Blackwater on April 27.
This event will give us an opportunity not just to reflect on our
call to be stewards of the Earth, but also to understand more
fully the natural systems at work in the salt marsh, the threats to
them, and how we can help. This event will soon be over, but
there are opportunities in May to help plant some new marsh
grass at Blackwater. Contact me for more information.
The overwhelming scientific consensus is that our warming
climate is primarily due to greenhouse gas emissions, like carbon dioxide, to which we all contribute. Sea level rise
is happening, and it is affecting our diocese. How do we respond? With resignation and despair, or apathy? Or do
we resolve to simplify our lives and leave smaller footprints on the planet? If you need some ideas, see
https://www.bridgingthegap.org/five-green-things/ . And here’s one more: let’s press our political leaders to
make reducing CO2 emissions an urgent national priority. ([email protected])
~ May 2013 ~
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Morning Prayer
Monday – Friday
9 AM
5
6 Easter
8 AM Holy Eucharist
9 AM Coffee Hour
9:15 AM Adult Forum
10:15 AM Parish
Family Eucharist
11:30 AM Lemonade
on the Lawn
12
7 Easter
Mother’s Day
UTO Sunday
Pentecost
8 AM Holy Eucharist
9 AM Coffee Hour
9:15 AM Adult Forum;
Church School
10:15 AM Holy
Eucharist & Christian
Formation Recognition
11:30 AM Lemonade
on the Lawn
12 PM Prayer Chain
Meeting
2 PM Baccalaureate
Service
26
Trinity Sun.
9 AM Holy Eucharist
10 AM Lemonade on
the Lawn
Thursday
2
7
8
9
6:45 AM ‘Bridges Out
of Poverty’ Breakfast
Church School Review
Meeting
7 PM ‘Saving Jesus
Redux’
10:30 AM Wardens
Meeting
2:30 PM Staff Meeting
6 PM Bell Choir
Practice
11 AM Book
Discussion
7 PM Chancel Choir
Practice
8 PM AA Meeting
13
14
10:30 AM ECW Board
Meeting
10:30 AM Council of
the Wise Meeting
11:30 AM ECW
Meeting
2:30 PM Staff Meeting
7 PM Vestry Mtg
15
16
11 AM Book
Discussion
7 PM Chancel Choir
Practice
1:30 PM Holy
Eucharist at
Londonderry
8 PM AA Meeting
20
21
22
23
9:30 AM St. Michaels
Art League Meeting
4 PM Pastoral Care
Team Meeting
2:30 PM Staff Meeting
11 AM Book
Discussion
8 PM AA Meeting
7 PM ‘Saving Jesus
Redux’
Friday
Saturday
3
4
1:30 PM Holy
Eucharist at
Londonderry
8 PM AA Meeting
6
8 AM Holy Eucharist
9 AM Coffee Hour
9:15 AM Adult Forum;
Church School
10:15 AM Holy
Eucharist
11:30 AM Lemonade
on the Lawn
12 PM Worship &
Music Meeting
19
Wednesday
1
9:30 AM Welcome
Committee Meeting
11 AM Book
Discussion
6 PM Youth Choir
Supper
6:30 PM Youth Choir
Practice
7 PM Chancel Choir
Practice
Office Closed
10
11
Office Closed
Tidings Deadline
St. Andrew’s Society
of the Eastern Shore
Dinner
17
18
Office Closed
24
25
Office Closed
5 PM Christmas in St.
Michaels Meeting
7 PM ‘Saving Jesus
Redux’
Office Closed
3 PM Carty/Gregg
Wedding
Carty/Gregg Wedding
Rehearsal
5 PM Stephen
Ministry Supervision
27 Memorial Day
8 AM Men’s Club
Breakfast
28
29
30
2:30 PM Staff Meeting
4 PM Christmas in St.
Michaels Board
Meeting
11 AM Book
Discussion
8 PM AA Meeting
31
Office Closed
Ministry Areas of Christ Church
CHRISTIAN FORMATION
Adult Forum
Ray Wasdyke
Adult Inquirers
Mark Nestlehutt
Church School:
Ages 3-Grade 4
Lee Thomas
Rite 13
Ann Roe
Youth Confirmation
Mark Nestlehutt
Finances for three Months Ended March 31,
2013
Revenues
Actual – Current Month
Budget – Current Month
Over / (Under) – Current Month
Actual YTD ***
Budget YTD
Over / (Under) – YTD
Variances
$ 42,198
41,313
885 Favorable
166,351
173,613
(7,262) Unfavorable
Pledges
Actual – Current Month
Budget – Current Month
Over /(Under) – Current Month
Actual YTD
Budget YTD
Over / (Under) YTD
36,839
38,577
(1,738)
150,975
159,721
(8,746)
Unfavorable
Unfavorable
Expenses
Actual – Current Month
Budget – Current Month
Over/(Under) – Current Month
Actual YTD
Budget YTD
Over / (Under) YTD
48,523
43,009
5,514
154,621
145,862
8,759
Unfavorable
Unfavorable
Excess of Revenues over Expenses
or (Expenses over Revenues)
Actual – Current Month
Budget – Current Month
Over/(Under) – Current Month
Actual YTD
Budget YTD
Over / (Under) YTD
(6,325)
(1,696)
(4,629) Unfavorable
11,730
27,751
(16,021) Unfavorable
OUTREACH & WIDER MISSION
Back to School Project
Gillian Whyman, Judy Sandground
Children’s Home Found. Nance DuPont, Martha Austin
El Hogar Project
Bill Corba
Environmental Issues
Margie Steffens
Episcopal Relief & Dev. Pamela McCloud
Grants Committee
John Hunnicutt
Habitat for Humanity
John Hunnicutt
Honduran Dental Mission Jim Campi
St. Michaels Food Pantry Beth and Howard Eckel
Talbot Interfaith Shelter Pamela McCloud
United Thank Offering
Carol Carlson
PARISH & COMMUNITY LIFE
Coffee Hour
Mike Clark
Covenant Churches
Mark Nestlehutt
Disaster Preparedness
Linda Norris
Docents’ Guild
Irmy Webster
Episcopal Church Women Lynn Freeburger
Kitchen Committee
Mary Riedlin, Nancy Sipe
Lay Weeders
Lin Clineburg
Lea Library
Robert & Marilyn Barrett
Lemonade/Cider in Hall Alison Sanford
Men’s Club
George Dixon
Parish Paparazzi
Bud Keiser
Tidings Newsletter
Peter Houck
Welcoming Committee
Cathy Mendenhall
PASTORAL CARE
Eucharistic Visitors
Pastoral Care Team
Prayer Chain
Stephen Ministry
Jessie Weddle
Mark Nestlehutt
Alice Utterback
Ann Roe
STEWARDSHIP
Finance Committee
Property
Stewardship
Senior Teller
Tom Orem
Elizabeth Foulds, John Masone
George Dixon, Jim Vail
Larry McCanna
WORSHIP & MUSIC
Acolyte Guild
Altar Guild
Choirs:
Chancel & Youth
Handbell
Euch. Ministers & Readers
Flower Guild
Greeters/Oblation Bearers
Ushers
Sparrow Rogers, Ann Roe
Helen Bower, Judy Hause
William Thomas
Lynne Phillips
Martha Austin
Susan Armstrong
Sheila Vaughan
Robert Burger
Staff
The Reverend Mark S. Nestlehutt, Rector
The Reverend Lynn A. Hade, Associate Rector
Mr. William R. Thomas, Director of Music
Ms. Carol A. Osborne, Parish Administrator
Mr. George E. Short, Sexton
Vestry
Carolyn Wasdyke, Senior Warden
George Dixon, Junior Warden
Larry McCanna, Treasurer
Nancy Besso, Registrar
Bev Kegan
Lesley Moyer
Linda Norris
Tony Vaughn
2014
2014
2014
2014
Elizabeth Foulds
Tom Orem
Sparrow Rogers
Hanna Woicke
2015
2015
2015
2015
Bill Corba
Phil Dinkel
Pat Martin
James Vail
2016
2016
2016
2016