August 7/August 14, 2016 edition of The Adventurer

Adventurer
Pentecost
OF
THE
CATHEDRAL
CHURCH
Vol. 40, No. 27 Mary Beth Cunningham Joins Staff as
Sr. High Youth Director
We welcome Mary
Beth Cunningham (left),
who on July 25 joined
Advent’s Christian Education staff as Sr. High
Youth Director, where
she will work predominantly with senior high
girls and their parents.
A native of Monroe,
Louisiana, Mary Beth attended the University
of Alabama where she studied Marketing
and Management, graduating summa cum
laude. She served as the interim youth minister at St. Paul’s Methodist Church in Monroe.
Stephen McCarthy Concluding Term as
Advent Curate August 21
The Rev. Stephen J. McCarthy, who has
served as Curate since September 2014, is
leaving the Advent to pursue a Master of
Sacred Theology at Yale Divinity School. Stephen’s last Sunday with us will be August 21
when he will preach at the morning services.
See page 3 for a note from the Dean.
Last Call for Women’s Retreat
See page 2.
August 7, 2016
Twelfth Sunday After
Pentecost
Services:
THE
ADVENT
•
BIRMINGHAM,
www.AdventBirmingham.org
News & Events
This Sunday:
OF
AL
Weeks of August 7/14, 2016
A Word from Canon Leighton
One of my favorite fine china, and those items in my kitchen
comedic film scenes that are extremely useful, even if only used
occurs at the end of once a year. Loving the beauty and apThe Jerk. Steve Mar- preciating the utility of these things is not
tin’s less-than-bright wrong. They are not inherently bad things.
titular character has But they are not essential to my life or my
a huge fight with his identity. The joy of finding a new beautiful
wife, played by Berna- thing wears off quickly, and then I am stuck
dette Peters. He says, “I don’t need you… I clinging to the stuff.
Jesus speaks into this mess of stuff:
don’t need anything!” But then he pauses,
picks up an ashtray off his desk, and he “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on
says, “…except this ashtray!” He keeps go- earth” (Mt. 6:19). For me, this command
ing, acquiring random objects. By the end sounds like a declaration of freedom. God
of the scene his arms are full while he ir- does not want us to be shackled to things
rationally says that he doesn’t need her or that provide only a fleeting joy.
In fact, a different kind of treasure has
anyone else, but he just needs: the ashtray,
the paddle game, the remote control, the claimed our time and attention. Our real
matches, the lamp, and the chair.
identity is found in the One who has bought
I think of this scene when I feel too at- us back from sin and death through his
tached to the things in life that are not own blood. The true treasure of everlasting
important. And by things, I literally mean joy can only be found in allowing our lives
material stuff. I imagine myself looking as and even the stuff of our lives to revolve
ridiculous as Steve Martin in The Jerk when around this Good News.
I notice that I am clinging to something as
Ultimately, “the Jerk” was not just obsessing over trivial stuff; he was blind to the
if my life depended on it.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love beauti- beauty of the one standing in front of him,
ful things – art, furniture, good books, a offering him unconditional love.
From one “jerk” to another, Deborah
sparkling piece of jewelry, a pretty dress,
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered
up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” - St. Matthew 13:44
Adult Education: 10:10 - 10:50 a.m.
August 7:
The Dean’s Class (Refectory) - Ruth: One Book, Two Women,
and Eternal Promises - Mark Gignilliat
Journeying Through the Pastoral Epistles: Who Is the God
of the Pastoral Epistles (Chapter Room) - Osvaldo Padilla
August 14:
The Dean’s Class (Refectory) - Ruth: One Book, Two Women,
and Eternal Promises - Mark Gignilliat
Journeying Through the Pastoral Epistles: How Is God
Known? (Chapter Room) - Osvaldo Padilla
Our Faith Has Feet: How Faith Works Itself Out in Love
(Living Room) - Canon Leighton
Next Sunday:
August 14, 2016
Thirteenth Sunday After
Pentecost
Services:
7:30 a.m. Holy Communion
7:30 a.m. Holy Communion
9:00 a.m. Morning Prayer
9:00 a.m. Holy Communion
11:00 a.m.Holy Communion
11:00 a.m. Morning Prayer
Dean Pearson will preach
Mark Gignilliat will preach
at all morning services.
at all morning services.
5:00 p.m. Holy Communion
5:00 p.m. Evening Prayer
Preacher: Brandon Bennett
Preacher: Canon Smalley
The 9:00 service is broadcast live on WERC 960 AM, 105.5 FM, and AdventBirmingham.org.
Sermon recordings are available at AdventBirmingham.org.
Cathedral Church of the Advent • 20th Street & 6th Avenue North • (205) 251-2324 • www.AdventBirmingham.org
G E T INV OLV ED! SEE WH AT’S G OIN G O N!
spiritual growth
& fellowship
Women’s Ministry
Last Call to Sign Up for Women’s Retreat with Heidi Kinner
The deadline to register for the Advent
Women’s Retreat is Friday, August 19. If you
haven’t already, sign up now at AdventBir
mingham.org/Retreat. The retreat will be
Friday-Sunday, August 26-28, at Children’s
Harbor
The Very Rev. Heidi Kinner (right), former
Advent Vice Dean, will speak on the topic,
Feast on the Word: How Jesus Fulfills the Jewish Feasts in John’s Gospel. We’ll also have
worship led by Ruth Whitmore and Naomi Gignilliat, sacred stories given by Hawley Schneider and Gretchen Williams, quiet reflection, small groups, swimming, and lots of free time. This year
we will offer two optional workshops on Saturday afternoon: Parenting and Grandparenting the Jesus Way with Virginia Webster
and Gossiping the Gospel: Hands-On Practice Telling the Good
News with Bethany Rushing and Canon Leighton.
Don’t miss out on this time of rest and spiritual renewal with
your sisters in Christ! For more information, contact Anita Gray
([email protected], 443-8550).
Grief Recovery
Group to Begin Tuesday Sessions September 6
We will once again host a six-week Grief Recovery Group for
Adventers who have recently experienced the death of a loved
one. Led by Canon Smalley and Gil Kracke, the group will meet on
Tuesday evenings, 7:00-8:30, from September 6 through October
11 at the Advent House (2317 Arlington Avenue, 35205). To register or for more information, please contact Robin Turner in the
Pastoral Care office (226-3500, [email protected]).
Youth Ministry
Sign Up Online for Jr. High Retreat Set for August 26-27
Seventh and 8th graders are invited to the Jr. High Fall Retreat,
Friday-Saturday, August 26-27. This is a great opportunity to see
what youth group is all about and make some new friends. Sign
up at the youth website, AdventBirmingham.org/ministries/youth.
Contact Katie Carroll for more information (Katie@CathedralAd
vent.com, 443-8551).
“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins
are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red
like crimson, they shall become like wool.”
- Isaiah 1:18
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you
the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide
yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure
in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no
moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be
also.”
- St. Luke 12:32-34
August 7/14, 2016
Small Groups
Finding Koinonia in Our Group
Koinonia is the Greek word for
community, which describes a close
and mutually nurturing relationship
among church members and particularly the Christian small group. Suzan and I came to the Advent eight
years ago. We are probably the only
couple to ever attend the Newcomers’ Class twice! It was a big step
for us and we wanted to be doubly
sure. We actually joined our small
group several months before we
were confirmed. It was the perfect
transition into the Advent for us.
We immediately found that everyone in our small group came from
different backgrounds and had different stories. Everyone was on a spiritual journey and a life journey, and we committed to support one another along the way
through studying the word of God, through discussion, through
prayer, and through fellowship. We have also learned to relate to
one another on a deeper level in which we are united by God’s
spirit, which transcends so many of the personal struggles we all
face. Community. Small Group. Koinonia.
- Suzan and Tommy Armstrong
New small groups are forming for the fall. Please contact Fontaine Pope ([email protected], 443-8562) if you
are interested in joining one.
Which of These Interest You?
The following are a few groups in which people have expressed
an interest. If you are interested in one of these groups that we
are exploring for this fall or have another type of group you would
like to join, go to AdventBirmingham.org/SmallGroups and fill out
the “Small Group Request Form.”
•Trussville Neighborhood Group
•Moms with Very Young Children
•New or Soon-to-be Empty Nester Moms
•Parents of Elementary or Jr. High Children
•Chelsea/Sterrett Neighborhood Group
•Engaged and Newly-Married Couples
•Homewood Neighborhood Group
•Widows
•Women in Their 60s and 70s
•Singles in Their 30s and 40s
Pastoral Notice: If you are going into the hospital, have need
of prayer or counsel, or have a family member unable to attend
church, please call the Pastoral Care Office at 226-3500.
Advent House: Intercessory prayer is on-going at Advent
House. If you would like to schedule a prayer session, please
call Kathy Logue at 410-4622.
Cathedral Church of the Advent
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of
works, so that no one may boast.
- Ephesians 2:8-9
Stephen McCarthy to Preach August 21,
His Last Sunday at the Advent
We knew that Stephen McCarthy (right) would one
day leave the Advent, but it has come too soon. Stephen
is leaving the Advent to pursue a Master of Sacred Theology at Yale Divinity School. His last Sunday with us will be
August 21 when he will preach at all morning services.
The idea of the curacy is to allow a recently graduated seminarian a chance to experience the ministry of
the Advent for two years. After two years, they leave the
nest. The program would not work if we held on to our
curates.
Please join me in giving thanks to God for Stephen and his ministry among
us.
- Andrew
memorials:
Gifts Were Given In Memory Of:
Greene Hampton Smith, Jr.: (Endowment Fund) by Jeane B. Stone; The
Rev. and Mrs. Romaine Scott, Jr.; Ann H. Massey; Mr. and Mrs. James W.
Heacock, Jr.; Elberta G. Reid; Dr. and Mrs. Robert S. Naftel • (Music Discretionary Fund) by H. Mack Jolly; Samuel H. Urmey; Mary Bledsoe
Craig Battles: (Endowment Fund) by Joe and Vickie Fuller; Lucille R. Thompson • (Pastoral Care) by Mary Bledsoe; Donald and Ruth Sanders; Steve and
Cindy Tilghman; Mr. and Mrs. Ben Carroll; John and Kate Cotton • (Music
Discretionary Fund) by Mrs. Phil H. Neal, Jr.
Ritchie and Charles Scribner: (Fine Ars) by Elizabeth and Charles Scribner
Margaret Riley Lines: (Endowment Fund) by Virginia Scruggs • (Music Discretionary Fund) by Jackie S. Hall
Mike Turner: (Music Discretionary Fund) by James and Marilyn Dixon
In Honor of Zac Hicks: (Dean’s Discretionary Fund) by Charles Scribner
education
Children’s Sunday School
Serve as a Substitute Teacher
We are busy making preparations for the 2016-2017 Sunday School year
and looking forward to Rally Day (September 11)! If you would like to serve
in Children’s Ministries but are unable to commit to being on a regular
teaching team, we would love to have you as a substitute. Please let us
know your age preference and we will happily call you to fill in as needed!
Attention Parents
If your child will be repeating a grade this year, please let us know so we
can make sure they are in the correct Sunday School class on Rally Day and
beyond.
Please contact Elizabeth Wilson ([email protected], 2263547).
Children’s & Youth Education on Sunday
Classes are offered for 3-years and older. See Sunday’s service leaflet for
details. Nurseries are open 8:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
At the 5:00 service, childcare is available for 5-years and younger.
www.AdventBirmingham.org • Phone (205) 251-2324
worship
Lectionary
Sunday, August 7: Psalm 50:1-8, 23-24 or
Psalm 33:12-22
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 or
Genesis 15:1-6
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
St. Luke 12:32-40
Sunday, August 14: Psalm 80:1-2, 8-18 or
Psalm 82
Isaiah 5:1-7 or
Jeremiah 23:23-29
Hebrews 11:29—12:2
St. Luke 12:49-56
bookstore
Buy a Soapstone Egg, Provide Actual Eggs
The Bookstore has received more beautiful soapstone eggs from the Mother’s Union in Rwanda.
Your purchase of one egg ($50) provides an actual
egg a day for two children in a preschool run by the
Shyira Diocese of Rwanda. There are currently 26
preschools run by parishes within the diocese offering this unique program through the One Egg project. An egg provides the optimal amount of protein
for a young child, enabling proper brain development. In addition, it serves as an incentive for parents to send their children to the church’s preschool
program, where they will be exposed to the Gospel.
The Advent hopes to provide funding for two
preschools with 100 students each. For more information, contact Bethany Rushing, Director of
Mission and Outreach (Bethany@CathedralAdvent.
com, 226-3512).
Store hours are Sunday, 8:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.,
and Monday-Thursday, 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Contact us: 323-2959 or [email protected].
Visit us any time: EpiscoBooks.com.
August 7/14, 2016
diocesan staff
The Rt. Rev. John McKee Sloan, Bishop of Alabama
The Rt. Rev. Santosh K. Marray, Assistant Bishop of Alabama
advent staff
The Very Rev. Andrew C. Pearson, Jr., Dean of the Cathedral
The Rev. Canon R. Craig Smalley, Canon Pastor and
Day School Chaplain
transitions:
Deaths: Mildred Pipes
Lanier Shook, on July
22; Frances McDavid
Haynesworth, on July 23
The Rev. Canon Deborah R. Leighton, Canon Missioner and
Director of Women’s Ministries
The Rev. Canon Matthew C. Schneider, Canon for Parish Life and
Evangelism
The Rev. Canon Zac Hicks, Canon for Liturgy and Worship
The Rev. Katherine P. Jacob, Deacon
The Rev. Stephen J. McCarthy, Jr., Curate
The Rev. Adam Young, Curate
memorials:
Norma Grove: (Endowment Fund) by Vivian and Carlisle Jones
Percy Brower: (Endowment Fund) by Whitney and
Adair DeBardeleben
The Very Rev. C. Edward Reeves, Jr., and Darline
Reeves (Music Discretionary Fund) by Samuel H. Urmey
In Honor of Victor H. Hanson, V: (Dean’s Discretionary Fund) by Elizabeth and Charles Scribner
Gifts Were Given In Memory Of:
Jane Randolph.: (Garden Fund) by Mr. and
Mrs. Frank H. Bromberg, Jr. • (Dean’s Discretionary Fund) by Charles and Elizabeth Scribner
Lois Benton Cassels: (Pastoral Care) by Mary
Bledsoe • (Endowment Fund) by Mrs. John Forney
Cathedral Church of the Advent
2017 6th Avenue North
Birmingham, AL 35203-2701
Periodical Postage Paid
Birmingham, AL
Published weekly (except bi-weekly June 15-August 15) USPS 055150
for no subscription fee by the Cathedral Church of the Advent, 2017
6th Ave North, Birmingham, AL 35203-2701.
Periodical postage paid at Birmingham, AL POSTMASTER: Send changes
to THE ADVENTURER OF THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF THE ADVENT,
2017 6th Ave North, Birmingham, AL 35203-2701.
calendar:
SUNDAY
Aug 7
MONDAY
8
Regular worship
schedule
Aug 14
15
Regular worship
schedule
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
11
FRIDAY
9
10
12
Men’s Hike Bible
Study - Cranmer
House - 6:30 a.m.
Men’s Bible Study Holy Communion - Women’s Bible
Cranmer House Chapel - 12:05 p.m. Study - Cranmer
7 a.m.
House - 7 a.m.
Men’s Bible Study
- Conference Room
- noon
16
17
Men’s Hike Bible
Study - Cranmer
House - 6:30 a.m.
Holy Communion - Women’s Bible
Chapel - 12:05 p.m. Study - Cranmer
House - 7 a.m.
18
19
SATURDAY
13
20
Men’s Bible Study Cranmer House 7 a.m.
Men’s Bible Study
- Conference Room
- noon
Every Sunday: Breakfast - Refectory, 8:00 a.m.
Monday-Friday: AA - Coe Conference Room, noon
coming up:
•Stephen McCarthy’s Last Sunday at the Advent: August 21
Every Thursday: Praise Service, Nave, 8:30 a.m.
•Jr. High Fall Retreat: Friday-Saturday, August 26-27
•Women’s Retreat: Friday-Sunday, August 26-28, Children’s
Harbor