Outreach Committee Sunday May 21, 9:00 a.m. Between the Services
The Outreach Committee will meet between the Liturgies on Sunday May 21. They will continue their discussion leading to a revised Mission Statement and plans for Outreach activities. Everyone is welcome to attend, participate, and contribute their ideas.
More Outreach Mission Giving
The level 3 atrium kids sold crafts from Uganda to help mothers with AIDS in Bukeka, Uganda, earn some income. The parish bought over $100.00 of merchandise which COA will send to Global Hands of Hope to help the members of the craft group. Thank you!! If anyone else would be interested, please see Tracy after the service.
Emmaus Road Monday, May 22, 7:00 p.m.
Emmaus Road concluded its reading of Teilhard de Chardin and the Mystery of Christ last Monday. This session of Emmaus Road saw our largest participation ever and it generated wonderful discussions. It was not an easy book, but it was a rich one and we all got a lot out of it. Emmaus Road will meet Monday May 22 at 7:00 p.m. We will discuss what book we want to read next. It will probably be our last book before we shift into movies for the summer. Everyone is welcome to participate and bring their ideas.
New Reading Group: Thursday, May 25, 7:00 p.m.
Fr. Bob will lead a group in reading The Religious Potential of the Child, by Sofia Cavalletti. This is the foundational text for our spiritual formation program for our children called The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. This reading group is for people seeking to understand more deeply how the life of faith develops in children and how adults can facilitate, that is cooperate with God in what he is doing in the depths of their children. The group will meet in Fr. Bob’s office. This coming Thursday we’ll have an overview of the book and some demonstrations of the insights contained in it. Fr. Bob has books available. Get a hold of him if you need one.
Choral Evensong: Sunday May 28 5:00 p.m.
The upcoming consecration of our new Bishop, John Taylor, reminded me once again that Episcopalians (in general) are big on two things: ritual and tradition. While the consecration promises to be full of pomp and circumstance, we will be offering another treasured Anglican tradition of a more contemplative kind: Evensong.
This evening prayer service dates back to the founding of the Church of England. Settings of the traditional canticles (the Song of Mary and Song of Simeon, or “Mag and Nunc”) have inspired composers from Thomas Tallis up to the present day. The service can be as simple or elaborate as you want to make it, but its timelessness is a balm for the soul. (And the refreshments afterward don’t hurt either!) Our service will be the classic Anglican “middle way” – always tasteful, but not too fancy!
So come enjoy the evening light through the stained glass, chant the responses to the prayers, and let the busy-ness of the world fall away into “prayer time”. Come join us – you’ll be glad you did!
Life Passages Barbeque
Several members of the parish gathered at Fr. Bob’s on Saturday evening for a barbeque and conversation on aging and advancing chronic illness decision making. The goal of the evening was to try out a game called “Hello”, which was created as a practical tool for people, families and health care providers to engage in meaningful conversations around advancing chronic illness and end-of-life care planning. The game utilizes a booklet of 32 questions designed for individual reflection on wishes, values and priorities for aging and end-of-life and a way to engage with others in meaningful supportive conversation. While the topic sounds heavy, there was a great deal of laughter interwoven into sharing very poignant thoughts and stories.
The sense of mutual support and caring is reflected in feedback from participants - “Yesterday evening reinforced how much I love Church of the Angels. We got together with a great purpose, and we cared about each other with a great purpose. Thanks to all of YOU for an enriching evening that will project into my future”; “I enjoyed out Saturday gathering and feel so fortunate to know each of you. Thank you for introducing us to a difficult topic in a relaxed and fun way”; and “Thank you for encouraging us to ask difficult questions in a nonjudgmental format”.
In light of the positive responses from attendees and interest expressed by those who were unable to attend this event, similar evenings are planned for the future.
Kris Hillary
Food For Thought:
On the Food For Thought Table this Sunday two review articles about recent books on Protestant and Evangelical Christianity.
1. From The New Republic, “Pew Research.” This is a review of a new book called The Evangelicals. It is by Frances Fitzgerald and traces the development of American Evangelical Christianity from the first Great Awakening before the Revolutionary War to the current state of things.
2. From The Wall Street Journal, “Protestants and Principalities.” This is a review of a new book Protestants: The Faith that Made the Modern World. As we get close to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, this book looks at the effect of Protestantism on science, society, government, and economics.
These articles can help us understand a bit more fully our own strange position in Western Christianity as Anglicans, sitting somewhere between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism in all its infinite variety. We’ve been called by one scholar, “An ecclesiastical Duckbill Platypus, robustly mammal, and frequently egg laying!”