NEWSLETTER OF THE CHAPEL OF THE CROSS - October 2007
Launching out into the Deep:
Financial Stewardship and Christian Vision
Companions in Transformation:
Stewardship and GLobal Mission
Thirsty? Will you reach for
a Glass or a Bottle?
People of Faith Against the Death Penalty
The story is told of a large warlike tribe of people under the rule of Constantine who agreed to his command to be baptized. To accommodate the large numbers, they were instructed to ride their horses into the deep river and across to the other side while the sacramental words were being said. Thus, their whole selves and even their steeds would be dedicated to God. Many of them, however, realizing the importance of this rite, held their swords high above their heads as they entered the rushing water, keeping their weapons far from God's dominion and allowing them to fight another day! They were not yet ready to yield all and to allow God into every aspect of their lives.
What is it that we hold over our heads, protecting it from the baptismal waters? What in our lives do we continue to refuse God dominion over, keeping that for ourselves?
We would each have several different answers for that question, but I suspect that a very common one would be our wallets, checkbooks, and credit cards! While we acknowledge that all that we have comes from God, we have a hard time lowering our arm and immersing our financial resources in the salvific waters of baptism. To do so is risky business; so we continue to hold them back.
God invites us to something more. "Give and it will be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap" (Luke 6:38). Rather than diminish us, Jesus promises, our generosity will bring us new life. Sharing what we have been given rather than hoarding it will ensure that there is enough and more than enough for everyone. Letting God be Lord over every part of our lives brings true joy and fulfillment.
Giving back to God through our local congregation is an important opportunity for us as Christians. While there are many worthy places to contribute our money, the primary channel for us to express our thanksgiving and our dedication to God is our worshiping community. Our strong communal financial stewardship helps to proclaim the word of God, to provide opportunities to worship God, to care for those in need, and to sustain strong bonds of Christian fellowship. In the process of giving, we find our faith stretched and our lives strengthened.
I encourage all of us who participate at the Chapel of the Cross to approach joyfully and thoughtfully the Annual Giving campaign as our opportunity to let God's saving grace touch every part of our lives. In making our financial pledge, we are not only supporting the significant ministry of the Chapel of the Cross, we are also acknowledging God's dominion over all that we have and are. Together we proclaim with David, "All things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee."
At its meeting on August 16 the vestry:
- Made plans for parish gatherings to discuss the issue of blessing of same-gender unions
- Approved the full asking of the 2008 Diocesan Share in the amount of $214,964
- Learned that the line of credit with Bank of America has been paid off
- Approved as signatories on the parish bank accounts Treasurer Gary Monroe, Senior Associate Treasurer Barney Varner, Assistant Treasurer Don Williams, Senior Warden Melody Savage, and Junior Warden Ann Henley
- Approved the recommendation of the Global Missions Committee to formalize the partnership between the Chapel of the Cross and San Patricio in Honduras, this partnership to include a commitment of $15,000 over three years ($5000 annually for three years) and a commitment to engage in a parish swap for three years
- Received an update on Iglesia El Buen Pastor from Vicar Christy Laborda and Senior Warden Mauricio Segura
- Approved the nomination of Ken Talbot to the Buildings and Grounds Committee.
Help Us Tell Our Story
The Chapel of the Cross has many rooms - rooms where Christian Education takes place, rooms for musical praise to God, rooms for campus ministry, rooms for social outreach, rooms for fellowship.
If you are involved in one of the many ministries and activities under the parish roof, the Communications Committee would like your help in spreading the word of the good works that go on in our parish.
The committee this fall will be creating a video documentary that will be used as part of the Capital Campaign to tell the story of Chapel of the Cross - the programs, ministries, education, worship, music, and many other facets of our parish life. The video will include interviews with parishioners and friends whose life stories help make up the special character of the church family. It will also show the life of the church with clips from our many activities. In September, for instance, we shot pictures of the opening of Sunday School and the parish barbecue.
We'd like to encourage you to become photographers for the documentary. If you are involved in an activity, have a video camera, and can shoot video that could contribute to our parish story, please consider doing so. We're looking for footage that would be lively and engaging - young children's worship services, campus ministry gatherings, parishioners' service to people in need outside the parish.
If you can help or have a good suggestion, please contact Ted Vaden, communications chair, at tvaden@nc.rr.com or call the church office. Thank you.
Launching Out Into the Deep: Financial Stewardship and Christian Vision
And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. Luke 5: 3-4.
Each time we enter the church, we are - metaphorically, at least - "thrust[ing] out a little from the land." We enter the "nave"; we look up into a ceiling ribbed and vaulted like the hull of a ship; we hear lessons and parables of ships and masters of the sea. We hear of Noah, who at God's command built his flood-worthy ark; of Jonah, who learned to obey God after doing time in the belly of a whale; and of Jesus, who calmed the waters of the Sea of Galilee and taught from a boat on Lake Gennesaret.
Extending that metaphor a bit and thinking of the Chapel of the Cross as a well-rigged brig poised to set sail can help us make that difficult connection between mammon and God, between the realities of the purse and the life of the spirit, between financial stewardship and Christian vision. As we begin the Annual Giving Campaign and as we look forward to the formal inauguration of a Capital Campaign, our parish community is leaving a safe, familiar harbor and entering unknown waters. But thanks to careful planning by the rector; by fiscally responsible, visionary parish leaders; and by vestries, past and present, we have a financial structure that makes us a vessel fit for such an undertaking.
Taken together, the Stewardship Formation Committee, the parish treasurer Gary Monroe, and the Vestry Finance Committee chaired by Chip Hill, constitute our keel, the fixed underwater structure that counteracts the thrust of the winds, prevents drift, and assures stability. The three committees within Stewardship Formation - Annual Giving, Planned Giving, and Capital Giving - are the mainsail, the jib, and the spinnaker working together to harness the spiritual energy that "inspires" us to return to God a portion of the financial gifts we have from Him. Working with these committee heads, Stewardship Formation - with Ele Ross and Gail Cloud as vestry representatives, Vivian Varner and Joel Wagoner as members-at-large, the rector as ex-officio member and the junior warden as chair - functions as a kind of mast, ensuring communication, coherence, and singleness of purpose among all these working parts.
Each year in the late summer the vestry sets budget priorities for the coming year; it is then the responsibility of the Annual Giving Campaign to solicit pledges sufficient to fund those priorities as well as our ongoing commitments to worship, music, pastoral care, education, outreach, and campus ministries. In the past two years Annual Campaign chairs Kevin Trapani and Ele Ross and their committees successfully piloted campaigns that achieved the percentage increases necessary to allow the Chapel of the Cross, first, to add another priest to our staff and then to significantly increase our outreach programs.
This year - with Charlie McClaskey as its able chair and Mary Chase, Jim Gray, Jim Noonan, and Patrick Phelan as committee members - the Annual Giving Committee is recruiting callers, compiling pledge packet materials, and meeting with parish groups and committees prior to the October 21 launching of this year's initiative. Year-in and year-out this committee, with the constant contributions of faithful parishioners, is our mainsail, harvesting the income that, day-in and day-out, drives the work of the parish at home and around the world.
In 2006 the Planned Giving Committee, chaired by Syd Alexander, developed a framework of six funds that provide donors with vehicles that direct how their gifts will be held and utilized by future vestries. Four funds - Building and Grounds, Evangelism and University Outreach, Community Outreach, and Worship and Program Support - are permanent endowments, and two - Program and Capital - may be used at the discretion of the vestry. Income from these funds, thanks to investment strategies that provide for growth of principal, is used to support the operating budget and/or costs specifically related to the four endowment areas.
In a recent sermon, the rector called our attention to the "Thanksgiving for the Birth or Adoption of a Child," a service which somewhat surprisingly reminds us of the importance of Planned Giving. As members of the Episcopal Church, we are admonished to "arrange for the disposal of [our] temporal goods, not neglecting . . . to leave bequests for religious and charitable uses" (BCP 445). Planned Giving, like the jib, or "fore and aft" sail, provides us a way to contribute to the future of the Chapel of the Cross just as faithful stewards in the past, by bequeathing their temporal goods, made possible the parish we enjoy today.
The Capital Giving Committee was charged by the vestry in February 2006 to determine how best to implement the Next Step Committee's new and renovated facilities recommendations. Headed by David Ross, with Margaret and Reid Conrad as Campaign Cabinet chairs, this group functions like a spinnaker filled with faith, fiscal expertise, and careful planning that propels us toward the reality of a bricks-and- mortar articulation of the Chapel of the Cross's vision of service to the university, the community, and the world.
This committee's campaign motto - "A Light on the Hill: Building to Serve" - challenges each of us to do our part in building for the goal Stephen Elkins-Williams outlined in a recent letter to the parish: "To the University and the community located on this hill and beyond, we are to let the light and the love of God shine. Graced by our location, our history, our Episcopal heritage, our worship spaces, and the talents, commitment, education, and financial resources of our people, we are to let the light shine before others . . . ."
As we consider committing the financial resources necessary to the realization of the Capital Giving Campaign's vision, and all the financial demands of Christian stewardship, we would do well to reflect on our "trim" - the stability and power we possess as a result of fiscal responsibility, effective organization, and careful planning by many faithful servants. We should think, too, about the fishing boat on Lake Gennesaret.
When Jesus instructed the weary fishermen accompanying him to launch out into the deep and let down their nets for a big catch, they protested that the task he proposed was too great - hopeless, in fact. They had been fishing all night with no results at all. But when the disciples did as Jesus directed - "at thy word," Peter said, "I will let down the net" - they drew up "so great a load of fishes" that "their nets brake." Peter's faith - the faith on which Christ later founded His church - was repaid not just with spiritual rewards but with fish - physical treasure, a commercial, negotiable commodity. When we answer the call to be "good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (I Peter 4: 10), our faith, too, can be translated into physical treasure, financial gifts that will enable us to establish, now and for the future, a bit of the Kingdom of God at the Chapel of the Cross.
A Parish that Works
The "Annual Stewardship" training I attended in May given by the Episcopal Church Foundation was as thought-provoking as I had hoped. As is often the case we participants may have learned as much by sharing each other's parish experiences as we did from the well-thought-out coursework. One of the insights I gained from listening to the sometimes daunting challenges faced by other prospective Annual Giving chairs is how lucky I am to be part of a parish that works.
Please don't misunderstand me: I have no feelings of moral smugness, but I do respect the depth and breadth of the accomplishments made in Christ's name by this parish. Just as successful primary or secondary schools have both talented teachers and involved parents, the Chapel of the Cross has gifted clergy and dedicated volunteers. Our "bench" is deep and it populates the many parish groups that carry out our mission with dedication and effectiveness. My feeling "lucky" has everything to do with the fact that we are surrounded by good stewards, who by their year-round acts, define "stewardship" better than any annual campaign. It is these good works that this campaign intends to celebrate and to continue making possible in the future.
You do feed the poor, clothe the naked, and support the prisoner. Sandra and I are pleased that a high percentage of church funds and effort are focused outside the parish. The gigantic protracted team effort to stage the annual ABC sale and the careful effort to place the proceeds where they can do the most good is characteristic of how this parish operates. Teams have been sent to New Orleans, Honduras, and South Africa in God's name with our love to make a difference. If you need to be reminded, as I was at that training session, this is what an Episcopal parish is supposed to look like. It is worthy of our support because of all the good works you do.
This year the Annual Giving kick-off Sunday is October 14th and volunteers will make calls to the parish beginning on October 16th to verify that packets have been received. Our Ingathering will take place on Sunday, November 25th. One addition this year is that members of the Annual Giving committee will meet briefly with as many parish groups as is practical before the calling.
Why are we calling on parish groups? To thank them in person! Some of you with gray hair like mine will remember a time in the Episcopal Church when it was the objective of the "Every Member Canvass" to meet face-to-face with each parishioner. Our very size and the pace of life today have pushed that goal out of reach: I have "spoken" with more answering machines recently than with the individuals I was hoping to reach. As a practical matter, our committee won't be able to meet with all the parish groups to bring them our message of thanks (although we wish we could). If this article, a friendly phone call, and the campaign mailings are the only contact we can arrange with you, thank you for your part in making the Chapel of the Cross work. We have more work to do.
Capital Giving
The Celtic Christians spoke of "thin places" - places where you can feel the mysterious love and power of God; places where you can find the truth and the strength to face it. The Chapel of the Cross, for each member of our family, at one time or another, has been a thin place.
That is why when our "call" to serve as chairs of the Capital Campaign came from the rector we readily accepted. It felt like such a natural extension of our family's parish involvement. This is not to say that we haven't had plenty of those "what were we thinking?" moments! But in great measure we are finding this to be a rewarding journey. It is rewarding because we are so often reminded that God works in wonderful, unexpected ways through community.
Our expansion will allow us to find nourishment and grow together. It will give us yet another way to connect to God - a place for outreach, education, prayer, meetings, hospitality, and fellowship. As writer Marcus Borg puts it, "We as selves are ultimately relational. It is not that we first become selves and then have relationships. Rather, we are constituted by our relationships; they shape and form us." How critical is it that we do all we can to foster our community? Coming together as a community is not something that we do "after the work is done;" it is what makes the work possible. It is what sustains us and stretches us to do work that we individually would never have believed possible.
At the Chapel of the Cross we are blessed to experience faith as a continuum over generations. How grateful we are that earlier generations stepped boldly forward - that William Irwin and the many parishioners involved in the Yates and Battle additions believed strongly enough in the importance of building for our community of faith. Our family is not alone in that gratitude. Ask the AA groups, the scouts, the English as a Second Language students, the preschoolers, the UNC students, and the many others with whom we share our parish buildings. Our primary responsibility as we see it is to keep the process a journey of faith.
We encourage you to look faithfully, prayerfully, and hopefully at the plans for our parish's expansion - the fruit of years of work by the long-range planning and next step committees. Ours is a living church; to grow in spirit and in space will take commitments from us all. We hope you will feel called to do your part.
Special Giving
The Special Giving Committee is charged with oversight of gifts that are special or given for a special reason. Thus, if someone offers a gift to the Church of something special or out of the ordinary, it is referred to the committee for consideration. Most recently, the committee considered the appropriateness of the generous offer of the memorial rose garden in front of the chapel. After a thorough exploration of all of the various ramifications of this proposal to the parish, the committee made its recommendation to the vestry.
There are times when someone wants to make a gift to the parish but doesn't have anything in particular in mind. The committee, in consultation with the clergy and staff, has developed a list of needs. So, we have a 'wish list' for your consideration! The committee also provides assistance from time to time with fund raising for special projects not covered by the annual budget or a particular capital campaign. Most recently the committee was involved in the effort to raise the funds required for the renovations to the chapel and the replacement of the organ.
Without question, the most significant work of the committee for the past several years has been the development of policies to create permanent endowments for the parish and thus a foundation for a sustainable planned giving program. In March, 2006, the vestry adopted the recommendations of the committee to create six funds which are available to receive gifts in the form of bequests, trusts, proceeds from life insurance policies, or other similar estate planning instruments. Four of these funds provide that the principal held by the fund will be maintained in perpetuity with only the income available to support the specific work as in the fund description. Those four are the Buildings and Grounds Fund, the Evangelism and University Outreach Fund, the Community Outreach Fund, and the Worship and Ministry Fund. The other two funds are the Program Fund and the Capital Fund. These two funds hold assets that flow from undesignated gifts, bequests or memorials as well as ones that are specifically designated to go to these funds. All assets of these funds, both principal and income, are available to support the work of the parish at the discretion of the vestry. We now have sound and simple policies that provide choices for anyone who wishes to leave a legacy in their estate plan to the Chapel of the Cross as a very special gift.
Companions in Transformation: Stewardship and Global Mission
In the midst of overwhelming abundance, it may seem strange to write about the challenges of giving gladly and freely; yet over and over again, we find that budgets are tight, that there are far too many needs to be met, that there simply don't seem to be enough resources to go around. And in those moments, when I am overwhelmed by the magnitude of the needs and the scarcity of the resources, I am pulled back by visions of Christians I have known the world over who not only make do with far less than we have, but often seem to make more.
I am captured by the image of a poor-by-our-standards parish in Honduras, itself still a mission church, that has begun a mission in an outlying village. I am again drawn in by the generosity of a Thai family who shared a meal with a stranger. I vividly remember the joy on the faces of boys at El Hogar when we made balloon animals, even patching and repairing some balloons so we could use them more than once. I can see the face of the twenty-four-year-old pastor in Honduras who had far more responsibilities and drive than I could even imagine at that age. I see again the faces of Malaysian children, eager to share their candy and art creations with me. I hear Vaike, the deacon at San Patricio, reassuring me that she is not at all tired of all the travel and all the time away from her family, but is overjoyed and fulfilled by her ministry.
To know God's family all around the world is to know God more fully, of this I am sure. We are far more alike than we are different, yet the disparity in resources, especially monetary ones, can be paralyzing. And we, surrounded with abundance, must make difficult choices. In 2003, the General Convention issued a new statement concerning the Episcopal Church's Global Mission, titled "Companions in Transformation." On the question of stewardship, it reaffirms that we are called to be responsible stewards of our time, talent, treasure, and creativity, but the Global Mission context offers some very specific challenges. The statement, for example, recognizes the inherent tensions in giving money (and other resources) to "missions." We must resolve tensions between "desiring to give and wanting to promote autonomy, between needing to receive and wanting to avoid dependency, between doing justice and encouraging self-sufficiency, between offering freely and requiring accountability."
Ultimately, the statement confirms that all our giving should reflect the spirit of genuine mission by upholding the principles of gift-exchange, human dignity, and accountability. First, we can recognize and accept the things that other people have to offer us - we should emphasize the communal and reciprocal nature of partnerships. Second, we should seek to uphold human dignity and autonomy in all that we do, recognizing the power differential inherent in a developed-world/developing-world partnership. And third, we can work to establish lasting and personal connections with those whom we work with as a way to encourage and ensure responsible stewardship on the receiving end. The possibilities for becoming partners in this global transformation are exciting and too numerous to count. Join the Chapel of the Cross in this journey to becoming global stewards of the rich blessings of God.
The Johnson Interns 2007-2008
The Johnson Intern Program spun off in high gear on September 5 with the arrival of the first class of eight interns. But staff and volunteers were already hard at work before the interns' arrival due to the late completion of the new intern house. We thought we might have a "9th intern" when the former tenant refused to leave (though not paying rent), and the final tack in the new carpet was not put down until 7:00 pm September 4. Our crew of volunteers (and two interns already in town) had all the furniture on the front lawn, waiting to move in and the job was finished before 10:00 pm.
The task of unpacking so many boxes and setting up a new home proved to be a great bonding experience for the new interns - so much so that we're considering moving every year! (Not really.) We expect the program to be housed for a good while at 203-B Laurel Avenue in Carrboro. The new house is working out quite well, and the huge back yard is calling the interns to consider gardening, composting, and possibly keeping chickens (which is allowed in Carrboro).
From arrival to retreat to unpacking, the 2007-2008 class of Johnson Interns moved right into the process of selecting and interviewing with prospective placement sites. We started the week off with a panel of representatives from each placement: Habitat for Humanity, Family Violence Prevention Center, The Women's Center, Club Nova, Freedom House, The Redwoods Group, The Seymour Center, and A Helping Hand. The interns each chose 3-4 places to interview. The process culminated in the announcement of placements, and they started to work on September 24.
On September 28 the interns joined other participants from the Chapel of the Cross and the area in taking a course on Servant Leadership. At least one spot is still open for anyone who would like to join us.
Please welcome the new Johnson Interns for 2007-2008:
Daniel Cenci graduated from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa where he majored in religious studies and minored in history. He lived most of his childhood in Parkville, MD, but now resides at his family farm in Tarboro, NC. Daniel is an involved member of the Episcopal Church and is discerning God's call in his life. He has a passion for rural ministries and outreach to the poor, in part shaped by his travels to Mexico.
Abigail Lee was born in Wilmington, NC, and her family moved to Tarboro when she was two years old. She has three brothers, and after years of playing soccer, basketball, and tennis, Abigail left North Carolina to attend college at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN. She graduated this past May with a major in biology and a minor in anthropology. Abigail's service in Jamaica, Haiti, and Ecuador has led to a call towards medicine, ministry, and community.
Matthew Lundy is from Monroe, CT, and graduated from Muhlenberg College in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in religion. While in college, Matt ran cross country and track. From September 2005 until September 2006, Matt served with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (*NCCC), working in parts of Mississippi and Louisiana that were devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Matt has traveled to many different lands. He still enjoys running and has enlisted several other JIP interns to join him each morning.
Jesse Osmun, 27, hails recently from Milford, CT, but lived for 22 years in Vermont, where he hopes to return. Jesse came back earlier this year from a 10-month mission trip to Kenya, where he worked with AIDS orphans, and learned to speak semi-fluent Swahili. He has a BA in English but his real interests lie in grant writing and program design, particularly around the issues of poverty and homelessness as well as immigrant issues. Jesse's hobbies include freelance writing, hiking, and playing guitar in his Episcopal church's contemporary praise band.
Karen Porter grew up in the Florida Keys with her three sisters. Her parents worked at the school and church that she attended. Karen has been living in the Raleigh/Durham area since completing her undergraduate work with a BA in English from Wingate University. Prior to JIP Karen worked with developmentally disabled adults. Karen is interested in teaching English as a Second Language and working in developing countries. She is exploring the Anabaptist branch of Christianity and has worshipped with a Mennonite community in Raleigh.
Kelly Sve is from a small town in northern Minnesota. She is the second oldest of five children. She graduated in May 2007 from Augsburg College in Minneapolis with degrees in international relations and religion. During her college experience, she spent three semesters off-campus studying in various countries in Latin America. She is passionate about immigration issues and has been active in immigrant advocacy groups in Minneapolis. In her free time, she enjoys biking, tutoring, reading, yoga, and long walks.
Katie Thompson was raised in Potomac and Bethesda, MD. She studied in Milan, Italy for a semester. She also traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico for a mission trip and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans and Arkansas. Katie is excited for a challenging year of service and community living to help her strengthen her faith and discern her call in life.
Matthew Wright grew up in the small town of Murphy in the mountains of Western NC. Matthew is a class of 2007 graduate of the University of North Carolina and holds a B.A. in religious studies with a minor in English. He spent a semester studying in India, Nepal, and Tibet in the School for International Training's Tibetan Studies program. Matthew was raised in the Pentecostal tradition and began attending the Episcopal Church in 2003, later to be confirmed in the church in May 2004. He is considering a vocation to the Episcopal priesthood and is currently involved in the discernment process.
The Johnson Interns (from left to right): Matthew Lundy, Katie Thompson, Daniel Cenci,
Matthew Wright, Karen Porter,
Kelly Sve,
Abigail Lee
and Jesse Osmun
New Orleans, Louisiana
We were in the vans for ten hours on Saturday, and six on Sunday. Monday thru Friday, we were working.
Our drive through the city the first time was a little intimidating. There was so much to see and look at. Our faces were plastered to the windows of the van. One building we saw had the word 'HELP' spelled out on the roof. That one word conveyed the magnitude of this disaster. We could see the water lines on the buildings and walls and houses. The evidence of six to eight feet of water was everywhere.
The work was from Monday through Thursday with YouthWorks. There were five groups with kids and leaders from every church. We all had two days in one location, and two days in another. Some groups gutted houses, some helped at kids' club, some painted a school, and some went to a home for the mentally ill. At kids club, a little girl named Chante pulled on my shorts and said, "I wanna paint!" She is three years old and full of energy. At first, the kids were shy and didn't want to come inside, but by the end of the day, they didn't want to leave. One would think that these kids wouldn't teach us anything, but I learned so much from these kids in just a two day period. They all were related in some way or at least that's how they explained it. They all helped each other, especially the littler ones. Chante has two older sisters: Tionne is six, and Desiree is seven. The story that we were told about them made my heart hurt. They were stuck on the roof of their house during the storm, for three days without food or water. Chante was a year old when the storm hit. At one year old, imagine having that traumatizing event in your past. To be so young and have so much life experience is scary. She has more life experience in her three years than most people I know.
Gutting houses was the hard part - not only physically hard, but also emotionally hard. Our first site was one that the other groups had worked on, so we just finished up and cleared out all of the sheet rock and leftover nails. We finished on the first day, but during that day, Katie, Laura, and I were filling a wheel barrow when we found a little pink graduation gown and cap. That moment when we picked them up was when it hit me - I was standing in what used to be some little kid's room, a little kid who might not even know if her house is still there. And as I stood there, ripping the drywall out, and shoveling out all of their leftover possessions, I felt like such an intruder. Seeing all the people around me swinging hammers to take out the tile, wearing masks that look like gas masks and suits that make you sweat unbelievable amounts, I suddenly saw myself in my own house. This was very frightening.
The mission trip this year was a first for some, but a last for others. I think we all were changed some way or another by this deeply gratifying adventure.
Thirsty? Will you reach for a Glass or a Bottle?
Between the heat and drought, the subject of water has certainly been the center of attention for many of us during this summer of 2007. For those of us living here in Chapel Hill (and in practically all of the US), drought and water restrictions bring concerns primarily about our agricultural fields, gardens and lawns, and about the public places that we hold dear, such as the Coker Arboretum or the NC Botanical Garden. The luxury for those of us living in the US is that drought rarely generates concern about whether or not we will have clean water to drink when we turn on our tap.
Do you know that our own Orange Water and Sewer Authority has won awards for delivering the Best Tasting Water In North Carolina for several years (1988, 1989, 2003)? And even when our local water supply is not winning awards, it consistently exceeds the water quality standards required by the United States Safe Drinking Water Act?
But do you also know that the United States is the world's leading consumer of bottled water, consuming 22 gallons per citizen in 2004 according to the Earth Policy Institute? The global consumption of bottled water reached 41 billion gallons in 2004, up 57% in just five years.
Why do we do this? Is it because we think it is cleaner? Or healthier? The reality is that the US Environmental Protection Agency's standards for tap water are higher than the US Food and Drug Administration's standards for bottled water. One surprising fact is that 40% of bottled water begins as tap water. Often the only difference is added minerals that have no substantiated health benefits.
It can't be because it's cheaper! Bottled water can cost up to 10,000 times more per gallon than tap water (think of those bottles of water that you can buy that are shipped from Fiji or Norway!) In fact, for the price of a one-liter bottle of Evian (about a quarter of a gallon), Chapel Hill residents can buy 600 gallons of OWASA tap water.
Besides the fact that bottled water is neither healthier, cleaner nor cheaper than our own OWASA water, there are additional reasons for you to turn to your tap the next time you are thirsty: bottled water extracts a huge and negative impact on our planet, God's creation.
Fossil fuel consumption: The most commonly used plastic for making water bottles is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is derived from crude oil. Meeting just the American demand for bottled water requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel approximately 100,000 US cars for a year. Even more fossil fuels are consumed during the "manufacture", bottling, and transportation of that water, all processes that result in greater greenhouse gas emissions which contribute toward global warming and climate change.
Waste: What about all those empty bottles? According to the Container Recycling Institute, 86% of plastic water bottles used in the US become garbage. Incinerating these bottles can produce toxic by-products such as chlorine gas and ash containing heavy metals. Burying them in landfills puts them on a timeline of up to 1000 years to biodegrade. Ship them off to another country for disposal and you add even more to the resource cost of the product.
Water consumption: Meeting the public demand for bottled water has greatly increased the extraction of water in areas near bottling plants. According to the Earth Policy Institute, water shortages have already been reported near bottling plants in Texas and the Great Lakes region of the US. Those who depend on water for their livelihood, e.g. farmers and fishers, can also be impacted if their work is located near a bottling plant.
So the next time you're thirsty, turn on your tap! While you're drinking that good, clean, healthy water, consider the United Nations Millennium Development Goal that calls for halving the proportion of people lacking sustainable access to safe drinking water by 2015. We know that meeting this goal will require doubling the $15 billion a year that is currently spent on water supply and sanitation. While this amount sounds large, it pales in comparison to the estimated $100 billion that is spent each year on bottled water.
People of Faith Against the Death Penalty
People of Faith Against the Death Penalty (PFADP) was founded by the Rev. James Lewis. Prior to founding PFADP, Mr. Lewis was the director of Christian Social Ministries for the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina. Shortly after arriving in North Carolina in 1987, he was approached by members of the North Carolina Council of Churches about serving on the Council's Criminal Justice Committee. In 1994, the Council accepted PFADP as an official project.
During its early years, PFADP organized vigils outside Central Prison whenever there was an execution. The group also organized educational events. Although the group worked hard to build opposition to the death penalty among churchgoing citizens, fund-raising remained a significant obstacle.
PFADP gained increased notoriety with the publication of Dead Man Walking by Sister Helen Prejean. Today, it remains one of the most recognized and organized groups working to end the death penalty in North Carolina and throughout the South. The organization is very inclusive and seeks to welcome members from every background, regardless of their faith.
Their mission statement is as follows: "To educate and mobilize faith communities to act to abolish the death penalty in the United States."
Overall, People of Faith Against the Death Penalty argues that "the American death penalty system is racist, predisposed to executing the poor and destitute among us, prohibitively expensive compared to life imprisonment, and inequitable and unfair in its implementation. They believe that "God calls people of faith to a high and often difficult standard of love and forgiveness and a justice that is rooted not in retribution but rather in redemption and restoration."
The Johnson Intern Program, which was founded and is still partly sponsored by the Chapel of the Cross, has placed interns at PFADP in previous years. The Chapel of the Cross gave a $500 grant to PFADP in 2006, and members of the church regularly attend vigils that PFADP organizes.
PFADP still organizes vigils when there are executions scheduled. In addition to the vigils, PFADP works to educate the public about the death penalty in an attempt to debunk myths about the death penalty that many North Carolinians believe to be true. They also lobby state legislators concerning a variety of bills related to the death penalty, particularly the moratorium bill.
There are many ways that individuals can aid PFADP in their efforts to end the use of the death penalty in North Carolina. Parishioners can download a petition on PFADP's website (http://www.pfadp.org/index.html) that encourages legislators to abolish the death penalty. Parishioners can also write their state representative, their senator, and the governor to encourage them to support the moratorium, which would halt the use of the death penalty in North Carolina for two years. Letters to the editors of newspapers and face-to-face discussions can also go a long way to educate the public about the death penalty. PFADP also offers e-mail alerts on their website. Individuals who are interested in volunteering with PFADP may visit their office at 110 W. Main St., Suite 2G in Carrboro. There is always a need for financial support as well. Most importantly, parishioners should pray for the victims of murder and their families and for those on death row.
El Hogar
". . . for I was hungry and you gave me food, for I was a stranger and you welcomed me."
Matthew 25:35
The following is a letter from Marco, a 15- year old boy at El Hogar Orphanage in Tegucigalpa, Honduras; our parish has sponsored him with outreach funds for the last five years. Marco is now in the Technical Institute and will graduate from that program in November, 2008. Parishioners who traveled to El Hogar for the mission trip in 2006 met Marco during their visit. This year El Hogar also began a residential program for girls. The Chapel of the Cross has signed up to sponsor one of their new girls.
If some of our youth or one of our Sunday School classes would like to write to Marco at El Hogar and perhaps send him some pictures of our church, the town of Chapel Hill, or some of our parish activities, I know it would be greatly appreciated. (Contact me at pegpratt@nc.rr.com or call the parish office) Parishioners interested in learning more about El Hogar, the children, or the opportunity to sponsor a student may do so by going to their website at www.elhogar.org.
June 18, 2007
Dear Godparents,
Hello! How are you? Hope you are well.
First I'd like to thank you for all your help the past 5 years. You have been very helpful to me and I feel so grateful. I love you very much and know God will keep you well.
I feel good here at the institute and love all the new installations. I am in my 2nd course. I send you much love, kisses and hugs and hoping good abundance and rich blessings from God. I would like a photo to remember you better.
God Bless You,
Marco A.
(translated)
October Programs and Meetings
Monday, October 1
7:00 pm UNC/COTC Habitat for Humanity
Tuesday, October 2
8:30 am Mary Harris Bible Study
3:00 pm Girl Scout Troop 378
5:30 pm Personnel Committee
6:00 pm Blessing of the Animals
7:00 pm Boy Scout Troop 9
Wednesday, October 3
5:00 pm Centering Prayer
5:30 pm Building & Grounds
Committee
Saturday, October 6
9:30 am Quiet Day
Sunday, October 7
5:00 pm Episcopal Youth Community
Monday, October 8
6:00 pm Global Missions Committee
6:30 pm Web Site Committee
Tuesday, October 9
8:30 am Mary Harris Bible Study
3:00 pm Girl Scout Troop 378
7:00 pm Boy Scout Troop 9
7:30 pm Finance Committee
Wednesday, October 10
5:00 pm Centering Prayer
Thursday, October 11
5:00 pm Honduras Night
Sunday, October 14
5:00 pm Episcopal Youth Community
Monday, October 15
7:00 pm Special Worship with People with Developmental
Disabilities
Tuesday, October 16
8:30 am Mary Harris Bible Study
3:00 pm Girl Scout Troop 378
7:00 pm Boy Scout Troop 9
Wednesday, October 17
5:00 pm Capital Campaign Committee
5:00 pm Centering Prayer
Thursday, October 18
6:00 pm Vestry Meeting
7:30 pm Adult Book Group
Sunday, October 21
5:00 pm Episcopal Youth Community
Tuesday, October 23
8:30 am Mary Harris Bible Study
3:00 pm Girl Scout Troop 378
7:00 pm Boy Scout Troop 9
Wednesday, October 24
5:00 pm Centering Prayer
Sunday, October 28
5:00 pm Episcopal Youth Community
Tuesday, October 30
8:30 am Mary Harris Bible Study
3:00 pm Girl Scout Troop 378
7:00 pm Boy Scout Troop 9
Wednesday, October 31
5:00 pm Centering Prayer
October Service Schedule
Sunday, October 7 (Green), The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 22), BCP p. 920
7:30 am Holy Eucharist Rite I Chapel Ms. Lee
9:00 am Holy Eucharist Rite II Church The Rev. Thomas Ward
10:00 am Holy Eucharist Rite II Carolina Meadows The Rev. Susannah Smith
11:15 am Holy Eucharist Rite I Church The Rev. Thomas Ward
5:15 pm Holy Eucharist Rite II Chapel Mr. Frazelle
9:30 pm Compline Church
Sunday, October 14 (Green), The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 23), BCP p. 920
7:30 am Holy Eucharist Rite I Chapel Mr. Elkins-Williams
9:00 am Holy Eucharist Rite II Church Mr. Elkins-Williams
11:15 am Morning Prayer and Holy Eucharist Rite I Church Mr. Elkins-Williams
4:00 pm Holy Eucharist Rite I Carol Woods Ms. Lee
5:15 pm Holy Eucharist Rite II Chapel Mr. Elkins-Williams
9:30 pm Compline Church
Sunday, October 21 (Green), The Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24), BCP p. 920
7:30 am Holy Eucharist Rite I Chapel Dr. Pfaff
9:00 am Holy Eucharist Rite I Church Mr. Frazelle
11:15 am Holy Eucharist Rite II Church Mr. Frazelle
5:15 pm Holy Eucharist Rite II Chapel Mr. Frazelle
9:30 pm Compline Church
Sunday, October 28 (Green), The Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 25), BCP p. 921
7:30 am Holy Eucharist Rite I Chapel Dr. Morley
9:00 am Holy Eucharist Rite II Church Ms. Jamieson-Drake
11:15 am Holy Eucharist Rite I Church Ms. Jamieson-Drake
4:00 pm Holy Eucharist Rite I Carol Woods Ms. Jamieson-Drake
5:15 pm Holy Eucharist Rite II Chapel Dr. Pfaff
9:30 pm Compline Church
12:30 Social Hour Volunteers Needed
You are invited each week following the 11:15 Sunday morning service to enjoy food, fellowship and a hearty welcome to the Chapel of the Cross with old-timers and newcomers alike. Heavy hors d'oeuvres and light refreshment are provided by volunteers and the Social Hour NEEDS YOU. Please log onto http://groups.yahoo.com/group/COTCsocialhour to join the new Social Hour list-serve. From there you can keep up with the group calendar, learn about volunteer opportunities and help continue the 12:30 Social Hour tradition.
Volunteers are needed to bring food to share and to man one of three 'shifts' during the morning that make the Social Hour a success. All volunteers are encouraged to ask a friend (possibly someone new to the Social Hour) to help share the duties signed up for each week. The Food Provider Volunteer will bring food to share and can sign up to be a food provider once in the year or as many times as you wish. Food should be ready to serve. Food suggestions include such savory and sweet items as: cheese & crackers; chips & dip; crudite platter; sandwiches; fruit; cakes; cookies; light refreshment is also welcome.
Please sign up for a week to be a food provider on the on-line calendar. LABEL your food with 12:30 SOCIAL HOUR, mark it with the date and deliver your food to the kitchen just before the 11:15 Sunday morning service. The Set-up Volunteer will set-up for the Social Hour during the last half hour of the 11:15 service. Set-up duties shall include: arranging two tables with clean tablecloths for food service; setting out paper plates, napkins and utensils; put carafes of coffee, coffee cups, cream, sugar and stirrers out on the buffet; put out lemonade or other drinks and cups on the buffet; put out and arrange food on service tables at around 12:20. The Volunteer Coordinator of the day and Facilitator of the day will be sure that all of the volunteer jobs are filled for the day and recruit additional help as needed before Sunday arrives. On Sunday, this volunteer will oversee the flow of food and refreshments during the Social Hour, restocking and consolidating as needed. The Clean-up Volunteer will be in charge of clean-up after the Social Hour. Clean-up duties shall include: disposing of all trash left out into trashcans; removal of tablecloths, placing in laundry hamper in kitchen; wiping down buffets and counters; washing, drying and putting away of any COTC dishes, pitchers & carafes; making sure that the kitchen and dining room are left and they were found. E-mail Anne Hoole (Hospitality Manager) at ahoole@thechapelofthecross.org if you have any questions. If you are not internet connected, please call the church office for Anne's number to find out more.
ALTAR FLOWERS
NOVEMBER 2007- OCTOBER 2008
Offerings of flowers for the altars of the Church and Chapel are provided by people who wish to remember loved ones or to give thanks for anniversaries, for the birth of a child, or for other occasions. The names of the persons being remembered are listed in the Sunday Announcements.
This form is to give the Altar Guild an idea of the remembrances we have during the coming year.
The regular cost of flowers for the church is $75.00 and for the chapel is $40.00.
If you would like to give flowers during the coming year, please complete this form and return it to
the parish office by Monday, October 29, 2007, or mail it to:
St. Hilda's Altar Guild
The Chapel of the Cross
304 East Franklin Street
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
I wish flowers for:
The church on the Sunday nearest ____________________________________
The chapel on the Sunday nearest ____________________________________
In memory of
In thanksgiving for
Please list full names without titles:
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Enclosed is my check for $_______ payable to the Chapel of the Cross marked for Altar Flowers.
I would like this to be a yearly remembrance. (The Altar Guild would appreciate your renewing this remembrance in years to come by sending in this form each year with your check).
I would like a copy of the Sunday Announcements sent to me.
My name and address:
_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________
Cross Roads is a monthly newsletter of the Chapel of the Cross. Please email information to
submissions@thechapelofthecross.org or submit written information to the parish office. Email is preferred.
The deadline for the October edition is Thursday, October 6, 2007.
Last updated: October 1, 2007
