Sunday announcements
February 3, 2008 - The Last Sunday after the EpiphanyNote: Personal phone numbers are removed from the Web version of the Sunday announcements. Please consult your Parish Directory, use e-mail if an address is given, or call the parish office at 919-929-2193 to find out more about the news.
Services This Week
Mon., Tues. and Fri.
5:15 pm Evening Prayer
Tuesday, Feb. 5
5:30 pm Episcopal Campus Ministry
Ms. Lee
Ash Wednesday, Feb. 6
7:30 am Holy Eucharist Rite II
Ms. Lee
9:00 am Reconciliation of a Penitent
Ms. Lee
10:00 am Holy Eucharist Rite I
Ms. Jamieson-Drake
11:00 am Reconciliation of a Penitent
Ms. Jamieson-Drake
12:15 pm Holy Eucharist Rite II
Mr. Frazelle
4:00pm Holy Eucharist Rite I (Carol Woods)
Ms. Jamieson-Drake
5:15 pm Holy Eucharist Rite II
Mr. Frazelle
8:00 pm Holy Eucharist Rite I
Mr. Frazelle
Thursday, Feb. 7
5:15 pm Holy Eucharist Rite II with Healing
Ms. Lee
Next Sunday, February 10
The First Sunday in Lent
7:30 am Holy Eucharist Rite I
Dr. Morley
9:00 am Holy Eucharist Rite II
Dr. Pfaff
11:15 am Holy Eucharist Rite I
Dr. Pfaff
5:15 pm Holy Eucharist Rite II
Mr. Keith
9:30 pm Sung Compline
Readings: Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7; Psalm 32; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11
Adult Education Today
10:00 am - Parish Annual Meeting (Church)
Adult Education Next Week
Measuring Your Carbon Footprint (Parish Office)
The Baptismal Covenant - Mr. Frazelle (Chapel)
Today
Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting of the Chapel of the Cross will take place in the church from 10:00 to 11:00 am today. All communicants and interested parishioners are invited to come and meet the vestry candidates, vote on proposed bylaw changes concerning vestry elections, and hear about the financial health of the parish, including the 2007 report, the 2008 budget, and the status of the capital campaign.
Grape Arbor
Grape Arbor, an outreach of St. Paul AME to disadvantaged youth, is hosting an open house today from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm at their new Youth Enhancement Center at 1717 Legion Road, Suite G101. The rector has served on the board now for the past four years. All are invited to support our Sister Parish in this courageous endeavor.
Episcopal Youth Community
Join us at the church this Sunday evening for our Super Bowl Party! Kick off is at 6:17 pm. Let's meet at 5:30 pm to catch up and settle in before the game begins. Please bring a potluck dish to share. Middle school pick up will be at half-time. High school will be at the end of the game. The ski trip is on Feb. 15-16. We will travel to Wintergreen (in Virginia) together and ski for one day. Today is your last chance to sign up. Please let me know and bring your $50 deposit. Scholarships are available. Please talk with Caren or David for more information.
Compline tonight at 9:30 pm
"Set your minds on the things that are above, where Christ is." The ancient monastic service of Compline, the "completion" of the day, is offered in our church every Sunday evening during the university semester at 9:30 pm. An organ improvisation follows the 25-minute service. Come join us and put all of your comings and goings, your beginnings and endings, and everything in-between into the loving hands of God.
Church School
Church School is offered most Sundays, September through mid-May for two year-olds through adults. The classes and their locations are posted around the building and on the bulletin boards in the dining room. Church School is from 10:20 am to 11:05 am. Registration forms are available for parents of children and youth to complete. New students are welcome at any time during the year.
12:30 Social Hour
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. Volunteers are needed to bring food to share. 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 liquid refreshment is also welcome. Please sign up for a week to be a food provider on the calendar posted in the kitchen. 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.
This Week
Episcopal Campus Ministry/Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper
All are invited to a traditional pancake supper on Shrove Tuesday, this Tuesday at 5:30 pm in the dining room. The cost is $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children under twelve. Proceeds go to Global Mission, Episcopal Youth Community and Episcopal Campus Ministry mission trips.
Ash Wednesday for Children
During the 5:15 Ash Wednesday service, a Children's Chapel program for all ages of children will be offered. Weather permitting, children will gather on the playground; otherwise, children will gather in the parlor.
Parish Visitors
Parish Visitors will meet at 2 pm on Thursday, Feb. 7, in the parish library. All parishioners are welcome to attend and learn more about this important ministry to our shut-in members. For more information, contact Bob Comey (Call church office for number).
Next Sunday
God and Church Program
There will be an informational meeting Sunday, Feb. 10 for all 6th, 7th, and 8th graders interested in the God and Church program. The meeting will be held in the parish library after church school (app. 11:15 am). God and Church focuses on learning more about Christ, exploring worship in the Episcopal Church, and discovering opportunities that our congregation provides for ministering to others. For more information, please contact Frank McBride (call church office for number or email him at StratAdvan@aol.com.
Parish Notes
Vestry Budget Report
At its January meeting, the Vestry adopted a budget for 2008. They noted with gratitude the 517 pledges received at that point for $1,251,560 (as compared to 551 for $1,233,041 last year at that time). This included 272 pledgers who increased by an average of 12%, making up for the 34 fewer pledges received at that point. The decreasing number of pledges is a concern. In order to reverse that trend, the Annual Giving Committee working closely with John Koch, Director of Stewardship and Development, will continue its work throughout the year. If you participate regularly here and have not yet pledged, you are encouraged to do so very soon. (Pledge packets are available in the dining room or the parish office.) Even with the disappointing step of freezing the 2008 budget at 2007 levels wherever possible (including no cost of living raises for staff), balancing the budget will depend on achieving the hoped for increased number of pledges during this year.
Youth Inquirers' Class Begins Soon
The Youth Inquirers' Class is a spiritual formation program that focuses on the practices of the Christian life, and that leads to Confirmation for some students. It is open to all senior high, although most choose to participate in 9th grade. We will meet on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 pm (beginning with a pot-luck dinner), starting Feb. 20. For more information, or to register, contact David Frazelle at 929-2193 or dfrazelle@thechapelofthecross.org.
Protect God's Creation! "Fast from Carbon" for Lent
The Environmental Stewardship Committee invites you to "fast from carbon" during Lent and beyond. Carbon dioxide is the dominant "green house gas" that is contributing to the warming of our planet and the disruption of our climate. During the five Sundays of Lent, members of the committee will be stationed in the parish office between the 9:00 and 11:15 services, with computers and Internet access, ready to help you measure your "carbon footprint." By answering a few questions, you will learn the amount of carbon that you are putting into the air in the form of carbon dioxide. You will also receive information on how to reduce that footprint and measure your progress. It is not essential, but it will be helpful if you have an approximate idea of how much you spend each month for energy in your home (i.e. for electricity, natural gas, heating oil or kerosene). If you have questions about this, please contact Linda Gaines (from Jan. 27-Feb. 18) at lggaines.95@alum.mines.edu or Linda Rimer at lbrimer@bellsouth.net (after Feb. 18, 2008).
Can you pack a "trash free" lunch?
This Lent, church school children will be encouraged to go on a lunchbox "trash-fast" to reduce their carbon footprints. Packing a trash-free lunch - with no plastic sandwich bags, no juice pouches, no string cheese or candy wrappers - is surprisingly easy (and usually a lot healthier, not just for the planet but for the kids!) Did you know a discarded juice box retains its weight, volume and form for at least four decades? Or that a banana peel thrown into the landfill will decompose only 25% in fifteen years? The average child packing a disposable lunch generates 67 pounds of trash a year. The best way to reduce trash is to stop creating it. Simple ideas for going "trash-free" are on the bulletin board in the Yates stairwell and on flyers in the dining room. For more information, go to www.wastefreelunches.org.
Small Ways to Help
The Chapel of the Cross's 46th annual Attic, Basement, Closet (ABC) Sale will soon be upon us! The sale date is Saturday, April 12. We need of a little presale help. We need gardeners to grow plants for the garden shop, shoppers to save paper handled bags, a large tent for sale day, and a donation of a storage space for sale items in Feb. and March. We are also in need of a few financial sponsors. We need to fund a Treasured Affair cocktail event ($300), purchase a cake for the volunteer luncheon ($100), purchase reusable advertising signs ($300), and purchase reusable department chair aprons ($200). If you are able to help us with this important charity fund-raiser in any of these ways, please contact the sale coordinators, Mindy Morton (mortons04@nc.rr.com or (call office for number)) or Heather Benjamin (habenjam@bellsouth.net or (call office for number)).
Vacation Church School
This year's Vacation Church School will be held June 23-27. Teachers, teen assistants, and occasional volunteers (both before and during the week) are needed. If you're interested in helping make VCS a success, please contact Boykin Bell at bbell@thechapelofthecross.org or 929-2193. Registration forms for children ages four through fifth grade will be available March 1, with priority placement going to parishioners until May 15, when registration will be opened to the community.
Desirable Vestry Attributes
The following is an excerpt from Vestry Papers, a national Episcopal publication, offering guidelines and advice for Vestry members. With Vestry elections scheduled for Feb. 17, this reprint seems timely for us all.
1. Be a non-anxious presence, especially in the midst of conflict. This is especially important as a leader. Keep communication open and honest, but don't amplify fear and anxiety...
2. Don't leave your brain at the door. The church tries to walk the line between contracts and covenant; between law and promise. There is wisdom in the practice to be "wise as serpents and innocent as doves."
3. Try something you've never done before. Risk failure and hope for success. Vestry people are in a position to see the bigger picture. They can be more aware of more resources and a longer time frame. Take advantage of this privileged point of view...
4. Pray and then get out of the way. Prayer is a gift, whether offered silently or aloud...Leave room for grace. Make time and space for the Holy Spirit to weigh in on any given situation.
5. Exercise the Spirit's gifts, those St. Paul describes in Galatians 5:22-23: "Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."
6. Finally, remember Pope Gregory who knew who was in charge with his nightly bedtime prayer, "God, your Church needs you. Now I'm going to bed."
Office Volunteers
Our church office counts on volunteers to help answer phones, prepare mailings, data entry, and assist with special projects. Times are available Mon.,Tues., Thurs. & Fri. in 2-hour slots, weekly or bi-weekly. Please contact Marsha Pate at 929-2193 or mpate@thechapelofthecross.org if this unique contribution appeals to you.
Mark Your Calendar
Reading with a View to Spirituality
For some Lenten reading, please join us Saturday, Feb. 23, from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm in the parish library for reflection upon The Ascent to Truth by Thomas Merton. All are welcome. Bring your book and your lunch. For more information, call Raquel Goldberg at (call church office for number).
Stewardship Opportunities
The Hill is Alive with the Sound of Chainsaws
And if you can split a log, or load and unload a truck, we'd like to hear from you, too. We'll cut and deliver wood to those in need again on the morning of Saturday, Feb. 16. We'd especially like to have some students join us. A pickup truck is always a plus, but we need people more than anything. To get directions and details contact David Brown (call church office for number) weekdays or at david_brown@unc.edu.
Refugee Resettlement Team Needs Help!
The Refugee Resettlement Team urgently and desperately needs your help. Being "on the team" does not mean attending a lot of meetings. We do most of our "meetings" through email and phone. Most churches have a minimum of five team members to care for resettled families. We have a team of two doing most of the work. The needs are simply overwhelming for the few who are now working with the family. For example, we currently have 11 medical/dental appointments on the books and only two workers to provide assistance. Other needs continue - college students and community tutors to help the school-age children, odd job opportunities until full time work is secured, general acculturation activities. You will find your life greatly enriched by giving your time and energy to help this very deserving family. For more information, please contact Barbara Tremblay (call office for number) or Gale Gilchrist (call office for number).
Community Notes
Diocesan Course on the MDG Ministry
The North Carolina Diocese MDG Committee is sponsoring a three-class series on ministry for the MDGs, "Building an MDG Ministry in Your Congregation." This course emphasizes three things that motivate us to take action: personal experience, community formation and vision. Leaders for the MDGs will connect these three in ways that invite others in and allow them to see themselves as participants in the dream of ending extreme poverty. Lallie Lloyd will lead the class to be held at Church of the Holy Comforter in Burlington beginning Feb. 23. The course fee is $150, with discounts available for additional participants from the same congregation. Only 15 slots are available.For more information, contact MDG Committee Chair Debra Smithdeal (call church office for number), or debra@dioncmdg.org.
Environmental Stewardship Green Tip
Fast from carbon! (or Protect our climate!) Replace your light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Save 150 pounds of carbon dioxide/year.
Sunday Announcements
The deadline for announcements is 10:00 am on Wednesday. Announcements should be brief. Parish-related submissions are given priority. Include daytime phone and email address for contact. All submissions are subject to editing; publication of the submission is not guaranteed. Email information to submissions@thechapelofthecross.org or leave paper copies in the Publications Assistant's mailbox in the parish office. Email is preferred.
Last updated: February 2, 2008
