Sunday May 1st - 8AM & 10AM Holy Eucharist and Church School
11AM Coffee hour
Spring Clean up day and BBQ
Wednesday May 4th- Wednesday Morning Group 9:30-11
Friday May 6th - Cinco De Mayo at CHI - Potluck and Game night 6PM
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Sunday May 8th - 8AM & 10AM Holy Eucharist and Church School
11AM Coffee hour
Wednesday May 11th- Wednesday Morning Group 9:30-11
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Sunday May 15th - 8AM & 10AM Holy Eucharist and Church School
11AM Coffee hour
Vestry Retreat 12-5
Wednesday May 18th- Wednesday Morning Group 9:30-11
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Sunday May 22nd - 8AM & 10AM Holy Eucharist and Church School
11AM Coffee hour
Wednesday May 25th- Wednesday Morning Group 9:30-11
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Sunday May 29th - 8AM & 10AM Holy Eucharist and Church School
- Following service a bagpiper will lead us to the
cemetery to place flowers and flags on the graves of our
veterans. A Special memorial day prayer will be made at
the cross.
11AM Ice tea and cookies in the Memorial Garden
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Mountain Musings May 2011
Dear Friends,
Please take a few minutes to catch up with the latest, and upcoming, from the Mountain. I’ve added a “What do you think?” column at the end. Maybe we will have an on line conversation.
Until we meet, God’s Peace, Martie
Contents for May:
1. Easter Joy Going Forward
2. Spring Cleanup Success
3. Calendar
4. Welcoming Newcomers
5. The Death of Osama bin Laden: What do you think?
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1. Easter Joy Going Forward
The Easter alleluias are still ringing in my ears, along with the echoes of joyous music, the sweet sound of children’s voices, and the happy laughter of brunch shared with friends. A year ago Paul and I accepted your invitation to come to West Orange to share “good liturgy and good coffee hours.” Easter was a fine culmination of a full year of doing both those things together. For the third time this year, we were overflowing with people as well as joy! As Geoff said, “it was good energy!”
The Easter Story makes for good energy: God, through Jesus, triumphing over all the evil the world could dish out, including death, itself! God, our Savior, shows his strength, power, and love for us, giving us the promise of Eternal Life, starting now. So why not shout it out, sing it out, and ring it out as we did? And having so many of us and so many of our youngsters to celebrate it with us truly amplified our joy!
When I came to be your Priest-in-Charge, the Vestry was clear that we had lots of work to do together. I cannot even begin to credit all the people who have lovingly given of their time, talent, and treasure to keep our life together here. Next week the Vestry will be looking back to see where we have come, and ahead to set some goals for the coming year. We will be looking to see how we can have more of the joy and energy of Easter among us, and how we can share that with our neighbors who need the love of God and fellowship of the church in their lives, as we do. If you have feedback about how you experience God’s promised New Life here, or how we could experience that even more fully, let’s talk about it, and together, grow more and more into our Easter joy.
Spring Cleanup
Thanks to all who stayed last Sunday for the Spring Clean-up. We did lots of gardening, made a necessary repair in the church yard, and cleaned the gutters of the church, saving one B&G expense. Several projects remain; if you would like to help with a project to redirect water and tidy up the appearance of the church yard, please let Lisa or Patti know. Plans are underway for another DYI extravaganza.
Welcoming Newcomers
Whenever you know about something good, it’s natural to want to share it with others. Vestry member, Rom Aromin, is working to organize a warm welcome for visitors to CHI. We need everyone’s help to greet visitors and ask them to sign our guest book so that we can let them know about all the opportunities for worship, fellowship and service. We also need to have someone committed to greet and assist people at the door as they enter, and to accompany them to coffee hour the first few times they visit. Please talk to Rom about how and when you can help. Of course, welcoming newcomers starts with just being here to be this faithful community, something we all do together!
Calendar
May 6 Friday 6:00 pm TGIF at CHI – Potluck Bring a dish to share
May 8 Sunday 8 & 10 Guest preacher and Celebrant, The Rev. Jackie Schmitt
May 14 Saturday 1:00 Memorial for Ginny Smith Grey
May 15 Sunday 8:00 HE
10:00 HE / Baptism of Lucas Bolla
12:00 Vestry Retreat and Planning Day
May 22, Sunday 8 & 10:00 HE
May 29 Sunday 8:00 HE
10:00 Children’s HE and Memorial Day Observance with Bagpiper Procession to Cemetery
June 12 PENTECOST 10:00 HE and POTLUCK picnic Wear Red!
June 19 Sunday 8:00 HE
10:00 Church School Recognition
WATCH FOR AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE JUNE WINETASTING AND AUCTION!
5. A Reflection on the Death of Osama bin Laden: What do you think?
All week, I have been trying to understand what the death of Osama bin Laden means to us. It is the fulfillment of the vow of two presidents to capture or kill the mastermind of the 911 attack.
I personally didn’t doubt that that his death had occurred, but I did not actually experience it as an enormous event, even though it obviously was just that, based on all the world-wide news media coverage. I surely could not deny the heroics of the Navy SEALS, or the fortitude of our Commander-in-Chief. It just didn’t, make me want to dance in the streets, probably because I didn’t see how it was going to change very much, although I still wish (and deep down hope) that it will change everything, maybe even be the beginning of the end of the war.
I tell you all this, as a description of my thoughts, not as a prescription for what yours should be. I suspect we had many different reactions: some of us feel relieved that justice has been carried out. Yet, as the mother of a young woman who died in the Towers wrote, we realize that his death does not bring back her daughter or any of those lost on September 11th or in the decade of war that has followed.
Some of us may feel more safe, but some of us feel more vulnerable to the feared retaliation of bin Laden’s followers. News pundits vie to determine the political fallout in Washington and around the world, with friends and foes, both rational, and irrational. Perhaps some of you share my frustration that there is nothing a US President can do without inciting vitriolic criticism or violence somewhere.
Victory is a complicated thing. Victory by violence, however justified, seems to bring more and more threats of violence. Jesus’ victory was achieved totally without violence, except that which he took upon himself, and then transcended, calling us to also transcend all the evil the world can deal.
Bishop Beckwith has a great essay on his blog, (see www.dioceseofnewark.org ) reflecting on his reactions to bin Laden’s death, and reminding us not to confuse justice with vengeance. The aforementioned mother reminds us that dancing in the streets at the death was what “they” did after the Towers fell. It is not how she sees us or our country. I can imagine that vets who risked their lives searching caves in Afghanistan would have quite a different perspective.
If this really is an historic moment, how can we make it a moment when history takes a turn for the better? Maybe by seeking to make it a moment of sober reflection on the evil that humans can inflict on one another. Maybe by seeking paths to the peace and justice which will end that kind of evil. We are children of Jesus’ victory, who rejoice in life, not death, and seek to spread love and life in all we do.
If you have thoughts you would like to share about this event, or about how we can be people of life in the midst of death, Easter people, I would love to hear them, and with your permission to share them with others who may want to join in the conversation.
I trust that our congregation can do this respectfully, without having to agree, but helping one another to grasp the significance of this event through the lens of faithful lives. Please send me your thoughts by responding to www.holyinnocents681@yahoo.com. If we decide it is good to have this kind of conversation, maybe we will do it again, or even start a blog.
God’s Peace, Martie+
P.S. Just got word of an amazing conference in Newark next week, sponsored by the Newark Interfaith Council, addressing inner and outer peace. Three Nobel Peace Prize winners, including the Dali Lama will be the Keynote speakers. Most of us will be at Ginny's Memorial Service on Saturday afternoon, and church on Sunday, but you can buy one day tickets for Friday. I am hoping to go on Friday, and urge you to consider this opportunity. Some scholarships are available. http://newarkpeace.org/panels-workshops-day-1
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