What’s going on in the larger Church
Editorials
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
What’s going on in the larger Church Editorials |
|||
|
|
|
|
Editorial "Let us make man in our image after our likeness and let them have dominion over all the earth" Gen. 1:26 Dear Friends, Our recently held ANT quiz was an attempt to make us all more environmentally aware. Thanks to your suggestions those of us on the Outreach Committee were able to draw up a long list of what we as a congregation can do to try and do more to save energy, paper etc. But this is only the beginning - the project continues in Lent and we hope that it will have a lasting effect in that we change some of our habits and thereby help to preserve God's creation. We are told in the Bible that the earth is the Lord's , but that man has "dominion" over it. The word "dominion" can be interpreted either as taking care of the planet or exploiting it on the basis that the natural world was brought into being for mankind's use. Unfortunately over the centuries, the latter interpretation has become the norm and it is only now at the 11th hour that we are trying to reverse the trend. Despite the good intentions of many politicians, efforts made on a global scale to protect the planet are often counterproductive. Leaders of many nations fly thousands of miles to Kyoto or Bali to attend a climate conference with doubtful results. We buy fair-trade products, but how far have they been transported by air and road before they reach their destination? Often the cost to the environment has to be weighed up against the economic advantages. I always get annoyed when I see all the free local newspapers with countless inserts hanging out of the letter boxes, most of which are discarded without being read - a complete waste of paper. On the other hand, it provides jobs for journalists, publishers and maybe additional income for the needy student or unemployed person who delivers them. It is on a personal level in our own homes and lifestyles that just as great an environmental impact can be made without any disadvantage. The ideas submitted for the ANT project were proof of this. We now need to keep up the good work and not let our efforts lapse. A new year is a good time for a new start. So what about making some environmentally friendly new year resolutions? From the Rector Sunday Advent IV Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ: Many of you have known that for several years now I have been trying to return to the United States to be nearer my family, especially my Mother who turns 87 next week. The search for a new position has not been easy with many false turns and disappointments. However, this week I received a Call to become the Rector of the Church of the Ascension in Rockville Center, New York in the Diocese of Long Island, which I have accepted. Rockville Center is a close-in suburb of New York City and 15 miles from my home town of Port Washington where my mother still lives. The Ascension is an Anglo-Catholic parish roughly the size of the Ascension in Munich. It has a fine music tradition and a large Sunday School. The ministry envisioned there is enough different from that here in Munich to make it rather challenging yet exciting for me as I contemplate the last 10 years of active ministry. My 11 years here in Munich as your Rector have been wonderful years. We have had some ups and downs but in general the sweep of our life together in Christ has been deeply rewarding for me and I hope all of you as well. I have come to love all of you and it will be very difficult for me to leave, but I do think this change is of God and we will all in the long run benefit from it. I do not yet know when my last Sunday will be with you, most likely however, the first Sunday in March. There is however, a formal process for the transition period and the search for a new Rector. The Bishop will be coming to the Ascension on Tuesday January 8, and will hold a public meeting to discuss the process and to answer any questions you may have about the search for a new Rector. Please join us for this meeting at 7pm, in the Library. As I get older, I realize more and more that the human condition is always a combination of the sad and the joyous.This is just one example of that condition. As sad as it is to leave you all, I will always hold in my heart the joy of having been with you as your Rector for these last 11 years. God Bless You All! Tom Pellaton+ What’s going on in the larger Church Ecumenical Service during the 100th Week of Prayer for Christian Unity In order to unite with one another, we must love one another; From the Testament of Cardinal Mercier These words inspired Paul Couturier, a French priest who picked up an idea that the Lambeth Conference first formulated in 1878. Since 1908 the Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity is held every year from January 18 to 25. But only in 1935 Paul Courtier began advocating the general observance of this week. Only the Second Vatican Council opened the way for the participation of the Roman Catholic Church. With the World Council of Churches, that prepares worship and educational material every year, it is now observed worldwide among Christians. This year's Octave will be opened on Jan. 18th in Mainz. On January 24 at 19:00 a service will be held at the Roman Catholic Cathedral (Mariendom). It will also be the last such service in the presence of Cardinal Wetter who has been leading the Roman Catholic Archbishopric of Munich and Freising for the last 25 years. Ecumenical News:
Discernment on the other side – the Discernment Conference in Palazzola Since I have only recently been called back to the Commission on the Ministry of the Baptized (COMB), I was not sure about my role at the Discernment Conference being on the other side. Yet, at the conference in Palazzola at the first Advent weekend even COMB as a group more than as individuals realized we had to discern our call and that we did. The beauty of the place and the weather did certainly support our work. We realized we too need preparation and training to respond adequately to the call of being on this important committee that is overseeing the process of all who enter the process of ordained ministry; because every single one entering this process I want to meet with the respect and love, with support and guidance as I have received it myself. The next conference will be November 14-16, 2008 and is for everybody seeking what ministry God is calling him/her to in the church – lay and ordained. If you have any questions please contact the Rev. Dorothee Hahn. Another Look at Palazzola Father Tom asked me if I’d like to go to the discernment conference at the Villa Palazzola, near Rome, Italy. I had heard of the conference from others who had gone the year before. It was a beautiful place, I’d heard. Of folks who had gone, one has since refocused his life, others realized that they felt they were in the right place, doing the right thing, serving God and our community. I thought and prayed about it for a couple of days and decided to go. One can always use a bit of direction in one’s life. So plane tickets were bought and off I went with several others from the Church of the Ascension. We were joined by others from the convocation. The villa IS beautiful. It sits on the rim of an extinct volcano. There’s a lake in the crater. Across the way is Castle Gandolfo, where the Pope has a summer retreat. The setting is wonderful for thinking.At the conference, we looked at the baptismal covenant, using it as a tool for discernment. Large groups and good for general information, and covering the same information with everyone, but to really discuss something small groups are better. So we were randomly assigned to groups of 4. I knew one other person in my group. There was a familiar face. In just 3 days the 4 of us became friends, we learned about each other, what we thought about a call from God. What is that call? How would we know a call? Could a call be to the ordained priesthood or to hold someone’s hand as a friend? It’s not the same for everyone. And it is a continuing process. Different today than it may have been 5 years ago. Different from what the call may be 5 years from now. It never ends. Reflecting on the Baptismal Covenant is an interesting process. We say the words when we are present at a baptism, but usually we don’t take time to reflect on what those words mean and what they call us to do. Time in that beautiful setting gave us that opportunity. To step back and reflect on our belief in God the Father,His Son Jesus. How He came to be among us. What He did for us. The gift of the Holy Spirit. And what we’re to do with this knowledge. How do we share it with our neighbors? Just what does that mean? That is our call. How we share our faith with others. We have to learn to listen for that call, how are we meant to serve. For me the answer hasn’t come from just those 3 days work. For me it is still an ongoing process. I’ll continue to read, pray, study, and listen. NEXT SCHEDULED BAPTISMS The next scheduled Baptisms are Feb- ruary 24 and March 9. If you or your child are interested in being Baptised please see the Rector or the curate. ASH WEDNESDAY AT THE ASCENSION FEBRUARY 6, 2007 In the Chapel: 10.30 Ash Wednesday Liturgy and Imposition of Ashes, followed by Bible Study in the Library In the Church: 19.00 Ash Wednesday Liturgy and Holy Eucharist, with the Evensong Choir DID YOU KNOW THAT….. for the fourth year in a row, over 12,000 people attended services at the CofA and its Mission Churches of St. Boniface in Augsburg and St. James-the-less in Nürnberg? Oh, come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant. a near record 14 Baptisms were recorded this year at the Ascension and Missions, one wedding and no funerals? What does that tell you about the demographics of the parish? with Fr. Tom leaving in March, the Bishop will be visiting CofA and holding an open meeting about the future of the Church on January 8, at 7pm, in the Parish Hall? All are invited to attend. FUNDRAISING BRAINSTROMING The Church of the Ascension depends for some of its operating budget on fundraising events. In other words, to pay the bills and honor our outreach committments, we have to raise money other than what is pledged by parishion-ers or what is placed in the alms basin each week. For the last 10 years or so, two or three tradtional events have born the brunt of raising this much needed money. We are looking for new ideas. Maybe you can help. Graham Ashley, from the Vestry, will be leading us in a brainstorming session after the Eucharist on January 13, in the Sitzungszimmer. Please join us for the fun. Christmas Gift Tags for next year After you have admired your Christmas cards to your heart's content, bring them to church with you (and leave them at the usher's table) to be recycled into Christmas gift tags for the 2008 Advent Bazaar. Remember that this is one of those special traditions we would like to continue. For that, we need lots and lots of old Christmas cards. Thanks! "Exerzitien im Alltag" The "Exerzitien im Alltag" will be offered again in the coming Lenten period. These daily exercises are practiced at home, with five weekly meetings to share both meditative silence and our experiences with the "Exerzitien" texts. These ecumenical texts are written in German, but our weekly meetings take place in English. The theme for this year is "Siehe, ich bin bei euch all Tage"/"See I am with you always", examining how this promise of Jesus plays a central part in our daily lives as Christians. The meetings will take place in the chapel on five Thursday evenings, including the Taizé evening: February 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th and March 6th, from 19.30-21.00 (Taizé begins at 19.45). If you are interested in participating or wish for more information, please contact the Church. Vestry Notes (Issue No. 2) Dear parish members, fellow Christians, friends: This column had been mostly finished, when Father Tom announced that he is taking on new responsibilities in New York. Though the upcoming weeks will be passing quickly, it seems yet a bit too early for a farewell article so this is not going to be one. Neither is this going to be an article on the chances and challenges that the Lord may have waiting for us in the time of transition and thereafter (which, however, will be an important focus for all of us in the nearest future). Instead, we are going to share a few thoughts on some of the topics discussed in the latest vestry meetings. A word about fundraising. There's no doubt about it: The purpose of fund raising is raising money. As we seek to (and are obliged to) use the raised money for • supporting proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ by word and deed, • enabling God's celebration through beautiful, meaningful worship, • ministering to one another through worship, fellowship, Christian education and pastoral care, and • caring for people in the wider community through outreach projects, both alone and together with others, (as set out in our mission statement), we should understand our active participation in fundraising events to be an act of stewardship. However, fundraising probably works best, when it is also "fun raising", as many will agree that giving with joy may be preferable over giving with sacrifice. In order to boost fundraising (and the joy involved with it) in the upcoming year, we shall have an open brain storming session to stimulate some new ideas after Church on 13 January 2008. We believe that the joy in fundraising would benefit from a greater variety of activities and less pressure to require certain events at certain times of the year with a certain financial result. A cause for this pressure existing at all is that currently 8% of our yearly budget needs to be covered by fundraising. If the amount of pledge were increased by roughly 10% (e.g. by 10% additional "average" pledgers or by an increase of 10% of the average amount pledged), we wouldn't need fundraising activities to meet the budget, but we could use the raised money for becoming creative in funding some extras, such as expanding Outreach projects. Which takes us to the next topic. All money designated for Outreach goes into the Outreach budget to be distributed according to a donation plan drawn up by the Outreach Committee and approved by the Vestry. That is, the Outreach Committee decides (under our supervision) which charitable organizations we support. In other words: No income (such as earnings from a particular fundraising activity or the plate of a certain service) is designated to a certain outreach project at the time it is earned, but all income is pooled and then used as budgeted according to the parish's needs and intentions. That's it for this occasion. Have a joyous new year, and – be blessed! Rector Transition – How it Works Elsewhere in this issue of the IKON you will see Fr. Tom’s Pastoral Letter about his call to a new church - the Church of the Ascension in Long Island, New York. This is a great opportunity for him to spread his ministry and get closer to home. But for us it raises lots of questions about, “What happens next?” This article outlines the general process followed by the Episcopal Church to identify a new Rector. You can find the details of the process followed in our Convocation in Europe on the Convocation website: (or go to www.tec-europe.org, click on Official Documents, and look for the Rector search document). Here is the general approach in 5 big headings… Tom’s remaining time with us
Organize the routine operation of the Parish. Our ministry and worship continue!
Prepare the Search
Conduct the Search
Integration
Some Important Philosophy The transition is never easy, but can be a time of growth and maturing. There is lots that our diverse community must do together with the profile and search. There is lots that Tom keeps going on a daily basis. Our interim will help with some of this, but we must pick up a lot. If we do this well, we will work together a lot and become a stronger, closer community. I challenge us to enter the transition with this attitude and seek the growth as a spiritual and worshiping community that can come from the practical working together. This community building can be one of the really positive effects of the transition, and provides a strong base for the new Rector to work with. A good transition has lots of good Pastoral Care and Ministry to each other. There will be many opportunities to support each other and to be supported, not just with the practical stuff. We need to recognize that people have strong bonds with Fr. Tom and support each other through a “Goodbye” time. We have a diverse group and reaching a common understanding of the profile and what we wish to have in our next Rector will involve some hard conversations. We need to support each other in these conversations. The Interim will be a big help to us in this. Clair and Dorothee will also be key to this pastoral care, as well. I challenge us to always support each other as we go through the time of transition. A good transition after a Rector as loved and successful as Fr. Tom is rarely short. We have lots to do as a Parish. We need to create a bit of space between Fr. Tom’s wonderful ministry and the equally wonderful ministry of his successor. Both of these take time. We will plan the work and identify a guiding timeline. But it will take a while to do this transition. I challenge us to be patient. A Special Day of Meditation Sunday, 25 November 2007, was a special day for several members of the Church of the Ascension because we were fortunate in having Fr. Gilbert Carlo as our guest in leading us in meditation. Fr. Gilbert is a priest from India whose mission is spreading God’s Word through meditation. While he learned and practised yoga in his native country, he is also a member of the Society of the Divine Word, a religious order that was founded in 1875 in Steyl, Netherlands, near the German border. He has been actively teaching meditation in Australia and Germany for the last fifteen years. I met him in Hobart, Tasmania, last year where he conducted several meditative sessions for students and parish members. I was fortunate in being able to attend three of these sessions. His approach consists in having the practitioners focus on their breath. As one inhales, one invites the Holy Spirit to enter; with exhalation one releases one’s concerns and offers them up to Jesus. He also introduced us to the position of the cross, whereby one offers up one’s sins and worries to Jesus and then bows in obeisance to God. The approach is aptly termed meditation on the Cross. In 2008 Fr. Gilbert will spend ten months in Australia and one month in Germany. We look forward to his joining us again next year. "This is Part of the Beauty of Such a Play" A report on the Nativity Pageant As you know, this year we tried to come up with a nativity play where as many children as possible could play a role and where the individual age groups could rehearse their scenes independently. This entailed having three Marys and Josephs amongst other things but at least it avoided any child feeling they might have missed out on a 'good part'. |
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
 |
|||
 |
|||
|
|
|
However, this did lead to some confusion amongst the children themselves. At the Youth Orchestra rehearsal which took place directly before the nativity performance on the 9th, two children became involved in a debate about who was supposed to be playing 'Joseph'. One child was adamant that he had the role whilst the other insisted that his brother had been chosen for the part. I'm told it led to some amusing exchanges before the matter could be put straight. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
 |
|||||||
|
There were some interesting and touching moments during the performance as well. I don't know if anyone saw, but baby Jesus actually put in an appearance riding on the back of the Donkey before Mary and Joseph even made it to Bethlehem. Before the play began, I put 'baby Jesus' on the floor under a chair on the 'stage' ready to be retrieved during the second Act by the second Mary. Unfortunately, baby Jesus rolled out just as Mary and Jo- |
|||||||
|
seph were loading their 'things' ready to start their journey to Bethle- hem. Naturally, he was picked up and put on the back of the donkey with everything else before being led up |
|||||||
 |
|||||||
|
the aisle. I wonder if anyone noticed? Did anyone notice either that the second donkey was wearing Rabbit ears rather than Donkey ears? Whilst getting dressed she had found the white and pink ears belonging to a rabbit's costume and refused to exchange them for the grey ears which had been created for the donkey. No amount of coaxing could get her to change her mind. This is part of the beauty of such a pageant though. The children have their own ideas about the interpretation of the Christmas story and we tried to listen to them and incorporate their suggestions into the play. This explains why we had 4 narrators and only 3 shepherds amongst the 8 to 11 year olds and why we had a whole menagerie of animals in the stable and not just an ox and a donkey. |
|||||||
|
|
|
All the children did extremely well considering that they had such little time in which to rehearse. They worked really well together and were always enthusiastic. What more could you ask? We had very positive feedback from the congregation and it was really gratifying for the children to get such a resounding burst of applause at the end. I'm sure many of them will be back next year to take part again. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Of course, we had wonderful piano accompaniment again as we did last year and we were very lucky to have boys from the Youth group to accompany on guitar the singing of the final song, 'Mary had a baby'. We originally chose this West-Indian spiritual because it contained simple text and a lot of repetition. However, over the weeks we came across so many different versions of it, it caused a lot of confusion. Moreover, the final line, 'The people keep a comin' and the train done gone' was difficult to remember as nobody really knew what it meant. Fortunately, we discovered a version which ended 'for to see her child' which the children could cope with a lot better. The nativity play was very much a joint effort of all Sunday School teachers as everyone was involved to some extent over the weeks. |
|
|
|
|
|
ANSWERS TO THE ADVENT ANT QUIZ 1. What is the best product marking for an energy saving electrical product? The correct answer from these options 2. How much petrol/gas could you save by using the correct tyre pressure? You can save up to 10% of your fuel 3. And how much could you save by good driving habits (maintaining constant speed, accelerating/decelerating 4. Which uses less energy for reheating food? Cooker; Microwave; both the same? Depending on the type and 5. Which uses less energy for washing a full load of dirty pots and pans? Dishwasher; Kitchen Sink; both the same? 6. Which computer uses less energy? Laptop; Desktop; both the same? A laptop using only a third of the energy re- 7. How much energy does your computer screen-saver save? 0%; 5%; 10%? The screen saver does exactly what it 8. Which setting on your printer uses the least ink (thereby helping to save on cartridges): Best; Every day; Fast 9. Which of the following firms provide eco-friendly cleaning products? Lever Bros; Ecover; Fröschlein? The correct 10. If you really need to buy out-of-season flowers, where should they be produced? Kenya; Holland? The energy 11. How much carbon dioxide emission does your choice for question 10 save? The correct answer is 20%. 12. How much energy could you save with an energy saving light bulb? These bulbs use around 20% of the energy of 13. When is it best (and cheapest) to run electrical appliances and save energy? any evening; Saturday; Sunday? "In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, 'The Lord thy God is one,' but I think He must be a lot older than that. Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did. Then God made the world." "Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel." "Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something." "One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check." "After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat." "Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable. God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti." "Then He gave them His top ten Commandments. These include don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's bottom. (The Bible uses a bad word for bottom that I'm not supposed to say, but my Dad uses it sometimes when he talks about the President.) Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humor they father and they mother."
Version: 20080107 |
