The Messenger May 2018
Christy’s Corner
“Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Alleluia! Alleluia!”
These words send us forth each week following Sunday worship, but what are we sent to do? Basically, we’re sent out to offer love to those we meet along the way, loving our neighbors as ourselves. As disciples of Jesus Christ and members of Emmanuel, we’re given that mission every day, 24/7, but there are special times we intentionally offer ourselves to take God’s love out into the world on specific missions.
Why? Because in spreading God’s love, God’s love changes us as well as the folks we encounter. We get to know our neighbors in a different way, understand them more deeply which makes us more aware of our own spirit, and we learn from those we meet along the way. The prayer of St. Francis describes this paradox well: “It is in giving that we receive.”
When we go on specific mission trips we open ourselves up to a different reality. Didn’t Jesus prepare for his mission by opening himself to the reality of the wilderness? Years ago there was a commercial on TV about a CEO that was discouraged about the mission of his company. So he handed out airline tickets to his employees so they could get to know their customers first hand or re-acquaint themselves with the people they were serving–he sent them off into the mission field.
Mission trips can be local–Coos Bay/North Bend, Eugene, Portland, Salem or beyond Oregon’s borders. Our son, Joshua, experienced mission trips to Seattle, Tijuana, Vancouver, B.C., and Washington D.C. as part of his youth group. He learned service, empathy for his neighbors, and what it is to carry God’s love through your actions with strangers. But again, what he came to understand the most was himself and how the spirit of others touches his spirit. We’ve been reading I John during Easter; you might want to give it another read as it describes how our care for others is the Love of God expressed in the world.
This summer Emmanuel is invited to participate vicariously in two mission trips. Payton Davidson has been chosen to join the Diocesan Youth Mission Trip to the Diocese of Navajoland August 4th-10th. They will seek and serve Christ in all persons, learn about faith in the Native American context and assist in work projects including working in a community garden, minor building repairs, painting and other projects.
They will share in Christian community and service and explore another part of our church and country.
Jack and I will be part of a Methodist Volunteers in Mission trip to Maua, Kenya, July 5th -24th. We will work side by side the people of Maua to serve in their hospital, several of their schools and maybe even help finish a Methodist Church that they have been building for the last 40 years. We will visit patients in the hospital, teach classes in grief, preach during worship and work with children and adolescents. We are a team of 16 people who come from a variety of faith backgrounds but who are bound together by a desire to change the world through God’s compassion, our hard work, and the financial and prayer support of friends like you! The leaders of our team are a Methodist clergy couple who go to our church in Sisters, the Church of the Transfiguration. They have led these trips for the past ten years.
Payton, Jack and I will come alongside and serve others and in the process we will be transformed in ways we can’t begin to imagine. We’re all excited and a bit scared and appreciate whatever support you can provide. We invite you to partner with us through your prayers, your financial support, and your help collecting supplies that we will take with us. The Diocesan team will purchase their supplies onsite while we will take ours with us. Specifically, knowing that we have many knitters in our congregation I have volunteered to collect preemie hats and blankets for the hospital, as well as school supplies. Watch for details in future bulletins and enews or talk to Christy if you’d like to help.
Emmanuel exists for the people beyond our walls, people as near as the Coos Food Cupboard and on other continents. It is in giving that we receive and we are blessed to have an incredibly generous congregation!
With gratitude, Christy
Mark Your Calendars! SUNDAY, MAY 6th, 9:00 AM
A Community Planned Giving Celebration
Eucharist with favorite hymns including How Great Thou Art, The Old Rugged Cross and more, a yummy brunch and an inspirational, interactive presentation.
9:00 – 10:00 AM: Worship – Undercroft – One church service, one community!
10:00 – 10:30 AM: Yummy Brunch, prepared by your Vestry
10:30 – 11:30 AM: Interactive Workshop designed to help us answer the question of “how we might ensure our family has the gift of our preparedness, and how we might care for future generations at Emmanuel”.
Come Join in welcoming the return of Mike Penfield, who initially visited Emmanuel when Father Jennings was the Rector. Mike volunteers his time throughout the Diocese to lead discussions around important topics such as:
– How to put into place the steps to ensure your legacy
– The importance of wills, life end health choices, estate planning, funerals and burials… Essentially
“A Plan for Living”
Emmanuel has truly been blessed by the gifts of those who made Emmanuel part of their legacy. This has allowed us to undertake important ministries, make repairs or upgrades to our physical campus, and to care for others. We are grateful for their kindness and generosity.
If you have completed and documented ALL of this planning, think what a gift your presence would be to those who have not completed these important steps, or have not yet started to plan!! If you have not yet started this important life planning, think how this workshop could start you on your journey and give you and your loved ones peace of mind!
Please RSVP to Kerri for the Brunch and Workshop so that we are prepared for enough yummy food and packets of information:
Email: secretary@episcopalcoosbay.org
Call the Parish Office: 541.269.5829
Your RSVP is greatly appreciated and will save your Vestry a phone call!
See you there! Xandra McKeown
WIN A QUILT: A Chance at an Artist’s Colorful Quilt Brings Better Life to a 3rd World Community
RAFFLE TICKETS START AT A $100 GIFT
Send 16 people to a Kenya hospital and school to serve, build, heal, be healed, and nurture the people there while at the same time giving yourself the opportunity to acquire a wonderful, serendipitous work of art from an amazing woman.
A $100 gift gives you the chance to acquire a $5000 Freddie Moral quilt. Your gift means a school and house in Maua, Kenya will get major upgrades while God’s children there receive the joy of education and health.
Another truth: it’s tax deductible unless you win the quilt & one could always increase the cost of a ticket to benefit the whole endeavor.
Asante! Thank you, Jack and Christy
All proceeds go to help the people of Maua, Kenya. Questions, talk to Christy.
Prayers
Prayer for Protection
The light of God surrounds me; The love of God enfolds me;
The power of God protects me; The presence of God watches over me.
Wherever I am, God is!
Said by Ralph and Jeanette Sweet every night.
Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping;
that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep
we may rest in peace.
From the Book of Common Prayer, Compline, pg.135
Said by Jack and Christy most nights before sleep and most mornings when they wake up. When apart it can be said as a text… “Guide us waking, O Lord…” and the other person finishes it “…and guard us sleeping!”
Just For Today
Lord for tomorrow and its needs I do not pray;
Keep me, my god, from stain of sin, Just for today.
Now, set a seal upon my lips, For this I pray;
Keep me from wrong or idle words, Just for today.
Let me be slow to do my will, Prompt to obey,
And keep me, guide me, use me Lord, Just for today.
This is a prayer I’ve used since I was in junior high.
~Carol Zuvich
A Prayer For Those Growing Old
Lord, Thou knowest I am growing older. Keep me from becoming talkative and possessed with the ideas that I must express myself on every subject.
Release me from the craving to straighten out everyone’s affairs. Keep me from the recital of endless detail. Give me wings to get to the point.
Seal my lips when I am inclined to tell of my aches and pains. They are increasing with the years and my love to speak of them grows sweeter as time goes by.
Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be wrong. Make me thoughtful but not nosey; helpful but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom and experience it does seem a pity not to use it all. But Thou knowest, Lord, that I want a few friends at the end. Amen
“A prayer shared by Barbara McKeown, Jeff and Joe’s mom, with a bible study group a bunch of us were in.” ~Carol Zuvich
Have prayers that are important to you? Send them along and we’ll continue to publish them in future newsletters.
Vestry Visibility – Moving forward with boldness, vision, generosity and commitment!
What serving on the Vestry can mean – (and has meant for me as I serve on the
Vestry):
*Offering your time and talents for the benefit of our church/community *Learning new skills and tools
*Working closely together as part of a team
*Helping with planning for the future for our church
*Getting to know other church members better
*Learning about the church financials
*Innovation, growth and leadership opportunities
*Understanding how the different committees and groups fit together in our church
*Being available to help share about the Vestry’s work with others, especially as questions arise *Making a difference
*Being the change you want to see happen
*Fellowship
*Serving God
The Vestry works on your behalf. Your support, interest and care are important to each of us on the Vestry. We work to keep you informed of what is happening, what is being planned, and to invite and receive feedback, as well as suggestions. The Vestry Visibility articles in the Messenger are one way we visibly share our journey with you.
Nancylee Stewart, Vestry Member & Preschool Board Chair
Preschool Silent Auction
A huge thank you to the preschool board for providing the food and beverages, all who helped
with set-up and clean-up; to the kids for the decorations, to everyone who offered items big and small to be auctioned and those who showed up to purchase the items. It was a great evening of fellowship, fun and generosity resulting in $3,117.00 that will go directly to the preschool!
When we join together behind a project in love and faith, we accomplish amazing things!
Thank you to every person who gave of their time, skills, and financial support to see the Emmanuel Preschool install new playground equipment for our kids.