News & Notes - October 15 - 22, 2006
Published October 15th, 2006 in Events15 SUNDAY: THE NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (Proper 23)
Choral Eucharist & Sermon 11:00 AM
Childcare provided(Coffee & Conversation follows)
Parish House:
AA 7:30-8:30 AM
16 Monday: Weekday
Parish House:
LINDEN TREE PRESCHOOL - 9:00 AM-12:00 Noon / 12:30-3:30 PM
NEIGHBORHOOD PLAYSPACE - 9:00 AM-12:00 Noon
GYMSTARS - 12 Noon - 3 PM
17 Tuesday: Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, and Martyr, c. 115
Holy Eucharist 9:00 AM *
Parish House:
LINDEN TREE PRESCHOOL - 9:00 AM-12:00 Noon
NEIGHBORHOOD PLAYSPACE - 9:30 AM-12:00 Noon
COBBLE HILL BALLET - 1:00-2:30 PM
MUSIC TOGETHER - 3:30-5:00 PM
ACTORS WORKSHOP - 5:15-7:30 PM
18 Wednesday: SAINT LUKE THE EVANGELIST
Evening Prayer 6:00 PM
Parish House:
LINDEN TREE PRESCHOOL - 9:00 AM-12:00 Noon / 12:30-3:30 PM
NEIGHBORHOOD PLAYSPACE - 9:00 AM-12:00 Noon
19 Thursday: Henry Martyn, Priest, and Missionary to India and Persia, 1812
Parish House:
LINDEN TREE PRESCHOOL - 9:00 AM-12:00 Noon
NEIGHBORHOOD PLAYSPACE 9:30 AM-12:00 Noon
GYMSTARS - 3:00-4:00 PM
COBBLE HILL BALLET - 1:00-3:15 PM
AA - 6:30-7:30 PM
20 Friday: Weekday Day of Special Devotion: Abstinence
Holy Eucharist 9:00 AM *
Parish House:
LINDEN TREE PRESCHOOL - 9:00 AM-12:00 Noon / 12:30-3:30 PM
NEIGHBORHOOD PLAYSPACE - 9:00 AM-12:00 Noon
21 Saturday: Weekday
Parish House:
AA - 7:30-8:30 AM
COBBLE HILL BALLETm - 10:00 AM-12:45 PM
22 SUNDAY: THE TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (Proper 24)
Choral Eucharist & Sermon 11:00 AM
Childcare provided (Coffee & Conversation follows)
Parish House:
AA 7:30-8:30 AM
* At Saint Andrew's House, 199 Carroll Street, between Court and Clinton Streets
THE CHRIST CHURCH BOOK READING GROUP is currently reading GILEAD by Marilynne Robinson is published by Picador USA; Reprint edition (January 10, 2006) at $14.00 (available from Amazon.com starting at $5.70); ISBN: 031242440X. 247 pages.
The discussion notes and a review of the book are on the leaflet table by the church entrance. We will meet this Wednesday, 15 November for a good food and drink, and a lively discussion of this book following the 6:30 p.m. Mass. If you are interested in joining us, please R.S.V.P. on 718-625-2919, or speak with the Vicar.
CHRIST CHURCH FOR KIDS: SUNDAY SCHOOL
Our Sunday School, Christ Church for Kids, meets at 10:15 a.m. for planning and scheduling courses and teachers for our Sunday School. You do not need to have a child in the Sunday School to be a teacher. The commitment is for 10 weeks. Please consider this as something YOU can do for your church!
CHRIST CHURCH COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Can and Will You Help with our outreach ministry? We want to schedule a meeting to plan for the future of this work, including applying for grants and working more closely with Family Consultation Service to distribute food, clothing, school supplies, campers supplies, toys, etc. and adopting a family year-round — and working with Cobble Hill Nursing Home to provide on-going visits to residents. CHIPS (Christian Help in Park Slope) feeds the hungry and provides counseling and clothing to those in need. Please consider this outreach of our Christian community to our wider community!
WHAT CAN I DO: LET US KNOW
Christ Church, Cobble Hill, is made up of people from many countries and a variety of cultures, backgrounds and languages — but we are all one parish family. God has given each one of us gifts and talents. Today, the anniversary of the dedication of the church, we are having a Talent Fair: not a show where you are asked to get up then and there and perform, but an opportunity for you to volunteer some of your time and gifts and talents to your parish. We obviously need acolytes, lay readers, altar guild members, but, there are many other opportunities for you to help build this church.
REFLECTION
The annals of the saints provide innumerable stories of men and women who have achieved great things for God. Many times they have performed acts of inspiring heroism. There was 86-year-old Polycarp who, in 156, was exhorted by the Roman governor as he stood in the arena to renounce Christ and save his life. Polycarp simply responded, “Eighty-six years have I served him and he never let me down. How can I deny my king who saved me?” There was Frank Weston, Bishop of Zanzibar from 1907 to 1924, who worked miracles. He brought rain by prayer when a heathen chief implored him for rain, and prayed for a woman far gone in death and recalled her soul, after which she confessed her sins and was absolved, then died. There was Gladys Aylward who, at about the age of 28, spent her life savings on a one-way ticket to China after being turned down by a missionary organization as being unsuited to missionary endeavor. She became one of the most valiant and effective missionaries of the 20th century.
Few Christians have opportunities for such epic witness, but all believers are called to manifest the greatness of Christ in the many ordinary things of each day. Though comparatively unexciting, it is in daily life we are constantly challenged to show Christian virtue in such plain behaviors as avoiding a complaining attitude, showing generosity in giving, or treating those who bore or offend us with charity.
How does the psalm (Psalm 90) for today expand on the theme presented in Amos and Mark?
In the context of today’s lessons, what does it mean that, “with human beings it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God”?
PRACTICE OF FAITH: TERESA OF JESUS: DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH. Today, 15 October, is the feast of the Carmelite writer, teacher and mystic Teresa of Avila. Let us honor her passion for prayer in our prayer this week and pray with her:
PRACTICE OF HOPE: THOSE WHO HAVE RICHES. Serving God and not material possessions is the way to freedom, peace and life with God. Concern about the spiritual welfare of our children, teaching them to share their riches and not hoard them in selfish ways, is of the essence. Teaching young people to share begins with setting a good example: Adults must show children how to give.
A helpful pamphlet is Teaching our Youth to Share, by Father Joseph Champlin. It can be obtained from the Liturgical Press in Collegeville, Minnesota, and will help guide your children. They can learn that they need not go away sad if they give away a percentage of what they have. As a matter of fact, doing so can bring them true joy.
PRACTICE OF CHARITY: N HER HANDS UNCOUNTED WEALTH. Women’s work is never done. That old saying holds true in ecclesiastical circles, too. For centuries women have been at the center of a variety of ministries: education on all levels, health care, visiting the sick, cleaning and cooking for church events, leading prayer, and so on. Mary’s Pence financially supports the ministries of Catholic Women in projects that benefit women and children; it is inspired by Teresa of Avila, who was able to raise funds for her works despite formidable opposition. You might gather a group of women for a prayer service and support session on. You might also consider supporting various Episcopal AIDS ministries in our city, which directly help women and children in the New York City area. For more information and to find out how you can help, telephone the parish office on 1-718-624-0083.