The Weekly News
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July 11, 2018
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Greetings!
- General Convention News
- Let's Find God in Nature (Vacation Bible School)
- Reflections on Evagelism with Integrity
- Graduating Senior
- Office News
- Dates for Your Calendar
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General Convention of The Episcopal Church
By Father Larry Walters
The 79th General Convention of The Episcopal Church convened in Austin, Texas, on July 5 and will run through July 13. General Convention is held every three years and is the bicameral governing body of the Church. It is comprised of the House of Bishops (200+ active and retired bishops) and the House of Deputies (800+ priests, deacons and lay deputies that have been elected from the 109 diocese and three regional areas of the Episcopal Church). In the interim between General Conventions, various committees, commissions, agencies, boards and task forces created by General Convention carry out the decisions that are made.
During the 78th General Convention in 2015, three priorities were identified for the interim period from 2016 to 2018.These priorities were racial reconciliation, evangelism, and the care of creation. All three are being addressed during the convention.
General Conventions rotate to cities offering to host; Indianapolis last hosted General Convention in 2012.
You need not be in Austin to learn what is happening. The Media Hub is available for live streaming and immediate news coverage.
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But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;
or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
or let the fish in the sea inform you.
Which of all these does not know that
the hand of the LORD has done this?
In his hand is the life of every creature
and the breath of all mankind.
Job 12:7-10
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Let’s Find God in Nature!
St. Christopher's Kids' Mini-Camp
(aka Vacation Bible School)
St. Christopher's Mini-Camp for kids, age three through fifth grade, will be held on four evenings: Monday through Thursday, July 16 - 19, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Each evening we will:
- Read a story that will help develop an understanding of how God’s hand has touched everything we see
- Play on the Warren Gartner Natural Playground
- Spend time with our Director of Music, Robert Richter, who will enrich our lessons by adding music
- Make projects using natural materials
- Have a snack
Questions? Please contact Cathy Scott.
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A Reflection on Evangelism with Integrity
by Father Larry Walters
On Saturday, June 30, six parishioners from St. Christopher’s and I attended the Evangelism with Integrity training at St. Francis-in-the-Fields, Zionsville. Facilitated by The Rev. Whitney Rice, Associate Rector at St. Francis, we began our time together by focusing on what evangelism is NOT. Words based on personal experiences, social and visual media, and first impressions flowed: coercive, exploitive, judgmental, exclusive, based on fear, guilt, shame, and blaming. What was being described is actually Christian malpractice or spiritual violence.
Our focus then turned to what evangelism should be: going to the deep places of life with one another, whether sorrows or joys, and then sharing what God is doing in our lives in those places. The term that was given for this kind of evangelism is spiritual intimacy. As Episcopalians, this approach is truer to our identity as Christians and culture, while still encouraging us to be bold and brave, yet vulnerable, and to share our faith with one another.
This one-day training gave us the basic background and vision to approach evangelism in our personal and corporate lives by proclaiming through our words and actions the love of God to the world. It is journeying together through discovery of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Building on the training received, those of us who participated will receive a seven-week series of emails. These will include a short video, teaching help, and scripture readings to encourage us go deeper into developing a more authentic approach for evangelism.
Additional training sessions are being scheduled for September 8 and 22. Interested members of St. Christopher’s are encouraged to attend. Information will be available on the Diocese of Indianapolis website with times and locations.
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Graduating Senior
In the June 27 issue of
The Weekly News, we acknowledged four of our graduates. We missed Andrew McCurdy, who graduated from Indiana Connections Academy. Andrew's family held his graduation party at the Warren Gartner Natural Playground. He will attend Ivy Tech in the fall. Congratulations and best wishes to Andrew for success in the future.
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Office News
The upgrade to our congregation management system (aka "the database") is almost complete.
Watch for a special announcement coming to your email box soon! It will let you know when and how to access your profile. If you have questions, please contact Cindy Short:
cshort@stchriscarmel.org.
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Important Dates for Your Calendar
The
Save the Date page
of St. Christopher's website is updated weekly. Check this resource for new information. You also may want to review the insert in the Sunday bulletin, as it provides the schedule for the coming week.
July 25, 11:30 a.m. | Young at Heart Luncheon
August 12, 10:00 a.m. | Blessing of the Backpacks
August 12, 11:30 a.m. | Service to Others (S2O) Meeting
August 19, 11:30 a.m. | Rally Day and St. Christopher’s Picnic
August 26, 11:30 a.m. | Ministry Fair
Church summer office hours from June 1 to August 31
Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon and 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12 Noon
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