Highlights from The Focus, the monthly
newsletter of
the Church of Our Saviour
May 2008
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From the Junior Warden… A Covenant for Church of Our Saviour The leaders of our parish – not only the wardens and vestry, but also the delegates to convention and the conveners of committees – are committed to serving the parish in the best way we know how. And when we don’t know how, we ask for help. That was the way our leadership retreat developed, and why we asked Canon Tim Rich, a member of the Diocesan staff, to help all of us develop better ways of communicating and dealing with conflict. During our retreat, each of us examined our own style of solving problems, and others’ styles. We looked at how each approach has both positive and negative aspects, and how successful groups are made up of members who recognize and honor those differences. It was not over when the retreat ended. A small group headed by Diane Babb kept working on what we had started during the retreat, and when the leadership group met April 12, we completed work on what we are calling “The Making of a Christian Community: A Covenant for Church of Our Saviour.” The document outlines the rules of the game, the way the leadership has committed to working together, and the way we hope – no, expect – members of the parish to treat each other as together we do God’s work in this community.
The
Making of a Christian Community: At Church of Our Saviour, we are called by God to speak the truth in love.
— Elizabeth Rotch |
Ascension Day is May 1st;
come celebrate with us!
Ascension Day stands alongside Christmas, Easter and Pentecost as one of the four “Major Feasts of Our Lord.” Following the chronology outlined in the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, it commemorates our Lord’s Ascension to the Father on the fortieth day after the Resurrection.
We will offer two celebrations of the Holy Eucharist in honor of this occasion on Thursday, May 1st. The 10:00 a.m. Eucharist will be a simple service. At 7:00 p.m., we will include some of the great Ascension Day hymns.
As the latter coincides with the last night of our winter/spring Bible Study, we extend a special invitation to all to join us for an evening of celebration. The 7:00 Eucharist will be preceded at 6:00 by a “celebration dinner.” Following the service, the final session of our study will not only bring to conclusion the current series, but introduce the possibility of offering Alpha this coming fall – perhaps as an ecumenical offering in conjunction with other area churches.
As with Ash Wednesday, the Holy Week Triduum and other feasts of our Lord that fall on days other than Sunday, it is the Church’s expectation that all baptized Christians will make the effort to be in attendance at an Ascension Day Eucharist. I encourage you to come – you will find it an uplifting (sorry for the pun, it’s not entirely unintentional…) experience. (This will also be my last service with you before leaving for a three month Sabbatical.)
— Fr. Chip
Guest celebrants in May
From May 3-12, Fr. Chip will be away, attending a conference at Virginia Theological Seminary. On the two Sundays that fall during that period, our guest celebrants will be as follows:
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On May 4, the Rev. Canon Timothy Rich, Canon to the Ordinary for the Diocese of New Hampshire, will be with us to celebrate Bible Sunday. (See Debbie Donnelly’s article elsewhere in this issue for details.) |
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On May 11, Pentecost Sunday, the Rev. Derrill P. Crosby, a retired priest and former member of Our Saviour, will be with us for Holy Baptism and a festive celebration of the Eucharist. |
Come join us as we bring the Easter season to a joyous close. Fr. Chip will return Trinity Sunday, May 18, and will remain with us through June 1, when we will celebrate Suzanne Cleverdon’s nine years of ministry with us as Minister of Music. He will then begin his Sabbatical, which continues through Aug. 24.
May 11 is Pentecost – wear red!
On the Day of Pentecost, Sunday, May 11, we will continue our custom of wearing red as a small sign that the Holy Spirit lives within each of us. Our 10:00 service that day will also feature some powerful Pentecost hymns – including some from more contemporary sources – and the use of our Pentecost Dove mobile. The reading from Acts, chapter 2, will be offered in several languages. And, to top it all off, two new Christians, Noah Lapham and Isabelle Miller, will be welcomed to Christ’s household through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism.
I am pleased to announce that a long-time friend and a former COOS parishioner, the Rev. Derrill P. Crosby, will be our guest celebrant that day. (I will be at a conference at Virginia Theological Seminary.) He, too, will help “set the scene” as he will be adorned in a bright red chasuble. So why don’t we all join him and wear red to make the scene a “sea” of Pentecost color!
— Fr. Chip
Women’s Group
The Women’s Group of the Church of Our Saviour will holds its May luncheon on Saturday, May 17 from 11-1 in the Undercroft. All women of the parish are welcome.
Our speaker that day will be photographer Daria Harvey, who will talk about the use of the digital camera – just in time for all those May and June weddings and graduations!
We had three new women join us in April. Why not bring a friend – and, oh yes, bring a camera.
For further information, please call Izzy Harvey at 673-3965
COOS Camping
If you like s’mores over a camp fire, camping, swimming, canoeing, good conversation, or maybe just relaxing with YOUR church family, please consider joining us for our 6th annual camping trip from July 24th to the 27th at Davidson’s Countryside Campground, in Bristol NH.
Several of us have already reserved our campsites in the area called the “safarifield” – grass sites under big beautiful shade trees (with water & electric hook-ups). In 2007 there were six of us families who joined in with the fun and relaxation – we would love to see even more join us this year!
Davidson’s Countryside Campground is easy to find, just a short jaunt off of Rte 93. Their phone number is 603-744-2403 if you would like to contact them direct. Or for additional general information you can contact Mary Sanchez or Dawn Catalanotti. Hope to see you there!!!
Fifth Annual New England Peach Festival
The forsythia is starting to bloom and that makes us think of peaches! Because it is said that if the forsythia has a good bloom, the peaches will be plentiful this summer. And if we are thinking of peaches, naturally we are thinking of the Peach Festival!
The Fifth Annual New England Peach Festival date is set for Saturday, August 16. For those of you unfamiliar with the festival, it is a wonderful day set at Lull Farm on Route 13S in Milford. It is a day filled with good music, wonderful peach pies, jams and other peach goodies to buy. There are games for the kids, a silent auction, crafts to purchase and yummy peach shortbread and sundaes to eat. Most of all, it is a day of fellowship with other parishioners and a day to show the community at large who we are here at Church of Our Saviour. Funds raised at the festival go toward outreach, general church needs and to support both the Women’s Group and Men’s Group in their stewardship.
Needless to say, planning for this event is quite an undertaking, but is made much easier by the participation of many. I will once again be taking on the job as chairperson, but would greatly appreciate your help. Several of our past co-chairs have already agreed to help out again but more are needed. I greatly need two people to oversee the silent auction. I also would really appreciate it if one or two people could take charge of the music and if I could have someone coordinate the production of our peach items. We are aiming to make 25% more than last year since we sold out of everything so fast last year!
If you would be willing to help in the planning of the festival, please feel free to call (620-1542) or e-mail ( lmadvm@comcast.net) me. I am looking forward to your help and, most importantly, am looking forward to another great Peach Festival!
Yours in Christ,
Lisa Anderson
Peach Festival program booklet seeks sponsors
As we do each year, we are producing a program booklet for our Peach Festival (Saturday, August 16). While advertisements from area businesses are an important part of the revenue produced by this booklet, the sponsorships of individuals are deeply appreciated as well. These come in three levels:
Friend ($10) Sponsor ($25) Patron ($100)
If you wish to help underwrite the cost of putting on the Festival, please consider making a sponsorship gift for our program booklet. Proceeds from the booklet are split 50/50 between the parish and community outreach projects. Please make your check payable to “The Church of Our Saviour” with a memo, “Peach Festival Program Booklet” and enclose it with the form below no later than Sunday, May 18.
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Peach Festival Program Sponsorship
Name ___________________________________________
Phone __________________
Please make your check payable to “The Church of Our Saviour” with a memo, “Peach Festival Program Booklet.”
Friend ($10) Sponsor ($25) Patron ($100)
Please clip and return no later than Sunday, May 18
Rector’s Discretionary Fund needs your help
The Rector’s Discretionary Fund exists to quietly and confidentially assist people in need either through direct personal aid (helping people with utility bills, rental and heating assistance, etc.) or through participation in community-wide charitable efforts.
During 2007, over $4,000 was distributed to 22 households, some of which included members of the parish. Alas, contributions this year only covered about half this amount, and, as a result, the fund is nearing depletion at the present time. If you are in a position to help restore this fund to its full operating strength, any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Please make your check payable to the Church of Our Saviour, with a memo, “Rector’s Discretionary Fund.” Even better: why not consider making a quarterly (monthly?) contribution? Calls for assistance come in throughout the year and it would be good to know the fund is ready to meet these needs at any time.
The Rector
Mother’s Day Rose Altar
The Church of Our Saviour is offering a Rose Altar on Mother’s Day, May 11, 2008, in honor of the women in our lives. Order forms included in the Sunday bulletins offer the choice of ordering a rose in thanksgiving for, in honor of, or in memory of a significant women who has touched your life: Such as mothers, daughters, grand-daughters, sisters, wives, godmothers and friends. The roses are priced at $6.50 each and will include baby's breath and individual water vials. Your rose order will be ready to take home after the service on Mother’s Day.
Thank you, in advance, for supporting this COOS fundraiser while honoring the special women in your family.
Siobhan
Taylor
Elizabeth Rotch
Anne Willis
To see
a full copy of our latest Focus newsletter (.pdf format),
click here.
(Note: Those with dialup connections may find this a long
download.)
Also online: Archived copies of recent issues: February 2008 March 2008 April 2008