pohick post, april 2015

POHICK POST

Let your light so shine (Matt. 5:16)

Pohick Episcopal Church9301 Richmond Highway Lorton, VA 22079Telephone: 703-339-6572 Fax: 703-339-9884

APRIL 2015From The RectorThe ReverendDonald D. Binder, PhD

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Several of the poems we have been exploring in my Lenten series, Waxing Poetic, have touched on the events of Holy Week and Easter - which this year happen to fall during the first week of April. In this regard, one often thinks of Elizabeth Bar-rett Browning for her love poetry, especially those wonderful outpourings of affection first written to her husband Robert Browning and later published in Son-nets from the Portuguese (the best known is Sonnet 43: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways . . .). Yet Barrett Browning grew up in a devout Chris-tian family, and she herself was very much the Chris-tian social activist, working in support of William Wilberforces push for the abolition of slavery in the British Empire and Lord Shaftsburys legislation re-stricting child labor. She also wrote devotional poetry, including this reflection on the look that Jesus gave Peter just af-ter the cock crowed following his third denial (Luke 22:60):

The Meaning of the LookElizabeth Barrett Browning

I think that look of Christ might seem to say -Thou Peter! art thou then a common stoneWhich I at last must break my heart uponFor all Gods charge to his high angels may

Guard my foot better? Did I yesterdayWash thy feet, my beloved, that they should runQuick to deny me neath the morning sun?And do thy kisses, like the rest, betray?The cock crows coldly. - Go, and manifestA late contrition, but no bootless fear!For when thy final need is dreariest,Thou shalt not be denied, as I am here;My voice to God and angels shall attest,Because I Know this man, let him be clear.

Two centuries earlier, a humble parish priest named George Herbert was dying of tuberculosis. From his small parish outside of Salisbury, he sent off a collection of his poems to a friend with the instruc-tions to either burn them or to publish them if he thought they were of any worth. The friend did indeed publish the poems in a volume entitled, The Temple. It went on to be-come one of the bestselling books of the seventeenth century, largely due to the depth of its spiritual insights and the innovation of its verse.

Pohick Episcopal ChurchPage 2 April 2015

From the Rector: continued from page 1

One of these innovations was the use of pattern po-etry, where the actual shape of the poem advances the meaning of the words within (three hundred years later, the modernist poet, e. e. cummings, would once again popularize this type of poem). Here is one of Herberts pattern poems dealing with the theme of Christian renewal and resurrection:

Easter WingsGeorge Herbert

Lord, Who createdst man in wealth and store,Though foolishly he lost the same,

Decaying more and more,Till he became

Most poore:

With TheeO let me rise,

As larks, harmoniously,And sing this day Thy victories:

Then shall the fall further the flight in me.

My tender age in sorrow did beginne;And still with sicknesses and shame

Thou didst so punish sinne,That I becameMost thinne.

With TheeLet me combine,

And feel this day Thy victorie;For, if I imp my wing on Thine,

Affliction shall advance the flight in me.

By the time you will be reading these verses, we will be in the midst of our Holy Week commemo-rations, leading up to Easter Sunday. It is my hope that these poems, as well as the sacred liturgies of this week, will be both sources of healing for any spiritual wounds and occasions of renewal for our Christian faith. More than that, I hope they will evoke within all of us thankful hearts for that great sacrifice of love made on our behalf by the Lord of All Life himself.

Christian EduCationFrances Sessums, Director of Christian Education

The Flowering of the Cross and the collection of the Mite Boxes will take place on April 5 at the 9:15 am Easter Sunday service. Students should bring single stemmed flowers to insert into the Cross. If someone should forget the mite box on Easter Sunday, please bring it to the Education office the following Sunday. Pohick will also host the annual Easter Egg Hunt directly following the 9:15 am service on Easter Sunday. There will be two egg hunts oc-curring simultaneously. These will be for the Pre-schoolers through Fourth grade students. It is re-quested that each child be accompanied by at least one parent during the Hunt. Egg Hunters and their parents should gather in the following rooms after church - Preschoolers and Kindergarteners will meet in classroom F and the 1st through 4th grade students will meet in classrooms C and D. Please be on time so the number of Egg Hunters will match the number of eggs! Each student participating in the Easter Egg Hunt should bring a dozen filled plastic eggs to the kitchen by Easter morning before the 9:15 am service. There will be a box marked Easter Eggs. It is strongly encouraged that the eggs be filled with non-candy items. Please contact Frances Sessums with any questions.

Pohick Episcopal Church April 2015 Page 3

Christ is risEn : raison dtrE What in the world is happening? What am I do-ing here? I asked myself. The year was 1968, and I was teaching Sunday School for sixth graders in the church where I had grown up. The events of Holy Week were nowhere to be found in the SS curriculum. When I looked at the lesson for Easter Sunday, I was dumbfounded. The lesson made no mention of the resurrection of Jesus. The lesson featured spring and blooming tulips (not Calvins TULIP, by the way!) A thorough story behind that situation requires more time and space than this article permits, but heres the short version. The small denomination in which I grew up merged with a large denomination in 1968 and switched to the curriculum of the larger body. During this period, rules of appropriate behav-ior and long held Christian beliefs were going up for grabs. Those of us who came of age in the turbulent 1960s felt the foundations of our way of life rumble. We saw the assassination of John F. Kennedy (11-22-63) and the subsequent murders of Martin Luther King (4-4-68) and Robert Kennedy (6-6-68). We were scared about nuclear war and wondered if our leaders could hold the government steady. Often students were less interested in their studies than in deciding what to protest. But they definitely did not protest The Pill, and experimenting with sex and drugs marked pri-vate recreational activities. At least they provided temporary, if costly, relief from fears for the future. The decade came to an end in an atmosphere of stu-dent unrest about Viet Nam (perfumed with 3.2 beer, marijuana, and LSD). At the time of the infamous May 4, 1970, shootings at Kent State University, my father was teaching there, and I was awaiting word on a graduate assistantship. This event in itself would tar-nish the merit of my education at KSU for the fore-seeable future. Few young people remained untouched by the currents of the day. What were we to make of these actions in the adult world? Often leadership of the some mainline denomina-tions waffled on foundational questions of belief and

caved in under political pressure on issues of practice. Events that failed to pass the test of natural causes became uncomfortable to support, including the Res-urrection. Several good arguments present a case for the Resurrection. No one could ever produce the body of Jesus Christ even though his enemies had custody of it. Despite the initial fear of the disciples following the crucifixion, something must have happened to change them into bold proclaimers of the risen Jesus Christ as Lord. No disciple ever recanted belief in the Resurrection despite death by torture. If Jesus simply and finally died, there would be no reason for the fel-lowship of believers to have come into being in a little over a month after the crucifixion. The sustained ex-istence of the Church is perhaps the best evidence for the Resurrection. In my town, new independent churches that taught the classic Christian beliefs but presented them with contemporary styles of music and collo-quial terms mushroomed. Before long, the attendance at four such megachurches was larger than all the Protestant churches combined. Thanks be to God. Mainline denominational cur-ricula has improved -- better late than never. Local churches will wax and wane, but the proclamation, Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again, upholds the Church generation to generation. Hold fast to this truth with faith and hope. It will sustain us through turbulent times now and to come. It is our reason for being.

From The Assistant RectorThe ReverendDr. Ruth E. Correll, Ed.D.

Martha GuildWinE tastinG FundraisEr

The Martha Guild will be hosting a Wine Tast-ing at the home of Carol and Reed Heddleston on May 2 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Plan to join the fun while supporting the Pohick Church Kitchen renovation with a $30 per person donation. Please make reservations by contacting Helen Parker by phone at 703-494-5927 or by email at [email protected]. Feel free to bring neighbors and friends!


sEnior WardEns rEportReed Heddleston, Senior Warden

This year winter was a real reminder that spring does not arrive until March 20. Everyone is certainly looking forward to the first day of spring followed by Eastertide. At the March Vestry meeting, the primary concern was the inspection report on mold in the sanctuary. A sig-nificant concentration was measured at the first-floor level near the center of the church in front of the pulpit. This is the result of mold growing in the crawl space under the floor, especially in an unventilated center section. The prob-lem has likely arisen from steam leaks and ground-level water accumulating beneath the floor. The mold needs to be removed and the conditions causing it corrected. The next step is to hire a contractor to do both. Before removing the mold, the contractor will develop a plan for corrective measures, i.e., improved venti-lation, ensuring proper drainage away from the crawlspace, having a vapor barrier properly installed that will preclude mold recurring after remediation is performed. Proper remediation protocol will include the following: Run HEPA filtered air scrubbers and/or negative air ma-chines in the church. Remove the plastic sheathing and all debris from the crawlspace. Remove any porous materials with suspect mold growth, i.e., insulation. Clean and treat all semi-porous materials, i.e., wood, foundation walls with visible suspect mold growth. This should include HEPA vacuuming, possibly a light sanding or wire brushing, and treating all of the semi-porous ma-terials with visible suspect mold growth with an approved disinfectant. Clean and treat the underside of the stairs in the elec-trical closet with visible suspect mold growth. This should include HEPA vacuuming, possibly a light sanding or wire brushing, and treating all of the semi-porous materials with visible suspect mold growth with an approved disinfectant. HEPA vacuum all surfaces in the Sanctuary. Once completed, inspect independently to ensure mold remediation has been successful. Other Vestry issues as reported by Don Brownlee: Established a process for Parish organizations to apply for one-time Let Your Light So Shine grants from the Kilmarx/Tomley estate bequests, to help start or fund ini-tiatives to help Pohick grow and better serve the commu-nity.

Reviewed its discussion and vote last month to allocate the bulk of these estate bequests to capital repair and im-provement needs, and confirmed that it did not at that time approve any specific allocation of these funds for any specific project. Approved a new Facilities Policy that codifies practic-es and standardizes charges for outside groups that use church buildings. Approved the annual Parochial Report, which is required by the national Church. The number of members of the Parish declined slightly from last year; the number of Communicants in Good Standing increased slightly, as did Average Sunday Attendance. Appointed John Pasour as the delegate to the Annual Diocesan Council, and Carolyn Cockroft as the represen-tative to Region Six. The Vestry seeks parishioners who would be interested in serving as alternates in both cases. Please contact a Vestry member if interested. Approved the Treasurers Report. Alms and Commitment income recovered from the low levels reported in January, and are now within the historical range. Parishioners are reminded of the need to keep their Commitments current, and consider using the automated electronic payment sys-tem. Expenses were as expected with high costs for heating and snow removal. In order to better capture and understand the many off-budget outreach efforts, voted to require all Parish orga-nizations to provide estimates of the dollar value of their outreach efforts as part of their Annual Report at the end of the year. Was briefed on a new outreach initiative to put together Manna Bags, small plastic bags filled with easily-con-sumable food to give to the homeless and needy. The guilds are taking the lead on this project, and will involve the youth groups as well. In response to an appeal from Bp. Shannon for contribu-tions to offset cuts in the diocesan outreach budget, ap-proved sending $500 of the outreach budget to the diocese for this purpose. Heard a briefing from the Stewardship Commission on turning visitors into newcomers, and newcomers into pa-rishioners. Received a report on mold in the Church. Environmental testing has confirmed that we have a significant problem with mold under the sanctuary floor. Airborne mold levels around the pulpit area are very high, but levels in the choir gallery are lower than in the outside air. Efforts to deter-mine appropriate remediation steps are underway. For more information see a Vestry member.


POHICK CHURCH ANNUAL PARISH RETREAT Shrine Mont, Virginia

Dates: June 26 - 28, 2015, from Friday dinner (5:30 pm) through Sunday lunch (12:30 pm)

Sign-up Deadline: Sunday, June 14, 2015

Shrine Mont Overview: It is that time again for fellowship, and physical, mental, and spiritual renewal at Shrine Mont in the beautiful mountains of Virginia! Shrine Mont, located in Orkney Springs, 13 miles west of Mt. Jackson, Virginia, is a conference center managed by the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. Shrine Mont consists of 1,100 acres of forest land featuring trails, lakes, hills, and streams at the edge of George Washington National Forest, which is a stones throw from the West Virginia state line. The centerpiece of Shrine Mont is an unusual open air stone chapel, the Cathedral Shrine of the Transfiguration, from which Shrine Mont takes its name. Campers, conferees, and guests worship at this beautiful shrine regularly.

Fees: The cost is $158 for adults (ages 13 and over), $53 for children (ages 4-12), and free for children under four. If a crib is required, there is a $6 fee for the weekend. Babysitting during adult sessions is available for an additional $10. Please note that these costs should not prohibit anyone from attending the retreat. Anyone needing financial assistance should contact the Rev-erend Don Binder at 703-339-6572. Fees are firm for the weekend, even for late arrivals. If arriving late, one can usually get dinner until 6:30 pm.

Pohick ChurchAnnual Retreat

June 26-28, 2015

Babysitting Service: For parents with children, there will be a super program for young people as well as a babysitting ser-vice ($10), so parents can attend activities. Babysitters will be available only during adult study sessions.

What to Bring: While breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided, bring snacks and a favorite beverages for evening fel-lowship time together at the Gathering Place. Also, consider bringing a flashlight, Bible, jacket or sweater, fan, and other personal items. There is no air conditioning in the cottages, however, most rooms have electric fans.

Study: There are three scheduled occasions to study, and Rev. Binder/Correll put together a new program each year. These sessions provide a great opportunity to get to know the clergy and fellow parishioners. Please note that Shrine Mont expects parents to be responsible for the actions of their children, especially during the periods between the three planned sessions.

2015 POHICK CHURCH RETREAT SHRINE MONT APPLICATION

Name(s)___________________________________________________________________________________________

Address:___________________________________________________________________________________________

Email:______________________________________________________ Tel:___________________________________

_____ Adults ($158 each) _____ Children (4-12, $53 each)

_____ Young Children (3 and under, free) _____ Cribs required ($6 each) _____ Babysitting ($10)

Total enclosed: $_____________

Enclose a check payable to Pohick Church, and mark Shrine Mont in the memo section. For more information, call the Parish Office at 703-339-6572.REGISTRATION DEADLINE SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 2015

Shrine MontCAMP & CONFERENCE CENTER

Pohick Episcopal Church

2015 POHICK CHURCH RETREAT SHRINE MONT APPLICATIONActivities and Options: Indicate particular activities of interest.

Tom or Susan Mayberry, 703-494-6108, will keep track of others expressing an interest in all options.

_____ Swimming _____ Basketball _____ Volleyball _____ Shuffleboard

_____ Tennis _____ Sleeping _____ Fishing _____ Mountain Climbing _____ Golf _____ Hiking _____ Eating _____ Bridge/other card games

_____ Horseshoes _____ Shopping _____ Antiquing _____ Porching

_____ Other

Friday, June 26 Afternoon arrival 5:30 pm Dinner 7:30 - 8:30 pm Orientation in Art Hall 8:30 pm Compline 9:00 pm until The Gathering Place

Saturday, June 27 7:30 am Morning Prayer in Art Hall 8:00 am Breakfast 9:00-10:30 am Session I, Group Photo at Shrine 10:30-12:30 pm Open/Activities 12:30 pm Lunch 1:00-4:30 pm Open/Activities 4:30-5:30 pm The Gathering Place 5:30 pm Dinner 7:00-8:00 pm Session II in Art Hall 8:00 pm Evening Prayer at the Shrine 9:00 pm until The Gathering Place

Sunday, June 28 8:00 am Breakfast 9:00-10:30 am Session III in Art Hall 10:45 am Holy Eucharist at the Shrine 12:30 pm Lunch 1:30-4:00 pm Open/Depart

Directions to Shrine Mont: From Pohick Church, take I-66 west to I-81 south. Exit 273 at Mt. Jackson. Turn left on Mt. Jackson Road (Cty 292). Turn right on US 11 (traffic light). Turn right on to State Route 263 to Orkney Springs and Shrine Mont. The trip takes about two hours from Pohick.

2015 POHICK CHURCH PARISH RETREATShrine Mont, Orkney Springs, Virginia

Shrine Mont is located 1 hour south of Winchester or 1 hour north of Harrisonburg, and approximately 2 1/2 hours from the Washington, DC and Richmond metro areas. To reach Shrine Mont follow I-81 to Mt. Jackson (Exit #273). Turn left from DC or right from Richmond onto Rt. 703 (east), then right (south) on US 11, follow through town, turn right on Rt. 263 and follow approximately 15 miles to Orkney Springs.

Shrine Mont

Retreat Center

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Pohick Episcopal Church

MusiC notEsLinda Egan, Minister of Music

MusiC sChEdulE april 2015Sunday, April 5 Easter9:00 am Choir of Pohick, St. Cecelia St. Alban Choir, St. Francis Choir11:15 am Choir of Pohick

Sunday, April 12 Second Sunday of Easter9:00 am Choir of Pohick, St. Francis Choir11:15 am Early Church Music Ensemble

Sunday, April 19 Third Sunday of Easter9:00 am Choir of Pohick, Pohick Pickers11:15 am St. Cecelia St. Alban Choir

Sunday, April 26 Fourth Sunday of Easter9:00 am Choir of Pohick,Pohick Bell Choir11:15 am Pohick Bell Choir

Easter Day: the return of Alleluia after its ab-sence in Lent, the celebration of Christs victory over death and sin, the bursting from the tomb just as all creation bursts forth after a long winter. Each Easter, the opening hymn of the later two services is #175, Hail thee, festival day! The texts poet, Venantius Honorius Fortunatus (c. 530-c. 600/609) became a poet at the Merovingian court in 566 and wrote many poems over the course of his lifetime. He was ordained priest about 576 and became bishop of Poitiers in 599. In the original poem, written just before 582, the first 15 couplets are about spring, the next 20 are about the resurrection, and the last 10 are about the blessedness of those baptized at this time of year. It became very popular as a source for me-dieval processions, with couplets added that were appropriate to local rites. Each version began with the words, Salva festa dies (Hail thee, festival day). The first mention of an English translation comes in a letter by Archbishop Cranmer to Hen-ry VIII in 1544. Today we sing versions of the text on Easter and at Pentecost. The tune is much newer, appearing first anony-mously in The English Hymnal, 1906, and eventu-ally attributed to Ralph Vaughan Williams, who was one of the editors. We sing this wonderful refrain twice at the beginning, then once thereafter. The odd num-bered stanzas are sung to one tune and the even numbered stanzas to another. Stanzas 1 and 3 are drawn from the couplets about spring; stanzas 2 and 4 link Jesus on the cross and rising from the grave to the creation. Stanzas 5-7 devote one stanza to each member of the Trinity, and stanza 8 describes the unity of God and Gods love. Its amazing to think of singing this hymn on Easter across time and throughout the world to-day. We are linked with the faithful in the time-lessness of the story of the resurrection as we sing.

A big thank you to all who give their time and talent to the preparation and presentation of mu-sic for Holy Week and Easter. What a blessing to make music with such a fine group who not only love to make music, but deeply care about all that we are singing, ringing and playing instruments about: the walk through Holy Week on the path to the cross, and the celebration of Christs glori-ous resurrection. And a big thank you to this fine singing congregation. We really do sing joyful al-leluias!

donations ForGuEst MusiCians

This year, due to budget con-straints, funding of guest musi-cians is through the music me-morial fund, a fund normally

used for emergency organ and equipment re-pair. Please consider contributing to this fund to support the continuance of this wonderful music at festival times during the year.

April 2015 Page 7


Stewardship is about the use of the gifts, resourc-es, if you will, entrusted to us by God for the time we walk this earth. Typically these resources are thought of in terms of time, talent, and treasure. The Bible is clear that God calls us to use these gifts to further His work here on earth. When we present those resources to do His work it is called giving. Here at Pohick, we call the promise we make to God regarding the level of giving commitment. Heres a key point: commit-ment is about time and talent as well as treasure. Your Pohick stewardship commission will be ex-panding its focus a bit this year. Certainly well focus on treasure (money) when its time for that but we want to increase our focus on time and talent. To do that, we will try to assist you in finding new ways to increase your commitment of time and talent as well as treasure. The twice-a-year activities fairs are one way of doing that but there will be others. We will be working with the Communications Commission to improve the existing Communications Center and make it a source of information on opportunities for becoming more involved. We will also work with the Newcomer Committee. I think it is safe to say that most of us have had more than one church home in our lives. We feel that there are three stages we went through in finding a new church - visitor, newcomer, and parishioner. See if you agree. You show up on a Sunday and you are a visitor. Maybe you fill out a pew card and get a goodie bag. Perhaps someone in your box welcomed you and that made you feel good so you came down to Cof-fee Hour. Probably someone talked to you and helped you understand who we were and how Pohick might help fulfill your needs in a church home. Overall, we are probably better at that than the average Episcopal church. The next week, or perhaps a couple of weeks later, you came back, having made the decision to give Pohick a try for a couple of weeks. At that point, you moved from being a visitor to being a newcomer. Newcomer is a very tentative time. You havent com-mitted and it could go either way. How did you make the jump from newcomer to parishioner? Probably by getting involved. I suspect we all remember the first time someone asked us to get involved - to serve as an usher, to attend Brotherhood, to sing in the choir, to

serve on a committee. Thats where your Stewardship Commission hopes to increase emphasis - with the help of every one of the current parishioners. As part of the Stewardship plan for 2015, we will be including frequent bulletin inserts we are calling Stewardship Perspectives - something Jud and Tony started that we will continue. They are not meant as commandments, but as thought pieces. Please read and think about them. In case you missed them, here are the first two:

Perspective One:STEWARDSHIP PERSPECTIVES

From a resolution adopted by the General Conven-tion of the Episcopal Church meeting in 1988:

Stewardship is the main work of the church Stew-ardship is more than a duty; it is a thankful response to Gods graciousness to us Stewardship is an ad-venture, an expedition into the kingdom where we find our lives through losing them for the sake of the gospel. It is an invitation to offer our gifts for the purpose for which we were created the only purpose that will fulfill us It offers us a way to begin break-ing the bonds of consumption that involve us, often unwittingly, in perpetuating injustice and oppression.

It is the intention of Pohicks Stewardship Com-mission to keep each of us mindful of our role in re-sponding to Gods graciousness to us by offering you frequent Stewardship Perspectives such as this one and not just when were about to ask for money. Well ask you to consider your commitment to Christ not just on Stewardship Sunday, but every Sunday. Christs work in the world never ceases. Our steward-ship should keep pace.

Perspective Two:STEWARDSHIP PERSPECTIVES

What Is Stewardship Anyway? What is STEWARDSHIP anyway? Let me of-fer this perspective. When we were baptized and then again when we were confirmed, we welcomed the Holy Spirit into our bodies and our lives. Stewardship is the process through which the Holy Spirit works

stEWardship CornErNeil Sunderland and Fuzzy Thurston, Stewardship Co-Chairs

Continued on page 9


through us to do Gods work in the world. You, me, all of us are agents of the Holy Spirit. We give of our TIME, our TALENT, and our TREASURE to fur-ther Gods work. At Pohick, we have a Stewardship Campaign in the fall and we ask you to commit your treasure to the operation of this church. It may be tempting to say that stewardship is something we think about once a year in the fall when we sign our commitment card. That would be like saying that Easter is something that we think about only on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. We celebrate Christs victory over death every day of our lives. Like-wise, we practice stewardship every day of our lives. One thing more, if weve inspired you and youd like to become more involved, feel free to contact us or any member of the Vestry, to include Fr. Don and Ruth.

Stewardship Corner,continued from page 8 pohiCk ChurCh

annual parish rEtrEatshrinE Mont, Va

Pohicks annual parish retreat ( June 26 - 28) is fast approaching! All Pohickians are encour-aged to participate in this weekend of renewal and spiritual enrichment. For those new to Po-hick, the parish retreat is the third weekend in June, usually the week-end after kids get out of school. The focus this year will be on getting as many new people as possible to really max-out on what the Pohick family has to offer! Just a few reasons to go:

Its a great way to meet and get to know fel-low parishioners.

Rev. Binders three sessions that will focus on spiritual growth.

Cozy rooms in quaint cottages and houses in a secluded resort community from yesteryear; time stands still at Shrine Mont; no traffic, no TV, no cell phones, no computers

The setting is as peaceful as it gets, take the opportunity to curl up on a porch with a book.

Puzzles and cards Music Swimming, golf, and tennis Scenic hiking and nature trails Fellowship at the Gathering Place (bring fa-

vorite beverage and snack to share) Book Store Shopping in the Shenandoah Valley Outdoor services at the Shrine The fried chicken on SundayPlease look for the flyer/application found in

this issue of the Pohick Post. Simply drop the ap-plication, preferably with payment, into the col-lection plate at any of the Sunday services, or drop it by the Church Office.

Susan and Tom MayberryShrine Mont Retreat Coordinators

siGnaturE tEa Hosted by Historic Pohick Churchs Docent Guild

The Signature Tea will be held on Saturday, April 25, from 2:00 pm until 4:00 pm in the Common Room. The new Childrens Tour will be introduced. This tour features hands-on and in-teractive activities from 1:00 pm until 2:00 pm in the Church. In addition, the Golden Dove Gift shop will be open from 12:30 pm until 2:00 pm. Advance nonrefundable tickets will be sold during

the coffee hours. Tickets are $25 per adult and $15 per child under 12.

There will also be raffle tickets for sale to win gift bas-kets. The winning

ticket will be drawn at the tea, but the winner need not be present to win. This event promises to be a unique and fun afternoon with all profits going to Church outreach efforts.

Beginning April 4, Saturday afternoon docent led guided tours will be given the first Saturday of the month from 1:00 pm until 3:00 pm. Be sure to tell neighbors and friends!


updatE on issuEs in thE anGliCan CoMMunionDon Brownlee, Co-chair, Policy and Planning Commission

This monthly report is part of the Vestrys ongoing effort to in-form and update the Parish about the ongoing controversies within The Episcopal Church (TEC) and the Anglican Communion. These controversies largely involve the blessing of same-sex unions, or-dination of non-celibate homosexuals, interpretation of Scripture, and breakdown of traditional boundary lines between Provinces. Last months Update reported that a court in South Car-olina had ruled that disputed church properties in that state belong to the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, which broke away from The Episcopal Church (TEC) in 2012, and not to the group which has remained part of TEC, and now calls itself The Episcopal Church in South Carolina. That left only one major property case remaining to be decided (at least, at the lower court level), involving the Diocese of Ft. Worth. That last case was decided in early March when District Court Judge John Chupp issued a one-page ruling in favor of the group which wants to leave TEC but retain ownership of almost all property and bank accounts. The fate of one individual parish is still to be decided. As was the case in South Carolina, both sides in this dis-pute claim to be the legitimate Diocese of Ft. Worth. They even continue to use exactly the same name. Judge Chupp did not issue an opinion explaining the le-gal basis for his decision. He simply said that the departing groups motion for a ruling in its favor was granted, and the continuing groups motion for a ruling in its favor was de-nied. Bp. Jack Iker, who led the Dio-cese of Ft. Worth out of TEC in 2008 and aligned it with the Province of the Southern Cone, said We are grateful for the ruling in our favor. Its clear that both church laws and Texas laws have been rightly applied to this dispute. A statement from his diocese went on to say, The laity and clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth rejoice with Bishop Iker and join him in giving thanks to God for this ruling. We pray for a quick resolu-tion to the remaining claims and disputes. We will continue to carry out the mission given us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: to win the world for Him. Bp. Rutherford High, provisional bishop of the continu-ing diocese, said he was disappointed by the result but hopeful for the future, and said legal efforts to regain control of the properties would continue. This sacred property was built up over 170 years in this part of Texas by generations of Episco-palians for the use of The Episcopal Church so it will be avail-able for use by generations of Episcopalians to come as they do the work of the ChurchThat remains our purpose in this litigation, and we are confident going forward under the rul-

ings of the Fort Worth Court of Appeals and Texas Supreme Court that are already in place in our case. Judge Chupp had ruled in favor of the continuing dio-cese in January, 2011. But the departing diocese appealed to the Texas Supreme Court, which sent the case back to Judge Chupp in August 2013 with orders to re-consider it using dif-ferent legal principles. In general, courts have ruled in favor of the Episcopal di-ocese and national church when individual parishes sought to leave their diocese, as was the case in the Diocese of Virginia. But they have generally sided with dioceses that wanted to leave the national church altogether, as was the case in South Carolina, Fort Worth and Quincy, Illinois. The one significant exception was the Diocese of Pittsburgh. There, a pre-existing legal settlement stipulated that control of property and bank accounts would remain with those who wished to remain part of TEC. The Ft. Worth case did differ from the South Carolina case in one notable respect. The Diocese of South Carolina could claim that it in fact predated formation of The Epis-copal Church in 1785. It had left TEC during the Civil War, then rejoined it. The Diocese of Ft. Worth was created by the General Convention of The Episcopal Church in the early 1980s, separating it from what is now the Diocese of Dallas. At the time it left TEC in 2008, it was the last diocese which did not ordain women to the priesthood. It is now part of the Anglican Church in North America, or ACNA. Late in March, continuing diocese in South Carolina for-mally filed notice of its intent to appeal its property case to the state supreme court.

* * * The Episcopal Churchs Standing Commission on Lit-urgy and Music has proposed that this summers General Convention authorize four new liturgies dealing with mar-riage and blessing of same-sex couples: A revised version of the current liturgy The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant; which was authorized for use on a trial basis to bless same-sex unions in 2012; A new liturgy called The Witnessing and Blessing of a Marriage, designed to be used by any couple who can be married according to civil law; What is described as a a gender-neutral adaptation of the current marriage rite in the Book of Common Prayer (BCP); and A similar gender-neutral adaptation of the marriage rite from the 1928 BCP. (The 1979 BCP gives couples the option of using the 1928 language; this proposal extends that option to same-sex couples).

Continued on page 11


The liturgies would be authorized for use starting in December, subject to the approval of the diocesan bishop. The resolution approving their use includes two conscience clauses reiterating current policy that It shall be within the discretion of any Member of the Clergy of this Church to de-cline to preside at any rite contained herein, and the General Convention continues to honor the theological diversity of this Church in regard to matters of human, sexuality; and no bishop, priest, deacon or lay person should be coerced or penalized in any manner, nor suffer any canonical disabilities, as a result of his or her theological objection to or support for the continuing trend toward approval of same-sex unions. In its report to the General Convention, the commis-sion said the trial liturgy authorized three years ago has been well received and widely used within the church. It added, Rapid changes in civil law concerning marriage in the United Statesindicate a need for equivalent proper liturgies in ju-risdictions where same-sex marriage is legaland a pastoral need for equivalent marriage rites that could be used by any couple.

* * * The case of Bp. Heather Cook of the diocese of Mary-land, who is accused of hitting and killing a bicyclist while she was driving while intoxicated, has received considerable at-tention in the secular news media. It also has raised questions within the diocese and elsewhere about the vetting process for candidates for the episcopacy, and about the way our Church deals with alcohol and alcoholics. The House of Bishops, at its annual spring meeting in March, approved a resolution asking the Presiding Bishop to set up an independent commission to explore the canonical, environment, behavioral and procedural dimensions of mat-ters involving the serious impairment of individuals serving as leaders in the church, with special attention to issues of addiction and substance abuse. It wants the commission to include individuals with professional or personal experience with varieties of impairment, and hopes the it will come up with recommendations for both action and further reviewto clarify lines of authority, to ensure mutual accountability, and to promote justice, well-being, and safety within both the Church and the world. The president of the House of Deputies, the Rev. Gay Jennings, issued a letter acknowledging that since the acci-dent, many people in the church have struggled to under-stand better how our systemic denial about alcohol and other drug abuse in the church may have contributed to Bishop Cooks election and confirmation as a bishop even as she seemed to be struggling with addiction. Many Episcopalians are asking what people in positions of authority in the church knew about her history of addiction and driving while under

Update on Issues in the Anglican Communion,continued from page 10

the influence of alcohol. They are also asking why the electors in Maryland and the bishops and standing committees who consented to her election were not made aware of this infor-mation, some of which is a matter of public record. She said the ongoing disciplinary action against Bp. Cook does not relieve those of us who help lead the church of our obligation to acknowledge that the credibility of the process by which we elect bishops is in question. She said was nam-ing a special legislative committee to review the General Conventions 1985 policy on alcohol and drug abuse and pro-pose possible new resolutions or policies in the area of alcohol, substance abuse and addiction. Elsewhere: The Episcopal Church of Cuba voted to rejoin The Episcopal Church. The church in Cuba was part of TEC until the 1959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power. Since then, it has been under the oversight of a special Metropolitan

Council of Cuba, which includes the heads of the Anglican Church of Canada, Anglican Prov-ince of the West Indies and TEC.

The synod was pre-sented with two reso-lutions, one calling for rejoining TEC, and

another calling for studying the options available. The first passed by a narrow margin.

The Cuban church was founded by missionaries from the U.S. in the late 19th century. It then became a missionary dis-trict of TEC and later an autonomous diocese. The Anglican Consultative Council currently recognizes Cuba as member church, and therefore an independent prov-ince. Additional steps by both the General Convention and ACC will be necessary before the reunification can take effect. The Church of England continues to move swiftly to bring women into the episcopacy. The Rev. Libby Lane was conse-crated as the churchs first female bishop late in January; now the Queen has appointed the Revd Canon Alison White as suffragan bishop in the diocese of Hull,and approved the elec-tion of the Venerable Rachel Treweek as bishop of Glouces-ter, making her the first woman to be a diocesan bishop, and member of the House of Lords.

It is important to remember that despite all these controversies, the work of the Church - globally, nationally, and locally - goes on. The Stewardship Commission continues to remind us of the ways Pohick carries out that work, and spread the good News. Pohick continues to be the only Bible some people will ever read. Through youth mission trips, donations of school supplies, backpacks, Christ-mas meals to LCAC, Santas annual visit to New Hope Housing, and the Community of Hope, Pohick continues to leak the love of God to those in need.


I Was Hungry and you Fed Me.What is in a manna bag? A manna bag is a non- perishable food kit to keep in the car to be given to the less fortunate encountered during daily trav-els. The Ann Mason Guild will have kits available on Sunday, April 19, during coffee hour.

POHICK YOUTH RETREATFriday, April 17 through Sunday, April 19 $35 per personDepart from Pohick Church at 5:00 pm Return 3:30 pm

Watch for more details in the Sunday bulletin!

thE Martha GuildConnie Myers

The Martha Guild will meet on Wednesday, April 8, in Classroom A at 7:30 pm. Please note the meeting is a week later due to Holy Week. Discussion topics will include details of the upcoming Wine Tasting as well as other projects. All Women of the Church are cordially invited to attend the meeting. Any questions, please contact Connie Myers by phone at 703-455-4652 or by email at [email protected].

African Team MinistriesJewelry and Craft Sale

The African Team Ministries Jewelry and Craft Sale will be held on Sunday, April 12 and Sunday, April 19 during all three Coffee Hours. African Team Ministries has been serving the Churches of East Af-rica for more than 20 years. The proceeds from the handcrafted items will make it possible to supply Drip Irrigation Kits for the families in the drought and famine areas that have also received emergency food relief. This will enable them to grow food all year in-stead of only when it rains. More than 250,000 people died during the recent drought and famine. African Team Ministries also resettled displaced people, supported orphans, presented AIDS educa-tion and prevention, and provided literacy training. There will be many wonderful handcrafted items to choose from, so please stop by for wonderful ideas for Mothers Day gifts! Any questions, please contact Connie Myers by phone at 703-455-4652 or by email at [email protected].

GoldEn doVE GiFt shopSpring Has Sprung!

New items are on display, including special gifts for Easter, baptisms, and Mothers Day. Come take a look at both handmade applewood and beautiful pewter baptismal baby bowls and cups, cross book-marks, and Episcopal rosaries. Other special items in-clude unique handmade Easter and all occasion cards, specially designed pearl necklaces and earrngs, and Honey House Naturals lotions and lipgloss. Also available are special Pohick themed items, including beautiful photographs, hand painted por-celain coffee mugs, tea canisters, apple butter, Pohick cookbook, and Rev. Don Binder CDs. The shop also now has a Clearance Corner - come find some deals and help support the Church and lo-cal charities! Hours: Sundays 8:15 am - 9:00 am and 10:15 am -11:15 am in the north end of the Vestry House. Volunteers to work at the shop are always wel-come. If interested, please contact Pamela Nelson at [email protected] or 703-932-2378 or email CharlotteKnipling at [email protected].

hodGE podGEIt is time again to donate TREASURES to

Hodge Podge for the big sale on May 16. The col-lection drive is now in full swing. Clean out that closet, garage, attic, or storage shed. Place gen-

tly used, clean, functioning items in the northwest cor-ner of the Common Room. Look for Hodge Podge up-dates in the bulletin. Hodge Podge needs volunteers to

help! To volunteer, please contact Helen and Jeff Parker at 703-497-5927.

Books are also being collected for the book sale. Contact Jane Thurston, 703-339-1301 for book donations. Contact Jim From at 703-492-6450 for any Hodge Podge questions.


Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday SaturdayMARCH 29 30 31 APRIL 1 2 3 4

Palm Sunday7:45a HE I9a HE II10:15a Christian Ed, Fairfax Visit11:15a HE I

7p EFM 9:30a Staff Mtg7p Tutoring

2p HE, the Fairfax6p St. Cecelia St. Alban6p St. Francis Choir7p Prayer Shawl Ministry7:30p Healing Service7:30p Martha Guild

Maundy Thursday6:15p Bell Choir7p Boy Scouts7:30p Choir of Pohick7:30p Service & Vigil8:30p AA

12p Good Friday & Stations

Holy Saturday8a Brotherhood of St. Andrew9:15a Baptism rehearsal4p Holy Bap-tism

5 6 7 8 9 10 11Easter

5:30a Easter Vigil7:45a HE I9:15a HE II10:15a Easter Egg Hunt11:15a HE I

6p Marriage Course7p EFM

9:30a Staff Mtg7p Tutoring

2p HE, the Fairfax6p St. Cecelia St. Alban6p St. Francis Choir7:30p Healing Service

6:15p Bell Choir7p Boy Scouts7:30p Choir of Pohick8:30p AA

8a Brotherhood of St. Andrew

12 13 14 15 16 17 18Easter 2b7:45a HE I9a HE II10:15a Christian Ed11:15a HE II5p Confirmation Class6:30p EYC Dinner Night (All)

7p EFM 9:30a Ann Ma-son Guild9:30a Staff Mtg7p Tutoring7:30p Vestry

2p HE, the Fairfax6p St. Cecelia St. Alban6p St. Francis Choir7:30p Healing ServiceDeadline for Pohick Post


Youth Retreat Youth Retreat8a Brotherhood of St. Andrew

19 20 21 22 23 24 25Youth Retreat

Easter 3b7:45a HE I9a HE II10:15a Christian Ed11:15a HE I

7p EFM7p Docent General Mtg

9:30a Staff Mtg7p Tutoring

2p HE, the Fairfax6p St. Cecelia St. Alban6p St. Francis Choir7:30p Healing Service


8a Brotherhood of St. Andrew

26 27 28 29 30 MAY 1 2Easter 4b7:45a HE I9a HE II10:15a Christian Ed11:15a HE I6:30p EYC ( Jr&Sr)

7p EFM 9:30a Staff Mtg7p Tutoring

2p HE, the Fairfax6p COH6p St. Cecelia St. Alban6p St. Francis Choir7:30p Healing Service


8a Brotherhood of St. Andrew5p Martha Guild Fund-raiser

Pohick Church Activities April 2015

Contact the Parish Secretary, Susan Hayward-Costa, to list group meetings or events on the calendar, [email protected].


SUNDAY SERVICE VOLUNTEERS

The Sunday Service Volunteers Schedule is also available at Pohick Churchs website, www.pohick.org, under Ministries.

5 APRIL 12 APRIL 19 APRIL 26 APRIL 3 MAY

7:45 Becky WagnerMike Zane

Ken EvansMike Vaughn

Alan MayberryStew Remaly

Tony MarsicoRodger Jones

Mike ZaneBecky Wagner

9:00 Chris Brown, Dan Derbes, Jim Foster, Grant Hodges, Jan Hoffheins, Kathy Kirkland

Mo FaberJim HellerPehr PehrssonEdwardene Pitcock

Matt GurrolaBeth AltmanDon CookeJohn Pasour

Dru HodgesTom BlandDennis MyersGreg Wilson

Chris BrownJohn GodleyHal YarwoodSusan Yarwood

11:15 H. Foresman, D. Billings-ley, B. Patton, F. Thurston

Paul WaldenMike Wooten

Steve EdgemonAngela Edgemon

Rick NelsonBill Bland

Rita SmithBill Hosp

7:00 Cockroft Derbes Wyllie Thurston TBD

1:00 Pasour Herbert Brownlee Crawford TBD

12:15 Pasour/Remaly Kirkland/Hoffheins M/M Brown Pitcock/Schmid TBD

AM J. SunderlandN. BireleyA. CannonC. HeddlestonJ. MacDonaldM. HartigR. Teale, B. Wagner

J. SunderlandN. BireleyA. CannonC. HeddlestonJ. MacDonaldM. HartigR. Teale, B. Wagner

J. WellsN. SageJ. MullinsC. FosterH. ParkerR. StankwitzJ. Geschickter

J. WellsN. SageJ. MullinsC. FosterH. ParkerR. StankwitzJ. Geschickter

BJ McPhersonA. PowellJ. Schmid, E. PitcockA. MarsicoM. TonkinD. TrussellM. Yezek

7:45 M/M John Pasour M/M John Pasour M/M Ken Evans M/M Ken Evans TBD9:00 Easter Sunday (Vestry) M/M Stew Remaly Schmid/Pitcock M/M Tom Bland TBD11:15 Kathy Kirkland M/M Fuzzy Thurston C. Darling M/M Ted Yezek TBD

7:45 D. Smith M/M Jones Stew Remaly E. Bartlett R. Stankwitz9:00 M/M Sage M/M Armstrong M/M Brown Bland/Girten M/M Bland11:15 M/M Poad M/M Haufe C. Hodge L. Aqueron L. Jonas

7:45 Marsico (P)Wrona (R)

Foresman (R)Wagner (P)

TBD TBD TBD

9:00 Elston (P)Rickenbaker (R)

S. Harding (R)M. Harding (P)

TBD TBD TBD

11:15 Gastrell (P)Choi (R)

Pasour (R)Nelson (P)

TBD TBD TBD

9:00 C. Knipling H. Parker M. Bartholomew R. Heddleston TBD11:15 Tom & Susan Costa H. Foresman R. Stankwitz N. Sage TBD

OPEN - UP

LOCK - UP

TELLERS

ALTAR GUILD

COFFEE HOUR

USHERS

GREETERS

LAY READERS

DOCENTS


VaCation BiBlE sChoolMark the calendars! Pohicks Vacation Bible School will be July 13 - 17, 9:00 am - 12 noon. All three year olds through 5th grade students are welcome. The 6th - 12th grade students are welcome to come and be assistants and aides! If an adult has a 2 year old and can stay to help in the program, a class will be available for the child. Please speak with Frances Ses-sums. Anyone who is interested in teaching, assistant teaching, being an aide, snacks, nurs-ery attendant, art assistant or help-ing in any way, please call Fran-ces Sessums, 703-425-2857.

prayEr shaWl MinistryPlease remember any parishioner may request a prayer shawl. It does not matter whether it is for a fellow parishioner, a relative, or a friend. Shawls are stored in either Rev. Binder or Rev. Corrells offices. For instructions on how to knit or crochet a prayer shawl, please contact Kathy Kirkland at [email protected] or call 703-550-9194. The next Prayer Shawl Ministry meeting will be on April 1 at 7:00 pm in classroom A.

Send News!Articles for the May Pohick Post are due no later than April 15. Forward input by email in Word compat-

ible format to Lori Buckius, [email protected] concerns & items for the

Sunday Service Volunteers page should beaddressed to Carmel Hodge, [email protected].

BullEtin announCEMEntsPlease email bulletin announcements to [email protected]. The bulletin is printed on Thursdays so announcements should be received by Wednesday.

Bunny Pretzels Yield: approximately 24 pretzels

Ingredients:Mini marshmallowsPink sugar dcor sprinkles1 (16 oz.) package Vanilla CandiQuik CoatingBlack edible marker or cake writing icingDirections:1. Cut each marshmallow in half diagonally. These will form the bunny ears. Sprinkle with pink dcors onto the sticky side of the marshmallow (for best re-sults, press the sticky side of the marshmallow into the sprinkles). 2. Melt Vanilla CandiQuik in the Melt and Make Microwaveable Tray according to the directions on the package.3. Dip about of each pretzel rod in the CandiQuik and place on wax paper.4. Before CandiQuik has set, press the marshmallow ears on the top of the pretzel, holding in place un-til set, and press one heart-shaped sprinkle on as the nose.5. Once dry, draw two dots for eyes with black edible

marker or cake writing icing.

Kids Korner!

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Pohick Church9301 Richmond HighwayLorton, Virginia 22079-1519

Return Service Requested

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

P A I DPermit No. 2Lorton, VA

The Purpose of Pohick Church is to be a nourishing community where Christs love is experienced and taken beyond its walls.

Pohick Church Staff

Rector:

The R

evd Donald

Binder, PhD

Assistant: Th

e Revd D

r. Ruth

E

. Correll, E

d.D.

Seminarian:

James R

ickenbakerM

inister of Music:

Linda Egan

Director of

Christian Ed: Frances Sessum

sYouth M

inister: R

usty BoothParish Secretary:

Susan Hayward-C

ostaFinance Adm

in: M

ike Morgan

Sexton: John Sessum

s

Telephone: 703-339-6572 Fax: 703-339-9884C

hurch Offi

ce Em

ail: [email protected] W

eb Site: www.pohick.org

Pohick Church Vestry

Sr. Warden:

Reed H

eddlestonJr. W

arden: C

lint Herbert

Treasurer: John Pasour

Register:

Don Brownlee

Mem

bers: A

manda C

hoi,

Caroline C

ockroft,

Fred Crawford,

D

an Derbes, H

elen Parker,

Edwardene Pitcock,

Fuzzy Th

urston,

Em

ma W

allace, Russ W

yllie

VE

ST

RY

G

RA

M

To: The Vestry

Date: _____________________ Subject: _____________________

From:

pohick post, april 2015

Documents

herberts pattern poems

pohick episcopal churchpage

love poetry

pohick postlet

husband robert browning

elizabeth barrett browning

christian social activist

devout christian family