Pentecost 2012, Page 1

Thankful Tidings

A Quarterly E-Newsletter of Thankful Memorial Episcopal Church, Chattanooga

Pentecost 2012

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E

1 Rector’s Letter

2 Go Forth and Be Thankful!

What’s Been Happening…

Coming Up…

Getting Involved…

3 Stewardship, Worship & Vestry Notes

Check out our new Website!

Christian Formation and Adult Education

Children’s Ministries

Meet Jesus in the Garden

4 Upcoming Events

General Convention 2012

Thankful’s 20s&30s

Rector’s Letter

The Rev. Leyla King

“Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.”

So the Church prays on Pentecost Sunday, which we celebrated just a few weeks ago. It’s a lovely collect, particularly fitting for the feast day which celebrates the establishment of Christ’s Church in the world. What is implied in the prayer is that the way in which God chooses to shed abroad the gift of God’s Holy Spirit is through us, through you and me, the members of Christ’s Body that is His Church. And so it is that the Church is charged with fulfilling God’s mission, with spreading the Good News of Christ “to the ends of the earth.”

Of course, there are many ways and means of accomplishing that mission, but mission must always be at the heart of what we do in the Church – whether on the global, national or local level. That idea will be motivating much of the legislative work and important decision-making that will be happening this summer at the Episcopal Church’s 2012 General Convention, which you can learn more about in the pages of this newsletter.

And mission must also be our motivation for everything we do here at Thankful. Mission is really behind those areas of growth that our vestry and lay leaders have identified over the past two years as goals for our parish. In our attention to stewardship, new membership, and ministry to the 20s&30s, and in our newest focus-areas of youth, outreach, and Christian formation, our real goal is getting out the good news – that Christ lived and died, has risen and ascended for all, that God’s love and grace is available to all people and nations – getting out that good news to the ends of the earth, even and especially including St. Elmo and greater Chattanooga. Christ’s mission must be our goal in life, the very basis of our identity as individuals and as a community at Thankful Church. In the words of one of leadership our teams, we must “go forth and be Thankful!”

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At the Leadership retreat on March 3, the vestry and lay leaders of Thankful established three new goals

for growth for our parish in the coming years: Youth, Outreach and Christian Formation. These three

areas of growth will, we hope, be new areas of focus for us in addition to those in which we have already

been doing much at Thankful: Stewardship, New Membership, Pastoral Care, and Ministry to 20s&30s.

So, what’s been happening at Thankful in our ministries towards youth, our outreach and our Christian

formation since March? And what else is there to do?

What’s Been Happening . . .

Chattanooga Room in the Inn

(Youth & Outreach)

On March 11, Thankful Youth made, served

and shared a meal with the residents of Chattanooga

Room in the Inn. The Youth’s delicious Sunday

supper consisted of chili, salad, cheese biscuits and

brownies for the women and children of the Inn.

St. Mary’s Movie Matinee (Youth & Outreach)

Members of Thankful invited the St. Elmo

Community to join us for a viewing of “We Bought a

Zoo” on April 29. We hope to host more matinees in

the future. Stay tuned for more opportunities to get

to know our St. Elmo Neighbors!

Thankfully Uncorked & Theology on Tap (Christian Formation & Outreach)

It’s not your grandma’s Christian

Formation, but the ongoing 40+ Thankfully

Uncorked and 20s&30s Theology on Tap give

Thankful Ones and others from our communities a

chance to talk theology in a laid-back atmosphere.

The Hunter Museum Tour & Sunday Schools (Christian Formation)

The tour of the Hunter Museum, led by

Ralph Brown, on Mother’s Day completed our Adult

Education study of Religion and the Arts. In the past

year, adults and children in Sunday School

considered topics including the theology and liturgy

of Holy Week, the role of Scripture, the poetry of

Advent, mission in Haiti, and the Trinity.

Coming Up . . . Lectors’ Training

(Christian Formation)

Are you on our Lectors Rota to read on

Sunday mornings? Would you like to be? All

lectors past, present, and future are invited to

attend our Lectors’ (re-)Training on July 22

immediately following the Sunday Service. If you

can’t make the meeting and are—or would like to

be—a lector, please let Mother Leyla know.

43rd&Thankful Block Party (Outreach)

Outreach is about helping the poor and

needy among us, but it’s also about reaching out to

everyone in the community around us, and that’s

what the 20s&30s hope to do when they help us

host “43rd&Thankful,” a neighborhood block party

on September 29. Stay tuned for more!

Adult & Children’s Sunday School

(Christian Formation)

Our adult and children’s Sunday School

offerings are always a great way to learn together

about our faith. Sunday School will resume again

in the fall after Stewardship Rally Day. If you have

any special requests or ideas for topics to discuss,

talk to Mike Gray (adults) - graysigsys@aol.com –

or Mary Frances Beesorchard (children) –

beesorchard.maryfrances@gmail.com

Getting Involved . . . This summer, we’re forming teams of Thankful

Ones to help us grow in these areas. If you’d like to

be part of a team, please let Mother Leyla know.

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Stewardship Notes

By now, you should have received your mid-year

statement from Thankful to help you keep track of how

much you have contributed to our church this year. If

you’ve forgotten the amount of your 2012 pledge (it

happens!) or have questions about your giving, email

treasurer Steve Burdick (smwgburdick@comcast.net) or

call or email the church office or Mother Leyla during

regular office hours.

And get ready for our 2012-2013 Stewardship Campaign

this fall! Stewardship Rally Day is scheduled for

September 16 and we’ll be emphasizing all the ways our

members contribute to our parish family. So mark your

calendars and let’s keep Thankful growing in 2013!

Meet Jesus in the Garden In John 20:14-15, Mary Magdalene is the first person to meet the risen Lord. She sees Jesus in a garden and mistakes him for the gardener. Thankful is blessed to have its own garden where Thankful Ones, St. Elmo neighbors, and many others from our communities are invited to “meet Jesus in the garden.” But our garden needs a little help to grow beautiful in a low-maintenance kind of way! So you’re invited to come early to church over the next two Sundays. Arrive in the cooler hours, beginning at 8:30 a.m., this Sunday and the next to do a little weeding and mulching before attending the service in your gardening grubs. You never know who else you might find hanging out in the garden…! Special thanks to Sue Wright, Kara Fagan-Rayner and Carolyn Fagan-Rayner for their gardening expertise, organization, and guidance.

Vestry Notes Over the past months, the vestry has discussed our

buildings’ maintenance, garden upkeep, stewardship, our

vision for the future and more! Minutes of vestry

meetings are available to Thankful members by emailing

Esmé Oehmig, our Clerk (esmeoehmig@yahoo.com) or

contacting the church office. For a list of current vestry

members and contact info, email or call the church office.

Worship Notes

A big THANK YOU to Don Stilwell and all the

members of the choir who led us musically

throughout the year. We very much appreciate

your ministry to and among us. The choir will be

“on vacation” through the summer but will pick

up again in the fall. Interested in being a choir

member? Speak with Don Stilwell, our organist

and choir master.

If you haven’t noticed, we say the psalm every

Sunday instead of chanting it through the summer.

Adult Sunday School will reconvene in the fall on September 23 with a new set of Adult Christian Formation and Education offerings. If you’d like to help us plan our 2012-2013 “curriculum,” please speak with Mother Leyla or Mike Gray.

C H I L D R E N ’ S M I N I S T R I E S

SUNDAY SCHOOL for children in 2nd

grade and older is on

summer vacation until September 23rd

.

CHILDREN’S CHAPEL for our younger children (2nd

grade and

younger) will continue throughout the summer.

Plus, we’re still looking for BABYSITTERS for younger children

every Sunday for one hour after the service during Sunday School, September-June. Regular babysitters will earn $10.00 per hour and must be 16 or older. Anyone interested in the position should contact MaryFrances Beesorchard. (beesorchard.maryfrances@gmail.com).

And Adult Formation

Check out our new website! Our new website is up and running. Check it out at http://thankfulmemorial.dioet.org/ Special thanks to Mike Gray for making it all happen and to Fontaine Alison for her help. We’ll be adding more content throughout the summer, so keep us bookmarked! Questions or suggestions about the website? Email Mike Gray at graysigsys@aol.com.

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.

1607 W. 43rd St., Mail to: P.O. Box 2274

Chattanooga, TN 37409

423-821-3135, thankfulones@comcast.net

thankfulmemorial.dioet.org

JULY 5-12

GENERAL CONVENTION: INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

Pray for the triennial gathering of the governing body of the

Episcopal Church. See the box to the right for more info.

THURSDAY, JULY 19

20S&30S PLANNING MEETING : 5:15 P.M., LOCATION TBA

20s&30s are invited to gather over drinks and food to

continue planning for our Block Party. See the box below

right for more information.

SUNDAY, JULY 22

LECTORS’ TRAINING : AFTER THE SERVICE, CHURCH

If you are or would like to be a lector (who reads the

Scripture during Sunday services), please attend this

necessary Lectors’ (re-)Training.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 12

SMT MEETING: AFTER THE SERVICE, CONFRENCE ROOM

Members of the Stewardship Ministry Team are asked to

attend this meeting to plan for our Stewardship Campaign.

MONDAY, AUGUST 13

POST-GC MEETING: 6:00 P.M., ST. PAUL’S, CHATTANOOGA

All are invited to attend this meeting with E. Tennessee’s

deputation to General Convention to ask questions and hear

presentations about what happened at this year’s General

Convention in Indianapolis.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 14

VESTRY: 7:00 P.M., CONFERENCE RM, ST. MARY’S PARISH HALL

After being on “vacation” in July, the Vestry returns to its

regular schedule, meeting on the second Tuesday of every

month. Thankful members are invited to observe meetings.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

STEWARDSHIP RALLY DAY!

Mark your calendars for the big day! We’ll kick off our

Stewardship Campaign and every Thankful One will have

the opportunity to learn and make decisions about how you

can contribute to the life of our parish in 2012-2013.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

43RD

&THANKFUL BLOCK PARTY : 3:00 P.M., THE WHOLE BLOCK!

Join all the Thankful Ones and our St. Elmo neighbors for

music, food and fellowship. More info. coming soon!

U P C O M I N G E V E N T S

General Convention 2012 July 5-12, the 77th General Convention (GC) of the Episcopal

Church will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana. General

Convention is the governing body of the Episcopal Church and

represents a unique understanding of church government. It

meets every three years to discuss administrative and pastoral

issues that arise in the greater church. There are two houses,

the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies. The former

consists of about 300 active and retired bishops. The latter is

made up of more than 800 lay and clergy members from every

diocese in the Episcopal Church.

There are several issues of note that will be discussed at this

year’s GC. They include a redefinition of the organization of

the Episcopal Church, an exploration of the role of the

Episcopal Church within the Anglican Communion, and a

proposal of a rite for the blessing of same-sex unions. With

many voices representing many dioceses and perspectives, GC

promises to be an exciting and informative gathering of

faithful members of the Body of Christ.

Mother Leyla (with Ben and Fred in tow!) will be attending

General Convention in July as part of the Deputation from East

Tennessee (she’s first alternate, clergy). If you have any

thoughts or questions about GC, please let her know! There

will be an opportunity to hear about what happened at this

year’s Convention at our post-GC meeting at St. Paul’s

Episcopal, downtown Chattanooga, Aug. 13 at 6:00 p.m.

Thankful’s 20s&30s

After a three-part series of “Theology on Tap,” we’re taking a bit of a break over the summer. Don’t worry, we’ll be doing some more theology together over a few pints come the fall, but in the meantime, 20s&30s at Thankful are invited to help us plan for “43rd&Thankful!” the Block Party we’re hosting on behalf of the church for all our St. Elmo neighbors. The party is planned for September 29.

Know a band who’d like to play at 43rd&Thankful or a vendor who’d offer some good food? Have other ideas about what else we should do? Come to our next planning meeting over happy hour on July 19. We’ll likely meet at Market St. Tavern or Blacksmith’s so watch your email inbox as we get a bit closer to the date.

And if you have any other suggestions for 20s&30s fellowship and events in 2012-2013, email Mother Leyla.