[Magdalen] Interesting Sunday

Wed Jun 1 18:29:13 UTC 2016

prayers for your search - hopefully people will NOT pressure the committee 
to act more quickly than their efforts and seeking can handle.  I know how 
frustrating it was when 'important' people in my former parish began 
throwing their weight around when we had not chosen a new call as soon as 
they wanted.  We were told to allow a month for each year (our rector 
retired after 20 years).... for you folks that would be a lifetime!  Here's 
hoping that the committee can search in comfort and confidence for as long 
as they need to .

peace
Lynn

website: www.ichthysdesigns.com

When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I have not a 
single bit of talent left and could say, "I used everything You gave me." 
attributed to Erma Bombeck
 "Either Freedom for all or stop talking about Freedom at all" from a talk 
by Richard Rohr

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From: "cady soukup" <cadyasoukup at gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2016 1:20 PM
To: <magdalen at herberthouse.org>
Subject: Re: [Magdalen] Interesting Sunday

> Yes,
>
> We've kept MP in rotation all through the decades. At the moment, the
> Lay-led services are to save what fees we can while awaiting a new
> rector. With all 3 services, we average just under 100 ASA, so each
> service tends to be under 40 attendees.
>
> All we have heard from the Search Committee (who are legitimately
> sworn to silence) is that we have received names, several look good,
> and they are working on getting a good, new rector.
>
> As of July 31 we are without a rector. Bill Queen - who has been very
> good for us - hopes for a ministry as an interim rector, has kept his
> family home in Richmond, must return to live in Richmond or face IRS
> penalties. We are exploring the idea of Lay-led services for at least
> August and possibly longer if needed. We're still actively making
> decisions. We celebrate the renovation of the Rectory on June 11th
> with a blessing of the house for Trinity participants, and an Open
> House for the community (Trinity Church: of the community, by the
> community, for the community). It should be grand fun, with tents in
> the Washington Baptist Church parking lot in case of inclement
> weather.
>
> Stepping forward into the unknown, along with everyone else!
>
> Cady
>
> On 5/30/16, Joseph Cirou <romanos at mindspring.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>>>From: Grace Cangialosi <gracecan at gmail.com>
>>>Sent: May 30, 2016 5:24 PM
>>>To: "magdalen at herberthouse.org" <magdalen at herberthouse.org>
>>>Subject: Re: [Magdalen] Interesting Sunday
>>>
>>>Wow, Cady!!
>>>Having supplied at your church many times over the years, I know these 
>>>are
>>> major changes--whew!  Your summer schedule was a killer; the first time 
>>> I
>>> filled in there for three weeks, I couldn't imagine doing that every
>>> Sunday all summer. Services were at 8,9, and 10.
>>>The move to more Morning Prayer services is interesting, although I know
>>> you've kept MP in rotation all along. Is that just for the time before 
>>> you
>>> call a new rector? And is there any sense of when that will be?
>>>Congratulations on leading a sung Morning Prayer service! That's always
>>> challenging.
>>>Will Bill Queen continue as your interim, or is his contract up? I heard
>>> good things about him when he was at All Saints in Richmond.
>>>And I love Johnson's "The Creation"! At the church I attended for the
>>> Easter Vigil this year, that was the first reading--a wonderful choice!
>>>
>>>I never think of Trinity as small--maybe because it has three services 
>>>and
>>> has such a variety of ministries.What is your ASA?
>>>
>>>Keep up the good work!
>>>Grace
>>>
>>>> On May 30, 2016, at 11:02 AM, cady soukup <cadyasoukup at gmail.com> 
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Dear ones,
>>>>
>>>> Our small church, Trinity Episcopal Church in Washington, VA, is
>>>> nearing the end of an interim rector's year (Bill Queen) after the
>>>> retirement of our long-term (42 years!) rector Jennings Wise Hobson
>>>> III (whose father and grandfather were both Episcopal priests). It's
>>>> been a year of all those "fun" interim activities: tightening our
>>>> budget belts, learning who we are and who we want to be, stretching to
>>>> meet goals, examining our "business practices" to bring them into line
>>>> with more modern church expectations, renovating the Rectory and the
>>>> Parish Hall, keeping up with the expected schedules, creating a Parish
>>>> Profile and starting the search process. The vestries (last year's,
>>>> this year's, next year's) have been, are, and will be working harder
>>>> and longer than what has been the norm, and have done very well.
>>>>
>>>> One tiny outcome of all this has been a re-examination of lay
>>>> leadership roles. There have been meetings and will be training for
>>>> various positions (Litanist, Lay Eucharistic Minister, Lay Eucharistic
>>>> Visitor, others). We have 3 regular Sunday services: 8am Rite I spoken
>>>> Holy Eucharist; 9:15 am Rite II family service with folk music,
>>>> alternating between HE and MP; 11am Rite II "formal" service
>>>> alternating between HE and MP. The service bulletins are now uniform
>>>> (Grace Cangialosi can attest to the previous complexity of the
>>>> bulletins!) and the service elements are more uniform.
>>>>
>>>> And we have moved from requesting Supply clergy at a fee, to having
>>>> Lay Led MP services when our rector is gone. He was gone previously,
>>>> and Mike Mahoney was one of the Lay Leaders. He was gone yesterday for
>>>> his youngest son's college graduation (yes, scheduled on the Sunday of
>>>> Memorial Day weekend!). I was the Lay Leader for the 11am (summer
>>>> 10:30am) MP service. First time through.
>>>>
>>>> We had an unexpectedly full service with a few new people (one of whom
>>>> I know as he graduated high school with our youngest son) and some
>>>> "visitors" from other services. I am grateful for: the deep training
>>>> of our congregants as I forgot to announce several of the service
>>>> moves from one element to another; our 4-member choir including our
>>>> substitute pianist/organist Danny Wilson who stepped up to the
>>>> challenges of a fully sung MP service, our Altar guild members who are
>>>> coping with great grace and forbearance as they cope with only a box
>>>> for their supplies during the enormous Parish Hall renovation. We even
>>>> had a lovely coffee hour that I forgot to announce. <sigh>
>>>>
>>>> For the homily, the Rev. Bill Queen provided a poem "The Creation - A
>>>> Sermon in Verse" from "God's Trombones" by James Weldon Johnson
>>>> (partially because the previous lay-led Sunday's homily was a reading
>>>> from one of the Church fathers that was not well received by the
>>>> family service). I hadn't printed it out, so read it from my iPhone.
>>>> The congregation had the grace to pay attention, including a few
>>>> unexpected younglings.
>>>>
>>>> I am so very grateful for the honor of being able to perform this
>>>> function, even if this is the only time it happens. Praise God!
>>>>
>>>> virtual hugs & virtual beverages for all !
>>>>
>>>> Cady
>> I think the National Cathedral did that version for its Easter vigil. I 
>> only
>> got to watch to the third reading.
>>
>> Joe
>> 