December 2015

From father Robert & the vestry PEACE & EVERY BLESSING FROM GOD AS WE ENTER THE SEASON OF ADVENT!

On this thanksgiving morning I am grateful for the love of Karen who really likes to take care of me! I am grateful to be a part of a parish community that consistently grows in their understanding of and care for the poor whom God sends to us. I continue to be moved by the overwhelming generosity of our parishioners who continue to be willing to trust and support its servant leaders and to be a part of growing into Emmanuel’s future. As Advent approaches I pray that all of our good people will take the time to pray, listen, wait and hope for all of the promises of the birth of Jesus to take root in their lives. Fr. Robert Advent anticipation leads to merry Christmas, and I thank God for the faithful at Emmanuel for their loving presence in my life. What a wondrous blessing to be a small part of something so big in transforming the world into an accepting, uplifting, and loving place. Emmanuel, yes, God among us! Alleluia! Br. Brian Paul Freese

I offer a prayer that is meaningful to me: God of Life, God of love, thank you for all you have given and continue to give us each day. You have blessed us into being, and graced our lives with family, loved ones, colleagues and friends. We pray for deeper gratitude and we ask for your grace in your name. Amen. Crysty Odom Since moving to Athens and joining Emmanuel Parish our family has found a wonderful home filled with people who always seem to care. At this season of giving thanks and praise, as well as Advent, we want to thank all those in our parish who strive to make both our church life and our lives in general better. Remember, a smiling face and a warm welcome is all it takes to brighten someone’s day either inside or outside the walls of Emmanuel. Roger Lange and family On the day before the Thanksgiving feast, my family and I joined many other Emmanuelites of all ages to help prepare

to serve our guests on Thanksgiving. To be part of such a kind and giving community, especially during the upcoming advent season, is truly a blessing. Sarah Ehlers

On the day after Thanksgiving, I am guilty of playing holiday music in my car and fully embracing the Christmas spirit. As we enter into the season of Advent, I try to remind myself to slow down and focus on the

stories leading up to the birth of Christ. Those stories are magical and filled with the mystery of faith. The Angel Gabriel visiting Mary—that’s pretty neat. The gifts of the Magi and their journey following the star are also remarkable. In light of these miraculous stories, I’ve decided that my excitement is acceptable, and I’m blessed to share it with each of you. Brooke Stortz With the holidays upon us, I am reminded how each and every day is a blessing. We don’t always know what (continued on back page)

NEWS FROM THE NARTHEX

At Emmanuel Episcopal Church, we strive to provide people the opportunity for growth in their faith through our mutual love, respect and acceptance of one another.

News from the narthex

The youth have been very busy during late October and early November. They participated in service and fellowship while their parents were invited to meet for a first semester assessment with Father Chris early in November. At that meeting with the parents of 7-12th graders, Fr. Chris challenged the parents to ensure that their youth attend The Morning Rise and other activities. He reminded us that community is very important and it is hard to have a familiar and comfortable community if kids only show up occasionally. Lots of time, energy, and resources go into planning classes and events. The volunteers, paid interns, and Fr. Chris are spending a lot of time organizing things for the youth. So don’t forget to RSVP to events so that we know if we will have the correct number of chaperones and appropriate male:female ratio to fulfill the Safeguarding God’s Children criteria.

Lots of different activities occupied the youth this fall. They volunteered to help with set-up and break-down of the space for the Interfaith Hospitality Network guests. This involved moving about 12 beds into the Upper Room, making the beds, and setting up beds in the Common Room for the overnight hosts. There was a lot of lifting, setting up, and carrying towels and toys upstairs to accommodate our guests. Additionally, the youth sold parking spots for several UGA home football games during the fall. This service project and others raised money for the EYC programs.

Our EYC hosted several activities including, pumpkin carving at the Blessing of the Animals, Sunday Evening Live with dinner at The Grit, Advent wreath making, and a Lock-In at the Gwinnett Center with youth from the entire diocese of Atlanta. At

EYC News

the Lock-in, they helped to create 10,000 meals in a bag with rice, soy, and dried vegetables. The youth also had a midnight mass and sang for the adults who were participating in the Annual Council from all over the diocese.

Look out for the upcoming wreath & garland sale. Live greenery will be sold

here. The EYC will not take orders, but instead will sell the greenery on a first come – first served basis on Sundays.

Clara Herrin

The people of Emmanuel joyfully welcome the newly baptized: Declan Kent Hawkins, child of John Matthew and Amber Kent Hawkins Beau Crane Williams, child of Jeremy Crane and Baxley Robinson Dolphus Williams

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What a wonderful fall at the day school! We have 94 children laughing and learning through play. In addition to our wonderful staff of 14 teachers, we have two UGA interns from the Birth-to-Five program. We had a picture perfect night in September for our Fall Family Night. In October we collected books for the “Books for Keeps Program.” This inspired us to start our own “little free library” in the two’s lobby. Parents can stop by to add a book or take a book from our “sharing shelf.” And our 4’s delivered 186 lbs. of food to the Food Bank on their recent field trip.

We are excited to have our second Book Fair at Avid Bookstore across the street. A percentage of the books purchased Wed. Dec. 2nd and Thurs. Dec. 3rd from 11 to 2 will be given to the PTO scholarship fund.

Registration for 2016-2017 school year will begin in January. Members of Emmanuel Church have priority registration the week of January 19th.

Join us for our Open House on Thursday January 14th at 10:00 a.m. or to set up a private tour, email dayschool@emmanuelathens.org.

Amy Wraga, Director Emmanuel Episcopal Day School 498 Prince Avenue

Invitation from the

Elder Connection

The Elder Connection Committee invites you to attend the Dec. 6 Master

Chorale Concert at the Classic Center Atrium as a group. The performance,

accompanied by orchestra, will include Handel’s Messiah (Part I), Vivaldi’s

Gloria and a Christmas piece. We will gather in the large church parking lot

by the office and begin loading the church van at 3:00 pm and will take you

to the door so you do not have to find parking for the 4 pm concert. This is

a free concert and you can make your reservation by calling Diane Wahlers,

706-543-4158 or emailing dlwahlers@gmail.com or Gwen Bottoms at

gbottoms@depauw.edu by Friday, Dec. 4.

News from the narthex

From the music ministry

Many have asked about a recording of our recent combined choir concert “When In Our Music God Is Glorified.” CDs are available for $15 each. You may contact me at music@emmanuelathens.org to reserve a copy or see me on Sunday mornings. Emmanuel’s seventh annual Advent Lessons and Carols service will be held during the 10:30 a.m. liturgy on December 6, the second Sunday of Advent. Please join us as we hear the words of the prophets through music and scripture as they proclaim God’s promise of a “new heaven and a new earth” through the coming of the Messiah. The music of Christmas! Can any of us remember the first time we heard “Silent Night” or “Away in a Manger”? Probably not. Beloved carols such as these are so much a part of our lives that it seems we came into the world knowing them. No single person has shaped the music of Christmas more than Sir David Willcocks. His iconic “Carols for Choirs” was published in 1961. Known throughout the world as “the green book,” it immediately set a new standard for carol arrangements. After having served as an organ scholar at King’s College, Cambridge before and after WWII, David Willcocks became music director in 1957. As he approached the annual carol service of 1958, he thought how dull it was to always sing the hymns in unison. For the

service that year he wrote descants for “O come, all ye faithful” and “Hark! the herald angels sing,” as well as a

simple setting of “Away in a manger.” The service was broadcast as usual, and a lot of people wrote afterwards to say how much they enjoyed the descants. Someone from Oxford University Press heard them and asked if they could publish the three carol settings. They sold very well, so Oxford University Press asked if he would do a book of fifty carols. Hence, the green book, the first volume in the “Carols for Choirs” series was born. Sir David passed away on the 17th of September at age 95. Emmanuel is one of countless churches where his descants and carol settings will resound this Christmas Eve. British composer John Rutter first heard Sir David’s descant to “O come, all ye faithful” soon after the green book was published. In a 2003 interview Rutter stated, “Then I felt, as I still do today, that it lights up the sky. I thought this was an extraordinary piece of writing that transformed a classic hymn into something more splendid and more inspiring than I could have imagined.” Each time the descant rises to G, its highest note, the words are exultation, glory, adore, Christ, and Lord.

Although I had played and sung his carol settings for years, my first in-person experience with Sir David

was around 1991 when he came to Cincinnati to conduct the “Requiem” of Maurice Duruflé. I arrived at Christ Church for the first choral rehearsal and saw Sir David in the chancel rehearsing with one of the

soloists. I stood there for a moment thinking “Wow! There he is!” Dr. Rivers, the

head of the choral department at the conservatory, ran over when he saw me, handed me a few dollars, and asked that I go across the street to Wendy’s and get Sir David a large black coffee. I returned a few minutes later and could not find Dr. Rivers. Not wanting the coffee to get cold, I sheepishly walked up to Sir David and managed to say to this musical god “Sir David, here is your coffee.” He smiled and said “Thank you.” I had the privilege of singing as he conducted on three occasions, all at Christ Church, Cincinnati. He was exacting and encouraging in his musical expectations while also a model of humility and kindness as we fawned over him eagerly listening to his incredible stories. As we journey through the Advent season toward Christmas Eve, may we watch, wait, and hope with joyful expectation for the Light that breaks our darkness. Soli Deo Gloria Sam

Sir David Willcocks, 30 December 1919 - 17 September 2015

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News from the narthex

December Birthdays

1 Philip Bettendorf, Charlotte Martin, Campbell Harrison 2 Doc Powell, Mark Dodson, Sarah Prestridge 3 Walker Glancy 4 Nell Hemphill, John Robertson, Sissy Erwin, Rhodes McLanahan 5 Gloria Sams, Emilee Stortz 6 Keith Dix, Eloise Luken 8 Conner Pannell, Kate

Ruston 9 Peg Wood, Ann Wilkins, Carter Stanfield, Jade Strong 10 Vivian Ygartua, Gillian Ball, Sam Clements 11 Joshua Alexander, Laura Alexander, Evan Greene 12 Annette Mitchell, Pam Shields, Matthew Hicks 13 Kim Tomlinson, Mary Anne Shields 14 Marjorie Garner, Rob Winthrop, Eli Clarke

15 Tom Tuggle, Stephanie Slate, Jack Matthews 16 Debra Harden, Elaine Cook, Kim Noland, Tye Edison 17 Samantha Nickerson 18 Gregory McIntyre, Robin Krause, Laura Harrison. Richard Swann. Clarke Buckner 20 Ann Joye McLeod 21 Emily Reynolds, Georgia Patterson, Gael Williams

23 Mary Lyle Cook 24 Susan Alexander, Kurt Genteman 25 Vesta Hardman, Marib Gipson, Kate Kleiber 26 Laurel Genteman, Patrick Snead 27 Thomas Wilkins, Beth Shaw, Harris Collier 28 John Scoggins, Max Germain 29 Ruth Cline, Ethan Greene 30 James Buckner

From the Mission and Extended Ministries

Committee

In 2015 one of the charities the MEMC voted to support was the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia. The food bank is a non-profit group working to end hunger and alleviate poverty. The organization provides nearly 12 million pounds of food annually to the ill and needy, to seniors and children of Northeast Georgia via more than 240 partner organizations.

In addition to donations, the Food Bank welcomes volunteers to help with sorting food and stocking shelves; cultivating the Food Bank garden; organizing food drives; and preparing food sacks for children at risk of going hungry on the weekends.

For more information about this important ministry, call (706) 354-8191 or go to: www.foodbanknega.org.

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Emmanuel’s Service & Faith Formation schedule is as follows; only exceptions are listed on the calendar below:

Wednesdays: 5:30 pm Healing Service & Eucharist, Chapel

Saturdays: 5:30 pm Holy Eucharist Rite II, Chapel

Sundays: 8:30 am Holy Eucharist Rite I, Church; 9:15 am Faith Formation for Children & Youth; 9:30 am Adult Formation, Westminster, and 10:30 am Holy Eucharist Rite II, Church

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 4 5 10:00 Natural Natural

Spirituality, Library 7:30 Al-Anon, OMS

7:15 Emmanuel Choir Rehearsal

Parade of Lights (Youth parking cars)

4:45 Daughters of the King

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 noon Homeless Day Lunch Preparation, Common Room 4:00 EFM, Library Elder Connection meet for Master Chorale Concert

10:00 Bible Study, Coventry

10:00 Natural Natural Spirituality, Library 7:30 Al-Anon, OMS

7:15 Emmanuel Choir Rehearsal

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14 15 16 17 18 19

9:00 Holy Eucharist followed by Parish Meeting 1:30 Prayer Shawl Ministry, OMS 4:00 EFM, Library

10:00 Bible Study, Coventry

10:00 Natural Natural Spirituality, Library 7:30 Al-Anon, OMS

7:15 Emmanuel Choir Rehearsal

11:00 Eucharist at Lanier Gardens 6:30 Stephen Ministry, Library

6:00 Christmas Celebration

Advent Day of Reflection 4:45 Daughters of the King

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 noon Homeless Day Center Preparation, Common Room 4:00 EFM, Library

10:00 Bible Study, Coventry

10:00 Natural Natural Spirituality, Library 7:30 Al-Anon, OMS

7:15 Emmanuel Choir Rehearsal

noon Church office closed 5:00 Christmas Eve Eucharist 10:30 Christmas Eve Eucharist with Emmanuel Choir (with incense)

Church office closed 10:00 Christmas Day Eucharist

27 28 29 30 31 Children / Youth Formation Break 2:30 Bigger Vision, Common Room 4:00 EFM, Library

10:00 Natural Natural Spirituality, Library 7:30 Al-Anon, OMS

7:15 Emmanuel Choir Rehearsal

noon church office closed

News from the narthex April 2015

498 Prince Avenue

Athens, GA 30606

NON-PROFIT

ORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

ATHENS, GA

PERMIT NO. 231

The 2015 Vestry

Shooter Roberts, Senior

Warden

Sarah Ehlers, Junior Warden

Phil Bettendorf

Brian Freese

Clara Herrin

Weyman Johnson

Roger Lange

Naomi Norman

Crysty Odom

Brooke Stortz

Diane Wahlers

Erik Wells

Emmanuel episcopal church

(continued from front page) tomorrow will hold for each of us here on earth but we do have a promise of what is in our future. Advent allows us to prepare for the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and helps us prepare ourselves for his second coming. Our story at Emmanuel is one of blessings and preparation. Phil Bettendorf Dear members of my Emmanuel Family, I hope that despite the violence and chaos in the Middle East and Europe that you take the time during this Advent season to reflect on the good that abounds in the world. May you and your special ones have a wonderful, safe and beautiful Christmas and a Happy New Year! Erik Wells I’m grateful that Advent is around the corner and that another church year is beginning and inviting us to ponder the miracles that tie Athens to Bethlehem. In my heart I sing and then I sing again this pensive Appalachian caroloral: I wonder as I wander out under the sky, How Jesus the Savior did come for to die. For poor on’ry people like you and like I ... I wonder as I wander out under the sky. Naomi Norman Emmanuel is a wonderful place to worship. We welcome all God’s children. We even welcome not only the churchy geeks who join every committee and emit constant cheer, but also the lonely souls who appear at church only sporadically and who sit in the back row weeping quietly, beset by hurt or loss or some other trouble, and seeking and finding God’s grace. Weyman Johnson