Advent 2016, Page 1

Thankful Tidings

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

Advent 2016

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

1 Rector’s Letter

2 Annual Parish Meeting

Seminarian Transitions

Christian Education & Adult Formation

3 Stewardship Report

Stewards of our Garden

4 Call for Ornaments

Office Notes

Vestry Minutes

OMG! (Christmas Edition)

5 Worship Notes

Bishop’s Visitation

News from the Diocesan House

Woodmore Elementary

6 Upcoming Events

In Memoriam

Rector’s Letter

The Rev. Leyla King

Advent is a time in the Church year when time itself does some funny things. During this season, we prepare for the coming of the Christ-child; we are meant to really re-member and re-experience first-hand the birth of that precious baby in the manager. We are also meant to spend these four weeks reflecting on the ways Christ’s first advent thousands of years in the past powerfully affects and alters our present reality, in ways we can see only through the eyes of faith. And, simultaneously to all of this, during Advent, we repent of the brokenness in our own lives and in the world around us and prepare ourselves for the second coming of Christ in the future. Past, present, future. Time itself should and does get a bit jumbled during Advent.

And that, ultimately, is a good thing. For first, it gives us a chance to acknowledge that we are all part of the communion of saints – even those who have come before us (like Roy and Harry whom I’m remembering especially and fondly these days), and those who will come after, whose names we do not yet know. Because time is compressed during Advent, we can more easily share together with all in prayer and praise of God. And, too, this season helps us to remember that God is present to us in an immediate, intimate way, even now, in this “in between” the first and second Advent of Christ.

And it is the presence of God’s Spirit in our particular community that is uppermost in my heart and mind during these days of preparation. When I walk the Labyrinth with many of you this Sunday, I will do so carrying all of you with me: the wonderful relationships we have and the prayerful way we walk together on the path that God’s Spirit has set before us. And I am entirely thankful.

continued on page 3

Thankful’s Christmas Eve Celebration of Holy Eucharist December 24 at 6:30 p.m.

Music begins at 6:00

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Seminarian Transitions

Saying Goodbye… We’ll say goodbye to our 2016 Seminarian, Claire

Makins on Sunday, Dec. 11., though we’ll still see Claire and her

family a little in the spring. Claire will be ordained as a transitional

deacon by the Rt. Rev. Scott Mayer at Emmanual Episcopal Church in

San Angelo, Texas on Dec. 3. Please keep Claire, Daniel, Cal and

James especially in your prayers on that day! And be sure to come to

church on the 11th to take part in giving thanks to God for Claire’s

ministry among us and send her off with a fond farewell at our Pre-

Christmas Brunch afterwards .

Saying Hello… And we’ll soon get to know our 2017 Seminarian.

Elizabeth Farr is a Postulant for Holy Orders (her husband Matt is a

Candidate and soon to be ordained

a deacon) in our own Diocese of

East Tennessee. Elizabeth is in her

second year of studies at the School

of Theology and will begin her

learning and ministry at Thankful

in January. Please welcome Elizabeth, Matt, and 2-year-old Rohen.

Mark your calendars for our

Annual Parish Meeting Sunday, January 22

after the 10:00 a.m. service

Our annual parish meeting is a critical time in our life together at

Thankful Memorial, and it’s important that all our parishioners attend.

We’ll hear reports about what we’ve done together as a parish in the

past year, elect new vestry members and look forward to our plans for

the future. The hospitality team will be cooking up something delicious

to keep us going through the lunch hour, so please make plans to attend!

And Adult Formation This fall, Adult Sunday School considered the plight of Palestinian Christians with a fascinating discussion of the Kairos Palestine Document and Ghassan Kanafani’s novella, Returning to Haifa. These materials, as well as supporting background information, are still available on our website and all Thankful Ones are encouraged to read them, even if you weren’t able to attend the discussions.

Now, our Advent series is already under way. This two-Sunday series, led by Margy Oehmig, focuses on the Labyrinth, a Christian meditative practice. Having had an introduction to the Labyrinth last Sunday, Thankful Ones will have the opportunity to walk it this Sunday, Dec. 4. Our usual “Coffee Hour” will be cancelled to allow St. Mary’s Parish Hall to be a space suitable for this form of prayer and everyone is invited to take off your shoes and walk the Labyrinth intentionally and prayerfully.

Adult Sunday School will then take a vacation through the rest of December and January. We will have a short series for the last three Sundays in Epiphany (February 12, 19, 26) but we don’t have a topic set yet, so if you have an idea you’d like to discuss, let Mother Leyla know. We are planning a series on Death and Dying for the season of Lent.

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.

And speaking of stewardship: A big shout-out of gratitude to Tom Trevor, Ann Coulter, Bob

Bodine and John Oehmig who, over the past few months, have all been amazing

Stewards of our Garden working hard to work wonders, pulling weeds, mowing, whacking and just plain old cleaning up. We

are so very Thankful for the work you all did to make our garden winter-presentable! Thank you!

Stewardship Report

from the Stewardship Ministry Team

Our official Stewardship Discernment Season ended on November 6, but, of course, our stewardship and our discernment as a parish are both ongoing! If you have not yet turned in a 2017 Commitment Card to Thankful, please do so. You can pick one up in church and either mail it back using the address on the card or drop it in the offering plate on any Sunday. It is integral to our life together that we receive commitments from every Thankful One before the end of the year so that we know what financial resources we have pooled together that we can use towards our shared mission in the coming year.

At the time of this newsletter, we have received 36 financial commitments for 2017, which represent about 68% of our Thankful families. So far, the total amount committed by parishioners for 2017 is $98,190 and a whopping 21 families have either increased their expected giving or are making commitments for the first time! For those of you who have done so and for those who are already tithing, we are especially grateful. Even the slightest increase makes a huge difference in the possibilities for Christ’s mission here at Thankful. And to all of you who have committed, thank you for all you give and continue to give graciously and generously of your time, talent and treasure to the glory of God at Thankful.

Many of you attended one of our Stewardship Discernment Gatherings this fall and one of the overarching themes that came out of those conversations is how much we enjoy each other’s company! Thankful Ones want more opportunities for fellowship and discussion in small groups and Mother Leyla is happy to facilitate that, but for it to happen, we’ll need folks who are willing to host gatherings. If you’d be interested in hosting a gathering the upcoming spring, let her know and we’ll try to set up more gatherings in the new year.

That sense of the importance of relationships formed and strengthened at and through Thankful really was one of the main common topics for discussion among so many of our SD Gatherings. And all of us on the Stewardship Ministry Team affirm the significance of these ties in and of faith. These relationships make us who we are at Thankful and, whatever else has changed in the past or may change in the coming years, it is our love for one another that remains constant.

Another topic for conversation that came up across many of our SD Gatherings was a low-level anxiety about our resources – both financial and human. Many Thankful Ones are feeling stretched and wondering if we have enough: enough to keep the lights on at the church, enough to maintain our buildings and properties, enough to be able to give generously to those not part of our Thankful family, enough to share the load of working for Christ’s mission in the world around us. Please know that the Stewardship Ministry Team and the Vestry hear your concerns and understand them. At the same time, we trust in the God’s abundance and have faith that if we discern that God has big dreams for the role Thankful might play in making God’s kingdom real in our little corner of the earth, God will provide all we need to fulfill those dreams and so we invite you to discern and to dream, to work and to give with us, in that faith.

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Vestry Minutes Much of our time in Vestry still remains

focused on the current needs of our buildings and

property, especially as these things relate to our

hopes and dreams for further outreach and

growth as a parish. And we got some good news

in recent months. The Diocesan Opportunity

Fund awarded Thankful $9,000 towards our

property needs. This amount is in addition to the

$3,500 we were awarded last spring and some

additional contributions to the Building Fund

from Thankful Ones and in memory of Joe

Kamalick and Roy Anderson.

The newly-formed Building Committee,

under Bob Wright’s leadership, is meeting soon

to make a recommendation to the Vestry about

how we might best use the funds we currently

have. In addition, Bonnie Stamps is leading a

group of Thankful Ones discerning a way

forward for a Growth And Preservation (GAP)

Project for our parish to begin after Easter, so

stay tuned for more information about that soon!

Finally, at our January Vestry meeting, and

again at our Annual Parish Meeting, we will

have a chance to thank three of our vestry

members for their service and leadership as their

terms come to a close. We are indeed grateful

for the ministries of Bob Bodine, Sr. Warden,

Bob Wright, Jr. Warden and Monica Luck, and

we know they will continue to serve in various

ministries here at Thankful (in fact, rumor has it

that Monica is running again for Vestry!).

Office Notes Regular office hours at Thankful remain 10

a.m.- 4 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays, but the

office will be closed on some days through the

holiday season due to staff schedules. Mother

Leyla will be on vacation with her family in New

Zealand December 29-January 17. During this

time, the Rev. Jocelyn Bell can be reached for

pastoral emergencies only at (423)304-8393. Erin

Worthington, Church Secretary, will have the

office open for regular office hours on the

following days through the Christmas and New

Year holidays: Dec. 29, Jan. 3, 10, 12 & 17.

OMG! (Outreach Ministry Group)

Christmas Edition

Over the past few months, Thankful Ones have been discerning together how we are called to grow in our service to the mission of Christ at and through Thankful. Our partnership with MetMin has been wonderfully fruitful and there’s still time to contribute to outreach with MetMin. Aside from the Breakfast we’re hosting on Tuesday (see below), there are still plenty of cards on our MetMin Outreach Boards for Thankful Ones to take and fulfill before the end of the year. And even as our partnership with MetMin flourishes, we have been exploring a new partnership with Bridge Refugee Services of Chattanooga, an affiliate of Episcopal Migration Ministries. Valerie Brite, Volunteer Coordinator at Bridge, offered a presentation to Thankful Ones a few weeks ago and more than enough folks volunteered on the spot to serve on a Community Assistance Team on behalf of Thankful. Once we get that team fully trained and in place, we’ll be able to move forward with this new opportunity for mission. If you would like to be a member of Thankful’s Bridge Community Assistance Team, please contact Monica Luck (monicaluck@yahoo.com; 404-734-5825) and let her know.

And there’s more! With Advent upon us and Christmas just around the corner, all Thankful Ones are invited to join together for these special holiday outreach projects:

Christmas Breakfast at MetMin: This Sunday, December 4, bring to church small financial donations for a breakfast at MetMin. You can also drop off any regular items for donation from our MetMin posterboards or small gifts (like toiletries or small-amount giftcards)to offer to clients, if you like. Then, Tuesday, December 6 Thankful Ones should meet at MetMin (1112 McCallie Avenue) by 8:00 a.m. to serve breakfast and get to know some of MetMin’s guests and clients.

Perez Family Christmas: For the third year in a row, we’ll be offering a special Christmas to some of our extended Thankful Family. The younger Perez boys are hoping for some new shoes and clothes and we want to provide additional items for other members of the family. To contribute towards this Christmas collection, you can write a check to Thankful marked “Perez Family.” Lynn Swearingen is working with the Perez’s to make their Christmas list, and soon we’ll take a shopping trip and get everything to the Perez home by Christmas Eve.

A Call for Ornaments: Our Thankful Christmas Tree

ornaments are wearing thin! If your family would like

to contribute an ornament for the decoration of our

tree through the season, please bring it to St. Mary’s

Parish Hall by Dec. 11 and we’ll put it up on the tree!

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Worship Notes

Our Christmas Eve Service takes place on

Saturday, December 24 at 6:30 p.m. Musical

offerings will begin at 6:00.

Christmas Day this year happens to land on a

Sunday, but since we will have had our Eucharistic

celebration of Christmas the previous evening,

there will be no service at Thankful on Sunday

morning, December 25. Eucharistic service on

Christmas morning will be offered at St. Paul's,

Chattanooga at 10:30 a.m. for those interested.

Mother Leyla’s vacation begins soon after

Christmas. She and her family will be in New

Zealand from Dec. 29-Jan. 17 (see office notes on

p.4). The Rev. Hunter Huckabay will celebrate and

preach on Sunday, Jan. 1. The Rev. Molly Short,

assistant chaplain at St. Andrew’s Sewanee School,

will celebrate and preach on Jan. 8 & 15.

The Bishop’s Visitation to Thankful is

February 5, 2017 and it is a time to welcome parishioners into full membership at Thankful. Youth or adults interested in

Baptism, Confirmation, or Reception

in the Episcopal Church should contact Mother Leyla now so that we can begin our preparation for these sacraments. If we have enough folks interested, we’ll hold a short series of Confirmation classes after services on Dec. 18 and Jan. 29. Think you might like to receive one of these sacraments but not sure what they’re about? The first step is being in touch. There will be plenty of opportunity for questions! We’ll also offer a potluck dinner after church on this Sunday (just a few short weeks after our Annual Parish Meeting) in honor of the Bishop and any Confirmands, so please sign up to bring something to the feast as we get closer to the date!

News from the Diocesan House of the Diocese of East Tennessee DIOCESAN CONVENTION will take place this year in two parts. Our regular Convention is scheduled to take place Feb. 10-11 in Knoxville, but an additional convention will gather on July 28 to elect our next Bishop. (Thankful’s delegates to both the regular convention and the electing convention are Lynn Swearingen, Bob Wright and Walter Puckett). But, even if you’re not a delegate to this convention, there are other ways to get involved. First, all photographers are encouraged to participate in our 6th Annual Photography Exhibit and Competition. Entries are due no later than Feb. 2. Our overall theme is “Local” – photographers should think of places where God is already at work and send in up to three original entries reflecting this theme. We also have a humor category in addition to our “Local” theme! All information, including submission guidelines, is posted on the convention website. Secondly, all members of the Diocese are encourage to become more closely connected with our Church by serving in one of a number of leadership positions available to both clergy and lay people. Information about the Diocesan leadership positions open and how to nominate yourself or someone else can be found here. THE BISHOP SEARCH in our diocese is, of course, still ongoing. The diocesan-wide conversations and the online survey have both been completed and a profile of our diocese has been compiled and is soon to be published. To keep up with news and information about the Bishop Search and Transition, visit the website. WILDFIRES IN SEVIER COUNTY have been extreme. Bishop George and Canon Pat Grace sent out this email not long ago to address questions and concerns about our church members and others in the area. At the bottom of the email are ways you can help.

And a suggestion about Woodmore Elementary

All of us, like the rest of the Chattanooga Community, have been shocked and saddened by the

tragedy of the Woodmore school bus accident. If you are still looking for ways to give to the

families of those affected by this horrific tragedy, the United Way of Chattanooga has set up a

special fund. You can make a donation to the United Way of Chattanooga, marked for “The

Woodmore Fund” or give online at the United Way website.

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In Memoriam

Since our last Advent Edition of Thankful Tidings, we have mourned the deaths of two pillars of our Thankful Family. It will be a year since Harry Coleman’s death on the 21st of this month. Roy Anderson died this past October. Both these men served Christ in our community steadfastly and in some very unique ways and we are still feeling their loss deeply. But, we trust that their spirits

remain with us as part of the communion of saints and that we join our voices to theirs, even now, giving thanks to God.

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

(Advent/Christmas Season Events are in red!)

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3

CLAIRE’S ORDINATION: SAN ANGELO, TEXAS

Though Thankful Ones likely can’t make it there in person,

please keep Claire and her family in your prayers this day.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4

LABYRINTH: AFTER THE SERVICE, ST. MARY’S PH

Thankful Ones are invited to walk the labyrinth as a piece of our

shared discernment and preparation this Advent. Regular

“Coffee Hour” is cancelled in order to make meditative space for

the walk.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6

METMIN BREAKFAST: 7:45 A.M., 1112 MCCALLIE AVE.

Meet other Thankful Ones to set up and serve breakfast to

clients.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8

VESTRY: 6:00 P.M., CONFERENCE RM, ST. MARY’S PARISH HALL

Thankful parishioners are always welcome to observe meetings.

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

Chattanooga, TN 37409

423-821-3135, thankfulchurchchatt@gmail.com

www.thankfulmemorial.dioet.org

SUNDAY DECEMBER 11

PRE-CHRISTMAS DINNER: AFTER THE SERVICE, ST. MARY’S PH

This will also be Claire Makins’ last Sunday with us, so we’ll

be saying farewell to the Makins family. Sign up to bring

something to the feast!

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE: 6:30 P.M., CHURCH

Musical offering will begin at 6:00.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 1

FEAST OF THE HOLY NAME: 10:00 A.M., CHURCH

Our regular Sunday service will take place on New Year’s

Day; the Rev. Hunter Huckabay will celebrate and preach.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 22

ANNUAL MEETING: AFTER THE SERVICE, ST. MARY’S PH

See box on page 2. Please make plans to attend!

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5

BISHOP’S VISITATION: 10:00 A.M., CHURCH

See box on page 5. A celebratory lunch will follow.