All Aboard for Adult Confirmation!
Our gospel reading from St. John for this coming Sunday portrays Jesus as the true vine, with God the Father described as the vinegrower. A chief characteristic of the divine vinegrower is to prune the branches (churches, parishes, individuals?) to enable the unfettered production of fruit.
If you are interested in experiencing a more productive and rewarding spiritual life, it may be that formally and publicly aligning oneself with the teachings of Jesus is a step in that direction. Any adults interested in exploring Confirmation (confirming the essence of baptism and a profession of faith in Jesus as Christ and Savior) are invited to prepare by joining in a series of conversations to be held in May and June.
Please contact Fr. Cameron or Rev. Melody if you are drawn to this dialogue. Bishop Susan Haynes will be officiating at a Confirmation service scheduled for Sunday, July 11 at Eastern Shore Chapel. If your faith background is Roman Catholic or Evangelical Lutheran, you would be Received (rather than Confirmed) into the Episcopal Church.
For those who are already confirmed Episcopalians, but are seeking a deeper relationship with God and a renewal of commitment to that process, you may wish to Reaffirm your faith when Bishop Haynes visits.
To discuss or obtain more information, please contact our clergy at 757-428-6763.
“May the Holy Spirit, who has begun a good work in you, direct and uphold you in the service of Christ and his kingdom. Amen.” (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 419)
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Thanks and Farewell, Audra
This Sunday we say goodbye to Audra Byrn, as she and her family prepare to relocate to Atlanta, Georgia. Audra works as a Corporate Communications and Branding Specialist for Norfolk Southern, whose new corporate office will open there in September. She has been a member of Eastern Shore Chapel for 19 years, a member of the Flower Guild for 15 years, and its chairman for the last 10. Her knowledge of flowers and talent for flower arranging speak for themselves, as her artistic arrangements have graced the altar on Sundays, at weddings and funerals, and on holidays and other special events. Most recently, during the pandemic, she has been called upon to creatively provide flowers and greens for weekly service and music recording sessions. Her job as Flower Guild Chairman also involved working with the members of the various groups that comprise the guild, and together they have helped to make ESC’s sanctuary one beautiful place!
We wish her and her family much success and happiness as they settle into their new home and jobs, and hope that they will always fondly remember their time here at ESC.
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First Friday Men’s Breakfast CELEBRATION!
Join us Friday May 7 at 7:30 as we regather in person and celebrate our Crystal Anniversary! We will meet in person, live, in the Parish Hall, the scene of our very first meeting back on Friday May 5, 2006. Fresh hot coffee will be provided (in environmentally friendly paper cups, not crystal) with sausage or ham biscuits for your morning dining pleasure! You won’t want to miss this. We will chat about our regathering plans, all that’s going on at Eastern Shore Chapel, and we will discuss the Lectionary readings for Sunday May 9. (Click here for the readings) We will practice proper social distancing and wear masks when not eating. We will also be available for you on ZOOM (Click here to join) if you are more comfortable with that. (No coffee and biscuits available on ZOOM) It’s been a great run with lots more to follow. We have ZOOMed through the virus; now let’s move ahead together. Join us won’t you? We will all be made richer by your presence.
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Over 7000 Memorial Flags to be placed this year
Shortly after 9/11, ESC decided to honor the war casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq by placing flags on the front lawn of the church from Memorial Day through July 4th of each year. This tradition has continued annually with now 7038 flags to be placed in 2021. This year a Memorial Service will be conducted in front of the church on Sunday, May 30, following the regularly scheduled church service in order to read and memorialize those honored dead since 2019. That same day flags will start to be placed on the front lawn. Save that date. There will be sign ups posted online in future articles.
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Hallelujah! A great opportunity
We have been given the option and permission to allow a limited number of singers (choir members and others), to sing with singer’s masks (see pictures below) at our 10:30 worship services. We will wear singer’s masks and be located in the normal choir area, being socially distant. If you would like to participate in this opportunity, please contact Dr. Sunderland, [email protected]
Once you have registered your request to be part of the masked choir, I will contact you about your possible participation. A singer's mask will be purchased for your use in the service. The mask will be yours. You will be responsible for proper care, storage, and cleaning. We will sing service music, hymns, and easy hymn anthems. We are looking for a balanced grouping of singers that includes sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses.
Preparation (call time) for the service will be in the sanctuary at 9:30am.
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Community of the Gospel Prays/Proclaims: A Mini-Preaching Festival
Western monastics, lay and ordained, have always preached to other monastics within the cloister walls. Some orders (Franciscans, Dominicans, Redemptorists) have preached outside of the monastery as well, with lasting impact on culture and faith. Our baptismal covenant asks that we proclaim the Gospel in word and deed. Since late winter, several members of our community have been preparing to give account of their own faith through proclamation of the word in short homilies. We have often heard sermons as part of our in-person gatherings, usually provided by our Chaplain. But now our members will be offering the riches of their own faith journeys through preaching. Each session will open in contemplative prayer, music, reading of the Bible texts, a 13 minute or less homily, and closing response by a guest from The Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church, and the United Methodist Church. As we move through Ascension, Pentecost, and Trinity Sundays, plan on enriching your faith by listening to our monastic colleagues:
For more on this mini-festival of prayer/proclamation see the Episcopal News Service announcement here. Advance Doodle registration is requested in order to facilitate planning. Register here. These Saturdays of prayer and proclamation are open to everyone.
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Parish Book Store: Mother's Day gifts
Honor your mother with an Allie Blue original necklace or earrings from the Parish Book Store. We are open Sundays at 11:30, Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 to 2 and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 to 11. Or call 757-425-0114 for an appointment.
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Parish Day School celebrates Earth Day
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. ~ Psalm 24:1
Our classrooms are filled this week with Earth Day projects, planting activities, and the construction of bird feeders. Spring and new life are alive in our classrooms as we begin the caterpillar to butterfly unit. Our students will watch and observe the caterpillars as they eat and grow over the next few weeks. When they are chrysalis, the teacher will move them to the butterfly net. Many classes are taking nature walks and admiring all the flowers and spring leaves popping out on the grounds or enjoying snack time outside.
We continue to fund raise for the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters (CHKD) during the month of April. If you would like to join us in donating, please check out our donation page here. We are so thankful for the generosity of our families and church parishioners!
We continue to enroll for our Camp Turtle Trap program this summer and for our Fall preschool year. If you or someone you know is interested in joining our Parish Day School family, please have them give us a call at 757-491-6130 or email us at [email protected]. We are also hiring Camp Counselors for our summer camp program. If you or someone you know is interested in joining our summer team, please email [email protected] for more information.
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Lawn Care Volunteers Needed
Spring is coming! We are in need for new volunteers to help our teams maintain the grounds at ESC each week. Starting in April, we will be cutting the grass and tending to the lawn weekly into the summer months. Volunteers are needed to assist on Friday late afternoon and early evening or on Saturday morning depending on which team you’re on. If you are interested in joining our dynamic Lawn Crew team, please contact Rod Gilmour by calling 757-613-0448 or email at [email protected]. Please consider sharing your time and talent by joining this important ministry!
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Zoom with your Sunday School class!
Join friends and teachers, by Zoom, as they meet and discuss lessons from this year’s curriculum – Feasting on the Word. Confirmation classes for students in the Senior High Class meet on the first and third Sundays of the month during the regular Sunday School hour at 9:10 a.m. Classes on the second and fourth Sundays include Lectionary based topics. To discuss formation needs or other questions, please contact Patti Glowatsky ([email protected]), Director of Family Formation:
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Morning Prayer Opportunities
Every morning (except Sunday) Morning Prayer Rite II from the Daily Office (BCP page 75) is available live online via ZOOM. The routine of daily Morning Prayer is foundational; it starts your day with recognition of the blessings that/who surround us and leads us through prayers for the church and for the world. It is led by lay folk - no previous experience is necessary and everything needed is provided (that is except for you of course). ZOOM is opened for pre-prayer conversation around 7:00, the service begins promptly at 7:30 and is completed by 8:00. Thursday mornings you may attend in person in the narthex or ZOOM. Simply click here to join. This opportunity is open to all, and that means ALL! Try it, we will all be made richer by your presence.
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Prayer Cards for Deployed Service Members
If you would like a prayer card sent to your deployed service member please contact Bill Hunter at [email protected] or 757-402-6384. Please let Bill know if deployed military members have returned so that he can welcome them back and remove them from the deployed military prayer list. Sponsors should contact Bill with contact info for formerly deployed members. |
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The Chapel Chimes is distributed every Wednesday.
If you would like to submit an article to the Chapel Chimes email
with "CHIMES SUBMISSION" in the subject line.
Deadline is every Tuesday at 5 pm.
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