Common Ground

The Rev. Cameron Randle, Rector

 

In a prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, found in our Book of Common Prayer on page 832, the 12 ^th century monk articulates a vision for Christian community premised on both contrast and resolve. From the outset, St. Francis asks God to transform humanity into avenues or vessels of peace, rather than disunity, dissonance or negative provocation. He requests the enlistment of all faithful souls in the furtherance of divine peace, love, compassion, sensitivity and reconciliation. As the prayer proceeds, we are positioned by St. Francis as agents of the positive. He implores our Creator to orient us toward unity, faith, hope, light and joy, so that we may facilitate the triumph of those attributes over their opposites. The prayer concludes with assurances that our resolve to champion divine principles will result in a taste of those very spiritual realities in our own lives.

 

This Sunday, October 6 at 4:30 PM, we will observe The Blessing of the Animals along with the Blessing of our Labyrinth and Pet Memorial. We do so to honor the life, ministry and teachings of St. Francis. Please invite family, friends and neighbors to join us at our outdoor altar for a brief and ultra-casual, but heartwarming, embrace of all God’s creatures and of creation itself. Environmental theology is alive and well at ESC; you need not be a member of this or any church community to accompany us as we give thanks for fur and fish and fowl and earth and sky and water and all that grows in the ground! Please bring your dogs on leashes and cats in crates if appropriate. Other denominations are welcome, especially those in bowls or cages.

 

The same saint is said to have authored this directive: “Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.” The wisdom honed by St. Francis over the course of his inspiring life is still able to enrich us, even as we dedicate ourselves anew to respecting and revering the world around us. Come help us bless the animals this Sunday afternoon and please take a quiet walk through the labyrinth at some point when you need it the most.

Painting: St Francis of Assisi by Jusepe de Ribera (1591-1652)

Fall Fridays on the Patio kicks off this week

Fall Fridays on the Patio at the Chapel Pantry kicks off this Friday, Oct. 4, 7 to 9 pm. with Jim Bulleit performing a mix of original and cover songs. Gather around the fire pit for music, conversation, cider, popcorn and light snacks. Tours of the Chapel Pantry will be available. There is no admission fee, but we hope you’ll bring a box or two of cereal for the Pantry and a tip for the performer. Mark your calendar and plan to join us again on October 11, November 1, and November 15. A different musical artist will perform each evening.

Holy Smokin' BBQ & Oysters

Saturday, October 19, 4 to 8 p.m.

If fall is in the air, so, too, is the aroma of pulled pork, oysters and other great eats. This year’s celebration of parish life will feature original music by country & Americana artist Radney Foster, one of Nashville’s most successful and respected authors, singer-songwriters and record producers. Radney is a cradle Episcopalian and will be staying over to join us for the Sermon in Words & Music during our special combined worship service and Stewardship Ingathering (also in the tent) at 9:30 AM on Sunday, October 20.

Get your tickets now and join us on Saturday, October 19, 4 to 8 PM. This will be a great evening out for the whole family, including the kids - there will be a bounce house, face painting, games, and a kid's menu. Tickets are on sale now - $15, children under 6 free. Your ticket gets you concert admission, plus one plate of BBQ, with two sides, dessert, and ice tea, soda or lemonade (adult beverages and oysters sold separately).

October Youth Service Sunday: Sock drive

Please support the October Youth Service Sunday! We are collecting NEW SOCKS through October, which will be donated to our homeless neighbors during the Winter Shelter week in November. There will be a collection box in the narthex. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Fall has arrived at Parish Day School

Parish Day School is ready for fall! With the arrival of October we begin our units on apples, pumpkins and life on the farm. Our Twos classes have added farm houses, farm animals and tractors to their centers. The children are making tracks with the paint as they drive their tractors across the paper and getting to shovel and dig in the sand table with tractor scoops. Preschool is a time of exploration through play.

 

This week in chapel, our students are invited to bring in a stuffed animal to participate and learn about the Blessings of the Animals . Cameron and Julia will be our morning chapel leaders and making special time to bless each stuffed animal. Families are invited to attend the ESC service with their pets on Sunday, October 6 at 4 pm outdoors. Thank you for this wonderful connection for the preschool families to bring their family pets for a blessing.

 

PDS Fall Festival & Spirit Night

Save the Date: Sunday, October 27 from 3:30 to 6:30 pm for the PDS Fall Festival and Spirit Night at New Realm Restaurant & Brewing Company. Come join us for an afternoon of fall fun with activities for the children and live music. Tickets for the children activities are $5 (in advance). Proceeds from the restaurant will go to PDS. Hope to see you there!

Support PDS when you shop

We continue to participate linking purchases to Kroger and Harris Teeter cards to earn funds for the school and Shoparoo app where you can scan receipts to earn funds for PDS. Additionally, if you purchase any food with Box Tops for Education labels on them, we collect the label to earn funds for PDS. Just put them in our Pink Mailbox in the PDS hallway. We are so thankful for the support of church families!

Let Parish Book Store help you welcome fall

Fall, at last, is here! The Parish Book Store has decorations and books that celebrate the season. Among our titles are Autumn in the Forest, Lift-a-Flap Surprise; Autumn: A Pop-Up Book and Autumn is Here! We have many others, so come in and browse.

KAIROS: A testimony from the other side

By Lee Davis

Recently I was asked to give a KAIROS presentation at a men’s breakfast at a local church. It’s not an unusual request and I enjoy doing them. This was different because the time they allotted for my presentation was brief indeed! I was promised a good breakfast though.

 

I showed a four minute video, told a story or two and asked for questions; I just didn’t have time to get into details (I think this was a God thing). Immediately a hand shot up in the back of the room and a gentleman asked if he could add a word or two about the program. (Uh oh, says me … what could possibly go wrong?).

 

He explained that his wife was a practicing attorney and all of her clients were incarcerated in the Virginia prison system (that doesn’t sound good – she takes them on as clients AFTER they have been incarcerated and no one else will represent them). She held her rates very low to provide as much service as possible to folks who really need an attorney. It was her habit, after the initial interview in the prison, to ask the client if they attended church in the prison. She has reported back to him over and over about the residents who talk about KAIROS and the difference it has made in their lives after they attend! WOW! Testimony from the other side! Thank you very much.

 

But that isn’t all. After the meeting was over he asked me privately if there was a way he could establish a reoccurring donation to the program.

 

You never know how God is going to work.

How you can help KAIROS right now

ESC's KAIROS Prison Ministry team is going into Sussex II State Prison October 24-27 and they need cookies! You can be part of the team and answer the call to “visit the prisoner” by baking cookies at home, and bringing them to church on October 20. In the narthex is a KAIROS cookie box with bags and recipes.

An opportunity to learn about ministry in the Congo

Women-to-Women for Congo will host the Rev. Balikenga Bisoke Bernard on Saturday morning, October 5 at 9 a.m. for Breakfast at Christ & St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 560 W. Olney Road, Norfolk. The breakfast will be held in the Art Room in Lower Lloyd Hall (Boissevain Ave. entrance). The Rev. Bisoke is the Provincial Youth Officer for the Anglican Church in the D. R. Congo. He will tell talk about the Church in the Congo, his work with youth, refugees, and how the Church is coping with unending war and the ravages of Ebola. RSVP Wednesday, October 2 to Susan Broaddus at [email protected] or 757-613-7004. 

Wednesday Dinner menus

Made with love and from scratch, join us for Wednesday Dinner 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. every Wednesday in the parish hall. You’ll enjoy an entrée, sides, soup, salad, bread, and fruit, all for only $6.00, or $3 for children. No reservations needed.

Christian Formation schedule for October

Adult Forum

Sunday School

Upcoming at ESC

For the full calendar of events, visit our website .

Fall Fridays on the Patio at the Chapel Pantry - Oct. 4, 7 to 9 pm. Gather around the fire pit for four relaxed Friday evenings of live music and conversation on the patio at the Chapel Pantry. Jim Bulleit will kick-off the front porch series on October 4 with a mix of original and cover songs. Cider, popcorn and light snacks provided. Tours of the Chapel Pantry will be available. There is no admission fee, but we hope you’ll bring a box or two of cereal for the Pantry and a tip for the performer. Mark your calendar for upcoming Fall Fridays—October 4, October 11, November 1, and November 15, from 7 to 9 p.m. A different musical artist will perform each evening. Join us!

Women of ESC Meeting - Oct. 6, 11:30 a.m. in the Parish Hall. Mark your calendars for our fall meeting with a program by a representative from Samaritan House. We will start with a potluck luncheon followed by the program and end at 1 p.m. Bring your food (sandwiches, salad, or dessert) plated and ready to serve to the kitchen before the service at 10:15. If you have questions, please contact Susan Buchanan (757-481-2595). Bring a friend! All are welcome!

Care of Creation meeting - Oct. 9, 7 p.m. in the Parish Hall. There will be a care of creation committee meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 9 in the parish hall after the dinner and when the choir leaves for practice, approximately 7 pm

Historical Tour of Eastern Shore Chapel - Oct. 13, immediately following the 10:15 am service. For the first time, this month's feature will be music. Please join us in an overview of the history of music in the Episcopal Church. The highlight will be Dr. Martin Sunderland giving us the insider's tour of the organ loft. The tour begins in the narthex immediately following the 10:15 service.

Holy Smokin' BBQ & Oysters - Oct. 19, 4 to 8 pm. If Fall is in the air, so, too, is the aroma of pulled pork, oysters and other great eats. This year’s celebration of parish life will feature original music by country & Americana artist Radney Foster, one of Nashville’s most successful and respected authors, singer-songwriters and record producers. Radney is a cradle Episcopalian and will be staying over to join us for the Sermon in Words & Music during our special combined worship service and Stewardship Ingathering (also in the tent) at 9:30 AM on Sunday, October 20. Tickets to the Saturday event are $15 per person, kids under 6 free, and on sale now.

KAIROS Cookies Due - Oct. 20. It’s that time again! For KAIROS 17 we have five men from ESC going in (Bob Balcom, Craig Fenton, Roger Weeden, Harold Williams and Lee Davis). We will need 500 dozen homemade cookies. Our goal this year is to have all 500 dozen prepared by you, the Body of Christ that is Eastern Shore Chapel. No big cookie day in the church kitchen as in the past. Ziploc bags can be found in the narthex; each with the new recipe sheet enclosed with four additional bags (one dozen cookies per bag). The cookies can be easily frozen so you can start baking as soon as you want. Please bring your prayed over cookies to church on Sunday, October 20.

Vestry Meeting - Oct. 22, 6 p.m. in the Parish Hall

Flower Guild Demonstration - Nov. 2, 9:30 a.m. in the Flower Room. Please join us and learn tips on how to arrange altar flowers for Eastern Shore Chapel. We welcome both men and women who see a demonstration and learn more about serving in the Flower Guild. We appreciate your interest in continuing this beautiful flower tradition for our church. Please RSVP to: Charlotte Marriott, 757-481-3756 or [email protected] ; or Boyd MacIver, 757-481-9234 or [email protected].

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