Amanda McGinty to Depart Position at Month’s End
By The Rev. Cameron Randle, Rector
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“I fell in love with the welcoming people,” says Amanda McGinty of her decision to become a parishioner at Eastern Shore Chapel upon her family’s relocation to Virginia Beach from Jacksonville, Florida in 1994. “I never felt like a visitor.” Much of her tenure as a congregant and, later, as a staff member and Pastoral Care Assistant has been devoted to ensuring that others feel welcomed and valued, as well.
After seven years overseeing ESC’s lay pastoral care ministry, Amanda will be departing at the end of January. Our members in residence at Atlantic Shores Retirement Community, First Colonial Inn and Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay have been well served during Amanda’s years of service. “Those were the banner days for me,” she enthuses about facilitating monthly Eucharist services and coordinating visits and special events with senior residents. “Those folks are so sweet and appreciative.”
Amanda formalized her pastoral care training as a Stephen Ministry team member at ESC under Fr. Mark Delcuze. Fifty hours of classroom education at Loyola University in Baltimore qualified her to serve as a Stephen Ministry leader, providing pastoral care to individual recipients and helping lead the ministry teams. It was an unexpected career path for a graduate of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina with a B.S. in Physical Education! (Track and basketball were areas of special interest).
In recent years, Amanda split her staff time between Parish Book Store and lay pastoral care ministry. She learned the book trade while previously employed at Dolphin Tales ecumenical book store in Virginia Beach. When not in the Parish Book Store, she was closely monitoring the network of Acute Pastoral Care volunteers who look after ESC members with medical, spiritual, emotional and mental health issues.
“Presence is everything,” she notes in describing the importance of pastoral care. “Just showing up and being there.” Many parishioners over the years have benefited from ESC’s commitment to compassionate pastoral care. That legacy will continue, despite the restrictions and limitations in place during this current pandemic.
Thanks and blessings, Amanda!
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Prayers of the People
By The Rev. Melody Perdue
“Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” - Corrie Ten Boom
During our Sunday morning virtual services, we offer different forms of Prayers of the People from our Book of Common Prayer. If you would like to be added to our parish prayer list and included in our prayers during the service, please email me at [email protected]. Names added remain on our prayer list for 30 days, unless you contact me. We also have a long-term prayer list, holding those with extenuating needs or circumstances in prayer. If you or a family member will be deployed for any length of time, we also cover our deployed parishioners in prayer each Sunday.
Beginning on page 814 of the Book of Common Prayer, are a series of collects that may assist you in your prayer life. Prayers for the World, the Church, and in particular, Prayers for our National Life starting on page 820, provide Spirit-filled words that anchor our hearts and minds during times of trouble. If you do not have a prayer book at home, you can use the online version at www.bcponline.org (Click on Prayers and Thanksgivings to find the collects). A great app for your phone that I use daily is Mission St. Clare. It includes Daily Office prayers and scripture readings for Morning and Evening, Noonday Prayer, and Compline.
Corrie Ten Boom, author of The Hiding Place, challenges us to ponder whether prayer is something we turn to when we exhaust all other resources, or if it’s the directing force of our life. During this Season of Epiphany, may we offer our lives and our wills to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and may our lives shine forth the light of Christ to the world.
“Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.” - Psalm:141:2
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Flag Brigade: Marty Thumel and Bill Hunter
The Flag Brigade began in 2016, when the parishioners of Eastern Shore Chapel decided to honor the war casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq by placing a flag for every fallen solider on the front lawn of the Church from Memorial Day through July 4th of each year. This patriotic service is performed by a group of volunteers. This year’s Flag Brigade consists of Bill Hunter, Sally Herzer, Linda Brown, Steve Shirley and Priscilla Kinley.
This tradition has continued yearly with over 6,000 flags being placed last year, and with additions made annually as new casualties occurred. On July 4th (or the Sunday closest) the new names are read during a memorial service. Every year, unserviceable tattered flags are retired as necessary and sticks are replaced for broken ones.
Steve Shirley repaired the ones that needed to be reconnected to the sticks while we took up the flags. He took the “hospital bin” home to complete the project.
Bill Hunter decided it was time to count each flag, inspect the flags, replace with new sticks, and retire the unusable ones, which will be properly burned. Bill also requested the aid of the Flag Brigade to replace the sticks and/or re-staple the flags. He has gone through all of the flags and delivered the repairable ones to the ladies at West Minister Canterbury for repair.
Members of the Flag Brigade have been hard at work to make sure we have “respectable” flags on the front lawn at ESC on Memorial Day.
Bill is still taking inventory, and has found there are many flags that will need to be retired and replaced. The replacement flags are ordered through U.S. Flagstore in Kansas.
The casualty number as of today is 7,038. It is our goal to make sure each casualty from both Wars is respectfully represented with a proper flag on our lawn. Bill – thank you for taking inventory of our flags. This ministry is hard at work at Eastern Shore Chapel.
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MLK Zoom Study Group
Our virtual encounter with Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter From A Birmingham Jail is underway on Thursdays at 7 PM. To participate in the discussion led by Fr. Cameron, please utilize the following link:
Meeting ID: 839 8594 4678
Passcode: n7Zs5z
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Chapel Pantry update
Kay O'Reilly, Chapel Pantry Coordinator
The Pantry served 375 households on Saturday, on a clear, cold, and sunny day. We had plenty of volunteers and the car line moved a bit more quickly than usual. Maybe we had a little extra spring in our step after receiving this nice note from some of our pantry guests in the car line.
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It’s no surprise to me that our volunteers are so appreciated. Recently, one of our young volunteers, Raymond Watkins, submitted an essay for his application to the National Junior Honor Society. Raymond’s essay describes his work at the pantry, both past and present, and also that of his wonderful family, who all dedicate many hours each week helping the pantry ministry. Take a moment to read Raymond’s essay and see how one family is doing Christ’s work at ESC. Thanks be to God!
My family and I have volunteered at The Chapel Pantry at Eastern Shore Chapel weekly for three and a half years and plan to continue for many more. Before the Coronavirus we worked there Wednesday nights from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. At first my main focus was helping shoppers with their food, transferring it to their wagons, and bringing the wagons back for them. After a couple of months I became more of the all-around person and could jump in anywhere help was needed. Since the Coronavirus we work weekly on Saturday from 10:30am to 3:30pm. Our family helps direct the traffic in 5 parking lots. I am the one that directs cars down to where they get their food and I say goodbye to shoppers as they leave. The pantry doesn’t actually open until 12:00pm but because so many shoppers come early, we do too so we can get them all in line (my Dad actually goes at 9am). Right now we are serving close to 400 families each week. Even though we serve this many families, they still get about 70-80 pounds of food worth $100-$125 each week. Many of our shoppers have said we give them so much food it can last them two weeks!
We are very committed to The Chapel Pantry. We are always there, even if it is a holiday and/or a birthday. I have built positive relationships with many of the shoppers too. They have even introduced me to relatives, knitted me hats, and given me birthday gifts. I appreciate these kind gifts from our shoppers, but I really enjoy talking to them. I am lucky because my job at the pantry allows me to see every car that comes and gets food. Volunteering at the pantry has taught me about helping people. My family started volunteering so my siblings and I could learn that we are a very fortunate family and learn to appreciate what we have. I now appreciate everything we have and still want to help people, and that is what I am going to continue doing.
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Parish Book Store: Books for families
Our newest “virtual bookshelf” at bookshop.org/shop/parishbookstore goes up this week and contains books for families. Check it out! Remember that you can order ANY book, not just those on our virtual bookshelves, and the Parish Book Store receives the profit from the sale.
We welcome in-store shoppers, but because the building is locked, you need to make an appointment. Call 757-425-0114 to leave a message or email us at [email protected].
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Parish Day School: Registration opens soon!
Our preschoolers have been busy learning about winter weather and Arctic animals this week. Many classes have been reading The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats or The Mitten by Jan Brett. Our three year old’s have been working on their fine motor skills as they paint their mittens with pom poms. It is so much fun to be in preschool!
Parish Day School is preparing for our 2021-2022 preschool registration. Church members and current families are able to register starting February 1, 2021. Please contact us at [email protected] or 757-491-6130 for enrollment information. Families registering for our school year are also eligible to register early for our Camp Turtle Trap summer program. We will be updating information at www.parishdayschool.org.
Blessings,
Kristen and Jeanie
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Daily Prayer Opportunities
Each morning (except Sunday) a group gathers on ZOOM to practice Daily Morning Prayer. It is lay led, each day with a different leader. Since March 25 we have had 221 services with over 800 attendees. Average attendance is 3.6 souls. Attendance has improved in December, average is 4.5 souls! Join us for a Holy Spirit filled thirty minutes – a glorious way to start your day. The service starts promptly at 7:30 am and is completed by 8:00. Click here or go to ZOOM.US and enter meeting number 562 715 368; passcode John1513. If you are more inclined, Evening Prayer is available also. ZOOM meeting number 869 9363 5805 password Ex1414. The service starts at 7:00 pm.
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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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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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