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Prayer for Third Sunday of Advent
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Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might
come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory, now and for ever. AMEN.
BCP, pg 212
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Advent wreath
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Advent wreath at St. Stephen's in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Photo taken by The Reverend Mary Slenski, Interim Priest, December 2014.
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Advent: A Time to Prepare
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It is with great happiness that I write this to you during this season of preparation. That is what this season of Advent is for - to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ. Perhaps you can see the clearing of space in your home for a Christmas Tree as a symbol that points to the inward spiritual making room in your hearts for the Christ Child.
The writer of Ephesians said "...I kneel before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts." (Ephesians 3:14-17a)
If we let Christ take up residence in our hearts, if Jesus finds our heart of hearts a place of welcome then he will form our outward nature to reflect the inward spiritual grace that is his presence within us. And you and I can become a sacrament for our families, friends and the world.
That would be the very best present that we could give to those around us this Christmas and throughout the coming year.
Advent Blessings and Greetings to you, dear Daughters of the King.
The Right Reverend Scott Hayashi
National Chaplain
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Cross+Links Editor
Assistant Editor
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Province Presidents
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Province I
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National Office
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or
770-517-8552
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Welcoming Our National Chaplain
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After thoughtful discernment and quiet prayer, I presented my nomination for our National Chaplain to the National Council. It is with delight now that I announce The Right Reverend Scott B. Hayashi, Bishop of Utah, as the National Chaplain of the Order of the Daughters of the King.
Bishop Hayashi was ordained a priest in 1984. He served as a parish priest from 1984-2005, serving in congregations in Washington, Utah, and California. In 2005 he became the Canon to the Ordinary in the Diocese of Chicago. During this time in Chicago, Bishop Hayashi also served as Chaplain for Daughters of the King in Province V from 2009 until his election as Bishop of Utah in May 2010. He was consecrated as the Eleventh Bishop of Utah on November 6, 2010.
Bishop Hayashi was the youngest of three children from an un-churched family from Tacoma, Washington, and he is the only active Christian from this nuclear family. His desire to know and to understand spirituality in general led him to a longing to know Christ when he was 15 years old.
The Bishop's undergraduate work was at the University of Washington where he received a Bachelor of Social Work degree. He attended Harvard Divinity School where he met his wife, Amy (then a student at Episcopal Divinity School); they have been married for 34 years and have three daughters. He also obtained a Certificate of Theology from CDSP in 1984.
Bishop Hayashi served as a Conference Leader for CREDO from 1999 - 2010 and has worked with nearly 600 clergy of The Episcopal Church in the area of wellness and development. He has served in rural, urban and suburban parishes, thus drawing on a variety of experience in a broad spectrum of the Episcopal Church. He has been involved in both ecumenical and interfaith projects and has written for several Church publications. Bishop Hayashi has fought for the dignity of all humans, rights for all who are made in God's image, and respect for those of other faith traditions.
With his varied life experiences, I believe he is well suited to be the National Chaplain of our diverse Order, and I am thankful he accepted the call. To learn more about Bishop Hayashi, check out the
Diocese of Utah's website.
Susan O'Brien
National President
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Facing Some Financial Realities
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(Read the complete article, including the rationale for these changes,
in the upcoming issue of The Royal Cross)
 The Executive Board, Finance Chairs, and Treasurer work closely with the National Office Staff to manage expenses while using our resources efficiently and effectively to operate the Order and further its mission of spreading God's Kingdom. In October, the National Council reviewed and approved recommended changes in three areas: 1) the price of our silver crosses; 2) the amount paid for Lifetime Membership; and 3) the creation of a new member package.
1. The Price of Our Silver Crosses
Silver Cross prices effective January 1, 2016 are:
Senior Silver Cross - either size
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$75
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Junior Silver Cross - either size
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$65
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Chaplain's Silver Cross
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$210
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2. The Amount Paid for Lifetime Membership
Effective January 1, 2016, the cost of the Lifetime Membership option increases to a single payment of $1,000.
3. The New Member Package
A complete new member package will be implemented later in 2016 and includes the costs for the New Member Kit/Admission Fee, the cross of the Order, and the first year's dues.
While the members of National Council know that these cost increases will affect all Daughters in some way, we have a fiduciary responsibility to keep the Order fiscally sound. The approved measures described above will help ensure that the Order continues to enjoy a solid financial base. With a solid financial base the Order can continue to thrive for many years pursuing the accomplishment of our mission For His Sake. And so we pray,
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Dear Heavenly Father - from whose hand comes every good and perfect gift we give thanks for your many blessings to us and to your Order around the world. We ask for your continued blessings on the finances of the Order so that we, using its resources wisely, may accomplish the work you have called us to do. We ask this through our King and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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Annemarie Delgado
National Treasurer
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The Cross Policy of the Order of the Daughters of the King®
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"Accept and wear faithfully the cross of the Order, remembering the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, 'Take up your cross and follow me.'"
(The Service of Admission)
When we became members of our beloved Order, we received its sacred emblem handed down to us from our foremothers over 130 years ago. We wear it proudly, yet with humility; we wear it as individuals, yet as part of a community. We wear it along with thousands of other women spanning many ages and nationalities, and for generations our cross has identified us as one who has made an intentional, devoted commitment to the spread of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ through prayer to and service for Him.
We understand the responsibility that comes with wearing this cross. We understand that we must protect the cross we wear, because in doing so we protect both the identity and integrity of the cross.
To that end, and as a way to help clarify and consolidate information regarding our cross, a policy has been written that provides guidance on how we obtain, wear, and ultimately dispose of our cross upon resignation or death. This new
Cross Policy, approved by the National Council, affects all members of the Order - Senior, Junior and International Daughters, and is available on the National DOK website under Resources.
Jen Mariano
Literature Co-Chair
Magnanimiter Crucem Sustine
With heart, mind and spirit, uphold and bear the cross
For His Sake
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The National Handbook 2015 Edition Now Available!
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The National Handbook and Bylaws of The Order of the Daughters of the King®, 2015 Edition is an excellent resource for all Daughters to have on hand. The
National Handbook is updated every three years to include major policy changes as well as Bylaw changes approved at the most recent Triennial business meeting.
The major changes included in the 2015 edition are:
- The Cross of the Order - new and improved, references the new Cross Policy
- The Trademarks of the Order - new section entirely, references the Trademark Policy
- The Hymn of the Order - moved the actual sheet music forward in the publication
- Website and Publications of the Order - new and improved, references the new website
- Funds of the Order - new and improved, consolidated information
- Summary of Information for Officers - new and improved, reflects our new dues process
- International Chapters of the Order - new and improved
- Timeline - added information for 2013, 2014, and 2015
- Prayers and Meditations - added a new prayer for International Daughters and revised several of the other prayers
- Services of the Order - added all the new and revised services that pertain to chapter life
- Bylaws - revised the bylaws as approved at the business meeting at Triennial 2015
The
National Handbook is available in several versions:
- Online PDF on the National website, www.doknational.org (look under RESOURCES > DOK LITERATURE > LITERATURE FOR SENIORS)
- Printed Standard Size (5.5" x 8.5")
- Printed Larger Size (8.5" x 11") and Print
The printed versions of the publication can be ordered through the DOK Online Store accessed through our website or by completing and mailing in the National Order Form.
Another improvement is that the page numbers match between the standard size and the larger size. This means that you can reference a page number and members looking at either version will see the same information! Great for discussions during meetings!
Please make every effort to use this new 2015 edition as all previous editions have outdated information. Thank you and God bless.
Jen Mariano and Annemarie Delgado
Literature Co-Chairs
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Advent Reflection
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 We are a seasonal people, not only making our way through life as spring welcomes summer and fall gives way to winter, but as Daughters we are a liturgical people and the seasons of the church are a way of being. Following the long expanse of "ordinary" days, when it seems the green season will never end, the first Sunday of Advent is almost a surprise. Maybe it surprises us because it interrupts the madness of the world's seasons and the focus on consumption in all its various forms.
I love the season of Advent, though it took me unawares this year in profound ways. I look forward to the quiet darkness of a winter's night, enveloped by the candlelight of one, then two then more small flames measuring the distance to the Birth of Light. The sanctuary is clothed in purple, and hope, peace, joy and love hang in fabric, words that we might see what we should be holding in our hearts.
Advent. It's about waiting and watching and preparing and holding. But waiting has become tolerable only for internet bargains, and watching has become the numbing attachment to television and smartphones. Preparing has become the endless lists of things to do, to shop for, to plan for so that Christmas comes off in time. What are we holding? Maxed out credit cards? Anxiety? Expectations?
Why observe this liturgical season when it seems so hard to keep? Because the heart needs to speak to the Heart. The soul needs to find its Essence in the waiting for Love to come in the flesh. As Mary held her ponderings, yielding to the Holy invitation by angelic whisperings, we must hold that which speaks of hope amid all to the contrary. Holding hope, we find peace, which leads to joy -- because love is always the answer.
We said goodbye to our priest on the first Sunday of Advent. The stark reality of our small church and its slender resources has left us without a rector and with a great deal to hold. I'm finding it hard to hold the emptiness, the reality of the diminishing health of our members, the former possibilities that now seem very elusive. This is our journey - really not unlike that of Mary and her frighteningly uncertain future.
There it is - the beauty of Advent. Amid all of the uncertainty and the struggle, we hold life. We hold promise. We say yes to God's invitation to live. We are asked to trust in a God of infinite possibility and we are asked to risk. To risk leaving the familiar and comfortable and to step into the unfathomable grace of God. My emptiness will be filled. Our future will unfold as God leads His faithful remnant once again.
Advent peace to you and all that you hold.
Nancy Severin
Worship & Devotion Chair
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Giving to the Funds
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 During the past year you have given generously to the four Funds of the Order - the Alpha, Endowment, Masters and Self Denial Funds - for which we thank you very much. Since 100% of the money donated to these Funds is spent on the worthy causes for which they is intended, the Order has been able to help Junior Directresses and Junior Daughters, increase the Endowment fund principal, help Daughters and other women attend seminary or take further education courses, and give to mission work in the US and throughout the world.
In this time of Advent, we are asked to give to charities in thanks for the ultimate gift that God gave us in the birth of Jesus Christ. As you plan your year-end giving, please remember you can also give to these Funds now or you can set some money aside to donate at the ingathering time for each of the Funds of the Order. Our first opportunity to give will be to the Self Denial Fund, whose ingathering is February 2, 2016. The Fund began with a week of self-denial, and many of us practice self-denial during Lent, but how about denying ourselves at other times in order to send a generous donation in February? During the Christmas season, there is ample opportunity to buy a less expensive gift for someone and then keep the savings to apply towards your self-denial donation.
The Chair of the Self Denial Fund, Chesley Vohden, has been busy promoting the Fund. You will be hearing more about the Fund from her.
Lindy Kirk
Finance Committee Co-Chair
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Province IV Assembly and Retreat
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 The Province IV Assembly and Retreat was held in the mountains of western North Carolina this past October 2015 with well over 120 Daughters in attendance. The week long gathering included meetings, worship, meditations, bible study, workshops, and fellowship.
Our Provincial theme for this triennium is "Thy Kingdom Come" and this year we are centering on "How to be like Christ in God's kingdom." Our guest speaker was the Right Reverend Harold Godfrey, Bishop of Peru. He began each of his five talks with the Prayer of Abandon by Brother Charles Jesus - Charles de Foucauld.
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Father, I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will. Whatever you may do I thank you: I am ready for all, I accept all. Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures. I wish no more than this, O Lord. Into your hands I commend my soul: I offer it to you with all the love of my heart, for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands, without reserve, and with boundless confidence, for you are my Father.
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It was a most spirit-filled week and a real blessing to all who attended.
Susan Towson
Province IV President
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Chapter's Corner
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 I'd like to share an amazing story about the movement of the Spirit, and it involves many chapters in the Diocese of Colorado and the women in those chapters who stepped out of their comfort places to meet Christ. I've heard the phrase, "Seeing Christ in the face of another," but in the Fall 2014, it became very real and very personal.
The St. Francis Center in downtown Denver is a day shelter for the homeless. There are no places to sleep, no food served, but this space provides a place to be . . a place to come during the day to escape the heat or the cold. It provides an address for the guests there and also a warm shower, access to medical services, personal hygiene items and limited clothing. It also provides the Body and Blood.
Every Sunday morning from 8:00 am to 8:30 am, a small worship service is provided by a volunteer Episcopal priest, sometimes a Deacon and always a keyboardist - Barbara. A leaflet is passed out with the readings and there are some guests who keep the Word tucked in a plastic bag along with the rest of their entire belongings. A conversation began with two of the priests, one who just happened to be the Daughters of the King Chaplain for the Colorado Assembly and The Reverend Michelle Danson, both regular volunteers. They were concerned about the number of guests who wanted to speak with them after the service, to ask for blessings and prayers. Given that the priests had to leave to celebrate in their own churches, it left no time for them to stay and serve the guests.
And so began the St. Francis Prayer Ministry. Every fourth Sunday of the month, two Daughters of the King travel downtown to the Center, don blue and white prayer stoles and pray with and for the guests of the shelter: Lyn and Marcy from Centennial, Karen from Fort Collins, JoAnn and Marj from Cherry Hills Village, Nancy and Sandy from Fort Morgan and Greeley, Sue and Cathy from Boulder, Priscilla from the Cathedral. We listen to life stories - we pray their struggles and pain and hold their dreams and hopes. And WE are changed. Love reaches down and we see Christ and smell Christ and in our tears together, we taste Christ. It is hard to leave carrying them and their prayers back to our very privileged and comfortable lives.
But God isn't done - Spirit is uncontainable. Last month, one of the guests, who loves to pass out the leaflets and to read the Word, stopped by the prayer room just a few feet from the worship space amid the tables and chairs. She thanked the Daughters for their presence and wanted them to know that she has started a small prayer group at the night shelter where she finds a cot and a safe place to be. With nothing in the world to call her own, she has Jesus to share and her cup is full. And she is thankful.
Nancy Severin
Dorothy Day Chapter, Diocese of Colorado
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Advent Greetings
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"Advent tells us Christ is near; Christmas tells us Christ is here"
These are the first lines of Hymn 235 in the 1940 Hymnal that sing in my head at this time of the year. As I put this edition of "Cross+Links" to bed (as those in the publishing industry often say), Advent is in the second week with the third Sunday fast approaching. As a college professor, I know my students are finishing finals, packing to go home for Christmas break, and planning life after college. Most also anticipate sleeping late, eating a good home-cooked meal and having fun with friends. I, too, am preparing for the posting of grades and planning for a new semester. They are preparing much as we, Daughters, are preparing for the Christmas season. On behalf of the National Council and National Office Staff, my wishes are that as you prepare for the birth of Jesus you also take time to remember the reason for this Season.
Happy Birthday Jesus, and Merry Christmas,
Pam Sebura
Cross+Links Editor
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Preparing for Christmas
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The Ackinson children prepare for Christmas by setting the Fisher Price Nativity under the tree. Pictures taken by Stephanie Sebura Ackinson, Lexington, KY December 10, 2015.
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The Nativity of Our Lord: Christmas Day
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O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
BCP, pg 212
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Thank you for Subscribing!
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| Thank you for subscribing to our monthly electronic monthly newsletter, Cross+Links. In this communication you will receive information about The Order of the Daughters of the King® that complements our quarterly publication, The Royal Cross. Please encourage other Daughters, clergy and interested people to become subscribers as well. Over 4,500 email recipients are now signed up to receive Cross+Links!
When you use the link above to forward this issue you can be sure the version your friend receives will look just the same as this one. Thank you for spreading the word!
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