The Risebig sisters

This Sunday we are pleased to welcome sisters Claudia and Meribeth Risebig to our 10:30 am service as guest musicians. Claudia plays the bassoon and Meribeth plays the oboe.

Claudia graduated from Washburn University in Topeka with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. She is a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, an organization dedicated to making music and early childhood education available to all young people. Claudia sings with the Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral choir. She also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Information Management from Wichita State University and has worked at Shawnee Mission Medical Center as a Quality Improvement Coordinator since 1992. Claudia enjoys gardening, swimming, and cooking in her spare time.

Meribeth received her Bachelor of Arts in Music from Washburn University and a public teaching certificate from Wichita State. She is Principal Oboist of the Northland Symphony and the St. Joseph Symphony. She has regularly played in the Starlight Theater Orchestra and is a private oboe instructor. Meribeth is a former parish administrator for an Episcopal church in Overland Park. She sings in the St. Mary's Episcopal Church choir in Kansas City and loves gardening, cooking, and wine tasting.

Pick-up in the Narthex

An updated Parish Directory is now available in the Narthex.

Please take only one per family.

Collection barrel in Narthex

Look for the Community Services League (CSL) collection barrel and list of school supplies needed for the new school year in our Narthex. Monetary donations are also accepted. (Please make checks payable to the church and put in the memo line CSL School Supplies.)

We'll be collecting supplies until August 10. Supplies will be distributed to eligible students at CSL's Back to School Fair at their office located at 200 SE 10th Street in Blue Springs on Tuesday, August 12. We appreciate your support!

August 9 from 10 am - 2 pm

Our own Judy Farnsworth will host the "Refuse to be a Victim" seminar at the Church of the Resurrection on Saturday, August 9, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

Please sign-up in the Narthex. A $5 fee is requested to cover the cost of the student packet.

One of the most important steps toward ensuring your own safety is having a personal safety strategy in place before you need it. This program teaches the tips and techniques you need to be alert to in dangerous situations and to avoid criminal confrontation. 

Become an expert

Still more clergy to cover this week. Whew, there's a lot! Although our parish doesn't have a deacon, many Episcopal churches do. But don't get confused. There are two types of deacons. A Vocational Deacon (sometimes called a Permanent Deacon) and a Transitional Deacon. Think of a transitional deacon as a cleric in training to be a priest while vocational deacons serve in the role their entire lives.

Hint: You can tell who is a priest and who is a deacon by their vestments (see the picture).

Deacon (Vocational):  A cleric ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons, also known as the Diaconate, which constitutes one of the three Holy Orders. Deacons are entrusted with both a vocation and ministry within the world, serving under the authority of the bishop. Their responsibilities include discerning and representing the needs of society to the bishop and the broader church community. Subsequently, deacons minister to the world as instructed by the bishop. In liturgical settings, deacons are designated to read the Gospel, prepare the altar, lead the Prayers of the People, and dismiss the congregation.

Deacon (Transitional):  A person admitted by the bishop into the formal preparation for priesthood and who is ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons as part of the process of progressing to ordination as a priest.