CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL An Episcopal Community in the Heart of Houston, Texas
NOVEMBER 2015 CHRISTCHURCHCATHEDRAL.ORG
AFTER-HOURS EMERGENCY CARE LINE | 713-826-5332
It’s all in the name “Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness.’ And God said to the man and the woman, ‘Be fruitful and multiply … and have stewardship over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” (Genesis 1:26, 28) Adam and Eve were THE VERY REV. the first stewards. God BARKLEY created them in God’s THOMPSON very image, and that means they were made, more than anything else, to love. It was for this purpose that God gave the first human beings stewardship over the creation. God loved what he had made, and God wanted the world to be in the care of someone who would love it with equal passion. But God was left with a quandary: Adam and Eve were brand new. How could they be taught to love what God loved? How could their passion to tend to the delicate things of earth be kindled? We find God’s answer in the next chapter: “So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.” (Genesis 2:19) God knew — and the first humans discovered — that once we have named something it becomes vital and real to us. Once something has been named, we can connect to it in love. I’ll never forget the first time I gazed upon my newborn son and called him “Griffin.” The next utterance from my mouth was “bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh” (again with allusion to Genesis). Once named, there was never any doubt Griffin would be the recipient of a powerful parental love.
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Extending a warm welcome
Newcomer and Welcome Team member John Craver greets people on Sunday morning at the church entrance.
You never know when a chance encounter will make a lasting impression. For a variety of newcomers to the Cathedral, friendly and supportive outreach from members, clergy, and staff proved exceptionally welcoming and warm — and led to active membership. Eleina Faber and Paul Wyatt, for example, aren’t just new to the Cathedral — they’re new to Episcopalian traditions entirely. Engaged and awaiting a late-2016 wedding, the 20-something couple came to the Cathedral from different faiths. (She was raised Methodist and he Catholic.) Now they’re involved in the 20s & 30s community and Wyatt attends
the dean’s early-morning study group. Faber, a nurse who works weekends, recalls how she first noticed the Cathedral when out driving with her father. Intrigued, she brought Wyatt to see the church mid-week. The Rev. Genevieve Razim, the church’s canon for welcome and evangelism, offered them a tour, which led the couple to attend a service, where many others welcomed them. “It’s not overwhelming to get to know the Cathedral, despite it being one of the larger churches in Houston. It feels like a small, tight-knit church community,” Faber said.
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Parish retreat offers piney woods getaway Every December, parishioners of Christ Church Cathedral gather together for a weekend of rest, relaxation, and fellowship. Camp Allen offers a stunning forest retreat just an hour away, amid the piney woods of Navasota. Our time there is perfect for relaxing outdoors, roasting marshmallows, embarking on a twilight hayride, or even just reading a good book. Families and
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