CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL An Episcopal Community in the Heart of Houston, Texas
NOVEMBER 2018 CHRISTCHURCHCATHEDRAL.ORG
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Lessons from a very old television set Long before one could stream Netflix on the internet, before DVR, and satellite dishes, and even the cable box that sat atop the TV, the only way one could catch one’s favorite programs was by turning on the cabinet television, waiting five minutes for it to warm up, and then turning the big round knob on the TV’s face to either NBC, CBS, ABC, or the local PBS station. THE VERY REV. I’ll never forget the crisis BARKLEY in my childhood home THOMPSON the day lightning hit the antenna on our roof, knocking it to the ground and turning the television screen to snow. Big Bird and Cookie Monster disappeared in an instant, and my brother Robert and I teetered on the edge of panic. You had to be careful and sit at least six feet away from those old television sets, lest the radiation get you (or so my mother claimed). And that was difficult to do, because the static electricity hovering half an inch from the screen was a constant allure. It was also fun to look at the individually-colored pixels way up close. Last year at the antique festival in Round Top, Texas, my kids and I came across an old cabinet television set. After my kids determined that it was some sort of Stone Age TV, they still couldn’t figure out how to make it operate. I showed them the big channel and volume dials, but then Eliza asked, “What are these four little knobs at the bottom?” I was immediately transported back to childhood, when the picture on the television would spin, or be fuzzy, or bestow an orange skin tone on the characters on screen. Anyone over forty will remember those four little knobs: 1. Vertical hold, 2. Horizontal hold, 3. Tint, and 4. Color. For the television picture to be steady
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Lighting the way Creating an Advent wreath is one of the welcome traditions of the season ahead for many Cathedral families and members. This year, the opportunity to do so will be on Sunday, Nov. 25, during the 10 o’clock hour in Reynolds Hall, where quiet Gregorian music and warm, spiced cider will add to the joyful, meaningful activity. “Making a wreath is a time-honored call for us to slow down in a season that says ‘busy is best,’” says KariAnn Lessner, minister for
children and families. “We circle back together as a family — and as a church family — to make these wreaths each year. It’s a homecoming as we make room for the Christ child,” she says. “[The Cathedral] is the place to make that home and space.” One of the fascinating and freeing aspects of making an advent wreath is that no two wreaths are the same, she notes, even when made by the same family members year after year.
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“Market” offers gifts with significance BY JIM DOUGHERTY AND KRISTIN AVERY
The "live" Market happens Sunday, Nov. 11.
The 2018 Alternative Giving Market makes it possible to remember — and honor — friends, family, and co-workers with specific gifts to non-profit, charitable agencies that are helping people in the Houston area. Kristin Avery, of the Cathedral’s Mission Outreach Council, explained that “giving through the Alternative Giving Market expresses the true meaning of Christmas. It allows us to replace traditional commercial presents with gifts that have a real significance.” The “live” session of the 2018 Market will run Sunday, November 11, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. in Reynolds Hall, where representatives from the agencies will be available to explain their work and answer questions. In addition, the
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