CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL An Episcopal Community in the Heart of Houston, Texas
MAY 2023 CHRISTCHURCHCATHEDRAL.ORG
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Spring is transformational and transitional for Cathedral youth Just as children mature over time, so does their relationship with God. At Christ Church Cathedral giving youth a firm foundation from which to deepen their spiritual life starts early and tracks alongside the physical, cognitive, and social-emotional stages of children from birth through high school. Or, to encapsulate it, the Cathedral’s holistic vision is a Roots to Fruits program of Christian education. Spring is a time of big transition for three groups — the fifth grade students who are moving from Children’s Ministry up to the Treehouse, the teens who are being confirmed, and the high-school youth who are gearing up for college or whatever comes next. As Minister for Children & Families KariAnn Lessner explains, both the Children & Family, and the Youth Ministry Councils want the progression from Children’s Ministry to Youth Ministry to be as seamless as possible. “It is part and parcel of being both a Cathedral kid and a member of the Treehouse,” Lessner says. “If you consider children’s ministry as the roots of the process — getting your roots really firmly established in our core beliefs — then when they head upstairs to the Treehouse,
they will have all the tools that they need to be successful in Youth Ministry. And that’s when we hope to start seeing the ‘fruits.’” Baptism is only the beginning. Some small children accompany their families to Sunday services, while others are looked after in the Childcare Center.
Instruction in Eucharist BRANT MILLS
“Does anyone know what this is?” Leaning over the altar rail, ten kids, all about six-years old were eyeing the silver chalice. A couple of hands went into the air. “It’s a cup,” a blonde girl noted, smiling. “That’s right, Canon Bradley Varnell said. Do you know what we do with it?” I had walked into the Cathedral to grab a few photos for Instruction in Eucharist, an accessible overview of Communion elements offered to first-timers and open to
INSTRUCTION, page 7
TRANSFORMATION, page 6
Search Committee update If you have been following our reports, you know that we have entered a very important phase of our work as your Search Committee — the in-person meetings with selected candidates who could be our next Dean. Interestingly, by the time you get this update, the Search Committee will have vetted 60 plus canROB REEDY didates and completed several in-person visits. The preparation for our committee meetings to vet a candidate are extensive as is our preparation for each in-person interview. In both cases, we use the website for the candidates’ church, and try to review a large sample of their online sermons, podcasts or adult formation classes, as well as other resources. As you have heard, these in-person visits involve an extensive interview on Saturday and a more relaxed dinner that night, and the team attends one or more church services on Sunday. All of this is done with the utmost focus on confidentiality which we will continue to observe (please do not ask us where we have travelled recently!). To date, these visits have been interesting, informative, and candid. I will also add that the candidates deeply respect our Cathedral and are well prepared. Of course, everything is different when you meet someone in person instead of watching them on the internet, and the reverse is also true. Candidates who we visit get a chance to get a feel for the spirit of the Cathedral and its staff, programs, liturgy and music among other things. Finally, it is important that we keep the interview process moving because many of the candidates are looking at other possible positions and may not be
SEARCH, page 2