Christ Church Cathedral An Episcopal Community in the Heart of Houston, Texas
December 2013 christchurchcathedral.org
A recipe for Advent
“Santa” Jim McGill greets guests at last year’s Christmas at the Cathedral event.
Sharing the true Christmas spirit Betty Thornton has been homeless and living on the streets off and on for about eight years. A regular at The Beacon, Thornton says one of her favorite events of the year is Christmas at the Cathedral. She anticipates the event for one simple reason; “It’s because I feel loved,” she says. Christmas at the Cathedral is an annual event where volunteers cook, feed and serve a hot meal for homeless and needy families. Every year, Reynolds Hall hosts nearly 1,000
people who anticipate not only a fantastic holiday dinner, but also an environment of compassion and genuine care. This year’s event will be held Saturday, December 14. “Our real families put us out on the streets, but [volunteers at the Cathedral] treat us like family,” Thornton said about the event. “They treated us like they really cared and understood. They fed us good and gave us a hug. They did things our own flesh and blood
Don’t forget your 2013 EMC pledge payment We are grateful for all gifts given to the Cathedral. Our mission and ministries depend upon the payment of the generous pledges of support made each year. As of the end of October, we have received $1,753,952 out of a total of $2,321,147 pledged, or 76 percent. This leaves a gap of $567,195, which is greater than normal for outstanding pledges after 10 months. Please be sure to get your payments in prior to December 31 in order to claim a deduction on your 2013 taxes. Remember, postmarks are imperative to the IRS. The Cathedral must receive all cash, checks and credit
Year-end, page 2
Spirit, page 6
$2,321,147
$567,195 Remaining or 24.44% $1,753,952
Pledged
Collected
On special nights at my grandmother’s house, she would heat up the oven and mix together a bowl of mushy white meringue. The entire time she would talk to my siblings and me about how important it is to wait for the best, most blessed things in life. She would add chocolate chips to the concoction and then spoon out little blobs onto a cookie The Very Rev. sheet. Once the oven Barkley was hot, she’d turn it off, Thompson place the cookie sheet inside, and leave the oven door cracked. “Now we must wait,” she’d say. And we would do so actively and expectantly, never knowing when the treat would be ready. She would tell us stories of faith, teach us in ways of virtue, and tuck us safely into our beds. Only the next morning would my grandmother open the oven and let us see what was inside. Where those mushy blobs had been were now light and airy morsels of such delicate sweetness that they melted in our mouths. Had we bought them at the store; or had she prepared them with us watching television, zombie-like, in the other room; or had she even told us in advance when they’d be ready, the experience would not have been the same. So it is for us this Advent. Christmas will come, and it will be glorious. Christ’s return will surely come, but we know not when. We risk missing the significance and the sweetness altogether if we fail to prepare for his coming. In her kitchen, my grandmother prepared with gusto. She cracked eggs; she whipped; she taught us. In Advent, what would it look like to prepare by waiting actively and expectantly for Christmas? A few options we each might consider: Observe Advent by taking fifty percent of the money we’d normally spend at Macy’s and Target this month and instead
Recipe, page 8