Cross Roads Master Plan to Reality - Next Step in Decisions Gretchen Jordan and Maggie Silton “Retire� Serendipity, Stewardship Offer New Home for Advocate Holy Week and Easter Services
Journal of the Chapel of the Cross X April 2012
[ Contents ] 4 6 8
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Master Plan to Reality
Serendipity, Stewardship Offer New Home for Advocate Gretchen Jordan Retires
The Services of Holy Week and Easter
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Sunday Morning Childcare
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Adult Education - April
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15
ABC Sale / Note from Maggie Silton
Vestry Actions / Convocation Educational Event on Ammendment One
[April: Dates to Remember] 1 - Palm Sunday
5 - Maundy Thursday
15 - Celebration of Gretchen Jordan’s Ministry Convocation Meeting About Ammendment One
7 - Holy Saturday
21 - ABC Sale
1-6 - Labyrinth at Binkley Baptist Church 6 - Good Friday
8 - Easter Sunday
9 - Parish Office Closed
10 - Vacation Church School Registration Opens for Parishioners 12 - A Treasured Affair
13-15 - Youth Inquirer’ Class Pilgrimage to Washington, DC
19 - Vestry
27-30 - Visitors from Kawasa School in Springs, South Africa 28 - Marth Brimm’s Ordination to the
Priesthood (at St. Joseph’s in Durham)
29 - Last Service of Compline for Spring Term
See Full Schedule of Holy Week and Easter Services (www.thechapelofthecross.org/worship/service-schedule.html)
For a service schedule and information about the various ministries of the Chapel of the Cross visit: www.thechapelofthecross.org On 2 the Cover: Van Quinn and soloists on Easter Sunday 2010
Dear Friends, How quickly things can change in our lives! It was less than a year ago I was writing in this space about the amazing continuity of our staff over several years – and before “press time” of that August 2011 issue, Marty Rogers announced he was off to England for graduate studies! Now we are in the midst of additional significant transition, particularly in our administrative staff.
David Frazelle Change is inevitable in will assume, along with the our lives, of course, and Adult Education reminds us that “we have Committee, not here a lasting city.” the major responsibility for adult Christian Formation.
In mid-March, Walker Mabe became our Chief Administrator, an upgraded and reconfigured position replacing that of Parish Administrator. Mary Anne Handy, who held that position, is now the Office Manager for University Baptist Church. Barbara Hastings, another former Parish Administrator, was instrumental in the interim and in helping Walker begin to learn her new duties.
A final transition is not a permanent one, but it is a significant one. Susan Gladin, our Johnson Intern Director, has taken a two-month leave to support and care for her husband, Peter Kramer, as he recovers from surgery for esophageal cancer. Trish Lindley, a former Johnson Intern several years ago, has graciously returned to us from her home in Texas, where she has been applying for graduate school, to fulfill the duties of Interim Director. Even when Susan returns in May, Trish will continue to assist on a part time basis, so that Susan can break back in gradually.
Marsha Pate, formerly Parish Administrative Assistant, has now taken a wonderful job at Club Nova, and parishioner Charlotte Runde has been filling in on an interim basis. We will soon be conducting a search for this upgraded and reconfigured position as well. Transition is also happening among the program staff. Gretchen Jordan, after a ten-year involvement here in Christian Formation, is retiring at the end of April. The Second Sunday of Easter, April 15, we will cancel all Church School and Adult Education classes and celebrate Gretchen’s wonderful tenure among us. (Her actual last Sunday will be April 29.) Boykin Bell, who has job-shared with Gretchen for (six) years, will become the full-time Christian Formation Director. The Rev.
The Rev. Maggie Silton, in her second year as deacon with us, will also be leaving – after services on Easter Day. She has asked the bishop for several months off and then for a new placement in a smaller parish. (See her article on page 13.) We will certainly miss Maggie’s deaconal work among us; but we know it is unusual for a congregation to have two deacons assigned to it, and we are grateful for the time she could spend in our parish and our community.
Change is inevitable in our lives, of course, and reminds us that “we have not here a lasting city.” On your behalf, I want to express the parish’s gratitude to all those who have or are finishing terms on our parish staff. Each person has made significant and fruitful contributions. I also want to thank those who are just joining us or who have been filling interim needs. We are all indebted to their dedication and commitment. Thanks, in part, to all of them, the ministries of the Chapel of the Cross continue on faithfully and fruitfully.
Stephen 3
Master Plan to Reality: Next Step in Decisions By Ford Worthy, Senior Warden Later this month the Vestry is positioned to act on several key steps in its decision-making Roadmap for turning Phase 1 of the Master Plan into reality. Next up for consideration:
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The Master Plan Steering Committee’s recommendation that the Vestry approve an intermediate set of architectural drawings and authorize our architects to immediately begin preparing the final set of drawings, which will be used in negotiating a construction contract with our builder; and The Finance Committee’s recommendation that the Vestry approve a substantially revised plan for paying for the overall project.
The architectural plans for the project continue to be remarkably consistent with the concept drawings that were updated in March 2009, when a decision was made to split the project into two phases. (The most recent version, called “design development drawings,” are available: http:// thechapelofthecross.org/capital-giving.html) Completed in February, the design development drawings have been used by our general contractor, and in turn by its prospective subcontractors, to develop detailed cost estimates for the project. While the estimates are not binding, the detail and rigor behind them provide a sound basis for our cost assumptions going forward.
construction could begin late this year.) Based on the latest construction cost This is a bold plan – with The first alternative contemplates a $6.5 estimates, the currently projected overall cost of the project is $6.8 risks that have been well million overall project cost and would include fully finishing the third million. If the third floor is shelled defined and which are well not floor. The second alternative would allow in at the time of construction, but understood. The flip sides us to finish the third floor, but only as not fully finished, the overall project of the risks are the manifold long as $600,000 in additional cash and would cost $6.5 million. (These projections include all project-related opportunities that will pledges is raised before that decision is made. According to our contractor, the costs other than interest costs, which grow out of this initiative. decision to fully finish the third floor depend on the amount of money could be made as late as five months ultimately borrowed in connection with the project.) The anticipated project cost is roughly after the commencement of construction. $200,000 more than the amount estimated last August, thanks in no small part to the work of Alan Rimer and Except for the matter of the third floor, both alternatives are Terry Eason, who have worked closely with our architect and essentially the same. They include these important elements: contractor in managing the process. In order to hold down costs, we have eliminated a variety of features that can be • Bank loan: $3 million, to be repaid over a 16-year period. deferred until later if necessary (for example, glass and steel This compares with $2.5 million under the Preliminary folding door systems that would provide greater flexibility for Financing Plan. the fellowship hall). • Future fundraising campaign: The Parish will need to raise between $800,000 and $1.1 million in additional While the basic design of the building has changed relatively funds beginning approximately seven years after little over the past six months, the financing plan proposed groundbreaking. by the Finance Committee has changed more substantially. • Operating Budget debt service support: $1.4 million, to It is an ambitious plan, and is not without important risks. be phased in gradually. In the initial year, the operating However, as the Finance Committee concluded in proposing budget would provide $10,000, rising by $10,000 the revised plan, the underlying risks should be manageable each year over a 16-year period. Under the prior plan, with the full support and commitment of the parish. Operating Budget debt service support was phased in the same way, but over a 10-year period. The new plan proposed by the Finance Committee is the • Incremental Operating Budget annual costs: Under the second of three iterative financing plans called for under finish-the-third-floor alternative, annual operating costs the Roadmap process that was established by the Vestry to are projected to rise about $50,000; somewhat less, if the ensure that the Vestry and others involved in the planning for third floor is left unfinished. Phase 1 have a complete and thorough understanding of all • This is a bold plan – with risks that have been well defined aspects of the project. The first of these plans, the Preliminary and which are well understood. The flip sides of the risks Financing Plan, was endorsed by the Vestry last September are the manifold opportunities that will grow out of this and was based on a budget of $6 million for the overall initiative. Now it is time to move forward with the above project. That plan, the Preliminary Financing Plan, was really plan – starting with the Vestry approvals in April, and a challenge to the parish. It said: Here’s what we can afford if continuing with a home stretch fundraising effort to we can raise another $840,000 in cash and pledges – a hurdle raise an additional $600,000 to allow us to fully finish that we cleared just prior to the end of last year. the third floor. If you have not already made a pledge in support of this transformative opportunity, now is the The new plan, called the Intermediate Financing Plan, is time! X designed around two alternatives – both of which will allow construction to begin as soon as feasible. (If the design process Ford Worthy is serving his second term as Senior Warden and the contracting and permitting process go as expected,
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Serendipity, Stewardship Offer New Home for the Church of the Advocate By Ivy Barger “Some would call this serendipity. I’ve heard through the years that God does this sort of thing – and I’ve even had an occasion or two to experience it. But never so baldly as this.”
in need of preservation. And we, the People of the Advocate, are in need of a church building. Rarely do needs and the means to meet them line up so perfectly.
This quote is from an address, delivered in honor of a monumental decision, by Lisa Fischbeck, the Vicar of the Church of the Advocate. As Sam Laurent revealed last month, the Advocate has decided to accept an invitation to transplant historic St. Philip’s church from Stokes County to our recently purchased land on Homestead Road in northern Chapel Hill. The church building, currently in disuse (though, thanks to the efforts of area Episcopal congregations, not disrepair), is
Indeed, the opportunity is the very definition of serendipity, the phenomenon of “happy accident.” Coined by Horace Walpole in a letter to Horace Mann in 1754, the word comes from a Persian fairy tale called “The Three Princes of Serendip.” In his letter, Walpole noted that the tale’s heroes “were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of.”
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The better known quality of serendipity is the “by accidents” part. It implies a lack of intent on the part of the benefited party. We certainly had no intent to relocate a historic church. Saving a beautiful old church in danger of being demolished or deconsecrated, and thereby gaining a permanent worship space of our own, was, as Walpole would say, a thing we were not in quest of.
accessibility, is another $250.000.
Every tree that isn’t cut down to build our new building is a tree that can continue to supply the planet with lifesustaining oxygen.
Once a delegation of Advocate congregants visited the site, bringing St. Philip’s to Chapel Hill quickly became our quest. We imagine the classic board-and-batten and red arched doors facing Homestead Road, welcoming passers-by. We imagine the bell in its tower calling us to worship, and the warm wood interior of the nave ascending to a gothic crisscross of beams and comforting those who worship beneath it. We can almost see intricate ironwork of the fence protecting our pets from traffic on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. These imaginings won’t become reality by themselves. True, the happy accident of our needs and those of St. Philip’s coming together so harmoniously makes it easy to see God’s hand at work. But the other, lesser-known aspect of serendipity is what Walpole called “sagacity” - the God-given wisdom and cleverness required to seize opportunities as they become available, pursuing them with the wide-eyed hopefulness of children (if only children in Christ). Despite God’s generous alignment of the proverbial planets, we might have decided this move was too difficult, too strange, too unorthodox. We could have shut down discussion of such a seemingly outthere idea, without investigating whether it might actually be viable.
In addition to saving money, we will also be saving a piece of Episcopal history. Our adaptive reuse of the church will allow it to be reborn. And the choice to reduce our need for new building materials by reusing those materials that were produced to build St. Philip’s is an environmentally conscious decision as well. Every tree that isn’t cut down to build our new building is a tree that can continue to supply the planet with life-sustaining oxygen. And the old-growth longleaf used for beams in St. Philips will continue to be honored by use. Heeding this call is a way to heed another call - to be faithful stewards of the Earth and all the creatures who call it home. We hope you will accompany us on this journey. We bid your prayers and goodwill as we embark on it. We are hoping to raise our needed gifts and pledges by July 30, 2012, and to be able to worship in the church in Chapel Hill early in 2013. For more information about this serendipitous occasion, visit http://TheAdvocateChurch.org/st-philips. X Ivy Barger is a member of the Church of the Advocate
But as it happens, the Church of the Advocate is full of bold and joyful congregants who have come to embrace this wild idea. And, as it happens, it’s not such a wild idea after all: the cost of moving historic St. Philip’s to Chapel Hill will be less than half that of building a brand new church. To deconstruct, move, and reconstruct the church building will cost an estimated $250,000. The infrastructure required to prepare the site for worship and fellowship, parking and
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Gretchen Jordan Retires - April 29th By Boykin Bell I volunteered to write a “little something” about Gretchen
studies, retreats, children’s programs, and adult education
for Cross Roads because: (1) I adore her; (2) I’ve learned an
opportunities going. But after writing that, I get sentimental.
enormous amount from her during the six years (exactly) that
Because I know that every morning after April 29, when I
we will have worked together when she retires on April 29;
walk past the playground to work, the preschool children will
and (3) I’m not usually very sentimental. I thought it would
still yell, “Hey, Gretchen!”
be easy to say something grateful but celebratory. That’s what they call Gretchen, and that’s what they sometimes And it is easy to say that Gretchen is leaving the Christian
call me. For a long time, I thought they couldn’t tell Gretchen
Formation office with strong and creative programs that
and me apart (which would be weird, since we don’t look at
will continue in her absence. We are all grateful for what
all alike). Then I realized that “Gretchen” had become an
she has done, and we will celebrate by keeping the Bible
honorific term for them, a word the children use to mean
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“teacher” and “lady I like.” When they call me “Gretchen,” it’s a compliment. I told another parishioner this story and she laughed. “My kids call the Chapel of the Cross, ‘Gretchen’s Church.’ Gretchen was the first person to welcome our family. Her willingness
Then I realized that “Gretchen” had become an honorific term for them, a word the children use to mean “teacher” and “ lady I like.”
the Jesse Tree, the Children’s Christmas Pageant, Caroling, Palm Sunday and Easter processionals, the Pentecost picnic, Krispy Kreme donuts, Blessing of the Animals, Wednesday morning Bible study, Thursday evening adult education, church school teacher gatherings at her home, Women’s Retreats, etc. These are
to seek us out, introduce herself, and
all things she has had a hand in at one
embrace us changed our church-going
time or another, and all things that make us want to be a part of
experience. We were transformed from ‘attendees’ to engaged
the Chapel of the Cross community. We are all grateful for her
participants and members. She is a huge part of why we call
presence, guidance, patience, and love.”
the Chapel of the Cross our church home.” From another member of the Children and Family Ministry Because I’m more sentimental than I thought, and because
Committee:
statements like the one above choke me up, I asked members
“On a number of occasions I’ve said that I will pretty much do
of the Children and Family Ministry Committee to help
anything Gretchen asks me to do at church. I do this not because I
finish this article.
have a problem saying no (well, maybe I do, but that’s beside the point). I do this because Gretchen is so very wise, and pretty much
From one committee member:
everything she is involved with I also want to be involved with.
“Gretchen called me to ask if I would teach church school to the
And I realize that by saying “yes,” I end up winning - because I
two-year olds. When I told her I wasn’t even an Episcopalian,
get to participate in activities and events that enrich my life and
she said it didn’t matter, all I needed to do was hold babies and
the life of my family in so many ways.”
read them stories. So I said yes. And the next thing you know, I was taking the Adult Inquirers Class and being received. And
That’s probably why I work in the Christian Formation office
running the ABC Sale…”
now. Like these other parishioners, I wanted, six years ago, to be involved in whatever Gretchen was doing. I feel really
“Then, when my son was four or five, Gretchen posted a picture
lucky to be here now, doing the work she’s encouraged me to
of him on her bulletin board. And he saw it. Soon thereafter, we
do. And though I’m sentimental about Gretchen’s retirement,
were riding in the car with a friend and my son bragged that the
I’m happy, too. Gretchen is leaving us with solid programs
most important person in his church had a picture of him on the
in place. In a year or two, we may ask her to come back as
wall in her office. He was so proud.”
a volunteer. After all, we always need “a little something” during Vacation Church School. X
“I think that sums it up for our family. From the very beginning of our introduction to the Chapel of the Cross and the Episcopal church, Gretchen has been the most important person in drawing
Boykin Bell will assume the position of Director for Christian Formation upon Gretchen Jordan’s retirement.
us in and keeping us there, from church school and Vacation Church School when the kids were little, to Advent Wreaths and
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The Services of Holy Week and Easter By Van Quinn
Palm Sunday – April 1 “Then take, O God, thy power and reign” The liturgy for this Sunday (also called the “Sunday of the Passion”) is so rich and powerful that many people mistakenly conclude that they don’t need the other services of Holy Week to prepare for Easter. The liturgy for the day falls into two starkly contrasting parts. The Liturgy of the Palms and the joyful music which surrounds it, and the preaching on and singing of the Passion Narrative from one of the Gospels, followed by the Holy Communion. In the opening rite the story of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem is read, the palms are blessed. A traditional anthem is sung: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” At the 9:00 service the Junior and Cantus Choirs will sing a setting of this text by American Moravian composer Christian Gregor. At the 11:15 service these words will resonate in full Tudor splendor in a setting by 16th century English composer Thomas Weelkes. Then follows a joyful procession into the church during the singing of a hymn, a practice of the Jerusalem church first documented in the 4th century. This procession has long been accompanied by the 9th century text Gloria, laus, et honor (“All glory, laud, and honor”) sung to an elegantly exuberant 17th century German chorale. Once the procession has arrived in the chancel, however, the mood swiftly changes. A sobering reading from Isaiah 50 prepares us to understand Jesus’ volition in his sufferings: “I gave my back to the smiters.” Some verses from Psalm 31 embody the dialectics of faith and despair in human suffering, affirming in the end that “My times are in your hands.” This psalm, by the way, is one which Jesus quoted while he was dying, according to the Gospel of Luke: “Into your hands I commend my spirit.” The epistle from Phillipians is part of a Christological hymn sung in the early Church, in which Christ is declared to have emptied and “humbled himself,” and became “obedient, even unto death.” “Therefore God has highly exalted him” - one of the deepest paradoxes of the “Easter” faith. The center of the liturgy is the recitation of one 10
of the Passion Narratives (accounts of the sufferings of Jesus concluding with his death and the testimony of the Roman centurion who observed it) from one of the Synoptic gospels, this year from the earliest gospel, Mark. At the 9:00 and 11:15 services the Passion is sung to a 6th century chant reserved exclusively for this purpose, with the choir and congregation playing the fickle and murderous crowd who first shouted “Hosanna” and then “Crucify him.” All the crosses in the church and chapel are veiled in red. The music at the 11:15 service is elaborate with a massive setting of verses from the Epistle by 19th century composer Anton Bruckner and an eight-part setting of Crucifius etiam pronobis from the Nicene Creed by 17th century composer Antonio Lotti.
Maundy Thursday – April 5 “A new commandment give I unto you” Maundy Thursday is perhaps the most beautiful service of Holy Week. White flowers and hangings adorn the church and chapel. The veils for the crosses are changed to white, and the Gloria in excelsis is sung. This day commemorates Jesus’ institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, and his washing the disciples’ feet. The name for the day is derived from the chants sung during the foot washing ritual in which both priest and members of the congregation wash one another’s feet: Mandatum novum – “A new commandment give I unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you.” The service ends with the stripping of the altar and the congregation leaves the darkened church in silence. The crosses have been veiled in black for Good Friday. This day is observed simply (and without foot washing) at the 5:15 service, and with ancient chants and anthems by Maurice Duruflé and William Byrd sung by the Senior Choir at the 7:30 service. The observance of this day should not be missed by anyone committed to keeping a “Holy Lent.”
Good Friday – April 6 “Could you not watch with me one hour?” The Three Hour service is divided into three one hour blocks. The first hour is essentially Morning Prayer, with hymns, and a sermon. The second hour alternates Biblical readings with appropriate choral music sung by the Senior Choir. The third hour is the proper liturgy of Good Friday from the Book of Common Prayer. It begins like a Eucharist (although there is no communion on this day) with lessons and a psalm, The Gospel is a dramatic reading of the Passion Narrative from the Gospel of John. After the sermon the Solemn Collects are read. Then a plain wooden cross (the same one that will be adorned with flowers brought by children on Easter Day) is carried in as the choir sings one of the “Reproaches” – Popule meus – “O my people, what have I done?” Then the plainsong hymn “Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle” (one of only two hymns mentioned by name in the BCP) is sung. The service ends after a prayer, when the chapel bell is rung 33 times (once for each year of Jesus’ life) and the congregation leaves in silence.
The Great Vigil of Easter – April 7 “He has risen, as he said” This service consists of four parts. The opening Service of Light begins with the church in darkness. Then the “new fire” is struck just outside the front door of the church. The paschal candle is lit and the choir and ministers process to the chancel as the candles of the congregation are lighted. A priest or deacon sings the ancient hymn Exsultet, with its dramatic repeated phrases – “This is the night…” Following the Service of Light, the Service of Lessons begins with readings from the Old Testament, each followed by a canticle or hymn. Then follows the service of Baptism. After the priests have returned to the chancel from the font and vested themselves for Easter, the celebrant makes the Easter Proclamation, the lights come on, the candles are extinguished, and the choir and congregation sing the traditional “Carolingian Acclamations” – Christus vincit! Christus prodiens! Christus imperat! – Christ triumphs! Christ leads” Christ commands” and the first Eucharist of Easter unfolds.
liturgical year. The liturgies, the proclamations of the Easter Gospel, the flowers, the music, the throngs of people – all embody and communicate the power and grace of the Risen Lord in his Church. The Chapel of the Cross offers five services in observance of the “Feast of Feasts.” The 7:30 Eucharist, celebrated in the Chapel, is, as always, a smaller and more intimate service. On Easter, however, there are the beloved hymns accompanied by organ and, as always, Rite I. The 9:00 service finds the church bursting at the seams with parishioners, returning families, and visitors. A beloved Easter ritual is the “flowering” of the Cross by children of the parish. In this exuberant Rite II service the music is led by the Junior Choir, accompanied by trumpets and organ. The 11:15 Rite I Eucharist is centered around a setting of the “ordinary” of the liturgy – Kyrie, Gloria in excelsis, Sanctus, and Benediction – in a brilliant setting by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Missa in C, KV 258). An orchestra of strings, oboes, trumpets, tympani, and organ will accompany the Senior Choir and soloists in the Missa, as well as in the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Georg Frederick Handel’s Messiah sung during the Gospel Procession. The 5:15 Eucharist in the Chapel is a Rite II led by the Parish Choir and organ. A beautiful service at a calm and lovely time of day has different readings from the morning services and is centered on the Lukan story of Jesus and the two anonymous disciples who met up with him on the road to Emmaus. With them may our “hearts burn within us” as we walk our Eemmaus road on this Easter Day. Truly, “Lord, abide with us!” “Completing” the day is the service of sung Compline at 9:30 in the Church. With the beauty of the flowers and candles, the sweet smell of incense reminding us of the women’s intentions at the garden tomb, the power of timeless words of truth and grace set to ancient chant and renaissance polyphony we “set (our) minds on the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” X Dr. Wylie S. “Van” Quinn serves as Organist and Choirmaster for the Chapel of the Cross and has done so for over 40 years. He can be reached at vquinn@thechapelofthecross.org.
Easter Day April 8) “That Easter day with joy was bright” Services on Easter Day are among the most treasured of the 11
Sunday Morning Childcare By Boykin Bell
For most of us, our first glimpse of the Chapel of the Cross is the church tower rising above Franklin Street, but for our youngest parishioners, the first glimpse of the Chapel of the Cross – in fact, their first welcome to the Episcopal Church – is often the nursery. You may not even know where the nursery is. It is tucked away on the second floor of the Yates building, overlooking the playground and the Coker Arboretum. It is (by accident) about as far away from the sanctuary as it could possibly be.
students at Carrboro High, where Doh Wah likes math and Ku Paw prefers English. They all love working in the nursery. The parents are very nice, they agree, and the children are very well-behaved.
The nursery is staffed (at various times) by five wonderful caretakers, all of whom moved to North Carolina from the Mae La Refugee Camp in Northern Thailand. The nursery is about as far away from their Karen homeland as it could possibly be.
Each of the staff members has learned a tremendous amount of English in the short time she has been in this country. Each has begun to enjoy western food, too, especially Italian foods like spaghetti, they report. But Burmese food is one of the things they miss the most - next to, of course, their family members still living in Myanmar.
Sunday Morning Childcare includes nursery care (from 8:4512:30), Children’s Chapel (8:45-10:00 a.m.) and playground care (at 10:45-12:30). Pee See, P’Saw Wah and Doh Wah work in the nursery. Tha Dah Wah and Ku Paw are “on call” where needed, usually in Children’s Chapel and on the playground but sometimes in the nursery, if there are a large number of children there. Pee See, P’Saw and Tha Dah have worked at the Chapel of the Cross since 2009, when they were introduced to us by another staff member, Maggie Ko, who has since left the nursery to finish a nursing degree. Doh Wah and Ku Paw began working here a little more than a year ago. These women are the ones who smile at our little ones while we’re listening to the sermon. They are the ones who dry tears when a baby starts to cry. Pee See, Tha Dah and P’Saw are all currently enrolled in Durham Tech, where they most enjoy their ESL (English as a Second Language) classes. Doh Wah and Ku Paw are both
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There are usually between seven and ten of these well-behaved children in the nursery during the 9:00 service. You may see them peeking out the window at the “big kids” lining up to process to Children’s Chapel, or you may hear them chattering as they share toys and turn the pages of cardboard books. There are usually between twenty-five and forty children in Children’s Chapel. You may hear them singing “All Things Bright and Beautiful” or reciting the Lord’s Prayer. You may also hear the Karen (pronounced Kare-IN) dialect being softly spoken on Sunday mornings, as it is the first language of all the caregivers. If you want to say hello in Karen, say “Walagee.”
Because Pee See is Buddhist and the other young women are Seventh Day Adventists (who worship on Saturday), all five women are able to work Sunday mornings. Joy Gattis, our Sunday Morning Child Care Director, knows just how blessed we are to meet caregivers available that time of the week. After more than thirty years supervising the nursery, Joy says the nursery workers are the “unsung heroes” of Sunday morning. “They are the backbone of the Sunday Morning Childcare,” says Joy. “Without them, we would not be able to provide such a wonderful service for the parents, grandparents, and visitors. On a personal level, I know I can depend on them, their sense of commitment, helpfulness, respectfulness, reliability, genuine enjoyment of their jobs, and love for the children.” If you ever wish to visit the nursery and say thank you, you may say, “Tha Blu.” X
ABC Sale: April 21st By Sandy Gerow
When people think about the ABC Sale they usually think
do have a group of helpers with trucks who will pick up items
about the attics, basements, and closets people clean out to
that won’t fit in your car; call Nancy Tunnesen (ntunnesen@
find items to donate for sale; but the name could also apply to
nc.rr.com or 969-8664) to arrange this service.
the fact that the Sale takes up almost every inch of the church
You can pick up a full list of items that we can’t sell at the
buildings. Signs and supplies are stored in the attic and things
ABC Table in the Dining Room on Sunday mornings. More
are sold out of every available room, including a couple not
importantly you can sign up to volunteer at this table after
much bigger than closets. I’m sure the clergy and staff wonder
the 9:00 and 11:15 services, in the church office during the
every year if their offices are next!
week, or by contacting Sale co-chairs Nancy McGuffin (nmcguffin@att.net or 969-8111) or Sandy Gerow (sgerow1@
If this is your first experience of the ABC Sale, be prepared
gmail.com or 542-6160). We need a lot of volunteers to put
for controlled chaos. Donations come into the dining room
on a successful sale (about 160 on Sale Day alone), so please
from the circular drive and are sorted onto tables depending
be generous with your time, even if it’s only an hour
which room they go to. Is Grandma’s vase a Treasure or a
or two. X
White Elephant? Do cookbooks go with other books or to Cook’s Corner? For three and a half days, things pour in and go to the right room, where the volunteers price them, trying to make sure almost everything will sell by the end of the day. Yes, we want to make money to give to worthwhile organizations, but we also want to put clean, useful items into the hands of those who need them. The ABC Sale takes merchandise from furniture to clothing, household items to antiques, garden equipment to books. We ask that all donations be clean, mended, working and in good repair. We’re not allowed by law to sell toys or mattresses, and we’ve found over the years that computers, computer equipment, televisions, and typewriters don’t sell well, so those
In celebration of the 50th Annual ABC Sale Please Join Us for
A Treasured Affair Thursday, April 12th from 5-7pm 100 Black Oak Place Hosted by Stephen and Betsy Elkins-Williams Bring a treasure to donate to the Treasure Room Appraisals will be done by David Lindquist Owner of Whitehall Antiques at the Villa RSVP by April 5th Allison Worthy ∙ aworthy@nc.rr.com ∙ 969.7584
items aren’t accepted. Bulky furniture such as sleeper sofas and large appliances are too difficult to handle as well. We
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Dear Friends, Over the past few months I have discerned the need for some time off from parish ministry to focus on my call to serve the hungry and homeless in another ministry setting. I plan to explore that call in consultation with Bishop Curry in the coming months. Easter Day will be my last Sunday at the Chapel of the Cross. I leave you all with considerable regret. It’s been a joy and a privilege to serve among you as you gather to worship and then go out to serve and advocate for the least among us in our community. To share your moments of happiness and of sorrow has been an honor. I will miss serving with you. I leave you with a sense of profound thanks. Thanks for your warm welcome when I arrived and thanks for your support as I’ve served at the Chapel of the Cross. Thanks for all that you contribute to make the beautiful worship and music happen week after week. Thanks for your witness to the love of God in Jesus Christ at this special place in Chapel Hill where town meets gown. Thanks be to God for you, the people of the Chapel of the Cross. Yours faithfully, Maggie Maggie Silton has served as one of two deacons assigned to the Chapel of the Cross since September 2010.
Adult Education: April Sunday Mornings 10:20 – 11:00 a.m.
April 22 Biblical Ethics - Part 1, the first of a three-part presentation exploring the ways we read scripture and April 1 Newcomers’ Orientation Class, a brief introduction to why they matter, led by David Frazelle the Chapel of the Cross, its history and ministries, led NOOMA – a thematic DVD discussion series for those in their 20s and 30s by the Rector Growing with Our Aging Parents, a monthly support group led by parishioner Zoe Ulshen
Earth Day Observance, organized by the Environmental Stewardship Committee
Orientation to the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Tool, led by Gretchen Jordan
April 29 Biblical Ethics – Part 2 of a three-part series led by David Frazelle
Theories of the Atonement - Part 2, led by Tammy Lee April 8 – Easter Sunday No Church School or Adult Education April 15 Retirement Reception for Gretchen Jordan - No Adult Education:
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Coming in May: Steadfast Hope - The Palestinian Quest for a Just Peace St. Matthew’s Church, the Church of the Advocate and the Chapel of the Cross will partner to study the national curriculum recently adopted by our diocese. This fourpart series will be hosted in each of the parishes and will include a simple meal. The study will begin each evening with dinner at 6:30 p.m. and be held on May 8, 15, 22, and 29.
Convocation Educational Event on Amendment One Sunday, April 15, 2:30-4:00 p.m. at St. Luke’s, Durham The Right Reverend Michael Curry and family law attorney, Sharon Thompson, will participate in a panel discussion of the proposed amendment to the NC State constitution, Amendment One. Also known as the Marriage Amendment, this proposal will come before NC voters on May 8. Panelists will address the legal and theological dimensions of this proposal. There will be opportunity for questions and discussion. St. Luke’s Episcopal Church is located at 1737 Hillandale Road, Durham. In January of this year, the 196th Diocesan Convention passed a resolution opposing Amendment One. The text is on the diocesan web site. (http://s3.amazonaws.com/dfc_attachments/public/documents/3153273/196.9_-_On_Same_Sex_ Marriage__passed_.pdf) The Rector wrote about this amendment on page 3 of the March issue of Cross Roads. (http://issuu. com/crossroads_chapel_of_the_cross/docs/march2012?viewMode=magazine&mode=embed)
At its meeting on February 16, the Vestry: • •
•
Approved the 2011 Parochial Report, pending final adjustments by the Rector Approved the recommendation of the Outreach Ministry Committee for allocation of funds from the Discretionary Outreach line item in the amount of $2000 to Church World Service of Durham, NC, to go toward a one-year program of English as a Second Language for new immigrant arrivals Approved a request from Sallie Comey to use the money given in memory of her husband Bob to purchase a visiting communion set that would be based at Carolina Meadows.
At its meeting on March 15, the Vestry: • •
• • • • •
Welcomed Walker Mabe as new Chief Parish Administrator Endorsed a resolution recently approved at Annual Convention that reaffirms the Episcopal Church’s historical support of gay and lesbian persons as children of God and entitled to full civil rights and reaffirms opposition to any state or federal constitutional amendment that prohibits same-sex civil marriage or civil unions Approved a resolution to receive the Intermediate Financing Plan developed by the Finance Committee Subcommittee and to consider it for approval at the April meeting of the Vestry Learned that a minimum of $600,000 in additional cash and/or pledges must be secured prior to a decision to fully finish the third floor of the new building Learned that Martha Brimm will be ordained to the priesthood on April 28, at 11:00 a.m. at St, Joseph’s, Durham. Approved the nomination of Gail Cloud to the Outreach Ministry Committee Approved the recommendations of the Outreach Ministry Committee for allocations from the Community Organizations line item of funds in the amounts of $2000 to A Helping Hand, $2000 to Club Nova, $1000 to El Futuro, $3000 to Family Violence and Rape Crisis Services of Chatham County, $4000 to Freedom House Recovery Center, $1000 to Justice United, $2000 to Meals on Wheels, $4000 to Orange Alamance Prison Ministry, and $1000 to Orange County Rape Crisis Center. 15
A Parish in the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina 304 East Franklin Street Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514
The Vestry Terms end 2012 Carter Kersh James Moeser Linda Rimer (Junior Warden) Ford Worthy (Senior Warden) Terms end 2013 Alice Cotten Nancy McGuffin Dick Taylor Joel Wagoner Terms end 2014 Joe Ferrell Hugh Morrison Alan Rimer Nancy Tunnessen David Joseph, Treasurer Nancy Kelly, Clerk Eugene Dauchert, Chancellor The vestry regularly meets on the third Thursday of each month. Assignments, contact information, and photos of the vestry members may be found on the parish web site (www. thechapelofthecross.org), and on the board across the hall from the parish office.
The Rt. Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, Bishop The Rt. Rev. William O. Gregg, Assistant Bishop The Rt. Rev. Alfred C. “Chip” Marble, Jr., Assisting Bishop
The Clergy The Rev. Stephen Elkins-Williams, Rector The Rev. Tambria E. Lee, Associate for University Ministry The Rev. Victoria Jamieson-Drake, Associate for Pastoral Ministry The Rev. David Frazelle, Associate for Parish Ministry The Rev. Dr. William H. Joyner, Deacon The Rev. Margaret Silton, Deacon The Rev. Dr. Richard W. Pfaff, Priest Associate The Rev. Dr. William H. Morley, Priest Associate The Rev. John M. Keith, Priest Associate
Parish Office hours: Mon.—Fri., 9 am to 5 pm. Phone: 919-929-2193 Fax: 919-933-9187 Web: www.thechapelofthecross.org Email: info@thechapelofthecross.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Chapel-ofthe-Cross/270669602957966
The Staff Dr. Wylie S. Quinn III, Organist/Choirmaster Gretchen Jordan, Associate for Christian Formation Boykin Bell, Associate for Christian Formation Caren Parker, Youth Ministry Assistant Walker Mabe, Chief Administrator Nick Jaeger, Comm. and Tech. Manager Debby Kulik, Parish Accountant Ron McGill, Facilities Manager Joy Gattis, Sunday Morning Child Care Director Elizabeth Terry, Cantus Choir Director Sarah McRae Anna Lorenz Wedding Coordinators Rebecca Rogers Susan Gladin, Johnson Intern Program Director