The CATHEDRAL TIMES The weekly newsletter of the Cathedral of St. Philip · Serving Atlanta and the World · August 26, 2018
FRIENDSHIP AND CHURCH By the Very Rev. Sam Candler Dean of the Cathedral How many friends do you have? How many friends do I have? I admit, with much embarrassment, how often I used to look for the answer to that question in the early days of Facebook. Most of us know Facebook, which has been described as “an online social media and social network services company.” I don’t really know whether the Facebook service still keeps track of how many “friends” its users have. But it sure used to. In the early days of my usage, I was among many seduced into counting the number of “friends” my page accumulated, posted right there on my home page. I would try not to notice that I was keeping count. But I was. Of course, I can be counted as a rather public figure; and many people, whether parishioners or not, were eager to count me as a “friend.” And I was eager to do the same. That way, we thought, we could keep up with one another. Whether we would actually meet each other’s definition of a true “friend” was not the point. We were using that term to keep track of each other, and, in some instances, to market ourselves to each other. Facebook was often a form of a brag sheet. Yesterday, I remembered those early experiences of Facebook when I noticed a brilliant phrase written by a woman whose online service I do read regularly. She is Maria Popova, and she publishes a brief and brilliant newsletter every Sunday called Brain Pickings. This past week, she wrote succinctly on “friendship.” In her opening remarks, she casually mentioned how we have begun “commodifying the word ‘friend’ by egregious misuse and overuse in the hands of so-called social media” (Brain Pickings, Sunday, August 19, 2018). “Commodify” can mean to turn a value into an item of trade, or to make something have a sale-able economic value. When we commodify our friendships, we try to count them so that the number can signify our own value. “I have a hundred friends” can be equal to “I have a hundred dollars.” And, of course, that is not true at all. Friendships are not things that I own, not objective values to be counted and accumulated and stacked up in my ego storehouse! Others have written beautiful definitions of what it means to be, or to have, a friend. Maria Popova, inspired by Amelie Rorty and Rainer Maria Rilke, proposes “levels of friendship” in concentric circles. The largest circle contains “acquaintances.” A smaller circle inside that one consists of “people we know and like.” The next more intimate circle contains “kindred spirits.” Finally, in the circle of people closest to us are “true friends,” whom Popova suggests are “people with whom we are willing to share, not without embarrassment but without fear of judgment, our gravest imperfections and the most anguishing instances of falling short of our own ideals and values. The concentrating and consecrating force that transmutes a kinship of spirit into a friendship is emotional and psychological intimacy. A friend is a person before whom we can strip our ideal self in order to reveal the real self, vulnerable and imperfect, and yet trust that it wouldn’t diminish the friend’s admiration and sincere affection for the whole self, comprising both the ideal and the real.” (Brain Pickings, 19 August 2018).
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This SUNDAY
AUGUST 26, 2018 · The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 16, Year B 1 Kings 8:1, 6, 10-11, 22-30, 41-43 · Psalm 84 · Ephesians 6:10-20 · John 6:56-69
7:45 A.M. HOLY EUCHARIST, MIKELL CHAPEL
Celebrant and Preacher: The Rev. Canon George Maxwell
8:45 A.M. HOLY EUCHARIST, CATHEDRAL Celebrant: The Rev. Canon Cathy Zappa Preacher: The Rev. Canon Lauren Holder Cathedral Choir (Sopranos and Altos): Alan Ridout, Prevent us, O Lord Michael Sitton, Tantum ergo
9 A.M. HOLY EUCHARIST, MIKELL CHAPEL
Celebrant and Preacher: The Rev. Canon George Maxwell
11:15 A.M. HOLY EUCHARIST, CATHEDRAL Celebrant: The Rev. Canon Carolynne Williams Preacher: The Rev. Canon Lauren Holder Cathedral Choir (Tenors and Basses): Alan Ridout, Prevent us, O Lord Michael Sitton, Tantum ergo
11:15 A.M. LA SANTA EUCARISTÍA, MIKELL CHAPEL Celebrant: The Rev. Canon Cathy Zappa Preacher: The Rev. Deacon Juan Sandoval
The CATHEDRAL of ST. PHILIP
The Very Rev. Samuel G. Candler, Dean Dale Adelmann, Ph.D., Canon for Music The Rev. Lauren R. Holder, Canon for Outreach and Congregational Life The Rev. George M. Maxwell, Jr., Vicar The Rev. Catherine Zappa, Canon for Education and Worship The Rev. John William Harkins III, Ph.D., Priest Associate The Rev. Deacon Juan Sandoval, Deacon for Hispanic Ministries The Rev. Theophus “Thee” Smith, Ph.D., Priest Associate The Rev. Carolynne G. Williams, Canon Associate for Pastoral Care and Elder Ministry Austin Hall, Senior Warden Doug O’Bryan, Junior Warden
CATHEDRAL TIMES SUBMISSION DEADLINES: FOR THE SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 ISSUE, THE DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22. FOR THE SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 ISSUE, THE DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29. PLEASE EMAIL ANNOUNCEMENT REQUESTS TO THE EDITOR, DAN MURPHY, AT DMURPHY@CATHEDRALATL. ORG. TO RECEIVE THE TIMES BY EMAIL, CONTACT JANIE HARRIS AT JHARRIS@CATHEDRALATL.ORG.
404-365-1000 | cathedralATL.org cathedralatl
Adult EDUCATION By virtue of our baptism, all of us are called to ministry, whether ordained or not. Our adult education offerings help us live into that call, through teaching about our Scriptures, traditions, practices; cultivating skills for ministry; engaging together in theological reflection and crucial conversations; and building communities of spiritual support. Sunday classes start September 9 and meet at 10:10 a.m.
OLD FASHIONED SUNDAY SCHOOL Child Hall Old Fashioned Sunday School meets to discuss topics of general interest to the
Cathedral community. All are welcome. You will find a light heart, warm welcome, and good coffee! This year the topics for discussion will include several short series of classes led by Canon George Maxwell that will focus on what Paul, the apostle, was actually doing and why; several classes led by Dean Sam Candler offering new ways to understand some old theological ideas; and several classes led by Canon Cathy Zappa, Canon Lauren Holder, and special invited guests on a variety of other topics. For more information, contact Canon Maxwell at gmaxwell@ cathedralATL.org
LIVING FAITH Room 120 Join Canon Lauren Holder and Canon Cathy Zappa as we explore what it means to live out our faith through conversation with scripture and tradition, contemporary books, and, most important, one another. All are welcome!
IONA PILGRIMAGE DISCUSSION THIS SUNDAY This Sunday, August 26, Canon Cathy Zappa and other pilgrims who traveled to Iona, Scotland, this summer will give a presentation on their time there. Along with other pilgrims from the US and Canada, they visited ancient Christian sites; practiced chanting and silent prayer; learned about early and modern figures of Celtic spirituality; and experienced the sun, sea, wind and rain of the Scottish Isles.
LIVING AN EXAMINED LIFE: WISDOM FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE JOURNEY Room 239 Based on the user-friendly and highly practical book by James Hollis, a Jungian scholar and psychotherapist, this 4-week series will include shared reading of the text along with supplementary materials from film, novels, poetry, and our own life experiences. This class is taught by the Rev. Dr. Bill Harkins, priest, therapist, and professor of pastoral care.
SMALL GROUP BIBLE STUDY Room 122 Jim Bingham and Gordon Mathis lead an ongoing small group Bible Study focusing on a particular book of the Bible for several months at a time. This year, we will read the book of Exodus. For more information, please contact Jim Bingham at 404-373-3273 or binghamjim@bellsouth.net.
BIBLICAL GREEK
MEMBERSHIP TRANSITIONS DEATHS John Chapman Barnes, Sr., husband of Claudia Barnes, father of Virginia Hartz, John Barnes Jr., Warren Barnes, and Joe Barnes, died August 11, 2018
Room 356 Beginning Biblical Greek is offered on a drop-in basis on Sunday mornings at 10:10 a.m. Continuing Biblical Greek classes are offered on Sundays from 1:15–2:45 p.m. for anyone who wants to learn the basics of translation using grammar aids, lexicons, and commentaries. For more information, contact the Rev. Dr. Thee Smith at tsmith@cathedralATL.org.
CHILDREN'S Ministries MUSIKGARTEN ALLEGRO MUSIC CLASSES FOR CHILDREN THROUGH AGE 8 If you want a fun, structured activity for your child that is as educational as it is fun, Allegro is for you! Movement and music activities are perfect for child development. Music immerses the child in language, evokes movement, stimulates the brain and fosters physical coordination – all in a group setting that builds community. Using Musikgarten’s newly revised curricula for infants through second graders, Brenda Pruitt teaches our Allegro classes, which offer children a joyful setting for mental, emotional, physical, spiritual and social growth. All class costs have been reduced to $100 for the first child, $70 for each additional child in the same curriculum, except for K-2 Allegro Choir ($75 for all).
SIGN UP FOR GODLY PLAY! Godly Play, our Sunday School curriculum for children age 2 – 5th grade, helps children “to explore their faith through story, to gain religious language and to enhance their spiritual experience though wonder and play” (godlyplayfoundation.org). Classes meet Sundays at 10:10 a.m., beginning September 9. Register your child today at stphilipscathedral.org/godlyplay.
EYSEEDLINGS FOR 4TH AND 5TH GRADERS Our EYSeedlings are heading to Topgolf ! All 4th and 5th grade students are invited to join us Sunday, September 16 at Topgolf in Midtown to kick off the 2018-2019 school year. We will play golf from 4–6 p.m. The cost per golfer is $15 and includes two hours of tee time, dinner, and a lifetime Junior Membership to Topgolf. Parents: please drop off and pick up inside the Topgolf lobby, not curbside. Sign up at stphilipscathedral. org/topgolf to register your seedling for this fun event!
Four class options for infants and toddlers to age 3: • Monday, 11:15 – 11:45 a.m. • Tuesday, 11:15 – 11:45 a.m. • Wednesday, 11:15 – 11:45 a.m. • Thursday, 11:15 – 11:45 a.m. Two class options for ages 3-5: • Monday, 12:15 – 1 p.m. • Tuesday, 1–1:45 p.m. Kindergarten through 2nd Grade Allegro Choir: • Wednesday, 4:30–5:30 p.m. Enroll online at stphilipscathedral.org/allegro.
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS ON THE LAWN 5–7 p.m. Bring your own picnic dinner or buy from one of our vendors: the Varsity, Good Food Kitchen, and King of Pops!
JOIN THE CATHEDRAL'S BOY SCOUTS Boy Scout Troop 74 is starting its 67th year at the Cathedral. The Boy Scouts want to get all boys, age 11—17, into the outdoors for camping, hiking, boating, and other high adventure. For more information on Troop 74, call David Burge, 404-237-2977. After all, what did you do this weekend?
CONGREGATIONAL Life
HOSPITALITY
WORD TO YOUR MOTHER
ST. RUTH’S HOSPITALITY MINISTRY KICKOFF PARTY!
Word To Your Mother (a book study for busy, busy moms) is reading Harriet Lerner’s The Dance Of Connection to be discussed on Tuesday, September 11 at 7 p.m. The group meets the second Tuesday of every odd month, but the location varies. To find out where we are meeting in September, please contact Canon Holder. You can purchase The Dance of Connection at the Cathedral Book Store, or listen on Audible.
Join us on Sunday, August 26, from 5-7 p.m. in the Gould Room!
FLOWER Guild
What are the benefits? Very flexible times throughout the year, fun fellowship with other Cathedral women, a variety of
JOIN THE FLOWER GUILD Flower lovers: enjoy wonderful camaraderie, learn new skills, and help enhance worship in our parish by joining the Flower Guild! An orientation and planning meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 11 at 7 p.m. An optional, hands-on flower arranging workshop is slated for Saturday, October 13. We seek flower arrangers of every skill level - including none at all! We will train you and pair you with experienced members to learn the essentials of materials preparation, arrangement mechanics and design styles. The guild arranges flowers for every Sunday service, funeral, reception, and wedding at the Cathedral, as well as other special events. Email Grace Foster, gracefoster@mindspring.com, to sign up.
What is St. Ruth’s? We are a hospitality ministry named in honor of the late Ruth Vaught, the ultimate hostess. Our members serve at a variety of events at the Cathedral, often assisting our Chef Lauren Raymond by helping prep and arrange food, set up for the events, and serve guests. When do we serve? We serve all throughout the year at receptions, lunches, Christmas, Easter, the Cathedral Antiques Show, and more!
tasks, working with an accomplished chef, and more …and no meetings! Contact Caroline Wallace, cfwallace2@comcast.net, or Dorsey DeLong, teamdelong@gmail.com, with any questions.
SU N DAY FLOW E R D O N AT I O N S Please consider making a donation for flowers, in memorial or thanksgiving, to decorate the Cathedral each Sunday. Complete and return the form below, or make your donation online at stphilipscathedral.org/altarflowers.
R EQUEST FOR SUNDAY ALTAR FLOWER S
Please list name (or names) as you want them to appear: In Memorial for:
In Thanksgiving for:
name(s): sunday for which you are donating: In Memorial for:
In Thanksgiving for:
name(s): sunday for which you are donating:
Please complete the following information about you: your name(s): daytime phone:
date:
Please include a check with your request, made payable to: The Cathedral of St. Philip. While any gift is appreciated, a minimum of $75 per printed line is suggested. Checks and forms should be sent to: The Cathedral of St. Philip, Attn.: Janie Harris, 2744 Peachtree Rd., NW, Atlanta, GA 30305. You may also make arrangements by contacting Janie Harris, 404-3651034 or jharris@stphilipscathedral.org.
REFLECTIONS AFTER IONA Sixteen pilgrims from the Cathedral spent a week in June on the Isle of Iona, Scotland, to learn about Celtic Spirituality from John Philip Newell and Ali Newell. These reflections of the pilgrims’ time on the island are all available at stphilipscathedral.org/iona. By Buz McComber I didn’t realize it at first because it was so bright. When we arrived at Iona, the weather was gorgeous. The afternoon light created a soft glow on the Abbey where we spent much time over the next few days as we learned about Iona, its evolution as the seat of Celtic Christianity and its growing influence worldwide. George MacLeod, founder of the modern-day Iona Community, described Iona as “a thin place where only tissue paper separates the spiritual from the material.” I think we came to appreciate what he meant as our week progressed. The quiet, the beauty, and living among the buildings first constructed in the late 6th century gave it a distinctly spiritual feel. Iona makes it easy to pray in that so many places evoke a closeness to God and an ability to see God’s presence in all things. That’s a foundational characteristic of Celtic spirituality: it’s not just that we were made by God, it’s that we are “of God”; there is the presence of God to be seen in all things. This, for me, was a small but radical shift in the way I approach my relationship with God. I now seek to see God in all things; it’s more work, and sometimes pretty hard, but what a revelation and it leads to new ways to be in relationship to all people and our world. The two images of the Celtic cross seen here illustrate the difference: the first, perhaps conventional image shows the soft light of the late evening (the sun didn’t set until after 11 p.m.). I wondered what it would be like looking from the other direction and received a wonderful surprise as can be seen in the second image. Needless to say, I lingered there for some time to feel God’s presence.
CONGREGATIONAL Life CAPITOL CITY OPERA COMES TO THE CATHEDRAL St. Veronica’s and St. Ruth’s Guilds present the annual performance of the Capitol City Opera at the Cathedral! This year’s presentation is a tribute to Leonard Bernstein on his 100th birthday anniversary, including many wonderful excerpts from On the Town, Our Town, The Mass, West Side Story, Candide, and some of his song literature. Please join us Tuesday, September 11 in Child Hall for dessert, coffee, and great entertainment. Coffee and desserts will be served at 6:30 p.m. and the musical presentation will start at 7 p.m. All parishioners and friends are invited to join us for this wonderful opportunity to enjoy good food, great fellowship, and fabulous music. There is no charge but please RSVP by calling the Cathedral at 404-365-1000 by Monday, September 10.
CALLING ALL DOKS! The first meeting of the program year for the Daughters of the King will be Sunday, September 9, after the 11:15 a.m. service. We will meet in Room 240 Please RSVP to Cathy Hutcheson, 770-451-0907, and bring $5 to cover the cost of a light luncheon. We will be studying Richard Rohr’s Gospel of Luke. All visitors are welcome.
EDUCATION FOR MINISTRY Education for Ministry (EfM) is a program of the School of Theology of the University of the South. Participants commit one year at a time to meet weekly in seminars led by mentors trained in studying the Bible, church history, and theology, while also developing a wonderful community of members. There is a weekly lesson and study guide, but no tests or papers to prepare. A few spaces are available for an EfM class that begins Tuesday, September 18. The class meets in the Lanier House on Tuesday nights, 7-9:30 p.m. For more information and enrollment forms, contact Rick Tyler, 404-375-6470, or Deirdra Glover, 770-8652141.
CONGREGATIONAL Life
OUTREACH
JOIN FOYERS TO MEET NEW FRIENDS
WALK THE ROAD WITH EMMAUS HOUSE
Do you enjoy eating good food and meeting new people? Then Foyers is for you! Experience friends, food, and fellowship in small groups of 8 to 10 each month beginning with Super Foyers on Sunday, September 23 at 6 p.m. in Child Hall. Please contact Jackie Hollingsworth, jackiech03@gmail.com, with your name, address, phone number, and email to sign up.
Emmaus House invites you to rally your friends, families, and church communities to “Walk the Road” on Sunday, September 16. This is an opportunity to learn, serve, and walk with neighbors in Peoplestown exploring the community’s experience living in the neighborhoods south of downtown Atlanta. This year, the theme is gun safety. Save the date for an afternoon of service projects and a guided tour. Before the march to the Capitol Building Plaza, clergy and advocates will share perspectives on gun safety and legislation. The afternoon will conclude with a community meal. Contact Canon Lauren Holder, lholder@cathedralATL. org, for more information.
PRAYER List FOR THOSE WHO ARE ILL OR RECOVERING: IMMEDIATE NEEDS Kit Mason • Sun Ja Kim
LONG TERM PRAYERS T. Mayo and Pat Atkins • John Beane • Virginia Bicksler • John Blair • Pat Brinson • Dick Burgin • Kaye Cairney • J. Franklin Clark • Heather Clark • Lawrence Cowart • Terry Dornbush • Sarah duBignon • Kitty
Dukehart • Randy Farmer • William Ham • Jane Hannah • Caroline Hatcher • Katie Harris • Richard Hill •
Bob Johnson • Louise Kan • Elaine Lyon • Robert and Aggie Maddox • David MacGilvray • Carol McDonald • Jim McKenzie • Charlie Neal • Paul O'Connor • Marian Palmore • Garry Pryor • Rubye and Wayne Reid • Pamela Reid • Agnes Elizabeth Robertson • Charlie Roper • Louis "Skip" Schueddig • Jane Skogstad • James
Scott Jr. • Jim Segars • Ruth Swanson • Andy Westafer • Susan White • Sandy Williamson • Hollis Youngner
FAMILY AND FRIENDS Bettina Bass • Andrew Clark • Carroll Family • Carleton Fuller • Peggy Govan • Doyce Gunter • Bobby Hearn • Greg Hentz • Liz Grant Hilton • Sang Ho Kim • Betty C. Lyons • Pat Martin • Michelle Maxwell •
Michael McClelland • Andy Nelson • Irene Nesper • Ralph Pitfield • Betty and Bill Poole • Frank Roth •
James Sands • Patricia Schooley • Jeff Straw • Brian Sturgell • Tina Susco • Hubert Tate, Sr. • Roger Traylor • Janiece Townshend • Christi Vasquez • Peter Veverka • Nina Vila • Ron M. Wallace • Jacqueline Watkins • Susan Wellman • Marion Wilson • Whit A. Wright • Patricia Young
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED John Chapman Barnes, Sr. • Allison Carroll • Austin Ford • Powell Moore • Richard Stallcup
...continued from front page. Towards the end of his earthly life, Jesus said to his closest followers, “I do not call you servants any longer…, but I have called you friends” ( John 15:15). I believe he had in mind that strongest notion of “friend,” someone with whom we are sharing our true self, without fear of embarrassment or judgment. Churches, which are communities of people and communities of faith, contain all manner of relationships. Some of us know each other well, and some of us do not know one another at all. All of us can hardly be “friends” with each other yet. But we can surely have true intimacy and true sharing and true friendship as our goal. That goal of vulnerable friendship, however, will mean releasing ourselves from judgement – releasing ourselves from having to judge others who are not like us. In fact, Facebook has been rightly accused of assembling “friends” by just those standards; their algorithms seem to point users to other people who are already just like them. The goal of “church,” and communities of faith, is to make friends with people who are not like us at all. Our goal is to be a community that is not assembled by fleeting standards of lesser cultural or political identity. Our identity is in Jesus, who truly does want to be our friend. It is Jesus who shares his true self, full of vulnerability and strength with us. That’s the kind of friend we need, and the kind of friend we seek to be: friends willing to share ourselves, intimately, without judgment or embarrassment; friends connecting across boundaries of cultural or political difference, and across algorithms that might otherwise separate people out. That kind of friendship requires strength and truth; it requires love and faith. But that is friendship in Jesus Christ our Lord.
POSTMASTER: Dated Material. Please deliver by August 25, 2018 POSTMASTER Send address changes to: The Cathedral of St. Philip 2744 Peachtree Road, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30305-2920 404-365-1000
CATHEDRAL TIMES (USPS-093440) is published weekly by The Cathedral of St. Philip 2744 Peachtree Road, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30305-2920 Periodicals Postage Paid at Atlanta, GA
Newcomers Brunch This Sunday August 26 ~ 12:30–2 pm Lanier House Anyone who joined in the past year is welcome to come! It can take a while to get plugged in, and we want to help you feel at home. If you can RSVP to Janie Harris at jharris@cathedralatl.org or 404-365-1034, it will help us know how many to expect. But please just show up if you forget!
Jewelry Sale
Save the Dates: September 27–28 Sponsored by St. Veronica’s Guild Supporting local ministries