|
September 5, 2005
Dear Members and Friends of Holy Apostles:
Whether we are ready or not, the end of
summer and the beginning of a new fall season is at
hand, and there is renewed energy even in the sultry air
we have been experiencing.
I do write this letter, however, with a
heavy heart, in the realization of the destructive fury
that Hurricane Katrina wreaked on New Orleans and so
much of the Gulf Coast of our nation, and in the
continuing violence we see in Iraq with close to 1,000
innocent civilians dying in panic over a feared suicide
car bomb. Natural and human disasters would seem to
abound all around us.
And yet, even in the midst of so much
confusion and helplessness and anger, we do believe God
is present, and that we are called to be faithful, and
to proclaim the message that creation is good, and that
grace continues to abound.
The parlous times in which we live are
beautifully juxtaposed in what is generally portrayed as
the beginning of a new season in our life together—the
Sunday following Labor Day. It is the Sunday when we
welcome back our choir, when our church school begins
its year, when our hospitality teams return, when we
greet three new seminarians who will be with us this
academic year.
And yet this year, the Sunday after Labor
Day happens also to be 9/11. And that of course
immediately reminds us that it is but four years since
so much of our innocence was lost, and so much evil was
launched—both in the events of that day and in so much
of the ostensible response to that day in our name and
on our behalf.
But this day is also a day in which we
celebrate Holy Baptism and we bring into the household
of the church a new member of the body of Christ, Donna
Lamb. New beginnings, new hope, new possibilities.
It is good to remember that we are not
called to solve all the world’s problems, God help us.
It is, rather, to be faithful to our vocation of
incarnating in every way we can that love we see in our
Lord, a love to which the world might at times respond,
yet also may as likely crucify. But in all and through
all, even so, we are a people of hope and promise. This
is because we know that God is ultimately sovereign,
that in the resurrection of Jesus who is the Christ, we
discern God’s will for us and for all the world he has
made and loved and redeemed.
At Holy Apostles we continue to be blessed
beyond measure. A simple glance at the accompanying
“Fall 2005 Dates to Note” will give a bit of an
indication of the abundance of possibilities for
deepening and enriching our shared life in this
community of faith. I hope you will mark and put in
your personal date-books key events you will not want to
miss. I am pleased to include with my fall letter to
you this year our new brochure “2005-2006 Concerts at
Holy Apostles.” I hope you will attend one or more of
them.
The impact of Bishop Gene Robinson’s visit
to Holy Apostles for Pride Day last June continues to be
felt. We are blessed with a number of new parishioners
and friends who have come to join us following that
glorious event. And word continues to spread on just
what a special community Holy Apostles is. I am
especially pleased that we now have both video and audio
excerpts from that service (in addition to the sermon
which has been posted for some time) on our website,
www.holyapostlesnyc.org. I urge you to go there,
and to refer your friends to it, and relive or
experience for the first time just how special that day
was. Tears came to my eyes several times in
experiencing once again the blessings of that day. I
mean it with all my heart when I say, once again, we
here are blessed beyond measure. Glory be.
* * * * *
* * * * *
Finally, and as always, I need to ask each
and every one of you to consider what Holy Apostles
means to you, and all that you have received from God
here and beyond.
It is true that we have a variety of
programs here including the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen,
many of our building-related projects, and even our
concert series that we are able to raise a significant
amount of money to support. But (and this is
a very big But) what you see on Sunday mornings and
through the week, the heart and soul of what makes this
parish all that it is depends on you and me and the
support we pledge to make our ongoing life possible. It
is as simple as that.
We have a dedicated stewardship committee.
We look forward to hearing from Paula Pressley, Nate
Dupree, and John Covington, who are giving stewardship
homilies this fall. And we expect to have well over 50
of you who have agreed to be Stewardship Callers and who
will be “sprinkled and smoked” on Sunday, October 2.
Please respond to them with some reference to the
measure in which you feel blessed by God in your life as
well as in your participation in the life of this
community and in its work and witness.
May God continue to bless us and keep us in
our life together.
See you in church!
Faithfully, 
The Reverend
William A.
Greenlaw
Rector
FALL 2005 DATES TO NOTE
AT HOLY APOSTLES
Sunday, September 11
11:00 a.m. Holy Baptism and the Parish Eucharist
First Sunday of the new season; special prayers on the
anniversary of 9/11;
our Choir returns from their summer break;
Church School for children, grades K-6 resumes;
rehearsal for congregation of the Holy Apostles Mass
after coffee hour
Sunday, September 18
11:00 a.m. The Parish
Eucharist with stewardship homily by Paula Pressley
Seminarian introduction (Elizabeth Masterson) after
coffee hour
Tuesday, September 20
6:15 p.m. The Holy Eucharist
7:00 p.m. Adult Education: Islam 101, led by Dr.
Lucinda Mosher
Wednesday, September 21
7:00 p.m. Benefit
Reading for the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen Writers’
Workshop
(more details
to come)
Sunday, September 25
11:00 a.m. The Parish
Eucharist with Stewardship Homily by Nate Dupree
Seminarian introduction (Bob Solon) after coffee hour
Tuesdays, September 27, October 4, October 11 &
October 18
6:15 p.m. The
Holy Eucharist
7:00 p.m. Adult Education Series: End of Life Issues,
with
Jay Swardenski, Larry Gifford and Mother Maxwell
Thursday, September 29
7:00 p.m.
Training Session for Stewardship Callers
Sunday, October 2
11:00 a.m. The Parish
Eucharist with Stewardship Homily by John Covington &
Commissioning of Stewardship Callers; Fall Potluck
Brunch and Musicale Follows
Wednesday, October 5
7:30 p.m. Organ Recital by David Hurd
Tickets are $20 and $10 at the door
Sunday, October 9
11:00 a.m. The Parish Eucharist
Seminarian introduction (Norman Bray) after coffee hour
Also on Sunday, October 9
3:00 p.m. Blessing of the Animals in the octave of
St. Francis of Assisi
Church Courtyard (or inside in case of rain) —
All Animals & Their People Are Welcome
Sunday, October 16
11:00 a.m. The Parish Eucharist and 2006 Pledge
Ingathering
Sermon Discussion/Talkback follows coffee hour
Sunday, October 23
11:00 a.m. The Parish Eucharist
Forum after coffee hour led by Dr. Lucinda Mosher and
Mother Maxwell:
“Neighborliness, Hospitality, Solidarity: Living with
our Muslim Neighbors”
Sunday, October 30
11:00 a.m. The Parish Eucharist
Forum after coffee hour led by Holy Apostles
Parishioner,
Bob Chaloner: Africa and the HIV/AIDS crisis
(Bob spent part of the summer in South Africa working in
this area)
Tuesday, November 1, All Saints’ Day (161st
anniversary of the Parish)
7:00 p.m. Procession and Festival Eucharist
(including David Hurd’s Holy Apostles Mass and other
special music—with instrumental ensemble)
All Saints’ Day Party follows
Wednesday, November 2, All Souls’ Day
6:15 p.m. Holy Eucharist with Community Reflections
Friday-Saturday-Sunday, November 4-6
Parish Retreat at Little Portion Friary
Led by Mother Maxwell (early registration encouraged
to reserve a space)
Beginning Sunday, November 6
Inquirers’ Class begins
after coffee hour—continuing every Sunday through
December 18
(Bishop’s Visitation on the Eve of the Epiphany,
Thursday, January 5)
Thursday, November 24, Thanksgiving Day
9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist in the Church with Table
Reflections in lieu of sermon
Soup Kitchen Thanksgiving Day Meal follows—Please sign
up if you wish to volunteer
Saturday, December 10
9:30 a.m. Morning Prayer followed by the Cleaning &
Greening of the Church
Top
|
