Facebook, Twitter, & Blogs, Oh My! Podcast

Today, the Rev. Alicia Shuster-Weltner, Canon for Congregational Development, and I taught a workshop on using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs at the 2010 Ministry Fair of the Diocese of Atlanta at the Cathedral of St. Philip. To my delight, the workshop was well-attended. But there were many who couldn’t come, so I promised I would record the session and put it on our website. Many thanks to all who attended and contributed!

You can listen to the workshop in it’s entirety (almost an hour and a half) to the right of this page in the Podomatic window.

This podcast also marks my first exploration into souping up the recording with an introduction and conclusion. It took me a little while to figure everything out with a program on my Mac called Garageband, but once I got it, it should be much easier. It takes a little more work to do this kind of thing, but I think it adds a nice touch. Hope you like it.

Making New Beginnings

This past weekend, I was invited by one of my former youth group students from St. Peter’s (and god-sister to my kids) to be a Spiritual Director for New Beginnings. New Beginnings is a weekend retreat for 7th through 9th graders. Many dioceses have New Beginnings, including our own Diocese of Atlanta, but this one took place in my home diocese, the Diocese of Georgia at their camp and conference center Honey Creek. As many of you know, Honey Creek was almost as much of my childhood home as Augusta was. So I was honored when Kimberly asked me to serve, along with her father, my former rector at St. Peter’s, Sam Buice.

New Beginnings is a weekend that touches middle-schoolers where they are. That age group is in such flux, not quite children and not yet close to adulthood. They are learning about peer pressure, friendships, sexuality, family issues, and within all of those, how to navigate their own faith. New Beginnings does a really good job of addressing many of these issues.

The weekend is mostly led by teenagers. There are plenty of adults present to chaperone and support, but the youth are the ones who keep us on schedule, lead games, play music, give talks, facilitate small groups, and lead most worship services. It’s always quite amazing to see this take place. These young people do a great job of using their own God-given gifts to spread God’s love to all the new participants.

The weekend always starts off a little awkward. Teenagers are still used to their school identities, where you clump with your friends or similar-looking people. But very quickly, they are engaged in games, singing, and small groups that allow these walls to crumble. By the middle of the second day, these young people are arm-in-arm as they sing, laugh, play, and learn.

For as many weekends like these that I’ve done, I am still in awe of that transformation. It’s a sign of God’s kingdom present in our world. It’s a beacon of light and hope in our sometimes dark world. I’m also amazed by the friendships that are forged here, which last forever. There were adults on the weekend with whom I went through these programs as a teenager, and some who were youth when I was first ordained, who have now grown into maturity and are giving back by supporting the programs and leading them behind-the-scenes.

The climax of New Beginnings is a “sin-burning service.” We explain that sin is separation from God and that God always forgives them and wants them back. We invite them to write these sins on slips of paper and then invite them to bring them to the altar, where there is a bowl of flames waiting to consume their paper and their sins. It’s a tangible reality of God’s consuming love for us. As you can imagine, it’s an intensely emotional experience for young people who have never heard this message before. Afterwards, we invited them to come for healing prayers. After receiving forgiveness, they are healed in mind, body, and spirit and thus, a new beginning is made.

While things change at Honey Creek as I get older, and while God’s beloved children are making fresh starts and new changes, I am struck by how simple, important, and constant the message of God’s forgiveness is. That message that was communicated to me as a teenager is still being communicated on the holy ground of Honey Creek. The same could be said for Camp Mikell, or any other place where these types of programs happen.

The church is indeed alive and well, my friends. As Kimberly told the group in her talk entitled The Church and Me, we are not called to go to church, we are called to be the church.

As I listened, 15 years since I first went to a New Beginnings, a new beginning was forged in my heart again. Thanks be to God!

Many Thanks to Our Altar Guild!

This past Saturday, our fantastic Altar Guild met to train, refresh, and fellowship with one another. Thanks to the leadership of Altar Guild chair Liz Dixon and Vestry liaison for Worship, Sharon Cheatham, the crowd looks like they had a good time with one another.

The Altar Guild are “behind the scenes” people who set up the bread, wine, altar hangings, and so on. They learn a lot about liturgy and handle the very important and delicate elements of our worship. They are responsible for enhancing our worship in ways that most people don’t recognize. They handle the “holy things” and without them, our worship would be sorely hindered.

Many thanks to our whole Altar Guild for their incredible service to St. Nicholas! If you are interested in being a part of this wonderful group, contact Liz Dixon at Jcemdixon@aol.com.

March Issue of the Spirit is Up!

The March 2010 issue of the Spirit of St. Nicholas is up!

Many thanks to all our contributors! You can read it by clicking directly on the image of the issue to the left, or by going to our Newsletter Page and clicking on March 2010.

If you have any news for the April issue, please contact Drucye Price by March 15.

The Home-Owning Priest

Yes, it’s official, we are finally homeowners again! After a long waiting period to sell our house in Savannah, we finally closed on our house last Friday, thanks to the work of our realtor Bob Patterson.

As you have seen and probably heard, the house we bought is an historic house, built in 1915. It has a rich history in Hamilton, with many people knowing the Shafer family who lived there for many years. Some folks have even given us history that pre-dates the Shafer’s, which we hope to learn more about. Despite it’s age, the house is in great shape and needs a bit of work, which we are rushing to get done in the next few weeks before we move in. We have already had one paint party, and are having another this Saturday from 9:00 to 3:00. Read more

Listen to Lenten Series

Miss tonight’s Lenten Series speaker? No worries! We’ve got you covered!

You can click on the box to the right to hear the entire presentation from the Rev. Ruth Cummings. She did a phenomenal job on bringing Mary to life in vivid ways.

The food was also top notch. Many thanks to Anne Simpson and all who brought food! Be sure to sign up for next week’s Lenten Series!

Happy 10th Anniversary, St. Nicholas!

On February 20, 2000, St. Nicholas was officially recognized as a “worshipping community” by then bishop, the Right Reverend Frank Allen. Although the seeds of St. Nicholas had been planted and watered before that, with gatherings starting in 1998, and ideas of an Episcopal Church in Harris County brewing well before that, this is a special day of remembrance for the people of St. Nicholas. It was also on this day that the Rev. Beverley McEachern, who was then serving as priest-in-charge was declared St. Nicholas’ first vicar.

Ten years later, St. Nicholas is a much different place, with our beautiful worship space, our continually growing congregation, and a “relatively new” rector, but we still hold that same excitement about doing God’s work in this place, welcoming people into our midst, and being an example of Christ’s love.

For more about our history, visit our history page by clicking here. If any of you have pictures of this time period and would like to e-mail them to me in .jpg form, please do!

Thank you, Lord, for 10+ years of this wonderful parish. Thank you for the individuals who answered your call to be an example of your love in Harris County. Thank you for the work you’ve done and the ways you have been with us throughout our journey. Be with us for the next 10 years and beyond, and makes us always faithful to your call. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

Drive & Dine This Sunday!

The St. Nicholas Choir invites you to join us for a Drive & Dine luncheon fellowship at the Texas Roadhouse 2970 Northlake Parkway, Columbus, GA 31909. Plans are to meet there immediately following  the 11:00 am service; around 12:30 pm. You do not have to be a member of the choir to join us. This just an opportunity to fellowship with a great group of people! See you there!

EpiscoBOWL

You thought football season was over???

Join us this Sunday at 3:00 p.m. for EpiscoBOWL. St. Nicholas will be hosting youth groups from the area Episcopal Churches in a game of flag football. We will meet at the practice fields behind Harris County High School. All youth in grades 6 through 12 and their friends are invited to participate. It’s gonna be a blast! Free food, free fun, and free fellowship!!!

Paint Party at the Jackson’s

Thank you to everyone who helped with the cleaning day last weekend, despite the snowy weather. We are so thankful to have so many of you who have offered to help in any way you can. It is so wonderful to be so supported.

If all goes according to plan, we will be closing on the Hill Street house on Friday, February 19. Our plan, after we sign all the papers and it’s official, is to go over to the house and begin pulling up carpet. We could use anyone’s help with this. We are not sure exactly what time yet, though, but we hope it will be Friday afternoon.

On Saturday at 9:00 a.m., we plan on getting the bulk of the painting done. Don’t worry about detail work, we just need people who can get paint on the large portions of the walls. We will provide lunch for everyone, so come ready to work and eat. I have no idea how many supplies to get because I don’t know how many folks will come, so if you have any paint rollers, brushes, pans, etc., bring them!

Thank you all for making this house feel like our home!

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