A Spirit-Filled Church

Last Sunday, St. Nicholas once again celebrated the day of Pentecost with style! Members of the congregation wore red to symbolize the flames of the Holy Spirit that came upon the apostles. Our acolytes Abby Crowley and Rylie Brumley came in swinging the red and orange kites while Fr. Jeff swung the Holy Spirit dove kite as a way to show the Spirit’s presence in our midst. After hearing Acts 2:1-21, we had a bit of reenactment of the Pentecost story, as Sheila Dixon, Amy Nerone, and Norma Wolff all read the Gospel lesson (John 20:19-23) in German, French, and Spanish respectfully. After the service everyone grabbed a red balloon (were there 99?) and launched them into the air as a symbol of our call to continue the work of Christ in the world.

Many thanks to everyone who made the day possible, especially Linda Sawyer, our Worship liaison on the Vestry, who made all the preparations. Here are some shots of the day by Lynn Hall and Drucye Robinson.

Bishop Whitmore Visits This Sunday

This Sunday at St. Nicholas, we will be joined by the Right Reverend Keith Whitmore, the Assistant Bishop of our diocese and his wife Suzie. We will start at 9:00am with a Bishop’s Forum which will be an open time for you to get to know Bishop Whitmore and ask questions about what he does, what’s going on in the diocese, and for him to get to know us better. Then, at our 10:00am service, Bishop Whitmore will preach and celebrate, and will receive 7 people into the Episcopal Church: Bill Caudill, Cora Coverson, Ona Graham, Ralph Graham, Carolyn Jacik, Judy Jacik, and Heather Roper. After church, we will have a reception for our new Episcopalians. Then, they and those who have been attending the Episcopal 101 class will go to the Mountain Creek Inn for lunch. It will be a full and wonderful day, and I hope you can all be there to meet the Bishop and support our 7 new Episcopalians.

Here’s is some information about Bishop Whitmore: The Rt. Rev. Keith B. Whitmore, the former bishop of the Diocese of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, became the Diocese of Atlanta’s assistant bishop effective April 15, 2008.

He currently serves on the The Episcopal Church’s Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance and is president of Affirming Anglican Catholicism. He serves as a trustee for the Berekeley Divinity School at Yale.

He was ordained bishop of Eau Claire in April 10, 1999. He is a Wisconsin native and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Nashotah House, Nashotah, Wis. He has served congregations in Wisconsin, Missouri and Kansas, where he was dean of Christ Cathedral, Salina, and is a retired Army chaplain. He and his wife, Suzie, have been married more than 40 years. They have two grown children.

And here are 10 random facts about bishops:

1. A Bishop is elected by a diocese. Dioceses search for bishops much like congregations search for priests. In fact, Fr. Jeff is currently serving on the nominating committee for the 10th Bishop of Atlanta, after our bishop, the Right Reverend J. Neil Alexander announced his resignation last month in order for him to go back to serving the church through his gifts of teaching. After the search process, there is a slate of 4 or 5 candidates for bishop, and a special election council is held. A bishop has to receive a majority vote from both the clergy and the laity of the diocese.
2. There are a few different kinds of bishops. A Bishop Diocesan is the main pastor and overseer of a diocese. Bishop Alexander is our Bishop Diocesan. A Suffragan Bishop is an elected bishop to serve to assist a Bishop. This is different from an Assistant Bishop, which is how Bishop Whitmore serves, because a Bishop Diocesan can appoint an Assistant Bishop whereas a Suffragan is elected by the diocese. Finally, there is a Bishop Coadjutor who is elected to succeed a Bishop Diocesan while that Bishop is still functioning.
3. The Bishop is an integral member of all the churches of the diocese. Therefore, one wouldn’t say “Welcome to St. Nicholas,” as if he were a newcomer. In some churches, there is a bishop’s chair that remains in the sanctuary as a symbol that even when the Bishop is not there, he or she still has an important place in the church. This is why we list our bishops at the top of our list of ministers in our bulletin because they are the chief pastors of St. Nicholas.
4. The hat a bishop wears is called a “mitre” and is pointed to symbolize the flame of the Holy Spirit that appeared above the heads of the apostles on the day of Pentecost.
5. A bishop carries a “crozier” which is a staff that looks like a shepherd’s crook, to symbolize his or her role as chief pastor of the diocese and shepherd to the larger flock of the church.
6. The bishop makes annual visitations to every parish in the diocese. When a diocese is large like ours, it requires a second person to help make those visitations, thus the need for an Assistant Bishop like Bishop Whitmore.
7. The word “Episcopal” means “having bishops,” therefore, the role of the bishop is central to who we are in our tradition of Christianity. When we talk about the “episcopacy,” we are talking about the role and function of the bishop. “Episcopal” comes from the greek word “episkopoi” which means “bishops” found in Acts 20, Titus 1, and 1 Peter 5.
8. Only bishops can confirm a Christian, receive someone into the Episcopal Church, and ordain people to holy orders. This is special because of “apostolic succession,” or the historic line through which people have been connected all the way to the first apostles, who had hands laid on them in prayer to equip them with the power of the Holy Spirit. The heads whom receive Bishop Whitmore’s hands will be connected to those apostles this Sunday.
9. While a congregation may call a priest to serve their church, the bishop must confirm that call.
10. St. Nicholas was bishop of Myra which is in modern-day Turkey. We celebrate his feast day on the Sunday closest to December 6.

Pentecost Sunday!

Don’t forget about Pentecost Sunday, this weekend, June 12!

It is a custom at St. Nicholas for everyone to wear red (if you have something red, if not, that’s OK) to symbolize the coming of the Holy Spirit.

On this special day of the church year, the Gospel, John 20:19-23 will be read in many languages, recognizing the “speaking in tongues” among the people when the apostles carried the message of Christ to all people in all places and they heard and understood in their own language. We need foreign language speakers for Pentecost Sunday at both services to be readers. Please let Fr. Jeff know if you are available and which language you speak. You are responsible for finding a translated copy of the Gospel.

Summer Schedule Starts Sunday!

Just a reminder that our summer worship schedule starts this Sunday, June 5 and will continue through the months of June and July. We will have one service at 10:00a.m. with fellowship time afterwards. Christian Education classes are on a summer sabbatical.

Our regular schedule will start back up Sunday, August 14, with our 8:30a.m. service, breakfast, Christian Ed. classes for adults, youth, and children, and our 11:00a.m. service.

See you Sunday!

Planning For Funerals

I hope you didn’t miss our May series in Adult Forum, but if you did, we’ve got you covered. Here are the recordings of all the sessions (the second one accidentally cut off in the middle). If you want to make an appointment with Fr. Jeff to discuss anything from these, don’t hesitate to do so!

If you missed the first session of the series “Before I Go” with Al Jackson, click here.

If you missed the second session of the series “I Wanna Look Good When I Die” with Fr. Jeff, click here for the first 30 min. of the recording.

If you missed the third session of the series “After I’m Gone” with Al Jackson, click here.

You can also download a copy of the Funeral Service Form by clicking here that Fr. Jeff gave out during the series. If you need help in filling it out, please contact Fr. Jeff.

Sign Up For Lunch at the Bluegrass Mass!

Don’t forget to join us on Sunday, May 8 for ONE SERVICE at 10:00am for a very special Sunday where we’ll be joined by the Summer Chapel Band of Highlands, North Carolina for music from the Appalachian tradition. Led by Mark Lassiter, this group offers an “old-time” worship experience with guitars, banjos, and mandolins. Following the service, we will gather for a fried chicken lunch on the lawn! Read more

Adult Forum: Going With Grace

Going With Grace: Dealing with Grief & Preparing for Death, Adult Forum in May: Easter is a time to remember that death is not the end for us, but a change in our lives. No one can ever truly be prepared for the death of a loved one, but there are positive things we can do to make that time easier when it comes. Have you made your funeral plans? Have you thought about what you want your memorial service to look like? Are you just plain scared to talk about death? This May on Sunday mornings at 9:45am, we will spend a few weeks with Fr. Jeff and his father, Al Jackson, a retired funeral director and grief counselor of 30 years to open up about these issues and learn about constructive steps to take when we lose a loved one.

May 1: “Before I Go” with Al Jackson–We will talk about the dying process, aspects of using hospice, regrets, acceptance of terminal illness, sudden death, and healthy “good grief.”

May 15: “I Wanna Look Good When I Die” with Fr. Jeff–Most people don’t know what they want their funeral to look like and leave it up to their grieving families to make those critical decisions. In this session, we’ll look at the Episcopal burial liturgy and talk about how to plan for that celebration.

May 22: “The Funeral Process” with Al Jackson–How do I choose a funeral director? What should I expect in making arrangements and what information do I need? We will discuss the value of the funeral process to the family, the Church, and the community.

Holy Week & Easter Pics

Here are some great shots of the acolytes leading Stations of the Cross on Wednesday of Holy Week thanks to Lynn Hall!

Drucye Robinson got some great photos of St. Nicholas on Easter Sunday!

Thanks, ladies, for capturing these moments!

Holy Week & Easter Services

Wednesday, April 20: Stations of the Cross at 6:30pm led by the Acolytes of St. Nicholas

Thursday, April 21: Maundy Thursday Holy Eucharist at 6:30pm with Footwashing and the Stripping of the Altar

Friday, April 22: Good Friday Eucharist from the Reserved Sacrament at 6:30pm

Sunday, April 24: Easter Sunday, 8:30am and 11:00am, followed by Easter Egg Hunt! Come early to get a seat!

Episcopal 101 after Maundy Thursday Service

Our next E101 class is this Thursday, April 21, which is Maundy Thursday. Maundy means “commandment,” which refers to Jesus’ new commandment to us to “love one another as [he] loves us.” The service will start at 6:30pm. It is one of the most beautiful and dramatic liturgies in the Episcopal church. It includes a service of footwashing, where the congregation is invited to engage in that loving act of serving one another by washing each other’s feet. Then, at the end of the service, we have the “stripping of the altar” where everything goes dark and everything is taken away from the altar, much like that time where Jesus is stripped of his garments. It’s beautiful, sad, and holy.

After the service, we will meet for 30 or so minutes to reflect on the service and how it relates to how Episcopalians see Scripture, especially the New Testament. No liturgy better illustrates this than Maundy Thursday.

It will be a great evening, so please come and be a part of it. Hope to see you then! Our class in May will be on the 19th at 6:30 and we’ll be looking at the history of the Episcopal Church. Mark you calendar now!

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