May 2012 Advent Advisor Page 8

The Prayer List is found on a notebook CHURCH OF THE ADVENT marked “Prayer Lists” found on the table in the vestibule of the church. Names may be added at any time by writing them in the notebook or Advent Advisor calling the church office. The Prayer List is read weekly at Sunday services. Periodically, May 2012 names are removed from the list. Contact the Church of the Advent church office if you wish to have a name added, Episcopal re-listed, or taken off the list. This newsletter is printed on 35% recycled paper. The Reverend James R. Horton, rector Prayer List Al Chesson, senior warden Howard Mann Doug Chesson, junior warden Vestry opens discussion Beginning on Joyce Ward Sunday, June 6, the 124 West Church Street On Sunday, Keathley Malone May 6, the morning morning service will Milton James P. O. Box 463 begin at 10 a. m. and Williamston, NC 27892 service will be a short- John Allen ened Morning Prayer continue through Au- Margaret Downing Telephone 252.792.2244 gust. Fax 252.792.2244 without a sermon to Abby Cameron allow the vestry an op- Hope Robinson Palmer Car Phone 252.802.0216 E-mail [email protected] portunity to lead a dis- UTO offers opportunity Ezra cussion with the con- Jimmy Cherry www.williamstonepiscopalchurch.com gregation concerning to return thanks Chuck Manning Diocese of East Carolina the future of the parish Frankie Biggs, parish chair of the Nurse Nancy The Right Reverend Clifton Daniel, 3rd following the retirement of the Reverend Jim United Thank Offering (UTO) has designated Lorraine Sadler Bishop Horton in August. Sunday, May 13as the spring in-gatheringof the Lillian Martin The Right Reverend Santosh Marray This was changed from April 22 due to UTO. Paul Harrell Bishop Assisting conflicts with schedules. Special offering envelopes are included Benjamin Diocesan House The vestry will share the process that is in the Advent Advisor. Julie Westervelt 705 Doctors Drive to begin for seeking a new rector. The UTO is a ministry of the Episcopal Patti Malone Ganis P. O. Box 1336 Plans call for the vestry to meet with Church that provides a way for women, men, Kinston, NC 28503 Birthdays in May Bishop Daniel to begin planning. and children to give thanks to God. Telephone 888.622.4778 7, Lauren Stalling Parishioners are encouraged to attend to Established in 1889 as the United Fax 252.523.5272 9, Jim Horton hear and to question and to speak. Offering by the Women’s Auxiliary to the 9, Joyce Ward www.diocese-eastcarolina.org After the discussion, the congregation (Continued on page 2) 14, Mary Bonner Trinity Center will adjourn to the Parish House for lunch. 15, Exum Taylor P. O. Drawer 380 19, Michael Biondi Salter Path, NC 28575 19, Katherine Skinner Telephone 888.874.6287 Volume 34, Issue 5 23, Don Mills Fax 252.247.3290 Kit Reddick, editor 28, Todd Tanner E-mail [email protected] 792.1158 31, Beverly Mills www.trinityctr.com [email protected] May 2012 Advent Advisor Page 2 May 2012 Advent Advisor Page 7

(Continued from page 1) Owners and operators as well as Dear Jim and Kit, Board of Missions. parishioners Bobby and Janice Greene extend a Around the Church I just wanted to let Baptism At first the fund was cordial and open invitation to the parish family you know that the online mainly used to to spend the afternoon enjoying the various Roslyn Laura Caldwell, infant daughter Lenten meditations have of Kristen Bucher and Jeff Caldwell and support the work of activities offered by the campground. been a blessing to me. women missionaries Parishioners need to be sure to identify granddaughter of Laura and Ken Bucher, was I plan and attempt baptized on April 7 aboard the USCGC Block and missionary work themselves as members of the Church of the to read that little book among women and Advent to the staff when using the facilities. Island at Atlantic Beach by the Reverend Jim each year, but realize that Horton. Roslyn’s name was inscribed inside the children. Green Acres is located six miles south by far I have read many more of the medita- Now 123 of Williamston on Highway 17. ship’s bell according to custom. tions when they show up in my daily inbox. Mission Trip years old, the UTO has broadened its work to I know that was not the plan for this include all areas of the church’s work. Brant Coltrain, grandson of Jesse year, but I think that it has probably worked out Critcher is embarking on a mission trip to All money collected is given away in well for many folks and think that it would be a the form of grants. None is used for South Africa this summer. Jesse asks that the great option for parishioners in the future----- parish family remember Brant in their prayers. administrative purposes. may cut down on the number of booklets that The In-Gathering is submitted to the Parish Family Weekend need to be purchased. The sign-up sheet for this year’s Par- diocese and then, in turn, submitted to the Just wanted to let you know how well national level of the UTO. ish Family Weekend at Trinity Center may be this worked for me! found in the narthex. The dates are July Take care, 20th.22nd. Please indicate rooms needed and the BettyPeel Church of the Advent number planning to attend. moves to Green Acres Sunday morning service on May 20 will Pentecost ends Great Fifty Days of Easter move to the outdoor Amphitheater at the Green The liturgical color red will be the color Acres Campground as part of the worship of the day as the Great Fifty Days of Easter ends schedule for the campers. with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist for The service of Holy Eucharist begins at Pentecost Sunday on May 27. 11:00 a. m. The service commemorates the descent In case of rain, the service will move of the Holy Spirit on the apostles as they indoors to the Clubhouse. gathered seven weeks after Passover to celebrate The Clubhouse is the place for a potluck the ancient Jewish feast of Shauoth to acknowledge the revelation of the Law on Mount Sinai. picnic at noon. Now filled with the Holy Spirit, the apostles began to go out and preach. Picnickers Subsequently, Pentecost is informally referred to as the birthday of the church, the day the need to be sure to church began to grow. bring utensils for their In the early church, Pentecost was a time for the administration of the sacrament of baptism. favorite dishes as there Sometimes Pentecost is called Whitsunday for Whitesunday in reference to the white robes is no kitchen in the Clubhouse. worn by those being baptized. Tea and paperware and eating utensils Green is the color of the coming season of Pentecost, which continues until Advent. are provided by Green Acres. May 2012 Advent Advisor Page 6 May 2012 Advent Advisor Page 3 efforts to support the project? Our parish gradu- We ask that the volunteer be ready fif- As far as I know, the ECW is the only ates will be honored at the teen minutes before Sunday service starts. If group in our parish making an effort to meet the outdoor service on May there are no children to play that Sunday, then challenge. 20. you can join the congregation ten minutes after If you do not understand the concept of They will be re- the service starts. the card purchase, call me and I’ll try to ex- membered by the Church We are also in the process of updating plain how it works, and how much each pur- of the Advent with the toys and electronics. chase generates. book Life of the Beloved The vestry recognizes the need to have Mary Charles Coppage by Henri Nouwen. these services available so that all of our flock Our graduates include Sarah Bowen can attend and enjoy services. Outreach for May from East Carolinas University and Harrison Hopefully in time, we can start using Requests are posted in the church nar- Episcopal Church Women Peel from University of North Carolina at those Sunday School rooms again. thex to collected boxers of food for the food Diocese of East Carolina Chapel Hill. pantry of the Martin County Department of So- Annual Meeting Harrison’s mother Betty reports that cial Services. his major is Peace, War and Defense. He will Offerings may be left anytime during be working this summer at a camp at University the month of May. of Virginia and is currently job hunting in the DC area.

Nursery reborn St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Greenville Doug Chesson, Junior Warden May 16, 2012 I would state that the nursery is up and

Speaker will be Joy Shigaki running again and will be staffed by volunteer- In recognition of Earth Day Sunday on I would like to thank all those who have Director of NetsforLife Inspiration Fund ing parishioners. April 22, a recycling station has been set up in The sign up sheet is posted in the Par- the church narthex to receive bulletins and in- bought Food Lion Grift Cards during February, 9:00 Registration March, and to this date, April 16, 2012. Pur- rish House and not serts. 10:00 Assembly in the narthex as it Paper must not be crumpled or stapled chase of the gift cards generated funds to sup- 11:15 Holy Eucharist port the $100.00 challenge from the diocese for will be more acces- in order to be recycled. 12:30 Lunch sible. Complimentary notepads made from each parish to raise matching monies by May The cost for the lunch will be $15.00 27th. Monies raised will be giving to Episcopal Those of us out of date bulletin covers are available for the and should be sent to that have enjoyed taking. Relief and Development. Barbara Vickers Thus far, I count 17 people who have the nursery over the The notepads can be found in the ECW, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church past years are urged church narthex. purchased gift cards to help our ECW raise 401 East Fourth Street monies to meet the challenge. I can count 19 to give a little Greenville, NC27858. something back. people in our parish who not bought a gift The heaven of heavens is the cards. Which group are you in? Martha W. Clark, Diocesan President These little guys are our investment to 1124 Pony Drive, Hope Mills, NC 28348 the future, and you get the extreme pleasure of Lord’s, but he entrusted the If you are in the group that hasn’t pur- earth to its people. chased a card, won’t you please help ECW’s (910)485-2228 not only getting to know them, but they also are getting to know you. Psalm 115:16 May 2012 Advent Advisor Page 4 May 2012 Advent Advisor Page 5 Dear Friends throughout the Diocese of East Carolina, North Carolina couples who would be immediately affected by this legislation are heterosexual cou- The Bishops Diocesan of the three dioceses of The Episcopal Church in the State of North ples who, for whatever reason, are not legally married.** If it passes, Amendment One would likely Carolina have written a public letter to be released on Monday, April 23 and posted on our diocesan outlaw legal protection for all unmarried couples. They could lose health care, retirement benefits, website today. The letter is written in opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment known as hospital visitation rights, inheritance rights and Social Security benefits. Nine municipalities in our "Amendment One" which will be placed on the ballot for referendum on May 8. This proposed con- state currently offer family benefits for unmarried employees, and these protections would almost stitutional amendment appears to be a simple yes/no referendum on the banning of marriage be- certainly disappear under the amendment. tween persons of the same gender in the State of North Carolina. Marriage between persons of the The amendment would also directly impact the children of these couples. It’s estimated that same gender is already barred by statute in this state. 89,537 of the aforementioned families include at least one child.** Unmarried couples who seek to Proposed Amendment One, as you will read in the bishops' letter, has potentially far- adopt children might no longer qualify as a family. The grandparents of children whose parents are reaching and damaging effects for a great number of law-abiding citizens of this state, both hetero- unmarried may no longer legally qualify as part of the family. Parental visitation and custody rights sexual and homosexual. Some of the effects are described in the letter attached. for unmarried couples, which were put in place solely for the benefit of children, may end. I write you now to inform you of the release of the bishops' letter and to say that you are In addition, parents who are victims of domestic violence and their children may lose the perfectly free to agree or disagree with what your bishops have written. The letter does not an- legal protections they currently have under domestic violence laws because the parents are not le- nounce a "party line" on gay marriage. The letter speaks to the potential harmful and hidden conse- gally married. This has already happened in Ohio where domestic violence convictions have been quences for many citizens of this state that passage of this deceptively simple sounding amendment overturned or dismissed because of similar legislation. These are just some examples of the poten- introduces. tial consequences and impacts of Amendment One. There is much more that is uncertain and un- I ask your prayers for divine guidance for our state and its citizens as we prepare to vote on known. It is highly irresponsible to amend the Constitution of the State of North Carolina when the this matter in early May. I ask your prayers for the ministry of the church as we seek reconciliation extent of negative impact on the lives of law-abiding citizens is unknown. We have included online in our divided world through our striving to fulfill Jesus' prayer that "...all may be one" even as he educational resources for you as you give this your prayerful and careful consideration. and the father are one. Whether we agree or disagree with same-sex marriage, civil unions or unmarried couples In the strength and hopefulness that the resurrection of our Lord brings, I remain, cohabitating, we can agree as people of faith that, as the book of Genesis says, all human beings are Faithfully yours, created in the “image of God.” That means that all persons are to be treated with the love, respect Clifton Daniel Bishop Diocesan, Diocese of East Carolina and dignity that befit a child of God. Therefore, we do not believe that the Bible or the Constitutions Dear People of God: of our state and nation should be used to oppress, harm or restrict the human rights and dignity of We write to you today as the Bishops Diocesan of the three Dioceses of The Episcopal any human being. On the contrary, Jesus has taught us that the greatest and most important of all Church in North Carolina to share our opposition to the state’s proposed constitutional amendment, the commandments of God are to love God and to love our neighbor. Senate Bill 514, also known as Amendment One. We do so as followers of Jesus Christ, as Bishops in “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all The Episcopal Church, and as citizens of our state and nation. your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your We oppose Amendment One because the love of God and the way of love that has been re- neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew vealed in Jesus of Nazareth compels us to do so. We oppose Amendment One because every time we 22:37-40) baptize someone in The Episcopal Church, the entire congregation vows to “strive for justice and Amendment One falls dangerously short of that standard. peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.”* We oppose Amendment Your Brothers in Christ, One because it is unjust and it does not respect the dignity of every human being in the State of The Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry North Carolina. If passed, it will harm not only law-abiding gay and lesbian citizens but other men, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina women and innocent children in our state. We bid you to hear our plea and, with prayerful consid- The Right Rev. Clifton Daniel, III eration, to study the amendment and its potential impact on people. Any and all of the potential out- Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina comes listed below may occur as a result of the passage of this amendment. The Rt. Rev. G. Porter Taylor Amendment One states, “Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State.” While it is commonly thought that * The Baptismal Covenant from The Book of Common Prayer Amendment One is meant only to prevent homosexual marriage, almost 90 percent of the 222,832 ** 2010 U.S. Census