The Sunrise Newsletter

When you receive this newsletter, we’ll be winding down Lent and nearing Holy Week. Holy Week brings us face-to-face with the fact that we need a God who knows about pain. God is not in the business of protecting us from harm, and no amount of good behavior will keep us safe. Instead, God is in the business of restoring us to life, which may involve some painful procedures. The cross of Holy Week is evidence of this.

The cross is such a hard, hard piece of the gospel that most of us cannot linger there for long. However, the crucifixion is non-negotiable because it confronts us with the fact that God does not conform to our expectations. I rubbed the lantern and God did not appear. God must not be a genie. God did not punish my enemy. God must not be a cop. My flight through life has been bumpy. God must not be a pilot.

The Incarnate God we get washed the feet of his friends and dipped bread into the wine and fed the one about to betray him. The Incarnate God was hung between two thieves, under a crudely printed sign on his rough wooden cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” It was a joke. It was the truth. It was the charge for which he had been sentenced to die. The whole idea was to kill the convict slowly and painfully as possible so that everyone standing got the message: buck the system and this could be you. Yet the Incarnate God did not resort to violence, not even to save his own life. He fought back by refusing to fight back.

On Good Friday, we gather around the wreckage of the cross, perhaps as a crowd gathers around a horrendous accident, transfixed by our nearness to tragedy. For some, Good Friday seems more like home than Easter. As awful as it is, it is more recognizable to them. They know about suffering. They know about death they know their way around this wreckage, and there is some sort of comfort in the fact that God knows it too. Easter is hard to believe. Good Friday is not hard to believe. We live in the land at the foot of the cross. Good Friday is the day we receive no answer and must suffer that silence with the crucified one – wondering what it says about us, wondering what it says about God.

Christianity is the only world religion that confesses a God who suffers. It is not all that popular an idea, even among Christians. We prefer a God who prevents suffering, only that is not the God we have. The good news of God in Christ is that when the bottom has fallen out from under you – when you have crashed through all your safety nets and you can hear the bottom rushing up to meet you – the good news is that you cannot fall farther than God can catch you. God is able to take our weakness, our fear, our trembling, and turn it into fullness of life.

By entering into the experience of the cross, God took the manmade wreckage of the world inside himself and labored with it – a long labor, almost three days – and he did not let go of it until he could transform it and return it to us as life. That is the power of a suffering God, not to prevent the pain but to redeem it, by going through it with us. What the cross teaches us is that God’s power is not the power to force human choices and end human pain. It is, instead the power to pick up the shattered pieces and make something holy out of them – not from a distance but right close up.

The cross reminds us our pain and suffering can draw us deeper into the mystery of God’s being and doing. Our job, on Good Friday, is to sit, stand, kneel before the cross and enter into our own living encounter with it – with this instrument of death, this tree of life, this living, dying Lord – so that when all is said and done, it is we who are the living, breathing explanation of it all, the ongoing interpreters of what he means to this world in which we live – the world in which, for love, he died.

Good Friday is the day for pondering these things, while Easter is still a rumor.*

* Much of this content is summarized from God in Pain, Barbara Brown Taylor, Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1998.

Six beautiful needlepoint hangings for reserving pews for funerals, weddings, baptisms and other special occasions have been given to the glory of God and in memory of Mary Eleanor Anderson.

Handmade by John Beal, they are a gift to Resurrection by John and Mary Lee Beal.

Our 31st Season
Convenes at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 1 and concludes after lunch on Sunday, August 6, 2006. Join us at Gray Center
www.mississippiconference.org
We hope to see you there !!!

Music of the Taizé Community in France is being sung by all at the Home Communions. The music of this community is used by all denominations of Christianity throughout the world. The songs and their texts express the community’s concern to deepen an inner life and their readiness to take on responsibilities in order to make the world a better place to live in.

People attending services at Resurrection have sung the music of the Taizé Community at many services during the year and will once again during Holy Week and the Easter season.

The children have been studying the spiritual lives of the Shakers, a study inspired by their learning and singing the Shaker dance song “’Tis a Gift to be Simple” in church in February. The study has included listening to Shakers sing their own music as well as making a montage of the lives of the Shakers and learning the Shaker Dance to accompany “’Tis a Gift”. The children will be sharing their dance and art project soon at an Agape Dinner.

The spring blood drive will be Sunday, April 23 from 10:30a.m.-1:30p.m. The United Blood Services Bloodmobile will be in the Merchants and Farmers parking lot. Watch for the sign up sheet in the narthex, and please sign up for a time. Keeping the schedule will help space donors out and keep anyone from waiting too long.

Remember, if we meet our quota, the parish family will be covered for blood needs for another 6 months. If you give through UBS in another location, be sure to ask them to credit Resurrection. If you or someone in your family needs blood call United Blood Services….the number is in the parish directory. Pease call Ellen Newsom if you have questions.

Many thanks to Michael Fazio and those who cooked and to Emily Easterling, who coordinated, and the many volunteers who made our annual Shrove Tuesday Red Beans & Rice Dinner a fun, successful event!

We have received notes of thanks from ERD, Habitat for Humanity, and UTO for recent gifts.

We continue to send Katrina relief monies to ERD. ERD helped with critical supplies immediately after the hurricane, and they remain with communities to help rebuild lives and livelihoods. To learn more about how your contribution is making a difference, please visit www.er-d.org.

Starkville Habitat invites you to stop by 201 McKinley Street (their 34th home!) to check on the progress you helped make possible. For information about volunteering with Starkville Habitat, contact their office at 324-7008 or by email at hhumanity@bellsouth.net.

UTO notes that in this very difficult year, our coins of thanksgiving will join others “to expand the circle of thankful people and promote God’s kingdom”.

We have been greatly assisted by our regular office volunteers who answer the phone, make copies, do mailings and help in other ways. Our thanks to Rae Brandon, Ellen Newsom, and Gretchen Passons who each are volunteering a morning a week. We were also helped by Danielle Martin, who has volunteered as her school schedule permitted.

In preparation for the mission trip to El Salvador in May from this parish to work on a building project coordinated by Episcopal Relief and Development, the mission team and the Servant Ministry Committee request that items brought in for sharing during April be selected from the following:

Thank you for helping us to take items that are helpful to the people with whom we will meet and work. Many of the team members plan to take an extra suitcase so that we can transport donated items from the parish.

The Servant Ministry Committee is looking for a couple of individuals who would agree to make monthly telephone contact with our adopted families so that we can consistently stay in touch and be supportive. Please call Diane Livingston (615-0956) if you want more information.

Our adopted families will be remembered at Easter with a special happy. Watch the service sheet announcements for details and ways to help.

Thanks to Melinda Myers, Sherrie Van Landingham, and several from the Servant Ministry Committee who fed a visiting collegiate team who spent their spring break here in Starkville working on a Habitat House.

The Servant Ministry on behalf of the parish is recognizing area social workers by sending cards to each one thanking them for the work that they do and expressing that a donation has been made in their honor to the Mississippi Chapter of NASW for Hurricane Katrina Relief.

The Servant Ministry Committee will visit the Boys and Girls Club on Friday, April 21 from 4:00-5:00 p.m. for a time of fun and interaction. Anyone who would like to participate should contact Emily Schuster at 662-341-2466 or eqs@muw.edu.

This is a special way to meet some great kids and for them to know that an area church thinks they are a good group to have fun with and get to know.

The Servant Ministry Committee will meet on Wednesday, April 19 at noon in the Student Center. All are welcome!

A simple truth…The birds knew. The birds knew that Hurricane Katrina was coming.

So begins Story of a Storm, a picture book by Reona Visser and the children of Coast Episcopal School about the hurricane and its effects on cities, families, and countless individual lives. The story is told through creative and collaborative collage art with simple messages that express profound emotions and describe the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. Proceeds from the book will benefit the Coast Episcopal School Relief Fund.

The LESM office has moved! The NEW address is:
775 N. President St.
Jackson, MS 39201
Phone: 601.352.7125 Fax: 601.352.7520
www.lesm.org

Second response to feedback given during the recent parish discernment process. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, comments and suggestions.

While several complimented sermons, several offered comments about wanting more “positive,” “joyful,” “happy” sermons. Responding to feedback on sermons and not have it sound defensive is impossible. With that caveat, I’ll try to respond to the feedback.

First, on any given Sunday, those sitting in our pews may include any or all of the following: one who knows nothing about Jesus, has never set foot in a church and just happened to pick Resurrection on that day; a deeply spiritual person who regularly attends worship, has a deeply committed prayer life, and gives above the tithe to this parish; a “cradle” Episcopalian who attends worship a few times a year, has no prayer life, and pledges less than 1% of his income and does not give that when he is angry at the priest, bishop or someone in the parish; someone grieving the death of a spouse, child, parent or best friend; someone who just learned his wife is in an adulterous relationship; a husband in an adulterous relationship; someone who has just learned she has a terminal illness; one who has never known serious illness; one with mounting debt and working two jobs just to make ends meet; one with an abundance of wealth; one who sees pain and suffering in the world and wonders why “the church isn’t doing more to help;” one who says, “there are no poor people in Starkville;” one who volunteers to the parish to the point of exhaustion; one who never volunteers and asks, “why can’t the parish do more for me?”

The cliche about preaching is that the preacher is to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” Preaching should extend the love and grace of God to those who have never heard it. Preaching should place before us the call to be imitators of Christ. Preaching should give hope to the grieving and suffering. Preaching should be the prophetic voice to those who want God’s grace but do not want to be transformed nor imitators of Christ. Preaching should promise justice to the oppressed and challenge the oppressors and those who seek justice only for themselves.

Second, another cliche about preaching is “everyone hears his/her own sermon.” I am often amazed when someone only heard and focused on what I consider the least significant and minutest portion of a sermon. Some react to a sermon as if the preacher is preaching specifically about or to them. Some who are grieving will hear grace in a least grace filled sermon while others will hear no grace in a sermon about nothing but grace. Some will hear a sermon challenging us to be imitators of Christ as an invitation to transformation and others will hear it as a guilt inducing harangue.

Third, I firmly believe we cannot earn God’s grace but if we accept God’s grace that it should transform our lives so that the grace we experience on Sunday influences our relationship with our spouse, how we parent, our business ethics, and our response to pain, suffering and injustice in the world. I realize that I sometimes over emphasize this portion of preaching the Gospel. Knowing this about myself and having received the discernment feedback (which varied from criticizing and complimenting sermons and some wanting less of what others want more of) I now review my sermons more carefully to assure that God’s grace is spoken clearly. However, sermons must not only make us feel good, they must be part of the church’s offering of God’s transforming grace. Perhaps nothing speaks more clearly to this mission than the sermon given on March 19. If you did not hear this sermon, you may want to review it at our parish web page: http://resurrectionchurch.com/. Select the link to sermons.

Finally, I hope any time someone finds a sermon(s) offensive, you will discuss this with me. Through such conversations, we can make sure something in a sermon was not misunderstood and that I have a better understanding of what you are seeking in sermons.

2 Daylight Savings Time Change
5 LENTEN STUDY
6 HEALING & HOLY EUCHARIST, SOUP & BREAD LUNCH
6 Executive Committee, St. Andrew’s
7 STATIONS OF THE CROSS
7-8 ECW Spring Conference, Gray Center
8 PALM CROSS WORKSHOP (see p. 5)
9 PALM SUNDAY
10 EVENING PRAYER
11 HE/HU
12 JOHN MAXWELL PERFORMANCE
13 MAUNDY THURSDAY
14 GOOD FRIDAY
14-17 Allin House closed in observance of Easter
15 EASTER VIGIL
15 EASTER EGG HUNT
16 EASTER SUNDAY
17 RESURRECTION CLOSED IN
OBSERVANCE OF EASTER
17 VESTRY MEETING
21-22 Wardens' Conference, Gray Center
23 YOUTH SUNDAY AND SENIOR RECOGNITION DAY
25-26 Province IV House of Bishops
26 Hospice Board
26-28 Province IV Synod
29 Diocesan Confirmations, St. Andrew's Cathedral, 10:30 a.m.
30 BISHOP GRAY’S ANNUAL VISIT TO RESURRECTION

6 Safeguarding God’s Children,
7 Gray Center Sunday
7-9 Presbyter POC/Fresh Start
13-21 Bishop Gray's extended visit to the Tombigbee Convocation
24 Trustees, 2:00 p.m., Allin House
29 RESURRECTION CLOSED IN OBSERVANCE OF MEMORIAL DAY; Allin House also closed
30-31 Annual Retiree Retreat, Gray Center

1 Standing Committee, Allin House
3-11 Bishop Gray’s extended visit to the Coast Convocation
9-10 Gray Center Board Meeting, Gray Center
12-21 175th General Convention, Columbus, OH
14-18 Cursillo # 110, Gray Center
24-30 Camp Caritas, Gray Center

WE SHARE IN JOY FOR THOSE MARRIED:
Jack and Pennye Hollister, March 19, 2006, in Starkville, Mississippi

CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY IS EXTENDED TO:
Michael Fazio, on the death of his uncle, Carl Driskill, on March 16. Mary Frances Brady, on the death of her uncle, William Wightman Hardin, on March 23. Alice Jones, on the death of her uncle Kenneth Staub, on March 24. Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord; And let light perpetual shine upon them.

YOUR PRAYERS ARE ASKED FOR….those with child, especially Kristen, Wendy VanLandingham....those who suffer in mind, body or spirit, especially Margie, Jeanne, Lorenzo, Edna, Don, Oma Lee, Ophelia, Donald Mosley, Madeline, Jim Little, Janet Mason, Jonathon Sobley, Brooke Schnitman, Grace Jones, Bridget Burdan, Hunter Maye, Lisa Dickey, Frances Finane, Patience Rall, Chad Green, Noah David, Marian, Suzanna Easley, Chris Pearce, Johnny Hennessey, Charlie Little, Walt Hillen....those who serve in the military, especially Steve, David, Chris, Fran, Tim McKay, Justin, John Burdan, Rob Kennington....and those in harm’s way.

This is excerpted from a three-part series of articles which will appear in the April—June issues of the Mississippi Episcopalian, by the Rev. Canon David H. Johnson.

On June 13, the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church will convene in Columbus, Ohio. Although General Convention may have come onto our “radar screens” only in recent years, it actually predates the Constitution of the United States and our form of government.

The first General Convention met in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1785. Seven states were represented by 16 clergy and 24 laymen. No bishops were present. No New England states were represented, due to a rift over church governance.

The second General Convention came less than 10 months later, with the primary focus being provision for bishops in the American Church, and the development of a Constitution and a Book of Common Prayer.

The most important of the early conventions occurred in 1789, when the meeting was convened on July 28 at Christ Church, Philadelphia.

The church’s constitution was adopted.
The first 17 church canons (or laws) were approved.
The first American Prayer Book was approved and mandated for general use.

But, perhaps most important, the third General Convention achieved unity in the church which had been divided over the validity of Bishop Seabury’s orders and over the role of bishops and laity in church governance.

The essential model of General Convention continues to this day. As provided by the 1789 Constitution, General Convention meets every three years. The convention is divided into two houses, similar to Congress. The upper house is the House of Bishops, which functions much like the Senate. The lower house is the House of Deputies, which is divided evenly between clergy and laity.

Each diocese is represented at General Convention by its bishop(s) and by four clergy deputies and four lay deputies, elected by their dioceses. At this year’s General Convention, there will be bishops and deputies representing some 110 dioceses or jurisdictions.

This year’s General Convention begins its deliberations on June 13 and will conclude its business on June 21.

Copies of the most recent parish directory can be picked up in the narthex or the parish office ~ get one today!

A copy of A Guide to Pronouncing of Biblical Names has been placed on the shelves in the Narthex.

This is an excellent resource for pronouncing biblical names. Please return it to the shelves after you use it.

On April 23 you will notice more visible, youthful involvement in our 10:30 a.m. service as parish children and our Canterbury students help lead us in worship that day. The ministries of our young people will be held up in particular on that day, and we hope that you will make all efforts to be present.

In addition to Youth Sunday, April 23 is ALSO Senior Recognition Sunday! At the 10:30 service, we will acknowledge all who are graduating from High School and College. If you or your child are/is graduating, please notify Sandra Sistrunk in the parish office by April 14 so that all may be honored.

We will also honor our Christian education leadership for their strong support and dedication to Christian formation in our parish during the 10:30 service that morning. Our heartfelt appreciation is offered to all who have given of their time, energy and talent in this year’s classrooms: Nancy & David Christiansen (4th-6th grades), Marianne Crowell (4-5 year olds), Kathy Dooley (adults), Emily & Joshua Easterling (1st-3rd grades & adults, respectively), Beath Lane (4-5 year olds), Rowena Kelley (1st-3rd grades), Paul Martin (jr./sr. high), Rachel McCann (adults), James McCormick (jr./sr. high) and to Caroline Lambert and Emily Schuster (substitutes).

Vacation Bible School will take place Monday, June 19 through Thursday, June 22. The hours will be 5:30 to 7:30. The ages will be 3 (if the parent(s) will remain nearby) through 11. Ages 12 and over are invited to help with some of the various responsibilities necessary to carry this important work out.

Most of all, we need help from parents and other interested parishioners with the the myriad things that need to be done: Teaching; Crafts; Games; Cleanup; Snacks/Sandwiches/Drinks; and Storytelling.

Please look at your calendars, consider how important this can be for our children, think of what you can do to help, and mark the dates. If your initial response is "no," think one more time and say "yes, I can do this." You may contact me at hargrovegn@bellsouth.net or 323-6941. We need YOUR help. Guy

The Bishop’s Mission Corps still has some vacancies for its Forty Days retreat, June 4th-July 14th, 2006. Envisioned by the Bishop for people in their 20s, the BMC experience will have several components modeled on a Benedictine lifestyle.

Applications for the BMC will be received up to Palm Sunday. Applicants need to send a letter to: Bishop’s Mission Corps, PO Box 1225, Corinth, MS 38835. In the letter of application, provide: full name, date of birth, and contact details; also a brief biography and faith history, together with an explanation of why they are interested in the BMC.

Interviews will take place in Jackson on the evenings of April 28-29. All applicants will be informed on May 1st as to whether they have been accepted for participation. Applicants are asked to contribute $200 with their application, payable to the Diocese of Mississippi. Any applicants who are not accepted will have the $200 fee returned immediately; otherwise, the fee is non-returnable.

For further information please email Rev. Tim Jones at clergy@saintpaulscorinth.org or telephone him at 662 286-2922.

Gray Center and Camp BrattonGreen announce a weekend adult (21+) pioneer camp to the Cumberland Plateau and Sewanee, TN. Come join others from around the diocese for a weekend of fellowship and adventure atop the mountain. Though the pace will be relaxed, activities for the weekend will be exciting!

Base camp will be the Foster Falls campground. Activities include rock-climbing, rappelling, hiking, and caving. The camp will be May 18-21. Cost is $75 per person. For more information, contact:

A BIG THANK YOU from the EYC to all parishioners who helped make the BRATTON-GREEN EGGS & HAM Breakfast such a wonderful success!

Because of your support and generosity, we raised a little over $450 to help in sponsoring children from our local adopt-a-families to Camp Bratton-Green this summer.

As you will remember, diversifying the summer diocesan camping programs at CBG is a priority of the bishop’s vision path set forth at last August’s Tent Meeting.

Many thanks to all who made the FRAN McKENDREE Concert and Coffeehouse such a success!!! The evening was filled with great entertainment, much fun and abounding fellowship. We hosted visitors from Meridian, Columbus, Aberdeen, Tupelo and everywhere in between in addition to Habitat Collegiate Challenge Volunteers from Carleton College near Minneapolis.

You’ll be pleased to know that through your generosity $535 was raised during the event to sponsor our adopt-a-family kids to Camp Bratton-Green this year! Thank you for supporting this most worthwhile endeavor!

There will be an Easter Egg Hunt on the lawn of the Church Saturday morning, April 15, at 10:00 a.m. There will also be a visit by the Easter Bunny, along with games and refreshments.

Prizes will be given to the different age groups and for finding that "special" egg. Come one and all ~ share the fun!

In the case of rain, the hunt will be held inside. Please bring one dozen eggs per child to the Student Center Kitchen by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 14 . For more information, please contact Guy Hargrove.

The people of the Bible knew that dreams could be a conduit for God’s guidance and consolation. Early Christians relied on dreams for God’s direction and comfort. Today psychologists know dreams can provide personal insight and creative inspiration. Can today’s Christians listen to dreams for God’s voice once again?

Join us to learn how to listen for God’s voice in your dreams. Brochure is available from http://ecw.dioms.org.

Healthy Congregations workshop will be presented April 7-8, 2006 at Trinity Episcopal Church in Natchez, Mississippi. The workshop helps leaders prevent anxiety from becoming an infectious force in the church. Healthy Congregations, led by Richard Blackburn of the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center, equips leaders to serve as the congregation’s immune system by preventing destructive conflict and helping the church stay focused on its own unique mission and purpose.

The Diocesan Committee on Prison Ministry needs YOUR HELP in making the third annual Camp Caritas, June 24-30 at Gray Center, a success. Your support is needed to sponsor children and/or staff the session. This event helps to change the lives of children who have one or both parents incarcerated. Contact Gay Yerger, byerger@jam.rr.com, 601-856-1776. Send contributions made out to “Diocese of Mississippi,” earmarked “Camp Caritas” to P.O. Box 23107, Jackson, 39225-3107.

Sunday, April 9
Palm Sunday, 8:00 a.m.*, 10:30 a.m.*, 6:00 p.m.
Monday, April 10
Evening Prayer, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 11
Healing & Holy Eucharist, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 12
Agape Dinner, 5:15 p.m.
Me and My Shadow*, 6:15 pm
Thursday, April 13
Maundy Thursday*, 5:30 p.m.
Friday, April 14
Good Friday Liturgy, 12:00 noon
Stations of the Cross, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 15
Easter Vigil*, 8:00 p.m. (Easter Vigil celebration after)
Easter Egg Hunt, 10:00 a.m.
Sunday, April 16
Easter Sunday, 8:00 a.m.*, 10:30 a.m.*

* Nursery is provided
Visit www.resurrectionchurch.com for a complete Lenten Schedule.

In an acutely self-revealing monologue, Judas Iscariot tells his story of what happened the night Jesus died and why Judas decided to betray the one he loved. Join us Wednesday, April 12, at 6:15 p.m. in the Parish Hall for this special presentation by the internationally-acclaimed playwright and actor, John Maxwell.

Long known for his one-man show "Oh, Mr. Faulkner,Do You Write?”, Mr. Maxwell is the founder of FishTale Group, which presents exciting and innovative religious drama. This is an excellent event to invite your friends.

The Guild of the Palm Cross will meet Saturday, April 8 at 10:00 a.m. in the Student Center. We’ll provide the palm fronds and on the spot training. It’s easy…anyone can do it (almost!)

Bring a friend! Showing up constitutes membership. With lots of hands we can make 200 in an hour.

1 Jennifer Damms
2 Fred Hansford
2 Grace Strahan
3 Bill Batson
3 Tiffany Evans
3 Luke Silverman
4 Elizabeth Yarbrough
5 Peyton Passons
4 J. B. VanLandingham
6 Katie Bullman
7 David Christiansen
8 Ellen Newsom

9 Beatrice Dobson
9 Bill Hardin
13 Vera VanLandingham
16 Ernie Russell
17 Nicole Tranchina
18 Rae Wilkinson
19 Wayne Wilkerson
20 Warnie Kennington
20 Tres Tipton
22 Bev Leesman
23 Donovan Parkerson