The Sunrise Newsletter

Begging forgiveness from the author and Father Ponder and taking some poetic license, the March vestry meeting opened with a meditation which brought to my mind the beginning of the rubber bracelet craze—WWJD—What would Jesus do? More specifically this reading might have been WWJHUD—What would Jesus have us do?

We also discussed the most important week of the Christian year—Holy Week—which will soon be here. There are many extra opportunities to worship this week and some of the most intense and moving services in the Episcopal tradition. As a vestry member, I encourage you to participate in as many of these as you can. As the vestry member for evangelism — Uh-oh, here it comes! He’s going to ask us to stand on the corner with a HE is Risen! placard or… The Lord is Risen Indeed! However, there is no sign-up sheet. If you are inclined to stand on the street corner, please do so; what I am requesting of you is much easier.

First, prayerfully consider what it is that Jesus is asking you to do to help spread the Good News.

Second, drop me a note or e-mail finishing one or both of the following statements:

1. The best thing about the Church of the Resurrection is…
2. I am Episcopalian because…

(You may drop a note in the collection plate attention to me, e-mail dlcdvm62@aol.com or US mail: David Christiansen, 1101 Hickory Grove Rd. Starkville, MS 39759.)

Third, as we approach Holy Week remember that we are a family. Hopefully we will see many new faces as well as many familiar ones as we gather around the Lord’s Table. Seek out new and old friends, and make sure they know they are welcome and missed when they are not present. As you are seated, slide as far as you can from the aisle so the next person doesn’t have to climb over you or ask you to slide in. If you are able, save the best parking spaces for those who may need them or may be running a little late. In short, help make Resurrection as warm and welcoming as possible.

Finally, treat Easter as you would Christmas— invite a student, colleague, co-worker, or neighbor who may not get to go home or may be alone for this most important week. What a wonderful time for them to experience the rich Episcopal tradition! You may want to share with them why you are Episcopalian or what you find best about the Church of the Resurrection or even why you are Christian. Certainly these are things Jesus would have us do!

Delegates and alternates to the 181st Annual Council of the Diocese of Mississippi have been elected by the vestry. Delegates are Jim Jones, Martha McAlpin, and Lynn Phillips Gaines. Alternates are Kathy Dooley, Rachel McCann, and Becca Horton.

The 181st Council will be held January 25-27, 2008 in Natchez, Mississippi, and all are welcome to attend. If you would like to participate as a delegate or alternate at a future Council, please talk with Babs Deas or Fr. Brian, or call the parish office.

There’s a reason the week that’s just on the horizon is called “Holy Week.” For sure, it’s the holiest week of the Christian year. Annually, this is when we recount the story of our salvation at its climax. We find ourselves not mere bystanders but full participants in the week’s unfolding—full participants in the pomp and pageantry, full partakers in both the celebration of the multitudes and the reserved-ness within the inner-circle, fully complicit to the betrayal and the every-“man”-for-himself-ness of Jesus’ final hours, fully complicit while standing-by, fully culpable and filled with despair and longing, yet finding ourselves, despite ourselves, fully redeemed.

We follow in Jesus’ last steps—from his triumphal entry into Jerusalem to his betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane and the trial which follows. We make movement from Palm Sunday, when our initial shouts of “Hosanna!” turn to mock Christ’s reign as we shout even louder “Crucify him!” From mocking to mimicking, we learn to be servant-like with one another, not only hearing of how Jesus washed his friends’ feet, but partaking in that same action—those with whom we have a lot in common and even more so those with whom we need to be reconciled. On Maundy Thursday, we break bread together as have countless others throughout the millennia, and we hear again the story of Jesus’ institution of a common, everyday meal into a sacred supper—a soon-to-be-convicted-man’s last meal among friends—a meal that is like every other meal and at the same time is unlike any other—and then we scatter.

We participate in the quick fall of Jesus from wide acclaim—a great figure receiving a hero’s welcome (a tickertape parade of Biblical proportions, even)—to the image of a would-be nobody, crucified as a common crook. We let it happen. We peer out from within the shadows. We enter the tomb. We wait.

In addition to the Gospel accounts, our recounting of the final days of Jesus’ life, his death and resurrection are based on liturgies, rites and passion memorial narratives (and plays) that exist from at least the 4th Century CE. “What’s the ‘Triduum?’” you might ask yourself?

The Paschal Triduum is the three-day period of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, culminating in the Great Vigil of Easter.

Suffice it to say, Holy Week contains some of the oldest, richest and, arguably, the most profound liturgies of Mother Church. This is a time, when we are to celebrate (in the midst of both good and bad) our Christian life—one life, not many. These are our holiest days. Simply put, they mean everything. If, as it is often said, “Christmas means nothing without Easter,” then surely Easter means nothing without Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday (especially) and Holy Saturday. And, it takes commitment. The liturgies not only flow into one another, they expect each other. They are continued with each other. They are a unit, most fully understood together—not to be picked and chosen—but enjoyed and participated in fully. This is our invitation.

I invite you to join in the pilgrimage of Holy Week—to celebrate as we mark the ultimate sacrifice of Our Lord and Savior and, in so doing, to more fully understand what Easter redemption means. To help, then, here’s some of what you can expect.

Palm Sunday/The Sunday of the Passion—The movement from wild celebration to the depths of our humanity and brokenness. We gather outside of the nave to process, waving palms, strewing garments and cloth—all of it a bit chaotic—all of it reenacting Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Then, we move sharply into the Passion Gospel, wherein our acclaim of Jesus turns to our conviction of him. The Passion Gospel is read (by priest at 8:00 a.m. and by parishioners at 10:30 a.m.) The service continues with Eucharist as usual, yet we depart in silence, mindful of what is to come. [See page 4 in this newsletter for more on the Palm Sunday processions].

Monday and Tuesday in Holy Week—Evening Prayer is offered with lessons and canticles appropriate to the season—a time for prayer, meditation and discipline.

Wednesday in Holy Week—Holy Eucharist with Healing. What’s known as our usual “Thursday service” will be offered as a time for those seeking solace and wholeness, even in the midst of the brokenness so evident during the remainder of Holy Week, as well as in our everyday lives.

Maundy Thursday—We recount Jesus’ final hours amongst his friends. We learn of Jesus’ mandatum—his mandate—to be servant-like, to be “for” one another and to “do likewise in remembrance” as we celebrate his institution of the Eucharist. We hear of his betrayal and trial, his time in the garden. We find ourselves on both sides—as closest ally and turncoat. Those who feel so led are invited to wash one another’s feet—an invitation to mutual humility. We participate in Holy Communion. The altar and nave are stripped of their adornments, and we scatter in solitude. This year a vigil will be held at the Altar of Repose, the place where the sacrament is reserved overnight for those who would stay awake with Christ an hour. [See page 4 in this newsletter for a teaching on the Altar of Repose.] The night’s liturgy resumes on Good Friday.

Good Friday—We recount the final hours of Jesus’ life. This day, we shift our focus from the prayers that we’ve asked for ourselves since Ash Wednesday to prayers that we now offer for the world. In so doing, we remember that Jesus’ sacrifice was not just for us but for all. We adore the Cross. We partake a final time before Easter in the sacred meal, though we do not “celebrate” it on this day. Stations of the Cross follow in the early evening. Our liturgies continue on Holy Saturday.

Holy Saturday—A brief service marks our in-between time, the time of loss and mourning before celebration. This is the Church’s marking of the already but not yet. The simple service acknowledges the reality of Jesus’ death and entombment and sets our hope on what follows.

The Great Vigil of Easter—By far, this is THE most important liturgy of the Church’s calendar. We gather to kindle the Paschal fire and light the Paschal candle. We sing the Church’s song—the Exultet—and we retell the story of salvation from the beginning of time. We hear the historical stories of the deliverance of God’s people, and we are reminded of the two-way promise of a life in covenant. In the earliest centuries of the Church, it was on this night that years of initiatory preparation culminated in the baptism of converts to the faith. We, too, baptize and/or renew our baptismal promises, and we rejoice in the movement from death to life offered in the waters of baptism. It is at this service that we proclaim the empty tomb. It is at this service that we are raised from death to life. It is in the events remembered, reaffirmed and re-proclaimed this night that the whole of Christian hope hangs. We shout the first “Alleluias!” of Easter, and we celebrate our life in the Risen One. We celebrate the first Eucharist of Easter, and the celebration continues with a festive reception. Holy Week and the Triduum have rounded. The Great Fifty Days of Easter have begun.

Easter Sunday—If you think about it, the liturgies of this day are no different from any other Sunday celebrations—only more festive. Every Sunday, after all, is an Easter, a day to celebrate God’s redeeming love for us. Festival Eucharists mark our celebrations on this of Resurrection.

As noted in the teaching elsewhere in this newsletter, the Palm Sunday proper liturgy begins outside of the nave. No foolin’! Join us outside of the nave as we begin Holy Week!

At the 8:00 a.m. service we will gather in the Student Center for the Liturgy of the Palms and procession into the nave, remembering Jesus’ festal entry into Jerusalem.

At 10:30 a.m. we’ll gather for the first time in the Columbarium Courtyard on the Labyrinth, which will serve as a wonderful symbol of pilgrimage as we bless the branches of palm and move to the nave, singing and making noise along the way.

FOR THE KIDS: Children are invited to bring colorful pieces of cloth or garments to spread on the ground and sidewalks along with palms, strewing the way as the procession passes at the 10:30 a.m. service.

During his time in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asked of his disciples, “Can you not stay awake with me one hour?” In their full humanity (and perhaps, because their bellies were full from an evening’s meal) the disciples were unable to keep watch with Christ. They didn’t yet realize the enormity of all that had happened in three years of ministry, let alone the events of the final evening—the implications … the reality … the fast-approaching end.

Immediately following the Maundy Thursday proper liturgy on April 5 and continuing through the beginning of the Good Friday liturgy at 12:05 p.m. on April 6, the sacrament will be reserved at an Altar of Repose in the Student Center. You are invited to “keep vigil” during this time—through watchfulness and waiting or prayer, in meditation or contemplation, in solitude or with friends and family. Though there is no official sign-up sheet to keep watch, you may want to note your participation in the register that will be provided.

“Why an Altar of Repose?” you may ask. On Good Friday, there is no celebration of the Eucharist. If Holy Communion is offered that day, it is done so from the reserve. This means that enough bread and wine will be consecrated on Thursday evening to ensure that we may receive communion on Good Friday. In fact, no celebrations of the Eucharist can take place after Maundy Thursday until the Great Vigil, and all elements of the Body and Blood must otherwise be consumed. None is to be left (except for in the case of extreme pastoral emergencies.) The Altar of Repose is where the reserved sacrament will be kept overnight. In this it is both functional and symbolic as: 1) a place to reverently hold the sacrament; and 2) offering a place to “watch” with Christ.

What you can expect: In the Student Center, the area with the fabric “window” panels will be set up as a “garden” with a table, kneeler and chairs. In silence you are invited to pray, read, meditate, look upon the sacrament or simply sit in silence. A number of resources will be available for your piety/prayer practice, or you may bring a favorite book, meditation guide or other offering. Perhaps our knitters will want to contemplatively knit. Maybe some will want to read through their favorite hymns. What can you offer at the Altar of Repose? Use this as quiet time with God as we enter into the holiest moments of the Christian year, and share your experience of this time with others.

For 150 years the Anglican Church in Jerusalem has borne the responsibility of sharing the cross of Jesus in a special way. By helping to maintain the Christian witness in the Holy Land, by serving all of God's people there in a variety of ministries, by proclaiming the gospel and promoting justice, peace and love throughout the four dioceses in that region, the church serves us all.

Since 1922, Episcopalians here have supported the ministries of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East through the Good Friday Offering. It is vital that we continue to share in this burden, and not let our brothers and sisters in Jerusalem carry the cross alone.

On April 6, please consider making a generous plate or earmarked offering for the Church in the Holy Land.

As you make plans to attend the Easter Vigil, consider which handheld bell you might bring with you from home to ring at the Great Alleluia! and during the Easter Gloria.

Let’s make a joyful noise at the first acclamation of Easter! We’ve even had a few cowbells in the past! Don’t have a bell? Don’t worry. Some will be “on hand” at the service for those without.

The annual flowering of the cross will take place Easter Sunday, April 8, immediately before the 10:30 a.m. service. Children are invited to bring fresh cut flowers from the yard or store to adorn the cross.

Children and their parents are asked to meet in the Student Center no later than 10:15 a.m. so that they may process into the nave during the musical prelude to the service and flower the cross.

As part of the Great Vigil of Easter, we kindle a new fire from which the Paschal Candle is lit and burns for the Great Fifty Days of Easter. It is from the Paschal Candle, then, that individual candles are lit at the service, reminding us that we are bearers of the Light of Christ—a truth that becomes even more evident through the Vigil liturgy as the story of our salvation unfolds.

This winter, John T. Unger, a Michigan-based artist in metals, tiles and other media, was commissioned to create a brazier to hold Resurrection’s Paschal fires—the fires that will be kindled this year and in years to come. The wonderful brazier stands approximately four feet tall and incorporates images of water in its design, peaking waves encircling the entire fire bowl. We are honored to have acquired such a fine piece of Unger’s work—the first of his “Blaze O’ Glory” braziers to combine both fire and water.

Water, of course, is one of the richest images and symbols of the Great Vigil. From the waters of creation and the waters through which Israel was delivered at the Red Sea, to the waters of the great flood and the lack of water in the story of the valley of dry bones, water finds significant meaning in the stories retold at the Vigil. As one of the most profound baptismal moments of the Church’s life, too, it is at the Vigil that we are reminded of the water’s edge to which we’re called again and again—moving from death to life—to be reborn into a life in Christ. This year’s Paschal fire will be kindled at the Columbarium, giving us opportunity for literal and symbolic movement from the grave to life—Resurrection.

Join us as we kindle a new fire this Easter, and check out our new fire bowl. For more information about, the artist, John T. Unger Studio, Great Bowls O’ Fire, Blaze O’ Glory braziers and more, visit: www.johntunger.com.

can also be made using one of the envelopes on the backs of pews or an earmarked check. If it’s in honor or memory of someone, please let us know that by April 2.

On Friday March 9, a group of Canterbury and EYC students headed to the coast to assist in the rebuilding efforts at Mission on the Bay. The Mission is based at Christ Church in Bay St. Louis under the direction of Butch Jones, husband of Elizabeth Wheatley-Jones.

Carey Price, Merry Barnes, Claire Crawford, and Becca Horton from Resurrection were joined by another friend and active member of our diocese, Claire White. We arrived at MOB late Friday evening. Saturday morning we were informed that we would be staying on-site to work on the construction of a kitchen.

Christ Church sits on just over eight acres of beachfront property in Bay St. Louis. The goal of the Mission is to allow youth groups from across the nation to assist the Coast community in cleanup and rebuilding efforts. MOB often partners with its sister mission-Camp Coast Care- in large-scale projects within the community.

Since its creation, the Mission has acquired three Army barrack style tents for volunteer housing, and a large shower/bathroom trailer. These have all been erected near the back of the property. However, the Mission still requires the use of church facilities for cooking and congregating. To help accommodate larger groups and to hopefully keep the ever present volunteer groups from serving as a constant reminder of Katrina to regular parishioners, an effort has begun to somewhat separate the church and the Mission, at least in terms of facilities.

The latest step in this process has been the construction of a kitchen to provide food to volunteers. Currently volunteers get one hot meal daily, cooked in the church's office/Sunday school/administration trailer, located next to the church. The current kitchen contains only one oven/range, meaning that meals for larger groups must often be started several hours prior to mealtime.

Before our arrival, a group from Illinois had "framed up" a shack for the new kitchen. Another group installed the window and door, siding, and roof. Our job was to finish the siding and trim on the kitchen, and prime the outside. As a group of five, working for only one full day, we actually got very much accomplished. We finished the siding and trim on the kitchen, (accounting for the other groups' construction mistakes along the way), primed the building, installed the doors on the second of three volunteer tents, and moved more bunk-beds into the second tent. The third volunteer tent is still under construction.

On our second night, after a hard day's work, a large group (of extremely energetic Jr. High kids) from Texas arrived. Butch then decided that we could sleep in the "VIP Housing." The four girls slept in a luxurious 1970's vintage RV, while Carey slept in the neighboring 5th-wheel trailer that served as Elizabeth's house and office after the storm.

While we realize that for the size of our group and the time that we were there we did get a good bit done, we still feel like we should do more. Plans are currently in the making for a second trip in the coming weeks. In the meantime we ask that you keep the staff and volunteers of Mission on the Bay in your prayers. There is still plenty of work to do, and it is estimated that the full recovery effort will take no less than 5 years. The Mission is also in constant need of donations-both monetary and otherwise.

For more information or to find out what is needed in the way of donations feel free to contact Carey Price at 601.529.2166 or visit the Mission's website by logging on to www.campcoastcare.com and clicking on the Mission on the Bay tab on the left side of the screen.

1 Palm Sunday
2-4 Knitting & Centering Prayer, Gray Center
2 Evening Prayer, 5:30 p.m.
3 Evening Prayer, 5:30 p.m.
4 HE/HU, 5:30 p.m.
4 Maundy Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
5-6 Vigil at the Altar of Repose
6 Good Friday Proper Liturgy, 12:05 p.m.
6 Stations of the Cross, 5:30 p.m.
7 Easter Egg Hunt, 10:00 a.m.
7 Holy Saturday Proper Liturgy,
11:15 a.m., followed by Acolyte Training
7 Easter Vigil, 7:30 p.m., followed by Easter Reception
8 Easter Sunday
9-10 Office Closed
13-14 ECW Conference, Gray Center
15 Youth & Senior Sunday, Recognition of Christian Educators
20-21 Friends of Gray Center
21 Gray Center Board
26-28 Deacons’ Spring Retreat, Gray Center

3-5 Deacon Discernment Committee
6-13 Bishop Gray’s extended visit, Central Convocation
13 Mother’s Day
19 Diocesan confirmations, St. Andrew’s Cathedral, 10:30 a.m. For more information, contact Kathryn McCormick, 601-948-5954
20-22 Presbyter POC/Fresh Start , Gray Center
27- CBG, Regular 1
27 The Day of Pentecost
28 Memorial Day, Allin House & Resurrection offices closed
29-30 Annual Retiree’s Retreat, Gray Center

for the members of our Search Committee: Leigh Jensen Crawford, Chairman, Mary Lee Beal, Rae Brandon, David Christiansen, Glen Cook, Babs Deas (Senior Warden, ex officio), Martha McAlpin, Dwayne Myers, Carey Price (Canterbury Representative, ex officio), and Beatrice Tatem.

J. B. Horton, grandfather of Becca Horton
Jack Jackson, father of Charlie Jackson
Steve Wilkerson, former parishioner

those with child, especially Whitney Hilton, Laura Vollor, Kathleen Thomas, Casey Strickland.... those who suffer in mind, body or spirit, especially Jeanne, Lorenzo, Edna, Don, Ophelia, Donald Mosley, Bridget Burdan, Hunter Maye, Lisa Dickey, Chad Green, Marian, Richard Christiansen, Rhonda Bond, Murray Bullock, Jan Handy, Faye Jordan, Mollye Callahan, Gene Phillips, Hattie Shelley, Liam Livingston, Tonya Cruta, Rozella, Jane Polk, Jean Core, Teresa Phillips, Robert Wallace, Marguerite McKell, Phil Walker, Russell Kyle, Ruth Herman, Bill Davis, Beth....those who serve in the military, especially Steve, David, Chris, Fran, John Burdan, Rob Kennington, David McCaffree....and those in harm’s way.

Wednesday in Holy Week
On April 4, the Canterbury Fellowship will join with members of the parish in a celebration of Eucharist and healing at 5:30 p.m. in the Resurrection nave before heading out to eat.

Dinner & a Movie& Compline, Too!
All students are invited to join us for DMC2 which will meet Sunday, April 15 at 6:30 p.m. in the Canterbury Lodge. As the name suggests, we meet for dinner, movie, discussion and worship. Join us for our last gathering of the semester.

Canterbury THANK YOU Party Announced
At 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18, Canterbury invites all who have provided meals over the academic year to celebrate with us as we say “Thank you!” It is through the generosity of our Resurrection friends that we have been wonderfully fed this year. Thanks all the more for your loving support! We hope you’ll join us for food, fellowship and fun as the semester winds down.

Canterbury Study Break Announced
A Study Break for MSU students will take place on Sunday, April 29 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. in the Canterbury Lodge. We’ll have a lot of comfort-food and stress relievers to get you through exams. It’s a come-an-go event, so eat-and-run if you have to. Otherwise stick around and unwind before finals!

Join us Sunday, April 15 from 8:45-10:15 a.m. for our second annual breakfast to help sponsor local kids in need to Camp Bratton-Green. Resurrection’s EYC and the Canterbury Fellowship at MSU will host the breakfast with all proceeds benefiting our adopted campers.

To purchase tickets, please see any EYCer, Carey Price or Merry Barnes (EYC coordinators) or drop by the parish office. Please support this worthwhile endeavor as we make our summer diocesan camping programs accessible to all.

There will be an Easter Egg Hunt on the lawns of the Church, Saturday morning, April 7 at 10:00 a.m., which will include a visit from the Easter Bunny, games and refreshments. Prizes will be given to the different age groups and for finding the “special” egg. Come one and all – share the fun! In the case of rain, the hunt will be held inside.

Note to parents: Please bring at least one dozen dyed or stuffed plastic eggs per child to the Student Center Kitchen by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 6. For more information, please contact Kim Noffisinger or Guy Hargrove.

At the 10:30 a.m. service on Sunday, April 15, we will acknowledge all our high school and college graduates. Mark your calendars and join us in recognizing our graduates at the service and the festive reception afterwards.

If you have names to add to our list of graduates, please email us at episcopal_church@bellsouth.net or call us at 323-3483 by April 2 with names ….and the correct spellings!

Our Christian Educators will also be recognized on Sunday, April 15. Please join us as we say thank you!!

The Episcopal Church Women announce their Spring Salad Luncheon to be held Wednesday, April 25, in the Student Center from 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. There will be a short business meeting to begin at 12:30 p.m.

Please feel free to come and go as you need. Everyone is asked to bring a salad but please feel free to come without!

ECW’s diocesan spring conference is April 13-14, 2007 at Gray Center. The Rev. Dr. Julia Moore will speak using one of the great themes of Easter: The Parables of Easter.

The next Parents' Night Out will be Friday, April 20, 6:00-9:00 p.m. Please notify the office by 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 19, if you wish to attend.

Almost all of our tablecloths, both green and white, have disappeared! If you took them home to wash and keep meaning to return them...now is the time! Please leave them in the Student Center kitchen.

Between 5:00 p.m. and closing, from April 9-30, take your Sunday bulletin to Oby’s, and our EYC might just have a shot at securing a $500 donation to go towards its programming or outreach ministries. The church/parish which visits Oby’s the most often during the specified times will be awarded the donation.

Forgot your bulletin? Don’t worry. Just tell the cashier that you’re a member of “The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection,” and they’ll add to the tally.

April 7 The Great Vigil of Easter
May 27 The Day of Pentecost
Nov. 4 All Saints’ Sunday

If you or your child would like to be baptized, please contact Fr. Brian as soon as possible.

A ministry to provide free sheetrock to needy homeowners who are rebuilding on the MS Gulf Coast sprung up early following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. This vital ministry can continue with your assistance through St. John’s Episcopal Church, Pascagoula.

Every $11 donated will buy a sheet of sheetrock to be hung in someone’s home—no overhead. ALL monies donated buy the needed sheetrock to rebuild on the Coast.

If you’re interested in participating, please send donations to:

St. John’s Katrina Relief Fund
c/o St. John’s Episcopal Church
3507 Pine Street
Pascagoula, MS 39567

...meets in the Student Center at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 31. Anyone can be a member of the Guild ~ simply come to the meeting that Saturday. Come help make palm crosses for Palm Sunday. There’s on the spot training AND it’s lots of fun! Ten people can make 200 crosses in less than an hour. Many hands make light work!

The parish office has received one copy each of Bishop Gray’s Address to the Annual Council of the Diocese of Mississippi (2007) and A New Wind: Restoring Hope in Mississippi (2007). The former title was presented to Council in Gray’s absence due to family commitments out-of-state that weekend, and the latter presents footage of relief work and visioning information concerning the Episcopal Church’s continued commitments to care for the people of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and to rebuild and replant itself there.

Tracy Stebbins, parishioner, has taken a leave of absence from her position at NMMC-West Point and has entered upon an exciting adventure! She’d very much appreciate your prayers and support as she spends 50 days in the wilderness. From March 26 to May 15, Tracy will be participating to the fullest in an Outward Bound leadership course in Oregon. Over the course of the program, she’ll learn everything from theory and pedagogy, to risk management and group facilitation. She’ll develop skills in wilderness travel and expedition life—backpacking, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, backpacking, mountaineering and more.

Tracy plans to help develop a course for northeast Mississippi following her return.

Please keep Tracy in your thoughts and prayers as she journeys through this wilderness experience. Pray for her safety and that of her companions, for continued commitment through her struggles, for strength and quickness of mind, body and spirit and for an openness to the unknown—all of it very exiting.

Tracy would also appreciate your letters of support. She expects to be able to receive letters at the mid-point of her journey when she restocks, so please write early! Send correspondence to:

Tracy Stebbins Course #011770
c/o Outward Bound Wilderness
70,000 N.W. 83rd Street
Redmond, OR 97756.

….and we need 2 more donors to meet our quota and keep our parish family’s blood needs covered. You can still donate blood. The next time United Blood Services has a blood drive at a location and time that is convenient for you, simply donate and ask them to credit the church. Please also let Ellen Newsom know (or call the parish office) so that she can follow up.

UBS has a blood drive scheduled April 26 from 11:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. at Oktibbeha County Hospital. To schedule an appointment to give or to find other blood drives, visit www.united bloodservices.org and follow the links at the Donate Blood tab or call 1-800-880-2482.

We want to thank our donors who’ve gotten us so close to our quota: Mike Vance, Debbie Nettles, Lori Mitchell, Jo Bright, Carlton Polk, Russell Gaines, Melinda Myers, Meloney Linder, Eric Linder, Mary Lee Beal, Kelli Phelps, Dudley Phelps, Lois Connington, and Glen Cook.

A BIG part of why the Church exists—why priests are priests, why members of the pastoral care teams (LEMs, Lazarus Guild, Guild of the Christ Child, pastoral meal providers, and more) do what they do and why we’re called a “church family”—is to be available to one another in times of illness, sorrow and joy. Please let us know what’s happening in your life, by calling on the clergy and/or the parish office.

someone in your family dies. Call immediately. Invite your priest or church family to be involved as your loved one approaches death. We want to be available to you in the midst of your grief, not just after the fact.
someone in your family is critically ill or when you are ill. Call immediately. We will do our best to see you/them in the hospital as soon as possible.
you or someone in your family is going to have surgery. Call in advance. We are happy to bring communion to the hospital, or to have healing prayers with those awaiting surgery.
you or someone in your family is having a crisis of faith. Call to make an appointment with the clergy to come and sit down for a conversation. You are a top priority, and we will see you just as soon as possible.
you or someone in your family is planning a wedding. Call to make an appointment to arrange for premarital counseling, wedding planning, teachings on the marriage rites and to know the celebrant better.
you or someone in your family wants to discuss end-of-life issues or plan a funeral. Advanced planning makes easier for family members the coordination and finalization of end-of-life wishes (living wills, etc.) and details for the burial service, music and hymn choices and more. We can provide you with spiritual and practical guidance as you plan ahead.
you or someone in your family loses a job, or loses a friend to death, or is suffering from chemical dependency or depression.
you become pregnant, or when a child is born, or when you adopt a child. It’s great to get a call before the birth or adoption. We’d like the opportunity to provide you with a cradle cross and prayers in the home once your child is home.
you feel you need some direction or guidance in your life. Clergy are especially willing to listen, help you along the way, and to make referrals when necessary.
something wonderful is happening in your life. We know it is important to share your saddest times, but we want to be with you in the best times of your life, too.

Your clergy and church family know only as much as you’re willing to share with them or as news trickles down to us. We’d like to provide proactive pastoral care to all our members. Please help us help you to this end, and know that your expectation level of confidentiality is always of utmost importance.

The vestry of the Church of the Resurrection met at 7:00 p.m. on March 19, 2007. The Rev. Brian Ponder opened the meeting with a devotional. The minutes of the February meeting were approved, and the financial report was accepted.

The audit committee for 2007, consisting of Walt Newsom, Dwayne Myers, and Howard Bullman, was presented and approved.

Brian informed the vestry that it is past time for election of delegates and alternates to the Annual Council to be held in Natchez January 25-27. The senior warden will make some calls.

Babs Deas discussed the steps to be taken by the vestry when the search committee submits a name for consideration. There was a great deal of discussion, and everyone looks forward to this process.

Brian reported that Bishop Gray has encouraged each parish to have a “Gray Center Sunday”. This would be held in the spring with all or part of the plate offerings to go to Gray Center.

Vestry members reported on their areas of ministry. Junior Warden, Clarissa Balbalian, has scheduled a work day for March 24, hoping to spruce up for Easter. She also reported that there had been no volunteer for pool duty. Holly Potts, Festival and Celebrations, needs someone to handle the reception after the Easter Vigil. Rachel McCann, Adult Christian Formation, reported that the Lenten Study on Sunday nights was going well and attendance was good. Jim Jones, Parish Life, suggested the parish came together during the time we had the agape meals on Wednesday nights. He has plans for pot luck suppers to be held twice in the fall and a wine and cheese party in the spring. This would be purely social and a wonderful opportunity for us to come together as a community of faith to get to know one another better. Martha McAlpin, Pastoral Care, reported that with the addition of another person, carrying home communion to members unable to attend church was working a little better. David Christiansen, Evangelism, reported that a system has been set up for him to receive the names of people visiting Resurrection and filling out visitor cards. He hopes to recruit greeters in the near future.

The concrete area in the parking lot is our designated handicapped parking area. The whole concrete area is for handicapped parking.

Please be mindful of those who are less able to get around, and leave this area free for those who need it most.

...continues to work diligently as we discern God's call in finding our next Rector. We began visits this spring and are continuing to schedule interviews with clergy. Please keep the Search Committee in your prayers as we continue in our process.

April 1
Palm Sunday, Sunday of the Passion, 8:00 & 10:30 a.m. in the Student Center or Columbarium courtyard & nave, Proper Liturgy for Palm Sunday with Liturgy of the Palms & Procession

April 5
Maundy Thursday, 6:30 p.m. in the nave, Proper Liturgy with Holy Eucharist; Foot Washing & Stripping of the Altar; Vigil at the Altar of Repose, following Maundy Thursday service, Student Center

April 6
Good Friday, 12:05 p.m. in the nave, Proper Liturgy; Stations of the Cross, 5:30 p.m. in the nave

April 7
Holy Saturday, Annual Easter Egg Hunt, 10:00 a.m. on the parish lawns; Holy Saturday Proper Liturgy, 11:15 a.m. in the nave; Acolyte/LEM practice for the Easter Vigil, 11:15 a.m. in the nave; The Great Vigil of Easter, 7:30 p.m. in the Columbarium courtyard & nave –
Lighting of the Paschal Fire; Recounting the Story of Salvation; Renewal of Baptism & the First Alleluias! of Easter, followed by the Breaking of the Lenten Fast with the Easter Reception

April 8
The Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ – Easter Day
8:00 a.m. (said) & 10:30 a.m. (festival Eucharist with music) in the nave
NO EYC, Sunday School, Confirmation Class on Easter Day!