The Messenger
Christ Memorial Episcopal Church March, 2018
Sundays at Christ Memorial 8 am – Holy Communion – Rite 1, Chapel of St. Anne
9:15 am – Christian Formation
10:30 am – Holy Communion – Rite II, Main Church
Christ Memorial Episcopal Church 401 Washington Avenue Mansfield, LA 71052 318-872-1144
❖ Visit our Facebook Page ❖ E-mail us at [email protected] ❖ Our website: www.christmemorialmansfield.org
Head of the church
Jesus Christ Our Bishop - Rt. Rev. Jacob Owensby
Priest in Residence – Rev. George Gennuso, Jr. Christ Memorial Vestry
2019 Malisa Laffitte
2020 Rhys Burgess
Yvonne Osborne Kimberly Winfree
2021 Bill Calvert
0Jean Calvert David Maroski
Senior Warden Tabatha Sparks
Junior Warden Jeff Heard
Church Secretary Mary Vay Cobb
Altar Guild Captain Kimberly Winfree
Brother Lawrence Brenda Fleniken
Church Treasurer Karen Calvert
ECW President Malisa Lafitte
THE WISDOM OF CHILDREN
You can't fool the kids in Sunday school, they are way too smart...
'If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale, and gave all my money to the church,
would I get into heaven?' I asked the children in my Sunday school class.
'NO!' all the children answered.
'If I cleaned the church every day mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would I get into heaven?'
Again the answer was, 'NO!'
'Well,' I continued, 'then how can I get to heaven?' A five-year-old boy shouted, 'You gotta be dead!'
Prayers and Intercession Lists
O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: Mercifully accept our prayers, and grant to your servants the help of your power, that their sickness may be turned into health, and our sorrow into joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP p. 458)
Sonny Stone Kermie ValentineAlly DuvalMary MargaretBrandi TrejoSteve OsborneFrances McKenzie
Reed LaffitteBill & Pat LawhornRyan GennusoRodney Cobb, Sr.Dr. Milton FinleyStephanie Martin
Nell Platt Hazel Brown Lynn CrockerJulian “Toot” CloudMarietta JonesJeanne ChristiansenDarrel Paulk, Jr.
Dollye VillenaSusan RuffinGrace GennusoJack JusticeStevenDarrel Paulk, Sr.
❖ Family, Friends, and co-workers of Officer Shane Totty – “Fallen Brother in Blue” – Baton Rouge❖ Family and Friends of Al Bechner
Military Service Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our
armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCP p. 823
Eric Travis Darrel Dylan Nick Jake Blake Darren Daniel Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP. 823)
Loved ones who have been granted eternal rest
Jimmy Jackson (uncle to Fleniken, Sparks & Winfree families) Donnie Roberts ( brother to Frances McKenzie)
Marie Morace Dickson (Darrel Paulk’s aunt)
O God, whose mercies cannot be numbered: Accept our prayers on behalf of your servants and grant them an entrance into the land of light and joy, in the fellowship of your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (BCP. 493)
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
March 20191
3Last Sunday after
the Epiphany
4 59 am
Brother Lawrence5:30 pm
Yoga Class
6
6 pmAsh Wednesday
Service
7 812 pm
Lenten Fish FryCatholic Church
101st Sunday in Lent
Morning Prayer
11 129 am
Brother Lawrence5:30 pm
Yoga Class
13 14 1512 pm
Lenten Fish FryCatholic Church
172nd Sunday in Lent
11:30 Stations of the Cross
18 199 am
Brother Lawrence5:30 pm
Yoga Class
20 21 22
12 pm Lenten Fish FryCatholic Church
243rd Sunday in Lent
11:30 Stations of the Cross
25 269 am
Brother Lawrence5:30 pm
Yoga Class
27 28 29
12 pm Lenten Fish FryCatholic Church
314th Sunday in Lent
11:30 Stations of the Cross
Sunday Services8 am – H.E. – Chapel
9:15 am – Christian Formation10:30 – H.E. - Church
March Birthdays
Watch over thy child, O Lord, as his days increase; bless and guide him wherever he may be. Strengthen him when he stands; comfort him when discouraged or sorrowful; raise him up if he fall; and in his heart may thy peace which passeth understanding abide all the days of his life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (BCP, 830)
***We apologize if someone’s name was left off the birthday list. Please let the office know and we’ll make sure you’re included next year!
Congratulations to Diane Paulk!!!
Bishop Owensby has asked Diane Paulk to serve on the Diocesan Commission on Liturgy and Music. Her term will begin March 9 and extend to Convention 2022.
We know she will serve our Diocese well!
Diocesan Convention “The Way of Love: Making
Disciples” March 9
Alexandria, LA
Christ Memorial’s delegates to our Diocesan
Convention are: Tabatha Sparks
Diane PaulkJesse Green
We will be represented well!!!
Show and Tell
A kindergarten teacher gave her class a "show and tell" assignment of bringing something to represent their religion.
The first boy got in front of the class and said, "My name is Benjamin and I am Jewish and this is the Star of David." The second boy got in front of the class and said, "My name is Mary. I'm am Catholic and this is the Crucifix."
March 4 Sydney Hodges March 5 Marla Smith March 8 Robert Asseff March 10 Tabatha Sparks March 20 Greg Sparks
FROM THE ORGANIST’S BENCH …
You, the congregation of CMEC will notice that there will be some changes to the music and liturgy during Holy Lent. As your organist, I work alongside Fr. George to attempt to enhance your worship experience. In that attempt, there can be changes to the liturgy and music. Please embrace these changes as a way for each of you to deepen your Lenten Journey. I have taken the liberty to include excerpts from the following article, A Musician on Observing a Holy Lent, February 14th, 2016 by Susan E. Bloomfield, co-chair of the Commission for Liturgy and the Arts for the Diocese of Olympia and Associate for Music Ministries at Emmanuel Episcopal Church on Mercer Island, WA along with my own thoughts and suggestions. On Ash Wednesday, The Book of Common Prayer invites us to the “observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting and self-denial, and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.”Self-Examination The act of self-examination is to intentionally create places for silence. Remember that music is not only created by sound (notes) but silence (rests). I encourage you to think of the entire church service as a piece of music, full of notes and rests–sound and silence. When sacred musicians make space for silence, it supports the congregation’s ability to be still within themselves, to pray, and be contemplative.
Silence feeds us as musicians too. We are so busy during Lent and Holy Week, silence gives us a chance to get out of “work mode,” to have time for our own self-examination and to be present.Repentance: Instead of singing the Kyrie or Agnus Dei, saying these words in repetition should bring us to focus on a mindful repentance.
Lord, have mercy Christ, have mercy Lord, have mercy: or…
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
The Book of Common Prayer also allows substitution of the Kyrie with the Trisagion:Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, Have mercy upon us. Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, Have mercy upon us. Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, Have mercy upon us.
Prayer It is St. Augustine who is credited for saying, “He who sings, prays twice." As we sing our Lenten Hymns, let us sing them prayerfully, focusing on the words of the hymns as a "prayer".
Let us sing our Lenten Hymns remembering that singing is one of the most essential elements of worship. To open the gates of trust in God, nothing can replace the beauty of human voices united in song. This beauty can give us a glimpse of “heaven’s joy on earth,” as Eastern Christians put it. And an inner life begins to blossom within us.
Fasting and Self Denial Another example of musical fasting is to intentionally remove music where you would normally have it. It can be transformative to fast from playing a Prelude and/or Postlude or to watch the Gospel being processed in silence or to truly be in Communion with one another without the distraction of music.
Reading and Meditating on God’s Holy Word
Show and Tell
A kindergarten teacher gave her class a "show and tell" assignment of bringing something to represent their religion.
The first boy got in front of the class and said, "My name is Benjamin and I am Jewish and this is the Star of David." The second boy got in front of the class and said, "My name is Mary. I'm am Catholic and this is the Crucifix."
When we give ourselves additional time with the texts, it allows God’s Word to take root, germinate and blossom. So, my friends, don't be afraid of silence in this world of constant environmental and technological stimuli. Take time to listen to God. Peace and Love through Christ,Diane D. Paulk, Organist CMECMember of the Commission of Liturgy and Music for the Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana
St. James Praise Band joins Christ Memorial for a
wonderful birthday celebration for Jeanne
Christian!!
Lenten Study Begins on March 10
“JESUS HIMSELF CHOSE THE NAILS” God has penned a list of our faults. The list God has made, however, can’t be deciphered. The mistakes are covered. The sins hidden. “He has forgiven you all your sins: he has utterly wiped out the written evidence. . .and has completely annulled it by nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14 Phillips).
March 6 at 6pm Ash Wednesday Service
What is the purpose of Ash Wednesday?
The purpose of our Ash Wednesday service is to prepare church members to better appreciate the death and resurrection of Christ through self-examination, repentance, prayer, fasting, and self-denial. Ashes from the burned palms of the preceding year's Palm Sunday are blessed. With these ashes, the priest marks a cross on the foreheads of worshipers, saying, "Remember, man, that dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt
He knew the price of those sins was death. He knew the source of those sins was you, and since he couldn’t bear the thought of eternity without you, he chose the nails. The verdict behind the death was not decided by jealous Jews. With a flex of the biceps, Jesus could have resisted. Jesus himself chose the nails. He knew that the purpose of the nail was to place your sins where they could be hidden by his sacrifice—nailed to the cross; covered by his blood.
return" (Genesis 3:19 KJV). Besides showing sorrow for their sins, those who honor Ash Wednesday add an additional meaning; the need to prepare for a holy death.
LENTEN OPPORTUNITIES❖ Lenten Fish Fry at Catholic Church.
March Friday’s (8th, 15th, 29th and April 5) at noon.
❖ Stations of the Cross will be walked on Good Friday at 3 pm at Rock Chapel.$10 a plate --- dine in, carry out or delivery
❖ Holy Cross Soup Kitchen Shreveport Wednesday’s noon Holy Eucharist and Soup, crackers and dessert. $6.00 every
Wednesday of Lent.
What are the Stations of the Cross???
The Stations of the Cross are a 14-step devotion that commemorates Jesus Christ's last day on Earth as a man. The 14 devotions, or stations, focus on specific events of His last day, beginning with His condemnation. The stations are commonly used as a mini pilgrimage as the individual moves from station to station. At each station, the individual recalls and meditates on a specific event from Christ's last day. Specific prayers are recited, then the individual moves to the next station until all 14 are complete.
Stations of the Cross will be walked on Sunday, March 17, 24 & 31
at 11 pm