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Christ Episcopal Church 321 West Avenue
Red Wing, MN 651-388-0411
Bishop-elect
The Very Rev. Craig Loya
Priest-in-Charge
The Rev. Letha Wilson-Barnard
651-327-2242
Deacon
The Rev. Barbara von Haaren
[email protected]
Intern
Pat VanHouten
Christ Church Vestry
Senior Warden: John Blue
Junior Warden: Catherine Johnson
Sean Murnane (2020)
Mary Ann Stark (2020)
Charlie Brown (2021)
Ken Christensen (2021)
Sandy Richter (2022)
Pam Dressen(2022)
Treasurer
Buck Foot
[email protected]
Office Administrator
Debora Gilson
[email protected]
Youth Group Coordinator
Sheryle Boldt
[email protected]
Director of Music
Dr. John Schultz
[email protected]
The Caller April 2020
How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? Psalm
137
“How shall we sing the Lord’s song in this alien and strange
land of
COVID-19? How shall we conduct the public worship of
Almighty
God? How shall we provide pastoral ministrations to people who
are
sick, dying, and any in need? How shall we baptize? Ordain?
How?” Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, March 31, 2020
“How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” from
Psalm 137 and quoted by
our Presiding Bishop, is written about God’s people in exile.
Jerusalem was captured,
and the people were taken captive to Babylon. This Psalm is a
lament, a passionate ex-
pression or prayer of grief or sorrow, and seems fitting for our
own situation.
Our exile is not from our homes but from our normal lives. We
are going on month two
of our life being turned upside down by the coronavirus.
Children can’t attend school,
see their friends, or participate in extra-curricular
activities; many parents and guardi-
ans are juggling working from home, caring for young children,
plus guiding school-
age children’s on-line learning. More and more workers are
losing their jobs as more
many businesses are shuttered and commerce has slowed. People on
fixed income
watch their retirement investments shrink. Elders find
themselves coping with greater
isolation and, perhaps, loneliness, unable to get out to church
or to shop, or to have visi-
tors in their home. The most marginalized in our communities,
people who are home-
less, poor, and immigrants, are most at risk. As we learn daily
of the mounting death
toll in the U.S., and the spread of the virus across all corners
of the globe, our anxiety
and fear may be mounting, as well.
And, yet, we are about to begin Holy Week. The most sacred
season of the church year,
and this year, we cannot gather together to process with palms
on Palm Sunday, or have
an Agape meal, or gather for the Stations of the Cross on Good
Friday, or light the Holy
Fire and recount God’s acts of salvation at the Easter Vigil, or
celebrate the resurrection
of Jesus Christ, gathered with family and friends on Easter
Sunday in our beautiful
church, filled with lilies and candles, to share the Eucharistic
Feast, and proclaim,
Alleluia, Christ is Risen! The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!
Instead, we wonder, how
shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?
Continued on page 2
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I wonder if this Holy Week – walking with Christ through his
Passion, his suffering and death, as we are in the
midst of this pandemic – might be particularly poignant for us?
Jesus, himself, dying on the cross, cried, “My God,
my God, why have you forsaken me?” This, a heartfelt cry of
lament from Psalm 22:1. I wonder if we, too, need to
acknowledge and lament our grief, our losses, our sorrow, our
fears and our worries, before we can get to the sing-
ing of the Lord’s Song, the shouting of the Alleluias on
Easter.
For Christ Church, I want to acknowledge that this pandemic,
comes on the heels of grief over the departure of Fr.
Tristan. I want to suggest to you that we take this week, this
Holy Week, to grieve and lament. We have been giv-
en a rich tradition of lament in the Psalms, with nearly
one-third or 50 of the chapters being Psalms of lament.
These Psalms teach us that we are allowed to pray and cry to God
in anger, in anguish, with a sense of abandon-
ment and plead to God for help. God desires our honesty and God
desires our trust. I encourage you to spend Ho-
ly Week, exploring these Psalms of lament. Some of my favorite
Psalms of lament are chapters 46, 61, 62, 69, 70, 88,
102, 121, 130.
And though we can’t gather for Easter in person, I believe after
doing this spiritual work of lament, we will be
better prepared to affirm our faith in the glorious resurrection
of our Lord Jesus Christ, despite our present circum-
stances. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the pivotal promise
of our Christian faith. Because Jesus was raised
from the dead, we too, will be raised from the dead and given
life eternal with God. Death does not have the last
word; and this coronavirus does not have the last word.
I thank God we are not alone in this. I can’t imagine going
through this experience without my faith in God and
without the companionship of other people of faith. I truly
thank God for each of you. Care for yourselves, care
for your loved ones, and care for the most vulnerable in our
communities. Thank you for the many ways you are
already supporting one another through phone calls,
participating in on-line communication, worship and prayer,
and through old-fashioned snail mail. Staying home is a selfless
act, for the sake of our most vulnerable neighbors
and will save lives. We will get through this. It may take
longer than we hope or can imagine, now. We will likely
learn many lessons and be changed by this collective experience.
But, this we believe: Christ has died. Christ is ris-
en. Christ will come again.
Join us Sunday, 4/5, at 10 a.m. for our Palm Sunday Service.
We’ll offer this service on Zoom. Zoom is an application that
allows multiple worship leaders to participate from
different locations and anyone to join, even from a landline
phone. You should be receiving a Palm Sunday
packet by mail, thanks to Debora Gilson, our Office
Administrator.
To join Zoom, Sunday Service 10 a.m., there are 3 options:
From your computer:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/458885613
From your smart phone: one tap mobile
+13126266799,,458885613# US (CST)
From your landline or mobile phone (long-distance charges may
apply):
+1 312 626 6799 US (CST)
Meeting ID: 458 885 613
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Holy Week Schedule
Dear Friends,
As we stay at home during Holy Week, 4/5-4/12, and probably for
many weeks to come, we offer this schedule of ser-
vices. We’ll be offering some services for you to join on Zoom
or Facebook, and we will share materials with you ear-
ly next week to help you observe Holy Week at home with your
family. Please participate as you can.
Reminder: Staying home is the loving and responsible thing to
do. We stay home to save lives. We stay home in
solidarity with our most vulnerable neighbors and loved ones. We
stay home to slow the transmission of the corona
virus, and to delay the peak of the outbreak in Minnesota. This
will give our government, health care system, and
businesses much needed time to increase our ICU bed capacity,
along with necessary medical supplies for COVID-19
patients and to protect medical staff. We are all in this
together. Each of needs to do our part, with God’s help, we
will get through this.
HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE, 4/5-4/12, 2020
Wednesday, 4/8
6:30 p.m. Reading of the Gospel of Matthew. We’ll gather on Zoom
and take turns reading the St. Matthew’s
Gospel. Contact Catherine Johnson if you want to be a
reader.
Maundy Thursday, 4/9
Agape Meal at home with your family. We’ll be emailing a packet
of materials, for families to use to gather
around a simple meal and offer prayers at home.
8:30 p.m. Compline (close of evening prayer) from the Book of
Common Prayer, p. 127. Join us on Christ
Episcopal Church - Red Wing, MN Facebook page, using Facebook
Live.
Good Friday, 4/10
12 noon An Ecumenical Good Friday Service - “The Seven Last
Words of Christ”, offered by the Churches
around the Park, Red Wing, with pastors preaching, (more info.
to come).
7 p.m. Stations of the Cross, join us on Zoom, for a beautiful
series of woodcuts, by artist, Peggy Parker,
through Virginia Theological Seminary.
Holy Saturday, 4/11
Home observance (materials to be sent)
Easter Sunday, 4/12
10:15 a.m. (CST) Watch National Cathedral ‘s Easter Service from
their website: Cathedral.org
11:45 a.m. (or so) We’ll gather after the service for a virtual
Coffee Hour on Zoom, to catch up with one another.
Rev. Letha Wilson-Barnard
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Vestry Report
In my December Vestry report I wrote how the very difficult
month of November
was behind us and how I was looking forward to working with our
new Priest and
the busy Christmas season. What a difference three months make.
That crisis we
went through as a church family pales in comparison to the
global crisis that now
confronts us. We will get through this and our lives will return
to normal; but unfor-
tunately there will be continued sacrifices, hardships and pain
before that happens.
Reacting to the Corvid-19 crisis, your Vestry and Rev. Letha
have made some diffi-
cult decisions. Until further notice, Christ Episcopal Church is
closed and no one is
allowed admittance without permission from Rev. Letha or one of
the Wardens. The
few people authorized to enter the Church will sign in each time
recording the date,
times and areas they entered. This allows for social distancing
of the few people that do enter the church.
It limits the area of the church that is being used and allows
these areas to be cleaned after use.
In addition, the kitchen is closed and not used for any purpose
so that the kitchen does not need to
be sanitized after a usage. During the closure, Calvin’s
Handyman Service has completed a deep cleaning
of the entire church.
Rev. Letha and Debora Gilson are working from home. Dr. John
Schultz has been working with the
Worship Committee. The Vestry decided to continue paying all
employees until the end of May at which
time the situation will be re-evaluated.
Since no one is at the church, the mail is held at the Post
Office and picked up occasionally. There is a
possibility that the post office may close their lobby which
would make it impossible for the church mail to
be picked up. Your Vestry gave the Property Committee permission
to purchase a metal mailbox to be
attached to the West Avenue side of the church. If you are
corresponding with the church and waiting for
a reply, please be patient as the mail is not be opened
daily.
The church is still being maintained and there are expenses and
bills to be paid regardless if there are
services. It is important that you continue to keep up with your
pledges. Thea easiest way to do that is
through direct deposit. Please sign up for direct deposit if you
haven’t done so. Instructions on how to do
so will be posted on the Church website.
Although the church is closed and we all need to shelter in
place as much as possible, your church lead-
ership is in constant contact through conference calls, online
Zoom meetings, emails and instant messag-
ing. These are no substitutes for face to face meetings and even
the mundane decisions take longer than
normal to work through.
As a church family we are very good at looking after each other.
In these difficult times it is so im-
portant that we reach out to each other and do a check-in.
FaceTime, Facebook, email, instant messaging,
calling or mailing a handwritten note can make a huge difference
in someone’s day. We will get through
this and we will do it together.
John Blue
Senior Warden
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From Chris Foss and Fr. Phil McNairy
Phone Tree Calling Ministry:
Thank you to Chris Foss for coordinating the “calling ministry”
and all those making phone calls seniors
and homebound members. I’m hearing that the phone calls are
greatly appreciated. If you are not receiv-
ing a call, let me or Chris (507-838-7178) know and we’ll add
you to the list. Also, thanks to those who
have volunteered to run errands for our folks who shouldn’t be
leaving home. Don’t hesitate to contact
Chris if you could benefit from this.
Buchanan Grocery order and delivery:
Fr. Phil McNairy thoughtfully arranged with Buchannan Grocery
for elder members of Christ Church, to
be able to place grocery orders by phone rather than on-line. If
you are interested in doing this, give Fr.
Phil a call (651-388-8830) and he’ll vouch for you, and he or
one of our other volunteers can pick-up and
deliver your groceries to you.
I think this prayer says a lot about our
situation nowadays.
Barbara von Haaren
Prayer of St. Brigid
I should like a great lake of finest ale
for the King of Kings.
I should like a table of the choicest food
for the family of heaven.
Let the ale be made from the fruits of
faith,
and the food be forgiving love.
I should welcome the poor to my feast,
for they are God's children.
I should welcome the sick to my feast,
for they are God's joy.
Let the poor sit with Jesus at the highest
place,
and the sick dance with the angels.
God bless the poor,
God bless the sick,
and bless our human race.
An Irish Blessing
May the road rise up to meet you,
may the wind be always at your back,
may the sun shine warm upon your
face, the rain fall upon your fields,
And until we meet again, may God
hold you in the palm of his hand.
Author: unknown
My thoughts and prayers are with all of you at this uncertain
time.
May you stay heathy and lean into God.
Pat VanHouten
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I'm writing with GOOD NEWS!
After the election of a Bishop in any diocese in the Episcopal
Church, a majority of bishops and standing
committees in the Episcopal Church must, through what's known as
the "consent process," affirm that they
know of "no impediment on account of which” the Bishop-elect
ought not to be ordained as bishop, and
that his election was conducted in accordance with the
Canons.
As of today, The Episcopal Church has notified us that:
The Episcopal Church in Minnesota has received notification from
Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael B. Curry
and Registrar of General Convention, the Rev. Canon Michael
Barlowe, that Bishop-Elect Craig Loya has received the
required majority of consents in the canonical consent process
detailed in Canon III.11.3.
In giving consent to his ordination and consecration, Standing
Committees and bishops with jurisdiction attest to
knowing of “no impediment on account of which” Bishop-Elect Loya
ought not to be ordained as bishop, and that his
election was conducted in accordance with the Canons.
We can now officially move forward with planning for the
consecration of Bishop-Elect Loya, which will
happen on June 6th. We released information earlier about how
our plans for that even have shifted. In
the interest of public health, and following the recommendations
of the C.D.C. And other experts, it is
very likely this will be a significantly smaller event than we
originally envisioned, with a small number
of people attending in person and a livestream of the liturgy
available to everyone. Other dioceses with
upcoming bishop consecration are proceeding in a similar
way.
We will continue to provide updates about details as the
situation and plans develop.
In order to celebrate as the body of the Episcopal Church in
Minnesota, we will plan a larger event for
later in the year, when circumstances allow us to be physically
together again.
Blessings,
The Rt. Rev. Brian N. Prior, Bishop of Minnesota
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The Sandt Fund
We are living in very uncertain times. Many people who were able
to support themselves and man-
age their lives are struggling. Please remember the Sandt Fund.
This fund is available to help members of
the parish.
The Sandt Fund was established by a gift from Catherine Sandt
through her will. She directed that
the gift be invested and only the income used to assist needy
members of the parish. The vestry has estab-
lished a committee to determine how the income is to be spent.
Currently, the members of the committee
are June Gustafson, Marm Nihart, Catherine Johnson and the Rev.
Letha Wilson-Barnard.
The committee makes grants for a variety of needs. If you or a
family member needs assistance, or
know someone who does, please contact the church office or one
of the committee members.
Christ Episcopal Church, 651-3889-0411
The Rev. Letha Wilson-Barnard, 612-703-4408,
[email protected]
June Gustafson, 651-388-3874, [email protected]
Marm Nihart, 651-385-9140, [email protected]
Catherine Johnson, 651-388-7009, [email protected]
From the Red Wing Area Food Shelf
Hello, to all of you in Red Wing:
What times we’re living in!
Operating in an environment of faith, and not fear, will get us
through this.
Thank you to your pastors for their almost daily words of HOPE
for all of us.
Two things:
First—
In RW we’ve gone to curbside pick up for our patrons. We’ve
prepacked in various sizes. Anyone in need can come
even if they’ve never used the FS before. Patrons will remain in
their vehicles and a FS volunteer will give them a brief
sign in form. They will receive groceries including meat and
dairy, fresh produce and bread at their vehicles. Our
hours remain the same as before. T/Th 4-6 PM. Fri 11am -1PM.
Food donations can be made in the box in the back. If
someone is at the FS, donations will be received on carts,
keeping donors outside.
Of course, we’ve providing rubber gloves to volunteers,
sanitizing carts and surfaces, maintaining distance and using
recommended procedures.
Secondly —
You may have heard that MN March Food Share has been extended
until the end
of April.
We’re buying more food locally than we have in the recent past.
So extension is a
good thing.
We’re all praying things will be drastically different by May
1!
Thanks for keeping communication going, even from home!
Dee Bender
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]
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Ways to support our Red Wing community during COVID-19.
Opportunities for giving:
UNITED WAY OF GOODHUE, WABASHA & PIERCE COUNTIES
LAUNCHES COVID-19 RESPONSE AND RECOVERY FUND
RED WING, MN (March 27, 2020)- United Way of Goodhue, Wabasha
& Pierce Counties (UWGWP) announced
today that it has developed a COVID-19 Response and Recovery
Fund to meet the most critical needs right now in our
communities as a result of this pandemic. COVID-19 is impacting
all of us, especially those most vulnerable in our
communities. When the threat of COVID-19 hit, UWGWP immediately
connected with our nonprofit partners to iden-
tify the most pressing needs. The purpose of this fund is to
serve as a central source for collecting financial contribu-
tions from donors and quickly disbursing funds to local
organizations working hard to serve the basic needs of our
neighbors including food access, housing, safety and financial
stability.
These emergency grants are made possible because of generous
local donors. To donate online, please visit https://
donorbox.org/uw-gwp-response-recovery-fund or make a donation in
person at Merchants Bank in Cannon Falls
or Red Wing. The Red Wing Shoe Foundation will match all
donations made through midnight on April 10, 2020 up
to $20,000. This is a critical time when community support and
financial contributions are urgently needed. Please
consider contributing to this fund. Now more than ever we must
LIVE UNITED.
HISPANIC OUTREACH OF GOODHUE COUNTY (HO):
Hispanic Outreach is in need of donations to our emergency fund.
This fund assists Hispanics in Goodhue County
when struggling financially and right now they are, and will be,
struggling to meet their basic need as many of them
are losing their jobs and don't qualify for unemployment.
https://www.givemn.org/organization/Hispanic-Outreach-Program-Of-Goodhue-County?fbclid=IwAR0Btr8tX_-
Kw34_InoMwcwjfqzw635Nt3xCrsxoy6F2EeGSutbSpitYJ8E
Opportunities for Action:
FRIENDS OF YMCA-RED WING:
The rapidly evolving responses to the COVID-19 crisis require an
unprecedented need for child care. Minnesota state
government has asked child care providers to remain open in
support of essential and emergency workers and
general economic functioning, but has not provided any financial
assistance to do so.
We urgently need YOU to contact your Minnesota legislators RIGHT
NOW. The child care system is in imminent dan-
ger of collapse. This means that health care providers, police,
fire and grocery store employees cannot show up to
support their communities. We need legislative support for an
emergency child care package. We know that you and
all of us are being affected negatively by COVID-19 on both
professional and deeply personal levels. This is not a re-
quest only for our community. This is a request on behalf of all
children, families and child care providers statewide.
Thank you for your immediate action by clicking on this link:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-mn-legislators-
prioritize-child-care-disaster-relief-operating-funds-and-regulatory-flexibility/
What we provide:
· Care for children ages 33 months to 5 years
· Care for School-age children
· Monday – Friday / 6am – 6pm
· Healthy morning & afternoon snacks, Lunch will be provided
by the free lunch program through the
school district
https://donorbox.org/uw-gwp-response-recovery-fundhttps://donorbox.org/uw-gwp-response-recovery-fundhttps://www.givemn.org/organization/Hispanic-Outreach-Program-Of-Goodhue-County?fbclid=IwAR0Btr8tX_-Kw34_InoMwcwjfqzw635Nt3xCrsxoy6F2EeGSutbSpitYJ8Ehttps://www.givemn.org/organization/Hispanic-Outreach-Program-Of-Goodhue-County?fbclid=IwAR0Btr8tX_-Kw34_InoMwcwjfqzw635Nt3xCrsxoy6F2EeGSutbSpitYJ8Ehttp://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001OC2tm5WwhJ4ySPNi0hKTKNSIxqvlnpdiDCpuwEMXPmP_lhTMDp3uOAKtrovct_AS4kCjLCPEtvcEEYo6TjrHpRMc49YmUgmA4yP0Wucm1qoxsmmmSzsFlAuWUrZ_a0oq9S3gJ5SkZx5p3geFVEvAxwG2dKJYjRuKg8lBckZX7x8iJCOpSRMER6I73XZJXTYacW0sHmVUwTaYV_afqArXOkPmd6OdbmiuZnKuhttp://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001OC2tm5WwhJ4ySPNi0hKTKNSIxqvlnpdiDCpuwEMXPmP_lhTMDp3uOAKtrovct_AS4kCjLCPEtvcEEYo6TjrHpRMc49YmUgmA4yP0Wucm1qoxsmmmSzsFlAuWUrZ_a0oq9S3gJ5SkZx5p3geFVEvAxwG2dKJYjRuKg8lBckZX7x8iJCOpSRMER6I73XZJXTYacW0sHmVUwTaYV_afqArXOkPmd6OdbmiuZnKu
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Open and taking enrollment on a short term basis. This will be
first come first serves basis for full time or part-time
availability. Please call or email to check for openings.
Contact
Heather Kahl at [email protected]
651-800-9444 ext 215
The world may be shut down but Lenten Madness continues. The
Saintly 16 is underway. Check the
bracket to see how you are doing. You can also follow this
online at www.lentmadness.org. Keep vot-
ing!
mailto:[email protected]://www.lentmadness.org
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April Memorials
04/05 Chapel Open
Church In thanksgiving for Jaysa Lee Marisa Kinney
04/12 Chapel In memory of loved ones Marion Tee le
Church In memory of Lucille Eke and her parents Eke Memorial
Fund
04/19 Chapel Open
Church In thanksgiving for Thomas and Nicholas Blue John and
Maureen Blue
04/26 Chapel In memory of husband, Bob and sister, Lenore Marm
Nihart
Church Open
April Birthdays
04/01 Darius Weyaus
04/03 Charlie Brown
04/04 Ernie Valentine
04/13 Pat Martin
04/14 Christine Foss
Norma Neufeldt
04/16 Elaine Hoisington
04/17 Peter von Haaren
04/18 Gwenevieve Fanslow
04/19 Karen Hemenway
04/21 Robert Tripp
04/27 Chris Knutson
04/28 Malla Knutson
04/30 Brad Knudson
April Anniversaries
04/13 John and Maureen Blue
SHARING IN LIFE’S MOMENTS.
