Have you marked your calendar yet? Are you planning to attend? It’s that time of year… when our church plans for the future. You are an important part of that future.
Here’s your chance to have a voice in our decision-making process by attending our annual meeting on January 20, 2008. We present reports on the activities of all of our committees during the previous year, and elect the new members of our Vestry
(technically our Mission Committee, but that’s a longer name!), as well as our convention and convocation delegates. This is one difference between the Episcopal Church and many others: we trust– and expect!- our lay members to participate equally in the leadership of our church.
This is a vital time in the life of our congregation. We need to have a firm foundation as we continue the transition from a small church to our current home.
We will vote to fill two three-year seats on our Mission Committee and the position of Senior Warden. In addition, we need to replace 2 MC members who vacated their seats and have 2 years remaining of their terms and formalize the appointment of another member. This election will change the personality of our leadership significantly, since half of the members may change.
Our By-Laws are specific about the nomination process for the candidates. According to the By-Laws of the Church of the Holy Spirit:
Article IV: Committees
4.a) A Nominating Committee shall be comprised of two (2) Mission Committee members and two (2) members of the congregation who are not members of the Mission Committee. Said Nominating Committee shall convene at least forty-five (45) days prior to the annual meeting. The names, addresses and telephone numbers of the Nominating Committee shall be published and the Committee members shall receive recommendations for elective mission officers from any member of the congregation entitled to vote at the annual meeting who in turn shall ascertain from those recommended whether or not they will serve and thereafter make nominations for said elective officers from those recommended at the next annual meeting of the congregation.
b) The Vicar may attend the first meeting to offer suggestions to the Nominating Committee.
c) The recommendations of the Nominating Committee will be made known collectively at the annual meeting when nominations are opened. After which nominations may be received from the floor by a motion and a second by voting members of the congregation.
Our Nominating Committee, comprised of Evie Brown, Mary Malone, and Bill Chapman, all of them reaching the end of their elected terms, as well as Marlene Johnson, feel they were guided by God as they selected a slate of candidates You have the opportunity to submit your name, or that of others, during the election for our new leaders. Candidates for elected office must be eligible voters, and meet the following requirements, according to the Constitution and Canons of the Protestant Episcopal Church in New Jersey:
Canon 49, Section 2: The voters shall be baptized, at least sixteen (16) years of age, domiciled in the Parish or adjacent thereto, of good moral character, adhering to this Church and no other religious body, regular attendants at the services of the Church in the said Parish, meaning thereby those who are more frequently present than absent unless for a good cause prevented and regular contributors to the current expenses of the Parish for six months next before the said annual meeting in the manner proscribed by the Vestry of said Parish. Any members not baptized or confirmed in the Parish must have been enrolled as members of the Parish in accordance with the provisions of the Canons, or must be baptized persons who have been received on their written request to the Rector or to one of the Wardens if there be no Rector; and said Rector or Wardens shall keep a list of all who have been received as voters, which list shall be open to inspection by the members of the Parish. No one shall be permitted to vote or be eligible to office in more than one Parish in this Diocese.
Or, if you prefer:
A ”communicant in good standing” is a baptized person who has received Holy Communion in this church at least three times in the preceding year and who has been faithful in corporate worship and in working, praying, and giving for the spread of the Kingdom.
If you wish to nominate someone, please confirm their eligibility with Father Terry prior to the meeting.
You also have an opportunity to examine the 2008 budget approved by your Vestry and Father Terry. We make a bold statement this year with this document: we choose not to ask the Diocesan Board of Missions for a grant this year. This represents a leap of faith that God will continue to guide us in the direction He wishes us to travel.
This decision is not made lightly, but with the knowledge that the Diocese itself must be a cautious steward of its funds. We have received hundreds of thousands of dollars during the last 2 years as we purchased our new home and the property across the street. We must allow other churches the opportunity to share in the limited resources Trenton makes available to all qualifying missions.
This is part of the challenge awaiting our new Mission Committee (or Vestry) members. Yet another challenge will be the expansion of our church membership. Our current membership needs help shouldering the burdens (and physical demands!) of all of our on-going programs and fellowship events. As the old saying goes, “Many hands makes the work light.”
Please join us Jan. 20. Make an informed choice, and make a difference in the future of Holy Spirit.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Free Community Dinner, January 30, 6 to 7 pm
Free Community Dinner in the Undercroft! Every month we host a free dinner for the community. Holy Spirit pays for the food and supplies. You provide the labor. Are you tempted to try to host, but aren’t sure if your cooking skills are up to the task? Don’t worry– plenty of people are willing to co-chair! Or just help to set up or clean up. Call the parish office for more information.
Boston Coffee Cake Sale, January 6
Here’s your chance to place orders for the delicious Boston Coffee Cakes which will be delivered for Palm Sunday. Ordering continues only through February 17, so get your info and place your request now. Great-tasting cakes and supporting our church: two good things in one!
How to Make A Difference to Holy Spirit
January 1 means that many people make new resolutions to become better people during the next year. Often these resolutions fall by the wayside because they are overly ambitious and become burdensome. Here are a few suggestions to help you make a difference without causing you a lot of pain or expense:
1. Buy gift cards to use in Acme, ShopRite, or Shop’N Bag. Yes, you heard correctly. Every Sunday, after each service, members of our fund-raising committee sell gift cards to use in any one of these 3 food stores. Holy Spirit earns a 5% rebate on each card, and you get the full value of the card when you go to the food store. You don’t have any restrictions on when to use them, and you do not need to purchase particular products. You can still receive double coupons or any other promotional offer from the stores. It costs you nothing, so it does not impact your budget. Yet, last year Holy Spirit made over $2,700 to help pay our expenses. Do you spend $200 a month on food? You can donate $10 to Holy Spirit, or another $120 a year, without paying an additional cent. Start now, and start small. Cards are available in denominations of $5, $10, and $25. Just like any other gift card, you don’t need to use the entire card at one time. Unlike other gift cards, there is no penalty for not using it quickly. Buy one to keep in your wallet for times that you stop at the store on your way home from work for milk or bread. But who doesn’t need to buy food? You can always be sure that you have those extra dollars for necessities this way.
2. Host one coffee hour after the Sunday service of your choice. Father Terry calls the fellowship after Holy Communion “the eighth sacrament.” Admit it: you enjoy it too. Why not become a part of the fun? It need not be costly. Just bring milk for the coffee and a snack to share. If you like to bake, you can take this opportunity to show off without needing to keep it all yourself, tempting you to stray from your diet. If you don’t bake, use those gift cards mentioned in #1 to buy coffee cakes or assorted doughnuts at the store. You set up the coffee and tea pots, and stay to clean up afterwards. Let’s see: 52 weeks a year, 2 services, some weeks with special events like the annual meeting, means about 100 coffee hours… yeah, we can all do one week a year.
Look! You made a difference !
1. Buy gift cards to use in Acme, ShopRite, or Shop’N Bag. Yes, you heard correctly. Every Sunday, after each service, members of our fund-raising committee sell gift cards to use in any one of these 3 food stores. Holy Spirit earns a 5% rebate on each card, and you get the full value of the card when you go to the food store. You don’t have any restrictions on when to use them, and you do not need to purchase particular products. You can still receive double coupons or any other promotional offer from the stores. It costs you nothing, so it does not impact your budget. Yet, last year Holy Spirit made over $2,700 to help pay our expenses. Do you spend $200 a month on food? You can donate $10 to Holy Spirit, or another $120 a year, without paying an additional cent. Start now, and start small. Cards are available in denominations of $5, $10, and $25. Just like any other gift card, you don’t need to use the entire card at one time. Unlike other gift cards, there is no penalty for not using it quickly. Buy one to keep in your wallet for times that you stop at the store on your way home from work for milk or bread. But who doesn’t need to buy food? You can always be sure that you have those extra dollars for necessities this way.
2. Host one coffee hour after the Sunday service of your choice. Father Terry calls the fellowship after Holy Communion “the eighth sacrament.” Admit it: you enjoy it too. Why not become a part of the fun? It need not be costly. Just bring milk for the coffee and a snack to share. If you like to bake, you can take this opportunity to show off without needing to keep it all yourself, tempting you to stray from your diet. If you don’t bake, use those gift cards mentioned in #1 to buy coffee cakes or assorted doughnuts at the store. You set up the coffee and tea pots, and stay to clean up afterwards. Let’s see: 52 weeks a year, 2 services, some weeks with special events like the annual meeting, means about 100 coffee hours… yeah, we can all do one week a year.
Look! You made a difference !
It's Mardi Gras Time Again!
Are you ready? We have an early Easter this year (March 23), so Ash Wednesday falls on February 6– the day after the Presidential primary here in New Jersey! That means the Saturday before Ash Wednesday is February 2– Groundhog Day. How scrambled up is that?
It also means that you better scramble to buy your tickets to our second annual Mardi Gras celebration dinner. Holy Spirit’s answer to Emeril, Anna and Ernie Tews, have whipped up a fabulous menu to be served family-style beginning at 6 pm. This year’s dinner will still only cost $17.00 per person, but here’s what you’ll get: salad/appetizer; your choice of seafood or chicken gumbo; and chicken & sausage etouffee for the main course. Dessert will be New Orleans bread pudding served with bourbon sauce and whipped cream, along with King cake.
Purchase your tickets after each Sunday service. Elizabeth Hill will help you after the 8 am service, and Carol Lofton after the 10:30 am. Last date of sale will be January 27, if any still remain, and no tickets will be sold at the door. Once again, seating is by reservation, but we can accommodate group if you notify us in advance. Just tell us how many will join you, and we’ll block off your seats.
If you need more info, or want to join in the fun, please call the parish office. We still need help decorating, setting up, cooking and serving. Oh– did I mention the 50/50 raffle?
Mardi Gras is the end of Carnival, which always begins on Twelfth Night (Epiphany, January 6) and ends on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras celebrations are held throughout the world, but surely you will have no more fun anywhere else than with us in HS!
It also means that you better scramble to buy your tickets to our second annual Mardi Gras celebration dinner. Holy Spirit’s answer to Emeril, Anna and Ernie Tews, have whipped up a fabulous menu to be served family-style beginning at 6 pm. This year’s dinner will still only cost $17.00 per person, but here’s what you’ll get: salad/appetizer; your choice of seafood or chicken gumbo; and chicken & sausage etouffee for the main course. Dessert will be New Orleans bread pudding served with bourbon sauce and whipped cream, along with King cake.
Purchase your tickets after each Sunday service. Elizabeth Hill will help you after the 8 am service, and Carol Lofton after the 10:30 am. Last date of sale will be January 27, if any still remain, and no tickets will be sold at the door. Once again, seating is by reservation, but we can accommodate group if you notify us in advance. Just tell us how many will join you, and we’ll block off your seats.
If you need more info, or want to join in the fun, please call the parish office. We still need help decorating, setting up, cooking and serving. Oh– did I mention the 50/50 raffle?
Mardi Gras is the end of Carnival, which always begins on Twelfth Night (Epiphany, January 6) and ends on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras celebrations are held throughout the world, but surely you will have no more fun anywhere else than with us in HS!
A Gift From a Friend: Priceless
Have you ever had a friend give you a gift that you were not expecting to receive? How did you feel? Were you embarrassed? Did you want to give your friend something back in return? How could you do that graciously, especially if the gift meant something special to your friend or had a great value attached?
Well, Someone has given you a great gift. He gave His life for your salvation. Jesus is that friend, of course. We have an idea for something that you can give Him back in return. At the same time, you can give a friend here on earth a gift even MasterCard would call “priceless”: the gift of eternal life.
January 27, 2008 will be the first Invite A Friend Sunday in the Diocese of New Jersey. The entire Diocese– all 160 parishes! - will participate in this great event to help the “unchurched” (meaning the 80% of the American population who are not associated with any organized religious groups) feel comfortable enough to try to attend one of our services. You will play a major part because you can be a “bridge to God” for a friend who no longer attends church, or never did in the first place.
Think about it. You probably have regular contact with six or seven people who have only been to church for a wedding or a funeral during the past 6 months, if they’ve been at all. These are the people who would never think to attend a Christmas church service, much less an annual meeting!
We call them your “circle of contacts.” These are the people that become your circle for sharing the good news of everlasting life through Jesus. We can suggest at least eight categories: Neighbors; hobby and recreation friends, like your fishing buddies or quilting ladies; co-workers (be careful here not to stop on corporate toes, but let people know how happy you are in your church, and make them feel comfortable asking you questions); personal friends; contacts in clubs and organizations, like the Red Hatters; relatives; newcomers to our community; and families with new babies. You may not know someone in each category, or you may know more than one person in a particular category. That’s okay. These are just general guidelines. Pray for your contacts daily, and ask God to send the Holy Spirit to you. As you pray for your friend, ask God to reveal a need in his/her life which may give you the opportunity to tell your friend how your faith sustains you.
Rely on the Holy Spirit for help. Don’t think that you need to do this alone. Remember how God sent the Holy Spirit on that first Pentecost to help His disciples? Ask Him to help you now.
Be prepared to answer some hard questions. Start by asking yourself some, such as: what prompted me to visit this congregation when I was looking for a new church home? Was it just because it was Episcopal? Why did I become a member of Holy Spirit? What is special and unique about our congregation that would appeal to guests? What would someone new to our congregation receive by becoming one of us? What would our congregation gain by inviting friends to visit with us for worship and other activities? Do I really want new people in our congregation (be honest with yourself. Why or why not?)? Would new people be welcomed in our congregation?
I would answer the last question with an unqualified “yes.” We have learned to greet strange faces and welcome them to coffee hour, or to the altar rail. We must continue to seek them out at the “Sign of the Peace.”
We have a lot to do in the next few weeks leading up to Invite A Friend Sunday. You will receive lots more info as the weeks pass. Please begin now to consider who might benefit from an invitation issued personally by you. As Episcopalians, we will definitely “step out of our comfort zone” when we begin to speak about our faith. But if you begin to prepare now, and drop a few hints occasionally that you are willing to discuss your faith if anyone has questions, you may open the door for others to reach out to God through you.
Now that’s “paying it forward” in a big way! What a great gift to give your friend– at no charge to you! Truly a “Priceless” gift!
Well, Someone has given you a great gift. He gave His life for your salvation. Jesus is that friend, of course. We have an idea for something that you can give Him back in return. At the same time, you can give a friend here on earth a gift even MasterCard would call “priceless”: the gift of eternal life.
January 27, 2008 will be the first Invite A Friend Sunday in the Diocese of New Jersey. The entire Diocese– all 160 parishes! - will participate in this great event to help the “unchurched” (meaning the 80% of the American population who are not associated with any organized religious groups) feel comfortable enough to try to attend one of our services. You will play a major part because you can be a “bridge to God” for a friend who no longer attends church, or never did in the first place.
Think about it. You probably have regular contact with six or seven people who have only been to church for a wedding or a funeral during the past 6 months, if they’ve been at all. These are the people who would never think to attend a Christmas church service, much less an annual meeting!
We call them your “circle of contacts.” These are the people that become your circle for sharing the good news of everlasting life through Jesus. We can suggest at least eight categories: Neighbors; hobby and recreation friends, like your fishing buddies or quilting ladies; co-workers (be careful here not to stop on corporate toes, but let people know how happy you are in your church, and make them feel comfortable asking you questions); personal friends; contacts in clubs and organizations, like the Red Hatters; relatives; newcomers to our community; and families with new babies. You may not know someone in each category, or you may know more than one person in a particular category. That’s okay. These are just general guidelines. Pray for your contacts daily, and ask God to send the Holy Spirit to you. As you pray for your friend, ask God to reveal a need in his/her life which may give you the opportunity to tell your friend how your faith sustains you.
Rely on the Holy Spirit for help. Don’t think that you need to do this alone. Remember how God sent the Holy Spirit on that first Pentecost to help His disciples? Ask Him to help you now.
Be prepared to answer some hard questions. Start by asking yourself some, such as: what prompted me to visit this congregation when I was looking for a new church home? Was it just because it was Episcopal? Why did I become a member of Holy Spirit? What is special and unique about our congregation that would appeal to guests? What would someone new to our congregation receive by becoming one of us? What would our congregation gain by inviting friends to visit with us for worship and other activities? Do I really want new people in our congregation (be honest with yourself. Why or why not?)? Would new people be welcomed in our congregation?
I would answer the last question with an unqualified “yes.” We have learned to greet strange faces and welcome them to coffee hour, or to the altar rail. We must continue to seek them out at the “Sign of the Peace.”
We have a lot to do in the next few weeks leading up to Invite A Friend Sunday. You will receive lots more info as the weeks pass. Please begin now to consider who might benefit from an invitation issued personally by you. As Episcopalians, we will definitely “step out of our comfort zone” when we begin to speak about our faith. But if you begin to prepare now, and drop a few hints occasionally that you are willing to discuss your faith if anyone has questions, you may open the door for others to reach out to God through you.
Now that’s “paying it forward” in a big way! What a great gift to give your friend– at no charge to you! Truly a “Priceless” gift!
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