Faith is No Private Matter

All baptized persons are called by Jesus Christ to become his apostles in their own personal situation and in the world: "As the Father has sent me, so I send you." (John 20:21) Through his church Christ entrusts you with the fundamental mission of sharing with others the gift of salvation. He invites you to participate in building his kingdom. He chooses you, in spite of the personal limitations everyone has, because he loves you and believes in you. This unconditional love of Christ should be the very soul of your apostolic work, in accord with the words of St. Paul, "the love of Christ impels us." (2 Corinthians 5:14)

Being disciples of Christ is not a private matter. On the contrary, the gift of faith must be shared with others. For this reason the same apostle writes, "Preaching the gospel is not the subject of a boast; I am under compulsion and have no choice. I am ruined if I do not preach it!" (1 Corinthians 9:16) Moreover, do not forget that faith is strengthened and grows precisely when it is given to others...

(So) do not be afraid of presenting Christ to someone who does not yet know him. Jesus Christ is the true answer, the most complete answer to all the questions which concern the human person and his destiny. Without Christ, the human person remains an unsolvable riddle. Therefore, have the courage to present Christ! Certainly, you must do this in a way which respects each person's freedom of conscience, but you must do it. Helping a brother or sister to discover Christ-the way, the truth, and the life (see John 14:6)-is a true act of love for one's neighbor.

It is not an easy task to speak of God today. Many times one finds a wall of indifference and even a certain hostility. How many times you will be tempted to repeat with the prophet Jeremiah, "Ah, Lord God, I know not how to speak; I am too young." But God will always answer, "Say not, ‘I am too young.' To whomever I send you, you shall go." (Jeremiah 1:6-7) So, do not be discouraged because you are never alone. The Lord will not fail to accompany you, as he promised, "Know that I am with you always, until the end of the world!" (Matthew 28:20)

Karol Jozef Wojtyla, John Paul II, (1920-2005), excerpted from Message for the 1992 World Day of Youth

Around Beloved...Daylight Savings Time begins this Sunday, April 2, so remember to move you clocks ahead one hour before you go to bed on Saturday night...The Parish Office will be closed from Friday, March 24, through Monday, April 3. All emails and voicemails left during this period will be returned beginning Tuesday, April 4...On Maundy Thursday, April 13, Beloved will again host its wonderful 7pm Agape Meal worship service at Community House Middle School followed by the Beloved Garden Watch: an opportunity to live out Jesus' words to his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane ("Can you not watch with me for one hour?") from 9pm to midnight or 6am to 9am the next morning in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. For the Agape Meal, we are asking Beloved's regular worship participants to reply or sign-up in the Hospitality area with the number planning to attend so that enough additional food can be prepared for our guests/visitors; for the Watch, a sign-up sheet will be available in the hospitality area. For those who love a great party, the Easter Vigil and First Celebration of Easter followed by a Festive Reception at Sundown (@8pm) on Saturday, 4/15 is a not-to-miss opportunity! Beloved supplies punch, wedding cake, shrimp and tenderloin; the wonderful cooks of the Beloved community supply the rest of the delectable treats! More information about this and the rest of Holy Week will appear in the April 5^th edition of eNews...Softball anyone? Ed Fox is looking to form a Beloved team for the city's church league this summer. Over twenty-five men, women and children who worship at Beloved have already indicated their interest! Costs and league practice schedules at this time are unknown. Any adults (male or female) or children (with parental permission) who are interested in having their names included on an interest list, click here...Sunday Christian Formation resumes after Easter Sunday...Area church-sponsored camps are now taking registrations for overnight summer camp. Two excellent accredited and reasonably-priced camps are: Camp Phoebe Needles (up I-77, off the Blue Ridge Parkway in the mountains of southern Virginia; Mitchell Harbin attended last year and will again this summer) and Camp Henry (west on I-40 in the mountains west of Asheville, NC; Dylan Lang attended last year). In addition, Trinity Episcopal School is also offering day camp opportunities during the summer as well...all rising 7^th, 8^th and 9^th graders are invited to attend Episcopal Outreach Camp (July 10-12) sponsored by Beloved and most of the Episcopal churches in Charlotte. Applications are available at Beloved Garden or from Miss Clifford or Deacon Deb.

Ministry Opportunities...Anyone have time over Spring Break to prime and paint a cabinet at Beloved Garden? Contact Anna Moore if you can help...Nancy Montagnino has for several years coordinated the Maundy Thursday Agape Meal and the Great Vigil of Easter Reception. We are so very grateful for her assistance with this vital ministry during Holy Week at Beloved. Nancy is looking for additional persons to train in these duties so Beloved is prepared for the day when she ultimately decides to retire (which we hope is no time soon!). If you are organized and detail oriented, able to delegate, and work well with many hands that always jump into help, contact Nancy who will walk you through the ropes during Holy Week 2006. The beauty of this ministry opportunity is that it only happens once a year!...The Human Needs Outreach Team had a great time visioning last week about how Beloved can be a blessing to our world and the community around us. Though plans are in the initial stages for 2006-2007, the team decided to coordinate quarterly (instead of a monthly) congregational opportunities for human needs outreach. For those who were unable to make the first gathering, there is still a place for you! This team's next gathering will be on at 7pm on Tuesday, April 4 at Beloved Garden. Need more information? Contact Deacon Deb.

Serving at God's Altar this Sunday at Beloved...Angel Army Team 3 (Captain: Mark Leinenkugel; Pastor: Jim Skrobot; Convener: Scott Sanniota); Acolytes: Raquanza Miller, Caley Scheppegrell, Jake Scheppegrell, Nykeria Thomas; Reader: Lexi Leinenkugel; Presenters: Steve, Lisa, Dylan & Brice Lang ; Eucharistic Ministers: Frank Reid & Mary Reid; Offertory Basket Passers: Ceci Atwood, Gabi Leinenkugel, Jack Sanniota, Katie Sanniota; PowerPoint: Kevin Krantz.

In our Prayers...for those traveling on Spring Vacation that they may enjoy safe travel and a renewing time...for Jessie Powell, Reid Gibbs, Janie Lownes, Dan Blackwood and Richard, Ginger Leppert‘s father who are recuperating from surgery or hospital stays...for those serving in Iraq, especially Scott, Dan Hood's brother...for Nancy and Tony Hodgson's granddaughter, Emily...for Marilyn Doyon and Marie Duty who are expecting babies this upcoming year...for Dorothy, Mary Reid's sister who is fighting lung cancer...for Ruth, Shana Blake‘s cousin...for Ed and Jean, Dick Reif's parents who are in declining health in Oklahoma...for Bill, Lee Frickhoeffer's uncle who has terminal cancer...for Bryan McCarthy, Lauren Skrobot and Katrina West as they continue medical testing...for Chet Rose who is to be married on April 15^th.

Upcoming Calendar through Easter Day...click here