20 September 2007 

 

New Orleans

 

Our Bishops—Michael Curry, Bill Gregg and Chip Marble—are in New Orleans today through Tuesday, meeting with their brother and sister US bishops and with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, to offer physical labor and encouragement for those still suffering in the Gulf Region from Katrina and to make decisions that will effect our church’s connection with 77-million Anglicans throughout the world.  They have specifically asked for, and will most certainly need, our constant prayers over the next six days.

 

At each of their consecrations, they heard these words:

My brother (or sister), the people have chosen you and have affirmed their trust in you by acclaiming your election. A bishop in God’s holy Church is called to be one with the apostles in proclaiming Christ’s resurrection and interpreting the Gospel, and to testify to Christ’s sovereignty as Lord of lords and Kings of kings.  You are called to guard the faith, unity, and discipline of the Church; to celebrate and to provide for the administration of the sacraments of the New Covenant; to ordain priests and deacons and to join in ordaining bishops; and to be in all things a faithful pastor and wholesome example for the entire flock of Christ.  With your fellow bishops you will share in the leadership of the Church throughout the world. Your heritage is the faith of patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and those of every generation who have looked to God in hope. Your joy will be to follow him who came, not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Book of Common Prayer, p. 517)

May our intercessions on their behalf, and the power of the Holy Spirit, give them the grace to live fully into this vision.

 

J. Derek Harbin, priest

 

 

There’s something special about December 1^st.  Keep your calendar open!

 

 

Around Beloved…Christian Formation for all ages will follow worship this Sunday.  Open Registration for a large number of midweek opportunities continues to be available online.  FaithQuest (for children 3-15) has an open and growing enrollment and several midweek sessions underway!  There are also several adult opportunities starting this week that you can be part of:

 

• Beloved Pilgrimage begins this Sunday, 11:45am, at Community House Middle School. It will begin with the nationally acclaimed twelve-week spiritual journey: Experiencing God—Knowing and Doing the Will of God. Interested? Click here.
• Discovering the Bible, an eye-opening, nine month (26-session) overview of the entire Bible, begins Tuesday, September 25, 10:30am-Noon, at Beloved Garden. Interested? Click here.
• A Short History of Christianity, a fun and informative two-month class about how our Christian roots inform our present and future, begins on Thursday, September 27, 7-8:30pm, at Beloved Garden. Interested? Click here.  

Signups continue this Sunday during hospitality time for the September 30^th Annual Parish Picnic.  This is the first youth event of this school year for those in Worker Bees (9-12), metamorphosis (12-15) and Flyte (15-18).  Don’t miss it! 

Beloved eNews publishes each Thursday.  News and calendar information should be submitted via email by the Monday preceding the publication date.

 

September 16…Attendance: 134; Worship Offering: $3,020.  Income needed for ministry each week: $5,500 (fully funded) à $4,400 (requiring other funding sources i.e. fundraising events).  The financial goal of Church of the Beloved is to reach self-sufficiency (i.e. pay all expenses without income from outside sources) by 12/31/2008.

 

 

7^th Annual Beloved Picnic

Cane Creek Park, Waxhaw, NC

 

Sunday, 09.30.07

2-7pm

Come for fellowship and family fun all afternoon

Dinner ready about 4:30pm

 

 

Sign up continues this Sunday!

 

 

Simon Evening of Giving…In our ongoing effort to achieve financial independence, Church of the Beloved will be one of the non-profit organizations participating in the fourth annual Simon Evening of Giving at SouthPark Mall on Sunday, November 18^th.  For every $10 ticket to this event we sell, our church keeps $7.  The remaining $3 will go to the Simon Youth Foundation, which provides support and resources for at-risk children.  For the past two years, Church of the Beloved has been one of the top selling charities at this event.  Last year, Beloved participants sold 630 tickets.  We hope to do even better this year! 

 

While this money is greatly needed by our congregation, this event also offers us many wonderful marketing opportunities.  Church of the Beloved will be included in print, web and radio advertising as a participating charity.  Additionally, on the night of the event, we will have a table in the center of the mall to market and promote our church and its programs.

 

Almost all of SouthPark’s retailers will participate in the form of store discounts (typically 15-25%), gifts with purchase, door prizes, raffled items, and more.  You need not be present on November 18^th to win.  Beyond the charity and great Christmas shopping opportunities, this is a night of fun for all.  Everyone who attended the past two years had a wonderful time.  The mall will close to the general public that night at 6 p.m., but then will re-open from 6:30-9:00 only to ticket holders.   There will be family entertainment, music, and a varied array of delicious food and drink samples throughout the mall as well as other festivities.

 

Packets containing tickets and additional details for this event continue to be available to COB participants after worship or by clicking here.

 

 

Why do we Give?

 

In this series, Deacon Deb Blackwood details one of the ways the faithful people of Beloved have responded to the call of Jesus.  Though gifts from Beloved’s offering basket tithe have already made a profound difference in people’s lives around the world, there is more that can be done.  Our global church continues to challenge us (and millions of other Christians around the world) to accomplish the Millennium Development Goals in order to show Jesus’ face to the poorest countries of the world as together we systematically and realistically tackle the devastating poverty, sickness and lack of infrastructure we find there.

 

Goal #5: Improve Maternal Health

 

Many people consider the day their child is born the happiest day of their life. In poorer countries the day a child is born is all too often the day her mother dies.  In sub-Saharan Africa, women have a 1:16 chance of dying in childbirth compared to 1:2000 in Europe and 1:3500 in North America. By 2001, an estimated 13 million children lost one or both of their parents to AIDS in Africa, Asia and Latin American countries.  Almost ALL maternal deaths are preventable, and in Africa—especially Malawi, Zimbabwe and Ghana—the rate is increasing. At the same time, China and a number of smaller Asian countries have made dramatic improvements.

 

Did you know that:

• More than ½ million women [1 every minute] die from complications in pregnancy or childbirth and another 9 million women suffer severe complications
• Chances of maternal death is 1:6 in Sierra Leone compared to 1:3800 in the UK
• Sexually transmitted infections are the main preventable cause of infertility and 40-50% of ectopic pregnancies can be traced to previous pelvic inflammatory diseases
• An estimated 130 million women and girls around the world have undergone female genital mutilation and another 2 million are added each year

The target of this Millennium Development Goal is to reduce by three-quarters the maternal mortality ratio by 2015.  This goal is closely related to last week’s article about reducing infant mortality. 

 

In spite of the broad number of ministries our human needs outreach ministries have supported, Beloved has not given directly to an agency or program designed to reduce maternal mortality. This, combined with infant mortality reduction efforts, is an area we might want to seriously consider this year.  For more details about Beloved’s outreach efforts, click here.

 

A man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him.  And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her.  She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. ‘‘Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”  But Jesus said “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”  Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.  Then Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”  (Luke 8:40-48)

 

Deb Blackwood, Deacon

 

 

Scripture Readings for September 23…Amos 8:4-7 & Luke 16:1-13

 

Serving at God’s Altar on September 23…Complete setup/complete teardown: New Angel Army Team #2; Acolytes: Adam Burnett, Holly Burnett, Garreth Floyd, Clare Harbin; Offering Basket Passers: Elizabeth Davisball, Allie Seidel, Gracie Seidel, Sarah Shaughnessy; Presenters: The Fox Family; Altar Bread Baker: Janis Conlon; Lay Eucharistic Ministers: Al Krantz & Wes Nichols; PowerPoint: Paige Wilson; Reader: Al Krantz; Offering Counters: Liz Wilson (Head Counter) & Janis Conlon (Assistant)

 

In our Prayers…Click here

 

Upcoming Calendar…Click here