I was deeply moved by the experience of the Adult Forum in November and December that Joe Kunkle and I led under the title, Philosophy and Theology: Lenses on Abiding Questions. In addition to the long conversations with Joe prior to and during the course, there was a lot of reading and soul searching involved. I learned a lot, and I hope the participants did, too.

For those who missed it, the sessions are online at the Christ Church website. Joe and I will repeat the experience in the spring at a University of Dayton seminar in the Lifelong Learning program.

A key learning is just how little we know. (Isn’t it an irony of life that we have to keep learning the same lessons over and over again?)

When Moses encountered the burning bush, he asked who was speaking to him out of the bush. “I am who I am,” came the reply. It’s cryptic at best. Later when Moses went up on Sinai to meet with God he had to cover his face, because he could not look at God directly. The Hebrews would not speak God’s name, because to do so would be to limit or define the One who cannot be limited or defined. And St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Now we see in a mirror dimly.”

In the same vein, it seems that Socrates’ life’s mission was to help his students understand how little they really understood. There is something about clarity and certainly about things divine that is idolatrous, because the ineffable cannot be reduced to anything that can be comprehended by a mere creature.

It has long been a practice in many faith traditions to engage in repetitive liturgical worship and exercises that take us beyond the moment and beyond ourselves . . . out to where we encounter the One who cannot be reduced, defined, described with finality by any words, images, or formulas. Though poetry, music, art, even silence, we can, however, dance along that border between what we can know and the Great Unknown . . . that place where we can experience awe and wonder.

In the making of your resolutions for the New Year 2010, I invite you to worship regularly with the church in our liturgical life and to adopt a personal spiritual practice that may open you up to God. As Barbara Brown Taylor has written in her new book, An Altar in the World, those practices can be getting lost in a car, cleaning the kitchen floor, walking in a cow pasture, or even in the experience of diminishment from illness or aging.

For conversation about any of these matters, you can speak with me or to a number of others. There are retreats and prayer practices and books to explore. If your spiritual life is in a barren place, resolve to seek out a green and verdant garden in this new year of our Lord.

--John Paddock

Pledge Update

As of December 22, we have received 100 pledges for 2010 of $272,918. Our goal for 2010 pledges is $282,500.  If you have not yet made a pledge for 2010 we would appreciate hearing from you as soon as possible so the Wardens and Vestry can continue the financial planning for the New Year.  You may return a pledge form by placing it in our offering plate or mailing it to the church. If you need an extra copy of the pledge form, please go to the Christ Church website www.christepiscopal.com or pick one up at the church.

Downtowners' Group canceled for January & February

The Fellowship Committee has canceled the January and February Downtowners' Get-together.  They will use this time to re-group and decide on the future of this program.  If anyone has a suggestion on a new format for this group, such as book discussion group or card/game playing group, please contact a member of the Fellowship Group: Cathy Skardon, Maureen Boyles, Linda Schmidt, Joan Franks, Donna Boensch, Karen Kuziensky, Jane Clinch, Ann Pettee, Anne Burns, Natalie Harwood, Denie Hedley, or email the church office:  cecdayton@christepiscopal.com.  The Fellowship Committee wishes to thank all who attended the Downtowners' Christmas Program. The Christmas program has been very successful and the Fellowship Commission is looking forward to offering the program again next year.   

Adult Christian Discovery: Sunday Morning Forum: 9-10 a.m.

There will be no classes for children, youth, or adults on December 27 and January 3.  Regular classes will resume on January 10.  An open forum for adults will be held in the Parish Hall. 

Justice and Empire: Paul's Letter to the Romans -- January 17-March 28, 2010- Dr. Larry Welborn.  Paul's epistle to the Romans, his last and most visionary letter, was written to Christ-believers in Rome during the reign of Nero. This course will focus on aspects of the Roman context of Paul's theology, exposing "justice," "faith," and "reconciliation" as the elements of a new politics of identity in Christ. Paul's challenge to the empire of Nero provides the elements of a "political theology" that can inspire our practice in the 21st century.

Worshop Commission Meeting Summary

The Christ Church Worship Commission met on December 2.  The following is a summary of the meeting.  The next meeting will be January 20, 2010 from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm at the church, the meeting is open to the parish.

Nave Seating Arrangement - Many positive comments have been received about the new arrangement for the Nave seating.  The commission plans to extend the new seating arrangement through Christmas and into/through Epiphany.

Passing of the Peace - The commission discussed the Passing of The Peace segment of the 10:30 am Sunday worship service.  John Paddock agreed to provide an announcement to the parish requesting less movement around and length of time spent on this segment of the service.

Christmas Worship Services - The commission discussed worship details for the Sunday December 20  and Christmas Eve services.   

Epiphany worship planning - The Epiphany worship booklet is being reworked to make the liturgy more flexible to accommodate special worship such as Martin Luther King Sunday (January 17, 2010) and Appalachian Sunday (February 14, 2010).   Guest preachers and special music are being considered for both of these special Sundays - a jazz combo for Martin Luther King Sunday and a bluegrass group for Appalachian Sunday. 

New Ideas/New business - John Paddock asked the commission to think about how we can utilize worship to minister to those who are ill, concerned about job loss and concerned about loved ones serving in the military.  This topic will be explored during the next commission meeting.         

Respectfully submitted,
Greg Sexton

Christ Church Women's Winter Retreat

The Winter Women's Retreat will be at Procter on Friday, February 26 through Sunday, February 8, 2010.  Please fill out the registration form in you are interested in attending the Women's Retreat.

A CityHeart Moment . . . I am writing this article during Christmas week, which is a very busy time of year in the church office.  It is also a very busy time each year for our CityHeart ministry. We have all journeyed our way through another Advent in anticipation of Christmas. Hopefully we have had a moment or two along the way to consider that God gave the gift of Jesus; that he became fully human for all of us. What a gift!

In our December CityHeart article, Peggy Barnes referred to our newly lettered sign that reads “Jesus walks through our doors every day.” (Apparently it prompted quite a conversation that I unfortunately missed.) Does Jesus really walk through our doors every day? I believe that after Jesus death and resurrection some recognize him easily and some don’t. If we desire to meet Jesus we might need to look and listen more carefully—because he is often disguised as the homeless, the down trodden or those we see as needy.  At this time of year, we remember that he came to us in a lowly way and lived most of his life dependent on others for his physical needs. His were gifts of the Spirit.

In this season of giving, it never ceases to amaze me that almost everyone wants to give a gift or make an offering in acknowledgement of the one who came, and is coming, for us. Since CityHeart is a helping ministry, it is a bit uncomfortable to be the recipient of gifts. Yet unfailingly they come. A regular CityHeart visitor brings us our first Christmas card greetings for the season and buys me a soda. Another CityHeart client who enjoys coffee on Sunday mornings asks if she may help to serve today. A man who we helped has come back giving $5 towards repayment of what he had received. Other ‘gifts’ include: the gift of a $25 gas card; bus tokens; or our neighbor at the Biltmore who each year brings both a cash donation and a tangible gift for “someone in need.”

As the Spirit would have it, just as some of these gifts were received, another individual was in need of them - a smile and a hand; a blanket to keep warm; money for a few bus tokens; and the need to fill a nearly empty gas tank halfway through a holiday journey. 

These gifts show us the true meaning of Christmas and I am blessed to be a witness for sharing them with you. May the light of Christ be with you all in the coming year.

Kris Sexton

Another Great WAFFLE SHOP - Click here for Waffle Shop photos

A rousing ‘thank you’ to everybody who made Waffle Shop -- for the 80th time -- such a success.  Though numbers were down a bit on Friday, we hosted nearly 1700 guests in four days and grossed just over $17,000.  Pretty good numbers in this day and age!  Though all expenses have not yet been subtracted from that gross, I would expect Waffle Shop 09 should be able to make $9000 in grants, the same as last year.  Grant deadline:  February 15, 2010.  More on grants below. 

Thanks, too, to those who donated to the flat screen television raffle prize.  After donations, Waffle Shop only had about $75 in the set, yet raffle totals nearly doubled.  Elsie’s Attic was up almost $400 and cookbooks sold out.  Good work, everybody!

We’re already figuring out who should be Celebrity Bakers next year, and we’re going to make a special effort to get a feature in the Dayton Daily News.  Special thanks to Celebrity Baker Kim Faris from Lite 99.9 for being such a good friend to Waffle Shop by mentioning our event often during Waffle Shop week on her radio show.  And another special thank you to TV2s Jim Bucher who joined Mary Dahlberg and me for his early morning Bucher’s Beat hours before Waffle Shop opened on day 1.  Such media attention really helps our gate. 

Now Waffle Shop 09 gets into the serious business of making grants.  As noted above, all grant requests are due in the church office by Monday, February 15, 2010.  The Waffle Shop committee will meet after that to evaluate requests.  As is our practice, at least two-thirds of the total will go to organizations outside Christ Church.  The balance of grant money will stay in-house.  So if you have a church project or know of a local group in need of funds, submit a Waffle Shop grant request using the approved format below.  If you have any questions, feel free to run it by Tom Schaefer. [tom@earthspeaks.org / 937.276.2162]

Waffle Shop Grant procedure:

•  Internal programs and Outreach programs connected to a parishioner may request funds through a memo, letter, or form in which the need is explained in detail.   Include outcome of previous Waffle Shop grants, if possible.
•   Requests for Waffle Shop Outreach Grants from sources not connected to Christ Church should apply in a letter including the following information:

√   How did you learn about Waffle Shop Outreach Grants?
√   Does your organization have a particular affiliation with a church or 
other non-profit organization?
√   Is yours a 501(c)3 organization?
√   How will a grant to your organization help Christ Church realize its mission to love and serve God in the community?
√   If you have received a Waffle Shop Outreach Grant in the past, how did it assist your organization and the people you serve?  Stories welcomed.
√   Who should we contact for an interview?

Click here for photos of Waffle Shop 2009

YOUTH NEWS

Winter Youth Events

Genesis 7: A Junior High Retreat Program
Genesis is a Christian Formation event for 6-9 graders that partners mental
and physical challenges with spiritual practices to teach foundational realities of Christianity. It is an emotionally and physically safe environment where students are challenged to reach beyond their comfort zones and find renewed interest
in their faith lives.
When: January 22-24, 2010
Where: All Saints Episcopal Church, New Albany
Cost: $30, Scholarships available, please contact Rob Konkol
Register online NOW!!! https://diosohio.wufoo.com/forms/genesis-7/

Exodus 7: A Senior High Retreat Program
Exodus is a high school aged retreat program for youth in grades 9 thru 12.
This retreat is designed, created, and implemented by high school students from across our diocese. Each retreat is different in design, location, and staff.
When: Feb 12-14, 2010
Where: St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, Lebanon
Cost: $30, Scholarships available, please contact Rob Konkol
Design Team Leader: Carl Freeman
Register online NOW!!! https://diosohio.wufoo.com/forms/exodus-7/

Youth Group Meetings
Plan to come to church on these Sundays!!
January 17—12:00-3:00
February 21—12:00-3:00
March 21—12:00-3:00

*Youth Group Retreat*
Put this weekend on your calendars now!
April 9—11, 2009

Outreach News:
St. Vincent DePaul Ministry

As I indicated in my November Broadcast article about our Hunger Ministry, our ministry in serving meals to the residents of St Vincent's Hotel has changed. The addition of a separate men's shelter provides new opportunities for volunteer servers from Christ Church and friends of Christ Church members. November was a transition month for us -- our volunteers included: Bill Wilson, Donna Boensch, Linda Schmidt, Robin and Randall Fletcher, Bob Wilda, Phyllis Pacifico, and Karen Kuziensky. All went well -- we provided the food for the men and other volunteers served it. We provided the food and served the single women -- it was a little different experience with the male resident volunteers not being around -- we had more clean-up than usual -- this will be the practice for the future. We heard lots of compliments from the women about the food and service.

In December we began a split serving approach: We served the men lunch at their new shelter on Saturday, Dec 12th and then we served the women dinner on our regular serving date -- Thursday, Dec 17th. As we should go with all the Lord's work, we go as the Spirit moves us. We learn and change as we go.

If you are interested in serving at St Vincent's Hotel or the new Gateway Men's Shelter, here is some information about our ministry -- if you would like to serve or have questions about serving, please contact me: gkuziensky@woh.rr.com

St Vincent Hotel -- 20 West Apple St: We serve dinner to the single women once a month -- it is always the third Thursday. The St Vincent Hotel is a resident shelter for families and single women. The capacity of the hotel when its residents included the single men was around 300 people and that was the number of people that we served and provided meals. With the opening of the new Gateway Men's Shelter, St Vincent's Hotel will have additional space for families and single women. It is expected that eventually our served population will grow. The families eat at 5:00 PM -- we don't serve the families, we just provide the food (250 pieces of chicken plus baked beans and potato salad).

• Serving the single women dinner -- volunteer arrival time is at 6:30 PM. The St Vincent Hotel is on Apple St -- going South on South Dixie, take a right on Apple and go approximately 1/2 block and take a left thru the gate for St Vincent. Parking is on the left and right. Then go to the garage door and main door on the left side of the building. There is a call box beside the main door that you can use to announce your arrival. Someone will come and let you in. The kitchen is upstairs on the second floor -- take the ramp and bear to your left at the top of the ramp. The kitchen is thru the double doors.
•  We normally have from 6-10 volunteers -- we don't schedule, just come if you are able -- the more the merrier. We have both parents and their children serving as volunteers. We send an email out prior to each serving and ask for a response to see who is serving.
• We have some prep work to do before the guests arrive -- getting the bread and desserts ready -- we use whatever donated breads and desserts are available. The fried chicken (currently 200 pieces) is delivered between 6-6:30 PM and the baked beans and potato salad are ready to go by 7:00 PM. Christ Church pays for the chicken, baked beans, and potato salad from the Hunger Fund -- donations are always welcome.
• We usually start serving at 7:00 PM -- we form an assembly line to put the food on the trays and then hand them to the guests as they arrive. We think you will enjoy the experience -- we have a great bunch of volunteers and we enjoy each other's company. The guests we serve are very grateful and appreciative of the hearty meal. We are done serving and cleaning up around 8:00 PM and on our way home.

Gateway Shelter for Men -- 1613 Gettysburg Ave: This is a new ministry for us. The size of the kitchen and dining room at the new men's facility is much smaller which limits the number of volunteers -- the men will eat in shifts of 40 men each serving -- volunteers can range in number from one to four.

• Volunteers meet at St Vincent's Hotel on Apple St at 11:00 AM
• 11:15 AM -- Transport chicken, baked beans, potato salad, bread, and desserts to the new men's shelter on Gettysburg Ave
• Serve the meal to the men -- 12:00 pm to 2:00 PM
• Return to St Vincent's Hotel on Apple St and depart for home.

--Gary Kuziensky

Volunteer Opportunity

St. Andrew's is seeking volunteers to assist with homework help, games, and art projects for it's afterschool tutoring program.  volunteers are needed on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.  If you can volunteer, please contact the Rev. Jane Gersen at 278-7345 or by email at jane.standrews@sbcglobal. net.

Views from the Pews:                                                      

Barbara Cerny is very excited to announce that she is now a published author!  The book, "Of Angels and Orphans" was three years in the making.  If you are interested in seeing the cover and synopsis, go to : http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/OfAngelsAndOrphans.html.  Congratulations, Barb.

WEATHER-RELATED CANCELLATION OF SERVICES

If we find it necessary to cancel church services due to bad weather, we will post/record the information in the following places:

1. On our website: www.christepiscopal.com

2. On WDTN TV Channel 2. These listings should also appear on their website: www.wdtn.com

3. On all Clear Channel Radio stations in the area: WLQT, WTUE, WMMX, WXEG, WDKF, WDSJ and WONE.

4. On WHIO TV Channel 7’s website: www.whiotv.com (WHIO will not always announce church closings on their TV station. Their ability to scroll messages across the bottom of the TV screen is limited so that, if they have a large number of closings, churches and smaller businesses will not be included.)