Fr. Harrison's Letter for February 5, 2017

Dear Hearts,

Oh yes, this Sunday is also Super Bowl Sunday!  Not to worry, there will be plenty of time to get home well before even the pre-pregame shows begin; and the game itself doesn't start until 6:30p.m.   Beginning with a light brunch, the Annual Parish Meeting will follow Sunday's 10 a.m. worship service. In addition to elections and reports, this Annual Meeting will include a roll-out of a Parish Mission Statement -- which the planning team  distilled from reflections at our Home Gatherings and parish suppers, over the past year.  Having received a final tweak by the Vestry this week, the Statement is ready to be presented at Sunday's  Annual Parish Meeting.

The Strategic Planning Team also worked with our fearless leader, Pat Daunic, on devising possibilities for a logo or "brand" that could be used on all of our publications.  Again, these images reflect what we, as Christ Church today, identified as important signs of our life together in Christ on the Green.  They will be available for review and conversation at Sunday's Annual Parish Meeting.

Of course, we will also handle the important tasks for organizing our life together:  electing a new class of parish officers, Vestry and Nominating Committee members*, and receiving reports from 2016, including an update from the Evening ECW on their project to enhance the Parish Hall.  And what would an Annual Parish Meeting at Christ Church be without an opportunity for conversation together over something to eat?

This year our Parish Meeting treat comes from the pages of the parish's new cookbook, "Our Favorite Recipes:"  Nancy Wilcox's "Grandmother's Omelette."  Turn to page 80 in the cookbook, and you will discover this is a baked creation. The Wardens and I just finished preparing seven pans of it; we'll all get to enjoy it just out of the oven tomorrow morning! There are options for vegetarians and those with wheat allergies. 

Sunday School Director Laurie Varley and Music Director Mark Sullivan have devised a program to keep our younger parishioners happily occupied during the meeting.  There will be a great macaroni and cheese lunch for them to eat, music to sing, and craft projects to create.  Adults:  No fair trying to slip downstairs and join the children!  And remember, in the Episcopal Church, voting membership begins at age 16!

As the saying goes, "elections have consequences," and an early consequence of the election of President Trump was his presidential order concerning immigrants and refugees.  At least initially, this order conflicts with the long-standing commitments of the Episcopal Church in general, in Connecticut, and this parish -- to ministry with refugees.  Our Presiding Bishop, +Michael Curry, and the director of Episcopal Migration Ministries had asked the president to allow the Church's work to continue even before the order was issued.  You can read their requests by clicking here.  Since the publication of the order, our Connecticut Bishops, +Ian Douglas and +Laura Ahrens, have written two letters; the second expands upon and offers a correction to the first.  You can find the Bishops' January 30th letter here, and their February 3rd follow-up letter here.  I commend these letters to you.  We will "junk the agenda" for Sunday's Rectory Forum to discuss them this Sunday. 

In faith and hope,
Harrison+
YFNR
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*And the nominees are:  Senior Warden -- Rose Robinson; Junior Warden -- Sue Shackford; Treasurer -- Ted Sands; Clerk -- Diane Kyle; Vestry Class of 2020 -- Rebecca Ervin, Mitra Kish, Bob McNamara; Vestry Class of 2018 -- Katherine Frydenborg; Alternate Delegate to Diocesan Convention -- Susan Pogue; Nominating Committee for the 2018 Annual Parish Meeting -- Holley Claiborn, Jennifer Huebner, Jen McShane, Laura Raymond