Coming Home ©2015 Renate Eckart (pictured above)
Christ Church Rochester Advent 2016 The Song vol. 2 issue 1
Lo! He Comes © 2005 Tim Jutsum (above) acrylic on canvas
Lo! he comes, with clouds descending,
once for our salvation slain;
thousand thousand saints attending
swell the triumph of his train:
Alleluia! alleluia! alleluia!
Christ the Lord returns to reign.
Lo! He comes with clouds descending
Hymn 58 The 1982 Episcopal Hymnal
Tempest © 2004 Tim Jutsum (below) acrylic on canvas
Editor note:
Advent
Happy New Year!
We have the elegant tradition of beginning the liturgical year with the season of Advent. I love that it is an ancient, quiet, contemplative enclave. I love that, at it’s core, it vibrates with the anticipation of the conclusion of the current space-time experience. I love that this epoch will end when God proclaims that it is completed and it will be replaced with mysterious perfection. It is the astonishing satisfaction of our longing. It is at the heart of where our Home is.
The last vestry meeting was shared by many parishioners who are not on the vestry, We talked of our concerns around hate speech and the potential for harm or injustice inflicted on people because of their beliefs, their race, their nationality, or their identity as LGBTQ. There was an urgent sense that the election and the language used, by now President elect Trump, might yet inspire civil strife. There was a very real sense that many of us were grappling with a way to manage our feelings that was consistent with our calling as people of faith.
The actions of God’s people embrace the actions of Jesus. A GoogleGroup was formed called SanctuaryatChristChurch. Anyone interested can join and be informed of various ways to participate. You should have received an email from Deb Vanderbilt. Feel free to email Deb at dvanderbilt@sjfc.edu if you didn’t get an invitation.
We long for the triumph of God breaking the final barrier between this world, which has pain, illness, grief, evil, sin and death baked right in, and the radically different unimaginable new world in which we will be at home. Meanwhile, there is work to do that keeps us busy sharing God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
Wonderfully, while engaged in our day to day, we get glimpses of this glory, like flashing sunlight reflected on water, and that feeds our hope. Hope is a requirement for life just like food and air. It is a gift of God, the Spirit. Hope does not disappoint us. The weight of that is breathtaking to me. We are working together, in this beautiful space of Christ Church surrounded by enrapturing music and art, to practice living our lives connected in Christ, to each other, and the world in which we find ourselves.
Val Jutsum
Rector's Notes
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Psalm 122 was a pilgrimage song sung by the multitudes who left their villages to pilgrim to Jerusalem for the annual holy days. These pilgrimages were recurring liturgical events (like Advent), and fraught with meaning - the holy days, the pilgrimage, and above all, the city, the gathering place where the brothers and sisters of Israel would be in communion with each other before the dwelling place of God. The peace of Jerusalem was a burning concern for the psalmist and for those who sang it.
Shaalu shelom yerusalayim. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, a city whose name itself is built on the Hebrew shalom, peace. A city sacred to all three of the world’s monotheistic religions, a symbol of peace to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and yet a city that has proven throughout history to be one of the most fought over cities of the world. A city that had seen major military campaigns - wars fought in and across Palestine and against, or in the vicinity of Jerusalem well before Jesus was born. Jesus himself prayed psalm 122 on his arrival to Jerusalem for Passover, before he wept over it and the warfare that would demand even his execution : O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, shaalu shelom yerusalayim.
How do Christians pray for a city that has become an epicenter of world tensions? How shall we pray for the peace of Jerusalem when we know that whatever peace the people of that occupying and occupied land might know is, in the words of Methodist pastor, James Howell, as “transient as the success of armed security?” When the “peace” of Jerusalem is as “ fragile as the temperament of the next shooter, stabber, or suicide bomber?” It is the first Sunday of Advent, we are watching and waiting for the Prince of Peace, and blanching over Jerusalem is not an option. Not to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (or Aleppo, or Kabul, or Fallujah) is never an option. How do we believe there will peace in Jerusalem or anywhere in an era of military conflict and international mistrust – in an era of nationalism the world over? Shaalu shelom yerusalayim. How? Why? My first prayer would be that my own nation learn to beat its swords into plowshares. It is good to listen to Jesus’ followers who know and teach about prayer. I think of Henri Nouwen.
Henri Nouwen grew up in the Netherlands where wagon wheels decorated the entrances of farms or the walls of restaurants. These wagon wheels imbedded themselves in his psyche with their wide rims, strong wooden spokes and big hubs. “These wheels,” he said, “help me understand the importance of a life lived from the center. When I move along the rim, I can reach one spoke after the other, but when I stay at the hub, I am in touch with all the spokes at once...to pray is to move to the center of all life and all love.” This helps me to understand, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” It helps me envision the lone heart of the ancient psalmist, whose heart was the hub of a prayer that expanded and became a prayer for, and a prayer of, every child of war, every refugee swimming from the smuggler’s boat for his life. “I think of the hub as my own heart,” Henri Nouwen wrote, “and as the heart of God, and the heart of the world. When I pray,” he wrote, “ I enter into the depth of my own heart and find there the heart of God who speaks to me of love. And I recognize right there the place where all of my sisters and brothers are in communion with each other.”
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Pray for every family displaced and detained, every living and every dead body pulled out of the rubble, pray for all humanity whose body and heart have been constrained by borders of nationalism, unable to hope, much less believe, that all nations shall stream to the mountain of the Lord’s house, and nation shall not lift up sword against nation.” Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, the place and the time where all of our brothers and sisters are in communion with each other, where flies no flag of any nation because the nation shall not raise up flag over nations. Pray for the coming of this judge and whose mishpat is judgment in favor of the vulnerable – the exiled, the poor, the workers whose families are still hungry – all who are turned away by the judgment of human laws. Pray for a Jerusalem whose peace is born of God’s justice is biased in favor of each pilgrim who seeks Jerusalem.. wherever Jerusalem may be. Shaalu shelom yerusalayim.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. This is God’s vision of peace – pray for this. For this, we have to pray with our hands, with our labor,
fashioning our weapons into tools for harvesting food so that no one will have to go hungry.
Shaalu shelom yerusalayim, the hub which is the heart of God’s vision, the heart of God. “The great paradox of the spiritual life is, indeed, that the most personal is most universal,” Henri Nouwen wrote, “and the most intimate is most communal, and that the most contemplative is the most active. The wagon wheel shows that the hub is the center of all energy and movement, even when it seems not to be moving at all. In God all action and all rest are one. So too is prayer.” So we pray for the peace of Jerusalem simply by longing for it, by holding out hope that God’s reign, though it is not a prediction about a specific time, is yet an announcement of a truth yet to fully unfold in our sight, an announcement of a God who is Himself unfolding before our eyes even where we can’t see him. How does the Church pray for the peace of Jerusalem? By admitting that it sees now in a mirror dimly, but will see some day face to face, that it knows now only in part. By keeping the faith of Advent: that thought the kingdom has come, yet it will come; that though the kingdom will come, yet it has come.
We pray for the peace of Jerusalem by our joining our vision to God’s: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, a new Aleppo, a new Rochester - coming down out of heaven from God..and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among man, and he will dwell with them. They will not rape the earth with gas pipelines nor desecrate what is sacred, they will know no suicide bombs, and no borders of nationalism; they will turn their weapons into tools for harvesting food, They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and will be their God.”
Ruth+
sermon preached at Christ Church Rochester 11/27/2016
sermon for Advent 1 2016 November 27
Cobbs Hill © 2006 T. Jutsum
MUSIC NOTES FROM STEPHEN
We celebrate the youth of our parish by giving them opportunities to participate in sharing their musical gifts and skills in our liturgies. At Christ Church, youth are learning to work together to develop skills of ensemble and solo performance. By engaging in this kind of high-level process kids also learn great life lessons. They also become a repository of treasured timeless expressions in art. For centuries, the church has been a special place for people to create great works of art as an expression or affirmation. It is wonderful to know that so many of the great artistic expressions from the past are being passed on to the youth of our parish in this way. The music-training process is not only aimed at keeping ancient art alive, but is a process that aids the individual in generating musical expression for the present and future. Music is an art form that must be actively performed to exist. Unlike the visual arts, music relies on action to bring it about. Performing is the most accurate word for this action.
On Sunday, December 18 (Advent IV) at the 11:00 AM Eucharist, the youth of the parish will perform what we are calling a Celebration of Advent by portraying the Lessons and Gospel of the day through additional readings, drama, and music. Shirley Ricker has created a script with texts to be recited by our youth and the members of the Youth Ensemble will perform the music. We are expecting that our beautifully redecorated Chancel will be filled with many young angels from a dream of St. Joseph. Rehearsals will take place during Youth Ensemble rehearsal time, so there will be no additional rehearsal time for this event. If you have a young person at home who may be interested in participating in this special liturgical event, please let Ruth, Shirley, or I know.
Seasonal Liturgies and Events
FRIDAY: December 2th
• 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Lessons and Carols with the Christ Church Choir & VanDelinder Fellows
SUNDAY, December 4th
• 8:30 p.m. Candlelight Concert: VanDelinder Fellows Candlelight Concert
• Compline at 9:00 p.m.
• Reception following Compline in Guild Room
SATURDAY, December 24th
• Christmas Eve: 10:15 p.m. Prelude by the Christ Church Choir, David Higgs and William Porter Organist.
• 10:30 p.m. Solemn, Sung Eucharist with Carols and Motets of Christmas
SATURDAY, January 7, 2017
• 7:00-8:00 p.m. 12th Night Celebration: Procession of the Three Kings, the Christ Church Choir. David Higgs and Stephen Kennedy, organists.
For more information about concerts and music events, please visit the Christ Church website: http://christchurchrochester.org/index.html.
Here are just a few ways in which Christ Church members and friends may participate in our initiative:
• Becoming an Usher/Candle-lighter for Compline on Sunday Nights
• Make contributions to our Friends of Music Fund. This fund supports music at Christ Church. It also enables us to provide musical outreach to the Rochester community through music training programs, concerts, and enables us to enhance our liturgies with music.
• Purchase our various CD recordings for friends and family members as gifts.
• Assist in publicizing music at Christ Church by helping sending emails to the local media
Please contact me if you are interested in participating in any aspect of our music program at Christ Church. Stephen Kennedy, Music Director
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“Tuesday Pipes” at Christ Church: Every Tuesday, Eastman performers, faculty, and alumni will present a 25-minute lunchtime concert at Christ Church. Performances showcase the Craighead-Saunders Organ and Hook & Hastings Organ. Events begin at 12:10pm and are free and open to the public. For more information on the Tuesday Pipes series, please visit http://www.esm.rochester.edu/organ/events/
For more information about concerts and music events, please visit the Christ Church website:
http://www.christchurchrochester.org/
You can also find the billboard of ongoing and special future events by going to the top of this section and clicking on the link "MUSIC GALLERY".
Here are just a few ways in which Christ Church members and friends may participate in our program:
• Becoming an Usher/Candle-lighter for Compline
• Make contributions to our Friends of Music Fund. This fund supports music at Christ Church. It also enables us to provide musical outreach to the Rochester community through music-training programs, concerts, and enables us to enhance our liturgies with music.
• Purchase our various CD recordings for friends and family members as gifts.
• Assist in publicizing music at Christ Church by helping sending emails to the local media
Please contact me if you are interested in participating in any aspect of our music program at Christ Church. Stephen Kennedy, Music Director stephenk@rochester.rr.com
You may also support our music education and enrichment opportunities for young musicians who are dedicating their lives to the field of sacred music by contributing to Christ Church’s "Friends of Music" fund.
Please continue to follow the musical life of our parish by reading the monthly Music Notes and Calendar that are emailed from my address via MailChimp.
-Click on the posters below for a full page view.
The music sound files contained here are from the new CD recordings that have just been released. These recordings are available for purchase by clicking the link below. The music used in this publication is edited.
http://www.christchurchrochester.org/recordings-cd-shop
Other links of interest are:
https://www.facebook.com/ccscholacantorum/?fref=ts
Renate Eckart won a juror award from the Rochester Art Club for her painting, "A quiet afternoon".
EVENTS
EVENTS and ANNOUNCEMENTS in This Issue
Christmas Season Service Times
Candlelight Concert with Compline
Advent Celebration (performed by Christ Church Youth Ensemble)
R.A.I.H.N.
Pittsford Food Cupboard
Financial News and Report
Vestry Minutes
From the Archives
ADVENT CELEBRATION
Advent Celebration
A Celebration for Advent- performed by Christ Church Youth Ensemble, on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 18, 2016
GOSPEL READER: Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.
Resonet in Laudibus 14th century carol
Text: Resonet in laudibus cum iucundis plausibus
Sion cum fidelibus, Apparuit quem genuit Maria.
Translation: Let Sion resound with the pleasant, with the faithful, he who was born of Mary.
LECTERN READER: “Questions about Angels”
Questions About Angels
By Billy Collins
Of all the questions you might want to ask
about angels, the only one you ever hear
is how many can dance on the head of a pin.
No curiosity about how they pass the eternal time
besides circling the Throne chanting in Latin
or delivering a crust of bread to a hermit on earth
or guiding a boy and girl across a rickety wooden bridge.
Do they fly through God’s body and come out singing?
Do they swing like children from the hinges
of the spirit world saying their names backwards and forwards?
Do they sit alone in little gardens changing colors?
What about their sleeping habits, the fabric of their robes,
their diet of unfiltered divine light?
What goes on inside their luminous heads? Is there a wall
these tall presences can look over and see hell?
If an angel fell off a cloud would he leave a hole
in a river and would the hole float along endlessly
filled with the silent letters of every angelic word?
If an angel delivered the mail would he arrive
in a blinding rush of wings or would he just assume
the appearance of the regular mailman and
whistle up the driveway reading the postcards?
No, the medieval theologians control the court.
The only question you ever hear is about
the little dance floor on the head of a pin
where halos are meant to converge and drift invisibly.
It is designed to make us think in millions,
billions, to make us run out of numbers and collapse
into infinity, but perhaps the answer is simply one:
one female angel dancing alone in her stocking feet,
a small jazz combo working in the background.
She sways like a branch in the wind, her beautiful
eyes closed, and the tall thin bassist leans over
to glance at his watch because she has been dancing
forever, and it is very late, even for musicians.
GOSPEL READER: In a dream the angel said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
Congregational Carol: HYMN 96: Angels we have heard on high (vs. 1)
GOSPEL READER: When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
LECTERN READER: Today and in the days to come, let us remember Joseph. We know so little of his own story. In the telling of the birth of our messiah, Joseph takes his place quietly and always in the background. We can imagine his own fears, his own sense of dread. Really, what was asked of Joseph surpasses our imagination, but we can imagine his own mighty struggle to keep the faith – in God, in the angel, in the dreams, and even in Mary.
The Cherry Tree Carol Traditional English carol, arr. David Willcocks (1919-2015)
Performed by the Christ Church Youth Ensemble
Text: Joseph was an old man, an old man was he, when he wedded Mary, in the land of Galilee. And as they were walking through an orchard so good, where cherries and berries as red as any blood. O then bespoke Mary, with words both meek and mild: ‘Pluck me one cherry, Joseph, for that I am with child.’ ‘Go to the tree then, Mary, and it shall bow to thee; and you shall gather cherries by one, by two, by three.’ Then bowed down the highest tree unto our lady’s hand; ‘see,’ Mary cried, ‘see, Joseph, I have cherries at command.’ ‘O eat your cherries, Mary, O eat your cherries now; O eat your cherries, Mary, that grow upon the bough.’ Then Mary plucked a cherry, as red as any blood, then Mary went she homewards all with her heavy load.
POETRY READER:
Winter Grace: A poem by Patricia Fargnoli:
If you have seen the snow
under the lamppost
piled up like a white beaver hat on the picnic table
or somewhere slowly falling
into the brook
to be swallowed by water,
then you have seen beauty
and know it for its transience.
And if you have gone out in the snow
for only the pleasure
of walking barely protected
from the galaxies,
the flakes settling on your parka
like dust from just-born stars,
the cold waking you
as if from long sleeping,
then you can understand
how, more often than not,
truth is found in silence,
how the natural world comes to you
if you go out to meet it,
its icy ditches filled with dead weeds,
its vacant birdhouses, and dens
full of the sleeping.
But this is the slowed-down season
held fast by darkness
and if no one comes to keep you company
then keep watch over your own solitude.
In that stillness, you will learn
with your whole body
the significance of cold
and the night,
which is otherwise always eluding you.
An Advent Prayer
Presider: Help us to understand the words of the poet, that, “more often than not, truth is found in silence,” and “in stillness we shall learn with our wholebody the significance of cold and the night.” May your hidden shining never elude us, in night and in cold, in darkness and in waiting, that we may be restored to that place where we once met as shepherds at the stable after hearing the angels sing. Amen
R.A.I.H.N.
It's the giving season and time to reflect on why we give. Please let us remind you of all the wonderful reasons to choose RAIHN as the recipient of your end-of-year generosity:
- I love the bus drivers. They are really nice! (2016 family)
- I loved the RAIHN program. I just loved the staff and volunteers, as they really helped my family stay together during this tough time. (2016 family)
- I learned to save more money, share with others, and communicate. (2016 family)
- It is a great program. I like the fact that we were welcomed. We felt at home. (2016 family)
- RAIHN is here to help you, not carry you. (2015 family)
- You were the light at one of the darkest chapters of my family's life. Your kindness and encouragement has stayed with us to this day. (email received in 2016 from a 2012 family)
- Getting into RAIHN is like getting the golden ticket! (community case worker)
Please check your mail for the Annual Appeal letter. This is scheduled to hit mailboxes shortly after Thanksgiving. We truly appreciate your support as we assist homeless families to achieve sustainable independence by supporting them with tailored services, including shelter, food, personalized case management and a diverse network of caring volunteers.
BTW - doing the dinner on Sunday was such an enjoyable time. These families are a joy to be with! (email from First Universalist meal coordinator)
Please remember RAIHN when doing your holiday shopping! Click on the images above for AmazonSmile or GoodShop. By linking your accounts and selecting RAIHN as your chosen recipient, a portion of your purchase will be donated to RAIHN!
RAIHN 34 Meigs St.
Rochester, NY 14607
585-506-9050
PLEASE HELP FILL THE FOOD CUPBOARD BASKET
The Pittsford Food Cupboard supplies over 4,000 households totaling over 9,400 people. They provide food and other items to 6 different zip codes: E Rochester, Pittsford, Brighton and 3 in Rochester. Some items they are always in need of:
- Pasta and pasta sauce
- Canned fruits and vegetables
- Hearty soups and tuna
- Cereals
The items are dropped off to the food cupboard once a month. The volunteers are always so appreciative. Thank you Christ Church for helping to fill the basket that is in the back of the church every Sunday.
Christ Church Finance Report
NEW NEWS-
Bulletin Insert from Finance Committee (beginning 11/13)
From the Finance Committee
Updated financial information is shown below, and always available via The Song and the bulletin board!
October YTD
- Income: $248,684
- Expenses: $293,681
- Deficit YTD: ($44,997)
Account Balances
- Checking: $53,000
- Fidelity: $378,150
- Amsden Trust: $225,000
- Flower Fund: $11,000
October News
The Grant Committee is thrilled to announce that Christ Church has been awarded $4,000 as the recipient of a Consulting Grant from the Sacred Sites Fund under the New York State Landmarks Conservancy. These funds will go toward engineering consulting to address issues with the Lawn Street façade. In January 2017 we will apply for a Sacred Sites Challenge Grant to help with the costs of the work associated with repairing the façade. Go Christ Church! (Still waiting to hear on our larger grant application to the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation … go light a candle!)
YAY!
update 10/21/2016-
From the Finance Committee
Updated financial information is shown below, and always available via The Song and the Christ Church bulletin board.
September YTD
- Income: $216,450
- Expenses: $266,231
- Deficit YTD: ($49,781)
September News
In response to a question from last month … inquiring about how we deal with the deficit … we lean on our reserves or “savings” account (just like at home!).
Work on the protective glass behind the Tiffany Chancel windows will begin the week of 10/24 and is sponsored, in part, by a grant from The Farash Foundation, for which we are very grateful. We are still waiting to hear on our grant applications to Sacred Sites and the NYS Office of Parks and Historic Preservation – watch this space!
The first of three grant applications has been approved!
Christ Church was notified that we won an Emergency Repair grant of $4,500 from the Farash Foundation for repairs to the protective glass covering our Tiffany windows in the chancel. Thank you to the Property and Grant Committees for your hard work, and THANK YOU to the Farash Foundation! Grant 1 successful, 3 more TBA!
Christ Church Finance 101
Welcome to the new school year from your Christ Church Finance Committee. Didn’t realize you’d signed up for the class this year? No problem, we’ll make it easy for you to get your homework in on time and to keep up with the class!
Let’s begin with a little bit of history, so we’re all reading from the same text (or singing from the same hymnal). J
Financial State of Affairs
Do you ever sit in our beautiful sanctuary and wonder where your weekly contributions go? If not, take a quiet moment to look around and consider all that goes into keeping our doors open and the building sound. It’s a big place! And it’s aging! We offer tremendous programs to parishioners and guests alike. Just as you have bills and expenses at home, we have them here at Christ Church – heat, water, electricity, staff, programs, insurance – it all adds up.
Over the course of the past two years we’ve lost a number of significant contributors who have either passed on or moved away, and that has had a very direct impact on our financial health. As of August 31, 2016 we had a deficit of $48,500, and it is growing.
These aren’t new expenses every month, just our cumulative income and expenses month-to-month.
Simply put, there’s more going out than coming in.
Taking Care of Our Home
Certainly one of our largest expenses is the physical plant, and the Property Committee has done a heroic job of prioritizing, negotiating and managing the significant repairs that are already underway. You know that from reading last week’s Bulletin Insert, right? The Vestry approved about $170,000 in repairs to cover this work, but the list of other, needed repairs continues to grow.
So, how do we, as a small parish, care for our historic space? In a few ways, actually. Read on …
Grants
A small group of parishioners came together in late spring to brainstorm and pursue grant monies. To-date we have submitted three (3) applications:
1. NYS Landmarks Conservancy/Sacred Sites Consulting Grant: an application for $5,250 to fund architectural consulting services for repairs to the Lawn Street façade, including a structural engineering review, solutions for permanent repair or rebuilding, and work with the State Historic Preservation Office. The Sacred Sites grant is a 50% match grant. A decision is expected in October.
2. NYS Environmental Preservation Grant: an application for $326,500 for additional repairs to the roof, window sills, repair of three clerestory windows, plaster repairs and completion of interior painting. The Preservation grant is a 75% match grant. A decision is expected in December.
3. Farash Foundation/Emergency Repair Grant: an application for $7,400 for repair of protective glass covering the Chancel Tiffany windows. Farash Emergency grants fund 100% of the repair. (Update: Got this in October!)
Next up for the Committee will be an application for Sacred Sites for the work to fix the Lawn Street wall (50% of cost can be requested), as well as review of the potential for us to apply for a NYS “Main Street” grant.
Stewardship and Capital Campaigns
In addition to seeking financial support from funding agencies, we need to ask ourselves if we are doing everything we can to sustain our parish in our own giving.
A Stewardship Campaign will begin soon, and is especially important this year as we continue to seek grants. Erasing our deficit and achieving a balanced budget is attractive to grant organizations, and helps us to stretch our own funds.
Beyond the Stewardship Campaign, another group of parishioners has begun work on a Capital Campaign. This Campaign will solicit financial support from both our own parish as well as the broader community in which we will live and serve.
Homework Assignment
We will be including a brief financial “snapshot” in the Bulletin from now on, so you’ll know how we’re doing. Your assignment is to stay up-do-date by reading the Bulletin and participating in the Stewardship and Capital Campaigns as they are launched.
Please feel free to contact a committee member for more information and/or feedback.
The Christ Church Finance Committee
- Jeremy Cooney
- Josie Dewey
- Norm Geil
- Meg Mackey
- Ron Vukman
Christ Church Vestry Minutes
Minutes, September 20, 2016
1. A summary document regarding the history of how the Amsden Fund has been used was passed around and vestry members discussed proposals for the use of the funds in 2016-17.
Resolution: Amsden monies will be used to fund the Choral Scholar apprenticeship ($1500) and Music Scholar apprenticeship ($2500) for Spring 2017 was passed 7-3-1.
2. A St. John Fisher Student has applied and been accepted to teach Sunday School and lead Youth Group meetings. The vestry discussed ways for raising money to pay the Sunday School teacher/Youth Group leader. In the future it needs to be added as a line item to the Church budget.
3. We are shorthanded for altar guild (acolyte, verger, servers). Jim Bement and Bill Soleim will write in The Song to get the word out that we need people.
4. John Ford, Joe McCutcheon, Mary Pietrzykowski will serve on the nominating committee along with Jim Bement and Bill Soleim and(two vestry members who are going off vestry) and Warden Deb VanderBilt.
5. Property report: Josie moved to appropriate $3500 for the protective glass covering the chancel windows; Peg Britt seconded. Discussion pointed out that they put in two estimates for the work ($8000 and $4500) and Farash Foundation funded 100% of the lower estimate. Passed unanimously.
6. Stewardship Committee report: The committee has set up meetings with four groups that help with Capital Campaigns, including Klote Associates and the Episcopal Church Foundation – each will make a presentation to the steering committee. All groups offer readiness assessments that involve the entire church.
Property & Finance Committees Report to the Christ Church Vestry (excerpts)
Submitted by Hugh E. Kierig, September 20, 2016
· Yellow Jackets – In August there was found to be an infestation of yellow jackets on the exterior of the Tower. The recommendation at this time by the exterminators is to leave them alone for the end of the season and not take any action regarding their extermination. Bero has reviewed the situation and believes there may be a need to do some mortaring of the stones to keep the yellow jackets out for next spring.
· Architects Review of Building Opportunities - Several of us took Bero Architects on a tour of the church on September 15th. A similar tour will be done with Dave Bienetti of SWBR Architects on September 21st .
· Chancel, Narthex, and Other Lighting - We have investigated lighting issues within the sanctuary including replacement of burnt bulbs, enhanced lighting in the Chancel and Narthex, and new lighting fixtures for the Narthex bulletin board. Belliter Electric has recommended Newton Lighting to assist in recommendations regarding new lighting in the Chancel and light replacement in the Nave. The current Chancel and Nave lights are old and replacement bulbs are no longer available. Consideration will be given to LED lights which provide greater lighting with less energy and have a longer life. Timing of these replacements will be timed when scaffolds are in place.
· Protective Glass Covering for Chancel Windows – $8,000. Grant approval from Farash Foundation was announced today for $4,500 for the replacement of protective glass panels to the Tiffany windows in the Chancel. Our cost of the project will be $3,500.
· North Aisle Roof Repair – $73,000. The amount for this project is what was approved in May based on an estimate from Bero Associates. From further discussions this summer with Bero, Swiatek, and the roof contractor, CSTM, it was determined that an investigation of the roof structure was necessary. CSTM tore into the roof to see what was underneath, it was recommended by both Bero and CSTM that the existing roof be removed and be replaced at the original level. This will lower the roof line by 12 inches thereby creating additional stormwater storage and reduce the likelihood of water infiltrating into the windows. The new roof surface would be modified bitumen roofing and include new scuppers and downspouts. (see attached cost breakdown)
o Recommendation –
- Demo existing roof and replace to original level - $39,100
- Replace wood in clerestory window sills - $2,500
- Exterior window carpentry and finishing - $6,810.
- Alternate add-ons – new gutters from Nave roof, recoat roof over entrance - $2,000
Total - $50,310
· Lawn Street Façade: The Property Committee met with Bero Architects regarding the engineering report for the Lawn Street façade. A preliminary report indicated that the temporary bracing is substandard and not effective. Through these discussions, additional information has been found (from original construction documents) and it is recommended that conversation with the engineer continue to address some of the structural concerns. Bero will as well contact a local historical building mason to discuss costs for the repair of the façade. A grant with Sacred Sites for repairs will be submitted this winter.
· Gutter Work: Again, as part of the walk around, it was found that many of the downspouts were overflowing. We believe that the storm water drainage system may be clogged and have asked a contractor to provide an estimate to investigate this problem.
Minutes October 20, 2016
1. The Vestry discussed the possibility of petitioning the court to formally allow us to not exclude women from Amsden recipients (the will specifies “young men”). Wording we suggested was "Men and women being formally trained for ordained or lay ministry.” Lois Jones volunteered to find out what would be involved in this change.
2. Liaison Reports: Kevin Finnigan reported that the church’s care team needs new volunteers. Kevin is the point person for this group.
3. Capital Campaign - Joe Schaller reported that meetings continue with capital campaign consultants: Episcopal Church Foundation, Samantha Standing, and Global Group are scheduled for October/November.
4. Property Committee: The committee has determined that repair work to the sanctuary must be delayed until 2018, given how many weddings are already scheduled (and deposits paid) and Eastman events scheduled.
5. The vestry finalized discussion to pay the Sunday School Teacher $625 from alternative funds. Motion passed unanimously.
6. Report on Lease with Catholic Family Center. Norm Geil prepared a sample lease for vestry to consider. We are approving the intent to lease and Norm will proceed with the approval.
Passed unanimously.
From the Archives
Thanks to the loan of books from Christ Church archivist Mary Schultz, The Song will be highlighting some excerpts about Christ Church history in this and future issues. We are fortunate to have two history books that were written about the church, Christ Church: A Story-Chronological, by Jane Marsh Parker, covering the years 1854-1905, andChrist Church Rochester: The First Hundred Years 1855-1955, by James Demcey Hendryx.
Part IV The Women of Christ Church
The women of Christ Church are mentioned in the histories of Hendryx and Parker, and what they are mentioned for reflects the times very clearly. No women are on the vestry; in fact, no women are in the choir in the list from 1905 (there’s a long list of sopranos, so those parts must have been sung by boys). But women are in leadership positions in organizations that they created for work that was seen as appropriate to them at that time.
The first Ladies Society was established in 1855, the first year the church was established.
The Sewing Society of CC (originally called The Female Sewing and Benevolent Society) was an active fundraising organization, begun in 1894. It raised funds to pay for the Sunday School builing (1200 in 1861) and the corona in the now-chapel (1869).
Another area of leadership was the Board of Trustees of the Church Home. When it was organized in 1869, Mrs. Dewey, Mrs. Upton, Mrs JL Booth, Mrs. J Moreau Smith, Miss Marian Smith and Mrs. Edward Smith, all members of Christ Church.
Some women are specifically singled out for notice or praise from Hendryx: The first baptism was Eliza DeVinney, age 23, May 13, 1855. Mrs. Charles Davis (mary Eleanor Welton) was the daughter of Rev. Alanson Welton, who was a missionary to the western part of the Diocese of New York. Her daughter Charlotte was a pupil and then a teacher in the CC Sunday School for 50 years when she was celebrated for that at the Golden Jubilee in 1905, and her niece, Kate Elizabeth Davis, took over from her and taught until she died in 1947.
Lucy Sabey Winn and her husband Nathaniel Winn came to Christ Church in 1861, and built a house at 65 East Avenue. From that time until CC changed from bread to wafers for communion in 1905, all of the communion bread was baked in Lucy Winn’s kitchen. Their daughter, Ella Winn, was a member of the Parish Aid group, and as secretary from 1891 to 1929, she kept extremely detailed notes about parish life and James Hendryx calls them “the most complete history of [those] 38 eventful years.” (28).
Many of the mentions of women look like this: “Mrs. Frances Child had four daughters who all went on to become active CC members, as did their grandchildren: Mrs. D.M. Dewey, Mrs. Albert E. Walker, Mrs. Elbert Scrantom and Mrs. J.M Winslow.” As was the custom, women are called by their husband’s name. The single women are named with a first name, such as Eliza DeVinney, above. The women’s names from the list of Sunday School teachers in 1905 (most of which were women, and most of them were single women) is so evocative of the times: Julia, Anna, Isabel, Winifred, Ruth, Beulah, Louise, Sadie, Lily, Caroline, Charlotte, Gabrielle, Jennie, Carrie, Eleanor, Kate, and Margaret. Not a Heather or Megan among them!