The Messenger
Welcoming, Worshipping, Working for God’s Kingdom
June1st, 2024
Dear Friends,
During the last week of June this year I will be taking a few days to travel to Louisville,mKentucky, where I will be attending the 81stnGeneral Convention of the Episcopal Church. I know that most of us have some idea of what the General Convention is, but I thought it might be helpful to provide a little additional information on the Convention and what it actually does. The General Convention is the governing body of The Episcopal Church. Every three years it meets as a bicameral legislature that includes the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops, composed of deputiesmand bishops from each diocese.
The Executive Council serves as the governing body of The Episcopal Church between sessions of the General Convention,mcharged specifically with executing the program and policies adopted by the Convention. They also serve as the board for the Domestic and the Foreign
Missionary Society of the ProtestantnEpiscopal Church in the United States of America
(the “official legal name of the Episcopal Church,commonly referred to as the DFMS) and the Executive Office of the General Convention. Theis the corporate entity of The Episcopal Church. This structure encompasses the Office the Presiding Bishop and his or her staff, the President of the House of Deputies and staff, and the Executive Office of the General Convention as well as the offices of the DFMS that are shared by all three.
The General Convention also includes Interim Bodies which meet between the triennial sessions to accomplish ongoing work and tasks set in the triennial sessions.
WHAT HAPPENS AT THE GENERAL CONVENTION MEETING?
The legislative process of the General Convention is an expression of The Episcopal Church’s belief that, under God, the Church is ordered and governed by its people: laity, deacons, priests, and bishops.
The Convention is the Church’s highest temporal authority. As such, it has the power to amend the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church; to amend the Book of Common Prayer and to authorize other liturgical texts; to adopt the budget for the Church; to create covenants and official relationships with other branches of the Church; to determine requirements for its clergy and other leaders; to elect its officers, members of the Executive Council, and certain,other groups; to delegate responsibilities to the Interim Bodies of The Episcopal
The legislative process of the General Convention is an expression of The Episcopal Church’s belief that, under God, the Church is ordered and governed by its people: laity, deacons, priests, and bishops.
HOW IS THE GENERAL CONVENTION IS ORGANIZED?
There are two legislative bodies Convention: the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. Each of the two Houses has the presiding officer: the Presiding Bishop and the
President of the House of Deputies. When there is a joint meeting of the two Houses, the Presiding
Bishop has the right to preside.
● The House of Deputies is composed of deputations elected from each diocese of The Episcopal Church; from Navajoland;nfrom the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe; and from Liberialkk(which has seat and voice). Deputationsmmay include up to four clergy and four lay members. Members of the Official Youth Presence also have a seat and voice in the
House of Deputies.
●The House of Bishops is composed of every bishop of The Episcopal Church with jurisdiction; every bishop coadjutor; every bishop suffragan; every assistant bishop; and every bishop “who by reason of advanced age or bodily infirmity, orm who, under an election to an office created by the General Convention, or for reasons of mission strategy determined by action of the General Convention or the House of Bishops, has resigned a jurisdiction.”
The General Convention acts through the adoption of resolutions. A resolution becomes an Act of Convention only after both Houses adopt it in the same form and at the same General
Convention meeting. The Secretary of the General Convention has responsibilities to support the work of both Houses. This person must first be elected a Secretary of the House of Deputies, and then, through concurrent action by the House of Bishops, becomes the Secretary of the General Convention. The Treasurer of the General Convention is elected by concurrent action of
both Houses.
For me, the exciting thing about this particular General Convention is that it will include the election of our new Presiding Bishop to succeed Presiding Bishop Michael Curry in a nine-year term of office.
There are currently five nominations for the office of Presiding Bishop:
The Rt. Rev. J. Scott Barker, Diocese of,Nebraska, Province VI;
The Rt. Rev. DeDe Duncan-Probe, Diocese,of Central New York, Province II;
The Rt. Rev. Daniel G. P. Gutierrez, Diocese,of Pennsylvania, Province III;
The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe, Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania, Province III & Diocese of Western New York, Province II; The Rt. Rev. Robert Wright, Diocese of Atlanta, Province IV.
The General Convention meets in Louisvillethe last week of June, and it promises to be a very busy and (I hope) interesting week. I ask you for your prayers for all those traveling to the Convention
For Church Convention or Meeting
Almighty and everliving God, source of all
wisdom and understanding, be present with those
who take counsel in General Convention for the
renewal and mission of your Church. Teach us in
all things to seek first your honor and glory. Guide
us to perceive what is right, and grant us both the
courage to pursue it and the grace to accomplish it;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For the Election of a Bishop or other Minister
Almighty God, giver of every good gift; Look
graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds
of those who shall choose a presiding bishop for this
Church, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who
will care for your people and equip us for our
ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
God of all grace, wisdom, and power, we
lift up our hearts to you in prayer as we take
counsel together at this time in the service of your
Church. Make us sensitive and responsive to the
guidance of your Holy Spirit; bring all our plans
and decisions into conformity with your perfect
will; and use all our endeavors for the furtherance
of the gospel, the good of your people, and the
glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen
Be well,
Be safe,
Be thankful,
for we have been richly blessed.
Father Tom+
Outreach
Our Outreach in June
Cumberland Adult
Reading Council
Each One Bring One (EOBO)
Peavine Care Center -
Nonperishable food
The Men’s Group Breakfast
The Men’s Group will have a breakfast meeting Wednesday, June 5 at 8:00 am at the Country Kitchen restaurant. After breakfast if you are able we will meet at church and the goal is to power wash the outside of church and gutters and also do some trimming of bushes
and weed pulling. Let Jeff know if you are able to help.
~~ Jeff Moler,
Jr. Warden
DAUGHTERS OF THE KING:
Daughters of the King (DOK) will be having their monthly meeting,on June 20 at 1:00 pm. We welcome all women of the church to join us. [The Order of the Daughters of the King (DOK) is a spiritual sisterhood of women dedicated to a life of Prayer, Service, and Evangelism. As members, they have made a commitment to Jesus as their Savior and follow His teachings. The DOK holds monthly meetings where they come together to pray, serve,Mand support one another in their faith journey. Please consider joining Daughters of the King, an order of prayer and one that has a long history of service to St. Raphael’s. ** REMEMBER we will not have a meeting in July or August, but reconvene in September on the 19th!
From The Rectoryr
I love words! They're fun to learn and they're so much fun to play with! When I discovered
crossword puzzles in junior high school, my summer plans were established. Between puzzles
and reading, I may have missed out on some baseball, swimming, and sidewalk skating with the
neighborhood group. Other kids were always on the go but rarely in the library, so I enjoyed a good deal of time immersed in my favorite things and reveling in my solitude. I didn't know what an introvert was at that time, but I wore it well. Back in those days, when I needed to verify spelling or learn a definition (long before Google was invented) the dictionary was my best friend.
Who knew it was filled with such delightful rabbit oholes? We enjoy seeing bunnies scamper across the lawn at The Rectory, and I suppose they have actual rabbit holes, but I've never seen one. I'm still in awe of all the green in Tennessee. The trees filled with leaves applauding the breeze and the squirrels,running up and down their trunks, leaping from bough to bough. Then there's the grass, peppered with the aforementioned rabbits frolicking amongst them the dandelions, and last week, an actual “snake inthe grass.” That's a phrase my mother would use occasionally; as I understand it, it means a person, who may have nefarious intentions.
Anyway, I was super tickled to see Mr. Snake as he basked in a few afternoon rays. It looked like his tail was still in the hole from which he emerged, so I can't really say how long he was, though smaller than the one Vandy met on the Meditation Trail,recently. But I digress. After a few minutes, he slithered into another hole, so I'm hopeful he will hang out here and eat nasty mice and inform any of,his venomous relatives that our grass is occupied,mso they can keep on moving! Conversations in my family have always contained fun phrases, like “snake in the grass,” which we learned from my mother. Some she may have,coined - if you complained of boredom, she might zing you with, “well, it wasn't boring before you got here.” Then my dad introduced some interesting comments which we've kept using, such as “ugly as homemade sin.”Many more have been borrowed from from different sources, including a lot of “southernisms” with which you may already be familiar - “bless his heart” - and quips directly from TV or pop culture - “ain't nobody got time for tthat.” Even in the throes of dementia, old, trusted phrases remain in her grasp - everyone in our family gives her credit for saying, “it's not goodbye, just see you later,” and when she and I speak on the phone, we always end the call with “love you later.”
These are probably different from colloquialisms common in Spanish, which is her first language. Learning English gave her new expressions and cliches to add to her communications which have,served her well through the decades. But regardless
of the language, these are the words with which weidentify, which bring to our minds “Granny” (as my mother is known by all the relatives including her,siblings), and which evoke emotions of our common heritage and experiences. Similarly, the words used in liturgical worship are
part of our common experience in the church. Thephrases, prayers, responses, creeds, affirmations,,hymns, and scriptures are ones we've learned from childhood (or are learning, if not cradle,Episcopalians) which bind us together in the family of God. As you participate in the service, think about the words you hear, the responses you speak, and what they mean to you individually. As you accept communion,
Sylvia, from The Rectory
Outreach in June
Cumberland Adult Reading Council
Peavine Care Center
Summer Camps
Learn about our Summer Camp sessions! We offer camps for those between two and ninety-
two! With over 250 acres of land, nearly two miles of shoreline along Watts Bar Lake,
bountiful outdoor activities, and bunk-style accommodations in our cabins and retreat house,
Grace Point is the ideal place to hold your meeting, retreat, or reunion! Located just outside
Kingston, Tennessee, with easy access to Interstates 40 and 75, Grace Point is perfectly situated to host groups from across the southeastern United States.
Head over to Grace Point Camp's website and register for camp now!
http://gracepoint.dioet.org/
FAMILY CAMP
Family camp is a weekend for you and your child (or children!) to get a glimpse of camp at Grace
Point. This camp is geared towards younger children so that they may become comfortable
with the summer camp environment with you by their side. No age limit is in effect for this camp.
ADULT CAMP
A weekend for adults 21 and up to feel like a kid again and experience Grace Point as a camper!
TRADITIONAL CAMPS
Junior Camp (rising 4th-6th grades) Intermediate Camp (rising 7th-9th grades)
At a traditional camp session, camper experience the best of Grace Point. Activitiesm include tubing, wakeboarding, kayaking, hiking, archery, arts and crafts, field games and tons of
other fun activities. Each camp also includes Dean’s program, a thought provoking and piritually-based program to learn more about
our faith and the world.
SUMMER SESSIONS
Junior Summer Session (rising 4th-6th grades) Intermediate Summer Session (rising 7th-9th
grades)
Youth Summer Session (rising 10th- just
graduated)
Summer session is an extra opportunity for your child to attend camp later in the summer.
Summer sessions typically host larger groups, and tend to fill up quickly. Be sure to reserve
your spot early!
SUNSHINE CAMP
A day retreat for children, youth, and adults with physical or intellectual disabilities.
Campers go for boat rides, play games at the Carnival, and dance!
