I Believe, Help My Unbelief“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” John 20:25b

As I write this, it is snowing! The calendar says that it is spring, but once again this winter has refused to let go. It takes an act of faith to believe that spring is truly on its way. You can’t blame \me for being skeptical.

Speaking of being skeptical… consider \my friend Thomas. In John’s Gospel, Thomas, known as the twin, is famous for \missing Jesus’ post-resurrection appearance to his disciples within the locked room. When he was told by the others that they had seen the Lord, he \made the reply quoted above. \Since then, he has been known as “Doubting Thomas”. I feel bad for the guy. He was just voicing the words that each one of us feels fro\m time to time, even though we \may not speak them out loud. If you haven’t dealt with serious doubts at some time in your faith journey, then I question how serious your faith is. In \my \mind, doubt is a normal component of faith. That is, having faith necessarily entails having doubts. That doesn’t \mean that our doubts necessarily overcome our faith. God forbid it! But I do \mean that taking the faith claims of the Bible and Christianity seriously will nor\mally lead us to question, and even doubt.

I see doubt as a nor\mal, and healthy, component of faith because it shows true engagement. There is something to be said for having a childlike faith. However, that does not mean that the adult in you cannot question. Questioning shows a kind of faith and trust that blind acceptance does not. Questioning helps us to be genuine, with ourselves and with God. Questioning—true, faithful questioning—sets us up to have a \much stronger faith after we have wrestled with our questions. Remember that Jacob was given the name Israel, which \means one who wrestles with God.

Just because we have wrestled with our questions and doubts, doesn’t \mean they will go away. I have dealt with \my own doubts simply by choosing to accept the Church’s teaching, not denying \my doubts, but voluntarily setting them aside as I continue to wrestle. This approach is what led \Saint Anselm of Canterbury to coin the phrase, “faith seeking understanding”. It is firsta conscious act of will to believe, followed by a lifelong seeking after understanding.

When Tho\mas is confronted by the risen Christ a week later and given the opportunity to place his hands in his wounds, he confesses Jesus as his Lord and his God. Jesus’ words to Thomas are a profound reminder to us of the importance of faith, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

April 2014

APRIL 2014 LAY MINISTERS SCHEDULELector Chalice Bearer Acolytes Ushers Altar Guild Nursery April 6 Wieland Team

8:00 Calib Garland Ray Crafton Barbara Deal10:30 Martha Clark Kristi Gross

Werner WielandChris CroninMatthew LeBlancMegan LeBlanc

Bob MasseyRon Magin Erin Senters

April 13PALM SUNDAY

Williams Team

8:00 Dana Houck Edd Houck Lester Kidd10:30 Sian \Packard Mark Walker

Jeff MasseyJenna \PhillipsRachel StockliAlex Watts

Missie \JarmanCecil \Jarman Molly Watts

April 20EASTER DAY

DiRusso/Magin Teams

8:00 Thom Smelter Tricia Smelter Joe Ilk10:30 Roy Smith Stephanie Smith

\Jeff MasseyMegan LeBlancEthan GoldbergOlivia Erwin

Bill \PalmerTim Zafrano McKenzie

GoldbergApril 27 Wieland Team

8:00 Shirley \Pozzato Lydia \Pozzato

Officiant: Margaret Haight

Calib Garland

10:30 Beverly McNeill Linda Rooney

Officiant: Margaret Haight

Aaron DiFillipoJack DiFillipoChris Cronin

Hank MausolfTim Watts Amanda Watts

You are respo\nsible for finding your own replacement in the event that you ca\nnot serve when scheduled. Notify parish office of replacements.

HOLY WEEK ~ APRIL 17, 18, 19 2014 LAY MINISTERS SCHEDULE

Lector Chalice Bearer Acolytes Ushers Altar Guild Nursery

April 17MAUNDY THURSDAY All Availa\ble Teams

7:30 Anne Williams Penny KneppSteve Clifford

Justin \PhillipsHannah Lovell CliffordColby Clifford

Frank CarosellaJudi O’Neill

Open:No Attendant

April 18GOOD FRIDAY

The Rev.All Availa\ble Teams Open:

No Attendant7:30 Kristine Clifford Margaret Haight Hunter Clifford Frank Carosella

April 19EASTER EVE (VIGIL)

All Availa\ble Teams

7:30 Ann Woolford Alex Watts Sian \Packard Megan LeBlanc

\Jenny LeBlanc Tim Watts

David \PackardAaron \PackardMatthew LeBlanc

Missie \JarmanCecil \Jarman Open:

No Attendant

You are respo\nsible for finding your own replacement in the event that you ca\nnot serve when scheduled. Notify parish office of replacements.

The ChroniclerApril 2014 Edition

Christ Episcopal Church8951 Courthouse Road

Spotsylvania, Virginia 22553Phone (540) 582-5033

www.christchurchspotsy.com

RectorThe Reverend \Jef\frey A. PackardRector@christchurchspotsy.com

Director of Christian EducationJenny LeBlanc

fmc@christchurchspotsy.com

VestrySenior Warden Ray Cra\fton

Jr. Warden Roger WilliamsTreasurer Mary Williams

Asst Treasurer Linda SmithRegister

Ruth BrancoliniSteve Clif\fordMissie \Jarman

Beverly McNeillJeri PhillipsRoy SmithTim Watts

Roger Williams

Choir DirectorKristine Clif\ford

Kristine.Clif\ford214@gmail.com

OrganistHannah Massey

SecretaryRuth Feltner

Secretary@christchurchspotsy.com

Newsletter CoordinatorMary Kovach

trmary@comcast.net

Special Thanks

Our church \family extends special thanks to Harry and Michelle Ruth, Cliff Knepp, Bill Butler, and all

our other devoted church members who worked long hours cleaning the church grounds prior to and on

Saturday, March 15. They meticulously trimmed our trees, cleaned out the overgrown ground cover in

\front o\f the Parish House and the Church and cleaned out our church cemetery.

Just saying THANK YOU, you went above and beyond, can never repay your kindness and hard work.

You are all a blessing!

Congratulations to Our Confirmands

Bishop Shannon \Johnston con\firmed seven o\f our youth on March 30.

We congratulate: Leslie Anne Bates, Hannah Lovell Clif\ford, Hunter

Thomas Clif\ford, Matthew Allen LeBlanc, \Jef\frey Aaron Packard, \Justin

Reynolds Phillips, and Alexander David Watts who all made their adult

pro\fession o\f \faith and received the laying on o\f hands and prayers \for

the Holy Spirit. These young people have all been involved at Christ

Church \for years, and have now demonstrated their commitment to

\follow \Jesus. Please continue to pray \for them as they begin to live out

these vows as young adults in our parish. And be sure to tell them how

proud we are o\f them all.

Easter Flowers

As we prepare for Easter, you may want to donate to help decorate the church with beautiful spring

flowers. Flowers may be given in memory of a loved one, in thanksgiving for life’s blessings, or in

celebration of a special event or person. These remembrances will be printed in the bulletin at the Easter

Vigil and on Easter Sunday. Cost is still $10 for each one ordered.

Your name (as you wish it to appear)

__________________________________________

Your message (in memory of, in honor of, in thanksgiving for)

____________________________________________________

Sunday School Party and Easter Egg Hunt

During Education Hour on Easter morning Sunday School classes will celebrate the Lord’s resurrection with

our traditional party and Easter Egg hunt\! The kids will make crafts and enjoy a snack in the Great Hall

while our teens play “Easter Bunny” and hide eggs. Everyone is welcome, so please bring your grandkids,

friends, and neighbors! If your child plans to participate or if you would like to help us provide enough eggs

for our hunt, please bring one dozen plastic filled eggs, taped (so contents do not spill out), to church before

Easter and place them in the back of the church or in the basket in The Great Hall. Thank you for helping us

provide a great egg hunt for the children of Christ Church\!

04/16 Barbara Chinn

04/17 Gregory Hall

Jenny LeBlanc

04/18 Mykaila McWhirt

04/28 Douglas Reeve

04/09 Lydia Pozzato

04/10 Megan Flues

04/11 Beth Smelter

04/12 Frank Tompkins

Martha Clark

04/14 Jim Williams

Mary Kovach

Happy Birthday

April 2014

04/01 Anne Smith

04/04 Bill Butler

04/08 Audrey Harthausen

Harley Erwin

Matthew Roberson

Parishioner’s Corner

Sharing Faith

Lenten devotions are difficult. This year, my inspiration took several steps. Over the last several months, the Vestry has been trying to figure out ways to grow the church and one big challenge we have is that Episcopalians generally don’t do evangelism very well. That means people just don’t know who we are or why they should come check us out. This message was part of Diocesan Council this year as well and we were challenged to step out of our comfort zone stretch into new avenues to share our faith.

While thinking about this, I also thought about the kids who our family has met through the Maranatha youth choir. On our 9\-day tour last year, I was convinced by a busload of teenagers to get a Twitter account. These wonderful kids use this medium to e\xchange thoughts and ideas and also to just share funny or topical news. I learned a lot about how “social media” works and it is fascinating (more on this in a moment).

The other thing I learned on our tour is that the Episcopal Church has a lot to offer young people. I listened to these amazing young Christian kids talk of hope and faith but also about their doubts and fears. A lot of what I heard was very similar to the kinds of doubts I had before my conversion. Specifically, they were having a hardtime aligning their beliefs about the Bible with the realities they learn about science and history. Most of these kids struggle because they have never heard anything other than a literalist version of the Bible. Nobody had ever told them that it is OK to search for truth in scripture without getting hung up on the historicity. This is where we have an opportunity but only if we can reach them to let them know what our Church has to offer.

This is what led me to do something out of character for me and start using Twitter to share my faith. Here is how Twitter works. When you sign up, you start looking for people you know and “follow” them. That means, anything they write (called a tweet) shows up on your computer or phone. Others can also choose to follow youso they will see your tweets. Simple enough but that is only the start. If you post something and one of your followers is inspired, they may “retweet” your post. That means that all of their followers will see your tweet. You may only have a dozen followers but if one of them retweets and they have 100 followers, you have just reached a much wider audience.

So for Lent this year, I am sharing a daily thought about God, the Bible, the Episcopal Church or something elsethat I think might speak to others. Some of my tweets are “favorited” by my followers and others are retweeted to a larger audience. It is small scale evangelism that can grow e\xponentially. The goal is to let others know that being a Christian doesn’t require one to ignore reality. The Episcopal Church welcomes genuine questions and the answers are not as difficult as many assume.

If you want to know more about Twitter, tweets, hashtags, followers or anything about social media, I am hoping we can arrange a session during adult education in the future. Some of the younger members of our congregation will likely be of more help than I with technical matters so grab them during coffee hour.

Submitted by Steve Clifford

Tweet for Lent! Here’s a new idea: use Twitter to share your Lenten devotions, reflections, and prayers.You can also re\-tweet things that inspire you. Share your thoughts on a sermon… during the service.Touched by a powerful line in a hymn? Tweet about it. We can use this powerful medium as a means tomake people aware of our church and how God is working in our community. Follow the church on@ChristChrch1841 (notice what’s missing—“u”).

Celtic Evensong

Please join us on Sunday, April 6 at 7:00 PM in the church. The weather may have

stopped us from enjoying the Celtic Evensong on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day, but we

will not be deterred. This lovely, contemplative service, which will be accompanied by

beautiful Celtic music, is reminiscent of early Celtic monastic prayer services that were

celebrated by the light of many, softly glowing candles. This service is designed to

provide a peaceful and meaningful worship e\xperience. We hope you will join us!

Episcopal Church Women (ECW)

Our March meeting was held at the home of Bobbye Canaday. One of our members picked up Sarah Estes

and took her to the meeting (which she enjoyed). A surprise visit was made by the Rev Catherine Hicks.

The ladies talked about St. Paul; preparing for the visit/reception of Bishop Shannon Johnston, and their

annual plant and bake sale on Saturday, April 26, 8 to 2 PM. Church members are asked to prepare baked

goods to sell and to take those “goodies” and any plants they plan to donate to the kitchen in All Saints Hall

on Friday, April 25 between 12 noon and 4 PM. The ECW ladies will be there to receive them during that

time. Thank you all for helping make this, our only fund raiser of the year, a HUGE success!

Christ Church Cookbook

The Young Adult group are putting together a new Christ Church Cookbook

as a fundraiser for their activities. Please submit your favorite potluck recipe,

or recipes to Father Jeff or submit online cooking4christchurch@comcast.net

Lenten Pizza Night Continues

Just a reminder that we continue to have the Lenten Family Friday Pizza Nights through April 11. Gather

for pizza at 6:00 in the Great Hall. Following dinner, there is a program for children and youth, and a

separate program for adults concurrently. We gather again at the end of the evening for Holy Communion,

and we’re done by 7:30. The children’s program is called “Walking in His Ways”, and the adult program

focuses on Lenten themes with the help of some video resources. Sign up in the pizza bo\x at the

Communications Center.

Holy Week and Easter Schedule

Palm Sunday, April 138:00 AM Holy Eucharist, Rite I 10:30 AM Holy Eucharist, Rite II procession with palms Fellowship Hour following

Maundy Thursday, April 177:30 PM Holy Eucharist with foot washing

and stripping of the altar

Good Friday, April 18Noon to 3:00 PM Ecumenical Service of Meditations

on the Seven Last Words of \Christ6:30 PM Stations of the \Cross in the

Great Hall7:30 PM Good Friday service

Easter Eve, April 1910:00 AM Flower Workshop, GH10:00 AM Vigil Rehearsal in church7:30 PM The Great Vigil of Easter. Bring a bell!

Wine and \Chocolate reception, ASH

Easter Day, April 208:00 AM Holy Eucharist, Rite I9:15 AM \Church School Easter Party/Egg Hunt10:30 AM Holy Eucharist, Rite II

Father Packard is available any time for anyone wishing to receive the sacramental rite ofReconciliation o\f a Penitent (BCP 447 ff). Especially during Holy Week, he offers this form ofindividual confession and absolution by appointment.

Vacation Bible School ~ August 18-229:00 AM to 12:00 age 3 through 5th grade 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM; 6th grade through 12th grade

God filled the world with a lot of crazy creatures…including us! When kids feel weird, different, or

even lost in a crowd, nothing com\pares to the unconditional love of \Jesus.

Middle School and High School students will work as counselors and helpers in the morning and have a

\program just for them in the afternoon. Registration forms will be available at the communications

center Easter Day. If you would like to volunteer \please contact Jenny LeBlanc at

fmc@christchurchs\potsy.com or (540) 582-5033.

Shrine Mont Summer Camps

Registration for Shrine Mont Summer Cam\ps is now o\pen! The summer \program at Shrine Mont is a

ministry of the E\pisco\pal Diocese of Virginia, which offers nine amazing cam\ps each summer – including

one for families to attend together. Each camp offers a mixture of recreation, grou\p building, s\piritual

develo\pment, and just \plain old fun! The ages for cam\ps vary by each camp; however, there are

o\p\portunities for kids as young as 8 through rising seniors. Go check out their website, http://cam\ps.the

diocese.net, for all the details for this summer. If you would like a first hand recommendation, just ask some

of our kids that have attended camp in the \past, Allison Eagle, Ruth Packard, Matthew LeBlanc, and Megan

LeBlanc. Shrine Mont summer cam\p is an amazing ex\perience that your kids will want to re\peat every

summer!

Operation: You've Been Egged!!

Have you ever “egged” your neighbor’s house? Would you like our youth grou\p to “egg” someone

for you? Don’t worry it’s not that kind of egging! We \promise no damage will be inflicted on your victim or

their \pro\perty. This is a s\pecial egging to celebrate Easter. Fill out the form below with a $5 donation and

the youth grou\p will egg your “victim” sometime before Easter.

Name of Person/Family:__________________________ How many in family:_______

Name & age of any Children:______________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Address:_______________________________________________________________

Would you like to add a message to your “victim”?_____________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Parish Retreat at Shrine Mont

I am happy to announce that we have our information on the cost per person for

our Parish Retreat for this year. Our retreat will be May 2 – 4, check-in is at 4:00 PM on

Friday and check-out is 2:00 PM on Sunday. Jenny is available at any time to answer

questions you may have about the retreat. We will have a scholarship fund for those

who need a little help and many of us would love to carpool to\gether. Please do not let

transportation or cost be the reason you don’t join us for this fun event.

The prices listed are per person and include your meals and tax for the full

weekend, the only “out-of-pocket” expenses you should incur will be \gas and if you

would like to shop in Shrine Mont’s store. If we have enou\gh rooms available you may

request a sin\gle occupancy room, however I will not know if that is an option until

everyone is si\gned up. Also, please be aware that most rooms have 2 sin\gle beds. I do

have a small number of rooms with 1 double bed and 1 sin\gle bed and a few connectin\g

rooms, these rooms will be available to families with children first. I promise to do my

best to accommodate everyone.

If you would like to attend the retreat please fill out the form below includin\g a

$10 per person deposit. Your final payment is due by Sunday, April 27. Please make all

payments to Christ Church with Shrine Mont Retreat in the memo line. I hope to see

you all there!!! ~ Jenny

Adults: $151.00 (Double Occupancy)Adults: $172.00 (Sin\gle Occupancy)Youth: $100.00 (a\ges 8-12)Children: $48.00 (a\ges 4-7)Children: Free (a\ges 0-3)

Name (contact person):___________________________________________________

List Adults attendin\g:_____________________________________________________

List Children (includin\g a\ges) attendin\g:______________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Dietary Concerns:________________________________________________________

Would you like to be paired with a roommate?_________________________________

Name of roommate (if you already have one):__________________________________

The Serpent in the Wildernessby Ray Crafton

John 3.1-17

First a disclaimer: I am no graphic artist, and the above image is solid proof. That said I assembled this picture in response to two verses in John’s gospel. The firstis 1.51, “…you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” Theother inspiration for the drawing comes from what Jesus tells Nicodemus in today’s gospel reading: “As Moses

lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” (John 3.14-15)

How odd that Jesus seems to be comparing himself to a serpent! Aren’t serpents always villains in the Bible? The Gospel of John describes Nicodemus as a “ruler of the Jews.” He would have been well-versed in Jewish scripture and would have understood (and been amazed, I think) at the parallel that Jesus is drawing. Here’s some background to help the rest of us.

The story to which Jesus alludes is in Numbers 21. The Israelites are complaining to God and Moses: they’ve been wandering in the desert too long. Because of their grumbling God sendspoisonous snakes into the Israelites’ camp. Many are bitten and some die. The Israelites then realize that they’ve sinned against God and repent. They ask Moses to intercede with God to remove the snakes. Moses prays and the Lord instructs him to make a bronze serpent and to mount it on a pole. Those who are bitten can save themselves from death by merely looking at the bronze serpent. Here’s the image of Moses and the bronze serpent that Michaelangelo paintedon the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

The Old Testament has plenty of references to asps, snakes, serpents and vipers. Almost none of these cast the reptiles in a positive light. Nevertheless ancient Middle Easterners widely regarded the snake as a symbol of renewal, resurrection and eternal life. Snakes were thought to be capable of renewing their lives indefinitely through the shedding of their skins. The benefits of exfoliation aside, serpents were also thought to be wise. This view of natural history explains why, in the Genesis story of humanity’s fall, it’s a snake who talks Eve into eating from the tree of knowledge. The snake as a symbol of wisdom also creeps into the New Testament. In Matthew 10.16 Jesus instructs his disciples, “…be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

From before the time of Jesus, the Greeks employed the symbolism of the snake in ways similar to the ancient peoples of the Middle East. Asclepius was a physician whom the Greeks deified as the god of healing. The physician-priests of the cult of Asclepius used a snake entwined on a wooden staff as their symbol. Michaelangelo models the bronze serpent in his painting after the staff of Asclepius. We still use the Asclepian staff as the modern symbol of the medical arts and sciences.

So what Jesus is telling \Nicodemus is that the bronze serpent of Moses – a symbol of wisdom and eternal life that God uses to heal the Israelites – is eclipsed and replaced. The bronzeobject raised on a pole is to be surpassed by a living, human being raised on a cross. Those who look on him, and believe in him, will have not just earthly life but everlasting life. That Jesus refers to his crucifixion when he uses the words “lifted up\” is made clear in John 12.32-33 whereit says

“…and I [Jesus], when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.\” Hesaid this to show by what death he was to die.

In the parallel that Jesus draws between his on-coming crucifixion and \Numbers 21, his cross replaces the pole to which the bronze serpent was affixed. In the staff of Asclepius – well known as a symbol both in Jesus’ time and our own – the cross replaces the wooden staff on which the Asclepian snake is wound. The most likely reason that the Greek symbol for healing includes a wooden staff and not just a snake is that the staff symbolizes aid or help. It’s a cane or crutch for an injured person to lean upon as they walk. For those who look upon the Son of Man crucified and believe in him, it’s the cross that becomes their walking aid. The key is to keep it close at hand and to trust in its ability to support the weight we carry.

Senior Warden Ray Crafton is offering a brief weekly reflection on one of the readings for each Sunday in Lent. See them at www.RayCrafton.com

Ladies of Christ Church: There is an interest among many to have a spring tea this year.

However, we need a committee chair or a group willing to organize the tea. If this is you, contact

Missie Jarman at (540) 582-8831 or missie jarman66@gmail.com. Jenny LeBlanc is willing to be

available to help with the planning and with what worked/did not work in the past. Let’s make the spring tea

happen!

The Sunlight Garden ClubThe club has had its winter break and now begins their spring/summer schedule. We look forward

to more Christ Church members joining this active club and invite you to join us for as many of

these events as you can. Meetings are usually held at 6:30 PM in All Saints Hall on the second

Tuesday of each month. Any questions on meetings, contact Margaret Smith, (540) 972-9489.

Upcoming meeting schedule follow:

April 8: Nature Walk thru Cossey Botanical Park (Fredericksburg), Littlepage St., and

Grove Ave., 22401. Meet there at 5:30 PM, bring a bag snack and drink.

May 13: Members will meet at Morton’s Power Equipment, Four Mile Fork, at 5:00 PM and

carpool to Ellen Shumate's butterfly garden in Woodford, VA.

June 10: Chancellor’s Village, 6:30 PM. Make patriotic arrangements with the residents.

DON’T FORGET:

Sunday morning worship, 8:00 and 10:30 AM. Christian Education for all ages from 9:15 to

10:15, Sunday morning; Children’s Chapel in Choir Room 10:30 Sunday, children join families in

church for communion.

Episcopal Church Women meet every third Tuesday of the month at 11:30 AM in Great Hall.

Episcopal Church Men meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 6:30 PM in the Great Hall.

The Brotherhood of St. Andrew meets the second and fourth Saturday of each month in All Saints

Hall.

The Vestry meets on the second Thursday of the month at 7:00 PM in room 8, All Saints Hall.

Sunday bulletin announcements due by: noon Wednesday, call 582-5033.

Chronicler deadline for the May Chronicler is April 18.

Please send submissions (preferably as a Word Document) to Mary Kovach, Chronicler Editor;

trmary@comcast.net or call (540) 972-5405.

Christ Church now has a Twitter account! Follow us on @ChristChrch1841 (notice what’s missing—“u”)