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EMMANUEL EPISCOPAL CHURCH’S JANUARY 2022 HARBINGER

Volume 9 Issue 1

NEWS FROM OUR RECTOR

Happy New Year!

In the church, the season of Advent marks the beginning of a new year in the liturgical calendar; and I find it deeply meaningful that our church year starts with a call to practice stillness, longing, and active hope. The prayerfulness we embody during the month of December helps to make our souls more pliable, more receptive to the gift of the God who dwells among us and gives us grace to live as Christ’s body in the world.

Now, this week we join with people around the world, from many cultures and faiths, in the celebration in the beginning of the 2022 calendar year.

Similar to the way that Advent is a time of preparation for Christmas, the transition from 2021 to 2022 provides us with an opportunity to reflect on our lives and invite the Holy Spirit to direct our journeys. If you’ve never tried it before, I invite you to review the year past using the spiritual practice of the Ignatian Examen.

During the 16th Century, Ignatius of Loyola developed the Examen as a prayerful means of reflecting on one’s experiences, paying attention to God’s presence with gratitude, naming life’s challenges, and looking toward the future in hope.

To learn more about the Ignatian Examen and to incorporate the practice into your life, click here.

May the love of Christ illuminate your path,

Kay+

SENIOR WARDEN - January 2022 News

Happy New Year Everyone,

As we begin the new calendar year, I think of preparing for the annual meeting. I am pleased to present the vestry nominations for your consideration:

Sandy Sutton

Dottie Hawthorne

Dianna Hienzelman

Please keep them in your prayers. Their bios will be in the bulletins over the next few weeks.

As always, nominations will remain open until the annual meeting If you feel you would like to run for a term on the vestry.

Bruce Turner, Sr. Warden

JUNIOR WARDEN REPORT - January 2022

2021 sadly has felt a lot like 2020. And now we are facing the Omicron variant of COVID 19. We all ask, when will this all end? While none of us know that answer, we are so fortunate to have our wonderful Rector, Rev. Kay, a beautiful church, a supporting parish and much to be thankful for this Holiday Season.

I will have a complete report for us to review at our annual meeting, January 23. I would like to point out a few of our accomplishments this year. We have a new website. The leaks in our lovely church have been identified and repaired. Our aging boiler heat system was repaired. The exit drive has been replaced and drainage improved. Internal furniture reallocation has provided Rev. Kay with a new office, furnished the remodeled conference room, created a new business office and removed unnecessary clutter. Yes, we have been busy and did not let COVID slow us down.

Your stewardship committee has been busy communicating with all of you to ensure Emmanuel’s financial and spiritual support for 2022. We thank all of you for dedicating your gifts to Emmanuel in so many ways. As of today, we have received 89 pledges totaling $308,147. In 2021 we had 92 pledges totaling $306,031 and in 2020 there were 95 pledges totaling $330,348. We are contacting those from whom we have not heard. Acknowledging COVID, the trend of declining pledges and total annual revenue from this source remains a concern for the Finance Committee, the Vestry and our entire congregation.

I wish each of you and your families a safe and Joyous Holidays.

Respectfully,

Hal Lawrence, Junior Warden

134th Annual Meeting of Emmanuel Episcopal Church

The Annual Meeting provides us with an opportunity to celebrate God’s presence with us through the previous year, to map out where we have been, and to glimpse what the future might hold for Emmanuel, Petoskey. In preparation for the Annual Meeting, the various ministries of the church prepare and submit reports, which are then compiled and distributed at the meeting.

Also, at the Annual Meeting we review our parish finances and hold elections for Vestry members, Nominating Committee members, and Diocesan Convention Delegates. We have three Vestry positions available, and our candidates include: Dottie Hawthorne, Dianna Heinzelman, and Sandy Sutton. Biographies and pictures of the candidates will be shared in the Sunday bulletin inserts throughout the month of January.

MUSIC MINISTRIES NEWS - JANUARY 2022

Books and Beyond - January 2022

Monday January 17th is the date for Emmanuel’s Books and Beyond discussion. Our selection is The Overstory by Richard Powers. This novel introduces us to each of its 9 main characters beginning in the 1800’s in Iowa and ending on the West Coast during present times. But the real heroes of the book are our forests and the impact they have on each of the 9 main characters whose life experiences with trees brings them together to address the destruction of our forests. Betsy Lawrence will be leading our discussion on Monday January 17th at 2pm In the Lottie Petersen Room at Emmanuel and all are welcome. For more information please contact Nancy Turner at taketurns1106@gmail.com

GATHER & GROW MINISTRY - January 2022

Happy New Year to all of you at Emmanuel. It is certainly with anticipation and hope that we welcome in a blessed 2022 that we can all enjoy. As things opened up a little this past year, a sigh of relief and hope for an end to the pandemic was part of all of our lives. However, it didn’t present itself with the health and healing for which we all had hoped, but we certainly have had positive changes with things opening up. As vaccinations became available, many were able to socialize beyond our ‘bubbles’, see extended family members, attend meetings in person, go out for occasional small social gatherings, and worship in person in our very own sanctuary. It was absolutely wonderful to see familiar faces again, even if behind a mask...Those beautiful eyes were smiling. Our ministry was still unable to plan social events which would encourage gatherings for most of the year, but by this fall, we had the okay from the Diocese to hold the celebration of Rev. Kay’s welcome and installation service. It was a wonderful brunch catered by Julienne Tomatoes with assorted quiche, fruit salad, and pastries, and embellished by EEC’s provided mimosas, red velvet cupcakes, fall sugar cookies, beautiful flowers, pumpkins and gourds. What a blessing to be able to finally welcome Kay in the manner to which she was entitled more than a year ago! G&G officially welcomes Kay! I want to close with a timely poem that I found by Ralph Waldo Emerson and wish you a happy, healthy, covid-free 2022.

THIS IS MY WISH FOR YOU

Comfort on difficult days; Smiles when sadness intrudes; Rainbows to follow the clouds; Laughter to kiss your lips; Sunsets to warm your heart; Hugs when spirits sag; Beauty for your eyes to see; Friendships to brighten your being; Faith so that you can believe; Confidence for when you doubt; Courage to know yourself; Patience to accept the truth; and Love to complete your life.

Respectfully submitted,

Wendy Price, chair

Planned Giving Initiative

In early 2020, Emmanuel Episcopal Church introduced A Permanent Legacy, our planned giving initiative. We have rekindled this effort and hope that you will prayerfully consider becoming involved.

Planned giving means supporting ministries and programs (e.g., music, community outreach, and youth activities) that are so important in our parish life. Currently, distributions we receive from prior planned gifts account for about 10% of our operating budget, helping make these ministries and programs possible.

A powerful example of planned giving is the Wood Family Bequest. Initiated over fifty years ago, The Wood Family Bequest has made possible the renovation of our undercroft, other critical repairs and improvements, and a significant increase in our community outreach, as well as helping support our operating budget during the pandemic..

The booklet A Permanent Legacy contains a wealth of additional information on planned giving. Please contact Rev. Kay, Mark Thompson, Steve Selden, David (DJ) Jones, or any other member of the finance committee to see how you might be able to participate. Our thanks go to those members who have already committed to A Permanent Legacy.

Respectfully Submitted.

DJ Jones and Steve Selden, Co-Chairs

Pastoral Care Ministry - January 2022

As we celebrate a new year of continued spiritual growth, we ask God to bless our parish family, our community, our nation and our world with health and compassion for each other. Our Pastoral Care ministry is ready to bring hope and love to anyone who is isolated and in need of support. We continue to reach out to connect with parish members in the following months through phone calls and cards. We are always ready to lend a listening ear and to share conversations that bring us closer together in fellowship.

In December we enjoyed getting to know our children and youth by connecting with them during our Youth Sunday event. With support and guidance from Sandy Selden, our youth participated in making greeting cards using glue, colored markers, and tissue paper. During this activity we were able to discuss how our Pastoral Care ministry helps our church family by sending cards to those who are homebound, recovering from an illness, or simply in need of encouragement. What a joy and a blessing it was to share time and space with our creative and compassionate children!

Pastoral Care is the shared responsibility of both Reverend Kay and the church laity. We join together to support each other through difficult times. Please remember that we offer support by giving rides to appointments, delivering meals, reaching out to our parish members through cards and phone cards, and ongoing prayers for peace, joy, and healing.

If you are in need or know of someone in need, please reach out to Sharyn at 248.909.5862, Nina at 231.881.2630, Rev. Kay at 231.487.2199 or Leah 231.347.2350 ext. 110 in the church office.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights. [James 1:17]

Leave a Book, Take a Book

Did you know Emmanuel now has a free little library? It’s on the second floor, in the connector hall between the parish house and the church building. To reach it, take the stairs by the sacristy, and turn left a the top.

Books on a variety of topics may be found: novels, historical treatises, books for children. Feel free to take as many—or as few—as you wish. And keep them as long as you need—no due dates or late fines here! You can stock up for hunkering down during winter, take a book or two on your travels, find something to read on the beach in summer, or clean off that overflowing bookshelf at home.

Please take advantage of this new community resource! (And, while you’re up there, take a gander at the newly refurbished conference room!)

OUTREACH MINISTRY - January 2022

Due to the winter storm on our December meeting day, we canceled our in person meeting. Several items of business were conducted in December, however. We had received a $100 donation for the Thursday lunch program. This money couldn’t be rolled over to 2022 so Joan Holec and Dottie Hawthorne went shopping at Gordon’s Food service to purchase two frozen lasagne casseroles and frozen garlic bread that will provide one lunch in January. Another local business was visited, Jets Pizza where we purchased a gift card that will provide another meal or two for the Thursday Lunch program. In 2022.

A big thank you to those Emmanuel parishioners who provided monetary donations for the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan holiday giving program this year. A generous gift of $1,075 from EEC was sent to the WRC.

Best Wishes for a Happy New Year.

EEC’s Outreach Ministry

DO YOU KNOW….

…That lunch is served to those in need every Thursday at noon? It’s a collaboration between the First Presbyterian Church (they provide the serving space), Cross of Christ Lutheran Church and Emmanuel Episcopal Church. Cross of Christ spearheads the efforts six months of the year and we do the other six months. We are also blessed with the help of the staff at Petoskey Public District Library who provide a meal once a month. But we could use your help with supplying food and serving man power for the other weeks. Minimally those weeks we need three people (or couples) to provide:

1) The main dish

2) A vegetable or salad (or both) OR rolls to go with the vegetable or salad

3) A dessert

Additionally we would ask for at least 2 volunteers to help serve and clean up. Joan Holec or Nancy Turner, co-chairs, will also be there to help.

This is a simple, easy commitment and we’ll be looking for volunteers starting in January. This is a great opportunity for our individual ministry groups to join together and provide help on a given Thursday. For more information, please contact Nancy Turner at taketurns1106@gmail.com