ccalex rejoice, january 2014

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RejoiceJanuary 2014

118 N. Washington St. ✠ Alexandria, VA 22314 www.HistoricChristChurch.org ✠ 703-549-1450

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Treasurer Tykie Tobin and Prop-erty Committee Chairman Barry

Stauffer provided an update on the status of the recently designed HVAC system and expectations for moving forward at a recent forum. Their pre-sentation is available on the HVAC page of our website.

Having reached an agreement with RM Thornton (RMT) on scope, schedule, and cost and with a plan for funding the project, we signed a con-tract with RMT in mid-December. The HVAC construction project is now underway. The first work we will see is demolition of the current chiller, cooling tower, and related ma-

chinery beginning January 6.Completion of the entire project is

scheduled for late January 2015. This work will proceed from start to finish with no breaks; careful planning to minimize disruptions is underway.

A delay was encountered early in December when the manufacturer of the chiller and related equipment ex-tended their delivery time from 8 to 12 weeks making it almost certain we will not have air conditioning avail-able for Easter Sunday, so we must all pray for cool April weather. We ex-pect to be out of the Historic Church for two weeks after Easter.

Funding for this project comes from

three major sources: established re-serves, the quarterly grant from the Foundation intended for improve-ments such as this, and donations from all of us. Pending the receipts of the capital campaign, the cash flow requirements for the project will be funded by a bank borrowing line of credit.

As always, we appreciate your coop-eration, understanding, and help with the many inconveniences and disrup-tions that this construction project sends our way. We all look forward to reliable and controllable heating, ventilation, and air conditioning for our beloved Christ Church.

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Construction Begins

Teen Forum Members Go to CongressBy Susan Hahn

A warm reception greeted six of our high school teens on December 9

and 10 when they met with their U.S. Senators and a Congressman from Virginia to deliver a simple message of support for people in their communi-ties struggling with hunger.

Motivated by knowing that more than half of all Alexandria youth live in homes that sometimes struggle to put food on the table, and the desire to turn their faith into action, six of our high school students offered us a way to take action together at a criti-cal moment.

The students attend five different high schools around the Northern Virginia region so typically they can only work on a project together through their church community.

Alexandria and Fairfax County,

Teen Forum students go to Capitol Hill to meet with Virginia’s Senators and their Congressman to advocate for compassion on hunger issues

sitting in the shadow of the nation’s capital, are hunger-impacted commu-nities of the nation in which people including children and students have been directly hit by funding cuts that occurred in sequestration and the

recent government shut-down, and will be further affected by budget considerations ongoing in Congress. According to Alexandria City Public School statistics, for example, nearly

✠ Rejoice ✠ January 2014

Rejoice is the official monthly publication of Christ Church, Alexandria, Virginia, an Episcopal church in the Diocese of Virginia.

The Rt. Rev. Shannon Johnston Thirteenth Bishop of VirginiaThe Rt. Rev. Susan Ellyn Goff

Suffragan BishopThe Rt. Rev. Edwin F. (Ted) Gulick, Jr.

Assistant Bishop of VirginiaVestry

John Lawson, Senior WardenJanet Osborn, Junior Warden

John Burns, Susan Davis, Elizabeth Dakin, John Kennedy, Brian Shannon, Kevin

Smith, Steve Vajs, Stephanie Waldhoff, Peter Wyckoff, Janet Zavrel

Tykie Tobin, TreasurerAndrew Baird, Assistant Treasurer

ClergyThe Rev. Pierce Klemmt, Rector

The Rev. Ann Gillespie, Senior Associate Rector

The Rev. Heather VanDeventer, Associate Rector for

Faith Formation and EvangelismThe Rev. Dr. Diane Murphy,

Priest AssociateEmily Lukanich

Ministry ResidentJohn Hogg, Fares Naoum

SeminariansThe Rev. Dr. Alvin C. Johnson, Jr.

Director of Ministry Resident Program

Director of MusicM. Jason Abel

Christ Church embodies God’s unbounded love by embracing, liberating,

and empowering people, whoever you are and wherever you find yourself

on your journey of faith.

The Rejoice deadline is the third of the month preceding the publication. Please send proposed articles to [email protected]. Those accepted are subject

to editing for length and content. Tara Knox edits Rejoice and is the staff

liaison while Craig Keith provides design and layout. Carol Donlan gives her time and talent as an advisor for Rejoice.

@historiccc

Christ Child Project Thank YouBy Megan McCullough

The holiday season begins early at Christ Church starting with the volun-teer sign-ups for the Christ Child Project on Sundays in November. This

was my first year experiencing the Christ Child Project and I was amazed at the generosity and joyful nature of everyone involved all the way through the Christ Child Christmas Store on the evening of Friday, December 1. Over 200 children are provided with wonderful Christmas gifts, clothes and books. In addition each family received a $25 gift card to help with Christmas dinner.

Any remaining toys and clothing were donated to Healthy Families of Alex-andria and Community Lodgings.

Thank you to all who shopped for or adopted a child, helped with the in-gathering of gifts, priced items for the store, or worked as Santa’s helpers. What a great way to start the holiday season!

A goal of the strategic plan is to bet-ter inform the parish about the

handling of money and general financial matters at the church. To that end, members of the finance committee have prepared information about the workings of the committee. This is the ninth in a series about the work of the committee to appear in Rejoice.

Finance Committee MeetingsMost generally, the finance com-

mittee exists to create, recommend,

and monitor the parish budget. Each month the committee receives the financial package for the month just ended and that is often a major dis-cussion point at committee meetings as the committee watches to be sure that the budget is being executed properly. Communication to the par-ish is a major responsibility of the treasurer and the committee also strives to assist with this important endeavor.

Join us on Sunday, January 5, at 6:00 p.m. for Twelfth Night Gems:

A Celebration of Epiphany and the Winter Solstice, Armonia Nova’s 12th anniversary of performing at Christ Church with music from Eng-land, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. It is traditional yet timeless

Armonia Novamusic for this cherished season.

The ensemble consists of Constance Whiteside playing medieval and baroque harps, Craig Resta playing vielle and baroque violin, and coun-tertenors Corey McNight and Jay White. The concert is free but a free will offering will be taken.

Finance Committee 101

Rejoice ✠ January 2014 ✠

The Mystery of EpiphanyBy The Rev. Pierce Klemmt

During the season of Epiphany, we observe

in song and story the early life of our Lord and his family’s journey through the ancient Near East. There was the flight into Egypt… The story of the time he ran away from his parents in the temple. While other stories of his precocious nature circu-lated at the time, they were, perhaps wisely, not included in the Bible. So we don’t read those stories in church, we only have the mythical memories of them that might sell a sensational book about Jesus’ youth once every twenty years. But the Victoria & Albert part of us that wants to hang on to things, certainly wants to know more. For instance, did Jesus assist his

father in the carpentry shop? Did he mind his mother? What did they do for dinner? Did Saint Ann babysit? And where exactly was their house? Was he a child evange-list? Did he go to rabbini-cal school to become a rabbi?

I imagine it’s a good thing we don’t know all

of these things. We’d gild them all in gold frescoes… Enshrine them into holy days, or perhaps even sacra-ments. If we’d had any more infor-mation about the early life of Jesus, we would probably have fifty more sacraments and feasts during the sea-son of Epiphany. Just imagine it: the feast of his first lost tooth, the feast of his first steps, the feast of his first

day of school, etc. It is my bet that the sketchiness of biographical details regarding Jesus’ life, though it may frustrate our curiosity, also protects us from gilding his saving work. We know that the early believers were not enamored with what he did be-cause they were so overwhelmed with who he was. Obviously the church chose mystery over biographical de-tails. In our time we are obsessed with these details, but the truth is that, as Christians, everything hinges on the mystery of his love and our encounter with the risen Christ. Absent the mystery—and everything is swal-lowed up by another of our tempta-tions: a set of rules or a membership card we think we need to belong to his saving grace. Christ came as a light to the world. We needn’t docu-ment or measure it. Simply accept and be led by its redeeming grace.

There are times when what we do determines the future. Today

we face an urgent need to replace the old heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems that have begun to fail even as we have been carefully planning over the last two years for their replacement. As you know, the need is more than one of only comfort; it is a requirement to keep the humidity and quality of ventilation to a standard that will preserve the building and fixtures for the next generation who worship and visit our historic church.

The Property Committee, under the leadership of Barry Stauffer, has kept us up to date on the plans to replace the old HVAC system. (Please see the article on page 1.) At an all-parish meeting in November, the Wardens and Vestry presented a plan and cost estimates for how we will acquire and

pay for the new system to keep our campus functioning into the future.

In December, the final costs were determined and presented and a contract to move forward with the project was approved by Vestry and executed. The cost for the project is $2.375 million. This includes a $230,000 cost increase, an amount within the cost estimate parameters outlined in November. Now that we know the final contract costs, the final campaign goal of $1.8 million is also set. This takes into consideration the final project cost and includes a contingency of 10% for costs of the campaign and contingencies that may arise during the project.

Along with members who built the reserve fund and contributed to the Foundation, those of us who are part of our historic church community to-day will play a critical part as the gen-

It Is Our Generation’s Timeeration maintaining and preserving the church for future generations. To participate in planning the campaign for the future, please contact Tara Knox, Director of Development.

Senior Christmas Celebration

by the Rev. Heather VanDeventer

The Senior Celebration Christ-mas luncheon on December 17

was a great event. A lovely buffet luncheon was the gift of eight parish-ioners. Fellowship, laughter, and a few Christmas carols were shared by all. Watch for information on a Se-nior Lenten Lunch in the spring. For information or to volunteer, contact Betsy Hahn, [email protected], or Fran Usher, [email protected].


Teen Forum continued from page 3

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60 percent of the children in ACPS are eligible for free or reduced price lunches, and the struggle with hunger is similar in surrounding communities.

Just before Thanksgiving a small group of high schoolers turned to a long-time parishioner, noted Alexan-dria community activist Nancy Car-son, to brainstorm ideas in an infor-mal Sunday morning conversation. At a time when most teens communicate via texting, social media and even Skype, they decided to try a more traditional communication method to reach members of Congress.

With Carson’s guidance, mentoring and liaison, they designed message themed post cards to offer a quick but powerful way for parishioners to write to their Senators and Congressional Representatives.

The students looked to information on the Bread for the World web site, as well as the DC Hunger Solutions and the DC Area Food Bank web sites, and planned a themed post card message signing day for their par-ish on Bread for the World Sunday. That’s when fellow parishioner, the Rev. David Beckmann, gave a sermon at two services, plus a forum hour in between.

The teens know Rev. Beckmann and his work on hunger issues both in America and around the world. The noted Food Prize Laureate has been President of Bread for the World since before any of the 15–17 year olds were born. The teens are familiar with his annual pre-Thanksgiving visits to the pulpit here. But this year, they cre-ated an advocacy project that brought together parishioners to support a non-partisan and Christian concern, fight-ing hunger.

During the Sunday sermon on No-vember 24, Rev. Beckman explained the critical situation where they live. “The cut in food stamps that went into effect on November 1 will eliminate 300 million meals for needy

people by the end of this month,” Rev. Beckmann said. “This is not a good way to celebrate Thanksgiving!” he said.

“Congress is in the process of final-izing yet deeper cuts to food stamps,” Rev. Beckmann explained. “The House of Representatives has voted to cut food stamps by $40 billion over ten years… about $4 billion a year. All the food charity that all the churches and food banks in the coun-try mobilize comes to about $4 billion a year in groceries, so the House’s pro-posed cut would be roughly equivalent to eliminating all the food charity in the country for ten years,” he said, explaining the urgency of the situa-tion which parishioners could carry a message to Congress about while con-sideration of this part of the federal budget is imminent.

In early December, the teens, ac-companied by Nancy Carson and Jack Wilmer, took those cards for delivery in meetings with Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Tim Kaine and Rep. Jim Moran.

The cards from parishioners plus the teens’ own individuals stories of witness and concern for classmates, ALIVE beneficiaries, seniors and vet-erans were powerful messages.

Both Senators and the Congressman thanked the teens for getting involved in the issue and told them they were working toward a compromise that would do the best possible for recipi-ents of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

In a note of thanks to the students and their parents, Ms. Carson wrote: “My deep gratitude and admiration for all of you who pitched in so well, and are carrying this effort forward. It will make a difference to people who are hungry.”

She added she was very impressed with the way they had grasped the importance of SNAP for real families, and for our community.

“One of the things I appreciate about the church is that, like Bread for the World, it provides a framework for us to take our ideas and act, with the strength of our larger faith com-munity, “ Carson wrote. “We do this because we share in the radical Grace that unites us, and we share in a con-viction that caring for others is one of the most important elements of who we are.”

On November 25, Bread for the World released the 2014 Hunger Report: Ending Hunger in America! Find out what you can do to make a real difference here: http://hungerre-port.org/issues/ending-hunger-in-america/

The names of the teens who worked on the project are not included in this story because we do not use the names of parishioners under 18 in any publication that will be posted on the internet.

In fact, Rev. Beckmann said, “Hunger and poverty are much more widespread among young people than adults in Alexandria, because our city includes many low-income families with children and many childless adults who are affluent.”

Following the sermon at both mid-morning services, teens were per-mitted a brief call to action to their fellow parishioners. And the parish responded, big-time! About 150 post card messages were filled out by pa-rishioners at Christ Church on Sun-day, many in the portico of the church in freezing temperatures, and more were written at some of the students’ schools.

Nancy Carson introduces the teens to their Congressman


Children, Youth & Family Announcements

By Mary Beth Abplanalp

Youth Ski Trip: January 10–12In addition to exploring our faith and serving others, the youth of Christ Church also enjoy getting together for some good old fashion fun and fellowship! The Youth Ski Trip, January 10–12 is all about having fun with your peers and adult leaders who share the same faith values as you. All youth in 6th through 12th grades are welcome to come and, yes of course, you can bring a friend! We will ski and snow tube at Bryce Resort and stay at St. Andrew’s Cottages at Shrine Mont. Detailed trip informa-tion and registration forms are avail-able outside the Teen Center and online at www.historicchristchurch.org/children-youth/youth/. Register by January 6 to participate. Questions? Contact Mary Beth Abplanalp at [email protected].

Shrine Mont Summer CampsOnline registration for the 2014 sum-mer camp season opens in January. Spaces fill quickly so don’t delay. Shrine Mont is the camp and confer-ence center for the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia located approximately two hours west of Alexandria. There are 10 different camps that take place at Shrine Mont in the summer for children and youth from 8 to 18 years old. There are also lots of volunteer

and employment opportunities avail-able for youth and young adults. The camp dates for summer 2014 are available online so you can start plan-ning! Visit www.shrinemontcamps.net for more informa-tion.

Vacation Bible School: June 23–27Save the date! This summer, Christ Church & Grace Episcopal Church are offering VBS at Christ Church from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. the week of June 23–27, 2014. Registration will begin on April 1. VBS is for children age three through fifth graders. Youth in 6th–12th grades can participate as volunteer youth counselors. The success of VBS depends on willing adult volunteers. Please prayerfully consider what you have to offer VBS 2014. Contact Mary Beth Abplanalp to learn more at [email protected] or 703-778-4944.

We had a full house for Vacation Bible School last summer

A moment of rest during last year’s ski trip

Super Bowl Party & Food Drive: February 2Everyone is invited to join us for the biggest football event of the year! Bring your family, friends, and neigh-bors on February 2 for a casual, fun-filled evening watching ‘da big game’ in the Teen Center. The party starts at 6:00 p.m. and goes until the game ends. As part of this event, the youth groups will be collecting canned and nonperishable foods for the SOUPer

Bowl of Caring food drive. Pizza and drinks will be provided, but please stop by the store and bring some snacks to share during the game and canned food to donate to the food drive. Questions? Contact Kate Bal-lard at [email protected].


By Tillman Finley & Jaclyn Moyer

Our daughter, Meredith, was among the eight children bap-

tized at Christ Church on All Saints’ Sunday, November 3, 2013. Among the many wonderful days we have ex-perienced since she joined us, we will remember the day of her baptism as especially blessed. Meredith’s baptism was both her first public act and the first occasion for all of her extended family to gather together and be with her at the same time.

As we observed and participated in a baptism for the first time as parents, we were reminded of the many times we have participated in the same sac-rament in different capacities – both as godparents and countless times as members of the very community of faith that now was committing to ac-cept and support our daughter, just as we have so many times over the years promised to accept and support others. We found ourselves reflect-

A Baptism Storying, not just on the commitment we were making that day, but also on the promises we made to our nephew on the day he was baptized and to many others as members of the larger church community. Along with the gift of God’s forgiving and transform-ing love comes the concomitant reminder that we are bound together and responsible for each other. From the outset of the baptismal liturgy, the Acclamation calls for us to pro-claim that “there is one hope in God’s call to us” and proceeds to ask all of us to proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ, to strive for justice and peace, to respect the dignity of every human being, and to seek and serve Christ in all persons (with the “seek” and “all” parts often being the hardest, at least for us, to live out every day).

As first-time parents, we frequently are beset by fears and anxieties: Are we messing up? Will she be okay? How do we raise her to do the right things? But in the prayer that pre-ceded her baptism, we realized we had asked God to bestow upon her all that she will really need: the gift of God’s forgiveness and transform-ing love, an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and to per-severe, a spirit to know and to love God, and the gift of joy and wonder in all His works. Let’s put those gifts to work in our lives and in the lives of others.

Rites of Passage

Birth

• Emma Jane Bronder, daughter of Jenny & Justin Bronder

Wedding

• Christine M. T. Cheevers & the Rev. Richard John Jones

deaths

• Beverly Conlon• Harold Connor• Ronald Franklyn Kirby• Vola Lawson• Suzanne Runton• Peter Simms• Ida Latimer Stoffel• Edgar Allen Terrell, Jr.• Lesli Morris Wolford

By Michelle Baize

If you have ever pledged at Christ Church, volunteered with the Laza-

rus ministry or donated funds or food here, this is a story for you.

I have been the recipient of two very moving gifts from Lazarus guests recently. The first was a young man who came in and said, “Your church helped me financially at a time in my life when I was down and out. I have gotten back on my feet and I want to say thank you.” He then handed me an envelope with money as a dona-tion to the Lazarus ministry.

The second gift came at the very end of the last Lazarus ministry be-fore Christmas. All the volunteers were cleaning up and the last guest was coming through. She is a regu-lar guest who is in a wheelchair and comes every week for food. As she left she said, “I don’t have any money but I want to give you a Christmas gift.” And then she opened her mouth and with a beautifully soulful voice sang, “Silent Night, Holy Night, All is calm, All is bright…” As I stood there listening, I thought, “I wish ev-ery person who has made the Lazarus ministry a reality could hear what I’m hearing right now.” As she finished, “…sleep in Heavenly peace, sleep in Heavenly peace,” there was not a dry eye in that room.

During the Christmas season and new year, may you be blessed as you have blessed others.

Lazarus Guests Give Back


Adult Faith Formation: Sunday Forums in JanuaryBy the Rev. Heather VanDeventer

January 5: Welcome Ministry Training, 10:15 a.m., AuditoriumEveryone has a role in making Christ Church to be a welcoming place, especially on Sundays. While this training is aimed at ushers, greeters, and members of welcoming ministries in particular, it is of use to anyone in the parish. Come to learn more about ways of welcome!January 12: Acts of Radical Hospi-tality—The Hypothermia Shelter, 10:15 a.m., Meade RoomAs the weather gets colder imagine how hard it would be to face an unsafe, cold night on the streets. St. Clement’s Episcopal Church on Quaker Lane opens their doors in the evening to welcome homeless men who have no other place to go when the Carpenter’s Shelter is full. Christ Church provides shelter supervi-

sion Wednesday nights from January through March. Come to the forum to learn more about the emergency temporary shelter that St. Clement’s provides in Alexandria throughout the winter months. Dave Buffaloe, coordinator for Christ Church’s par-

ticipation, will share his experience volunteering with the shelter and about the men he has come to know.January 26: Foundation Sunday Forum with the Rev. Frank Wade, 10:15 a.m., Meade RoomThe Christ Church Foundation wel-comes the Rev. Frank Wade back to Christ Church. Frank will share some wisdom about living with a sense of God’s abundance in the world and our participation in that abundance. At times of economic uncertainty and the pulls of multiple good causes, how can we live out of abundance, rather than scarcity, and be wise stewards of what God has entrusted to us. Whether you have given to the Christ Church Foundation for years or are not really sure what the Foun-dation does, this forum is for you.

By The Rev. Heather VanDeventer

One of the jewels of adult faith formation at Christ Church is

our Covenant Class. This ten-week class is intended for all who seek to learn more about their faith and to explore their relationship with God. There are presentations on various topics to explore what Episcopalians believe—about the Bible, our his-tory, prayer, and the Eucharist. Other presentations explore how we live out our Christian faith—such as through the ministries at Christ Church. This class is a great starting place for those who are considering becoming a Christian or becoming an Episcopa-lian. It is also a great opportunity for those who have been in the pews for a while but who want to learn more about their faith. Do you remember what was covered in your Confir-

mation class as a youth? If not, you might consider joining the Covenant Class.

Covenant Class is more than an in-tellectual exercise. Each week, those in the class have the opportunity to share where they are on their journey of life. Sometimes it is a spiritual in-sight that is shared, other times the highs or lows of the past week. People in the class get to know each other and lay the foundation for friendships in the parish family.

The Covenant Class meets on Wednesday evenings, from 7:00–8:45 p.m. from January 15 to March 26 (taking a break on March 5 for Ash Wednesday services). Because of the nature of the class, a commitment to attend all ten weeks is requested. To register, contact Linda Fischer, Cov-enant Class coordinator, at [email protected].

Covenant Class to Begin on January 15

Volunteer to spend a night. Photo from St. Clement’s Hypothermia Shelter last year.

Youth Ministry Visioning Retreat

The Youth Ministry Renovation Team continues to make plans

for the Visioning Retreat to be held at Christ Church on the evenings of February 6 and 7, and the morning of February 8. The purpose of the retreat is to develop a sustainable youth min-istry program that reflects our com-munity goals and values.

We are still looking for adult par-ticipants who can attend all the ses-sions, and youth participants who can attend on Thursday evening. Please contact Lisa Tenore ([email protected]) or Kristi Thomas ([email protected]) if you are interested.

For those interested in providing in-put but not available to attend, there will be opportunities to do so during the Sunday School hour beginning January 12. Look for more details in Parish Life.


Light by Mary Wright Baylor

2014: A New Year, A New Start

Picturing Advent

During Advent people sent us a variety of photos, each inspired

by the word of day offered on our website, Facebook page and on Twit-ter. Many viewers joined us to see the pictures and take a few calm minutes to think and preparte for Christmas. Here are a few of the photos. To see them all, visit our Facebook page, Christ Church (Alexandria, VA).

How can you start 2014 in a way that will create grace and bring

God to the center of your life? Dive in, volunteer, come to church often, see old friends and make new ones, and make your stewardship pledge. Starting the new year with a gener-ous spirit and your pledge to support the parish life and ministries of Christ Church will set the tone for your 2014.

Stewardship is a path to a generous spirit and a generous life, support-ing our community life together as a parish and reaching out to spread

Christ’s love through helping our neighbors next door and around the world.

Thank you to everyone who has already made a pledge. You have brought the parish to 74% of our an-nual goal. Most of you have discerned pledges that are equal to, and often higher than, what you pledged last year. Others are new to pledging at Christ Church and are part of grow-ing the parish. Every pledge is valued and makes a difference.

For those of us still deciding on our pledge, it is time to do what we can

to participate. Our pledges determine the budget. Our pledges matter to our worship and music, to children’s education and faith formation, to pastoral care of our fellow parishio-ners, and to our outreach and mission service ministries to others. What you do has enormous effect. Please decide how you and your family will participate. We are looking forward to hearing from you. Contact Tara Knox for a pledge card or to make a pledge at (703)778-2948, [email protected] or [email protected].

WiLderness by Anne Reed

Journey by Christianne Marie Witten

expectation by Kate Ballard

expectation by Kate Ballard

expectation by Kristi Thomas

ccalex rejoice, january 2014

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