CommuniquéA Bimonthly Ministry of Christ Church Episcopal, Norcross, Georgia

Una revista bimestral ministerio de Cristo Iglesia Episcopal, Norcross, GeorgiaVolume 36, Issue 3 - Aug/Sept 2012

ORDINARY TIME

IN THIS ISSUE

PARISH SPOTLIGHTKevin Dunn

What’s So Ordinary AboutOrdinary Time?

Vally Sharpe

OUR RECTOR REFLECTSTruth Embedded

Who Am I, Lord?Dennis Marks

Brianna’s Shadow DayBrianna Furey

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CommuniquéA bimonthly ministry

of

Christ ChurCh EpisCopAl, norCross

400 holComb bridgE rd.norCross, gA 30071

770-447-1166

The Rev. Ceci DukeRector

The Rev. Jeff CaveAssociate Rector - Hispanic Services

The Rev. Nora Cruz-DiazDeacon

Aitor RecaldeVestry Liaison

Vally SharpePublisher/Managing Editor

Communiqué is produced bimonthly as a ministry of Christ Church, Norcross, distributed free to parishioners as well as to individuals and families in the greater Norcross and Peachtree Corners areas.

To subscribe to Communiqué in either print or electonic format, please email Beth

Holland at office@ccnorcross.orgor Vally Sharpe at

vsharpe@unitedwriterspress.com

Donations in support of the costs of printing and other expenses associated with production are always welcome, as are responses to the columns and articles herein. To make a donation, please send a check to the address above, noting that the contribution is to support the ministry or visit our website at:

www.ccnorcross.org

VOLUME 36, ISSUE 3

I sometimes laugh (and sometimes grimace) at our often paltry attempts at naming our experiences in a way that can be shared with others. And one of those descriptive words is “ordinary,” an English word that, like many, confuses especially newcomers to our language. But I submit that, though it confuses most of us who’ve been speaking it all of our lives, nothing is ordinary about the folks of Christ Church.

All members in the Christ Church parish are welcome to submit articles, notes, and event announcements relating to the bi-monthly period of the magazine. The deadline for submission is the 10th of the month preceding the first month of the proposed issue as follows:

• October/November - September 10• December/January - November 10• February/March - January 10• April/May - March 10

For event announcements, please keep in mind that each issue will cover a two-month time period.

We hope you are uplifted, encouraged, and/or provoked (in a thoughtful way) by what you see here. In the next issues, we hope to include a “Letters in Response” section where readers have an opportunity to comment on any of the articles. Please feel free to send me an email at vsharpe@unitedwriterspress.com or vally.sharpe@yahoo.com.

Vally

THE COVER PHOTOGRAPH

Kevin Dunn hiking with scoutson Mt Evans - 2008

(Courtesy of Kevin Dunn)

From the Publisher

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We had walked the aisles of the lofty, Gothic Cathedrals of Rochester, Canterbury, and Salisbury before our arrival at Coventry. Our tour guide had, until then, been effusive in his zeal for the history embedded in the ancient buildings. I couldn’t help but notice a contrast as our bus pulled up alongside the modern edifice of Coventry Cathedral. He became strangely quiet. In a subsequent

conversation, I discovered a hint of his indifference to the art and architecture of the 20th Century.For the most part, I find myself in agreement with him. Admittedly, my knowledge of visual and

structural art is severely limited. Aware that I’m unqualified to offer an informed opinion on the subject, I usually keep my thoughts to myself.

Such was the case when I stepped off the bus and stood before a hulking building whose entrance was encircled by glass panels of ghostly angels (not the warm, chubby, cherub types). As we entered the Cathedral, I felt overpowered by a succession of dark, heavy curved walls flanking the main altar on both sides extending the length of the nave. The walls, like those of the ancient cathedrals went up and up, evoking feelings of insignificance.

My own impressions were validated when one of the pilgrims came to me soon after our arrival and said, “I don’t like this place; it is so dark and depressing.” Nonetheless, since we had traveled a good distance to see Coventry, we decided it was important to take the tour and learn about its history — a wise decision.

After lunch, we met Hannah, our tour guide. A short, silver-haired, late 70-ish woman, she briskly moved us along to the ruins of the old Cathedral which had been destroyed by the Luftwaffe after the bombing in November 1940. Her eyes brightened as she told the story of how, on the morning after the bombing, the Cathedral’s groundskeeper found two charred beams of wood and formed them into a cross. She spoke in a holy whisper of the provost’s words, “Father Forgive,” inscribed on one of the few remaining walls.

Hannah led us next to a Chapel of Reconciliation, a circular room wherein everything flows to an altar at the center. As she spoke, her eyes reflected an excitement that her parish has clearly articulated its mission—to promote equality, peace, and justice on the earth.

From the Chapel she invited us to sit and gaze upon the stain glass of the baptistery. She called our attention to the liturgical colors imbedded there and the bright and forceful yellow gold at the center which enfolds the font of new birth in Christ.

Next, Hannah led us to a sculpture of St. Michael the Archangel standing in domination above the fallen angel, Lucifer. As we followed Hannah’s direction to gaze upon Michael’s face, she pointed out, “See how sad Michael looks! Rather than triumph, the sculptor captures Michael’s regret and grief in the breech that has now come between himself and his fellow angel.”

Hannah’s tour was as much theological as it was historical. In it, she was speaking from familiar terrain—her own knowledge of Christ’s power to transform, change, and heal. She brought us at last to the front of the church and then asked us to look out across the nave. From that vantage point, we could see glorious light pouring out from between the wall panels as well as the stained glass at the back of the nave. Hannah concluded, “When we come to the altar we come in darkness. We stretch out our hands in hope to receive the Christ. As we return to our places, we see that our dark is turned to light.”

At the conclusion of Hannah’s tour we boarded the bus for London. I couldn’t help but wonder what, if any impression, Coventry had made on the pilgrims. Later that evening we reflected on the Coventry

The Rev. Ceci Duke

OUR RECTOR REFLECTSOUR RECTOR REFLECTS

Truth Embedded

continued next page

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OUR RECTOR REFLECTS

experience. One pilgrim reiterated the feelings of dark sadness reflected in the tall, gray walls; but another spoke in great excitement about the capacity of the Cathedral’s architecture to express a whole range of emotions and the residual human experiences evoked by the destruction of war. This pilgrim was on fire with the potential that such a structure has to teach and transform.

A third pilgrim expressed his heartfelt appreciation for Hannah. “She helped bring the place alive. She showed us what all of the architecture really means, its true spiritual significance,” he said. I was thrilled that these pilgrims had noticed what I noticed, had been touched as I was touched, had been made more deeply aware, as I was made aware of the love of Christ—a love that brings light into dark places, that transforms despair, and the ugliness of war into a place of hope and promise and peace.

To Hannah, wherever you are, thank you for showing us the Truth embedded in the walls.

Ceci COVENTRY CATHEDRAL REMEMBERED

Upper left, a photo of the old cathedral in 1940, following its destruction by bombing. Lower left, the old cathedral in 2004. Upper right, the triumphant Christ over the altar.

Lower right, a view of the side windows as one exits the altar.

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GOOD NEWS!Saturday, Sept 8 - 7pm

It’s only $10!So, don’t be a lonely goatherd.

(Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo.)

TICKETS ARE GOING FAST!

CHRIST CHURCH PLAYERS

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DENNIS MARKS

Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” — Exodus 3:13-14

The words “ehyeh asher ehyeh” are from the root “hayah,” to be, which is also translated in the Torah as “was, let there be, shall be, should be, to be, came to pass, becoming, to appear, had, had been, be thou, kept, is, I Am That I Am, and I will be what I will be.” Some reject the “Will be” version because it implies a temporal limitation on an eternal God, but it might refer to an existence that is not contained by time or being, but is always emerging in the ongoing act of creation—past, present, and future.

Besides the quibbles about translations, there are so many opinions on the meaning of the phrase that it makes my head hurt, though none claim a connection to the song “I am what I am” from the Broadway musical La Cage aux Folles.

Here’s an explanation that gives me a migraine: “I AM WHO I AM That this signifies the Being and Coming-forth of all things in the universe, is evident from the fact that I AM is Being, and because He alone is Being, it is said in the nominative case. That it is twice said I AM, that is, I AM WHO I AM, is because the one signifies Being and the other Coming-forth; thus the one signifies the Divine Itself, which is called the Father, and the other the Divine Human, which is called the Son; for the Divine Human comes-forth from the Divine Itself.” Please, shoot me now.

K. J. Cronin’s view: “I conclude that the articulation in God of His first awareness of the beginning of His creation was that ‘There Is.’ ‘There Is, Therefore I AM.’ Therefore, ‘I AM’ was the response in the mind of God to His first awareness of the beginning of His creation. ‘I AM’ was also the articulation in God of His knowledge of His Self as distinct from all other. Therefore, ‘I AM’ is the articulation in God of the knowledge He has of His Personal existence.”

Laura Olshansky says this Exodus story is more like an extended pun. Moses asking God his name is the set-up, because the ancient Israelites thought it was wrong to say God’s name. “If God were to answer Moses’ question, what good would it do Moses? He couldn’t repeat the name to anybody. But in this story, God is a comedian. Instead of answering the question, he says in Hebrew, “Ehyeh asher ehyeh,” meaning, “I am that which I am.” To make sense of this, you have to imagine God shrugging his shoulders. Moses asks, “What’s your name?” God shrugs and says, “I’m whatever I am.”

Now here’s the punchline. God then says, “So if they ask you my name, just say, ‘Ehyeh.’” In other words, say the first part of the sentence “I am what I am.” As if God’s first name is “Ehyeh,” meaning, “I am.” This is a joke because in the language that God and Moses were speaking, the same language the story is written in, “Ehyeh” sounds like “YHWH,” the real name of God that nobody was allowed to say. It’s a joke! God is finding a way for Moses to say “YHWH” without anybody getting mad at him.”

Whether it was originally the name of God, a joke, or had some immeasurably divine meaning, apparently none can tell for sure, though many claim certainty.

Who Am I, Lord?by Dennis Marks

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SCRIBBLES IN THE SAND

I like to think of it this way. In Exd. 3:11 Moses shows his self-doubt when he asks God, “Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?” God answers with the assurance, “I will be with you.”

Faith is when you transcend the certain, the known, and your assumed self-limitations, becoming a slightly different self. It is an act of creation, bringing something into being that was not, no matter how big or little the change. We falter in faith, stuck in place, until the choice of change or no change presents itself, as it does again and again.

The object of the Christian faith is God and the vision of love for all. Perhaps the very essence of that faith is found in the answer to the question we eternally ask, “Who am I? Who will I be?” The answer: “I am with you.” Being human means that at some level of being, mostly unconscious, but not always hidden, is feeling the presence of I am and I will be, drawing hope, strength, peace, and courage as God stands with you and by example calls you to be who you will be, to be the co-creator of yourself.

CHRIST CHURCH PASTORAL CARE COMMITTEE

THE REV. CECI DUKEForum Chair: Nancy Grant

Vestry Liaison: Joyce ProctorPACT (Pastoral Care Team) Coordinators: Amy Ross, Caryl Rinker

Parish ForumsDaughters of the King: Sheli Dunn, Gail Davis, Sharon Pitman

Grief and Healing: Sharon Pitman, Ceci DukeHelping Hands : Sharon Pitman, Nancy Grant

Lay Eucharistic Visitors: Channing HaskellStephen Ministry: Amy Ross, Caryl Rinker, Nancy Grant, Joyce Proctor

CONTACT INFORMATION

NAME E-MAIL PHONE (h) PHONE(c)

Gail Davis gaildavis5490@gmail.com 770-263-0090 478-747-5252

Ceci Duke cduke@ccnorcross.org 770-447-1166 (w) 404-840-1587

Sheli Dunn sdunn@datatrends.net 770-729-1070 404-488-9267

Nancy Grant ngrant4651@aol.com 770-476-0546 678-772-7947

Channing Haskell haskellc@bellsouth.net 770-416-0430 404-218-7730

Sharon Pitman s_pitman@charter.net 678-482-0888 678-571-4181

Joyce Proctor joycehproctor@gmail.com 770-813-1550 770-757-7954

Caryl Rinker carylrinker@bellsouth.net 770-271-0576 404-433-9659

Amy Ross amybross@gmail.com 770-242-0299 678-438-7631

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PARISH SPOTLIGHT

On my honor, I will do my best…Where there are humans, there are institutions and hierarchies. Where there are hierarchies, there are

conflicts. And like most organizations, the Boy Scouts of America has struggled with hard policy decisions in response to outside pressures, most recently with regard to whether openly gay men should be scout leaders.

Fortunately, while the most vocal among us scream that the sky is falling, there are some who keep their eyes on the substance of things, the purpose of the missions, the core principles that really matter. They are prepared for all contingencies, possible and probable. The cement that holds the fabric of our society together, the fruit of their labor is most often noticed when they’re gone. Balls fall everywhere, once caught without our notice, and the things we take for granted aren’t so routine anymore. Kevin Dunn is one of those people.

Ask him and he will tell you that he is a product of scouting, that a lot of who he is came from his experiences there. I rather think it’s the other way around—certainly with respect to Christ Church’s Troop 26.

The pinnacle achievement of scouting, the rank of Eagle, recently celebrated its 100th Anniversary. Without quite as much notice, Kevin celebrated a milestone of his own, stepping down as the scoutmaster of Troop 26. His and Sheli’s firstborn, Andrew, is now an Eagle like his dad, and it’s time, says Kevin, to devote his energies to his girls, Kiana and Kailyn, both of whom are Girl Scouts.

Though much of Kevin’s life has gone according to plan, the Dunn family’s development was not so predictable. In fact, it began in spite of a tried-and-true principle Kevin

had adopted for himself. A specialist in technology for legal firms—his occupation and business pursuit since college—he had sworn to himself that he’d never date someone who worked for a client. But one of his clients had other ideas.

Invited to join a group from the firm for a “regularly scheduled” lunch, he arrived at the restaurant to find only Sheli, who worked in the accounting office and had been similarly duped. After an hour of waiting for the rest of the clan to show up, Sheli, who by then had surmised the matchmaking scheme, said, “Somehow I don’t think I’ll get into trouble if I’m late coming back from lunch.” So they sat and talked and the rest, as they say, is history. The arrival of children would be swift—nine months after their honeymoon in Australia. “We came back with something we didn’t declare,” says Kevin, with a twinkle in his eye. The girls were not far behind.

Soon after their marriage, in 1993, Kevin, a cradle Episcopalian from Mauldin, S.C., and Sheli, from the Church of the Brethren in Ohio, joined Christ Church. Six years later, when Andrew started first grade, Ken Allen, committee chair for Cub Scout Pack 26, the “feeder” for the troop, recruited Kevin to replace him in the role, which he accepted after enrolling Andrew in the group. As his son advanced through the scouting ranks, so would Kevin. It would take a while, as noted above, for Kevin’s impact to be fully realized, but it would happen. In the first 10 years of Troop 26’s existence, no boys would achieve the rank of Eagle. But of the nine who started with Andrew in 1999, seven would receive the honor.

As one might imagine, Kevin himself has achieved almost every honor scouting has to offer—in addition to receiving his Eagle at age 16 in 1977, he was honored with his God and Country medal the next year, as well as the Vigil, an honor bestowed on members of the exclusive Order of the Arrow—a group whose members are elected by non-members of the group. More recently, he received his 25-year veteran’s pin and was awarded the Silver Beaver, a council-level distinguished service award and the highest honor bestowed on adults.

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Kevin’s own scouting career began for him in the second grade, when he joined his older brother “Reb” in Troop 320 in Simpsonville, S.C. (That’s Reb and Kevin in the photo at left. I don’t know about Reb, but Kevin’s sorta grown.)

He explains that, at that time, the BSA was more of a community service oriented, para-military organization than it is today, its members often called on to support the National Guard and other local law enforcement agencies in emergency situations, and to serve as honor guards for youth funerals. He recalls having to pass the same driving tests as the Greenville police force, dodging cones at 40 mph. “It was a 17-year-old boy’s dream,” he said. His time in the scouts was in no way always serious, however. As a part of his own Eagle project, Kevin arranged for a Sunday disco (yes, disco…) just for teens at the Electric Warehouse in Greenville. Since the legal drinking age was 18 and most teens were restricted from area

discoteques, this was a big deal So many kids showed up that night (1,200+), the owner made it a regular affair. “So,” says Kevin, “Teen Disco night in South Carolina was all my fault!”

A scout from the troop called him just the other day to say that when he applied for a job, the manager looked as his resume, saw that he was an Eagle, and hired him on the spot. “Scouting is a lifelong pursuit,” he says. “More than once, the fact that I am an Eagle scout has given me an edge when competing for contracts.”

“It’s about challenging yourself,” he adds, “to do things above your expectations.”

Yes, it is, Kevin. And on behalf of Christ Church and Troop 26, we thank you for doing just that.

PARISH SPOTLIGHT

Previous Scoutmaster Chris Collins (1982), Andrew Min (2012), Nathan Henneberg-Verity (2012), Christopher Collins (2011), Edward Duke (2011), Stevie Berhannan (2009), Stuart Allen (2008), Joe Moresi (2010), Ben Odishoo (2010), Andrew Dunn (2010), Kevin Dunn (1977), Kam Hopper (2012)

on Baldy Mountain in Cimarron, NM, July 2008. Note: Every man in this picture is an Eagle; the year denotes the date they received their awards.

“On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law. A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.”

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SHARPE NOTES

As one who grew up in the Southern Baptist church, which did not in those days subscribe to the liturgical calendar of other denominations, it was a learning experience when I first actively celebrated the seasons and holy days of Advent and Epiphany, of Lent and Easter, of Pentecost—seasons of waiting, of enlightenment, of reflection, resurrection and commission.

But then came Ordinary Time. What a peculiar word to assign to the period between Pentecost and Advent, I thought.

Of course, as a lover of words and, consequently, an amateur etymologist, I went in search of an explanation. What were those who first designated these Sundays as such trying to communicate?

Were those Sabbath days somehow mundane? Innocuous? Was it a way of simply bridging time between Pentecost and the beginning of a new year? Was the key the synonym common? What would ordinary time be to a Christian? What were we supposed to be thinking about? Or was that the point—that we were supposed

to be doing and not thinking at all? As you might expect, I examined all the possibilities in turn.Innocuous didn’t seem to fit, though I suppose if one attends on these regular, non-holy days—this period

during which there’s no change in rite, no pre-scheduled celebrations—one might think of these days as mundane.

The idea of its being common didn’t bother me, but it seemed redundant. After all, the original church (not to be confused with the institutions masquerading as it) was based on an ever-expanding group of people drawn together not by tribe or race or gender or even ideology, but by a commonality of perspective, of focus, of practice. A host of words that we sometimes use to the point of immunity from meaning derive themselves from the same source—communion, community, even communiqué, the name of this very publication.

But I knew that couldn’t be the answer. That didn’t differentiate this period from the rest of the year. We are called into communion with each other and the saints, both living and dead, no matter the season, and participate in the Eucharist every single Sunday and other days besides.

I was still not satisfied that I’d solved the puzzle. Did it mean that this was the period in which we were to get on with the day-to-day work to which we were called? Was it to be with little fanfare?

Of course, after all my meandering, I discovered that the reason behind this most illusive of adjectives was routine. In the absence of holy days to attach to the Sunday, they’re known by their number, their ordinal.

But the journey wasn’t wasted, because by the time I was done, I had come to the conclusion that all seasons in the church are ordinary time, at least by my way of thinking. We are the church and we are all ordinary. No one is more righteous than another, more talented than another, more intelligent than another, more gifted than another or even more wounded than another. None of us is more special than another in the eyes of the Indescribable One.

And yet, at the very same time, none of us is ordinary because every hair on every one of our heads is known by the Beloved.

And that, my friends, is extraordinary.

What’s So Ordinary

About Ordinary

Time?

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BRIANNA’S SHADOW DAY

On Monday, June 11th 2012, I was able to experience something amazing: I spent the day in the operating room “shadowing” Dr. Robert Marvin Royster.

Dr. Royster is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sport medicine, total joint replacements, arthroscopy and shoulder and knee surgery. The assistant team orthopedist for the Atlanta Braves, he is also the assistant orthopedist for the Marist School in Atlanta.

I met Dr. Royster at Piedmont Hospital early that Monday morning to start my big day in the operating room. His administrative assistant, Rick, took me to turn in my paperwork and change quickly into scrubs. Once I was scrubbed up, with booties and a mask, I headed over to operating room XI. When I arrived everyone else was ready to go—anesthesiologists, a surgical assistant, a nurse assistant, an administrative assistant, the patient, and last, but not least, Dr. Royster. Rick put me in a helmet (almost like a Haz-Mat mask) so I could watch the entire surgery next to Dr. Royster.

The first surgery of our day was a total left knee replacement, which lasted about 2½ hours. Once completed, Dr. Royster took me with him to the waiting area to talk to the family. After that, we did hospital rounds before the next scheduled surgeries, which were also total knee replacements.

Noon came and it was time for a quick bite to eat in the physician’s lounge. When we finished, Dr. Royster got a glint in his eye. “Let’s see if there is an open heart surgery in progress.” For a second I thought he was kidding, but he wasn’t. And there was! Wow! What a sight to see! Having the chance to witness an open heart surgery was an incredible and certainly unexpected experience.

When the heart surgery was completed, I made my way back to operating room XI where a total left shoulder replacement was in process. I didn’t get to see all of it, but what I did see was also amazing! During that surgery, Dr. Royster let me play with human cement! It performed a lot like play-dough except that we don’t use play-dough to hold human joints together. It starts out as a liquid, but after mixing, it has an exothermic reaction. At first, it slowly becomes warm, and then all of a sudden, it changes and becomes extremely hot and hard to the touch.

The final surgery of the day was another total left knee replacement. We finished up a long day at 6:30 p.m., but instead of feeling exhausted, I was exhilarated! Never once during any surgery had I passed out or even felt sick. Dr. Royster congratulated me. “You did great!” he said. “It was like you had been an O.R. nurse for forty years, because you were comfortable getting right in there to observe.” (The doctor explained that usually most students do not know what to expect so they often pass out or end up not really enjoying the experience.

I enjoyed every experience and opportunity I had that day, and am now seriously thinking about expanding my options for college. Now I find myself considering medicine, which I had never imagined until I spent the day in the operating room. When we parted ways at the end of our day together, another glint appeared in Dr. Royster’s eyes. He explained why he chose the orthopedic field and said that it motivates him daily.

“It’s like going to Disney World,” he said, “and encountering new sights and smells all around. Every day promises to be the experience of a lifetime!”

I know what Dr. Royster meant. Shadowing him was exactly that for me.

The Experience of a Lifetimeby Brianna Furey

Brianna in scrubs

CommuniquéCopyright © 2012, Christ Church Episcopal

400 Holcomb Bridge Rd., Norcross, Georgia 30071

Eucharist:8:00am & 10:30am Sundays

(From Memorial Day to Labor Day, main service begins at 10:00am)Spanish Language Worship: 1:00pm Sundays

Healing Service: 12:00 noon Wednesdays

Nationwide, two of every 100 boys who enter scouting achieve the rank of Eagle.In its 29-year history, Troop 26 has produced 26 Eagles.

As of August 2012, three more await their boards.

Andrew Sharp, Kevin’s first Christ Church Eagle, 2005 After the ceremony, Andrew said, “Mr. Dunn, I don’t know which of us is gonna quit smiling first!”

He is now a construction engineer.