http://hoco.org/newsletter.htm

• Angie Palmer given seminary award

• Last Month's Front Page

• A Message from Hilary+

• Story Time Every Sunday

• Men at the Movies - not your usual prison flick

• May book club - There There

• Scout Lodge Renovation to Begin May 4th

• Lectionary Study Group

• Worship in a Time of Pandemic - Spiritual Communion and Eucharistic Fasts

• Where is God in the Pandemic?

• Paying the Bills - Pledges during COVID-19

• Our food pantry rolls on

• Churches consider when - and how - to resume in-person worship as some states force issue

• The Back Page

News of The Church of the Holy Comforterin the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia

Richmond, May 2020

Landscaping and Photography by Rodney Ickes

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Angie Palmer given seminary awardBy Bruce MacAlister

Angie Palmer has been given the Jeanne Gibbs Memorial Award by the faculty of Union Presbyterian seminary where she is a senior student. It's given to a senior student who

"exhibits the characteristics of Jeanne Gibbs of maturity, discipline, commitment to Jesus Christ, concern for others, intelligence and trustworthiness," as stated in the letter of the award. It includes a stipend.

Last Month's Front Pageby George Collier

Nan Ottenritter is a thoughtful person. When the current pandemic descended upon us, along with its social distancing, she decided to call three friends each day just to keep up. On the day that I was one of those three, we talked for some time about things in general, as we all do after being out of touch for a time.

As we talked, I remembered something from 2016, the year of the terrible shooting in Orlando. Nan, a poet, had written a poem following the shooting, and we printed it on the front page of the Messenger for July / August that year. I asked her if she would like to write something for the April issue, with her thoughts about the pandemic and how it has changed our lives. She agreed, and so we printed it last month.

When I wrote I Sing the Public Servant for the last HOCO Messenger I hoped my appreciation for public servants came across. I so value those who live a life of public service: their calling has enhanced our lives immeasurably.

What I didn't express in the poem was the salient, almost visceral ambiguity inhabiting the spaces in which caring people live. The coronavirus pandemic has forced me to consider "action" on the one hand, and "stillness" on the other. Many times I want to act (I could easily see myself helping with drive-through testing, if we had that) but can't because of my advanced age. Many times I donate, but wonder if my drop-in-the-bucket has made any difference.

At other times I want to be still, pray for others, reflect, acknowledge the gift of time and silence in this current day. Yet my minds wanders to "what-ifs," "I-wish-I-coulds," and "why-us-lords?" It is easy to attempt to resolve discomfort by see-sawing between the two - a band-aid solution at its best.

One of my favorite funny signs to come out of this experience goes something like: "Your grandfathers fought World War II. All we're asking you to do it sit on the couch." I think my next poem might be something like I Sing the Citizen. As we grapple with the balancing of action and stillness, may we learn our lessons and become the best citizens we can be.

Nan Ottenritter

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A Message from Hilary+Dear Friends and Companions in

Ministry, We will continue to abstain from public in-

person worship through the month of May, and probably longer. I try not to focus on when we

might reopen but instead to think about you, our church, and our continuing ministry to our wider community, particularly through our food pantry. Our senior warden, Shawn, created a survey that I hope you will take and has been sent

out in our Friday email, the eMessenger; it asks about how our vestry, clergy, and staff can best support you during this time. We want to provide opportunities for worship, prayer, discussion groups, and more that would be most helpful to you.

What an experience this has been in online worship! I thought our Holy Week services that were done via Zoom went well. Ellen Johnson and I have been working together to bring these services to you, with the support of Vera, our office assistant. Joe, our deacon, and Brian, our diaconal intern, and I continue to provide a prayer service every night at 8:00pm on our HoCo Facebook page. These are done live and then posted for later viewing. I started this weeks ago because I felt the need for an evening time of prayer and thought that you might too. Many of you have told me how much this means to you, and I’m so glad this is helpful. Our Sunday 10:00am service will continue to be done via Zoom; the link for that is sent out in our Friday email and is also on the first page of our website, hoco.org. Many other groups are meeting using Zoom; Lectionary study with me on Wednesdays at 4pm, our vestry meets most weeks for a check-in, choir, bell choir, book club, informal women, youth group are also meeting via Zoom.

We will get through this together with God’s

help. One of the resources helping me has been time with people at Virginia Seminary through webinars. In the last one, the Rev. Dr. James W. Farwell said that what we do in our churches when we are able to worship there, is celebrating what God is about everywhere. I love that because it invites us to embrace this time of being with God everywhere, where we are. We will worship God again together in the church, but we are not waiting for that to be close to God. In fact, that worship is really about God at work in the world as Farwell noted. On Sunday, May 31, we will celebrate the Day of Pentecost, which is our feast day as we are named for the Holy Spirit. The Spirit moved people out of one place into many places to proclaim the love of God. While we will celebrate Pentecost differently this year, we can rejoice in the Spirit who has created our church community and will continue to guide us; we can celebrate that we are bound together by the Spirit and inspired by the Spirit where we are. God’s love for us is always about our life in community, which continues albeit in a different way, and our life as individuals. You are so loved by God; Christ was born, lived, died, and rose for you, and God sent the Holy Spirit to continue to guide us. Thanks be to God.

Wishing you every blessing and a deep sense of God’s joy in you,

Hilary+

Story Time Every SundayBy the Very Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith, Rector

A service for children, their families and all ages is now happening at 4:30 pm every Sunday. It will be posted on Facebook and YouTube at 4:30pm. We are recording it in advance now so that more people can help lead the service. It is great to have Ellen and Chris Hall join me, Dash, and Dave for Story Time!!

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Men at the Movies - not your usual prison flickBy Steven Van Voorhees

(Note from the editor: let’s hope for May or whenever we can gather again and watch this movie.)

To introduce this month’s movie, I’ll quote from a review of it at the Spirituality and Practice web site, “This movie, The Shawshank Redemption (TSR), shows that hope is a precious and buoyant emotion that can give our lives substance and meaning.” In the movie, set in 1946

in a Maine prison, Ellis ”Red” Redding claims that hope is insane, and “Andy” Dufresne believes it is the fuel that keeps one going against all odds. We will see these two ideas play out the night of April 28th. Those of you attending can take part and choose sides. What is this “redemption” all about? Is there any such thing?

TSR came out in 1994 and bombed at the box office. Some film critics said it was too long, 142 minutes, some said it was too dark as a prison story, some said the title was confusing, and some said there were no women and too few action sequences. It competed against Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction and was pulled from theaters after 10 weeks. The Academy Awards the following winter provided some redemption for the Shawshank. . . movie (humor intended) by giving it seven Oscar nominations. Then came rental, purchase, and television audiences by the thousands. The 25th

Anniversary of TSR was celebrated all over world in fetes and galas and sold out showings.

Today The Shawshank Redemption is more popular than The Godfather. It is recognized now as a sublimely told story, and is described as a mythical Christian representation of true friendship and love matching Jesus’

teaching and life. TSR is the most popular film in New Zealand and is one the top most popular movies in England. Also, today, TSR is rated in the top 15 films of all time by all age groups polled. TSR is in the Library of Congress National Film Registry. It is in several “Best 100” lists of the American Film Institute.

This is April’s movie for men of all ages. We see prison life and Andy, the new kid, through Red’s eyes and his heart. We

watch Andy just as Red does, and we track the changes in the prison and in Andy just as Red does. And, we see that Red changes as well. They both eventually get to a place that Andy describes

to Red in this way, “I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’.” Roger Ebert is quoted saying,”Some have said life is a prison, we are Red, and Andy is our redeemer. All good art is about something deeper than

it admits.” Men at the Movies is Tuesday, April 28th. As

always, we will gather at 6:00pm for fellowship; movie and discussion start at 6:30pm. (Please note that this movie is somewhat longer than our usual two hour limit at 2 hours and 22 minutes.) Bring your friends, bring your dinner. Popcorn provided. For more information, contact me.

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“Tommy Orange’s wondrous and shattering novel follows twelve characters from Native communities: all traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow, all connected to one another in ways they may not yet realize. Among them is Jacquie Red Feather, newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind; Dene Oxendene, pulling his life together after his uncle’s death and working at the powwow to honor his memory; fourteen-year-old Orvil, coming to perform traditional dance for the very first time. Together, this chorus of voices tells of the plight of the urban Native American—grappling with a complex and painful history, with an inheritance of beauty and spirituality, with communion and sacrifice and heroism. Hailed as an instant classic, There There is at once poignant and unflinching, utterly contemporary, and truly unforgettable.

“About Tommy Orange:“Tommy Orange is a graduate of the MFA

program at the Institute of American Indian Arts. An enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, he was born and raised in Oakland, California.”

Here's hoping you can join us for what promises to be a great discussion. We meet via Zoom May 20 at 6:30 PM.

See this link for a talk by the author at Politics and Prose at the Wharf on 6/25/18.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsHNaoJbMlg

May book club - There ThereBy Stephanie Roberts-Turner

Our Book Club selection for May is There There by Tommy Orange.

The book description, information about Tommy Orange, and the awards list below is provided by Penguin Random House . (www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/563403/there-there-by-tommy-orange/)

“About There There:“National Bestseller• One of The New York Times 10 Best

Books of the Year• One of the Best Books of the Year: The

Washington Post, NPR, Time, O, The Oprah Magazine, The Dallas Morning News, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, BuzzFeed, San Francisco Chronicle, The Boston Globe

• Winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award• Winner of the National Book Critics

Circle John Leonard Prize• Winner of the Center for Fiction First

Novel Prize• Winner of an American Book Award • Shortlisted for the Andrew Carnegie

Medal for Excellence in Fiction• Shortlisted for the Dayton Literary Peace

Prize

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Scout Lodge Renovation to Begin May 4thBy Rodney Ickes, Vestry Property Liaison

I’m pleased to announce the renovation of the “Scout Lodge” located at the northeast end of church property. Work is scheduled to begin on May 4th with the removal of three trees followed by roof replacement and a thorough interior renovation.

A brief history compiled by church member Bill Smith explains that the “Youth Lodge,” as it was known, was built to accommodate Holy Comforter's large youth population in 1956-57. Within a couple of years the lodge accommodated the new Boy Scouts' Troop 721, and would continue to serve as the location of church youth dances, meetings and clubs throughout the 1960's, 70's, and 80's. In the 90's the space fell out of active use and became a storage space for several years. Later the church began renting the space out as a child daycare which grew into a Montessori School, that eventually outgrew the space. Since being vacated by the school, the building has served as an ideal location for multiple recovery groups, and is currently serving somewhere between 400 and 500 people a week!

The renovation will include changes to the interior and exterior. Interior renovation will include ceiling-to-floor replacement, the addition of a kitchenette and a modern HVAC system (heating and cooling), as well as a conversion of the current two bathrooms to one full-sized ADA bathroom. Exterior renovation will include adding a door awning to the NW entrance (church side), creating an ADA access on the Monument side, and developing the "Serenity Garden" where the current RandyeLand playground is located. The

Scout Lodge will also receive a name change to "Serenity Lodge" reflecting its current use, and new signage designed by local Richmond artist David Turner will be displayed at both entrances.

While there is much excitement about the renovation, those involved have been mindful of a number of potential (and worthy) sensitivities, the greatest of which has been the decision to

move RandyeLand to create a new Monument Avenue ADA entrance. As the Vestry's Property Liaison, I spoke with church member Ron Cox about moving the playground which is dedicated to the memory of his late wife Randye. Ron noted that the playground is not currently in the best of locations, as it's difficult for parishioners to keep watch on their children when using the playground during or after church functions. Ron agrees that moving the playground to the West end of the property

would serve families better, that more modern equipment is desirable, and he asserts that Randye would gladly approve of the change. The new playground design and location are still under Vestry review, and its installation is expected in 2021.

Another concern that has been given mindful deliberation is the removal of three trees within close proximity to the building. Two of the trees, a large pine and a sweet gum, both on the alley, are currently doing damage to the building's foundation. The third tree is a large pine nearing

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the end of its life, located near the building within the playground. No other trees will be removed in the creation of the new Serenity Lodge & Garden.

The renovation has been in the works for several years intentionally, and the project's start has only recently come to fruition through a number of fortunate factors. Prior to 2019, the Vestry, and others interested in renovating the space, began seeking grant funding for the project based on its larger community contribution to those in recovery. In late 2019, Clark G., a local General Contractor, historically a member

of Holy Comforter, approached me offering to donate a majority of the labor to the project free of charge, thereby eliminating about 70% of potential labor costs. Around that same time, Bill Smith representing Holy Comforter's Foundation approached me with affirmation that they would like to contribute financially to the project once a grant was secured. After a couple of failed grant requests, I approached the Foundation requesting full financial support to which the Foundation responded enthusiastically with a couple of major inclusions and some minor exclusions. They proposed including the additional $9,000 costs of roof replacement and tree removal, with a desire to partially offset those costs by declining to fund nearly $4,000 for creation of the “Serenity Garden” and a proposed water feature located on Monument Ave. The Vestry has gladly accepted the Foundation's generous offer to fund $35,420 to complete nearly all of the proposed renovation. An additional church member contribution of $600 will provide plantings for the Serenity Garden. We will continue to seek funding for the Monument Avenue water feature.

The completed renovation will add considerably more equity to the property than what it will cost, including the added value of the renewed space to recovery groups, as well as serving new uses by the church for years to come.

I will be overseeing the project with support of the Vestry and the Foundation. I will be working closely with the General Contractor. Please direct any questions or concerns to me at the church office's email: office@hoco.org.

We'll see you at the Grand Opening!

Lectionary Study GroupBy the Very Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith, Rector

Join me to discuss the readings for the coming Sundays on Wednesdays at 4:00p.m. The same link will work for every Wednesday; we plan to meet through Wednesday, June 10. Our time together gives us a chance to learn about the readings in their context and also consider how God is speaking through them to us now. The Word of God is living and active we are told in scripture, and during this pandemic we might hear God's word of grace for us in particular ways. You are welcome to come to the group once or every week based on what works for you. Join us for our Zoom Lectionary discussion here: https://urichmond.zoom.us/j/92296093702.

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Worship in a Time of Pandemic - Spiritual Communion and Eucharistic FastsBy Laura Hunt

“We are the body of Christ, and corporate gathering for worship is our lifeblood,” writes Anglican priest Jonathan Warren. Reminding us that the Greek word for church, ecclesia, means an assembly, he encourages the practice of Spiritual Communion amid the pandemic, a practice that can also be found in Lutheran, Methodist, and Catholic Churches.

Indeed, during its main Sunday service, the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, has been inviting everyone watching online to join in this

Spiritual Communion, a personal act of devotion that involves “meditating upon the sacrament and cultivating an ardent desire” for union with Jesus Christ, praying that God might give us spiritually the same grace we share when we physically partake of the Eucharist (www.anglicancompass.com).

The presider (either the Bishop of Washington or the Provost of the Cathedral) leads a prayer, printed in the service bulletin:

“My Jesus, I believe that you are truly present in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. I desire to offer you praise and thanksgiving as I proclaim your resurrection. I love you above all things, and long for you in my soul. Since I cannot receive you in the Sacrament of your Body and Blood, come spiritually into my heart. Cleanse and strengthen me with your grace, Lord Jesus, and let me never be separated from you. May I live in you, and you in me, in this life and in the life to come. Amen.”

Alternatively, the practice of a Eucharistic fast is “consonant with the most ancient Christian traditions,” writes Dr. Eileen Scully, Director of Faith, Worship and Ministry in the Anglican Church of Canada (www.anglican.ca).

The Eucharist is both Word and Sacrament. Without the sacrament, we still have “a treasure trove of liturgical practices.” The rhythms of Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, Compline, Cetic Night Prayer, etc, nurture our souls, and are offered by clergy not just at Holy Comforter, but at churches all over Richmond, and throughout the US. We are listening to services and prayers from

the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and Trinity Church in New York City, and from St. George’s in Maplewood, New Jersey, whose rector is Grant Mansfield. Never have we had access to such an abundance of prayer and worship.

As the Rev. Scully writes, “we join with the whole communion of saints in longing for the bread of new life and the wine of the age to come,” adding that we are “challenged to be the real presence of Christ to each other.”

In his “Liturgical Guidance” for the Diocese of Virginia, the Rev. Dr. James Farwell at VTS suggests we use this time of isolation as an opportunity to ”embrace our Eucharistic desire,” “cultivate our longing for God . . . [and] meet God in that longing” (www.thediocese.net).

We are, as always, surrounded by and filled with God’s presence. As the Rev. Farwell writes, “God is still at the Table that is spread among us in our hearts, in our prayers, in our service. Welcome to the Feast that does not end, the love of God from which and from whom we are never separated, even without the Sacrament.”

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Where is God in the Pandemic?By the Very Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith

The answer is, of course, everywhere. We are going to have good days and bad days, ups and downs, as we live through this pandemic. It is so hard for most of us to social distance from each other, our friends, and family. I'm so thankful that my understanding of God and God's love and care for me and for you is not dependent on whether it

is a good day or a bad day. The Episcopal Church is so clear that life is always about lament and praise, mourning and rejoicing, and that God is with us in it all. God is with everyone who is sick; God is with everyone who dies without family during this time. God is known through the love and care people have for each other. We see God in the doctors, nurses, healthcare workers; we see God in all those working to provide food, whether driving trucks, stocking shelves in grocery stores, and staffing Food Pantries. We see God in scientists and all working to find medicine and a vaccine for Covid-19. I see God in you, and in our community gathered on Zoom and Facebook. Where do you see God in this pandemic? How would you like to see and know God at this time? Share that with God. God is always with us, and we can often sense God best when we are honest with ourselves and God, sharing what we really feel.

Paying the Bills - Pledges during COVID-19By Lisa Lettau, Junior Warden

I don’t want to say we are settled into a new normal, because these are definitely not normal times. But time continues to march on and we are all learning new ways of doing things.

The work of Holy Comforter continues, and so do our expenses. We have turned the temperature down significantly in the church and hope to see a corresponding decrease in our utility bills soon. We continue to pay our staff and greatly appreciate those who continue to work onsite, as well as those working remotely.

We did have reduced pledge income in March and hopefully the April figures will prove to be better. Our online donation platform has seen more use - in March, we had 7 donations made online, and there have been 25 online donations so far for April. There are even five pledges currently set up for recurring payments, and hopefully there will be more added in May. Most users are paying the fees involved, so the additional expense to the church has been minimal. We want to have it as easy as possible for folks to keep their pledges current, and we greatly appreciate the fact that people are making their pledge payments a priority during this time.

However, it’s likely some of our parish family are dealing with reduced income, or other monetary struggles. If anyone is having difficulty meeting their pledge commitments, please let us know. You can reach out to Hilary, Ed Deane or me and any information will be kept in confidence.

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Our food pantry rolls onby Brian Davis

While many church events and activities have successfully converted to virtual delivery, there is no way to distribute food to our friends in need through a website. This ministry, which is at the heart and soul of our outreach efforts, continues to operate "live" amid the COVID 19 health crisis. It just took people with a mind to help and the willingness to think outside the box about new ways to operate in a way that eliminates or minimizes risks to both our visitors and volunteers.

We continue to be open for distribution on the regular days and times: 11:00-12:00 on 1st and

3rd Saturdays 5:30-6:30 on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. But instead of guests coming inside to check-in, getting their number to wait their turn and "shop" the shelves , we have shifted to curbside delivery of pre-packed bags. One volunteer with

a clipboard of known visitors does a "check in" via car window and queues the traffic in order of arrival, while other volunteers run (and I do mean run in many cases) to fill trunks or backseats with two pre-packed bags of perishable items, and

then add any meat or produce that is available, as well as any paper products or extras that are on hand. It is fast paced and frenzied at times, but it works, and each week, we get a little better at troubleshooting and making modifications. And yes, gloves and face coverings are in play. We even laugh at times, and Kipley Herr wanted you all to know that even rain can't stop the food train from rolling.

There an many other ways for volunteers to get or stay involved if unable to take part in the actual distribution. These include:

• Making pre-packed bags for distribution.• Cutting & bagging Panera bread• Helping to load and unload food at the Feed More Distribution Center and unload at the church on Thursdays at 10:30 (must be able to lift 30 lbs)• Receiving and sorting donations on Sundays, 12:00-1:00

If you would like to get involved in some way, or make a monetary contribution to support our continued service to those that are hungry, please reach out to Phoebe Winter. (Contact details in directory or form the Parish office).

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Churches consider when - and how - to resume in-person worship as some states force issue

By David Paulsen, editor and reporter for Episcopal News Service

[Episcopal News Service] As some governors ease restrictions on public gatherings and other states consider similar changes to stay-at-home orders that were intended to slow the spread of COVID-19, Episcopal dioceses are proceeding with caution - by beginning deliberations on how in-person worship might resume, but without a clear view of when that will happen.

The prospect of physically gathering in church for a worship service would have been unthinkable for most Episcopal congregations just a month ago, after the escalating coronavirus pandemic set off a wave of suspensions, cancellations, postponements, and closures across The Episcopal Church. Dioceses and many congregations have compensated by stepping up their online liturgical offerings, so parishioners still can practice their faith together while abiding by social-distancing guidelines.

Even now, the idea of reversing such precautions is unsettling to some Episcopalians.

On April 20, when Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp held a news conference to announce his decision to begin reopening the state on April 24, including its churches, the Rev. Galen Mirate knew immediately how members of her congregation in Albany felt. They weren’t ready to return to normal.

“I don’t think he was finished speaking before I had parishioners emailing me saying, ‘No, no, no, I’m not willing to stop sheltering in place,’” Mirate, priest-in-charge at St. John’s and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, told Episcopal News Service. Albany and nearby communities in southwest Georgia are dealing with a particularly severe outbreak, and with hundreds of new cases of COVID-19 confirmed each day across Georgia, worship isn’t expected to resume anytime soon inside the state’s Episcopal churches.

The Diocese of Georgia, which encompasses Albany and the southern half of the state, “will not move to in-person worship for the foreseeable future in spite of Governor Kemp’s new orders,” Bishop Scott Benhase said in an April 22 diocesan newsletter. To the north, the Diocese of Atlanta issued a parallel statement from Bishop Robert Wright, who said worship in his diocese will remain online until physical gatherings are deemed “reasonably safe” by health experts.

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Church of the Holy Comforter, Richmonda parish in the Diocese of Virginia under the Episcopal Church in the USA

which is part of the worldwide Anglican CommunionMonument Avenue at Staples Mill Road

web - www.hoco.org; e-mail - office@hoco.org; phone 804-355-3251; fax 804-355-0049

• Sundays, 8:45am, Adult Formation, Hayward Parlor • Sundays, 10am, Choral Eucharist• Sundays, about 10:15am, Children’s Chapel, starts in the Church, moves to Parish House Children’s Chapel• Third Sunday of the monthly, 4:30pm, Story Time • Sundays, 2pm, Yoga, in the Cary Montague Room. Check the calendar for cancelations.

Food Pantry Hours:• First and third Saturdays, 11:00am to noon • First and third Tuesdays, 5:30 to 6:30pm

Outreach Meal Preparation during Covid-19• Side by Side is practicing physical separation so no meals are needed.• Vet Shelter is getting their meals from commercial sources with rigorous cleaning so we will await their beckoning to us.

Editing of the Messenger is done by Bruce MacAlister, the layout by George Collier.The June Messenger will be available Sunday June 7th, 2020. The deadline for that edition is Friday,

May 29th, 2020, (but earlier submission is encouraged). If you feel that you havesomething you’d like to contribute, please contact Bruce MacAlister.

Please send your submissions to editor@hoco.org

Coming Events at the Church of the Holy ComforterSee the Hoco web site calendar page for detailed calendar and rota

Hoco Birthdays for the month of May:William Stewart, 3rd; Douglas Thorpe, 3rd; Christopher Richardson, 8th; Barbara Davis, 10th;

Rebekah Forman, 11th; Patricia Galdun, 13th; John Maddox, 15th; Dustin Dyer, 17th; Maria Scott, 17th; Byron Hensley, 20th; Beverly Evans, 22nd; Martha Kelly, 23rd;

Christopher Hall, 26th; Keyan Herron, 26th; Joanna Suyes, 30th