Dear Friends,
For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12)

I am so excited that over the next few months, we will have several baptisms. This is a wonderful time for our church, and we are thankful for these opportunities. We are also welcoming into our church new members and visitors from other denominations. This raises the question – “What do I need to do to become a member of Manakin Church?”

Church membership is not like a social or professional organization, the Episcopal Church does have membership criteria. These are meant to establish who has taken an intentional step to be part of a worshiping community. Church membership is defined by the canons of the Episcopal Church, specifically Title I, Canon 14 and Title 1, Canon 17.

There is only one standard of membership in the Church, which is Baptism. In the Episcopal Church a member is a person who has received the Sacrament of Holy Baptism (with water in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit) whether in the Episcopal Church or another Christian Church, and whose baptism has been duly recorded in the Episcopal Church.

Individuals who are on the register of another Episcopal Parish may have their Letter of Transfer sent to Manakin. This is a very simple process that Wendy DeHart, our Parish Administrator, can take care of for you. She can also check to see if you are listed on the church register, if you are not sure.

It is expected that adult members of the church will have made a mature public affirmation of their faith and commitment to the responsibilities of their Baptism and will have been confirmed or received by the laying on of hands by the Bishop. Those who have previously made a mature public commitment in another Church may be received by the laying on of hands by a Bishop of this Church, rather than confirmed.

Bishop Haynes will be coming to Manakin next spring and our preparation with instruction for youth and adults will begin now. The youth will meet twice a month after worship for Confirmation Class.  An Inquirers Class for adult visitors and new members will be held monthly between services in Denny Hall.  Our first Inquirers Class will be held on October 8. If you want to know more about the Episcopal Church, this is your opportunity. Participating in this class does not mean that you have to be confirmed or received, it is simply a way to find out more about the Church.

Regardless of membership, if you worship at Manakin Episcopal Church, you belong.  We welcome you and appreciate your support of our faith community.

If you have any questions regarding this, please let me know.

Blessings,
Gini+

Dear Friends,
“September is the other busiest month of the year”. This year certainly proves that to be true. With Rally Sunday, three weddings and a funeral already in the books, we have a lot to celebrate. In addition to these services, we will be embracing National Suicide Awareness Month. Together with St. Luke’s, we will be hosting events and forums to encourage conversation around this difficult and painful topic. We hope to see you and your friends a lot in September.

The statistics shown on the front of The Messenger state that 83% of people attend church because they were invited. When was the last time that you invited someone to join you at Manakin? Do you love your church so much that you want your friends and neighbors to join you here? This is your church where you receive spiritual nourishment, education, inspiration and strength. This is received through worship, forums and fellowship and although we may think things are great here, we can be better.

I recently read an article written by Lorene Hanley Duquin “How you can make your parish better”. In this, Duquin suggests six ways that we can work towards being the best:

1. Think of yourself as part of a parish family. As a parish family we share a common heritage and history. We are grounded in the same beliefs, values and traditions. With our commitment to one another we form a family foundation.

2. Be welcoming. Opening welcome visitors and newcomers by introducing them to other members of the congregation. Help to incorporate them into parish activities and events. During worship invite them to sit with you and to join you afterwards for fellowship time.

3. Use your gifts and talents for the good of the parish. Many gifts are needed for each and every service. God has given you a unique gift and talent that is intended to be shared. Please see committee chair or me to find the right use of your gifts and talents for Manakin. There is something for everyone!

4. Attend parish events. Community is built through participation. Getting to know other members of your parish family is typically done outside of worship. Your attendance to events not only shows your support for the organizers, but also your fellow members.

5. Support your parish financially. Giving to the Church is more than a financially obligation, it is a recognition that everything we have is a gift from God. Giving is a spiritual practice that shows our support of the work that God has called us to do at Manakin Church.

6. Pray for your parish. Please keep the staff and fellow parishioners in your daily prayers. Pray for those whom you see regularly and for those who have strayed away. Listen to how God is calling you to respond to these prayers. You may be encouraged to reach out to someone in support by calling or sending a card or an invitation to worship.

Can you imagine what we could do if each person committed to following these suggestions? I am excited just thinking about it.

See you Sunday!
Blessings,
Gini+

Dear Friends,
One of my daily prayer practices is to say the Lord’s Prayer to start and end each day. Before my feet hit the ground or even before I open my eyes, I begin with prayer.

While out on leave during July, I read this reflection by Frederick Buechner. This gave a refreshed look to the prayer that can become rote in reciting, if not careful. I pray that it brings new insight to you as well.

The Lord’s Prayer, by Frederick Buechner

In the Episcopal order of worship, the priest sometimes introduces the Lord’s Prayer with the words, “Now, as our Savior Christ hath taught us, we are bold to say…” The word bold is worth thinking about. We do well not to pray the prayer lightly. It takes guts to pray it at all. We can pray it in the unthinking and perfunctory way we usually do only by disregarding what we are saying.

“Thy will be done” is what we are saying. That is the climax of the first half of the prayer. We are asking God to be God. We are asking God to do not what we want, but what God wants. We are asking God to make manifest the holiness that is now mostly hidden, to set free in all its terrible splendor the devastating power that is now mostly under restraint. “Thy kingdom come . . . on earth” is what we are saying. And if that were suddenly to happen, what then? What would stand and what would fall? Who would be welcomed in and who would be thrown the hell out? Which if any of our most precious visions of what God is and of what human beings are would prove to be more or less on the mark and which would turn out to be phony as three-dollar bills? Boldness indeed. To speak those words is to invite the tiger out of the cage, to unleash a power that makes atomic power look like a warm breeze.

You need to be bold in another way to speak the second half. Give us. Forgive us. Don’t test us. Deliver us. If it takes guts to face the omnipotence that is God’s, it takes perhaps no less to face the impotence that is ours. We can do nothing without God. We can have nothing without God. Without God we are nothing.  

It is only the words “Our Father” that make the prayer bearable. If God is indeed something like a father, then as something like children maybe we can risk approaching him anyway.

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Blessings,
Gini+