Summer is the time to get in S.H.A.P.E!

It is a strange thing how our memories work (or fail to) sometimes. Some things, like where we were when we learned that President Kennedy had been shot or that the World Trade Center had been attacked, are so vividly etched in our minds that nothing can erase them. Other important items, such as "Where did I put my car keys?" seem to keep us engaged in daily constant mental conflict. And there are some things we would just as soon forget but, for the life of us, cannot.

It has now been only two months since we completed the 40 Days of Purpose campaign here at Holy Comforter. Yet, no one I asked recently could remember all five purposes we so carefully—and purposefully—studied (Senior Warden Dan Brast came close with four out of five. And I’m sure there are those reading this who can recall them, but I missed you in my survey).

That seemed odd to me. After all, there are only five. And they all are important, aren’t they? Then it dawned on me that I am the same person who, with reasonable intelligence and a seminary education, cannot always recall all seven of the sacraments.

What we need is a review from time to time. So, here goes.

The seven sacraments are…Whoops, wrong page.

The five purposes for which God created us are:

1. Worship – You were planned for God’s pleasure.
2. Fellowship – You were formed for God’s family.
3. Discipleship – You were created to become like Christ.
4. Ministry – You were S.H.A.P.E.d for serving God.
5. Evangelism – You were made for a mission.

These five purposes are vitally important in our life together as the Body of Christ. It is not enough to read about them and put them on the shelf. We must make them part of our life.

I believe it is no coincidence that these very same five purposes were identified as core values of Holy Comforter and became a part of our mission statement before anyone had ever heard of The Purpose Driven Life or 40 Days of Purpose. Time for another review.

Holy Comforter Mission Statement

Core values

• Through worship we celebrate the presence of God in our lives.
• Through e we seek to fulfill the Great Commission by word and example, bringing others to Christ.
• Through discipleship and education we seek to teach and lead one another so that we have a growing, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
• Through Pastoral Care and service to one another and our community we strive to live out Jesus’ command to love our neighbors as ourselves
• Through fellowship we joyfully share our lives with one another.

Every member of Holy Comforter should know our mission and core values. I challenge each of you to commit these to memory and to strive to put them into practice in your life

Finally, thank you for the lovely reception and gifts celebrating our seventh anniversary at Holy Comforter. Sandy and I are truly blessed to be a part of this faith community.

Blessings and peace to you all.

Shalom!

Wasn’t Faith Alive! great?  Thanks to all of you who participated.  And a special thanks to our local team, co-chaired by Joe Johnson and Nancilea Redding.  All of you did an outstanding job.  It couldn’t have been better.  Thanks, also, to Tom and Marilyn LaNoue and the outside team who so freely and lovingly shared of themselves during the weekend.  God bless you all.

I love the month of October.  Growing up in Louisiana (northern Louisiana), October meant the first frost, the smell of burning leaves, squirrel hunting in “the bottoms,” the cool crisp autumn air at football games, and my mother’s birthday.  Even though there are purists who claim that there are no seasonal changes in Houston, October signals a definite change in the weather, as well as our schedules.  The air is drier (a relative thing along the Texas Gulf coast), the skies are clearer, and, I believe, our blood is a little thinner.  It begins with the vestiges and memories of south Texas summers and ends with the dreaded return to Central Standard Time, which mitigated only slightly by the extra hour of sleep that last Saturday (provided you remember to re-set your clocks.  Remember: Spring forward; Fall back). 

October has also come to be one of the busiest months of the year for most of us, and that is certainly true at Holy Comforter.  The New Discovery Series begins Wednesday, October 1st at 7 p.m.  More than just an introduction to Anglicanism and the Episcopal Church, this award-winning series, produced by our own Diocese of Texas, explores the meaning, purpose and depth of our Christian faith.  Consisting of eight sessions on Sunday and Wednesday evenings in October and November, this is study that all members of Holy Comforter, whether you are to the church or a “cradle Episcopalian” should attend.

Sunday, October 5th, immediately following the 10:30 service we will elect four persons to serve on the 2004-2006 vestry.  Though they will not officially take office until the Annual Parish Meeting in January, those persons elected will have seat and voice (but no vote) at the remaining vestry meetings this year.

The afternoon of October 5th brings the return of a favorite event at HCEC, the Blessing of the Animals.  This a wonderful opportunity for fellowship and outreach to our community.  This year the Daughters of the King is sponsoring and encourages all with pets to bring them for a blessing. 

The next day, October 6th the Fall Clergy Conference begins at Camp Allen. Immediately following, I will join others from our parish and from across North America for the American Anglican Council conference in Dallas.  Please be in prayer for both of these events, for our clergy and lay persons as we seek God’s direction for our diocese and the future of the Church.  Also, remember to pray for the meeting of the Anglican primates at Lambeth Palace in London on October 15-16.

If you or someone you know plays golf, please encourage them to register for the Second Annual Holy Comforter Golf Tournament at Wind Rose Golf Club on October 17^th.  Shotgun start is at 1:00 p.m..  For more information, contact Jolene Whipple or any member of the Parish Life Team.

Our W.o.W.  (Worship on Wednesday) service continues to grow in both size and frequency.  You can now come for prayer, praise and healing on the second and fourth Wednesdays. 

Finally, let me say a word about the health of our parish.  Like most other churches and faith-based organizations, we are struggling with finances this year.  Though we are continuing to pay the bills, pledges remain behind.  Let me encourage you, if at all possible, to keep your pledge current.  Holy Comforter is not about money, but money is necessary for us to continue to do God’s work here in Spring and elsewhere.  The vestry is already working on the goals, objectives and budget for 2004.  When that process is complete, we will have a unified plan for our ministry for the coming year.  The Stewardship Campaign, which begins this month, is merely a way of funding that plan.  God calls each of us to give regularly, proportionately and sacrificially for the work of His Kingdom.  I have confidence that our Holy Comforter Family will do just that.

And our family is growing.  Our Average Sunday Attendance (ASA) is up over thirteen percent (13%) through the end of September.  There is not a Sunday that goes by that we do not have new guests looking for a church home.  Many of them are choosing Holy Comforter because of our warmth, our people, and the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our midst.  You are doing a wonderful work in the Kingdom of God, and I am happy to be a part of this family.

Blessings,

Steve +

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

At the risk of turning this column into a “bully pulpit,” there are some things that I need to share with you from my heart.  I hope you will indulge me and keep reading.

First of all, many of you have shared with me your surprise, shock, disdain and, in some cases, utter disgust at the actions of the 74th General Convention and the subsequent rhetoric by certain revisionists who would seek to justify their total disregard for the authority of Holy Scripture and the received tradition of the Church.  You need to know that I feel and share your pain, and I grieve for the loss of the Church I have grown to love, for I do indeed believe that we have reached a slippery slope that leads to a future that only Our Lord Himself knows.

Secondly, it has been a difficult year financially at Holy Comforter.  Although the budget for 2003 projected a $30,000 shortfall, the vestry and leadership felt that, by placing emphasis on the “top line” (i.e., numerical growth, increased giving, new and innovative fundraisers, etc.), rather than “gutting” the expenses of staff and programs necessary for growth, this could be overcome. Unfortunately, this has not happened.  In September, the vestry and wardens appealed to the parish for help, encouraging everyone to catch up on their pledge and give extra, if possible.  Some of you responded very generously, and it helped - for a time.  Sadly, pledge income still lags behind.

Thirdly, while our average Sunday attendance is up, personal commitment to “come together week by week for corporate worship” (“What is the duty of all Christians?” BCP, p. 856) seems to me to be waning.  “Regular attendance,” even for some of our leadership, has come to mean one or two Sundays a month (For example, I cannot remember a Sunday when all vestry persons were present).  Getting everyone into the nave in time for worship (even acolytes, lay eucharistic ministers and music team) has become an increasingly difficult, if not impossible, task, one that leaves me often tired and personally unprepared.  Most Sundays the noise from the parish hall is so loud that those who do come in early enough to prepare for worship find it difficult to do so. 

Finally, as much as I hate to say it, we, as a parish, seem to have lost our desire, our passion, if you will, for growing this church.  While I know that none of us wants to admit it, our zeal for excellence, for seeking and following passionately the Lord’s vision for Holy Comforter has slowly been replaced by the willingness to just “get by.”  The words of Kent Henry’s song are still ringing in our ears. 

Where are the people of passion?

Where are the people who care?

Where are those who would steal away,

And find God in His secret lair.

Where are the people of fire?

Where are the people with zeal?

Where are those with a Jesus heart,

And hands that really heal?

If you have stayed with me this far, thank you.  Thank you for letting me share some of the burdens of my heart.

Now…the good news!

Regardless of what happens in New Hampshire, South Africa or elsewhere, Holy Comforter is going to survive.  However, we don’t want to just survive; our desire is to thrive.  If we are going to be the vibrant, thriving Church God has called us to be, we must make some course corrections, and we must make them NOW!

This church is filled with people who love God and who love one another.  But, as anyone who has been in any lasting relationship will tell you, love is not enough.  Relationships require commitment, selflessness, dedication and passion.

Sunday, November 30th is Advent I, the first Sunday of the new church year.  As we come to the end of the Pentecost season, let me ask you to consider some “New Year’s resolutions.”

1)     Plan to be present for worship every Sunday.  Remember, when you aren’t here, someone misses you!

2)     If you have not made a commitment of your time, talent and treasure for 2003, please consider doing so right away.  Forms are available in the Church office.

3)     If your pledge is behind, please pray about how you might bring it current as soon as possible.

4)     Some are blessed with an abundance of financial resources.  Consider how you might use those to help further God’s work here at Holy Comforter.

5)     Volunteer your talents.  (Yes, you have some/)  Don’t wait for someone to ask you.  Find a place to get involved.

6)     Commit to excellence.  Do everything as if you were doing it for Jesus Himself, because you are!

7)     Try to be on time for worship, even a bit early, if possible.  You will be amazed at how the extra few minutes of prayer or meditation will enhance your worship experience.

8)     Be passionate!  Jesus said, “The first commandment is this, love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (emphasis mine).  Now, that’s passion.

Finally, brothers and sisters…”whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Phil. 4:8).

Shalom!

Let me be the first to with you a “Happy New Year.”  That’s right.  The new year officially begins on November 30th this year. Although, as in ancient times, the Nativity of our Lord, Christmas (from cristes-messe, literally the “mass of Christ”), is looked upon as the beginning of the Christian year, our annual liturgical cycle actually begins with the first Sunday of Advent, the Sunday nearest to, or on, St. Andrew’s Day, November 30th.  There follows a season of spiritual preparation which ends with the first prayer on Christmas Eve. Thus, with the First Sunday of Advent, we Christians begin our new liturgical year. It is, therefore, a time to begin again—a time to renew our life with God in Christ as we prepare ourselves not only to celebrate His first coming as a child in Bethlehem, but also to look with anticipation for His coming again in great glory.

Advent is also a time of renewal, both personal and corporate.

At one time or another most of us reach a “dry patch” in our life of faith. We feel we are lacking any real reason to get up and out the door on Sunday morning. A few weeks of non-attendance stretches into months, and pretty soon we find ourselves out of sync and out of rhythm with church and its seasons. It is no wonder that Advent turns our attention to the one who inhabits the wilderness and dry places himself, John the Baptist.

John calls anyone willing to listen to start again. He reminds us that we can Always begin again. We can begin a new relationship with God in Christ at any time and in any place, but Advent offers special opportunities to do so.

Advent is the time of year to reset the clocks and calendars of Christian Worship as we leap into a New Year, a new gospel (Luke—Year C), new music, a new Eucharistic Prayer. It has traditionally been a time to reset ourselves, the rhythms of our own lives, by allowing ourselves to be re-engaged in a journey with Jesus, walking with the Risen Lord.

Of course, all our time tends to be preoccupied with slipper and pajama sizes, where to find the latest toys, and endless lists of what to get for everyone within our close circle of family and friends. The frenzied pace of the Advent and Christmas season can take hold of us if we let it.

Or, we can listen to John calling to us from the wilderness. He calls us to refocus our hearts, minds and souls on the One who can bring us true peace, true shalom, in times such as these. “Prepare ye the way of the Lord,” he cries on the banks of the river. Those who have heeded the Baptist’s cry throughout the ages have been rewarded with a new life, a different life, life transformed, healed and made whole. Advent calls us all to begin again, to a fresh start, to a whole new journey with the Risen Lord. Advent calls us to come once again to the bank of the waters to see and experience the richness of God’s love for us.

Coming Events

Sandy and I invite you to join us for Open House at the Rectory on  Sunday, December 7th from 3 to 6 p.m.  This is our chance to say “Thank You” to you, our Holy Comforter family.  Come by for some wassail and fellowship.  That same evening the EYC will have its holiday party at the church from 6 to 9 p.m.

On Friday, December 12th there will be a New Member Dinner at the rectory.  We have had so many new members recently that we can’t accommodate them all for dinner in one sitting, so…there will be another New Member Dinner in January.  If you have recently joined Holy Comforter, check with Mary Spraberry, Lay Ministry Coordinator, to see which dinner to attend.

Sunday afternoon, December 14th, the Daughters of the King are sponsoring a Mother/Child Tea from 4 to 6 p.m.  Begun just three years ago, it has grown into one of our most popular holiday events.  For more information, contact Dianna Stein, Beverly Wise, or any Daughter of the King.

Christmas Caroling is back at Holy Comforter!  We will gather at the church on Wednesday, December 17th, travel as a group to serenage others with traditional Christmas carols, then return for snacks and fellowship.  If there is someone you would like us to visit, please call the Chruch Office and give Pam their name and address.

Under the capable directorship of Susan Murray and Richard Blumberg, the Holy Comforter Players have been diligently preparing for this year’s Christmas play, “The First Noel,” which will be presented in the Parish Hall on Sunday evening, December 21st.  You don’t want to miss it.

This year we have a rare opportunity to share the love of Christ with others in a very tangible and meaningful way.  The Interfaith Hospitality Network families will be our guests the entire week of Christmas (Dec. 21-28).  If you would like to participate in this “hands-on” ministry, please contact Peggy Brast at 281-583-1317.

As in years past, there will be two services on Christmas Eve, each offering a unique and meaningful celebration of our Lord’s birth.  The 6:00 p.m. service will be Rite II, preceded by the singing of Christmas carols at 6:15 p.m.  The 10:30 p.m. service will be a festal sung Eucharist (with incense).  Christmas carols will begin at 10:15 p.m.  Make plans to attend one—or both—services, and invite someone to come with you!

The Church Office will close at noon on December 24th and re-open on Monday, December 29th.

Finally, let me say how blessed I am to have you all in my life.  When God called Sandy and me here over five years ago, we could not have imagined how He would have made this church into the loving, welcoming, healing place it has become.  You are each precious to me.  During this holiday season, even as conflicts continue in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places around the world, may the Prince of Peace, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, bless you and fill your hearts with joy, love, and peace. 

Shalom!

It has been said, "Feed your faith and your doubts will starve to death."  Most of us would say, "Well, yeah, that makes sense." However, as F.F. Bosworth, a great preacher of the last century, put it, "Most Christians feed their bodies three hot meals a day, their spirits one cold snack a week, and then wonder why they are so weak in faith." As with most things in our hurry-up, gotta-have-it-now, self-gratifying society, faith is something we desire but are not willing to work for. In short, most people today are starving their faith by feeding their doubts."

Don’t get me wrong, doubt can be positive, a springboard to great faith. Look at Thomas. When he told his fellow disciples that he would not believe Jesus was alive unless he put his fingers in the nail marks of the Master’s hands and felt the spear hole in His side, Thomas was asking for proof. Later, when Jesus appeared to the disciples again, and Thomas was there, He held out His hands and said to Thomas,

"Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe" (John 20:27 NIV, emphasis mine). John tells us that Thomas without hesitation said, "My Lord and my God!" Then Jesus said, "Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Most of us have not seen Jesus, yet we believe. We believe through faith. But what is faith? And how do we feed it? The writer to the Hebrews, in one of the Bible’s great chapters on faith, says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1, NKJV). Prior to boarding an airplane, we certainly hope that it will take off and land safely (First rule of flying: Landings must equal takeoffs), that the pilots are qualified and trained, and that the mechanics and ground crew have properly maintained and prepared the aircraft for flying. We can hope for all these things, but it is only when we give up control and actually put ourselves on the plane, is our faith a reality. We can sit in the boarding area and discuss the airworthiness of the aircraft. We can watch the crew board and observe how sharp and impressive they appear. And we can have doubts. In the past airplanes have crashed. There have been mechanical failures. Pilots have even been found to be drunk in the cockpit. Oh, my. Perhaps I shouldn’t… But we do. Despite all we know—and all we don’t know—we climb aboard—in faith. Have you ever wondered why?

Perhaps we have thought about the safety record of the airline industry in general and our airline in particular. Maybe we observe the other passengers in the boarding area and are comforted by their confidence and apparent lack of concern. It may be that we see the mechanics and ground crew diligently working on the aircraft and perhaps the pilot himself walking about conducting his pre-flight inspection. In a busy airport we might see numerous other airplanes taking off and landing with no adverse consequences. All that we see, hear and sense affirms and strengthens our faith, whether we realize it or not.

The same is true, I believe, in the church. As we sit in the "boarding area" awaiting whatever journey God has called us to, we have a choice. We can focus on our doubts, on our failings or those of other members and leaders in the church, on our lack of talent, ability or knowledge of the Scriptures. Or we can feed out faith by remembering the faith of those who have gone before us and Jesus’ promise to build His Church, such that the gates of Hell won’t prevail against it (Matt. 16:18). We can be comforted by the confidence and joy of those around us. And we can learn by watching and working with those who are praying and ministering in the Kingdom.

There is always a danger of overworking or carrying a metaphor too far, so I will stop. But you get the idea. God revealed Himself in the person of Jesus Christ to show us what He is like and to give us a model for living spiritually in the "natural." John says,

Finally, the best way to feed our faith is to count our blessings. It is not a hard thing to do, but it does take practice. In the words of the old hymn,When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged thinking all is lost.

Count your many blessings, name them one by one

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Are you ever burdened by a load of care?

Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?

Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly.

And you will be singing as the days go by.God is blessing Holy Comforter in ways too numerous to count. Attendance is up, giving is up, the Word of God is being proclaimed, and people are being healed. What have I left out? Will you help me count our blessings?

Shalom!