1. family and parenting
2. children

THE CHRIST  CHURCHER

April 2015
RECTOR’S NOTES
T
he other day I heard the tragic story of Jeff Wilson and Tammy Baird. The year was 1984. Jeff was
driving his car to High School one day when over the
hood of his car flew Tammy, a classmate. He was sure
he had killed her.
Remarkably, Tammy lived. But it
was Jeff who was the one truly
scarred by the accident. He dreaded
speaking to her father, as you might
imagine a teenager might be after
nearly killing his daughter. He summoned every ounce of courage to go
to her father to apologize for what
he had done.
woman whose life, literally, had been turned upside
down? Anger at such a stupid mistake that had nearly
taken her life?
That would be what most of us would have expected.
But Tammy reassured him that like her father, she too
forgave Jeff, also refusing to hold a grudge.
And not only did she forgive him, but she
went on to face many other car accidents.
She became a stunt woman in the film industry and became known for her car hits!
As I listened to Jeff and Tammy’s story
published on the web, I was reminded that
life can turn out quite differently than we
might have expected.
Of course he expected the ire and
wrath of a distraught father whose
little girl’s life had been marred by a
careless teenage boy. But what came
next he didn’t expect…
But I was also reminded that when forgiveness and love are at the heart of the story
the ending need not be what we were expecting – one only tragedy and defeat and a cycle of endless violence.
It wasn’t anger, nor was it punishment, nor was it a lawsuit that Tammy’s father meted out to the hapless
teen. The father took Jeff in and
told him his own story about how
he, too, had been in a similar accident when he was the same age. The forgiving words
were a healing balm.
In the Easter season we tell our story once
again – of how forgiveness and love have
triumphed, leading us not to defeat, but into
a new life and to a new community of believers.
Nonetheless, Jeff could not bring himself to face Tammy in the hallways in school. He would avoid her, not
wanting to be reminded of what one act of careless
endangerment had inflicted on the life of a beautiful
young woman.
It wasn’t until 30 years later someone encouraged Jeff
to reach out to Tammy to recount the story of what
had happened that tragic day.
A
s we celebrate the good news of Jesus Christ, risen
from the dead, we celebrate this surprising gift of divine love and forgiveness. And we remember that in a
world with devils filled, God has triumphed, calling us
to share in that victory.
Let us spread the good news, living this example in the
world.
Alleluia. Christ is risen.
What might he have expected? Recrimination from a
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ASSOCIATE’S NOTES
R
I suspect that for many military men, an insubordinate subordinate is felt even a challenge to the masculine ego—and perhaps, in fact, that was exactly what
Chuckie generally was doing: challenging the power
others had over him by the only means at his disposal, which was silent resistance.
ecently I was talking with Ann Platt, who is one
of our more senior members. She was telling me all
about growing up in Essington when it had an Episcopal Church (St Luke’s) and its own school, which she
attended until she graduated. And about her family.
Her mother died young, age 37, after her appendix
ruptured—in those days there were no antibiotics—
and her father had to work nights. She and her sister,
ages 12 and 15, pretty much had to raise themselves,
but they did a very good job of it—they were honor
students and Ann was both an athlete and a cheerleader. They had an older brother, also an excellent student, but he graduated in the depths of the Depression, and after trying to find work for a few months,
he gave up and enlisted in the Navy. Just as his four
year enlistment was about to run out, World War
Two came along, and he was in for the duration. Being
very mechanically inclined, as well as highly intelligent,
he worked in the engine room, and rose to a fairly
high rank for an enlisted man, so that he had other
men under him.
But Ann’s brother saw not a man he had to wrestle
into submission, someone of lesser importance than
himself, but a fellow human being, perhaps one of the
“last, lost and least” to whom Christ came. Maybe
words from the Bible came back –“Christ came not
to be served, but to serve.” “Love one another as I
have loved you.” “The last shall be first and the first
shall be last.” Love and service and regard for the
other as a full-fledged, fully human being are all tumbled together in those words. If service connects to
love, then perhaps asking for help—operating out of
a position of “weakness”, rather than power—would
inspire in Chuckie a willingness to serve, out of love,
and thus a willingness to stop engaging in his silent
struggle with authority. And it worked.
Because Chuckie was given back his full humanity, he
could choose, and in choosing, do the right thing.
The transformative thing. Even--the loving thing.
One of the sailors who served under him was a man
called “Chuckie.” Chuckie was regarded by everyone
on board ship as a very difficult man. He was deliberately slow-moving, resentful, and seemingly unmotivatable. But under Ann’s brother, Chuckie was a different
sailor. He worked hard, did a good job, and never
grumbled or shirked.
Judy Buck-Glenn
A senior officer was amazed at the transformation, and
finally went to Ann’s brother and asked, “How on
earth did you do it?” Ann’s brother replied, “I found
out that Chuckie is not a guy who responds very well
to being told what to do. So I never tell him what to
do. I just ask him to help me.”
When Ann told me that story, I was struck by how
wise and Christian her brother’s attitude was—
Christian at its best, without being overtly “religious”.
Christian as it is meant to be lived out in this world.
Because her brother looked at this man and saw him as
a whole person—with eyes of great kindness. As one
of superior rank, he could have tried to break or bully
him into some kind of submission.
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Rev. Judy reported that she was contacted by a company who sells business discount cards to various businesses and restaurants in our area. This could be a possible fundraiser for us as we would receive 50% of the
cost of the card for each card sold. Maripat King offered to call the company for additional information.
She will report back to the Vestry regarding this idea
at our next meeting.
VESTRY NOTES
T
he Vestry of Christ Church met on March 19,
2015. Father Tompkins convened the meeting with
prayer at 7:00 P.M. The February meeting minutes
were approved as presented.
FINANCIAL REPORT
Ken Mobley reported that the Diocese has events going on during the year that our youth may be able to
take part in. Ken had looked into the “Nightwatch”
program at the cathedral, but the next available sleepover program will be held during Advent. Ken is hoping
to be able to take a group of our youth to this program.
Maripat King provided the financial highlights as of
February 28, 2014. Total income for February was
below budget by $4,677.00 (lower church attendance
due to inclement weather is February is likely a factor
for this variation); total expenses year to date are under
budget by $1,151.00; year to date income is behind by
$3,967. Additionally, we received $131.00 in prior
year pledges. The Financial Report was approved as
presented.
Andrew King brought up the idea of an intergenerational group trip or mission to help out those less fortunate in some way such as a rebuilding a house or
other project (similar to Habitat for Humanity). This
idea was well received but would need further research
and discussion.
PROPERTY COMMITTEE REPORT
Fr. Tompkins reported the following on behalf of the
Property Committee: The Property Committee obtained three bids for the annual spring clean-up and
mulching of the church grounds. The recommendation
of the Property Committee was to award the contract
to Mellandscaping & Tree Service, who provided us
with the best quote. The Vestry approved this recommendation and we are hopeful that the work will be
done by Palm Sunday.
FOR THE GOOD OF THE PARISH
Ken Mobley spoke briefly about the untimely loss of
Kara Barnard, wife of Vestry member Mike Barnard
and mother of Sean, Sam and Steven. Ken expressed
his appreciation to Fr. Tompkins, Rev. Judy, the Vestry, and other members of our parish who assisted with
and attended her funeral on Wednesday, March 18th.
Ken stated that the service was beautiful and was a
lovely tribute to Kara. The thoughts and prayers of our
entire parish are with the Barnard Family now and in
the days ahead.
The sidewalk that was put in leading up to the Memorial Garden has several problems and needs to be repaired or replaced. The Property Committee has been
looking into how the original work was done and what
recourse we have regarding this problem being resolved.
Fr. Tompkins will make some additional phone calls to
ascertain the best way to have the sidewalk repaired or
possibly replaced.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:55 p.m.
2015 VESTRY RETREAT FOLLOW-UP
Respectfully submitted,
The “What a Crock” tasting held after the 10:00 service on Sunday, March 22nd was a success. Those who
tasted the crock pot meals and desserts agreed that the
food was very good. Orders are now being taken by
contacting “What a Crock” directly. Parishioners
should mention that they are members of Christ
Church and the church will receive a percentage from
each order. Fr. Tompkins is working on an on line
ordering system that will be linked to our website.
Joanne Daws
Vestry Clerk
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MUSIC NOTES
Below are the students and the levels they are completing in the coming weeks.
A
Please congratulate them on their hard work!
s part of our youth choir program, choristers
work through a series of workbooks with increasingly
more complex exercises and puzzles relating to using
the voice well, music theory and reading skills, following a choral music score, and questions about the
meaning and use of music in our lives and the world
around us.
White Book: Lindsay, Alex, Madison, Elise, and Mary
Light Blue Book: Archie, Katie (Mason), Julia
(Huppman), Gianna, and Erin
Dark Blue Book: Harry
One of these questions we’ve discussed asks the singers
to think of where they hear music in different places
and how that music affects the experience of those
events. We came up with, amongst others, in advertising, sports games, dance classes, TV and movies, and,
of course, our worship services.
Janet Miller
One place where I confess I tend to largely forget
about the presence of the music even though I know
it’s extremely powerful is while watching a movie, despite the fact that I’ve known composers who have
written movie scores and have an idea how complicated
and involved the process is, especially if music that is
so carefully composed to be timed with specific actions
in the scenes is performed by a group of Real Live Human Musicians. When watching a movie, we get so
caught up in the drama of the action that we hardly
notice the one element that perhaps most makes a given moment so intense. Can you imagine a movie without that underlying sound track accentuating the
moods portrayed by the action? Pretty hard, if you
stop and think about it!
BOOK GROUP
The book for April is Love in the Driest Season by
Neely Tucker. It is subtitled “A Family Memoir”, because it is the true story of a couple who sought to
become a family by adopting a little baby girl they first
met when she was ill, and possibly dying, in an orphanage in Zimbabwe, where Neely Tucker, a journalist,
was stationed at the time. The ups and downs in the
story of their attempts to convince the Zimbabwean
government that they should be able to adopt a child
from Zimbabwe in the face of great resistance to any
adoption by foreigners—even if the mother is African
American--makes it almost a thriller. The Orlando
Sential summed it up neatly: “…(A)n almost unbelievable tale of bureaucracy, lunacy, and love.”
Holy Week into Easter is the most dramatic time in
the church’s liturgy. Notice this season how that backdrop of music supports the unfolding of the story, and
the stark contrast between the moods on Maundy
Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. If you get
caught up in the story and prayers and forget to notice
this, you could also find it interesting to observe the
flow of the liturgy on any random Sunday. Behind each
celebration of the Eucharist there are different types of
music at different parts of the service, planned to make
each act of praise flow as seamlessly and beautifully as
possible. Not too unlike a movie, very often the music
is not meant to be the primary focus, but our experience would certainly be quite extremely different without it!
The Book Group meets every second Monday, usually
at 7, in the Deppich Room. However, in May we will
have our movie night on the second Monday, which
means we meet at 6 and have pizza.
Back to our choristers, as they work through their various workbooks, they earn different colored ribbons for
the crosses and medals that they wear with their robes.
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MITE BOX REMINDER
EASTER EGG HUNT
If your child made a Mite Box and has been putting a
portion of any money received into it through Lent, to
share with our two ChildFund children, Chanel and
Jay-R, we will be collecting Mite Boxes at the 10 Am
service on Sunday, April 12, the Sunday after Easter.
E
very year we have an Easter Egg Hunt for
children. The Hunt takes place between the 9:00
and the 11:00 service—and please don’t forget
that because we have three services Easter morning, the service times are different! Children gather at 10:15 for the hunt. It is important to be
there a little early, as the Hunt is over very quickly, and we don’t want any child to be disappointed.
We need youth and/or adult volunteers to hide
the eggs during the 9:00 service. The eggs are
hidden on the lawn if the weather permits, and in
Musselman Hall if need be. If you would like to
help, you should come at 9:45, and please let
Nancy Kenyon, Nancy Signor, Marge Shemeluk
or Roberta Lunari (in the downstairs Sunday
School rooms) know in advance that you would
like to participate.
If your child cannot be there that Sunday, Mite boxes
can be turned in to teachers or to Gerry Martz any
Sunday after April 12.
We invite you to encourage your child to share their
gifts, not just through Lent but every Sunday in the
Church School collection or in the special children’s
pew envelopes. All money collected from the children
(or from anyone in the children’s pew envelopes!) goes
to ChildFund for Chanel and Jay-R.
SEAMAN’S INSTITUTE
DITTY BAGS
Seaman’s Ditty Bag collection for MARCH - For
the 2015 Christmas Ditty Bag delivery, we need
men’s disposable razors, small sewing kits
(readily available at dollar stores) and FULLSized bars of WRAPPED soap. There is a bin for
the Seaman’s Institute Ditty Bag collections under the shelf in the vestibule with the green doors.
CONFIRMATION CLASS
THIS SUMMER
Y
outh who are at least 12 are invited to attend the
Confirmation class this summer. The bishop will be
coming in the fall to confirm. The class will be held
July 27-30, Mon-Thurs, from 9:30 AM-1:30 PM.
Bring a lunch!
There is a sign-up sheet on Judy Buck-Glenn’s door.
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COMMUNION CLASS
FLOWERING HANGING
BASKETS COMING IN
MAY!
There is a signup sheet on Judy Buck-Glenn’s door for
children who wish to attend the Holy Communion
Class on Wednesday April 29 and Wednesday May 6.
P
Children attending can be of any age from 5 and up.
They should be able to sit for an hour and to read on a
second grade level. Because baptized persons of any
age, even toddlers, are welcome to receive Communion
in the Episcopal Church, the purpose of class is to
instruct children more fully about the sacrament, if
they are already receiving Communion, as well as to
prepare those who have not yet received the sacrament
for the experience.
athways will again be selling hanging baskets this
May. They will be available for purchase at the 5:30
service on Saturday May 2 and on Sunday May 3 at
both services and at the services on Saturday May 10
and Sunday May 11, which is Mother’s Day Weekend. There will also be order forms available in the
back of church if you would like to preorder a particular kind of hanging basket. You can also speak to
Kathy Okarski about preordering a basket or baskets.
Pre-ordered baskets can be picked up from Thursday,
April 30 onward.
In the May 6 session the children will be instructed in
what to do at the altar. They will also be invited to
taste unconsecrated bread and wine. If your child has
never taken Communion, it is important not to miss
this class.
Both 10 and 12 inch baskets will be available. 10 inch
baskets have one kind of flower; 12 inch baskets have
three. Baskets will include ones with flowers suitable
for shade, baskets for part sun and baskets for full sun
conditions.
Children in the class are the first to come to the altar
to receive the sacrament on Mother’s Day Sunday at
the 10:00 service. This year Mother’s Day falls on
May 10. Family members and godparents are also
welcome to come up with the child.
A beautiful hanging basket makes a great (and lasting)
Mother’s Day gift!
Please help support Pathways by buying a basket!
We will make other arrangements for your child if you
are unable to attend that service.
GLUTEN FREE: We have gluten free wafers. If you
or anyone in your family needs this option for yourselves, please let us know. We have a system to make
sure this option is available as needed.
Holy Communion class begins at
4 PM and ends at 5:15.
ITEM NEEDS FOR
VACATION CHURCH
SCHOOL
It will be led by Judy Buck-Glenn and Cheryl Huber.
Vacation Church School will be held this year
from July 22-15. We will be learning about
St Francis. We need shoe boxes and toilet paper
tubes. If you can give us these items, we would be
most appreciative. You can leave them at Judy
Buck-Glenn’s office door.
Thank you!
There is a signup sheet on Judy Buck-Glenn’s office
door for those who might be interested, some sunny
Sunday after church in the spring, in exploring Laurel
Hill Cemetery. No date has been chosen yet—we are
just collecting names of those who would like to be
included.
Laurel Hill
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APRIL BIRTHDAYS
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4
Rohan Bordas
Abigail Chappelle
Melissa McQuade
Paul Watkins
Jimmy Modesti
Ethel Ross
6
Natalia Kunze
Bill Whaley
8
Rosalie Hayes
9
Bill Cousin
Pamela Smith
10
John Shemeluk
11
Thomas Blake
Kenneth Clark
Eleanor Humes
12
Nancy Cannon
Dean DiFilippo
Savannah Roney
13
Ann Bonner
Elijah Chappelle
Dee Elliott
16
Patrick O’Neill
17
Jeff DiBlasi
Matthew Stretch
19
Jan Iannacci
20
Candice Lunari
Heather Watkins
21
Erik Cline
Wayne Fletcher
Meghan Geiser
Milena Myro
7
23
James Gilson
24
Judy Wagner
25
Rodger Abrams
Kathy Klee
26
Claire Webber
Kerri Whitaker
27
Gerry Martz
28
Janis Conner
Walter Stretch
29
Adam Cline
Cheri Gilson
Matthew Malone
Lucille Shannon
Rose Winstanley-Trefz
30
Alex Hollar
Al Humes
Alex Shannon
BABYMANNA COLLECTION
ON MOTHER’S DAY
O
nce again this on Mother’s Day, members of
Christ Church are invited to participate in the BabyManna project sponsored by Philabundance. Philabundance strives to eradicate hunger in the entire fivecounty Greater Philadelphia region, and the BabyManna project targets infants and young children because
their growing bodies and brains are most at risk for
malnutrition. Thousands of babies are born into poverty in the Delaware Valley every year. Malnutrition
can cause anemia, weakened immune systems, depression, anxiety, aggression and increased childhood mortality. Because formula is so expensive, families will
often water it down formula or put infants and toddlers onto cow’s milk and adult foods too early. BabyManna provides formula and nutritious food to provide the healthiest possible start in life for infants and
toddlers born to poor families.
Envelopes will be available in your bulletin on Mother’s Day, which is Sunday May 10, as well as in the
back of church the Sunday before and after Mother’s
Day.
All parish donations made to BabyManna will be
matched dollar for dollar by your Outreach Committee.
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April Calendar
10
April Schedule
Mission Statement
The mission of Christ Church is to be a caring community of individuals seeking to be better
persons and followers of our Lord Jesus Christ within the Episcopal Tradition. We share the
Gospel:
1) through meaningful and joyful worship;
2) through educating and nurturing the youth of our congregation;
3) through a family spirit of loving fellowship and acceptance;
4) and through welcoming support groups and community
organizations to use our facilities.
CHRIST CHURCH OFFICE
610-521-1626
The Rev. Douglas Tompkins, Rector
ext. 22
The Rev. Judith Buck-Glenn, Associate Rector ext. 24
The Rev. Wm. Musselman, Rector Emeritus
Janet Miller, Organist
ext. 23
Mary Lou Patton, Secretary/Admin Assistant ext. 21
Kathy Okarski, Pathways
ext. 25
Robert & Lynn White, Property Managers
ext. 26
Gerry Martz, Financial Secretary
ext. 28
Church Office Hours: M-F, 9—1:30
www.ChristChurchRidleyPark.org
Bill Graham
302-475-9429
Michael Huppman
534-1292
Betsy Kirkpatrick
362-0442
John Rubillo
Ken Mobley
Carol King
Mike Barnard
Cheryl Huber
Judy Yorke
610- 543-7314
610- 461-1262
610-521-1311
610 522-0732
610-521-3022
Marlene Nickerson
610-633-6368
Ollie Rhine
610-534-9621
Jack Signor III
484-442-8179
Barbara Torrens
610-532-7758
Horace B. Griffith, III
Griffith Funeral Chapel
Serving the community since 1898
520 Chester Pike
Norwood, PA 19074
610-586-2142
F. KIRK ADAMS
ATTORNEY AT LAW
Six East Hinckley Avenue
Suite 201
Ridley Park, Pennsylvania 19078
Phone: (610) 521-8800
Fax: (610) 521-5868
Cell Phone: (610) 476-6918
E-Mail: [email protected]
Michael Capozzoli
Capozzoli Catering
801 Morton Ave. Folsom, PA 19033
610-532-5704 1-800 .643-8981 fax: 610-532-2590
For over 60 years, serving the Tri-state area
YI CLEANERS & ALTERATIONS
610-521-1483
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121 SELLERS AVENUE
RIDLEY PARK, PA 19078
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OFFICE AT (610) 521-1626
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Ridley Park, PA 19078
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