A huge tree did fall on our upper parking lot on the Saturday afternoon of the Easter Vigil. Who heard it? Who knows, but it was discovered about 2 hours before the Easter Vigil. Within ½ hour (about 6:00 p.m.), two of our parishioners were there with power saws cutting the tree into pieces small enough to move. Within another ½ hour, more parishioners with power saws, rakes, and brooms had arrived to help with the clean up, as had some men who live in the neighborhood. The neighbors appeared unasked. They saw that our parking lot was blocked and brought their own chain saws to aid in the cleanup. Before the Vigil began at 7:30 p.m., the tree had been cut up, the logs stacked on the grass, the parking lot swept and made usable.

Who heard the tree fall? The question is, how can we make the “tree” fall so that our neighbors are attracted to our community at St. C’s, not just to help in an emergency as they so generously did, but to become part of our worship, part of our family, part of our love for one another and for Christ? The Vestry has begun a long-range visioning process which will help us to answer that question along with others of how we proceed during the next few years. We are looking at our worship and ministry, at our strengths and weaknesses, to discern areas in which we are called to serve Christ both within the church and within the community.

This is not something new, but rather something that we do every few years to guide our life together by setting goals for the future. The Vestry hopes to have a plan to present to the entire congregation this fall for your thoughts and comments. We ask your prayers as we discern ways in which we can shine Christ’s light within our community and beyond.

—Barbara Johnson, Senior Warden

Special Services and Activities in May

Wednesday, May 7 – Monthly Healing Service and Holy Eucharist

Everyone is invited to this service of quiet reflection and prayer for healing for ourselves, for those we love and for our world.

Sunday, May 11 – The Feast of Pentecost.

On this day we celebrate the “birthday of the church,” when the Holy Spirit came to the followers of Jesus and empowered them to do God’s work in the world. Be sure to wear something red.

Mrs. Mary Reese, our Seminarian, will preach this day. This will be her last day of field education at St. Christopher’s before she returns home to the Diocese of Eastern Carolina, where she will be ordained Deacon on June 14.

Sunday, May 18 – Trinity Sunday

This is one of the seven major feast days of the church year, along with Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. We recognize and celebrate that God is three yet one.

Friday, May 23

The last day of St. Christopher’s Preschool for the 2007–2008 school year.

Sunday, May 25

Between the services, we will have a Thank-You Breakfast for all teachers and students who participated in our Christian Formation programs this year.

Coming up

Sunday, June 15

Our summer worship schedule begins with services at 7:30 and 10:00 a.m. We will honor those who are graduating from high school and give thanks to those who taught and led our children this year.

Our parish picnic will follow the 10:00 service. Watch for details.

Sunday, July 27

Mother Susan returns from he Sabbatical. Father Tom McCusker and Mother Susan lead the service together.

Mary Reese to Graduate

Mary Reese, our seminarian for the past two years, will graduate from Virginia Theological Seminary on May 22 and will be ordained deacon in North Carolina on June 14. We will send her off from St. Christopher’s with our prayers, blessings, and gifts on May 11. If you would like to make a contribution toward the gift, you may give it to any member of the Vestry.

Feast of Pentecost – Readers Needed

Sunday, May 11, 2008 is the Feast of Pentecost. We celebrate the “birthday of the church,” when the Holy Spirit descended upon the followers of Jesus and empowered them for ministry and service in Christ’s name. We celebrate with color and motion. Please be sure to wear something red to symbolize the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Our tradition includes reading the Gospel in as many languages as possible, all at once. If you read a language other than English and you are willing to participate in the festivities, please speak with Mary Johnson or send her an email (MJohnson311@verizon.net). Thank you.

Grounds Committee Organizational Meeting – May 18

Looking for opportunities to pitch in at St. Christopher’s?

Grounds Commish Mike Snyder needs you! Mike is organizing a Grounds Committee to tackle the jobs—big and small—that need attending to. We have memorial gardens in need of adoptive caretakers. Are you a backyard mechanic? We have a shed full of equipment in mostly good working but in need of routine maintenance. Handypersons, do-it-yourselfers, volunteer mowers and trimmers? All are welcome.

Help Mike expand his knowledge base. (He’s all thumbs and none of them are green.) There’ll be a meeting—just this one—after church on May 18, location TBD. Please e-mail if you’d like to help out but can’t make it: mike_snyder24k@yahoo.com. Thanks!

UTO Ingathering May 4th

The United Thank Offering (UTO) is one of a few Episcopal Church national offering collections done once or twice a year at parishes throughout the Church. St. Christopher’s has been very supportive in the past with contributions exceeding $1500. The “Blue Box” ingathering this year will be May 4th at St. Christopher’s during both Sunday services.

The mission of UTO is to expand the circle of thankful people. To achieve this mission, UTO encourages daily prayers, offerings, and an awareness of God’s blessings. Established as the United Offering by General Convention in 1889, UTO was renamed in 1919. It is a recognized offering program by the Episcopal Church and is authorized to make grants annually.

In 2007, UTO funded 104 grants totaling $2.4 million, including grants in support of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Melanesia, Jerusalem, Pakistan, Barbados, and other countries. In Virginia, the Peter Paul Development Center in Richmond received a grant to expand a growing program in which inner-city youth personal leadership skills and career planning with parental involvement.

UTO offering envelopes and “Blue Boxes” are on the table near the front door throughout the year. If you have questions, please contact St. Christopher’s UTO coordinator Marifran Bustion (bustionsellers@msn.com or 703-455-0878) or visit the UTO website at www.episcopalchurch.org/uto.htm. Don’t forget the date for our ingathering—May 4th!

Opportunities at Sunrise

Have you ever wanted to try:

Y Reading a lesson

Y Leading a prayer

Y Administering the wine at Communion

Y Administering the bread at Communion

Y Singing a solo

Y Playing the hymns during Worship

Y Being a friend to a newcomer

Y Etc., etc., etc.

Our Alternate Month services at the Sunrise Assisted Living Facility are the perfect opportunity for you to join in worship that continues to be an enriching experience for the residents at Sunrise and for the members of St. Christopher who have shared this time with them.

Thank you to everyone who has been to this service. Thank you for your loving companionship and assistance to those who are new to our tradition, for your reading, acolyting, and serving. A special thank you to our Sunrise Musical Leader, Helen Spence, who has faithfully led us in song, carefully choosing each hymn to reflect the Sunday readings as well as providing accompaniment on the keyboard.

Worship at Sunrise is at 4:00 p.m. on the following Sundays:

· May 4,

· July 6,

· September 7,

· November 2

All are welcome to this joyful celebration of community and worship. If you would like more information or would like to participate in the service, please call or email Linda Murphy at 703-569-7265 or lem1624@aol.com. For music, please contact Helen Spence.

Openings are available for the sharing in:

� Storytelling

� Singing

� Instrumentalists

� Crafts

� Fellowship

Tuesdays, 10:00–10:30 a.m. – Each week, we share a Bible story or a legend/history of a tradition, and we sing a few hymns with the residents of the Alzheimer’s Unit at Sunrise Assisted Living. They especially love to sing the old hymns and show tunes. We welcome anyone who would like to join in this special time. If you have a favorite story or legend you would like to share but cannot be there to share it, please let us know and we will tell it for you.

Wednesday 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. – Help wanted for crafts and prayer at Sunrise Assisted Living. This is a wonderful opportunity to make new friends and share your talents. Your ideas, talents, and company are welcomed and encouraged. The more, the merrier! It would be great to be able to start a “Featured Artist of the Month” for this group. This can be a perfect opportunity to share your gifts!

For additional information and/or scheduling, contact Linda Murphy at 703-569-7265 or lem1624@aol.com.

Finance Committee Request

One of the functions of the Finance Committee is to review the monthly financial information associated with the Church and make recommendations to the Vestry for financial adjustments and/or improvements to procedures.

Although the Church has documented financial procedures to request money and for payment of bills, some of these procedures are not always being followed. The committee understands the volunteer nature of efforts performed by many requiring money and understands the busy lives we all live. However, to properly assess the financial status of the Church, especially considering the execution of a deficit budget this year, the committee requests those involved in money matters to review the procedures. Specifically, please focus on the preapproval procedures and the timely submission of bills.

If you don’t have a copy of the procedures, please see our wonderful bookkeeper, Linda Murphy. If you have the procedures and have questions, also contact Linda Murphy. The committee appreciates your attention to this matter as we will be performing a midyear review of the budget in a couple of months and it is important that the financial statements reflect all known information.

Book Discussion Group

Wednesday, May 21: The Florist’s Daughter by Patricia Hampl

Wednesday, June 25: Pontoon: A Novel of Lake Wobegon by Garrison Keillor

Please join us! Discussions are held at 7:30 p.m. in the Library. If you have any questions, contact Christine Meloni at cfmeloni@hotmail.com or 703-922-7142.

Community News

BACH, BEETHOVEN & BRAHMS will be presented by the Northern Virginia Chorale and NOVA Annandale Campus Chorale with Chamber Orchestra on Friday, May 2, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. For general admission and directions, visit www.northervirginiachorale.org or call 703- 323-3114.

Kingstowne Center for Active Adults

Operated by Fairfax County Department of Community and Recreation Services in Alexandria at 6488 Landsdown Center. They offer a variety of services such as yoga, a walking club, bridge games, Healthy Heart classes, computer clubs, and so much more! Visit them today or call 703-550-0134.

Next Step Breakfast

Join us for Samaritan Ministry’s Annual Next Step Breakfast at the National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20004 on Thursday, May 8th from 8:00–9:00 a.m. Broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff will be the Mistress of Ceremonies.

Hear remarkable true-life stories from Next Step Program participants, volunteers, and others while enjoying a complimentary breakfast. Lives are changing at Samaritan Ministry. Join us and find out how. Learn more at www.samaritanministry.org. Contact your table captain or Diane Aten at 202-722-2280 or daten@samaritanministry.org to make your reservations.

Special Newsletter Insert on The Day of Pentecost

On the Day of Pentecost we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit to the followers of Jesus as they were gathered in Jerusalem soon after Jesus’ ascension. The Book of Acts tells us that the Holy Spirit came like the rush of a mighty wind and like tongues of fire which touched each person. (Read Acts 2:1-11). This moment was the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise that God would send the Spirit to be with us always.

Pentecost is the Greek name for the Jewish harvest festival of Shavuoth. The word means fifty, because Shavuoth takes place fifty days after the Jewish Passover. Christians use this name because the Spirit descended on the Apostles on the Feast of Shavuoth or Pentecost.

Pentecost is also fifty days after Easter. It is the last of the “Great Fifty Days” of the Easter season. Pentecost is the second most important feast of the church year. (Easter is the first.)

Another name for Pentecost is Whitsunday, (a variation on White Sunday). This name probably developed because of the white robes worn by those who were baptized on the feast day. (In the early church, people were baptized during the Great Vigil of Easter. In cold northern countries, however, baptisms were delayed until warmer weather and took place on the feast of Pentecost.)

Pentecost is the Birthday of the Church, for with the coming of the Holy Spirit, the church was empowered to grow and spread “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Symbols of Pentecost

The color of the feast is Red for the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Fire is an ancient symbol for the presence of God. In the Old Testament, God appeared to Moses as “a flame of fire out of a bush.” (Exodus 3:2). Later, God went through the desert before the people of Israel as a pillar of fire by night. (Exodus 13:21). Fire is associated with Pentecost because “divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among [the followers of Jesus], and a tongue rested on each of them.” (Acts 2:3).

The Dove Descending also symbolizes the presence of God and the power of God working in people. The dove appears in the Old Testament as a symbol of peace in the story of Noah, as an offering in Leviticus, and as a symbol of beauty and love in the Song of Songs. In the New Testament, it appears as a symbol of the Spirit of God at the baptism of Jesus (Mark 1:10). The combination of themes of peace, offering, beauty, and love make the dove a fitting symbol of the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Wind is another symbol of the Spirit. “Suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.” (Acts 2:2). In Hebrew, the language of the Old Testament, the word that is translated as wind also means spirit. The same is true in Greek, which is the language of the New Testament. The wind is the spirit of God, blowing in the world.

Pentecost Traditions

Since Pentecost is the Birthday of the Church, many congregations celebrate with a birthday cake and the singing of “Happy Birthday.”

The Easter Alleluias are said and sung at worship on this last day of the Easter Season. The Paschal Candle is lit for the last time (except that it is brought out and lit for all baptisms and funerals).

In some congregations, the Gospel is read in different languages because at the first Pentecost the followers of Jesus “were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.” (Acts 2:4).

Many people wear Red to church on the Day of Pentecost. In some congregations, people wear native or international costumes to recognize that people from all parts of the then known world heard the Gospel preached in their own languages.

Red kites or red balloons may decorate the church to remind us of the power of the wind and the presence of the Spirit. Kites may be flown outside the church before, during, or after the service.

The service of Baptism or the Renewal of Baptismal Vows is a traditional part of the Pentecost celebration.

Sabbatical 2008 – Frequently Asked Questions

The word sabbatical comes from the biblical concept of Shabbat, or Sabbath, meaning to cease or rest from one’s labors. Sabbath-keeping means setting aside time from one’s work to rest and become refreshed by being more open to God’s hand in shaping the self and the world. Sabbatical time allows a clergy person to “shift gears,” disengage from the daily chores of running a parish, and to rest, study, reflect, travel, and seek renewal and refreshment of mind, body, and spirit.

Sabbatical is more than taking a vacation from meetings, budget work, preparing sermons, conducting services, and continual exposure to people in need. It is a time to tend to the clergy person’s own need for spiritual renewal. It is a time for spiritual growth for both the clergy person and the congregation.

Mother Susan’s letter of agreement with St. Christopher’s specifies that she will be allotted one month of sabbatical leave for every year served starting in 1996, and that this time may accumulate from year to year. She took her first sabbatical in 22 years of ministry in 2002. That sabbatical was three months, followed by one month of vacation. Mother Susan is taking her second Sabbatical this summer.

How long will Mother Susan be gone?

Mother Susan will be away from St. Christopher’s for a total of three months, from April 28 though July 26, 2008.

Do other clergy go on sabbatical?

Yes. Nationally, the Episcopal Church as well as churches of other denominations provide sabbatical leave for their clergy, and they encourage their clergy and congregations to provide for the sabbatical experience.

What will Mother Susan be doing on her sabbatical?

Mother Susan and her husband, Father Tom Holliday, will travel to Antigua, Guatemala, where they will attend Spanish language school full time for three weeks. Susan will build on the intermediate Spanish she knows and speaks and move toward fluency. Father Tom will start at the very beginning and hopes to learn how to survive in a Spanish-speaking environment. After the Spanish immersion program, they will travel in Guatemala for an additional week, putting their learning into practice.

After returning to the U.S., Mother Susan will visit, worship with, and learn about Spanish-speaking Episcopal congregations in northern Virginia. She will also spend time working on paintings and other art endeavors that have been on hold for too long. Visits with her parents in northern New Jersey before and after the trip to Guatemala will round out the sabbatical time.

Who will cover Mother Susan’s responsibilities?

The Rev. Tom McCusker will serve as our part-time Sabbatical Interim Priest during this time. He will conduct our worship services and attend to other pastoral duties. Barbara Johnson and Carroll Hill, our senior and junior wardens, will have the responsibility and authority for managing the parish’s ongoing administrative affairs.

In addition, all members of St. Christopher’s will take a role in caring for each other, conducting the parish programs, and supporting the Sabbatical Interim and the vestry. It is expected that the parish’s ministers (and ALL are ministers!) will continue their ministries unabated and will become even more active and self-sustaining. This will be a time of spiritual and personal growth for us all. We expect our ministries to flourish during this time and that new ministries we be formed.

Who will conduct the worship services?

Father Tom McCusker will serve as celebrant and preacher at the two regular Sunday services, the Wednesday morning Eucharist, and the monthly healing service/Eucharist. Father Michael Hinson will continue to serve at the later Sunday service through much of the sabbatical period. St. Christopher’s lay ministers will continue to function as usual in all services. Father Tom will also work two other days of the week to perform pastoral and other functions and to prepare for services.

Whom do I call for special worship services?

The church office will maintain its regular hours (M–Th, 8:30–5:00; F 9:00–3:00) during Mother Susan’s absence and will be staffed by Nina Miller, the administrative assistant. She and Father Tom McCusker will arrange for weddings, funerals, baptisms, and other special services. Mother Susan will not return to the parish for such services during her sabbatical.

Whom do I contact for special prayer requests?

You may contact Father Tom, Nina Miller, or the Pastoral Assistance Team (PAT) minister of the week. Prayers will be offered at services and through the monthly prayer list, as usual. Mother Susan will be praying for the congregation daily while she is away.

Whom do I call if I have a personal or family crisis?

You may contact Father Tom; one of the wardens; Linda Murphy, head of the PAT ministers; or the PAT minister of the week, or you may call Nina in the parish office. Father Tom and the PAT ministers will share the responsibility of visiting persons in need or distress; to provide support; visit the homebound, the sick, and those in hospitals; or to refer parishioners to appropriate qualified professionals in the community.

Of course, you may still rely on vestry members as well as your friends and others in the congregation for comfort and assistance in time of need. We hope and expect that the congregation will be drawn even closer together and that additional leaders and ministers will emerge during Mother Susan’s absence.

Will Mother Susan be in touch with the parish during her sabbatical?

From time to time, she will send a message to the congregation through the E-pistle to share her learning and experience. She will not be available for meetings with members of the congregation during the sabbatical time. Mother Susan will not forget us when she is gone, but part of being on sabbatical is to honor and recognize the necessity of being away from the routine while leaving the parish in God’s hands and in the hands of capable clergy and lay leaders.

How is this sabbatical time funded?

The vestry has included a line item for sabbatical in the annual parish budget in recent years. Salary and benefits for Father Tom will be paid from this line of the budget. Mother Susan’s salary and benefits will continue to be paid. A small portion of her education expenses will be paid from the staff continuing education line of the budget. She will pay the rest of her travel and education expenses.

During this sabbatical time, please pray for:

© Barbara, our Senior Warden; Carroll, our Junior Warden; Barbara, Marian, John, Kathy, Debbie, Jen, Cy, Virginia, Richard, and Mike, our Vestry; Stan, our Treasurer; Marion, our Assistant Treasurer; that they may faithfully execute the ministries to which they were called to the glory of God and the benefit of this congregation.

O God, in the course of this busy life, give us times of refreshment and peace, and grant that we may use our sabbatical time to strengthen our community, renew our commitment to ministry in your name, and refresh our souls; that our spirits may be opened to your goodness and love, and that our hearts may be opened more than ever before to your service; through Jesus Christ or Lord. Amen.