Episcopalians Meet to Discuss Healing the Racial Divide

More than 100 Episcopalians from across Mississippi are in Canton, to talk about racial reconciliation. One of the guest speakers is Katrina Browne from Pennsylvania. She produced a documentary about her ancestors in Rhode Island, after discovering they were the largest slave trading family in U.S. history.  Browne says she and members of family retraced the Triangle Trade Slave Route from Rhode Island to Ghana to Cuba and it was life changing. 

"The majority of us have changed our careers as a result and are champions for the idea of reckoning process in this dialogue, so we go to churches, and schools, and community groups and museums and present and help facilitate dialogue," said Browne.

Mississippi Bishop Brian Seage says the nation is facing growing challenges surrounding race.  He points to comments made by actress Roseanne Barr comparing an Obama Administration official to an ape as an example.  

"And for her to say such incredibly vile things that insult a person's humanity the way they did. I found it very shocking," said Seage.

Anita George, a retired educator spearheaded the event. She says they're committed to diving into the issue of race and being open about how they feel.

"We have to step outside of ourselves and look at ourselves. When we do that in community with other people we're more likely to accept where we are the good and the bad," said George. 

Bishop Seage says it will take dialogue and building relationships to foster racial healing.

Welcome to Phillip, Amanda, Connor, and McKenzie Parker

Sunday, June 3, Church of the Advent, Sumner has invited Nativity members of all ages to join them for a late rogation celebration at the Belk Lake House and welcome their new pastor and Nativity’s new associate for youth ministry as well as his family! Following 10:30 church, drive 11 miles up Money Road and look for the sign that says BELK.

Becoming the Beloved Community

The Racial Reconciliation Task Force of the Episcopal Church in Mississippi is bringing in nationally recognized speakers and leaders for an overnight workshop at Gray Center on May 30 and 31, 2018. For more information or to register go to www.dioms.org/digital_faith/events/3177891

Hotter than Hades Virtual Half-Marathon

You can join the Nativity half-marathon team in supporting the Episcopal Church’s special needs camp by committing to walking or running 13.1 miles between June 1-June 15. Visit hotterthanhades.racesonline.com to sign up. Your $50 fee gets you a t-shirt and the rest goes to support scholarships to Special Session. Be sure to choose Nativity, Greenwood as your fundraising team!

Cursillo

Ready for a three day retreat to focus on your spiritual need and your relationship with God? Think about Cursillo, June 21-24 at the Episcopal Camp and Conference Center outside Canton.

The basic atmosphere of a Cursillo weekend differs from the individual solitude of a retreat. During the 3-days, the teachings of Christ are discussed in a climate of joy. The talks and discussions are interspersed with prayer, Eucharists, songs, recreation, laughter and moments of reflection and silence. There is nothing dull about a Cursillo weekend! It is full of work enjoyed in the name of Jesus Christ. It is a joyous workshop in the fundamentals of our beautiful Christian faith where everyone learns by experiencing a living Christian community.

For more information, talk to Father Peter or Paula Provine.

Esther: Born for This!

You don’t want to miss this summer’s Vacation Bible School, which will be from 5:30-7:30 PM on June 19-21. We’ll tell the story of a powerful queen who saves her people from a sinister villain. We’ll feast to celebrate her victory. We’ll sing, and cheer, and play, and create. Designed for kids entering 3K-5th grade, it’s fun for all ages!

Ordination of Phillip Parker

Saturday, June 9 at 10:30am, Phillip Parker will be ordained a deacon at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Jackson, his last step before being ordained a priest. It would be wonderful for a Nativity contingent to go and pray in support of him and the other five individuals being ordained for the Episcopal Church in Mississippi.

Ministry to Growing Families

The Episcopal Church Women are working to consolidate all of Nativity’s ministries to growing families under one umbrella. These include, reaching out and praying for expectant parents and those considering adoption, delivering celebratory yard signs when the child comes home, organizing meals for the family, and creating personalized banners for the day of their baptism. If you would like to join this ministry, contact Lindsay Powers at 466-1114.

The Choir Corner: Pentecost

David Williamson, Choirmaster and Organist

As we speedily fly through the Great Fifty Days of Easter, seemingly faster each year, I'm putting in a new communion hymn on The Day of Pentecost from the contemplative Taize' Community. The community is an ecumenical monastic order in France, near Cluny, founded by a Swiss Protestant, who felt called to minister to young people and work towards greater cooperation among Christians.

Their worship and their songs were made to be accessible to the brothers and pilgrims, using mantras, short repeated phrases like antiphons. Usually a cantor provides the rest of the text of the psalm or Canticle. We have used "Ubi Caritas" for a while now. For Pentecost we will use "Veni Sancte Spiritus." Both were written by the late French organist Jacques Berthier, who composed much of their music. In the past fifteen years or so this invocation of the Holy Spirit has gradually replaced the "Veni Creator Spiritus" as the musical prayer at the laying on of hands at ordinations, so many of you have probably already heard it.

Rogation Sunday

Since the late 5th century, Christians in Europe have set aside a few days in the late spring to
ask God’s blessing for a fruitful growing season. In some locations, the faithful lead a
procession around the fields. In other places, this ancient tradition is all but forgotten. In
Greenwood, we gather for an outdoor Eucharist with appetizers and beverages!

Sunday, May 6 at 5pm, join us at the home of Bob and Paula Provine, 11178 County Road 94. Bring an appetizer to share and a symbol of how you’ll be working with the earth this summer. It could be seed, a trowel, dirt from the farm, or a catfish! We’ll offer all of those gifts at the altar as we ask God’s blessing on us and on the good earth God has given into our care.