|
A Newsletter For The Cursillo Community of
Newark
Volume XVIII -February 2003 - Louise Clarke, Editor
From the Spiritual Director
The Rev. John A. Rollins
Christ Church, Pompton Lakes
The season of Lent brings with it the strong encouragement that
we are to take time for self-examination and repentance, using prayer,
fasting, self-denial and the reading and meditating on Scripture.
As leaders of our Christian communities, as cursillistas are called
to be, the following passage from the Letter to the Hebrews deserves
some consideration:
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone
to teach you again the basic elements of the oracles of God. You
need milk, not solid food; for everyone who lives on milk, being
still an infant, is unskilled in the word of righteousness. But
solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been
trained by practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:12-14)
The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews is admonishing his readers
that they are weak in the faith. Like infants, they need to be fed
milk before they are ready for solid food.
In the same letter, in the passage that precedes this one, the same
writer says "He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and
wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness." These words
are in reference to the great High Priest, whom the writer identifies
to be Jesus Christ. I consider them to be some of the most encouraging
words for we human beings. They remind us of something we've probably
heard before: that human beings, gathered as a Church, are not an
assembly of the perfect, gathered to glorify our virtues; but rather
that we are a congregation of frail humans, painfully aware of our
ignorance, our waywardness, our weaknesses, who in our child-like
state gather to confess our limits, and, to seek the God-given power
to go beyond these limitations, and, to find purpose in renewed service
to God and to the others which share our human state.
In the Gospel of Mark is the story of the blind man, Bartimaeus, a
vivid symbol of human frailty. He implores Jesus to restore his sight
and, because of his faith, is granted his wish. He is told "Go;
your faith has made you well."
If we believe that the Church is not a collection of the virtuous
elite, but rather a gathering of those who are acutely aware of their
own weaknesses and waywardness, but, who have the faith that God is
willing to take even our dross and empower it for our gentle dealings
with others, then through that faith we can have our vision--our understanding
of the relationship of things, our focus on what may be possible--restored
and made whole.
In this profound way, during this season of Lent, may we bring our
blinded vision, our weakened perspective, our stultifying fears before
God's altar. And when we do, we hear God in Christ saying to us, "Go
your way, your faith has made you well." We receive the sacrament
in our weakness, but in our faith we leave in our wholeness--with
our vision restored and with the sense that in God's power we can
transcend our frailty to do his gentle will. What joy there is in
those words: "Go in peace to love and serve the Lord."
From the Lay Director
Joe Stewart
Christ Church, Pompton Lakes
After attending an ECLW (Episcopal Cursillo Leaders Workshop) last
fall, and a MDLIC (Multi Diocesan Leaders In Cursillo) meeting shortly
thereafter, I was moved to say something about Ultreyas. I was thinking
about how the interest and attendance at Ultreyas has waned in recent
years. This seems to be a trend in many dioceses. One of the points
that was raised at the ECLW was that one of the goals of Cursillo
is to be a connecting point for leaders. By coming together and meeting
in floating Group Reunions, we stay connected with other leaders in
our diocese. We have the opportunity to hear what others are doing
in their life to serve Christ. We also have the chance to share our
story, and by doing so, we may encourage others to step out in faith
and make a difference in their environments. As the prayer goes, "let
us not give up the habit of meeting together". If we choose not
to attend an Ultreya because we are too busy, or too tired, or whatever
the reason, we deprive ourselves of the encouragement that comes from
hearing others tell their story, and we deprive others of the gifts
we have to share. If we, by sharing our most recent story, give someone
else the courage to take a step, then we have accomplished the goal
of Cursillo. I think that sometimes people don't attend an Ultreya
because they feel they have nothing to share and therefore feel they
will be embarrassed if they need to pass during Group Reunion. Nothing
could be further from the truth.
Most of the time we end up realizing we do have something of value
to share, but, even if we don't, no one will make fun of us or think
less of us. This is the time that we might be up lifted up by someone
else's story; another time, it will be our turn to raise someone else's
sights. The ebb and flow of each of our journeys is exactly why we
meet. If we were all on the mountaintop, all of the time, then Cursillo
would have no point. But since most of us go through valleys and deserts
on our journeys, Ultreyas and Group Reunions offer us a way to change
direction and help us to see the oasis or the next mountain where
we might reach for the summit. At other times, when you are on a mountaintop
feeling really close to Christ, you should share that joy so that
the light that shines through you might help others find their way
along their journey.
So, I encourage you to try to attend Ultreyas on a regular basis,
and reach out to someone who you haven't seen in a while. Invite them
to come along. The more people that attend an Ultreya, the more opportunity
there is for the Spirit to inspire each of us through the gift of
sharing our stories.
Ultreya
The Fourth Day
Piety
Cathie Studwell
St John The Divine Hasbrouck Heights
Since I made my Cursillo weekend in the fall of 1991, I have been
fascinated with learning about different styles of prayer and meditation,
and the joy of sharing these in community through group reunion, prayer
circles, and EFM.
I was raised in the Roman Catholic tradition and I have many memories
of my mother and grandmother praying the Rosary at church gatherings,
on special occasions, and in times of crises. As I got older and left
the church, I left many of the traditions, such as praying the Rosary,
behind.
When I joined the Episcopal Church, I did not notice the Rosary as
part of the worship experience, and thought that this form of prayer
and meditation was not a part of Episcopal Church life.
In recent years I began the practice of praying the Rosary again,
but struggled with it because it was the same thing all the time,
and although I felt guilty to say it, it was boring to me. Although
I appreciate the power and beauty of this prayer practice, I wanted
variety in prayer and all I knew was the one style of Rosary prayer.
Daily dedication became difficult.
Thanks to our annual diocesan convention and the Sisters at the Convent
of St. John The Baptist in Mendham, I was excited to discover that
there was the Anglican Rosary. At the convention, the Sisters had
a booth where, among other things, they were selling beautiful Rosaries
made from stones such as quartz and agate, as well as a guide entitled
The Anglican Rosary. The book has over twenty different forms of prayer
and meditation, such as the Prayer Through the Seasons, Prayer of
Dame Julian, and prayers in Hebrew and Aramaic, to use with the Rosary
and in the few short weeks since convention, I have found my own source
of joy, different from my childhood memories of this prayer practice,
and have made praying the Rosary part of my Rule Of Life.
For those of you who have not had any experience with the Rosary and
would like to know more about it, I encourage you to contact the Sisters
at St. John the Baptist in Mendham.
For now let me share with you the description that was given to me
with the Rosary beads. "Anglican Prayer Beads, also known as
the Anglican Rosary, is a prayer form which is a blending of the Marian
[Roman Catholic] Rosary and the Orthodox Jesus Prayer Rope. Since
the earliest of times, people have used pebbles or a string of knots
or beads on a cord to keep track of prayers offered to God. Some form
of a rosary, or prayer beads, has been found in virtually every major
religious tradition in the world. The use of Prayer Beads fosters
contemplative prayer by bringing into use the whole us of--body, mind,
and spirit. The pressure of the fingers on each successive bead is
an aid in keeping the mind from wandering and the rhythm of the prayers
leads one more readily into stillness."
Praise God for this wonderful discovery in my life! De Colores!
Study
Jan Paxton
Christ Church, Pompton Plains
One of the adult study opportunities at Christ Church, Pompton is
Supper Study. We began meeting together several years ago using video
tapes in conjunction with a pot-luck supper on the first and third
Thursdays of the month. We have enjoyed several excellent study series,
including Jesus at 2000 and God at 2000 from Trinity Institute. The
study series that we are just finishing is called Jesus the Theologian.
St. Agnes, Little Falls is presently borrowing the tapes as we finish,
but, if your group would like to borrow them in the future, contact
Fr. Rollins at Christ Church and I'm sure something can be worked
out. (We will be starting a 9 segment series on the Lord's Prayer
on the third Thursday in February.)
This set of tapes was made available through Crossways International,
whose web site is <http://www.crossways.org/videos.htm>,
and consists of 15 tapes, each of which has a running time of about
30 minutes. The speaker for the series is Kenneth E. Bailey, Th. D.
After university and seminary studies, Dr. Bailey completed degrees
in Arabic Language and Literature, Systematic Theology and finally
a doctorate in New Testament. Ordained by the Presbyterian Church
(USA), Dr. Bailey spent 40 years (1955-95) living and teaching in
seminaries and institutes in Egypt, Lebanon, Jerusalem and Cyprus.
For 20 of those years Dr. Bailey was Professor of New Testament and
Head of the Biblical Division of the Near East School of Theology
in Beirut where he also founded and directed the Institute for Middle
Eastern New Testament Studies. From September 1985 to June 1995 Dr.
Bailey was on the faculty of "The Ecumenical Institute for Theological
Research" in Jerusalem with the title of Research Professor of
Middle Eastern New Testament Studies.
Starting in June of 1990 the Baileys accepted an additional responsibility
as "Theologian in Residence" with the Episcopal Diocese
of Cyprus and the Gulf with residence in Nicosia, Cyprus where in
1992 Dr. Bailey was installed as a Canon of the Cathedral. During
his years in Cyprus he spent a third of each year teaching in Jerusalem
at the Institute.
Dr. Bailey's area of specialty is the cultural background and literary
forms of the New Testament. In addition to more than 50 articles in
English and in Arabic, his writings include: The Cross and the Prodigal,
God Is ... Dialogues on the Nature of God, Poet and Peasant, Through
Peasant Eyes, Finding the Lost: Cultural Keys to Luke 15.
Dr. Bailey has authored the scripts for two professionally produced
feature length films. He has also professionally recorded over 100
video lectures on a variety of New Testament themes. He has taught
as an adjunct professor at Pittsburgh and McCormick Presbyterian Seminaries
as well as at Fuller Seminary in California. He has lectured in theological
colleges and seminaries in England (Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol) Ireland,
Canada, Egypt, Finland, Latvia, Denmark, New Zealand, Australia and
Jerusalem. He is active as a Bible teacher (in Arabic and in English)
for conferences and continuing education events in the Middle East,
Europe and North America. His writings have been translated and published
in more than 20 languages. He is a member of Studiorum Novi Testamenti
Societas and is listed in Who's Who in Biblical Studies and Archeology
(Washington: Biblical Archeology Society, 1987, 1992).
In March 1995, at the request of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr.
Bailey was the Bible teacher for the triennial meeting of the Archbishops
of the Worldwide Anglican Communion, meeting in the Great Park of
Windsor Castle, London, England.
In December 1995 the Baileys officially retired and now reside in
New Wilmington, PA. Dr. Bailey continues his ministry of lecturing,
writing and recording in the field of New Testament. In June, 1997,
he was installed as Canon Theologian of the Diocese of Pittsburgh
of the Episcopal Church, PA, USA. Mrs. Ethel Bailey was a research
assistant to Dr. Jonas Salk at the time he discovered his polio vaccine.
She taught microbiology (in Arabic), raised a family, and typed all
of Dr. Bailey's manuscripts. In Beirut she was the recording secretary
for the school board of the American Community School While in Jerusalem
she was active in the leadership of daily ecumenical worship at the
Tantur Institute and in various other aspects of the life of the community.
The Baileys have two children, Sara and David.
In this particular video series, whose title is Jesus the Theologian:
His Parables (parts I and II), Dr. Bailey helps us hear the parables
the way the first century Jews heard them. Christ spoke in parables
in order to interpret God's timeless truth in a way that could be
understood by the people of His day. In this 15-tape series, we discover
a context that enriches and challenges our traditional interpretations.
The series is broken down as follows: Part 1: A Middle Eastern Perspective
on Parables(tape 1); The Good Samaritan (tape 2); The Lost Sheep and
the Lost Coin (tape 3); The Lost Younger Son (tape 4); The Lost Older
Son (tape 5); The Woman in the House of Simon (tape 6); The Rich Fool
(tape 7); The Great Banquet (tape 8); The Parable of the Sower and
the Parable of the Builder (tape 9); Zaccheus and the King in a Far
Country (tape 10); The Unjust Steward and God, the Truth and Mammon
(tape 11); The Three Eager Disciples, The Friend at Midnight, and
a Poem on a Father's Gifts to His Son (tape 12); The Pharisee and
the Tax Collector (tape 13)Part 2: Unfruitful Leadership (tape 1);
Persistence in Prayer (tape 2)
Action
Joe Stewart & Margaret Giammarino
Christ Church, Pompton Lakes
Make a friend, be a friend, bring that friend to Christ
At our last regional Ultreya in January, the witness talk was done
by Margaret Giammarino and Joe Stewart. Margaret talked about the
responsibilities of being a sponsor and Joe talked about his experience
of being sponsored for his weekend. This article is a combination
of those two talks. Since Margaret's was not written down, hers section
is the summary of sponsorship that is available, along with the weekender
information and weekend application, on our web site at <http://www.dioceseofnewark.org/cursillo/>.
Joe was able to provide a written version of his talk.
Sponsorship
I am one of those lucky people who was sponsored by a committed sponsor
and I'd like to tell you what that meant to me. 11 years ago Jeni
Lewis invited me to think about attending a Cursillo Weekend. It was
still a time when Cursillo was surrounded by a shroud of secrecy,
so she told me very little about what to expect. She did tell me that
it was a moving and educational Christian weekend for people that
are leaders in their parishes, she might have put it differently,
but I was on vestry and found myself in leadership roles in my parish,
so the description fit my circumstance. Jeni also let slip that at
these Weekends they do a lot of singing, this was not a positive as
far as I was concerned. I joked with her that I was reconsidering.
She fielded that by telling me that it was a well balanced weekend
and that I wouldn't be over whelmed by the singing part if I really
didn't like singing that much and she tried to convince me that I
might even enjoy it. That was a tough sell.
As the weekend got closer she prepared me by letting me know that
I would be picked up and transported to the facility and that all
my needs would be taken care of for the weekend. All I needed to bring
was clothing for the three days and some reading material if I would
like. What I didn't know at the time was that she was also diligently
working behind the scenes to set up all kinds of surprises, like Palanca
from people who knew what Palanca was all about and even some who
didn't, like my wife Erica. She also made arrangements for Erica and
other Cursillistas from my parish to be at the closing.
The weekend of course turned out to be more then I could have expected,
after a few song sessions I even began to enjoy the music. And the
Closing just blew me away.
After the weekend Jeni made sure that Margaret, who she also sponsored,
and I were able to attend the Instructional Ultreya and she made arrangements
for us to all ride together. Next she made sure to form a group reunion
so that the three of us could begin to group on a weekly basis, she
even went so far as to agree to meet at 5:30AM because I knew that
that would be the easiest time for me to meet consistently. The effort
was worth it, we grouped together for probably 2 years before that
group drifted apart. Many good things came out of that group. One
of the most outstanding in my mind was the monthly pasta dinner that
our parish has run every single month since it began, even during
the year that our parish hall was being reconstructed due to fire.
Thanks at least in part to Jeni's study of her environment, in other
word observing who she might sponsor that showed promise of being
leaders, her commitment and her follow through, both Margaret and
I have become leaders in our Cursillo community, our parish and the
diocese and I've now even begun to dip my toe into the waters of national
Cursillo. Thanks to Jeni's commitment as a sponsor, Cursillo has given
Margaret and I tools we can use to be better leaders for Christ.
Ultreya.
Sponsorship:
Guidelines: Identify potential weekenders. They should be stable,
mature Christians with the potential for leadership within their own
environment. Be sure to talk to God about your friend before you talk
to your friend about Cursillo.
The Cursillo Method is intended for those who seek a deeper understanding
of the Christian life and a greater commitment to Christian action.
Cursillo proposes no new type of spirituality. Rather, it introduces
a proven method through which ones spirituality may be developed,
lived and shared in today's world. It concentrates on the person of
Jesus Christ and His teachings and gives a living understanding of
basic Christian truths and a greater desire to serve the Church. The
Cursillo weekend is not designed to solve serious personal problems,
e.g. marriage difficulties, alcoholism, emotional disturbances. Any
adult, upon recommendation of his or her priest, may attend Cursillo.
Pre-Cursillo:
Cursillo (Bring our environments to Christ).
Explain the purpose and role of the three-day weekend (to supply people
for Group Reunions).
Explain reunion group structure and sharing.
Share the following:
1. The weekend is structured and organized.
2. It's safe because Jesus is there.
3. Look forward to fun and fellowship.
4. The schedule is full and mentally stimulating.
5. Try to be will rested before the weekend.
6. There will be 15 talks (10 by lay people and 5 by clergy) with
discussions.
7. There is prayer support all weekend.
8. There is some quiet and private time, but not much.
9. The food is great.
10. Music and song are a real blessing.
11. Several priests are on the team and available for individual conferencing,
if desired.
12. You, the sponsor, will be there to meet them at the end of the
weekend.
Offer to babysit
Bring weekenders to the weekend and pick them up.
Be open to weekenders (there are no real secrets about Cursillo).
Discuss the financial obligations of the weekend: (a) There is a $25.00
non-refundable registration fee due with the application. This may
be paid by the applicant, the sponsor, a Group Reunion, or the Parish.
(b) Upon arrival Thursday night to the weekend, the $125 weekend fee
is due. If this fee is a problem, explain the availability of a scholarship
fund for financial assistance. Contact the treasurer for details.
Aside from wine at Eucharist, no alcohol is permitted on the weekend.
Avoid (if possible) sharing the following information about the weekend:
The mountaintop experience analogy (it may not happen); Forget the
phrase "Don't anticiapate"; Palanca, posters, Las Mananitas,
prayer vigil, footwashing...
Cursillo:
Prayer and notes are your primary Palanca. If you have small gifts
to offer to your weekender, please save them for after the weekend.
Additional donations of food or money may be arranged with the weekend
coordinator.
Post Cursillo:
Follow up on the Fourth Day, organize reunion group opportunity
or help find your weekender a group reunion.
Assist your weekender in going to Ultreya, especially the Instructional
Ultreya - make an invitation, offer a ride.
Keep in contact, especially during the first six month.
Sponsor Responsibilities:In addition to the guidelines, you have the
following responsibilities:
Pre-Weekend:
To lead an active Christian life through personal witness.
To assure a weekender's current suitability for a Cursillo Weekend.
Cursillo:
To ensure that the weekender is fully prepared for the weekend
and to provide transportation to and from the location of the weekend.
To work with the weekender in order to assure that any personal problems
are cared for while they are away.
To assure that the weekender is fully sustained through prayer and
personal support.
To attend the Closing and encourage others to do the same.
Fourth Day
To Assume responsibility for the weekender in his or her Fourth
Day through assistance in becoming part of a Group Reunion and encouragement
in attending Ultreyas.
To Assume responsibility for getting the weekender to the Instructional
Ultreya.
Weekend News
NewArk #29
Carol Haefele
St. John the Divine, Hasbrouck Heights
The team of NewArk #29 has been getting ready for the weekend which
will be held from Thursday, April 24 thru Sunday, April 27.
We have been spending time together: laughing, praying, singing, working,
planning, shedding some tears, developing new friendships, strengthening
existing friendships, discovering the Christ in each other.
Keep us in your prayers as we continue working toward shepherding
those who will answer the call to attend the weekend.
NewArk #29 is scheduled for April 24-27, 2003. Applications for team
and for weekenders will be available at all upcoming Ultreyas or by
contacting Carol at 973-778-5034. Applications are available in the
print copy of the NewArk and on line in pdf format by clicking
here.(Pdf format means that you need the Adobe Acrobat Viewer,
which is free from Adobe and on most computers because it comes bundled
with other software. If you don't have a current version, go to www.adobe.com
and download one.)
Names, assignments and photos of the team are available by clicking
here:
Food Palanca
Jan Paxton
Christ Church, Pompton Lakes
The Kitchen Crew of NewArk # 29 is requesting food or green palanca
from the community. We have a good group of cooks, so we are requesting
mostly ingredients. If anyone would like to donate whole meals, we
would be most grateful. Here is the list. Please contact Jan Paxton
at 973-633-9648 or at <paxton@intac.com>
to let us know how you will be able to help us. If you are sponsoring
a weekender, please bring an item for the Thursday evening reception
when you come.
Snackly Things
Cheese
Crackers
Chips
Salsa
Veggies (like baby carrots, celery, etc)
Dip or sour cream and mix
Trail Mix
Chocolate candies
Coke
Diet Coke
Root Beer
Sprite
Diet Sprite
Bottled water
Iced Tea Mix
Lemonade Mix
Lemons
Fruit - apples, oranges, bananas, pears
Coffee - 8 lbs
Decaffinated Coffee - 4 lbs
Tea bags - regular
Tea bags - herb teas and decaf
Breakfast Things
Friday Breakfast - St. John the Divine, Hasbrouck Heights has promised
Eggs (many dozens - 15, I think!)
Sour Cream
Sausage (120 little links worth)
Bacon (8 lbs)
5 loaves plain white bread
3 loaves toasting bread
butter/margerine
syrup (8 bottles)
1 box each Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes, Cheerios, Raisin Bran
2 boxes instant oatmeal packets
1 large box real oatmeal
milk - 6 gallons 2%
half-n-half
sugar (5 lbs)
fruit - melons
juice - oj-6 gallons
juice - other than oj - 3 big bottles
Bagels for Sunday morning - 3 dozen
muffins/ sweet rolls/croissants/ 3 dozen
cream cheese
jelly/jam
marmalade
Lunch Things
4 big pots of soup (2 for Friday, 2 for Saturday, 2 vegetarian - suggestions:
Lentil, Chicken noodle, Clam Chowder, ...)
Cold cut/cheese platter for Friday (for 50)
Big containers of Tuna Salad, Egg Salad, Chicken Salad for Saturday
lettuce
tomato
mayonnaise
mustard
salad dressing
olive oil
vinegar - gluten free
Cookies
sandwich rolls for 50
interesting bread for 50 (pumpernickel, rye, sturdy white...)
Pickles
Dinners
Friday night - Pasta dinner - Christ Church, Pompton has promised
Saturday night - ????
Sunday lunch - St. Paul's, Chatham reunion group has promised
Other Important Things
dish washing detergent
gallon zip lock bags
aluminum foil
plastic wrap
aluminum trays (½ size)
anything I forgot
Clergy Weekend
The Rev Kevin P.J. Coffey
Atonement, Fairlawn
Why a Clergy & Spouse/Partner Cursillo Weekend? Cursillo is a
movement of the church. Its purpose is to help those in the church
understand their individual callings to be Christian Leaders. The
leadership may be exercised in work situations, in the family and
social life, in leisure activities, and within the Church environment.
Leadership, in Cursillo, does not mean power over others, but influence
on others; all of us need to be aware that we can exert a positive
influence on those around us, (The National Episcopal Cursillo website,
http://www.episcopalcursillo.org/cursillo.html.)
As many in the Cursillo community know, a weekend normally begins
on Thursday evening and finishes on Sunday afternoon. (Of course,
the 4th Day does not end, but that is another article.) While many
of you in the community often have responsibilities for Sunday worship,
the clergy almost always have responsibilities that make it difficult
for them to be away from the congregation on a Sunday. (If nothing
else, there are those who believe that clergy only work one day a
week!) We have heard from many clergy that they would like to make
a weekend, but they can t be away on a Sunday.
To help remove that obstacle, your Secretariat, after years of prayer
and discernment, will offer NewArk #30, starting on Wednesday evening,
August 20th, with the closing on Saturday, August 23rd. This weekend
will be like the others that have run in the past, except that we
hope to have more ordained weekenders than normally have. We will
start with Chapel meditations, some silence, and have the 15 talks-some
of which will be given by lay members of the team and some by the
Spiritual Directors on the weekend. There will be group discussions
at the tables, and there will be food, singing and fellowship, much
like at your weekend.
I believe that Cursillo is one of many resources that the Holy Spirit
uses to renew the Body of Christ. Cursillo is a movement of the Church
involving all the orders of ministry and equipping ministers, lay
and ordained, to be apostles of Jesus Christ. Just as the diocesan
Cursillo community carries out the pastoral plan that the Bishop has
for the diocese, so within a congregation, those within a congregation
who are living out their 4th Day, carry out the pastoral plan that
the Rector has for that community. For that to be as effective as
possible, we need clergy experience this method, so they are know
the resources God is making available.
Applications for Sponsors, and a flyer about the weekend are available
at http://www.dioceseofnewark.org/cursillo/clergywknd.html.
If you would like to sponsor a priest or deacon, but are concerned
about responsibility of finding a Group Reunion for your weekender,
please speak with me, or The Rev. John Rollins, Community Spiritual
Director, 973-835-2207, and we will work with the community to address
that concern.
Community News
Speaker's Bureau
MaryBeth King
Atonement, Fairlawn
HELP RAISE CURSILLO AWARENESS!
The Newark Cursillo Speakers' Bureau has several upcoming presentations
and could use your help! We will be making presentations on February
23rd at St. Paul's, Chatham; March 22nd & 23rd at Trinity, Kearny;
and at the Creative Congregations diocesan workshop on March 29th
at Calvary, Summit. Your prayers are requested, and if you can help
with any of these, please contact Mary Beth King at 201-845-5914.
Speakers are available to make presentations during services, at coffee
hour forums, ECW meetings, or other gatherings in your congregation.
Please call Mary Beth King to arrange a speaker!
There will be a special Mini Ultreya at Celebrating Creative Congregations
Workshop March 29th, at Calvary Summit
The Diocese of Newark is sponsoring a day of spiritual experiences,
and Cursillo will be one of the presentations. We will hold a mini-Ultreya
and informational presentation during the first scheduled workshop
time. All Cursillistas are welcome to attend, and we will need help
with music, group reunion leaders, and speaker. Registration for Celebrating
Creative Congregations is available through the diocese.
It promises to be a wonderful event!
Lenten Programs
The Newark Cursillo community has decided not to have a March Regional
Ultreya. Instead they would like everyone to know about various Lenten
programs around the Diocese.
Here are some that various parishes have made known to us:
Christ Church, Pompton Lakes
A SIMPLE DISCIPLINE FOR LENT
Wednesday Evening
Soup and Evening Prayer
Starting on March 12, on each Wednesday in Lent, Christ Church will
observe this season of fasting and penitence with a simple discipline
of a light evening meal and the traditional Office of
Evening Prayer.
The meal of soup and bread will begin at 6:00 PM, and following that,
at 6:45 PM, Evening Prayer will be read in the church. All will be
completed by 7:30 PM so that the Adult Bible Study program and other
church activities can take place and those with homework can be home
to finish it.
All persons, including children, are welcome to attend.
Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, Verona
PRAYER: Finding the Heart's True Home by Richard J. Foster
The Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, Verona, NJ will be holding
a Monday evening soup and study program, beginning Monday, March 10th.
We will gather at 6:30 PM for soup followed by study - the program
will conclude at 8:00 PM.
We will be reading and learning from PRAYER: Finding the Heart's True
Home by Richard J. Foster, studying many different types of prayer.
It's a wonderful book and will be a great learning adventure - the
book will empower anyone who feels their prayers may be unworthy.
It teaches that God has enough ears to listen to us all, and that
we simply have to learn to understand the purpose of our prayers,
and to trust God to answer them in ways that are best for us, not
necessarily in the time frame and the way that we consider best.
You may join us for as many sessions as you can. The Rev. Lucy Ann
Dure and Sandra Cummins will lead the class. Please call the church
for more information, or visit our web site for directions - http://www.dioceseofnewark.org/holyspirit-verona/
St John's, Dover
Beginning Sunday March 9th and every Sunday during Lent, St. John's
Dover invites you to our Lenten Film Study, with a light Soup Supper
at 5:30 and the film and discussion beginning at 6:00. We use contemporary
films to discern "Where is God ?" in each situation. This
year's theme is INTERSECTIONS.
March 9 The Mexican
March 16 Finding Forester
March 23 Monster's Ball
March 30 John Q
April 6 Life is Beautiful
Church of the Atonement, Fairlawn
The Episcopal Church of the Atonement (Anglican), Fair Lawn, continues
their 3rd Sunday of the month Taizé service, from 7-8 PM, on
February 16th, 2003.
The Taizé services will also be offered every Sunday evening
in Lent, (March 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th, and April 6th, and 13th), at
7pm.
We'll return to our pattern of the 3rd Sunday of each month with a
service on Easter Day evening, April 20th, 7pm.
The Church is located off Broadway, also known as Route 4, at 1-36
30th Street, behind the Jack Daniels Audi Dealership, across the street
from
Warren Point School.
Please join us. For more information, telephone the Church at 201-797-0760
or visit us at www.Atonement-FairLawn.Org (Driving directions are
available at the Map link on our site.)
St. Peter's Morristown
St. Peter's Episcopal Church, South Street at Miller Road, Morristown
welcomes all to our "Lenten Quiet Morning" on Saturday,
March 29th from 9:30am to 12:30pm in our chapel. The Reverend Dr.
Victoria Lee Erickson, the Chaplain of Drew University, will be helping
us to focus on "The Calm after the Storm". The Mid-Lenten
search for the calm after the storm addresses the faintness of the
soul that the tradition seeks to strengthen so that we do not give
up in the midst of our daily struggles, but rather hold on to the
power and light that is Moses and Jesus. What is power? How does one
hold on to light? We will explore the mysterious two thousand year
old Lenten search for a way to live through suffering; and, we will
compare our history with contemporary social science recommendations
for surviving the storms of our lives. Appointed Text: Ps 107:1-3,
17-22; Eph 2:1-10; Jn 3:14-21
A simple luncheon will follow in the undercroft for those wishing
to stay. Sign-up is requested by calling the Parish Office at (973)
538-0555.
For more information contact Diane Van Patten at (973) 292-9245.
Trinity, Kearny
Trinity, Kearny's Lenten program will be held on Wednesdays (March
12, 19, 26, and April 5, 12) of Lent. We will be joined by the people
of St. Peter's Clifton. Most sessions will be at Kearny, but one or
two will by at St. Peter's.
6:30 PM Contemporary Eucharist
7:00 PM Dinner (reservations needed)
8:00 PM Program: Aid's to Prayer and the Spiritual Life.
One session is on the Labyrinth, culminating in a Labyrinth walk at
Trinity. One session is on the use of Anglican Prayer beads, culminating
in making a set of prayer beads. One session will be on the history
of the Stations of the Cross, ending with praying and journeying through
a contemporary set of the Stations. The other two sessions are in
the planning stages.
We will have all the details posted during the last week of February.
Dates to Remember
Who to Talk To
 --Return
to top of Cursillo Home Page
|