Emmanuel

Church Staff

The Rev’d Canon Dr. Mark Gatza,

Rector

Brent Pertusio, Organist & Choirmaster

Heather Costantino, Christian Education

Coordinator

James Kennard, Sexton

Church Phone

410 838-7699

Church Cell Phone for Pastoral Emer-

gencies

443 752-0573

www.emmanuelbelair.org

Your Vestry Wants To Hear From You!

Here is a list of your vestry to contact with any needs, ideas, or

criticisms!

Rector --Mark Gatza: mgatza@emmanuelbelair.org

Senior Warden — Dottie Ward: dlward2@comcast.net

Treasurer -- Steve Bareford: stevebareford@yahoo.com

Registrar -- Liz Glass: getlizglass@aol.com

Joan Kime: joankime@baltimorefreightliner.com

Paul Rogers: mdpaul5381@aol.com

Shannon Rogers: Shannon@renaissancewoodworker.com

Ted Roux: tcroux@comcast.net

Debbie Bissoondial: debbievb67@yahoo.com

Chris Gauthier: chrisgauthier@gmail.com

Cami Rogers: cjrogers.law@gmail.com

Rita Scharmann: rfscharmann@gmail.com

JoAnne Bogusko: jbogusko@yahoo.com

Peg Goodson: thepegg@comcast.net

Allan Herlinger: walkgroup@zoominternet.net

Linden White: lhwhite3rd@gmail.com

Paul Cuffee, Witness to the Faith among the

Shinnecock, 1812

An Indian of the Shinnecock tribe, Paul Cuffee was born in 1757 and converted to Christianity in his early twenties. He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church. Known as “Priest Paul,” Cuffee was instrumental in working for the survival of na-tive tribes. He strengthened the permanent presence of Native Americans in the area by establishing prayer meeting grounds. These became safe havens for dip-lomatic talks and places where native people could practice spiritually. He was a faithful advocate for his people and their way of life. Part of Cuffee’s legacy can still be seen in the ceremonial “June Meeting” for the Shinnecock tribe that in-cludes a Christian worship service, a tradition that continues to this day. Paul Cuffee is remembered for being a “most eloquent speaker” and is mentioned in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the famous anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe. He was employed by the New York Missionary Society on the eastern part of Long Island. His gravestone reads, “...he labored with fidelity and success. Humble, pious and indefatigable in testifying the gospel of the grace of God, he finished his course with joy on the 7th of March...”

BIBLE STUDY

Our Friday morning Bible Study WILL TAKE A BREAK during the season of Lent. Emmanuel has lots of opportunities to feed our spirits during Lent so be sure to check them all out when reading this edition of the Trumpet. Friday morning Bible Study will resume April 10, 2015 at 9:30 a.m. in the Rectory.

The Trumpet

Emmanuel Episcopal Church

303 North Main Street

Bel Air, Maryland 21014

10 March 2015

Upcoming Scripture Lessons

1 March — Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Psalm 22:22-30; Romans 4:13-25; Mark 8:31-38

8 March — Exodus 20:1-17; Psalm 19; I Corinthians 1:18-25; John 2:12-22

A Collect for the Commemoration of Paul Cuffee

Almighty God, you empowered Paul Cuffee to be a powerful evangelist and preacher and so to win many souls for Christ among the Native Americans of Long Island; Help us to proclaim your Word with power, in the Name of the same Jesus Christ; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Lent 2015 Our Goal for Lent 2015 is for everyone to understand why we recite the Nicene Creed almost every week. Some of this will be covered in sermons, but the most important venue for the conversation is our Lenten Study Groups. Our schedule will be similar to previous years, with the same lessons offered at three different times each week. Offerings will include Tuesdays at 6:00 PM (following our regular Tuesday 5:00 Bible Study), Wednesdays at Noon (including brief Noonday Prayers and a salad lunch) and Saturdays at 10:30 AM. The programs will begin the week of February 22nd and will continue for five weeks. You can mix and match offerings according to your own schedule.

Week of 22 February: I believe in God … not Marduke!

Week of 1 March: I believe in One Lord Jesus Christ … not in a figment of our imagination!

Week of 8 March: I believe in Homoousia … not Homoiousia!

Week of 15 March: I believe in the Holy Spirit … not in Ecstatic Prophets!

Week of 22 March: I believe in the Church … not in Secret Handshakes!

Holy Week 29 March—4 April 29 March: Palm Sunday Services at 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM (Parish Hall) and Noon

1 April: Tennebrae at Noon and at 7:00 PM

2 April: Maundy Thursday service at 7:00 PM

3 April: Good Friday Services at Noon and 7:00 PM

4 April: The Great Vigil of Easter at 7:00 PM

The Nicene Creed: The Basics The Latin word credo is a verb that we translate into English as “I believe.” The English de-

rivative “Creed” is what we call a statement of faith or belief, especially concerning reli-

gious or theological claims. Creeds can be a line or two long, such as the Shema from Deu-

teronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord alone.” Or they can be much

longer, such as the 41 lengthy clauses of the “Creed of St. Athanasius.” [BCP, p. 864]

Several shorter creeds are quoted in the New Testament, such as this one from Philippians 2:

5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not

regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being

born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the

point of death-- even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is

above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the

earth, 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

That this is also cast in the form of a hymn made it all the easier to remember — an important compo-

nent of any sort or length of creed.

We use two creeds in worship in the Episcopal Church. For those of us

who take advantage of the Daily Offices of Morning or Evening Prayer, we

say the Apostles’ Creed (at least) once a day. We also proclaim the Apostles’

Creed as part of the service of Baptism, including it as one portion of the Bap-

tismal Covenant. It consists of 12 lines, one each attributed to the Twelve

Apostles, as legend has it. More likely, it was a formula devised in Rome at

the turn of the first century specifically for use in Baptism and revised several

times until it’s final form by the end of the second century.

But, as you know, Christians did not take long to start disagreeing with

each other about what things meant or how to behave. As long as the Church

was a minor element of Roman culture — and especially during times of per-

secution — these disagreements remained largely local concerns. That

changed, however, when the emperor Constantine blessed the Christian faith, bringing it out of obscurity

and into the social limelight. With many more people paying attention, Constantine thought it necessary to

bring unity, consistency and order to Christianity. And so it was the emperor himself that called the bishops

together to meet at Nicea in the summer of 325. (That is why Constantine is pictured front and center in so

many pictures of the scene.) In particular, he wanted agreement to be reached about the relationship between

God the Father and Jesus the Christ. Arius, a priest in the city of Alexandria, Egypt, taught that the Son was

subordinate to the Father, and even that for some portion of eternal time that only God the Father existed.

Arius gathered quite a following for his position, a conclusion easily reached by the large number of books

from all over the Mediterranean world during his time that condemn him as a heretic. In a very important

way, the purpose of the Council of Nicaea was to make that condemnation official. The Nicene Creed docu-

ments that decision.

But the debates about theological points were by no means over, and subsequent councils were held at

Constantinople, Rome and many other places — 25 altogether in the 4th century — each contributing lan-

guage or understanding to the faith that we now proclaim every week. Though they didn’t quite get around

to counting angels on pinheads, some of the points seem so close that it is hard for us not to wonder about

the fuss. That said, it remains true that what we believe deeply matters because it inspires both what we say

and do. And make no mistake: the people around us each day, who know that we are people of faith, watch

and wonder. Totidem Verbis Mark Gatza+

Women of EmmanuelWomen of EmmanuelWomen of Emmanuel

The WoE invite you to join them for Fellowship and Inspiration at the March 15 Social event: “Come and Meet the New testament Women Witnesses.” Bring a photo or picture of a special female in your life who inspires you to live a fulfilling life. We will meet in the

Maryan room at 3 pm. Washington Trip: Flyers are available in the Church and Parish Hall for the June 10th trip to the National Cathedral. The bus loads on Ellendale street at 9:30 that morning for a day’s expe-rience that will include worship, a tour, high tea in the St. Paul Tower and lots of other activities. Tickets for Emmanuel members & guests will be available 22 March, with open sales beginning on 12 April.

Anglo—Irish Supper It’s time to mark your calendar for the one fund raising event of the year at Emmanuel. Please plan to attend and enjoy the fellowship, food and silent auction. Save Sunday evening, 15 March from 5 to 7 PM for this brief break from Lent to celebrate the Celtic roots of our tradition. The menu consists of Irish and English favorites like Corned Beef and Colcannon, plus des-sert that is not to be “trifled” with!

The fund-raising comes largely from the Silent Auction that we will hold during the dinner. We like to offer a varie-ty of things to bid on, from Sports Memorabilia to Antiques to Wonderful hand-made crafts and treats. Please bring your donations for the auction (along with an estimate of the item’s value) to the church either on Sundays or when the office is open.

For information on how you can help, please con-tact the Emmanuel Church Office or Theresa Grant at tgmustang45@hotmail.com.

“Erin go bragh” and “God Save the Queen!”

Inclement Weather

Generally speaking, if Harford County Schools are closed, the Emmanuel office will be closed and church-sponsored events will be postponed.

You may confirm this by checking the church website: http://emmanuelbelair.org , or voicemail: 410-838-7699 to see if services and programs will be held. Outside groups should have their plans to communicate with their folks.

Here’s the Episcopal Church’s answer to March Madness and the NCAA Women’s and Men’s basketball tour-naments. Go to lentmadness.org to vote each day in a Saint to Saint competition. From the Round of 32 to the Golden Halo Final, your votes will help decide who will win. You can join in whenever you want and be-come one of about 9,000 fellow Anglicans who are playing along.

Double Good News! Only 12 days until Daylight Savings Time and...

Thanks to several recent large donations, we only need the following to complete our Easter Food Bags for the Seniors we assist at Harford Senior Housing:

Individual servings of instant Macaroni and Cheese

Small Canned Hams

Easter Candy (no jelly beans, please)

Twinkies or Little Debbie Snacks.

Many thanks to everyone who shares their blessing with our Food Pantry and our Seniors.

Thank you! Heather