Have you been to Cursillo?

Sometimes I think the Episcopal Church is like a big Christian umbrella. All the baptized can get under it and find a place to stand. For some, worshipping God means going into a quiet cathedral all alone and spending time in silent prayer. For others, worshipping God means Holy Eucharist and great hymn singing on Sunday morning with a pipe organ and a paid choir as the backdrop, while for others it means going to a church where a really loud band plays and the words to songs are projected on a giant screen.

But to be well-rounded as a Christian, we need varied worship experiences. It's sort of like being an athlete. To be really fit, athletes do a lot of cross-training by not only lifting weights, but by adding in running, swimming and biking to their fitness regimen.

Late this afternoon I will go into a "Cursillo" retreat where I frankly don't know what to expect. As I understand it, Cursillo gives people a place to share their faith experiences. Maybe that is why those who have been to Cursillo seem to have a special bond. My Cursillo-type friends and acquaintances have been grinning mysteriously and saying, "Oh, Linda, I heard you are going to the next Cursillo." They say I will love it. It's not that I'm apprehensive or suspicious, but I do believe I saw some of them giving each other an elbow in the ribs and winking.

For a contemplative type like me, this is a little scary to say the least. For years I have carefully avoided committing to a Cursillo retreat because I feared they were loud and boisterous. However, the Cursillo Police have caught up with me and turned me in to the powers that be, and as a priest I have been "strongly encouraged" to attend this retreat. In response to my priestly vows of obedience, I will be there.

A few years ago, I couldn't even spell "Cursillo." Now, I am going to one of their retreats. Pray for my soul.

Pastor Linda+

The Rev. Linda McCloud

Founding Pastor

The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek

www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org

Ash Wednesday's Coming

One of my all-time favorite sermons, which I occasionally get to see on film, is "It's Friday, but Sunday's Coming." It's about Good Friday, the day on which Jesus was crucified. It is the most hopeful sermon I have ever heard because it eloquently potrays dying and rising to the new life of Christ. I don't know who originated it, but at least two people claim that sermon as their own.

Before we can get to Good Friday we have to walk through the desert of Lent, which begins two weeks from today. We call that day "Ash Wednesday" because we get a cross of ashes traced on our foreheads while the priest says, "Remember that you are dust; and to dust you shall return." Lent is a time for reflection and repentance - a time to think about our own mortality.

Even though Lent is very hopeful in that it culminates in Holy Week and Easter, I have yet to meet very many people who are enthusiastic about Lent. Regardless of how you feel about Lent, you are invited to a service of Holy Eucharist on Ash Wednesday morning, February 21, at 7:00 a.m. in the Chapel at Honey Creek. We are not yet holding regular weekly services, but on this special occasion I offer this service for those who wish to begin repenting early. I hope to see you there.

Pastor Linda

The Rev. Linda McCloud

Founding Pastor

The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek

www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org

Valuable Values

Three weeks ago today I moved to Camden County, bringing with me a rose bush which had previously been planted at my home in Moultrie. I replanted the rose bush and already it is sprouting little leaves, which tells me its roots have been going deeper into the ground.


In the website for The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek, there is a page entitled "Values." There, I uphold what I believe to be important aspects of a church's life together. One of those values is Discipleship. Putting our faith into action and letting it permeate everything we do is a tried and true way of following Jesus Christ as his disciples. Discipleship means making a conscious effort to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ through regular attendance at worship, through prayer, and through our relationships with others.


Putting our faith into action is rather like planting a rose bush, or burying tulip bulbs which will produce beautiful flowers in the spring. If we embrace and nourish our faith every day, we might not even notice how it changes us. It simply becomes a lifestyle that blooms and grows like flowers. That's what the world needs now.

Pastor Linda

The Rev. Linda McCloud

Founding Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org

Illustrated Directions to The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek

In a previous post, I invited you to an "Instructed Eucharist" service at 6:30 on Tuesday, February 6. Included in that blog were some directions to The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek. The aim of this post is to update those directions with photographs along the way.

From I-95 Northbound:

Take Exit 26 off I-95 Northbound. Turn right off the exit onto Dover Bluff Road and go 4.8 miles to GA Episcopal Conference Center Road. You will see a cluster of Episcopal signs including one that says “The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek – Coming Soon.” Turn left and go .5 mile. Turn left again at the wooden “Episcopal Shield” sign and come onto the conference center grounds. Proceed .4 mile and turn right at the church’s sign toward the chapel.

From I-95 Southbound:

Take Exit 26 off I-95 Southbound. Turn left off the exit onto Dover Bluff Road and go 5.1 miles to GA Episcopal Conference Center Road. Turn left and go .5 mile. Turn left again at the wooden “Episcopal Shield” sign and come onto the conference center grounds. Proceed .4 mile and turn right at the church’s sign toward the chapel.

From Routes 17/25:

Turn onto Dover Bluff Road and go 6.8 miles to GA Episcopal Conference Center Road. Turn left and go .5 mile. Turn left again at the wooden “Episcopal Shield” sign and come onto the conference center grounds. Proceed .4 mile and turn right at the church’s sign toward the chapel.

I hope to see you on Tuesday, February 6th at 6:30.

Pastor Linda

The Rev. Linda McCloud

The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org

Where The Wild Things Grow

On Thursday of the week just past, I had the privilege of releasing a red-shouldered hawk onto the grounds at The Episcopal Camp and Conference Center at Honey Creek. This was arranged through the joint efforts of the Honey Creek Volunteer Coordinator, Ms. Sandy Fowler, Ms. Linda Lamb, Chairperson of the Wild Garden Project, and Mr. Harry Jenkins, Associate Director of Honey Creek.

The hawk had been injured, but had been lovingly rescued and cared for by a group called SOS. They insisted that I bless this beautiful creature and release it in this creature-friendly place. So I drew a big breath, put on the gloves, and prayed for the bird and its caregivers. Amazingly, the bird sat still for this.

Bird rescue and release is not the only thing that Linda Lamb promotes. She would like you to plant native flowers and reclaim patches of land so the birds have a good place to live. You might wish to contact her at lindalamb@darientel.net or check out her website at www.wildgardenproject.com.

Peace be with you, and with all the wild birds that live in your garden.

Pastor Linda

The Rev. Linda McCloud

Founding Pastor

The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek

www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org

Learning By Asking

On Tuesday evening, February 6, 2007 at 6:30 p.m., I plan to offer a service of Holy Eucharist, also called Holy Communion, to which you are welcome to come and ask questions. This will be a real service in which we will read the scriptures and even sing a little, but we will stop periodically for explanations. In the past I have found this to be a lively and engaging way to "give Episcopal lessons."

The service will be held at the Chapel on the grounds of the Episcopal Camp and Conference Center at Honey Creek. Whether you have been an Episcopalian all your life so far, or whether this is all new to you, you are welcome to join in the conversation.

Your first question might be -- how do I get to there? Here are the directions:

From I-95 Northbound:

Take Exit 26 off I-95 Northbound. Turn right off the exit onto Dover Bluff Road and go 4.8 miles to GA Episcopal Conference Center Road. You will see Episcopal signs including one for The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek. Turn left and go .5 mile. Turn left again at the “Episcopal Shield” sign and come onto the conference center grounds. Proceed .4 mile and turn right at the church’s sign toward the chapel.

From I-95 Southbound:

Take Exit 26 off I-95 Southbound. Turn left off the exit onto Dover Bluff Road and go 5.1 miles to GA Episcopal Conference Center Road. Turn left and go .5 mile. Turn left again at the “Episcopal Shield” sign and come onto the conference center grounds. Proceed .4 mile and turn right at the church’s sign toward the chapel.

From Routes 17/25:

Turn onto Dover Bluff Road and go 6.8 miles to GA Episcopal Conference Center Road. Turn left and go .5 mile. Turn left again at the “Episcopal Shield” sign and come onto the conference center grounds. Proceed .4 mile and turn right at the church’s sign toward the chapel.

Once you get here you might have many other questions, such as, "Why does the Nicene Creed always follow the Sunday sermon?" How are you going to know if you don't ask? See you Tuesday at 6:30 in the Chapel. The service will last approximately one hour.

Pastor Linda
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Founding Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org

Saint John Chrysostom - "Golden Mouth"

Today in the Episcopal Church calendar we remember St. John Chrysostom, whose years were 354 to 407. John was known as a good priest and pastor, but primarily he had no small reputation as a good preacher. This guy could turn a phrase. He had a way with words. "Chrysostom" was not actually his name, but more of a nickname meaning "Golden Mouth."

If John had a golden mouth, he apparently had a spine of steel. He served as the Patriarch of the Roman capitol city of Constantinople long before it became known as Istanbul, Turkey. As such, he was in close contact with the powers that were. The Empress Eudoxia took offense at his preaching. She thought he had quit preaching and gone to criticizing her private life, so she exiled John twice. The second time that John was banished he died in tragic circumstances.

From the Book of Common Prayer, page 126, we have this lovely prayer attributed to St. John Chrysostom:

"Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them. Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen."

Pastor Linda

The Rev. Linda McCloud

Founding Pastor

The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek

www.oursaviorhoneycreek.org