Alas, VBS is Over

Vacation Bible School has come, and it has gone.  We had a wonderful group of kids that came and sang and learned that God made them, God listens to them, God watches over them, God loves them no matter what, and God gives good gifts.  They sang, they danced, they played, they learned, and they even spent time in the belly of a whale!  Can you imagine what we'll do next year?!

To all our volunteers, teachers, helpers and leaders - Martha, Tabitha, Mary Vay, Gayle, Kay, Brenda, Jean, Bill, Karen, Karen, Miles, Grace Anne, Annie, Abby, Josey, Jake, Jeanne, Ken, Alan, and Sara - I give you a hearty, "WELL DONE AND THANKS!"  And to my wife, Samantha, I must give a special thank you for organizing and running a fantastic VBS week.  The decorations are still up in the Parish Hall, and I hope that everyone will come by and see the pandas, the posters and our new "Old Rugged Cross" which was lovingly hand crafted by Frank and Peggy Ragland from antique wood donated by Barry and Connie Rambin.  Also, a special thanks to Sims Brown for cleaning the carpet so quickly and so well.

To the parents and grandparents of our attendees, I say thank you for sharing your children and grandchildren with us over the past five days.  We have all be blessed by our time together, and we are all looking forward to doing it again next year.

Fr. Michael+

Friday Fish Fry

This Friday, the ECW will host a fish fry at Christ Memorial with the proceeds going to help fund our mission trip to Peru.  Lunch will be served from 11:00 AM until the fish runs out.  Lunches are $8 per plate.

Come early, eat often!

Fr. Michael+

VBS Approaches

Remember, Vacation Bible School starts next Tuesday, June 21.  There's still time to register kids, and there's still time to volunteer.

Call Fr. Michael or Samantha to get more details.

(318) 872-1144
(318) 840-9196

Flowers to be Instituted

The Vestry and Parishioners of St. George's Episcopal Church cordially invite you to attend a Celebration of New Ministry and Institution of the Very Rev'd James Flowers (you might remember him) as Rector of St. George's Episcopal Church in Bossier City, Louisiana on June 23 at 7 PM.  A reception will follow.

St. George's is located at 1959 Airline Drive in Bossier City, Louisiana.

Jaime asked me to extend this invitation to all the folks at Christ Memorial, and I think it would be great if we could show up in force to support him in his new calling as Rector of St. George's.

Michael+

June 6, D-Day

I cannot really comprehend the amount of courage that it took to land on a beach under heavy enemy fire.  This is just a clip from a movie, but if it helps us to remember the fortitude and the sacrifice of the members of "The Greatest Generation" then let us watch it again and again and again.

God bless America and all her ships at sea and her soldiers overseas!

Honoring One Of Our Own

DeSoto Parish Association of Principals

Invite you to a Retirement Reception

Honoring

Nancy Middlebrooks

Thursday, June 2, 2011

5:15 - 6:00pm

DeSoto Parish School Board Media Center

523 Oxford Road - Mansfield, Louisiana

This Is Funny

Celebration of a New Ministry Invitation

The Wardens, Vestry and Parishioners of 

Christ Memorial Episcopal Church

401 Washington Avenue

Mansfield, LA  71052

Request your prayers and presence

for the 

Celebration of a New Ministry

and Institution of

The Reverend Michael Wayne Millard

as Rector of Christ Memorial

on Thursday, May 26, 2011

seven o'clock in the evening

The Right Reverend D. Bruce MacPherson

Bishop of Western Louisiana, presiding

Clergy: Cassock, surplice, white stole

Reception to follow

--

YBIC,
Fr. Michael+

Rector-elect

Christ Memorial Episcopal Church

318 872-1144 (Church)

318 840-9196 (Cell)

Alabama Relief Effort

The following message was sent to me by Fr. Flowers this morning, and it is something that I think is worth doing.

Dear Colleagues,

 

I want to share with you some exciting news about a project that you may want to be a part of.  As it happens, my Sr. Warden, Lynn Togersen, is an over the road driver for UPS.  At the behest of our Outreach Committee, Lynn has been able to secure a truck at no charge to us for the purpose of taking relief supplies to Alabama.

 

I spoke with the folks at the Diocese of Alabama, and they put me in touch with Fr. Bill King, who is helping to coordinate relief efforts in the diocese.  Fr. King put me in touch with folks in Cullman, Alabama, which was badly hit by the storms, who run a relief warehouse on behalf of the diocese.  They receive and distribute needed items.

 

Here's the plan.  For the next three weeks, we will receive needed items here at St. George's on Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays between 9-Noon, and by appointment.  On Saturday June 11 we will load the truck, which will then be locked and driven to UPS where it will stay until the following Saturday June 18 when Lynn will drive it to Cullman.

 

Here is the list of needed items that I received from the folks in Cullman

 

Non-perishable food, canned goods and other non-perishables

Personal hygiene items, soap, deodorant, toothpaste etc.

Cleaning supplies, Windex, Fantastic, sponges, mops etc.

Paper towels

t-shirts, all sizes

work gloves

underwear

socks

 

What they don't need:  bottled water, second hand clothes

 

 

I hope that you will be as excited about this effort as are we here at St. George's, and that you will disseminate this list to your parishioners.  If you have any questions please give me a call.  Thanks so much!

 

Blessings,

 

Jaime+

Samantha Update

Sam is doing great.  Thank you for all your prayers.  I am trying to make sure that everyone knows about her status.  There have been e-mails, updates on FB, phone calls and texts.  Sam feels really good, and she thinks that this procedure might just and done the trick.  I will update more later.

God is very good!

Michael+

PandaMania: Where God is Wild about You!

Dear Reader, please take note of the picture of the happy panda on the right of your screen.  He is the mascot for this year's VBS program at Christ Memorial, which will run from June 21 through June 25.  From Tuesday through Friday, the times are from 1:00 to 4:15 PM.  On Saturday, we will meet at 10:00, and then all the parents, children and helpers will celebrate with a picnic at Noon.

We are now accepting registrations for children from age 4 up through 5th grade.  If you are interested, please contact the church office at 318 872-1144 or click on the panda and fill out a registration at our VBS website.

We are also looking for adult and teenaged volunteers to help with setup, VBS activities and clean up.  If you would like more information about volunteering, please contact Samantha Millard at 318 872-1237.

There is no charge to attend VBS, so bring your children, grandchildren, neighbors and their children to a great week of learning, playing and singing about God's love.

Fr. Michael+

May Newsletter Article

No Other Name Under Heaven

Alleluia.  Christ has risen.

Sometimes writing these articles is hard, Dear Reader.  It is easy to get caught between the desire to write an amazingly poignant reflection on scripture and a deeply theological comment on the state of the Church, the world or on God, Himself.  Some may call it writer’s block, but I tend to think of it as gray-matter overload or the problem of over-thinking something and making it far more complicated that it really should be.  Therefore, the solution is usually to keep it simple.

With that in mind:  Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  Jesus Christ was the son of a woman named Mary and the Holy Spirit.  Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesies; He was the Messiah.  Jesus Christ died on the Cross for our sins.  Jesus Christ walked out of the tomb, bodily resurrected as proof of the love and power of God.  Jesus Christ is the New Covenant through which we are made right with God, and thereafter live in the promise of everlasting life.

As Peter said, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

We are Easter people.  This is our Eastertide, the Season when the resurrected Jesus walked, talked and ate with His people; live according to that notion. 

Rejoice in the presence of Christ with us; join with us in worshiping God and in participating in His sacrifice and resurrection through the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist. 

Proclaim to friends and family the joy of knowing that Christ has broken the bonds of sin and death not only by word but in the happiness and peace that can come only from our relationship to God.

May the knowledge and love of Him who is our Savior and Redeemer reside always in our hearts.

The Lord has risen, indeed.  Alleluia.

Fr. Michael+

A Reflection

A Moment with C. S. Lewis

“Men are mirrors, or ‘carriers’ of Christ to other men.  Sometimes unconscious carriers.  This ‘good infection’ can be carried by those who have not got it themselves.  People who were not Christians themselves helped me to Christianity.  But usually it is those who know Him that bring him to others.  That is why the Church, the whole body of Christians showing Him to one another, is so important.  You might say that when two Christians are following Christ together there is not twice as much Christianity as when they are apart, but sixteen times as much.”

-from Mere Christianity

Where have you been?

Dear Reader, I did not intend to give up blogging for Lent, it just happened that way.  I prefer to think that God had other plans for my time and talents this last month, therefore, it has been a while since I have updated the blog.

There will be new posts arriving shortly, I promise.

Fr. Michael+