from the Rev. Canon Cathy Zappa
Grace to you, and peace, on this Wednesday, July 22, in the year 2020. I am Cathy Zappa, Canon for Liturgy and Pastoral Care at the Cathedral Parish of St. Philip, and I am delivering our Wednesday parish notices this evening.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you, Cathedral of St Philip, and friends! Thank for your persistent care for one another and for our broader community! Thank you for your generosity! In this time when so many are hurting and fearful, you continue to give generously to help those in need; and your generosity is a sign of God’s abundance and love for all people.
Three weeks ago, we launched an initiative with Emmaus House to retire medical debt for our most vulnerable neighbors in Peoplestown. 11.5 million dollars of debt. That’s a lot! But every dollar we give retires $100, we’ve raised $100,000 already, which is 10 million dollars of medical debt retired. Wow! Thank you!
That’s not all, either. Through our new Cathedral Scholars ministry, your generosity also has allowed us to partner with three impressive young adults from our church community, providing needed financial support as they pursue higher education goals. Thank you again, and congratulations to Scholars Leslie Coronel, Nicole Baños, and Rachel Woods!
Our young people really are doing extraordinary things, as they, too, are adapting to many challenges and disappointments. One of those disappointments is that our vacation Bible school, Week of Wonder (WOW), is not meeting in person this year. However, our creative Children’s Ministries team has turned this into an opportunity to wonder together all summer long, and to nurture faith formation at home, with weekly activities through our “Summer of Stars.”
The tradition of a WOW outreach project carries on, too! We are working with Cathedral high-schooler Phoebe Ellis on her Girl Scout project, “Stories on the Go: A Literacy Cart for the Boyce L. Ansley School.” The Ansley School is a tuition-free private school for children who have experienced homelessness; and the literacy cart will connect the classroom to the library and give students more access to books. For the book wish list, reach out to our Children’s Ministries team, or see their weekly email or the Cathedral Times.
There is more, still! August is one of two months when, traditionally, the St. Anne’s Guild leads us in a food drive for Buckhead Christian Ministry’s client-choice pantry. That, too, continues, albeit online this year; and BCM needs our support now more than ever. Thank you, BCM, for the work you do for our community; and thank you St. Anne’s, for this opportunity to support them!
We continue to gather online, for Bible studies, classes, fellowship, and worship. This Sunday, parishioner Jennifer Priestley will lead Old Fashioned Sunday School, on “Angels Among Us.” There are angels among us, indeed! The celebrant for our online Holy Eucharist service is the Reverend Nate Huddleston, and the Reverend Julia Mitchener will be our preacher.
Did you know that our Deacon for Hispanic Ministries,the Reverend Juan Sandoval, also offers a weekly sermon in Spanish? You can find it on our Facebook page and website, under “Videos on Demand.” He also leads Vespertina, or Evening Prayer, in Spanish every Monday – Saturday at 7 p.m. Whether you are fluent in Spanish or want to learn, or just want to pray, join him on Facebook!
Wow! In these and many other ways, you are spreading the good news of Christ and of God’s abundance and providence. And we are being church, the body of Christ for the world. I am grateful for you and proud to be part of this church with you. God is good. God is doing such good work through you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Here endeth the Wednesday Parish Notices.