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C H I R S T T H E K I N G E P I S C O P A L C H U R C H

Mayl 2020

The King’s Crier Volume 33, Issue 5

Grace to you and peace...

First I will give you some news about the week off. The closing on the house has been delayed until May 7. Everything at the house is complete, and the buy-ers have done the walk-through with no subsequent communication from realtors, so I think we are good there. We have a power of attorney set up to do the signing on the day of the closing, so this will not re-quire another trip. I am a patient man, but I will ad-mit I am ready for this closing to take place.

With all the driving, I had plenty of opportunity to ponder, and I have been pondering Covid-19 and all of the consequences for us as a community. I will make a few observations that I was struck by.

First, the churches who had some sort of online presence and ministry found it much easier to transi-tion to an all-digital format for worship. This obser-vation is true for schools and businesses as well. If you have a pastor/teacher/business manager who is adept with such things, it helps.

Second, when we are faced with challenges, there are a couple of responses. I think one response if to grit teeth and wait for it to pass, so that we can get back to normal. In the stages of grief, there is the denial phase, and maybe this is a similar phenome-non.

I claim that many things may never really be the same after Covid-19. All the toll booths on the drive had switched to an i-Pass or credit card format. I suspect that they may not go back to having attend-ants in the booths. This is a small thing, but I think we may see fewer cashiers and less personal service at stores as well. Cash was not the most common way to pay for things before Covid-19, but it may become even less common in the future.

As we face the challenges and make accommodations, I think we have to be mindful that God has a plan for us. We can be like Jonah and try to hide from it, but eventu-ally we will have to come around. One response when things don't work out the way we planned is to focus on the change or the inconvenience and hope for things to return to “normal.”

We can also do what we can to make things “work” as best possible and be open to being transformed. We are back to God's plan again.

The Episcopal Church made a move with the 1979 BCP to a more Eucharist-centered worship. Perhaps this cri-sis is an gentle reminder that we can experience the presence of Christ in Scripture and in our neighbor as well. Maybe this is an opportunity for us to be reminded that we are Christ-centered and that the Eucharist is only one facet of what God has provided us with and called us to.

My hope is that we can face the current challenges and be transformed by the process.

Blessings… Tom+

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P a g e 2 T h e K i n g ’ s C r i e r

Ashley Wiggins I had to think a little about what I was going to write about this month. Then it came to me in a sign that sits in a corner of my

living room. It says “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain”. I bought this sign a

little over three years ago, which it sat in a closet until last October. I bought

it during a time of change in my life one of loss and the start of new begin-

nings. My storm is a little different and I did learn how to dance, by changing

careers and learning self care. Now when I look at the sign I think about our

current storm in the form of a pandemic. We are learning how to dance

which started out like a slow waltz and has moved on to a fast pace Charles-

ton. We have learned to adjust our lives and find creative ways to keep our

in touch with friends, family, and our church through technology. Think back

what “storm” had you dancing in the rain? What did you learn?

I continue to say “Thank you” to the volunteers that keep our Church going

by manning the office, sharing information, cutting the lawn, straightening

up Shaw Hall and recording during our social distancing.

Remember to keep our community and the world in your prayers during this

time of uncertainty. I would like to ask all of you to continue to check in on

one another and pray for each other during this time. Also, if you know someone that has limited access to email, social media,

and internet, please inform them of this message.

As a reminder:

There are resources on the Diocese of Southern Virginia webpage with updates from Bishop Haynes. Please see the attached link Click Here.

Are you participating in Zoom Pray-

er Meetings? Invitations to

Wednesday Evening Prayer and

Sunday Morning Prayer are sent to

your listed email addresses. If you

are not getting the message, con-

tact Kit at ctk.tabb@verizon.net to

be added to the list.

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Remembering Father Bailey

Father Ted Bailey passed away earlier this month from natural

causes at the age of 97. We were privileged to have him serve as

our Supply’s Supply here at Christ the King Episcopal Church. Fr.

Bailey stepped in whenever Fr. Gardner was unable to be here.

Fr. Bailey served in the priesthood for 60 years and was active

right up to the end.

He was such a devout and gentle man, it’s hard to imagine that he

was a WWII Flying Ace. Ted Bailey was just that. He flew P-38s

during the war in the Pacific Theater.

Below are a few memories of him our parishioners wanted to

share:

I was talking with Fr. Ted about his being a P-38 fighter pilot in WWII and I remarked that he must have been ra-ther young. "Did you join the Army Air Force in 1944?" He said yes. "Were you in something like the class of 44E?" He said yes - 44E! "Did you go to Wittenberg College for officer train-ing?" He said "why ...yes". "Did you do your primary fight training in PT-19s at Ryan Field?" He said yes, but was looking at me strange-ly. How could I know such things? I explained that my father was also in the class of 44E. However, it was a huge class and they never knew each other. My dad went on to fly C-47s and Fr. Ted went to P-38s. Fr. Ted showed some of us an old photo of him sitting in the cockpit of a P-38 with a crew chief looking on. He told us that the crew chief was the adult in the picture. He was young indeed. I had many other talks with Fr. Ted about theology, church history, etc.. He said he was always spiritually re-freshed at CTK and he loved coming to our church. We will miss him. Dick Haus

1. He once gave a sermon at Christ the King's 8:00 A.M. service that upon reflection, and having met with the Sunday School class following the service, seemed weak or not as relevant to folks as he wished. So he substantially, if not completely, rewrote the sermon between the class and the 10:30 service. Very im-pressive for any priest, let alone one in his 90s. 2. He was a higher pilot, and later transport pilot, in WWII, in the Pacific and China-Burma-India Theaters. He said he found himself at the end of the war sitting in his P-38 lightning, crying. It took him a minute for him to figure out why he was crying, but he realized it was because he knew it would be his last flight in his beloved P-38. 3. Though he loved flying, and the camaraderie of fellow airmen, he was not one to glorify the violence in any way. He recounted participating in a bombing mission on a target that was virtually unseen under a canopy of trees. He says he hoped he "didn't hit any-body." Al Bunyard

Fr Bailey was an amazing American, walking history. He was a devout Christian, an American military hero, and a gentle, self-effacing kind person. We will all miss him. Gene Seiter

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P a g e 4 T h e K i n g ’ s C r i e r

Secure Mailbox at CTK

Just a reminder that our mailbox is completely se-

cure. It remains locked at all times. If you would like

to drop off your pledge, no one will mess with it.

Your Parish Secretary retrieves the mail on Friday

mornings during the lockdown.

Statements

If you are not receiving quarterly statements, it could be that

you did not make an official pledge. The church’s old soft-

ware was set up to only record the contributions of those

who pledged. We are making changes to this system with

our new software. Contact Diana Prater with any questions

you might have.

Online Giving

Yes, this is becoming an option at CTK! If

you are interested, send an email to our

Treasurer at ctk.finadm@gmail.com

Remember when people could gather together? Here’s a

picture of volunteers cleaning for Adopt A Highway. You

might recognize Bob Kerlinger and Annie Roy in the photo.

Gwen and Al Bunyard ‘wine-ing” about

the lockdown.

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Bruce Conway sent this in to

the church awhile ago:

This is such a difficult time for all of us. If you focus too much on all the things that are wrong, you will become increasingly discouraged and your strength will be sapped. Turn to God, asking Him to help you will all your struggles and to give you courage. Take time to praise Him and count your bless-ings. You must not let your cir-cumstances define your sense of security and instead of letting anxious thoughts roam freely in your mind, lasso them by voic-ing your hope in Him. You may waste a lot of time and energy trying to figure out things be-fore their time has come. As you look ahead into the un-known future, relax in the knowledge of who you are---the one God loves. Cling to Him and go forward with confi-dence. Give thanks in all cir-cumstances. There is immense Power in praying, “Thank you, Jesus.” These 3 words are ap-propriate for all times and in every situation. Philippians 4:13 –I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

The Vestry has agreed that Satur-day, May 23rd, will be our outdoor cleanup day. It will go from 9am to 12. Rain out date is May 30. Parishioners are asked to bring a mask if they have one and to know that we will make every effort during this get- together to maintain proper social distancing throughout. Also, please bring gloves, rakes, and any other yard supplies so that many hands can make light work in keeping our grounds ready for when we can all meet again (soon) for ser-vice. For those who have volunteered for weekly mowing in and around the buildings, thank you. We still have many slots open during June and July. Immediate needs include the week of May 29th and June 5th. If you can spare an hour or two please consider lending that time to keeping our grass mowed and our weeds whacked. Contact Tina Luers (sntluers@gmail.com or 703-867-0451) if you require access to the signup Genius.

Are you tuning in to our You Tube Channel? We are at CTK

TABB. Here are links to Fr. Tom’s last two sermons:

Evening Prayer Wednesday, May 13

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqVXOEgraRQ

Morning Prayer Sunday, May 10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrIP_ocaysI

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Did the Crier miss your important day? Please

contact the office and update your information.

We want to make sure everyone is included.

Birthdays

Anniversaries

Pray for those who are ill and recovering, or in need of guidance and strength; and

this week especially for: Ernie Crack, Jens Knudsen, Ashton Vinson, Jackie Iaccarino,

Bill Coleman, Dorothy Spangenberg, Alice Ferrell, James & Nila Devise, Barbara Del-

laValle, Toni Vig, Lori Kessler, Banon Jackson, Lori Loughry, Jens Knudsen III, and

Mikela, Ernie Mann, the Noel Family, George Tackett, Larry Wusk, and Kathy Yevak.

Pray for those in harm’s way.

Pray for the departed: The Rev. Ted Bailey

5 Mike Wusk

14 Diana Prater

14 Kelly Krantz

18 Jeff Baker

20 Chris Marple

22 James Tenney Napier

24 Joan Zwerner

25 Charlie Park

25 Rennie Onders

25 Christopher Seiter

25 Louis Seiter

26 Tim Gelles

27 Dion Fralick

27 Kathy Kerlinger

28 Miranda Oliver

26 Kevin & Mary McGonigle

30 Bill & Helen Coleman