Week Ahead / Atlanta Cathedral Set for National Christmas Eve Telecast
Episcopal News Service. December 8, 2004 [120804-1-A]
Looking ahead...
NCC chooses Atlanta cathedral service for national Christmas Eve broadcast
A special Christmas Eve service from the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta, Georgia, will be broadcast on the ABC television network under the auspices of the National Council of Churches. The program will air at 1:30 a.m. (ET) on December 25.
The annual broadcast from the Atlanta cathedral has been carried live on ABC-affiliate WSB-TV for more than three decades and is produced by the Episcopal Media Center under the direction of the Rev. Canon Louis C. Schueddig.
Bishop J. Neil Alexander of Atlanta will lead the service and preach a sermon titled "How Far Is It to Bethlehem?" The cathedral's dean, the Very Rev. Samuel G. Candler, will officiate for the celebration of Holy Communion.
Accompanied by the Peachtree Brass, the Cathedral Choir will perform classical Christmas anthems, including works by Willan, Dirksen, Hassler, Carter, Davis and Sowerby. Hymns will include a variety of traditional Christmas carols.
Bruce Neswick, the cathedral's canon musician, will direct the evening's music.
The Episcopal Media Center is an independent nonprofit organization in Atlanta that produces broadcast programming for radio and television, and distributes video and audio resources for Christian education in congregations and homes.
Coming up Thursday, December 9, 2004...
WHITTIER, California - Jose "Chencho" Alas will hold a forum, "From a Theology of Liberation to a Theology of Peace," on Thursday, Dec. 9, at St. Matthias Episcopal Church, Whittier. Chencho will talk about El Salvador and his approach to changing the lives of the poor using peaceful means of community and economic development. The evening will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m. and Chencho will speak at 7 p.m. No reservations required, but a donation of $10 at the door is suggested.
An interfaith clergy lunch with Chencho will be held at noon on Dec. 9. The cost is $5. Please make a reservation by calling 562.698.9741.
Chencho, a coworker and friend of the Catholic martyr, Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, has received many international peace awards and is a hero in El Salvador for his work before, during and after the civil war. To learn more about Chencho's work, including how to participate, please visit: www.FSSCA.net.
St. Matthias Episcopal Church, 7056 S. Washington Ave., Whittier, California. Tel: 562.698.9741.
Coming up Saturday, December 11, 2004...
ST. PAUL, Minnesota - La Misión de el Santo Niño Jesús will celebrate the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12), the patron saint of Mexico, with a mass beginning at 11:45 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11.
This is one of the most important days in the calendar of the church in Mexico, and el Santo Niño Jesús, many of whose parishioners are from Mexico, has a long tradition of celebrating it with enthusiasm. This year, the 12th falls on a Sunday so there will be both the midnight service and a noon mass the next morning.
To see the story and pictures from last year's celebration, please visit: www.episcopalmn.org/AroundDiocese_121703.htm
La Misión de el Santo Niño Jesús, 1524 Summit Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota.
AYER, Massachusetts - St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Ayer will host an exhibition of more than 100 Nativities from around the world on Saturday, Dec. 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The exhibit includes a wide variety of tabletop and miniature Nativities, a Christmas tree decorated with Nativity ornaments, international Nativities for sale and homemade cookies and cider. Everyone is welcome, especially children, and admission is free.
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 7 Faulkner St, Ayer, Massachusetts 01432. Tel: 978.772.2615.
HADDON HEIGHTS, New Jersey - Chris Westfall will perform a selection of acoustic folk songs on Saturday, Dec. 11, at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Haddon Heights. With a clear tenor voice which moves from familiar folk tunes to original interpretations of artists such as James Taylor and John Denver, Westfall will also perform his own compositions.
Opening the concert is Philadelphia area favorite Ray Naylor. The show begins at 8 p.m.; doors open at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $8 and includes bottomless cups of coffee or tea, with desserts available. All shows are in the parish hall of St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Haddon Heights, New Jersey. Tel: 856.547.3240. http://www.marysplacemusic.org.
Coming up Sunday, December 12, 2004...
BEAUMONT, Texas - Les Amies Louisianaises will offer a concert 5:00 - 6:15 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 12, at St. Stephen's Sanctuary in Beaumont. The female quartet from Lake Charles will sing songs of Inspiration, music for the Christmas season and Cajun music. All proceeds benefit Girl's Haven, Boy's Haven & Buckner's Children's Center. Tickets: $10.
St. Stephen's Sanctuary, 4090 Delaware, Beaumont, Texas. Tel: 409.892.4227.
BOSTON - This week's Trinity Forum, "Born to Buy," will be presented by Juliet Schor, Boston College professor, at 10:15 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 12, at Trinity Church, Boston.
Schor looks at children, presents, and advertising on the eve of the Christmas shopping season. She is a national expert on consumerism, economics, and family studies and she recently published Born to Buy, which is available in the Bookshop.
Trinity Church, 206 Clarendon Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116. Tel: 617.536.0944. http://www.trinityboston.org/default.asp.
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana - The Adult Forum at Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis, "Hearing God's Word in Times of Anxiety," will begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 12, in the Parish Hall.
Dean Giannini will sum up last year's conversations on "The Bible and Human Sexuality" by giving an overview of styles of Biblical interpretation and the moral choices associated with them.
Christ Church Cathedral, 125 Monument Circle, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204. Tel: 317.636.4577. http://www.cccindy.org.
SAN FRANCISCO, California - The Forum at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, will feature "A Year in Review with the Mayor," Gavin Newsom, from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 12, at Gresham Hall, on the Crypt Level of the Cathedral.
After a year in office, Newsom uncovers the challenges and victories he's had as Mayor of San Francisco. Since his inauguration in January of 2004, the mayor has achieved international recognition in regards to the controversial same-gender unions issue, as well as his policies on homelessness. Find out what his political aspirations are for himself and his plans for a better San Francisco. Entrance free, donations accepted.
Further information, please call: 415.749.6360. Email: Larry Bisagni at larryb@gracecathedral.org.
Grace Cathedral, 1100 California Street, San Francisco, California 94108. Tel: 415.749.6300. http://www.gracecathedral.org.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Washington National Cathedral will honor the State of South Dakota on Sunday, Dec. 12, and invites everyone from South Dakota to attend a special service at 11 a.m.
The South Dakota Congressional delegation, the Governor and other state elected officials, and religious leaders have been invited to participate in the service. The bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota, the first Native American diocesan bishop, the Rt. Rev. Creighton L. Robertson, will participate as guest celebrant in the worship service. One participant will carry the South Dakota state flag, which will lead the procession to open the service, and the flag will remain on the chancel steps in the Cathedral for the following week.
Washington National Cathedral, Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues Northwest (Mount St. Alban), Washington, D.C., 20016; 202.537.6200; http://www.cathedral.org.
ANGLICAN COMMUNION - Following the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, this Sunday (Advent 3) will give thanks for Venezuela (Province IX, USA); the Rt. Rev. Orlando Guerrero, bishop. The Anglican Cycle of Prayer can be accessed online at: www.anglicancommunion.org/acp/main.cfm.
Coming up Monday, December 13, 2004...
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts - The Boston Theological Institute (BTI) invites people of faith interested in entering into a dialogue about Christian values to attend a lecture and roundtable, "After the Election: What is the Role of the Church in Defining Public Values and Shaping Policy," on Monday, Dec. 13, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge.
Speakers include: the Rev. Dr. Ray Hammond, Pastor of Bethel AME Church; chair and co-founder of the Ten Point Coalition; the Rev. Dr. Richard Pierard, professor of history and scholar in residence, Gordon College; author and professor of history emeritus at Indiana State University; the Rev. Dr. Nancy Taylor, senior minister, Old South Church and minister and president of the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ; and Jim Wallis, founder and editor-in-chief, Sojourners Magazine; and instrumental in drafting the Call to Renewal ('95) and Confessing Christ in a World of Violence ('04)
Following the hour-long panel discussion, attendees are invited to participate in roundtable discussions organized by No Ordinary Time (EDS) and JUSTPEACE (United Methodist Church). Dinner may be purchased at the EDS dining room after the panel discussion. Further information: Boston Theological Institute at 617.527.4880. www.bostontheological.org.
Episcopal Divinity School, 99 Brattle Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138.