Roseberry's Leaderboard

Dear Friends,

I really don’t have time to write a long message to you today. I was up at 5:30 a.m. for the 6:30 start of On Point. I have been engaged in conversations, meetings, and a few sessions all day long. I missed my first deadline for this article. I have only 15 minutes before my second drop-dead deadline…where The Call goes out without me.

I have to hurry…

I want to communicate the answer to the question that many, many people have asked me since the start of the New Year. “How did we end the year?” You remember that we were significantly behind the needed income to end the year in positive territory.

But, God be praised, we ended the year in the black. Not by much…but there is no red ink on the Christ Church books. At all. Praise God. The financial statement will be made public in a few weeks in time for our Vestry Election, but we can give thanks to God for His faithfulness once again.

I am thankful to God for the continuous generosity that He places on the hearts of His people. I know it is from God. One of our members told me a few weeks ago, “David, I know that God has touched me because I want to give what I give…I really do. I’d give more if I could. But what I give, I actually want to give!”

Some of us gave extra, some got caught up, some people make generous contributions to Christ Church as never before. No one person made us whole. Trust me, it was everyone doing everything they could.

At the end of the day, I am thankful to God. And honestly, I am thankful to all of you. Bless you!

My deadline upon me. See you Sunday!

In Christ,

Fr. David+

Dear Friends,

Stacy Mading, our CFO, came into my office saying, “I think you need to see this.” We received an offering that included a dollar and a Swiss Army watch inside an envelope labeled, “This is what I had today.” That’s it. No name. No address. No reference. No one to send a thank you note to. No address for a year-end tax statement.

I did need to see it. Someone had listened to the gospel reading about the widow who had two copper coins. (Mark 12) Someone had listened to my sermon about this woman…and how she gave from her ‘heart of devotion’. Someone had come to the conclusion that he wanted to give from his ‘pocket of devotion’ as she did. And this worshipper gave everything he had.

I must tell you that I was moved and troubled at the same time. I felt guilty, at some level, for preaching the watch off another man’s arm. I was humbled that people would listen so intently and respond so intensely. I was a bit embarrassed too.

Then I realized that this was not about me. It was not about the way I felt at all. Perhaps, as I hope is the case, this man was responding to the call to love God from his heart of devotion. This meant that a man in the church this past Sunday was deeply worshipping the Lord as he gave his watch and his last penny last Sunday.

What do you think of that? Talk about it with your spouse, children, coworker or friend. Discuss it in your small group. What would you say about a person who responded to God in a way that showed a shameless, extravagant love? More to the point, what would you say about our God who is so beautiful and gracious that someone sitting next to you would be so inspired to worship so fully.

Bless you, dear brother. And I know that He who has begun a good work in you will be faithful to complete it in the Day of Christ Jesus our Lord. (Philippians 1:6) And I also pray that your example might inspire countless others as did the widow who gave her two pennies and the Lord who gave His whole life.

Now, here are some other things you need to know:

Teaching Children About Stewardship

For those who are parents, Randy Alcorn as some great advice on teaching your children about stewardship.

Anglican 1000: a conversation on liturgy, formation, mission & art

I was in North Carolina last week at the Anglican 1000 Conference on Worship, Arts and Liturgy. It was a fantastic event. Kudos to our own Daniel Adkinson, the Executive Director of A1K. There is a growing resurgence of interest in the Anglican Church and the liturgy of the historic church, especially among young leaders. The conference featured a number of great speakers and presenters.

One of the speakers, Mark Galli, author and senior managing editor of Christianity Today, discussed how Anglican liturgy relates to our culture; especially the American romance with youth, technology and agency. Find a link to his talk on his web site to read more. Also, check out the Anglican 1000 website for more resources and the audio files of all the plenaries.

Also my son, Jed Roseberry, gave a well-received workshop on Liturgy, Art and Space. (By the way, Jed is preaching a stewardship series called “OPENhanded Stewardship”. Looks good! Check out his church, Restoration Anglican Church in Addison, TX.)

Upcoming Christmas Concert – December 4 at 7 p.m.

Start making plans to attend this year’s Christmas concert “Sacred Music in a Sacred Place”, truly one of the highlights of our whole season. This year’s concert features the carols of British composer John Rutter, sung by Christ Church Singers with full orchestra and soloists. With a long and rich heritage, the Anglican church is steeped in the traditions of sacred choral music and none more beautiful than found in the carols of Christmas. Dedicated to excellence across the musical spectrum, our Music Ministry will once again help us usher in this season, celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior.

Leaderboard Sunday

I was able to share some great information with a group of Christ Church leaders on Sunday night. The LeaderBoard is made up of a wide variety of staff and lay leaders. Once a year we meet to go over the year and look ahead.

We had a great time. And look at these three summary charts showing the growth of the adult ministries here. Fantastic!

Amen.

David+

PS: Remember, the Christ Church community gathers for worship and thanksgiving on Wednesday, November 23 at 7 p.m. Don’t miss your opportunity to give thanks. (Do you have house-guests? Bring them all!)

Dear Friends,

Before getting to the content of my letter today, I think we all must stop and pray for our fellow Americans who have experienced the tornado in Joplin, Missouri. What devastation. With deep sorrow and anguish for them, let us pray to the God of all comfort (II Cor 1). Even now, we do not know the extent of the damage, but it is surely catastrophic in loss of life. As of this writing I cannot fathom the numbers but I simply hope that more and more people will be found and reunited with their families.

This is May, friends. The fury of the weather and the cycle of our seasons always presents these things. Most of us live at the southern end of “tornado alley” and we are accustomed to these stories of terrifying storms. I remember reading about this years ago when a tornado cut a mile-wide swath through some town in Oklahoma. On the news that evening I saw a picture of a man and his broken-apart home. He had taken a spray can of paint and written to the heavens: “God, we need to talk…”.

But God has spoken on this matter. Read Psalm 46 and hear the cry of David–one of the strongest statements of faith in the Bible. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (vs.1) Then David describes the desolation that has occurred…and he ends with the most comforting of tributes: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

If you have friends or family in the Joplin area, please list their names in the comment section at the end of this blog. I will be sure that we pray for them. Also, I encourage you to go here if you want to make donations to help. Meanwhile, we will continue to uphold the strong people of the state of Missouri in prayer.

Now, here are some things you need to know.

Sign Me Up!
In the first hot summer of our church’s formation, I made a few hundred house calls. I’d usually wear my formal clergy attire—you know, the collar that gets me the back corner table when I go out for lunch wearing it. When I’d sit down with people in their homes I’d ask them about their experience in a church. Typical answer: nil. What about their faith commitment or background? Typical answer: light. What about their desire to work together to build a fully functioning parish in the North Dallas area? Typical answer: Sign me up!

That is the way it has been for 25 years. We are a parish that welcomes people of little or no faith background, but who have a keen desire to build a family of faith that will make a difference in the lives of our families and our communities. To this end, God has blessed this work and we all have something to celebrate on the 5th of June. Everyone who is in any way connected with Christ Church is invited to join us and give thanks for God’s great blessing over this parish family.

You have seen the advertisements about it: Sunday, June 5 at 9:30. You have read the dress code: casual. But you may not be aware that I have a special gift for every family at Christ Church. I honestly can’t tell you exactly what it is, but I can give you a hint: You will be able to enjoy it for years to come. Your kids will love it. You will be proud to share it with your friends. It will lift you in your spirit before the Lord.

And remember, comb your hair and look sharp! We will take a family photo together. The youth and children will join us. The Sanctuary will be filled to the brim. What a great day it will be. Click here to see our family photos through the years.

Confirmed
The Confirmation weekend should speak for itself. It was a tremendous blessing for us to have Archbishop Duncan visit us. He told me that ours was the largest Confirmation class he had ever worked with in North America. Those of you who attended only Sunday morning will be interested to know that the Confirmation service was deep and moving. We prayed along with the 108 people being Confirmed (about one-third of them adults).

For our 65 sixth graders, I think the ceremony will always be etched on their hearts and minds. Teeming with excitement, the students walked two by two to the altar and knelt before Archbishop Duncan as he laid his hands upon their heads and prayed the same words that have been spoken for centuries. His prayers may have sounded the same, but each one seemed to be especially prayed for each person. Archbishop Duncan told me many times that he was moved by the seeming hunger and passion of our youth. We had the incredible privilege of witnessing the commitment our students were making before the Lord and our church. Watching our young disciples take up their cross and follow the Lord was simple amazing.

Immediately following the Confirmation service was the traditional banquet honoring all the Confirmands. Fellowship Hall was a sea of tables elaborately decorated and set for a feast. Over 400 family members and friends filled the room. It was a great celebration for our families. Congratulations to our Confirmation Class of 2011! Here is a photo of them. (Click to enlarge.)

Christ Church Confirmation Class of 2011

Youth Staff Addition
During the Renew for Our Future campaign, I made you the promise to place children and youth at the forefront of our ministry. In the past few weeks we have seen some changes which are strengthening our ministry.  I have some great news along that line, but first…

I want to thank Jonathan Hunnicutt for the wonderful work he has done with our high school students. He began as an assistant in our youth ministry and formed great relationships working with our students. As his next step in ministry, he will be moving over to join Fr. Jason Bowman and the Adult Discipleship team and shore up our ministry to young adults, ages 19-25.  This is a natural way for him to stay in touch with the youth he has been working with.  It is a great new opportunity for Jonathan to build on his youth ministry experience and to carve out new discipleship opportunities for our current high school students as they move into the young adult age bracket.

Katie and Mike Boone

Meanwhile, I am very pleased to introduce Mike Boone to you as our new High School Youth Minister. Mike comes to us with a breadth of experience in discipling students and a challenge to build a robust high school ministry—an outreach to students all over the DFW metroplex. Mike will be ordained to the diaconate on June 4 and then made a priest within the year in the ACNA. He is a recent graduate of the Masters of Divinity program at Duke University. He and his wife, Katie, will join us around the third week of June and I can hardly wait for our kids to connect with Mike. He is a great guy. He loves the Lord. In the interview process, he had a lot of great ideas, but his heart and passion were centered on connecting with the students in their world and on their terms. It is my hope that he will help our youth team take off. I know this church will give him a wonderful warm Christ Church Welcome.

Both Mike and Pam Coghlan (who will concentrate on Middle School ministry) will report to Fr. Clint Kerley to reassess our youth ministry offerings, and Jonathan will be available over the summer to help with Mike’s transition. We will have a great team in these student ministers, and I am looking forward to what God can do through us with this renewed focus.

Financial Hiccup
Speaking of the Renew campaign, we do have a slight hiccup in our finances. Giving has been so strong that we have almost cut our debt in half! But we also need to enter the summer with a strong Operating Fund. To date we are about $120,000 below expenses in the Operating Fund. We have some reserves, but I am asking our families to step up in their giving to both our budget needs and our debt elimination program. I know it is a lot to ask…but these are times of great strength and ministry. Thank you in advance for your heart and commitment to these things. By the way, have you checked out our online giving option?

Orphanage Construction 80% Complete

Orphanage Construction Update
As you know, the Christ Church family has given generously throughout the years in support of the Casas Hogares Children’s Homes in the Diocese of Peru. I know you will be thrilled to see the progress that is being made on the new building for the kids in Arequipa. Read more and view a slideshow here.

Don’t Waste Your Freedom
For Memorial Day weekend, I am working on a special message entitled, “Don’t Waste Your Freedom”. I think it will be a meaningful reminder to us about the hard-fought freedom that we enjoy, both as Americans and as children of God. I hope to see you here.

In Christ,
David

Dear Friends,

I dropped the ball. I simply forgot. I don’t mind fessing up to you and asking for your understanding. I usually do it. I tell others to do it. But this year, I blew it. Sorry. It won’t happen again.

What did I not do? Simple. I did not include a letter of thanks for your participation and generosity in your statement of giving. I was busy and it just slipped off my to-do list in January. You must trust me on this: After 25 years I know full well how you have sacrificed and given and helped develop this church in incredible ways.

So I say thank you now…albeit late. Thank you for your faithfulness in prayer and giving, in trust and confidence. God did great things in 2010. Look here for a recap video.

Have you seen the video and read the brochure?

In 2010 our giving was slightly under budget, but expenses were under budget, too.  Once again, as has been the case for 25 years, we ended the year in the black.  Hallelujah! (See full 2010 Annual Report here; printed copies are available all around the campus.)

We turned the corner into the New Year with a sense of momentum, hope, and promise. Our Renew for Our Future campaign is underway and there is a great buzz about it around the campus. The Renew video was shown to a “standing room only” crowd in the Fellowship Hall after services on Sunday. If you haven’t seen it, make sure you do! It features three of our youth who will move you with their words…I guarantee it!

Sunday crowd watching the Renew campaign video

This weekend we will take another step along the Renew journey, so please be here. Meanwhile, if you have any questions at all about the campaign, please ask! Post your comments below or on Facebook, or email me, or call me 972-618-0222.

In Christ,
David+

Dear Friends,

Since our time together at Thanksgiving I have been reflecting on the many moments over the years where we have seen God’s hand. What a year it has been! I always look for a “theme verse” for a particular year, and last night it was given to me by one of our vestry members. Isaiah wrote: “Expand your tent stakes, Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtain wide, do not hold back, lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.” (Isaiah 54:2) In other words, get ready! God is doing some amazing work and we get to be part of it.

In the first part of next year I will lay out some very exciting plans for our church as we celebrate our 25th anniversary. The staff and vestry and a team of leaders have been busy making preparations for a new era in our church. I’ll let everyone know more about this in the first weeks of the New Year.

But first, here are a few things you need to know:

Your Year-End Giving
I implore you to help us finish the year strong. I ask you to be especially generous in your support of our ministry in the closing weeks of this year. We have been blessed year by year with sacrificial givers…and we need them now more than ever.  We need every family in our church to help us reach our income needs for 2010. Specifically, we need $654,000 by December 31 in order to make budget for the year. Please contact Stacy Mading if you have any questions about your giving, or about your statement which you should have received in the mail a couple of weeks ago.

Now, here are some things you need to know:

Nativity
The new Nativity set in the Sanctuary was a huge blessing to so many people.  Scores of people came forward to get a closer look. Here is a mini-FAQ from so many of you:

Q: How old is the tree and what kind of tree is it?
A: It is an olive tree from Samaria and is about 800-1,200 years old. I was told that olive trees are especially hard to judge in terms of their age, but it is very, very old.

Q: Are all the figures carved from that specific tree?
A: I don’t think so. But I have seen dozens of carved pieces of olive wood over the years of trips to Israel. I have never seen anything as absolutely stunning as these figures.  They are works of art and each piece is signed by the artist.

Q: Are there other pictures of it for me to send to friends?
A: Below are a few more pictures of the closeup work of the artist.

A Service Steeped in Anglican Tradition
This Sunday at 9:15 and 11 a.m. Services
“A Service of Nine Lessons and Carols” originating at the cathedral of Truro in Cornwall England on Christmas Eve, 1880, is the retelling in scripture and song of the story of our redemption in Jesus Christ. In its original form, the service consisted of nine readers, anthems and carols by the choir, and congregational hymns. Nearly four decades later, the service was modified and introduced to King’s College, Cambridge in 1918 by Dean Eric Milner-White. A bidding prayer and Lord’s Prayer were placed after the processional hymn with a series of prayers and blessings to conclude. Since that time, the King’s College tradition of Lessons and Carols has been instituted in parishes and cathedrals throughout the Anglican Communion and adopted by other communities of faith around the world. This service would be a wonderful opportunity to invite friends to experience our Anglican worship.

The nativity scene from last Sunday's Christmas pageant

This year’s Children’s Christmas Pageant was a huge success. Isaiah, angels, shepherds, wise men, kings, Mary, Joseph and sheep were all represented on stage. In all, 67 children did a wonderful job reminding over 220 family members, staff and guests about the events leading up to, and the day of, Christmas.  Afterward, the festivities continued as families gathered with cider and cookies. If you’re children are not involved in our Children’s Ministry, I would strongly encourage you to bring them. Their Christian education is extremely important, and great things are happening here every week.

Vestry Nominations
Members of Christ Church are invited to recommend names of people to be considered for nomination to the Vestry. Please include contact information and a brief description of the person’s spiritual qualifications, leadership experience and background of service. Submissions should be emailed to Jan Trimble, Office of the Rector. Submission deadline is Monday, December 20.

Merry Christmas From Our Family

The Roseberry Family 2010

Fran and I wish you all a blessed Christmas. Our entire family came in for Thanksgiving.  Jed, Stacy, Haley, and Evan are doing well at Restoration Anglican Church in Addison. Taye and Tray, with Moses, Milan, and their newest girl, Finley, still live in Spring, Texas where he is the worship leader at Faith Bible Church. Daniel is working as a fashion designer in New York. Liz is a freelance artist and designer in Austin. Pictured also here is my mother and her husband, Martha and Keith Thorson, who live in Tucson, Arizona.

I hope to see every one of your at our next “Invite Night”, Christmas Eve services at 4 ,6,8, or 10.  (The first is the “family” service; the other three are “candlelight” services.) We have a lot to make up for from last year!

In Christ,
David+

Dear Friends,

I have been holding off on telling you this because I was not sure of the timing. The crate I was hoping would arrive in time for Christmas arrived this past weekend. I made a trip to DFW airport on Monday, ran the box through customs and unpacked it at the church. I am simply overwhelmed.

The artist captured deep emotion in the faces of this stunning Nativity set

In tribute for the Lord Jesus and for the 25th anniversary of Christ Church, I am presenting a beautiful work of art to our church: an amazingly beautiful and exquisitely hard-carved olive wood Nativity Set from Bethlehem. The figures are exacting in their detail and they beautifully communicate the miracle and wonder of our Savior’s birth.  They are arranged in a wooden “cave” that is carved out of an olive-wood tree from the northern part of the Judean countryside. The tree itself is nearly 1,200 years old. It is stunning.

Fran and I saw this set in a gift store in Bethlehem and immediately felt it would be a fitting gift for Christ Church to receive. After all, we have a giant boulder from the Sea of Galilee! A donor made the acquisition possible. When we set up the scene in Sanctuary yesterday, we praised God for this ability to honor His Son in this way.

Nativity Sets are common this time of year. The birth of our Lord is told in marvelous detail by Matthew and Luke. Many of you have Nativity Sets in your home that have been in your family for years. We do as well. But now, together, Christ Church has its own special set that will stay in our parish family for years and years to come.

After the services on Sunday, I will invite you all to come forward to see and appreciate this work of art. Parents, I would want you to bring your children forward as well, but please keep close watch on them. It will remain up through January 6, the beginning of the Season of Epiphany.  Here is a gallery of photos showing the individual pieces:

Here are some other things you need to know this week:

Year-End Financial Need
We know that many people will wait until the last month of the year to make their generous contributions or ‘”catch up” on their annual giving. This year is no exception. We are asking everyone to give generously between now and the end of the year. Our year-end goal is $735,000. This amount will allow us to pay all bills and end the year in the black, ready for a great new term. Please be generous…as you have always been. Prayerfully considering your giving and make sure it matches the gratitude in your heart for what God has provided for you.

The Virgin Birth
Many people asked me about my message last weekend. Some had never thought of the Virgin Birth as one of the most essential doctrines in our faith. I hope I clearly explained its importance. I quoted a bishop of the church from the 17th century, Bishop  Lancelot Andrewes. Read here about his life, his sermon, and the direct quote from the text of his Christmas Day sermon of 1606. The language might appear arcane to some, but I have included my own paraphrase.

Growth and Strength in Our Small Groups

Small Group leaders met Sunday night to discuss growth and strength for our Small Group ministry.

I was so blessed to speak to our Small Group leaders on Sunday night. They are gospel ministers to hundreds of people in our church. They gathered under the leadership of Fr. Jason to chart a wayforward for growth and strength. The ministry of our adult Small Groups is being reemphasized as we celebrate our 25th anniversary. I don’t know of anything that has been more important to the life and heart of our church than our Small Group ministry. If you would like to grow in your faith by joining or starting a new small group, I hope you will contact Fr. Jason.

This weekend, we will continue our sermon series, Believing Christmas, with the story of Zechariah. I’ll see you here.

In Christ,
David