CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Mike Waller, Senior Warden

Judith Peele, Junior Warden

Sybil Atkinson, Parish Administrator

Office Hours:  9 AM to Noon, Monday through Friday

Phone:  540-980-2413

christpulaski.org          christ24301@gmail.com

July   2025

Dear Parish Family,

Years ago I remember reading an article in Christian Clippings that seems appropriate for the month of July.

On July 4, 1895 “America the Beautiful” was published in the Congregationalist, a church publication.  This year this unofficial national anthem of the United States is 130 years old!

Few songs have become so ingrained in the fabric of society as this anthem.  Every person who grows up in our country becomes familiar with its stirring words in childhood, and now the first familiar strains strike chords of recognition that resonate with feelings of pride and belonging.

The words were written by Katharine Lee Bates, a professor at Wellesley College.  While on a tour of the country, Bates climbed Pike’s Peak.  After viewing the magnificent landscape below, she expressed her feelings in the poem entitled “America the Beautiful”.   The words were combined with music composed by Samuel Augustus Ward and the song came to life.

I think Independence Day is the most important holiday of the summer.  Americans everywhere celebrate the birth of our nation.  But we shouldn’t show our love for our country on just one day of the year.  We need to demonstrate our love of country and teach it to our children.  If we don’t, our children might never appreciate the freedoms they have.

The first verse of the anthem says:

“O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain!  AMERICA!  AMERICA!  God shed His grace on thee, and crown they good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.”

As we practice and exhibit our patriotism this summer, remember that God’s love surrounds us.  We “see” His love, we “feel” His love, and we must “share” His love.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Sybil Atkinson

Parish Administrator

SERVICE SCHEDULE

(for July)

July   6 – Morning Prayer

             July 13 – Holy Communion     The Rev. Terrie Sternberg

    July 20 – Holy Communion         The Rev. Sarah Lusk

          July 27 – Holy Communion      The Rev. Terrie Sternberg

SYMPATHY

THE LOVE AND SYMPATHY of the parish are extended to the family of Marion Young, wife of Don Young, who died June 5, 2025 in Rhode Island. Marion and Don have been our “snowbirds” every summer for more than 20 years.

THE LOVE AND SYMPATHY of the parish are extended to the family of Stanley Hu, brother-in-law of Ron Hall, who died June 22, 2025 in Maryland.

“May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercies of God, rest in peace…”

When the power of love overcomes the love of power

THERE WILL BE PEACE

Fourth Of July

Sponsored by the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors and the Pulaski County courthouses Exhibits Committee, Pulaski County will host its annual July 4th Veterans Remembrance Ceremony at Noon on Friday, July 4, on the lawn of the Old Pulaski County Historic Stone Courthouse. 

The public is invited to attend this patriotic observance, which honors local veterans and active military service members.

This year’s ceremony will feature guest speaker Carol Amorosi, an award-winning author, amateur historian, traveler and Celtic Enthusiast.  Amorosi will speak on the 1775 Fincastle Resolutions and the local men who signed the historic document in the lead-up to the American Revolutionary War.    

(Carol and her husband Dave, are members of Christ Church!)

TREASURER’S REPORT

Charlotte reports:

Easter gift to Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) was:  $373.00.

United Thank Offering Spring Ingathering (UTO) was:  $277.00.

DIOCESAN NEWS

As the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia begins our search for a new Bishop, the following Collect was recommended for our use:

A Collect for the

Election of our Bishop

Creator God, whose Church lives beyond the walls of buildings and the boundaries of cities, we ask that you guide our work as the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia moves together through a transition of leadership.

We pray for patience in dialogue and wisdom in discernment, that the richness of our diverse voices, from farmland to small town, mountain to downtown, will all be valued and heard. 

We pray for the person who will be elected as our next Bishop, for all those who are in discernment, and for the people of this diocese, so that the work of spreading God’s love in southwestern Virginia and beyond will grow and flourish in the years to come.

In the name of your incarnate Son we pray.

                        Amen.