Newsletter
Newsletter
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
SERVICE SCHEDULE
(for May)
May 3 – Morning Prayer
May 10 – Holy Communion
The Rev. Terrie Sternberg
May 17 – Morning Prayer
May 24 – Holy Communion
The Rev. Terrie Sternberg
May 31 – Morning Prayer
May 2026
Searching for an appropriate topic for this May newsletter has been interesting.
At first, I considered writing about the origin of the month’s title, May, and then
about various traditions celebrating the arrival of May, such as the Maypole.
Copilot, the AI for the Bing search engine, turned up several interesting facts
about the Maypole and other spring celebrations, like Beltane and Walpurgis
Night, leading in turn to details about Goethe’s Faust. All that was fascinating,
but when I began writing, the opening paragraph suddenly deviated into planting
tomatoes by May 10. Perhaps a connection exists between tomato stakes and
the Maypole, but I doubt it. I deleted the paragraph.
This morning the thought of writing about the liturgical calendar came to me. I
have tried to continue Cary’s practice of identifying each Sunday’s place in that
calendar. Doing so triggered an interest in the liturgical seasons. As a child, I
focused only on the seemingly interminable Advent season, and the equally
arduous Lent, waiting for Christmas presents and that Easter basket. I never
thought about there being six Sundays of Easter. How wonderful it is that we
extend our celebration of Christ’s rising!
The next season on the liturgical calendar, of course, is Pentecost. Copilot called
my attention to the title’s significance of Pentecost being fifty days after Easter, a
significance I certainly should have known but don’t recall knowing. The Christian
celebration correlates to the Jewish celebration Shavuot just as Easter correlates
to Passover, explaining why so many different language groups were gathered to
hear the apostles speaking in various tongues.
As I was ruminating of these details this morning, two gentlemen came to our
front door. They were Jehovah’s Witnesses, and I spoke with them for a time. It
seemed appropriate that their proselytizing arrived when I was thinking about
Pentecost. I told them what had been on my mind, and they asked about
Episcopalian beliefs. I answered with what I understand to be the central beliefs
of Christianity, not realizing until they had left and I turned again to Copilot how
different their beliefs are from ours. We did not debate theology but found
common ground in the belief that Jesus came to us to bring humanity together. It
was a good conversation.
Rusty Swope
Senior Warden
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
VESTRY
The Vestry will meet on
Sunday, May 17th, 2026 following the
service. (Third Sunday of the month)
OUTREACH SUNDAY – May 10th will
be our 2nd Sunday when the loose
offering and designated checks will go
to our Discretionary Fund.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
EASTER WRAP-UP
What a joyous Easter service we had!
It was wonderful to have the Flowering
of the Cross, music, singing, and of
course the Easter Liturgy and Holy
Communion.
And a special THANK YOU to Mike
Waller for his yearly “planting” of our big
wooden cross each year for our Maundy Thursday service.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
JUNE CALENDAR DATES
Saturday, June 13
Ordination and Consecration of our
new Bishop:
The Rev. Karin Lee MacPhail
Sunday, June 14
Our Annual Church Picnic at
Randolph Park
Sunday, June 28
Bishop’s Visitation
at Christ Pulaski Episcopal Church
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
God gave the world stars
and there was beauty.
God gave the world sun
and there was warmth.
God gave the world rain
and there was life.
God gave the world mothers
and there was love.
via Shalom Ministry
Dearborn Heights, MI