“How Do You Give Away God?”

Richard Rohr, a modern mystic and spiritual author and Francisan friar, frequently jokes with his audiences that God has a problem. In a sermon he once famously preached: “God’s problem in all of history has been: how do you give away God?….Most of us aren’t interested….we’re interested in other things: money and power and success and good looks and politics. We never get around to the one thing we were created for, it seems.”

Rohr posits that there’s an awkward space between humankind and God, a gap between God’s always-abundant, always-available grace and us. “We always allow God, by our own silliness and stupidity, to be distant, to be elsewhere. We always find a gap between ourselves and our neighbor, between ourselves and, really, almost everything. And therefore we feel quite lonely and isolated in this world,” he argues.

But Rohr reminds us that, even in our silliness and isolation and brokenness, there’s something inside of each of us that urges us to keep connecting, relating, and communing with others. That desire is God, the Holy Spirit, working within us. It is the Holy Spirit, Rohr asserts, that is helping us to “fill the gap of everything” and that is restoring us to God’s original intention.

After more than a year of isolation and disconnection and quarantine, we will remind ourselves this Sunday that, truly, there is no gap between God and ourselves and no gap between us and our neighbors. Come and celebrate with us the gift of the Holy Spirit, the gift of connection, the gift of relationship this Pentecost Sunday, May 23 at Military Park at 11 am. We look forward to connecting with you!

Celebrate Pentecost in the Park

SUNDAY, MAY 23 AT 11AM

This Sunday, May 23, we will celebrate the joy of resurrection in action with one live, bilingual service at 11 am in lieu of 10 am, 1 pm, and 4 pm services. This festive service will be held outside at Military Park, rain or shine, and will include the rite of Holy Baptism and a recognition of recent graduates. A mariachi band will add to the celebratory atmosphere, so come early to enjoy their music!

Attendees must pre-register and bring their own lawn chairs or picnic blankets. IUPUI has offered the use of their parking lot on the northeast corner of W. New York St. and N. Blackford St. for our use. Brief prayer services will be offered online at 10 am and 1 pm.

In-Person Worship Continues

Remember to make your reservations by the Wednesday night of each week. That means reservations for this coming Sunday’s 8 am service are closed, but it’s not too late to reserve your spot for Sunday, May 30, at 8 am, 10 am, 1 pm, or 4 pm. We will continue streaming the 10 am and 1 pm services at www.cccindy.org/live.

Pre-registration and COVID-19 precautions are required for all attendees. We look forward to seeing you!

Remember, Renew, Rise:
Listening Sessions Coming Soon

What is your dream for Christ Church Cathedral? How do you hear God calling us to be a parish church for our downtown community, a Cathedral for our diocese, and a house of prayer for our city? How will God use us to widen the circle of God’s embrace in the next chapter of our ministry? Where do we need to direct our energy, resources, time, and focus in the post-COVID world?

We invite you to come, share your thoughts, ideas, prayers, hopes, and dreams, and to listen to those of your fellow members during a set of five conversations during Summer 2021. We’ll meet in a socially distanced gathering in the Parish Hall after each worship service on the following Sundays for conversation about each of the following ministry focus areas:

Sunday, June 13: Missions/Outreach
Date TBA: Liturgy and Worship
Date TBA: Social justice/Presence on Monument Circle
Date TBA: Spiritual nurture and growth (including formation for children and youth)
Sunday, August 8: Music

Questions, comments or ideas? Contact Junior Warden Andrea Hunley.

Work at CCC!
Now Hiring Community Relations Specialist

CCC is seeking a Director of Community Relations (known inside the congregation as the Canon for the Circle) to empower, equip, and enable the people of Christ Church Cathedral to live into our mission of widening the Circle of God’s embrace with heart and voice. The Director/Canon will have one foot inside the church, engaging with us in our life of prayer and worship and formation, and another foot outside the church, helping us to make meaningful connections with the people who are our neighbors on Monument Circle and to collaborate with secular groups and organizations who are already doing work of justice, peace, and reconciliation that aligns with our missional values and priorities. The Director/Canon’s primary areas of focus will be hospitality, connection, support, advocacy and collaboration.

Collin Miller Named Finalist in 2 Prestigious Competitions

Exciting news! Christ Church Cathedral’s own Junior Organ Scholar, Collin Miller, has been invited to participate in two prestigious organ competitions this season: the Poister Competition in June and the St. Alban’s Competition in July.

Collin has been an organ scholar at the Cathedral since Fall 2019, and he is grateful to Christ Church Cathedral for the opportunity to grow as a musician during his time with us. Speaking of Music Director, Christopher Caruso-Lynch, Collin said, “Chris has been a great teacher in every aspect of church music.” Please join us in congratulating Collin for what is already a stellar accomplishment and wishing him all the best as he finishes the academic year and prepares to compete in June and July.

Welcome CCC’s Musical Arts Intern

We are happy to welcome Claudia Gage as our new musical arts intern for the summer. As an intern, she will assist in planning, advertising and executing CCC’s concert series. Claudia is pursuing dual master’s degrees in arts administration and public administration at the O’Neill School at Indiana University-Bloomington. She previously earned a BA in theater studies and a certificate in nonprofit leadership from Youngstown State University in Ohio.

Cathedral Women Summer Picnic

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16 AT 6PM

The Cathedral Women invite you to their annual summer meeting outdoors at Garfield Park, on Indy’s near southside. This will be a great opportunity to catch up with one another, as well as discuss the upcoming Strawberry Festival and hold Board elections. Dinner will be provided, but attendees should bring their own portable chairs or picnic blankets.

Let Sarah McFetridge know by June 9 if you’d like to attend. All are welcome!

Centering Prayer: Walking the Labyrinth

MONDAY, MAY 24 AT 5:30PM

Take a field trip with the Centering Prayer group to Second Presbyterian Church to walk their prayer labyrinth. The labyrinth is an ancient form of contemplative prayer that engages the whole body of the participant.

CCC Kids:
Meet Us at St. Alban’s Peace Garden

SATURDAY, MAY 29 FROM 10AM TO 12PM

Families of all ages are invited to join us as we learn how life triumphs over death in the Peace Garden! The Peace Garden at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church benefits the Community Cupboard of Lawrence, a food pantry on the northeast side of Indy. On May 29 we’ll be planting 300 tomato plants, so bring your garden gloves and trowels if you have them! Parents should plan to supervise their children while at St. Alban’s. Masks and social distancing are required.

CCC Concerts: Preludes and Portraits

SATURDAY, MAY 29 AT 6:30PM

Pianist Clare Longendyke returns to CCC to perform music by Amy Williams, Claude Debussy, and more! Clare splits her time between Indianapolis, where she leads the “Music in Bloom” festival, and Chicago, where she is artist-in-residence at the University of Chicago.

CCC Seeking Ambassadors for Pride Festival

SATURDAY, JUNE 12, FROM NOON TO 4PM

Christ Church Cathedral will participate in the virtual 2021 Indy Pride Festival next month, and we’re looking for volunteers to “staff our table.” We’ll have a public Zoom room that visitors can drop into, and we need volunteers on hand to welcome them and answer any questions they might have about CCC. We’d love to have at least two people at all times.

Will you consider being an ambassador for CCC at this event? If so, send your availability to Executive Coordinator Lauren Good.

Intercessory Prayer: Who We Are, What We Do

FRIDAYS AT 5PM

Christ Church Cathedral’s Intercessory Ministry consists of lay leaders who are committed to praying for the needs of others and their life situations. Prayer is our bridge, and we call on the presence of God to work through us as we respond to the needs of our community members. Since April of 2020, we have welcomed the opportunity to walk with others in their times of need, concerns, and celebrations. If you feel called, we invite you to join this ministry or send us your concerns and thanksgivings.

Send your prayer requests by email to Rev. Fatima, all information is held confidentially.

Daily Devotionals From CCC

CCC’s daily devotionals, emailed to all subscribers Monday through Thursday each week, will take a short break before returning for an abbreviated run this summer when subscribers will receive a single weekly devotional on Wednesdays.

GOOD WORD SUBMISSION FORM

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