Dear Hearts,

This Saturday, April 23rd, our Concertato Series will present Mark Rehnstrom at 7:30 p.m. singing songs of Benjamin Britten, Bach, Schubert and others -- including his own works, and accompanied by our Music Director Mark Sullivan. Those of us who have been near the church this week, have been treated to previews of this Saturday's recital; without entering the church we could hear his marvelous baritone voice, and would tell you we are in for a special treat!  Mark Rehnstrom is part of the professional music scene in New York, and has sung with our Choir on occasion.  As a true "pro" however, when singing with others Mark seeks to support and blend his voice with others.  On April 23rd, beginning at 7:30 p.m., those constraints will be removed, and we'll get to fully hear his gifted voice.

During Coffee Hour on Sunday, April 24, our seminary intern Stephen Douglas, will talk and show slides from his pilgrimage to Italy and England last month.  As you may recall, Stephen's travels occurred the week before and of Holy Week; so he has stories to tell of his experience of Palm Sunday, Easter and all the holy days before and between.  He traveled with other senior seminarians at Berkeley Divinity School as part of their course of study.

In the meantime, I hope all parish households have received the detailed mailing about our new print and secure on-line Parish Photo Directory.  If you haven't, please let the office know!  (Replying to this message will do.)  This is unlike past directories: there will be no sales pitches and the photos are totally up to you!  You can provide a favorite photo, or, if you prefer, Junior Warden Sue Shackford will be available to take a photo specifically for the directory.  Times and dates are included in the letter; sign-ups are available in church.
 
Our May 1st Fellowship Supper will begin at 5 p.m. with a grilled chicken Caesar salad and potluck offerings of appetizers and desserts.  Then we will turn our attention to the collated and collected responses from our fall Hymn Sing and fall-winter Home Gatherings. (Copies will be available this Sunday.)  We'll have a chance to get up, move around and talk with each other. as we review, discuss, comment and offer the Vestry guidance regarding priorities for next-steps in our God's Call to Us -- Now & Into the Future planning process.  Childcare, mac & cheese, and a movie will be available for young parishioners.

Making our Parish Hall a more inviting and useful space has become a special project for our Evening ECW.  During Coffee Hour on May 1, they have arranged for Karin Patriquin of Patriquin Architects, to share a brief presentation about how these goals might be implemented. 

The ECW is presenting Roses for Mother's Day & A Rose for Mommy, on May 8.  This project offers quite a display to honor mothers and women who have been like a mother to us.  To prepare the order with Roses for Autism, forms need to be returned by the previous Sunday, May 1.  Forms and details are available in church. 

Raise-the-Roof's Build on Guilford's Green is scheduled for Saturday, May 21: Last I looked only one 90-minute hammer-and-nails building opportunity remained.  Three were available during the clean-up/load-up 3-4p.m. shift. Those tasks fit my skill-level; so that's where I signed-up. You can find them all here for folks 16 and older.  Younger folks and their parents, and other adults, could help with a Bake Sale, the "Wishing Wall," and "selling" house parts.  Sign-ups will be available in church.

One doesn't have to look far on such a beautiful day in Eastertide, like today, to see signs of new life rising.  Signs of the Risen Life are also apparent in what God is up to with us at Christ Church,  

Alleluia, alleluia! Christ is risen! 

The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia, alleluia!

​In faith and hope,
Harrison+
YFNR
p.s. The March/April edition of GTO: Glad Tidings Online is now available by clicking here.  Print copies are available in the back of the church and in the parish office for those without internet access.  Another reason to check out the Parish website is our ECW's page.  While you are there, please complete their incredibly simple, three-question survey at the bottom of the page.  The Episcopal Church Women thank you!

Dear Hearts,

Each year, the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter guide us into celebrating God as our Shepherd; we get to hear Jesus describe those who set their hearts on him as "my  sheep."  We won't hear Jesus call himself the "Good Shepherd" this year, but in Revelation we'll hear about a vision in which Jesus appears as "the Lamb at the center of the throne [of God; he] will be their shepherd, and he will  guide them to the springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."(7.17)  Although there's a lot in Revelation that totally baffles me, I take great comfort in this verse,

As you read that verse in Revelation, your imagination may have led you to one in the 23rd Psalm:  "...he leads me beside still waters."  This Sunday we also get to pray this beloved psalm together.   And because many of us know it by heart in the King James Version, that is the translation we will use.  Not to take anything away from the beauty and integrity of the contemporary Prayer Book version, the King James Version is a revered gift from the Church of England to English-speakers throughout the world.

And if that weren't enough, at the 10 a.m. service, we get to hear the Choir sing a beautiful setting of the 23rd Psalm, and we all get to sing some favorite "shepherd" hymns.

On April 23rd (no direct connection to the psalm), ourConcertato Concert Series will present Mark Rehnstrom singing songs of Benjamin Britten, Bach, Schubert and others -- including his own works, accompanied by our Music Director Mark Sullivan.  Although Mark Rehnstrom is part of the professional music scene in New York, he has sung with our Choir on occasion. Yes, indeed, Mark's voice may have added that amazing depth that you heard.  As a true "pro" however, on those occasions, Mark has sought to support and blend with other singers.  On April 23rd, beginning at 7:30 p.m., he'll be able to fully share his gifted voice.

During Coffee Hour on April 24, our seminary intern Stephen Douglas, will talk and show slides from his pilgrimage to Italy and England last month.  Speaking of Coffee Hour, there are many opportunities to host yet this Spring; please check-out the sign-up sheet in the Parish Hall.

Last week's letter contained the assurance that details would follow about several initiatives, Here are some of them:

• Parish Photo Directory:  Detailed information about how to get your photo and correct contact information into a new print and secure on-line photo directory is on its way to you; it's in a letter Senior Warden Pat Daunic took to the Post Office today.  As you look for that, be looking through your digital photo archive for a favorite photo of you/your household.  If you prefer, Junior Warden Sue Shackford will be available to take a photo specifically for the directory.  Times and dates are included in the letter.
• May Fellowship Gathering...on Sunday May 1 at 5 p.m., will include an opportunity for us to consider the responses from our fall Hymn Sing and fall-winter Home Gatherings.  These responses have been collated and will be available for review beginning next Sunday.  Then, on May 1, after a grilled chicken Caesar salad supper, and potluck appetizers and desserts, we will review, discuss, comment and offer the Vestry guidance regarding priorities for next-steps in our God's Call to Us -- Now & Into the Future planning process.  Childcare, mac & cheese, and a movie will be available for young parishioners.
• Raise-the-Roof Habitat projects: Last I looked only a few 90-minute hammer-and-nails building opportunities remained for Raise-the-Roof's May 21 Build on Guilford's Green.  More were available during the clean-up/load-up 3-4 p.m. shift. Those tasks fit my skill-level; so that's where I signed-up. You can find them all here for folks 16 and older.  Younger folks and their parents, and other adults, could help with a Bake Sale, the "Wishing Wall," and "selling" house parts.  Sign-ups will be available in church.  We had also hoped to offer an opportunity for a workday with Stephen Douglas at Raise-the-Roof's Habitat house now under construction in New Haven.  Turns out they are currently over-subscribed; so if you had April 23 saved for this project, please consider helping out on May 21..

​As some of you return from your Spring Break, and others depart, know that our Good Shepherd is with you.  Sunday School and other programs for children and youth will meet again this Sunday, April 17. 

Wherever this finds you, remember it is still Eastertide!  

Alleluia, alleluia! Christ is risen! 
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia, alleluia!

In faith and hope,
Harrison+
YFNR
p.s. The March/April edition of GTO: Glad Tidings Online is now available by clicking here.  Print copies are available in the back of the church and in the parish office for those without internet access.  Another reason to check out the Parish website is our ECW's page.  While you are there, please complete their incredibly simple, three-question survey at the bottom of the page.  The Episcopal Church Women thank you!

Details to Follow
 
April 9, 2016
Dear Hearts,

As I sit down to write to you, my head is swimming with thoughts from your Vestry's annual workshop today.  The Rev. Canon Tim Hodapp led us through a busy day: We began with prayer,  Bible study, and getting better acquainted; Tim+ reminded us of Vestry responsibilities, provided us with perspectives on God's Mission to reconcile and restore humanity and Creation to full relationship with God; and then led us through a process to note with gratitude where we have felt the Kingdom drawn near in the last 12 monhts, how we turned to be open to the kingdom in our midst, and a "next-steps" approach concerning where we find challenges to our common life.

Details will follow on how your Vestry will share these insights and this process with the whole parish.  Tim+, who serves the Episcopal Church in Connecticut as Canon for Mission Collaboration -- encouraged us to recognize the tools we have at hand.  My hunch is that the Vestry will collaborate with parishioners by sharing the collated responses from our Home Gatherings and HymnSing; and somehow, because this is Christ Church, food will be involved!

Speaking of the Home Gatherings, the need for a new Parish Directory was a recurring theme in the responses.  God knows us each of us by name, but sometimes our memories fail us!  Details will follow next week on a new photo directory to be developed "in house."  This directory will be available in print and online through the parish website; the online version, accessible from computer and mobile devices, will have individual password protection.

Opportunities for hands-on involvement reaching out in service to our neighbors also figures in Home Gathering responses.  Details will follow beginning this Sunday on how we can help build the Raise-the-Roof Habitat house now going up in New Haven.  We will also have opportunities for all ages to participate in the Raise-the-Roof "Build" on Guilford's own Green on Saturday, May 21.

Our youth, their mentors and parent-helpers, worked very hard last weekend to make this year's Spaghetti Supper a tremendous evening for us all.  Thanks to those who made it possible and all who participated!  Try as we might, not all the desserts were consumed last Sunday.  So, this Sunday bring your appetites to Coffee Hour for delicious youth-baked treats!

To honor all the time our teachers and students put into the Spaghetti Supper, and because Guilford Public School students are on Spring Break, Sunday School programs for children and youth will not meet this Sunday, April 10.  They will resume next Sunday, April 17.

Wherever this finds you, I hope you remember to say your Easter Alleluias!  
Alleluia, alleluia! Christ is risen! 

The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia, alleluia!

In faith and hope,
Harrison+
YFNR

p.s. The March/April edition of GTO: Glad Tidings Online is now available by clicking here.  Print copies are available in the back of the church and in the parish office for those without internet access.  Another reason to check out the Parish website is our ECW's page.  While you are there, please complete their incredibly simple, three-question survey at the bottom of the page.  The Episcopal Church Women thank you!