 Announcements for Palm Sunday, April 10:
Poetry Retreat for Lent ... ... will be offered Saturday, April 9 from 1-3p.m. in the Rectory. We will explore Lenten themes through poems chosen by Cecelia Parker. All are invited to reflect on their Lenten journeys -- and the parts of life that feel like Lent -- in this conversation with Cecelia. Palm Sunday Preparations for all ages ... ... will be happening Saturday, April 9 from 2 to 5p.m. Soup-making, brownie-baking, and palm-cross crafting are among the planned activities in the Parish Hall and Kitchen. These are all in preparation for our observance of Palm Sunday including the after-worship Soup Lunch. Ecumenical Blessing of the Palms Returns! Our traditional Ecumenical Blessing of the Palms with our neighbors from St. George Catholic Church and First Congregational Church will be back on the Green at 9:45a.m. on Palm Sunday, April 10. Hurray! Palm Sunday Soup Lunch & ECW Bake/Craft Sale ... will follow the 10a.m. service on April 10. Soup, brownies, and coffee will be served in the Parish Hall after the service. We look forward to gathering again for a meal together! Also in the Parish Hall, our ECW will be offering for sale their home-made baked goods, Easter crafts and more. All items will be packaged for your enjoyment, or to give as a gift. Help Ukrainian Refugees ... ... via a collection at Christ Church organized by Dorota Xeller (our Director of Children's Ministries) April 3 -10. All collected items will be delivered to St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church in New Haven for shipment via Warsaw to Lviv, Ukraine. Items being sought are: Aspirin, First-aid Kits, Neosporin, Saline wound wash, Toothpaste, Bandages, Gauze, Vaseline, Medical tape, and Men's white socks -- all new and in original packaging, please. Please bring your donations to a box in the narthex or to the Children's altar. The Path of Holy Week ... ... is where our "Journey through the Bible" has brought us. Our Monday evening conversation has pulled ahead, and will be focusing on Chapter 20, "We Have Seen the Lord!" While the Thursday group takes more time with Chapter 19 titled "Crucify Him." Feel free to join the conversations on Monday at 7p.m., and Thursday at 9:30a.m. Click here for the Zoom. Copies of The Path are available on the Ushers' Table and on the Rectory Entry Hall shelf. Episcopal Election Update The Bishop Transition Committee has announced their nominees for the next Bishop Diocesan of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut. You can learn about them here. Nominations may now be made by petition through April 14. Opportunities to "Meet & Greet" the nominees will then be scheduled across ECCT during May 9-14. Please keep this process and the Committee in your prayers. Need an Antigen Test? The Town provided Christ Church with a case of COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Tests. These tests are available on a first-come, first-served basis on the Ushers' Table and in the rectory entry hall. Lent Madness concludes the "Holy Kitsch" round today with a toss-up between Thomas Villanova and Thomas Aquinas on their way to the "Golden Halo." Don't know about them? All the more reason to follow LentMadness.org here. And yes, the whole concept is total "madness," and also inspiring and delightfully clever! Mask Protocols ... ... in Worship: Mask-wearing became optional during inside gatherings of Christ Church beginning March 24. This was on the recommendation of our Worship Options Group adopted by the Vestry as they followed developments closely including this guidance from Bishops Douglas and Ahrens beginning in the third paragraph. We will continue distributing communion in one-kind for the balance of Lent, and from the Children's altar. ... in Sunday School: Following the practice in the Guilford Public Schools, mask-wearing is optional -- always exercising special concern for any who are vulnerable. Intercessory Prayer: Please help shape the Prayers of the People, by replying to this message with the people, birthdays, anniversaries, and concerns you would like included in the Prayers of the People.
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 An Interfaith Prayer Vigil for Ukraine...
... will be offered on the Green in Guilford on Sunday, April 3 at 5p.m. Chiefly organized by an interfaith group of lay folks, the service will include Ukrainian speakers, songs, prayer and togetherness. Help Ukrainian Refugees ... ... in a collection at Christ Church organized by Dorota Xeller (our Director of Children's Ministries) April 3 -10. All collected items will be delivered to St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church in New Haven for shipment via Warsaw to Lviv, Ukraine. Items being sought are: Aspirin, First-aid Kits, Neosporin, Saline wound wash, Toothpaste, Bandages, Gauze, Vaseline, Medical tape, and Men's white socks -- all new and in original packaging, please. Please bring your donations to the Children's altar. Poetry Retreat for Lent ... ... will be offered Saturday, April 9 from 1-3p.m. in the Rectory. We will explore Lenten themes through poems chosen by Cecelia Parker. All are invited take a break on your Lenten journey for this conversation with Cecelia. Palm Sunday Preparations for all ages ... ... will be happening Saturday, April 9 from 2 to 5p.m. Soup-making, brownie-baking, and palm-cross crafting are among the planned activities in the Parish Hall and Kitchen. These are all in preparation for our observance of Palm Sunday including the after-worship Soup Lunch. The ECW will gather on Thursday, April 7 at 11a.m., in the Parish Hall to organize for their Bake & Craft sale which will happen during the Soup Lunch. The Path continues ... ... this week as our "Journey through the Bible" takes us to Jesus' teaching and the events of his "last week" in Chapter 19 titled "Crucify Him." We will see how far we get in the parallel conversations on Monday at 7p.m., and Thursday at 9:30a.m. Click here for the Zoom. Copies of The Path are available on the Ushers' Table and on the Rectory Entry Hall shelf. Episcopal Election Update The Bishop Transition Committee's nominees for the next bishop of the Episcopal Church in CT will be announced the "Week of April 4." Yes, that is a change of date. Please keep this process and the Committee in your prayers. Need an Antigen Test? The Town provided Christ Church with a case of COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Tests. These tests are available on a first-come, first-served basis on the Ushers' Table and in the rectory entry hall. Lent Madness will conclude the second round on Monday, with Oscar(Anskar) in competition with Thomas Aquinas for the "Golden Halo." Don't know about one or either? All the more reason to follow LentMadness.org here. And yes, the whole concept is total "madness," and also inspiring and delightfully clever! Mask Protocols ... ... in Worship: Mask-wearing became optional during inside gatherings of Christ Church beginning March 24. This was on the recommendation of our Worship Options Group adopted by the Vestry as they followed developments closely including this guidance from Bishops Douglas and Ahrens beginning in the third paragraph. We will continue distributing communion in one-kind for the balance of Lent, and from the Children's altar. ... in Sunday School: Following the practice in the Guilford Public Schools, mask-wearing is optional -- always exercising special concern for any who are vulnerable. Intercessory Prayer: Please help shape the Prayers of the People, by replying to this message with the people, birthdays, anniversaries, and concerns you would like included in the Prayers of the People. Trivia Night on March 26 was great fun! Thanks again to organizers Beth Brause, Lisa St. Marie and Susan Leonard. Lenten Music for Voice and Organ on March 27 was an inspiring highlight to our Lenten journey. Many thanks to Leila Mustakos and Mark Sullivan! If you missed this moving event, you can find it here on Youtube. The recital begins after an introduction by me which you should feel free to skip! Be warned that when the recital does begin, while the sound is great, you won't get to see the musicians -- the balcony remains empty. Thanks to today's garden crew -- Michael Haggans and Tony Piscatelli assisted by groundskeeper Paul Ferraro. They tidied the public areas and spread mulch. Be sure to thank them! With gratitude and hope, Harrison+ Your Friendly Neighborhood Rector  Announcements for Sunday, March 13:
CT VIP Speaker: This Sunday, please help welcome Mr. Leonard Jahad, who founded and serves as Executive Director of the Connecticut Violence Intervention Program out of his commitment to serving vulnerable young people. CT Bishops' address the Invasion of Ukraine .... and offer statements and resources from across the Church here. Among them is Episcopal Relief & Development which is working with Anglican and interfaith partners in Europe to provide humanitarian assistance to those fleeing the invaders. Click hereto provide resources for blankets, hygiene supplies and other needed aid for the refugees. Plaster Repairs in the Nave will begin ... ... Monday, March 14! The repairs will address damaged plaster and peeling paint on the north side of the nave. The repaired areas will be repainted to match the existing paint. The work will take about 10 days, and involve temporary relocation of some pews; some seating will be disrupted on March 20. Many thanks to Tag Sale Team! This endeavor is funded by their hard work in 2019-21. The Path Moves into the New Testament This week's "Journey" in Chapter 18 takes us into Jesus "Proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom" through healings and miracles. The invitation to observing a holy Lent included "reading and meditating on God's holy Word." Might this be a Lenten practice for you to take on? Feel free to join the conversation Monday at 7p.m., or Thursday at 9:30a.m. Click here for the Zoom. Copies of The Path are available on the Ushers' Table and on the Rectory Entry Hall shelf. Community-wide Diaper Drive You'll be seeing signs all over town for a Diaper & Food Drive culminating in a collection on Saturday, April 2. We will have a collection bin for that drive in the church beginning Friday, March 18. So, you can participate by bringing diapers and wipes (our chosen focus) with you to worship on March 20 and 27, or dropping your donations off via the Guild Room door at other times. Did you know? SNAP funds cannot be used to purchase hygiene products like diapers and wipes; and the folks needing assistance with diapers are those with the least access to laundry facilities. Need an Antigen Test? The Town provided Christ Church with a case of COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Tests. These tests are available on a first-come, first-served basis on the Ushers' Table and in the rectory entry hall. Lent Madness not only introduces us to those who were "the light of the world" in their generations," but the occasion for a chuckle. For example: March 11's match-up between Gonzaga and Villanova; no, not the universities, but the Jesuit Aloysius Gonzaga and the Augustinian Thomas of Villanova. If you subscribe here, it's not too late to help elevate one of them to the next round, on their way to receiving the "Golden Halo." And yes, the whole concept is total "madness," and also delightfully clever! Mask Protocols ... ... in Worship: Our Worship Options Group and Vestry are following developments closely. Although infection numbers have vastly improved, Guilford remains a "red" zone on the CT Department of Public Health map. Therefore, following the State's advice for inside gatherings, our mutual expectation of mask-wearing in worship remains in place for another Sunday. ... in Sunday School: Following the practice in the Guilford Public Schools, mask-wearing is optional -- always exercising special concern for any who are vulnerable. Intercessory Prayer: Please help shape the Prayers of the People, by replying to this message with the people, birthdays, anniversaries, and concerns you would like included in the Prayers of the People.  Lent Begins:
The flowers are gone, the purple hangings are in place, the word "alleluia" is absent from our worship, prayers of confession return, and we will begin Sunday's 10a.m. service with the Great Litany -- a tradition for the First Sunday in Lent. As the season and the world are confronting the reality of evil, I confess to a bit of delight in the Great Litany's petition, "That it may please thee ... finally to beat down Satan under our feet"! (BCP, p.152) Lent Madness is another way to mark Lent and to celebrate those who were "the light of the world" in their generations." It will come daily to your email inbox if you subscribe here. It's not too late to help elevate either Olaf or Kateri Tekakwitha to the next round, on the way to receiving the "Golden Halo." And yes, the whole concept is total "madness," and also great fun! Support Ukrainian Refugees ... ... through Episcopal Relief & Development: ERD is working with Anglican Partners in Europe and the ACT Alliance to provide humanitarian assistance to those fleeing the invasion of Ukraine. Click here to provide blankets, hygiene supplies and other needed aid for the refugees. Next Sunday We'll Welcome Leonard Jahad... ...Executive Director and founder of the Connecticut Violence Intervention Program. During the 10a.m. service, he will tell us about CT VIP, and the significant difference the program is making in the lives of vulnerable young people. The Path Moves into the New Testament This week's "Journey" in Chapter 18 takes us into Jesus "Proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom" through healings and miracles. The invitation to observing a holy Lent included "reading and meditating on God's holy Word." Might this be a Lenten practice for you to take on? Feel free to join the conversation Monday at 7p.m., or Thursday at 9:30a.m. Click here for the Zoom. Copies of The Path are available on the Ushers' Table and on the Rectory Entry Hall shelf. ECW Sponsored "Fill A Bag" ... ... as their Pre-Lenten Project: A few gallon-sized bags with a list of needed toiletry items remain available as you enter the nave, and by the Guild Room stairs. Monetary donations are also welcome; the ECW will do the shopping for you. These bags are a great help to folks living on the margins of plenty. Please return filled bags when you can. Need an Antigen Test? The Town provided Christ Church with a case of COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Tests. These tests are available on a first-come, first-served basis on the Ushers' Table and in the rectory entry hall. Mask Protocols ... ... in Worship: Our Worship Options Group and Vestry are following developments closely. Although infection numbers have vastly improved, Guilford remains a "red" zone on the CT Department of Public Health map. Therefore, following the State's advice for inside gatherings, our mutual expectation of mask-wearing in worship remains in place. ... in Sunday School: Following the practice in the Guilford Public Schools, mask-wearing will-be optional -- always exercising special concern for any who are vulnerable. Intercessory Prayer: Please help shape the Prayers of the People, by replying to this message with the people, birthdays, anniversaries, and concerns you would like included in the Prayers of the People.  Poetry Workshop is coming up ...
... next Saturday, February 26, from 11a.m. t 1p.m. Led by our seminarian Cecelia Parker, we'll focus on Epiphany themes: "We'll read poems, discuss them, and perhaps write our own. I would love to see you there!" Light refreshments will be served. Perhaps there's a poem from Cecelia's Poetry Table, available after both Sunday services, that you would like to discuss with her during her Office Hours. Feel free to drop in for a visit with Cecelia to talk about poetry, theology, or personal concerns during her Monday office hours between Noon and 5p.m. in the Guild Room. Her Wednesday office hours are via Zoom, and are made by arrangements on Sunday, or via email. Reply to this message, and Cecelia will get back to you. Pre-Presidents' Day Break for Sunday School, ... ... Youth and Confirmation preparation this Sunday, February 20. All will resume next Sunday, February 27 at their usual times.. The Path Moves into the New Testament This week's "Journey Through the Bible" takes us into the New Testament, beginning with "Good News of Great Joy" in Chapter 16. The text moves between the Gospels according to Matthew, Luke and John to tell the story of the Incarnation and Epiphany. Monday at 7p.m., or Thursday at 9:30a.m. particularly good times to join this Journey Through the Bible. Click here for the Zoom. Copies of The Path are available on the Ushers' Table and on the Rectory Entry Hall shelf. Please feel free to join the conversation. ECW Sponsors "Fill A Bag" ... ... as their Pre-Lenten Project: Gallon-sized bags with a list of needed toiletry items are available as you enter the nave, and by the Guild Room stairs. Monetary donations are also welcome; the ECW will do the shopping for you. These bags are a great help to folks living on the margins of plenty. Please return filled bags through Ash Wednesday, March 2. Unable to Obtain an Antigen Test? The Town has provided Christ Church with a case of COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Tests -- especially for those who live at addresses to which covidtest.gov declined to deliver as multi-family or commercial. These tests are available on a first-come, first-served basis on the Ushers' Table and in the Rectory Entry Hall. Is there light at the end of the "masked" tunnel? Friday's announcements from Guilford Schools Superintendent Dr. Paul Freeman and Guilford First Selectman Matt Hoey indicate that the wearing of masks will no longer be required in Guilford's Schools or Town Hall beginning Monday, February 28. Here's the First Selectman's announcement. Our Worship Options Group and Vestry will follow these developments closely. Please remember that our mutual expectations are based on Jesus' teaching to "Love your neighbor as yourself." And that we have leaned towards greater caution than some gathering places. For the time being, our mutual expectation of mask-wearing during Sunday School, choir practice, and worship -- except for lectors, preachers and soloists -- remains in place. Intercessory Prayer: Please help shape the Prayers of the People, by replying to this message with the people, birthdays, anniversaries, and concerns you would like included in the Prayers of the People.  Update from the Bishop Transition Committee ...
... was released on February 8th and can be found here. Organized after Bishop Ian Douglas announced last April that he intended to retire, the Committee reports their process to date and what's next -- having identified a group of semi-finalists, the whole Committee will be on retreat with them mid-March. From those conversations, the Committee will discern a group of finalists whom they will present to the Diocese in late March. You can review the whole timeline here, and subscribe here to the Committee's newsletter. Exploring Confirmation with Will Parker ... ... continues this Sunday, February 13 immediately following Holy Communion. This program offers Christ Church High School students the opportunity to consider confirming their baptismal promises with Bishop Ian Douglas in June. What makes this program particularly exciting is that Will's father, the Rev. Andrew Parker, literally wrote the text they'll be using: Keeping the Promise, a curriculum for teenagers thinking about Confirmation in the Episcopal Church. We will present the potential confirmands with their own inscribed copies of The Book of Common Prayer during this Sunday's 10a.m. service. The Path Wraps Up Hebrew Bible This week's "Journey Through the Bible" concludes our time in the Hebrew Scriptures with the stories of Queen Esther, rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem, and the prophet Ezra summing up our journey so far. Ezra's summary would make Monday at 7p.m., or Thursday at 9:30a.m. particularly good times to join this Journey Through the Bible. Click here for the Zoom. Copies of The Path are available on the Ushers' Table and on the Rectory Entry Hall shelf. Please feel free to join the conversation. Unable to Obtain an Antigen Test? The Town has provided Christ Church with a case of COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Tests -- especially for those who live at addresses to which covidtest.gov declined to deliver, as multi-family or commercial. The Rectory being one of the latter. These tests are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Cecelia Parker's Poetry Table & Office Hours are back! Be sure and check out Cecelia's Poetry Table after both Sunday services. Perhaps one of these poems might provide an occasion for you to explore a poetic, theological or personal topic with Cecelia Parker, our seminary intern from Berkeley Divinity School, the Episcopal seminary nested within Yale Divinity School. Feel free to drop in for a visit with Cecelia during her Monday office hours between Noon and 5p.m. in the Guild Room. Her Wednesday office hours are via Zoom; visits on Wednesdays, also between Noon and 5p.m., are by arrangements made on Sunday, or via email. Reply to this message, and Cecelia will get back to you. Update from Shoreline Interfaith Resettlement Let's keep the Tareen family in our prayers as they work with SHIR volunteers to make the necessary massive adjustments from their rural life in Afghanistan to their new life in America. Shoreline Interfaith Resettlement includes First Congregational Church of Guilford, St. George Catholic Church, Temple Beth Tikvah, North Madison Congregational Church, Christ Church, Guilford Rotary Club and other community individuals and groups. Intercessory Prayer: Please help shape the Prayers of the People, by replying to this message with the people, birthdays, anniversaries, and concerns you would like included in the Prayers of the People.  Our Annual Parish Meeting ...
...is scheduled for Sunday, February 6; however, since it seems unlikely -- given the current state of the pandemic -- that we will have the necessary quorum, we will follow a version of last year's plan. We will convene the meeting following the 10a.m. service, recognize that we lack the necessary quorum, and then adjourn until recalled by the Vestry no later than January 5. We actually hope to have the meeting in early March or April. Thanks to leaders of Parish ministries and programs for all the reports that have been received by the Parish Office. A few are still outstanding. We hope to be able to present a complete set in the next week. Exploring Confirmation with Will Parker ... ... begins this Sunday, February 6 immediately following Holy Communion. This program will offer Christ Church High School students the opportunity to consider confirming their baptismal promises with Bishop Ian Douglas in June . What makes this program particularly exciting is that Will's father, the Rev. Andrew Parker, literally wrote the text they'll be using: Keeping the Promise, a curriculum for teenagers thinking about Confirmation in the Episcopal Church. Unable to Obtain an Antigen Test? The Town has provided Christ Church with a case of COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Tests -- especially for those who live at addresses to which covidtest.gov declined to deliver, as multi-family or commercial. The Rectory being one of the latter. These tests are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Cecelia Parker's Poetry Table & Office Hours are back! Be sure and check out Cecelia's Poetry Table after both Sunday services. Perhaps one of these poems might provide an occasion for you to explore a poetic, theological or personal topic with Cecelia Parker, our seminary intern from Berkeley Divinity School, the Episcopal seminary nested within Yale Divinity School. Feel free to drop in for a visit with Cecelia during her Monday office hours between Noon and 5p.m. in the Guild Room. Her Wednesday office hours are via Zoom; visits on Wednesdays, also between Noon and 5p.m., are by arrangements made on Sunday, or via email. Reply to this message, and Cecelia will get back to you. The Path: Chapter 14 Our "Journey Through the Bible" continues with stories about Daniel, more prophecies from Isaiah, and an introduction to Ezekiel," on Monday at 7p.m., and Thursday at 9:30a.m. Click here for the Zoom. Copies of The Path are available on the Ushers' Table and on the Rectory Entry Hall shelf. Please feel free to join the conversation. Update from Shoreline Interfaith Resettlement Shoreline Interfaith Resettlement (SHIR)'s family of 11, co-sponsored with Integrated Refugee and Immigration Services (IRIS) is settling in. Thanks to the Education Committee, led by Jennifer Huebner, older family members are attending ESL classes and the children are now all in appropriate schools; necessary registrations are being completed with the help of Diane Pierpont; and getting to where they need to go happens with the help of the Transportation Committee headed by Winnie Seibert. Let's keep the family in our prayers as they work with SHIR's volunteers to make massive adjustments to life in America. Thanks to all Christ Church parishioners who generously provided over $6100 in financial support! Shoreline Interfaith Resettlement includes First Congregational Church of Guilford, St. George Catholic Church, Temple Beth Tikvah, North Madison Congregational Church, Christ Church, Guilford Rotary Club and other community individuals and groups. Intercessory Prayer: Please help shape the Prayers of the People, by replying to this message with the people, birthdays, anniversaries, and concerns you would like included in the Prayers of the People.  Announcements for Sunday, January 16, 2022
HELP NEEDED, PLEASE DO WHAT YOU CAN A Plea from the Outreach Committee at Christ Church Last night at the Outreach Committee meeting (conducted via Zoom), Cindy McNamara arrived straight from her work at the V.A Hospital and told the rest of us about the extremely trying conditions there. There is a shortage of staff members – doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists – because so many are out sick with Covid themselves. There is also an acute shortage of blood, both at the V.A. and across the country, resulting in the need for rationing. Winnie Seibert then told of a friend who had recently been diagnosed with leukemia and, on one occasion, could only get half of the blood he needed. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP? One thing those of us who are not medical professionals can do is to GIVE BLOOD. Click here to find Red Cross Blood Drives in the Guilford area. If you are out of town and would like to give blood – since there is a national shortage – go to the Red Cross web site (https://www.redcrossblood.org/) and enter your zip code to find a Blood Drive near you. Please pass this information on to your friends and relatives. The need is urgent. During these stressful times, we sometimes feel helpless. Giving blood is one simple way we can help those suffering from Covid as well as from other illnesses, and help the medical professionals who have worked so hard and selflessly throughout the pandemic. Christmas Gratitude: Many thanks to all who made our celebrations so special during these challenging times --
Thanks to all who have responded to our Stewardship Program by offering their Gift Estimate cards for 2022! Thanks also to those who are still considering what God is asking you to provide for our shared life and witness in the new year. Please feel free to offer your card during any worship service, or to mail or drop it off during office hours Tuesday-Thursday, or outside of service time daily between 10am and 3p.m. Update from Shoreline Interfaith Resettlement Shoreline Interfaith Resettlement (SHIR) welcomed a family of 11, co-sponsored with Integrated Refugee and Immigration Services (IRIS) on Wednesday, December 29. Thanks to the Education Committee, led by Jennifer Huebner, family members are getting into ESL classes and registered for school; are completing state registrations with the help of Diane Pierpont; and getting to where they need to go with the help of the Transportation Committee headed by Winnie Seibert. Thanks to all Christ Church parishioners who have provided over $6100 in generous financial support! Shoreline Interfaith Resettlement includes First Congregational Church of Guilford, St. George Catholic Church, Temple Beth Tikvah, North Madison Congregational Church, Christ Church, Guilford Rotary Club and other community individuals and groups. In Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, January 17: The 37th Annual Branford Martin Luther King Day Breakfastwill begin on-line, Monday, January 17 at 8:30 am. This year's speaker is Chris Wilson, author of The Master Plan; My Journey from a Life in Prison to a Life of Purpose. He's been making the rounds of many talk and news shows, so you night have heard of him. He has an amazing story to tell. Melvin Wilson, co-founder of Tiurnaround Tuesday will join Chris in a panel discussion moderated by Deb Rogala of Community Partners in Action. Tickets are $15 benefiting the Branford Food Pantry, Feed Branford Kids, and Branford Fuel Assistance. Click here to purchase tickets and to view several videos of Chris Wilson (this is particularly helpful if you don't know about him). St. Peter's Church in Cheshire invites children and adults to elevate their voices, as we march for unity, peace and hope in a "Children's March and Bell-Ringing Ceremony for Unity." We celebrate the power of our youth to make a difference and unite us in love. Together, we will march through the streets of Cheshire — socially distancing, sharing food and hot chocolate, and ringing the bells of freedom. Beginning at 1p.m. Monday, January 17, at St. Peter's Church, 59 Main Street, Cheshire. Organized in partnership with the State of Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities and the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity & Opportunity. The Path: Journey through the Bible Chapter 11 -- continues with stories about David, "A Man After God's Own Heart," on Monday at 7p.m., and Thursday at 9:30a.m. Click here for the Zoom. Copies of The Path are available on the Ushers' Table and on the Rectory Entry Hall shelf. Please feel free to join the conversation. Cecelia's Poetry Table & Office Hours ... remain on semester break with Cecelia. Intercessory Prayer: Please help shape the Prayers of the People, by replying to this message with the people, birthdays, anniversaries, and concerns you would like included in the Prayers of the People.  Advent Outreach Opportunities: If it's Advent at Christ Church, then you can count on us being concerned about keeping our neighbors warm during the cold days ahead. The Mitten Tree welcomes gloves, caps, scarves, coats, and yes mittens, for our neighbors served by the Chapel on the Green in New Haven.
This Sunday, December 19, we'll receive our annual "Angels Under the Balcony" offering for the Town's Heating Assistance Program. The Town's program actually began over 100 years ago at Christ Church with the beneficence of Julia Leete Newhall. The door closest to the Guild Room is open ourside of worship times, from 10a.m.-3p.m. for you to help 'decorate' the Mitten Tree, or to leave an "Angels" offering on the altar. Please put "Angels" or "Heating" on the memo line of a check. Supporting victims of Tornadoes in the central U.S.: Episcopal Relief & Development supports the rescue and relief work underway following last week's brutal tornadoes. You can donate to ERD's US Disaster Fund by donating here. Wednesday Order for Evening in Advent will include special organ music for the season. You are welcome to participate in-person or online via www.faceook.com/cecguilford at 7p.m., December 22. "Grateful for All God's Love" Thanks to all who have responded to our Stewardship Program for 2022. Thanks to all who have offered their Gift Estimates! Thanks also to all who are still considering what God is asking you to provide for our shared life and witness in the coming year. Please feel free to offer your card on Sunday morning. Outside of service times, the side door, closest to the Guild Room, is open daily between 10am and 3p.m. so you may have personal prayer-time in the church, and to offer your Giving Estimate on the altar. Update from Shoreline Interfaith Resettlement Shoreline Interfaith Resettlement (SHIR) is ready to welcome a large family, co-sponsored with Integrated Refugee and Immigration Services (IRIS): Very little is known about the family of 11, other than the two parents, four daughters, ages 20, 19, 13 & 5, and five sons, ages 15, 11,10, 9 & 7 -- and that they are expected after December 27. Thanks to all Christ Church parishioners who have provided such generous financial support! Thanks to SHIR's donors, the house is fully furnished, and there's outerwear for all. Shoreline Interfaith Resettlement includes First Congregational Church of Guilford, St. George Catholic Church, Temple Beth Tikvah, North Madison Congregational Church, Christ Church, Guilford Rotary Club and other community individuals and groups. Episcopal Church Women Announcements: The ECW are offering their “Cookie-Less Cookie Boxes" again this year. Pick-up yours now in the parish hall to support the ECW's high school scholarship program. Holiday cardholders will also be available on the table in the Parish Hall. There will be honor-system collection boxes for each. Christmas Wreaths: Only one remains available; check it out in the Rectory garage. If you ordered one but haven't picked it up, it's also in the garage with your name on it. Cecelia's Poetry Table Be sure to check out this week's Poetry Table on Sunday -- the last until January 16. "You can look forward to it under the balcony with copies of poems on different topics that I hope God may use to speak into your life." Cecelia's Office Hours will also return in January, following her semester break. Tag Sale's Christmas Pop-up Sale continues in the Parish Hall..Come see our costume jewelry display in the Parish Hall! All items are reasonably priced. Please use the RED box on the table for your “honor system” payment. Thank you from your Tag Sale Team! The Path: Journey through the Bible -- Chapter 8 -- continues on Monday, December 20; the next Thursday gathering will be on December 30. These session will have parallel discussions about the era when Israel was ruled by the "Judges," and includes some outrageous characters, as well as the story of Samson and Delilah. Click here for the Zoom. Intercessory Prayer: Please help shape the Prayers of the People, by replying to this message with the people, birthdays, anniversaries, and concerns you would like included in the Prayers of the People.  Announcements for
Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 2021, & The First Sunday of Advent, November 28, 2021 Thanksgiving Day Worship at 10a.m. Let us join together in giving thanks for our many blessings, including God's abiding presence through days of sorrow and hardship, as well as for the beauty and bounty of God's Creation. We'll sing the great hymns of Thanksgiving, hear Governor Wilbur Cross's classic and timely Thanksgiving proclamation of 1936, and offer the Great Thanksgiving. You can participate in-person and online. Have a Blessed and Safe Thanksgiving! Harrison+ First Sunday of Advent, November 28 begins a new year in the life of the Church, and also begins the celebration of Hanukkah for our Jewish neighbors -- another celebration of light against the darkness of the world. Thanks to our Altar Guild team, this Sunday the Advent wreath returns, as do our beautiful indigo hangings and vestments. If you follow these things, we'll move into Year C in the Revised Common Lectionary -- the cycle of readings we share with liturgical English-speaking denominations for Sundays and major holy days, and Year 2 in the Prayer Book's Daily Office lectionary. . "Grateful for All God's Love" -- our Stewardship Program for 2022 -- began to receive our Giving Estimate Cards on Christ the King Sunday, with a powerful and challenging sermon from the Rev. Ellen Tillotson. Thanks to all who offered their Gift Estimates for 2022. As previously noted, we will continue to receive cards throughout Thanksgiving Week and into Advent. Outside of service times, the side door, closest to the Guild Room, is open daily between 10am and 3p.m. so you may have personal prayer-time in the church, and to offer your Giving Estimate on the altar. Gift cards for Thanksgiving Food Baskets -- Again this year, the Guilford Food Bank invites us to provide grocery store gift cards between $10 and $25 for their Holiday Food Basket program. The Food Bank will provide supported households “with a turkey, fresh vegetables and a gift card for participants to purchase their own non-perishables according to their own dietary needs and family traditions.” Your gifts may be left on the altar, placed in an offering basin, or delivered to the Parish Office. Please make checks payable to Christ Church with "Food Basket" on the memo line, and we'll purchase cards for you. This is the Guilford Food Bank’s one appeal to support their food basket programs for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanks to all who have responded so generously! Big News from Shoreline Interfaith Resettlement Shoreline Interfaith Resettlement (SHIR) has received confirmation of a family for to co-sponsor with IRIS: A family of 11 - parents, four daughters, ages 19, 17,13 & 5, and five sons, ages 15, 11,10, 9 & 7! This week SHIR signed a lease for a four-bedroom house in New Haven's Beaver Hills neighborhood. Thanks to all Christ Church parishioners who have provided such generous financial support! As you can imagine, the needs for this family will be significant! Other ways to help: SHIR is asking for coats/hats/gloves and NEW underwear, socks and pajamas. Please leave them by the Children's Altar. The needed furnishings have been received. Shoreline Interfaith Resettlement includes First Congregational Church of Guilford, St. George Catholic Church, Temple Beth Tikvah, North Madison Congregational Church, Christ Church and other community individuals and groups. Episcopal Church Women Announcements: Dear Ladies of Christ Church, You all are invited to the ECW's December 9th Annual Christmas Luncheon! Fliers are available in the church and parish hall, and just outside the parish office. The ECW will also offer their “Cookie-Less Cookie Boxes" again this year. Reserve yours now in the parish hall or on December 3rd, to support the ECW's high school scholarship program. Holiday cardholders will also be available on the table in the Parish Hall. There will be honor-system collection boxes for each. Christmas Wreaths may be ordered on Sunday morning; forms are available in the church or outside the Parish Office, and sample bows are displayed next to more forms in the Parish Hall. Wreath decorating will happen on Thursday, December 2, between 3 and 6p.m.; all are invited! Wreaths may be picked up then, or during the Chili-to-Go Event between 5 and 7p.m. on Friday, December 3. Christmas Market -- December 3, 5-7p.m. Your Tag Sale Team is trying something new! Come and see ouroutdoor Christmas Market during Chili-to-Go, and the Wreath and Cookie-Box Sales. The Market will feature holiday entertaining and decorating items, as well as NEW gifts and holiday baskets. Proceeds will fund needed building improvements. Thank you for your support! From Cecelia: Poetry Retreat/Poetry Table Hello Christ Church! As a lover of the arts and creativity, I often find that one of the ways I most easily connect with God is while reading or writing poetry. There's just something about these little packets of words that seem to hit right where and when I need them to. Poetry, for me, is often an answer to prayer and it is a gift I would love to bring to Christ Church during my time here. That being said, you can look forward to a poetry table located under the balcony with copies of poems on different topics that I hope God may use to speak into your life. Additionally, you can look forward to a Poetry Retreat, now moved to Saturday December 11th from 11-1 where we will talk and experiment in more depth with the ways poetry can connect us with God, each other, and ourselves. Tag Sale Jewelry Pop-up Sale Come see our costume jewelry display in the Parish Hall! There were many nice pieces left from our September sale and all items are reasonably priced. Display will be refreshed with new items frequently, so check back often. Please use the RED box on the table for your “honor system” payment. Thank you from your Tag Sale Team! The Path: Journey through the Bible -- Chapter 5 -- will resume on Monday, November 29 and Thursday, December 2 with a discussion of the first part of the first group of stories about the King-who-did-not-know-Joseph, the Israelites, and Moses. Click here for the Zoom link to both. Intercessory Prayer: Please help shape the Prayers of the People, by replying to this message with the people, birthdays, anniversaries, and concerns you would like included in the Prayers of the People. The door nearest the Guild Room is unlocked daily between 10a.m. and at least 3p.m., for a time of quiet in the church or to listen to Mark rehearse. |
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