2010 April

Sunday School Update: May 2010

April 27, 2010 By Christ Church Leave a Comment

Our youth had a wonderful time dyeing Easter eggs!

Thank you to all who participated in Easter egg dyeing and Youth Sunday activities! What a joy it was to have two Sundays filled with the talented Youth of our parish! You are the reason our programs are so successful!

Come celebrate another year of “Living the Good News” on June 4! A fun evening is being planned…..look for more details soon!

Vacation Bible School will be held July 19 – 23 from 9:00 – noon each day. We will be using ReNew: The Green VBS program. We are still in need of a few volunteers to lead groups of children and to assist station leaders. Please email us if you are able to help. Registration will begin in June.

Here are some important dates to remember:

May 30: Memorial Day Weekend (no classes)

June 4: Celebration of Youth. More details to come

June 6: Last Classes

July 19—23: Vacation Bible School

Filed Under: Parish Life Tagged With: children, Parish Life, Sunday School, Youth

Thanks for Helping to Pay-off the Mortgage!

April 26, 2010 By Christ Church Leave a Comment

Our mortgage debt total is now under $400,000.00!

With pledges, extra gifts, coin jars and hard work – we strive to eradicate the debt by year’s end so that we do not have to renegotiate with the bank.

With only eight months to go until our mortgage is due, we entered (Beginning in March), a new effort to raise as much money as possible to pay off the mortgage. We began “$10 in ’10” and expect that you have seen the wonderful display on the information table. We urge people to use the envelopes provided for cash or checks and are asking people to put extra gifts of $10 or more (we were thinking multiples of 10s) in the display each time they attend.

A Word about our Mortgage Reduction Effort

As a part of the Remember, Rejoice and Reveal Campaign, parishioners may receive a phone call from one of the Task Force members asking for an additional effort and gift during this calendar year. This is an authorized and supported effort, began with the understanding that we needed to make the request person to person. We deeply appreciate your consideration of this and hope that our combined effort will result in total success.

Help us reveal

May is our next designated month for the returning of Remember, Rejoice and Reveal Coin Jars. We are over the $8,000.00 level of donations and every cent goes to the eradication of our mortgage. There are plenty of coin jars for each and every family to use – look for the basket near the baptismal font.

Filed Under: Parish Life Tagged With: Stewardship

From the Rector: May 2010

April 26, 2010 By Christ Church Leave a Comment

By the time you are reading this, Easter Day will have been gloriously celebrated almost one month ago, but I must take this time to extend my thanks and deepest appreciation to so many who made the day a joyous and loving expression of faith, beauty and reverence:

Thank you to Rebecca Warlow and the entire Altar Guild for their dedication and commitment to the Holy Week services. Each day demanded a different type of preparation, and almost the entire membership was present on Holy Saturday to clean, polish, press, decorate and set up.

Thank you to HouFei Yang and the members of the Choir for their ministry of leadership and offering such memorable and sacred music throughout the week. Did you know that the choir was present for services on Palm Sunday, Wednesday Tenebrae, Maundy Thursday Eucharist, Good Friday Liturgy, Holy Saturday Vigil and both services on Easter Day?

Thank you to all volunteers who stepped in to help set up, clean, do yard work and prepare for Easter.

Thank you to our Ushers and Acolytes and Tellers.

And a huge Thank You to the staff of Christ Church – especially Maggie Caldwell.

Sharing the Love of the Risen Christ,
Richard+

Filed Under: News Tagged With: From the Rector

Prayers: April 25, 2010

April 25, 2010 By Christ Church Leave a Comment

We with and for people across the world.

On this fourth Sunday after Easter, we celebrate with joy and thanksgiving the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his presence in our lives. Let us pray saying: God of light, hear our prayer.

We pray that those in power in all regions of the world will make choices that bring hope and light to all people. Let us pray saying: God of light, hear our prayer.

We give thanks for the beauty of this earth, for the green pastures and still waters. We pray for the knowledge and resolve to be faithful stewards of the resources with which you have blessed us. Let us pray saying: God of light, hear our prayer.

We give thanks for Katherine, our Presiding Bishop, for Eugene and John, our Diocesan Bishops, for Richard, our Rector and for James our celebrant today.. In this Diocese, we pray for the parishes of St. James’ Monkton; Ascension and Grace Memorial Church, Darlington. In the Anglican cycle of prayer, we give thanks for The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and The Middle East. Let us pray saying: God of light, hear our prayer.

We thank you for our Christ Church family, for those who serve in the ministries of our parish and for the friendship and love that we find here. We give thanks for all who are new or visiting today; for this we pray saying: God of light, hear our prayer.

We ask for compassion and mercy on those who are ill and on those who care for them, especially [N.]. For those who are lonely or anxious, that they may find comfort and peace. For this, we pray saying: God of light, hear our prayer.

We pray for those who have died; that we may one day join them in eternal life, we pray saying: God of light, hear our prayer.

We give thanks for the joy of those in our congregation who celebrate anniversaries of their wedding, birth, baptism or other occasions. Let us pray saying: God of light, hear our prayer.

God of light, we joyfully give this coming week into your hands and ask that you be with us in all that we do. Hear our prayers and fulfill your purposes in us in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Filed Under: Prayers Tagged With: Prayers

Children / Youth Updates: April 2010

April 21, 2010 By Christ Church Leave a Comment

Sunday School and Youth Groups Prepare for Easter

Join us on Saturday, April 3 at 10:00 AM for an Easter egg dying party in the lower level of the Parish Hall. Please bring some hard-boiled eggs. Dye will be provided. We generally hand out 20 dozen eggs after Easter morning services. We will also be stuffing plastic eggs for the hunt that follows the family church service. Bring along any extra plastic eggs and jelly beans too!

And don’t forget! On Easter morning, please bring your mite box and a flower for the annual “Flowering of the Cross” celebration.

Youth Sunday Sunday and Service Sunday are April 11.

Please join us for Youth Sunday on April 11. Youth of all ages will participate in the service. We will have a special offering from our older elementary youth during the Liturgy of the Word.

The youth will also host Service Sunday during the Sunday School hour from 9:15 – 10:15 AM. The Middle School Youth are working to extend the mural in the Middle School Youth space in the lower level of the Parish Hall. Our primary service will be to help paint the mural. We will have a “kids space” for our younger members to paint on the wall. For those who prefer not to paint, we have an alternate activity planned.

Annual Flower Sale is May 1: Save the Date!

Spring has finally arrive, and it won’t be long before the Youth Group summer annual flower sale. Save the date of Saturday, May 1. We will have a variety of spring/summer annuals for sale, as well as beautiful hanging baskets.

Filed Under: Parish Life Tagged With: children, Sunday School, Youth

Prayers: April 18, 2010

April 18, 2010 By Christ Church Leave a Comment

We lift up our hearts in prayer.

Many times our eyes are open, yet we do not see things as they are meant to be seen. Let the Spirit of the Lord encompass our senses and fill our hearts as we join our voices in prayer, saying: Lord, we lift up our hearts.

Most Merciful God, give us strength to trust in your will. Give us courage to allow your light to shine through us and be a witness to others. Let your love grow in us so we may grow in love with each other. We give thanks for Christ Church and those that are new or visiting us today. We give thanks for Saint Aidan’s Parish and for the visit of the Reverend Elizabeth Rees. We pray for this Diocese and for Holy Cross, Cumberland and Holy Nativity, Baltimore. In the Anglican cycle of prayer we give thanks for the ministry of The Nippon Sei Kai; The Anglican Communion in Japan. Let us pray to the Lord. Lord, we lift up our hearts.

The Lord renews us each day. He is with us in darkness and in light. When we trust in him, we are made whole. Let us rejoice in the Lord, realizing the many blessings he’s given us. We give thanks for this congregation and for all those celebrating the anniversary of a birth, baptism, or wedding this week, especially… and those you now name. Let us pray to the Lord. Lord, we lift up our hearts.

Lord you challenge us to show our love for you, by being disciples to those in need. Lord give us the compassion and wisdom to be with others in despair. We pray for the hungry, the homeless, the unemployed, those who are sick, and those who mourn. Let us pray to the Lord. Lord, we lift up our hearts.

Let us trust in the Lord, the way Peter did, allowing him to lead us places we would not normally go. Trust in the many blessing that await us there. Trust in the promise of the Holy Spirit as we pray for all those that have gone before us. Let us pray to the Lord. Lord, we lift up our hearts.

Lord, hear our unified voices, praying together with blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Filed Under: Prayers Tagged With: Prayers

Prayers: April 11, 2010

April 11, 2010 By Christ Church Leave a Comment

We thank our youth for writing this week's prayers.

This week’s prayers were written by the Youth of our congregation.

Thomas was not with the other apostles when Jesus appeared to them in the locked room, and was asked to believe Jesus was alive based on the word of his friends. Thomas could not believe, but when Christ appeared and invited Thomas to touch his wounds, Thomas fell to his knees saying “My Lord and My God”. We celebrate the joy of the Easter season, but we know all is not well. We call to Christ with all our needs in faith, as we continue to open our hearts to his presence. As when Thomas saw the risen Christ, please respond, My Lord and My God, hear our prayer.

We pray for peace around the world. On this Youth Sunday, we pray particularly for all youth living in war conditions, especially those who are taken against their will as child soldiers. May all youth of the world have hope for a better future.