Advent is the beginning of a new Church year and the mark of the most hectic season of the year.

On Sunday, November 28^th , we begin the season with the lighting of the Advent Wreath Candle.  This Advent we will have a special “visitor” from the Christmas story appear each Sunday in Advent to light the candle for us.

On Sunday, December 5^th, the Rev. Canon Scott Slater will be with us as he visits parishes in his role as Canon to the Ordinary (Executive Assistant to the Bishop).  Canon Slater will preach and celebrate at both of our services.

On Saturday, December 18^th, at 1:00pm in New Brick, we will celebrate the Ordination of Gina Arents to the priesthood.  Bishop John Rabb will be with us and we look forward to your presence as well.  A joyous reception will follow in the lower level.

And on Sunday, December 19^th, we will be decorating the Church for Christmas after the service of Lessons and Carols.

And don’t forget – one final coin jar is being requested from each and every family during the month.  The basket will be placed by the font.

See you in Church!

Sharing the Love of the Risen Christ,

Richard+

Click to open this week’s Weekly News: November 21, 2010 in PDF format. If you can not open the link, please click the title of this post above first.

Today was the annual meeting at Christ Church. If you missed it, or want to listen again to Father Richard Ginnever’s annual address, please click the links below. The 2010 Annual Report is also available for your review.

Opening remarks and thank yous

Year in review: Part 1

Year in review: Part 2 & Closing remarks

Click to open this week’s Weekly News: October 24, 2010 in PDF format. If you can not open the link, please click the title of this post above first.

Here is the 2010 Annual Report. If you are not able to click the link, please open this post by clicking the title above.

Click to open this week’s Weekly News: October 17, 2010 in PDF format. If you can not open the link, please click the title of this post above first.

Click to open this week’s Weekly News: October 10, 2010 in PDF format. If you can not open the link, please click the title of this post above first.

Click to open this week’s Weekly News: October 3, 2010 in PDF format. If you can not open the link, please click the title of this post above first.

Joy and anticipation capture the spirit of Christ Church at this juncture in our journey. Our life together now has a new way forward with an expanded Sunday School, a new Assistant Rector, new Bibles and a renovated gathering space.  Gratitude abounds for the warm, caring, energetic group of people who comprise our parish and who come together for worship, fellowship, learning, sharing, giving and serving.  We enjoy being together and that is truly a gift!  We are equipped for deepening our own spiritual life, inviting others into our midst ,who are seeking meaning and inquiring about God, and serving our community, locally and internationally.

In our readings we are asked to be faithful to God and to value our life in Christ.  Our Lord entrusts His People with this amazing world and grants us creativity to bring education , health, shelter and peace to his creation.  We are invited and challenged to act in love to reconfigure ourselves and our world to meet Christ’s goals.  Opportunity awaits, let’s answer the call.

Every year I think of September as a kind of “Starting line.” It is as if everyone were preparing for the start of a race, digging their toes in and just waiting for the starter’s gun to signal – “and they’re off!”  The fresh start of school is obvious, but it seems that every other aspect, certainly of Church life, also gets into the race; every committee renews its energy; organizations regroup; so many schedules renewing their demand upon our time.

It is good that we have taken time to refresh ourselves this summer, but now, the “race is before us.”

“Train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old, he shall not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6)

This quote from Proverbs has always been among my favorites, and I believe it as well.  Our children need to be with us on Sunday mornings to receive their Christian education with others; our children need to be here to experience the love of God in liturgy and worship; our children need to be here to experience the power of a community that accepts us as we are while calling us to be all that God invites us to be.

Yes, your children need to be here – every Sunday in one of our classes.  If not here, where will they be “trained in the way that they should go…?”  And while it is good for us to say that THEY need to be here, I trust that you will see to it that YOU are here as well.

See you in Church!

Sharing the Love of the Risen Christ,

Richard+