Epiphelmas!

On Sunday evening we gathered for an Epiphelmas service at Christ Church! The idea for an Epiphelmas service was brought to our Church from England by our previous Choir Director and this was our second time offering it. I have to say - I'm in love!

Similar to a Service of Lessons and Carols, this service highlights some of the major moments of the Epiphany season, beginning with the Visit of the Magi and ending with the Presentation at the Temple. Each moment was celebrated with a reading of the scriptural account, poetry, an anthem by the Choir and a hymn. We also reaffirmed our Baptismal vows after hearing the account of Jesus' baptism by John and were sprinkled with Holy Water by our priest.

The service ends with candlelight, echoing the Church's practice at Candlemas, as we remembered the Presentation at the Temple.

Although we hadn't advertised it as such, this is a lovely service for children. Many of the stories we read were ones that children in our atria know, and with Rev. Peter dousing us with water and each of us holding a lit candle there was a lot going on! Luckily one wonderful family did attend, and I loved capturing a few photos of their girls.

It was a beautiful service and I look forward to celebrating it again next year!

Pet Blessing Sunday!

Join us this Sunday, October 6th at 10:30 am as we celebrate the feast of St. Francis with a service of Holy Eucharist and Blessing of the Animals!

Bring your pets (on a leash or in a cage) to Church! 

There will be a parade of exotic animals during the service!

Everyone will be invited to bring their pets forward for a blessing.  

See you Sunday!

Christian formation will begin at 9:15 am as usual and atrium will end early so that everyone can enjoy the service. The Nursery will be open from 9:00 am until the conclusion of the 10:30 service.

Christian Formation Begins This Sunday!

It's that time again! Many parishioners have been hard at work preparing for a new year of Christian Formation at Christ Church. This Sunday, September 22nd, atrium and Christian formation classes for all ages will begin at 9:15 am! Here is a quick peek at what we are offering and where to find it:

The Nursery
The Nursery is open from 9:00 am until the conclusion of the 10:30 service (approximately 11:45 am) and is staffed by our two wonderful child care providers - Julie Esmond and Camille Bowers. The Nursery is in room 2 on the second floor, down the hall from the True Vine Atrium.

Atrium 
Atrium runs from 9:15 am - 11:10 am.  Children join their parents in Church at the exchange of the Peace and participate in Holy Communion.

Good Shepherd Atrium (preschool and kindergarten) - led by Deb Schelling, Sarah Gage and Kathleen Nitschke. The Good Shepherd Atrium is at the bottom of the center stairwell in the basement. Children need to have a short orientation before beginning in the Good Shepherd Atrium for the first time, and this group has shortened session for the first few weeks. This schedule will be sent families directly.

True Vine Atrium (first through third grade) - led by Leslie Swaim-Fox and Marilyn Wright. The True Vine Atrium is room 1 on the second floor at the top of the south staircase.

Golden Thread Atrium (fourth and fifth grade) - led by Lynn Winkelman and Dennis Harrison. The Golden Thread Atrium is room 6 located at the top of the center staircase on the second floor.

Youth Classes
Youth classes meet from 9:15 am - 10:15 am. Youth attend the 10:30 service in the sanctuary, and serve as acolytes, choir members, ushers and more.

Rite 13 Youth Class (sixth, seventh, and eighth grade) - led by Katie Ong-Landini and Mischelle Lohr. This group meets in room 7 which is the long narrow room down the hall from the Golden Thread Atrium on the second floor.

Journey to Adulthood Youth Class (ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade) - led by Graham Lanz and Amy McKenney. This group meets in room 8 on the second floor at the top of the stairwell by the red front doors.

Adult Forum
Adult Forum meets from 9:15 am - 10:15 am. This Sunday Rev. Peter will be leading a forum called "What I Did on My Sabbatical" in the Chapel.

We can't wait to see you Sunday!

Homecoming 2013

Last Sunday we began a new program year at Christ Church! The 10:30 service of Holy Eucharist was beautiful and was led by our beloved Rev. Peter who has returned from his Sabbatical! Welcome home Rev. Peter!

Afterward we gathered for a picnic on the lawn. The food was great and the bouncy house was awesome!







I was busy registering families for the new year of Christian Formation ahead, but managed to snap some photos of old and new friends throughout the afternoon! Here are some of the smiles I gathered along the way.

Check back soon for a run down of formation classes and atria beginning this Sunday, September 22nd!

Year's End!

On Sunday another program year came to a close at Christ Church. It was a busy day, with our final week of atrium and promotion for children who will be moving up next year. We thanked out teachers and catechists in Church and each received a gift. And we acknowledged two wonderful young men who are graduating this month and who will be moving on to college in the fall. It was so busy, I couldn't take many pictures but here are just a few snapshots of the day.

During our last atrium session, many children decorated an envelope to take home the art work they have completed this year. It is always exciting to look over and enjoy the art work together. I hope you had fun exploring these little gems when they came home! Of course art work is meant to be an extension of our work with the materials in atrium and no art work is proscribed or required.  Some children have made many things while others have not. This isn't a concern for us!

Children moving out of the Golden Thread Atrium received prayer crosses this year. Children moving up from the Good Shepherd Atrium received a mustard seed of their very own, and children moving up from the True Vine Atrium received a small lantern. More about promotion and pictures of these gifts can be seen in a post from last year called Moving Day.

As a gift to thank our teachers this year, I took photos of our Church gardens and made them into 100 blank cards. 

Each teacher received a little bundle of Christ Church note cards with our thanks for their ministry this year.

And as always we enjoyed a special cake at Coffee Hour after Church on Sunday! Thank you to everyone participated in Christian Formation at Christ Church this year! Thanks to our parents and grandparents for bringing their children early on Sunday mornings. And a special thank you to all of our catechists, teachers, and substitutes for a great year of learning and growing together at Christ Church!

Celebrating Pentecost

Our prayer table decked out in red!

We gathered to celebrate Pentecost in atrium last Sunday! You can learn more about Pentecost and our atrium celebration from a previous post called Pentecost Celebration. This year, I was particularly moved by the children's insights as we talked about the meaning of the different gifts and the solemn and joyful way that each child came forward to light a candle.

Thank you to all of the parents and catechists who brought food and drinks for our feast! The children loved them! Thank you also to our catechists for overseeing the feast so that I could leave early and attend my niece's Confirmation. Being there was a blessing for me!

I was busy during the celebration but caught a few photos afterward to share here.

A lovely piece of artwork made by a child in the True Vine Atrium on Sunday.

The candles, each representing a different gift of the Holy Spirit that we might desire.

The Last Supper environment with the disciples gathered
 in the Upper Room at the time of Pentecost.

The candles representing the gifts we prayed to receive from the Holy Spirit.

The Church was filled with the Holy Spirit this week! Thank you to Lynn and all the volunteers who made the Sanctuary look so lovely!

May the earth be filled with the Holy Spirit

 as we celebrate Pentecost and always!

Bibles!

I love Bible Presentation day! Each year we give our first graders (and those who are older and are new to atrium) a Bible of their own. The children use their Bibles year after year in the atrium - looking up passages and marking favorite texts. You can read more about this tradition, and how it makes sense developmentally and in light of our work in atrium in the post First Grade Bible Presentation. Here are a few more pictures from our presentation this year for you to enjoy.