This Sunday, January 30 | ANNUAL MEETING - ONE SERVICE 9 AM - Choral Eucharist - Rite II 10:30 AM - Annual Meeting
Due to individual COVID variant health choices, the meeting will be streamed live via Zoom. For voting, your face and raised hand must be visible. Please contact the church office for the Zoom link.
A children's formation program will be available in the Parish Hall during the meeting.
The business of the meeting should be completed no later than 11:30 AM.
Masks must be worn at all times. Unfortunately, coffee and the tradition of sandwich making will not be available this year due to COVID mitigations.
Since we will spend much of the year of 2022 searching for a new rector, the Annual Report becomes an effective recruitment/informational tool for potential candidates. We are asking all ministry leads to format this year's reports by answering the following questions in narrative style:
What is the mission of this ministry?
Why is this ministry an important part of the work of St. Christopher’s?
What does it do?
What were the ministry’s successes during the past year?
What were the ministry’s challenges during the past year?
What are the ministry’s challenges ahead?
What is the ministry asking of the people of St. Christopher’s? (volunteer, financial support, prayer?)
COVID-19 ADVISORY TEAM UPDATES As we monitor the progress of the omicron variant, we are shifting the way we gather. Changes for the unforeseeable future include:
Masks - All wear masks at all times whenever in church buildings. This applies to any gathering on church property, not simply church services. Office space decisions are up to the discretion of the occupants.
Worship - In-person worship at 8 AM, 9:30 AM and 10:30 AM continues. Communion of bread only for the foreseeable future.
Coffee hour suspended until further notice.
Children's and Youth Formation moves online. See a note from Jen below.
Adult Formation begins online. See the announcement below.
NOTE FOR FORMATION: if you need help with Zoom links, or didn't receive the weekly email, please contact Jen
CHILDREN'S AND YOUTH FORMATION MOVES ONLINE via ZOOM Due to the dramatic increase in Covid cases, we will be pivoting to a new model for kid formation in the coming weeks, possibly until Lent. Here’s what to expect over the next few weeks.
For the vaccinated, Omicron is a relatively not-terrible experience. Still, we will be moving formation online. We have considered the "it's no different from school" approach – and concluded that actually, Sunday School is different from school. The basement rooms have little to no ventilation. We don't have trained staff which exists at school. And most importantly, the kids' expectation for following strict Covid protocols in Sunday school is WAY different than it is at school.
Everyone is invited to Zoom in on Wednesday nights from 7:00-7:30 pm for “Jammies with Jesus”. We hope parents can give kids a night off from chores after dinner so they can join. We will have a story based on the lectionary for the coming week, some kind of interactive activity, prompts for family discussion and perhaps music. We’ll wind down w/ quiet time so kids will be ready for bed. Parents are invited too! It will be a great opportunity to practice formation at home.
WHAT YOU NEED:
Lectionary Story Bible, Year C (red)
Paper and markers
[non-electronic] manipulatives or a favorite stuffie for those who need
We’ll be celebrating Epiphany together with cupcakes for everyone, delivered to your home along with the Lectionary Bibles for those who don’t already have them. Each family will get chalk for their doors so you can participate in this Epiphany tradition. Watch out for the Baby Jesus in your cupcake – if you get it you’ll be making the cake for our Christmas in July pageant!
ADULT FORMATION, THURSDAY NIGHTS, 7:30 PM via ZOOM What is the Bible? What does it have to do with my journey of faith? How am I supposed to relate to the violence, death, abuse of women, and terror of the God I encounter? What do these stories have to do with me anyway?
Get the book and join our one-hour Thursday night reflection group via Zoom. We begin on the evening of January 13th. Compline follows at 9:00PM on Facebook Live.
Study Schedule:
1/13 - Introduction
1/20 - "The Temple" and Origin Stories
1/27 - "The Well" and Deliverance Stories
2/3 - "The Walls" and War Stories
2/10 - "The Debate" and Wisdom Stories
2/17 - "The Beast" and Resistance Stories
2/24 - "The Water" and Gospel Stories
3/3 - "The Sea" and Fish Stories
3/10 - "The Letter" and Church Stories | And Then...
From Amazon.com - "If the Bible isn't a science book or an instruction manual, then what is it? What do people mean when they say the Bible is inspired? When Rachel Held Evans found herself asking these questions, she began a quest to better understand what the Bible is and how it is meant to be read. What she discovered changed her--and it will change you too.
"Drawing on the best in recent scholarship and using her well-honed literary expertise, Evans examines some of our favorite Bible stories and possible interpretations, retelling them through memoir, original poetry, short stories, soliloquies, and even a short screenplay. Undaunted by the Bible's most difficult passages, Evans wrestles through the process of doubting, imagining, and debating Scripture's mysteries. The Bible, she discovers, is not a static work but is a living, breathing, captivating, and confounding book that is able to equip us to join God's loving and redemptive work in the world."
Pastoral Care Ministry Food Team—Volunteers Needed Pastoral Care Ministry members lead a group of volunteers able to prepare and deliver meals for Parishioners in need. Alexandra (Alex) Baig, and Kathie Gillies have agreed to lead the effort. They plan to use an on-line sign-up sheet to quickly inform everyone whenever meals are needed. With this system, we hope to expand involvement in Pastoral Care and lighten the burden of clergy and others, now shouldering so much of the work. This Ministry is a great opportunity to stay involved with St. Christopher’s. To add your name to our list of volunteers, please contact: Kathie Gillies at (708) 613-1106 or katharinegillies@gmail.com Just as important, if you or someone you know needs meals, do not hesitate to contact Kathie. We do not want to overlook anyone.
Invitation from St. Martin's Zoom worship makes enjoying the company of our near neighbors even easier. St Martin's, our partner church, welcomes visitors and would especially love to have St Christopher's folks join them any Sunday at 10:00. For a Zoom link, just contact St Martins.
Sunday School and Formation What to expect Sunday Mornings: Sunday formation will be outside as long as weather permits. We’ll ring the bell as a signal to transition from WW coffee hour to Sunday school. Parents will be directed to a space for continued fellowship. • Kids 3 & up welcome in Sunday School, nursery care will be available • Service projects will be a regular part of Sunday school • Masks required
Adult volunteers needed for all kid/youth formation. Get to know kids in the parish by participating in formation! The commitment will be for one Sunday at a time, volunteers will support regular formation ministers. SignUp Genius will be posted.
News outlets for St. Christopher’s Communication happens in a variety of ways at St. C's and we are always delighted to hear from parishioners who have skills they want to put to use in the following areas of ministry:
Weekly email updates - usually sent out on Thursdays - let people know what's going on in the coming week
If you have items of interest to communicate to the parish you are also encouraged to contact the church office at 708-386-5613 or via email and we will see that they are included.