Dear People of Christ Church,
Today I’m super excited about plans for fall Tuesdays for all ages—as we did last in Lent, Erin Jensen is graciously leading a program for kids concurrent with the adult program. We’re adopting the same format as worked well last Lent, with groups meeting at 6pm for everyone to eat dinner together, and then kids and adult separating from 6:40-7:30. Then we rejoin for Eucharist at 7:30 for those who want to stay, and welcome group 2, a second adult module that begins at 8pm after the service. The 8pm group will again be facilitated by Anna and Victoria, and my partner for the earlier group will be Heather Leonardo.
But what is the program? God, dirt, and love: Five Conversations about Things that Matter. Each week we’ll have a different topic and begin with readings from Scripture or other writings to begin with, and then explore what their meaning is in our own lives. The schedule, so far, is:
9/30: Spirituality + Church
10/7: Creation + Place (all ages together for the early group)
10/14: Family + Relationships
10/21: Peace + Justice
10/28: Money + Stewardship
The kids will be doing a similar program, but with some activities around the topics in addition to the Bible study. Erin Jensen will lead the program for school aged kids, and we’re hoping to offer some more nursery-like care for the younger ones.
One of the things vestry has been working on is discerning around different opportunities for us to be in deeper community with each other—to go beyond coffee hour (great as coffee hour can be, of course). I got the idea building on last fall’s group, which read the book Free: Spending your Time and Money on What Matters Most—and was thinking about, exactly, we do build our lives around what’s most important.
How can church be a place of nourishment and grounding, rather than just another thing to compete with already-full lives of kids’ sports and work meetings? What are the places you love, the dirt that calls you and makes you want to care for creation because you love it, not just because you ought to? What makes our families and partnerships tick? What does Scripture say about the relation between God’s love and human love? How can we honestly engage in financial decision making, to share our resources in important ways but also enjoy the fruits of our labor?
I know what my questions are—what are yours? Each group will have leaders, of course, but the content and direction of the conversation will be different for each group. See you then!
Blessings,
Sara+
Showing posts with label Parish Events. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parish Events. Show all posts
Friday, September 19, 2014
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Dear People of Christ Church,
It is good to be back writing in this space and breathing fresh New England air! Having spent a week in Colorado at 8000 feet, I have a new appreciation for all the oxygen that comes at sea level (I'm even appreciating the humidity). I left for Colorado feeling so buoyed by the Holy Spirit we encountered at Pentecost in our service with St Peter's, and was sorry not to be able to talk more with you about it last week. Suffice it to say that God was most definitely present. The loose collection funds (not the checks written to each parish, but the cash in the plate) will be divided between Connect Africa a group that works with AIDS orphans in Uganda, and the Diocesan Jubilee Ministries, which funds local work on the ground in Africa with our partners there.
Coming back from vacation, I was greeted by the very happy news that our CPA (Community Preservation Act) application had cleared one more step in its path to approval. After being OK'ed by the Community Preservation Committee, it then went to the Law Department, then to City Council to be passed to the Long Term Debt Committee, which then sent it back to Council for the final vote. So pray--and tell your city counselor to vote yes (also give your thanks to Shawn Russell and Bill Fowler, whose efforts have kept this going). The CPA funds are a crucial part of our hopes for Christ Church's future stability. If you haven't yet had time to do the survey for our building needs, please do it. Junior Warden Sarah Staley will have print copies this Sunday if you have had difficulty with the web.
Meanwhile, summer brings wonderful opportunities for ministry and community. This coming Sunday and Monday, our summer book group will begin meeting (Sunday after the 9:00 service and Monday at the Kerr home)--read chapters 1 and 2 to start this week. July 5, we begin offering games at the Home Suites Inn, and then later in July we work with B Safe day camp in Boston
with reading, lunch, and our Friday field trip to Houghton's Pond.
There is much to do, but I hope in the midst of it you will be finding some Sabbath time for yourself. Sometimes it's not so much the length of time as it is the depth; you don't need 8 weeks of uninterrupted rest and tropical fun to reconnect with God and your quiet self. Of course, if you're a parent, vacation can feel like more work than work... but I guess each of us gets through that differently!
So take Sabbath--rest with empty hands, nothing to produce, nothing to consume, just receptivity to the gifts God gives. The New Zealand prayer book translates psalm 127 like this: "It is but lost labor that we haste to rise up early, and so late take rest, and eat the bread of anxiety. For those beloved of God are given gifts even while they sleep."
Gifts from God, even as we sleep! That is a pretty compelling invitation to blessing and wonder. So take some Sabbath in rest and relaxation, but also take Sabbath in church; our sacraments and life together feed us all in innumerable ways, and I hope to see you at the table soon.
Blessings,
Sara+
It is good to be back writing in this space and breathing fresh New England air! Having spent a week in Colorado at 8000 feet, I have a new appreciation for all the oxygen that comes at sea level (I'm even appreciating the humidity). I left for Colorado feeling so buoyed by the Holy Spirit we encountered at Pentecost in our service with St Peter's, and was sorry not to be able to talk more with you about it last week. Suffice it to say that God was most definitely present. The loose collection funds (not the checks written to each parish, but the cash in the plate) will be divided between Connect Africa a group that works with AIDS orphans in Uganda, and the Diocesan Jubilee Ministries, which funds local work on the ground in Africa with our partners there.
Coming back from vacation, I was greeted by the very happy news that our CPA (Community Preservation Act) application had cleared one more step in its path to approval. After being OK'ed by the Community Preservation Committee, it then went to the Law Department, then to City Council to be passed to the Long Term Debt Committee, which then sent it back to Council for the final vote. So pray--and tell your city counselor to vote yes (also give your thanks to Shawn Russell and Bill Fowler, whose efforts have kept this going). The CPA funds are a crucial part of our hopes for Christ Church's future stability. If you haven't yet had time to do the survey for our building needs, please do it. Junior Warden Sarah Staley will have print copies this Sunday if you have had difficulty with the web.
Meanwhile, summer brings wonderful opportunities for ministry and community. This coming Sunday and Monday, our summer book group will begin meeting (Sunday after the 9:00 service and Monday at the Kerr home)--read chapters 1 and 2 to start this week. July 5, we begin offering games at the Home Suites Inn, and then later in July we work with B Safe day camp in Boston
with reading, lunch, and our Friday field trip to Houghton's Pond.
There is much to do, but I hope in the midst of it you will be finding some Sabbath time for yourself. Sometimes it's not so much the length of time as it is the depth; you don't need 8 weeks of uninterrupted rest and tropical fun to reconnect with God and your quiet self. Of course, if you're a parent, vacation can feel like more work than work... but I guess each of us gets through that differently!
So take Sabbath--rest with empty hands, nothing to produce, nothing to consume, just receptivity to the gifts God gives. The New Zealand prayer book translates psalm 127 like this: "It is but lost labor that we haste to rise up early, and so late take rest, and eat the bread of anxiety. For those beloved of God are given gifts even while they sleep."
Gifts from God, even as we sleep! That is a pretty compelling invitation to blessing and wonder. So take some Sabbath in rest and relaxation, but also take Sabbath in church; our sacraments and life together feed us all in innumerable ways, and I hope to see you at the table soon.
Blessings,
Sara+
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Lent
Dear People of Christ Church,
As I mentioned in my email last week, plans for Lent are underway, but we still have two Sundays of Epiphany. This week, we celebrate the baptism of Theodore Edward Drozd. It will be a wonderful day, and I'm especially glad we get to celebrate together before the Drozd family move to the DC area this spring. We will miss them! March 6, we will have another of our big children's Sundays, with kids doing readings, singing in the choir, sharing the sermon with me, and helping at the altar. The last time we had a big kids' service was for St Francis Day, way back in October, so it's about time.
It's not Lent yet, but we can feel it coming. The word comes from the Old English "lencten"-the days lengthen-and it's in the air, that heady excitement for the thaw and the light, but also still an awareness of how much is still grey, seemingly dead. You'll read more in weeks to come about the meaning of Lent and the many ways there are to observe it. This Sunday, we'll have our annual "Ministry Fair," where you can learn about all the things that happen at Christ Church and talk with representatives from different ministries about how to get involved. Lent is often a time when people take on a spiritual discipline; maybe it could be a time to try out a new ministry here at Church. With Michelle's departure, we will need a new person to schedule the greeters!
Before Lent, though, there are many occasions to celebrate. Mardi Gras, or "Fat Tuesday" ("Shrove Tuesday," if you want to sound more religious) is the day before Ash Wednesday, traditionally a time to eat up all the fatty foods in the house before the austerities of Lent begin. We're starting early, though, with a Friday concert the weekend before, with the big band sounds of Steve Taddeo and the Suburbanaires. Steve and his band have used our lower hall for rehearsals for some time now, and are offering this concert as a benefit to us at no cost-the proceeds all go to Christ Church and supporting our ministries here. We'll have beer and wine available that night, and you can even pre-order a pizza. So buy your tickets now, (on our website,) and invite your friends-it's a week from tomorrow!
We celebrate here, but are always aware of those in other places who are not-I've been much in mind of the people of ChristChurch New Zealand. Tuesday, February 22, a 6.3 quake hit the city, still recovering from an earthquake in September. The Anglican Cathedral's tower collapsed, and people are still feared to be stuck in the rubble inside. At this point, 98 people are confirmed dead, 226 still missing. With our twitter name CCWaltham, a lot of our followers are looking for the Waltham neighborhood of ChristChurch, New Zealand and ended up on our page, so I have been sending prayers their way-a very 21st Century-style closeness.
And, of course, the Middle East. I mentioned in my sermon on Sunday that people in Egypt's Tahrir Square had been reading Ghandi and MLK (for more on that, visit fellowship of reconciliation here. The fall of Mubarak and the violence in Libya, the political standoff in Wisconsin-so much is happening in our world! So much is worthy of our prayers and attention. God is in the midst of it all.
Blessings,
Sara+
As I mentioned in my email last week, plans for Lent are underway, but we still have two Sundays of Epiphany. This week, we celebrate the baptism of Theodore Edward Drozd. It will be a wonderful day, and I'm especially glad we get to celebrate together before the Drozd family move to the DC area this spring. We will miss them! March 6, we will have another of our big children's Sundays, with kids doing readings, singing in the choir, sharing the sermon with me, and helping at the altar. The last time we had a big kids' service was for St Francis Day, way back in October, so it's about time.
It's not Lent yet, but we can feel it coming. The word comes from the Old English "lencten"-the days lengthen-and it's in the air, that heady excitement for the thaw and the light, but also still an awareness of how much is still grey, seemingly dead. You'll read more in weeks to come about the meaning of Lent and the many ways there are to observe it. This Sunday, we'll have our annual "Ministry Fair," where you can learn about all the things that happen at Christ Church and talk with representatives from different ministries about how to get involved. Lent is often a time when people take on a spiritual discipline; maybe it could be a time to try out a new ministry here at Church. With Michelle's departure, we will need a new person to schedule the greeters!
Before Lent, though, there are many occasions to celebrate. Mardi Gras, or "Fat Tuesday" ("Shrove Tuesday," if you want to sound more religious) is the day before Ash Wednesday, traditionally a time to eat up all the fatty foods in the house before the austerities of Lent begin. We're starting early, though, with a Friday concert the weekend before, with the big band sounds of Steve Taddeo and the Suburbanaires. Steve and his band have used our lower hall for rehearsals for some time now, and are offering this concert as a benefit to us at no cost-the proceeds all go to Christ Church and supporting our ministries here. We'll have beer and wine available that night, and you can even pre-order a pizza. So buy your tickets now, (on our website,) and invite your friends-it's a week from tomorrow!
We celebrate here, but are always aware of those in other places who are not-I've been much in mind of the people of ChristChurch New Zealand. Tuesday, February 22, a 6.3 quake hit the city, still recovering from an earthquake in September. The Anglican Cathedral's tower collapsed, and people are still feared to be stuck in the rubble inside. At this point, 98 people are confirmed dead, 226 still missing. With our twitter name CCWaltham, a lot of our followers are looking for the Waltham neighborhood of ChristChurch, New Zealand and ended up on our page, so I have been sending prayers their way-a very 21st Century-style closeness.
And, of course, the Middle East. I mentioned in my sermon on Sunday that people in Egypt's Tahrir Square had been reading Ghandi and MLK (for more on that, visit fellowship of reconciliation here. The fall of Mubarak and the violence in Libya, the political standoff in Wisconsin-so much is happening in our world! So much is worthy of our prayers and attention. God is in the midst of it all.
Blessings,
Sara+
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