Dear Christ Church,
You are invited to two “family gatherings”: (1) the gathering of our immediate family in our Annual Parish Meeting, Jan. 20 online from 7:30-8:15 pm; and (2) some extended Anglican family coming together for the Matthew 25 Gathering.
Annual Parish Meeting. Phrases like “church meeting” or “annual meeting” might produce a yawn in some quarters, but not so with our Annual Parish Meeting. This is a time of wonder and warmth, sharing and celebrating, much like the best family gatherings full of storytelling and pulling out the photo albums to remember with gratitude, lament, and joy–and time for critical updates on the household, calendar, and vision. Join us! We will do this by Zoom so that parents of little ones can join and we can all see each other’s faces for 45 minutes of congregational community-building. See details below. (By the way, if you are new to Christ Church this is a great way to get to know who we are).
The Matthew 25 Gathering. Later this month Anglicans from around North America who are engaged in ministries of justice and mercy will meet in El Paso for their 5th annual gathering (if that describes you, register here and join us!). Christ Church hosted the inaugural gathering a few years ago at 112 Medina St, with many of you hosting people in your homes, serving on prayer teams, and showing Christ Church hospitality. I love seeing our denomination step further into seeking justice and mercy among the most vulnerable, marginalized, and under-resourced populations of our nation.
As you might know, my wife Christine is the Executive Director of the ACNA’s Matthew 25 Initiative, which hosts this Gathering. Please pray for her leadership, and for all in attendance (especially Christ Church contingent–Wes, Fr. Matt, and I with several parishioners), that it would be a time of vision, encouragement, healing, and challenge.
Peace, Cliff+