Advent 2023
Dear Christ Church Family,
As we enter the season of Advent, we remember the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in great humility as fully human and fully God to redeem His people. In Gentle & Lowly, Dane Ortlund writes, “He drew near to us in the incarnation so that his joy and ours could rise and fall together - his in giving mercy, ours in receiving it.” We rejoice that we receive his mercy and redemption as the people of God at 112 Medina Street. With joy and gratitude, we reflect on some new blessings from this past year.
New space. We’re grateful for the Lord’s provision of the Green House across the street which has provided some much needed space for our growing and active community. It’s been a huge blessing for our middle school youth program, Ignite, which has tripled in size this fall.
New Retreats. We had three large community-building retreats this year. Our first ever Men’s Retreat (May) and Women’s Retreat (Sept) were each attended by nearly 100 participants who experienced Life Together and a meaningful time of fellowship and connection. And, our Fall Parish Retreat, hosted right here at home, was a rich gathering of fun and fostering friendship.
New Formational Opportunities. Many attended a summer study on N.T. Wright’s Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense and enjoyed a time of teaching, small group discussion, and fellowship. Also, at different points this year, Fr. Herb Bailey led cohorts through Evangelism and Outreach classes.
New Global/Local Missions Engagements. For the first time since the pandemic, an intergenerational team was sent to serve the “least of these” in Guatemala with Potter’s House to work on service projects and be discipled in the 8 forms of poverty. Faith & Arts offered an evening of performances, songs and readings from Christ Church artists to help raise funds for the Guatemala mission team. In addition, we’re thrilled that some people in our community helped another one of our formerly unhoused parishioners get placed in permanent housing.
As we turn our attention to the coming King in Advent, during December, many of us choose to make our charitable gifts for the year. In fact, it's common for Christ Church to receive 15-20% of all gifts at year end. Please consider Christ Church in your year end giving that we might finish the year strong and continue to be a people of changed lives, in the heart of our city, mending our world for the praise of God’s glory.
Christ Church, you are so generous with your gifts of time, talents, and finances. We’re grateful and pray that you will encounter the living God afresh in these weeks of Advent. Truly it is a joy to worship and serve alongside you!
Peace and blessings from your Rector and Vestry,
Cliff Warner+, Nate Bruce, Leslie Cameron, Kyle Frazier, Sarah Hadd, Bryson Owen, Sara Schultz, and Hannah Wong
P.S. All charitable donations must be postmarked by December 31, 2023 to be eligible for a receipt for tax purposes.