Dear Christ Church,
I’ve got a lot to tell you about this week, beginning with a reminder to arrive early this Sunday (if you normally attend the 11am service) for our Annual Parish Meeting at 10:30 am. And all you early birds who come to the 9am service, stick around afterwards as we share with you our financial update and how we are stewarding resources in alignment with our purposes and core values.
On another note, we will soon be saying goodbye to our beloved deacon Terri Fisher and her husband Mark, after 13 years in our parish and many roles of service and leadership, from small groups to Altar Guild to Spiritual Direction and classes, to Sunday slide operation, to leadership in our liturgy and the arts. In fact, Terri is the founder of our thriving Arts Ministry, now led by Katie Fox. The Fishers are moving to Colorado Springs; their final Sunday is Oct. 15, after which they will take some time to travel and prepare for this big transition. Please consider a gift to this GoFundMe that was set up on their behalf to thank and bless them in this transition, and enjoy some long-anticipated travels!
Matthew 25 Initiative’s (Mt25i) mission is to equip and sustain Anglicans serving alongside the vulnerable—so that we might strengthen each other along the journey of bearing witness to the light of Christ. The vision is to see an Anglican expression of justice and mercy in every parish across North America. Coming up on October 15 – 18, Mt25i will host The Gathering, bringing together practitioners for rest, rejuvenation, sharing and growth opportunities. Christ Church parishioners are invited to participate in the event in Baltimore, MD and can register here. We also invite you to participate by praying for the event and participants, that they would have a restful experience with renewed vision for their ministries, and for safe travel to Baltimore.
Lastly, tomorrow is our very first Blessing of the Animals! Bring your pets (leashed or crated) to the church at 10am Sept. 30th as a way to celebrate the Feast of St. Francis. We’ll have a short liturgy and time to hang out with each other–humans and animals–as we thank God for the goodness and gift of all creation and all creatures great and small.
Peace,
Cliff+