A Month of Thanksgiving: November 2010
A Month of Thanksgiving: November 2010
A Month of Thanksgiving: November 2010
christchurchguilford.org
A Month of Thanksgiving
November begins with us giving thanks for the fellowship of all the saints, leads us to a celebration of Christ as king of heaven and earth on the last Sunday of the churchs year (November 21), through our national Thanksgiving Day, to the first Sunday of a new church year on the First Sunday of Advent (November 28). As if thats not enough to keep us busy at Christ Church, November is the month when we look ahead to the next calendar year and provide the Vestry with an estimate of our financial support for our collective mission and ministry during 2011. We present these estimates -- sometimes called pledges -- on Commitment Sunday (also November 21). We will share in the fun of Halloween (All Hallows Eve) with Concertatos Halloween Howler (5:30 p.m., October 30), and will be playful and laugh at evil -- which is the one thing that evil cannot stand. Then on All Saints Day, Monday, November 1, there will be an opportunity to remember those we love who joined the Saints in Light in the last year. We will gather in the Chancel at 6 p.m. for a time of prayer and story-telling about dear ones who have died. This All Saints Day Recollection can help us claim our abiding fellowship with them -- an article of faith in the Creed we recite every Sunday. Their names -- and others you would like to include -- will be recalled in the prayers on All Saints Sunday, November 7. On that day, we get to sing the great hymns about our participation in the fellowship of all the saints, a fellowship that bridges time and space to gather us all, the living and the dead, into one great fellowship of love. Since Im the new kid on the block, there are a lot of things I still dont know: One question I have is, when do we celebrate our life together in the Body of Christ? Yes, of course we do that every time we gather; but just as Easter is the annual great celebration of the Resurrection, which we recall every Sunday, is there one great occasion when we celebrate our identity as Christ Church? Sunday, November 21, might be such an occasion. Although the Prayer Book calls it simply the 27th Sunday after Pentecost, the readings and Collect point to the name used in the Lutheran and Roman Catholic Churches: the Feast of Christ the King. What an appropriate day to celebrate who we are and our life together as we lift up our pledges -- our estimates of financial support -- for the mission and ministry of the parish in the coming year on Commitment Sunday.
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That same evening, at the Meeting House of the First Church (U.C.C.) in Madison, the wider community of faith in Guilford and Madison will gather for an Interfaith Thanksgiving Service at 5 p.m. Choir members from the various congregations will join together in song to lead the celebration. Prayers, meditations by youth and clergy, including Rabbi Claudio Kogon and your friendly neighborhood Rector, and an offering for the Guilford and Madison food banks will round out this community-wide event. Then on Thanksgiving Day, we will do something which I understand is new to Christ Church: Those of us who are in town will take a break from meal preparations to gather at 10 a.m. to sing the great Thanksgiving hymns and to offer the Great Thanksgiving of the Holy Eucharist. After the service, I will invite you to the Rectory for a bit of beverage and finger food appropriate to the day. As November draws to a close, the Church begins a New Year on the First Sunday of Advent, November 28, and a season of watching and waiting begins. While Sunday School and the Rite 13/J2A classes will not meet that day, there will be an intergenerational event following the 10 a.m. service. Watch for details about our Advent Wreath-Making Workshop! I look forward to sharing Novembers celebrations with you! In faith and hope, Harrison+
In a new twist on a beloved institution, Christ Church's Angels Under the Balcony program is going in a slightly different direction this year.
We will be partnering with Guilford Social Services' "Giving Tree" program for needy Guilford families and helping to make Christmas special for our friends and neighbors right here in town. The program will work pretty much the same as always -- around Thanksgiving time the angels will begin to "fly," parishioners will select their angels and purchase requested gifts for adults and children, and then return the wrapped gifts to church in time for Christmas delivery. One change is that we will be adopting a smaller number of families, so the requests for gifts will not be quite so overwhelming. The program remains a lovely way for us to express our love and concern for our neighbors at a blessed time of the year. Stay tuned for more details!
OutreachBefore Thanksgiving:
Harvest In-Gathering
This year Christ Church will join Guilford Social Services, the VFW, the American Legion and Auxiliary, Guilford Rotary, Guilford Seniors, and Guilford Food Bank to provide Thanksgiving Food Baskets to folks in need. Donations of all types of fresh root vegetables -- potatoes, yams, squash, turnip, parsnips, and onions, as well as turkey stuffing and nonperishable canned goods such as peas and cranberry sauce, would be appreciated. We are asking that all items be brought in on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21, when we will have an opportunity to give thanks for our own bounty and pray for those who are currently without. We will then need volunteers to take our offerings to the VFW Hall following the service.
Mitten Tree
The Mitten Tree will return to Christ Church on the First Sunday of Advent, November 28.
Let's join in providing hats, mittens, gloves, and scarves to warm the heads and hands of those who need them. The Mitten Tree will remain up through December 19, when all items will be donated to the Guilford Food Bank for distribution. As we watch and wait for our Lord's appearing, let our prayers lead to service to gladden his heart.
Harvest Home-Gatherings
will provide an opportunity to become better acquainted with our still-new Rector, and, more importantly for Harrison, to become better acquainted with you. You will be invited to gather with Harrison and a few other fellow parishioners for coffee, lunch, tea, happy hour, supper or dessert during November. The gatherings will be hosted by volunteers in the Rectory or their own homes. (If you would like to volunteer to be a host yourself, please be in touch with Stewardship Chair, Bob Donahue at 203-453-2279.) We will visit, talk about our harvest of blessings at Christ Church and hopes for the future. Watch your mailbox for an invitation!
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Heard that the Rectory Renovation/New Rector Arrival Fund had received $11,600 to date, with pledges still coming in, against a $20,000 goal; Approved the basics of a Letter of Agreement and Position Description for the Sunday School Director; Discussed the need for group work on communications, stewardship, parish fair planning, newcomer hospitality, and outreach; Began a review of a proposed process for receiving gifts offered to the parish;
GLAD TIDINGS
November, 2010
Glad Tidings
The Rev. Harrison West Rector [email protected] 203-453-2279 Edward Seibert Senior Warden [email protected] 203-458-6516 Pat Wakefield Parish Administrator [email protected] 203-453-2279 Diane Barker Managing Editor [email protected] 203-457-9484
Thanksgiving Services
11/21, 5 p.m., First Church (U.C.C.), Madison 11/25, 10 a.m., Christ Church, Guilford