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Note from the Vicar...
More than Sunday morning
If you're like most Christians, your Sunday morning routine may look something like this: you wake up early (at least early for a weekend), and quickly scramble around to wake up the rest of the household, shower, dress, and hurry off to church. If you have kids, somewhere in this chaos, there is probably a heated discussion that starts with the dreaded question, "Do I have to?" and moves on what they will wear and/or who gets what seat in the car.
Finally, you arrive, you settle down in your pew, and the service begins. You sing the hymns, you at least mumble your way through the prayers, you may drop some money in the offering plate - and perhaps wonder what the church is doing with that money - and, of course, you listen to a sermon, delivered by a professional we call a priest. If you're like most, you're concerned that this priest doesn't take too long preaching that sermon. After all, the service needs to end on schedule. You have things to do, and the kids have Sunday sports or other activities on their schedule. You might spend a little time socializing at coffee hour afterwards, but very soon you must get the kids, pile in the car and head home, and all those activities that await.
Have you ever asked yourself, "Isn't there more to church than this?" After all this is the very Body of Christ we're talking about. Is our modern expression of the Church what Jesus was talking about when he said, "...I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18)?
I believe we need to challenge ourselves from time to time to rethink what we mean by "Church." If you go back and look at the New Testament, there are numerous things which we consider central to our experience of the Body which are remarkably absent in the early believers. Those early Christians did not have professional clergy standing in front of them each week, being paid to expound the Scriptures to them. There were no organists, no choir directors. No building either. Kind of unnerving, isn't it?
Obviously, times have changed - and the needs of the Church have changed with them. But one New Testament concept remains central to the life of the Body - and we would do well to keep it in the forefront of our thinking. That concept can be summed up in one word: in Greek it was laos - what most translations call brothers, or more inclusively, brothers and sisters. That's right, the Church is built, primarily, indeed foremost, around the ministry of everyday, 9-5, non-seminary educated, ordinary brothers (and sisters) in Christ.
There's something crucial to understand if we are going to break the church out of being nothing more than the "Sunday morning routine": brothers and sisters in Christ - the laos - are not meant to limit their participation to Sunday morning pew-warming. We were created for full participation in the Body of Jesus Christ. All of us - and each of us - are called to play a part in the life of the church that goes far beyond being a spectator.
As fall begins to unfold, you'll find in our life as Christ and Trinity Churches a number of things that remind us that our churches are about "more than Sunday morning." As you peruse the offerings mentioned in this edition of the ENews, consider the myriad ways we live out our call seven days a week, but also the importance of each person to the functioning of the whole ministry we share. We give, work, and pray not only to support what happens Sunday morning, but to sustain and nourish every aspect of the Church Christ has planted in our midst.
Faithfully,
Fr. Chip
A change in Fr. Chip's schedule
With the advent of our new Saturday evening service at Trinity, Fr. Chip's Saturday schedule will be changing. Instead of being "on duty" in the morning, ending in early afternoon, he will now be off in the morning, working Saturday afternoon through the conclusion of either the 5:00 service or any event that might follow it. As before, he has no set office hours in either church that day, but arranges his schedule according to the pastoral and/or administrative needs of that particular day. He will continue to be in the Trinity office Monday and Wednesday mornings 9:00-noon, and in the Christ Church office Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:00-noon.
Volunteer opportunity this weekend
What: Salvation Army Supper
Where: 15 Middle St, Portsmouth
Date: Saturday, September 7
Time: 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Please join our new coordinator, Susan Ott, and the crew, to help serve supper at the Salvation Army.
We're still looking for some help with our new Saturday service
As announced over the past few weeks, Trinity Church will be hosting a weekly Saturday evening service starting Sept. 14 at 5 p.m.
This simple, quiet service provides some opportunities for lay participation. If you can help in any of the ways outlined below, please be in touch with Fr. Chip:
- A Lector for the scripture passages each week (they're the same as Sunday's readings the next day).
- An Intercessor to lead the Prayers of the People.
- One or two Greeters to welcome worshipers and hand out programs.
- Ideally, it would also be nice to have a Eucharistic Minister to assist with the cup.
Fr. Chip would be more than happy to train new persons from among those who plan to attend these services to serve in these various roles. Any new Eucharistic Ministers would need to be licensed by the diocese, but the process for becoming licensed is not difficult.
Many thanks - and do come join us for the services as they get underway.
Homecoming Sunday at Christ Church
Date: Sunday, Sept. 15
Time: 11:00 am (note the slightly later than usual time!)
Location: Weather permitting, the service will be held outdoors.
More Info: There will be a pot-luck cookout following the service on Homecoming Sunday. Sign up in the Marshall Room to bring a salad, side dish or dessert. Hamburgers, hot dogs and condiments, as well as beverages, will be provided. We especially need people to help set up before the service, and clean up at the end - but the most important part is this: invite someone you know, who you haven't seen in church in a while, to come!
Directory photography make-up dates
Our new directory will only be valuable if it is complete. Accordingly, our goal is 100% participation. If you have not yet been photographed for our directory, here are our make-up dates:
- Christ Church: make-up date, Sept. 15
- Trinity Church: make-up date, Sept. 22
Members of either church may be photographed in either location.
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