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From the Vicar...
Some thoughts as the liturgical year draws to a close
As we come to the end of the Church year, the liturgy turns our attention to the consummation of all things in Christ. November brings with it some holy days that focus in a particular way on fullness of Christian life. We began the month with All Saints' Day last Sunday. On Nov. 23, we will conclude the Church Year with the Feast of Christ the King (which happens to be Christ Church's Patronal Festival), and then on Sunday, Nov. 30, we begin a new one as we mark the First Sunday of Advent.
In between come two significant events: a visit from our Bishop, Rob Hirschfeld, on Sunday, Nov. 16 (10:30 a.m. at Christ Church) and the celebration of our national Thanksgiving Day on Nov. 27 - which we will celebrate as part of an interfaith gathering on Monday, Nov. 14 (see announcement below).
What ties all this together is the fact that the Realm of God is both a present reality and something that is yet to be fulfilled. We rejoice with the saints, in whose earthly lives the triumph of God's grace gives us hope; and we pray for those near and dear to us that they, and one day we, too, may have "our inheritance in that kingdom where there is no death, neither sorrow nor crying, but fullness of joy" (Book of Common Prayer, page 482). We give thanks for all things, whether joy or sorrow, abundance or loss, for all is infused with meaning and purpose through Jesus Christ, who himself knew these very things, and who makes all things new.
Christ the King on the Last Sunday after Pentecost and the First Sunday of Advent will bring one liturgical cycle to a grand climax and inaugurate another, setting before us the cosmic, social, and personal reign of Christ, now and at his Coming Again. I pray that the celebration of these days will give us each a heart full of the profoundest thanks for the wonderful gift of God's love for us in Christ, for Christ's holy Church, and for the fellowship we share as a community of faith.
Fr. Chip
Please bring your pledge form to church this weekend
When you come to church this Sunday, please remember to bring your sealed pledge form with you. You should have received it by now, enclosed in our second mailing.
For those who will not be at church, you may mail or bring your form back so it arrives no later than Saturday, Nov. 15. Those from whom we have not heard by Sunday, Nov. 16 will receive a gentle follow-up call to remind them to return their form.
Over the course of our campaign, we have been encouraged to express our goals in terms of participation, awareness and creating a nurturing environment in which conversion of life, not merely dollars, is our goal. Our collective goals, then, for the campaign have been threefold:
- That we give people an understanding of what proportional giving is and why it is important
- That we grow in our ability to make God's love known on the Seacoast
- That with 100% participation from the households of both churches we will be able to move forward on the goals we set this past year in establishing our Covenant for Shared Ministry.
Our thanks to all have already made their pledges for 2015. We look forward to hearing from the rest of you this weekend. If you did not receive a form, you may download one here.
Your Stewardship Team:
Gordon Lane, Kris Ebbeson, Patrice Wood, Betty Lane,
Carol Gobar, Peter Monte, Fr. Chip Robinson
Craft afternoon for Christ Church Christmas Fair
There will be a Craft Afternoon at Liz & Lynda's home, 14 Kensington Rd. (Route 84), Hampton Falls on Saturday, Nov. 8 from 1-5 p.m. Bring any craft with you and you will have plenty of help.
Tena Wolf, FUNdraising Chair
Upcoming Dates
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Sat., Nov. 15
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10:30 a.m.
5:00 p.m.
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Confirmation Service rehearsal at Christ Church followed by set-up of hall for luncheon
Holy Eucharist at Trinity
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Sun., Nov. 16
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8:45 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
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Said Holy Eucharist at Trinity
Bishop's Visit to Shared Ministry - hosted by Christ Church; pot-luck luncheon to follow
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Our Shared Ministry Cycle of Prayer
Each week, in both of our churches, we pray for one ministry we share and one or two households in each church. About once every six weeks, we will instead using the Shared Ministry Collect we prayed throughout the opening months of our Shared Ministry.
In our prayers the next two weeks, we give God thanks for...
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Nov. 9
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Hobbs House at Trinity Church and all the ministries housed therein; Cindy, Elizabeth & Erica Taylor of Christ Church; Sandi Nickerson of Trinity Church
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Nov. 16
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Bishop's visit: We will pray for the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire and the ministry of the larger Church
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"Grubby Sunday" at Christ Church
Sunday, Nov. 23 after the 10:30 service
The leaves are falling and that can only mean one thing: It's time for our fall "Grubby Sunday" at Christ Church! On Sunday, Nov. 23, we'll do a general clean-up of the church grounds, wash some windows, and winterize the church.
As always, "many hands make light work," so come in your jeans and "grubbies" and join us!
Craig Davis and Paul Seward
Annual Holly Berry Fair
The annual Holly Berry Fair will be held at Trinity Church, Hampton on Nov. 22 from 9 to 2. There will be area venders as well as a silent auction, basket raffle, cookie walk, bake good table, homemade soup, candy table. Please come and join the fun.
Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Celebration
Bringing together Portsmouth's Faith Communities
Join us for a special one-hour Thanksgiving celebration Monday, Nov. 24 at 7:00pm at Temple Israel, 200 State Street, Portsmouth. There is ample parking nearby, and parking is also available at St. John's Episcopal Church, 101 Chapel Street.
Please bring non-perishables and/or a monetary gift for Seacoast Family Promise.
A painless way to raise money for our churches!
For the past year and a half, I have used Goodsearch as my default search engine, both at home and on the church computer. The result? Christ Church (my chosen charity - I could have just as easily chosen Trinity, but you can only support one cause at a time) has reaped over $75 in donations from me alone (and over $350 overall from Christ Church members).
Goodsearch is a simple way to make a difference - each time you search the web (though Yahoo-powered goodsearch.com), shop online (at the 2,800+ stores on Goodshop) or dine out (at 10,000 Gooddining restaurants - including many here on the Seacoast), Goodsearch makes a donation to your favorite cause.
How do I start raising money for Christ Church or Trinity Church with Goodsearch?
- Visit www.goodsearch.com and select a cause from the 100,000+ participating organizations - both of our churches are among these.
- Create a user profile that will allow you to keep track of your individual amount raised.
- Use the search box on the www.goodsearch.com homepage or download a "Good To-Go" browser add-on that can make Goodsearch your default search engine - this makes using it ridiculously easy, and costs you nothing.
How good are the search results? My experience is that they are virtually the same as Google's - but by using Goodsearch instead of Google, I earn 1 cent for nearly every search I make. And it adds up! As I mentioned above, Cindy and I alone have earned $75 - a penny at a time.
Want to learn more? Speak with me - or with Kris Ebbeson, who knows all about it. Or, better yet, go to www.goodsearch.com and read for yourself how this program works. There's no cost to you - and your congregation can benefit!
Fr. Chip
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