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Worship Services
The Rev. David "Chip" Robinson
Vicar
All people of faith are welcome to receive Holy Communion at the Lord's Table
Christ Episcopal Church
1035 Lafayette Road
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Rite II at 10:30 am
Coffee Hour follows
Clergy office hours
Tues & Thurs 9am-12noon
200 High St.
Hampton, NH 03842
Saturday Rite l at 5pm
Rite II at 8:45 am
Coffee Hour after the service
Clergy office hours
Mon & Wed 9am-12 noon
The Vicar's sermons can be found by clicking on the link for either church and going to the Worship page.
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(603) 431-1809
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at Trinity Church, Hampton
(603) 929-7349
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Episcopal Churches on the Seacoast
Seacoast Convocation
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Ministry Schedule
Christ Church
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Going into the hospital?
Due to privacy laws, churches are no longer routinely informed if you or a loved one is admitted to the hospital. Please be sure you let us know when and where you will be a patient so we can be in touch with you and include you in our prayers and healing ministry. Don't assume the Vicar knows - he would much rather hear from several people than from no one!
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Notes from the October Bishop's Committee meeting
The October meeting was the first under a new format designed to shorten and focus the gathering. Under the new format, shared business and community building form the first part of the evening; the business of the individual congregations follows.
Hope Murray offered an opening reflection based on her daughter's recent pilgrimage to Spain. We then immediately launched into work on our fall Stewardship campaign. A first mailing is going out Oct. 22, and our first speakers will be Peter Monte at Christ Church and Diana Jodoin at Trinity. An All Saints' Day brunch is the centerpiece of the campaign, which ends Nov. 15.
There was discussion of the upcoming Christmas fairs at the two congregations, with particular concern that planning is less far along at Trinity than it needs to be. Patrice and Holly Berry Fair chair Carol Gobar have met to begin filling in the holes in that planning. The Holly Berry Fair will be on Nov. 21; the Christ Church fair is on Dec. 5.
Fr. Chip spoke of the upcoming third anniversary of his Letter of Agreement with the Shared Ministry. Some of the assumptions contained in the original agreement need some revisiting in light of changing reality. At that time, Trinity's budget was 55% of the total combined revenue; Christ Church's was 45%. Today, Trinity has grown to the point that its budget represents 60% of the total. Some elements of the compensation balance need tweaking to bring the agreement back to a place that it fairly represents the financial abilities of the two congregations.
In their individual meetings, the two Bishop's Committees acted as follows:
Christ Church:
- Our Capital Campaign has raised over $26,000 in pledges thus far. This is pretty much in line with the amount expected from those from whom we have heard thus far. There remains some follow-up within the congregation and letters have gone out to "alumni" and friends of the parish.
- A Grubby Sunday will be scheduled for Nov. 22 to rake leaves and winterize the building. We also will need a crew to move some stones to help outline the footprint of the new Pet Memorial Garden. We discussed options for markers for that garden and will explore these further between now and our next meeting.
- We want to start a conversation taking us beyond "Come and See" to "Go and Do" - what might be the shape of our future mission, particularly integrating Little Blessings more fully with the congregation. An open forum will be held during the Epiphany season on a date other than Annual Meeting.
Trinity Church:
- Our "Family Night Out" program finally is drawing children - though, as yet, in small numbers. We remain committed to this over the long haul and will continue building relationships and doing publicity to keep it growing.
- Robert Bischoff and Gordon Lane provided an update on the Accessibility Ramp being built to the kitchen door. The deck is nearing completion and the ramp itself will be added this week.
- We are in need of some electrical and thermostat upgrades. We discovered some issues at the time of the band concert this summer, and the upstairs in Hobbs House has had very uneven heat. We are looking into installing an additional zone for the TASC office area.
Full minutes will be posted as they become available. The November meeting will be at Trinity Church on the 17th.
Notes by Fr. Chip
Gifts for ChIPs
ChIPS may very well be the most important outreach program of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire because it touches the lives of the people society would prefer to forget: incarcerated parents and their children. The program provides a book and a present for the parents to give to their children at the annual holiday party.
If you would like to make a donation for the ChIPs Christmas giving there will be a special collection box at each church this Sunday, Nov. 1. Those who prefer may give by check. Make your check payable to the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire with "ChIPs" in the memo line.
Festive brunch on Sunday, Nov. 1 to be centerpiece of "Rising Tide" campaign
On Sunday, Nov. 1, our Stewardship Team invites you to join us for a festive pot-luck brunch for all members of both our churches after the 10:30 a.m. All Saints service at Christ Church.
Please bring a main dish, side dish, salad or dessert. We also could use some kitchen crew to help reheat or cook items as they come in. Trinity Church members would be especially helpful for this, as the service will just be ending at Christ Church before the brunch gets underway. The Stewardship Team will have someone onboard in the Parish Hall to provide coordination for those helping out in the kitchen.
Please note: The 8:45 a.m. service at Trinity will be held as usual. You may either attend that service and come to the brunch separately, or you may come to the 10:30 a.m. Eucharist at Christ Church and stay for the brunch.
Your Stewardship Team
Craig Davis, Kris Ebbeson, Mark McCaddin,
Anne Newell, Patrice Wood, Chip Robinson
A "Ministry Minute" shared this past Sunday at Trinity Church
 Yesterday, I went to see the play, "Charlotte's Web." It's the story of a lonely pig named Wilbur who was the 'runt of the litter.' A spider by the name of Charlotte befriends him and all of the barn animals work together so that Wilbur is not slaughtered and turned into bacon and ham.
Charlotte weaves a web, one night making the word, "Some pig," "Terrific," the next night, "Radiant," and then the word, "Humble." Because of this, the farmer is amazed and lets Wilbur survive.
This story reminded me of our family-like atmosphere at Trinity Church. We all gather together to help one another. Besides doing good deeds for the community, we also pray for anyone that is in need. We also provide a food pantry and soup kitchen. We offer special assistance to those in need through the Vicar's discretionary fund. We host various organizations, from the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Al Anon; to the Democratic and Republican city committees.
We are a welcoming church. I remember my first day at Trinity, almost five years ago, when Anne Newell smiled and greeted me as I entered the church. And today I feel very much a part of this Trinity family.
All of these things and more would not be possible without the offerings provided by each of us.
Diana Jodoin
Clerk of the Bishop's Committee; Lector;
Active Member of Trinity Church
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. 1
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The souls of all who have died since All Saints' Day last year; Gretchen Gobar of Trinity; Robert & Jennifer Stiefel of Christ Church
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Nov. 8
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Hobbs House and all the ministries housed therein; Sandi Nickerson of Trinity Church; Cindy, Elizabeth & Erica Taylor of Christ Church
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All Saints' Day: A day to remember those who have gone before us in faith
All Saints' Day is not among the most ancient of Christian festivals (it is only about 1,200 years old), nor among the most universal (the Orthodox churches commemorate the saints in conjunction with the Feast of Pentecost). The feast is believed to have been originated in the British Isles, and emphasis on it remains characteristically Anglican.
This Sunday is an absolutely splendid occasion to sing some very stirring hymns, to renew our baptismal vows, and to dramatize the meaning of being "the communion of saints" as living members of the Body of Christ.
At both churches, we will pray on Nov. 1 for the souls of those who have been buried from our congregations since All Saints' a year ago. If you would like the name of a loved one (whether or not from the last year) added to that list, e-mail it to Nita in the shared ministry office or leave a message at 926-5688 no later than 9:00 am, Friday, Oct. 30. Some have found this an occasion to make a thank offering to the congregation in memory of those so listed. You are invited and encouraged to do so.
Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour!
This Saturday night before retiring, be sure to set your clocks back one hour. Standard Time resumes at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1.
Seacoast Convocation Ditty Bags for Seafarers appeal
 Between now and Nov. 15, members of our Seacoast Convocation parishes are asked to donate items for what our seafaring friends call a "ditty bag."
What is a "ditty bag"? It is a small "care package" of items that may be needed and useful during a voyage at sea. Christ Church will be collecting toothbrushes and toothpaste (full-size tubes, please - not travel size). Trinity Church will be collecting disposable razors and shaving cream (again, full-size, not travel size).
We are also looking for a few more expensive items: tee shirts (smaller sizes preferred - many seafarers are small in stature) and wool knit caps. They may be new or used, but in clearly like-new condition. Shirts need not be plain white, so if you have a lightly-worn promotional tee shirt around (with a slogan on it, for instance) that is acceptable.
Episcopal Journal
With the New Hampshire Episcopal News no longer being published, home delivery of the national newspaper, Episcopal Journal, has also been discontinued. Each church now receives ten copies for people to pick up. At Trinity, these are in the Narthex; at Christ Church they are in a rack just beside the literature table. The November issue, now out, features articles on our new Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, and a look back at Katharine Jefferts Schori's nine years as Presiding Bishop. Pick up a copy this Sunday.
Help needed for the Holly Berry Fair!
We are in need of folks to sign up to help in several areas:
- Make up baskets for the basket raffle (sign up sheet with ideas for baskets will be in the Foyer)
- Get donations (from local merchants) or donate items for the Silent Auction
- Visit local Merchants for donations for either the Gift Card Raffle or Silent Auction.
- Bake your favorite goodies for the Bake Sale (pies, cakes, bar cookies, brownies, breads etc...
- Bake lots of cookies for the Cookie Walk (please let either Carol or Patrice know about how many you will be bringing)
- Go through your Christmas Decos and bring in those you don't use anymore for the Christmas Treasure Table (most of us have some of them).
- We need a few folks to head up the Bake Sale, Cookie Walk, Christmas Treasurers, Raffle Ticket Sales, Silent Auction, Gift Card Raffle.
- We also need lots of help to set up, help on Saturday and help take down.
There will be sign up sheets for all these in the Foyer, please sign up in as many places as you can!
Thank you all,
Carol and Patrice
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Contacts
The Rev. David "Chip" Robinson, Vicar
Christ Episcopal Church, 1035 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth, NH 03801
phone: 603-436-8842
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00-Noon
Trinity Episcopal Church, 200 High Street, Hampton, NH 03842
Shared Ministry Administrator: Nita Niemczyk
phone: 603-926-5688
Office hours: Monday-Friday from 9:00-1:00
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