July 28, 2016
News from the Shared Ministry 
of
Christ Church, Portsmouth  & 
Trinity Church, Hampton 
In the Episcopal Diocese of NH
 
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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
Rev David Robinson
 
The Vicar's sermons can be found by clicking on the link for either church and going to the Worship page.
Links

Little Blessings Child Care Center at Christ Church Portsmouth  

Little Blessings Child Care Center 

(603) 431-1809 

at Trinity Church, Hampton

Village Preschool
(603) 929-7349

Episcopal Churches on the Seacoast
 
Seacoast Convocation
 
Christ Church,Portsmouth
St. John's, Portsmouth
St. Thomas, Dover
St. George's, Durham
Ministry Schedule

 

Christ Church
 

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!

 

From the Vicar...
An invitation to flourish
 
The theme of this year's Diocesan Convention will be "to flourish on the vine that is Jesus Christ," and Bishop Rob's "Invitation to Flourish" is well worth reading during this time of growth and change. Bishop Rob writes:
 
Jesus wants us to have life, and to have life in abundance, shaken down, pressed together, and running over. In other words, he wants us to flourish. This will be the theme of our time together this year at Convention: to flourish on the Vine that is Jesus Christ.
 
We flourish when we are living in the knowledge that, baptized by water into Jesus' triumph over death, we are free to live without fear or shame. We flourish when we are bold to bear witness to the news that God's power of love expels us from places of isolation into the world with our arms outstretched and our hands open to serve.
 
Flourishing is not about cowering from the pain of the world, rather, flourishing is a flowing out from the depths of God's heart to heal a broken and pain-filled world....
 
I see three qualities in congregations and people who are flourishing:
 
1. They are open to sacrifice. They loosen their grip on what they hold most precious - money, buildings, even their lives - to make way for the new thing God is doing in their lives and communities. Like Jesus' arms, their arms are extended, open to God's infinite possibility.
 
2. They are concerned about what's real: life and death, flesh and blood, stuff. They don't fret over parochial minutiae. They are careful about liturgy without fussing over things that seem like secret
handshakes. And, they are passionate about making God's love real to the communities in which God has called them. Upholding the dignity of every person leads us into conflict as we contend against so much that is unjust, cruel, and violent in our world. And so...
 
3. They have heart: they love their God, God's people, God's creation, like crazy, even if and when it hurts. They lean on the power of God to heal, to forgive, and to rise....
 
This year's Convention will be a time for us to share stories of our flourishing. Where are the places in our personal lives where it's obvious that the Vine we tend is bearing abundant fruit? Where do we need to do some pruning, or even transplanting, to bear more fruit? Who in our communities are not flourishing because of the scourge of addiction, exploitation, lack of opportunity, violence? These questions apply to our all lives as ministers of Jesus, lay and ordained, individually and congregationally.
 
Here in our Shared Ministry, in preparation for that conversation, we are gathering a Task Force to examine our own life and ministry to see how we are doing at cultivating the qualities Bishop Rob enumerates. Using the insights gained in our Bishop's Committee retreat in June as a starting place, this group will meet over the next five months to look at what we can do to enhance our vitality, and what changes we may need to make to keep our Shared Ministry moving forward.
 
For me, the touchstone for this conversation will be the qualities we name in our Shared Ministry Collect. The specific phrases I will ask us to reflect on are in bold:
 
O Almighty God, we humbly ask that you bless our Shared Ministry of Trinity, Hampton and Christ Church, Portsmouth with spiritual and financial health, that together we find new ways of being a community of the body of Christ; that together and separately as parishes and individuals we may be guided by the Holy Spirit to bring that community modeled by Jesus into our world today. Amen.  
 
Be watching for progress reports on this group's work, which begins with an organizational meeting Sunday, Aug. 7 at noon at Christ Church. Together, let us enjoy this opportunity, this invitation to flourish!
Fr. Chip

 
Outdoor Eucharist and cookout at Trinity
This Sunday, July 31 at 11 a.m.
 
This Sunday, July 31, Trinity Church will host an outdoor Eucharist and cookout (members of both churches invited). The service will be at 11:00 a.m. in the shaded courtyard beside the church. The cookout will follow on the lawn. Bring your lawn chair and a side dish or dessert to share. Hot dogs, hamburgers and beverages will be provided. As for a rain date...we won't need one. It never rains on our cookouts! (If, ahem, it a shower does come along, we'll come inside.)
 
For those of you who cannot (or prefer not) to come to the outdoor service, there will be a brief celebration of the Holy Eucharist at Trinity Church at the usual 8:45; Morning Prayer will be offered in the Christ Church chapel at 10:30.


Trinity yard sale on Saturday, Aug. 6 from 8 am - 1 pm
Aug. 5 set-up at 1 pm needs volunteers

Each year, I'm sure I've "totally cleaned out," so how is it I've now got 5 boxes of "stuff" in my garage ready to bring for the yard sale?  I hope that you have done some cleaning out, too. Your 'stuff' will help to make this a successful fundraiser! 
 
Here's the information you've been looking for as you wonder how you can help out at this event!
 
Help is needed with set up on Friday, Aug. 5 from 1 - 3.  Doors will be open on Saturday morning from 8 - 1. Help will be needed for both of these days.  Any amount of time you have to contribute is appreciated.

And of course, help will be needed for packing up the leftovers. Last year we did that in record time!  Really!  Less than an hour!  The Boy Scouts will be along later to haul all this away for their own sale, next year.  
 
Thank you,
Patrice

 
Task Force to carry forward work begun at retreat
 
In follow-up to June's Bishop's Committee retreat, we are gathering a Task Force to examine how we can sustain and enhance the vitality of our shared life and ministry. Using the insights gained in that retreat as a starting place, this group will meet over the next five months, completing its work by Christmas.
 
The task force will hold its first meeting on Sunday, Aug. 7 at noon at Christ Church. Robert Bischoff and Sherry Kellett will represent the Trinity Bishop's Committee and have recruited Mark and Michelle Chooljian as at-large members of the congregation to assist them; Peter Monte and Melanie Harden of the Christ Church Bishop's Committee will be assisted by Gary Dozier and one additional member still to be named. Fr. Chip will serve initially as convener.
 
We could still use one additional "veteran" member of Trinity Church and one "newer" member of Christ Church to assist this time-limited effort. If you have not served on the Bishop's Committee in the last five years and wish to be considered, please speak with a Warden or with Fr. Chip.
 
 
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...
 
July 31
Our Shared Ministry administrator, Nita Niemczyk; Shirley Phillips; Angie & Ike Twombly      
 
Aug. 7
Our Vicar, Chip Robinson; Joyce Phoenix; Sherry Kellett; Cliff & Judy Stroncer

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