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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
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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From the Vicar...
Sweet hour of prayer
"Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer,
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father's throne,
Make all my wants and wishes known."
(Hymn: "Sweet Hour of Prayer")
This coming Sunday, this old favorite of the African-American community will be sung as the communion piece in both of our churches. The scripture that stands behind it is our Hebrew Scripture passage for the morning, the moving account in Genesis of Jacob's all-night wrestle with God.
The event recalled in this passage is a turning point for Jacob. Jacob doesn't have the strongest faith among the Hebrew people. All the encounters he has had with God up to this point have either been dreams or visions - we have nothing in the text that says Jacob has ever talked with God face to face.
But now, Jacob, maybe in a foxhole of sorts (where they say even atheists learn to pray), turns to God in prayer. And, this is no ordinary prayer. Jacob pours out his fears to God. He admits he is vulnerable and reminds God that God has stood by him always and he reminds God that he felt that God was the one who had called him to go home where his brother was.
But, truth be told, he's not really that confident in God's promises. He's scared to death. And so, as much out of fear as out of confidence, Jacob perseveres through the night as he wrestles with God.
But God, being God, realizes something that perhaps Jacob does not: that his very identity lies at the heart of his fears and his problems. His name, "Jacob," you see, means "trickster" or "supplanter." It is a fitting name for the one who grabs his brother, Esau's, heel at birth, holding him back. In the face of this, God gives him a new name, a new identity: "Your name is not Jacob any longer; you are Israel, for you fought with God and humans and prevailed."
Jacob's new name and identity was not just for him. Claimed by his children and their children, it became the spacious name of a chosen people, and Jacob became the ancestor of a very nation.
But, as so often is the case in scripture, this is a story not just of one man, Jacob. It is a story of God's people - and therefore it is part of our story: we were there and it happened to us. In it, we learn that God does not despise us for our supplanting and deceit, but forever ambushes our lives with new chances; that God does not renege on promises made even under duress; that God may slip away at daybreak, but never abandons us; that the gracious reunion of sinners and sinned-against is the blessing of God. You are Israel. You are God's people. You are blessed.
I think it is that sense of changed identity that made this hymn so popular among the oppressed African slaves who passed it along to us. It serves to remind us that God has promised blessings for them - and therefore us - as well.
So what can we learn from this story? Several things come to mind. First, it's ok to struggle with God in prayer. Second, it's ok to hang onto God awaiting the promises. Third, we are to pray without ceasing. Life is difficult for all of us, but God is with us, no matter what - no matter if even we wrestle through the night until daybreak, for Psalm 139 tells us that no matter where we go to run away from God, God will never run away from us. That's good enough for me.
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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Oct. 16
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Our Church Vision Team; Christ Church's choir; Jim Sparrell & Katie Towler; Clayton & Beverly Dearth
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Oct. 23
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Trinity Church's Bible Study; Alexis & Nicholas Zaricki; Patrice & Kathryn Wood
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Remembering the saints
 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. 6 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 call her at 926-5688 no later than noon, Wednesday, Nov. 2. 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.
"Cottage Conversation" sign-up sheets now out - you are invited!
At the heart of our stewardship program this year is a series of "heart to heart" Cottage Conversations in parishioners' homes and other convenient locations.
At these gatherings of 8-10 people each, we'll not only learn some of the specifics of our financial health, but also brainstorm together about what we value about our two congregations, what we hope to continue, and what new ideas you may have. Groups also will have the chance to talk about what we are looking for, even longing for, and praying for as our Shared Ministry moves beyond its initial phase into a new maturity.
You may attend a Cottage Conversation hosted by someone from either church - your choices need not be limited to just those in the congregation you attend.
Our "Loving Hearts, Living Hands" stewardship drive will begin this week and will conclude with the turning in of pledges on Sunday, Nov. 13. Please sign up using this link to attend a Cottage Conversation that is convenient to you. Those who do not sign up by this Sunday will be called. Directions will be provided to any who request them.
Wednesday, Oct. 19 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
At the home of Mark & Michelle Chooljian
Saturday, Oct. 22 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
At the home of Bob Main & Belinda Wilkes
Sunday, Oct. 23 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Community Room, Atlantic Heights (Thelma Hutton)
Tuesday, Oct. 25 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
At the home of Mark & Ginnie-Lee McCaddin
Wednesday, Oct. 26 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Community Room, Appleton Oaks (Ida Moriarty)
Wednesday, Oct. 26 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
At the home of Jim Sparrell & Katie Towler
Thursday, Oct. 27 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
At the home of Roy & Marilyn Bunting
Sunday, Nov. 6 12:00 - 1:30 p.m.
Education Room (Liz Malone & Lynda Swartz)
Monday, Nov. 7 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
At the home of Betty Lane
Soup and Chowder Challenge at Trinity
Saturday, Oct. 15 from 5-7 p.m.
The sixth annual "Soup and Chowder Challenge," for the benefit of Hobbs House and the Food Pantry at Hobbs House, will take place at Hobbs House / Trinity Episcopal Church, 200 High St in Hampton on Saturday, Oct.15th. 2016 from 5-7 pm.
Two opportunities await you at this event!
- Taste and judge some of the best soups and chowder on the seacoast all for only $7.00 per person! After you have sampled all you want, you will cast a vote for your favorites in two categories - professional and individuals!
- Do you have an award winning soup or chowder you want to share? Call 926-5688 or 396-9295 for entry information!
Come join us for a fun evening that helps us reach out to our community!
Gifts for ChIPs
When a loved one goes to prison, the abrupt ripping of the family fabric is tremendously traumatic. The children still need that parent in their lives. They feel lost and abandoned, as well as grief-stricken and anxious for their father's or mother's safety. The inmate also feels the fear, shock and sorrow. He worries that his family will move on and forget him. She worries that they won't be able to make the rent without her.
But keeping those ties is tremendously important. Jesus commanded us to love one another, and we all need Love in order to live. If an inmate feels abandoned, she loses the security that she can come home when her time is over. She leaves prison with nowhere to go, no emotional or financial support as she tries to get back on her feet. And, she is far more likely to end up arrested again. She needs to know that her family is still there, and still wants her.
The ChIPs Program is designed to strengthen these family connections, for the sake of the children and the prisoners both. Grateful letters from so many inmates and families have testified to the effectiveness of our efforts. ChIPs aims to spread the Christmas message of Joy and Love to those among us who need it the most.
You may drop off gifts or monetary donations at your church. The delegates to Diocesan Convention will bring your gifts to the Convention on Nov. 5th for sorting and distribution. You can purchase a gift directly or contribute $20. If you decide to make a monetary donation, please make out your check to the Diocese of New Hampshire with ChIPS written on the memo line of the check.
Gift Guidelines
- We group gifts according the following age groups: birth to 1; ages 2 to 4; ages 5 to 7; ages 8-11; and ages 12-15.
- Gifts should not exceed $20 (original retail value). One $20 gift is preferable to four $5 gifts as it is difficult to group items together to equal a $20 gift.
- Books are a separate category and our goal is to provide each child with a gift and a book. (Both hard cover and paperback books are appropriate.)
- If you purchase a gift that requires batteries, please purchase those as well and attach them to the gift. It's so discouraging to receive a gift with no batteries.
- Consider buying a gift that would be appropriate for both boys and girls such as balls or board games.
- Don't forget the older children. It is often easier to buy gifts for younger children. There is always a shortage of gifts for older children.
- No used items, homemade items, or gift cards can be accepted.
- The following items are NOT acceptable: jewelry, balloons, crayons, play dough, glue, bubbles, make up, long sticks, knitting needles, crochet hooks, or paint brushes, glass items, clothing, sharp tools or toy weapons of any kind.
Thanks for your help.
United Thank Offering Ingathering
Oct. 23 and 30
The United Thank Offering (UTO) is a ministry of The Episcopal Church for the mission of the whole church. Through UTO, men, women, and children nurture the habit of giving daily thanks to God. These prayers of thanksgiving start when we recognize and name our many daily blessings. Those who participate in UTO discover that thankfulness leads to generosity. UTO is entrusted to promote thank offerings, to receive the offerings, and to distribute the monies to support mission and ministry throughout The Episcopal Church and Provinces of the Anglican Communion.
There are UTO "blue boxes" in the Narthex at Trinity and in the hallway at Christ Church. Take one home; make using it a daily habit. We will have a UTO collection on Sunday, Oct. 23 and 30. Count out the change you've collected and write a check for that amount to your church (with UTO on the memo line) to put in the collection plate, and we will add it to other congregations' offerings during the annual Diocesan Convention, this year on Nov. 5. "Don't just count your blessings; make your blessings count."
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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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