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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...
Advent begins a three-season proclamation of the Incarnation
We are just beginning the Advent Season, which is the beginning of the Church's Year, the beginning of the story of our redemption, when God exercised sovereign power and came into our world in a new way, as one of us.
Of course, there was never a time when God was absent from our world. The Hebrew Scriptures testify to God's presence, especially in the life of Israel, both as Logos and Sophia, God's Word and God's Wisdom.
The Christian Testament enlarges and expands this testimony from Israel to the whole world. The beginning of John's Gospel, which we read on Christmas Day, proclaims that God's Logos was the agent of the creation of the universe. The Logos is also called "the true light, which enlightens everyone" - not just the children of Israel, not even just the new Israel, the Church, but every human being. And then John reaches the climax of his prologue and proclaims: "The Word was made flesh, and lived among us" - the central claim of the Christian Faith, that God was made flesh, to live as one of us, and to be crucified and rise from the dead as one of us.
Our faith is all about our relationships: our relationship with God, and our relationships with one another, and these relationships are, in God's plan for us, ones of love. John, later in his Gospel, says boldly, "God is Love." The prime calling of the Church is to be the medium by which the love of God is expressed and made effective, not just between the members of the Church (though that surely comes first) but also in the world around us. As John also says: "God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son" - so loved the world, not just the Church.
Israel believed that they were a Chosen People, and so they were, but where it all went wrong was that they began to believe that they were chosen not for the purpose of showing God to the world, but chosen for privilege. And that is also the great danger for us as the new Israel, the Church. We are chosen to show forth the love of God to the world, not chosen merely to be privileged.
Too often it seems we proclaim or imply that we are the only ones to be saved, the only ones God loves, the only ones going to heaven. Too often we sound more like the Pharisees of ancient Israel rather than our Lord Jesus Christ.
Advent is but the beginning of a three-season arc of proclamation with respect to the Incarnation. Advent, the first act in that three-act play, shows us the prophetic preparation for the Messiah, the Christ. Christmas, the second act, is the moment of joy, when God and humanity were brought together in the womb of Mary, when God the Son came into the world in weakness, innocence and love. And Epiphany, completing the three-season arc, shows us the beginning of the revelation of that love to shepherds and magi, rich and poor alike.
So let us celebrate these holy seasons with great thankfulness and joy. We are privileged as Episcopalians to have a rich liturgical way of celebrating the story of the beginning of our redemption.
I wish you a rewarding, meaningful Advent; a blessed Christmas; and an enlightening Epiphany.
Fr. Chip
Bylaw forum this Sunday at Trinity Church
Dec. 11 at Christ Church
Last winter, the Bishop's Committee authorized the formation of a working group to review our bylaws in both congregations. That committee has now completed its work, and the documents they produced were approved unanimously at the October Bishop's Committee meeting. You will find the proposed bylaws online at www.trinityhampton.org/contact.htm and www.christepiscopalchurch.us/contact.htm. On both pages, the actual link is in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.
Prior to their presentation at the 2017 Annual Meetings (Jan. 22 at Trinity; Jan. 29 at Christ Church), there will be a public forum at each church to introduce the proposed bylaws and respond to any questions you may have. Trinity Church's forum will be on Sunday, Dec. 4 at 10 a.m. Christ Church's forum will be the following Sunday, Dec. 11 at noon.
If approved at our two annual meetings, the proposed new Bylaws will then be submitted to the Standing Committee of the Diocese for final approval.
Christ Church Christmas Fair
Saturday, Dec. 3rd 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.
For the next few days, we need everyone to bring in their items in preparation for the Christmas Fair (8 am - 2 pm on Saturday, Dec. 3). Please remember that items should be clean and in relatively good shape. Ask yourself: "Would I buy this item as a Christmas present?" Please bring in any costume jewelry or any other accessories that might be useful for the sale, such as music boxes and jewelry boxes.
And please keep baking your cookies! We have a great team of committed bakers, but will need everyone's dozens of goodies to make our cookie walk as successful as last year. We will be setting up for the fair tomorrow, Friday, December 2nd at 6:00 for anyone who can join us.
One last opportunity to turn in your pledge
This Sunday, Dec. 4, any who have not yet done so are invited to return 2017 pledge forms. We are close to completing our campaign, but every expression of support is important as the new year approaches. Extra forms are available near the church entrances.
Christmas flowers
We'd love your help in adorning our altars for Christmas by purchasing a Poinsettia. At the same time, you may honor your loved ones, acknowledge a special occasion, or give thanks and praise, which will be included in the bulletin.
This year there are two size choices: 6 ½" at $ 6.50 or 7 ½" at $12.00 and the color choices are: White, Red, Burgundy, and Pink.
Envelopes for ordering poinsettias are on the table in the narthex at Trinity, or in the hallway at Christ Church. Please fill out the information on the envelope, then place it with your payment, marked "flowers," in the offering plate, give it to Alberta True at Trinity or Liz Malone at Christ Church, or snail-mail it to the Shared Ministry Office.
The deadline for orders is Sunday, Dec 4 at coffee hour - no exceptions.
A new approach to 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. At this fall's Cottage Conversations, however, a whole new model for this ministry of prayer emerged. The suggestion was made that, instead of just listing the names, we be directly in touch with those listed and suggest they form a prayer partnership with one another (purely on a voluntary basis - no one is forcing you to if you find that uncomfortable). As some of the names are from one church, some from the other, this would help folks get to know one another across congregational boundaries. As in the past, about once every six weeks, we will instead using the Shared Ministry Collect we prayed throughout the opening months of our Shared Ministry.
Your feedback on this new initiative is welcomed. Meanwhile, please hold in your prayers...
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Dec. 4
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Our Vicar, Chip Robinson
Prayer Partners: Liz Malone & Lynda Swartz;
Patrice & Kathryn Wood
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Dec. 11
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Our Shared Ministry Administrator, Nita Niemczyk
Prayer Partners: John & Tena Wolf;
Robert & Phoebe Bischoff
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Calling new church leaders
Bishop's Committee: We are looking for several new Bishop's Committee members, including a new Clerk at Christ Church, and, if possible, a Junior Warden to fill the vacant position at Trinity. Members serve on the board of our churches for a three-year term. The Junior Warden oversees the care of the buildings and grounds; the Clerk takes minutes and keeps records.
In new Bishop's Committee members, we are looking for people with energy and enthusiasm for our church communities. You should be a communicant in good standing in the Episcopal Church, or willing to do so in the next year. You also should already share of your time, talent and treasure (be a pledging member) with your faith community. We need prayerful people who can help us dream about the Shared Ministry's future, and help us get there. The Bishop's Committee should be a diverse group of people of different ages and experiences. We need people with ideas, but also those who can help us follow through and make our dreams a reality.
If you are interested, please talk with Fr. Chip or a present Bishop's Committee member.
Convention Delegates and Alternates: We also need three delegates and up to two alternates to Diocesan
Convention and Seacoast Convocation from each congregation. You must be able to attend the convention on Nov. 4 in Concord, and monthly (second Tuesday) meetings through the school year here on the Seacoast.
Again, speak with Fr. Chip or a current delegate if you are interested in joining our team.
Seacoast Convocation to again fill Ditty Bags for Seafarers
 All this month, you are invited to provide items for seafarers' "ditty bags" being assembled by the churches of the Seacoast Convocation.
Christ Church members are asked to bring toothbrushes and toothpaste (full-size tubes, please - not travel size).
Trinity Church will be collecting bottles of shampoo.
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. The ditty bags will be assembled on Dec. 6, so please bring your donations in by Sunday, Dec. 4.
Two ways you can help us reach out...
Salvation Army Giving Tree at Christ Church
Christ Church begins its annual Salvation Army "giving tree" tradition this Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent. Tags are hanging from the tree for you to choose. Each tag lists the gender and approximate age of a child in need. You can buy a toy, plus something useful such as an item of warm clothing, and bring your present to put under the tree by Sunday, Dec. 11. There is also a box for canned goods to donate to the Salvation Army.
Discretionary Fund needs your help to meet holiday needs
As Christmas approaches, requests for assistance increase, particularly at Christ Church - but this year, due to a very busy year, we come into the holiday season with a relatively low balance in our Vicar's Discretionary Fund. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Please make your check payable to your own church, with the memo, "Discretionary Fund."
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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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