| This Weekend's Readings | The Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Martin Luther King, Jr. (observed)
Click HERE to view this weekends readings.
|
This Weekend's Preacher
| |
The Reverend Dr. Georgia Hill
|
Usher Schedule
|
To view the usher schedule, please click HERE.
|
Next Baptism Date
|
The next date available for Baptism is Saturday, March 26, 2016 at 7:00 PM. Preparation classes will be on March 13th & 20th at 11:30 AM. Contact the Reverend Joyce Matthews.
|
1/14 Thursday
| 8:30 AM - Morning Prayer
5:00 PM - Cranbrook Choristers Rehearsal
7:30 PM - Christ Church Choir Rehearsal
|
1/15 Friday
| |
8:30 AM - Morning Prayer
9:30 AM - Al-Anon "Peace of Serenity"
12:00 PM - Women's Spirituality Group (Lunch at 11:30 AM)
|
1/16 Saturday
| |
11:00 AM - Baldwin Soup Kitchen (off-site)
5:00 PM - Sanctuary with Holy Eucharist: Rite II
|
1/17 Sunday
|
8:00 AM - Holy Eucharist: Rite I
9:00 AM - Rector's Forum
9:00 AM - Middle School Sunday School
10:00 AM - Holy Eucharist: Rite II
10:00 AM - Sunday School
11:15 AM - High School Hangout
11:30 AM - Docent Tour
11:30 AM - Saint Francis Choir Rehearsal
|
1/18 Monday
| |
Church Offices Closed
|
1/19 Tuesday
| |
8:30 AM - Morning Prayer
11:00 AM - ECW Program
4:30 PM - God & Family
|
1/20 Wednesday
| 7:30 AM - Bible Study
8:30 AM - Holy Eucharist: Rite II
9:30 AM - Adult Children of Alcoholics Meeting
12:00 PM - Stewardship Committee Meeting
6:00 PM - Renew Service
6:30 PM - Light Supper & Conversation
7:00 PM - Cranbrook Ringers Rehearsal
7:00 PM - Artworks Committee Meeting
7:00 PM - Adult Confirmation
|
1/21 Thursday
| 8:30 AM - Morning Prayer
5:00 PM - Cranbrook Choristers Rehearsal
6:30 PM - Thursday Night Movie
7:30 PM - Christ Church Choir Rehearsal
|
Share the Communicant
|
If you know someone who may enjoy learning a little more about Christ Church Cranbrook, please forward this email.
You may forward using the "Forward Email" link at the end of this email.
|
Receive the Communicant
| |
If someone was kind enough to forward this newsletter to you - consider receiving your own copy each week. Just fill in the "Join Our List" box below.
|
|
Join Our List
|
|
|
|
|
|
Emergence: The Coming of Christianity
Rector's Forum 2016 | | Sundays at 9:00 AM
Hospitality Center,
January 24 - June 5, 2016
William Danaher, Troy Dostert, Manisha Dostert
What does it mean to be a Christian? The easiest answer is that a Christian is someone who turns to Jesus as her personal savior.
However, from the beginning, Christians have understood that living a Christian life means that we are bound to each other in Christ - that our relationship with Jesus is as corporate as it is personal.
Understanding this corporate dimension is critical - so much so, that it is fair to say that if we do not know the how Christianity emerged as a social religion, we do not know what it really means to be a Christian.
Over the course of its first thousand years, Christianity developed the distinctive contours of the faith we now know it to be. Christianity is a "culture-shaping religion." It has shaped the way we see our world by generating art, architecture, music, and specific ways of living.
Hospitals, for example, were an outgrowth of early Christian beliefs and practice. Their presence is a defining feature of what we know as "Western" civilization, and our present work in mission and outreach continues to be formed by these early practices and their wider cultural reception and appropriation.
In this course, we trace the emergence of Christianity, examining the events and figures that have shaped this early Christian history during the first 1,000 years of its existence. Our textbook will be Robert Louis Wilken, The First Thousand Years: A Global History of Christianity (Yale University Press, 2012). Copies of this book will be available for purchase from the office and at the class.
- Bill Danaher
|
| Being the Beloved Community: MLK Weekend at CCC | |  Nearly sixty years ago, at the end of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the first successful battle in the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the following:
"It is true that as we struggle for freedom in America we will have to boycott at times. But we remember that as we boycott that the boycott is not an end in itself . . . [The] end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the beloved community" (Charles Marsh, The Beloved Community, 2005:48).
This vision of the beloved community is incredibly important to keep in mind as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King. To work for civil rights requires more than holding fast to the commitment that each of us possess equally the same rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It requires more than looking to our national past as if the struggle for civil rights is now complete. It requires more than transforming a wonderful man's life into an icon - which is a sacred object whose power is as much in what it makes present as what it makes absent.
The beloved community is the vision of a society that has been transformed from within; that has left behind our penchant for using strategies of retaliation and manipulation to steer our politics in the direction of our choosing; that finds in our common life together the love that binds together people from very different places and perspectives.
King's beloved community was inspired by the biblical vision of the Kingdom of God, but he believed this vision was real and not utopian.
Our social lives can be changed with God's help. We are more creative when we learn to let go of resentment, bitterness, and violence. We are more productive when we learn to work from a position of trust rather than suspicion. We are healthier when we let go of the need to dominate and control. We are wiser when we learn to listen. We are more giving when we learn the power of being fearless. The resurrection dawns in our life when we learn to live with the love that is stronger than death.
Guest Preacher
To further the work of building this beloved community, we have created a program for celebration, discussion, collaboration and interaction the weekend of January 16 and 17. At 5:00 PM on Saturday and 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM on Sunday, we are honored to have as our preacher the Rev. Dr. Georgia Hill, who is the Associate Pastor of Plymouth United Church of Christ and provides leadership in the congregation for Youth and Adult Christian Education.
To say a bit more about Dr. Hill: Prior to serving in the ministry, she practiced law for a number of years and worked in city government. Dr. Hill is an adjunct instructor at Wayne State University in the Africana Studies Department.
Dr. Hill earned a Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.) from Harvard Radcliffe College in Cambridge Massachusetts, a Juris Doctor degree (J.D.) from Howard University Law School in Washington D.C., as well as a Master of Divinity degree (M.Div.) and Doctor of Ministry degree (D.Min.) from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago.
Guest Speakers
At the Rector's Forum, at 9:00 AM in the Hospitality Center, we are offering a special session on the Detroit Refugee Resettlement program of the Lutheran Social Services of Michigan (LSSM). Our guests will be Mihaela Mitrofan, who is the Program Manager of this program and the Rev. Ken Fouty, who is a Lutheran Pastor working on behalf of LSSM.
As most of us know, issues concerning refugees have been a hot topic of political commentary and maneuvering. By contrast, this session will be dedicated to sharing information regarding the resettlement of refugees so that we can know better the high level of interaction between LSSM, governmental agencies, and community leaders. Our guests will also speak to the safeguards they have in place to ensure the safety of all involved as they try to live out the Gospel imperative of providing hospitality to those in need.
Special Program at Temple Beth-El
(7400 Telegraph Rd., Bloomfield Hills)
Finally, on Sunday evening, January 17 at 7:00 PM, we will join Temple Beth-El and the Center for Spirituality at Christ Church Grosse Pointe to watch and discuss an award-winning documentary about Joachim Prinz, who was rabbi of the Fiedenstempel (Peace Synagogue) in Berlin and, after he was expelled from Germany in 1937, a tireless advocate for civil rights. A close confidant and friend of Dr. King, Rabbi Prince participated and spoke in the March on Washington in 1963.
Each of these programs will, I hope, inspire each of us to weave together the fabric that is the beloved community. Because the best tribute we can give as a church to Dr. King's life and legacy is to explore ways we can carry on the work he did today.
- Bill Danaher |
| Special Coffee Hour | |  Please join us after the 10:00 AM service today for a special Coffee Hour honoring Dr. Christopher Reynolds as he leaves Christ Church Cranbrook to become the Director of Music at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia.
|
| Notice | | | The church offices will be closed on Monday, January 18th for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. |
| This Week's Intercessions | | |
|
| Annual Meeting 2016 | | We will hold our Annual Meeting on Sunday, January 31 after the 10 AM service. At the Annual Meeting you will have the opportunity to vote for five new Vestry members. This year's meeting will include a light lunch. Child care will be available and will include lunch for the children. Please contact Jessica Neeper if you will be needing childcare.
The 2015 Vestry Nominees' Statements are available on the bulletin board near the library and online. Five positions are available, we are extremely grateful for the eight parishioners the Vestry has presented for consideration. There will be an opportunity for you to talk to the Vestry candidates at a "Meet and Greet" after the 10 AM service during Coffee Hour on January 17th and 24th. Only members of CCC are eligible to vote. A list of those eligible to vote is posted on the bulletin boards near the Library and the kitchen.
|
| Item of the Month | | |
The Item of the Month for January is "Birthday in a Bag." What is a birthday in a bag? For the children of Glazer Elementary, the reality of having a cake and candles on their birthday is very slim. Christ Church Cranbrook provides a special Birthday Bag for each child at Glazer to ensure that every child is celebrated and honored on his or her special day. We are asking you to contribute one or more or all of the items listed below and place them in the bins located in the church entrances. Items needed: 1 box cake mix, small bottle 6-8 oz of vegetable oil, 24 individual disposable aluminum foil baking cups, 1 container of canned frosting, bag of 25 balloons, cake candles, stickers, party plates and napkins. Thank you for contributing to this important Outreach Ministry at Christ Church Cranbrook.
|
| Children and Youth Outreach Event | | Sunday, January 31, during the Annual Meeting, all children and youth are wanted to assemble Birthday Bags for Glazer Elementary School in Detroit. We will meet in the 201-202 after church. Lunch will be served.
|
| Adult Confirmation, Reception, and Reaffirmation Classes | | Confirmation is a pastoral rite in the Episcopal Church; therefore it is not a rite that notes fuller initiation into the Church, the Body of Christ. A person is a full member of the Church through Baptism. Confirmation is a "mature public affirmation of faith and commitment to the responsibilities of Baptism" BCP (p. 860). At Confirmation one receives strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and laying on of hands by a bishop. There are some positions of leadership in the Episcopal Church that require one to be confirmed such as Vestry members, Eucharistic Ministers and Eucharistic Visitors.
Reception is common for people who have been active throughout their lives in other denominations. These folks have made a mature public affirmation of their faith and commitment to the responsibilities of Baptism in their previous denomination.
Reaffirmation means that you choose to re-state your commitment to Christ in the Episcopal Church honoring your growth in faith throughout your spiritual journey.
Our Adult (16 years or older) Confirmation, Reception, and Reaffirmation Classes are scheduled on January 20, January 27, February 3, February 17, February 24, March 2, March 9, and March 16 in room 201 and 202 at 7:00 PM. These classes will provide knowledge regarding the Episcopal Church. They are open to adults who not only want to be Confirmed, but may want Reception or Reaffirmation or just a refresher course to learn more about the Episcopal Church.
If you have any questions or would like to participate in the classes please contact The Reverend Joyce Matthews at 248.644.5210, Ext. 15 or email jmatthews@christchurchcranbrook.org.
|
| Youth Confirmation 2016 | | Confirmation for youth will start with a brief meeting on January 31 at 11:30 AM in the Parlor, and finish with Confirmation service on April 17. This year, Bishop Wendell N. Gibbs will be doing his visitation of Christ Church Cranbrook on Sunday, April 17 and he will confirm young people and adults at the 10:00 AM service. Confirmation is a rite of passage for Christians-it lets individual Christians proclaim their desire, willingness and choice to follow Jesus Christ and commit to being a member of the Church of God.
Although Confirmation is not required to participate in church or church activities, we recommend all young people in high school take some time to discern whether they are being called to confirm their Christian faith by becoming a confirmand.
We are envisioning confirmation preparation as being more of a living-experience and embodying the faith rather than sitting in lots of classes. We hope that an active experience of the Christian community and life will help your child determine whether they desire to be confirmed. The 2016 Youth Confirmation Schedule of events represents the life of an active Christian and it is our hope your child will attend and enjoy these activities in affirmation of their faith. Please contact Pastor Manisha or Jill Bednas for additional information and to register your child.
|
| New Acolyte Training | | CCC will be offering a new acolyte training course for youth in 6th grade and older who are interesting in joining the Acolyte Corps. Training will commence on February 7th at 11:30 AM -12:30 in room 201/202. This class is the launching point for new acolytes to fully understand the program and the commitment that is expected of each youth. Lunch will be served followed by a thorough review of the program which will be taught by several church leaders including: Pastor Manisha, Jill Bednas, Chas Kipp and Elizabeth Witten. Ongoing training will be a combination hands on training and mentoring with older experienced acolytes. This class is key for new acolytes and parents are welcome to attend as well. For more information and to RSVP please contact Jill Bednas, Youth and Acolyte Director, at jbednas@christchurchcranbrook.org
|
| Register for Youth Mission Trips | | Every CCC Middle and High School youth has an opportunity to go on a mission trip! These week-long trips provide a way to experience God that has lasting impact on a young person's life.
CCC is offering three mission trips for youth:
- June 27-July 4, 2016: Dominican Republic (8th grade to college students)
- July 4- 11, 2016: Dominican Republic (8th grade to college students)
- August 7-12, 2016: Mission: Possible! In Detroit (6th grade and up)
Trips range in cost from approximately $150 to $2,000, including transportation. Each student can receive help in raising funds. This year, we are delighted to be partnering with the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan and local churches to make these trips possible.
If you are interested in the Dominican Republic trips, speak to Pastor Manisha or visit http://www.edomi.org/yaya/camp-compassion/ to secure a spot and place a deposit. The trips will fill up fast. Questions: contact Pastor Manisha (mdostert@christchurchcranbrook.org) or Jill Bednas (jbednas@christchurchcranbrook.org)
|
| New Children and Youth Liturgical Drama | | Mark your calendars for the new play to be performed on Sunday, April 10 at 10:00 AM. The theme of the play is Transfiguration. Casting call and rehearsals will be announced shortly. For more information contact Jessica Neeper at jneeper@christchurchcranbrook.org.
|
| Women's Spirituality Group | | A new year, a new season. During the season of Music, Arts and Sciences, we will explore the differing visions of creationism, evolution and intelligent design. Come for one or all of the five weeks in the season (January 8 - February 5) being led by Susan Santoro. Next season: Internal Spiritual Life, where will explore writing a rule of life. WSG meets 12-1 PM on Fridays in Room 201-202, with a brown bag lunch at 11:30 AM.
|
| Parish Health Ministry | | Christ Church Cranbrook has renewed its partnership with St. John Providence Health System to provide a Parish Health Ministry. Our health ministry will include a group of church members who focus on the health-related needs of the people we serve, both members and the community at large. The ultimate goal of the health ministry is to empower members of the congregation to live fully abundant and healthy lives, as God intended; physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. If you are interested joining our Parish Health Ministry Team please contact Pastor Joyce Matthews at jmatthews@christchurchcranbrook.org
|
| Healing Ministry | |  Are you interested in joining our Healing Ministry? Members of Christ Church Cranbrook Healing Ministry are embarking on a new study for induction into the Order of St. Luke. The International Order of St. Luke the Physician is made up of clergy, health professionals, and lay people who feel called to make Jesus' ministry of healing a ministry they will engage in at their respective churches. Our brown bag studies will take place on Sunday from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM on February 7th. We welcome those from other Christian churches who want to discern their call to healing ministry. Please contact the Reverend Joyce Matthews if you are interested at jmatthews@christchurchcranbrook.org or 248.644.5210, Ext. 15. |
| Prayer Shawl Ministry | | Please consider joining the Prayer Shawl Ministry on the second Monday of each month, from 12:00-2:00 PM, in Rooms 201-202. Experienced knitters, beginners, and those who wish to learn are all welcome. Our next meeting is January 11. Many thanks to all for our 2015 accomplishments. Prayer shawls have been delivered to those in need and the Knit Extravaganza was a success due to your generosity. Numerous items from the sale were donated and all proceeds will go to CCC Outreach Programs.
|
| Episcopal Church Women | |  Tuesday, January 19, 2016 at 11:00 AM
Please mark your calendars for the first ECW meeting of the new year. Our speaker is Connie Silver from the Bloomfield Township Library. Connie will introduce us to a number of newer books, including mysteries, which will be good reads for winter days or for when we are traveling to escape cold weather. Everyone is welcome to come. Luncheon will follow the program. If you wish to make a reservation for lunch, please call the church office by noon on Monday, January 18. |
| Thursday Night Movie | |  "Woman in Gold" (2015)
January 21, Hospitality Center, 6:30 PM
Maria Altmann, an octogenarian Jewish refugee, takes on the Austrian government to recover an iconic painting of her aunt by Gustav Klimt. The painting was stolen by the Nazis just prior to Word War II, and housed in an Austrian museum. The legal battle involves the U.S. Supreme Court and the Austrian art restitution board. It stars Helen Mirren as Maria Altmann and Ryan Reynolds as her lawyer. Mike Frank will provide interesting historical research and lead the post movie discussion. |
| Fact and Fiction Fun | |  The next meeting of FFF is Monday, January 25, 2016 in the Conference Room of Christ Church Cranbrook from 7:30 to 9:00 PM. The selection for January is Huck Finn's America: Mark Twain and the Era That Shaped His Masterpiece, by Andrew Levy. Everyone is welcome.
A provocative, exuberant, and deeply researched investigation into Mark Twain's writing of Huckleberry Finn, which turns on its head everything we thought we knew about America's favorite icon of childhood. In Huck Finn's America, award-winning biographer Andrew Levy shows how modern readers have been misunderstanding Huckleberry Finn for decades. Levy argues convincingly that Huck Finn was written at a time when Americans were nervous about youth violence and "uncivilized" bad boys, and a debate was raging about education, popular culture, and responsible parenting - casting Huck's now-celebrated "freedom" in a very different and very modern light. An eye-opening, groundbreaking exploration of the character and psyche of Mark Twain as he was writing his most famous novel, Huck Finn's America brings the past to vivid, surprising life, and offers a persuasive-and controversial-argument for why this American classic deserves to be understood anew. |
| Saint Francis Children's Choir | | St. Francis Choir meets on Sundays following the 10 AM Service! All children, 4 years old to second grade, are welcome and encouraged to join the St. Francis Choir and experience the joy of choral singing. Kate Bublitz will direct the choir again this year. Rehearsals are held in the Choir Room immediately following Sunday's 10:00 AM service. For more information contact Kate at kate.bublitz@hotmail.com.
|
| Member Directory Advertising | | Cathedral Directories is publishing our annual member directory and is looking for advertisers in support of this publication. If you would be interested in advertising this year or would like more information please contact Cathy Hunley at Cathedral Directories, 248.545.1415, Ext. 110. The deadline for ads is February 15, 2016.
|
| Do You Need a Ride to Church? | |  Do you or someone you know need a ride to the 10:00 AM service on Sundays? We now have a shuttle running from Fox Run retirement community in Novi to CCC every Sunday for the 10:00 AM service. The shuttle leaves Fox Run at 9:15 AM and will make stops between there and Christ Church Cranbrook. If you or someone you know lives in Farmington Hills, W. Bloomfield, Bloomfield Hills, Beverly Hills or Birmingham and would like a ride to church, please contact Mr. Don Canavesio at 586.747.6587.
If a ride is needed, you need to contact Don by Saturday at Noon for a ride for the next day. Seating is limited so rides are on a first come-first served basis. There is no charge for this service. |
| Old Rectory Resale Shop at All Saints', Pontiac | |
The Old Rectory Resale Shop at All Saints' Pontiac has new hours and all new stock. Fridays & Saturdays 10-2. All new, but gently used, fall and winter clothes, kitchen and decorating items, plus a huge stock of Christmas decorating items, at fabulous prices. The Produce Market is right next door, open Saturdays 10-2, with fresh fruits and vegetables at near wholesale prices. Our Book Nook has thousands of gently read titles for adults and children, Saturdays 10-12. Come by to shop or to volunteer. New help is always welcome for these major ministries of All Saints'. Pike & Exchange Sts., west of Woodward, between Orchard Lake and M-59. Check out our new website www.allsaintspontiac.org or Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/oldrectoryresaleshop.
|
| Interfaith Question of the Week |
| |
As a way of learning about our neighbors of different faith traditions, we will be providing a link to the Question of the Week on the InterFaith Leadership Council (IFLC) of Metro Detroit's website. Please feel free to submit our own questions to IFLC for consideration to be featured.
The InterFaith Leadership Council of Metropolitan Detroit is a faith-based civic organization made up of visionary religious and lay leaders of many faiths whose shared values compel them to work toward a community that lives together in harmony.
Our Goals:
BRING TOGETHER, encourage and nurture interfaith groups and networks
SUPPORT CONCILIATION between and among religious groups as well as the community at large through active conflict resolution
PROMOTE INTERFAITH EDUCATION so that the metropolitan Detroit community can benefit from the synergies and creative benefits that knowledge and understanding can provide. |
| CCC Services Live Streamed | | Christ Church Cranbrook is now live streaming our 10:00 AM Sunday service! No matter where you are you don't have to miss a service. To view services, please click HERE. Videos of previous services are archived on this page as well.
|
| Online and Text Giving - It's Easy! | | |
 Contributions can now be made online and by text messaging. Please click HERE and see how quick and easy it is.
We invite you to consider our new electronic "Online Giving" program as a way to automate your donations to Christ Church Cranbrook. Read more
We encourage you to consider these new giving opportunities.
|
| Follow CCC on Facebook! |
|  We hope you "Like" us!
 You can view our Facebook page even if you don't have a Facebook account! Our page show a more "relaxed" version of CCC! If you have a Facebook account, simply click the button above and then click the "Like" button on our page. We're just getting started and we need your help to really get moving. |
|
|
|
|