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Christ Church A to Z |
Want to know more about Christ Church or get involved in what we do?
Check out the listings below for more information about some of our programs and practices -- and let us know if you have any questions or need contact information. PDF files can be viewed using Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have this software, download it free from the Adobe.com website at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.
At Christ Church, we know education isn’t just for children, so we offer opportunities for adults to grow and mature in their faith. A regular feature in the Sunday morning line-up September-May, our Adult Forum offers interesting programs that will challenge and stretch you. Join us every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in the Parish Hall. Parishioners who enjoy mid-week offerings may sign up and participate in a Spanish class. Please go to the Adult Education Schedule to view the Spring 2008 list of classes and dates. Furthermore, special classes and events throughout the year offer opportunities for adults to expand their knowledge and deepen their understanding and faith. Pilgrimages to world-wide holy sites are offered every couple of years -- the last one took place in Turkey during the spring of 2006.
Baptism is the way we become members of the Church. At Christ Church, we baptize both infants and adults on several special days throughout the year. Baptismal Days for 2007 include the Baptism of our Lord (Sunday, January 7), the Easter Vigil (Saturday, April 7), Pentecost (Sunday, May 27), All Saints’ Sunday (Sunday, November 4), and the Bishop's Visitation (Sunday, November 11). For more information on baptism for you or your child, please contact one of the clergy.
BIG EVENTS FOR GOD (B.E.G.)
Our name for special parish events that happen every month or so. They might include a hike in the woods, an afternoon at a Roanoke Avalanche baseball game, or a progressive dinner at parishioners' homes. Events are publicized in the parish newsletter, The Parish Home Companion.
BREAKFAST (see SECOND SUNDAY BREAKFAST)
CENTERING PRAYER GROUP
Every Thursday from 12:00-1:00 p.m., a small group gathers to hear and discuss a brief reading on Centering Prayer, read a psalm, and sit together for a 20-minute period of Centering Prayer. New members are always welcome.
Christ Church offers child care for children from birth through age 5 during Church School and the main service every Sunday, as well as for other parish events throughout the year. On Sunday mornings, parents take turns caring for the children; at other times, paid caregivers provide a safe and welcoming environment for our children.
CHILDREN
Children are a vital part of the life of Christ Church! We see them as full members of our community and welcome their participation. For more information on specific children’s programs, see Church School, Young People’s Choir, Vacation Bible School , Youth Groups and Child Care.
Church School classes meet at 9:30 a.m. Sundays throughout the program year (September - May). Trained teachers use the Episcopal Children’s Curriculum for children in a class for pre-school (ages 3-5), a combined class of first through fourth grades, called The Children of God (COG), and a class for 5th and 6th grades called Walking on Water with God (WOW). Grades 7 through 12 use the Journey to Adulthood curriculum that begins with Rite 13 for grades six through eight. All classes participate in parish stewardship and outreach projects. Confirmation classes are available to youth when they are sixteen. Lenten workshops offer our children and youth a chance to be creative as they experience the meaning of Lent and Easter.
COOKING MINISTRY
During an illness, after a hospitalization, when a new baby comes home, or at any other time of crisis -- whether happy or sad -- the cooks of Christ Church are available to help by bringing a full meal, a pot of soup, or whatever else is needed. Let us know if you'd like to be added to the list of cooks, or if you know someone who could benefit from the services of this ministry.
One of the simplest ways to help people in need is to contribute to the Christ Church "Feed the Hungry" Offering. Each month, a different organization is designated as the recipient of this offering, which is taken up along with the regular Sunday collections. Special envelopes marked "Feed the Hungry" are available in the pew racks. A description of the current featured ministry will appear in the Parish Home Companion, with a more detailed display on the free-standing kiosk in the Parish Hall. Each organization is carefully researched, and previous recipients have included local, national, and international organizations.
FLOWERS
The flowers that decorate Christ Church are given by members or friends of the parish, often in memory of, or in honor of, someone special – or in thanksgiving for a special blessing or event. The names you designate will appear in the Sunday service leaflet.
FUNERALS
A death in the family should be reported to one of the clergy as soon as possible. Clergy are available to advise survivors on funeral/memorial service plans and to officiate at services. Baptized Christians are properly buried from the Church.
HIGHLAND PARK LEARNING CENTER PARTNERSHIP
Christ Church has entered a partnership with Highland Park Learning Center, a Roanoke public magnet school in the Old Southwest neighborhood. Church members help with school projects or volunteer as tutors, mentors or “lunch buddies,” and by contributing supplies for use at the school.
INTERFAITH HOSPITALITY NETWORK
IHN is an area-wide, interfaith ministry which provides intensive, short-term assistance to homeless families. For four to five weeks each year, IHN invites families to make Christ Church their temporary home. We provide overnight shelter, meals, companionship, and encouragement while families look for housing, employment, or other services.
An Instrumentalists Ensemble is meeting this year. All players are welcome and the instrumentation determined by who's on hand. We happily accept all levels of ability, as the arrangements are made for the individual skill level of each player. The choir kids already have information for registration; if you are interested, please contact Tom to tell him of your instrument and your availability.
The basic requirement of membership at Christ Church is baptism. If you have been baptized in any Christian denomination and you intend to worship regularly at Christ Church and to support the ministries of the parish, please ask that your name be entered on our membership list. We will ask you for information about the date and place of your baptism, and will help you locate your baptismal record where possible.
If you have not been baptized, we offer the opportunity for baptism of both children and adults several times each year. Click here to check on upcoming dates for baptism.
MICHAELMAS
Our annual Michaelmas Celebration will take place on Sunday, September 30, 2007 beginning 9:30 a.m. What is Michaelmas? Find out by going to our Michaelmas page and discover who, how, and what it is all about.
MUSIC
The most important music at Christ Church is the singing of the whole congregation. We use two hymnals: the Hymnal 1982 and Wonder, Love and Praise. Since the installation of our Fisk organ, our singing has taken wing. See also Parish Choir, Young People’s Choir, and Instrumentalists Ensemble.
NEWSLETTER
The parish newsletter is called the Parish Home Companion. It's published monthly, January through December. For the most recent edition, click here.
NURSERY (see CHILD CARE)
Our C. B. Fisk organ is especially designed to play the wide variety of music one encounters in the Episcopal service. It is also a wonderful recital instrument, and concerts on it are an outreach from this parish to the community. We have enjoyed a warm response to visiting artists including John and Margaret Mueller, Harry Lyn Huff, Gerre Hancock, James Leland, Bruce Stevens, Erica Johnson, Peggy Howell, Grant Hellmers and others in our annual series of recitals Tuesday evenings in July. For 2008 the artists will be:
JULY 8: Thomas Baugh and Marianne Sandborg, Soprano (recital celebrating the Messiaen centennial)
JULY 15: Neal Campbell (St. Luke's Parish, Darien, Connecticut)
JULY 22: Susan Foster (Home Moravian Church, Winston-Salem, North Carolina)
JULY 29: Bruce Stevens (University of Richmond & Second Presbyterian Church, Richmond, Virginia)
Tom Baugh recorded in 2006 a CD, "French Éclat in the Roanoke Valley," on the instrument, including premier recordings of works by Gerre Hancock, Richard Cummins, and Robert Roth, and a transcription of Fauré's glorious "Pelléas et Mélisande" suite. It is available at www.RavenCD.com.
OUTREACH AND PUBLIC MINISTRIES
In serving others, we believe that we are serving Christ himself. Christ Church offers a variety of opportunities for service, including the Star City Social Club (support of people with mental illness), Interfaith Hospitality Network (care for homeless families), Feed the Hungry (hunger relief) and Highland Park School Partnership (tutoring and program support). This year’s new work will focus on at-risk youth, mental health support and developing servant leadership programs. For a comprehensive look at what our Public Ministries Committee (PMC) encompasses, please go to our PMC Home Page which will direct you to all areas of outreach in which Christ Church participates and/or supports.
The Parish Choir begins Thursday evening practices on September 7. It is a very lively group singing a wide range of music. With a choir season lasting some 40 weeks each year, in addition to their regular Sunday responsibilities they have sung concerts with the Garth Newel Chamber players, Evensongs, pops benefits, and the Consecration of the Bishop, teamed with our musical young people and their parents, toured, and broadcast on WVTF, and had a good time of it. Individual instruction in singing and reading music is always available. Regular attendance at Thursday practices is essential. Please call Tom for more information. Click here for our spring 2008 music list.
Our parish newsletter is published monthly January through December. For the most recent edition, click here.
PRAYER REQUESTS
In need of prayer? Let us know and we’ll pray for you – or someone you know about – every day at Morning Prayer and twice on Sunday. When you include a name on the Christ Church Prayer List, that person will be included for the rest of the month -- as well as the following month -- unless you let us know otherwise. After that, just renew your request on the last Sunday of the month by entering it in the prayer list book in the lobby area outside the parish office or by calling the church office at 343-0159.
Prayer Cards with the names of individuals for whom our prayers are requested are prepared every Sunday for use at the main service and are available in the bowl at the first Washington Avenue entrance. Worshippers pick up a card on their way into the church and pray for that person during the Prayers of the People. Many also take their cards home to continue praying for that person during the week.
On the second Sunday of every month, Christ Church member Claude Lauck, assisted by various cooking colleagues, prepares a delicious and filling breakfast for the reasonable donation of $2.00 per adult, $1.00 per child (+ an extra $1.00 for strata fans). No reservations necessary -- just come to the Parish Hall any second Sunday at 8:45 a.m. (9:00 a.m. in the summer months) and chow down!
The Star City Social Club was formed in 1981 to help meet the needs of people in the Roanoke area who live with chronic mental illness. Every second and fourth Thursday, 40-50 club members meet at Christ Church for dinner, recreation, and companionship. Group activities have included crafts, bingo, singing, trips to area restaurants, and games such as Categories and Hangman.
Volunteers are always needed to prepare dinner, provide desserts, join in group activities and/or wash dishes.
STEWARDSHIP
The ministries of Christ Church have been sustained over the years by gifts from its parishioners and friends. Every fall we offer a Stewardship program to draw attention to God's abundant grace poured out on us each day, and we invite all members to prayerfully consider their giving and return a pledge card. It is only through your generous response that we can construct our budget for the upcoming year, plan for our many programs, and look toward exciting new possibilities.
SUNDAY SCHOOL (see CHURCH SCHOOL)
A week of Vacation Bible School is offered each summer. The week centers on a biblical theme and provides a combination of learning and fun.
WEDDINGS
The wedding of a member of Christ Church is a joyous occasion in the parish community. To arrange for premarital counseling and schedule your wedding, please contact one of the clergy. Christ Church Wedding Policies are available here.
A Young People's Choir meets Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. during the school year, beginning September 9. We are 16 young people and eager to welcome new kids beginning at the third grade. In addition to their regular practices Sundays, a sub-group 8th-11th grade Girls Choir meets occasional Thursday evenings. We sing in church three or four times a semester, beginning this year on October 7. We follow the Royal School of Church Music Voice for Life program. Regular attendance is expected for this group. Pre-registration for new young people is necessary as well; please call Tom Baugh at 343-0159 for more information.
The Junior High Youth and the Senior High Youth meet with adult leaders twice a month for study, fellowship, fun, worship and service. Youth also participate in several diocesan youth events and mission trips.
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