The Weekly E-news of Christ Episcopal Church, Binghamton, New York
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From the Rector's Desk
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What a wonderful first month I have had, here at Christ Church! It has been a joy to meet so many of you and learn about this incredible community. I can confidently say that the commitment to ministry – to serving the people of God – is the foundation of this place.
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As I meet with parishioners, I hear a refrain: we want to draw families into our parish community. This community holds a deep belief that we experience the fullness of life when we are in communion with God – and how wonderful that our response to this belief is the conviction that we should make every effort to pass that onto the next generation.
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Last Sunday, October 20, I had my first meeting with the Vestry. What a team of leaders! I was energized by the excitement and enthusiasm they shared in wanting to “get to work” and begin this next chapter of Christ Church’s story. During our meeting, I shared with them a little bit about how I understand the work of Churches in our world today. Ultimately, we are a community that finds our grounding in worship. Yes, there are lots of things we do as a community, but worship is the central facet upon which everything else revolves. Inevitably, our calling as Christian is a calling to discipleship, which involves the complimentary tasks of formation and service. As individuals, we are to “put on the mind of Christ” – which is learned about through education, and then enacted in our service to others. Learning and service are the “bridges” to the fullness of worship, the center of our community life.
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This “mental model” is the heuristic by which I lead. It is less a prescription and more a worksheet. It invites us into a conversation regarding how we, as faithful people of God, discern the intersection of the secular world with our parish community, our formational learning, our commitment to service, and our heartfelt worship. No easy answers, but holy work as we seek to welcome new members into our midst.
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An example of this model at work is this coming Sunday’s Rector’s Forum on “Jesus, the Church, and Christian Nationalism.” Christian Nationalism is a phenomenon in our secular world, and the intersection of that ideology with our community life, by the “bridge” of learning. Consider inviting your neighbors, colleagues, acquaintances to participate in this learning opportunity – it will be held Sunday at 11:30 a.m. in the Great Hall. Our guests are not expected to attend worship; they are welcome to come just for the presentation.
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Part of the work ahead is going to be increasing the transparency with parish administration. I am going to echo the Wardens’ appeal to you, to please try and catch up on your pledges. There’s traditionally a “summer slump” in pledges as folks travel – which is perfectly understandable. And, with this summer’s slowdown in pledge receipts, we had to take out a small line of credit to prevent overdrafting. We had a cashflow problem, and we did what was necessary to address it; and, we have the resources in our congregation that we shouldn’t need to do that. The Wardens and I want to be honest with you about the reality of our financial position. We will be communicating more with you in the coming weeks.
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Finally, I am excited to announce that Mr. Colin DeLap has accepted our offer to serve as our Organist and Choirmaster. Colin has been the organist the last two Sundays (although we’ll miss him this coming weekend), and his official “first day” will be Friday, November 1, All Saints Day.
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A reminder that we worship at 7:00 p.m. on All Saints Day. If you would like to have a loved one remembered in the prayers of the people, please email Desireé at christchurch1810secretary@gmail.com their name. Names must be received by October 30.
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Beloved – wow! So much going on (and probably a little lengthy for a first email greeting to you all). But what can I say? Life is good, here at Christ Church.
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Announcements
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"Jesus, the Church, and Christian Nationalism" - This Sunday at 11:30 a.m. the Rev. Scott Parnell will present on the history, philosophy, and theological perspective of Christian Nationalism. This is a wonderful event to invite colleagues, neighbors, and acquaintances to attend. The presentation will last one hour, and will be held in the Great Hall.
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All Saints Day - On Friday, November 1 at 7:00 p.m., we will hold the All Saints Day remembrance service. If you would like to have a loved one's name read during the necrology, please email (christchurch1810secretary@gmail.com) by noon on Wednesday, October 30. Names are not carried over from year-to-year.
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Rummage Sale Setup - On Sunday, November 3, following the 10:00 a.m. worship service, we will prepare for the rummage sale by bringing all of the collected items up to the Great Hall. Please wear comfortable stair-climbing clothes! Contact Rick Pescatore for more information. The Rummage Sale itself will be held the following weekend: November 8, 9, and 10.
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Volunteers Needed - Leaves are beginning to accumulate on our beautiful lawn. Anyone who can offer an hour or two to rake, please speak to Gene Stanton at church or call 607-768-8278 to set up a time to volunteer. Thank you.
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Hurricane Relief and Response - If you would like to contribute to the Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Mitchell relief effort, consider donating to Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD). A link can be found here.
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Social Media (Facebook and Instagram) - Over the last few weeks, our social media accounts have been reactivated! Make sure you follow Christ Church on both Facebook and Instagram. You can click below to be taken directly to those sites. Sharing, commenting, and liking posts raised our profile within the algorithm, so others might have a chance to see what is happening here at Christ Church.
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Outreach Opportunities
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Winter Warmth Project - is still collecting gloves, hats, and scarves. Items can be placed in the basket in the Church or dropped off during office hours.
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CHOW Pantry - For the month of October, we are particularly looking for personal care items (toothbrush, toothpaste, travel soaps and shampoos, etc.). The food basket is available in the hallway in the narthex.
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Katie's Closet - This past week, we had a family of five (soon to be six) in need of children's clothing. If you have not cleaned out last year's winter wardrobe for your children or grandchildren, please consider bringing any outgrown clothing to Katie's Closet. Items can be placed in the basket in the Church or dropped off during office hours.
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The Week Ahead
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- CHOW and Katie's Closet open from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
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- CHOW and Katie's Closet open from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
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- Holy Eucharist, Rite II at 10:00 a.m. in the Church
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- "Jesus, the Church, and Christian Nationalism" at 11:30 a.m. in the Great Hall
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Monday, October 28 - Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude
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- CHOW Pantry and Katie's Closet open from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
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- Rosary at 4:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary
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- Bible Study at 10:30 a.m. in the Great Hall
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- Noonday Eucharist at 12:00 p.m. in Dewees Chapel
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- CHOW and Katie's Closet open from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
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- Choir Practice from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
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Thursday, October 31 - Halloween
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Friday, November 1 - All Saints' Day
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- The Feast of All Saints at 7:00 p.m. in the Church
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Saturday, November 2 - All Souls' Day
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Sunday, November 3 - All Saints' Sunday
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- Set-up for the Rummage Sale (following the 10:00 a.m. worship service)
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Prayer and Worship
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In the week ahead, please pray for comfort and healing for: Anthony, Domenique, Ellen, George, Judy, Laurie, Ralph S. Jr, Steven, and Theo.
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Sunday Server Schedule
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To find this weeks' lessons in advance, click the button below.
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Reader Schedule
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