The Weekly E-news of Christ Episcopal Church, Binghamton, New York
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November Vestry Report
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The November Vestry meeting was held on Tuesday night. We received a financial report from Warden Kevin Shea and then had two parallel conversations about the 2025 budget and the mission and ministry of Christ Church. The Vestry is looking at the 2025 Budget as our “Statement of Mission” – how do we deploy the pledges and offerings that the congregation gives to live into our mission?
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In most churches and religious organizations today, the most discussed topic is “How do we grow our congregation bigger?” Sadly, in many cases, the discussion becomes all about “How we get more people in the seats so we can have an easier time paying for lights, heat, maintenance?”
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I am here to tell you that our meeting the other evening was all about growth, but it was a much different conversation than the one described above. Growth will be our prime focus as we move forward, but not just to fill the pews. We need to grow for so much more than that. Our motivation to grow is so we can truly fulfill our commitment to the Baptismal Covenant we all made and regularly renew and reaffirm; “To proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ; To seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors (all of our neighbors) as we do ourselves; and, To strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.”
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Simply put, the reason that we need to grow as a congregation so that we can bring more people to know and love Christ the way that we all do. Our growth will be centered on knowing Christ and making Christ known. Prioritizing growth will come with its own growing pains – change is hard, and we’ve had a lot of change over the last two years. And, this growth will better enable us to love and serve our neighbors through our outreach ministries: Our CHOW Pantry, Katie’s Closet, the Winter Warmth Project, and in time, many others that will evolve from our love as we grow.
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Growth is good, especially when we do it for these reasons, because if we do, all our worldly concerns will fall into place. I have seen it happen so many times before. We have been through two years of transition and transformation and the pieces are there for us to grow. If you have a question about why something is happening – ask. I promise you there will be an explanation.
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I invite and implore you to join together as the heart and soul of Christ Church as go out into the world to do the work that God has given us to do, to love and serve Him as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord and to love our neighbors as we do ourselves.
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Announcements
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Rummage Sale - Thank you to all who donated and volunteered for the fall rummage sale. With your efforts, we were able to raise over $3,500 to support our ministries here at Christ Church!
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Pledge Cards were mailed this week. Please prayerfully consider your support of Christ Church, and then help the Vestry by filling out the pledge card. These can be returned by mail or placed in the offering plate. Filling out the pledge card helps the Vestry by providing funding information as we plan and make adjustments for 2025. We want to live within our "means" -- this means knowing what our "means" is. Thank you!
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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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Sunshine Basket - The sunshine basket has been delivered to The Rev. Dorothy Pierce, our former Deacon. Thank you to everyone who made a donation in show of our support as she navigates through this difficult time. She is extremely grateful for the kindness and compassion Christ Church continues to show her.
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Harvest Dinner - Next Sunday, November 24, we will have a Harvest Dinner following the 10:00 a.m. worship service. Parishioners may volunteer to bring a side dish to go with the Turkey dinner. A sign up sheet is available in the hallway in the narthex.
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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 November, we are particularly looking for canned cranberry Sauce, canned vegetables, canned Yams, boxed stuffing. canned potatoes or boxed instant mashed potatoes, canned apple sauce, and frozen dinner rolls. Any size is welcome, as we feed families of various sizes during the holiday season. The food basket is available in the hallway in the narthex.
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Katie's Closet - If you have not cleaned out last year's winter wardrobe for yourself, 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 Pantry from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
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- Katie's Closet from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
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- Holy Eucharist, Rite II at 10:00 a.m. in the Church
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- Coffee hour following Holy Eucharist in the Great Hall
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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 the Church
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- Rosary from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary
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- CHOW Pantry from 5:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
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- Katie's Closet from 5:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
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- Choir Rehearsal from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. in the Choir Room
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- AlAnon from 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. in the Dewees Chapel
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- Girl Scouts from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in classroom #2
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- CHOW Pantry from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
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- Katie's Closet from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
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- Katie's Closet from 10:00 p.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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Prayer and Worship
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In the week ahead, please pray for comfort and healing for: Anthony, Ellen, George, Jen, 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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Worship Schedules
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