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Celebration of Mutual Ministry |
Christ Church was packed for a wonderful Celebration of New Ministry on Sunday afternoon, March 11th.
Here’s our Priest-in-Partnership's reaction:
“I was so proud! I was proud of both our Christ Church, Montpelier family and proud of my family from St. James' in Glastonbury.
“I was thrilled to have Bishop Ely with us! I was also thrilled and touched to have the Rev. Nancy Gossling preach; Nancy and I are tight and we've always made a great team. It was so good to partner up with her once again.
“Having everyone together under one roof, worshipping God, and celebrating our call to mutual ministry made me just about burst with joy. You palpably feel an incredible warmth and love in our sanctuary and I didn't want the service to end. Between the worship, the hospitality, and the joyful noise that so many people made, I'm sure God was very, very happy for us. We at Christ Church are so blessed in so many ways. The sky is the limit as we grow in new and unexpected ways!”
The service began with a spine tingling 3-trumpet Fanfare for St. Edmundsbury (by Benjamin Britten) to begin, followed by heartfelt prayers, more wonderful music (choir sang the Mozart Ave Verum, and Stanford's Beati Quorum), an inspired liturgy, and a great sermon by The Reverend Nancy Gossling from St. James Glastonbury (a busload of 55 arrived from St. James, which added to the festivities!).
Representatives from 10 of our current ministries came forward one at a time, lit a candle, and said a prayer - all these prayers were written by Diane Holland and they were spectacular.
Bishop Tom Ely described it like this:
"The church was full. The spirit was thankful, joyful and abundant. The commitment to mutual ministry was wonderfully displayed in word and symbol throughout the liturgy. The gift of a bus load of parishioners from St. James, Glastonbury among us had a palpable effect upon the assembly and many members of Christ Church expressed to me how meaningful it was for the folks from Glastonbury to express their love and support for Paul and Christ Church by making the long journey north.
"The music was great, the participation by so many members of Christ Church in the liturgy was moving and the reception afterwards was one of the best ever! All in all a great day for Christ Church, for the Diocese of Vermont, for the Church, and indeed for God!"
A few other comments from parishioners:
"It was all just an amazing celebration - I'm still basking in the afterglow this morning!"
"I have to say this is one of my lifetime church experience highlights, certainly tops for the almost six years I have been at CC."
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Stewardship Luncheon A Success |
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Saturday, 15 October 2011 18:14 |
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A large congregation sang some familiar old hymns, listened to trumpet descants and wonderful choir anthems, heard a strong Christ the King sermon as well as a powerful "transformational moment" narrative by Ann Bushey, and gathered for the Eucharist as we observed the last Sunday in Pentecost.
Then, we filled the Parish Hall to celebrate the culmination of the Stewardship Campaign with a wonderful potluck. It took extra tables to seat everyone but as always, there was plenty of food and fellowship.
Here are some additional photos of the event
It is not too late to submit your stewardship pledge. These commitments are the way that the Vestry determines the proposed income for the coming year. If you need a form, please visit this page. If you'd like to talk about pledging, please contact
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The Christ Church chapel was crowded with children, parents, godparents, and other witnesses as Braeden Schuren Burns and Noah Joseph Turner were brought into our Christian community in a wonderful service of baptism on September 13th, 2011.
Both babies were presented blankets knitted by the Christ Church Prayer Shawl Knitting ministry and baptismal certificates with calligraphy by Maggie Thompson. It was a spirit-filled welcome for our newest church members and reminder to all attending of our baptismal vows. |
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Heritage Celebration Brunch Photos |
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Tuesday, 01 June 2010 18:28 |
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The Sacred Places heritage brunch, celebrating the 142nd anniversary of the church dedication, began with a poll of attendees -- asking them which decade they began attending Christ Church. George Matowski began attending as an 18-year-old in 1948 while the Gibsons, Pat Carruth, Dot Albert, and the Lyons began in the 1950s. A timeline of the history of Christ Church was prepared by Ruth Beard, Sarah Blair and Ann Grady listing national events, local events, and church happenings during the 14 decades of our history. Parishioners were (and are) invited to place dates special to them on the timeline -- to personalize it for our church community. Births, baptisms, weddings, funerals, and special occasions are welcomed. The brunch speakers were led off by Senior Warden Paul Harrington who
described his family ties to Christ Church -- that his grandmother and
grandfather met there and that his father allowed that images of the
church got him through some tough days in World War II.
            
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