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Christ Church
Christiana Hundred
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THIS WEEK WE LIFT UP...
Christ Church Support Groups.
Support groups at Christ Church provide Christian care to people in need within and beyond our church family. Alcoholics Anonymous meets here on Tuesdays and Thursdays for those dealing with alcoholism and recovery. Our Caregiver Support Group meets once a month on Wednesday afternoons for those in caregiving situations, and our Grief Support Group meets once a month on Sunday afternoons for those seeking the support of others who have lost a loved one. These groups offer refreshment and comfort and provide a place of safety, prayer, and mutual support for those in need. For more information about these groups, please contact the Church Office at (302) 655-3379 or visit www.christchurchde.org/serve/pastoral-care/pastoral-care-ministries.
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A WORD FROM THE CLERGY
A Thrill of Hope
I love Christmas for many reasons but not least for reasons that I get to see the breadth and width of the Church community like no other time in the year. Even more significantly than Easter, Christmas is a moment when we can have five services beginning at 2 PM and ending at midnight - and every one of them packed to the rafters. I love Christmas because it's like having the whole family together. There's been reason enough in 2016 to be depressed or to despair or to just be a little melancholy; people have died; we've lost friends; we've lost family; we've suffered anxieties about the past; and we've been anxious about the future. But on this day we're reminded that there's power in numbers. There's power in many voices that sing against the darkness of the night. There's power in many souls that all long for one thing - hope. Read more...
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 YOUNG ADULT CHRISTMAS PARTY - TONIGHT
For those millennials at Christ Church and young adults who find themselves home for Christmas this year, please come to The Merchant Bar, 426 N. Market Street in Wilmington tonight from 5:30 to 7:30 PM for some good drink, good food, and great conversation with old friends while meeting some new friends too. For information or to RSVP, please email The Rev. Stephen Setzer.
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CHRISTMAS AT CHRIST CHURCH
In case you missed our special edition of "Christmas at Christ Church," click here.
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CHRISTMAS FLOWER DELIVERY - DECEMBER 27
 Following our Christmas worship, we deliver flowers from our sanctuary to approximately 70 of our members who are in our thoughts and prayers at this time. Next Tuesday, December 27 we need drivers willing to help with the distribution (anyone with a vehicle, driver's license, and a little time to spare). Volunteers should arrive at the church between 9 and 10 AM that morning. This simple act of pastoral ministry brings Christmas cheer to those who need it most. Contact
Jane Rubini in the Church Office to volunteer.
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YEAR-END GIFTS TO CHRIST CHURCH
The countdown to Christmas is nearly complete, and the end of the year fast approaches. If you made a financial pledge for this year, please help us close 2016 by completing it before December 31.
If you did not pledge for 2017, your financial offering supports our mission through worship, fellowship, and service and sustains our beautiful sanctuary and grounds. Our incoming pledges for 2017 are significantly trailing our needs and obligations. We are looking at a $50,000 deficit in the 2017 budget, after already making significant cuts. The vestry is prepared to make further, deeper cuts to reach a balanced budget, but every vestry member has also made an additional second pledge to Christ Church to help narrow this serious financial gap.
Please consider doing the same; contribute an additional end-of-year gift to Christ Church or make an addition to your pledge for 2017.
Click these links to
give a new end-of-year donation
,
make your pledge for 2017
, or
make a gift of stock
. Contact
Michael Sayer
for assistance. Thank you to those households that have made a financial pledge to Christ Church for 2017 and to those that have made an additional contribution as well! Your generosity helps Christ Church remain strong and vibrant and enables God's work in and through our parish.
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CELEBRATE EPIPHANY
 Worship Service - January 6
Join us to celebrate The Feast of the Epiphany with a special worship service on Friday, January 6 at 7:30 PM in the Church, with music provided by the St. Cecilia Choir. The Epiphany marks the arrival of the Wise Men in Bethlehem to visit the baby Jesus, after following a star across the desert. There they offered him symbolic gifts of gold (representing his royal standing), frankincense (his divine birth), and myrrh (his mortality).
Fiesta Dinner - January 8
All are invited to this year's Fiesta Dinner on Sunday, January 8 at 5:30 PM, sponsored by the youth participating in the 2017 mission trip to the Dominican Republic. Join us for authentic Dominican cuisine, with all proceeds benefitting our June mission trip. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children under the age of 12.
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 MEMORIAL FLOWER DATE AVAILABLE
Memorial flowers for the altar at Christ Church are donated in memory of loved ones each week. We have an open date on Sunday, February 12, 2017. If you wish to donate flowers on this or another date, please contact Kristin Finio in the Church Office.
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 UPDATE ON THE BISHOP SEARCH
Diocesan Profile Now Live
The Profile for the Bishop Search is now live, and the application process is open.
Click here to view the profile. Please prayerfully consider if there is someone you think would be a good fit for our diocese and nominate them. Nominations will be accepted until January 10.
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FROM THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
 The Presiding Bishop's Christmas Message
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." These words from Isaiah 9 are seen as words that foretell and foreshadow the coming of Jesus of Nazareth, born of Mary. The truth is, these words befit Him because this child changed the world. Read more...
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THE WEEKS AHEAD
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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
May the joy of Christmas fill your days with gladness;
May the peace of Christmas take away your anxious care;
May the light of Christmas shine through your deepest darkness;
And may the love of him who was born on Christmas go with you in all your ways.
Theodore Parker Ferris
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