The Weekly News for September 06, 2017  
Greetings!

In this week's issue of The Weekly News:

  • Interim Rector Meet & Greet
  • Come Before His Presence with a Song
  • Daughters of the King Invitation
  • Acolyte Training
  • Help "Meat the Need"
  • Come Follow the Way of Jesus
  • Adult Christian Development Classes
  • Wednesday Book Study Fellowship
  • Diocesan Listening Sessions
  • Important Dates
Meet & Greet Sessions

During two Meet & Greet opportunities on Tuesday, 54 of us met The Reverend Dr. Stephen Applegate (Father Stephen). He shared a bit of his life and passion for being a pastor.

Several ideas will inform his ministry and interim work with us. To paraphrase Father Stephen,"God has already chosen a Rector for St. Christopher's. It is our job to discover who that person is. There is "no magic bullet." We have collaborative work to do and he sees his role as helping us prepare for that.

Father Stephen believes that a key element in growth is "how we practice the ministry of hospitality." He thinks good preaching is important too. (He has listened to some of our sermons online.) He shared an interesting story about the substantial growth of St. Luke's, his present church in Granville. St. Luke is the smallest of four churches built on four corner properties at Granville's main intersection in the early 1800s. In recent years St. Luke's has not only restored their historic 150-year old building but also contributed $150,000 annually to a food pantry serving the inner city.

Father Stephen has an active prayer life and enjoys leading classes on prayer spirituality, and "quiet days." He also enjoys leading book groups to discuss wide ranging topics of interest.

In answer to a question from one of our teens, Father Stephen said that he likes kids (he was executive director of a wilderness school for several years). He said, "Our kids will not be the future of the church; they are the church now."

Father Stephen is a runner, reads voraciously, and enjoys music. He plays several instruments. He and his wife Terry, have three grown children and one who is a student at an Oregon university. Terry is a first grade teacher and will remain in Granville and teach. We will get to meet her soon as she will be visiting Carmel twice a month.

Father Stephen's first Sunday with us will be October 1.
Come before His presence with a song!

St. Christopher's Choir offers parishioners an opportunity to provide musical leadership and enrichment in the liturgy. The Choir is a welcoming and supportive community. Rehearsals are on Thursdays, 7:00-8:30 p.m. This choir welcomes everyone who would like to sing.
St. Christopher's Choristers, for children and youth Grades 3 and up, combines excellent musical training, leadership, teamwork, worship, and fellowship. Choristers learn musical skills and theory through singing and ringing handbells. Rehearsals resume in the Choir Room on September 10 at 1:00 p.m. All are welcome.

St. Christopher's Cherubs, for children pre-school through second grade, meets regularly after the 10:00 a.m. service for a short time of music enrichment and education. Cherubs sing for worship several times throughout the year. Rehearsals begin September 10. Please meet Mr. Richter in the Parish Hall right after the 10:00 a.m. worship service.

For questions or more information about any of these musical opportunities, contact Director of Music, Robert Richter: rrichter@stchriscarmel.org 
Daughters of the King

All women of St. Christopher's are invited to attend the Daughters of the King (DOK) meeting in the Parlor on Saturday, September 9, at 10:00 a.m. We will bless our meeting and build our living altar. The living altar will hold our prayers, petitions, intercessions, and blessings. Please bring something to put on it. This can be pictures or objects that signify what you want us to pray for.
Come meet Burger and Bacon

On Sundays, September 10 and 17, you will have the opportunity to help Hamilton County Harvest Food Bank and St. Christopher's "meat the need" of providing both a steer (Burger) and a pig (Bacon} to the food pantries in Hamilton County. Our goal is to raise $2,250, which will provide 3,185 pounds of meat to people of our country who are food insecure. Please stop in the Narthex to contribute to this feeding ministry and meet Burger and Bacon or you may donate online.
To donate online through St. Christopher's use the link below. You can log in if you have credentials set up or click instant gift if you do not. Select Designated Offering. Then beside the designated offering, enter a memo of either steer or pig so the Treasury Team knows how to apply the donation. 
Acolyte Training

There will be a training for new acolytes who are in the fourth and fifth grades on Sunday, September 10, after the 10:00 a.m. service. We will be training for the position of torch bearer. Parents are welcome to attend. Training for current acolytes and new acolytes in sixth through twelfth grades, will take place after October 1.
Come Follow the Way of Jesus

In this Christian Development offering, you will hear Michael Curry call Episcopalians to join the Jesus Movement with reflections on the practice of ministry in light of the movement. Various authors contribute to our book, and Michael Curry closes with a word on making the world whole. These leaders model ways for us to follow Jesus. The class time and dates will be determined by group members, so if you are interested, please register using the link below. 

Registration closes September 10. You won't want to miss the conversation!



I nterested in other classes?

Browse the Adult Christian Development Catalog to see the fall offering. Choose a class that makes you curious and register for it. You can register right from the description of each class.Simply click on the catalog to review the options. What could be easier?

Come join us as we grow together!
Diocesan Listening Sessions
 
Bishop Jennifer wants to hear from as many of us as possible about our hopes, dreams, and the challenges we see for our diocese. We are invited to attend a listening session at Trinity Episcopal Church, Indianapolis, on Thursday, September 7, at 6:00 p.m. The youth session will be held at Waycross on Saturday, September 9, at 6:30 p.m.

The sessions are planned to:
  • Provide opportunity to deepen the relationship between Bishop Jennifer and members from around the diocese
  • Dialogue about diocesan strengths and challenges as described in the diocesan profile
  • Further define what members of the diocese need from their Bishop and the Bishop’s staff

Each session will include prayer, a meal, and ample time for you to share your thoughts. A full report of the sessions will be given to the diocese including a presentation with table discussions at Diocesan Convention in October.
Important Dates for Your Calendar

The  Save the Date page  of St. Christopher's website is updated weekly. Check this resource for new information. You also may want to review the insert in the Sunday bulletin, as it provides the schedule for the coming week. 

September 24 | Friends & Family CPR Class (11:30 a.m.)
September 27 | Young at Heart Luncheon
September 30 | Natural Playground Work Day
October 7 | Family Movie Night
October 8 | CROP Walk

Church office hours
Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 4:30 p.m.
The   deadline for announcements news , and articles for   The Weekly News  is Monday Noon   each week. Email announcements to the church office at  awalker@stchriscarmel.org with a copy to  carolyncparrott@gmail.com .
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