News You Can Use

July 14, 2021

COVID cases are once again on the rise in Glynn County and we are monitoring the information from the Georgia Department of Health closely. Currently, in the State of Georgia, only 52.3% of the eligible population of persons 12 and older have been fully vaccinated, and because of that, and the fact that we have many children 11 and younger in our parish, we must insist that you follow the guidelines that are set for indoor worship and gatherings. See guidelines HERE.) We also ask that you sign in and sign out every time you enter either Christ Church or the Christ Church Parish House. We want to do everything possible to keep all of our parishioners and visitors safe and healthy.
Rector's Ramblings - Encounters with the Divine
Make a Joyful Noise!

By Kathleen Turner

When the pandemic hit, choirs worldwide had to navigate unchartered waters. Most musicians, myself included, had to get creative to keep our choirs alive. We learned more about technology than we ever thought possible. About a third of the way into our shutdown, I downloaded a recording App of higher quality than the standard voice memo App on my phone. Last I checked, there are close to two thousand tracks on the App recorded for the music we offer on our livestream services. 
Worship
Weekly Sunday Worship
In-Person Indoor Worship Schedule

We are now holding in-person worship services in historic Christ Church and in the Christ Church Parish Hall every Sunday morning. 

The 8:00 am, BCP 1928 Holy Eucharist, the 9:15 am, Rite II Holy Eucharist and 11:15 am Right I Holy Eucharist services will take place in the Church.                      

The 10:30 am Child-Centered Holy Eucharist service will be held in the Parish Hall.

COVID Stage II Guidelines for Worship can be found HERE.
9:15 am Online Worship Continues

Every Sunday, we will continue to offer online worship from Christ Church at 9:15 am, which you can watch on the Christ Church website at https://ccfssi.org, the Christ Church Facebook page HERE and the Christ Church YouTube page HERE.
Drive Through Communion - Sundays from 10:15 to 11:00 am
Drive-Through Communion takes place on Sundays from approximately 10:15 to 11:00 am. There is no need to make a reservation. Cars should enter at the gate next to the mailbox on Frederica Road and exit onto Stevens Road. Please bring your four-legged friends, too. We have special blessings and treats waiting for them!
Save the Date for the Blessing of the Backpacks
On Sunday, August 8, 2021, we will be holding the Blessing of the Backpacks at the 9:15 am service. Please come if you are student, no matter your age, or bring your young students, if you’re a parent or grandparent. Don’t forget to bring the backpacks, so we can bless them and bless you, as everybody begins a new school year! For questions, please contact Mtr. Katie at katie@ccfssi.org.
Worship at St. Ignatius to Resume in August
Our 5:30 pm, Saturday evening worship services will begin again at St. Ignatius Chapel on August 21, 2021. Details relating to the Diocesan COVID guidelines will be forthcoming. Father Tom will be back from his Sabbatical and will preach at this first service!

We will also have a Parish-wide celebration of Father Tom’s return on Sunday, August 22, so mark your calendars for that. More information will be coming soon!
Worship Service Volunteers Urgently Needed!
Now that we have resumed in-person worship every Sunday at Christ Church, we are in dire need of volunteers to help with all aspects of the four services. We need greeters, ushers, lectors, lay eucharistic ministers and audio technicians to help at 8:00 am, 9:15 am, 10:30 am and 11:15 am. If you are interested in any of these important service opportunities, please contact Glenn Queener at glenn@ccfssi.org or by calling 912-638-8683. Glenn will be delighted to explain what each job entails and make sure you receive any training you may need. Please prayerfully consider joining the Christ Church worship team now!
Evening Prayer

If you enjoy hearing Evening Prayer read, please look for it at 5:00 pm on the Christ Church Facebook page HERE. The Rite I bulletin for evening prayer can be found HERE. The Rite II bulletin for evening prayer can be found HERE.
Flower Dedications for Worship Services
We are now accepting requests for flower memorials for the beautiful floral arrangements on display during our Sunday worship services. Remember a loved one and give glory to God with a gift of flowers. Please contact Ethel Horton at ethhorton@comcast.net or call her at 912-634-8327 for more information.
Formation
Wednesday Men's Study Group Resumes Meeting In Person
The Men’s Study Group is now meeting via Zoom, for those who are unable to attend the sessions and in person on Wednesdays, at 10:30 am, in the Youth Room of the Christ Church Parish House. They are currently reading The Gospel of St. Thomas, translated and annotated by Stevan Davies.

For more information about the book or joining the group, please contact Te Turner at royteturner@gmail.com.
Daily Devotionals
If you are a regular reader of the Forward Day by Day devotionals, you may pick up a copy in the church office during regular business hours Tues. - Thurs., 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, or Fri., 9:00 am - 2:00 pm. You can also find the devotionals online HERE.
Children and Youth
Child-Centered Worship Every Sunday Now at 10:30 am
Families with young children are encouraged to join us in the Parish Hall every Sunday, at 10:30 am, for our child-centered Holy Eucharist service. Each week, Biblical lessons will be presented in a child-friendly way, as the youngsters learn more about God and Jesus, who always welcomed the little children to his side.
Back to the Creek Retreat for Youth!
July 30 - August 1
Grades 6-12
Cost: $125
Registration is Open!
 
At the end of July, after a hiatus of almost 17 months, the Diocese is excited to start offering in-person gatherings for youth at Honey Creek! Our first event will take place Friday, July 30 - Sunday, August 1 and will be for youth in Grades 6-12. This "Back to the Creek Retreat" will allow our young people to take a break before their school year begins. Because Covid-19 is still a risk, participant numbers will be limited for this event. Smaller numbers will enable everyone to spread out in the dorms and during worship and other activities. Sign up quickly when registration opens next week!

Please contact Canon Varner at jvarner@gaepiscopal.org with questions about this event! We strongly encourage all participants who are able to do so to get vaccinated before the event!
Christ Church Families on Facebook
Families! Please join the Christ Church Families Facebook group to keep up with all the latest events and activities. Find us on Facebook HERE!
Mission and Outreach
Backpacks and School Supplies Needed
With the start of a new school year just a few weeks away, there are many families in the area that struggle to provide school supplies for their children. In the past few years, Christ Church has worked with GEM (Glynn Episcopal Ministries) to make sure area students have the materials they need. Your generous donations in previous years have gone to help six area schools. Please look at the following list and consider helping area students by donating some items and leaving them in the church office by Thursday, August 5.
 
Items Needed: backpacks for younger children, #2 pencils, colored pencils, pencil boxes and pouches, pencil sharpeners, pencil top erasers, pink erasers, glue sticks, crayons (16 and 24 packs), large crayons (8 pack), scissors, Fiskars for the lower grades, wide-rule composition notebooks, single subject spiral notebooks, primary paper, loose leaf notebook paper, 2-pocket folders, pocket folders with prongs, black or blue pens, 3-ring binders, markers, highlighters, composition books with grid paper

Backpack Buddies: The Family That Packs Together Stays Together
This past Tuesday, we were happy to have three generations of Christine Franklin’s family working on the Backpack Buddy set-up squad, helping get ready for Wednesday’s big packing. Thank you, ladies!

We are currently in need of more folks to help us on Tuesday mornings, to prepare for the Wednesday packing days. The set-up squad unloads the CCF trailer and vehicles that transport the food from Second Harvest, then cut open the boxes and crates that are finally placed on the assembly lines for the packers to access the following day. If you’d like to help with our Tuesday team, please contact Susan Shipman at susanshipman920@gmail.com

We are also in need of some difficult-to-find items for our buddies’ bags and would appreciate any donations of

• Vienna sausages
• Juice Boxes
• Peanut Butter(18 oz. plastic jars)

And of course you are welcome to “adopt” a Backpack Buddy at any time during the year, even NOW, during summer break. A sponsorship for a child is $100, which will supply the youngster with weekend food bags for the entire school year. You may donate online HERE, (choose Backpack Program from the drop-down menu), or by check (just mail it to Christ Church, at 6329 Frederica Road St. Simons Island, GA 31522; memo line, Backpack Buddies).

If you have any questions about the Backpack Buddies program or are interested in joining the packing and distribution teams, please contact Susan Shipman at susanshipman920@gmail.com.
Stay Informed
Safeguarding Training in 2021
The first Safeguarding God’s Children training session of 2021 will take place on Saturday, August 28, beginning at 10:00 am, in the Christ Church Parish Hall. The class will be led by Mtr. Katie, and is for all who work with the children and youth in the parish, including those who have never received this training before and those who need to renew their eligibility. Please contact Mtr. Katie at katie@ccfssi.org or at 912-638-8683, to find out if this applies to you, if you need to sign up for the class, or if you have any other questions.

The Episcopal Church is committed to providing a safe and loving environment for our children and youth to come and explore their faith and spirituality. One of the ways we do our best to accomplish this is training our children and youth workers, as well as our church leaders in the prevention of sexual abuse happening with any children trusted in our care. If you have questions, please contact Mtr. Katie at katie@ccfssi.org.

Baptism Announcement
We are happy to announce that Saylor Copeland Allen was baptized this past Sunday, July 11, 2021, at the 9:15 am service at Christ Church. Saylor is the daughter of Christopher and Lauren Allen and the granddaughter of Phil and Linda Allen. Blessings to all!
Giving Made Easy
You may use the CCF website to make pledges, donations and payments for some activities. Just select "Giving" at the top of the CCF homepage. This brings you to the pay portal. The process is fast and easy and allows you to pay by credit or debit card or by electronic bank transfer. You may change or add new payment methods at any time. Contact: Glenn Queener, CCF Parish Administrator at 912-638-8683.
Pastoral Care & Prayer List
Pastoral Care 

Your pastoral care team is here for you! If you have a pastoral concern, a blessing you'd like to share, want to arrange a hospital or home visit, and/or receive Holy Communion, please contact Mother Ashton Williston at 912-638-8683 or ashton@ccfssi.org.

Pastoral Care Hospital Visitation Update

Your Christ Church Clergy love you and want to know when you're in the hospital. The hospital COVID visitation policy has been updated, so that you may now have two visitors AND a clergy member visit you at the same time. Please contact us at 912-638-8683 when you or your loved one is admitted into the hospital and we will arrange a visit. If you have any questions or concerns please let Mtr. Ashton know.

Prayer List

To amend our prayer list or to update the church on the condition of your loved one, please email Mtr. Ashton Williston at ashton@ccfssi.org or call the church office at 912-638-8683.

Alana Andrews
Joan Ballard
Allen Bowen
Bob Budd
Beverly Burns
James Burns
Oscar Covington
Zoann Covington
Jim Curran
Jackie Davis
Marie Dennard
Tom Dennard
Jack Erikson
Kurt Federer
Sydney Federer
Lynne Fox
Ron Garrett
Walter Graham
Mark Jicha
Paul Hackenberry
Billie Huggins
Michael Hulett
Eileen Hutchinson
Ginny Jarrett
Mark Jicha
Penny Jones
Mary Beth Keys
Mary Landen
Davi Langston
Jennifer Littlejohn
Sharon Longmire
Dorothy McClain
Maryalice McDonald
Kelly Macjewski
The Rev. Tom Martin
Carlotta Martz
Jack Martz
Chuck Moore
Connie Moore
Katie Orrel
Josh Payne
Pep Peppiatt
Dale Pierson
Jim Polezoes
Michael Principato
Tommy Rowell
Willou Smith
David Somerville
Edith Tayloe
Zack Taylor
Deric Tipton
Douglas Turner
Te Turner
Kelly Valentine
Glenda Ward
Pat Wilkinson
Jennifer Willingham
Chamblee
Dave
Joan
Joseph
Mary Susan
Virginia

CHRIST CHURCH, FREDERICA