Keeping Connected February 23, 2024 | |
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Connect Virtually
We will continue using our new live streaming equipment. You may access our Sunday morning worship service via our YouTube Channel and our Facebook page.
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We have begun our special journey through the Love-First – Lent & Holy Week unit within our curriculum, in conjunction with "Lesson Plans that Work." a curriculum designed to follow the
Revised Common Lectionary in our 5th – 8th grade class.
CHURCH SCHOOL SCHEDULE
9:00 CC Singers (open to all students ages 5+)
9:30-10:30 Church School
10:30-11:15 PREPARED COMMUNION CLASS
Sincere appreciation is extended to those who have shared their willingness to lend a hand in the church school whenever they are available and as needed. Your commitment and readiness to contribute are deeply valued.
If you have any questions, please contact Donna Eby at education.christchurchplymouth@gmail.com or Su D'Ambrosio at assunta999@gmail.com.
Interim Church School Coordinators.
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Dear Ones of Christ Church,
Last week in our first meetings of our Lenten series on the resource of prayer, we talked about the practice of praying the Ignatian Daily Examen. This is a way of praying in which we pause to review our day with God, in order to pay attention to the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives, day to day, week to week, month to month, year to year. This method of prayer was handed down to us in the Christian tradition by Saint Ignatius of Loyola. There are many variations on praying the Examen—you can explore some of them on Loyola Press’s Ignatian Spirituality website. If you are interested in “trying on” the practice of the Examen this Lent, here is a very simple method, which can be done alone by journaling, with prayer partners, as a family discussion at dinner, or with children at bedtime:
Describe a moment when you most felt God’s love today. What was that like?
Describe a moment when it was difficult for you to feel God’s love today. What was that like?
What would you like to say to God or ask God about these moments?
What do you think God might be saying to you about these moments?
Give thanks for this time of sharing with God.
May these days of Lent be filled with blessings and insights for you and your daily journey,
Melissa +
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Finances: Last week we received in over $10806. When giving online, be sure to change the 'Fund' to 'Pledges' so your contribution goes toward your pledge.
Thank you for your loving support of Christ Church.
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Bishop Alan Visits: This Sunday, February 25th at 10am
Bishop Alan Gates will be with us at Christ Church this Sunday, February 25th. He will preside and preach at our 10 am service of Holy Eucharist. Afterwards, he will bless our new solar panels and join us for brunch in the parish hall, when he will share some reflections and updates about our diocesan life together. He will then meet with our vestry.
For children of all ages, our diocese provides this resource about Bishops’ visits: The Bishop is Coming for a Visit
In honor of Bishop Alan’s time with us, all loose offerings from this weekend's services will be donated to the Bishop's Fund for Theological Education. Please make checks payable to “EDOM” with “Theological Education” in the memo line. Thank you for your generosity in supporting ongoing theological formation and education in our diocese!
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“My Lenten Mite Boxes”
Dear Christ Church Family,
As we step into the reflective Lenten season, our church school children invite you to join them in a heartwarming initiative to conclude their "Loving Neighbor" segment of the church school curriculum. This year, we introduce "My Lenten Gift Box" – a simple way to spread love and kindness throughout Lent. Donations collected will support our Christ Church Food Pantry, an essential resource that helps those in need within our community. Your generosity will contribute to the ongoing efforts to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
In alignment with our Loving Neighbor lessons, our church school children have been encouraged to express gratitude and love to family, friends, neighbors, and God through kind actions. You might consider encouraging your children to take on extra chores, such as helping with household tasks, collecting cans from family and friends to contribute to the Lenten Gift Box and various other ways your children may choose.
Along with the financial contribution, you may want to create a Lenten Love Jar or something similar to express heartfelt gratitude, love, and reflections on God's sacrifice and love for humanity. Take time to write notes to your family, sharing moments of appreciation. Also, consider crafting love notes to God, expressing your deepest thoughts on His boundless love and sacrifice. All of these notes can be put into the Lenten Love Jar or something similar to be shared with each other.
By participating in this Lenten initiative, we symbolize our collective commitment to love, generosity, and service. The commitment to love, generosity, and service reflects the essence of Lent and the resurrection story of Jesus Christ, embodying the transformative journey of self-sacrifice, renewal, and the triumphant victory over darkness, echoing the divine example set by Christ during his sacrificial journey towards redemption and resurrection.
Kindly return your Lenten boxes the weekend of March 17th & 18th, to be blessed at the 10AM service March 18th by Rev. Melissa Howell, adding an extra layer of spiritual significance to the collective journey of reflection and generosity we've undertaken during this season.
For those wishing to participate, the Lenten Gift Box will be conveniently available for pickup at all church entrances.
Wishing you a meaningful Lenten journey,
Our Church School Children, Coordinators, Teachers and Assistants
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The Resource of Prayer: Six Week Lenten Series |  | |
Join us at Christ Church in Plymouth this Lent as we explore the meaning and gift of prayer in the Christian tradition and share resources and practices to enrich our prayer lives. We will meet for six weeks, with two options for meeting times and "spaces:" either Thursday evenings by Zoom from 6-7:30 PM, or Saturday afternoons in-person from 3-4:30 PM at church.
Here are our meeting schedules and topics for each week:
Week 1: Introduction - What is Prayer? - Thurs 2/15 and Sat 2/17
Week 2: Praying with Scripture - Thurs 2/22 and Sat 2/24
Week 3: Time and Space: Making a Habit of Prayer - Thurs 2/29 and Sat 3/2
Week 4: Praying Through Action, Movement, and Service - Thurs 3/7 and Sat 3/9
Week 5: Praying Without Words (or With Very Few Words!) - Thurs 3/14 and Sat 3/16
Week 6: Praying With the Senses and the Arts - Thurs 3/21 and Sat 3/23
Melissa will start each meeting by sharing about a particular way to pray, and then we will break into small groups to share our thoughts and experiences using reflection questions to guide us. There is still room in our Thursday evening Zoom group - to join, or if you have questions about the series, please contact Melissa: revmelissa@christchurchplymouth.org
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Margaret Hill's Stations of the Cross artwork on display | |
St John's Church on Washington St. in Duxbury will be having two services of the Stations of the Cross on Wednesday evenings 2/28 and 3/13 at 7 PM with artwork from our very own Margaret Hill. All are invited with a reception to follow. | |
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Overnights of Hospitality Winter Emergency Shelter
We want your help!
The Plymouth Taskforce to End Homelessness, in collaboration with the Fr. Bill’s and Mainspring (FBMS) organization, offers winter emergency shelter to 20-25 single individuals which began here at Christ Church on Nov, 26th and will continue through Saturday, March 30. We can’t continue this important ministry without your help. We want volunteer chaperones to commit to giving one evening of their time from 5pm-11pm to provide support to the Fr. Bill’s staff person and to show our unhoused neighbors that they are not forgotten. We who have volunteered in the past have been touched by the appreciation shown by many of the guests. It has been a very rewarding experience!
Two people are needed at the shelter at all times. There are two Fr. Bill’s staff from 11pm to 7am, so the volunteer chaperone is only needed for the evening until the second staff person arrives.
The shelter rotates weekly among three congregations which began Sunday, November 26 and will continue through Saturday, March 30 - Christ Church, First Baptist Church and St Mary’s and St Joseph Collaborative at St Mary’s Parish Center, using the fellowship halls. Orientation is provided.
To sign up as a chaperone, go to https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/k4w5gd
To review the chaperone guidelines, go to https://plymouth-taskforce-homeless.org/volunteer/
Questions? Call Connie Melahoures, President of the Plymouth Taskforce to End Homelessness at 508.367.0516 or email conmel@aol.com.
The next week that Christ Church will be hosting begins Sunday, February 18th.
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Christ Church Thrift Shoppe | |
Kudos to our youngest volunteer, 8-year old Maya Chin, a CCP church school student who spent time during her February school vacation volunteering at the shop. Maya‘s time and talent was spent helping to sort, hang, and organize recently donated items. Volunteers greatly appreciated her enthusiasm and willingness to join us in our ministry of helping others. Thank you Maya!
The Thrift Shoppe welcomes volunteers of all ages, regardless of religious affiliation. Please speak with a member of our volunteer team for details.
Donations of gently used clothing, housewares, and small furnishings from smoke-free homes may be dropped during shop hours.
Shoppe Hours
Thursday and Friday 10-4
Saturday 10-2
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Christ Church Food Pantry | |
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All are welcome to the Christ Church Food Pantry!
We are open by appointment:
Tuesday 4:00-5:15
Thursday 12:00-1:15 and 4:00-5:15
Saturday 10:00-11:15.
Call the pantry message line: 508-746-4959, ext 6, BY 1 PM THE DAY BEFORE YOU WISH TO PICK UP YOUR ORDER. Our volunteers check messages and return your call from their homes to ask you what you need.
Leave a message if you wish to donate non-perishable food and household items, or you may leave your donations under the mailboxes outside the office or in the front entrance to the sanctuary. Squirrels like to get into any bags left on the porch of the food pantry!
We are grateful to all who have offered donations and prayers for our neighbors experiencing food insecurity.
If you wish to volunteer, contact Eileen Paris at eileenpca@aol.com
For more information, please contact Barbara Wojtklewicz at 617-291-4634, or by email at barbara.wojtklewicz@gmail.com
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Pastoral Care
For any pastoral care needs of Christ Church, please call Robin Nielsen (774-454-2776) or email robinmarianielsen@gmail.com ~ A home visit, a home visit with holy communion or a phone call can be arranged. Although a small group, our Pastoral Care Ministry team meets monthly in confidence.
For any pastoral emergencies, please call Rev. Melissa Howell 508-746-4959 ext 4, and follow the instructions in her voice message.
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A word from the bishops about the Poor People’s Campaign:
A National Call for Moral Revival
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Dear People of the Diocese of Massachusetts,
The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival is a faith-based movement to end the interrelated injustices separating us from achieving justice and mercy for all of humanity and creation. We resolved at our 2022 Diocesan Convention to support and stand with the movement. Now we have the opportunity to show our public support and literally stand with the movement.
This effort will live into our diocesan mission strategy, as it will seek to:
“Influence public policy by advocating for justice for all people and for the creation. As our own lives and communities are transformed, we hope to shine with the light of Christ, bringing love and justice to every part of our life together in this nation and in the whole human family. We have an important witness to offer to our leaders at every level of government as we stand up for the integrity of creation and the dignity of every human being.”
On Saturday, March 2 at 11 a.m. the Poor People’s Campaign will be holding coordinated assemblies at capital state houses in more than 30 states, including Boston. Our Cathedral Church of St. Paul will serve as a welcoming and warming place before and after the assembly. We invite you to support this event. Event details and registration can be found here. It will provide a public demonstration of our baptismal commitment to strive for justice and respect the dignity of every human being. We also invite you to announce this event during your Sunday services, especially on Feb. 25.
There are many ways to support this campaign. The Massachusetts Episcopal Network for the Poor People’s Campaign, which is working to connect local Episcopalians to the Poor People’s Campaign movement and to foster a supportive community among those doing justice work in the Dioceses of Massachusetts, is happy to provide resources. For additional information, please contact the Very Rev. Amy McCreath, Dean, Cathedral Church of St. Paul (amccreath@diomass.org) or Martha Gardner, Missioner for Networking and Formation (mgardner@diomass.org).
We extend to you our Lenten blessings and encourage your participation in this Gospel work.
Faithfully,
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The Rt. Rev. Alan M. Gates
Bishop Diocesan
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The Rt. Rev. Carol J.T.W. Gallagher
Assistant Bishop
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You're Invited to Join Us on
March 7, 2024
The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
The Ministry of Immigration Partnership convened by The Office of Immigration & Multicultural Ministries invites you to the next journey in the Pilgrimage Series* to
The Pocasset Wampanoag Reservation
Thursday, March 7, 2024
Gathering Place: St. Peter’s Dartmouth
351 Elm Street Dartmouth, Massachusetts
We travel by bus together from St. Peter’s to The Pocasset Wampanoag Land, incorporated within the Freetown-Fall River State Forest, to walk their paths and engage in conversation. Then we will return to St. Peter’s Dartmouth for lunch, reflection, and worship.
ALL ARE WELCOME!
10 AM – 3:30 PM (Lunch is included)
Cost: $10 **if this is a hardship, scholarships are available
There WILL be MUD. We will be outside. Please dress accordingly!
If you would like to carpool to Dartmouth: please let Jocelyn (jcollen@diomass.org) know.
*in 2019, we went on a Pilgrimage to Providence, Rhode Island, for the Walking Tour of Slavery & the John Brown House Museum.
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We want to keep you in the loop regarding the happenings at Christ Church. Please send your announcements for the weekly bulletin and Keeping Connected, to the office by 12 Noon on Wednesday. They should include date, time, place, description of event, contact information and should be written exactly the way you want them to appear.
The church office will be closed on February 19th for Presidents' Day.
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