Christ Church Episcopal

Sunday Services

8:00 AM English Service without music
9:15 AM Education Hour
10:30 AM English Service with music
1:00 PM Spanish Service

Wednesday Service

12:00 Noon Healing in English

This Week at Christ Church (News and Information)

Communique (Monthly Newsletter)

This Week at Christ Church
January 31, 2010

Parish Meeting & Wednesday Dinners & Programs

Remember that our parish meeting update will take today, 1-31-10, at 9:30 a.m., in the nave & sanctuary. Your attendance at this meeting is encouraged.

Also, our last Wednesday dinner and program on "Being Christ Church" will take place on 2-3-10, so be sure to sign up, if you have not already done so.

Bible Study Time Change

The Wednesday Bible Study now meets in room #107 and the time has been changed from 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in order to accommodate for attendees.

Primetimers' Luncheon

Date: Wednesday, February 3, 2010
When: Following the 12:00 noon Healing Service
Where: In the Parish Hall
Why: Food, fun & fellowship
If you have any questions about this group, please contact Leslie Wengenroth at 770/495-9103.

Intention Sunday Update

We are deeply grateful for the generosity of those who have made a financial pledge to Christ Church for 2010. If you have not already done so, please pray for God's guidance in making a financial promise so that we can continue the good work that God has begun in us. Pledge cards can be found in the narthex.

Haiti Relief Donations received as of January 24, 2010: $6,186.37

Grief & Healing Brunch

Saturday, February 6, 2010 from 10:00 am-12:00 pm
Have you lost a loved one? You are invited to join us on Saturday, February 6, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. in the class conference room for a grief and healing brunch. For more information, contact Sharon Pitman or Ceci Duke. To R.S.V.P., please call the church office at 770/447-1166 or send an e-mail to office@ccnorcross.org.

Altar Flower Dedications

The Altar flowers are given to the Glory of God by the Kress & Kilduff families in memory of Jim & Helenmarie Kilduff; and by the Wengenroth family in celebration of Leslie Wengenroth's birthday.

Sunday School Schedule, 9:15-10:15. No Youth Group Evening Activities on 1-31-01

Children and Youth Classes

Godly Play-ages 3-5 years
Making Altar Bread
Education Wing, Room 115

Workshop Cycles, 1st-2nd Grade
Making Altar Bread
Education Wing, Room 115

Workshop Cycles, 3rd-6th Grade
Making Altar Bread
Education Wing, Room 115

Rite-13, 7th-8th Grade
Making Altar Bread
Education Wing, Room 115

J2A, 9th-10th Grade
Parish Meeting
Church Nave

YEA, 11th-12th Grade
Parish Meeting
Church Nave

Adult Classes

Invitation to Psalms
Parish Meeting
Church Nave

Women's Class
Parish Meeting
Church Nave

Men's Class
Parish Meeting
Church Nave

Scripture, Reason, and Tradition
Parish Meeting
Church Nave

Vacation Bible School, July 19 - 23, 2010

For Rising Kindergarten through Rising 5th Grade

Cost: $25.00 for one child

$10.00 for each sibling

Theme: To Be Announced

Pre-registration is available. Contact Gretchen Creel in the church office.

Super Bowl Party, February 7, 2010

For Rite-13, J2A, and YEA

Details to follow!

Stew Stomp Cookoff

The J2A Youth Group is sponsoring a "Stew Stomp" cookoff today, January 31, after the 10:30 service in the Parish Hall. Your entry fee was only $5.
Don't have a recipe you want to put up against all others? Then bring your discerning palate to be a judge -- for $5 per person or $15 per family, you will have an opportunity to test taste all entries and cast your vote for the entry most worthy of being called WINNER of the First Annual Christ Church Stew Stomp.

The winner will receive a trophy and their name on a plaque that will hang in perpetuity within the Parish Hall. If you are willing to share your recipe, we will be gathering all entries into a cookbook available for purchase several weeks after the cookoff. In addition, you can reserve pints or quarts of the award-winning entry to be delivered at church the morning of 'the big game' on Sunday, February 7!

So come one, come all, come hungry, and come choose Christ Church's first Stew Stomp Champion while enjoying social time with your fellow parishioners and hot stews on a cold afternoon! Today, January 31, from noon until it's all tasted and the votes are counted. All proceeds will benefit the J2A 2010 Pilgrimage to Iona, Scotland. Thank you for your support!

Wellness Walk, Yoga & Morning Prayer Returns

The wellness walk around old Norcross, yoga class and the service of Morning Prayer will resume on Monday, February 1, 2010 and will continue on Mondays through Wednesdays. If you are interested in joining us, please meet at the church office at 8:00 a.m. for the walk, or meet us at the Youth Center at 8:30 a.m. for yoga, and then join us in the church parlor at 9:00 a.m. for the service of Morning Prayer. Ask your family, friends and neighbors to join us as some of us try to get back into the shape we once had or at least wish we had. It's good for our health, heart and happiness.

The Bishop is Coming! The Bishop is Coming!

Mark your Lenten calendars now to come and hear our former Bishop, The Rt. Rev. Frank Allan, give his presentations on "Being a Christian in a Non-Christian Culture." The programs will be held on the following Sunday nights: 2-21, 2-28, 3-7 and 3-14-10.

Diocesan Confirmation, February 28, 2010

The Diocesan Confirmation service will take place at the Cathedral of St. Philip on Sunday, 2-28-10, at 4:00 p.m. If you are interested in being confirmed at this service, please contact Ceci Duke at your earliest convenience, as the Bishop's office needs to know how many will attend no later than 2-19-10.

Choirs Needed for Confirmation Services

We need a choir (or choirs) for the following confirmation services at the Cathedral of St. Philip: February 28 (coming up soon!!!) and May 23. The services are at 4:00 p.m. Please let me know as soon as possible if your choir is interested. And a reminder...the Children's Choir Festival with Malcolm Archer is on Feb. 13th at the Cathedral. Details can be found at this link: http://www.stmartins.org/music/festivals.html. Ingrid Siegert, 404-228-0753.

2010 Diocesan Ministry Fair

Registration is now open for the 2010 Diocese of Atlanta Ministry Fair on Saturday, March 6, at the Cathedral of St. Philip, beginning with registration and check-in at 9 a.m. The Rev. Dr. Ian Markham, dean of The Virginia Theological Seminary, will be the speaker for the Great Gathering at 9:30. Three workshop sessions and lunch will follow, with the day ending at 4 p.m. More than 50 workshops are available to choose from, and there will be something for everyone. For more information, please access the news/events section at www.episcopalatlanta.org.

CHRIST CHURCH THRIFT SHOP
WINTER CLOSEOUT SALE!

Feb. 9-13 50% off all slacks, tops, coats and dresses.
Feb. 16-20 50% off EVERYTHING in store **

Feb. 23-27 $5.00 Bag Sale

March 2-5 Closed for restocking

March 6 REOPEN for Spring and Summer Fashions

**excludes collectible, jewelry and new arrivals.

Open: Tues., Wed., Thurs. & Sat. from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Lost and Found

If you have lost or misplaced jackets, we have 2 in the church office that have been here for several months. One is a gray hooded zip sweat jacket and the other is a dark green zip jacket. To claim these, please call the church office before Feb.15, 200. After that, they will be gratefully donated to the Thrift Shop.

EfM Collects

Year 2 - New Testament

Oh God of resurrection,

Help us live in Christ today,
So that we will be ready for your second coming. Amen.

Year 1 - Old Testament

Oh God of many hearts and faces

Help us value the diversity of your creation

So that we might be in community

And love one another as you love us all. Amen.

Update on Pere Kerwin Delicat

Please see the following message from Terry Franzen on Tuesday, 1-26-10: I just spoke to Kerwin. He has made arrangements to get Rholcie and Kercie to The Dominican Republic on Friday, 1-29-10, and then to Ft. Lauderdale, where Kerwin's cousin will meet them. We were cut off so I do not know if Rholcie plans for them to come to Atlanta shortly after that or if they will stay in Ft. Lauderdale. Kerwin said that he spoke to Maxo, the lay leader for St. Joseph's today. He said that the church is badly cracked and that everyone is sleeping outside because of the damage to their homes and their fear of another quake. Kerwin said that Kercie is sick, with a fever, and flu like symptoms. Please hold them all up in your prayers for a quick recovery and a safe journey to the US. They will call me when they arrive in Ft. Lauderdale.

The Hispanic Community at Christ Church

T H E H I S P A N I C C O M M U N I T Y at Christ Church raised $625.00 last week to send to the (Episcopal) Sisters of St. Margaret in Port au Prince, Haiti. The sisters have a school for some 2,000 kids from kindergarten through junior college that was totally destroyed, adjacent to the Sainte Trinite Cathedral, that was also flattened. They also operate a home, St. Anthony's, for the disabled. Their work through the years has been exemplary. They are known for the symphony orchestra at All Saints' School which has travelled widely in the U.S., and for the Petites Chanteurs, a fantastic a cappella male choir which visited the Diocese of Atlanta a few years back. They have missions in the countryside as well, and have taught Haitian girls and ladies to make lovely altar linens that have found their way to U.S. Episcopal Churches.

Spanish as a Second Language

S P A N I S H A S A S E C O N D L A N G U A G E classes will be offered soon by Ms. Diana Qunitero-Panagos. Diana and her husband Jorge Mejia, and their two children, are faithful participants in the one o'clock eucharist and have been active in many ways with the hispanic community through the years. Diana is an experienced language coach. We are thinking about Wednesday late afternoon for this offering. We will need a group of six (6) enthusiastic enrollees to begin. The level will be "beginning," but there is room for a multi-level approach based on needs of enrollees. There will be a modest charge for materials and tuition. Most important now is to contact Fr. Jeff at 404 775-6621, or jeffreycave@hotmail.com to express your interest. We expect the first round would go approximately 8 weeks. This portends to be a bridge-building ministry for our multi-lingual, multi-cultural Christ Church "community of communities."

Loved the Wedding. Invite me to the Marriage. Love, God.

Give each other a wonderful gift! Go on a Marriage Encounter weekend!Marriage Encounter is 44 hours where married couples can get away from jobs, kids, chores, and phones-and focus only on each other. If you'd like greater depth, growth, and enrichment in your relationship, you'll like the difference a Marriage Encounter weekend can make. April 23-25, 2010. Please contact Ron & Connie Bergeron at 770/951-1411 or atlantaeme@earthlink.net. Also visit the website of www.stcatherines.org/atlantaeme. (Worldwide Marriage Encounter, Episcopal Expression)

2009 Sermons

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost August 9

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost August 2

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost July 26

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost July 19

picture of church

Apriete el botón para ver en el español

Sundays at Christ Church are simply a wonderful place to be!

You will find God’s joyful, living presence in a parish large enough to offer you an array of services yet small enough to know your name.

We offer a variety of programs for spiritual development for adults and children. We encourage fellowship and provide social gatherings to nurture families and friendships.

In our last few years, our church members have begun a greater focus on service work for the homeless and the hungry in our area. We have an annual mission project in Mexico, and we are now considering other international missions.

Christ Church offers spiritual direction and pastoral counseling. We have church members who are Stephen Ministers available for lay caring ministry, and we have a women’s group, the Daughters of the King, who participate in prayer, bible study and service.

We have an 8:00 am service with no music and a 10:30 am service with choir on Sunday. We also have a healing service at noon every Wednesday.

We are an accepting and diverse group. Please feel free to come as you are, whether you are wearing a suit or jeans!

Newcomers Guide

We are always delighted to have visitors at Christ Church. Let us know how we can help you be comfortable here.

How We Worship

Our visitors often have diverse denominational backgrounds. Some visitors are familiar with our services, and some are not. Please do not worry if you do not do something at the right time! Follow along with what your neighbors are doing, and you will be fine.

As Episcopalians, we use the Book of Common Prayer for our liturgy, a word that means a body of rites used for public worship. To follow the service, our ushers provide everyone with a booklet that outlines the service and lists the hymns. A copy of the hymnal and the Book of Common Prayer are in the shelves in each pew.

Generally, we stand to sing, to read the Nicene Creed (in the Book of Common Prayer) and to hear the Gospel reading. We kneel for our confession and absolution, and we sit for the Bible readings and sermon.

We celebrate Holy Communion almost every Sunday. All baptized Christians are invited to receive the bread and wine. Please don’t worry about the process. Just go to the rail with the others in your pew and do more or less what they do. If you do not want to receive Communion, there is no pressure to do so. You may stay in your seat for prayer. If you have taken your children to the nursery, you may want to go get them during the Announcements so they can receive Communion or a blessing. The choice is yours.

Making New Friends

Christ Church provides us with a great opportunity to greet our old friends and meet our new ones. We have a coffee break after the first service and before Sunday school. We serve coffee and pastries in our parish hall. Linger and enjoy coffee and fellowship or try one of our Sunday school classes. And feel free to ask us questions!

We do not embarrass our guests. We want you to respect your privacy and yet welcome you into the community that is Christ Church.

Feel free to call our church office or contact our vestry members for more information about the church.

Our Parish Family

Christ Church has an attendance of about 150-180 people every Sunday. Our membership includes families, senior citizens, and some singles. We are a small but diverse group.

Christ Church began over twenty five years ago in Norcross. Reverend Joel Hudson, now retired, started with a small group of church members and led the church to its current location on Holcomb Bridge Road. Currently our members live in Gwinnett and even border counties such as Fulton and DeKalb.

The church provides facilities for the Regina Caeli Academy which is a hy-bred home-school of about 140 students from kindergarten to High School. We have spacious grounds, a playground, and a separate building for many of our youth classes.

We have other groups that meet at our church, including the Boy Scouts, AA, NA, and others.