Ministries of Christ Episcopal Church

We are one in the body of Christ.
Below are descriptions of the active ministries here at Christ Church. Please take a moment to prayerfully consider how and where you might offer your voice, your time, and your gifts for the flourishing of the parish and our wider community. Our rector, Rev. Claire, would be glad to discuss this with you, or you are welcome to contact the leaders listed below to learn more and get connected.

Formation & Fellowship

Agape Groups

For 35 years, parishioners at Christ Church have gathered for Agape Fellowship meals that help us become better acquainted with each other.  Agape groups of eight or nine persons are formed each spring and fall and meet four times during the next six months in the members’ homes to share a potluck meal. The convivial meetings are scheduled at the convenience of the table members. The composition of the groups changes to bring different people together in each cycle. Singles as well as couples are welcome!

Coffee Hour

Coffee hour is held in the Parish Hall every Sunday after the 10:15 a.m. service. Every week, parishioners sign up to provide food and assist with set-up and clean-up. This is an easy and fun way to enter into and participate in our community. The sign-up form is on the wall outside the kitchen in the Parish Hall.

Fellowship

Here at Christ Church, radiant fellowship is one of the hallmarks of our parish life. In addition to a festive coffee hour each Sunday, we enjoy regular summer picnic, special Easter and Pentecost celebrations, an annual end-of-school picnic, and other festive gatherings held in the Parish Hall, the Lower Lawn, or offsite. People involved in fellowship serve as grill masters, contribute potluck dishes, provide decorations, help get the word out, and assist with planning, depending on their abilities and preferences.              

Men’s Group

The men’s group meets every few months for dinner and a speaker, and occasionally supports the fellowship committee with special events in the parish

Women’s Group

The women’s group meets every few months for lunches and occasionally supports the fellowship committee with special events in the parish. 

Service

Office Volunteers

Contact: Deanne Phillips, Parish Administrator – office@ccla.us

From time to time, we need volunteers to assist with things like mailings, filing, gardening, organizing, and other office tasks. If you are available and interested in helping with any of this, Deanne will be delighted to have you on her lists!

Outreach

Chair: Vestry Liaison - Liesl Calado

The Outreach Committee meets quarterly to coordinate opportunities for hands-on service, build and deepen relationships between the parish and other organizations doing good work in the world, and identify groups worthy of the parish’s financial support. Members of Christ Church provide dinners to the VA Hospital’s Polytrauma Unit and Fisher House, take part in Rebuilding Together and various initiatives through Community Services Agency, and also help to raise awareness for GAIA and other global organizations. This committee also plans fundraising events each year.

Ventana

Ventana is our parish’s Episcopal Day School offering pre-school classes beginning for two-year-olds and continuing through 5th grade. From time to time, we need volunteers to assist with events intended to build relationships between the parish and the school or to serve on

some of our joint committees. Parishioners also serve 3-year terms on the school board. If you are interested in learning more about Ventana or supporting this vital ministry, please let Karen know.

Pastoral Care

Lay Eucharistic Visitors

When someone is sick or confined to their home for any reason, Lay Eucharistic Visitors (LEVs) bring them communion following worship on Sunday. If you attend the 10:15 a.m. service, you have heard Rev. Claire sending one of the LEVs out just before the Post-Eucharistic Prayer with the words, “I send you forth, bearing these holy gifts …” This is an incredibly powerful ministry and one which dates back to the days of the apostles. LEVs must be trained and licensed by the Diocese.

Caring Connections

Caring Connections provides support to members who might be needing help, or respite for family members who are caring for loved ones who are sick or housebound. It is a ministry of companionship and support, with volunteers offering company, assistance with shopping or meals, someone to talk or walk with, rides to Church, and connections to other community services and resources, among other offerings.

Liturgical Ministries

Altar Guild

The Altar Guild is a ministry of anticipation and celebration. Each week, we ready the Chapel and the Church with flowers and greens, fresh candles, and clean linens to welcome God’s people into a sacred time and place. Different members of the Altar Guild serve each week and support each service. In addition to Sunday and holiday services, we also prepare the Church for weddings and funerals.

Chalice Bearers  

Chalice Bearers are adults who assist the clergy at the altar during the 10:15 a.m. service and administer the chalice during Holy Communion. They also carry the cross and, sometimes, torches during the processional, at the reading of the Gospel, and during the recessional. As well as serving on Sundays, the Chalice Bearers serve during Holy Week and around Easter and Christmas. Clergy are happy to provide training to those new to this ministry! 

Choir                       

Music is a vital part of worship at Christ Church. Under the leadership of music minister Eric Tuan, the Music Ministry seeks to nurture the musical gifts of every member of the church community. The parish choir brings music to the Sunday Choral Eucharist at 10:15 a.m. and to other special events throughout the year. Rehearsals are held on Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m.

Greeters  

Our greeters are on hand every Sunday morning to welcome people to the Church, help them find a name tag, and support those new to Christ Church in entering into a time of worship. They are often the front face of the parish on Sunday morning and are frequently the first person a newcomer will have an opportunity to speak with.

Readers & Intercessors

Readers, also known as “lectors,” read the passages from the Hebrew Scriptures and the Epistle each Sunday morning at the 8:00 a.m. or 10:15 a.m. services. They also are invited to read at special holiday services throughout the year. Intercessors bid the Prayers of the People and offer the weekly intercessions. You can sign up to be a reader, an intercessor, or both!

Ushers              

Ushers serve on Sundays and at special services to welcome people into the Church, distribute bulletins, help people find their seat, bring forward the gifts during the offertory, take up the collection, and invite people forward for communion. Different ushers serve at the 8:00 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. services.

Strategic Initiatives

Vital+Thriving Steering Team

Started in late 2021, Vital+Thriving is a three-year diocese initiative to facilitate and support congregations in self-assessing, brainstorming, experimenting, and pivoting in response to the pandemic realities and move forward into the future with faith, optimism, confidence, and renewed energy. Christ Church is part of the pilot cohort of congregations participating.

Vital+Thriving Missional Innovation Team

This is a subcommittee of the steering team and is a nine-month commitment continuing into early 2024. This committee is charged with developing a few ways to explore the missional challenge identified by the Steering Committee, experimenting in one or two ways, and then developing a missional action plan.

Master Planning Committee

This group is working on a master plan for campus maintenance and improvements over the next 5, 10 and 25 years. Currently this is a subcommittee of our Building and Grounds Committee and is chaired by Rev. Claire with additional committee members Laura Bailey, Catriona Cairns, Amanda Stewart, and Jenny Warila. We are looking for some additional parishioners to join this committee; please contact Rev. Claire (claire@ccla.us) if you are interested in learning more.