WE RETURN TO THREE SERVICES NEXT WEEK
8:00 AM in the Chapel
9:00 AM in the Church
11:15 AM in the Church

The Praise Band and Church Choir will return to lead the music at 9:00 and 11:15 AM respectively on Sunday, September 12th.

Eileen Thomas, who has held the position of Parish Administrator so very capably and caringly for 17 years, is retiring at the end of this month. Eileen will be assisting us with transitions in the church office over the next few weeks, passing on information about parish processes and procedures to others. Laurie Wilson, currently working a few hours a week to produce the Sunday bulletin, has agreed to increase her hours in the short term to aid in the transition.

Eileen has been a faithful parishioner and has been responsible for setting up many of the office systems that have served our parish so well for so many years. There will be an opportunity in the not-too-distant future for former and current Christ Church parishioners and friends to gather to honor Eileen and express appreciation for her years of faithful service to this parish. So stay tuned for what is sure to be a wonderful evening!

PARISH PICNIC: We extend a huge thank you to Leslie and Ray Desroches for hosting the parish and to Ryan McDonnell for supplying much of the summer barbecue fare for last week’s picnic. Thank you to everyone who also helped with the festivities. A wonderful time was had by all who attended; please check out the pictures on this website to see all the fun!

FOR CHILDREN AT THE 8:00 AND 10:00 AM SERVICES: Please borrow a canvas tote while you are here. Inside, you’ll find a choice of crayons, paper, crafts, etc. You are welcome to take home your creations. When you leave this morning, please return the tote, crayons and silk bags to be refilled for next time. Thanks !

THE MISSIONS COMMITTEE will meet on Tuesday, August 24th, at 7:30 PM at the home of Jim Reynolds. Please contact him at 978-468-4268 for directions.

EPISCOPAL CITY TUTORING, a nonprofit SAT tutoring program that Christ Church has developed in partnership with the Reverend Eric Hillegas of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Dorchester, has two slots available. Individual tutoring sessions are held at Christ Church on Thursday evenings from 6-9 PM, as well as Saturday mornings from 10AM-1PM. If interested, please contact Kali Reynolds at 978-407-6368 or 978-468-4268.

THE CHRIST CHURCH ‘CRUSHIN’ CROZIERS’ SOFTBALL TEAM will host a game against the Church of the Advent team next Sunday, August 29th at 4:00 PM, field to be announced.

ARCHITECTURAL TOUR OF CHRIST CHURCH: Join us for an architectural visit....to our own parish church! Sponsored by the St Christopher's Trippers ministry, this special tour will take place at 2 PM on Saturday, Sept. 11th. Architects Bruce Dicker, FAIA, CEO of JSA Inc in Portsmouth, and Mark Moeller, AIA, LEED AP, the firm's Design Principal, will lead us on a one hour exploration of the mysteries and hidden delights of this unique architectural achievement. Holding this work up to a Christ Church lens, Fr. Dean Borgman will help us divine what St John Smith's precocious design is saying about (and to) the community that worships here, and the Resurrection we celebrate. Both architects are members of St John's Episcopal Church in Portsmouth. Bring a friend, and visitors welcome. A light reception will follow. RSVP using the form on the parish website or call the church office at 978-468-4461.

CHURCH SCHOOL REGISTRATION AND INFORMATION SESSION will take place on Sunday, September 12th between the 9:00 and 11:15 AM services. Classes will begin the following Sunday, September 19th, at 10:15 AM.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY: Christ Church will participate in a Build Day in Peabody on Saturday, September 18th (from 9 AM to 3 PM), and we're looking for a few good men and women who can participate in this important ministry. But space is limited, so if you are interested, contact us soon! Fr. Gray can be reached via email or 978-468-4461 x.24.

OCKHAM’S KEGGER: Our next series is already planned, as we do Part 1 of The Seven Deadly Sins. We’re back at the American Legion in Hamilton at 7:00 PM on Mondays, September 20 & 27 and October 4 & 11. Confirmed speakers include Dr. Tom Howard on Pride (September 20), the Rev’d Truman Welch on Envy (September 27), our very own Dr. David Aiken on Sloth (October 4), and the Rev’d Eric Hillegas on Gluttony (October 11). Save those dates now!

ALL CHURCH WORKDAY: Mark your calendars! This fall’s all-church workday will be SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2ND starting at 9:00 AM. We will be working on projects both inside and outside, so please bring work gloves if you have them. The church will provide coffee in the morning, lunch in the afternoon and libation at the end of the workday. Contact Abigail Butt with questions: 978-979-4582 or by email.

THE ALTAR GUILD is seeking persons who are interested in the vestments, vessels, and the care of sacred spaces to come together in service to the Lord. The ministry requires approximately 15 minutes after each of the three services to clean and put away the Eucharistic vessels and linens, and between 1 and 2 hours on a Friday or Saturday housekeeping and setting God's table. A meditative ministry, the Guild is typically made up of teams of two who work one month on and as a group during Christmastide and Easter week. Currently the head of the guild is Robert Preston; two faithful members, Judy Riggs, and George Dunning, are also currently working with him. Please approach any of us to learn more about this ministry. One thing to consider, this ministry's work schedule easily accommodates participation in other lay ministries you may also be interested in. Judy can be found at the 8:00 AM service, Robert, most often, at the 9:00, and George at the 11:15 service; come talk to us. You may reach out to Robert with your questions by contacting him at 978-626-0039 or via email.

REFUGEE IMMIGRATION MINISTRY (RIM), a local ministry supported by Christ Church, works to create a community-based support system for refugees and immigrants in the Greater Boston Area.

New Family Arriving! There is a family of 3 (mother, father and 17 year old son) from Eritrea arriving on August 24th. RIM is hoping to place them in Beverly. We are still looking for donations to set up a home for them including things like bedspreads, bottle and can openers, dish drainers/dish pans, dishes and flatware for 4, ice cube trays, kitchen utensils, meat and paring knives, pots and pans, sheets etc. Donations can be left in the RIM chest outside the Preston Cutler Room. We are also looking for volunteers to help with moving furniture into their apartment. If you have furniture to donate please contact Ryan McDonnell at 978-257-1116 or by email.

English Tutoring: We are still looking for people to help teach English to refugee families who have recently arrived in the North Shore area. ESL training is scheduled for Saturday, September 11th from 9:30-11:30AM at Trinity Episcopal Church in Topsfield.

The next meeting for the North Shore Cluster is going to serve as training for anyone who would like to be more involved with refugee and immigrant families. This meeting is Thursday, September 9th at 7:00 PM at the Friends Meeting House, Friend Street, Amesbury. Please contact Heidi Busch at 970-946-9948 or by email for more details.

TO ALL MINISTRY HEADS: As we begin to plan for the fall, do you have any announcements for the parish that you would like in the Parish Life Notes during the next few weeks? Please email them now to Laurie Wilson.

ACORD CONTRIBUTIONS: The Missions Committee is hoping that many parishioners will be involved in local ministries and the ACORD food pantry on Willow St. in Hamilton is one of these opportunities. Please bring canned or boxed foods and leave them in the box outside the PCR. Thank you for contributing.

COPIES OF “FORWARD DAY BY DAY", the booklet of daily Bible readings and devotions, are available at the entrances to the Church and Chapel. This edition covers August through October and is available in both large and normal print.