Welcome to Christ Church

~ An Update from the Rector ~

Grace and Peace You This First Friday of November,

In the next day or two you will be receiving a letter from Darold Johnson and myself with an update on the status of the Fall Giving Campaign which supports our operating budget for 2021.

It is our tradition at CEC to make hold a Fall Giving Campaign during which we ask each member to prayerfully consider your financial commitment to the church's operating budget in the upcoming new year.This year's theme was: “BE STRONG & COURAGEOUS”, drawn from Deuteronomy: 

“BE STRONG AND OF GOOD COURAGE,

                                                   " Do not fear nor be afraid…

                                     For the Lord Your God….goes with you.

                                       He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

                                                           (NKJV Deuteronomy 31:6)

 In the letter you will read that thus far we have heard back from 20 of our faithful CEC families. In order to plan for coverage of our operating expenses in 2021 the church leadership needs to hear back from everyone.

We know this has been an especially difficult time for many to focus on CEC's giving campaign alongside COVID-19, the election and other issues of the day.  The date for the in-gathering of CEC's 2021 Financial Commitments has been scheduled for Sunday, November 22, Christ the King Sunday. As we declare every Sunday,  it is to Christ Jesus we turn for strength and courage to help us in facing times just such as these. 

So, if you have not yet taken a moment to fill out your commitment card, please do so right away. You can bring it to church Sunday and drop it in one of the greeter's baskets, or mail it into the church office. We are relying on each and every member to do this. Your declaration of your  financial commitment to the mission of CEC is vital to it's ongoing health and well-being.

We are  bound together by our faith in action at Christ Church Luray, and for this I am so very thankful.

Cathy+

~ Readings for this Sunday ~
Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25
Psalm 78:1-7
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Matthew 25:1-13

~ Prayer Lists ~

Parish Prayer List  Darold Johnson, Ed Gilbert, Steve Kaufmann, Fritz Browne, Ann Holsinger, Ginny Browne, Hugh and Joey Browne, Pat Lathrop, Katie McAleer, Bill Menefee, Betsy Dilliard, Tom and Diane Hirsch, Deacon Marty Dooley and her family, Joseph Ripley and his neighbors at Hawksbill Assisted Living; and Dotsy Barber, Ross and Jeanne Montgomery, David and Kathy Slye and daughters Jamie and Kelly, Susan Zorn, Larry Comstock, Becky Higginbotham, and Karen Baughan.

Friends & Family Prayer List Dixon Freeland Jr., Fritz and Jean Trumbore, Victoria Hill, Talley Brown (Jeanne Cave’s brother), Sherry and Mike Meredith, Nelly Texler(Nina Culler’s sister), Joyce M. Ripley, Terry Couse, Mickey Couse, Patsy Painter, Judy Riley, Caroline Melia (Ann and Ginny’s cousin), Vicki Gochenour, Patty Whitmer, Georgia and John Wilmer (Carrie Comer’s parents), Debbie Jenkins, Sherry Smith, Phyllis Alger, Mary Ann Vaughan, Edna Young, the daughters and grandchildren of Debbie Forrest, Hazel Mills, Margaret Stephenson, Kate Eagle, Susan and Jim Melia (Ann and Ginny’s cousins), Marta Kemmerer (Ann and Ginny’s cousins), Crystal and Rob Volten, Bill and Carol Harrell, Lisa Stiner, Tom Ewing (Becky Higginbotham’s cousins), Charles and Carolyn Roesch (Becky Higginbotham’s mom and dad), Lee Roesch (Becky Higginbotham's uncle); Shawane Atkins, Brayden Rodriguez, Lucy and Mark Woolard, Doug Cook, Jennifer Gibbs and her mom Alison; and for Shirley Whitley, Sherry Smith (Roberta Arcand’s neighbor), Marilyn Jeffries and family, Alex Zuber, Virginia Martin (Linda Dudley’s mother), Nichole Flood (a dear friend of Pat Lathrop’s diagnosed with breast cancer in the midst of her pregnancy); Preston Sudduth, Beth and Tommy Brennan (Pat Lathrop’s daughter and son-in-law); Michael, Jessica, Matt and Tiffany and Baby Greyson Hirsch (Tom and Diane’s children and grandson), Nate Stambaugh (Diane’s nephew by marriage), Sue and Nick Bush (Diane's sister and nephew); Charlie Sour, Mike Normolye and family, RJ Redstrom and parents, Randy and Gretta Miller, and Patricia Navarro.

All who serve in the Armed Forces at home and abroadChris Burns, Kara Cave, David Grisdale, Kyle Stewart, Danny Hallman, Bobby Cole, Buck Holsinger, Adam Greenwell, Andrew Fichtler, Steven Higgs, Cooper Martin, Gabe Caton, Joey Browne, and Tom Forrest.

Diocesan and Anglican Cycle of Prayer for the unity and mission of the Anglican Communion; for persecuted and suffering Churches, especially in Iraq, Egypt, Sudan, Myanmar and Palestine; for Lutheran, Anglican, Moravian, Roman Catholic & United Methodist dioceses synods & conferences in Virginia and their bishops.

~ Announcements ~

Smells and Bells….Advent’s Coming!!! Patty Comstock had a great suggestion for Advent at CEC this year using CEC’s Facebook Page as our parish Advent Calendar.

Members of CEC are invited to sign up for a date in Advent to post a short devotion of HOPE, JOY, PEACE, and LOVE. Advent begins Sunday, November 29 (the first Sunday after Thanksgiving) and runs through Thursday, December 24^th. 

We love this idea, and invite everyone interested to be in touch with Rev. Cathy or Jill to claim a  date to see your Advent devotion posted as part of CEC’s Advent Calendar on Facebook.

Postings can take the form of a favorite candid photo that brings back sweet family memories from Christmas past, or a scene in nature, or a photo of Christmas in and around Luray and Page County. Along with each photo received we will add a citation of a verse of scripture, along with a few words of refection, or an inspirational quote.  Let’s bring in the spirit of Christmas day by day as we prepare for this year’s celebration.

Thanks to Patty Comstock for this great suggestion. Whether you plan to participate via a post, or just plan to check in each day, we look forward to seeing the wonderful photos.

Additional Note: if you have a photo but aren’t ready to provide a commentary… NO PROBLEM!  invite you Rev. Cathy invites you to partner with her… just select a date and email in a photo and she will be happy to handle the rest. Let’s bring in the as much of the LOVE, HOPE, JOY AND PEACE OF Christmas as we can this year.

Bizarre Bazaar 2020!   -    Coming Soon!
All things are different in 2020 and our annual Christmas Bazaar is no exception.  (The one thing remaining the same is that all proceeds will be given to charities through our Outreach Committee.)So....How will this work?  It's easy!  A catalogue of our beautiful items will be attached to the Friday Fellowship beginning Nov. 20, and will also be available to see on our Facebook page.  This year our offerings are limited to knit goods, paper crafts, and bird seed wreathes.  There will be lovely Christmas ornaments and gifts so you can shop from home.  For ease of purchase, orders can be made by email or phone. Your purchases will be packaged for you to pick up.  More details will be forthcoming.

Wednesday November  Online Bible StudyJoin us Wednesday evenings, 7-8 pm, online for a small group Bible Study. Coming up this next Wednesday, November 11^th, our own Deacon Marty will lead Bible Study. The group meets on ZOOM – email Rev Cathy if you wish to receive an emailed reminder on next Wednesday with the ZOOM link

Christ the King, Sunday November 22, will be this year’s date for  Ingathering and Blessing of 2021 Pledges
As has become our tradition at CEC, in November, members of CEC will present their offerings of 2021 pledges on the Altar as we seek God’s blessing on the intentions of our hearts. Darold Johnson, Treasurer of CEC will prepare the presentation and will place them on the altar that Sunday morning. If you haven’t already done so please either mail your pledge cards to the church office, or alternatively you can email Darold at: daroldljohnson@gmail.com  with your pledge information.

                                                             News and Updates

 Partnership with Luray Middle School’s Beetle's Blessing Box This year CEC is partnering with Luray Middle School to keep the Beetles Blessing Box stocked for our neighbors in need. This is a year like none other in memory and a great way for CEC to partner with families and staff at the school for this caring outreach.  Beetle's Blessing Box:  The toiletries and laundry detergent we collected in October were very much appreciated.  For November we are asked to focus on food.  The supply is running low.

List of Requested Items:

Anything microwaveable

Potted meat                 pasta                                 

pancake mix

peanut butter crackers

mac and cheese cups

Vienna sausages

spaghetti sauce

pop-tarts

mashed potato cups canned tuna or chicken canned vegetables

cereal

Dinty Moore meals

peanut butter and jelly

canned fruit/fruit cups

granola bars

Loaves and Fishes Update:  Parent request forms have been delivered, food has been purchased, and distribution of food bags will begin Nov. 4 to children participating in the study hall on Wednesdays at the West Luray Rec Center. 

Chronicler coming soon! 
Photos and articles may be sent to jeanne.cave@yahoo.com. 

Please don't forget Milestones!  If you have had a special birthday or anniversary, wedding, new baby, graduation or any other milestone in your life, please share the happy news with your church family

Christ Church Chat Christian Formation strives to grow our relationship with God, self, others, and all creation. Every experience in our lives can provide us with the opportunity to express our faith; to become guardians of God’s creation, to respond to the needs of our communities in ways that reflect our diversity and cultures; and, to develop new learning experiences to be more knowledgeable disciples for life in a world of secular challenges.

This challenging year has equipped us with creative ways to connect with the community and the Education Committee has developed a program that will leverage these methods of communication with diverse members of the community that will help us grow relationships and become more knowledgeable disciplines of Jesus Christ.  We will be introducing short 10-15 minute taped conversations with community members via Zoom/You Tube/Facebook Live to allow maximum flexibility with our challenging schedules. 

Our first guest speaker is Ginny Browne. She has extensive experience as a Park Ranger in Shenandoah National Park and helped write their on-line curriculum "Hoover and a Retreat Fit for a President" about Herbert Hoover and his Rapidan Camp.  To make this an enriching experience, we are asking the congregation for potential questions for Ginny. If you have a question that you would like Ginny to address, please provide your question to ginny.browne.1952@gmail.com by Sunday, November 8th so they can be included in the presentation.

The Education Committee has a list of future speakers; however, we are looking for additional suggestions as this program continues to develop. If you have any thought for future speakers, please feel free to send them to christchurchluray@earthlink.net.