Welcome to Christ Church

Christ Episcopal Church's Friday Fellowship

July 17, 2020

~ An Update from the Rector ~

Grace and Peace to you this warm July Friday! I hope this finds you and yours well.

Today we announce some very exciting news:   Christ Church has been authorized by Bishop Goff for a one-time trial on Sunday, July 26^th at 10:30am, of a worship experience of a drive-in service of Morning Prayer. Basically, we will gather for an outdoor service with congregants worshiping from the safety and comfort of their own vehicle. As you arrive at church a parking lot greeter will welcome you with service leaflets, assisting you with any questions about parking. You will find every other parking space available for parking and will see Sam Thomas and myself out on the adjacent lawn to lead worship.  It is very important everyone remain inside their own vehicle throughout the service.

I especially wish to acknowledge and thank JD and Jason Cave for making their FM radio transmitter and other equipment available supporting this service; also, Bishop Goff for her willingness to allow CEC special one-time permission to try out this form of worship; our surrounding neighbors who were consulted ahead of time and were very supportive of our efforts; also, Roberta Arcand and all others who are assisting in one way or another. This service is especially dedicated to all those who do not have access to internet in their home and have not been able to worship for many weeks now.

As the service begins on the July 26^th you will be instructed to tune your radio to: FM 97.9. Because we will be using radio transmission there will be no need for any amplification and thus no disturbance of the Sunday morning peace of our surrounding neighborhood.

We will attempt to keep the service short (under 45 minutes).  CEC will continue to offer YouTube and Facebook posted service.

Should it rain the Drive-in service will out of necessity need to be canceled, but there will still be a recorded service of spoken Morning Prayer posted on YouTube and on CEC’s Facebook page.

Due to space limitations, the Drive-in Service is being planned for our CEC membership and thus you will NOT see or hear of us marketing the drive-in service to the public.

So where do we go from here? During the week following the service I have been asked to follow up with Canon Mary Thorpe in the Bishop’s office to provide her with feedback on how the service went. Of special interest and concern will be my feedback on compliance with safety guidelines as well as that of the continued support of CEC’s surrounding neighbors.

When will we return to in-door, in-person worship? Excellent question. That depends in large part to what happens with the virus in Page County as reflected in data tracked by the Commonwealth’s Health Department. The Bishop is looking for a 14-day period in which data shows COVID-19 cases and deaths are trending down. In the meantime, CEC’s Worship Committee is working on a plan to be submitted to the Bishop who must authorize our return. As of this week no Episcopal churches anywhere in the Diocese have been authorized to restart indoor worship and fewer than a dozen churches in the Diocese have been given approval for gathering for outdoor worship (considered to be much safer at this time).

Some Updates on Some Special Needs Around the Parish this Week

• Tom and Diane Hirsch send their deepest thanks for all the prayers that have been and continue to be said for their family; daughter Jessica continues to recover and as she does continues to be in need of our prayer for healing and for pain management;  grandbaby Greyson is being transferred to UVA Medical Center where he will undergo heart surgery - please keep him and his mom and dad lifted up in prayers.
• Jack Cullers sister Mary-Lou continues to be at home being cared for by Jack and Nina, and under the care of hospice for her slow healing fracture of her neck, and hip fracture. Please remember the Cullers in your prayers.
• Becky Higginbotham has traveled to Ohio so she can be with her parents as her father undergoes surgery July 24th and her mom continues to cope with multiple health issues. Becky's Uncle Lee continues to battle COVID-19 in a nursing home. 
• Jeanne Cave asks we continue to hold her mom Dotsy Barber, and Ross and Jeanne Mongomerty, and everyone at Hidden Springs in our prayers while they are in the highest level of in-room lock down following diagnosis a nurse with COVID-19.

We also have a long list of folks, some members of CEC, and others friends and family, who also have situations for which we are praying. Thank you for remembering these brothers and sisters in Christ in their hour of special need. May each one know the presence of God with them, and the power of his healing love in their lives.

~Readings for this Sunday~
Psalm 139:1-11, 22-23
Genesis 28:10-19a
Romans 8:12-25
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

~ Prayer Lists ~

Parish Prayer List Darold Johnson, Ed Gilbert, Steve Kaufmann, Fritz Browne, Ann Holsinger,Hugh Browne and family, Pat Lathrop, Katie McAleer, Bill Menefee, Betsy Dillard, Ross and Jeanne Montgomery, Tom and Diane Hirsch and family, Bud and Barbara Martin, all others in our parishin need of God’s special mercy and blessings this day.

Birthdays and Anniversaries Special prayers going up for Sam Thomas, Jr., PJ Comer, Mia Nollert, Bridgett and Eleanor Meyers, who are all celebrating their birthdays this coming week.

Friends & Family Prayer List Dixon Freeland Jr., Fritz and Jean Trumbore, Victoria Hill, DaleJefferies (Nolan’s father), Talley Brown (Jeanne Cave’s brother), Sherry and Mike Meredith, Nelly Texler(Nina Culler’s sister), Matthew, Michael and Jessica Hirsch, 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, Carole Kemp and family, Sherry Smith, Phyllis Alger, Mary Ann Vaughan, Edna Young, the daughters andgrandchildren of Debbie Forrest, Hazel Mills, Margaret Stephenson, Kate Eagle, Susan and Jim Melia (Annand Ginny’s cousins), Marta Kemmerer (Ann and Ginny’s cousins), Crystal and Rob Volten, Bill and CarolHarrell, and Lisa Stiner and Tom Ewing (Becky Higginbotham’s cousins) and Charles and Carolyn Roesch(Becky Higginbotham’s mom and dad), Lee Roesch (Becky Higginbotham's uncle); Shawane Atkins, BraydenRodriguez; Micheal, Jessica, Matt and Tiffany and Baby Greyson Hirsch (Tom and Diane’s children andgrandson) and Nate Stambaugh (Diane’s nephew by marriage), Sue and Nick Bush (Diane's sister andnephew), Elaine Goldsmith, Lucy and Mark Woolard, Mary Louise Cullers (Nina Culler’s sister-in-law). DougCook, David, Austin, and Valare Zorn; Chris and Cathy Marston, Linda Harbert; and for Shirley Whitley.

All who serve in the Armed Forces at home and abroad Chris Burns, Kara Cave, David Grisdale, Kyle Stewart, DannyHallman, Bobby Cole, Buck Holsinger, Adam Greenwell, Andrew Fichtler, Steven Higgs, Cooper Martin,Gabe Caton, and Joey Browne (Joey is currently in the midst of his boot camp training).

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