by parishadministrator | Dec 22, 2021 | News and Updates
Dear friends,
With the omicron surge, we are going to take a few additional precautions for our Christmas weekend services. These are in-line with both Montgomery County regulations and Diocese of Washington recommendations.
1. Properly fitted surgical or KN95 masks are required for all in-person attendance. If you do not have a surgical mask, we will have them here for you to wear. The ushers will ask you to use a surgical mask as you enter the building. If you have a lovely Christmas cloth mask, you can put the surgical mask beneath it! (disposable surgical masks are generally blue or yellow.)
2. If you have not been vaccinated, we highly recommend that you join us online. The omicron variant is so very contagious that we ask this both to protect yourself and your neighbors. While many will inevitably contract the omicron variant, vaccines and boosters are the best way to protect yourself from severe illness.
3. We will make every effort to help maintain physical distance between households. This may be difficult to achieve if we have a larger crowd than 100 persons. It is our hope to broadcast to the large screen in the Parish Hall for overflow – but please take that into consideration when deciding whether to attend in-person or worship with us online.
On Christmas Day, we have added the option of attending via Zoom, with the service live streaming to Zoom from the sanctuary as we usually do at the 5:00 p.m. service on Sundays – although we will utilize the audio/visual system we use for Sunday mornings.
Christmas Eve Services and Sunday’s Lessons & Carols will be in-person with surgical masks and live streamed on YouTube as we usually do on Sunday mornings.
I pray that each of you remains safe and healthy this Christmas season – as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, God-with-us through this and all!
Almost Christmas blessings and love,
Emily
Note: The Christ Church Regathering Committee met yesterday, Dec 21 to consider modifications to our services. Regarding masks, which are even more important with the extremely contagious omicron variant, we are following the recommendations of medical professionals including Peter Gergen, MD, Epidemiologist at NIH, and member of Christ Church. N95/KN95 masks are best, then surgical. Simple cloth masks block about 30% of transmission; surgical masks block 80-90% when properly worn.
by amondel | Jul 11, 2020 | #CECKTogether, Christ Church Connection, News and Updates
Join us Online for Holy Eucharist!
Sunday, July 12, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.
Dear ones,
Tomorrow we will be having one live service offered online via Zoom at 10:00 a.m. Teddy’s prelude will start a few minutes before the hour as we’re all getting settled. A recording of the service will be available for viewing on YouTube later in the day.
Pick up your “blessing bag” with consecrated bread and wine TODAY, Saturday, July 11th in the church parking lot. I will be there handing out blessings and blessing bags! If you need the sacrament delivered, please call the church by Noon today. Don’t be shy. See details below.
It has been a long time since we celebrated communion together. This one promises to be memorable, joyous, and most certainly will have a glitch or two. All family meals do. At least the ones I cook. Or attend. One more thing: if you haven’t gotten to pick up the sacrament, please still join us for worship! The bulletin has a prayer of spiritual communion for that purpose.
Be compassionate with yourself and one another. There is more grace than any of us know. I look forward to seeing you around the table.
Emily
Click here to read details in preparing for online celebration of Holy Eucharist on July 12th!
Sunday, July 12, 2020
WORSHIP SCHEDULE
10:00 a.m. Celebration of Holy Eucharist: A Family Service for Children of All Ages
There will be NO Children’s Chapel, NO 5:00 service.
No Bible Study until further notice.
by amondel | Jun 30, 2020 | #CECKTogether, News and Updates
Dear Christ Church Family,
We are writing to provide an update on the planning for re-opening Christ Church, and some joyful news for re-introducing communion into our virtual worship services.
The Re-opening Task Force continues to meet and is taking a hopeful, yet measured, approach to the many complex considerations of this decision, balancing the health and safety of all the members of our community with our desire to physically gather for worship as one body in our beloved sanctuary.
Our deliberations are being informed by both the Diocesan and Montgomery County restrictions. Even as we remain in Phase One as defined by the Diocese, i.e. no live in-person gatherings, we anticipate that its stipulations, along with the County’s, may be changing in the next few weeks.
We must submit a plan for phased re-opening to the Bishop for approval, and the Task Force has decided the following with regard to in–person worship at Christ Church:
1. Although Montgomery County has entered re-opening Phase 2, which allows for houses of worship to “have limited indoor and outdoor services with 1 congregant/family per 200 sq. ft.,” we have decided to submit a plan to the Diocese for resuming in-person services only after Montgomery County moves into Phase 3.
2. In Phase 3 in Montgomery County, the required square footage drops to 100 sq. ft per person/household. This would allow for 40 people to be in the sanctuary together (including officiant and organist).
3. When we decide to move forward with in-person services, we will have a sign-up process for the limited number of households who will be able to attend in person.
4. We will move forward provided that the church is “ready” as follows:
a. Signage in place to aid with social distancing
b. Ushers re-trained, and personal protective equipment.
(masks, gloves and sanitizer) are available.
c. Cleaning protocol in place.
d. Communications & Wi-Fi systems are upgraded to support
live-streaming of all in- person services
5. In addition, per the Diocese’s requirements, everyone who plans to attend in-person services will be required to sign the Covenant for Regathering in Worship, which requires among other things that everyone wears a mask while attending in-person services.
6. Kitchens, pantries and food preparation areas will remain closed for the foreseeable future, and clergy will not be shaking hands at the back of the church.
7. Those who are at high risk of infection are advised to consider their own health before coming to church. Those who are ill are asked to remain at home. The final plan will include detailed instructions for attendance, including what to expect, how to sign up, etc.
8. While we await the time when we can gather for in-person services, we have created a plan to reintroduce communion into our worship. “At-home” communion kits will be made available to all who would like them, containing pre-consecrated individual servings of the sacrament and instructions. They will be available for pick-up from the church, or delivered to you by request if you cannot pick one up.
a. There will be a Celebration of Holy Eucharist on July 12 when we will livestream the worship service and at the time of distribution, consume the pre-consecrated sacrament together – a true communion! There will also be a video of Emily consecrating the individual communion cups for those who cannot join in the live service but wish to have communion.
b. A detailed email specifically about the July 12 service will go out next week. Communion kits will be available for pick-up July 9, 10 and 11 from the church parking lot. You’ll get details on how to sign up for a pick up time. Requests for delivery may be made through the office. This will be our pilot for what will be a monthly virtual celebration!
9. Until we can all return safely, we will continue offering virtual church in some capacity.
We all wish we were able to gather together in our beloved sanctuary, but that’s not possible right now. These measures are for the health and well-being of all in our community and are a concrete way of loving our neighbors. As always, we welcome your feedback as we navigate this season of life at Christ Church.
With hope and soap!
Kurt Ellison Cynthia Mitchell Emily Guthrie
by amondel | May 23, 2020 | #CECKTogether, Christ Church Connection, News and Updates
Farewell to Madi!
Dear friends one and all,
For the past four years, we have been blessed with our Youth Minister Madison Chase. She has not only touched the lives of our youth, but graced all of us with her presence and leadership. As most of you know, she has been phasing out her work with us as she is working full time as a social worker at a hospital and that is more than enough ministry for one human being! Madi will end her time with us on May 31. We send her off with all our love and boundless gratitude for her.
Although it’s not the same as the big party we’d usually throw, we’ll have a special goodbye liturgy next week at the Pentecost Service, and a time of recognition at a virtual coffee hour. Please consider sending her a thank you note (you might even include a little gift if you know what I mean) in care of the church, 4001 Franklin St, Kensington, MD 20895. She has served Christ Church in countless ways – we give thanks for her gifts and presence among us, and we will miss her enormously.
As Madi would say: Peace, Love & Jesus,
Emily
P.S. There are many important announcements this week, click the READ MORE button below to learn more.
New Christ Church Worship Opportunity: Compline
Please join us for Zoom Compline on Mondays and Thursdays at 8:30 pm. This simple, ancient liturgy is a peaceful way to close the day with 15-20 minutes of prayers, psalms, and a short scripture reading. Also called Night Prayer, it can be said in community or alone.
The order of service will be provided for you on zoom or you can follow along in the Book of Common Prayer (p. 127). To say on your own, Mission St. Clare has a beautiful version with chant or www.dailyoffice.org includes the New Zealand Prayer Book service.
by amondel | May 2, 2020 | #CECKTogether, Christ Church Connection, News and Updates
Sunday Schedule for the Fourth Sunday of Easter
May 3, 2020
9:30 a.m. Children’s Chapel
Live on Zoom via password-protected link emailed to parents. Please scroll down for more information and please contact Ann Enkiri if you are not receiving these emails:
sundayschool@ccpk.org.Christ Church Morning Prayer Service
10:00 a.m. Acts in Easter: Bible Study
11:15 a.m. National Cathedral Sunday Service
1:00 p.m. Youth Group
5:00 p.m. Christ Church Live @ Five
Looking for Other Ways to Support the Community?
If you are looking for ways to donate your time or resources to support families and individuals in need at this time, please visit the Montgomery County Food Council’s comprehensive page with information on organizations in need of donations and volunteers during the COVID-19 crisis (and beyond):
https://mocofoodcouncil.org/covid-19-how-can-you-help/The website includes links to a Food Assistance Provider Needs spreadsheet, the Volunteer Center website, and information on how you can donate meals to hospital workers, first responders, and those in need.
We raise to God those who are on our hearts and are in need of prayer always, but especially in this time of our collective lives.
If you would like to add someone to our prayer list, please email
emily@ccpk.org.
