Weekly Update 17 January 2025
Reflection
Mark Perschbacher
Mark Perschbacher
Epiphany is certainly a significant part of the church year for many reasons. We acknowledge the arrival of the wisemen and Jesus’ baptism, and then forward through Jesus’ life to the first miracle at Cana. Now that we have passed through the joyous and jam-packed Christmas season, many of us are going back to work and dropping into our usual routines.
This was a very meaningful week for me on several accounts. I was able to attend Clark McKee’s memorial service, which was a nice celebration of his life and a chance to meet his extended family and friends. For those of you relatively new to Christ Church, Clark and his wife Louise started attending Christ Church in the early 2000’s. Clark had a rich deep voice, and was a regular member of choir. He was active in the Men’s Group, and had a keen interest in the relationship we had with Gentry House. He also lovingly supported Louise until the end of her life. According to his daughter, Clark had spent some time planning his memorial service, and wanted it to be a joyful gathering, which it was.
Providing the service music last Sunday with the Banjo Band was also an uplifting experience for me, as it always is. One of the other uplifting things I noticed this last week was the coming together of first responders to help deal with the horrible wildfires in Southern California. Firefighters from several states, including WA, arrived, as did some from Canada and Mexico. Although we are still very divided as a country, its refreshing to see the North American people come together to help each other.
Sunday Services
Sunday, 19 January 2025
The Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Year C
Chandler’s Square Morning Prayer
9:30 am
Chandler’s Square Retirement Community
1300 “O” Avenue, Anacortes
Presider: June Cook
Christ Church Morning Prayer
10:30 am
Christ Church Sanctuary
1216 Seventh Street, Anacortes
The service is also available on YouTube.
Servers
Presider: Melissa Simonsen
Homilist: Shirley Barrett
Readers: MJ Barrett, Diane Guinn, John Guinn, Sandy Mathis
Ushers: Geoff Holmes, Margaret Whatley
Altar Guild: Melissa Simonsen
Organist: Lynne Berg
Coffee Hour Host: The Men’s Group
Readings
Isaiah 62:1-5
Psalm 36:5-10
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
John 2:1-11
Readings may be found in the Episcopal Lectionary.
Hymns
H 533 - How Wondrous and Great
H 53 - Spread, O Spread, Thou Mighty Word
H 531 - O Spirit of the Living God
H 409 - The Spacious Firmament on High
Designated Plate Offering
The plate offering this Sunday is designated for Chaplains on the Harbor.
Chaplains on the Harbor are a group of chaplains who seek to build a freedom church of the poor by pastoring, organizing, and empowering the leadership of poor people in Grays Harbor County.
Donations by check should be made to Christ Church with Chaplains on the Harbor in the memo line.
Coffee Hour
Coffee Hour follows the service. All are welcome.
Announcements
A Joyful Noise January 2025
Find all the January news at A Joyful Noise January 2025.
Sunday Service Update
This month we will be moving our Morning Prayer service, normally held on the fourth Sunday of the month, to the third Sunday, January 19. This will allow us to have Holy Eucharist with Rev. Courtney prior to the Annual Meeting on the fourth Sunday, January 26.
Bishop LaBelle’s Statement on the LA Fires
Bishop LaBelle’s Statement on the Los Angeles fires.
Faith Formation Update from Reverend Courtney
The Rev. Courtney Jones
Winter/Spring Formation Options
I wanted to let you all know about some exciting formation options for this Winter/Spring:
Adult Confirmation Class (Zoom): A Zoom-based, diocesan-wide confirmation class for adults. You don’t necessarily have to plan to be confirmed or received to attend - it is “for those who would like to know more about the church and are seeking to better understand the tenets of this faith tradition.” It will be offered on Sunday evenings and taught by various Diocese instructors, including our new Bishop, Phil Labelle. The series starts on February 23rd and meets weekly via Zoom until Cathedral Day (May 3rd). (Note: this course can be used as baptism prep, but you’ll need to let me know that you’re attending so that I can schedule your baptism at Christ Church!)
For more information, please visit:
https://ecww.org/diocesan-confirmation-series-for-adults-2025/
Youth Confirmation Class (Zoom): The Diocese is once again offering a Zoom-based confirmation class for teens. This is a great way for teens in our congregation to connect to the wider diocesan community of youth! Here’s some info about the course taken from the Diocesan website: On Sunday evenings, starting February 16 through April 27, from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. we will be working our way through a curriculum called “Confirm Not Conform.” This curriculum is designed to encourage and invite youth to ask the hard questions and grapple with their own understanding of what they believe and why. Facilitated small group break-outs will provide time for conversation with peers of the same age.
(Note: this course can be used as baptism prep, but you’ll need to let me know that you’re attending so that I can schedule your baptism at Christ Church!)
For more information, please visit:
https://ecww.org/diocesan-youth-confirmation-program-2025/
I Will, With God’s Help (in person, Parish Hall): This series is a deep dive into the Baptismal Covenant meant to: (a) help newcomers engage with what we believe in the Episcopal Church; and (b) challenge leaders in the Church to think about how Christ Church is living into our Baptismal Promises. As such, the course materials are targeted toward two different groups: (1) Inquirers, those considering baptism, confirmation, reception, or reaffirmation of their baptismal vows; and (2) Emerging leaders - those in lay leadership positions or moving into lay leadership positions (such as BC, MSC, and chairs of various ministries). The course will explore what it means to be baptized and confirmed, and will include discussions of the sacraments and sacramental rites of: Baptism, Eucharist, Confession, Holy Unction, and Confirmation. Bring your questions or bring your expertise - there’s room for both in this series, which is meant to be a ministry toolkit for all!
Rev. Courtney will be facilitating this series. For more information, please visit: https://sites.google.com/view/iwillwithgodshelp/home
You can use any of the three above classes for baptism or confirmation prep if that is something that you’re interested in! Please let me know if you have any questions!
Also, be on the lookout for new offerings during Lent this year. One such offering will be a regular (Zoom-based) “Episco-Questions” session for those attending any of the above three formation offerings who are curious to know more! We will also have a Rule of Life small group for those of you who are interested in engaging in a Holy Lent with the support of others. I am working to schedule a couple of informational sessions about how to prepare a rule of life for Lent and will send out more information in a later message.
Courtney+
Bishop’s Committee Meeting
Monday, January 20.
5:30 – 7:30 pm
Parish Hall Gathering Room & Zoom.
All are welcome to attend.
Youth Group
Youth Group meets on Wednesday, January 22
6-7:30pm, beginning with dinner
Parish Hall Gathering Room
All youth in Middle School & High School are welcome.
Annual Meeting
Sunday, January 26
Following the 10:30 am service
Parish Hall Gathering Room
We will be electing four Bishop’s Committee members and our 2025 Diocesan Convention Delegates and Alternates. We will take a look back at 2024 and a look ahead at 2025. The 2025 Operating Fund Budget, which has been approved by the Bishop’s Committee, will be presented.
The following candidates will be presented for election:
Bishop’s Committee
Three-year term: Geoff Holmes, Margaret Whatley
Two-year term: Kris Whitely
Young Adult One-year term: Siriana Simonsen
Diocesan Convention Delegates
Ed Barton
Emily Sander
Diocesan Convention Alternates
Stephanie Galbraith
Dan Moore
Nominations will also be taken from the floor in all categories.
Please join in. Your participation is important to the life of our church.
And…our Hospitality Ministry has a delicious brunch planned for you!
All are welcome.
Centering Prayer
Weekly on Wednesdays
1:15 – 1:45 pm
Christ Church Sanctuary
All are welcome to join in this short, simple service: a Scripture reading, twenty minutes of silence, an intercessory prayer, and the Lord’s Prayer.
Questions? Please contact Maggie Collinge.
Men’s Group
The Men’s Group meets weekly on Fridays.
9:00 – 10:00 am
Parish Hall Gathering Room
Questions? Please contact Deacon Eric Johnson.
Gentle Yoga Class
Weekly on Saturdays
10-11 am
Instructor: Dawn Jex
Parish Hall Gathering Room
Suggested Donation: $5
Please bring your own yoga mat.
All are welcome.
The Red Door Thrift Shop
Weekly News
Dawn Jex, Red Door Manager
Dawn Jex
Hello Everyone!
As you know, we are in the process of fundraising for our building expansion project. I should have the display wall completed this week and we do have a few trifold brochures to give away that Eric Johnson provided for us. My question is this - what do you think might be a fun and appropriate way to fundraise? I don’t want to do what everyone else is doing. I want something unique to the Red Door. Send your ideas to my inbox please.
The only idea I have come up with so far is this:
“Donate $1,000 or more and receive a private shopping experience. Our shop Manager will open the shop for an hour at any time that works for YOU - evenings, weekends, holidays, Let’s pick a date! bring all your friends and family to shop at The Red Door!”
In other news, we have a new procedure for our “bags of rags.” A local plumbing company wants ALL of our rags and has offered to pay $5 per bag. So we’re going to let them! LOL. Donation Center folks, fill up a bag as usual and write “Rags” on the bags. I will text the company to let them know when we have them. Thank you!
A few notes about clothing. We are inundated with clothes right now - so many that we are running out of hangers. What this means is that we are keeping too many items. When you open a bag of clothing, try thinking to yourself, I am only keeping 30% of these items. Pick through and choose only the best things. Thank you!
We are still looking for a permanent Thursday morning cashier. I have the shift covered this week. Let me know if you have a friend who is great with computers.
Regarding shoplifting: Many of you know we had an incident last week. She came in again on Friday. I tried to speak to her in private, but she declined and then got progressively aggressive and hostile. Police were notified and we will be “trespassing” her from the shop. I’ve never had to do this before. It was hard. She was served paperwork over the weekend and there is a copy on the bulletin board by my desk. Let me know if you have any questions.
For the future if something like this happens, we will be using the ASAP approach. ASAP stands for Approach, Smile, Assist, and Proactively offer assistance. And then maintain observation so that they know they are being watched. This strategy is designed to manage potential shoplifting incidents in a way that is non Confrontational.
Hugs,
Dawn Jex
Christ Church’s Red Door Thrift Shop is located at 1019 Seventh Street in Anacortes.
Red Door Thrift Shop
360.293.8027
Red Door Shopping Hours:
Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday: 10am – 3pm
Red Door Donation Hours:
Monday & Wednesday: 10am – 1pm
Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday: 10am – 3pm
Profits generated at the Red Door Thrift Shop fund Christ Church’s Community Support program.
Shoppers, Volunteers, & Donations are always welcome!
Day by Day
Day by Day daily devotions may be accessed at the following link:
Day by Day Daily Devotion.
Prayer List
Dale
Zoanne
Linda
Tom
Karen
Leslie
Diana
Val
John
John & Mary
Tony & family, Brendan, and Jennifer, family & friends of Mary