Mission Statement of Christ Church

To the glory of God, the mission of Christ Church Parish is to serve Jesus Christ and all the people of God; to

encourage and facilitate spiritual development for people of all ages; to grow as Christians in a loving and

forgiving fellowship, thereby confirming, witnessing, and leading others to the faith by the power of the Holy

Spirit.

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“There is one body and one spirit.” This month we will

celebrate two baptisms at the 8:00 service and three confirmations and

several reaffirmations of the baptismal covenant at the Bishop’s

visitation on Nov. 22. Many of us are used to thinking that baptism is

primarily for infants or very young children. However, while baptizing

infants and young children may seem the norm in The Episcopal

Church, both tradition and the theology of the Book of Common

Prayer show a preference for adult baptism.

The Annual Convention of our diocese will be held Nov. 13-14 in Redding, and our delegates

and I will participate. On Nov. 21 we will celebrate the happy occasion of the marriage of Sanford

Pyron and Thomas Swanger. On Nov. 22 our bishop will preside at the 10:30 service. There will be

time during coffee hour to speak with him. At the end of November we will enter into Advent, the

season for preparation for Christ’s coming at Christmas. We will celebrate Advent Lessons and

Carols on the afternoon of Nov. 29, the first Sunday of Advent, which is the beginning of the church

year. The color for Advent is royal purple or Sarum blue. We will light the Advent wreath at the

beginning of each service.

Many of you have expressed interest in resumption of Sunday School for our parish. A

number of our children have grown up, but there is a welcome group of very young children. Vickie

Patton will offer Godly Play on November 1, and we are hoping that someone will volunteer to

teach on the third Sunday of each month. Training will be provided!

In the assurance of Christ’s love for each of us,

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He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them

their names.

Psalms 147:4

October 19, 2015’s Day by Day meditation is offered by the

Reverend Christine McSpadden. She shares the following thoughts:

“I worked at a parish called St. Luke’s, named after the patron

saint of physicians, artists, surgeons, students, and butchers and whose feast we celebrate today.

During a renovation project the ceiling above the altar was redone. Over the new plaster, a midnight

blue coat of paint mimicked a night sky, and gold leaf stars dotted the ceiling like twilight. Each of

the stars represented an anonymous donor who had given generously to underwrite the construction

project. There was not a name listed in recognition for the gracious financing of the renovation work

anywhere at all.

“No one needs to be lauded for their gifts in this world because each name is already indelibly

and lovingly recorded in God’s Book of Life in the next, rewarding us in ways we cannot ask or im-

agine.”

Many Sundays while sitting with the choir in the altar area I look up to the ceiling and think of

the people who helped to make the space so special and holy. The blue night sky, the gold stars and

the delicate hanging cross; from now on I shall think of all the anonymous donors who gave gener-

ously of their time, talent and treasurers to underwrite the renovation work.

As Reverend McSpadden reminds us, “each name is already indelibly and lovingly recorded in

God’s Book of Life”.

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Fall is really here and we have gotten some rain too. Hope

everyone got their clocks to "fall" back in a timely manner!

We had a garden clean-up day and the three of us got a lot

done. Thank you Gwen Connell and Dan Phillips. We are going

to have another day of pruning before the Bishop arrives. Lots

of different workers needed. No gardening experience needed.

Update on the ADA compliance Restrooms: we have all of the

necessary paper work done for the city, but our contractor

needs surgery and will not be able to do the work. So Harry and

the contractor are looking for a replacement that will be in line

with our current bid. We had thought of delaying the construction until after the holiday, so this will

all work out for us.

Thanks to everyone for your help,

Beth Powell

Saints Martha & Mary Help Victims of Lake Fire

In a generous outpouring of compassion and concern, the congregation at

Saints Martha and Mary in Trinidad donated $5000 to the Bishop’s Dis-

cretionary Fund to help victims of Lake County recover from last sum-

mer’s devastating Lake Fire. In a special message to the diocese, Bishop

Beisner asked all of us to join him “in holding in prayer all who are di-

rectly affected by the crisis caused by the fires burning in Northern Cali-

fornia" and to be generous in sending financial gifts to the Bishop's Dis-

cretionary Fund, “which will enable our diocese to continue supporting

ministries and relief efforts in the impacted communities.” In responding

to the Bishop’s request, the people of Saints Martha and Mary asked themselves, “What are we

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saving this money for if not to help our neighbors in distress?”

If you can help, please make checks out to EDNC with "Bishop’s Discretionary Fund - Fire" written

in the memo line and mail to:

The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California

c/o Accounts Receivable

350 University Avenue, Suite 280

Sacramento, CA 95825

“Foster Fridays” at Christ Church

October’s “Foster Friday” event brought in 25 children ages 2 through 12, most from foster

families, and provided a good time for the children and a much-needed respite for the parents. Activ-

ities included musical chairs, painting, games, keyboards, and a special project for Operation Christ-

mas Child, a ministry Samaritan’s Purse. The children filled shoeboxes with toys, school supplies,

Lake Fire

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personal hygiene items like soap and toothpaste, and a person-

al note that will go to children all over the world. The pur-

pose of Operation Christmas Child is to reach children and

families in those countries that are closed to the gospel: "In

the hands of local churches, every gift-filled shoebox is a

powerful tool for evangelism and discipleship—transforming

the lives of children and their families around the world

through the Good News of Jesus Christ!" Offering prayers for

the boxes and the children who receive them is an equally im-

portant aspect of the project. This link to their website pro-

vides more information: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/

operation-christmas-child/eternal-impact/

Operation Christmas Child

boxes

Many thanks to those from Christ Church and St. Alban’s who served these children and their

parents at October’s Foster Friday event: Karen Childers, Diana and Wally Cooper, Fiona Endsley,

Heidi Erickson, Peg Gardner, Pam and Paul Gossard, John Hammond, Elizabeth Harper-Lawson, Jo-

anne Loureiro, Anne Pierson, Merry and Dan Phillips, Jill Stover, Susan Whaley, Cindy Woods, and

Mother Nancy. Christ Church offers these events monthly to the foster care community in Humboldt

County. If you feel called to this joyful and heartwarming ministry, please contact Mother Nancy+

at nancy.s.streufert@att.net or by phone at 442-1212.

“Surprised by Hope with N.T. Wright” at Saints Martha & Mary

The mission committee at Saints Martha & Mary welcomes you to a study of N.T. Wright's six-part

video series based on his book Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the

Mission of the Church. The series will be facilitated by Mother Nancy+ on Tuesdays, November 17

through December 22 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. Each session will include a 20 minute video fol-

lowed by group reflection and discussion, and will close with a short Compline service. All are wel-

come to come early at 4:15 p.m. for Centering Prayer. Bring your Bible; other materials will be pro-

vided.

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Looking Ahead Toward Advent

As some of you know all too well, I am counting the days

until early December when I will be joined by a kitten: a Siberian

Forest Cat kitten to be precise. They are beautiful, affectionate cats,

who normally cause fewer allergic reactions in those who are so

afflicted. This should allow guests with allergies to breathe and still

let me have a cat to love! Have I mentioned that I’m excited? I’m

reading everything I can get my hands on about caring for cats. I’m

doing comparisons on cat brushes, nail clippers, cat trees, scratching

posts, food and litter, checking out area vets . . . I’m getting rid of

house plants that are toxic to cats and clearing away clutter and

breakables. Then there are the books and websites that talk about how to read a cat’s body language,

how to help a kitten feel safe and loved and walk on a leash. I’m doing everything I can to prepare a

good home for this kitten I haven’t even met yet.

It hit me: I’m putting at least as much energy into preparing house and heart room for this kit-

ten as I normally do to prepare for Christmas which will be here officially not long after AC (Arrival

of Cat). I’m not talking only about presents, decorating and baking. I’m talking about real, inner

preparation that is one of the gifts of the Advent season. I’m talking about the kind of ongoing, life-

time preparation that clears out anything that might get in the way of ongoing growth as a servant,

friend, lover of Jesus Christ. Is the advent of the kitten getting more of my expectant attention and

preparation this year than the Advent of Jesus?

Every year, I am caught unprepared by the sudden reappearance of Advent. Every year I

promise that next year I will clear space ahead of time to give Advent the sort of quiet, prayerful fo-

cus that, quite frankly, I need. I need to keep the outward “too muchness” of “the holiday sea-

son” (or “the holiday monster” as one friend calls the annual chaos) from stealing my peace, fraying

my patience and skewing my priorities. I need to do whatever it takes to make space to live into the

profound gift of what could be of deliberate, vulnerable waiting, of renewing the hope we have in

Jesus. Then suddenly Advent is here and the blue vestments make a brief appearance and the Advent

candles are lit and the prayers are said and I’m wrapping presents and decorating and trying to get

everything ready for Christmas and then it is Christmas and all the glorious worship and festivities

rush past and I wonder whatever happened to letting my heart prepare him room. Time gets away

and the To Do list and even all the religious preparations can easily push aside real preparations.

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Then it’s over and I’m once again left with a sense of having missed something important. But I’ll

try again this year to receive the give that Advent is intended to be. Anyone want to join me?

It’s hard to go against what is expected during “the holiday season” in order to pay attention to

what is truly important. Yet we need to do just that. The choices we make at this most expectant,

hopeful time of the year are not just for us but for those people who watch us from a distance and

wonder if there might possibly be something real about God – about the hope we have in Jesus

Christ.

In his 2005 Advent message, the then Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams wrote: “As

Advent begins, we are all summoned to reflect on what it is that we hope from God our Savior. As

the Greeks say to Philip in St. John’s gospel, “We want to see Jesus”, and this is bound to be at the

heart of our Advent hope. We want to see Jesus in our own lives, forgiving, challenging, liberating,

transfiguring. We want to see Jesus in our Church, reconciling, renewing. We want to see Jesus in

our world, healing, feeding overcoming fear.” The choices we make about how to observe the Ad-

vent season can help us to do that for ourselves as well as for those who are looking on and longing.

For more on living Advent, there is a brief talk by Rowan Williams on YouTube at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8DWu6HfDaA. It’s well worth the few minutes it takes to lis-

ten.

Advent Lessons and Carols

Christ Church will hold a candle-lit service of Advent Lessons and Car-

ols on the first Sunday of Advent, November 29, at 4:00 p.m. A tea will

be held in the parish hall following the service. All are welcome!

The festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is one of the best-known ser-

vices in the Western world.

The format for this service originated in England in 1918 at King’s Col-

lege, Cambridge, England, and thus began a tradition that is now almost

100 years old.

In the old English liturgies, the Advent service provided a vivid preparation for the coming of Jesus

Christ to earth. The readings from scripture and the music of the season told how God would visit

and redeem his waiting people, mightily fulfilling his good purposes for all people in the gift of a

Savior.

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The service begins in darkness, symbolizing the expectancy of a darkened world awaiting its savior.

As the liturgy unfolds the words and music tell the story of how God’s mighty works bring light into

our darkness.

We hear of creation, the cries of the prophets, and of God's promise to redeem his people. This

comes with warning that the coming of Christ will bring, not only the light of salvation to the people,

but also judgment to the earth.

The coming of God as Messiah and Savior is announced and we are told how the angel Gabriel ap-

peared to the Blessed Virgin Mary. John the Baptist prophesies, and as we come to the end of our

journey through Advent, we sing of the promise of Christ and conclude with the Blessing.

Let us come together for this special Advent Carol Service, as we begin our journey through the Ad-

vent and Christmas seasons, to celebrate the birth of Jesus through the reading of these stories, inter-

spersed with carols, choral music, and congregational singing of hymns.

November Concerts at Christ Church

Christ Church will serve as the venue and host for two concerts in early November. For the first con-

cert, on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m., Legends of the Celtic Harp will present a concert and storytell-

ing event, “The Door Between the Worlds.” The evening will be “a dramatic journey in music and

story into the realms of the Celtic ‘Otherworld.’ … This Land of Faery is filled with wonder and de-

light but also darkness and peril. The acclaimed ensemble, Legends of the Celtic Harp, opens the

door to this mystical world with music played on Celtic harps, Irish bouzouki, cittern, and Swedish

nyckelharpa, and tells the tales of that legendary land from which no one returns unchanged.”

Patrick Ball, Lisa Lynne, and Aryeh Frankfurter, the trio of Celtic harpers from the Bay Area, have

performed extensively throughout the U.S. to sold out audiences and rave reviews. Suggested dona-

tion for the concert will be $20.00. Enjoy “Arts Alive” and come to a concert!

On Sunday, Nov. 8, 2:00 p.m., the Chamber Players of the Redwoods returns to Christ Church for the

Fall Concert of their 2015/16 concert series. Featured chamber groups will be “Corell8, ” playing

Corelli’s Christmas Concerto, “Quintetto Misturado,” premiering a newly commissioned work, Suite

Arcata, “PianoVoce” play Brahms Eleven Chorale Preludes, “Pacific Fallout” performing Robert

Kahn’s Serenade, and “2D&2C” playing Mozart’s Flute Quartet in C Major. While admission to the

concert is free, donations are greatly appreciated.

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For both of these concerts, all donations made at the door will go to the musicians, as both groups

have paid the church a facilities fee to use the church as a venue for their respective concerts. As the

venue and ‘host’ for the evening, volunteers from Christ Church serve as ushers and help to manage

‘the house’ (open doors, provide directions to restrooms, help set up extra chairs, as needed, manage

the lights, etc.). Helping people feel welcome and comfortable, especially those entering the doors

of Christ Church for the first time, is an invaluable form of hospitality. Many thanks to all of you

who have volunteered, and continue to volunteer, to help with concerts. If you have not had this op-

portunity and would like to be involved, please let Merry Phillips know (445-0940 or

merry@merryphillips.com).

Thank you, Quilters Plus!

Christ Church opened its doors to quilters and sewers for a “Quilting Bee” in support of a

Humboldt County-wide effort to provide home-made quilts for school children in the Lake County

area who lost everything in the recent fires. The project began as a request from Catherine Stone

(former principal of Jacoby Creek School, now the superintendent of the school district), to a quilt-

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We invite you to

“Come and See…”

On Sunday November 1 at four o’clock in the after-

noon in the Chapel of Our Merciful Savior, we will be

holding the second of our new series of services.

Titled, “Come and See…”, these informal services will

be of light, some scripture, some silence, prayer and

simple music.

Please join us as we explore different ways of making

time for God in our busy lives.

ing friend, Martha Haynes, for about 400 quilts for children in

grades K-2. The only requirement was that they all be the same

size (3’ x 4’). The quilts will be distributed in the classrooms, to

all of the children in these grades before Christmas.

Special thanks to Christ Church members of Quilters Plus who

turned out to help and contribute to the project: Joan Stewart, Peg

Gardner, Irene Hannaford, Gwen Connell, Renée Ross, Beth

Powell, Jill Stover, Helen Hui, Mtr. Nancy, and Nancy Gregory

(St. Francis). God’s spirit was present in the generosity and love

poured into the collective making of these quilts.

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BECAUSE OF YOUR FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE WE,

Sanford and Thomas,

INVITE YOU TO JOIN US AS WE EXCHANGE VOWS

ON SATURDAY, THE TWENTY-FIRST OF NOVEMBER

TWO THOUSAND FIFTEEN AT TWO O’CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON

CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH 15TH AND H STREETS

EUREKA, CALIFORNIA

RECEPTION IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING

NO GIFTS, PLEASE

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Helen Person November 2 Lynne Bean November 21

George Bermudez November 4 Curtis Schlueter November 21

Fred Moore November 17 Carol and Doug

Moorehead

November 26

Stewardship Dinner clean-up crew

Children at the Foster Kids Friday

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Foster Children Updates

And the final number is ... 120 !!!

Fleece blankets, that is! On October 26, Mtr. Susan blessed 26 more blankets for

the children entering foster care. This makes a total of 120 completed by the Quilters

Plus group who meet on the first Wednesday of the month in Lewis Hall. The Forgotten

Initiative: Foster Children in Humboldt County (TFI) group provided grant funds for us

to purchase the fleece to craft into blankets.

If you visit the Foster Care Resource Center or saw the Times-Standard front-page

article on October 22, you will see how beautifully the blankets are displayed as you en-

ter. During the open house on October 22-23, everyone who visited commented on how

special the blankets are. (Check the bulletin board for the article and photo.)

And the TFI address is now ... 511 H Street

The resource room at the First Church of the Nazarene no longer had sufficient

space to meet the needs of foster families, and after a long search, TFI: Humboldt Coun-

ty has rented a 1,500 sq. ft. space at 511 H Street, in the middle of the block across from

Eureka's downtown post office. After six weeks of cleaning, painting, and decorating,

the Foster Care Resource Center held an open house for foster families, social workers,

potential foster families, volunteers and others supporting the foster care community.

Several of the children who participate in the Christ Church Foster Kids Friday events

stopped in with their foster parents.

The Center has separate rooms for carefully organized clothing of all kinds and

supplies for newborns,infants and toddlers, for boys, for girls, and for teens, plus a paja-

ma room for school age children. There's a small kitchen and a large, bright playroom

for children. As of October 27, the new center is open for foster families from 9 a.m to

1 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. You're welcome to stop by and

see the Center in action.

Donations of clean, gently-used clothing, toys, books, and games are always need-

ed, as are high chairs, booster chairs, and similar items. Many items will fit in the bas-

ket on the Lewis Hall counter. The needs are ongoing. Currently there are 346 foster

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children and 87 licensed homes in Humboldt County.

If you are on Facebook and would like to see some pictures of the new Center, follow

TFI at: Humboldt County, CA: The Forgotten Initiative. If you'd like to donate toward

the monthly rent, you may write checks payable to: TFI, with memo line: Humboldt

County, CA. Checks should be mailed to TFI, PO Box 40, Gridley, IL 61744. TFI is

a 501(c)3 that then transfers funds (without administrative fees) to TFI locally.

Peg Gardner

Reaching Out Jill Stover and friends

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ECW November

Sandy Shultz of “Healing the Children” will return to ECW on Wednesday, November 11 at

11 a.m. to give an update of her efforts to aid children in Honduras. Sandy visits Honduras three to

five months each year to work with volunteers and find children for surgery.

Since 1999, Sandy has been helping to bring children to doctors for procedures like club foot

surgery, cleft and palate surgeries, open heart surgeries, and referrals in the United States.

Stocking Stuffers for Foster Kids

It's time to shop for small gifts ($1-10) to fill the Heritage Room collection box to overflowing.

The gifts for foster children (infants to teens) will be blessed at the Thanksgiving Eve service in the

Chapel. Members of the First Covenant Church have already completed 200 stockings. Each year

there are about 200 children in attendance at the annual party for foster children. Christ Church pa-

rishioners are helping to provide gifts for the children. The children are able to choose from the gifts

for something they'd like in their new stockings. This is a wonderful opportunity to bring some joy

into their lives. For more information, contact Peg Gardner, Joan Stewart or Thea Stewart.

Author Festival - Read Across the Universe!

Again, it was out of this world - this year's Humboldt County Children's Author Festival, that

is! With this year's theme, 'Read Across the Universe,' the festival was a resounding success as it

brought 23 authors and illustrators to about 12,000 students in almost 60 schools between October 14

and 17. Founded in 1975, this biennial event has strong ties to Christ Church. Each festival finds the

authors and committee members celebrating and relaxing at an informal potluck at Christ Church af-

ter a busy first day of school visits.

"Why Christ Church?" you may ask. Well, Christ Church members have been actively involved since

the first festival. Among them: the late Ann Elliott, Helen Person, Marian Marcellus, Lee Albright,

Byrd Lochtie, Peg Gardner and others.

This year students from North Coast Prep provided the entertainment based on the works of several of

the authors. Students from schools in the Eureka and Cutten areas used their imaginations by creat-

ing 'out of this world' table decorations using a variety of hardware and plumbing items from Thrifty

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Supply. Check out some of the photos below. And check out Facebook at 'Humboldt County Chil-

dren's Author Festival' to see what a unique and exciting festival this is. We are so fortunate to have

this festival for our Humboldt County students!

Peg Gardner

“Out of this World” table decorations for the Author Festival Dinner at Christ Church

made by students from various Humboldt area schools

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Lay Ministries

Here is our list of current Lay Ministries. Each one is appealing for a different reason; those of us

who enjoy hosting friends and making them feel at home would enjoy filling the role of Usher/

Greeter or Coffee Hour Host. Those of us who enjoy using a laptop will enjoy doing a U-Stream

broadcast. Think about what YOU enjoy doing, and I’m sure you’ll find a ministry perfect for you:

Acolytes and Eucharistic Ministers Eucharistic Visitors

Eucharistic Visitors

Announcers

Lectors and Intercessors

Ushers and Greeters

Coffee Hour Hosts

Contribution Counters

U-Stream broadcasts

Please contact Marty Vega at 443-9782 or send an eMail to mjv523@reninet.com when you decide.

Episcopal Relief and Development Book Project

Dear Friends,

You may have noticed the Book Project has been missing from the windowsill in Lewis Hall for a

few weeks. This had been done to make room for other groups using our space and for our dinner

held last weekend. The books are coming back out very soon.

Thank you for your generosity. We have raised several hundred dollars that will be sent to the Bish-

op's Fund to help those affected by the Lake County fires as well as other California Fires. The Bish-

op’s Fund is working here in California and especially Northern California in conjunction with Epis-

copal Relief and Development.

Again thank you for being the hands and heart of Christ. And keep reading.

Warm regards,

Stephanie and Heidi

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The Stewardship Dinner

The Stewardship Dinner was attended by 68 people this year with lots of laughter, fellowship and joy

through the whole evening.

The food was a fantastic display of favorite varieties of side dishes, salads and desserts provided by

very generous parishioners. The musical entertainment provided by the Christ Church Madrigal

Singers were fun, jolly, and a nice treat for the ears.

An energetic group handled the cleanup and everything was put away and back in order within an

hour and 15 minutes... "yayyyy team".

We had six wonderful raffle baskets with proceeds going to the costs of the stewardship campaign–

photocopies, postage stamps, puzzle, paper, ham and wine for the dinner, etcetera.

We are gathering ideas and suggestions for next year’s gathering, so please feel free to share any

thoughts with your Stewardship/Fellowship Committee members.

Sanford Pyron

Stewardship Questionaire

The Stewardship Committee received twenty responses from the two questions that were handed out

at the early October services. A consolidation of answers are listed below:

Where are we now?

First, the positive responses: great people, great organ and a beautiful church.

What we really need to concentrate on or worry about is an aging population, lack of growth,

stagnation, and lacking young people.

Where do we want to be?

A growing, friendly community by offering family events. Suggestions were made to have craft

nights, pizza parties, and afternoon teas. Also we need to starting Sunday School and the Nursery

again. (This is in the works! Stay tuned for more info!) We need to reach out with the new afternoon

Sunday Service.

We are working on doing a number of these things. We hope you will continue to give us suggestions

in the Suggestion Box. If you think of something and would like to volunteer, contact Mother Susan

or the office to find the right person to talk to.

Beth Powell, Stewardship Committee

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Stewardship Dinner, October 24, 2015

21

Stewardship Dinner

October 24, 2015

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The Rt. Rev. Barry L. Beisner

Bishop, Diocese of Northern California

Staff

The Rev. Dr. Susan J. Armstrong

Priest in Charge

The Rev. Lesley McCloghrie

Resident Associate Priest

The Rev. Nancy Streufert

Associate Priest

The Rev. Sister Diana Doncaster

Associate Priest

Merry Phillips

Organist and Music Director

John Hammond, Sexton

Barry Ross, Administrative Assistant

Vestry

Lyn Klay, Senior Warden

Beth Powell, Junior Warden

Bob Rex, Barry Ross, Lynne Bean, Lin Chase,

Helen Taylor, Elizabeth Harper-Lawson, Belinda Zander,

Rex White, Katherine Clague, Gail Freeman

Bob Hines, Treasurer, Peg Gardner, Clerk

625 15th Street

P.O. Box 861

Eureka, California 95502

Phone (707) 442-1797

Fax (707) 442-5647