Parish Life - Volunteer Ministries

Christ Church has many small and large group ministries that provide opportunities for all parishioners to grow in their faith and share their spiritual gifts with others.

Acolytes

An important part of every worship service, the work of the acolytes is also fulfilling spiritually. Each of the roles (Torch Bearer, Crucifer, Altar Server and Master of Ceremonies) serves an important function in our worship service. In additon to playing very specific roles, the MC, Altar Server and Crucifer also help with communion by assisting in the flow of parishioners to and from the altar. New acolytes are trained individually, and group refresher training takes place approximately once a year.

Altar Guild

The Altar Guild works quietly behind the scenes to prepare the altar for Sunday and mid-week worship services, weddings and funerals. Members keep the linens spotless and the silver and brass shining.

Archives

The mission of the Archives committee is to organize and file the archive records of Christ Church Media to make them available for historical reference and to preserve and maintain them in the safest, most usable manner. The archiving process is ongoing; members contribute two hours of their time each month.

Bible Study

Open to all in the parish who are looking for fellowship, discussion and support, there are two groups that meet to study the Bible. One meets at 11 a.m. on Wednesdays, and the other meets on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at 7:30 p.m. (September through May).

Book Discussion Group

Adult participants read, study and discuss books with spiritually informed themes. The group meets once a month, on the second Monday, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The group alternates fiction and non-fiction books.

Counters

In every organization, there are unsung heroes, those behind the scenes, who do marvelous work. Such are the "Counters" at Christ Church. Every Monday morning, they meet to count and categorize all financial contribution made the previous Sunday.

Church School Teachers

The church school teachers bring the word of God to our children by offering lessions targeted to their age and competency levels. Commitment to this ministry includes working with the children after the church service as well as during the sermon period of the worship service.

Communication

The Sunday service bulletins and our bi-monthly newsletter, The Chronicle, are the two main methods of print communication. Christ Church also uses Google e-mail groups to communicate more urgent messages.

Flower Guild

This committee is responsible for each Sunday's flower arrangements, which are given as memorials, in thanksgiving, or for birthday and anniversary commemorations. After the 10:00 a.m. service the flowers are delivered to the sick and shut-ins to remind them that they are not forgotten in our thoughts and prayers. Participation in this ministry is three-fold. You may choose to assist in arrangement, make deliveries of the flowers, or contribute toward the purchase of weekly flowers or altar elements. The cost for each Sunday's flower arrangements is $50 and the altar elements (which can also be given in memorial, thanksgiving, etc.) is $25.

Library

The conference room of Christ Church houses the beginnings of a substantial church library. The collection, which has been entirely stocked and funded by private contributions, includes prayer books, biblical guides and commentaries, cultural histories, biographies, autobiographies, fiction and non-fiction books related to the life of faith, scholarly texts and guides as well as material for the general reader. We are particularly pleased with the gowing collection of children's books and the expanding video/DVD collection. Committee work includes cataloging and shelving existing materials, writing reviews of items in the collection, and overseeing the acquisition of new materials.

Mothers of Young Children

Mothers of young children enjoy fellowship at Christ Church Media on the first Monday of each month. Lively discussion has centered on topics such as cultivating the spirituality of children, finding peace within busy lives and exploring faith-inspired approaches to child-rearing. Over the past year, the group has devoted considerable thought and discussion to how we can translate our concern for improving stewardship of the planet into real behavior changes within our families. Warm friendships blossom within the group, which welcomes new participants. Refreshments are served and childcare is provided.

Preschool Committee

Christ Church is fortunate to have a highly rated prechool. The Preschool Committee's chief purpose is to provide administrative support to the Preschool Director. In addition, the committee acts as advisors to the Director in matters of parish-school relations, school curriculum, teacher responsibilities and continuing education, fund-raising, advertising, parent-teacher relations, and school policies and procedures.

Primetimers

This group meets to discuss and support the needs of the Social Security set. Meetings are held on the second Friday of the month at 1:00 p.m.

Property Committee

The work of this committee is devoted to the maintenance of the church, rectory and grounds. The group is headed by the vestry member responsible for property.

Readers

The reading of the lessons is an important part of the worship service. Those who volunteer to read are given a brief training session by the rector and are scheduled to read one or two times per month.

Spiritual Life Committee

This group meets monthly and focuses on ways to enrich the spiritual life of the Christ Church community.

Ushers

Each Sunday they are responsible for handing out the service bulletins, helping individuals find seating or providing assistance when needed.  Ushers collect the weekly offerings as well as privide a count of parishioners.  They carry the elements of Bread and Wine to the altar. This ministry also includes our Junior Ushers.  These represent some of our youngest volunteers, starting at age 5.  The Adult Ushers mentor the Junior Ushers by having them participate in all ushering duties.  This has been a great way for out youth to becomemor involved in the service and life of Christ Church. 

Women's Group

Through fellowship and sharing, the Women's Group encourages and uplifts each other in our faith journeys. At our monthly potluck suppers (except July and August), we share our spiritual autobiographies and other topics of interest. Outside activities have included a retreat, luncheon, tea and dinner.