Week of September 30, 2018

Please be aware of the following this week:

 Our Annual Episcopal Visit:

The Rt. Rev. Quigg Lawrence and his wife Annette will be with us the weekend of October 5-7th, 2018. This annual visitation is a highlight of our year and vital to our development as a community of faith. Bishop Quigg will be spending time with our Leadership Council and Staff team on Saturday morning helping us develop strategies that will enable Spirit-directed growth. He will then spend some quality time individually with our clergy (the bishop is the pastor to pastors), and meet with the candidates for confirmation and baptism (Olivia O’Byrne will be confirmed on Sunday; David Thomas- son of Emilie and Jay- and Lewin Embry -son of Kori and Brad-will be baptized). Then on Saturday evening we will have a chance to  ‘Meet and Greet’ the bishop and his wife at a ‘Wine and Cheese’ event at the Campbell’s (Please remember to RSVP to the Evite sent out this past week). The weekend concludes on Sunday with a joyful worship service and reception.

Mark your calendars and plan on participating in the events of the weekend. Pray that God will bless this time with his presence and directing power.

Training Opportunity:

Would you like to feel more comfortable and confident talking with others about God, especially those who may be different than you culturally, religiously, or ethnically? Kurnia Foe of Global Student Fellowship is a gifted communicator of the gospel in cross cultural settings, and will be sharing insights with us at Christ the Redeemer in an upcoming training session. The date and time with more details to follow.

Children and Family Ministry Update:

Jennifer Brown has posted the Fall edition of the “Children and Family Ministry Corner” on the CtR Website – under the “Ministries” drop down menu, click on “Children’s Ministry.” All parents will benefit from the information she has posted.

Look forward to worshiping with you +

 

Week of September 23, 2018

Here are a few dates to prepare for and some news regarding our mission in Rwanda:

Quarterly Congregational Meeting

Everyone is warmly invited to our Quarterly Congregational Meeting immediately following worship this Sunday, September 23rd. These brief sessions have proven helpful in keeping the congregation abreast of the questions being faced by our Leadership Council, the decisions being made, and the plans for action (especially concerning communication with and involvement of the community). At the upcoming meeting we hope to address three things:

First, the updated policy regarding Child Safety (provisional pending diocesan approval) will be presented. (The complete policy can be found on the CtR website under “Ministries” then “Children’s Ministry”).

Second, David+ Watts will report on his ‘entry’ into CtR and give a sense of where his ministry will be heading over the coming months;

Third, some key questions that the Council believes the entire CtR community must face this Fall, as we seek to live into the renewed vision God has given us.

As you can see, these are important issues for our church. Please set aside the time and plan to join in on the conversation.

Bishop’s Visit to CtR

Bishop Quigg Lawrence will be with us the weekend of October 5-7. On Sunday, October 7th he will officiate as we celebrate baptisms and a confirmation. A special reception will be held following worship that day. Please pray for his visit with us, as he meets with the Leadership Council and our staff team during the weekend, as we seek to act on the Spirit’s direction.

Missional News

The Missions Committee has approved (and disbursed) $4,000 to Rwanda in support of the work of the church in that country:

$2,000 was sent to enable building projects so that several church buildings in Kigali (which had been deemed too unsafe to use) may be reopened and used for worship and ministry.

An additional $2,000 was sent for the second phase of our Agricultural Development Project in Mbyo. The hope is that this project will become a model to be used by deanery and diocese countrywide in the future.

Looking forward to worshiping with you Sunday +

Week of September 16, 2018

Dear Friends,

Massive storms serve to remind us all that we are not masters-of-the-universe!  Praise God that we worship and serve the One who is!

As we give thanks to God that we most likely will miss the worst of Florence, we also pray to the Almighty for those who will be most affected by the storm. We will have details available on Sunday of ways you can help those recover from the storm through our Anglican Development and Relief organization.

However, given the circumstances of the past week and the number of our own folks who have evacuated ahead of the storm, we have made some adjustments to our schedule this weekend:

First, both our Discipleship Hour and our Quarterly Congregational meeting have been canceled for September 16 and rescheduled for September 23rd. The Provisional “Policy on Supervised Individuals and Registered Sex Offenders,” which will be discussed at the Quarterly Meeting is being added to the CtR Website today (under “Ministries” and “Children’s Ministry”), if you would like to review it prior to next week’s meeting.

Let me repeat: NO Discipleship Hour this Sunday, and NO Quarterly meeting following worship.

Second, we plan to worship on Sunday at our normal time of 10:15 am with all who can safely travel to the service. (We trust we will have power, but will worship in a different way if we do not!).

New circumstances of life (such as ‘delays’) always open new opportunities. If you have not yet committed to Discipleship Hour for the fall, you have one more week to do so! Plan now to pick up a book (for either Adult offering) and plan on joining in on the fun and adventure of learning and growing together.

Looking forward to worshiping with you on Sunday. Praying for God’s grace and favor to be known by all in the path of the storm.

Brian+

Week of September 9, 2018

Here are a few events to be aware of:
Discipleship Hour
Our adult and children’s discipleship classes will begin this Sunday, September 9th and will continue each Sunday at 9 a.m.  If you did not sign up, but are interested in attending, contact Bob Atwood for the financial class, David Watts for the Old Testament class and Jennifer Brown for the children’s class.
Women’s Bible Studies Return
The Wednesday Evening Women’s Group resumes with a pot luck dinner, this Wednesday, September 12th at 7 p.m. at Temple Richardson’s home. The study will be “The Attributes of God,” using books by Tozer and Pink.
The Thursday Morning Women’s Group resumes this Thursday, September 13th at 9:15 a.m. in the CtR Fellowship Hall. The book, “Practicing the King’s Economy, Honoring Jesus in how we Work, Earn, Spend and Save” will be discussed. Childcare is provided for the Thursday morning group.
All women are welcome to both groups.
Quarterly Congregational Meeting
Our next Quarterly Congregational Meeting takes place next Sunday, September 16, immediately following worship. At the meeting, our Leadership Council will present our newly updated policy on Child safety and David Watts will report on the development of his ministry among us, among other things. These Quarterly meetings are meant to deepen the lines of communication between the Council and the congregation. They are open to all to attend.
Important Parent/Family Meeting
There will be a meeting for all parents of children under the age of 18 immediately following worship on Sunday, October 21st. Please mark this date on your calendar and plan to stay for this important meeting. Contact Jennifer Brown with questions.
Look forward to worshiping with you