CHRISTMAS WORSHIP
Eve of the Nativity:
Thursday, December 24, 2009
7:00 p.m. - Carols for Organ and Choir
7:30 p.m. - Festive Holy Eucharist
(Immediately following— Wassail Bowl)

Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ
Christmas Day: Friday, December 25, 2009
10:30 a.m. - Quiet Holy Eucharist in chapel

First Sunday after Christmas:
Saturday, December 26, 2009 5:00 p.m. service
Sunday, December 27, 2009
8:00 a.m. - Holy Eucharist
10:30 a.m. - Lessons and Carols

First Sunday after the Epiphany:
Sunday, January 11, 2010
8:00 a.m. - Holy Eucharist
10:30 a.m. - Holy Eucharist & Baptism

Join us for the Downtowners' Christmas Program

"In The Spirit of Christmas" a musical program at Christ Episcopal Church, 20 W First Street, Dayton on December 9th, 2009.  Join us for lunch at 12.45 p.m., or come for the musical program at 1.30 p.m. presented by Percy Jones.  Reservations for lunch requested - e-mail to cecdayton@christepiscopal.com or call 223-2239, by December 7th, 2009. Freewill offerings accepted.  All are welcome to join us for Communion beforehand at 12.10 p.m. in the Chapel.

Christmas Flowers                                                         

Every Christmas the Christ Church Nave is beautifully transformed for the Christmas season.  Donations for the Christmas flowers are now being accepted. The donations made in memory or in thanksgiving for people will be printed in the Christmas bulletin.  All flower donations should be received in the church office by Sunday, December 20.  Click here for Christmas Flower form.

Wassail Bowl

WASSAIL BOWL is defined as: An ancient salutation used in England in presenting a cup of wine to guests and drinking to their health. Wassail also came to refer to revelries. Come and join us on Christmas Eve for our version of Wassail Bowl: A Christmas celebration of good health and fellowship.

When: Immediately following the 7:30 p.m. Eucharist.
Why:   For warm fellowship and good food.
Where: Parish Hall
What to Bring: Yourself and small food items to share (finger foods, desserts, etc.) Please make the clean-up easy by putting the food in disposable containers or taking the container home to be cleaned.

Call the church office if you have any questions.  Volunteers are also needed to help clean up afterwards.

In the Episcopal Church the Rector, Wardens, and Vestry lead our parishes. In keeping with the canons (church laws) of The Episcopal Church, the Diocese of Southern Ohio, and parish by-laws, the Annual Parish Meeting elects the Wardens and Vestry along with Endowment Trustees and delegates to the Diocesan Convention. In recent years a Nominating Committee has put forward the nominees for these various positions.  This year the Rector, Wardens, and Vestry are attempting to make the entire process as open and transparent as possible. With that in mind, we are inviting parish members to nominate themselves or other members by notifying Lori Rehling, Parish Administrator, by Friday, January 8, 2010. (Please obtain permission of the person if you are nominating someone else.)

All candidates are asked to submit a brief biographical statement, a photo, and a short statement on why they seek the position. These will be posted in the Parish Hall by January 17. All parish members, age 16 and older, so nominated will be the candidates in the election at the Annual Parish Meeting on February 7, 2010.

A Nominating Committee is being formed now in accord with our by-laws, but the committee will only monitor the process to ensure that proper notifications and deadlines are observed and determine that those who have been nominated are eligible to serve.  If an open position remains unfilled after the Annual Meeting for lack of nominations, the Vestry will fill the position in accordance with the provisions in the By-Laws regarding filling of vacancies.

Also in keeping with our by-laws, nominations from the parish at large may be made between January 17 and January 24, 2010, but such nominations must be accompanied by a petition signed by at least ten (10) eligible voters and agreed to in writing by the proposed nominee.

The vestry meets monthly (generally on the fourth Monday evening) and serves as the board of the parish and a council of advice to the Rector. Members are expected to serve on at least one vestry committee and to attend an annual retreat. Three 3-year terms are up for election in February.

There are five Endowment Trustees who oversee the parish Endowment Fund in accord with the Endowment Trust Agreement (available in the parish office) and applicable Ohio laws. The trustees meet quarterly. One 5-year term is to be filled at the Annual Meeting.

Convention Delegates serve for two years, and they represent the parish at the Annual Diocesan Convention and any special convention (rare) that may be called. The 2010 Convention is scheduled for November 12 & 13 in Cambridge, Ohio. Two delegates are to be elected.

Strong and committed lay leaders influence the health of the parish. Please prayerfully consider offering yourself for these important ministries.

--John Paddock

Pledge Update

As of December 1, we have received 72 pledges for 2010 of $173,691. Our goal for 2010 pledges is $282,500.  If you have not yet made a pledge for 2010 we would appreciate hearing from you as soon as possible so the Wardens and Vestry can continue the financial planning for the New Year.  You may return a pledge form by placing it in our offering plate or mailing it to the church. If you need an extra copy of the pledge form, please go to the Christ Church website www.christepiscopal.com or pick one up at the church.

MVERN Borscht & Bread                                                

Miami Valley Episcopal Russian Network (MVERN) will host an informational "Borscht & Bread " at Christ Church following the 10:30 service on Sunday, December 6. The Coffee Hour on December 6 will double as the Christ Church MVERN Borscht & Bread.  Borscht is the traditional Russian soup made from beets and beef.  It is served with Russian black bread dipped in salt in the Russian style with the wish and blessing for good fortune and health.  We will also serve a Russian baked treat.

The MVERN program, hosted by Chris Saunders (member of St. Paul's and MVERN founder) will be an audio-visual tour of Sablino, the Russian village with which MVERN has been in spiritual and fraternal partnership since its inception during the early nineties.  Chris has been to Sablino many times, as have members of our Christ Church family. Chris will share the mission and experience of MVERN member parishes and cross-cultural travellers (Russian and American).  Many Christ Church families have travelled to Sablino and hosted Russian youth and adults here.  You'll learn more about their experiences and why the Christian outreach mission of MVERN is worth supporting.

So mark your calendars for MVERN's report to our church family after the 10:30 service on December 6, 2009 in the form of a Borscht Brunch.

Adult Christian Discovery: Sunday Morning Forum: 9-10 a.m.

Philosophy and Theology: Lenses on Abiding Questions -- November 1-December 20 -- Drs. Joseph Kunkel and John Paddock (With the exception of November 8 for the Special Parish-wide Finance Meeting (see below)
What about life after death? What is the soul? What insights do philosophy and theology bring to current ethical issues? Do other religions have validity? What about Satan? This will be a refresher on some basic philosophical and theological concepts and a conversation about how they might assist us in reflecting on those persistent questions about which people ponder.
Dr. Kunkel is retired Professor of Philosophy and Ethics at the University of Dayton and Dr. Paddock is the rector of Christ Church.

Justice and Empire: Paul's Letter to the Romans -- January 17-March 28, 2010- Dr. Larry Welborn.  Paul's epistle to the Romans, his last and most visionary letter, was written to Christ-believers in Rome during the reign of Nero. This course will focus on aspects of the Roman context of Paul's theology, exposing "justice," "faith," and "reconciliation" as the elements of a new politics of identity in Christ. Paul's challenge to the empire of Nero provides the elements of a "political theology" that can inspire our practice in the 21st century.

The Living Beatitudes Church presents......

On December 20th at 10:00, the Living Beatitudes Community will be celebrating mass with Bishop Joan Houk presiding. Joan Clark Houk, M.Div., is a careful and cheerful listener to the movement of the Holy Spirit in the world and in her life. She and her husband, John, are life partners and occasional partners in ministry. They have raised six children, and are proud great-grandparents. Involved in parish ministry for over 30 years, Joan has been Pastoral Director of two parishes without priest pastors. Her education includes: B.A. in Education, St. Martin’s College; M.S. in Conflict Management, George Mason University; M.Div., University of Notre Dame.

Ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 2006, she was elected and consecrated as bishop in April 2009. Joan Mary Clark Houk has been called by the members of the Great Waters Region to minister pastorally to the Womenpriests, Womendeacons and People of God of her region. To be always mindful of that call, she has "Faithful Servant" inscribed on her bishop's ring. The Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement is an initiative within the Catholic Church that began with the ordination of seven women on the Danube River in 2002. Reclaiming our ancient spiritual heritage, womenpriests are shaping a more inclusive, Christ-centered Church of equals in the twenty-first century. Joan's many years of parish ministry, and her experience as a wife and mother has prepared her well for her pastoral role. Discussion and brunch will follow the celebration of mass. All are invited.  The Living Beatitudes Church meets in the lower level of Christ Episcopal Church.

The First Sign of Advent

It is the Monday before Thanksgiving, three days after our exhaustive week of hospitality. So far, only a few people have come to the City Heart desk.  One family asks for a hot meal because, "Your sign out front says you have waffles."  We explain and offer instead: a sack lunch, a list of food pantries and a wistful hope for a Happy Thanksgiving.  John gets out the large box of letters and composes a new sidewalk sermon. As he fits the letters onto the sign, colder winds blow leaves across the garden.

Throughout the day, Kris, Doris and I answer the phone. We hear a familiar voice with tearful news, "Please put us on the Prayer List." A stranger says, "I've never asked for help before but we have no heat. My children are hungry. Can I work at your church? I'll do anything."

From the nave, we hear the organ being tuned, the same notes again and again. As the afternoon light grows darker, a gentleman comes in. City Heart hours are over. But, somehow, the front door has remained open.

"How can we help you?" Doris Miller and I happen to be the only ones at the desk.
"Is it true," the man asks, "what that sign says? I walked past it three times, and then I just had to find out—is it really true?"  I try to remember exactly what the new message is.

"It says that Jesus walks through this door every day. If that's true, then you mean all of us are God.  Well! That's what I believe!  But when I say things like that, people laugh at me."  This bright-eyed gentleman doesn't seem like a person one would laugh at. Rather a friend to invite for coffee and a earnest conversation. Does Jesus walk among us? How should that change me?

"People take the Bible, he says, "and put it in a box and that's it!" He sweeps his arm as if drawing a rainbow. "God's bigger than that."  He goes on. "You get to a certain point with faith and then you don't know how to build any farther. Where can I build?" he asks.

I wish I could remember all that he said, this thinker, this philosopher who came in from the wilderness. Make no mistake, for some, the streets of Dayton are a wilderness.  Actually, I don't know if he is homeless. I even forgot to ask his name. I didn't think of him as being needy. He was the one who did all the giving.  Doris and I encouraged him to worship with us, told him that he wasn't alone, that this church is a special place for seekers like him. Like us.  

As our Advent Visitor goes through the door, we call out, "See you on Sunday." Under my breath I add: And on every other day.

Peggy Barnes

Invitation to the Wedding of Jennifer Tyrrell and Nicolas Vice

The Members of

Christ Episcopal Church

are cordially invited

to attend the wedding ceremony of

Jennifer Tyrrell & Nicolas Vice on

December 12, 2009 at 1:30 p.m.

at Christ Episcopal Church

Dayton, Ohio

Worship Commission November Meeting Summary

The Worship Commission met on November 4.  The objective of the commission is to enhance the worship experience at Christ Episcopal church.  Parishioners are welcome to attend and participate in the worship commission meetings.   Below is a summary of the November 4 meeting discussion. 

• Music Feedback Form Implementation - The music feedback form is posted on the bulletin board in the parish hall and provided on-line through the Broadcast.   Yun advised the most constructive feedback comes in the form of a parshioner suggesting what they would like to sing.  The feedback form will be used for a trial period, through Advent season of this year. 
• Sunday, November 15, the 10:30 am service will begin in the Parish Hall with a short prayer service in recognition of Waffle Shop and Stewardship.  Detail planning was discussed for the event. 
• Sunday, December 20, during the Sermon time of the 10:30 am service, there will be a Christmas Pageant performed by the children of the parish.  Ann Paddock is the coordinator of the pageant. John Paddock suggested we invite the children to bring up figures to be placed at the Creche.
• Worship Planning for Advent Season - Beginning Nov. 22, the worship space in the Nave will be adjusted to enhance the worship experience of Christ amoungst us.  Planned changes are as follows:  Use of a communion table front and center to celebrate the Eucharist at floor level.  Placing the rows of Nave chairs at an angle towards the center aisle.  Greg Sexton volunteered to create a diagram of the Nave to help facilitate the Nave set up and discussion of the details.  The Nave will be returned to the usual set up on Sunday Dec. 20 following the 10:30 am service.
• Next Worship Commission Meeting planned for 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm, December 2, 2009, focus of meeting will be worship planning for Christmas and Epiphany. 

Please contact Greg Sexton at Illflyaway@sbcglobal.net or 427-0416, or the Rev. John Paddock at the church office for more information.

Congregational Music for Worship                              

Our parish community is made up of a congregation with diverse backgrounds.  While we strive to continue to sing the beautiful hymns rooted in the Episcopal tradition, it would be great to share selected hymns and songs from other traditions that have touched many souls. 

The Worship Commission of Christ Episcopal Church is seeking your input and feedback regarding the 10:30 am Sunday morning worship music for congregational singing.  For your suggestions on any hymns or songs that are not often sung in our services, a sign-up sheet has been posted on the bulletin board in the Parish Hall and on our website under Music or click link below.  Please be specific as possible when you submit any suggested music.  For any questions or comments on the music ministry, feel free to contact us below:
   Yun K. Kim, Organist/Choirmaster: yunkimhughes@hotmail.com;
   Greg Sexton, Worship Commission Chair: illflyaway@sbcglobal.net or call the church office.

Music Feedback Form

YOUTH NEWS

Youth Commission Booth
at Diocesan Convention 2009

Christ Church mission trip was the feature of the booth at the convention.  Pictures and videos of the mission trips by the Junior High to Athens and Senior High Trip to New Orleans. Christ Church Cookbooks were for sale as well as items cooked using recipes from the cookbook. 

Genesis Junior High Retreat Program

Genesis is a Christian Formation event for 6-9 graders that partners mental and physical challenges with spiritual practices to teach foundational realities of Christianity. It is an emotionally and physically safe environment where students are challenged to reach beyond their comfort zones and find renewed interest in their faith lives.

When: January 22-24, 2010
Where: All Saints, New Albany
Cost: $30, Scholarships available, please contact Rob Konkol

Register online NOW!!! https://diosohio.wufoo.com/forms/genesis-7/

Fall Leaf Raking

The Christ Church Youth enjoyed a crisp autumn day while raking leaves at a fellow parishioner's home.
 

A Letter to the Youth Group:

What a joy to come home to a leaf-free lawn!  You did a great job and I thank you.--Doris Swabb.

Young Adult Retreat:  Fri, Dec 18, 2009 — 05:00 PM until Sat, Dec 19, 2009 — 03:00 PM
Procter Camp & Conference Center, 11235 OH-38 SE, London, OH 43140

Description
Come experience the Young Adult coalition in the Diocese of Southern Ohio. This year, our focus will be on mission and how can we, as young adults, help. The event will be open for young adults, college freshman to age 30. Come enjoy young adults and their company and get the creative juices flowing. Bishop Breidenthal will be joining us as we look for ideas on how to create Young Adult Ministries in our diocese. There is no cost for this event.

Instructions
RSVP for this event to Paul Hardin: phhardin@owu.edu or online at https://diosohio.wufoo.com/forms/young-adult-retreat/. Preferably by Dec. 10. If you attended last year, and have some suggestions, please let Paul or Rob Konkolknow.

Soda Can Recycling:

Recycling continues on the first Sunday of each month as a fundraiser for the youth program. Please drop your pop/soda cans off by the ticket booth in the church parking lot for pick up. It is greatly appreciated if they are rinsed first! The Youth Program can earn anywhere from $10 to as much as $40 a month. The money is used to help offset the registration fees for youth events including Genesis, Exodus, and Summer Camp. Thanks to all those who regularly contribute and thanks to the Nixon family for their coordination of this fundraising effort!!

Notes from October 26, 2009 Vestry Meeting

• Report on Endowment Trustees Meeting: Three building items were presented to the Endowment Committee: 1) deterioration of the outside bricks; 2) replacement of entrance ramp; and 3) the need to replenish the capital maintenance fund.  A proposition was made to the Endowment Committee that the church shoulder responsibility for financing the brick work and replenishing the capital maintenance fund.  The Endowment Committee was asked to make a special allocation for the third item - replacement of the entrance ramp.  The endowment committee will take this under advisement at the beginning of the year.  Vestry discussed other options.
• This year's Stewardship schedule was explained to the vestry.
• Budget Plans: Spending Plan for 2010:  Goal for pledges: $282,500.  It is the hope of the vestry that parishioners consider increasing their pledges by 10%.  The vestry also discussed the option of seeking a Mission Share reduction from the diocese.  If the stewardship campaign is successsful and we have a balanced budget, the Mission Share review would not be sought.

The full vestry minutes are posted on the bulletin board in the hallway of the church.

Outreach News:

The Outreach Commission continue to move forward on three new outreach projects: a community garden, a rebuilding program, and microloans.  The seven other Episcopal Churches in the Dayton Deanery have also shown interest in these projects.

Community Garden: A grant for a community garden was submitted to the Episcopal Community Services Foundation (ECSF) and we expect to hear if the grant was approved sometime after the first of the year.   The plan is to setup a Community Garden at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church since they have several acres of open land.  Fresh produce from the garden would be provided to the St. Andrew’s pantry and other local pantries.  We are planning to use the square foot gardening concept and would welcome help from folks who are familiar with this gardening technique.  We will need lots of volunteers to make this work.  See Maureen Boyles or myself if you are interested in this project. 

Rebuilding Together Dayton: We have notified the Rebuilding Together Dayton program of our intent to have an Episcopal team repair a home in the local area next April.  The Dayton Deanary Episcopal Churches plan on also participating and as a group, we need to raise $3,000.  We will need to raise $500 or more at CEC.  The rebuilding program assigns a family and then a core team works with the family to identify repair needs.  According to the program website, we should get considerably more materials than the $3K donation we make as a team.  Actual work is done on the last Saturday of April.  Interested?  See me for more details.

Kiva Microloans: There has been quite a bit of interest in microloans.  We have setup a Dayton Episcopal Deanery Community through Kiva, a micro loan website.  Go to www.Kiva.org and then the community area and search for Dayton Episcopal to join the group.  By joining the team we can invest together.  There is also interest in creating a CEC microloan account and we are exploring how this would be accomplished.   This would create a self replenishing outreach program since when one loan is paid off another loan could be selected.  Several Sundays ago I gave a presentation on microloans and its positive impact on many third world countries.  If there is interest I can present it again. 

Let me know if you would like to be on the outreach commission or have an idea for outreach. 

In His Name, George Slenski, g.slenski@ameritech.net

Episcopal Community Services Foundation

Shelter, restore, nourish, equip: Thank God, that’s what you and fellow Episcopalians continue to do, helping thousands of people in Southern Ohio survive the recession and get back on their feet. In September, Episcopal churches submitted 47 grant requests to ECSF, your Episcopal charity in Southern Ohio, asking for a total of $166,850.  They will combine whatever we can send with their own courageous stewardship to serve over 70,000 people in need in the year ahead.  You’ll be re-housing homeless families in Xenia, providing prescriptions for people with no hope of getting insurance in Marietta, aiding inner-city children in Dayton to discover the power of reading, equipping scores of parents to pass the GED exam in Columbus.  And that’s just a sampling of the Good News!

Thanks to everyone who’s pitched in so far: your gifts have raised over half the amount requested! If you haven’t already and are able, please send a donation by check or through our website.  Consider making it a Christmas gift in the true spirit of Christ to someone you love.  We can send them a beautiful card if you give us instructions by Dec. 15. You can use Gift of the Spirit mailer which we sent out in November, mail a check payable to ECSF c/o Diocese of Southern Ohio, 412 Sycamore Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202, or donate via ECSF’s website, www.ECSFsouthernohio.org. There you can read a few of the moving stories churches have sent us on the relief and stability they’ve provided to people of all ages and stations in this dark time.  You are very likely to see a picture of someone you know!  Donations to ECSF are fully tax-deductible.

Your gifts and the ministries they sustain make a giant witness of courage and love to the state, showing that this Church is steadfast in responding to rising human need in God’s name even as many human services are being forced to cut back. Thank you, and happy Advent!

Yours in shared service.
Ariel Miller, ECSF Executive Director

Views from the Pews:                                                       

The 80th Waffle Shop is now over!  It was another successful Waffle Shop. The Waffle Shop workers are in the process of getting the church back in shape for Sunday.  There were a lot of smiling faces throughout the week and amazingly our workers are still smiling--although we all look a little tired after a full week of Waffle Shop.  Check out a few of our pictures taken this week.

(Picture One: Our Waffle Shop Chairs)

(Picture Two: Some of our Waffle Bakers)

On November 14, 2009, Miami Valley Hospital recognized their volunteers.  Two of our parishioners were honored:  Doris Swabb for 6,509 volunteer hours and Doris Miller for 9,962 volunteer hours.  Congratulations on a job well-done.  Doris Miller also volunteers in the Christ Church office once a week and Doris Swabb regularly bakes brownies for our CityHeart clients. 

Dorothy Lane Market: It's time to sign-up for the 2010 Good Neighbor Program at Dorothy Lane Market. If you purchase more than $250 at D.L.M. they will contribute a portion of your purchases to Christ Church.