Summer sparkles with activities and events

... join the fun at St. Christopher's Church!


Summer's here, and so is a full slate of programs, activities, music, and, of course, our big Summer Auction. Even though construction continues on our exciting renovations, we've filled the coming weeks with all sorts of fun. Here's a roundup of what you can find at St. Christophers:

The Fourth of July is pie time!

As folks gather for Chatham's annual Fourth of July parade down Main Street, St. Christopher's youths will be selling  pies with red, white or blue fillings to raise money for their many programs. Please help by bringing pies to the Parish Hall kitchen on July 3 or early July 4.

Our biggest fundraiser -- the annual Summer Auction

"Let's Really Raise the Roof" at St. Christopher's annual Summer Auction. This year, due to construction, the event has been moved to the VFW Post on George Ryder Road in Chatham on Saturday, July 11, beginning with a Silent Auction at 5;30 p.m., followed by a live auction at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30 to enjoy hors d'oeuvres, desserts, spirits and, of course, great auction items, including trips, parties, art, and other goodies. Call (508) 945-2832 for details.

    To see a draft of the Summer Auction program (and complete listing of what will be offered), download a PDF version here. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)


Friday Night Grill is sizzling!

Our always popular Friday Night Grill will begin again on Friday, July 3, from 5-7 p.m. on the front lawn of the church at 625 Main St., Chatham. Enjoy grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage, chowder, chips, bownies and soda just before the Chatham Band's concerts in Kate Gould Park.

 

This year's Vacation Bible School is "Camp E.D.G.E"

(Experience and Discover God Everywhere)

Join the adventure at Camp E.D.G.E., where St. Christopher's joins forces with the First Congregational Church at 650 Main Street in Chatham, Monday through Friday, July 27 - 31, from 9 a.m. to noon. Children from Pre-K through 5th grade are welcome to join in the fun.
For details and a downloadable brochure with a registration form, click here or contact Amy Middleton at 945-0800 or 945-7022.

Join us for a special Evensong worship service

St. Christopher's Choir will perform Cantata 118 by Bach, with other works by Bach and Mendelssohn at the Evensong worship service on Sunday evening, July 12, beginning at 5 p.m. A reception will follow.

Renowned harpist performs for stained glass window fundraiser

Merynda Adams, a renowned harpist and 1994 winner of the Artists International Competition, will perform at a special benefit concert to raise money for the new stained glass window in our new sanctuary on Saturday evening, Aug.1, beginning at 8 p.m. in the Parish Hall.
     Ms. Adams has performed with New York Grand Opera, New Philharmonic, Plainfield Symphony, Metro Lyric Opera, Lyrica Chamber Music, Opera at Florham, Northeastern Philharmonic, Colonial Symphony, Westfield Symphony, Lake Placid Sinfonietta and New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. A winner of the South Orange Symphony Artists’ Competition and the Goldblatt Award she has performed at Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall and off Broadway in the “The Fantasticks”.
    In addition to an active teaching studio, she is an Affiliate Artist Teacher at Drew University in Madison, N.J., and has been an instructor of harp at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J. Ms. Adams was a founding member and vice-president of the North Jersey chapter of the American Harp Society. She is featured in the book, “Plaza Weddings,” playing at the weddings of Donald Trump and Eddie Murphy. Her other solo engagements include events honoring Colin Powell, Beverly Sills and Andrea Bocelli. Currently, she is collaborating with Colonial Symphony and Morristown Memorial Hospital to take music to the patients in the hospital setting. Her solo recording is available at www.Merynda.com.
     Tickets for the event are $15, and may be purchased by contacting the church office at (508) 945-2832.

Soundings

See the June issue of our newsletter Soundings for additional stories on our construction work, and pictures from Christmas celebrations and worship services on our  Soundings page.


CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

June 12, 2009

'Ribs' of reception area take shape

Assitant Rector Gail Smith delighted in the similarity to a boat's ribs as the roof over the new church reception area, so she snapped this picture. With every passing day, construction gives more and more of a sense of what the church will look like when completed.

For more pictures, see our Construction page.

       Want email for St. Christopher's construction updates? Please email StChristophers@comcast.net.

 

moving day for worship space


    “If it were easy,” Olympian Bill Toomey once said, “it would have no value.”
    St. Christopher’s celebrated its first service in a bright, freshly painted and redecorated Parish Hall on Sunday, Jan. 4 – our temporary pla
ce of worship for the next eight or so months.
     But it wasn’t easy.
     In fact, a few wondered if it would happen at all. Of course, they didn’t reckon with Dick Kraycir, Ali Crockett, Bruce Wood and a group of dedicated, hard-working volunteers. Dick and Ali, along with Bruce, put together a precise, densely detailed plan that would gradually transform the Parish Hall into a house of worship. For months, day af
ter day, week after week, they rolled up their sleeves, pushed, cajoled, prodded and nudged. They got things done.

     What to do on that special day?

     Meanwhile, Rector Brian W. McGurk was trying to figure out how to mark the day. “How do we make it special?” he repeatedly asked the staff. “How do we make it meaningful?”
     Organist Julie Winchell came up with a possibility. “What if we start the service in the Sanctuary and then have the entire congregation process through the cloister into the Parish Hall?” she wondered. “And then when the Sanctuary is finished, we’ll process back.”
     Perfect! Brian went to work. He planned a service that would begin in the Sanctuary with the Liturgy of the Word before the congregation rose and walked en masse across to the Parish Hall to celebrate the Great Thanksgiving.  

Even the best-laid plans…

     But events always seem to have their own way.
     During the fall, when workers found contaminated soil and water under the courtyard, Bruce had to drop just about everything to work with town, state and federal officials on a plan to clean things up – even though the source of the contamination wasn’t the church.
     Dick fretted about the timetable – in part, made more difficult by First Night performances. Typically, St. Christopher’s opens its doors to the community on Dec. 31 for concerts and r
ecitals. But this year would be tough – how do you try and close down a building while at the same time hosting a big party? What about electricity? What about heat? Should we be doing this so close to Jan. 4?  
     And then Dec. 29, a portion of the foundation under the Sanctuary collapsed.
     That may have bee
n a blessing -- the Sanctuary would be off-limits to First Night performances.
     What about plans for the Jan. 4 procession? Could we process from the Chapel into the Parish Hall?
     Brian decided no, let’s do it all in the Parish Hall.    

The final push

      Volunteers attended to last-minute details. On the days leading up to Jan. 4 Linus Decker painted the Parish Hall. Sexton Lou Augustine and Ali repeatedly tweaked the 180-chair seating layout.
     Early on the morning of Friday, Jan. 2 -- “Moving Day” – a group gathered in the Parish Hall armed with tool boxes, drills and other gear. Dick Kraycir, John Rude, Parker Chick, Hank Holden, and Blair Wormer went to work. Brian arrived. Gail and David Smith stopped in.
     How do we do the coffee hour? Has the communal rug arrived? Should we paint the speakers? What about the cross?
     On Saturday morning, Brian sat in his office finishing his sermon as people walked in and out. The rug arrived. Moving the cross would take a little more time.
 

We come together

     On Sunday, the congregation gathered in the Parish Hall for worship.
     The walls shone with the new paint; candle light glowed; and the choir processed through the center aisle and back to their seats beside the organ. From the ceiling on either side of the altar hung green banners made of ribbons -- the idea of Ilene Bendas. With just a few mis-steps and hastily moved chairs, communion was given "in the round," as it will be in the new Sanctuary.
       Afterwards, tables came up and coffee and snacks were quickly laid out for Fellowship. Many people lingered, commenting that the service went very well in its new location -- that indeed it felt like sacred space. But it wasn't easy getting there.

(Photos-- Top, Brian shares communion "in the round" in temporary sacred space in the Parish Hall. Middle, volunteers work on Friday to prepare the Sanctuary in the Parish Hall. Bottom, Linus Decker paints the walls of the Parish Hall.)
 

Listen to Evensong

Digital audio available

Hear the beautiful Requium by Handel, recorded at our last Evensong service, featuring Barbara Buffa as soloist and a string section accompaniment by clicking here.

welcome

Welcome to St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church! We are delighted that you are visiting our parish website. Whether you are a member of our community or simply “passing through,” we cordially invite you to avail yourselves of our various programs and ministries.

In this website you will find a schedule of our worship services and programs. We would be pleased to have you join our parish family. For we strive to be just that — a family, working together, sharing our various skills and talents to serve the true head of our household – our Lord, Jesus Christ!

The Rev. Brian W. McGurk,
Rector, St. Christopher's Episcopal Church

St. Christopher's Mission

We welcome all persons to the warmth and beauty of the Anglican tradition.
 We spread the love and grace of God in Christ.
We reach out to serve our communities as a compassionate neighbor.