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.

American culture gives us lots of cues about how to live inside

time. Chiefly, we are told to spend it. The church tells us a different
story about timeit is Gods, and there is enough of it, more than
enough. During Advent we are invited to spend our time very
foolishly indeed. We are invited to wait. Just to wait.
It is hard for us to wait. For one thing, we wait for God a lot.
We wait for God to hear those prayers we say for someones cancer,
for someones heartbreak, for peace and justice in this country, this
neighborhood, this family. And most of the year while we wait, we
also workwe work for the Kingdom of God, helping to bring it about.
But it is not just we who wait. God is waiting, too. Isaiah tells us that The Lord waits, that
He may be gracious unto you. God waits on us, for our attention, for our visits home; God waits
for our vision and our ear. Here is something of the mystery of incarnation: God is like us in this
pausing and expecting, and anticipating. And so Advent is not only about our waiting for God,
waiting for God to get born, waiting for God to come back. It is also a time when we enter Gods
divine waiting for us.
Advent offers wonderful times to gather. We began last Sunday, Nov. 29, with Lessons and
Carols in the afternoon. We continue with Tuesday night Advent Suppers at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 8, 15,
and 22. Christmas Eve there is a Family Service at 4:00 p.m. in the Chapel, Christmas Eve at 10:30
p.m. in the Nave, and Christmas Day at 10:30 a.m. in the Nave.
Many of you know Elizabeth Barrett Brownings poem Aurora Leigh:
Earths crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.
Lets take off our shoes this Advent!
In Christ,
Mother Susan

A Special Advent Message

from the Bishop

Dear Friends in Christ,

Grace and peace to you, and blessings as we enter the Season

of Advent.
I hope that your Thanksgiving is joyous, and both a happy
reminder of God's providence and an encouragement to have
effective compassion for those in need. Advent now invites us
to prepare to receive Christ, by choosing the way of His
Light, in a world that also contains darkness. We are invited to be His partners in shining and spreading that Light, which the darkness has not and will not overcome.
We find ourselves living in times when the work of Advent seems especially urgent. We must hold on
to the promise of the constancy and ultimate victory of the divine Light. We must make ourselves
more available to God, so that we might better see and shine the Light in our lives, and the lives of
those near to us. We must join with others to increase Christ's light throughout the world. We must do
His work, as we await the day of His coming.
May God bless you in this holy season, and may the Light of Christ shine more brightly in us all.
Yours in Christ,

THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Making Disciples, Raising Up Saints & Transforming Communities for Christ

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all
your ways Psalms 91:11
The angel Gabriel from heaven came, his wings as drifted
snow, his eyes as flame; All hail, said he, thou lowly maiden
Mary, most highly favored lady, Gloria! Hymn The Angel
Gabriel; First Verse.
Think of how Mary must have felt when the angel Gabriel was
sent by God. 'And he came to her and said, Greetings, favored one!
The Lord is with you. But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with
God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus
Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I am a virgin? The angel said to her, The Holy
Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child
to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of GodThen Mary said, Here I am, the servant of
the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.' Luke 1:26-38.
In todays world, people have a difficult time with the notion of angels. Events we can explain may be called a natural occurrence. But when we cannot explain it, we are hesitant to label it
supernatural. Yet, in moments when life has seemed most frightening, painful, or bewildering,
have we felt or heard a presence or been helped by a stranger who seems like us and yet, not like us?
How many of us have been touched by a mysterious, unexplainable encounter that has given us the
courage and the strength we needed to go on when we have felt abandoned or alone and/or afraid?
Is it necessary to explain such occurrences? Why wouldnt a loving God, so concerned with His
children, send angels and humans to do His work?
What is it angels do? They bring us good news, lift our hearts, and open our eyes to moments
of wonder, to the idea that God is here in our midst. We can do that for each other.
Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.
Psalms 103:20
Lyn Klay, Senior Warden

One of the most formative moments in my life as a Christian

came over 20 years ago when my wise spiritual director confronted
me over a broken relationship within the church. I had been going
on and on to her about how I had been hurt, rejected, treated badly
and how wrong and destructive were the decisions made by the
leadership. Looking back over the distance of decades, I can see that
there was considerable justification for the pain I was dealing with
and for my convictions. But that was not the point. This wise and
compassionate woman had me look carefully at Jesus Sermon on
the Mount as reported in the 5th chapter of the Gospel according to
Matthew and explore the consequences for the way I chose to respond to this particular situation.
We got to the 23rd and 24th verses.
So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister
has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your
brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.
Well sure, I thought. They should be reconciling to me. After all, Im the wounded party
here! And I am actually in the right! Thank God for the wisdom and clarity of heart in a remarkable woman. She gently pointed me to the fact that Jesus wasnt talking about what I had against others, or the rights and wrongs of the situation, but what they might have against me. Was I totally innocent in this rift? Had I made things worse and blocked possibilities that we might search together
to discern Gods leading? Had I let my hurt and my certainties block me from living lovingly and
generously? What kind of witness was I living to the reconciling love of Jesus Christ? Ive never
forgotten that hard, compassionate lesson though there have been times I have wished to.
As I write this, we are less than a week away from the holy and mysterious season of Advent.
It is one of my favorite seasons, even though it gets here before I am ready and too often rushes past
before I can take the time to let it challenge me afresh. The scripture readings we will have during
Advent are strong, powerful, frightening describing the world we live in and the consequences of
the ways humanity has chosen to live. It invites us to take seriously our need for reconciliation with
God and with each other. It helps us to prepare for the awesome wonder that God, whose love we so
often ignore, came to us in total self-giving in the birth of Jesus Emmanuel God With Us.
God didnt wait for us to face the ways in which we have caused pain to God, but reached out
in reconciliation first. What are ways that we can live into and emulate that kind of divine reconciliation? Is there someone with whom you are at odds? What might that person have against you,
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justified or not, that needs healing and reconciliation? Are there breaks in your family that you can
forgive without any expectation of return? Can you let these things go because of Gods love for
you? What about decisions made here at Christ Church with which you have disagreed or which
caused you pain? Can you let that go not because you know you are right but because of Gods
love and longing that we live genuine love with each other? You can examine your own heart and
bring these questions before God, if you are so inclined.
As we come together to worship, week by week, offering our selves in worship and receiving
the holy nourishment of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, can we come in prayerful earnest, having done all in our power to be reconciled to each other in the love of Christ whose coming among us
as one of us we prepare to celebrate?

Three Holy Seasons

If all we knew about what has come to be known as the holiday season came from the media, social media, the displays in stores and other cultural indicators, we could reasonably think that
the focus of the weeks between Halloween and Christmas Day should include decorations, sales of
things most of us dont need, sentiment, Santa, familiar music, parties, lots of special food and, perhaps, a nod toward Bethlehem with images of stars, mangers, camels, donkeys, etc. We could easily
get the impression that that is all there is this one, glittering holiday season.
Thanks be to God, we would be wrong if thats what we thought. There is so much more and
it is so easy to let it be buried under all the other stuff.
For Christians, we are entering into a series of three separate but interwoven holy seasons,
each with their particular gifts and challenges: Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. Each has a special,
essential focus that we see reflected in our worship; in the seasonal colors we use, the scriptural readings and hymns chosen for each season and, ideally, the inner focus of our prayers, study, reflections
and growth.
Advent: Color purple or blue for royalty, repentance, solemnity of hope. Scriptural focus
endings, preparation for new beginnings, consequences, repentance and hope. We hear a great deal
in the latter part of the season about John the Baptist the forerunner of Jesus, the last of the great,
pre-Christian Jewish prophets. He calls again and again for us to live generously and lovingly, to
turn away from whatever keeps us from serving God by caring for others. He urges us to be prepared for the presence of God in our lives and the responsibilities we have as Gods people.
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Christmas beginning December 25: Color white, usually with gold, for joyous mystery.
Scriptural focus The new beginning of God born among us as one of us. Adoration, wonder, joy,
awe! This holy season does not end until January 6th twelve glorious days of celebration of Gods
overwhelming, intimately present love. Even so, during the Christmas season, we remember St.
Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and the Holy Innocents the children murdered by King Herod as
well as all the other innocent people who have suffered for others pride and ambition over the centuries, and we reflect on our responsibilities and overwhelming privileges to be Gods love born into
every situation.
Epiphany, beginning January 6: Color white, usually with gold for joyous mystery. Scriptural focus many people of many nations and traditions coming to God in the symbolic person of the
three scholars who sought the baby king Jesus in the midst of the urgent necessity of geo-politics that
made Joseph, Mary and Jesus become refugees in a foreign land. During Epiphany we rejoice in the
wonder that Jesus didnt come just for us just for a few people like us but for every human being
of every race, nation and belief who has ever lived. We are invited to consider what that might mean
for the ways we choose to live and share what we have. We rejoice in the limitless love and compassion of God.
Whatever we might hear from various sources in the world around us, we have the awesome
awareness that Gods love is far greater than lights, tinsel, presents and delicious, calorific treats. We
have the privilege of choosing to live as fully as possible into each other these three holy seasons and
receiving the wisdom and grace they have to offer us. We are so richly blessed. Together may we
embrace and share those blessings as far as we are able.
The Rev. Sister Diana Doncaster

Well the frost is on the pumpkin! I guess we are going to have

winter this year. The one day I was to have a new sewer line put in by
the city, we got rain. I needed my new sewer line, but how could I
complain about the rain? Hopefully by the time you read this I will
have a new line.
I have many things to report:
Harry Freeman is in discussion with two contractors to work on
the ADA compliant restrooms. The idea is to start after the holidays.
We have new gardeners. Our previous gardener, Jill Mefford,
had begun to find it difficult to commute from north of Trinidad for a
couple of hours of work. I kept putting her desire to quit off, but finally with Kathy Clague's help, I got Kathy's "kids" to do some work
for us. Randy and Edna Frias have already worked on the grounds. Our winter wish list would be to
have some new heathers to plant in the front.
Fence repair was done for the Smullin House to keep a safe backyard for children.
Future plans include cutting the magnolia off the chapel and education building roof, cleaning
the gutters, and pest eradication. Of this list, we have received reasonable bids for the gutter cleaning
and we will have that done as soon as we can schedule it. We have received a bid for pest eradication in the chapel where we have an infestation of termites. We should be able to have that matter
attended to, soon after the new year.
We always need help with weeding, garden maintenance and general grounds beautification.
See me for dates for church gardening days, bring your gloves and trowels and have fun mucking
about in the soil!

Peace be with you,

Beth Powell

Lay Ministries
One of our Lay Ministries, Lectors and Intercessors, is in need of more voices. If you enjoy
reading out loud you are needed. We especially need you at our 8:00 a.m. service. Training will be
provided, as you request. While thinking about this ministry, there are others to think about as well:

Acolytes and Eucharistic Ministers

Announcers
Ushers and Greeters
Eucharistic Visitors
Nursery and Sunday School
Coffee Hour Hosts
Contribution Counters
For more details about each mission youre interested in, contact Marty Vega by phone (707443-9782) or by email (mjv523@reninet.com).

Marty Vega

The Bishops Reception was a beautiful success, thanks to so many, many helping hands. My great
appreciation and gratitude for the beautiful abundance food and assistance go to: The newly wedded
couple, Sanford and Thomas, who graciously shared their flowers, tables and coverings, and such
items as salmon wrapped in pastry and roasted vegetables, and of course all those who helped set up,
clean up, and brought all the wonderful additional food, Peg Gardner, Nancy Frey, Angus and Joan
Stewart, Roni Carlson, Lin Chase, John Hammond, Dan and Merry Phillips, Ann Clark, Sara Hines,
Lyn Klay, Irene Hannaford, Vickie Patton, Steve Cole, Renee Ross, Anne Pierson, Gail Freeman, Mtr.
Susan, Marty Vega, Beth Powell, Helen Person, Cathy Hasz, Pat Toy, Elizabeth Harper-Lawson, and
Belinda Zander.
Lynne Bean

Dan and Marty Vega

December 2

Anne Van Zandt

December 19

Richard Streufert

December 6

Paul Gossard

December 20

Susan Brantley

December 6

Howard and Peg Gardner

December 22

Patricia Brantley

December 6

Angus and Joan Stewart

December 24

Curtis and Betsy

Schlueter

December 8

Jim Fassio

December 25

Anne Pierson

December 13

Chris Hamer

December 25

Carol Moorehead

December 16

Some of the luscious food at the Bishops reception

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Cake for the newly confirmed at the Bishops reception

We invite you to
Come and See
On Sunday, December 6 at 4 p.m. in the afternoon in the Chapel of Our Merciful Savior, we will be holding the third 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. This month we will explore who St. Nicholas really was.
Please join us as we explore different ways of making time for
God in our busy lives.

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A Note from the Mooreheads

In response to inquiries from our Christ Church friends about Anne, we would like to thank you for
your interest and prayers and share our good news.
As many of you know, after being employed locally by Quality Behavioral Outcomes, Anne moved
from Eureka to the East Bay Area three years ago to work as an instructional aide using applied behavior analysis with autistic children for Partington Behavior Analysts, an independent clinic in Walnut Creek. In layman's terms, applied behavior analysis, or ABA, is "the process of systematically
applying interventions based upon the principle of learning theory to improve socially significant behaviors to a meaningful degree, and to demonstrate that the interventions employed are responsible
for the improvement in behavior". Since December 2013, Anne has been employed in a similar capacity by the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD), which is one of the world's largest
organizations using applied behavior analysis (ABA) in the treatment of autism spectrum disorder.
In her time working in this field, Anne has worked with children of various ages whose autism
ranges from high functioning to others who cannot perform basis life skills such as going to the bathroom independently or communicating verbally.
This past August, Anne received certification as a Board Certified Autism Technician (BCAT) from
the Behavioral Intervention Certification Council and in November she completed the requirements
for the Behavior Analysis Board's recently established Registered Behavioral Technician (RBT) certification, which she is approved to receive in December. An RBT is a paraprofessional who, under
the supervision of a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) , is primarily responsible for the direct implementation of behavior analytic services to clients with autism and related disorders.
Anne's long term goal is to achieve certification as a BCBA herself so that she will not only be authorized to implement behavior interventions with individual clients, but also qualified to tailor interventions to a client's particular needs.
Carol Moorehead

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Sister Diana recommends this profile of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry from The Anglican Communion News Service.
In profile: Presiding Bishop Michael Curry
[ACNS, by Gavin Drake] This month, the Most
Revd Michael Curry began a new chapter of his
Christian ministry when he was installed as the
27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church in America a province of 109
dioceses in 16 different nations. And he has already made waves around the world for his impassioned plea for Episcopalians to take seriously their role as part of what he calls the Jesus Movement.
I can tell you that I believe passionately in the Great Commission and its call to go therefore and
make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and
teaching them to obey everything that Jesus has taught us, he said in an interview with ACNS.
I believe that thats a call, an invitation and an exciting possibility; and I think that is one of the
foundational principles of our call to be the Church: to help to make other followers of Jesus who
can then, following his teachings and following the way of Jesus in their life and in our lives together, help to make this world a better world something that is less like a nightmare and more like
Gods dream and Gods vision and Gods intention for the human family and the whole of creation.
That, for me, is one of the centre-pieces of the Gospel.
The Presiding Bishop exudes confidence and joy when he speaks about evangelism. It is clear that
this is foundational to his understanding of the Christian faith and he is going to work hard to
make it the top priority of the Episcopal Church under his leadership.
Imagine every Episcopalian, imagine every Anglican, committed to living out the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth and living in his Spirit in their lives, he said. I dare say we could transform the
world. I really believe that.
Remember Jesus in Lukes Gospel, in the fourth chapter, at the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus calls on the prophet Isaiah, and it is like Jesus issuing his mission statement, his inaugural address, and he goes back to Isaiah and he defines his ministry in terms of Isaiahs words: the Spirit of
the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach Good News to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives, the recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty all those who are oppressed
and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. And then, in the next chapter, Jesus says to Peter:
Now follow me.
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Those are our marching orders. Those are some of the teachings of Jesus. Imagine every Episcopalian getting up every morning and going out into the world actually learning to live like Jesus, to love
like Jesus [and] every Anglican around the world thats transformative. And I really do believe that
that kind of transformative possibility can help us make for a better world both ourselves, and joining hands with others.
Thats exciting, thats the Great Commission. One of my favourite words is go. Thats one of the
words of God to people when he calls them. Thats the word for mission go. Go and make disciples; Moses in Leviticus: go proclaim liberty to all the land; Isaiah responds to the Who will go
for us, and Isaiah responds and goes.
We have got an incredible opportunity, a remarkable faith, and my hope and dream and prayer is
that we in the Episcopal Church will find ourselves deeply in what I like to call the Jesus Movement
which has been going on a long time; and we are the 21st Century iteration of that.
Thats what were about and thats where we are going.
It is just under a fortnight since Michael Curry first gave this charge to the Episcopal Church during
his sermon at his installation in Washington National Cathedral. He repeated the charge in a video
message released the following day. And the response, he says, has been very positive, despite the
church being very aware of the changing nature of the society and countries it serves.
When I was a little boy growing up everybody went to church or synagogue or temple or something, he said. Everybody proclaimed to have a religious tradition now whether they really lived
it out is another question but there was a sense in which, at least for us, that we were living in a
Christian culture to some extent.
The truth of the matter is that we live in a culture Im not sure if secularising is the right word
but where there are more diverse personal possibilities, some of which are religious, that takes peoples attention.
We can no longer automatically assume that the culture is going to reinforce peoples Christian faith
in their walk. Nor should we expect the culture to do that thats our job.
And so now, I think we in the Episcopal Church have the remarkable challenge and opportunity to
present the Gospel anew, to share that faith in ways that are authentic and genuine to us. Im not trying to be something that we arent, but being authentic; and to engage and live a kind of evangelism
that I believe is as much listening to the faith story and journey of others as it is sharing our own.
[ The above is a portion of a long profile on the ACNS website:
http://www.anglicannews.org/features/2015/11/in-profile-presiding-bishop-michael-curry.aspx ]
There is a copy of the full article on the bulletin board in Lewis Hall.
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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
Dr. Douglas Moorehead, Organist Emeritus
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

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