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.

Dear Friends:
The nave and altar on Christmas Eve were breathtaking in their
beauty. Even more beautiful were the faces and voices of the choir,
and the glorious music from the organ! The whole event was a
transcendent experience for me. What a beautiful church we have.
On Sunday, January 24, we will gather for our Annual Meeting
at 10:30 a.m. (No 8:00 a.m. service that day). We have four
candidates for the Vestry who need your consideration, and four candidates for the next Convention
in November 2016. Please give your prayerful consideration prior to voting.
I am thankful to the lay people from the 8:00 a.m. service for their leading our Bible Study for
the last few months: David Toy, Marty Vega, and Sanford Pyron. We use N.T. Wright's study guide.
Our discussions are lively, and we welcome those who would like to join as a leader or participant.
Our "Come and See" service has been a wonderful addition to our Sunday services. At
present it is offered once a month on the first Sunday at 4:00 p.m. The candlelight service is around
forty-five minutes. This last Sunday the focus was on "What Star Do you Follow?"
Please join us and bring a friend!
May this new year be one of God's new blessings for you.
Faithfully,

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome
it. John 1:5
The December 27, 2015 Day by Day meditation written by
Lelanda Lee is based on this part of Johns Gospel, one of my favorites in the Bible. Ms. Lee reminds us that receiving bad news in any
manner can make us feel like darkness has overtaken light. But, she
says, In fact, there is so much more good news in the world that is
never spoken aloud or reported by the talking heads. Good or happy
news simply doesnt pay the bills the way bad news does.
She says, Jesus comes to be the light of the world. As followers of Jesus, we have opportunities to share the light of Christ the best news with our neighbors. It begins with developing and
nurturing a worldview centered on love and kindness.
Ms. Lee reminds us of the wise old saying: If you cant say anything good about somebody,
dont say anything at all. She says that, The wisdom of that proverb can be realized by teaching
ourselvesto look for beauty, love, and kindness in our daily lives, rather than focusing on the bad
things that happen and the mean things we can do to each other.
What is Christ Church doing to bring more light to our relationships with each other and the
community? Some things that come to my mind are the foster family respite for local foster
families, the Sundays at 4:00 p.m. service offered on the first Sunday of each month, and the recent
check given to Betty Quan Chinns Foundation to help homeless families. Let us continue to
nurture the Christ-light inside each of us to keep it shining brightly.
Lyn Klay, Senior Warden

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are looking

forward to 2016. I frequently think I am stuck in the 20th century,
but I don't think I can really do that, so onward.
A couple of small projects have been completed since my last
report. Part of the fence around the Smullin building has been repaired. The gutters on all of the church buildings have been professionally cleaned.
We are working with a new contractor on the ADA compliant
restrooms. We are going to have subterranean termite infestation
controlled by injection of chemicals around the chapel. This has been delayed due to rain. The
ground is really wet.
More to come next year.
Happy New Year,
Beth Powell

Why we at Christ Church support The Forgotten Initiative in

Humboldt County
On December 18, Christ Church held its sixth Friday evening Music & Arts 4 Foster Kids event that brought in 23 children of foster families for pizza, music and art projects, and gave their parents a welcome
respite to finish their Christmas shopping. Christ Church has also been
generous this year in providing Christmas stocking stuffers and fleece
blankets to foster families in Humboldt County (see this months article by
Peg Gardner). The thank you post below from a foster mother in Maryland speaks to the gratitude that foster parents experience when they feel the solidarity of others in
their calling to love and care for the children they foster. It was posted at The Forgotten Initiative
Humboldt County Facebook page by Janelle Harris, whose children attend our foster events, and
who said about the post: I could have written itit really expresses how foster parents feel." Read
it all the way through, please. Not only will it warm your heart, but you will learn some things about
foster parenting that you may not have known before.

Pam Gossard and Timber making candy canes at the Foster Kids evening

To the person who donated gifts to my foster kids:

I don't know if you donated at church, or at Social Services, or through work. I can't tell you
directly because I don't know how your generosity found its way to my living room. But maybe
someone will share this, and you'll see it, and you'll know:
Thank you. I appreciate your thoughtfulness more than you can comprehend.
I can't tell you directly that when I put on the jammies you bought, he smiled a little
something I rarely seeas he looked at himself in the mirror. I can't send you a photo of how proud
he looked and tell you how he said, "Momma, I look kinda cute!"
I wish I could post the shot I just took when I went in to pull that fleece blanket up around his
shoulders. You would see that he is still clutching the stuffed dinosaur you wrapped, and that he
made sure your handmade blanket covered both of them.
I wish you could know that your gift of suitcases has already imparted a dignity to my son that
many foster children do not have. You can't know that none of my fostered children ever leave my
home with their possessions in trash bags because I buy suitcases at every yard sale and Goodwill
store I see. But you thought of that indignity nevertheless, and you provided brand new bags for his
precious belongings.
I'd love for you to know how I teared up as my new son let me hold him on my lap to read the book
you sent. It was about trucks- his favorite. Was that a lucky guess, or did his caseworker tell
you? Either way, it was the Best Book Ever and he let me read it, holding him and restoring neural
pathways all the while, three whole times. And because of your book, he can now recognize the letter T for truck. So the teacher in me thanks you as well as the mom in me.
You also can't know that my first reaction when the worker brought your gifts was to feel a bit
offendedthat I resented the implication that I needed help to provide this precious child with all
he deservedand I'm glad for that lack of your knowledge. See, you most likely aren't a foster parent, and you don't know the number of times I have actually had near strangers ask meIn. Front.
Of. My. Childrenhow much I "get paid for them." You don't know how it rankles to smile and say
that I am paid immeasurably in kisses and blessings when I want to say, "Ninety seven CENTS an
hour, and daycare costs come out of that. Now tell me again how foster parents are in it for the money."
You can't know that I have learned to document every time my three year old barks his shin
(because that is what healthy, running-and-jumping preschoolers do) for fear that someone who
would never call to report a bruise on a biological child will feel it's her civic duty to tattle about
mine. You don't understand that when I do not react to his sixteenth meltdown of the morning it is
not because I am an inattentive and uncaring person, but that I am using a carefully constructed be6

havior plan that will help my son in the long run, despite hurting your ears in the grocery store. You
don't understand that his cruddy shirt, worn twice in a row, reminds him of the "real" Momma who
hurt him badly, but he still misses desperately, and that it helps him feel some control to be able to
choose his clothes- not that I don't adequately clothe my kid. You don't grasp that bath time terrifies
him because of what was done to him there, so that tattoo is still on his arm for a darned good reason
and not because I am lazy.
So you don't understand that I questioned even your pure and anonymous generosity, because
so many people question my motivations and actions as well.
I'm glad you won't know that ugly side of this life. I'm glad that, for whatever reason, you
gave... not because my children would not have enough to meet their needs without you, but because
you met MY need- the need to know that I am not in this alone. Your gift reminded me that not everyone is called to adoption, but that everyone is called to care for widows and orphans, and that you
took time and money in this insane pressure we call "the holidays" and you did exactly that. And in
doing that, you cared for me, and that little bit of care gives me just enough oil to keep my lamp
burning one more day.
Which will be enough to keep my child warm.
Thank you for being part of his flame.
Alaina Beth Young Haerbig, Westminster, Maryland Foster Parent
(most of this submission is reprinted from https://www.facebook.com/alaina.haerbig)
Thank You for Supporting Foster Children
A huge thank you to all of you who generously support Foster Children from newborns to 18
year olds in our community! Most recently, we contributed small gifts that the children and youth
could select to help stuff their new, handmade stockings at their Christmas gathering. Many have donated to underwrite the cost of pizza suppers for Foster Friday events. The Quilters Plus! have made
well over 125 fleece blankets for the new Foster Resource Center across from the downtown post
office. Others have helped with the purchase of fleece. And we have a wonderful group of food
preparers, shepherds, and leaders who share their time and talent and caring at Foster Friday events.
Clean, gently used clothing is always welcome, too. Again, thank you for your prayers, interest and
commitment!
Peg Gardner

Jill Maples and Peg Gardner with blankets for the Forgotten Initiative

Lay Ministries
As we give thanks for the blessings of the year just ended, we also look with joy and hope into the
year ahead 2016. What better time than now to consider sharing your talents in one of these Lay
Ministry areas? In 2015 we had approximately 114 worship services, plus weddings, memorials, and
baptisms. Your help for making all of our 2016 services inviting and special is needed.
Acolytes and Eucharistic Ministers
Announcers
Ushers and Greeters
Eucharistic Visitors
Nursery and Sunday School
Coffee Hour Hosts
Contribution Counters
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For more details about each mission youre interested in, contact:
Marty Vega
Anne Pierson
Sanford Pyron
Susan Whaley
Elizabeth Harper-Lawson
Vickie Patton
Lynne Bean
Bob Hines

Lectors and Intercessors

Acolytes and Eucharistic Ministers
Announcers
Ushers and Greeters
Eucharistic Visitors
Nursery and Sunday School
Coffee Hour
Contribution Counters

443-9782
442-2025
444-0968
445-2924
445-1726
443-1825
822-6086
445-8974

Madelon Moore

January 8

Bill and Barbara Walser

January 11

Evan Smithler

January 17

Doug and Nellie Thompson

January 21

During Advent, a small group of us came together on

Tuesday evenings to enjoy a simple meal and to explore the
millennia-old questions of appropriate Christian responses to
violence. In three short conversations, we started to touch on just
a few facets of this complex issue.
The first week, we looked at the implications for
responses to violence found in the vows we made in Baptism
vows we renew each time we have the privilege to witness a
baptism or confirmation. As Christians faced with violence,
what does it mean when we renounce the evil powers of this
world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God? What does it mean to renounce all sinful
desires that draw you from the love of God? What do our promises to seek and serve Christ in all
persons and strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human
being tell us about how God might want us to respond to the violence in our world? (See pages 302
306 in the Book of Common Prayer.)
The second week we explored the sort of violence which can tempt even the most peaceful
and loving among us. It may not seem like violence when compared to terrorist bombings and mass
shootings, but snarky comments, gossip, even indulging in the delights of mentally picking another
person apart can dull our love, blind us to the pain or struggles of another, and come between us and
our sacred commitment to respect the dignity of every human being. We explored the verbal
violence we hear in the political arena and experience on social media, and the difficulties we have
in not responding in kind and escalating it. What are our responsibilities in this as Christians?
The third week we asked What can we do to respond, as a congregation, to the violence in
the world? How can we help? I have long wished that we could work with other faith groups in the
area to sponsor a refugee family to help them come safely from the violence and chaos of war and
refugee camps and to start a new life in this area. This may or may not be a realistic dream, but it is
one that started a lively and challenging conversation. One concern raised is the fear that this area
might be too white and too insular to be a welcoming environment at this time. Another is that we
need to put our energies and resources toward helping those who are homeless and displaced in our
own community. Another is that if we welcome a Muslim family, they would be isolated due to lack
of Islamic community in this area. Another concern was that we are too small to make a difference
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and could easily get in over our heads. These are a few of the many questions that need to be
explored prayerfully.
Thoughts raised by the discussions so far include:
It is essential that we all, individually and together, pray for guidance; asking God if
it is part of our current call to service to take on some sort of congregational response
to the wide-spread and diverse violence in the world. Pray for wisdom and direction.
We need to know more. What do we really know about the causes of homelessness, the
ancient roots of current conflicts, the realities of the lives of refugees, the psychology of
violence, of forgiveness? What do we know about the different faith traditions involved?
What do we know about how various Christian groups have thought about violence and nonviolence over the centuries? What should we be reading and exploring together? How can we
learn more?
What resources are available? What is The Episcopal Church doing and how might we
be part of that effort? How about other churches and faith communities? What other
organizations offer information and guidance that might help with our discernment and spare
us trying to reinvent the wheel?
Ask around. Talk to people. See where, if anywhere, this might go. If we are dealing
with a call from God, the guidance and resources will be available. If we are dealing with
mere fantasy by a dewy-eyed idealist, that will become clear, too.
Meanwhile, here are a few initial resources.
To read:
Allah: A Christian Response, by Miroslav Volf available in hardback, paperback and for
e-readers. Volf tackles the question of whether Christians and Muslims worship the same God.
Though Volf is an amazing scholar and theologian, he writes in a way that can be understood
and engaged.
Not in Gods Name: Confronting Religious Violence, by Rabbi Jonathon Sacks available in
hardback and for e-readers. Sacks looks at the roots of religious violence which can be traced
to misreading sacred scripture by all three of the Abrahamic faiths.
Other resources:
Episcopal Migration Ministries www.episcopalmigrationministries.org EMM is the refugee
resettlement program of the Episcopal Church. Their website offers a good deal of valuable
information and links to others doing this essential, difficult work.
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Charter for Compassion www.charterforcompassion.org CFC is an organization working to

build on the belief that all human beings are born with the capacity for compassion, and that
it must be cultivated for human beings to survive and thrive.
Next steps?
Please pray about this. Think about it. Talk about it. Share your thoughts. Explore your own
experiences with violence physical, emotional and spiritual. How might Gods committed people
have better helped you in the past and how might you find healing in the present?
Educate yourselves.
Talk to me, to Mother Susan or Mother Lesley, or to members of the Vestry about what you
are thinking and where you think we might go. Keep on praying, asking, thinking.
May Peace be with us all,
Sr. Diana

Singers on Christmas Eve

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Sing, Choirs of Angels

Happy new year, dear people of Christ Church! With 2016
approaching, many of us are thinking about resolutions that involve
making some kind of change or changes in our lives. Whether or not
you are a person who believes in making resolutions, just the thought
of a new year brings to mind opportunities for new beginnings, for
change, and of celebrations of the past, present and future.
Christmas was a culmination of much hard work by many: the
church was beautifully decorated, the altar prepared many times over
with loving care, inspired sermons written, bulletins edited and proofed,
and, of course, much music prepared and offered to the glory of God. I confess, for a good part of
December my frame of mind was I just need to get through this. And I know I wasnt alone in experiencing that sentiment. I found myself thinking (sadly), some day, Id like to enjoy Christmas,
and not just get through it.
Im pleased to say that through our shared corporate worship during Advent and Christmas, I
felt transformed and I can only hope that many of you experienced the same. Hearing Christ Church
filled with choirs of angels, singing the hymns and carols of the season, brought joy to my heart.
Thank you choir members and all who participated in making our services such wonderful and
joyful celebrations of the season!
The Royal School of Church Music choristers have a special prayer that I shared with the
choir on Christmas Eve. Whether or not you sing in the choir, or the congregational choir, or simply
listen to others sing, it is a fitting prayer for all of us:
Bless, O Lord, us Thy servants who minister in Thy temple.
Grant that what we sing with our lips we may believe in our hearts,
and what we believe in our hearts we may show forth in our lives.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Im not sure yet if I will make any resolutions for the new year, except to say that as we go
forth together in the church, celebrating the cycle of the church year, I will focus my heart more on
the choirs of angels and less on my to do list.
Blessings and wishes for a very happy new year to all,
Merry Phillips

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Christmas 2015
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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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