THE C
MPASS FALL 2017
From the Rector Taizé Prayer The Warden’s Corner Visit of Sister Maria Youth Formation Stewardship Christ Church & Its Endowment Diocesan Convention 2017 Summer Bible Study Parish Spotlight Community Garden Parish Life Looking Ahead
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Christ Church Oyster Bay 61 East Main Street Oyster Bay, NY 11771 www.christchurchoysterbay.org 516-922-637
Saturday, October 21 “PYOW” Movie/Dinner Farmingdale Movie Cinema/Houlihan’s Sunday, October 22 Long Island Baroque Ensemble 3:00 pm Saturday, October 28 eVoco – Mixed Ensemble 8:00 pm Sunday, October 29 Christmas Wreath Sale after 10:00 am service All Hallows’ Eve celebration 5:30 pm followed by food & fun in Parish Hall Thursday, November 2 All Souls’ Requiem 7:00 pm Friday/Saturday November 10-11 Diocesan Convention Sunday, November 19 Jazz Mass Concert 4:00 pm Editor’s Note Welcome to the fall edition of the Compass, your Christ Church newsletter. Thanks to the many parishioners who have contributed to this issue. Hope you had a wonderful summer and are ready to “Fall Back to Church,” as a prominent sign outside the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City urges its parishioners. In this time of natural disasters in California, Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean, as well as the current divisive political situation in our country, we are reminded that our church is an ideal place for introspection, reflection, and peace, and I urge you to take advantage of our sanctuary in this fashion. The many special occasions and services between now and early 2018 will give you ample opportunities to worship and enjoy your community. Please enjoy reading this issue and let us know what you like and what other topics you would like to see covered in future issues. Ton Heijmen, Editor Peggy Heijmen, Design Layout
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From The Rector In the Autumn, the ‘back to school’ time of year, we think of new beginnings. I remember the optimistic feeling, when I was young, of starting with immaculate, fresh notebooks, maybe a new pencil case or Eberhard Faber eraser (‘Pink Pearl’), a different teacher and classroom, renewed aspirations for the year. There might be a brand-new subject, opening a previously unknown door in life: I well remember the feeling that I’d really moved up in the world, when I was old enough to study a foreign language and started learning French. At this same point in the calendar, we embark on a new program year in church too. What does the new Christ Church year hold for us? Some things will be familiar, such as the Oyster Fest parking blitz, HIHI evenings, All Hallows’ Eve, the visit of St Nicholas, Lessons and Carols, Christmas itself, Twelfth Night, Candlemas, Shrove Tuesday, then the unfolding of Lent, Holy Week and Easter. Some things will be less familiar, like the recently introduced All Souls’ Requiem on November 2, the Thanksgiving morning Eucharist, the visit of Charles Dickens himself to read A Christmas Carol, and so on. This year, partly because Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday, we’ll make a new and different attempt at the service which follows our renowned pageant. Instead of the full Family Eucharist, we’ll try a relatively brief, child-friendly, simple Christmas Communion – especially suited to those who have been to the pageant. It’ll start shortly after the pageant ends, right within the Bethlehem stable, the pageant’s ‘set,’ (with the animals removed!). Children in costume will be encouraged to come as they are (shepherd, angel, wise man, whatever). On that same big day, in response to several requests, we’ll also experiment with starting the Christmas Eve ‘midnight’ Mass half-an-hour earlier: this year it will begin at 10:30 instead of 11:00. Various new things await us, alongside the treasured and familiar ones. For some members of our parish, ‘new beginnings’ in the year ahead might take the shape of formally renewing and refreshing their faith. I will offer opportunities for learning and reflection, not only for youth who are interested in Confirmation, but (separately) for adults who might like to be confirmed, or adults wishing to be officially Received into the Episcopal Church, which is for those who have already made a ‘mature commitment’ such as Confirmation in a different denomination. My own father was received into the Episcopal Church (from Roman Catholicism) when he was in his forties, an average sort of age for it, while I once prepared a 75-year old for Baptism - a reminder that such opportunities are for all ages! 3
At this stage, we already have two adult members wishing to be Received, and one possibly interested in Confirmation. If you would like to join them in a new journey of exploration, please have a word with me. We’ll have several meetings looking at topics like ‘Believing in God,’ ‘Believing in Jesus,’ Scripture and Revelation, the Sacraments, Prayer, and the thorny subject of making tough moral decisions as a Christian. We’ll also talk about church history, and where our Episcopal tradition fits into the ‘family tree’ of Christian denominations. Prayers and best wishes are with you all, in this time of new beginnings and fresh starts. In Christ’s love and service,
Michael
Taizé Summer Services Ton Heijmen Summer church attendance can be a challenge, so this year Father Michael experimented by holding special Taizé Services on three Sunday evenings, inviting the Reverend Jeff Prey and the First Presbyterian Church to worship jointly with us -- twice at Christ Church and once hosted at First Presbyterian. A Taizé service is a combination of prayers, chants, periods of silence and introspection. It is based on the work and life of the Taizé Community, an ecumenical monastic order in Taizé, Saône-et-Loire, Burgundy, France, composed of more than one hundred brothers, from Catholic and Protestant traditions. The community has become one of the world’s most important sites of Christian pilgrimage, with over 100,000 people from around the world making pilgrimages there each year. Our first service was held at 6 pm and drew almost 30 worshippers; the second was held at 7:30 PM and was less popular with 15 participants. The service at First Presbyterian Church was followed by a BBQ picnic on the lawn and drew over 30 participants, almost half from Christ Church. This experiment is well worth repeating. Some additional town-wide communication might make this attractive for all Faith Communities in Oyster Bay. 4
The Warden’s Corner - A message of awareness and gratefulness to be part of this parish! Vikki LoRusso When I wasn’t on the Vestry, I was so glad we had a Vestry so THEY could go to the meetings! Ha! However, I always wanted to know what the meetings were about, what was discussed, decided upon, etc. Everyone in the parish are always invited to come sit in on the meetings. If you can’t do that but still want to be in the know, the minutes of our meetings are posted in the parish hall, and/or you can ask any of the Vestry. We love to hear your thoughts, ideas, etc. because this is all about us, our church family that we all are part of. We want to be sure that everyone’s voice is heard. One of things I am proud to hear about is our Church Outreach. It is amazing how much outreach we do on so many levels. Of course we have our Outreach Grants Committee who thoroughly looks through grant applications the Church receives to determine which outside organizations need our help most. We also do much local outreach by both deeds and funds. We raise a lot money from the Oyster Festival Parking to help local organizations such as LECOB; IHNC; Oyster Bay High School; and more. There are subtle changes in church that we discuss at the Vestry meetings. Did you like the recent Healey Willan service music? How about those Taizé services! Did you go to the recent Pot Luck dinner? We’re already talking about Christmas and summer services! Blessing of the animals is always fun, albeit a breath holding service with the addition of barks from our pets in the congregation. We have fun together in our Christ Church family. We have great conversations and share so much. It is much more than just beautiful Sunday services. Please join us for some of our upcoming events. In October, we have the Oyster Fest Parking volunteer opportunity -- which is a blast of fun! If you are around, come on down and help with that. Then on Saturday, October 21, we are headed to the Farmingdale Cinema to see “Same Kind of Different as Me” starring Greg Kennear and Renee Zelwigger. After the moving we’re going to “Houlihans” for a dinner, all starting in the late afternoon and ending early in the evening. If you need a ride, we can get you there! If music is your love, come join us for the Baroque Ensemble on October 22 or eVoco on October 28 and the kids’ All Hallows’ Eve service on October 29, always a fun event. Much more is happening in November and December! Then the first HIHI service night for Christ Church is on New Year’s Eve this year. What a great fellowship that will be! Thanks to all who contributed this summer to Tea on the Lawn. Hector’s mint tea is out of this world, isn’t it? Thanks to Betsy Bibla for all of her work on Sylvia’s Garden. It is so nice to see her with the
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basket of vegetables at the services. Now that Fall is here, how enriched we are to have everyone back. Oh, the beauty of the choir -they are breathtaking to hear.
We have so many super kids amongst us! Chris and Tim Chiu, James Karabatos, Logan and Reilly Iles, Brynn Johnson, Lauren Swezey, Evie Bergman, Emma and Grace Barrios (Joe is at school), Max Marciano, Lily Parsinski, Theo Yako, Grace, Katie and Sarah Lavin, Parker, Finn, Tess, and Sadie Meyer, Annabelle and Alexandra Eckel, the Carney grandchildren, and many more, are all adding so much to our Christ Church family by their smiles and laughter, their energy, their contributions to our acolyte guild, choir, Sunday School and more. I am grateful for their presence and think about all our other kids who are grown, in college, etc. Enjoy your conversations with these folks.
It’s also enjoyable for me to see the kids back and hear about their doings. Did you know that Kris Johnson did a Scout project in Sylvia’s Garden? Ask him about it! Did you hear that
As I thought about our church family, it kept repeating in my head how much everyone contributes to the family. It seems so many do their work quietly, regularly, and with great love. There are too many to mention by name, but really, every person in our church is a valued thread in the fabric of this place. We need to tell people when we see them how much we appreciate them. It is overwhelming thinking of all the work people put in for God’s glory. People doing the budget, investing and finances; people working on buildings and grounds; volunteers working in the garden; the altar guild; the coffee hour people; the greeters and the welcome teams; the ushers; the lectors; the choir; the acolytes; St. Hilda’s guild; and on and on! To top it all, we’re so happy that Sian and Fergus are here and are incredibly blessed to have Michael Piret leading us all! Aren’t his sermons fantastic?
Griff Evans joined the debate team at his high school? They just won a second place award in competition against some really heavy hitter schools. Let him tell you all about it. Ask Noah Augustine about his crew efforts. That’s a hard sport. Steven LoRusso is now a captain of the Oyster Bay Baymen football team and a senior at the high school looking toward college next fall. Talk to him about it. Ask Matt Warner what’s going on with him at Locust Valley High School. He is such a good conversationalist. I am so thrilled to see that Matt Warner and Griff Evans have now joined the lector group and my own Steven is also a lector. All are wonderful readers and I love to hear them bring the scriptures to life! Laura Warner and Andi Holohan are really doing a great job as torch bearers and bringing up the gifts for communion.
Our staff works tirelessly for us and with us behind the scenes. Peggy and Mary in the office are a delight, with Lilly helping to greet people as well. Kathryn, our youth director is
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another quiet and loving soul. Michael Haigler is incredible with the music program. Hector is amazing with all he does including the gardens and beauty of our campus. Do you know two other behind the scenes people are Felicita and Joselyn who take care of our youngest members during services? What about Carlos who helps in many ways, and he assists Hector with Sunday breakfasts! Our Sunday School teachers are dedicated to share God’s love and message. Thank you Andrea, Lillian, and Nicole! These are all super people you should get to know!
there? Did you know David Sarles is a published author? Lots of wonderful things to learn about people. Sorry to have rambled on, but I just wanted to share how grateful I am to be a member of this parish, to know and be able to work and pray with you all. We have much to be thankful for and proud of in this parish!
Isn’t it great to have the 2017 directory? Thanks to Stephanie & Peggy! Looking through it makes me smile to be lucky enough to know so many wonderful folks. I look forward to every Sunday and to seeing everyone. How heartwarming it is to be able to pray together, support each other in good times and bad, care for each other, learn about each other (don’t forget to fill out your “In the Spotlight” form in the back of the Church). Hey, did you know that our lector/chorister/vestry member Andrew Mericle just got married here to his love, Amanda, with one of the biggest wedding parties you will ever hear about? Did you know Martin Evans was in another country most of the summer and did the acolyte schedule from
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Young Woman Drags Huge Red Suitcase Halfway around the World -- Why? David & Evie Sarles As she emerges from the LIRR stop, rolling an enormous suitcase containing artifacts of religious handiwork, she strikes one as a figure of powerful faith. Soviet Russia failed in its attempt to banish religion, as witnessed by her presence. On August 1, Sister Maria, from the Sisterhood of St. Elizabeth, a Belarusian Orthodox Church convent in Minsk, Belarus, graced Christ Church with her mission -- to introduce to us her Order and to offer to us the creative crafts they produce in their over thirty workshops. In addition to their religious training and nurturing of a community of hundreds of people, these skillful nuns are engaged in the work of their hands including: needlecraft, metal working, iconography, painting, and even farming. In her summer visits to churches from Kansas City to Minneapolis to here on Long Island, Sister Maria ended her American journey over tea and cakes in the Christ Church rectory before returning to Belarus. Her informative video presentation offered, to the thirty-some members of Christ Church gathered, the challenging and rewarding work of the Convent of St. Elizabeth. From out of her suitcase, Sister Maria displayed many samples of the wares the Sisters produce in their workshops. Sales of these creations are the primary source of their income. The Order does not entertain cash from banks or large donations.
Sister Maria displays hand crafts made by the Sisters of St. Elizabeth.
Their orphanage provides food and education to more than 200 “throwaway” children who live and study in a residential school on the grounds of St. Elizabeth. The nuns' community also provides rehabilitation centers and care for men and women with dependency needs. On the compound stands the largest hospital in Europe for the insane, where nursing care is often supplemented with compassionate attention via the Sisters. For an inspiring tour of the remarkable devotion with which they serve Christ, visit the website of Sister Maria's convent at http://www.pravmir.com/article_1017.html. 8
Youth Formation Kathryn Cantanno, Director Church School and Youth Group got off to a great start this Fall! On September 10th, we started off the program with an informative Tour of the Church which was enjoyed by our Church School, Youth Group and adults. The following Sunday, we met in Parish Hall and celebrated the start of our new year with an Ice Cream Social after the 10 a.m. Eucharist. And, for the first time, we celebrated a Harvest Youth Sunday in which members of our Church School and Youth Group served in important roles at the 10 a.m. Eucharist. In the past, our Youth Sunday typically was planned for the Spring. Since it was such a wonderful celebration this past April, we decided to start the school year off with another Youth Sunday. We plan to make this part of our tradition each year in the Fall. Our Church School children have resumed bringing up the gifts during the Offertory which is a wonderful tradition that started last year at the 10 a.m. Eucharist. The children have been excited to be part of the Mass and the congregation has welcomed the change. We all look forward to a wonderful year in Youth Formation!
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Stewardship Pledge Comparison As a parish, in 2016 we pledged $230,000 and for the full year 2016, we collected $222,000 or 97% of the total amount pledged. In 2017, $243,000 was pledged, which is an increase of almost 6% over 2016. We should be pleased with the increase in pledges for 2017, but the total number of pledges decreased from 89 in 2016 to 86 in 2017. As the chart below will show, by August 2017, we were slightly behind in collected pledges compared with 2016. Please take a close look at your third quarter statements to make sure you are up-to-date on your pledges. 2016
2017
Pledged Amount
$230,000
$243,000
Paid through August
$160,000 (70%)
$152,000 (63%)
Full Year
$222,000 (97%)
TBD
The official 2018 Stewardship Season will run from Sunday, November 12 to Sunday, December 3. “Journey to Generosity” will be this year’s theme. Prior to the beginning of the Stewardship Season, a letter from Father Piret and the Stewardship Committee, along with a brochure containing a pledge card will be mailed to all parishioners. Please prayerfully consider the amount you pledge this year, keeping in mind that the parish as a whole pays for less than half of its operating expenses. This includes the endowment paid music and outreach programs.
Christ Church and its Endowment Ton Heijmen, Investment Committee Member Christ Church is blessed with a sizable endowment which allows us to have programs that otherwise would not be feasible. Our music program ($120,000), our Outreach Grants ($55,000) and a good deal of our operating expenses ($350,000) are funded by our endowment and the returns on our investments. Suffice it to say that prudent management of our endowment is crucial to maintaining our Principal of around $11 million. In 2016 we spent considerable amounts of our endowment to rehab the 193 South Street building and the Sydney Street house. Our investment committee is constantly reviewing the results of our investments, and at the moment we have three investment managers to support us in managing our funds: Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch and the Diocese of Long Island. We own a $1.2 investment in Listerine which returns about $90,000 per annum (every bottle of Listerine sold returns a few pennies to us).
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Among the various responsibilities of our vestry members and the investment committee is the prudent management of the parish’s endowment. Following are some of the basic questions and answers that are important to discharge this responsibility. For any additional information, please talk to Ton Heijmen who is a member of the Christ Church and the Long Island Diocesan Investment Committees, as well as the Treasurer of the Board of Trustees of the Estate Belonging to the Diocese of Long Island. What is the objective of our investment fund? Investment objectives are typically stated as a combination of a rate of return expectation and a tolerance for risk. Christ Church’s tolerance for risk is fairly low, so our expectation for return is fairly conservative. Typically our church does not invest in certain industries, e,g. gambling, tobacco, armaments, and fossil fuel. Is our investment fund sufficiently diversified? A characteristic of prudent investment management is diversification – not having all of your eggs in one basket. Prudent diversification is implemented at multiple levels: security; asset classes (stocks, bonds); and intellectual diversification. Our portfolio is considered to be sufficiently diverse, with a 70/30 split between stocks and bonds. Is the performance of our investment fund consistent with its objective and the performance of the broader financial markets? We continually evaluate our performance, including the return and risk objective of the fund, the performance of the investment areas that are represented in the fund, and the performance of other investment funds with similar objectives. We determine what return was reasonably achievable for the time period in question, and then we assess our fund’s performance in that context. What are the expenses of the investment fund and how have they impacted performance? Fees for investment services are stated as a percentage of funds invested; these may be based upon transaction activity; may be a share of returns; or may be a combination of these. It’s important to understand ALL of the expenses because the investment return that really matters is the return NET of all expenses. Our current expenses are almost 1%, which is fairly common for an endowment our size. Why do we make changes to our investment fund? Our endowment supplements the pledge income for our operating expenses. This is a key point when making investment decisions since some investment arrangements lack flexibility and cash may not be immediately available. Is the Diocese a viable alternative to the current main managers? Our principal investment advisors are Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch. They have a combined 80% of our funds under management. Recently we have added the Diocese as the third manager ($ 0.8 million or 8%). The diocese has $145 million in its investment fund and uses Mercer as advisor. The recent returns have been very satisfactory and the size of the funds allows for negotiating a lower fee level. Currently, the diocese pays 0.6% in fees.
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Diocesan Convention coming up in November Ton Heijmen The 151st Diocesan Convention, the organizational and decision-making body comprised of clergy and lay members, will be held on Friday and Saturday, November 10-11, 2017 at the Melville Marriott Long Island. Each year, representatives from around our diocese gather to review and discuss issues, policies and structures. Convention delegates decide the diocesan budget (based on recommendations from Diocesan Council), the Diocesan Ministry Plan, and elect members of the diocese’s various administrative, executive and judicial bodies to vote on any resolutions -- including those that amend or add to the Constitution or Canons -- that may be brought before it. When necessary, they elect the Bishop, Assisting Bishop or Co-adjutor and Bishop(s) Suffragan. Only Canonically Resident Clergy and Parish or Mission Delegates have votes but all are welcome to attend the Convention as guests. Christ Church has appointed Vikki LoRusso (warden) and Mike Bibla (member of vestry) to be our voting delegates. Elisabeth Mooney and Sonja Lake (both vestry members) have been chosen to be the alternate delegates. Christ Church Parishioners active in diocesan committees include David Asher, Board Member of Camp DeWolfe; Scott Treiber, on the Board of Episcopal Ministries of Long Island; and Ton Heijmen, Treasurer of the Board of Trustees of the Estate Belonging to the Diocese of Long Island. Registration is required for everyone attending. If you are interested, please visit the website at diocesli.org/convention. Or for general inquiries, you can contact Ms. Ivette Fernandez-Guzman, Convention Coordinator, Office of Communication Ministry, (516) 248-4800 x128. If you would like more information about any of these committees, please peruse the website and get in touch with Ivette to discuss how you can become more involved.
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Summer Bible Study Michael Piret This past Summer’s Bible study could have been called ‘Travels with Peter and Paul.’ The Acts of the Apostles was our theme, and a good number of parishioners gathered around the big table in St Hilda’s Room on many a Thursday, sharing a wide spectrum of ideas and points of view. Acts is a fascinating adventure story, the sequel to the Gospel According to St Luke, starting with the Ascension of Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit. It tells of how the Gospel was taken ‘to the ends of the earth’ by those brave Apostles and their associates, some of whom lost their lives in the process, like St Stephen. It describes how Paul was transformed by his encounter with the Risen Lord (the definitive ‘Road to Damascus’ experience), when he went from being a ferocious persecutor of the church to being its most effective ambassador. Along the way, we discover that the first Christians were Godfearing communists, sharing all things equally, and we read hair-raising tales like the one of Ananias and Sapphira (who tried secretly to retain some of their wealth, and fell down dead when they were found out)! We learn how the church dealt with the challenge of incorporating Gentiles into their number: would they have to comply with the Law (e.g. circumcision and dietary rules) or not? There are councils, trials and imprisonments, exciting escapes, miraculous healings, a shipwreck, and an illustration of the danger of excessively long sermons – when a young man named Eutychus nods off, and falls from an upper story window (Paul went on a bit too long.) Acts is a book which could easily be made into a feature-length film, if it weren’t for one snag: there’s too much material! Attendance was excellent, only fizzling out towards the end, and anyway we had tacked on a number of extra meetings beyond the six originally projected. Bible study will continue to be a regular part of our Springtime calendar, year after year – might you like to join us next time around? 13
Parish Spotlight You may have noticed the Parish Spotlight forms in the back of the Church on Sunday mornings - an interesting way for us to learn a little bit more about our fellow parishioners - even those we think we know well! We’ve heard from quite a few of you, and as promised, we’ve chosen someone to “Spotlight” here in the Compass. Rene Warren is a long-time parishioner and resident of East Norwich, where she lives with her husband of 66 years, Mel. They have two children, Kenny and Ronnie. A former Vestry member, Rene continues to serve on various committees at Christ Church, including as a Eucharistic Minister, Altar Guild and Coffee Hour. Mel also keeps very busy – especially with the Oyster Festival, where he is the Coordinator of the Arts & Crafts vendors. Tell us where you’ve lived. Queens, Baltimore and currently in East Norwich. What first brought you to Christ Church Oyster Bay, and when? Mel and I were married here on August 18, 1951. What do you like best about Christ Church? When you walk into the Church – the serenity. What are some activities you enjoy and/or what is your favorite way to unwind? Exercising! Your favorite hymn? Abide With Me. What did you want to be when you grew up? A professional singer. If you could have only one book with you on a desert island (apart from the Bible), what would it be? (b) One movie to watch? The book I would most like to have with me is By the Rivers of Babylon, by Nelson DeMille; The movie is the PBS series, Downton Abbey. What is your favorite place for quiet reflection?
Christ Church
What was your most treasured experience at Christ Church? When I retired as Director of Altar Guild, I was presented with a crucifix of diamonds. What has been your greatest blessing thus far and why? The healing of my hip, which I broke at a fall in the gym. It’s been a long time of pain and suffering.
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Sylvia Redington Community Garden – 2017 Betsy Bibla The fourth season of the Community Garden got an early kickoff this spring with mild weather and the donation of starter seedlings from Dodds & Eder Garden Center in Oyster Bay. All the boxes were planted along with the hardy herbs and strawberries which returned from the previous year. Gardeners planted an interesting assortment of fruit and vegetables including broccoli, corn, zucchini, cucumbers, beets, beans, eggplant, and melons. Flowers for beauty and helpful pollinators rounded out the bounty. Kris Johnson, a member of Christ Church and an Oyster Bay Boy Scout started his Eagle Scout project by building our new compost bin for recycling our greens. He has plans in the works for a future staircase for garden access. The ‘Farmers Market’ started last year was a success, by offering vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers for donations. Monies received for the garden harvest are donated to the church to assist in Community Outreach.
New members are always welcome. Contact Betsy Bibla to try out your green thumb!
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Parish Life Parish Life is a page on our website that highlights recent events with pictures and brief descriptions, some of which are also highlighted here and in other sections of The Compass. If you’d like to enjoy more pictures of our Parish family, please visit our website at www.christchurchoysterbay.org.
Fall Back to Church! Without skipping a beat -- the “new” Church season is in full swing. Sunday, September 10th marked the “unofficial” end of Summer Sundays, with the full choir returning to musically enrich our services. Father Piret led a group of very interested youth on a tour of the whole church building (inside and out), during the return of Sunday morning Coffee Hour. Also during Coffee Hour, Guild leaders hosted the Ministry Fair, an opportunity for parishioners to learn more about and volunteer for the individual guilds that are so vital to our Church community.
Mabel Fitzpatrick and Ann Smith at the Ministry Fair
Pot Luck Dinner
Laughs to go around - at the Pot Luck Dinner
Parishioners were invited to a "pot luck" dinner in Parish Hall on Friday, September 15. Tales of our summer happenings were shared, along with the delicious food that many of our parishioners prepared for the event! To see more pictures of this event, please go to our website at christchurchoysterbay.org/parish-life. 16
Harvest Sunday Despite the warm weather, it really is Fall and time for the harvest to come in! Christ Church celebrated on Sunday, September 24 with our first Harvest Youth Sunday, a day where the youth group and church school participated in many aspects of the 10:00 am service. The treble choir joined with the adult choir, and sang the Communion Motet, My Master Hath a Garden.
The Blessing of the Pets On Sunday, October 1, in honor of St. Francis, cats, dogs, and even a guinea pig, were in Church for a special blessing from Father Piret. While the congregation may have been a little more rambunctious than usual, most parishioners wore a smile watching the parade of pets leading to the Altar.
Lilly enjoyed singing with the Choir!
Dobby seems quite comfortable to join the Choir
17 For more pictures please visit the website at: christchurchoysterbay.org/parish-life
Wedding Bells If you were passing by Christ Church on two separate beautiful Friday afternoons in September – you may have noticed a very long stretch limousine in the driveway!
On September 1, Andrew Mericle wed the beautiful Amanda Corbo at 3:00 in the afternoon. Andrew was baptized and confirmed at Christ Church is currently a member of the Choir and sits on the Vestry. They had a total of 16 attendants in the bridal party. After the beautiful service, at which several fellow choir members sang, the wedding guests celebrated at Soundview Caterers in Bayville.
On September 29, Kristin Schmermund married Matthew Berrell at 3:30 in the afternoon. Kristin was also baptized here, and sang in the treble choir with Andrew. There were 8 attendants, plus ring bearer and flower girl. After the bag piper “piped” them out of the Church, their guests celebrated at the Carltun in East Meadow.
If either of our newlyweds need any pointers on married life – I’m sure that some of our fellow parishioners would be happy to oblige – all have been married in excess of 60 years!! Mabel & Robert Fitzpatrick; Charles & Mora Gibney; Clinton & Ann Smith; Harry & Virginia Slutter; Mel & Rene Warren; Byam & Priscilla Stevens. 18
Looking Ahead Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner! While some are still mourning the end of Summer -- here at Christ Church we are busy making plans right through Christmas. Following is a snapshot of events, including our full Christmas services schedule. Thursday, November 23 Sunday, November 26 Sunday, December 3 Sunday, December 10 Saturday, December 16 Sunday, December 17 Sunday, December 31
Thanksgiving Day Service 9:00 am Wreaths pick-up from Scout fund raiser Visit of St. Nicholas LI Baroque Concert 3:00 pm eVoco Women Concert 8:00 pm Lessons & Carols 4:00 pm First Volunteer Opportunity at HIHI
Date TBD Mr. Charles Dickens reads a Christmas Carol
Christmas Eve, December 24 4:00 pm
Christmas Pageant, followed by brief child-friendly Christmas Communion 10:00 pm Prelude of Christmas Music 10:30 pm Christmas Eve Eucharist
Christmas Day, December 25 10:00 am Christmas morning Eucharist
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