Welcome to the web page for Christ Church Washington Parish, DC

8:15 am	Holy Eucharist followed by Breakfast
9:45 am	Adult Forum (Parish Hall)
11:00 am	The Holy Eucharist Rite II --- Sunday School (Upper Rooms)
12:00 pm	Coffee hour in the parish hall

The Final Version of the Vestry's five year strategic plan for Christ Church is now available. The plan's purpose is to provide a vision for what we hope Christ Church will be and become by the end of 2012 - and to set out a road map for realizing that vision. The plan is available in two formats: MSWord and Adobe pdf.

Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus said, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, `Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, `Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those at his left hand, `You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, `Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' Then he will answer them, `Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

The Collect for
Last Sunday after Pentecost:
Christ the King
Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well¯beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Today, the twenty-eighth and last Sunday after Pentecost, brings to a conclusion the great – perhaps long is a better word for it – season of time after Pentecost. For that matter, it brings to an end the entire cycle of the church year. Next week at this time, on the First Sunday of Advent, we will find ourselves in a brand-new church year.

In some church circles, the season of time after Pentecost that we have just concluded is called “ordinary time,” perhaps to distinguish it from the string of extra-ordinary events in the life of Christ and the Church recounted in the liturgical calendar from Advent to Pentecost. After all, not much seems to happen during the time after Pentecost. There are few, if any, great feasts or fasts of the Church. And the liturgical color remains standard-issue green for months on end.

But the time after Pentecost has traditionally been a good opportunity for study and reflection in the life of the Church. And that in itself is significant. For while folks sometimes tease that Episcopalians do not read or study the Bible, the reality is that our worship is firmly grounded in scripture, and perhaps never more so than in the time after Pentecost. This past year, for instance, in our Sunday lessons we have been reading the Gospel of Matthew pretty much straight through. Ditto for several other books of the Bible, including Paul’s Letter to the Romans, one of the seminal works of the New Testament and our Christian faith. So while these long months of time after Pentecost are sometimes thought of as down time at Church, they are anything but.

Ordinary time may have another sense to it as well when we consider that we are today still living in the time after Pentecost – quite literally. Let’s see. If the original Pentecost occurred about the year AD 33, give or take, that would make about one thousand nine hundred and seventy-five years of Sundays after Pentecost. So, if the math is right, we have already surpassed the one hundred thousandth Sunday after Pentecost. That is a lot of ordinary time in the ordinary lives of ordinary people like all of usp>

But that is also a lot of sanctification. Some pretty extraordinary things have happened during these ordinary times. Great saints have inspired us with their learning and holiness. Bishops, rectors, priests, and deacons have come and gone at thousands of cathedrals and churches near and far. Important movements and reforms have arisen in the Church and brought people closer to Christ.

And we have been born, baptized, fed at the Lord’s Table, and lived out our lives and common faith together. We have fed the hungry – if we have heeded today’s gospel account from Matthew. We have given drink to the thirsty, and clothing to the naked. We have tended the sick and visited the prisoner. We have helped others on their journeys and in their struggles. Not once or twice, but day in and day out. Not bad – for being ordinary people in ordinary times.

Truth is: nothing is ever really ordinary about God’s plan for us. Not our birth. Not our life. Not our work. Not our family or friends. And certainly not our death. As humorist Garrison Keillor might say, “We are all above average in the eyes of God,” every last one of us. For in everything we are and do, we share in the very life of God. And that is pretty extraordinary. Just ask anyone.

As we now bring to a close our liturgical ordinary time, listen carefully to the story of God’s extraordinary love for us as recounted in scripture and in our prayers and hymns. Celebrate the extraordinary in your own life, and know that the uncommon gift of God’s love is yours in every ordinary moment of time.

For when God’s amazing work of salvation is over, and when the last star has dimmed, God’s love will persevere, and our faith and deeds in this time and place will remain forever extraordinary and real. And from eternity, as our Gospel account assures us, “The king will say … ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’

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Quilting every Monday night. Contact Linda Mellgren or Andrea Harles through the Church office.
Money Matters
$1,600 is the cost per day to operate Christ Church

Dollars & Cents (Plate & Pledge Offerings YTD):
Budgeted YTD:    $230,000
Received YTD:     $226,835
Received 11/14:     $4,626

Child Care is always offered in the nursery and is available for younger children every Sunday beginning at 8:15am

Raffle Tickets for the 2008 Quilt are available on Sunday. Please buy some for yourself and take some to sell. The proceeds from the Quilt raffle support Episcopal Relief and Development's efforts on behalf of the Millennium Development Goals to end extreme poverty worldwide.
Sunday School is at 8:15am and 11am. All 8:15 students will meet in the first nursery room. The Preschool Sunday School Class will continue with the story of Daniel and the lions' den. Painting and coloring will be done of the lions and the den. The children will learn "Jesus Loves the Little Children".
Click here to read a message from the Senior Warden about the process leading to the call of our 28th rector. Click here to see some photos of Judith's last day with us as Rector

We give thanks for the following who celebrate their birthdays this month: Sue Alford, Marcia Auberger, Bina Beghè, Courtney Coyle, Bill Doggett, Stephanie Fischer, Max Giesecke, John Jameson, Clara Kasik, Carol Knight, Barbara Laymon, Rebecca MacPherson, Dave McCahan, Reilly McClure, Norm Metzger, Brandon Nagy, Lauren Nagy, Randy Norton, Thomas Norton, Sharon Payne, Sara Rimensnyder, Joseph Shaffer, Marcia Stroud, Emily Symington, Allison Van Horn, and Anna Proctor Young.
Non-Perishable Food Donations
Our Adult Forum Guests from Capitol Hill Group Ministry and the Church of the Brethren Soup Kitchen last Sunday stated that the need for food donations is increasing here on the Hill. We have a Food Chest in the back of the Sanctuary near the organ and will have a food basket in the Parish Hall. Martha has asked us to please bring canned or non- perishable food every Sunday and place it in either place for distribution to a local Food Bank

Capitol Hill Group Ministry's Social Service Office has been consolidated with the Potomac Garden Office. Their address is 1227 G Street SE and their new phone is 202.548.0548.

The Monday Night Theology Class will be discussing Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barak Obama. We will be seeking insight into the experiential and religious foundations of our President-Elect. The discussion will begin on November 24 and continue on the subsequent three Mondays.

The Adult Forum will focus on outreach activities in the Capitol Hill community and around the world in November. Next Sunday, November 30, Gary Abrecht, a member of the Board of Directors of the Capitol Hill Community Foundation will discuss the Foundation's activities in support of the neighborhood's educational and social service organizations, and Janice Gordon, a member of the Board of Directors of the Community Action Group, will discuss that organization's work to assist the homeless and substance abusers in their personal struggle to rehabilitate themselves and aid their re- entry into society's mainstream as productive citizens.

Dr. John Thompson, Director of the DC Aging and Disability Resource Center invites seniors and those who provide care to seniors to a Medicare Enrollment Seminar on December 2, 2008 from 10am - 1pm at 441 4th Street NW, Washington DC. The seminar, we will provide Medicare beneficiaries with assistance in comparing Medicare Part D plans. The Medicare Open Enrollment Period is November 15 - December 31, 2008. This means that Medicare beneficiaries are able to make changes to their Medicare Part D plans during this time only.

St. Mark's Capitol Hill invites you to their Advent Lectures exploring the theme "Living the Real Miracle of Christmas Today" with their Theologian-in-Residence, the Reverend Canon Tony Barnard, retired Canon Theologian of Lichfield Cathedral, UK Sunday, December 14: "The History and Mission of a Modern Cathedral Church" following the 11:15 service with Pub Lunch before the lecture. Tuesday, December 16: "Handling the Bible in Today's World", 7 p.m.

There is Hunger on Capitol Hill. Near the organ at the back of the Sanctuary is a chest which willingly accepts non-perishable food stuffs. It was recently emptied and the food was given to Friendship House. In the past, Outreach has given the contents to Pleasant Lane Baptist Church also. Please bring a can or box of food on Sunday so CCWP can continue to both Food Pantries, helping to alleviate some hunger. Contact Carol Knight through the Church office.

Volunteers needed to purchase groceries for making homeless lunches for summer and subsequent months Sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board. Cost is reimbursable up to $100. Groceries usually cost a bit more than that. Linda Mellgren will provide you with the list and answer any questions. Questions? Contact Linda through the Church office.