Christ Church Weekly Newsletter
This Sunday - The First Sunday after Pentecost
Trinity Sunday
"Glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; *
we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever."

~ Canticle 13 ~
Friends,

This Sunday we will be meeting in-person in our sanctuary! This is an exciting time as it appears we are rounding the corner on the COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, we are not out of the woods yet but as of now Spotsylvania, according to our health markers, is at 6.4 new cases per 100k people, which is well below the 25 new cases per 100k that was the original target for regathering indoors.

Because of this, we will be regathering in the following manner:

  1. We will not have sign ups anymore. If you want to attend services in-person please come.
  2. During the month of June we will have a single service at 10:30 a.m.. We will transition to our full service schedule--8:00 a.m. Rite I and 10:30 a.m. Rite II--on July 4.
  3. If you are fully vaccinated you do not need to wear a mask. To be considered fully vaccinated one must: have received both doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine OR the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine AND waited 2 weeks after the final dose.
  4. If you are not vaccinated, or are partially vaccinated, please wear a mask or consider attending services virtually until you are fully vaccinated. We have children 18 and under who are either in the process of getting vaccinated or have not yet been vaccinated (two of my children are in this category). I know a significant majority of our congregation is either fully vaccinated or almost fully vaccinated but, as I said above, we are not out of the woods yet and COVID is still being transmitted among people who have not yet received the vaccine.
  5. Singing will be allowed, both congregational and choral.
  6. We will have a bulletin but the bulletin will be more like it was pre-COVID. We will have an outline of the service, with the readings as inserts, but we will use the Book of Common Prayer again. A link to both the bulletin and the online Book of Common Prayer will be provided for those who choose to attend virtually.
  7. We will have coffee hour outdoors, at the front of the Church after the service.

What is really interesting about this time is that it is both exciting and a bit unnerving. Even though I am fully vaccinated I am still a bit hesitant to go into crowds without a mask. This might be your feeling as well. We all need to make this transition from pandemic to post-pandemic in a way that is comfortable for us. We also need to continue to look out for each other. If you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to contact me.

God's peace and blessing be with you!

Your brother in Christ,
Fr. Daniel, O.P.A.

For the Human Family (BCP, 815)

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.

Sunday Worship

To attend services online use the link below:

Meeting ID: 995 3025 3205
Passcode: 004955


  • Isaiah 6:1-8
  • Romans 8:12-17
  • John 3:1-17
  • Psalm 29

Weekday Worship

During the Summer we will adjust our schedule for the Daily Office. We will say the Daily Office, including Centering Prayer, on Wednesdays using the schedule below:


Centering Prayer is a method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer, prayer in which we experience God's presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. This method of prayer is both a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship. (from  Contemplative Outreach).

PLEASE take a few moments to read the announcements below. 
The Thrift Shop will reopen on July 1. Needless to say we are very excited to move back to the shop and resume operations. If you would like to volunteer at the Thrift Shop please contact Michelle Spina at MichelleSpina2@gmail.com. Any kind of help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Chalice Bearer (now known as Eucharist Minister). Now that we are returning to church worship services, a training for Eucharistic Ministers (EM) will be offered. An EM is licensed for three years by the bishop to administer the consecrated elements at a Holy Eucharist service. The EM is “a confirmed communicant in good standing, faithful in worship and in stewardship, mature in faith, and of good repute in the congregation.” If you have any questions and/or feel God is calling you to this ministry, please email Deacon Margaret at margarethaight78@gmail.com. 

Education Sunday will be held June 13 during our regular worship service. We will be honoring our 2020 and 2021 graduates. Please fill out the form by clicking here  or contact Jill Bates at wenger1986@msn.com. We want to celebrate you!  

Estate Sale for Joan Gere. Joan Gere is moving and will be having an estate sale on May 29 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at her home. Her address is 10814 Chatham Ridge Way, Spotsylvania 22551--Fawn Lake. She will be selling furniture, antiques, household goods, tapes, and more. At the gate say you are from Christ Church and going to the Estate Sale and they will let you in.

Rector's Vacation. Fr. Daniel will be taking some time off in June. He will be off from June 14 - June 29. If you have any pastoral issues please contact The Rev Deacon Margaret Haight at margarethaight78@gmail.com.

Iconography in the Orthodox Church. Come and join us on June 12 at 10:00 a.m. as we learn about the history, styles, and usages of icons in the Orthodox Church. Our presenter is Fr. John C. Katsoulis, the priest and pastor at Nativity of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church. Fr. John will walk us through the importance of icons in Orthodox spirituality and how icons are used to help one attain a closer relationship with God. Fr. John will live stream his presentation from inside Nativity of the Theotokos so you will get to see an example of how icons are displayed in an Orthodox Church and their importance in worship. Click here to register. We look forward to seeing you at this online event!

Altar Flowers. Due to COVID many florists are having trouble getting reliable shipments of flowers. Because of this, many florists are hesitant to take special orders and, at times, the flowers received are not in great shape when they arrive. Our Altar Guild will try to accommodate all altar flower requests but because these circumstances are out of our control we might not be able to accommodate every request. Thank you for your understanding!

Forward Day by Day is available in the Communications Center. If you would like to a copy, either small or large print, grab one after service; or, if you need one brought to you let Fr. Daniel know at rector@christchurchspotsy.com.

Signup for Diocesan E-news. The Diocese of Virginia invites our parishioners to signup for diocesan e-news. The diocesan e-news has taken on even greater importance since the diocese discontinued the printing of the Virginia Episcopalian. For many parishioners, the quarterly magazine was their primary way to hear news of the larger church and to experience their connection to other churches in the diocese. 

In the newly redesigned e-Communiqué, some of the storytelling and features that parishioners enjoyed in the magazine will still be incorporated, but without the lag time and the hefty price tag that comes with traditional print publications.

Traveling Cross. Christ Church now has a traveling cross. We are re-purposing a cross found outside the Great Hall leaning against the steps. It was first used as one of the Stations of the Cross at Easter. What we would like to do is take the cross to different settings around the community to photograph it with people or people and their pets. If you would like to have your photo taken with the cross, please contact Donna Hockaday at hockaday1@comcast.net. After I gather a few photos I will post them on the Church Facebook page as well as the Spirituality Center Facebook page and will continue to do so as long as people want to be photographed. Perhaps when we are able to return to gather in person in the Great Hall we can have a display of the photos.

As a people of prayer, we ask your prayers for Pam Alsop, Julie Barlow, Wes Bell, Mike, Kara, Tyler, Carson, and Berkeley Ayres, Chris, Alissa, and Emilia Bledsoe, Grace Brooks, Elizabeth Britt, Robin Bruckner, Amy Bumgardner, Jennifer Campbell, Christopher, Danny Clark, Martha and Patrick Clark, Rob Clark, Dale Cochran, Sarah Consolati, Jennifer Coppola, Marc Curto, Marilyn Dodson, Jim Drake, Bernice and John Easley, Staci Erwin, Bill Evans, Karen Ford, Joan Gere, Mark Gianfelice, Maryann Gianfelice, Brenda Grady, Rodney Jackson, Suzanne Magin Graves, Bob Gregory, Delma Gonzalez, Bruce Hopkins, Lindsey Huddle, Cecil Jarman, Rochelle Kincade, April Knaus, Cliff Knepp, Nick Knepp, Mable Lacy, Jenny LeBlanc and family, Cora Lunsford, Daniel Moran, Charlene Makovski, Beverly McNeill, John Miller, Devan Moran, Nodie Murphy, Adam Murray, Ed O'Connor, Judi Oliver, Heather O'Neill, Joan Palmer, Missy Pixton, Linda Rooney, Harry Ruth, Liduino Santos, Clyde Shipp, Daisy Shirley, Corrie, Jane Shumaker, Nancy Sloan, Mark Smith, Emmalie Spina, T.C. Spwell, Von Staiger, Carol Stanlye, Linda Stastny and family, Jeanette Stewart, Christine Strait, Mary Ann Svare, Diane Tanner, Barbara Thacker, Sheila Tiffany, Sue Ann Thomas, Barbara Ulrich, Hazel Vance, Mary Walkowiak, Noah White, Sarah White, Sandra Williams, Elaine Wyant, Tim Zafrano. (New names added are bolded.)

If you would like to have your name or the somebody else's name added to our published Prayer List or to our unpublished Prayer Wheel please contact The Rev. Deacon Margaret Haight at margarethaight78@gmail.com.  

Those celebrating birthdays this month. Alison Bareford 05/07; Wilna Jo Christensen 05/24; Pat Clark 05/16; Colby Jeffries Clifford 05/20; Thomas Davis Jr. 05/08; Elizabeth Garnett 05/31; Joan Gurniak 05/26; Connie Hauer 05/03; Michael Hauer 05/03; Missie Jarman 05/10; Ellen Joan Johnson 05/14; Hannah Massey 05/25; Michael C. Mills 05/12; Sean Alan Mills 05/08; Judi O'Neill 05/09; Jenna Maris Phillips 05/31; Ken Ramsey 05/13; Michelle Ruth 05/06; Rachel Stockli 05/12; Werner Wieland 05/29; Angela Doren Wienckowski 05/10; Anne Williams 05/28; Lisa Rae Wright 05/2 Sue Ann Thomas 05/27 (if your birthday is missing from the list please email secretary@christchurchspotsy.com) 

Book Group. The Sunday we will conclude our study of the gnostic tradition. We will focus on the questions: What have we learned from the gnostic texts we've read? How have these texts influenced our understanding of the canonical gospels? How can we use these texts to cultivate our own spirituality? We will also address any lingering questions that we have not addressed over the past couple of months.

Join Book Study

Meeting ID: 936 1956 5288
Passcode: 128254

Bible Study. We will take a break from Bible Study during the months of June through August and regather on September 7. Thanks to all Bible nerds who have attended over the past year! You have made the experience of reading the Bible so engaging, enriching, and challenging!

Amazon Smile. Remember you can donate to Christ Church by shopping on Amazon Smile. When you make eligible purchases on Amazon Smile 0.5% will be donated to Christ Church. Thank you! 

To set Christ Church as your charity:
  1. Sign in to smile.amazon.com on your desktop or mobile phone browser.
  2. From your desktop, go to Your Account from the navigation at the top of any page, and then select the option to Change your Charity. Or, from your mobile browser, select Change your Charity from the options at the bottom of the page.
  3. Select Christ Episcopal Church.

You can also support Christ Church in the Amazon shopping app on iOS and Android mobile phones. To do so:

  1. Open the Amazon Shopping app on your device
  2. Go into the main menu of the Amazon Shopping app and tap into 'Settings'
  3. Tap 'AmazonSmile' and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process
The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our own image.

Thomas Merton
Christ Episcopal Church
8951 Courthouse Road
Spotsylvania, VA 22553