SUNDAY SERVICE INFORMATION 



Our current worship schedule is as follows:

8:00 AM Rite I Holy Eucharist Service

10:30 AM Rite II Holy Eucharist Service. This service will also be live streamed. 

Live Stream links can be found on our CEC Facebook Page and our CEC YouTube Page.

If you receive an email and/or text message from Fr. Richard or the Christ Episcopal Staff requesting money or gift cards please DO NOT RESPOND, instead, contact Fr. Richard or the staff directly. Thank you.

CHILDREN'S PERFORMANCE AND UNGREENING OF THE CHURCH

January 4, 2026

Our January 4 10:30 AM service will include a children's performance telling the story of the Epiphany.

Also on January 4, we will hold the Ungreening of the Church after the 10:30 service.

Join us!

EPIHPANY SERVICE



We will be having a Eucharist service to celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany on TUESDAY, January 6 at Noon. Join us as we celebrate the visitation of the magi to the newly-born king.

I would very much like this ministry to continue but I haven’t had much participation in the past 6 months. I know life gets busy and interests change. We might consider continuing this ministry virtually meaning you can complete your prayer shawls and cancer caps at home. The completed prayer shawls can be brought to church to be blessed and provided to those in need of comfort in our church community. The cancer caps will be donated when we have completed a larger supply. We also could plan to meet in person less, such as quarterly, if that works better. Our next monthly face-to-face meeting will be on Sunday, January 18 from 4:00 – 6:00 in the library. If you are interested in this ministry, please plan to attend or provide me your thoughts before our meeting. At present we have 8 completed prayer shawls and 3 cancer caps to donate to Dell Children’s. If you are currently working on shawls or caps, let me know. I hope to hear from you soon.

Mary Wybenga (303) 587-2373

Intercessors will be at the back of the church in the narthex to pray with anyone who would like special prayers during communion on Sundays. Often people will ask for prayers for healing for themselves or others, but any prayer request is welcomed. If you would like to pray with one of our prayer partners, you are encouraged to come forward for communion and then make your way to the narthex for additional prayers. If you have any questions about this ministry or are interested in becoming a prayer partner to pray with others, please contact Cindy Gravis or Fr. Richard.

If you would like to learn about other ways to financially contribute to the life and work of our parish, please contact our Treasurer.

And Mary Said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior..."

Luke 1:46-47 NRSV

Dear Christ Episcopal Family, 

Merry 9th Day of Christmas, as we continue to celebrate our Saviour's birth from Christmas Day through Epiphany, January 6th! The Greek word epiphany means "appearance" or "manifestation," and the holiday on the 6th commemorates the revelation of Christ's divinity, celebrating the manifestation of Jesus Christ to the world, particularly to the gentiles, represented by the Magi. It is the moment of profound realization that Christ has come for us all. What a wonderful thing to celebrate!

We hope and ask God's blessings for 2026 on you and your families and on Christ Episcopal as we move forward into a new year together. Our Stewardship pledge goal was $225,000 and 55 pledges for 2026, and we have now received $224,015 in pledges for 2026 with 47 pledges. We have never been this close to our goal before the end of a pledge campaign. 

You have been so good to Christ Episcopal. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!” We can never say it enough, and even our words are insufficient to acknowledge the many ways you have given to our church in your service to ministry, your service to the community, and your gifts to our church.

We hope you enjoy reading this week's Weekly Reflection, 'A Woven Prayer', by Mary Franklin, as she explains the love she has of things woven together to create warmth and beauty. We, too, are woven together as a parish family to love and warmly support each other, and we truly are a beautiful creation of the love we share.

Thank you for giving over $224,000 so far for the amazing work God has given us to do. If you have prayed and the Holy Spirit is guiding you to pledge, your gift will be used to share the warmth, beauty and love of this community. You may access pledge cards online HERE, or hard copies in the CEC Narthex and pews. Thank you for pledging with us. Thank you for giving. Thank you for praying. 

Your Stewardship Ministry

WEEKLY REFLECTION

A Woven Prayer, by Mary Franklin

“For the joy of ear and eye, for the Heart and mind’s delight,

for the mystic harmony linking sense to sound and sight,

Christ our God, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise,” -

Hymn “For the Beauty of the Earth”

I love fabric: the colors, the texture, the vast diversity of uses, and

all of the connections that are made because of these beautiful

possibilities. When I look back through the years of my life, bits of

fabric wrap many of my memories… silk samples from an aunt’s

decorating business, given to me to play with, in colors too beautiful

to cut up; scraps from garments my mother made, cottons and wool

and corduroy; a yo-yo bed cover another aunt made me, bright and

heavy, hugging me at night; someone’s crazy quilt, all silks and

velvets. These pieces, and so many more tied up in thread and yarn

and ribbon, shared and created by women to express their love.

As I sit in a pew in church surrounded by the symbols of the love

God has shown us in the words of our gospels, prayers, hymns, and

in the color and beauty of hangings and vestments around me, I can

feel the same kind of love wrapped around me.

When I was first given the opportunity to create a stole, and then a

chasuble, a frontal, banners, and paraments, I felt like finally I could

share some of the love I felt with those around me. God has gifted

us with so much beauty, so much color, and so very much love that,

for me, there are not enough words to express it all. But each piece

of fabric art and beauty is piece of prayer in process and a mite of

thanks for the blessings all around.

Questions for Reflection:

• What are your activities or hobbies that you see as prayerful, or offer you an opportunity to channel your prayers?

Mary Franklin is a lifelong Episcopalian with a love of and fascination for fabric, color and words, especially words of praise and gratitude.

CEC VESTRY MEETINGS

The Vestry usually meets on the third Monday of each month, at 7:00 p.m. Any congregant can attend a Vestry meeting and observe. Only Vestry members have voice and vote. Vestry meetings do become "closed" when discussing personnel issues or staff salaries. Vestry meets via Zoom. If you wish to attend, please notify Fr. Richard, and he will send you the Zoom link.

CEC Finances – Available in the Library

Quarterly financial statements are available on the bulletin board in the library following the vestry meeting.

Discipleship Group - This group meets the first and third Sunday of the month at 6:00 pm in the library. It includes study of the Sunday service gospel readings and is open to anyone wishing to participate. Please contact Bill Sterling at silverbillwes@gmail.com for more information.

The Senior Shepherds is a Service/Social organization at CEC. Anyone over the age of 50 in the church is welcome. We meet on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 11:45 am in the Library for a delicious Potluck meal and lively conversation. A short program normally follows the meal. We do various interesting and creative service projects for the church children and the local community; host exciting outside speakers; visit unusual local places and have occasional seminars for better living. Contact: Fr. Richard at rector@cectx.org for more information. 

The Prayer Shawl Ministry meets on the 3rd Sunday of every month from 4-6pm in the library. We knit, crochet and do various other needlework and sewing crafts to meet a known need in the community such as providing pretty and comfortable caps for cancer patients, providing crocheted and knitted prayer shawls for those in need of comfort in our church community. These items are made with prayer and much interesting conversation. They are blessed by Father Richard before being distributed. Learn to knit or crochet at our meetings. Teens are welcome. Contact Mary Wybenga.

The Tuesday Book Club is reading The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. They survived more than 50 years of exile and the soul-crushing violence of oppression. Despite their hardships or, as they would say, because of them, they are two of the most joyful people on the planet. Currently, we will be meeting from 10:30-12:00 in the Outreach Room. We have about 12 regulars that come and go as their schedules permit. All are welcome: men and women, younger and older adults, introverts and extroverts and everyone in between. We enjoy seeing new faces and hearing differing thoughts.

Questions, please contact Mary Wybenga at EJayW@msn.com or at 303-587-2373.

Choir Practice is held every Thursday at 2:30 PM in the sanctuary. Anyone who is interested in joining, or getting more information on our choir, is invited to attend a practice. Questions? Contact Dave Gravis.

Ministry to and with Infants/Toddlers and their Families.

We have three spaces available to minister to our youngest members and their families on Sunday mornings.



1. Our church nursery is open from 9:00 am to noon. The nursery is located in the Family Life Center. The nursery serves children through the age of 4 and is open every Sunday morning.
2. A “soft” play space is located in the back of the sanctuary where children will find a small selection of toys and parents will find rocking chairs.
3. A “cry room” is located above the sanctuary and accessed by the stairs in the narthex/lobby of the church. The cry room contains comfortable seats, toys, and a changing table.

Children who are attending the 10:30 service participate in the service with their parents until after the Collect (the Prayer of the Day). After the Collect, the officiant calls all the children to the altar. The Children’s minister will select one of the children to come forward to be the children’s crucifer, who will lead, and the others will follow the cross out of the church to the Family Life Center. Children return at approximately The Peace in time for the Communion Service. Lessons will focus on learning about either the Gospel or Epistle or one of the Prophets or Kings.

Volunteers assist with the crafts, songs, prayers, or playing Bible games. Once a month or quarter, the children will ‘perform’ a song, recite a prayer or Bible verse, or act out a Bible story for the congregation at the end of the announcements.

If you are one of the volunteers for this ministry, you will be asked to help once a month or once every other month on the same Sunday of the month so that it is easier to remember when your commitment is. Swapping is, of course, allowed. Please join us in our fun way of learning about our belief, our faith practices, and Bible stories that we all remember from our youth!

If you can volunteer, please contact Sarah Martinez.

During youth group meetings, Roots teens discuss Christian educational topics. Teens have input into the selection of topics. Teens also participate in Service Projects such as Trunk or Treat and the Easter Egg Hunt in Spring. Teens also vote on Social activities/outings. Events in the past have included visiting a hay maze, meeting at movie theaters, ice skating, touring Main Street Bethlehem, having parties, swimming, hiking, etc. Join us!

Contacts: Ruth Sobieralski and Fr. Richard

Let us know if you're having a birthday this month so we can celebrate with you. Be sure to come to church and get your birthday blessing!

Amy Hatzer, Emerson Oliver, Andy McDonald, Amalia Sterling, Fredrick Khoury, Reece Warner, Yen Liu, Cindy Wells, Joseph Brandimarte, Robert Sanders, Jonathan Miller, Susan Seewald, Dan Tolliver, John Willbanks, Everett Livingston, Nancy Norris, Helen Pelkey, Bob Thomas

All third party events held at the church are listed here. For parents, if at the church campus while the event(s) is taking place, children should be supervised by a trusted individual, as Safeguarded personnel / volunteers will not be present.

Upcoming Third Party Events:

AA Meeting - Wednesdays at 6:30 PM in the Library, Stone Building

ROCK Enrichment Academy - Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM, FLC and Grounds; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:00-12:30 PM, Stone Building

PEACE Homeschool Village - Fridays, 8:00 AM - 4:30, PM, FLC and Grounds