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.

On December 6, 2025, the Wellness Commission will host its annual Advent Retreat in the Family Life Center from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. This year's topic is Practicing Generosity with all your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind. Registration is open online and there is a sign up sheet in the Narthex. There is a $5.00 registration fee to help with materials, breakfast and lunch. Devotional books are available. $1.00 per copy donation requested.

Questions? contact Linda Dozier lddoz931@gmail.com or 512-925-2103.

This year’s Angel Tree will be in the narthex on November 30th and December 7th. Please take a set of tags, leave the white tag in the basket provided, and return gifts (unwrapped in a Christmas bag) by December 14th. These recipients are all residents of local senior care facilities who have no family. Please help bring some Christmas cheer to these folks.

There will be no prayer shawl meeting the remainder of the year. Please continue your knit and crocheted projects and we will reconvene in person in the new year. Our next meeting will be Sunday, January 18.

Barbara Strauss and I hope that the previous Formation articles have inspired you to find ways to live into a deeper faith in Christ. In those articles I quoted Dallas Willard’s book Renovation of the Heart. I provided ideas on how to trust in God, described how God’s Grace is an all- powerful presence in our daily lives and suggested we ponder the question, “How do you reflect God to others?”

Another quote from Dallas Willard’s book says, “The greatest need you and I have – the greatest need of collective humanity – is renovation of our heart.” When the author says this is our greatest need, he’s pointing to the root of all our problems, not just their symptoms. War, hatred, addiction, pride, injustice, and apathy - these all grow from hearts disordered and disconnected from God.

The “heart” here isn’t just emotion - it’s the spiritual center of a person, the seat of will, affection, intention, and moral reasoning. To say we need renovation of the heart means we need more than moral improvement or better habits; we need a new inner reality - a

transformation that only God can accomplish. This renovation is what Ezekiel 36:26 prophesies: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you …”. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Jesus in Luke 6:45 says, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart…for the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Our outlook (how we see life),

choices (what we value and decide), and actions (how we behave) are all fruits of what’s rooted in the heart. Thus, if the root is diseased, the fruit cannot be healthy.

Our hearts are “formed” daily - through the media we consume, the cultural values around us, our family systems, education and entertainment, and personal wounds and experiences. These things can subtly teach us to prioritize self over God. The result is a

distorted inner life: anxious, self-protective, prideful, and detached from divine love. We are constantly being formed, either by the world or by the Spirit. Transformation - not simply behavior modification - is what Jesus offers. It’s the ongoing process of becoming like Christ, through his Spirit working within us. Jesus speaks of this in John 3

when He tells Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” Paul describes it in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” This transformation is both a divine work (God’s Spirit changing us) and a human cooperation (our yielding, obedience, and willingness to be reshaped).

In essence renovation of the heart reminds us that Christianity isn’t about managing sin from the outside, but about being made new from the inside. Renovation of the heart means surrendering the inner patterns formed by the world and allowing God to build in their place faith, humility, compassion, and love. Examples of Heart Renovation in Scripture:

• David, a man after God’s own heart, still prayed: “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” (Psalm 51:10)
• Saul, who persecuted Christians, had his heart radically transformed by Jesus — becoming Paul, a tireless apostle of grace and truth.
• The prodigal son came to his senses not when his circumstances changed, but when his heart turned back to his father.

Today, renovation of the heart might involve:

• Replacing pride with humility
• Letting go of bitterness for forgiveness
• Moving from anxiety to trust
• Reordering desires toward what pleases God
• Becoming people of love, truth, and holiness

This renovation happens gradually, through abiding in Christ, reading Scripture, praying, community involvement and daily yielding to God’s presence. Be patient with yourself and others as we strive together for the renovation of our hearts.

Mary Wybenga

Vestry Formation Subcommittee

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.

Stewardship News - Ingathering Sunday Was Amazing!

Blessings and Greetings from your Stewardship Ministry. 

Last Sunday, November 16th, was Ingathering Sunday where we gathered together as a church community and family, and celebrated our blessings by offering back a portion of the blessings God has given us. Our pledges were placed on the altar to be blessed along with the bread and the wine of the Eucharist. God has been so good to us, and we want to shout to the world that we are a grateful people, happy to 'Go forth, to love and serve the Lord, Hallelujah, Hallelujah', with the Lord our God as our Friend and Father. It was an amazing weekend, with the Fall Festival to kick things off on Saturday, and our beloved Ingathering tradition on Sunday. 

Thank you to all who lovingly gave your gifts of Treasure. We will use that Treasure to further God's Kingdom on earth and continue to 'Tell Out Our Souls' through our source of strength and sanctuary. We do so much more together and God will multiply those gifts as we serve Him and one another.

As our author this week, Bruce Neswick, shares with us, there is a hymn called 'Tell Out My Soul', which we sang (the original 1962 version) for the Ingathering Processional. We had never sung it before, but the words were beautiful and moving, mirroring Mary's words....and 'by His might, powers and dominions of the world lay aside their glory....He takes care of feeding the hungry and lifting the humble' and we, too, in obedience to God do this by the love we share with the world as Christ Episcolpal Church. 

Thank you for sharing by pledging with us.Thank you for giving. Thank you for praying. Thank you for following Mary's example in Luke 1:46. If you have not yet given, there are pledge cards online HERE, and hard copies in the CEC Narthex and pews. What you give is between you and the Lord and through prayer, ask the Holy Spirit to meet you and guide you as we work together, as Bruce Neswick says, 'to amplify the Gospel, lift people up, and bring them into the fold'.

Thank you for your gift!

Your Stewardship Ministry

WEEKLY REFLECTION

Music that Moves You

An Interview By the Very Rev. Julia McCray Goldsmith

Everyone loves the hymn version of “Tell Out My Soul.” It’s just so singable, and also so central to how we think about church. Stewardship may be about nuts and bolts, but—like everything we do in church—it needs theological context. The Magnificat beautifully supports a generous theology. There is an innate beauty to what Mary is saying, but it is framed within an expectation of justice and equality. Her words are a Gospel imperative. Church music should always be like that: it should grab people where we are and take us to a new place. Through the music, the message gets into our souls and minds and hearts, where we can’t get rid of it.

I was a childhood church nerd who felt called to music ministry from a young age. I’ve been fortunate to have worked in many fabulous places, and each place opened up new horizons for me. I’ve had to be open to each parish and their traditions, which means that I was learning as much as I was teaching. I feel especially grateful to my home parish in in Kennewick, Washington. They took the risk of having me serve as their music director while I was still in high school!

Church musicians have a strange and mysterious gift. It can’t be seen, and people can’t always tell you what they’ve received, but I know that they do. All of our arts “tell out” what our bodies and souls are doing, but music has a pride of place. Alignment to the liturgy is what makes it principal. And because of this, music serves to deepen community and strengthen commitment. It builds energy around belonging to each other. If we’re not doing that as church musicians, then why are we doing it? Our work is to amplify the Gospel, lift people up, and bring them into the fold. 

Questions for Reflection:

•  Music is one way that we tell story and align our words and actions, what are others that you have experienced or practice? How do you engage your creative efforts with your story?

After having served several parishes and cathedrals over the course of a half century, Bruce Neswick now works in “semi-retirement” as the Artist-in-Residence at St. James by-the-Sea, La Jolla, California.

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

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 will meet at CEC Tuesday, Dec. 2, 9, and 16. We will not meet Dec. 23. Merry Christmas! We will meet at CEC Tuesday, Dec 30 in the Outreach room. If the school is off for the holidays we can meet in the Library.

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 Lea Melvin.

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

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