Christ Episcopal Church Mission Statement: The mission of the church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.

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.

Please note there WILL NOT be an adult Sunday school class this Sunday. Classes will resume on August 9, at 9:00 a.m., in the library. We will begin a three-week series on the Way of Love practice of Rest.

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.

The start of school is quickly approaching. We will have the annual Blessing of the Backpacks on Sunday, August 9, at both services. Everyone connected to schools, at all levels—students, teachers, staff—bring your backpacks for a prayer during the announcements. We will also have a special Community, Conversation, and Cookies following the 10:30 service to celebrate the start of the school year.

WALK IN LOVE WITH US AT AUSTIN PRIDE!

Episcopalians from across the Austin area will gather to celebrate our LGBTQ+ siblings on August 22. Join us for Eucharist at St David's Church at 6:00pm and walk together in the parade afterward starting at 8pm. We'll finish by 9pm. We need your help! Sign up here to let the organizers know you're coming and tell us if you'd like to help lead the worship service or with parade planning.

Please note we need 26 appointments over 4 hours in order for them to come so sign up now for August 23!

We are reinstituting quarterly Newcomer Lunches (NCL) to offer an informal opportunity to learn more about the church's history, ask questions, and begin to form relationships. Our first event is scheduled for Sunday, October 18, immediately following the 10:30

Worship. Anyone is invited to attend. You might be new to the Church; you might have been attending for a while but never had the chance to attend an NCL; or you might be a well-established member who would like to come to get to know our newcomers better.

In addition to the October lunch, there is another scheduled for

January 12, 2027. Two other dates are TBD. The plan is to hold an NCL once a quarter.

If you are interested in serving in this ministry and helping plan these events, there will be a sign-up sheet in the Narthex this Sunday. We will begin asking for RSVPs for the October event from those who want to attend as we get closer to the October date.

On July 20, our vestry gathered virtually for an important meeting focused on the mission and vision of Christ Episcopal Church. We began with a thoughtful prayer that honored social reformers, reminding us of our commitment to unity and service.

The meeting was marked by encouraging updates, including the joyful news of new friendships and healing among our members. 



Our discussions highlighted several key areas for improvement and growth. We talked about enhancing our music offerings, addressing the freshness of communion wine, and exploring a non-alcoholic option. The recent replanting efforts around the church grounds and the fun activities, like the watermelon event, were also celebrated. We also celebrated vestry member “Seed” work including the new car decals, new signs/posters in the display cases outside of the church, and participation in the 4th of July festival in Leander.

A significant focus of our meeting was on emergency preparedness. Laura presented findings from the medical emergency team regarding equipment and training needs, such as AEDs and first-aid kits. We finalized the document to be used as our Safety and Security Risk Assessment checklist (huge shout out to Patrick Wines for sharing his expertise in creating this very helpful format to guide our work!)  Subcommittees will continue to be working on the sections related to their focus areas. We’re committed to ensuring the safety of our congregation and will continue these discussions to implement effective guidelines and training. 

Looking ahead, we have several events on the calendar, including the Blessing of the Backpacks and our upcoming Blood Drive. The vestry is committed to making our church a welcoming space while ensuring safety and effective operations, including a summer audit.

Special thanks to Sandee for providing refreshments at our Community, Conversations, and Cookies event, and to all who are helping to make this such a welcoming and vital ministry in our church.  Your contributions are vital to our mission.

We look forward to our next meeting on August 17, where we will continue to work together in faith and community. Thank you for being an essential part of our journey!

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

CEC VESTRY MEETINGS

The Vestry usually meets on the third Monday of each month, at 6:30 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.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind.” Luke 10:27

CEC Vision: “We are a vibrant, Spirit-filled community celebrating God’s love and seeking wholeness in heart, soul, strength, and mind.”

Parent’s Corner

Christ Episcopal Church (CEC) has adopted the Living Compass Model of Well-Being as one of the tools that guides and supports the implementation of our vision statement. It is the compass we use to assist us in our search for wellness and balance both individually and as a congregation.

The “compass” points toward the four (4) dimensions of our being: heart, soul, strength, and mind. These dimensions are interconnected. Thus, whatever impacts one dimension - either positively or negatively - impacts the other dimensions. A change in one area of our lives can - and probably will - impact the other areas of our lives. By choosing to make faith the compass that guides all the areas of our lives, we are better able to realign and experience balance, wellness, and wholeness in both our being and our doing.

Parents understand that their wellness and the wellness of their families is multidimensional. Over the next several months, the Parent’s Corner will be focusing on one of the Living Compass dimensions - heart, soul, strength, and mind - and one of the eight areas of parent and family wellness.

Topics will include:

Heart

• Healthy relationships
• Handling emotions

Soul

• Spirituality
• Rest and play

Strength

• Stress resilience
• Care for the body

Mind

• Organization
• Work and school

As we start on this journey, something to note: the words health, healing, wholeness, and holy are all derived from the same Old English root word - hal or haelen.

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. 

PLEASE NOTE SR. SHEPHERDS WILL NOT BE MEETING IN JULY AND AUGUST. MEETINGS WILL RESUME IN SEPTEMBER.

The Tuesday Book Club is reading The Meaning of Jesus, Two Visions by Marcus J. Borg and N. T. Wright. For the summer we will be meeting at 10:30 AM in the Library. 

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.

Please join us for Sunday Worship:

8:00 AM Rite I Holy Eucharist Service

9:00 AM Adult Forum Class (Library)

10:30 AM Rite II Holy Eucharist Service

Please visit our website (cectx.org) for more information.

Mission: The mission of the church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.

Vision: We are a vibrant, Spirit-filled community celebrating God’s love and seeking wholeness in heart, soul, strength, and mind.

Core Values: Wellness of being, Connecting and supporting, Diverse yet belonging, Beauty of all creation.

LEAD Values: Caring, Community, Prayerful, Serving, Inclusivity

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LEAD Purpose Statement: The purpose of Christ Episcopal Church is to be an authentic, liturgical worshiping community that strives to love God and our neighbors through welcoming, caring, and serving.

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.

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

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