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Waiting for the urge to migrate back to California: Rusty the adolescent Allen's hummingbird, enjoying the December sun this week in our box elder tree. Photo by Alex Howell. | |
Dear Ones of Christ Church,
As we enter these last days of Advent, I am increasingly aware of the practice of waiting. Waiting each morning for Rusty the rare over-wintering western hummingbird to come to our heated feeder (yes, for those who heard my sermon back in October that featured Rusty, he is indeed still here, weathering snowstorms and sub-freezing temperatures)...
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Christmas Flowers and Musicians
If you wish to remember or honor a loved one or give in thanksgiving, you may do so by sponsoring the flowers and guest musicians for our Christmas services. The form will be included with the weekend bulletins or you can download it below. In order to have your memorial listed in the Christmas bulletins, please return the form by Sunday, December 21.
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Update and Thank You!: Advent Special Collection
A huge thank you to all who donated to Christ Church's Advent special collection. Your generous gifts totaled $2,250.30, and an anonymous donor also contributed $500 in grocery store gift cards.
The above donations made the following possible:
- $1500 in grocery store gift cards are being sent to 25 parishioner households
- The remaining $1,250.30 is being deposited to the rector's discretionary fund, which provides financial assistance to parishioners and our neighbors in need in the wider Plymouth community
Thank you for the ways you brightly shine Christ's light.
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Grief Retreat Day
Saturday, January 10, 2026 9 AM – 4 PM
Blessed are they who mourn,…
(Matthew 5:4)
The holidays can be a very difficult time for those grieving the loss of a loved one whether that loss is recent or occurred a long time ago. Memories live on, grief persists. Christ Church is offering a grief retreat day, for men and women alike, where participants will have the opportunity to share their grief story, receive support, get information on ways to cope, and may, through prayer and meditation, find new strength and hope to continue on their healing journey. By acknowledging your sorrow, you will learn to recognize the grace that is guiding you through recovery and to a redefined identity.
9:00 AM – The day begins with Morning Prayer in the Sanctuary, Rev. Melissa presiding.
Sharing, meditation, and learning about grief – all sessions in the dining room and upstairs.
Noon – Noonday Prayer followed by lunch (provided).
Guided meditation and learning to pray during grief.
4:00 PM – Close of day.
The day is being facilitated by parishioners Margery Buckingham and Ann Fowler both of whom are experienced in the field. Any questions? Contact those below.
RSVP (as soon as possible or by January 4th) to Margery Buckingham 617-710-0174 / morganbuckingham@msn.com , or Ann Fowler 207-751-2004 / dafowler2@comcast.net , or Louise Woodruff 508-380-2922 / Lwoodr1451@aol.com.
| | | Stewardship at Christ Church | |
Did you know?
Our 2026 budget depends on $305,000 in pledges.
Our total anticipated expenses are over $476,000 covering:
- A full-time rector
- A part-time music director, organist, administrator, sexton, and cleaners
- Building maintenance, utilities, insurance, church supplies, and hospitality
What our pledges look like of December 14, 2025
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Total number of pledging households thus far: 85
- Total amount received thus far: $213,497,000
- Median pledge: $2,511.00/yr (about $43.00/week)
The Gap
- We have an estimated $37,000 shortfall for 2026, made up through:
- Loose plate offerings
- AA rental income
- Share of Thrift Shoppe proceeds totaling 50% (remaining 50% supports Outreach programs)
- Special gifts and bequests
- 5% draw from out investments
Pledges remain our most reliable source of support.
Belong to two churches? Share your giving proportionally – based on your time in each place and the actual needs of each community.
Please know that we are grateful for your ongoing support. It makes a difference! When you give to Christ Church, you are not just keeping the lights on – you are helping to keep hope alive in Plymouth and beyond.
Resource Committee
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From Your Nominating Committee: A Season of Discernment
The Nominating Committee has begun meeting, and while nominations for vestry and other leadership positions will not officially open until January, we invite all parishioners, in this Advent season of making space, to discern whether you might want to offer your gifts as a nominee for vestry, deanery representative, or delegate to convention. One of our committee members may approach you and ask you to pray about being a nominee for a particular role or roles. We will answer any questions you have about these roles and will provide you with information to aid in your discernment. We will share more information as the official nomination season approaches. Thank you for your prayerful consideration!
Your Nominating Committee,
Melissa Howell, Robb Pflock, David Greene, Kat LiBretto, Makenzie Manchester
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Youth Group and Youth Formation
The next meeting for Youth Group will be held Friday, December 19th in the Parish Hall at 5:30.
Join us for a Yankee Swap and Christmas Cheer!
Youth Group will meet December 19th for a meal, some games and a Yankee Swap. Please bring a new, wrapped gift under $15.00 for the swap. I will have some extra gifts on hand in case someone forgets! This will be a fun way to say “Goodbye” to 2025, and “Welcome” to 2026!
This week we are back to our regular Formation class. Please join us in Reverend Melissa’s office at 9:00 am.
Our discussions will be facilitated by Alex Manchester and Becky Metzger. Please reach out to Becky at radmetzger@gmail.com with any questions.
We hope to see you there!
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Notes from the Vestry meeting of December 10th, 2025
Please note that ALL vestry meeting minutes are posted on the bulletin board outside our parish office following their approval at the subsequent vestry meeting.
- Vestry reviewed and voted to approve the November minutes.
- A bonus of $2,500 has been approved for Lea Tyler's extra work as both director and accompanist while we were in between organists.
- Rev. Melissa shared what she sees as some big picture priorities for the coming years, including:
- repair and maintenance needed on the church
- being attentive to the congregation’s health and sustainability and the health and sustainability of our lay leaders, staff, and clergy as we continue to grow
- tending the growth that is occurring in our Christian education programs for children, youth and adults, and continuing to look for ways to support families in this regard.
- a capital campaign to address the above mentioned needs to repair our building, and possibly help fund a second priest to minister with us and help us grow
- The nominating committee has had their third meeting. Nomination forms will be available in January.
- A fund-raising policy was proposed and approved.
- The Mass State Police and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency hosted a seminar on Safety and Security for Faith Based Institutions on Nov. 18th at Gillette Stadium, attended by senior warden Robb Pflock. Vestry voted to sign up for a free security assessment for the parish.
- Elevator vent to roof installed
- Ray and David have been working with Petro to resolve heat issues in the Parish Hall.
- Jeff Metcalf has completed a plan for accessibility ramp at the St. Francis Garden entrance. We can now get estimates for work to be done.
- Fall cleanup completed.
- Vestry reviewed and voted to approve the 2026 budget.
- Vestry voted to approve an additional $30,000 ($10,000 per month for Jan-March 2026) to be taken from the endowment to allow adequate cash flow.
- Vestry voted to approve Rector’s housing allowance for 2026.
- Vestry voted to approve $500 from the Thrift Shoppe’s outreach fund to be donated to Plymouth for All for the MLK Day remembrance in January.
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Christ Church Thrift Shoppe
As the Christ Church Thrift Shoppe closes out a banner 2025, we want to thank everyone who has donated, to our shoppers, and to our volunteers for all that has been accomplished. We will reopen on Thursday, January 8th after a brief holiday hiatus, and look forward to a great 2026.
| Christ Church Food Pantry | If you are in need of prayer support or pastoral care | | | |
Bedtime Chapel Podcast
Nightly Family Prayer & Weekly Bible Study
Deuteronomy 11:18,19
Bedtime Chapel helps families draw nearer to Jesus by gathering for nightly prayer and deepening their understanding of the Gospel.
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