Christ Church will be providing hospitality on Sunday, Sept. 27 at Common Cathedral, the weekly Eucharist Service on Boston Common for the homeless community. Members may volunteer in one or more ways: prepare sandwiches and drop them off at church by 11 a.m. on the 27th; prepare desserts and drop them off; or join the group going to the Common to serve food and converse with the congregants. Sign up in the Upper Parish Hall, or contact Duncan Allen (d2allen@ibigroup.com) to indicate your interest or get further information. Carpools will leave the church shortly after the end of the 10 a.m. service and arrive back between 2:30 and 3:00 p.m.

Join us Wed. Sept. 23 for our first Bible Study of the program year. Over the year we will read the seven authenticated Letters of Paul. Why are these letters, which predate the Gospels,  so controversial? What meaning do they have for us 2000 years later? We welcome you to join the group every week or occasionally, as you are able. Tracy Rubin, M.Div., will facilitate the discussion each week. Companion texts will be available for purchase. For more information, call the church office at 781-444-1469.

Parents, please sign up your children and teens for the 2015/16 Church School Program. Church School Registration formally opened on Sunday, September 13, with classes to begin on September 20. Programs include nursery care (infants to 4 years old), Children’s Chapel (pre-k to 2^nd grade), Gather ‘Round (3^rd-5^th grade), Middle School (6^th-7^th grade) and Confirmation (8^th grade).  To obtain registration forms, please call the church office at 781-444-1469. To learn more about our children’s education programs, go to the Learning section of the website or contact the Reverend Lynn Campbell.

We welcome new families and children to join our church school program at any point during the year.

Our religious education program nurtures our youngest members and engages and supports all of our children and teens as they learn and grow as disciples of Christ. Our educational goals are three-fold: to share a deep knowledge and understanding of the stories of the Bible, to engage our children and teens in the traditions and experience of prayer and Episcopal worship, and to foster a lifelong commitment to serving others and working for justice. We encourage families to register their children for Church School and to participate regularly.

Christian Formation is a lifelong process. With this in mind, our clergy will offer a three-part, fall education series (Loving God, Loving Neighbor) for adults based on the three-fold educational goals of our Church School. These goals are: to share a deep knowledge and understanding of the stories of the Bible, to engage the traditions and experience of prayer and Episcopal worship, and to foster a life-long commitment to serving others and working for justice. See below for the date and description of each session. All forums will take place on Sundays in the Memorial Room at 11:30 am.

Worship and Prayer (September 27)

The Church is first and foremost a worshiping community. Our coming together regularly for corporate worship is at the heart and soul of our life together. What we pray and how we pray it, what we do and how we do it, shape our religious beliefs. As the Episcopal saying goes, “our praying shapes our believing.” During this session, we will take a closer look at the Book of Common Prayer with a special focus on our corporate worship and our private devotion. If there are particular prayers or phrases from the BCP that you find moving, please bring them to share.

Scripture and Hymns (October 18)

Our worship is guided in large part by music and the Bible. St. Augustine of Hippo (354-450 AD) once said, “The one who sings, prays twice.” We sing hymns and Psalms, we listen to Scripture, and we hear choral anthems. In this session we may sing a bit, share our experience of hymns and anthems we love, and reflect on how the melodies and Bible passages on which they are based touch our hearts and minds.

Charity and Justice (November 15)

The necessary fruit of worship is action: loving God and loving neighbor. Jesus’ command in this regard is clear. In this session we’ll examine and reflect on our experiences of service. How have we felt God’s presence as we have served other people? In what kinds of situations do we find it most difficult to serve? Easiest? How do we understand the difference between serving as charity and serving as justice? We’ll discuss these and other questions as they arise in this interactive session.