A group of four clergy/parishioners from Christ Church renewed ties with its Partner Parish, St. Luc’s Church on a mission tip to Lazil, Haiti in January. The group included: Rev. Nick Morris-Kliment, Pastor; the Reverend Holly Hartman, Diocesan Deacon for Global Ministries Partnerships; and Margaret Pantridge and Betsy Keener, parishioners.

Christ Church members met with the leadership of Lazil Parish and discussed the status of St. Luc’s school; its music program; the community’s goat cooperative; and reconstruction of the church following the 2010 earthquake. All of these initiatives were created in partnership with Christ Church.

Activities during the visit included a concert by the school band; a Children’s Day with coloring, beading, a three-legged race and tug o’ war (smash hit!), and community meal of rice, beans, salad, and goat meat, accompanied by lively music. Several students made and held up signs thanking Christ Church for its support.

Meet our featured February artist, Aidan Keene, at the opening reception in our Community Art Gallery. We will be hosting the reception on Sunday, February 10 at 11:30 a.m. in the Upper Parish Hall. Artwork will be for sale, and a portion of sales will be donated to Beth Israel Needham. In celebration of this art exhibit, Treat Cupcake has designed an art exhibit-themed cupcake through their “Treat Others Well” initiative. Visit Treat Needham in the town center … cupcake proceeds will be donated to the BID Center for Autonomic and Peripheral Nerve Disorders. Read the Aidan Keane Bio (1).

The Community Art Gallery is housed in the church’s Upper Parish Hall. It is open to the community Mon.-Fri.9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sun 9 a.m. – noon. We seek out artists in the Needham community who are interested in sharing their work with the Needham community. Exhibits are usually displayed for one month, with each month featuring a specific artist or group of artists. Artwork may be sold, and the artist gives 10% or more of the proceeds to a community charity.  Find more information here.

For artists interested in exhibiting their artwork, please contact Lucy LaFleche, Curator, at lucylafleche@aol.com or call her at 617-947-0671.