Cedar Rapids, Iowa TABLE of CONTENTS
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Cedar Rapids, Iowa TABLE OF CONTENTS Who We Are .................3 Vision and Mission . 5 Our Liturgical Life . 8 Christian Education. .10 a Jubilee Ministries Parish Pastoral Care . .12 Fellowship . 13 Outreach . 15 Christ Episcopal Church Finances and Stewardship . 19 220 40th Street, NE Staf ...................... 21 Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52403 Facilities . 22 (319) 363-2029 Our Province ................ 23 www.christepiscopal.org Our Diocese ................ 24 Our State ................... 25 Our Community ............. 26 Diversity . 27 Development . 28 Come and see! Healthcare . 29 Te people of Christ Church ask for your prayerful Education . 29 refection on our story and invite you to explore the Cultural Attractions . 31 possibilities of serving God with us. Recreation . 33 Spectator Sports . 33 Our Next Rector ............. 34 WHO WE ARE 3 WHO WE ARE 4 In 1997 Christ Episcopal Church was formed by the merger of two Cedar Rapids Episcopal churches: St. John’s (founded in 1928) and St. Michael’s (founded in 1958). 1% 1% Below 19 25–34 GENDER AGE 2% 19–24 39% 5% Male 60% 35–44 61% 65+ Female 21% 10% 55–64 45–54 135 568 240 Average weekly attendance Membership Households at Christ Church ATTENDANCE 2% 4% 5% 13% 19% 20% 36% None 1–4 Once per Twice per All but four Every week Tree times times month month weeks per month These charts reflect the demographics of those who participated in the CAT survey and do not include parishioners 16 and under. VISION AND MISSION 5 Our Vision Seeking Christ in ourselves, serving others in Christ. We are a welcoming, inclusive church family. Our Mission To experience and share God’s love by welcoming, empowering, and serving in Christ’s name. LIVING OUT OUR VISION 6 On June 13, 2008, the Cedar River, which fows through the center of our city, crested at its highest level in recorded history, 31.12 feet and the food waters covered 14 percent of the city (10 square miles). HE FLOOD INUNDATED 5,390 HOUSES which dislocated more than 18,000 residents. Amazingly, not a single life was lost in the food. Christ Church—40 blocks from the river—thankfully sustained no damage. A handful of member families lost their homes or were displaced. At that time the Christ Church rectory was unoccupied, so it became the temporary home for a displaced family. Volunteers from all over the country, including many work crews from Episcopal churches and other denominations, descended on Cedar Rapids to Thelp. Providing strong backs and unfettered commitment, they continued the onerous tasks of mucking out basements, cutting out soaked drywall, and hauling load afer load of smelly, saturated, debris to the curb. Christ Church found its niche in the recovery eforts by providing its gif of hospitality. We provided lodging and meals for team afer team of volunteers who came to Cedar Rapids for several weeks fol- lowing the food. Te church undercrof was set up with cots, blankets and pillows, and the people of the church served hot meals each night when exhausted workers returned afer a long day’s work. Tey were provided with breakfast each morning and brown bag lunches to take with them to their work sites. LIVING OUT OUR VISION 7 Flood recovery work following the 2008 food in Cedar Rapids Afer experiencing our own natural disaster, we recognized the need for a group ready to provide emergency assistance to our members and to the community-at-large. Initially this work was done on an ad hoc basis. In the spring of 2015 our Cavalry was established as an emergency response team. A list of volunteers is maintained and includes tools and special skills each person possesses. Many of our own parishioners have been helped. Te Christ Church Cavalry has also traveled to Missouri, Louisiana, and Oklahoma to assist with post-disaster clean up. A spring 2018 mission trip to Texas is anticipated. Te late Joyce Conley, long-time parishioner OUR LITURGICAL LIFE 8 Tree worship opportunities are provided each weekend. Saturdays at 5:30 PM the service uses a less formal approach to liturgy and the music is more contempo- rary. Rite I is used Sundays at the 8 AM service. Sundays at 10:30 AM a Rite II choral liturgy is used. Service in our remodeled nave OUR LITURGICAL LIFE 9 A family baptism at the 10:30 AM service We are currently experimenting with a mid-week worship and fellowship gathering, called “Te Family Table.” While the service itself is designed to involve children, this evening is for all ages and concludes with a meal and an intergenera- tional activity. Other services are held to observe the special occasions of the liturgical year, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Epiphany, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week (Monday Taize` Service, Tuesday Tenebrae Service, Maundy Tursday Agape Meal with foot washing, Good Friday, the Great Vigil, and Easter), Blessing of the Animals, and All Saints Day. Christ Church was visited twice by the Diocese of Iowa’s A crucifer and the church tintinnabulum REVIVAL 2017. Bishop Alan Scarfe brought services to parishes across the diocese which were designed to reawak- en and rediscover God’s Holy Spirit at work among us. Occasional morning prayer and evensong services are also held. CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 10 Christmas pageant 2017 Christ Church ofers Christian education to people of all ages. On Sundays classes for children (including Godly Play) and youth are ofered between services. Our Adult Forum also meets at this time and uses a variety of facilitators/presenters to cover topics ranging from “Reinhold Niebuhr” to the “Gospel of John” to “Immigration and Cedar Rapids Refugees” to “Lent Madness.” Christ Church has ofered Education for Ministry classes for several years. Tere are 4 weekly Bible study groups for adults, two for women and two for men. Te Bodacious Women meet weekly to discuss books with Biblical themes. Te Mary Mag- dalene Chapter of the Order of the Daugh- ters of the King provides women the oppor- tunity to fulfll a pledge of commitment to a life of prayer, service, and evangelism. Our chapter is comprised of women from both Christ and Grace Episcopal Churches in Cedar Rapids and actively participates in DOK activities of the Diocese of Iowa, Province VI and the national organization. Our church library contains more than 1,400 items including books, audiobooks, magazines, and DVDs which are listed in the CEC Library Catalog. Members of our Library Committee review dozens of new religious titles every year. J2A Pilgrimage in the Badlands CHRISTIAN EDUCATION 11 Adult Forum (above). Our transplanted Brit (by way of New Zealand) sharing her spiritual journey at the Adult Forum (right). Interim Rector Kathleen with Vacation Bible School kids (above). Te CEC Library (lef). PASTORAL CARE 12 Anointing with oil during a weekly Sunday service In John’s gospel Jesus tells us, “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” EC HAS A VERY VITAL PASTORAL CARE MINISTRY that gives us opportunities to help each other. Te people of CEC ofer up prayer for each other through a Prayer Chain and through the work of the Worship Prayer Team at each of our services. We have quarterly Heal- Cing Prayer services where people receive laying on of hands at the altar rail. We ofer handmade prayer shawls. Our parish nurse is an RN who has additional training in parish nursing. She provides educa- tional information and telephone support as well as acting as a medical consultant/representative for our people. Each month, trained practitioners ofer healing touch. Meals for those going through rehab, recovering from surgery or any other situation at home are coordinated through the Meal Ministry which provides for funeral receptions and other events. Visitors, prayer visitors, Lay Eucharistic Visitors, and healing prayer practitioners call on people in care centers and at home during times of trouble. Daily visits are provided at area hospitals by our Pastoral Care Team for any patients who request them. FELLOWSHIP 13 Summer picnic on the church grounds Christ Church ofers many activities that bring parishioners together to enjoy each other’s company and build relationships. Monthly potlucks are held afer the Satur- day service. Tere are numerous lunches afer the late Sunday service. Te Friends of Church meets monthly for dinner and fellowship at a variety of local restau- rants. Te group is named in honor of the late Dick Church who organized the Friday Night Dinner Club. Our Excellent Women, a luncheon group, explores area restaurants each month. St. Siskal’s Guild brings movie bufs together to watch and discuss movies. Habitat for Humanity is the recipient of the money raised at the annual Super Bowl party. 20th anniversary celebration FELLOWSHIP 14 Annual women’s brunch benefting Swazi Companions Hiding eggs for the Easter egg hunt Abe the Easter bunny OUTREACH 15 Serving lunch at Neighborhood Meals and Enrichment Program Christ Church and Westminster Presbyterian Church volunteers staf the Loaves & Fishes food pantry Outreach is one of our priorities. E ARE A SPONSOR OF THE ECUMENICAL COMMUNITY CENTER FOUNDATION and fnancially support the Helping Hands Ministry, which provides emergency fnancial Wsupport for rent and utilities, and helps people fnd support services. Christ Church gives volunteer and fnancial support to Green Square Meals, which provides hot evening meals for 100+ people at a downtown facility Mondays through Fridays. CEC is one of six churches that provides volunteer and fnancial support to the Neighborhood Meals and Enrichment Program, a summer noon meal program feeding underserved families and children on weekdays during the summer school recess. Last summer 5,701 meals were served. Christ Church has two seats on the board of directors.