Stewardship Update

Dear Christ Church Family,

Thank you for your partnership in the Gospel with Christ Church this past year! God richly blessed our congregation in 2024 as we pressed into the depths of his riches and wisdom revealed to us in Jesus Christ.

Though 2024 brought change to our staff team, the year was marked by solid numerical growth as our regular attendance continued to expand. Financial contributions to the General Operating Budget increased by 8% from the previous year, totaling $1,167,111.22. Additionally, through the generous gifts of our congregation, we retired the debt incurred in the $3.1 million renovation of our building and replaced the roof on our sanctuary. This is all great news that testifies to our congregation’s generosity. We are grateful for your financial partnership and give thanks to our heavenly Father for opening his hand and satisfying our needs.

As we lean into 2025, we see continued opportunity to advance God’s kingdom in Jacksonville and around the world, moving into deeper faith, service, and community at Christ Church. That noted, we need your financial partnership to realize these opportunities. To involve our entire congregation in this endeavor, our Session requests that every member household prayerfully consider their financial stewardship and submit a pledge card for 2025 during our worship service on February 2, 2025. In this request, we are seeking to encourage an intentional approach to financial stewardship in which we respond to God’s generosity to us in Jesus Christ through joyful and sacrificial giving (2 Corinthians 9:7).

In the coming year, we have two financial goals. First, we have set a goal of $1,165,000.00 for the General Operating Budget. This budget serves the daily operations, ministries, and missions of Christ Church. The budget increase reflects plans to hire additional staff to serve our growing ministries, specifically our children, youth, and women’s ministry programs. Alongside this, we continue to expand our Missions budget to build ministry partnerships around the world. Please stay tuned for more details in the coming months as we press ahead with these ministry goals.

Second, we have set a goal to raise $100,000.00 for our Capital Fund to replenish the account after the significant expense incurred with the roof replacement. The Capital Fund is used to address unexpected maintenance issues on our property. Please consider a contribution of any size towards the Capital Fund this year to help us reach this modest goal.

Thank you again for your faithful partnership in the Gospel at Christ Church. Our congregation continues to far exceed national averages in financial stewardship; however, national averages are also not our benchmark. Our goal is to be a community yielded to God in every aspect of life as we delight in all that is ours through Jesus Christ. Let’s run unfettered towards that goal in the coming year!

Grace & Peace in Jesus Christ,

Chuck Colson
Pastor, Christ Church Presbyterian

Financial Update: New Roof Needed!

Dear Christ Church Family,

After the first three financial quarters of 2024, our General Budget is on pace to close the year in a solid position. With new staffing hires and rising costs this year, our monthly expenses have exceeded the budget plan slightly. That noted, strong contributions to the General Budget have made the impacts of these increases negligible. With a strong and consistent finish to the year, we will be in a solid position to begin 2025. Thank you for your ongoing faithfulness to the Lord in your financial stewardship and generosity.

Additionally, over the past few months, we have discovered several leaks in our roof. After extensive evaluation, our Building Committee determined that the proper course of action is to replace the entire roof due to its age. Obviously, this is not a cheap endeavor. Through the congregation’s generosity, we have quietly amassed $92,160.01 in the Capital Fund this year. Unfortunately, these funds are insufficient to cover the cost of a new roof. We do not have final pricing yet but believe the cost will run approximately $130,000.00. Given this unexpected expense, we wanted to give our entire congregation notice ahead of the end of the year as we need to move forward with this project to protect the building.

Thanks in advance for your consideration. Every dollar counts and will help us maintain our facility for the purposes of Gospel ministry in Jacksonville and beyond.

Grace & Peace in Jesus,

Chuck Colson
Senior Pastor, Christ Church

Jim Dickenson
Clerk-of-Session, Christ Church
(on behalf of the Session) 

Staff Transition

Dear Christ Church Family,

It is with a heavy but grateful heart that we announce the departure of our Director of Music and Artist-in-Residence, Andy Zipf, from the staff of Christ Church. After six years of service, the Zipf family will re-locate to Greenville, SC where Andy will serve as an Executive Director at a Chick-fila. Andy’s last service will be Sunday, August 25, 2024. There will be a reception for Andy, Miriam, and Aiden following the service.  

Please join us in expressing our gratitude to Andy for his invaluable service through the past six years. Beyond the musical excellence and creativity he shared with us, Andy also served our congregation sacrificially behind the scenes, especially during the renovation of our sanctuary and the trial of COVID. These challenges went smoothly because of Andy’s expertise and tireless work.

As we conduct a search for a new Director of Music, we have constructed an interim plan in which we will be in the reliable hands of Stephen Craig and our talented team of musicians. Please be praying for Stephen and company as they lead us each week. 
 
Though a sad moment, it is a great opportunity for Christ Church to exercise faith, calling on God to meet our needs. As we do so, let’s entrust ourselves to a gracious Father who always gives more than we ask or deserve through his Son, Jesus Christ. 
 
Grace and Peace in Jesus,
 
Chuck Colson
Pastor, Christ Church
(on behalf of the Session)

Tim Seise Memorial Service

We invite our whole congregation to join us in the sanctuary this Saturday August 3, at 11a, to grieve the loss of our brother, Tim Seise, and to give thanks to God for his life and testimony. Please continue to pray for Denise and their family as they grieve in hope, knowing that death does not have the final word. There will be a reception to follow in the multipurpose room.

Congregational Stewardship

Dear Christ Church Family,

Thank you for your partnership in the gospel with Christ Church during 2023! God richly blessed our congregation this past year as we pursued life together in his grace. The year was occasioned by significant growth in our congregation as we added over seventy new members, bringing our total membership to four hundred and fifty. In addition, we added several new full and part-time staff members to expand our ministry capacities. Our children’s and youth ministries are full of life, and we added fifty additional chairs to the sanctuary to accommodate more people in worship. Financial contributions to the General Operating Budget increased by 14% from the previous year, totaling $1,083,200.65, and we collected a total of $551,663.12 towards our Capital Fund. Needless to say, it was a year of bounty and blessing! God has been very gracious to us, granting us more than we asked or imagined. 

As 2024 begins, we see continued opportunity to advance God’s kingdom, moving into deeper faith, service, and community at Christ Church. That noted, we need your financial partnership to realize these opportunities. To involve our entire congregation in this endeavor, our Session requests that every member household prayerfully consider their financial stewardship and submit a pledge card for 2024 during our worship service on January 28th, 2024. In this request, we are seeking to encourage an intentional approach to financial stewardship in which we respond to God’s generosity to us in Jesus Christ through joyful and sacrificial giving (2 Corinthians 9:7).

In the coming year, we have two financial goals. First, we have set a goal of $1,078,000.00 for the General Operating Budget. This budget serves the daily operations, ministries, and missions of Christ Church. For 2024, the General Operating Budget was increased by 14% over last year. The increase reflects adjustments due to inflationary costs, additions to our Children’s and Youth Ministry budget lines, a significant new effort to equip parents for raising children in modern culture, and enhancements to our Missions program. The year ahead is full of opportunity and promise.

Second, we have set a goal to retire our debt incurred in the $3.1 million renovation of our building. Presently, we owe only $85,916.16. Please consider a contribution of any size towards the Capital Fund to help us retire this debt in the first quarter of 2024!

Thank you again for your faithful partnership in the gospel at Christ Church. Our congregation continues to far exceed national averages in financial stewardship; however, national averages are also not our benchmark. Our goal is to be a community yielded to God in every aspect of life as we delight in all that is ours through Jesus Christ. Let’s run unfettered towards that goal in the coming year!

Grace & Peace in Jesus Christ,

Chuck Colson
Pastor, Christ Church Presbyterian 

Vickie Burke Memorial Service

Dear Christ Church Family,

We are sad to share that Vickie Burke passed away last night after a short battle with cancer. She passed peacefully surrounded by family and the prayers of many. Please keep Dave and the entire family in your prayers as they grieve this loss.

We invite our entire congregation to gather on Monday, January 1, 2024 at 11 AM in the sanctuary to grieve and to give thanks to God for the gift he shared with us in our dear sister, Vickie.

In this loss, we grieve as a church family but we grieve in the strong and defiant hope of the resurrection. Our suffering in this life is deep but the love of our God and the power of the resurrection is deeper still. 

Grace and Peace in Jesus,

Chuck

A Few Highlights

Dear Christ Church Family,
 
Thank you for your ongoing faithfulness and participation at Christ Church! Our partnership together in the Gospel of Jesus Christ affords us the opportunity to share in the grace of God together as his Word dwells richly among us and to bless our neighbors through word and deed. 
 
In the midst of a full ministry calendar at Christ Church, we write to highlight two important items concerning our congregation’s life and ministry. First, per the announcement on Sunday, October 8, 2023, our Capital Fund has received significant contributions this year, collecting over $400,000.00 year-to-date. With these funds, we have been able to reduce the balance on the loan to $214,810.00. We are deeply encouraged by your generosity and excited to be close to retiring our debt. 
 
Towards that end, our Session would like to encourage every household within our congregation to prayerfully consider donating to the Capital Fund in the final quarter of 2023. Our goal is to pay-off the loan as soon as possible so that we can focus our energy and resources on the ministry opportunities that lie before us. Please partner with us to accomplish this goal! 
 
Second, through the month of October, we will receive nominations for the office of Deacon at Christ Church. Please prayerfully review the qualifications for Deacon from 1 Timothy 3.8-13 and consider nominating a candidate. Nomination cards can be found in the Narthex on the counter. To submit a nomination, please seal the envelope and place it in the offering plate or turn it in to the church office. 
 
The Diaconate is a service-oriented ministry that fatigues officers with its constant physical demands and duties. To prevent this dynamic, the Session has decided to establish a rotational system for our Deacons. Each year, a new class of Deacons will be nominated, trained, and elected to serve for a three-year term. This will provide our Deacons with sufficient rest and supply these officers with fresh support each year! We are eager to get this underway and wanted to share this development with you as you think about nominations.
 
Thank you again for your faithfulness to our Lord Jesus and to his Church. It is a pleasure to serve you. And, as always, please let us know if you have any questions.
 
Grace & Peace in Jesus Christ,
 
Chuck Colson
Pastor, Christ Church
(on behalf of the Session)

NEW Director of Student Ministries

Dear Christ Church Family,

Our Session is excited to announce the hiring of Hudson Rollman to serve as our new Director of Student Ministries at Christ Church! Hudson and his wife, Chelsea, come to us from Christ Church Presbyterian in Atlanta, Georgia with over five years of experience in student ministry and with a passion for serving the next generation. Please join us in giving thanks to God for his gracious provision, especially in this critical area of ministry at Christ Church.

The Rollmans will transition to Jacksonville in late August and begin serving our youth in early September. Please stay tuned for plans to welcome Hudson and Chelsea to Christ Church and for opportunities to meet them.

A little more about Hudson & Chelsea:

Hudson and Chelsea met while working on the youth staff at Village Seven Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs, CO. They began dating and eventually married on March 14, 2020—the day before COVID-19! After serving at Village Seven for three years, Hudson received a call from ChristChurch Presbyterian in Atlanta, Georgia.

For the past 2 ½ years, Hudson has served as the Director of Student Ministries at ChristChurch Presbyterian while also attending Reformed Theological Seminary. Chelsea works as a marketing specialist for Mission to the World and volunteers in the youth ministry at ChristChurch. They share a passion for partnering with parents to disciple and develop the next generation of believers and are excited to continue to do that together in Jacksonville! In their free time, they enjoy biking, traveling, exploring local coffee shops, golfing, and spending time with friends and family.

Thanks again for your prayers as we sought to fill this position on our staff. God has shown us his favor in sending the Rollmans to Jacksonville, providing for us in ways beyond what we asked or expected.

Grace and Peace in our risen Savior,

Chuck Colson
Pastor, Christ Church Presbyterian

Staff Transition

Dear Christ Church Family,

Thank you for your strong participation in the services and activities surrounding Holy Week at Christ Church! It was a tremendous week of fellowship with God and one another. Our God and Father continues to bless our community in innumerable ways as he multiplies his grace and peace among us through Jesus Christ by the power of the Spirit.  
 
In this season of rich blessings, there is also an important staff transition taking place at Christ Church. With a combination of excitement and sadness, our Assistant Pastor of Youth and Families, Alec Cotton, has accepted a call to serve with Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. After eight years of faithful service at Christ Church, Alec and Riley are uniquely fit to assume leadership of this thriving and substantial RUF ministry. We are excited for this development and anticipate a fruitful mission partnership with the Cotton family in the years ahead. Even though the Cottons will be sorely missed, our Session celebrates the opportunity to send out another young minister and his family into the service of the kingdom after a fruitful season of training at Christ Church. 
 
Alec will continue to serve on staff through mid-June when he will transition into his new duties with RUF. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us on Sunday, June 11, 2023, for the Summer Classic in which we will celebrate the Cotton family and officially send them off.   
 
For the parents of students in our youth ministry, we will host a parent’s meeting on April 30, 2023, at 5 pm in the multi-purpose room to communicate details about the transition and our summer plan. In the meantime, please be assured that our Session and staff are actively taking steps to make this a smooth transition for our kids and to hire a new youth director. We are excited about the future of our youth ministry and the new opportunities the Lord is putting before us.
 
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns. 
 
Grace and Peace in our risen Savior,

Chuck Colson
Pastor, Christ Church Presbyterian

Congregational Stewardship

Dear Christ Church Family,

Thank you for your partnership in the gospel with Christ Church during this past year! It was a great season of restoration and renewal as we shifted into post-COVID life. The year was occasioned by significant growth in our congregation as we added over sixty new members. Our children’s and youth ministries are full to overflowing; our financial contributions increased by over 20% in comparison to last year. God has been very gracious to us, granting us more than we asked or imagined!

As we look to 2023, we see continued opportunity to advance God’s kingdom, moving into deeper faith and community at Christ Church. That noted, we need your financial partnership to realize these opportunities. To involve our entire congregation in this endeavor, our Session requests that every member household prayerfully consider their financial stewardship and submit a pledge card for 2023 during our worship service on December 4, 2022. In this request, we are seeking to encourage an intentional approach to financial stewardship in which we respond to God’s generosity to us in Jesus Christ through joyful and sacrificial giving (2 Corinthians 9:7).

In the coming year, we are seeking to raise two funds: (1) the General Operating Budget and (2) the Capital Fund. The General Operating Budget involves the daily operations, ministries, and missions of our church. For 2023, this budget was increased by 7% over last year, creating a $950,000 goal. The increase reflects adjustments due to inflationary costs, additions to our Children’s Ministry budget, and enhancements to our Missions program.

Second, the Capital Fund is designed to address the financed portion of our building project. Currently, we owe approximately $660,000 on the loan. Our goal is to raise a minimum of $200,000 to cover the mortgage and reduce the principle next year. We are seeking 100% involvement from our congregation in this fund. Unfortunately, as we get further away from the renovation of the building, it is more and more difficult to raise capital for the building. Please consider a contribution of any size towards the Capital Fund to help us retire this debt as quickly as possible!

Thank you for your generosity and faithfulness in our life together. Our congregation continues to far exceed national averages in financial stewardship; however, national averages are also not our benchmark. Our goal is to be a community yielded to God in every aspect of life as we delight in all that is ours through Jesus Christ. Let’s strive all the more towards this goal in the coming year!

Grace & Peace in Jesus Christ,

Chuck Colson
Pastor, Christ Church Presbyterian

A Note from Chuck

Dear Christ Church Family,

Thank you for your kind notes this week welcoming us home! It is a joy to be back with the congregation we love.

As I dig out this week and prepare for the fall, I wanted to write a quick note to thank our officers, staff, congregation, and the Lilly Endowment for affording us the opportunity to enjoy an extended season of rest. It is a privilege to be granted a sabbatical, and I am grateful to each of you for the opportunity. It was a gift to step away for extended reflection, spiritual renewal, and concentrated time together as a family. That noted, we are glad to be home, returning to our normal rhythms and responsibilities.

I’ll look forward to seeing you this Sunday as we go up to the house of God together!

Grace and Peace in Jesus,

Rev. Dr. Chuck Colson

Pastor, Christ Church Presbyterian

A Day of Fasting & Prayer - July 29, 2022

Throughout the year it is appropriate for us to set aside special time for fasting and prayer, asking God for spiritual renewal. A fast is an opportunity for personal self-examination, lament for the broken state of our world, and supplication on behalf of ourselves and all people.

And so, we encourage all those who are medically able to spend this Friday engaging with God in fasting and prayer from sunup to sundown. Below is a suggested format that provides a structure to guide your prayers each hour through the course of the day.

A Day of Fasting & Prayer - May 27, 2022

During the Colson sabbatical it is appropriate for us to set aside special time for fasting and prayer, joining the Colson's in asking God for spiritual renewal. A fast is an opportunity for personal self-examination, lament for the broken state of our world, and supplication on behalf of ourselves and all people.

And so, the Session requests all members of Christ Church, who are medically able, to join us in fasting and prayer on the last Friday of May, June, and July, from sunrise to sunset. Below is a suggested format for tomorrow, that provides a structure to guide your prayers in three sessions through the course of the day: morning, midday, and evening. We recommend that you set aside 15-30 minutes of quiet for each session. We hope this is a blessing and encouragement to you!

Pastoral Sabbatical Information

Dear Christ Church Family,

Thank you for your strong participation in a festive Holy Week at Christ Church! It was a gift to worship and fellowship together in celebration of the grace of God that is ours through Jesus Christ.

In accord with our ministry plan for this year, our pastor, Chuck Colson, will begin a fourteen-week sabbatical next week (April 25—July 31, 2022). After eight full years of ministry at Christ Church, we are excited for the Colson family to enjoy an extended break and thrilled to partner with the Lilly Foundation’s clergy renewal program to facilitate this.

Ahead of Chuck’s departure, we want to offer some guidance and help set our congregation’s expectations for the next three months of life together. Please carefully read the following items:

• We have a full summer of fellowship and spiritual renewal planned for our congregation while the Colson family is away. Please join us on Sunday mornings for worship and mark your calendars for the special events planned throughout the summer! We ask everyone to be intentional about their investment and involvement at Christ Church during these months. Our goal is for our entire congregation to enjoy a season of rest and renewal together. \

• During Chuck’s absence, we will walk through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians on Sunday mornings. A slate of friends—new and old—are scheduled to teach and preach through these months; it will be a spiritually rich summer for us.

• Per the Clergy Renewal Program’s requirements, the Colson family will not be worshipping at Christ Church during the sabbatical. This provision exists simply to afford them the opportunity to step away fully in order to return with renewed energy to serve at Christ Church.

• The Colson family has been generous to share their cell phone numbers and contact info so that we have access to them. During the sabbatical, we ask that you not contact Chuck or Melissa directly! Chuck will also not be monitoring his email or voicemail. Our desire is to provide both Chuck and Melissa with a break from being “on-call” and we ask for your assistance in this matter.  

• If an emergency arises, please contact our Associate Pastor, John Lawler, or our Assistant Pastor, Alec Cotton. Our Session has formed a small working council to advise John and Alec through the summer months. If Chuck’s attention is required on a matter, our Session has a direct way to contact him.

We appreciate your help with these matters. Please join us on this upcoming Sunday for an evening of Johnny-Q, fellowship, and water fun as we send the Colson family off. We’ll look forward to seeing you and we are looking forward to a rewarding summer together.

Grace and Peace in Jesus Christ,

Dave Lowe, Chair of Staff Committee

Jim Dickenson, Clerk-of-Session

Ukraine Relief

Many of you have asked how to help in the midst of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Our Session has approved a special offering to support the work of our denominational missionary agency, Mission to the World (MTW), which is mobilizing relief efforts in Western Ukraine. Through MTW’s church plants and relational networks, these funds will help provide food, shelter, clothes, and other essentials for those who have lost everything in the Russian invasion. We invite you to join us over the coming weeks as we participate with other churches in our country and around the world to bring hope and healing to those in need. To give, you may write a check to Christ Church designated to “Ukraine Relief” in the memo line or you may give online here.

MTW Ukraine missionaries are collecting updates to keep our churches informed on the situation in Ukraine. You can find these updates here.

School of Discipleship & Town Hall this Sunday

Dear Christ Church Family, 

Thank you for your patience as we’ve gotten off to a bumpy start for 2022! With the Omicron variant of COVID-19 sweeping across the country, our staff and church community have been impacted by sickness and quarantines, as well. Fortunately, the cases in our community have been mild and the numbers of new cases has decreased dramatically. Thanks be to God!

Despite the challenges, we had an excellent start to the year with Sandra McCracken and Sandy Willson at our Spiritual Life Conference. Sandy gave us much to consider in his teaching on personal and corporate revival from 2 Chronicles. If you were unable to participate, please do not miss these sermons. All conference resources are posted on the website for you to enjoy!

Ahead of this Sunday, there are several updates and reminders to disseminate through our community.

First, on behalf of the staff, I’d like to thank our congregation for the generous Christmas gift each staff received from the special offering collected during Advent. This was extremely kind and a blessing to each of our families. We are deeply grateful for our family at Christ Church; it is a privilege to serve here.

Second, this Sunday we will start our School of Discipleship for all ages at 9.30 AM. For adults, we will meet in the Sanctuary for a Town Hall meeting to lay out important dates for the year, discuss the plan for adult School of Discipleship this Spring, review our congregational stewardship, and take a look at plans for Christ Church during my Sabbatical this summer. There is a lot of important information to share so please don’t miss out this Sunday!

I am eager to resume all our ministries this Sunday and will look forward to seeing everyone as we continue our series on the rise and fall of King Solomon. In the meantime, be assured of my prayers and affection for you all.

Grace and Peace in Jesus,

Chuck Colson, Pastor

New Year's Update

Dear Christ Church Family,

Happy New Year’s Eve!

With the new year ahead of us, I am writing to update you on operating procedures at Christ Church for the next few weeks. Unfortunately, the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has spread rapidly across the country during the Christmas season. Our city and congregation have been impacted also by this highly contagious virus. That noted, experts indicate that the Omicron variant is much milder and not a serious threat to public health. Hospitalization numbers are extremely low among those infected.

Given this recent surge, we will slightly change our operating procedures to create a reasonably safe environment in which we are able to continue to worship God. Please take note of the following changes:

• Seating guidance during worship will be re-instituted this Sunday, January 2, 2022. Please find a seat where bulletins are located on sanctuary chairs. This measure allows us to enjoy comfortable distances between households.

• There will be no School of Discipleship on January 9, 2022. As we wait for this wave of the virus to pass, we believe it will be wise to delay the start of Sunday School by several weeks. Currently, we plan to resume School of Discipleship classes on January 16, 2022, for our Spiritual Life Conference.

• For the Spiritual Life Conference, we plan to cap attendance at the Friday night concert to reduce crowding and to ensure safe distance between parties. Please stay posted for details.

• All services, except the Sandra McCracken concert, will be available on the church’s livestream. If you are unable to attend, please join us online!

Our Session will meet on January 11, 2022, at which time all operating procedures will be reviewed and prayerfully considered.

We appreciate your patience as we continue to navigate these circumstances while also maintaining the rhythms that fund our community’s life. Let’s continue to press ahead together with one heart and one mind as we seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and have all our earthly needs added unto us (Matthew 6:33). 

Grace and Peace in Jesus,

Chuck Colson, Pastor

Sandra McCracken Concert | January 14, 2022

Join us for an evening with Sandra McCracken on January 14, 2022 to kick off the Spiritual Life Conference! We will gather for Johnny-Q at 5.30p and move into the sanctuary at 7p to enjoy an evening of music and stories with Sandra.

We're opening up ticket sales to Christ Church folks first and will make them available to the public at a later date. So, purchase your tickets soon!

Postponing Fall Kickoff | August 10, 2021

Dear Christ Church Family,

Thank you for your continued faithfulness and perseverance through this challenging season. Our community has endured the difficulties presented by COVID-19 with remarkable grace and patience.

Unfortunately, our city has been heavily impacted by the Delta variant of COVID-19, especially among un-vaccinated populations. Due to the current infection rates in Jacksonville, our Session has decided to postpone the start of our School of Discipleship for adults and children until after Labor Day. We believe it would be unwise to prolong our interactions on Sunday mornings, especially in smaller classroom spaces, with the current viral load in our city. Our Back-to-School party, too, will be postponed.

According to medical experts, it does appear that new infections have peaked; however, it will take several weeks for this wave to reside. Therefore, we plan to monitor the situation and target resuming our School of Discipleship on Sunday, September 12, 2021.

This is, of course, disappointing as we are all looking forward to resuming these essential ministries. Nonetheless, we will continue to gather for worship at 10:30 AM and follow our current set of protocols for worship. Please join us in person or online.

We are grateful for each of you and continue to pray for God to prosper you in body and soul through the pandemic. Please let us know if there is any way that we can serve you during this time.

Grace & Peace in Jesus Christ,

Chuck Colson
Pastor, Christ Church
(on behalf of the Session)

An Update from Our Session | May 12, 2021

Dear Christ Church Family,

Thank you for your ongoing faith and endurance through this unusual season. COVID-19 has presented many challenges through the course of the year, overturning our community’s rhythms and patterns of life. That noted, we’ve sought to prioritize the things of first importance by maintaining our corporate gatherings for worship and finding ways of encouraging fellowship. We are grateful for your patience as we’ve worked to address all the relevant concerns.

Per our letter on April 15, 2021, the Session convened this week and reviewed our current operating procedures. After a full discussion, we have decided to remove the facial covering requirement in our worship services as of Sunday, May 30, 2021. This date provides a two-month window from when the COVID vaccines were made available to the general public. Our goal in requiring masks until the two-month window expires is twofold: (1) it allows the vaccinated percentage of the general population to continue to increase and (2) it permits those in our congregation, who desire to be vaccinated, to receive the vaccine prior to lifting the mask requirement. After reviewing the available data and consulting local ordinances, we believe this is a judicious path for moving ahead.

Inevitably, this announcement will relieve some members and distress others. However, for those with health concerns, please note that four accommodations will remain which will allow us to worship together as one family.

• Please feel free to wear a mask to worship if you desire to do so. This is a personal decision that will be respected within our community.

• Seating guidance that allows for physical distance will continue to be provided.

• It is possible for us to reserve the balcony for those with special health concerns. If this particular accommodation would be suitable for you, please contact our administrator, Charlotte Reeves, so that we can make preparations.

• The livestream of our worship services will continue to be offered at 10.30 AM every Sunday morning.

Thank you again for your long-suffering spirit as we’ve walked through this season. As the pandemic abates, we have much to look forward to in our common life. The year ahead is full of hope and promise. Let’s direct our attention to these things as we ask God to shine his face upon us and bless us that we may know his restoring and saving power (Psalm 80.3).

Grace and Peace in Jesus Christ,

Chuck Colson, Pastor