Holy Week at Home
Holy Week at Home. You’ll find all our instructions, videos, and links to online worship right here.
Lent, Holy Week, & Easter: A Coronavirus Update.
Dear Ones,
I’ve received notice from Bishop Rickel of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia that all diocesan congregations will remain closed to the public through Holy Week and Easter.
This has not come as a surprise to most clergy, including myself. And I have been talking with my colleagues about backup plans prior to this announcement. So here is our plan…
Being the Church in the Face of COVID-19: A F.A.Q. of Worship and Events at St. Christopher’s
Dear St. Christopher’s and Friends,
A number of you have asked similar question or very good questions, all of which deserve an answer. Here is what I’ve heard…
Q: Is St. Christopher’s closed or will it be closing?
A: No. Our building is closed to the public and Washingtonians have strict measures in place about gatherings, but many things are taking place online and off. The outdoor worship spaces remain open for you to use individually – the Labyrinth, the Stations of the Cross, and the Columbarium. The Open Hands foodbank garden is still slated to go on. And we are adding more and more online worship, fellowship, and learning opportunities.
Q: Will there be another Eucharist online? How does online Eucharist work?
A: Yes. We are pre-recording a Eucharist and posting it Saturday night/Sunday morning each week. We post it on Facebook at facebook.com/stchristopherolympia and we post links to the video on our website’s front page – www.StChristopherOlympia.org .
… read more …
Beyond Livestream Worship: Keeping Faith Communities Connected in the Face of COVID 19
By the Rev. Ken Howard
This is the first in a multipart series on strategies and tools for doing and being church in the face of COVID19
The COVID19 pandemic is not the first time Christianity has been faced with the moral question of how to respond in the face of pandemic. In fact, the question is nearly as old as the Church itself. One of the first times was during the third century Roman plague. Something likely akin to Ebola, the so-called Cyprian plague (after Bishop Cyprian of Carthage) which ravaged the Empire from 250-270 CE.
Online Eucharist for March 15th, Lent 3
We have moved our Sunday Eucharist to a pre-recorded video posted on Facebook. We invite you to participate in worship by watching the video. In addition, “Christopher Saint” will be hosting a Facebook Watch Party. Find out more here.
Stations of the Cross: An Immigrant Journey
Photographs by Thomas Kiefer, from his collection “El Sueño Americano”, will be on display at St. Christopher’s Church on Wednesdays & Thursdays, March 4 – April 8th and on Good Friday, April 10th from 1pm to 5pm each day. With permission of the artist, some of his photographic images were made into prints and mounted for the community to view and contemplate as part of the outdoor Stations of the Cross and around the church grounds.
As a janitor for Customs and Border Protection in Ajo, Arizona from 2003 to 2014, Mr. Kiefer found, through serendipity, the confiscated and discarded belongings of undocumented migrants apprehended in the desert. Being a photographer, he collected these items and eventually decided to photograph them as “symbols of humanity”.
Come see the photographs and read about Mr. Kiefer’s experience working as a janitor for CBP, how he came across these belongings, everything from cans of tuna to rosaries, what he has to say about some of them, and why he decided to photograph these belongings.
The event is free.
Church Workday – Sun., March 29th
Wear your work clothes to church and grab a broom, a rake, a shovel, or a duster. Lend us a hand as we spruce up our campus and building in preparation for Holy Week.
COVID-19 and St. Christopher’s
Updated March 13, 2020
Dear Friends,
As the situnation surounding COVID-19 pandemic continues to develop I think it will not surprise you that St. Christopher’s facilites are closed to all in-person group meetings and group worship through at least March 22nd. This is in compliance with the closures of all Diocese of Olympia congregations. Below you will find more info from the Diocese of Olympia and the Southwestern WA Synod.
This does not mean St. Christopher’s is closed… We are simply doing ministry in different ways. Over the weekend you will hear of ways we can remain worshiping, fellowshiping, and serving together. Much of this will occur by phone, text message, email, video conference, and online.
Sunday Services go online… I intend to have some form of video streaming or conferenced worship at our normal times on Sunday. I will have more info on that n the next 24 hours as I work out the details of software, harware, licensing, and copyright. Please be patient.
… there’s more …
Women’s Retreat : Discovering Prayer Styles
How does personality style influence prayer style? This is a one day women’s retreat on Saturday, Feb. 29th, 9:30am – 2:30 pm. Please RSVP by Friday Feb. 28th.
The Gospel in Community: StC’s Annual Report for the 2019 Year
Our Annual Meeting was held on Sunday, January 26th. You can find a pdf of our annual report for 2019 by clicking the link below: The Gospel in Community: Worship, Formation, Ministry MissionThe 2019 Annual Report & Mission Proposal
Scam Alert!
We’ve seen notices like the one I’ll quote below from both our bishops now and it’s just a matter of time before someone tries it from some other clergy you might know…
Annual Meeting, Sunday, Jan. 26th
Our Annual Meeting is coming on Sunday, Januaryt 26th following an abrieviated 10:30am service.
More than just business, this meeting celebrates God’s work in us and through us during the previous year and shares what ministries are planning to accomplish (by God’s grace!) this coming year. We’ll also elect our leadership and approve our budget.
All members are asked to attend and vote.* This is an open meeting and all are welcome. We look forward to spending this time with you.
Bishop Jaech’s Response to Hanukkah Stabbing
30 December 2019
Dear Friends,
“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and
refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” Matthew 2:18
This past Saturday, which in the Christian calendar was the Day of the Slaughter of the Holy Innocents, a man forced his way into a Jewish rabbi’s home in Monsey, New York, as he was
celebrating Hanukah with his community, and the intruder began stabbing people. The next day, a man entered a Christian church in Texas with a shot gun and opened fire on the worshippers, killing one and critically wounding another, before he himself was killed by the church’s security team….
Online Pledge Form
2026 Pledge Card (Online) Welcome to our online Pledge Form. A pledge a promise of future giving, often in a recurring pattern (e.g. monthly or weekly gift). Making a pledge is an act of faith. It is putting trust in God’s future provision. And it is a statement of gratitude for all that God’s provision, past, present, and future. In addition, pledging allows our community to strategically plan its mission and ministry into the future. It is not a contract, a tax, nor a bill. You can change you pledge at any time for any reason and without question by […]