Adult Education

Ted Cole, Assistant Rector

508-746-4959

As a “catholic church in the protestant tradition”, everyone is considered a minister of God, and all adults are invited to serve at worship through…

Altar Guild: Engage in the centuries sacred practice of setting the table of Lord for worship. Prepare the veiled chalice, arrange the flowers and tend to the seasonal colors that adorn our beautiful church. Contact Robin Nielsen to learn more: 508-747-1336

Choir: Come join our adult choir and raise your voice in song to the glory of God! The choir sings at our 10:00 AM service, with practice at 7:00 PM on Thursdays and 9:30 AM on Sundays. Contact our interim director of music, Tom Nordquist to learn more.

Lector and Eucharistic Minister: Lead us through the weekly reading of God's holy word and through the prayers, or assist at the altar in our weekly celebration of Holy Communion. Contact Connie Melahoures to learn more: 508-746-3805

Welcome Ministry
Like to meet and greet newcomers and help people feel at home? Please contact : 781-585-3169

Sunday Morning Adult Forum 9:30-9:55 AM: Join in a lively forum for discussion and learning about our faith and the world. Weekly topics include “Where's God in the Headline News?”, Ministry in Africa,
“What's Going on in the National Episcopal Church?” and more.

Monday Night Bible Studies: Kerygma: Discovering the Bible, 7-8:30 PM at Christ Church: Come discover the Bible, from beginning to end, in two fifteen week courses studying the Old Testament and the New Testament in the fall and spring respectively. Kerygma: Discovering the Bible is the perfect opportunity for those who have never read the Bible to learn about it. For those familiar with the Bible, it is a wonderful chance to see it in its broad scope from the creation of the world in Genesis to the coming of the New Jerusalem in Revelation. Course books are $28. Classes are facilitated by Ted, and meet Monday nights from 7:00 - 8:30 PM. 15 weeks studying the Old Testament run from September 10 to December 17.15 weeks studying the New Testament run from February 25 to June 2.

Tuesday nights: Western Philosophy and God: A Primer: How do we understand God, ourselves and the world? Philosophers have been asking this question for centuries, and their answers have profoundly shaped the Church and Western culture. Come and learn about some of the key figures and ideas of the Western philosophical tradition and their relationship to God and our Christian faith. Meant for those who have never encountered philosophy before, this eight week course is taught by Ted on Tuesday nights, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. They begin April 1 and end May 20. Details about course materials TBA.

Adult Confirmation Class: Undertake a journey with fellow parishioners towards renewing your commitment to God and the Church. Five classes are led by Mally, leading up to the Deanery Confirmation in May. To learn more, speak with Mally.

Deanery Confirmation/Reaffirmation/Reception - May 17, 2008, at St. John's in Sandwich.

Education for Ministry (EFM) For those who want to delve deeply into Bible, church history and theology, this four year course is as close to seminary as you can get without leaving Plymouth!

Many people think that one must be ordained to be a minister. In fact, we are all called to ministry by virtue of our baptism. The Education for Ministry program is preparation for that ministry to which we are called and is sponsored by the University of the South. An EfM group led by a trained mentor meets weekly at
Christ Church. It is a four-year program during which participants study the Bible, church history and twentieth century theology. Through discussion and guided reflection, the seminars provide an opportunity to deepen understanding of the reading materials. More important is the development of the skills in theological refection, the goal of which is to learn to think theologically. By examining their own beliefs and their relationships to our culture and the tradition of our Christian faith, participants learn what it means to be effective ministers in the world. Participants come to understand that ministry is at hand wherever they turn. Regular weekly worship is also a part of the weekly meetings. We encourage you to become a part of the growing EfM community here at Christ Church. You can commit yourself to one year at a time and scholarships are available.

Join students at all phases of study in this exciting class.Meets Tuesdays at 7 PM September – mid-June. To learn more, contact mentor Connie Melahoures or call 508-746-3805.

What Else is Possible? Anything, with God...
Interested in a daytime Bible Study, an at home Mom’s Group, bereavement workshop or group, book group, men’s/women’s/couples spirituality groups, any other topic? Please speak to Mally or Ted.

Hospitality: Worship does not end with the dismissal; we continue in sacred fellowship at coffee hour, and our hospitality team makes it warm, welcoming and delicious! Contact Cheryl Bagangan to learn how you can help: 508-876-4957.

First of the Month Breakfasts: Join us the First Sunday of the Month for a Parish Breakfast in the Dining Hall at 9:00 AM. Hosted by the Christian Education Committee, each month different classes make breakfast for our entire parish family. Meet new people and catch up with old friends in a relaxed environment while being treated to a delicious meal.

Women’s Guild (Day Ladies): For all women of the Parish. Dessert, coffee and a workshop or speaker. Second Fridays of each month, October through May at 1:00 PM, in the Parish Hall. Call the Parish Office for more details. All are welcome.

Evening Women’s Group: Also for all women of the Parish. Dinner and program or just fellowship. First Wednesdays at 6:30 PM Spetember through April in the Parish Hall. May through August out and about. Call (508-866-7556) or e-mail Donna Lawrence with questions.

Men’s Group: All men of the parish invited for dinner and discussion. Third Mondays of each month at 7:00 PM in the Parish Hall. Call Mark Sullivan with questions: 781-582-8422.

Special Seasonal Parish Dinners
Lamb Dinner: A traditional Greek style lamb dinner served in the early Easter season, usually the Saturday after Easter (March 29, 2008)

Caribbean Dinner for St. Paul's in Nevis: Served on a Saturday night in early May, featuring authentic home made Caribbean fare. The proceeds go to support our sister parish, St. Paul's on the island on Nevis.

Visiting and Home Communions: The Pastoral Care Ministry reaches out to those in our parish community who need home visits or extra support during difficult times. Eucharistic ministers bring communion to our homebound and infirmed residents. Flowers from the altar are distributed each week, with some taken to patients at the hospital. Easy dinners are made and delivered for those who need some assistance recovering from an illness or difficulty. During the Christmas holiday, members of the parish visit the homebound to sing carols and spread some holiday cheer. The Commission is always willing to have others join the group. Meetings are held several times a year and training is available for the Eucharistic ministry. For more information about this ministry, speak with Bobbie Perry 508-866-2807 or Donna Lawrence 508-866-7556.

Knitting: Prayer shawl ministry meets the last Friday of the month from 9:30 - 11:00 AM in Mally's office. Anyone who knits or wants to learn is welcome to join this ministry. Come to the meeting, or knit at home. Prayer shawls are delivered to folks who need our prayers for any reason, and baby blankets are given to families with newly baptized babies. To learn more, speak with Mally or Bobbie Perry 508-866-2807.

Food Panty 4-5:30 PM, Tuesdays and Thursdays, Saturdays, 10 AM - 11:30 AM. Volunteer to help distribute food to our hungry neighbors. Help keep the shelves well organized and stocked. Individuals and families are encouraged to sign up for a regular day or as a substitute. Beginning Sunday. October 2, 2007 and every Family Sunday thereafter, we will be ingathering for our Food Pantry. Meals are going out faster than we can get food in. Baskets will be placed at each door and they will be brought to the altar for blessings during the offertory. Donations of any non-perishable food are needed. Connie Melahoures will e-mail a list of the most needed items on Thursdays. Money donations are welcome too. Put Food pantry in the memo box. Why not have each child bring a can or two to add to the baskets? A great sharing tool. Call Judy Bradley if you have any questions or would like to volunteer.

Overnights of Hospitality The Overnights of Hospitality, an emergency sheltering program for single men, began its 4th season on October 28th at Christ Church. For those new to the parish, we, along with 6 other congregations on a rotating week by week basis, open our doors to welcome these men in from the cold to stay the night in our Parish Hall and have a hot meal. We look for volunteers to serve as hosts. We need 2 volunteers per night for the week. These could be 2 men or 1 man and 1 woman. We also need a volunteer(s) to prepare and serve a meal. For further information and/or to volunteer, please contact Liz and Jim Hester, our site coordinators, at 508-209-0493.

Fundraisers: Our parish life is supported financially by our regular offerings, and also by fundraisers that bring in money from the wider community and give us a warm and welcoming presence for people who may not know about us and the wonderful things God is doing here. Volunteer to help make one or all of these events a blessing to ourselves and our community,

Golf Tournament: Hit the links for a July fundraiser (July 12, 2008) to benefit the Outreach ministries of our Parish. The event is held at Souther's Marsh and includes a silent auction and a dinner.

Chicken BBQ @ the Plymouth Waterfront Festival: We set up our tent, grills and smiles to serve a delicious BBQ chicken dinner with all the fixin's at Plymouth's Annual Waterfront festival the last weekend of August (August 23 & 24, 2008).

Yard Sale: The great American sport: yard sales! Our giant yard sale (October, 2008) brings bargain hunters from all around to get great deals and a smile from our volunteers.

Watch the Parishscope and Sunday bulletins for other opportunities: