On Maundy Thursday, March 24, all members of the youth ministries community and their families are invited to partner with the Children and Families Ministry team for an evening of worship and fellowship.
Maundy Thursday will give us a chance to participate in a Living Last Supper, share in a worship experience, and enjoy an eastern inspired meal.
Join us at 6:00pm in the Meeting House and stay for dinner. All are welcome!
God said, “Is this not the fast I choose, to loose the bonds of injustice…? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and to bring the homeless poor into your house?” Isaiah 58:6-7
Giving to someone in need is a fast that pleases God. Consider bringing some food for the hungry each time you come to the church as part of your Lenten practice, holding in tension how very blessed we are and the great need of the world Christ gave his life to save.
Person-to-Person has been serving low-income families and individuals for close to five decades, providing emergency assistance for basic needs in the form of food, financial assistance, and clothing, to support individuals and families as they move towards greater stability. Over the years, P2P’s services have been refined to advance the vision of communities of financially stable, hunger-free homes, with educational opportunities for all. This year alone P2P’s services will touch the lives of more than 25,000 individuals – including 10,000 children.
Food needs: Canned Fruit & Vegetables, Rice (1lb bags), Canned Hearty Soups, Pasta & Spaghetti Sauce, Tuna & Canned Meat, Cookies & Crackers
The New Canaan Food Pantry is staffed entirely by volunteers and resides in St. Marks Church. Clients are referred to them by New Canaan Health and Human Services. Need has continued to grow over the past few years and the number now served every two weeks approaches 200.
Food needs: Juice Boxes, Canned Meats (Ham, Vienna sausages, Spam, Deviled Ham), Canned Stew, Cookies, Snacks (Pretzels, Tortilla Chips, etc.),Maple Syrup
Food should be returned to boxes in Smith Hall
Contact Marianna Kilbride at marianna@godsacredev.wpengine.com with questions.
Please join us on Easter Sunday, March 27
6:30am Sunrise Service
Held on the Church Steps
This service is run by our YG Fish and YG Worship Team with a meditation offered by Caroline Ainsworth, Youth Minister. Warm drinks and Easter treats to follow in the Parlor!
9:30 and 11:15am Services
A 15 minute prelude will precede these services
The Reverend Dr. Stephen Chapin Garner, Senior Minister, will be preaching a sermon titled, “Earth Shattering” and Scripture will include Matthew 28:1-10.
Hear the Chancel Choir with trumpets, trombones, tympani, and organ proclaim the joyous resurrection. Music sung by the Chancel Choir will include “This Joyful Eastertide” by Philip Ledger, “Medieval Easter Chant” by Nancy Grundahl, and “Christ the Lord is Risen Again” by Philip Stopford. The service will close with the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Georg Frederick Handel’s Messiah followed by Charles-Marie Widor’s “Toccata” from Fifth Symphony arranged for organ, brass, and percussion.
A special Easter Sunday Chapel Service will be held for Church School at 9:30am. Children in Kindergarten through seventh grade should begin in the Meeting House with their families.
Living Last Supper Worship and Dinner; Thursday, March 24, 6:00pm, Meeting House and Smith Hall
All are invited to this Last Supper reenactment; stay for a family friendly dinner to follow in Smith Hall.
Tenebrae; Thursday, March 24, 8:00pm, Meeting House
A dramatic candlelight service with Scripture readings and music by the Chancel Choir; Communion will be served.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 10. We have a variety of worship and programs offerings this Lent, and a Lenten Devotional with devotions on The Gospel of Matthew taken from Chapin’s book As the Spirit Moves is also available. We hope you will join us for this Lenten season!
Lenten Worship and Program Schedule |
|
Worship |
Programs |
| Ash Wednesday, February 10 Meeting House, 8:00pm |
Yale Bible Study: The Gospel of Matthew Mondays, 6:30am, Parlor Tuesday Women’s Group, 9:30am, Parlor |
| Wednesday Meditations Weekly, February 17 – March 23 9:00am and 8:00pm, Chapel Chapel open daily, 7:00am Fifteen minutes of music, prayer, scripture, and contemplation; Communion served. |
Wednesday Morning Bible Study with Chapin Wednesdays, 9:30-11:00am, Parlor |
| Mozart Requiem, March 13 Meeting House, 9:30 and 11:15am Presented by the Chancel Choir and guest musicians during Sunday worship; preludes begin 15 minutes before the service. |
Give It Up: Lenten Study Wednesdays, 7:00-8:00pm, Parlor (and online at Laura’s blog) A study based on Give It Up and led by Rev. Laura. See Laura for copies of the book or more information. |
| Palm Sunday, March 20 Chapel, 8:00am Meeting House, 9:30 and 11:15am Blessing of the Palms and a Procession with a Live Donkey, 9:15am. Guest Trumpeters at 9:30 and 11:15am. |
Easter Egg Hunt, March 20 Smith Hall, 1:00-3:00pm Family lunch and three-age-group egg hunt. $20 per family and a non-perishable item for the New Canaan Food Pantry. |
| Tenebrae; Thursday, March 24 Meeting House, 8:00pm A dramatic candlelight service with Scripture readings and music by the Chancel Choir; Communion will be served. |
Living Last Supper, March 24 Meeting House, 6:00pm All are invited to this Last Supper reenactment; stay for a family friendly dinner to follow in Smith Hall. |
| Easter Sunday, March 27 Church Steps, 6:00am Meeting House, 9:30 and 11:15am |
|
From April 3-9, 2016, OG will go forth to Mobile, AL to partner with Raise the Roof Project, whose dual mission aids in healing homes in a forgotten district and the hearts and minds of all involved. Come with us!
Signups begin Sunday, January 31 at Fellowship Hour or with Marianna Kilbride at marianna@godsacredev.wpengine.com.
Join one of our Yale Bible Study groups and learn about Matthew’s gospel, the focus of all-church scripture for the rest of the program year. Sign up during mid hour, materials are available on line. We hope to see you in the Parlor on Monday, January 25 at 6:30 am, or Tuesday, January 26 at 9:30 am (Women’s Study Group). Any questions contact Diana Beecher at beecherd@optonline.net.
Join us for Epiphany Sunday, January 10 at 8:00, 9:30, or 11:15am as we celebrate the new year and Live Generously by bringing our gifts to Jesus.
We will dedicate our 2016 Stewardship Pledge Cards during the services so please make sure we have yours!
If you still need to make your pledge, please stop by the Church Office or click here.
Have you ever wondered what you should do with your life? Unwrap your gifts and talents to find out!
The Gifts and Talents Team is hosting a Gifts and Talent Workshop retreat style on Friday, January 8 from 6:00 – 9:00pm and Saturday, January 9 from 8:30am – 4:00pm.
For information, visit us during fellowship hour or contact Kathy Johnston at kjohnston4@optonline.net or (203)561-8519.
Many of the youth groups in New Canaan are teaming up to help feed lunch to students who regularly get free lunches at school but won’t over Christmas break.
We will be hosting at our Church on Monday, December 28, from 10:00am – 12:00pm making 200 lunches. On Tuesday, December 29, we will go to St. Aloysius and on Wednesday, December 30 we’ll go to St. Mark’s.
Any high school students who would like to participate on any day should contact Kelly Leather at leather@godsacredev.wpengine.com.
Christmas Pivot Saturday, December 19, 9:00am-2:00pm
Nothing could warm our hearts more than helping complete the Pembroke House rehab and employment center renovation with our Pivot pals. Meet in the church circle to carpool to Bridgeport. Lunch served. Home early afternoon. Wear sloppy layers, sturdy shoes, and work gloves. No experience needed, just Christmas goodwill.
Signups/info: Marianna Kilbride at marianna@godsacredev.wpengine.com.
We invite you to join our church family to celebrate the season through prayer, worship, music, fellowship, and scripture.4:00pm Family Worship Service
With Nativity Pageant, procession of lights, and all children’s choirs singing
6:00 and 7:00pm Worship Services
Hear Antonio Abate singing “O Holy Night” and join Nancy Upton in “Gesu Bambino”
6:30pm Caroling on God’s Acre
11:00pm Contemplative Candlelight Service
Prelude begins at 10:45pm
With string quartet, led by Mariusz Skula, playing a contemplative prelude of Christmas carols before the service; Singing anthems of the season will be Nancy Upton, Anne Maguire, Antonio Abate, and Dimitrie Lazich. Homily by The Rev. Dr. Stephen Chapin Garner. Communion offered.
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols will be presented by our Church on Sunday, December 13 at 5 p.m. in our historic Meeting House. The candlelight service tells the story of Jesus’ birth and offers a time of tranquility and reflection.
The original service order was created by E. W. Benson, later Archbishop of Canterbury, for use in the wooden shed that served as his cathedral at Truro on Christmas Eve, 1880. Soon after, other churches adapted the service for their own use. In the adaptation that has endured as a modern Christmas tradition, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was first held at King’s College in Cambridge, England on Christmas Eve in 1918. This service, first broadcast by radio in 1928, reaches millions of listeners worldwide.
In New Canaan, the soloist for “Once in Royal David’s City,” the traditional opening hymn, will be fourth-grader Anne Nichols. Lessons and Carols includes Scripture readings by church members of all ages, familiar carols sung by the choir and congregation, and anthems sung by the church’s adult Chancel Choir and youth Joyful Noise choir.
Director of Music Ministries, Dr. Jo Deen Blaine Davis, comments, “For many people, this beautiful service is a musical highlight of their holiday season.” The community is warmly invited to attend this free event. Childcare is provided. For more information, please call (203)966-2651 ext. 4.