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Dear friends,

Fr. David and Fran left for Israel Monday with a group of 30 pilgrims. Over the next 10 days they will explore the land where Jesus lived and ministered, culminating in a journey down the pathway Jesus took to Golgotha, the place where he died for our sins. Having taken this pilgrimage four years ago, I can say it is a spiritually moving experience. Please be in prayer for those on the trip: that they will travel safely, and be open to the work God wants to do in them as they explore the land of the Bible.

In Fr. David’s absence, I wanted to update you on the progress we are making in Family Ministry at Christ Church. Over the last several months we have been working hard to create one ministry from three departments: the Nursery, Children’s Ministry and Youth Ministry. One of the most challenging and exciting parts of this work has been the creation of a unified plan of ministry. We started with a question: “What type of disciples do we want to graduate from our program?” From there, we’re building a pathway to form fully committed disciples of Christ who have a love of scripture, a passion for worship, a heart to serve, and an appreciation for the community of the church.

But while we’re planning for the future, exciting ministry is happening right now! Last Friday, around 50 4th and 5th graders were joined by 20 adult chaperones (including Fr. Jeff!) for the annual GAP45 Rock Climbing outing. The GAP ministry is growing by leaps and bounds as our older children are being discipled each Wednesday night.

We’ve had a great response for the Youth Winter Retreat at Pine Cove February 17-19. There is still space available if your 6th-12th grader would like to sign up. Finally, our next Parenting Seminar is coming up soon! Dr. Ken Wilgus and I will discuss how you can restore margins (and sanity!) to the life of your family. More information can be found here.

We have a wide variety of families at Christ Church: two parents, single parents, grandparents raising grandkids, etc. Whatever your family looks like, we’re here for you! Let us know how we can support you as you raise young disciples who love Jesus!

Have a great week! ‘See you Sunday,

Fr. Clint+

Dear Friends,

It was a very moving moment and a signature weekend for Christ Church. In one weekend we saw three amazing things. First, Michael Boone was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Lebhar. Second, we had a great group of new members join the church at the 11 a.m. service. Third, we saw the finished product of what our Children’s Ministry has been up to for the last few months. I’ll explain.

Michael Boone’s ordination signaled the answer to a prayer that so many of us have been praying. During the Renew campaign last year, we prayed and searched for the right team to lead our student ministries. I first connected with Eric Willits, our Middle School minister, about this time last year. Then in April, I interviewed Michael. And as we got to know these two, we saw that God was calling them one-by-one into the ministry here. First Michael, and then, when we had a vacancy in Middle School, we welcomed Eric to the staff.

To me, these two men joining our staff and Michael’s ordination are a symbol of the strength behind this church. We are committed to focus on our youth. Many people contributed with their campaign pledges, and the Lord has been faithful. We have two great leaders, one of whom was just ordained to the priesthood.

Second, we had a great Gateway class. This is also a symbol to me of the faithfulness of God. We are seeing more and more visitors each week. Our visitors are from all over. Some are new believers; others are seasoned followers of Christ. Most are young (younger than me anyway!) and looking for a parish family to grow deep in their faith.

Third, the Children’s Ministry has changed in the last year also. There are great things going on. The new space and worship environment for the kids is terrific. Again, this is the result of our congregation-wide effort to eliminate our debt and raise the profile of our student and family ministries.

 

What a joy! By the way, our debt has gone from $5.2M to $1.9M in just over a year! We have a ways to go, but you and I know that this is the right and wise thing to do. We are nearly free to pursue more of the ministry efforts that God wants from us.

Here are some other things that I want to share:

Vestry Election

Our vestry election will take place at all four of our services this weekend. In addition, the Annual Report is available for you to review. Copies are available in the Narthex or you can download it now.

A word about our election; it is obvious that with five candidates running for four positions, there will be one person not elected. Many people have come to me with a pastoral concern. Wouldn’t that one lone person feel bad? My reaction is to say no. This election process is not about winners and losers. It is about completing the process of a call. Trust me, there are many members who have served with distinction who knew that they hadn’t won anything in their election. But when we place ourselves before God for his service, He will always say, “Yes.” But He might say, “Yes, but not in this area.”

Holy Land Trip

Please pray for Fran and me beginning next week. We will lead a tour of the Holy Land from January 30 to February 8. This will be our 8th tour, and we are as excited about this trip as any previous trips. Why? Because we get to make a house call to the land of the Bible. We see the things that God did in history. And we experience afresh the way he does things today. We have about 30 people going. If you want to follow our trip, please follow me on Twitter.

Follow @dhroseberry

Update from Addison, TX

According to my son, Jed, his church in Addison is blowing and going. Jed and Stacy planted the church 2 years ago, and now they have a new facility, a new sense of mission and a growing group of young families and new members.

If you know anyone in the Addison area, have them to check out Restoration Anglican Church.

Dilemma of Life

And finally…

Do you believe in unconditional love? Inquiring minds want to know.

See you Sunday.
In Christ,

David+

Dear Friends,

I was ordained to the priesthood on February 4, 1983. It was literally a dark and stormy night in Tucson, Arizona. My father-in-law took pictures of a young man who was ready to commit himself to the service of God through the Church. I can remember the evening, the moment, the friends and family who were there. I will never forget it.

We have a chance to have a moment like that this week. Deacon Michael Boone will be ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests on Sunday at the 11 a.m. service. This is an incredibly special moment for Mike and his wife, Katie; and especially for our youth. It signifies many things that we should all be aware of and give thanks to God for.

1. It says that the Anglican Church in North America has some great young leaders who are emerging. Mike is 27 years old and is among the finest young leaders I have seen come through the ordination process. He has a full life of ministry and service to the Lord ahead. The church will be stronger because of what God will do through him.
    
2. It says that God has blessed the Renew efforts of Christ Church. You will remember that we began to focus our prayers and ministry on the youth and children of our parish. The Lord connected this young man to our church. He has come to us and begun building a Senior High fellowship. A lot of our youth will be there on Sunday to celebrate with Mike and Katie.
    
3. It says that Anglicanism is a method of being a Christian that is still very appealing to the emerging generations. Mike, and there are many more like him, love being Anglican Christians. In fact, I am meeting with a group of about 14 young men and women who are praying about their vocation as ordained leaders in the Anglican Church in North America. It is growing.

I will preach the same message at all the services over the weekend, but I especially hope that you can make it for the Ordination Service at 11 a.m. Also, we welcome Bishop Neil Lebhar from the Gulf Atlantic Diocese in Jacksonville, Florida to officiate the proceedings.

Until then, here are the things you need to know.

The Numbers Are In

The Lord was moving mightily in December in terms of our financial stewardship. We ended the year in the black, but inquiring minds want to know how in the black? God be praised, it was just under $110,000 in the black! But here are some more interesting highlights:

• On a year-to-year comparison, 2011 was extremely similar to 2010 for the operating fund.
• Giving came from across the congregation, not from one or two large, lump-sum donations. It was definitely a church-wide effort in December to end the year in the black.
• Total giving for 2011 exceeded 2010 by $1.2 million.
• The current debt balance (as of 1/17/12) is $1,955,000.

Did you take note of the last number? The total indebtedness is under the $2,000,000 mark! Press On!

Gateway Recap

Besides this great finish (Praise God!), January is off to a great start with a packed house last Sunday night for the Gateway class. I don’t know how many of those in attendance will become members, but there was a great sense of joy in the room. One man had been visiting for six years; another family had been visiting for 3 weeks.

In the Twittersphere

I have joined the Twitter world, if you’d like to follow me. Every day I have an interesting life, and I have tried to tweet what I see God doing. Click the button below to follow me:

Follow @dhroseberry

Anglican 1000 Summit

Finally, our church is hosting the Anglican 1000 Summit again. Last year we had over 325 church planters join us for the three-day conference on church planting. We just crossed the 100 mark in terms of registration. I think it will be a great group of leaders. Go here to find our more about Anglican 1000.

That’s about it. I’ll see you all this week. And I thank God for all my remembrance of you. (Phil 1:3)

In Christ,

Fr. David+

I don’t think you can send this to friends too many times.

Dear Friends,

I really don’t have time to write a long message to you today. I was up at 5:30 a.m. for the 6:30 start of On Point. I have been engaged in conversations, meetings, and a few sessions all day long. I missed my first deadline for this article. I have only 15 minutes before my second drop-dead deadline…where The Call goes out without me.

I have to hurry…

I want to communicate the answer to the question that many, many people have asked me since the start of the New Year. “How did we end the year?” You remember that we were significantly behind the needed income to end the year in positive territory.

But, God be praised, we ended the year in the black. Not by much…but there is no red ink on the Christ Church books. At all. Praise God. The financial statement will be made public in a few weeks in time for our Vestry Election, but we can give thanks to God for His faithfulness once again.

I am thankful to God for the continuous generosity that He places on the hearts of His people. I know it is from God. One of our members told me a few weeks ago, “David, I know that God has touched me because I want to give what I give…I really do. I’d give more if I could. But what I give, I actually want to give!”

Some of us gave extra, some got caught up, some people make generous contributions to Christ Church as never before. No one person made us whole. Trust me, it was everyone doing everything they could.

At the end of the day, I am thankful to God. And honestly, I am thankful to all of you. Bless you!

My deadline upon me. See you Sunday!

In Christ,

Fr. David+

Dear Friends,

First of all, Happy New Year! The last few weeks have been a wonderful time for our church. We were together for Lessons and Carols and Christmas Eve in what I felt were two of the most uplifting, God-honoring, Christ-centered worship services that I have ever attended.

January is a great time to look backwards and forwards at the same time. Look back over the year just past. Do you see God’s redemptive hand at work in your life? Healing wounds? Teaching lessons of faithfulness? Do you sense that Christ was walking with you? Did you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit within you? Give thanks to God for these things. They are unique privileges that we have as Children who are born of God. (John 1:13)

Take a look at this video, too. Give thanks to God for this work here at Christ Church. Be sure to send this video off to your friends and family. What a great story we have to tell here!

[Video link: 2011 Year In Review]

The future? Well, that is in God’s hands too, as it should be. There is a well-known saying that is worth memorizing, “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.” The Great Apostle Paul had this to say about it in 1 Corinthians 2:9:

What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God as prepared for those who love him

And from the Book of Common Prayer (p.60), based on Ephesians 3:20-21:

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to Him from generation to generation in the church, and in Christ Jesus…

Let’s pray about these things together…this weekend. But in the meantime, please know of my joy in sharing another year with this fine church.

Sunday School & Bible Studies

Ministry for every age and stage of life starts again for the new year. Children and Youth will be back in Sunday School January 8. Sunday Bible studies for adults begin the same day with 360 at 9:15 a.m. On Point Men’s Study and Women’s Bible studies will also begin next week.

Financial Peace

In addition, I am sure many of you made a commitment to get your financial life in order in 2012. Let me suggest Financial Peace University which begins this Saturday, January 7. It has made a tremendous impact on many in our congregation. Think about taking this course to learn more about faithful stewardship of the financial resources God has given you!

We Are Here For You

And, as always, our clergy and ministry staff are available for you if there is ever a moment when you need someone to come alongside you during a difficult season. They would find it a privilege to talk and pray with you.

• Prayer Line: (972) 491-7729
• Online Prayer Request »
• General Contact Form »

Happy New Year,

Fr. David+

Dear Friends,

My heart is full to overflowing from the worship we had together on Sunday morning. If there was ever anything that traced the pattern of God’s saving purposes, it was on display with the traditional lessons and carols Scripture reading. What a blessing.

And someone wrote me that they had discovered a new favorite Christmas carol. It was sung as an anthem. The music was beautiful, but the words themselves are gospel-rich. Read it as a poem…and thank Him (Father) who sent and Him (Jesus) to come, and He (Holy Spirit) who stays with us.

Dream Team

I want you all to know the joy that I have in being your rector. Each week I find new meaning and new joy as I search the Scriptures and ask God to convey his eternal truths through this all-too-human vessel. Thank you for the privilege of doing this in a church filled with grace. Thanks to our incredible staff. I have told many people this year that we have a dream team as at no other time in the life of our church. The right people doing the right thing. They are terrific. I love them and pray for them all.

Roseberry Family

Finally, we had a family-only surprise for Fran on a significant birthday of hers. All of our children came in to overwhelm her with love. Here is a shot of our family.

 

Taye and Tray on the left, Jed on the couch. His wife Stacy on the far right. Liz and Daniel on her left. That young lady on the couch next to the middle-aged bald guy…that’s Fran and me, joy-filled and full of thanks.

Merry Christmas!

+David