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Last year due to winter weather and icy roads, our Christmas Eve services were cut short. This year it was a truly wonderful time to fully celebrate in praise and worship. Take a look at the photo slideshow. Also, if you missed it, the final sermon from the Believing Christmas series.

Photo Slideshow – Christmas Eve 2010

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Video – Believing Christmas: Jesus

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Associate Pastor – Family, Children & Youth

Christ Church Plano, December 2010

The Rev. Canon David H. Roseberry, Rector

Overview:

As Christ Church celebrates its 25th anniversary, our rector has called the staff and congregation to renew its commitment to excellence in Family, Children’s and Youth Ministries. Our desire is to see young people who participate in our student ministries develop into world-changing Christians who are biblically literate, spiritually sound, and have a heart to serve others in the name and love of Jesus Christ. To do this, a new position is being created: Associate for Family/Children and Youth.  Working with our current staff and others, this Associate Pastor will renew and develop our ministries from nursery to high school into a cohesive, holistic unit that builds year to year as children and youth grow and develop. In addition, along with targeted ministry to children and youth, our families need to be empowered and trained to be the primary place of faithful teaching and discipleship that nurtures young followers of Jesus Christ. (See website for full list of active ministries.)

General Responsibilities

This position reports directly to the Provost and the Rector and  provides  leadership and pastoral oversight to all Program Staff and Ministries (Nursery, Children, Youth, and Family).

General Responsibilities

1. Develop and guide our staff in children & youth ministries including vision, goals, curriculum, and events in order to train up disciples of Jesus Christ.
2. Equip and prepare parents to disciple their children; connect parents to student ministries and other families; promote the value of the family throughout Christ Church.
3. Mentor and equip staff ministers and laity responsible for providing direct weekly program ministry.
4. Promote children and youth ministries along side the value of family discipleship throughout Christ Church; build vital relationships with staff and parents; connect students to the larger church.
5. Develop strategic means of reaching families in the community in order to bring them to Christ and into the body of Christ at Christ Church.

6. Work with the Rector to clarify educational goals, methods and objectives in providing exceptional biblical and spiritual growth throughout all Children and Youth Ministries.

7. Supervise assigned staff providing organizational leadership and direction through vision casting, concrete directives, evaluation and timely review program and staff effectiveness.
8. Initiate and guide staff in the development and successful execution of new ministries, especially family assimilation and peer-to-peer family outreach events.

9.  Oversee daily management of ministry resources working with finance, communications, worship and service arms of the staff.

10. Accept additional directives or responsibilities as directed by the Rector.

Characteristics & Experience

1. Our Associate Pastor for Family/Children and Youth Ministries will have a passion for Christ Church and a personal vision for family ministry that is in synch with the stated vision of the Rector and Vestry.
2. He/she will demonstrate an ability to inspire staff and laity through example and instruction with personal and professional integrity.
3. He/she should be ordained in the Anglican tradition with proven leadership skills and ministry experience commensurate with the responsibilities required of the position.

4. He/she will be of strong Christian character and theological training, promoting orthodoxy in teaching of scripture consistent with the overall faith perspective of Christ Church.

Contact information

Candidates may submit their resume via email to gro.onalPhcruhCtsirhCnull@RdivaD.  Deadline for application will be March 1st, 2011

Dear Friends,

Last night was the longest and darkest night of the year! From this point forward the days will get longer and longer…and there will be more and more light. This is the effect  of Jesus on the world. When He was was born, Matthew (quoting Isaiah 9:1-2) tells that “the people that sat in darkness have seen a great light; on those who sat in the valleys and the regions of the shadow of death…light has come!”

This is the time to let the light of Jesus shine.

And there are many good ways to share the light of Christ. One great way to share the light of Christ is for you to invite others to come with you (or meet you) for Christmas Eve services. The moments we share together at 4, 6, 8, and 10 p.m. are magnificent – full of meaning and joy and a clear presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Go ahead. Share the light in the darkness! Invite someone.
 

Forty-five Years of Ministry Celebrated Today

December 21 (today) is the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle (and Doubter). Today is also the 45th anniversary of Fr. Ted Nelson’s ordination to the priesthood.

Fr. Ted is well-known for his passion for the gospel and his faithfulness to Christ’s redemptive work through the church. In his ministry he has had only three assignments. He was briefly a Curate at Church of the Incarnation right after he was ordained. However, Bishop Mason felt a call to plant churches in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and gave Fr. Ted the assignment of planting a new church in the Garland area. Church of the Resurrection became known around the world as a church where the Holy Spirit was honored and witnessed. “Rez” was one of the most exciting and dynamic churches in the Episcopal Church during the decade of the 70s and into the 80s.

Fr. Ted & Fr. David Celebrate Eucharist

When I was laying the groundwork here for Christ Church 25 years ago, I paid a visit to Fr. Ted. We became good friends, and when Fr. Ted retired he came to work at Christ Church as a “Sunday Assistant”, counselor to our members, and general mentor to me. He and his wife, Lee Ann, have been dearly loved here at Christ Church, and over the years all of their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren have attended Christ Church. Fr. Ted began his ministry here over 20 years ago and has served with love and distinction all these years.

Today in the Chapel, at our regularly scheduled Tuesday service, Fr. Ted and I celebrated the Eucharist together in thanksgiving for his 45 years of faithful service to Christ and to His Church. Please join me in giving thanks today for Fr. Ted and Lee Ann who have served the Lord faithfully…without a doubt!

In Christ,
David+

A few Christmases ago I was telling a story about meeting at Starbuck’s…and I renamed it “St. Arbuck’s”.  It caught on with more than a few from Christ Church.  Other’s had thought of it too.  Now there is a patron saint of the java!  (The image was compiled by my friend Doc Loomis, a bishop in the AMiA.)

But not to be outdone, the Palestinian’s have a coffee shop just down the street from the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem.  Yep…just down the hill from Church of the Nativity is “Stars and Bucks”  It is clearly a knock-off, but I think they are safe from the Starbuck’s lawyers.

DHR

Stop what you are doing now and click here…and have a great Christmas.

Dear Friends,

Since our time together at Thanksgiving I have been reflecting on the many moments over the years where we have seen God’s hand. What a year it has been! I always look for a “theme verse” for a particular year, and last night it was given to me by one of our vestry members. Isaiah wrote: “Expand your tent stakes, Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtain wide, do not hold back, lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.” (Isaiah 54:2) In other words, get ready! God is doing some amazing work and we get to be part of it.

In the first part of next year I will lay out some very exciting plans for our church as we celebrate our 25th anniversary. The staff and vestry and a team of leaders have been busy making preparations for a new era in our church. I’ll let everyone know more about this in the first weeks of the New Year.

But first, here are a few things you need to know:

Your Year-End Giving
I implore you to help us finish the year strong. I ask you to be especially generous in your support of our ministry in the closing weeks of this year. We have been blessed year by year with sacrificial givers…and we need them now more than ever.  We need every family in our church to help us reach our income needs for 2010. Specifically, we need $654,000 by December 31 in order to make budget for the year. Please contact Stacy Mading if you have any questions about your giving, or about your statement which you should have received in the mail a couple of weeks ago.

Now, here are some things you need to know:

Nativity
The new Nativity set in the Sanctuary was a huge blessing to so many people.  Scores of people came forward to get a closer look. Here is a mini-FAQ from so many of you:

Q: How old is the tree and what kind of tree is it?
A: It is an olive tree from Samaria and is about 800-1,200 years old. I was told that olive trees are especially hard to judge in terms of their age, but it is very, very old.

Q: Are all the figures carved from that specific tree?
A: I don’t think so. But I have seen dozens of carved pieces of olive wood over the years of trips to Israel. I have never seen anything as absolutely stunning as these figures.  They are works of art and each piece is signed by the artist.

Q: Are there other pictures of it for me to send to friends?
A: Below are a few more pictures of the closeup work of the artist.

A Service Steeped in Anglican Tradition
This Sunday at 9:15 and 11 a.m. Services
“A Service of Nine Lessons and Carols” originating at the cathedral of Truro in Cornwall England on Christmas Eve, 1880, is the retelling in scripture and song of the story of our redemption in Jesus Christ. In its original form, the service consisted of nine readers, anthems and carols by the choir, and congregational hymns. Nearly four decades later, the service was modified and introduced to King’s College, Cambridge in 1918 by Dean Eric Milner-White. A bidding prayer and Lord’s Prayer were placed after the processional hymn with a series of prayers and blessings to conclude. Since that time, the King’s College tradition of Lessons and Carols has been instituted in parishes and cathedrals throughout the Anglican Communion and adopted by other communities of faith around the world. This service would be a wonderful opportunity to invite friends to experience our Anglican worship.

The nativity scene from last Sunday's Christmas pageant

This year’s Children’s Christmas Pageant was a huge success. Isaiah, angels, shepherds, wise men, kings, Mary, Joseph and sheep were all represented on stage. In all, 67 children did a wonderful job reminding over 220 family members, staff and guests about the events leading up to, and the day of, Christmas.  Afterward, the festivities continued as families gathered with cider and cookies. If you’re children are not involved in our Children’s Ministry, I would strongly encourage you to bring them. Their Christian education is extremely important, and great things are happening here every week.

Vestry Nominations
Members of Christ Church are invited to recommend names of people to be considered for nomination to the Vestry. Please include contact information and a brief description of the person’s spiritual qualifications, leadership experience and background of service. Submissions should be emailed to Jan Trimble, Office of the Rector. Submission deadline is Monday, December 20.

Merry Christmas From Our Family

The Roseberry Family 2010

Fran and I wish you all a blessed Christmas. Our entire family came in for Thanksgiving.  Jed, Stacy, Haley, and Evan are doing well at Restoration Anglican Church in Addison. Taye and Tray, with Moses, Milan, and their newest girl, Finley, still live in Spring, Texas where he is the worship leader at Faith Bible Church. Daniel is working as a fashion designer in New York. Liz is a freelance artist and designer in Austin. Pictured also here is my mother and her husband, Martha and Keith Thorson, who live in Tucson, Arizona.

I hope to see every one of your at our next “Invite Night”, Christmas Eve services at 4 ,6,8, or 10.  (The first is the “family” service; the other three are “candlelight” services.) We have a lot to make up for from last year!

In Christ,
David+