Glad Tidings

Parish Newsletter of Christ Episcopal

Church, Guilford

Christ Episcopal Church

Guilford, CT 06437
The Rev’d Anthony C. Dinoto, Interim Rector
Lent – Holy Week

P.O. Box 574

No. 8. Vol 11
2010
Bishop Suffragan Laura J. Ahrens
Here for Episcopal Visitation on Palm
Sunday
The Rt. Rev’d Laura J. Ahrens, Bishop
Suffragan of the Diocese of Connecticut will
make a regularly scheduled
official “Episcopal Visitation”
to Christ Episcopal Church on the
Sunday of the Passion or Palm
Sunday. Bishop Ahrens is the first
woman bishop to be elected in this
diocese, the national church’s
oldest. Bishop Ahrens will be
principal celebrant and preacher at
the 10:00 Holy Eucharist. She will
also participate in Guilford’s Ecumenical Liturgy of
Non-Profit Organization

the Blessing of the Palms on the Guilford Green prior

Permit Number 1
Guilford, CT

to the Eucharist. Following the service, she will visit

U.S. Postage

at a Parish Brunch and then meet with the Wardens

PAID

and Vestry. Please make every effort to attend Palm

Sunday services and join in providing a warm
welcome to Bishop Ahrens as she makes this official
visitation to Guilford.
 Wednesday Holy Eucharist of



Ceremonial Foot Washing
Celebration of the Lord’s Supper
Healing Holy Eucharist Rite II
Christ Episcopal Church’s Wednesday Holy Children’s First Reception of
Eucharist of Healing is celebrated each week Communion
at 12:00 noon. The NEXT Healing Eucharist Reservation of the Blessed
will be on April 14. There will be no service Sacrament
during Holy Week or Easter Week. Solemn Stripping of the Altar

Good Friday – April 2

The Liturgies of HOLY WEEK Begin 12 Noon The Liturgy of Good Friday
with our PALM SUNDAY SERVICE
Distribution of the Reserved
Sacrament
HOLY WEEK SERVICE SCHEDULE

Veneration of the Holy Cross
Palm Sunday – Passion of Our Lord - March 7:30 pm The Liturgy of Good Friday – same as
above
28


with organist and choir

8:00 am Liturgy of the Blessing of the Palms



The Passion Gospel The Feast of the Resurrection



Holy Eucharist – Rite One

9:45
Ecumenical Liturgy of the Blessing of
Easter 2010
Palms



On the Guilford Green The Great Vigil of Easter – Saturday, April



Procession to Christ Church 3



The Reading of the Passion Gospel 7:30 pm Kindling of the New Fire of Easter



Holy Eucharist Rite II
Blessing and Inscription of the Paschal



The Rt. Rev’d Laura J. Ahrens Candle



Bishop Suffragan
Festival Holy Eucharist of the



Principal Celebrant and Preacher Resurrection

Administration of the Sacrament of
Wednesday in Holy Week – March 31 Holy Baptism
7:30 pm
A Service of Tenebrae Easter Sunday, The Feast of the
Resurrection –April 4
Maundy Thursday – April 1 8:00 am
Holy Eucharist of the Resurrection
7:30 pm The Liturgy of Maundy Thursday

Rite One with Music and Hymns

10:00 am Festival Holy Eucharist of the
Resurrection
Administration of the Sacrament of and New Life. As we come to the end of our Lenten
Holy Baptism
Wednesday, we turn our focus to the preparations for
observing HOLY WEEK and the Great Feast of the
Christ Church’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt will be
held on Easter Sunday following the 10
celebration of the Holy Eucharist of the
Resurrection. All children of the parish and
visitors that day are welcome to participate. The
use of the EGG as one of the oldest symbols of
Christ’s exit from the tomb and his Resurrection
dates to antiquity. Susan Jillson, Director of
Sunday School is accepting DONATIONS OF
PLASTIC EGGS and EASTER CANDY for the egg
hunt.
From the Interim Rector
Signs of Spring can be seen at every turn. Daylight
savings time has given us more hours of sunshine at the
end of the day. Budding trees lining the roadways are
taking on a distinctive “reddish” hue. Perennials are
beginning to push through the sodden earth and more
than a few Robins have been sighted across the state. For
Christians the Season of Spring is surely a Season of Hope
journey begun with the imposition of ashes on Ash
Resurrection.
The Episcopal Church provides a rich liturgical
experience during Holy Week. (see Holy Week schedule
in this issue.) Beginning with Palm Sunday and our
celebration of Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem,
we are invited to walk with Jesus as he makes his way to
the Cross on Calvary. There on that Cross, was given for
us the ultimate sacrifice by a loving God. Jesus died so
that we might have eternal life. And by his rising to new
life at the Resurrection, we are given the promise that he
will always be with us, even until the end of time. It is
surely a Season of HOPE.
Here in Guilford, there is an added measure of
hopefulness as the Search Committee completes its
discernment process and
consideration of priest candidates to
become the next Rector of Christ
Episcopal Church. For only the third
time in over 56 years, the parish
will be welcoming a NEW RECTOR to
lead this wonderful community of
faith. The members of the Search
Committee have dedicated an
enormous amount of time in this
pursuit. They deserve the gratitude
and thanks of ALL. The FINAL List of
priest candidates will be handed on
to the Wardens and Vestry at a
special celebration of the Holy Eucharist in the weeks
ahead. The vestry will then review all of the information
on each candidate and conduct interviews as part of their
discernment. The final decision of the Wardens and
Vestry will be based on choosing the priest whose gifts for
ministry best match the needs of the parish as it moves
forward.
My prayer for each of you this Easter is that you
rejoice and embrace the gift of NEW LIFE of the Risen
Christ as you prepare to welcome your new Rector into
your lives and into the NEW life of Christ Episcopal
Church, Guilford. God’s Holy Spirit continues to call His
people into new and life-giving relationships as the Body
of Christ. In our ordinary lives, through God’s grace, we
are given the strength and inspiration to give
extraordinary witness to His Love to a hungry and broken
world.
The God of peace, who brought again from the
dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the
sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
make you perfect in every good work to do his will,
working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight;
and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you
always.
With every best wish for a Holy and Joyous Easter,
The Rev’d Anthony Charles Dinoto
Interim Rector
From the Junior Warden, David Kish
Last week over several days, the Orange Cleaning
Service did a complete SPRING CLEANING of the
church, parish hall, parish offices,
church school rooms and meeting
rooms. The floor in the Parish Hall has
been refurbished and the carpets all
shampooed. This special cleaning was
funded by a gift from the Goss family,
to whom we are very grateful. Thank
you to the volunteers who helped with moving
furniture in preparation and after.
All exterior gutters were cleaned.
“HOUSES FOR HAITI”
Sunday School Children Kick-off
Outreach Project to aid Earthquake Victims
On Sunday, March 7, the children of Christ Church Parish
received a handmade birdhouse that they will decorate
with their own designs and artwork. The finished
birdhouses will be returned on Palm Sunday, March 28th
for sale following the 10 am Eucharist
during a SILENT AUCTION. Proceeds from
the sale of the decorated birdhouses will
be sent to Episcopal Relief and
Development for aid to earthquake
victims in Haiti. The bird houses were
designed and made by Merle and Susan
Jillson. Materials for their construction
were donated by: Charles Pageau of C.J. Builders of
Madison.
ECW’s MILITARY WHIST SET FOR
APRIL 16 TH
The Episcopal Church Women of Christ Church
will hold their 2nd Military Whist on Friday, April
16, and they need your help. This is a
fundraiser to support our charitable programs and our rough figure of $24,600. If all active households who
parish needs. Many hands are needed to make it a pledged last yead had made a pledge for 2010 we most
success. likely would have achieved our goal.
WE NEED: Penny Auction Items; helpers to Questions about our Stewardship Program are
advertise the event; helpers on the night of the always welcome. Please contact me at anytime via e-mail
WHIST to sell tickets at the door, raffle tickets, or phone. A detailed color brochure about Stewardship
penny auction, table prizes and refreshments. and additional Pledge Cards are available.
Helpers can collect or donate items for door
prizes, the raffle and table prizes. Respectfully submitted,
Help us sell tickets in advance. Table sponsors Bob Donahue, Stewardship Chairman
are $35.00 for a full table, $17.50 for ½ table.
This is an adult activity and is based on each table having
Pledges received to date: $149,994.00
four players. ENCOURAGE YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO
2010 Stewardship Goal
173,184.00
JOIN US. THE MORE THE MERRIER!!
SHORTFALL
- 23,790.00




Thank you,
Pledge income to date 27,602.50




Diane W. Link, Chairwoman
Budgeted Pledge income 28,964.00
Budget vs. income (deficit) 1,361.50 @

* New Pledges (18) 35,460.00
2010 STEWARDSHIP APPEAL UPDATE
**2009 Pledge Units who

Dear Christ Church Family,
did not pledge in2010 (16) 24,600.00
Below are some updated facts and figures for @ (“Pledge income to date” includes several large
2010’s Stewardship Campaign. These numbers represent pledges pre-paid in full. Had this not occurred the
information for the first two months of 2010. We have “deficit to date” would be ,more accurately, much
received 86 pledges totaling $149,994. Our shortage this higher.)
hear is $23,790. There has been an increase in new
pledges..*New pledges come from those “new to the
parish” and from members for quite some time but had
never chosen to pledge until this year. There are also
several households that pledged last year that have
elected not to pledge this year.** Historically, (i.e. over
the past ten years, Christ Church, on average, has seed a
$25,000 deficit between pledges made versus its annual
pledge goal, even in the best economic times. Taking an
average of giving in 2009 represented by households who
have elected not to pledge this year (2010) we have a