OUR MISSION

To Know Christ, and to Make Christ Known

Every evening for the next week, we will have an Evening Prayer service on our Facebook page. You do not need a Facebook account to watch the live stream. Please join us on Facebook to follow along in Evening Prayer.

Our Sunday Worship Services are available on our YouTube Channel. They will also be posted to our Facebook page and below on our website for you to watch at any time.

OUR RESPONSE TO COVID-19 AND OTHER NEWS

Check here for our latest updates to the ongoing COVID-19 virus and other important church related news.

Dear People of Christ Episcopal Church:

Bishop Field has given us approval to reopen Christ Church for worship. Our first services will be on Saturday, June 27 at 6:30 p.m., and Sunday, June 28, at 10 a.m.

We have a limited capacity of 35 for seating. We ask that you please reserve a seat ahead of time by visiting this link and picking your service date and time, and how many of you family will attend.

You may also call the church office at 417-866-5133 or 417-298-2185 (text preferred) and we will reserve a spot for you if we have openings.

Below are guidelines for you to follow when attending in-person worship. You may view the full reopening plan by clicking here.

WHEN IN-PERSON WORSHIP RESUMES
● Limited seating will be available in the nave
● Those desiring to attend must reserve a place by visiting [reopen.church/r/Zkst53kb] and completing the online form or by contacting the church office
● Weekly Spiritual Communion services will continue to be posted and offered on the church’s social media sites
● Live Evening Prayer services will also continue to be offered on the church’s Facebook page

PLEASE STAY HOME IF
● You fall into a high-risk category (see link here) and you, in consultation with your doctor, determine that it is unsafe to attend in-person worship
● You have a cough, fever, or are feeling sick
● You suspect you might have contracted COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone who has
● You feel uncomfortable returning to in-person worship
….and please join us in online worship

ATTENDEE GUIDELINES
● Masks or face coverings must be worn (except for children under the age of two)
● Temperature checks will be taken upon entry into the building
● Members with a temperature above 100.3 will be asked to return home
● Sanitize hands when entering the building and prior to receiving communion
● Maintain physical distancing of at least six feet outside of family units
● Do not congregate for fellowship inside the building, and when outside maintain proper distancing

DURING THE SERVICE
● No congregational singing
● Bathrooms will be closed except for emergencies, and water fountains have been disabled
● Child care will not be available, but children are welcome to sit with their families in the worship space
● Physical contact outside of family units during the passing of the Peace and at other times is prohibited

HOLY COMMUNION
● Will be offered in one-kind only (bread)
● Follow the directions of the ushers to approach and receive
● All participants, including the clergy, will wear masks or face coverings during communion
● After receiving the host, return to the seats before pulling down the mask to consume
● At the conclusion of the service, please exit the church when dismissed by the ushers

PARISH RESOURCES
● Facebook: facebook.com/christepiscopalchurchmo
● YouTube: youtube.com/user/CECSpringfield
● Email: frontoffice@christepiscopalchurch.com
● Telephone: 417.866.5133

 

 

Dear fellow laborers,

The last several days have seen an unexpected shift in our focus on national events. COVID-19 is still with us, but a far older dilemma has returned to the headlines, a dilemma that has been rightly called “America’s original sin.” In some ways it should have been expected (see my statement from two days ago). Sad as the situation is, I am heartened to see that the issues of racism, police violence against people of color, inattention on the part of government leaders, and more has been pushed to the fore.

While I wish the attention now drawn could have come about without violence or harm to anyone, I nevertheless believe this is a moment when we, the leaders of the Church who have a voice that at least some will hear and heed, have a moral obligation, right now, to speak out on:

• systemic and personal racism,
• the misuse of power and authority in government,
• the devaluation of people who differ from the majority or from “my people”,
• the denial of the personal dignity and worth of a child of God,
• the lies called “white supremacy” or “white exceptionalism”,
• the commoditization of the poor and people of color,
• the xenophobia exhibited toward those from different cultures and language groups,
• , etc., etc.

In short, it is time for to witness to the Church’s teaching on the oneness of all who are created in the Creator’s image, the need for justice, the need to appreciate the gifts diversity brings, and many other aspects of the issue we label “racism”.

Therefore, amidst the turmoil now spread across our land, I call on all members of the clergy in West Missouri to write, preach, teach, and speak to the parishes and congregations you lead and to share powerfully the Church’s understanding of the dignity of all human beings and how racism, in any form, steals that dignity from others. Please make this a powerful and prominent aspect of your preaching and teaching in the days to come. If we do not use our voices and sustain our voices – if we lapse back into silence or complacency – we will be aiding and abetting a grievous sin that stains he soul of our nation and all of humanity.

Furthermore, a special obligation is laid on those of us who have accepted ordination and made sacred vows before God to – as the old language said – “attend to the cure of souls”. Remember the story of Eli, the priest of the Lord under whom the great priest and prophet Samuel apprenticed: 1 Samuel 3:10ff — “Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” Then the Lord said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. For I have told him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering forever.”

This passage and my own inaction send a chill up my spine. If I see sin that I know to be sin and do not speak against it nor try to correct the sinner, a weight of sin then drops on me, one that only the responsible would bear who neglect their responsibilities.

Therefore, I enjoin you to speak, teach, preach. Take on the sin of racism head on. I will do the same. The time is propitious. The responsibility is ours.

And may God be with you in this ministry.

 

Bishop Marty

VIDEO SERVICES

Donating online is both simple and secure using our easyTithe portal. From this portal, you can make a one-time donation, or create an account to set up a recurring donation. For questions on how you can give, please contact our Parish Administrator, Sheila McGinn, at 866-5133 or sheila@christepiscopalchurch.com.

FACEBOOK NEWS FEEDS

REGULAR VIRTUAL WORSHIP SCHEDULE

Evening Prayer: Each evening at 5:30 p.m. live on our Facebook page.

Holy Eucharist/Ante-Communion: Each Sunday at 10 a.m. on YouTube, Facebook, and here on our homepage.

ADD TO MY CALENDAR

601 East Walnut Street
Springfield, Missouri

AFFILIATIONS

The Diocese of West Missouri

The Right Rev. Martin S. Field, Bishop

The Episcopal Church

The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop