advent spire 2015

THE SPIREA Newsletter by and for the people of Christ Church

Last Sunday, November 29, we entered the season of Advent and began a new Church year. Which begs the question I heard from multiple kids expressed with great and humorous frustration - Why on earth can’t we have just one calendar, one cycle, one year? And I get that. I really get that - especially when we’ve started a new Church year and I’m still preparing monthly reports and end of year financials for the “fiscal or calendar” year we’re still in.But despite the confusion, I love the Christian calendar. I love it because it speaks to the reality of the empire of Christ, the Kingdom of God - a kingdom so different that it even has another way of telling time. We mark time in our Christian calendar by retelling through the year the story of Jesus, a story which begins not with his birth, but with anticipation. It starts with that deep, deep yearning for the One to Come who will liberate us from the things that bind and constrict and weigh us down. The four weeks of Advent build this great anticipation by taking us to meet the prophets and letting us eavesdrop on Mary’s joyful response to an invitation to be God-bearer - “My soul magnifies the Lord!”And then we arrive at Christmas, which in the Christian Calendar is not one day, but a twelve day feast - because God has broken into history. One day just isn’t enough. God is with us, as author Brian Zahnd expresses it, in birth, in life, in joy, in sorrow, suffering, pain, travail and even in death that we might be with him in resurrection. Hope is born anew. Hope is born anew! You’ll hear and feel that each Sunday in Advent, and certainly at Lessons and Carols on the 6th. So please join us as we come together to anticipate and celebrate the Coming of God’sincarnate Word. May we all experience great hope in this new Church year! Michael +

Advent 2015Volume LXVI, Number 2

Christ Church Bronxville 914-337-3544www.ccbny.org

page 11page 2 page 9 page 14page 12

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CHRIST CHURCHBRONXVILLE

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All Saints’ Day

Blessing of St. Francis

O Almighty God, who have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those indescribable joys which you have prepared for those who truly love you: through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

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Advent Lessons & Carols: December 6th

The annual service of Advent Lessons and Carols at Christ Church celebrates the coming of the Messiah with beautiful anthems, readings, prayers and hymn-singing. The Christ Church Choir and Young at Arts ensembles will combine for this long standing CCBNY tradition and will be accompanied by organ, brass and timpani with all-new arrangements by Composer in Residence Philip Stopford. All are welcome to join us for this festive service!

LGBT & Friends Fellowship GroupThe LGBT & Friends Fellowship sponsored an “inreach” project on Outreach Sunday. We had a good time oiling the wood of the church - a project we hope will become an annual one! Check out some photos on page 11! We have discussed engaging in more projects as a group rather than the monthly potluck format. That said, we will have our annual Christmas-themed potluck at the home of P.G. and Carol Costa on December 6 at 6:30. RSVP to [email protected]!

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Christmas Crèche and Party!It’s time to prepare for the annual Christmas Eve Crèche service. We invite the children of the parish to join us in telling the Christmas story at the service, which will take place at 4:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve.Children in Grades 4, 5, and 6 are invited to participate as narrators and speaking characters. If your 4th, 5th or 6th grader would like to have a speaking role, please contact Eileen Visco at [email protected]. Children 3-years old and older are invited to participate in the Crèche Service as angels and shepherds. It is not necessary to contact us yet if your child is interested in participating as an angel or a shepherd. We would also like to invite a few “alumni” of the Creche service (a.k.a. middle and high school volunteers) to assist during the rehearsals and service. Any teens (or parents) interested in helping during the general rehearsal, costume fitting, and service are asked to contact Eileen for further information.

rehearsal scheduleCHRISTMAS CHRÈCHE

SUNDAY, DEC. 13th - after 10 a.m. service• Narrators and speaking roles only

SATURDAY, DEC. 19th - 11 a.m.• General rehearsal and costume fitting for

all participants• Angels & shepherds join for the end of the

rehearsal only

SUNDAY, DEC. 20th - 12:00 p.m.• Run-through for narrators & speaking roles

- after Christmas Party

THURSDAY, DEC. 24TH 4 p.m.• Speaking roles & narrators arrive by 3:15• Angels & shepherds arrive by 3:40

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The Christ Church December Schedule Sunday, December 6th, 2015

10 a.m. Holy Eucharist featuring the Parish Choir5 p.m. Advent Lessons & Carols

Featuring the Christ Church Choir and Young at Arts Ensembles Accompanied by Organ, Brass & Timpani

Music includes all new arrangements by Philip Stopford andPeople Look East by Barry Ferguson

There is a Flower by John RutterMagnificat by Charles Wood

Sunday, December 13, 201510 a.m. Holy Eucharist featuring the Handbell Choir

Sunday, December 20, 2015 10 a.m. Youth Sunday and 11:15 a.m. Christmas Party

Thursday, December 24, 20154:00 p.m. The Family Christmas Crèche Mass

Favorite Hymns and our Children’s Choirs10:30 p.m. The Christmas PreludeMagnificat, Op. 36 by Gerald Finzi

and a selection of Christmas anthems from Great Britain11:00 p.m. Solemn Midnight Mass

O Come, All Ye FaithfulHark! The Herald Angels Sing

Keble Miss Brevaby Composer in Residence, Philip Stopford

Friday, December 25, 201510:00 a.m. Christmas Mass

The Hymns of Christmas

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Christmas Eve Midnight Mass

This year’s Christmas Prelude and Midnight Mass service will be another joyful celebration of the birth of Christ, at which the music will again play a prominent role. The Christmas Prelude will open with Finzi’s glorious Magnificat, Op. 36 which was composed in 1952, and later orchestrated in 1956. This is one of the most extended of Finzi’s shorter choral works, and was written for the choir of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, the composer’s first overseas commission. It was intended for a Christmas Vespers service, rather than for standard liturgical use, concluding with an Amen not a Gloria, and the composer planned the orchestral version from the onset. It is typical of Finzi’s lyrical approach with a great deal of contrapuntal writing. There is also great drama in the work, with the scattering of the proud, and the shewing of strength being particularly forceful. The solo parts are generally brief but telling, and there is a section for semi-chorus. The final Amen is similar in nature to the great conclusion Finzi wrote for Lo, the full, final sacrifice.

Flowers and music beautifully enhance our Christmas season at Christ Church. During the season of Advent we will be collecting donations to help offset the cost of both flowers and music. Envelopes are available in the narthex for your contribution. Please indicate if your gift is in memory of a loved one or in thanksgiving for a particular blessing and they will be listed in the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day bulletins. Please turn in donations to the Church Office by Dec 21st.

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There follows two American premieres of music by Composer in Residence Philip Stopford. ‘I sing of a maiden’ is a double choir setting of an anonymous poem that is considered to be one of the finest of early poetry. It was commissioned by Mark Keane, Director of Tribal Chamber Choir, and first performed on 25th November 2015 at St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church, Galway, Ireland. ‘There is no rose’ is a setting of a words from the 14th century to be found in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge. The inclusion of Latin phrases to close each section is hauntingly beautiful; Alleluia (which we all know!), Resmiranda (of wondrous thing), Pares Forma (the Father and Son “equal in form”), Gaudeamus (let us rejoice), Transeamus (“let us go” as in let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, from Luke’s Gospel. Harold Darke’s setting of words by Christina Rossetti is a classic of the English Christmas choral tradition. A beautiful opening soprano/treble solo, an unaccompanied verse, a luscious tenor solo, and spine tingling last verse bring together this wonderfully meaningful composition, In the bleak midwinter. A stable of the famous King’s College, Cambridge Nine Lessons and Carols, it is loved by choirs and congregations across the world.The king of Christmas music and arrangements, the beautiful Nativity Carol is one of John Rutter’s masterpieces. Simple in melody, harmony and movement, every note is crafted with excellence, the composer having penned not only the music but the words also. This is a joy for any choir to sing. It provides the beautifully soft and meditative alongside the more joyful and jubilant carols.Finally, we return to another one of Philip Stopford’s newer compositions, What sweeter music. Commissioned by the Law Society Choir in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 2012, it is a setting of Robert Herrick’s 17th-century poem A Christmas Caroll, Sung to the King in the Presence at White-Hall (sung to King Charles I).This is a challenge to the composer on many levels. Clearly the music must be beautiful to represent the title What sweeter music! Secondly, the detailed nature of the poem has to be conveyed by the music without swamping the text, but only existing to further enhance it. Balancing this with a performable piece that fits within the expectations of a Christmas congregation or concert audience is an enjoyable challenge!- Philip Stopford

BirthdaysDECEMBER

December 1: Edward Barr, Wink McKinnon 2: George Palmer 3: James Kirby 4: Brendan Elkerton, Charles Goodell, Elizabeth Goodell, Jonah Martin 6: Katherine Brasco 7: Gregory Gilliam, Katharine Rooney, Abigail Sullivan 9: Caroline Sorensen, Luca Meloni 10: Patrick Early, Desiré Francis 11: Romeo Sacripanti 12: Annette Jackson 14: Steve Ecklond, Rachel Roberts 17: Eliza Elder, Ruth Singleton 18: Tracey Minich 19: Michael Barrett, Warren Kraemer, Letizia Seirup, Carter Boyle 21: Carol Costa 22: Kim Olson, Noel Carroll, Owen Jones, Charlotte Prior, Sophie Halaby, Marie Preis 24: James Redpath 25: Frank Simpson 26: Avery Jones 26: Erica Kenney 27: Emma Mandanas 28: Thomas Roth 30: Fiona Barr, Mallory Bates, Vincent Pazienza 31: Piero Giorgio Costa, Edward Deichert

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What’s Happening at CCBNY

Men’s Group Fishing Trip August 2015

Organ ConcertSeptember 2015

Homecoming Sunday September 2015

Blessing of the AnimalsOctober 2015

Youth Sunday October 2015

Velma Dougherty’s Birthday October 2015

EYC Midnight RunOctober 2015

Youth Sunday October 2015

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Outreach Sunday November 2015

Men’s Group Midnight Run November 2015

Confirmation Scavenger HuntNovember 2015

Thanksgiving Party with St. Mark’s New Canaan November 2015

Composer Short Series with Philip StopfordNovember 2015

Julie O’Connor’s 90th Birthday CelebrationNovember 2015

EYC Learning to Brew Espresso November 2015

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CCBNY held our fall Outreach Sunday on November 15th, and it was a huge success! Eight projects were held simultaneously after the 10 o’clock service, taking place both within the walls of Christ Church and elsewhere. We were excited about the turn out of volunteers, and loved seeing our congregation light up in the spirit of giving back to our neighbors!

Within the building, we had five different volunteer opportunities. Starting in the sanctuary, the LGBT & Friends fellowship group led the much needed task of applying linseed oil and turpentine to our woodwork. It was lovely to participate in the preservation of our church’s beauty. In Crispell Lounge, our smallest children made lovely Thanksgiving cards. These cards were sent to the residents and staff of Fessenden House and the kids and staff of Center Lane, both of which are incredibly valuable organizations in our neighboring city of Yonkers, NY. In Taylor Hall, Project Linus had a great

turn out, completing warm and comforting blankets to send to the kids at a few different children’s hospitals in our area. Next door to Project Linus, the United Interfaith Food Bank packed bags of groceries in the Undercroft. Lots of fun was had as they quickly and successfully bagged food for three different drop off locations in the north Bronx. From there, a few volunteers from CCB brought the food to these locations. Finally, in the kitchen, a group chopped and baked a delicious looking meal for the twelve men of Fessenden House. They made roasted chicken, roasted vegetables, and apple crisp for dessert. Fessenden House gave the meal six stars out of five!

Outside of the walls of Christ Church, we were excited to particpate in a brand new project. Deacon Ella has been deeply involved in Kairos Prison Ministry for years, and has now established our connection with the organization. Kairos had their biannual women’s retreat on the

same weekend of our Outreach Sunday, so four men from our parish drove out to Queens and to Christ Church in Pelham to hear the final testimonies of the women and to help break down the space after the retreat.

In addition to this amazing opportunity, Bronx River Parkway Reservation Conservancy - always a parish favorite - held a clean-up for us on this Outreach Sunday. About ten volunteers headed to the southeast section of Bronxville Lake to clean up litter, cut suckers from trees, and remove weeds. Furthermore, the EYC headed to San Andres, a partner church of ours in Yonkers, to paint their front parlor and get to know some of their high schoolers.

All in all, the Outreach Sunday on November 15th was certainly one for the books! We are lucky to have had the time and opportunity to partner with all of these amazing organizations. Thanks to all who volunteered! - McKenzie Burton

2: Stephen Malley 3: Claire Hayes, Jane Sears, John Kirby, Allison Barker, Nash Dembowski, Lucinda Partridge 4: Tyler Morse 6: Theodore Rooney, Amalia Torres 7: Lily Crystal, Jane Werner, Jonathan Murad 8: Amanda Wallace, Brendan Jones 9: Sarah Sullivan 10: Ashley Allen 12: James Lee, Anthony Meloni 14: Heidi Wolfgang 16: Bailey Johnson, Laura Holland 17: Edelawit Bird 20: Megan Barker, Luke Stephens 21: Trudi Bottari-Hornick, Stratton Werner 23: Tyler Carroll, Andrew Jackson 24: Ellen Tighe, Abdallah Al-Omoush 25: Kathleen O’Guin, Ian Palfrey, Caitlin Thomas 26: Cece Jablonsky, Christopher Hood 27: Virginia Newcombe 28: William Bates, Michele Richardson, Treva Thoms, Gus Vaughan 29: Hadley Barr 30: Wilyem Thoms, Georgina Partridge

BirthdaysJANUARY

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Photos from Outreach Sunday

Maintenance of woodwork in the Nave - sponsored by the LGBT & Friends Fellowship Group

Thanksgiving cards for our partnerships - sponsored by Church School

Painting San Andres Episcopal Church in Yonkers - sponsored by the EYC

Homemade chicken & roasted fall vegetables for Fessenden House

United Interfaith Food Bank, organizing and stuffing bags with donated food to be delivered all over the north Bronx

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Third Annual Harvest Supper - Great Success!

The Men’s Group, once again, donned aprons and cooked up a storm for the parish at the annual Harvest Supper. Parishioners dined first on a delicious bowl of pumpkin soup followed by a crisp cabbage apple salad and then the highlight – beef brisket accompanied by pumpkin bread, corn bread and roast potatoes. A warm apple crisp finished off the meal.Over 70 people attended the event and the Men’s Group is happy to report that generous donations from Christ Church parishioners netted a total of $660 for Fessenden House, a home for men recovering from substance abuse.If you are a guy and looking for some camaraderie and opportunities to help your fellow human being, please email [email protected] and get on the Men’s Group mailing list. Future activities include the Pancake Supper, church bench restoration, a coffee hour sponsorship and, potentially, a weekend retreat. - Joseph Philips

BirthdaysFEBRUARY

2: Aaron Srebnik 3: Paige Nagle 5: Bob Jalang’o, Margot Eaton 6: John O’Neil, Mark Roberts 7: Carter Callaway, Brian Firth 8: Stephen Howard 9: Jim Beit, Hanna Buendia, Victoria Mordaunt 11: Patrick Conaton, Joshua Philips, George McCormick, Thomas Henry 12: Sophie Cappello, Clark Stephens 13: Christopher Behrens 14: Mary Territo, Anabelle Thurston, Cady Murad 15: Elisabeth Campbell, Lisa Harrington, Jonathan Gaines 16: Timothy McCann, Colm Doherty, Sara Mae Dembowski 17: Patrick Bird 18: James Rooney 19: Rita Durniak, Dylan Ecklond 20: Betsy Howard 21: Peyton Elder 22: William Anderson, Martin Witt 23: Didi Romley, Camilla Seirup, Lorenzo Seirup 24: Alleigh Thoms, Christian Welch 25: Richard Fursland, Lucille Noone, Mary Beth Mandanas 26: Jack St. Phillip 27: Cherry Lawrence, Casey McKhann, Molly O’Neil

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Confirmation Breakfast RunI wake up at 5:30 a.m and get some food to eat. When I walk into the kitchen I see my mom and I ask her, “Mom, don’t I have to be at Church at 6:30 a.m for the Confirmation Breakfast Run?” She nods yes, so I eat breakfast, get ready and leave. We go to Stop & Shop to pick up the groceries that the Church has asked us to bring. We buy the ingredients and head over to the Church.When everybody got to the Church we all went into the Church kitchen. When we got in the kitchen we made peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. We also boiled eggs and made all sorts of sandwiches. We finally finished making the food and we all pack

the cars with the food we made along with additional supplies. We drove for about 40 minutes to New York City. When we arrived we saw a long line of homeless people going around the block. I helped take out the tables that we will put the trays of food and the drinks on. For the morning, I am in charge of making coffee. I go over to where they set up coffee and they show me what I should do. We start to serve homeless people and they all request their own coffee. As I make the coffee I try get into conversions with the homeless people. Some conversions are about school, sports, what’s happening in the

world and more. Finally, no more homeless people get on the line so we start to pack up. We take the same 40 minute drive back and we arrive back at the church at 9:30, just in time to go to the service.I have had a wonderful time on the all of the Breakfast Runs I’ve been a part of. Everything from making and preparing the meals to serving the homeless people was fun, even the car rides. The homeless people that I have have met are wonderful people who have amazing and interesting stories. They also may have a few things in common with all of us. - Myles Gould

On a Sunday after church in late October I traveled with a group of around 10 other high school students and 3 adults to Fessenden House in Yonkers. Fessenden House is a halfway house for men who are in need of assistance. These men have been through a lot in their lives and it is a place they call home. This house is unique in that it allows the men to live there for as long as they may want or need - as opposed to other houses that might have a time limit for their guests. Our mission was to help them clean up and also to help them move to another location. We brought our work gloves to help clean their yard and to lift heavy objects that the men were not able to move, such as boxes in their basement or old TVs in their yard. The men were very appreciative and this made it all the more enjoyable. We gained much satisfaction from helping them with these tasks and it made us proud to be a part of Christ Church. - Sally Reynolds

EYC Outreach

Confirmation Scavenger Hunt in Central Park

Christ Church’s EYC will begin brewing and selling espresso during Coffee Hour in the Undercroft on Sunday, December 6th. Money raised will supplement mission trips and the annual pilgrimage to Taizé.

Don’t forget to bring cash!

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ECF AnnouncementsHere at ECF we have a number of exciting things coming up! Open registration for enrollment will begin on Monday November 30th, 2015 to all CCBNY members, siblings and alumni. This is one week in advance of the general public enrollment date, which is December 7th, 2015. For more information check online at elizacorwinfrost.org.

Tuesday December 1st-Friday December 4th here at ECF we will have a Book Fair that is open to the public from 8:00am-2:00pm. The Book Fair will be located in the Main Floor Conference Room.Check out photos of ECF’s Halloween Parade below!

YAA Pow Wow Salon

YAA was thrilled to host celebrated Native American Composer, Brent Michael Davids. In 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts named Mr. Davids among the nation’s most celebrated choral composers in its project “American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius,” along with Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Foster, and 25 others. YAA’s “Pow Wow Salon Performance” celebrated the Native American experience and featured Mr. David’s work. Throughout the night Taylor Hall was alive with dance, drama and music. The audience enjoyed poems and skits choreographed by older YAA students and learned about Mr. David’s handmade wind instruments like the one featured in the photo above. Thank you to all who supported the salon!

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Stewardship Update

2015 - 2016LOOKING AHEAD AT

Wednesday, Dec 2nd Episcopal Charities Tribute Dinner

Saturday, Dec 5th Rock Band PerformanceSunday, Dec 6thComposer Short Series - Annbritt & Charles duChateau

Lessons & CarolsLGBT & Friends Fellowship Group Potluck

Saturday, Dec 12thECF Winter Wonderland Party

Sunday, Dec 13thComposer Short Series - Jason ThomsCrèche Rehearsal

Saturday, Dec 19thCrèche Rehearsal

Sunday, Dec 20thChildren’s Christmas PartyCrèche Rehearsal

Thursday, Dec 24thChristmas Eve Crèche ServiceChristmas Eve Midnight Mass

Friday, Dec 25thChristmas Day Service

Sunday, Jan 3rdEpiphany

Your pledge to Christ Church supports the many programs and ministries that are at the heart of our growing parish community. It’s up to each of us to support our ministries at CCBNY. Our request is that you take some time to give thanks for all that God has given you, and then reflect on what Christ Church means in your life now and what it could mean to you in the future. We hope that you will make a commitment that is personally meaningful to you. So far, we have received 90 pledges totaling in over $550,000. Help us reach our goal for $850,000 by pledging online or drop your pledge card in the mail.


CHRIST CHURCH BRONXVILLE17 Sagamore Road

Bronxville, NY 10708914-337-3544

www.ccbny.org

advent spire 2015

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