Parish Profile 2015 - Christ Church · Weekend Lunch Program. The congregation of Christ Church continued to grow. In order to accommodate the need for additional space, the Parish

Parish Profile 2015

Table of Contents

Page 1 - 2

Page 3 - 4

Page 5

Page 6

Page 7

Page 8

Page 9

Page 10 - 11

Page 12

• The History of Christ Church

• The City of Macon

• Christ Church Music

• Outreach at Christ Church

• Inreach at Christ Church

• Christian Education

• Youth Programs

• Our Inner Structures

• The Rector We Seek …

Christ Church stands in the heart of our historic city. The town of Macon was created by an act of the Georgia legislature in December, 1822. Three years later, the Rev. Lot Jones traveled on a missionary tour to the new town and helped to establish the congregation of Christ Church. The Church was officially incorporated in 1825, and is known as the first church in Macon, Georgia. The first church building, located on our present one-acre lot, was opened for services in 1834 and was consecrated in 1838. The growing congregation of Christ Church quickly outgrew the first building, which was torn down and replaced in 1851 by the present stucco-over-brick, Gothic style building.

A smaller worship space, Jones Chap-el, was added to the church grounds in 1879. Today, it hous-es a newly renovated chapel and a modern commercial kitchen. Jones Chapel serves as an alternative place of worship with flexible seating of 70 and used also for our Weekend Lunch Program.

The congregation of Christ Church continued to grow. In order to accommodate the need for additional space, the Parish House was built in 1926. A two-story building of approximately 17,000 square feet, it houses a choir room, two nurseries, a parlor, twelve church school classrooms and a large fellowship hall with a stage, two kitchens and robing rooms.

We also have a long history of caring for others. In 1886, Julia Parkman Jones left money in her Will for the establishment of a home for “the indigent ladies of the Parish, and such other persons as the wardens and vestry of Christ Church may select as worthy and in need of its protection”. From that time until 1937, the house was a haven for many, but its operation became overwhelmingly expensive during

the Depression and the house was closed. There-after, income from the fund has been used to assist those in need.

Christ Church was the first church in Macon to house an organ. In 1999, the building underwent considerable renovation to accommodate a new organ to fill our sanctuary with beautiful music. With the purchase and installation of a tracker organ, the organ and choir were relocated from the chancel to the gallery. The organ and the ren-ovations were completed in the year 2000 in time to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the church.

Our nave seats 360 parishioners. The stained glass win-dows were recently refurbished and restored.

The “Great Hall” is located upstairs in the Parish House. It regularly serves as the venue for many church events. Recently, it has been renovated with im-proved lighting, a new

sound system, and a modern audio/video system. It includes a large stage, which is used for many special presentations, including church meetings, children’s plays, musical, and social events. It is a special gathering place, where our parishioners enjoy fellowship and make memories.

The Harrold House is a two-story, 4,000 sq. ft., 19th century building located adjacent to the church building. The Harrold House was renovated in 2001 and provides office space for the rector and other members of our church staff.

Given the age of our buildings, there are always ongoing maintenance projects, which require constant attention. Other capital projects remain on the drawing board as future funding will allow.

The History of Christ Church

Christ Episcopal Church Profile | 1


Our Recent HistoryIn May 1995, The Very Rev. Harriette Simmons was hired by then Rector Vic Fredriksen to be our assistant rector. She was later named by then Bishop Frank Allen to be Dean of the Middle Georgia Convocation. Since her initial hiring, Harriette has served as our assistant rector and later as our “priest in charge”. In October 2002, she accepted a call as the associate rector of St. Paul’s in Augusta, Georgia. In December 2008, Harriette returned as “priest in charge” for a second time. Subsequently, she was named rector of Christ Church and served in that capacity until her retirement in May, 2015. Many young families joined Christ Church under her leadership.

Our demographics are as follows:Number of Parish families: 286Number of Baptized children (under age of 19): 90Number of adults for the following age categories:23-34: 5235-44: 5745-54: 7355-64: 8865-74: 9875 and over: 70Average total of Sunday worship attendance: 211

Our Diocesan History To view a parish properly, it must be seen both against the background of its community, and in the context of its diocese. The Diocese of Atlanta (Province IV) comprises the northern counties of Georgia and is one of two dioceses established in Georgia. Interestingly, the meeting to establish the Diocese of Atlanta was held at Christ Church. The Right Rev. Rob Wright became our Bishop in 2012, and has his diocesan offices at the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta.

The Diocese of Atlanta is a vibrant, diverse and expan-sive faith community with 110 different communities focused on worshiping a living and loving God and working for a better world in the name of Jesus Christ. There are some 56,000 members in nearly 25,000 households in the 10 convocations that make up the diocese. The Macon Convocation includes Episcopal churches in Macon and throughout Middle Georgia, as well as Appleton Family Ministries, located In Macon.

Mikell Camp and Conference Center, located in the beautiful hills of Northeast Georgia near Toccoa, serves as a year-round getaway for everyone, from children attending summer camps to vestries on retreat. With its variety of sleeping quarters, meeting rooms, large dining room and swimming pool, Camp Mikell can accommodate groups from 2 to 200.

Macon is centrally located in the State of Georgia at the crossroads of two major interstates (I-75 north/south & I-16 east/west) making travel to the coast or mountains easily accessible. The City of Atlanta & Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport are 90 miles north while Savannah, boasting one of the nation’s largest ports, is approximately 170 miles southeast.

With the city and county consolidating at the beginning of 2014, Macon, now officially known as Macon-Bibb County, is now the fourth largest city in Georgia with a population of approximately 160,000.

Macon provides a wide variety of educational alternatives with a large public school system, several private institutions and three newly created charter schools.

Macon is also home to four institutions of higher learning: • Wesleyan College (pictured above) originally

chartered in 1836, is the first women’s college in the world.

• Mercer University moved to Macon in 1871 and offers degrees in Liberal Arts, Law, Medicine, Engineering, and Business degree opportunities.

• Middle Georgia State University was accredited in 1997 as a four year institution.

• Georgia College and State University maintains two locations, including a Graduate Center and a main campus.

Additionally, technical accreditation is available through Central Georgia Technical College.

Our Rich Culture Part of Macon’s rich culture and heritage can be experienced by visiting the Ocmulgee National Monument, which celebrates the life of this area’s first settlers, the Creek Indians.

The Tubman Museum is Georgia’s largest African American museum celebrating art, history, and culture.

Stroll the streets of the revitalized downtown area and enjoy the southern charm of antebellum homes such as The Hay House, which was spared from Sherman’s March to the Sea during the Civil War. Today, our central business district is a wonderful mix of historical and mod-ern structures making downtown Macon an exciting place to work, play, and live.

Macon’s musical heri-tage is also undeniable

with world renowned recording artists, such as Otis Redding and Little Richard Penniman, having called Macon home. Capricorn Records, estab-lished in the late 1960s, fueled the careers of the Allman Brothers Band and other highly acclaimed southern rock groups of that era.

Macon boasts a world class symphony, various museums, two theater groups, ballet companies, and a thriving arts community. Enjoy touring Broadway productions at the Grand Opera House, live concerts in the Cox Capitol Theatre, or classic motion pictures in the Douglass Theater - all beau-tifully restored facilities that enhance our cultural quality of life. Additionally, downtown Macon is the location of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

The City of Macon…


Each year during the third week in March, Macon hosts the nationally acclaimed Cherry Blossom Festival when over 300,000 Yoshino cherry trees turn the city pink. We welcome 250,000 visitors for tours of our city and a myriad of entertaining events for all ages.

Macon also features three primary care hospitals and is considered the medical center of the entire Middle Georgia area.

Recreational opportunities abound in Macon, including water related activities on the Ocmulgee River and Lake Tobesofkee, parks and walking trails, and tennis and golf facilities. Due to its relatively mild climate, all of Macon’s recreational opportuni-ties can be enjoyed year round.

Both newcomers and residents see Macon as a vital, exciting place to live and work. For more information, please visit The Greater Macon Cham-ber of Commerce at www.maconchamber.com or maconga.org.

Today, our central business district is a wonderful mix of historical and modern structures and buildings, making downtown Macon an exciting place to work, play, and live.”

“


Christ Church Music

The Christ Church music program has been an area of consistent pride for the parish. In the 1990s, the congregation made a commitment to the music ministry of the church by contracting with C.B. Fisk, Inc. of Gloucester, Massachusetts to build an organ that would be in harmony with the historical archi-tectural design of the church. At that time, major renovations were made to the church in an effort to restore many of its features to their original design.

In addition to the beauty of the renovations, world renowned organists have been attracted to Christ Church to present concerts on this magnificent instrument. The past three organists have been

professors of music at local colleges, as well as being top musicians in their own right. Dr. Jack Mitchener currently serves as our organist and choirmaster. He is also Director of the McAfee Institute of Church Music, Associate Professor of Organ, and University Organist at Mercer University. Christ Church continues to enjoy mutually beneficial relationships with local institutions of higher learning in our music ministry.

The church choir is a blend of professional singers and talented members of the congregation, who all contribute to the worship service and to the glory of God.


In addition to the beauty of the renovations, world renowned organists have been attracted to Christ Church to present concerts on this magnificent instrument.”

“

Outreach at Christ Church is coordinated by the Outreach Committee, made up of parishioners, many of whom serve on boards, or as representa-tives of area ministries, vestry shepherds, and cler-gy. The committee’s annual budget is approximately $60,000.00. In addition, Christ Church contributes $80,000.00 to the Atlanta Diocese in support of its outreach programs. In 2012, the committee focused its efforts on the needs of Macon’s downtown community. In accordance with this mission, Christ Church works closely with the other downtown churches to support Macon’s poor and homeless.

In terms of money, hours, and volun-teers, the largest outreach project is the Weekend Lunch Program. Approximately 175 people are fed on each Saturday and Sunday by teams made up of our own parishioners, as well as teams from other congregations.

In 2011, DePaul USA launched a campaign to open a center located in a former warehouse in down-town Macon that would offer services to the city’s homeless. Christ Church and nine other churches provided outreach donations and board support in support of the new center. The center now known as “Daybreak” offers showers, laundry, health care, education, rest, resources, Internet and phone access, and Goodwill job connections to Macon’s homeless.

Christ Church also supports other in-town minis-tries: the Rescue Mission of Middle Georgia offers a men’s recovery program and a women’s domestic violence program. Loaves and Fishes offers tran-sitional housing, a clothing bank, hygiene items, household items, laundry and showers, along with assistance with identification and certificates. The Safe House/Crisis Line offers support and shelter for victims of domestic abuse. Path to Shine is sponsored through the Atlanta Diocese and devel-

oped locally for children in underprivileged neigh-borhoods. One-on-one tutoring is provided and books and other school supplies are donated.

In addition to in-town outreach, Christ Church supports national and international ministries, including Kairos, a national prison out-reach ministry, and Hai-tian Hope, in which the annual salary of a school

teacher is paid through outreach. Each month a “Ministry of the Month” is selected and its “wish list” communicated to the parish for donations. These have ranged from paper towels and pow-dered lemonade for Daybreak to filling suitcases with school supplies for Haitian Hope. At Christmas we stuff Agnus Dei, the sheep, with socks for the homeless and draw names from the Giving Tree for gifts for needy children. Through a gift from a former committee member, a hot meal is served at Christmas to the city’s homeless at an annual Christmas Party.

Outreach at Christ Church


To me, Christ Church’s involvement with the weekend lunch program is one of the ways I know what being a church means.”

“

Pastoral CareTogether with the clergy, the pastoral care commit-tee maintains contact with shut-ins and reaches out to meet the needs of families and individuals in times of birth, illness, and death. Our “Good Grief” committee is made up of teams who prepare meals for families of parishioners who have died. This meal is often combined with a reception held at the church after the funeral. Clergy and Lay Eucharistic Ministers (LEM) take communion to shut-ins. Committee members take flowers from the altar to the home or hospital. Members also prepare meals for families with new babies or members recovering from surgery.

Parish LifeWe are called to live life and live it abundantly! Christ Church loves a party! We begin each Fall with a parish picnic followed by a newcomer’s party, the ECW party, Blessing of the Animals and in alternate years, a Garden Gate bazaar. Garden Gate begins with a well attended preview party and silent auction and concludes with an impressive luncheon in our Great Hall complete with music and our own nearly famous chippendalian waiters. A sampling of other get-togethers include the All Hallows Eve Mass and Festival, foyer group gather-ings, ECW Christmas party, bingo, the annual meet-ing luncheon, Shrove Tuesday “Night on Bourbon Street”, Easter egg hunt, visiting clergy receptions, and “Lemonade on the Lawn” in warm weather.

Inreach at Christ Church


The clergy and members of Christ Church provide pastoral care, support and counseling to its members in time of need and joy.”

“

I love how our church feels like a family.”“

Christian Education

Christ Church offers a variety of programs for both children and adults. We are a very active parish, full of energy, with many parishioners participating in lay leadership.

For the adults on Sunday, Christ Church offers a traditional Bible study class, as well as a larger class, which offers a wide and varied range of topics. In recent years, topics varied from life lessons around the Andy Griffith Show to an interpretation of the religious artwork of Picasso.

Four classrooms have been established and include: 2K/3K- Children’s Chapel with Bible story and craftGodly Play I- PreK / KGodly Play II- 1st-3rd gradesGodly Play II- 4th and 5th grades

In our Godly Play II classroom, we began a new series of classes designed to prepare students for their first Solemn Communion. These classes are designed to provide children the opportunity to more mindfully participate and understand our Eucharistic tradition.

In addition to our Sunday offerings, we offer weekly Bible study for both men and women. On Wednes-days, we generally offer dinner followed by a lecture series, films and other programs for all members of the parish.

Instructors for our programs include members of the clergy, members of the parish, and members of the local community.


Every Sunday when I teach Godly Play to a great group of kids, I am reminded of what our church means to me.”

“

Christ Church has a strong youth program led by John Mark Parker, who is a prayerful and energetic leader. John Mark is assisted by Hope Hutchins, a former EYC member, whose enthusiasm for our young people is both genuine and contagious.The Episcopal Youth Community, or EYC, is comprised of 6th through 12th grade students. John Mark and Hope offer our youth a variety of weekly events, including Tuesday night gatherings for dinner, fun activities, and prayer. Tuesday and Thursday morn-ing prayer breakfasts are held before school in two different locations at local restaurants, and Sunday school classes. This year on Ash Wednesday, the EYC had the opportunity to have the imposition of ashes before they went to school at the most holy of holy places for an Episcopal youth - Chick-Fil-A. Our youth leaders are creative about including our young people in worship.

Several times per month, the EYC will gather for fun and meaningful activities, such as going to a movie together, supporting other EYC friends by attending their athletic events and performances, taking trips to Disney World and participating in the annual “Night of Joy”. The annual “Messy Olym-pics” held each spring to welcome the rising 6th graders has become a tradition at Christ Church. The EYC also volunteers on a regular basis to serve

lunch to the homeless community as part of Christ Church’s weekend lunch program. The youth are also involved in Diocesan events such as the annual hunger walk in Atlanta each March, and the New Beginnings and Happening weekends at Camp Mikell in North Georgia. For the past three years, on two different Sundays per year, we have “Youth Sunday” where the EYC leads the eleven o’clock service. The lay readers for the service are EYC members. An EYC member, typically a junior or senior in high school, delivers the sermon for the service. This has been very well-received by the Christ Church community and has given EYC members a sense of ownership in our church family.

Every other year, the senior EYC members, comprised of those in 9th - 12th grades, embark on a pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral in England. In preparation for the pilgrimage, the EYC hosts fundraising events, such as a spaghetti dinner, car washes, etc., to help defray the cost of the trip. This trip has become a very popular and meaningful rite of passage for EYC members. Additionally, the EYC members, who are acolytes, have participated in the National Acolyte Festival at the National Cathedral on several different occasions.

Youth Programs


StewardshipChrist Church relies primarily on annual pledges to fund the daily operations of our church. The annual Stewardship Campaign is conducted in the fall by parishioners on the Stewardship Committee. The congregation of Christ Church has responded faithfully and generously to its calling as Christian stewards with ever-increasing levels of giving over the last six years. Since 2009, pledges have grown from 167 pledges totaling $630,000 to 194 pledges totaling almost $796,500 for 2015.

In addition to pledge income, Christ Church receives other categories of annual giving, including plate offerings; unpledged gifts and contributions;

responses to special appeals to fund specific oper-ating or capital initiatives; and donations from parish organizations.

For more financial information, please go to our link to our 2014 Annual Report.

EndowmentChrist Church’s endowment funds, under the direction of the Funds Management Committee, help enhance the church’s sound financial position. There are two major funds which distribute a set percentage of the preceding year’s balance to sup-port the general fund of the church. Two other funds are restricted and their income is used to support outreach and capital improvements.

Our Inner Structures


As stewardship chair, my faith grew as I witnessed the generosity of our members.”

“

The Church StaffThe Rev. Joseph Shippen, Associate RectorThe Rev. Bryan Hinson, CurateThe Rev. Julia Mitchener, Priest AssociateDeacon Arthur W. VillarrealDr. Jack Mitchener, Organist/ChoirmasterJonathan Poe, Assistant Organist/ChoirmasterJohn Mark Parker, Youth Ministry CoordinatorHope Hutchins, Youth Ministry AssistantChristy McAdams, Parish AdministratorBeverly McFall, Financial SecretaryRobert Hubbard, SextonCarolyn Simmons, Assistant Sexton

The Vestry and CommitteesThe vestry is a crucial part of the leadership and management of Christ Church. The vestry is composed of twelve members elected by the congregation for three years with staggered terms. Four new members are elected at the annual parish meeting each January. The senior warden is appointed by the rector. The junior warden is elected by the members of the vestry. Each vestry member is a shepherd to one of the following committees: Worship, Buildings and Grounds, Parish Life, Communications, Young Adult Ministry, Youth Ministry, Outreach, Inreach, Christian Education, Stewardship, and Finance.


The Rector We Seek...

Based on our Parish Survey results, Christ Church seeks a rector that is theologically sound, prayer-ful, and displays solid pastoral skills to all. Our new rector must demonstrate a positive attitude, which makes a constructive impact on all church activities. Our new rector must also possess a spirit of encouragement that allows parishioners to grow in their faith and service of our Lord. The parish survey also revealed that we are a healthy and vibrant parish that approaches change with caution and deliberation.

Our new rector must be an effective communicator. The new rector at Christ Church must be a leader with the skills to make decisions that are clear, decisive, and understandable. The parish seeks a new rector to help us continue our positive momentum. We also seek someone who challenges us individually and collectively as a congregation. With God’s help, Christ Church and our new rector will find each other and continue our 190 years of service to the Lord, the people of Macon-Bibb County, and each other.


Our new rector must possess a spirit of encouragement that allows parishioners to grow in their faith and service of our Lord.”

“

Documents

Parish Profile 2015 - Christ Church · Weekend Lunch Program. The congregation of Christ Church continued to grow. In order to accommodate the need for additional space, the Parish