Report to the 158th Annual Meeting 21 January 2018

The Revd Canon Richard C. Wrede, Rector

Charlotte Livingstone & Jeffrey A. Mack, Wardens

Christ Church (Episcopal / Anglican) 500 Fourth Street Riverton, New Jersey 08077

Telephone: 856-829-1634 Fax: 856-829-2663 E-mail: christriverton@juno.com The Revd Canon Richard C. Wrede, Rector

158th PARISH ANNUAL MEETING 21 January, 2018

Call to order Opening Prayer Certification of quorum Reading and approval of the minutes from the previous annual meeting (5-6) Nominations for parish officers (see last page of booklet) Opening of polls and appointment of tellers Stewardship, Diocesan Investment Trust Account, Endowment (7-8) Rector’s Report (9-11) Wardens Report (12) Deacon’s Report (13) Ministry Reports

Summary of ministries (15) Church School (16) Music (17) Altar Guild Treasurer’s Report (18) Women of Christ Church (19-20) Project Interaction (21) Clothes for Camden (22)

Old Business New Business Adjournment

Enter to worship the Lord...Go Forth to Serve Him

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CHRIST CHURCH

RIVERTON, NEW JERSEY MINUTES OF THE 157TH PARISH MEETING

JANUARY 22,2017 The 157th Annual meeting of the Parish of Christ Church in Riverton was held on Sunday, January 22, 2017 following the 10:00 AM worship. In the Absence of the Vestry secretary, The Rev. Naomi Cressman, Deacon was appointed Secretary. The Pascal Candle was lit to signify Christ’s presence at this meeting and all the work we do at Christ Church in Riverton is the fulfillment of our Baptismal Covenant. The meeting was opened with The Prayer for the President found on p. 820 of the Book of Common Prayer followed by the Prayer for a Church Meeting on p. 818 of the BCP. The Very Rev. Richard C. Wrede, Rector, called the Meeting to order at 11:35. The canonical quorum was certified. The acceptance of the minutes of the 156th Annual meeting as printed was moved by Jeff Mack and seconded by Nancy Gorman. A motion was made by Jeff Mack and seconded by Charlotte Livingstone to suspend the order of business for the Resolution about term limits. This resolution was unanimously approved by the Vestry at the Janu-ary 16, 2017 meeting allowing Jeff Mack to stand for election as Warden. The resolution passed. The ballot for Parish offices was read and additional nominations were asked for from the floor to

complete the ballot. The following names were received: One Warden – 2-year term (Vote for 1) -Jeffrey Mack Three Members of the Vestry – 3 year term (Vote for 3) -Matthew Huntsinger, Sr., Margery Conti, and Todd Klokis Two Member of the Vestry – 1 year term (Vote for 2) Kathy (Shea) Gulbin, Richard Frost Delegates and Alternates for the Diocesan Convention (Vote for 6) Fred Hill, Kathleen Aregood, Richard Aregood 3 Alternates- needed Six Delegates and Alternates to the Burlington Convocation (Vote for 6) Martha Caiazzo Nancy Gorman Kathryn McGarry 3 alternated needed The Rector opened the polls at 11:41. The Treasurer, Richard Frost, stated that projected deficit for the upcoming year is $6,600. Income from 2016 envelopes showed a 5 % drop. He expressed concern that envelope giving supports 70% of the budget. Rev. Wrede added that the diocesan asking is a 10% tithe. And we contribute 2/3 of our diocesan asking. He noted that the Bishop is developing a Fair Share program involving sanctions for those parish-es that do not meet their fair share asking. Mary Shea asked what those penalties might be. It was moved and seconded to accept the treasurer’s report before audit.

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Minutes of 157th Parish Annual Meeting 2018 (cont’d)

The Rector’s report was read as the sermon. Additionally, he thanked the Jeff Mack and Charlotte Living-stone for their hard work as wardens; they are casting out nets and raising funds. Martha Caiazzo, Debbie Sigler, and all the painters were thanked for a job well done on the facelift of the Parish House Hall. Out-going members of Vestry, Jon Ogbonna Don Dietz, Rich Gaughn and Alice Good were thanked for their service. The Deacon was also thanked for all she does at no cost to the parish. The annual reports of the various Parish ministries were presented by those in charge with thanks offered to all for their efforts to maintain and expand the work of Christ Church in the world. The Secretary stated that on half hour had passed since the polls were opened. Fr. Wrede asked for a motion to declare the nominations closed and the Rector directed the Secretary to cast one unanimous ballot in favor of the nominees presented. The motion was passed, with gratitude to all for their willingness to serve. With no other business presented, a motion to adjourn the meting was made and second. The meeting was adjourned at 12:16 PM and concluded with the singing of the Doxology. Faithfull submitted, The Rev. Naomi M. Cressman, Deacon Appointed Secretary

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STEWARDSHIP REPORT

2018 Pledge Campaign

2018 2017 Total Pledged

Total Pledged to Date $90,464 $116,986

Total Numbers of Pledges 56 57

Average Weekly Pledge Amount

Annual 1,615 $2,093

Per week $31.00 $40.24

DIOCESAN INVESTMENT TRUST

Christ Church Riverton Investment Account

2017 Recap

Beginning Value: $892,896.24 Jan 1, 2017 Share Price: $47.84

Redemptions - 0 -

Investments

Memorial Investments $14,810.00

Gain In Investment Value $130,422.65

Ending Value: 1,038,128.89

Dec. 31, 2017 Share Price: $54.61

Note: Anticipated annual income from this account is $37,639.56

Respectfully submitted, The Revd. Canon Richard C. Wrede Rector

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THE ENDOWMENT FUND

The Church does not forget us after death. The dead are prayerfully remembered at every celebration of the

Eucharist: "and we also bless thy holy name for all thy servants departed this life in thy faith and fear; beseech-

ing thee to grant them continual growth in thy love and service." Before death we are urged "to make wills,

while in health, arranging for the disposal of our temporal goods, not neglecting, if we are able, to leave bequests

for religious and charitable purposes." [Prayer Book, p. 445] Money that goes into the making of character, the shaping of destinies, that gives humankind hope and spells

opportunity, that lengthens days and wipes away tears does not pass away. Money that helps the onward spread

of the Gospel is imperishable. Treasure spent for God's Kingdom is beyond moth and rust and thieves. There are

no dividends more certain and lasting than those that flow from investing in God's Kingdom. As the Church does not forget us after death, so we can in a tangible way not forget the Church, even after death,

by providing gifts and bequests to the Endowment Fund. The income from the principal continues to provide for

the work of the Church. In a real way this is an extension of our offering to God through his Church after death;

offerings which in fact are made from the use of the gifts and talents God first gave us to use. Under a DEED OF TRUST, formally adopted by the Vestry of Christ Church on January 11, 1904, an

Endowment Fund was established to provide for a permanent revenue for the support of the parish.. The Fund

is regularly and carefully reviewed and discussed. Mr. Ernest L. Ransome, III, who had been advisor for the

Fund since 1974, announced his retirement in 2003. At a meeting in 2003, the Vestry appointed Mr. Robert H.

Martin as advisor to the Endowment Fund. In 2006, by Vote of the Vestry, all monies were transferred to the

Diocesan Investment Trust.

BEQUESTS OR MEMORIAL GIFTS TO THE ENDOWMENT FUND 2017

In memory of:

+ + +

THE RECTOR’S OFFICIAL ACTS Total 2017

Holy Eucharist (Sundays) 152

Weekday Eucharists 66

Private Communions 15

Other Services (MP, etc.) 40

Baptisms 5

Confirmations/Receptions 0

Weddings 3

Burials 8 Respectfully submitted, The Revd. Canon Richard C. Wrede Rector

Louise Vaughn

Vete Mitchell

James Dayton May Jr.

Gus Hollingsworth

Athan Stosuy

James & Ila Hoff

Frank R., Michael, and William Reed

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RECTOR’S REPORT FOR THE YEAR 2017

Psalm 62:6-9

William R Taylor, writing upon this passage in today’s lessons states that it “belongs to that group of psalms in which the dominant note is one of trust and confidence in the Lord…The ground of this assurance lies in the psalmists’ clear vision of the greatness of the Lord upon his throne and of the immensity of the resources at [the divine] command. The worst assaults of earth cannot provoke dismay and loss of courage in their hearts or weaken their invincible faith” (The Interpreter’s Bible, vol. 4, p322). 2017 was a challenging year. I don’t recall any time where I heard more people said to me that they couldn’t wait for it to end. It was a time when these few verses offer beleaguered believers an anchor upon which to rely. Change happens whether we are ready or not, so when we are beset by change, nothing can be better than to have a strong rock and refuge in the Lord our God. Christ Church began the year with change. Our Vestry had four new members who never served before. Warden Jeff Mack and I did a new Vestry orientation which seemed to help smooth out some of the bumps that can occur when a group experiences significant turnover. I am very pleased, to report that our parish leadership has benefitted from their new ideas and energy. As I mentioned last year, the local fire inspector determined that what has worked for 130 fireless years is insufficient. So, starting in February, and with the help of parishioner Larry Bradshaw we are working with the state to bring the church and parish house up to code. Much of the work will begin next week. Our organ, electrocuted by a massive lightning strike in July 2016, was up and running by Maundy Thurs-day. The electronics are now state of the art, and located in the church basement, far away from potential recurrence. Most of the repairs were paid for by insurance and we basically now have a brand new instrument which continues to be the musical support for our worship. Change was in the air in March. Diocesan Convention was held the weekend of March 4th and finances were on the front burner as the Diocese was facing a $800,000 shortfall for 2018. As a result, greater efforts will be made to collect more from the congregations, which certainly has ramifications for us. Literally as I write this, I am being called in to the Bishop’s office next month to explain why we didn’t pledge 10% of our income to the Diocese. We are not alone, as I know the clergy of Bordentown, Burlington, Medford, Beverly and Riverside got the same summons. On March 8th, I was sworn in as the Borough of Riverton’s First Certified Police Chaplain after completing class work in November. I look forward to serving as a pastoral presence to our law enforcement commu-nity. We commemorated Lent with our annual River Bank Churches four Wednesday Lenten Soup Suppers. The theme was the Five Marks of Love of Anglicanism: 1. Proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom (TELL). 2. Teach, baptize and nurture new believers (TEACH). 3. Respond to human need by loving service (TEND). 4. Transform unjust structures, challenge violence of every kind, and pursue peace and reconciliation (TRANSFORM). 5. Strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth (TREASURE).

6 For God alone my soul in silence waits; * truly, my hope is in him. 7 He alone is my rock and my salvation, * my stronghold, so that I shall not be shaken.

8 In God is my safety and my honor; * God is my strong rock and my refuge. 9 Put your trust in him always, O people, * pour out your hearts before him, for God is our refuge.

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We also received from Trinity Church in Delran, which was closed in 2016, an altar and Bishop’s chair for our Chapel, and new chairs for our parish hall. After a beautiful Easter, our Parish Secretary Joyce Bostic, who had served since Sharon Hollingsworth’s retirement, resigned for health reasons. Mercifully, Joan Sanders, who was already was serving at the St. Stephenses (Riverside and Beverly) was willing to come to Riverton on short notice for 15 hours a week. Joan has been a God-send, and I couldn’t be more pleased. [By the way, she is in the office on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays (AM) and Tuesdays and Wednesdays (PM)]. In May, I had the signal honor of being named a Canon of the Diocese of New Jersey, and was installed on the 20th. Many thanks to the Altar Guild who paid for my vestments, which I first wore for services on July17/18, 2107. The summer was personally challenging. In June I had knee surgery, in August Anne had her left knee replaced and Katie received a concussion after being rear ended in a chain reaction collision which totaled her car. We are very thankful for all the prayers and support. I am particularly grateful for to the other member of the clergy on our staff, Deacon Naomi Cressman, who provided both pastoral care and significant liturgical assistance beyond her usual high level of performance But Christ Church did host the Summer Music Academy under the direction of Victoria Espenshade. We’ll begin negotiations for this summer shortly. Along with the traditional Riverton July 4th activities, we had the pleasure of hosting the Youth Choir of Paris on July 6th for their Philadelphia area concert. It came at short notice, but thanks to the work on our facilities we were able to get the 50 young people rehearsed, fed, changed and singing accompanied by pi-ano and organ. The music was great, attendance was remarkably good, their Director and organist were thrilled, and Christ Church was once again seen to be a wonderful place for excellent music. In September we bade farewell to our Organist and Music Director, Mark Cole, who left Christ Church for a position that paid more with less work. So, we began our search, receiving a number of qualified applicants. In October, I was delighted to offer the position to Tim Brown, who accepted and began at the end of the month. After three months, I remain delighted and am thrilled at his musicianship and his choral leadership. My heart sings when he plays! Other autumnal activities included getting bids on removing the mold in the Parish house basement, and applying for assistance from the Direct Install Program sponsored by the State of New Jersey. This pro-gram will pay up to 70% for the replacement of inefficient lighting fixtures and heating systems in com-mercial establishments. The parish house and church have been inspected by lighting and HVAC experts, and I am expecting their reports any time now. The Vicar of Christ Church Palmyra retired in the fall, and as a result of that, I have met with their Vestry along with the Bishop and the Diocesan C.O.O. to discuss their future. The expectation is that they will enter into some kind of an agreement with us in order to share worship and pastoral services. Palmyra Christ Church is our daughter congregation, and is only 9/10s of a mile away from our front door, so it seems a natural progression to cooperate more closely in these challenging times. However, the end of 2017 was dominated by the massive heart attack suffered by our long time Treasurer, Richard Frost on All Saints’ Day, November 1st. When it became obvious he would not recover, Warden Jeff Mack and I took over the bill paying and tracking of deposits. The bills have been paid and the deposits logged. I have set up electronic bill paying through PNC Bank, and have set up the payment information for our payees. We are also looking at getting a payroll service to handle staff salaries (along

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with the taxes, FICA, etc.). Vestry Member Marge Conti, who is a retired bookkeeper, has been going over the checking account so we can produce reports for the fourth quarter of 2017 and develop a budget for 2018. Now all we need is a Treasurer! Richard Frost’s death on December 12th was and is a difficult loss for our parish community. A Vestry-member for 33 years, Treasurer for 23, he was so much more than that. He was here for everything while quietly unlocking doors, making coffee and bringing in the trash cans. His was a gentle spirit, and is pro-foundly missed. But Rich wasn’t the only saint that we lost this year. We all miss Louise Vaughn’s rich alto voice reading the lessons, Vete Mitchell anchoring the 5:30 Saturday service, Velma Browne’s quiet putter-ing around the sanctuary, and Athan Stosuy’s marvelous woodworking skills which offered so much to the beauty of our church. Then there is Jim May. His sudden death right after he celebrated his 80th birthday was a shock. Our ‘Amish’ parishioner’s friendly face was an introduction for many to Christ Church. Handing out bulletins, helping around the church, and his specialty, ringing the tower bell, all done with energy, enthusiasm and a twinkling in his eye made him one of God’s gifts to this congregation. For all these persons we give thanks to God for their ministries, and say, ‘well done, good and faithful servants’. I remain the Dean of the Burlington Convocation and will be serving the last year of my second term in 2018. I preside over the organized chaos of our weekly Clericus breakfast meetings, and represent the 14 Episcopal churches in Burlington County at monthly meetings of the other eight deans along with the Bish-op and his staff. I have continued as a member of the Diocesan Liturgy Commission. And most im-portantly, remain Diocesan Archivist and Historiographer. While this position doesn’t pay much, it does offer me the opportunity to get the first pick of vestments and other items from closed churches for our Church. Thus far these items include three copes, two dalmatics, eight candlesticks, five altar frontals, an advent wreath with stand, an altar and retable and sixty folding chairs. I believe that we enable those con-gregations to continue to live on by our use of these sacred things and we are able to enjoy the beauty of these unique items which we could not afford to purchase new. I want to offer my heartfelt gratitude for those Vestry members who are rotating off this year: Eileen Durgin and Sherrie Gill. Eileen continues her faithful efforts on keeping our grounds up to snuff, and Sherrie has served as Vestry secretary and liaison to our local food pantry. Many, many thanks to them for their service! Then there is Jeff Mack. Elected to the Vestry in 1990 and Warden since 2010, Jeff contributions to Christ Church in time and effort are incalculable. I am so grateful for the support, advise and feedback I have received over my 12 ½ years as your Rector. Jeff, I can’t thank you enough, nor can this congregation. I conclude my report as I began it, with the words of Psalm 62 “Put your trust in God always, O people, pour out your hearts before him, for God is our refuge.” With God as our refuge and our strength, we know we can set our hearts and prayers on the God in whom our ancestors trusted. Anchored to this Ebenezer, the divine rock of our salvation we can withstand any assault with the blessed assurance that Jesus gave his apostles, “Lo, I am with you always”. So as it was in 600 BC, or 30 AD or in AD 1855, so shall it be in the year of our Lord 2018 as we meet the challenges and blessings of our time as stewards of the Gospel, and of this wonderful community of faith. AMEN.

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WARDENS REPORT

Warden’s Report 2017

The year 2017 can certainly be regarded as a year of change. We hired a new secretary and choir director. Thankfully, both are doing an excellent job and we hope they will continue to serve Christ Church well. The year stared with many new members of the Vestry. They have quickly found they stride and do many good works for the church. On a very sad note, we lost our beloved treasurer, Rich Frost. His work as our treasurer was invaluable. As of this date, we are still looking for a replacement. One big project that started this year and will continue into next year is to bring the church and Parish House up to code. We have started this project and it will continue for most of the coming year. Our church continues to support many outsides organizations: St. Paul’s in Camden, Burlington County food bank, and many others. I am proud to see all the time and money our Parishioners give to the needy. The 2017 year is also my last as a Warden and Vestrymen of the church. I have been on the Vestry these past 4 decades. The opportunity you have given me to serve God and you is one I will always cherish. I have enjoyed the experience and thank you for allowing me to do God’s work here.

May God Bless you and Christ Church Riverton.

Faithfully,

Jeff Mack, Senior Warden

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DEACON’S REPORT

A Year in the Life of a Deacon 2017

As I reflect on 2017, I realize that it was not one of my best. I was quite happy to see it go! I faced professional and personal challenges that I did not always handle with the utmost grace. There were times when I forgot who I was and whose I was. Stress, uncertainty, and illness interfered with my being true to myself. I am blessed to have family and friends who supported me through these unsettling times and who reminded me to go back to the source of my strength and core faith. I am equally blessed to serve in a parish where I am supported and loved, even when I am not my best self. I have had the honor to serve you know as your deacon for over two and a half years. Sometimes I still feel like a newbie and other times, I feel like I have always been here. I have woven the threads of my life into the fabric that creates the beautiful tapestry of Christ Church in Riverton. As your deacon, I continued with my usual liturgical duties: sharing the Prayers of the People, pro-claiming the Gospel, preparing the table for Eucharist, and dismissing us back into the world to love and serve the Lord, as well as the weekly Children’s Homily and preaching 8 times over the course of the year. I also assisted at weddings and funerals as my teaching schedule permitted. I also provide pastoral care visitations in hospitals and home communions when asked to do so. As well as my participation in life of Christ Church, I also participated in various diocesan activities throughout the year. I attended the Annual Diocesan Convention in March, the Bishop’s Spring Con-ference in May, and a clergy day. I also serve as the Burlington Convocation clergy representative to the Diocesan Nominating Committee. One of my favorite responsibilities as a deacon is participating in the various liturgies of Holy Week. One of the liturgical highlights of the year for me has become the Holy Week Clergy Chrism Mass, held at the cathedral on the Tuesday of Holy Week, where the Bishop blesses the healing and baptismal oils for the year, and Ordination vows are renewed. At the parish level, these included pre-paring the Chapel as a Watch Garden for the Blessed Sacrament, the addition of a hand washing ele-ment to the Maundy Thursday liturgy, the Bidding of the Solemn Collects and the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday, and chanting a portion of the Exsultet at the First Eucharist of Easter on Sat-urday. I also planned seasonal activities for our Church School students. This year, they included our in-teractive Stations of the Cross during Lent, our blessing of the backpacks for Back to School, and cele-brating Jesus’ birthday on Christmas Eve following the pageant. One of my primary responsibilities as your deacon is to serve on the Board of Projection Interac-tion, along with Susan Engel. This body is responsible for coordinating the weekly breakfast provided to the City of Camden’s most vulnerable and needy at St. Paul’s each Sunday. Christ Church continues to live into its commitment to serve breakfast at St. Paul’s on the fifth Sunday of the month. We have the reputation for always bring extras, which include fresh fruit, bacon and sweets provided by L&M Bakery. The Board plans and carries out Project Interaction’s major fundraiser. This year’s event was a Luncheon held in November at The Kove in Audubon. I was very pleased that our parish was so well represented at this event. I had the responsibility of purchasing the ten $100 gift cards that were the prize for the Super Raffle. Christ Church, Riverton will be the host parish for the monthly board meetings, held on the second Tuesday January through May and September through December. 2018. Susan and I will serve as coordinators for the November Fundraiser.

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This year, I was introduced to a new sacred space, Holy Cross Monastery in Highland, NY. My spiritual director took me for a personal retreat in February and I returned again at the end of June when school was over. I, along with everyone else who was there, was very surprised when Archbish-op Michael Curry preached and shared lunch on the Feast of St. Peter and Paul. Both experiences helped to center and refocus me on my faith and trust in God’s will for my life. I am hoping to return again soon! Our world is changing each day. Tragedies and evil have become an almost everyday occurrence. It is our responsibility, as the body of Christ in this corner of the world to strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being, just as our baptismal vows state. May God continue to bless us as we work together to bring His love and peace into the communities we touch. I ask for your continued prayers as you can be assured of mine. Respectfully submitted, The Reverend Naomi M. Cressman, Deacon

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MINISTRIES AT CHRIST CHURCH CHALICERS: The following have been licensed to administer the Chalice at the Eucharist:

Mr. Donald Deitz (8 AM Coordinator), Mr. Jeff Bischoff, Mr. Richard B. Frost, Mr. Albert Wardwell,

Jr., Mr. G. John Mack, III (10 AM Coordinator), Richard Aregood, Mr. Fred Hill, Mr. Jeffrey A. Mack,

Dr. Jonathan Ogbonna, Mrs. Mary Shea, and Mr. Joseph Yansick.

THE CHURCH SCHOOL: Our teachers: Mrs. Linda Yansick, “Godly Play”; Mr. Michael Kinzler,

“All Things New”.

SERVER'S GUILD: 10 youth, young men, women and "senior" servers faithfully serve at all Sunday

and special Services throughout the year. They represent the congregation in the great acts of worship

and generally carry out their duties with dignity and reverence. Sally Barnes continues with the

scheduling duties and Jeff Mack trains new servers.

THE LECTOR’S GUILD: 20 Readers. The Rector is still looking for someone willing to schedule the readers. Please contact Fr. Wrede as soon as possible. PARISH VISITORS: Our nine Parish Visitors continue to make regular weekly visits to those of the Parish confined to home, hospital, or nursing care facility. Their ministry of pastoral care includes the delivery of Sunday altar flowers, but it is the ministry of visiting and listening which is the heart of their important work in the life of our Parish. Richard Frost schedules the visits.

THE SENIOR CHOIR: Under the direction of Mr. Tim Brow, Organist-Choir Director, the Choir

continues to contribute their musical talents to the worship of the Church, a contribution deeply

appreciated by the congregation. All voice parts are always welcomed and needed to maintain the high

level of excellence we have all come to enjoy and have assumed to be part of our Parish tradition. If

you wish to join the Choir, come to rehearsal on Thursday evenings in the church at 8 PM on 1st

Thursday only, 7 PM—all other Thursdays. USHERS: Mr. Jim Young, 856-786-1207, schedules and trains the Ushers for all Services. GREETERS: Greeters welcome and deliver a loaf of bread and parish information to newcomers.

Jeff Mack, 856-786-2376, coordinator. MEMORIAL GARDEN: Memorial gifts for the continued maintenance of the Garden are always welcome and appreciated. TELLERS: Matt Huntsinger schedules the Tellers. We rotate six teams of two people each. Two

persons must be present for counting and the counting is done in a very professional manner. WEB MASTER: Matt Huntsinger continues to keep our web site up to date - posting each issue of the

Tower Bell, other important dates on the church’s calendar and the ECW Scholarship Application

Form.

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CHURCH SCHOOL REPORT

Church School

I continue to be amazed at the wonderful group of young people I encounter each Sunday. They are eager to share their thoughts and explore each lesson with excitement. When the class was asked to draw a picture of where they find Jesus a young person responded “I’m going to draw happiness!” I ask you, how can you not feel rewarded when you see things through the eyes of a child?

Planning the pageant this year was a challenge with our small group. Again, students offered to take on more than one role and were masters of the “quick costume change!” This year the pageant was based on a Scandinavian legend that the animals in the stable that miraculous night were given the gift of speech. The animals prepared the stable, wondered who was coming, doubted who was coming, encouraged each other someone would come and then joyously welcomed Jesus!

I look forward to the remainder of the school year with this amazing group of young people!

Respectfully submitted,

Linda Yansick

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MUSIC MINISTRY January 21, 2018

I am very excited to be serving as the new organist and choir master at Christ Church Riverton. As I was just hired in mid-October, it has certainly been a very exciting and busy first couple of months on the job. Highlights of my first few months at CCR include the Advent Lessons and Carol Service on December 10 and the Christmas Eve Holy Eucharist on December 24. Although our preparation time was very limited, the choir was able to prepare two beautiful liturgies using a mix of familiar and new anthems. For Advent Lessons and Carols, I was very excited to teach the choir my favorite arrangement of Veni, Veni Emmanuel by Zoltan Kodaly. It is a challenging version sung in Latin with stunning harmonies. The choir also offered anthems by Ord, Mendelssohn and Manz. In addition, guest soprano, Jessica Mary Mur-phy, presented a thrilling rendition of Handel's "Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion" from "The Messi-ah". On Christmas Eve, the choir presented selections by JS Bach and Harold Darke as well as Adolphe Adam's "Cantique de Noel" sung by guest soprano, Sophie Thompson with the support of the choir. During com-munion, we were grateful for the beautiful classical guitar music provided by Jeff Espenshade. I am very blessed to have such a fine choir of dedicated and hard working musicians. They read music well and learn quickly. They have also been very receptive and responsive to my suggestions for improving the quality of their choral singing. I thank them for all that they do for the church, and I look forward to con-tinuing our work of music ministry together. I was grateful to have the support of several guest singers for Advent Lessons and Carols and Christmas Eve. Thanks to Jessica Mary Murphy, soprano, Sophie Thompson, soprano, Norm Rohn, tenor and Jim Rohn, bass. Just this past week, the church was fortunate to receive the donation of an excellent Story and Clark piano for the church. This will replace the John Wanamaker piano which has been moved to the church parlor. We are grateful to our piano tuner, Rob Gardiner for his efforts in securing this donation and we thank Joe Howard of Cherry Hill for his generosity. He wanted a good home for the piano, and I can assure him that he has found it at CCR. Special thanks to Father Richard Wrede, Deacon Naomi Cressman and Parish Secretary Joan Sanders for their guidance and assistance. It continues to be a joy to work with such friendly and supportive colleagues. I am very grateful for the opportunity to serve the congregation of CCR, and I look forward to continuing my work of music ministry in conjunction with the choir and church staff. Respectfully submitted, Timothy Brown

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WOMEN OF CHRIST CHURCH (ECW), RIVERTON Women of Christ Church, ECW

Annual Report – 2017 All women who are members of the church are also members of Episcopal Church Women! The common denominator of members is the love of God and the wish to do His work. The Women of Christ Church held the following in 2017: Fundraisers: The Superbowl basket give away was Feb 4, 2017 and another success! All contents were do-nated and the earning was $ 438.00 ! We contributed to the function of the Parish Hall and purchased AC units, floor lamps, and glasses to as-sist in making the Spaghetti dinner a great time ! Pat King was named our ECW Woman of The Year and attended a luncheon on October 14th. The Women of Christ Church mission work included contributions to the St. Pauls (Ad Book), Episcopal Relief, Bread of Life Food Pantry, Student Service Award chaired by Donna McCamy, Emergency Services and met our diocese obligations as outlined in the attached Budget. The funds we raise enable us to continue to support our outreach mission projects, as well as contributions to our own parish. In 2018 we will again have the Superbowl Soup & Snack Sale the weekend of the Superbowl . We’ll also have a basket give away as we have had in the past! We plan to have tables on Treasure Day, a 2nd Annual Spaghetti Dinner and additional activities to be announced. In 2018, we will continue to find new ways to support our mission work and create fellowship opportunities for our parish. We welcome and need chair-persons for new events and ideas!! Visit www.nationalecw.org for more information. Faithfully submitted, Susan M. Stevens, President Deborah Sigler , Treasurer Sheryl Telford, Vestry Liason Nancy Gorman, National ECW Liason

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WOMEN OF CHRIST CHURCH, RIVERTON

PAYMENTS – 2017

and

PROJECTED PAYMENTS – 2018

Payments Budget 1/1/17-12/31/17 2018 ADMINISTRATION Yearbooks $ 0 $ 12.00 Superbowl basket 0 75.00 Parish Hall – 4 A/C units, additional floor 1,470.64 0 lamps, coffee dispensers, wine glasses Spaghetti Dinner expenses 1,071.53 750.00 Checking Account service charge 24.00 24.00 ECW AND MISSIONARY SERVICES ECW Women of Honor luncheon guests $ 135.00 $ 0 ECW Fair Share 300.00 300.00 ECW Diocesan Student Service Award 150.00 150.00 Mission Response 50.00 50.00 OUTREACH Emergency Services – Thanksgiving Dinner $ 150.00 $ 150.00 Bread of Life Food Pantry – Thanksgiving Dinner 150.00 150.00 Project Interaction – Camp Faith or annual contribution 400.00 400.00 Episcopal Relief and Development – contribution for 150.00 0 hurricanes and wildfires

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OUTREACH MINISTRIES

ST PAUL’S PROJECT INTERACTION REPORT 2016

Christ Church continued with our outreach ministry in 2017 by supporting the programs at St Paul’s Epis-copal Church, Camden, ministering to the needs of one of the nation’s poorest cities through collaboration with six other Episcopal churches in South Jersey in a group called Project Interaction. Monthly meetings were held at this year’s host church, St. Bart’s Cherry Hill NJ, led by Jill Weber, Project Interaction chairperson. Susan Engel and The Reverend Naomi M. Cressman, Deacon, were the Project Interaction co -coordinators for Christ Church, Riverton, in 2017.

Project Interaction programs supported by Christ Church included:

Sunday Breakfast Program: Ron Pollock and Sheryl Telford coordinated the Sunday breakfast program. A group averaging 15 volun-teers from Christ Church traveled to Camden on the 5th Sunday of the month to cook and serve a full breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon or sausage, pancakes, pastries, fruit, tea, juice, milk and coffee to approximately, 120 – 150 people each month. (January 29, April 30, July 30, October 29, December 31). Several Christ Church members generously shopped for and donated pancake mix, eggs, bacon, tea, milk and apples. Pastries where donated by local bakeries (L &M; Orange Blossom Cafe)

Camp Faith Camp Faith, a wonderful 5-week Bible based summer camp, for Camden city children ages 4 – 12 had 60+ campers in attendance this summer. There were also a dozen teenagers working as counselors in training to assist with the daily activities of camp and learn the basics of work readiness and responsibility. The camp was held at St Paul’s and included bus trips to swimming pools, art and craft classes, athletic games, trips to the beach in Bay Head NJ, bowling, and local theater at Rutgers Camden. All these activities provide both a safe place for the children and a lot of fun. Susan Engel coordinated the fund raising activities for Camp Faith. The generous donations from Christ Church members totaled $5,431.00, which paid full tuition for 13.5 children. Ralph and Joan Rippey , once again, generously donated backpacks full of back to school supplies for all of the campers.

Annual Fall Fund Raiser – Project Interaction The 2017 annual fund raiser was a luncheon held at KOVE Catering, located in Audubon, N.J. on Saturday, November 18th. There were 120 people in attendance. Naomi Cressman, Deacon, and Susan Engel co- coordinated the fund raising activities for the dinner dance. Christ Church members were very generous again this year purchasing 23 tickets. Of those tickets, 18 Christ Church members and friends attended and 5 tickets were donated for St Pauls’ members to attend. There were also 14 Super Raffle tickets and 20 Holy Spirit raffle tickets purchased and several general donations totally $500.00, including a donation from Christ Church Riverton ECW in the amount of $400.00. The net profit of this fund raiser has not been released yet by the Project Interaction treasurer. Proceeds will continue to support the dedi-cated work of St Paul’s in supporting its community by preparing and serving 10,000 meals to needy, men women and children in Camden, annually.

Sock Drive 169 men’s, 95 women’s, and 20 pairs of children’s socks were donated by Christ Church members for the annual Christmas bags and provided to the guests at the Sunday Breakfast Club in Camden on the 4th Sun-day in December (December 24th) along with other items (hats, razors, deodorant, soap, gloves, tooth-brushes, toothpaste, etc) donated by other participating Project Interaction churches.

We are blessed to be a member of such a wonderful and generous church. Thank you for all your support with this important ministry.

Christ Church, Riverton will be the host church for meetings in 2018. Meetings will be held in the Parish House the second Tuesday of each month.

Faithfully submitted, Susan Engel and Revd Naomi Cressman, Deacon Christ Church Project Interaction Co -Coordinators

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OUTREACH MINISTRIES

CLOTHES FOR CAMDEN — PLEASE DONATE

We are approximately half-way through our winter clothes/blanket collection season for the under-clothed in Camden, and once again, you have demonstrated your generosity love, and consideration for our brothers and sisters who stuuggle with the cold winter. When we get a car-load of items, which is about every two weeks, it gets delivered to Camden, and they are extremely happy to see it arrive. Many/most of you have at least a few unneeded warm clothes and blankets that you would never miss if you shared. There is still several weeks of winter ahead of us, and the need continues. Thank you for keeping your hearts and minds open to our neighbors in need. If you can't get your donations to the Parish House, call Ron Pollock (856-829-9482) for pick-up. Ron Pollock 856-829-9482

BALLOT— ANNUAL MEETING

January 21, 2018

The following names were received in writing by the Vestry and placed upon the ballot in the order in which they were drawn, in accordance with the By-Laws of Christ Church, on January 21, 2018, in the presence of the Rector.

One Warden -- 3 year term Richard Gaughan _______ (Vote for 1)

Three Members of the Vestry -- 3 year terms Joan Atkinson _______ (Vote for 3)

Kathy (Shea) Gulbin_______ Frederic Hill _______ Two Members of the Vestry -- 1 year terms ______________ ______ (Vote for 1)

______________ _______ 3 Delegates and 3 Alternates for the Diocesan Convention (Vote for 6—Nominations will be accepted from the floor ) Fred Hill _______ Richard Gaughan _______ Paul Stevens _______ [need 3 alternates] ______________ _______ ______________ _______ ______________ _______ 3 Delegates and 3 Alternates to the Burlington Convocation (Vote for 6) *Martha Caiazzo _______ *Nancy J. Gorman _______ _____________ _______ _____________ _______ [need 3 alternates] _____________ _______ _____________ _______ *Incumbents eligible for reelection January 21, 2018