Christ Church New Bern
Parish Life
We strive to welcome and incorporate everyone into our church family - young, old, new to New Bern, and "old timers" - encouraging everyone to get to know one another. We provide "comfort food," unconditional appreciation, and blanket acceptance, along with friendship, support, and service.
This committee is a wonderful way to get involved in the life of the church and meet new people. Our talents are varied, so we each contribute in our own way for the greater good. We welcome anyone who is interested in any of our varied programs. New ideas and suggestions are always welcome; actually, they are what keep us alive, active, and growing.
To book a room for a Christ Church event, please use the Space Request form.
Contact information may be found in the Ministries Directory.
Breakfast Teams
Every Sunday morning, breakfast is served after the early service. A rotating group of cooks (once a month) serves this much appreciated meal, so the meals vary from week to week. The breakfast hour is a good time for worshipers attending different services to meet and mix. Muffins are also provided for the Tuesday morning early service.
Cookie Walk
In December the ECW sponsors a "cookie walk" open to the public, selling homemade Christmas cookies by the pound. All profits go to outreach.
Docents
During the hours that the church is open (12:30pm to 4:00pm Mon - Fri), Docents of Christ Church greet visitors who are interested in learning more about our church's history, accompanying them on guided tours of our historic santuary and grounds. Training and a script give you the tools you need to provide information and answer questions.
ECW - Episcopal Church Women
If you are an adult female member of the Episcopal Church, you are automatically a member of the ECW. Christ Church has two active chapters: St. Elizabeth and St. Francis. These two chapters meet at different times to accommodate the needs of the members. General Meetings, held twice a year, are open to all Episcopal Church Women. The ECW has several fund-raisers throughout the year. Their fund-raising has provided equipment for the kitchen at Christ Church as well as assisting in outreach in the community.
Foyers
Foyers are small dinner groups made up of eight people who meet four times on a rotating basis at each other's homes. Anyone interested in participating in foyers signs up twice a year and are assigned a new group each fall and winter/spring.
Funeral Receptions
This committee (six teams of three or four people) offers a reception in the Parish Hall before or after a funeral to provide and opportunity for family and friends to speak to one another. Light refreshments of homemade finger foods, coffee, tea and/or lemonade are provided by parishioners.
Library
The library consists of nearly 1000 volumes on subjects including religion, theology, philosophy and history with additional small collections of fiction and children's materials. Located in a beautiful room in the new core building, the library is open to parishioners any time the building is open—generally 9:00 to 3:00 Monday through Friday and Sunday mornings—unless the space is being used for a meeting. Any item with a spine label on it may be borrowed by signing and dating the card found in the back of the book and leaving the card on the desk in the library. There is no set loan period, but we do ask that materials be returned in 3 weeks, if possible. Returned materials may be left on the desk.
LGBT
LGBT at Christ Church is helping to make sure that “All are welcome” in this place. The group was established to provide support for members of the congregation who are gay or lesbian or have children or other family members who are gay or lesbian.
The group has a clear vision: LGBT at Christ Church is a fellowship of God’s children who work to live in a whole, welcoming church and community.
The group is pastoral in nature and looks for educational opportunities.
LGBT meets at 6:30 p.m. on fourth Mondays.
Parish Receptions and Picnics
This creative and tasty ministry hosts church picnics and receptions that are not covered by other committees at Christ Church. Some of these events are covered dish. Other special gatherings are prepared in our kitchen by exceptional cooks. This is a delightful way to use your gifts as well as meet other parishioners.
Each spring and fall the entire parish gathers in the churchyard for picnics. It is a time to spend an hour or so, amidst the dappled shade of our lovely old trees, eating through a smorgasbord of sumptuous food and surrounded by the chatter and laughter of friends new and old. Come and join us.
The Pumpkin Patch
During the month of October, a popular destination in New Bern is the Christ Church yard, where thousands of pumpkins are displayed for sale. All profits go to outreach or to provide need-based scholarships to the Parish Retreat Weekend.
Retreat Weekend
Always the last weekend in February, there is a parish retreat at the Diocese's Trinity Center, at Salter path on beautiful Bogue Bank. Trinity Center offers both corporate fun and quiet contemplation, either in the Maritime Forest or on the beach.
SOS - Stepping Out Singles
SOS is a group of adults who are single either by desire, design or chance. Our aim is to bring to each other that sense of comfort and camaraderie that is often missed when you find yourself living as a single unit instead of a family one. SOS is not a dating or matchmaking service. They meet one Saturday morning a month at a members' home for a carry-in breakfast to keep in touch. Members often accompany one another to church services, dinners, and attend other social engagements and cultural offerings together.
an Episcopal Parish in the Diocese of East Carolina
Christ Church, 320 Pollock Street, P.O. Box 1246, New Bern NC 28563
252-633-2109