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THIS WEEK AT CHRIST CHURCH, GEORGETOWN
Wednesday, December 17, 2025
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Centering Prayer in Advent: Are you seeking calm and stillness in a season marked by busyness and distraction? If so, join members of the Spiritual Life Ministry on Friday, December 19, from 8:45 to 9:30 a.m., via Zoom, for prayerful meditation and intentional silence. For more information or to obtain a link to the video call, contact parishioners Molly Peacock or Lesley Lilly.
Service of Nine Lessons and Carols for Christmas: The annual Service of Nine Lessons and Carols for Christmas, a highlight of parish life, will take place on Sunday, December 21, at 5:00 p.m. Patterned after the famed service held each year at King’s College, Cambridge, this festive, candlelit liturgy, sung by the Choir of Christ Church, will include works by Benjamin Britten, Philip Ledger, Cecilia McDowall, Martin Neary, Stanford Scriven, John Tavener, and David Willcocks. Arrive early to ensure seating. Nursery care will be provided. A festive reception will follow.
Parish “Feast”: Join us on Sunday, December 28 for Feast, a monthly brunch intended to foster connection within the Christ Church community. The gathering is held on fourth Sundays, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m., in the C. Boyden Gray Auditorium. For more information or to make a reservation, click here.
Spiritual Parenting Short Course: How can you keep the promises you make at your child's baptism? Though we cannot determine what spiritual path our children will choose, we can model, communicate, and help them grow into an authentic Christian faith. Join seasoned parent of three high-octane children, Mother Tiffany Clark, for an interactive, honest look at what spiritual parenting does (and does not) look like. From attachment theory to training tips, this 5-part series will delve into the theological and practical realities involved in helping children come to know, love, and be like Christ. Sessions will take place on Sundays, January 11 and 18, February 8 and 15, and March 1, in Keith Hall, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. To register, click here.
Christmas Ornament: We invite you to commemorate the installation of Christ Church's new Colby/Walker organ by purchasing the 2025 Christmas ornament, a cast brass piece featuring a rendering of the magnificent organ case that now hangs at the rear of the nave, as well as an excerpt from the traditional English carol The Holly and the Ivy: "The rising of the sun, and the running of the deer, the playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir." The ornament may be purchased at the Parish Office during normal hours of operation and after each service on Sunday, December 21.
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Parish Forum: The 2025–2026 series, Living Liturgy, will continue on Sunday, December 21, at 10:15 a.m., in the C. Boyden Gray Auditorium, with a presentation by parishioner Dr. Ernest Clark: Liturgy and Cosmology: What is up with saints and angels? Liturgical space and the intersection of worlds – seen and unseen.
Engaging our Partners in Mission: Free Minds Book Club: The Sunday morning mini-course exploring mission and outreach at Christ Church continues this Sunday, December 21, at 10:15 a.m., in Keith Hall. Co-founder of the Free Minds Book Club Tara Libert, along with members of the club, will speak about the powerful work of this non-profit in fostering personal development for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated youth and adults through the literary arts, workforce development, trauma healing, peace-building, and member-led advocacy. For more information, contact Father Andrew Stump.
Bite-sized Bible Study: Join fellow parents of nursery and Sunday School–aged children for a team-led, 30-minute exploration of the Book of Acts. The group gathers on Sundays, at 10:15 a.m., in the Memorial Room. Nursery care for infants and toddlers, as well as music formation classes for older children, is provided during this time. For more information, contact parishioners Julia Ainsley, Megan Murton, or Matthew Fredericks.
Thursday Morning Bible Study: Parishioners of all ages and stages of life are invited to a discursive, interactive study of the Book of Acts, the second in a two-volume history of Jesus and the early Jesus movement. The next gathering will take place on Thursday, December 18, at 8:00 a.m., in Keith Hall. A Zoom option is available. For more information, contact parishioners Ernest Clark, or Virginia Mentz.
Mission Trip to Kenya: Sponsored by the Centre for Urban Mission, an educational outreach of the Anglican Church in Africa, this immersion experience is designed to open participants’ eyes to human experience in a context radically different than their own and to develop their capacity to respond strategically. A contingent from Christ Church will serve in a variety of local ministries currently operating in Nairobi's Kibera Slum. Participants will worship, serve, and eat alongside Kenyan Christian partners, sharing in the joyful communion of saints and learning from each other along the way. The mission trip will take place June 18–28, 2026. For more information, contact Mother Tiffany Clark. To register, click here.
Choral Evensong: The next service of Choral Evensong will take place on Sunday, January 4, at 5:00 p.m. The liturgy will include works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Martin Neary, Charles Villiers Stanford, and Peter Warlock. Evensong will continue on the first, third, and fifth Sundays of the month through May. A reception follows each service. Christ Church is one of a handful of parishes in the U.S. to offer this beautiful, quintessentially Anglican liturgy with such frequency. Do plan to join us… and bring a friend.
Altar Flowers: If you would like to make a contribution to help offset the cost of the flowers that will adorn the altar on a particular Sunday or feast day, contact the Parish Office. The Flower Guild accepts contributions in memory of the departed, in celebration of births, and in thanksgiving for the reception of Christian sacraments. Contributions marking private secular celebrations are welcome, but they will not be acknowledged in service leaflets or the Prayers of the People. In such cases, donors are encouraged to let loved ones know of their contribution with a greeting card. The suggested donation is $150.
Christmas Worship Schedule: We invite you, your family, friends, and neighbors to worship with us this Christmas. The schedule of services is as follows:
Wednesday, December 24
+ The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ: Christmas Eve +
Family Eucharist with Blessing of Christingles, at 1:00 p.m.
This year, the 1:00 p.m. Eucharist will once again include a Blessing of Christingles. What is Christingle? A Moravian tradition that developed in mid-18th century Germany, Christingle (a word of German origin meaning Christ Child) was originally a special service, held just before Christmas, at which children were given a lighted candle with a red ribbon tied around it. This represented Christ, the Light of the World. The liturgy’s final prayer read: Lord Jesus, kindle a flame in these children’s hearts, that theirs like thine become. The custom took hold in various parts of Europe and, as it did, evolved over the years. The current iteration of the Christingle, which became increasingly popular in the United Kingdom during the 20th century, is composed of an orange that is decorated with red tape, sweets, and a candle. We think the children and youth of Christ Church (and maybe some adults too!) will find this addition to our Christmas Eve worship both interesting and meaningful.
Festal Holy Eucharist, at 4:00 p.m.
The 4:00 p.m. Eucharist will include choral works by Adolphe Adam, John Rutter, and David Willcocks, as well as congregational carols accompanied by organ and brass. Historically, this has been the most well-attended Christmas Eve liturgy at Christ Church. Arrive early to ensure seating.
Choral Prelude with Congregational Carols, at 10:00 p.m.
Join us for an extended prelude to the 10:30 p.m. Eucharist. Music will include seasonal organ repertoire, choral works by Bob Chilcott, Reginald Jacques, and Robert Pearsall, and beloved congregational carols accompanied by organ and brass.
Festal Choral Eucharist, at 10:30 p.m.
The 10:30 p.m. Eucharist, the most formal liturgy of Christmas Eve, will include choral works by Adolphe Adam, John Rutter, Tomás Luis de Victoria, and David Willcocks, as well as congregational carols accompanied by organ and brass. The ordinary of the Eucharist will be the Missa ad præsepe, or Mass at the Crib, by British organist, choir trainer, and composer George Malcolm.
Thursday, December 25
+ The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ: Christmas Day +
Festal Choral Eucharist, at 10:00 a.m.
The only liturgy of Christmas Day, the 10:00 a.m. Eucharist will include choral works by Johann Sebastian Bach, John Goss, and Tomás Luis de Victoria, as well as congregational carols accompanied by organ and brass. The ordinary of the Eucharist will be Malcolm’s Missa ad præsepe.
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SUNDAY SERVICES
Holy Eucharist: Rite One
at 8:00 a.m.
in the Church
Holy Eucharist: Rite Two
at 9:00 a.m.
in the Church
Holy Eucharist: Rite One
(1st, 3rd, and 5th Sundays)
at 11:15 a.m.
in the Church
Morning Prayer: Rite One
(2nd and 4th Sundays)
at 11:15 a.m.
in the Church
Choral Evensong and
Holy Communion
(1st, 3rd, and 5th Sundays October through May)
at 5:00 p.m.
in the Church
Holy Eucharist: Rite Two
(2nd and 4th Sundays)
at 5:00 p.m.
in the Chapel
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WEEKDAY SERVICES
Morning Prayer
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, at 8:00 a.m.
in the Church
Morning Prayer and
Holy Communion
Wednesday, at 8:00 a.m.
in the Church
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