This past year has been an incredible one at Christ Church. As we’ve continued to move closer and closer to a post  pandemic life together, we’ve seen the return of some of our favorite services and programs, and the addition of some  brand new ones as well. 

The 20/30s ministry has continued to be an exciting place of growth and broad connection for many of us. The group has  gotten bigger and bigger, but it’s still the perfect landing spot for folks in their 20/30s new to the church and especially  those new to Charlottesville. With the amazing help and leadership of Jen Sapunarich (and her husband Robbie)  the Bible study has continued to meet every Tuesday night, we’ve added more social events, bar and game nights, and  we’ve begun the planning of some day and overnight retreats. 

The 5:00pm Sunday Service has made a big comeback this past year. The pandemic had a big impact on our college  ministry, and in turn had a significant effect on the 5:00 service. But thanks largely in part to the tremendous vision and  talents of our music minister Paul Zach, and the additions of Dave Zahl and Sam Bush to our new 5:00 service  leadership team, the 5:00 service has just about returned to its pre-pandemic size and energy. 

One of the exciting additions to our lives and work at Christ Church has been the creation of our new Undergraduate  Fellows Program. The Fellows Program that has served recent college graduates so well for over 15 years has continued  on throughout the pandemic, and we have two wonderful Fellows right now (Maddie Peterson and Malan Jackson), but  this Fall we began something completely new for our undergraduate ministry--The Undergraduate Fellows Program.  This Fall we welcomed 21 young men and women into the program that meets weekly with me for a class time, monthly  with staff and parishioners for meals, day and overnight retreats and perhaps most importantly they host and serve at our  5:00 service. The 5:00 service continues to be the real heartbeat of the graduate and undergraduate fellows programs as  the fellows read, serve communion and help Elizabeth Butler with the weekly meal. This has really helped with the  attendance and energy at the 5:00. A huge help for me with this program has once again been the assistance of Jen  Sapunarich who has become the co-director, handling our logistics and outreach to the broader college ministry that she  has been leading with Dave Zahl for years now. 

The Men’s Bible Study has made a nice return to in person meetings, and with the addition of Sam Bush’s leadership in  teaching and hosting the Wednesday morning study we’ve been able to bring a lot of new faces, both young and old, into  the group. Our Seniors Ministry has also returned with a really fun slate of Senior Luncheons this Fall. Elizabeth Butler  continues to cook some incredible meals for the 40 or more parishioners who gather for the monthly meals, fellowship  and a presentation from our staff, clergy and community members. We will continue to discern the future of some of the  other aspects of our senior ministry, including programming at multiple nursing homes and retirement communities.