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Douglas Turner’s creative ways to stay “together”
Guest post by Douglas Turner, Coordinator of Group Life As news reports change daily, we continue to consider ways to do life a little differently to stay connected to friends and relatives. I’m sure many of you are missing your Sunday school friends like I am! A...
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No gym needed: Averwater’s tips for isolation fitness
“May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together–spirit, soul, and body–and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23, The Message) Social distancing as a result of the...
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Serving Memphis during the Coronavirus pandemic
Guest post by Grant Caldwell, Director of Local Missions While cancellations and social distancing might have little effect on many, this comes at a great cost for many of the families we serve through our local ministries. A lack of schools for an additional week...
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FamilyServe opportunities teach children the importance of serving regardless of age
Guest post by Brad Bogue, Senior Director of Family Ministry Randall and Brian Kessler enjoy working with our golf cart ministry on Sunday mornings. The father/son duo loves giving rides and greeting people before and after services. It is not enough to simply tell...
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Confirmands tackle deep questions while having fun at annual Confirmation Retreat
Guest post by Mackay Lee, Director, Student Ministries/Middle School A few weeks ago, our 6th grade students, sophomore student Table Leaders and adult leaders attended our annual Confirmation Retreat. This retreat is a time for our confirmands to deepen relationships...
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60 minutes & 4,000 Easter eggs
Guest post by Mary Ann Thurmond, Lamplighter Communications Coordinator It was 2014 when the church held its yearly Easter egg hunt on the grounds. How fun watching our grandchildren and the different ages run and squeal while picking up the hidden and not-so-hidden...
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Congregational Care has a new name: Care Ministries
One of Christ Church’s five values is Care: Doing Life Together. Rev. Dr. Jacky Gatliff joined the Christ Church staff in December as Director of Congregational Care. As she listened to staff and volunteers who have been involved in this ministry, she realized that...
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CMDS & Scouts Sunday honors the rich tradition of CMDS, Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts
Sunday, Feb. 9 is one of our favorite Sundays of the year as we worship with our Christ Methodist Day School families and also recognize our Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts during the 9:45 service. CMDS is Christ Church’s oldest ministry, and CMDS Sunday was founded to...
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Hospitality to Hope: H2H bags for the homeless
After working with the homeless at Highland Heights UMC for more than 10 years, Christ Church member Linda Headley became acutely aware of the homeless situation in Memphis. “Those on the streets must carry their belongings with them day and night for fear of theft,”...
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Awaken: Unifying the church to pray for and bless the city, one person at a time
In February 2019, God moved in a mighty way as hundreds of churches and tens of thousands of people set aside an entire month to pray and fast for every person—by name—living in the Greater Nashville Area. Awaken, this city-wide movement of prayer and fasting, focused...
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Ukuleles from Christ Church team to Uganda bring music to refugee camp
Al Jazeera, the largest news organization in the Middle East, published this story featuring the Bidi Bidi Refugee Camp that a team from Christ Church visited last summer. Our team took the ukuleles that the translator continues to use to teach music to the children....
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BreakThru ’20: Retreating away from distractions to draw closer to God
Guest post by Mackay Lee, Director, Student Ministries/Middle School It’s 7 p.m. on Monday night. Students are gathering outside of the chapel, anxiously awaiting the doors to open so that they can rush in to get the best seat. The doors finally open -– students storm...
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Celebrating 2019
There’s so much to celebrate as we’ve seen God at work in and through the life of our church this year. Below are just a few highlights as we close out 2019. Please consider us in your year-end giving, and if you have yet to turn in your commitment card for giving in...
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Get to know Rev. Dr. Jacky Gatliff, Director of Congregational Care
We are excited to welcome Rev. Dr. Jacky Gatliff as the new Director of Congregational Care at Christ Church. Jacky and her husband, Mike, lived in Memphis for five years until she accepted a position as the Associate Pastor of Stanwich Church in Greenwich, Conn.,...
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Join in the prayer revolution
God calls us to be a people of prayer, desperately depending on Him to move and transform hearts and lives. At the recent Gather. Train. Pray. Pastor’s Prayer Revolution Breakfast, Senior Pastor Shane Stanford challenged attendees to join him in making Christ Church a...
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Teaching kids JOY in a ‘me’-focused world
Tyree brothers recognized for service by Tennessee governor and first lady NOTE to PARENTS: Don’t miss a special opportunity to teach your children how to develop a heart for serving. Register now for our Families on Mission class on December 6-7 taught by our Local...
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Greg Spillyards lives life on vocation
Our church recently began a survey to collect vocational information. We hope to establish a database for sharing opportunities for the intersection of faith and work. We know that our work is important to God, and we are to be good stewards of the opportunities He...
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Children help the hungry by collecting food for Mid-South Food Bank
During the month of October, the Children’s Ministry mission project was a food drive for the Mid-South Food Bank. Preschool and elementary children were encouraged to bring food donations to Sunday school and Candy in the Courtyard and place the food in a box by...
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A joyful child returns home
Guest post by William Merriman, Wesleyan Fellow NOTE: William Merriman has joined the Christ Church staff as a Wesleyan Fellow. William grew up at Christ Church. He recently graduated from Sewanee and is now pursuing a master of arts in philosophy and apologetics at...
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Hurricane Dorian Relief
Emergency Field Hospital operated by Samaritan's Purse In response to the damages in the Bahamas due to Hurricane Dorian’s deadly assault, Christ Church is supporting the work of Samaritan’s Purse. This ministry is providing a temporary hospital in the area. Click...
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Alfred Kalembo to give update on wells in Zambia
Guest post by Bob Whitsitt, Former Executive Director of Serving & Outreach This Sunday, Sept. 22, our 9:45 and Table worship services will be blessed as Senior Pastor Shane Stanford interviews our longtime friend Alfred Kalembo, National Superintendent and Bishop...
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This is my story. This is my song.
Guest post by Laura Greenwell, Director of Women’s Ministry & Hospitality Laura Greenwell & Jennifer Bratton Planning the annual Women’s Retreat does not happen easily, and we take it very seriously. This year it was a lot more difficult than usual. After many...
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Christ Church welcomes new staff members
There are some new faces on the Christ Church staff, and we are excited to welcome them and their families to the Christ Church family! Ambrose Chisholm, High School DirectorAmbrose attended the University of Central Oklahoma, where he was a collegiate wrestler. He...
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Summer of service
Guest post by Sarai Grace Stanford, Communications Fellow This summer has been a busy time for our Serving and Outreach Ministry with three teams serving internationally—in Mexico, Costa Rica and Uganda. Led by our Director of Global Missions Stephanie Powell, church...
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