Guilds & Organizations

Community of Hope

The mission of the Community of Hope is to create a Christian community of volunteer Lay Chaplains, united in prayer, shaped by Benedictine spirituality and equipped for a pastoral care ministry. Community of Hope is a relatively new program developed by the chaplains at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, established to fill a growing need for spiritual care as St. Luke's expands into a community-based health care system. In its 12-week lay chaplaincy training program, people learn to bring spiritual relief to those facing a health crisis. Each of the members at St. Christopher’s is assigned to visitation teams that visit the ill, infirm, hospitalized and shut-in members of the parish. The teams also deliver altar flowers on Sunday and make regular visits at local hospitals. Some members are Lay Eucharistic Ministers licensed by the Bishop and assist the clergy by taking communion to these members.

Hospitality Ministry

The Hospitality Ministry’s mission is to make all visitors to our church feel welcome and want to become a part of our congregation. This is accomplished through our volunteers who bake bread and/or serve as greeters at assigned services. The greeters are responsible for greeting everyone, especially guests at each Sunday service. Following the service, each visitor is presented with a basket containing homemade bread, a small bottle of wine, and information describing the various groups and activities at St. Christopher’s.

Daughters of the King

The Daughters of the King is an Order for women in the Episcopal Church with chapters in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Daughters are dedicated to prayer and service for Christ’s Sake. “The object of the Order shall be the extension of Christ’s Kingdom through Prayer, Service, and Evangelism.” A daughter pledges herself to a life-long program of prayer, service, and evangelism, dedicated to the spread of Christ’s Kingdom and to the strengthening of the spiritual life of her parish. Daughters of the King have made the commitment to serve God and wear crosses as an outward and visible sign that they cannot live a day without Christ in their lives. They are a community of nurturing women, accepting all people, bridging differences and cherishing traditions. The Daughters of the King maintain an active prayer list that comes from members of the congregation. The St. Lydia Chapter of the Daughters of the King meets the first Sunday of each month in the Guild Room at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church after the 10:30 a.m. service. The national web site for more information about the order is www.dok-national.org.

Eucharistic Ministers and Worship Leaders

These two ministries work together to deliver the Word and Sacraments to communicants every Sunday. Worship Leaders read the New Testament lesson and lead the prayers of the people. Eucharistic Ministers are licensed by the Bishop to assist the priest by administering the chalice during Communion. The dedication and reverence of these men and women greatly enhances the worship experience at St. Christopher’s.

Verger

The verger is the coordinator between some of the various lay ministries involved in the Liturgy, such as eucharistic ministers, worship leaders, lectors, acolytes and ushers. For more information follow this link to the Verger's Page.

Lectors

The lectors of St. Christopher’s serve our Lord by reading the Old Testament lesson at all services. Our group includes approximately 20 volunteers and is open to anyone who would like to proclaim the Word of our Lord.

Choir

Our choir is under the direction of our organist/choirmaster, Henry Washington. The parish choir leads the congregation in song every Sunday at the 10:30 a.m. service. The Adult choir meets on Wednesday nights from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. with an additional rehearsal on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m.. Childcare will be provided if needed.

Please join us in our ministry of music making a joyful noise to our God. Joyful and enthusiastic voices are always welcome. For more information, contact us at HWashington@stchristophers-houston.org.

“God respects us when we work. He loves us when we sing.” � Iagore
“Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before his presence with singing.”� Psalm 100:2

Ushers

At St. Christopher’s two ushers serve at our 8:00 a.m. Sunday service and four ushers at our 10:30 a.m. Sunday service . They greet everyone who enters, hand out service bulletins, answer questions and assist with any special needs.

Junior Ushers

All youth are invited to serve by assisting the ushers in this ministry at our Sunday services.

Acolytes

We have an active Acolyte Corps consisting of our young volunteers in grades 3 through 12. At our Sunday service two acolytes carry torches, two acolytes carry crosses and two acolytes assist the priest at the altar. Our acolytes are a dedicated and responsible group that enhance the dignity of our services. The Acolyte Master provides individual training and vestments are provided by the church. A number of adults also support the acolytes as sponsors, Acolyte Mother and Verger. They are honored annually at our Candlemas service at which new acolytes are also inducted into the corps.

Altar Guild

Our Altar Guild currently consists of 27 dedicated volunteers who assist the clergy by preparing the Church and Chapel for all services including Sunday services, weekday services, weddings, funerals and memorials and for caring for all the sacred vestments and vessels of the Church. Their work is done behind the scenes with respect and reverence. There are four teams and each team serves one week a month meeting on Saturday mornings. Each new member is trained on a one to one basis and is often assigned a big sister to train with.

St. Joseph’s Guild

St. Joseph’s guild is a group of men and women who meet to perform simple maintenance tasks around the Church and to help prepare the Church and grounds for special events. Some of these tasks include: landscaping, painting, electrical repairs, plumbing repairs, Thrift Shop pick-ups and other tasks as assigned by the Sexton. Currently, we are able to offer some assistance to our senior parishioners for simple home repairs.

Crafty Ladies

An active group of church ladies who create and make various types of craft projects that are sold at different times of the year, especially at our annual bazaar, to raise money in support of church and community activities. They meet on Saturday mornings 10:00 am from the Fall through Easter in our "art building" (formerly the scout hut) to share ideas, create art projects and share in fellowship.

St. Christopher’ Couples Fellowship

This group meets in the homes of parishioners to share food, fun and fellowship. They meet every other month in the home of a host couple who provides the entree and each couple attending brings another part of the meal. The Couples Fellowship is open to all couples in the parish.

Episcopal Church Women (ECW)

All women of the Episcopal Church are members of the ECW by virtue of their baptism and confirmation in the Episcopal Church. The purpose of the ECW is to encourage women in their life in Christ : to promote their spiritual growth through fellowship in their Christian faith ; and to foster their active participation in the mission of the church. Our chapter supports the national organization with the United Thank Offering (UTO) every year by providing our congregation with little blue boxes to put change in during Lent and Easter in recognition of the many blessings in our lives for which we are thankful. ECW supports the Thrift Shop and annual church bazaar and brisket dinner.

St. Agatha’s Needlepoint Guild

The needlepoint guild was established to coordinate and create needlework for our church and to care for existing needlework. Current projects include seven kneelers, two bench cushions and needlepoint Nativity figures for the Manger Chapel. St. Agatha's is also responsible for our Christmon tree every year during Advent and Christmas. Christmons are handmade needlepoint ornaments of Christian symbols. Membership is open to all and they meet on the first Thursday of each month.

St. Mary’s Guild

St. Mary’s guild was formed over 35 years ago as a wedding guild to assist brides with their receptions. This continues as one of their functions as St. Mary's also provides receptions for Church events such as for bishop’s visits and confirmations. St. Mary’s guild has a selection of satin or lace skirting for tables and silver or glass service for use. Fees are based on the size and type of reception desired.