Miriam Costandi, who passed away on May 30th, was for many years the editor of the church’s monthly newsletter, the Chronicle.
As technology changed, the Chronicle evolved, with the layout being enhanced with graphic support by the late Saundra Richardson.
Here are a handful of back issues to peruse as we honor Miriam’s contributions to the life of Christ Church Detroit!
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]]>The post Podcasts that might offer Hope in Advent appeared first on Christ Church Detroit.
]]>In last Sunday’s sermon, I referenced Senator Cory Booker’s famous observations that “real hope is the active conviction that despair will never have the last word” and that “hope can always be found working,” which he said in a recent talk at Washington National Cathedral, among many other speeches and writings.
Since I heard excerpts from this talk on a podcast (Crossroads at Washington National Cathedral), and since podcasts by faithful, creative people sustain me daily in hope, offering plenty of words so that despair might never have the last one, I thought I’d share some of my favorites with you here.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).
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]]>The post An Update from the Renovation Action Committee appeared first on Christ Church Detroit.
]]>Bell Tower Restoration: The exterior stone work on the bell tower the church is nearly complete! Our contractor RAM Construction reports that the third and final phase of its work is ahead of schedule and on budget.
Sanctuary Floor and Pews: This is a multi-phased project. The first phase is nearly complete: wooden supports were rebuilt beneath the flooring where needed; custom terracotta tile has been handmade locally and installed in the side aisles to match the historic originals. We are also close to completion of the sealing of and trim work surrounding that new tile. The next phase includes new flooring beneath the pews, handicap seating areas, removal of one pew in the front and back pew to improve functionality and accessibility, and possibly removing pew dividers. In the meantime, repairs will be done so the roping of the rear pews will no longer be necessary by this November.
Exterior Work of our Campus: Our next task is “securing the envelope” of our church campus. We have hired Quinn Evans to complete the construction drawings for that work, which will include waterproofing, a new roof and new windows for Ledyard Hall, storm drainage systems, landscaping, an electrical survey of our buildings, and possible solar panels, among other items. Those drawings will be sent to select contractors for bid in October. Our intent is to select a contractor by Thanksgiving and to have our professional team— Quinn Evans, BDC, and the Contractor— work through the winter to finalize construction plans that are within our budget, order materials, and be ready to start work in the spring of 2024. Once the exterior plans are finalized, the RAC will host a parish town hall to share the plans (with any luck, in January 2024).
The Interior Work: While the professionals are moving forward with the exterior renovation, the RAC is forming a subcommittee, the “Ledyard 100” team, to start to plan for the interior Ledyard and kitchen renovations. The subcommittee will include representatives from interested church groups including Outreach, Education, Music, and Rev. Emily to establish a vision for future use and renovation of the spaces as Ledyard Hall, built in 1924 as the Ledyard Memorial Gymnasium, enters its second century. This work is in collaboration with the National Fund for Sacred Places and community partners. The team will aim to articulate and share the vision by spring 2024.
If you have not yet joined the 95 households who have pledged or given to the Capital Campaign, please consider doing so! We do not yet have the funds in place to complete the final phase of our work and will need everyone’s help to get it done.
Please feel free to contact Campaign Committee Co-Chairs Seth Lloyd and Lisa Jones, Senior Warden Ruth Boeder, Renovation Action Committee Chair Laura Sanom, or Rev. Emily with any questions, concerns, or ideas. Thank you!
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]]>While the Capital Campaign committee continues to ask for financial support, a Renovation Action Committee (the RAC) has been formed to facilitate the church renovation decision making. The Committee consists of representatives from Vestry, and the relevant church committees Buildings and Grounds, Finance, the Capital Campaign committee and Rev. Emily.
To help guide us through this renovation, the Church has hired an Owner’s Representative whose role it will be to integrate into our Renovation Action Committee and help guide us to hire the right professionals at the right price, and interface with those professionals. Scott Collins is the president of BDC Consulting. With over 20 years of construction and management experience, Scott, along with his Project Manager, Miea Loiselle, have acted as owner’s representatives for Detroit Public Theatre, Marygrove Conservancy and Orchard Lake Schools, to name just a few, all of whom give glowing references. We are excited to welcome Scott and Miea to our team.
Our plans for the next few months are ambitious: 1). You may have noticed Ram Construction working on the tuck pointing, stone replacement and reinforcement of the beautiful stone Bell Tower of our church. We have now raised enough money to complete that work on the south side of the Tower and are working to contract with Ram to complete that work by Christmas! 2) To secure the exterior of our church and Ledyard hall buildings we will need to put construction contract documents out for bid to contractors. With Scott and Miea’s help, we hope to contract with Quinn Evans, the church’s long-time architect, to draft those documents and identify contractors who we would like to bid. 3). While we work on “securing the envelope” of our church buildings with these first two tasks, we want to start a “kitchen listening effort” to start to determine what we want in our new kitchen. Rev. Emily has a vision of communicating with those in the community who may need kitchen support to determine if Christ Church might utilize our new kitchen to partner with others to further our goal of serving our community. 4) In addition, we are working with W3, our contractor for the church tile work, to complete the floor repairs that are needed. There has been a delay because we unexpectedly need to lift some of the pews to complete repairs. We are working with W3 to get back on track shortly.
The number one priority of church leadership during this renovation is to be good stewards of the trust each and every one of our parishioners has placed in us. With a highly qualified owner’s representative on board and a renovation committee that brings together the leadership committees of the church, we are well positioned for an efficient and successful renovation.
If you have not yet joined the team of parishioners supporting the Capital Campaign, please consider doing so. We will also be asking foundations in the community for support and grants. To position us to reach out for community support, our staff and finance committee are working to finalize an audit of the church and to have our financial house in order. It will also help if we can tell potential donors that a high percentage of our parishioners contributed.
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact Seth Lloyd, Lisa Jones, Ruth Boeder, Laura Sanom or Rev. Emily.
Contributed by Laura Sanom, Renovation Action Committee Chair. In addition to chairing this committee, Laura is 3rd generation member of Christ Church, and a practicing attorney, specializing in business litigation.
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]]>The post A History of Serving the Nation appeared first on Christ Church Detroit.
]]>The people of Christ Church have a long, rich history of service on behalf of the United States military. There are honor rolls on either side of the chancel, listing the names of those from the parish who served in WWI and WWII, and St. Michael’s chapel was initially conceived as a place where those whose family members were serving could come for private prayer and devotion. Now, a local chapter of the Honor Guard (of which Chuck is a member) uses Ledyard Hall for meetings and practice. Those meetings prompted us to think about the veterans in our midst, and we thought we might share some of their remembrances.
Colonel Phil Campbell US Army (RET)
Phil Campbell is a retired Colonel with the US Army with 28 years of active and reserve service. He served during the Korean War that was waged from 1950-1953 and Phil was an active participant during this conflict. He served as a Harbor Master at Inchon and skippered Landing Craft (Mike Boats) that transferred men and material to and from US Navy transport vessels anchored out in the bay.
One of the enduring lessons Phil learned as an officer while serving in a wartime environment, “check what you are doing twice before executing”, which he still adheres to today.
Colonel Campbell is also an active member of the International Armed Forces Council which is a joint military organization for US and Canadian service members.
Vietnam War Veteran – Jim Fleming
The Vietnam war lasted 10 years from the 1960’s through 1970’s.
Jim Fleming attended the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland and was commissioned an Ensign in the US Navy. He served on active duty during this conflict from 1966-1970 on board a destroyer homeported in Long Beach, CA and the USS Constellation, CVS 64, homeported in Long Beach, CA in the Engineering Department.
While stationed aboard ship, Jim made three cruises to Vietnam; once aboard the Destroyer and twice onboard the USS Constellation. He also had the distinct privilege of meeting the late Sen. John McCain twice.
Jim reflected on his service during a high up-tempo wartime environment: Hardship, accountability, and focus were required to achieve the overall mission objectives.
Family separation during long deployments was difficult. “being part of something bigger than yourself” made you proud and gave you the courage to continue your mission despite personal sacrifice or danger.
Vietnam War Veteran – Chuck Atwater
Chuck served in the US Navy during the Vietnam War. He was commissioned an Ensign in 1970 after attending Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island. Post commissioning, he was assigned to the USS Recovery, ARS-43, where he was assigned the responsibility of Communications Division Officer and qualified as Officer of the Deck (Underway and In-Port). His active duty lasted from 1970-1973, and as the Vietnam War was winding down, Chuck, was reassigned to shore duty in Officer Programs in Columbus, Ohio, Recruiting District.
While assigned to the USS Recovery, Chuck served with Master Chief Brashear, Master Diver, the only one-legged diver in US Navy history. Coincidentally, many years later, a movie was made about the Master Chief’s life experiences and exploits; the name of the movie was “Men of Honor” and starred Cuba Gooding Jr. as the Master Chief and Robert DeNiro as well. Chuck was fortunate enough to be reunited, 20 years later, with the Master Chief in Detroit. The movie” Men of Honor”, was premiered in Detroit at the Charles H. Wright African American Museum and Chuck had the good fortune to present an award to him on behalf of the US Naval Reserve!
Chuck’s total active and reserve commitment spanned the years of 1970-2000. During both his active and reserve time he continually sought out leadership roles and positions that culminated in his retirement as a Captain, US Naval Reserves, (RET). In hindsight, Chuck characterized himself as a reluctant “warrior” that grew to love the Navy and the opportunities it presented via adaptation, the challenge of leadership and a desire to see the world!
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]]>The post A Tale of Two Campaigns appeared first on Christ Church Detroit.
]]>As I got out of my car, two people peeled off from the small group and approached me, assuming I was with the other driver. The man asked if I could help repair the bike he was riding. The woman practically begged if I could possibly get her moved up the waiting list to get a bicycle.
I was witnessing the work of Holy Spokes, a group of volunteers who repair bicycles and give them to homeless individuals who use the bikes to ride to jobs. For the past two years, Holy Spokes has used Ledyard Hall, the Lower Level, and the Jefferson Avenue Parking lot as a place to store bikes they were working on and to do the repairs. I had heard vaguely about Holy Spokes, but until that morning I had not seen the intensity of the demand – and the gratitude – from those who receive the bicycles.
Holy Spokes isn’t one of the major ministries of Christ Church Detroit. Many of us in the church are barely aware of it. But then, we may not be aware of the city’s longest-running AA group, which meets in Cary Lounge, or the small Gamblers Anonymous group that also meets in Ledyard. These are just a few of the many, many ministries we support by providing a warm space, a roof to keep the rain off their heads, and more. These groups may seem minor in the life of the church, but they are monumental to the people they serve.
Christ Church is able to support these ministries because we maintain the buildings, pay the utilities, and hire the staff needed to coordinate the varied activities on our campus seven days a week. With spirits renewed each Sunday with vibrant worship, music, and fellowship, we can go out each week prepared, to quote the blessing Rev. Emily often offers, to “make haste to be kind.”
This year’s annual stewardship campaign coincides with the capital campaign. You may be asking why the church is asking for two different gifts.
The answer is because the church will spend the money in two very different ways.
The capital campaign will fund repairs and enhancements of the buildings that enable various ministries and missions now and into the future. For example, we can’t host concerts in our sanctuary if the floor is caving in. We can’t provide a room to GA if that room is flooded. And we can’t envision new food ministries until we upgrade our 65-year-old, Medicare-eligible kitchen. The capital campaign therefore is about preparing the buildings we’ve received as a bequest from past parishioners so those buildings can serve the future of the church. You’ll be hearing more from the capital campaign about the possibilities we see in the future – if we invest in the necessary upkeep on our buildings today.
Annual pledges, on the other hand, are about the here and now. Your weekly pledges and offerings pay for the people and other resources that operate our ministries. For example, the church recently hired a new staffer to support the education ministry. The money you give in 2023 will pay for such mundane but necessary expenses as heating the sanctuary in the winter, printing weekly bulletins, live-streaming worship services, purchasing cleaning supplies, paying our rector, and so on.
Traditionally, stewardship experts say that capital campaign donations often come from parishioners’ investments, while annual giving comes from their income. That may or may not be the case for your household. Ultimately, it all comes from the same place: the blessings that God has given each of us.
Your willingness to tell the church how much you plan to give to each campaign helps our church leadership to plan responsibly for the coming year and years. We fully understand that times are uncertain for many of us. But if you have an amount in mind to give in 2023, it would help the church enormously if you would communicate that amount on the enclosed pledge card. Your pledge is an educated guess as to what you’ll be able to give. Situations may change for better or worse, and if your giving later needs to change from what you tell us now, we will understand – simply let the church office know if that happens. Even if you aren’t absolutely sure how your 2023 will turn out, please submit a pledge, turning it in on or before the in-gathering day of November 20th, Christ the King Sunday.
Finally, please keep Christ Church and its leadership in your prayers. We continue to navigate a new path post-pandemic, as old patterns shift and new ways to minister and serve Christ in all peoples emerge. The church – both Christ Church Detroit and God’s wider church – needs your thoughts and prayers, but it also needs more tangible gifts in order to fulfill its mission.
Yours in Christ,
Jim Treece, Stewardship Committee Chair
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]]>We’re doing a new thing this June. It’s a fairly simple thing: buying some water bottles and granola bars, setting up some tents, and sharing a snack and a friendly smile with passersby. But as one of the people organizing it, I’ve been asked to explain why I felt it was important that we observe Pride month not just by putting up signs or flags, but also serving the community in some more active way.
It matters that the truth of God’s love is spoken and shared; as people of faith, this work is our joyful duty. The lessons we’ve been reading from Acts during the Easter season have told us about many ways that our ancestors in the faith began carrying this message to their communities in their words and actions. We are charged with meeting people’s needs by sharing water and food with those who are thirsty and hungry—and on a June weekend, you know there will be plenty of folks in need of water! And of course, anyone who passes by our tents will be welcome to help themselves to refreshments.
But I believe it matters that the LGTBQ+ community in particular knows about our parish during this time. For too long, their community has been denied spiritual connection and the refreshment from receiving the living water. Too many churches are still deeply homophobic, and the young people who grow up in them learn to hate others or to hate themselves. Too many young gay, trans, and queer people grow up hearing the message that God hates who they are. Countering that lie and demonstrating God’s love to the LGBTQ+ community can be life-saving work. CCD has been doing this for decades and our hospitality tent during Pride Weekend is an extension of that work. I hope that you’ll join me and your fellow CCD members for a couple of hours on June 11 or 12 to share physical and spiritual refreshment with our neighbors and the LGBTQ+ community.
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]]>You have all heard the old adage that “it takes a village….” While this is typically applied to raising a child, it has proven equally true to our sponsorship of an Afghan refugee family!
As you no doubt remember, after a long discussion, the parish agreed to sponsor a family that had recently fled Afghanistan. “Our” family consists of parents and 5 children (soon to be 6!). Although they have been in the U.S. for several months, we assumed responsibility as their sponsor in March of this year.
The Steering Committee. Our Steering Committee consists of several parishioners and friends who volunteered early on for this role:
This group was hard at work long before we moved the family into their Westland rental home. Margo and Mary interacted for many weeks with Samaritas personnel. Samaritas, formerly known as Lutheran Social Services, is the principal refugee settlement agency in Southeast Michigan. Margo set about searching for a suitable home for the family, visiting countless homes throughout Wayne County. We were restricted to Wayne County for a very practical reason: The County has in place a program that will pay rent for 12 months for refugee families if they reside in the County. Ultimately, Samaritas found them a suitable home in Westland.
The Move. The Westland house was partially furnished, but much was still needed to make it a home. Lauren Leney and John Staif, Lisa Staif’s siblings, graciously offered the contents of her home — furniture, pots and pans, dishes, and silverware. The Steering Committee members also collected other important items to complete the furnishings. All the non-furniture items had to be packed for the move. The furniture which came with the Westland house was either used – mostly to create another usable room in the basement – or stored. The “move” involved relocating this existing furniture, transporting all these items to Westland in a U-Haul, and carefully unloading the trailer’s contents. Jon Miller spearheaded this effort, ably assisted by Chuck Atwater, and the following parishioners:
The “crew” not only lugged countless boxes and pieces of furniture, but dismantled obstacles, such as door frames and bannisters, to their efforts. They even repaired some appliances. All slept well the night of March 26!
Next week: The “Settlers” and the “Specialists”. Stay tuned!
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]]>The post Getting Ready to Listen appeared first on Christ Church Detroit.
]]>Consider these questions in advance:
We hope that you can attend one of these sessions, or if not, please email us or give the office a call before Wednesday, May 18th!
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]]>Here are just a few of the projects we’re tackling…
Check out the presentation here!
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