Worship at St. Christopher’s Church
Our Sunday morning worship services are taken from The Book of Common Prayer and reflect the traditional values of variety and familial warmth so much a part of our traditions at St. Christopher’s and of the Episcopal Church.
The 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist (Rite I) is a spoken service with sermon.
The 10:00 a.m. family worship (with Sunday School) alternates among our services but always includes music and sermon. The first, third and fifth Sundays of the month are Holy Eucharist. The second and fourth Sundays are Morning Prayer services, with occasional exceptions for major “Holy Days” and special observances.
Every Wednesday morning we have a 7:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist with homily. In addition there are various occasional services throughout the year, including of course the great festivals of Christmas and Thanksgiving as well as some lesser observations such as The Blessing of the Animals near St. Francis Day.
Everyone is always welcome and invited into full participation at all our worship services.
Click on the link below for the weekly Lectionary Readings:
http://www.io.com/~kellywp/index.html
The Music Program at St. Christopher’s Church
The Music Program of St. Christopher’s Church is led by Organist/Choirmaster Scott Drackley. Scott is Department Chair/Head of Choral Activities at Lancaster Catholic High School, Lancaster, PA. He comes with over 20 years experience as a musician with the Episcopal Church. Scott is a graduate of Lebanon Valley College and The Catholic University of America with Bachelor and Master Degrees. The organ at St. Christopher’s is a beautiful 1975 Austin 27 rank / three 16 extensions 2 manual and pedal pipe organ. The choirs of St. Christopher’s are an Adult Choir and a Junior Choir.
Handbell Choir
Handbells are a beautiful addition to the musical offering in the service. If any one from teenager through adult is interested in being part of this fun musical activity, please contact me at scottdrackley@saintchristophers.org or by phone. Handbell Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings at 6:00 p.m.
The Adult Choir
The Adult Choir provides the musical leadership for the Sunday services at St. Christopher’s Church. The Adult Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and briefly before the Sunday service. Their repertory of anthems and service music is quite varied and is selected from the standard choral repertory. On Feast Days and special occasions, the singers often join with instrumentalists for more extensive and challenging works. Over the years, this Choir has managed to present some outstanding music with limited rehearsal time and we have a lot fun together. Our music covers many genres. Medieval through 21st century Plainsong, Hymns, Canticles, Anthems, Motets, Cantatas, Masses, Requiems, Oratorios, The Works!
Help us keep up the good work! We are seeking new singers for the Adult Choir in every section. Consider joining us, even if you can only give us a semester or liturgical season!
Junior Choir
The Junior Choir consists of singers from the third grade to fifth grade who would be able to attend the weekly rehearsals. Rehearsals are on Sunday mornings at 11:30 a.m. Choir rehearsals consist of half an hour of singing and half an hour of practicing handbells.
This Choir sings on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of each month and participates with the Adult Choir for holiday and special music presentations. In this ensemble, the foundations of fine choral tradition of the Church are taught.
1. Learn the basic beliefs, reverence and worship through music; music is a tool for religious education.
2. Learn basic habits in singing; proper posture and breathing; ease in singing and correct pronunciation are stressed in rehearsal.
3. Learn the elements of musical notation, supplementing the training the child receives elsewhere.
4. Learn about self-discipline and cooperation. A choir must work as a team.
5. Learn the great hymns and anthems of the Church. An effort is made to teach music that they will grow into and not music that they will outgrow.
Works for Chorus and Orchestra that our choirs have performed over the last several years are:
Arvo Port – Berliner Messe (2007)
Mozart – Vesper¦ Solennes de Confessore (2006)
Bach – Cantata: Christ Lag in Todes Banden – BWV 4 (2005)
Durufl© – Requiem (2002)
For more information on our music programs, please contact Scott Drackley at scottdrackley@saintchristophers.org or call our office at 610-642-8920 ext 13.