Weekly Update 21 November 2025
Reflection
Tom Young
Tom Young
Christ the King Sunday
This Sunday, November 23, is the last Sunday of the liturgical year. It’s also the Sunday that’s called “Christ the King Sunday.” For many of us the image of Christ as King is troublesome. We live in a democracy after all - and though our democracy may be on shaky ground at the moment, the thought of a king ruling over us is especially abhorrent, even when the word king is applied to Christ Jesus.
To appreciate what this Sunday is all about, it helps to know a bit about how it came to be. The title Christ the King Sunday was created 100 years ago, in 1925, by Pope Pius XI. Why? Because the church needed the image of Christ the King at that moment in time.
On its first celebration, Mussolini had been the leader of Italy for three years; and a demagogue named Hitler had been out of jail for a year. Hitler’s Nazi party was growing in popularity, and the world was beginning to spiral into a great Depression, which would become far worse over the next fifteen years. In such a time, Pius XI asserted that, nevertheless, with all of those new dictators and false values in the world, Christ is still King of the universe.
The feast of Christ the King, then, was and is a symbol, a metaphor of life’s fundamental question for broken times such as ours. The question: Who or what rules our lives and how? If we follow that theme, then the feast of Christ the King makes sense for us today.
So we assert the gospel message, that Christ is in charge. What makes Christ our King? He gave himself for the sake of others. What does it mean for us to live under his reign? To give our lives for others. To forgive those who have hurt us. To reach out to those who are trying to change and grow. To expand our hearts to welcome those who are marginalized. This is the way Jesus has shown us; this is what Jesus has saved us for; this is the way we embrace the kingdom of God.
Sunday Services
Sunday, 23 November 2025
Christ the King Sunday
Proper 29
Year C
Christ Church Morning Prayer
10:30 am
Christ Church Sanctuary
1216 Seventh Street, Anacortes
The service is also available on YouTube.
Servers
Presider: Sharman Badgett-Young
Homilist: Emily Sander
Altar Guild: Melissa Simonsen
Readers: Diane Guinn, John Guinn
Ushers: Jerlyn Caba, Geoff Holmes
Organist: Lynne Berg
Coffee Hour Host: Hospitality Committee
Readings
Jeremiah 23:1-6
Canticle 16
Colossians 1:11-20
Luke 23:33-43
Readings may be found in the Episcopal Lectionary.
Hymns
H 433 - We Gather Together
H 544 - Jesus Shall Reign
H 460 - Alleluia! Sing to Jesus!
H 494 - Crown Him with Many Crowns
Bulletin Link: 23 November 2025
YouTube Sunday Service Link
Coffee Hour
Coffee Hour follows the service.
All are welcome.
Adult Faith Formation
Zimzum Discipleship
12:15 pm
Parish Hall Conference Room
All are welcome.
Zimzum discipleship focuses on intentionally making space to live as a faithful apprentice of Jesus.
Youth Group
Please meet at 12:30pm in the Parish Hall Gathering Room
Following lunch and a lesson on “Needs & Wants”, we’ll create “Blessing Bags” for those in need.
All youth in middle school & high school are welcome to join in.
Questions? Please contact Melissa Simonsen at mvsimonsen@gmail.com
Announcements
A Special Announcement from Reverend Courtney
The following letter and video are from The Rev. Courtney Jones.
My friends in Christ -
Within the next few days Bishop Phil LaBelle will announce that he has appointed me as the Dean of the Iona School in the Diocese of Olympia, effective December 1, 2025. I wanted you to hear this news directly from me before it becomes public.
I am deeply honored by this appointment and grateful for the opportunity to further integrate my two decades of experience in education and educational leadership into my continued ministry. As a friend of mine recently said upon hearing the news, “Wow, God really never misses a stitch.” God is always taking the threads of who we are - our gifts, our experiences, our successes and failures - and weaving them into something more than we could ask or imagine. I know in my bones that this is how God works, but it’s still sometimes a surprise to see how things come together!
You may, understandably, be wondering what this means for Christ Church. My plan remains the same as it was at the start: I will continue to serve as your interim vicar through May, when I will complete my M.Div. studies. After that, I’m not going very far. In addition to directing the Iona School, starting December 1st, I will also serve as the missioner for Total Common Ministry congregations throughout the Diocese. In this role, I will provide pastoral and programmatic support to Christ Church as well as all of the other TCM congregations. You’ll see me around plenty!
Canon Cristi Chapman, our Canon to the Ordinary, has already begun imagining what the next (interim) chapter of clergy leadership might look like for Christ Church. She would like to meet with congregational leaders in the next month or two to begin preparing for a thoughtful and Spirit-led transition.
Some months ago, Bishop LaBelle asked me what it is like serving at Christ Church. I told him, “You know, I suspect that I am one of their many outreach projects. It is a credit to Christ Church’s reputation in the Diocese that your interim priest was noticed and invited to explore this new leadership role on the Bishop’s Senior Staff.
In case it's not abundantly clear, let me state for the record: I love worshipping with you. I am so pleased that I will get to continue to do so until May . . . and then beyond!
ecj+
The Salvation Army’s 2nd Annual Church Week
Bell-Ringing Event
The Rev. Eric Johnson
The Rev. Eric
Johnson
Event Overview
The Salvation Army is organizing its second annual Church Week red kettle bell-ringing event. This initiative aims to bring together local faith communities to support the Salvation Army’s mission during the holiday season. I have volunteered for Monday, December 8, 2025, and I hope that both Christ Episcopal and the Center for Spiritual Living will once again join forces to form a team, building on the success we achieved together last year.
Bell-Ringing Schedule and Locations
Participants will be ringing bells at two locations: one entrance at the Market and both entrances at Safeway. The event will run from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. To accommodate volunteers’ schedules, the day will be divided into one- or two-hour shifts, as was done previously.
Tom, Sharman, & Dan
December 2024
Community Impact
Having churches ring the bells throughout the week will save the Salvation Army $2,448 in staffing expenses. These savings will be redirected to provide food and other essential services to our community.
Volunteer Information
If you can volunteer for one or two hours, please contact me at AnacortesEric@gmail.com to sign up and support this meaningful effort. Let me know when you would be available, and I’ll enter than on the schedule.
Weekly Prayer Services
Maggie
Collinge
Centering Prayer
Weekly on Wednesdays
1:15 - 1:45 pm
All are welcome at this short, simple service: a scripture reading, 20 minutes of silence, an intercessory prayer, and the Lord’s Prayer. Questions? Please contact Maggie Collinge, 360 202-5588.
Evening Prayer
Weekly on Wednesdays*
*No service on Wednesday, November 26
6:00 - 6:30 pm
All are welcome.
Men’s Group
The Men’s Group meets weekly on Fridays.
9:00 – 10:00 am
Parish Hall Gathering Room
Questions? Please contact The Rev. Eric Johnson.
All are welcome.
The Red Door Thrift Shop
Dawn Jex
Dawn Jex, Red Door Manager
Hello Everyone!
Just a few quick notes today:
Please be careful what you take in for donations at this point in time. We are still bringing over boxes of Christmas items from the Garage and that is our main area of concern right now. So getting everything else out takes a back seat until after Christmas. Please do not take any office supplies, large pet items, out of season flower pots or gardening gear, bowling balls or golf clubs. We just do not have room right now. If you start to get too full in donations, please close for the day and let the shop know.
We have been told by our Construction Foreman that we MAY be able to move into our new building very soon. We will need a lot of hands to make this happen. We will need folks with trucks to go get furniture from the garage, We will need folks to put items in baskets and move them from the back room to the new building...etc. You get the drill. So keep your ears on in case we call. :)
We will be closed next week on 11/27 and 11/28 for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Enjoy your time off and some good food!
And finally we are going to change the way we Store/Price Seasonal items. ALL boxes that are going to be stored will have every item in that box priced BEFORE it goes into storage. I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. It is a standard procedure at some of the other shops and now it will be for us as well. So as the donations folks fill a box, then will then bring it in to be priced. We will go through the box, make sure we want to keep or give away items, price what is remaining and then put it in long term storage. As with all new procedures, it may take us a little bit to get this down pat. Just take your time, it will become standard operating procedure (sop) in no time!
I think that's everything, I have to go take a ton of boxes over to the garage in preparation for us moving.
Hugs Y'all,
Dawn
Christ Church’s Red Door Thrift Shop is located at 1019 Seventh Street in Anacortes.
Red Door Thrift Shop
360.202.9966
Red Door Shopping Hours:
Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday: 10am – 3pm
Red Door Donation Hours:
Monday & Wednesday: 10am – 1pm
Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday: 10am – 3pm
Profits generated at the Red Door Thrift Shop fund Christ Church’s Community Support program.
Shoppers, Volunteers, & Donations are always welcome!
Day by Day
Day by Day daily devotions may be accessed at the following link:
Day by Day Daily Devotion.
Prayer List
Pat, mother of Dan
Creamy & family
Jim, father of Stephanie
Gaylene
Veronica
Shelley
Mary
Diane
Rev. Rilla & family
Linda, sister-in-law of Lynne
Myrna
Arra, aunt of Carol
Sandy
Dale
Zoanne
Linda
Tom
Karen
Leslie
Diana
Val
John
Foundation for Academic Endeavors
Cedar, Pete & Charlene, and Brendan, family & friends of Mary