Contact Annual Report - Christ Church Cathedral Vancouver

WORSHIPPING GODin the Anglican Tradition with beauty,reverence and creativity8 O’CLOCK WORSHIP CoordinatorThe coordinator organizes the roster for the 8 am service,scheduling readers, administrators, greeters, collectors,and servers. We have had a good year with about 30 people atmost services. There are 24 volunteers (with several on leaveat the moment).We have changed our monthly coffee meetings to themain hall each Sunday so that we might mix with otherparishioners. I would like to thank all who help at the serviceand Rupert Lang for his music each week. We can always usemore help—if you are interested in helping out at a smallerservice, please let me know.Pam Botting, CoordinatorAltar GuildAfter another year of service, the Cathedral Altar Guildhas grown to sixteen members with one member onleave and the addition of two new people. The altar guildcontinues to care for the vessels, linens, and vestmentsneeded for our liturgies. Working in teams along withspecific members in charge of scheduling, flowers, ironingand the cleaning of silver and brass, we prepare the sanctuaryfor both parish and diocesan liturgies.As the parish continues to incorporate children more fullyin parish life, it has been suggested that to the current altarguild we add teams of parent and child or grandparent andchild to this ministry. Having the opportunity for a handsonapproach to the elements and vessels of the Eucharistand Baptism can only enhance children’s knowledge andunderstanding of our sacramental life together. If you andyour child or grandchild would be interested in participatingin this ministry, please contact me at grandmum@telus.net or604 408-4776 to talk about joining and setting up a day oftraining. The Dean makes all appointments to the altar guild.Helen WilliamsCATHEDRAL CHOIROne of the wonderful things about being part of anAnglican cathedral is the beautiful aesthetic of ourspace and of the Anglican service. Music can be a significantelement of a worship service: it unites us in one voice, inspiresus, and can help open our hearts to see and experience God.The Christ Church Cathedral Choir is a 30-voice mixed choirunder the direction of Rupert Lang. Our role is to celebratethe Sunday Eucharist through hymns, psalms, motets, andboth choral and congregational mass settings, and to helplead worship through music at Evensong, and Compline.The Choir also often provides music for diocesan servicesand other special events such as the Order of St. John service,weddings, and funerals for parishioners and the broadercommunity.The year 2011 was another great year for the CathedralChoir. It started in style thanks to the Love Is concert inFebruary, generously sponsored by a much loved, recentlyretired chorister and husband (thank you, Linda and Ray!).Easter services kept us busy as usual, leading up to theJune Halleyluia! concert with Vancouver Children’s Choirand Good Noise Gospel Choir, which featured the worksof Paul Halley. We wrapped the first half of the year witha summer music festival in July, which was expanded toinclude four new Evensong services and featured the musicof extraordinary composers such as Purcell, Byrd, Schutz,Stanford, and Lang.As active choir members, we are rarely the audience of ourown ministry. However in early September, my husbandand I were deeply touched by the choir’s gift of song at ourwedding. It was an experience we will never forget.The choir ministered outside the Cathedral as well. We hadthe honour of joining voices with St Augustine’s RomanCatholic Church, Kitsilano for their 100th anniversarycelebratory mass and, more recently, to share our traditionalNine Lessons and Carols service with the congregation at St.John’s Shaughnessy.This wouldn’t be a complete report for 2011 withoutmentioning this year’s truly most significant milestone:Rupert Lang’s 25th anniversary at Christ Church Cathedralas choir director and chief musician. On behalf of the choir,our sincere gratitude to Rupert for his ministry to each ofus in the choir, and for his leadership, musicianship, andfriendship.Anna CollinsContact MagazineContact Magazine comes out three or four times a year totell both the parish and Friends of the Cathedral aboutthe many ministries and events that take place at ChristChurch Cathedral.In 2011, issues were produced for spring, fall, and the AdventChristmas season. After many people wrote articles or items,Contact was assembled by Taryl Guenter, the Cathedral’sable Communications Coordinator, and distributed at theCathedral as well as being mailed to approximately 750households.Neale Adams, EditorCONTACT SPECIAL EDITION - ANNUAL REPORT 2011 | 9