Christ Church

All are welcome to worship with us!

Christ Church, Bobcaygeon is located at (PO Box 133) 43 Sherwood Street adjacent to downtown Bobcaygeon near the historic Lock 32 on the Trent Severn Waterway, now a national park.

  • Christmas Service at St. John’s Church, Dunsford on Sunday. December.22.2024 at 4:00 pm. Children’s Story, Carols and Holy Communion. No morning service this Sunday at St. John’s Church, Dunsford. Christ Church, Bobcaygeon, regular service at 11:00 am as usual.
  • Christmas Eve Service at Christ Church Bobcaygeon on Tuesday.December.24.2024 at 7:00 pm. Candlelight Festal Choral Service of Holy Communion and Carols

Worship Schedule:   Sundays 11 a.m

Public in person services of worship have resumed.

Second and Fourth Sundays Holy Communion (aka Holy Eucharist)

First and Third Sundays (Except Major Festivals) Morning Prayer

Fifth Sunday- Caygeon Spice- Instrumental Gospel Music with Contemporary Morning Prayer.

Parish Officers

  • Clergy Warden – Beverley John
  • People’s Warden – Todd Jermyn
  • Deputy Clergy Warden- David Prins
  • Deputy People’s Warden- Christine Gaetan
  • Office Administrator- Treasurer- Maia Mirecki-Chayer
  • Envelope Secretary – Kim Prescott
  • Synod Lay Delegate – Samantha Taylor
  • Substitute Synod Lay Delegate- Jane Sykes
  • Lay Reader – Bob Fenton
  • Organist and Music Director – Karen Roberts

Parish organizations and ministries

Anglican Church Women (ACW)

Women of the parish meet quarterly for a mid-week Eucharist, followed by a meeting and a time of fellowship.  We often arrange speakers regarding community events, organizations and outreach projects which we support.  The ACW also organizes dinners, receptions, Christmas Bazaars, Pancake suppers and fund raisers.  Each year the ACW co-sponsors the Bobcaygeon House Tour as a joint project with the United Church Women (UCW) from Trinity United.

Sunday School

The Sunday School is currently taking a break because its “students” have graduated. There are experienced Sunday School teachers who provide lessons for children under 12 as required. Children have participated in bringing up gifts for the food bank to the altar, and seasonal celebrations in Advent and Lent.

Pastoral Care

A committee of volunteer pastoral visitors works with the parish priest to care for those who are sick or shut-in at home, or those in nursing homes and hospitals. Christ Church provides both lay and clergy leadership for services at the Kawartha Suites Retirement Residence (West Street), Pinecrest and Case Manor care facilities. Volunteers also carry out a prayer and prayer shawl ministry. Shawls are knitted, blessed and delivered to those in need of continuing prayer support. A card ministry also reaches out to those in need of encouragement.

Outreach

The parish operates a clothing giveaway program, providing gently used items to those in need.  We also support a Christmas Day community dinner, Shrove Tuesday Pancake supper and the programs of the community ministerial.  Our parish supports national and international projects. For more than a decade members have sponsored a student in Honduras. Additional support has gone to Sleeping Children Around the World, and a local Christian youth outreach program, known as Youth Unlimited.  We also support Habitat for Humanity.  We support the Bobcaygeon Helps  community food security program which began at Christ Church as an outreach project.  This food bank now includes the support of other Bobcaygeon churches, and is presently administered by a volunteer community board and executive, which includes church appointed representatives and currently operates out of the Bobcaygeon Lions Club

Adult Education

Adult Christian education and study programs are conducted by the clergy during Advent and Lent.   Training and preparation is also provided for special Adult lay ministries such as licensed lay readers and others.

Community Events

Christ Church regularly participates in community services sponsored by the Bobcaygeon ministerial such as hosting the community Canada Day service usually held outdoors on our church lawn.   We also participate in  the ecumenical Wednesday noon day services hosted weekly during Lent in turn by each member church in the Bobcaygeon ministerial on a rotating basis followed by lunch.  Christ Church annually hosts a joint parish Good Friday service.  We also regularly help organize, lead, participate in and take our turn hosting the annual Bobcaygeon World Day of Prayer service.

Chancel Guild

A number of people in the congregation work behind the scenes to prepare for services each Sunday, arrange flowers, launder linens and change altar hangings. They decorate the church for Harvest, Christmas and Easter.

Coffee Hour

After each service volunteers provide tea, coffee and home baked goodies, for a time of fun and fellowship served in the spacious Narthex, just outside the Nave of the church.

Music

Service music is led by an organist and music director. A choir meets occasionally to practice hymns and special seasonal music. A standing choir leads the service music every Sunday. Some choir members also make up the nucleus of Caygeon Spice, an instrumental Gospel group which provides upbeat music on fifth Sundays, as well as other special occasions. Guest soloists and musicians are welcome and encouraged to sing or play regularly at Sunday services.  We are home to a community bell choir that also provides music at Christ Church on occasion.

Lay Readers, Lectors, Intercessors, Servers, Crucifers, Acolytes, Lay Chalice Administrators, Anointers, Readers, and Sidespeople/Greeters

The above list provide examples of opportunities to volunteer at our services of worship. Lay participation in leading worship is an important part of ministry at Christ Church.

History

The history of Christ Church begins with mill owner Thomas Need, who opened a church in 1836. It disappeared soon, but when Need sold his land to Mossom Boyd, three acres were reserved on the island for Christ Church, a name chosen by Need. The church was designed by Irish architect John Belcher in 1869 and built shortly after with the first service on Christmas Eve 1870.

The church was dedicated by Bishop Bethune in 1871. Christ Church was officially consecrated on September 13, 1881. The parish hall was joined to the church and improvements made to provide a Narthex and office and classroom space in 1990.

Currently Christ Church is part of a three point parish which includes St. John’s, Dunsford and St. Luke’s, Burnt River. The three congregations share a priest who is sometimes housed in the Rectory built in 1929, next to Christ Church.