Arts Commission
The mission of The Arts Commission of Christ Church is to offer to the greater Community, without charge, high quality concerts, lectures and other artistic and cultural events, sharing our celebration of excellence and beauty of the Arts.
The Arts Commission, founded at Christ Church in 1990, presents free concerts and lectures that are open to the public. It is a part of the church's outreach, and our programs draw many people from the greater community as well as parishioners.
Most of our concerts feature our C.B. Fisk organ, which was installed in 1965 and is certainly one of the Parish's great treasures.
Our programs are funded by individual donations and by the Endowment for Choir and Music Series at Christ Church (in memoriam Helen Dick, Louis Arnold, Ghislaine Mailloux, the Rev. Gene Rose, and Lucy Graichen) and endowments in memory of The Very Rev. Dr. James E. Annand, Anne H. Utter and Laura Kent Hynes.
To learn more or see upcoming events, read our blog
Cell Phones for Soldiers
We regularly collect old cell phones which are then sent to an organization that sells them and uses the proceeds to buy pre-paid calling cards for our service personnel overseas.
Christmas Giving To Foster Children
This community outreach initiative began in 1960 under the direction of Betty Chapman and continues today in her name. For 50 years Christ Church parishioners have contributed gifts and money for this worthy project.
The children served by this program are wards of the State of Rhode Island, live primarily in the South County area, and range in age from 6 months to 20 years old. A committee of parishioners shops for the children with monies contributed and the gifts received and purchased are distributed by various state agencies.
The Giving / Star Tree
The Giving / Star Tree is a project that works with the Department of Children Youth & Families and the Johnnycake Center to help bring Christmas to children and families in need. The Johnnycake Center collects the Christmas wishes from local families and distributes the information to area churches and businesses. We then take the information given to us by both agencies and place it on a star by putting the gender and age of a child and their wishes or needs for the holiday. The First Sunday in Advent, we begin hanging the stars on a Christmas tree.
We buy for the child, wrap the present, and return it to church labeled with the star for pick up. If you would like to learn more about this project or help in some way, please call the church office. Thank you.
The Living Supplies Closet
The Living Supplies Closet is a 501(c)(3) community outreach program that fills a niche not addressed by other social service agencies in our community. We provide to those in need items that are not covered by food stamps or distributed by welfare agencies. These include such things as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, laundry and dishwashing detergents, razors, paper goods, diapers and women's feminine hygiene items.
We operate on a referral basis and work with agencies such as the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center, the Bradford Jonnycake Center, the Department of Human Services, South County Community Action, and local churches.
We are supported by volunteers from Christ Church and others from the Westerly/Pawcatuck area and by contributions from the Church, parishioners, and the community. The Closet is now able to apply for and has begun to receive grants from businesses and foundations. Donations, either monetary or of stock items, are always appreciated.
Navajoland Mission
For the past 15 years parishioners from Christ Church have participated in mission work at Saint Mary's-in-the-Moonlight Church near Monument Valley, Utah — in the northern part of the Navajo reservation.
Each summer, several adults and/or teens from Christ Church, sometimes accompanied by members of other churches, spend one or two weeks offering a Vacation Bible School for the Navajo children, hosting community dinners and retreats for our Navajo neighbors, and working on construction and repair projects at the St. Mary's community.
Pastoral Care Commission
The Pastoral Care Commission assists clergy in visiting those in need of unique spiritual care during illness, difficult times and visiting shut-ins. Take a look into what the Pastoral Care Commission offers to our community.
https://youtu.be/AoGgbo2PeSM
Thanksgiving Community Dinner
Each year Christ Church puts on a free Thanksgiving dinner which is open to all in the community looking for fellowship during the holidays. This is a terrific opportunity for the larger community to gather in gratitude over a shared meal.
Warm Center Dinner
The WARM (Westerly Area Rest Meals) Center provides a continuum of care and services to the homeless and the needy in our community. One of their many services is to provide daily noontime and evening meals for individuals, families and children.
Christ Church volunteers provide the evening meal on the 4th Tuesday of each month. Volunteers to cook, serve, and donate food for the meal are always needed. For further information, please contact the WARM outreach coordinator Walter Dugas. Volunteers consistently report they receive much more than they give.
See our calendar for more information about upcoming meals and their needs.