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August is the beginning of the 2024-2025 program year at Christ Church, during which the parish will mark the 200th anniversary of its founding in 1825. As the oldest church in the city and the mother church of the diocese, this bicentennial celebration will be a special moment, not only for our parish, but for Macon and the Diocese of Atlanta as well.
To make sure that there are opportunities for everyone to participate in this year of celebration, and to make Christ Church a welcoming place for our visitors from across the city and the state, the Bicentennial Committee has been working for months to plan a full schedule of events for the parish community.
“We’re trying to get as many people involved as possible, across all ages, to celebrate with fellowship,” said Kay Greer, Co-Chair of the Bicentennial Committee.
“We want to make this a very special year with special events and celebrations,” said Jane Willingham, the Committee’s other Co-Chair.
The first of the main Bicentennial events is Welcome Home: 200 Years of Blessings, a fellowship brunch for all ages in the Great Hall beginning at 9:15 a.m. on Sunday, August 11. This will serve as a kickoff event for the whole program year. There will also be a chance to preview and preorder hats and t-shirts commemorating the Bicentennial.
The second event is the parish picnic, which begins at 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 20 at Wind Clan Farm in Juliette, Georgia. There will be a potluck dinner, paddleboats, and a hayride.
After the new year, the next principal event will be a Bicentennial Cocktail Party being hosted at the home of Georgia and Bob Hatcher on Thursday, at 6 p.m. on January 23, 2025. This will be an opportunity to preview and preorder the coffee table book the Committee is producing about Christ Church and its history.
The fourth event will be the celebration of the Bicentennial itself with a service at the church beginning at 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 27 featuring special music, clergy guests, and a reception to follow.
Finally, there will be a Bicentennial Gala on Thursday, May 1, at 6 p.m. in the Great Hall to celebrate the year of commemorations and all the work that has gone into making it possible.
In addition to the large gatherings, the Committee has planned a series of forums to take place during the adult Sunday school hour throughout the year. The first will be held on Sunday, August 18, beginning at 9:15 a.m. It will be held in the Great Hall and feature a light breakfast and a talk by local historian Andy Lawson about the history of Macon.
The following week at 9:30 on Sunday, August 25, Russ Henry will present some of what he has learned during his research into the history of Christ Church. After that, the Committee will present a forum during the Sunday school hour on the third Sunday of every month through May, taking the month of April off for the observance of Easter. The presentations will cover a variety of subjects about the history, life, and art of Christ Church.
The Bicentennial Committee is also working on several other projects to commemorate Christ Church. The book subcommittee, chaired by Russ Henry, is producing a coffee table book about Christ Church. The book will feature historical photographs and documents and tell the story of Christ Church’s past 200 years. It will also contain new photos showing the life of the parish as it exists in the present and continues into the future. It will be available for preorder in January.
The Committee is also reprinting With Our Blessings, a cookbook compiled by members of Christ Church in 1992. It will be available to preorder in the fall.
There will also be hats and t-shirts available so that members can represent Christ Church and remember this significant milestone in the life of the church.
The Bicentennial Committee will use its fundraising to renovate the sacristy and to support the special music for the Bicentennial year. The music program at Christ Church will play a central role during the program year, serving to connect the larger events. There will be an organ concert on the first Sunday of each month and a choral Evensong on the third Sunday of each month. There will also be special concerts in February and May. For more details about musical events, see the Music Ministry section beginning on page 15 of this issue of The Chimes.
Thanks to the work of the Bicentennial Committee and many volunteers, Christ Church is preparing for a year like no other. See the following pages 12 & 13 for a comprehensive calendar.
“We think it’s going to be an exciting year,” said Jane Willingham.
“It’s going to be a busy year,” added Kay Greer.