Christ Church Episcopal Whitefish Bay

Christ Church Episcopal Whitefish Bay Christ Church: Seeking God's Grace; Sharing God's Joy We worship together and we joyfully welcome all people. We embody Christ's love by serving others.

We nurture children in the knowledge and love of God. We address today's concerns in the rich body of Christian tradition.

Benedictine Back-to-SchoolDear Friends in Christ,Many of us are in households that went back to school this week. I’m ho...
09/04/2026

Benedictine Back-to-School

Dear Friends in Christ,

Many of us are in households that went back to school this week. I’m holding in prayer all those students, parents, teachers, administrators, and others whose lives, for better and for worse, move so quickly from the unstructured, slower rhythms of summer, into the uber-programmed and quickened pace of school-year life. Even if you are untouched by an academic calendar, you likely sense a gear-shift coming as we move into the fall.

In the mornings I’m re-reading this short, accessible book called, Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict, by Esther de Waal. St. Benedict created guidelines for his monastic community in the 6th century, to encourage balance, wholeness, and meaning in everyday life. The author, a lay woman in England, has written several books on how this rule is deeply relevant to a world in which we all feel much too fragmented, hurried, and unmoored and alone. 
I recommend it.

I’m also reminded of how much Benedictine spirituality permeates the Episcopal Church. Much of what we take for granted in our “Episcopal approach” unconsciously flows out of this particular stream of the Christian tradition: an emphasis on hospitality and welcome; finding God in the ordinary parts of life rather than depending on ecstatic emotional experiences; a desire for balance in work, rest and prayer; an appreciation for paradox (multiple, differing perspectives can contribute to truth), and the importance of a sacred community for encountering God.

We don’t always have a longer weekend to catch our breath and reset after the school year begins. May your Labor Day weekend be restorative. And may we hold onto God and one another as the pace quickens this fall.

In the Peace of Christ,
Seth+

P.S. This week is our last Sunday in the garden (weather permitting)!

Sign up to bring your favorites to the picnic!Grillmasters needed!Scan the QR to find out how you can serve!
09/03/2026

Sign up to bring your favorites to the picnic!
Grillmasters needed!
Scan the QR to find out how you can serve!

09/01/2026

William Faulkner famously wrote: "The past is never dead. It is not even past." Fr. Seth preaches a sermon about the calling of Moses, this fallen prince with a dark past, and the ways that God calls us amidst all of our problems and flaws.

A Message from Julie Davis - Lay Minister for Sunday School and Middle School YouthDear Christ Church Family,In Septembe...
08/28/2026

A Message from
Julie Davis - Lay Minister for Sunday School and Middle School Youth

Dear Christ Church Family,

In September so many things in our church life start back up for the fall – including programming for families, children and youth. This year in Children’s Formation we’ll be exploring worship and liturgy; more simply, what we do when we come to church.

We’ll be exploring why we walk, stand, sit, and kneel during liturgy. We’ll be reading Bible stories and wondering about what they might tell us about God and people across time. We’ll be learning about communion, how we take it and why..

One of the things I’m particularly excited about is the ways we adults can come along for the ride with the children. Fr. Seth is bringing back his annotated bulletins to help us explore why we do what we do during our morning liturgy. Open to all ages, we’ll have some show-and-tell times where we get to look behind the scenes at what goes into making our worship possible each week.

In all the preparations for this year, that question – why do we do what we do – keeps coming up for me personally. Why do I go to church? What is it that happens on a Sunday morning? What is it that happens Sunday-after-Sunday-after-Sunday? What do I long for my children, all our children, to find here at Christ Church? In my heart I am hearing many possible answers. I come because God is worthy to be worshipped. I come to church to learn and practice being in God’s presence. I come to church to receive God and his blessing and care. I come to church to be with all of you, to worship alongside you, and to be reminded of the many, many ways the Spirit is at work in the world, in all of you and beyond. I come to church to be that for you – a part of the family. I come to church to be called into God’s work in the world.

How about you? What is it you do when you come to church? Are there ways you want to explore or lean into more this year? I am so deeply grateful for you and your presence here in our Christ Church family.

Christ's love,
Julie Davis

A Message from Fr. MattFITTING IN THIS FALLDear Christ Church Family,For those who worship with us at 9:30 on Sunday mor...
08/21/2026

A Message from Fr. Matt
FITTING IN THIS FALL

Dear Christ Church Family,

For those who worship with us at 9:30 on Sunday mornings, it’s been a little while since we’ve heard from Saint Paul. During the summer months, we shorten our usual pattern of readings by hearing only the Old Testament and Gospel lessons, which means that—unless reading from Scripture is a regular part of your spiritual life—many of us might not have read from any of Paul’s letters since the beginning of June.

But this Sunday, those who join us at 8:00 will hear a passage from Romans (https://www.lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Pentecost/AProp16_RCL.html ) that seems especially relevant as summer starts winding down. Paul reminds the community of Christians in Rome that “we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us” (Romans 12:6). And those different gifts are part of what makes us a community in the first place. As Paul writes just a few verses earlier, “we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another” (Romans 12:5). The Church, in other words, is a community made up of people who each bring something of themselves to the life and ministry we share together.

In just a few weeks, we’ll move our 9:30 worship back inside and begin another program year at Christ Church, bringing with it the return of our regular rhythms of worship, formation, fellowship, outreach, and service. And all of that depends on people willing to share their own particular gifts: people who teach our children and youth, sing in the choir, read or serve at the altar on Sunday mornings, run our livestream, welcome newcomers, prepare and serve meals, care for our buildings and grounds, visit and care for members of our community, or serve our neighbors beyond the walls of the church. And as those ministries return in full this fall, you may find yourself wondering where your own gifts might fit in.

If that question has been weighing on your heart, I invite you to consider: What gifts has God given you? What parts of our shared life might those gifts help strengthen? And is there a ministry at Christ Church where God might be calling you to become more involved? If you already have a ministry in mind or if you’d like a little help thinking of any, Father Seth, Deacon Nancy, and I—along with any of our other ministry leads—would love to speak with you. And whatever your gifts might be, there is always a place for them (and you!) in the life we share as the Body of Christ.

Christ's love,
Matt+

08/18/2026

(Un)Sweet Revenge) Are you a fan of the movie "Princess Bride"? Fr. Matt draws the parallels between Joseph's choice with and his brothers in the Old Testament, and the desire for revenge, or how to respond to the slights we experience in life.
For the full sermon, click here: https://www.youtube.com/live/plj2v40NL_w?si=CIs5JghrI2YC_NRE&t=906

A Message from Julie Thauer - Communications DirectorWHAT'S YOUR WHIM?Dear Christ Church Family,Have you ever had a flee...
08/14/2026

A Message from Julie Thauer - Communications Director
WHAT'S YOUR WHIM?

Dear Christ Church Family,

Have you ever had a fleeting thought that you dismissed as unimportant, then in an act of impulsive energy went ahead anyway regardless of it’s value?

The research, the recommendation, the opportunity all aligned one day in 2017 for my acquisition of a... ukulele! My husband proudly presented this Christmas gift to me that year, sighing “it’ll be collecting dust in less that a year”. Was it just one more thing I wanted to try and then would abandon when it got more difficult than I had time for?

But here we are 9 years later, and I’m still strumming. What struck me recently is how that whim in 2017 has invaded my life in some unexpected and beautiful ways. My ukulele whim became practically an obsession. Suddenly I was scouring the internet for all the uke chords for my college favorites. Next, an old work friend, asked me if I wanted to join the ukulele group with her that practiced at Brass Bell. “Oh Lord, they’re all really old!” I lamented at my first practice. Little did I know, I would come to adore these “old ladies” and the community I was joining.

Discovery No. 1. This was FUN! I really enjoyed singing! .. and was even coaxed into doing it at a microphone. in front of other people. yes.. in front of other people. Extreme Stage fright could be overcome with repetition and the reassurance that all of the Senior living, Memory care units, beer gardens, we played for didn’t seem to care if I hit a few wrong notes. My confidence grew.

Discovery No. 2 When Fr. Seth asked me if our group would like to provide music for one of the Summer Services, I could nervously answer yes! (You’ll be seeing a few of my fellow ukuladies in the Christ Church Garden on August 30th. Ukuleles at church... who knew!

As the years rolled by, my whim also gave me deeply emotional and satisfying experiences as well. One of the first concerts I joined the Ukuladies for, was at a memory care unit “Elaine’s Hope” in Wauwatosa. As we were busy setting up speakers and music stands, I watched as a train of wheelchairs and rollators glided in. Tired looking caregivers pushed sleepy residents into the the big dining room. I’m pretty sure my face fell when I realized the audience might not be awake to even hear our music. We started our set with a schmaltzy "Walk right in, sit right down." and as I looked out over the audience, I noticed something almost miraculous. Those sleepy residents had woken up... and they were singing along! As the concert went on, I saw people clapping with the music. Engaged smiles on the faces of people I didn't think were capable of much, had given me so much to think about. I had heard of this phenomenon, but I was experiencing it for the first time. Deeply buried memories and old neurons were jangled awake. By music... and not even particularly good music. The connection and the science was real. Something my ukulele whim was not expecting. (Brain science https://www.apa.org/monitor/2026/03/science-of-music) (music and dementia - https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/emotional-health/music-as-medicine-alzheimers-dementia)
Something I am forever grateful for -- a chance to learn something I now love; AND was able to make a connection with people far outside my ordinary life. A win-win.

So what's your whim? What could have the power to wake up a sleeping neuron in you? God surprises us when he uses the way he made us for the things that he wants us to learn and give to others.

Keep strumming,
Julie

08/11/2026

Fr. Seth highlights Grace for Families from the book of Genesis and family of Jacob. Just as it was then, there are no perfect families. Click here for the entire sermon

A Message from Fr. Matt God SightingsDear Christ Church Family,Almost two weeks ago, our youth group returned from a wee...
08/07/2026

A Message from Fr. Matt

God Sightings

Dear Christ Church Family,

Almost two weeks ago, our youth group returned from a week of mission and service in Wheaton, Illinois, and the greater Chicagoland area in partnership with Group Mission Trips. Our middle schoolers spent the week serving at an inner-city day camp, while our high schoolers split their time serving at a local church and Habitat for Humanity ReStore. It was a week filled with worship, fellowship, laughter, hard work, and abundant opportunities to encounter Christ in the faces of those we served and in one another.

In the afternoons, after everyone had returned from their various worksites, each work-crew’s designated devotion leader was asked to check in with the Group Mission staff to report any “God sightings”—moments when they felt God’s presence or saw God at work with them throughout the day. One youth shared how a resident at an assisted living facility for disabled adults was finally able to participate in an activity because God had placed them in a position to serve as an interpreter, bridging an obvious gap in language. Our own high schoolers were unknowingly sent to serve at a local church on the very day its caretaker had to leave unexpectedly because of a family emergency (thankfully, everything turned out fine for them in the end).

Most of the youth’s “God sightings” weren’t all that dramatic. In fact, many weren’t even recognized in the moment at all but only came to light later, after they had some time to think and reflect on the day’s events. And I think that’s true for most of us. The busyness of everyday life has a funny way of keeping us moving from one thing to the next, which—in my case at least—makes it difficult to notice the quiet ways God is present and at work all around me, even when it’s happening right in front of my nose. But when I’m able to carve out even just a few moments to sit and think, I usually find that I can notice at least one or two small moments when God might have been quietly working behind the scenes: an unexpected phone call from a friend when I really needed someone to talk to, being suddenly stopped by a stranger in the grocery store who saw a priest in the checkout line when they needed someone to pray with them, or even just an unexpectedly cancelled meeting in the middle of a busy week.

To help myself better notice the divine presence in my own life, I’ve decided to make these “God sighting” reflections a regular part of my evening prayer routine. And if you feel so called, I invite you to join me, asking yourself: Where did I notice God’s presence today? How might God have been quietly working behind the scenes in my life or in the lives of those around me? And where might God have been inviting me to join in that work? We might not always have dramatic answers to those questions, but I have a feeling that—with a little time and reflection—we’ll begin to discover that God is far more present in our daily lives than we might have realized.

Yours in Christ,
Matt+

08/03/2026

Handing Down the Faith Sunday August 2, 2026. Lay Minister of Family & High School Youth Bailey Steger tells the story of Jacob who wrestled with God and teaches us to not let go.
To listen to the entire sermon, click here: https://tinyurl.com/Wrestling-wi-God-08-02-26

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5655 N Lake Drive
Whitefish Bay, WI
53217

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(414) 964-3368

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