The busy schedules of the holiday season make it worth noting early the many events at the Chapel of the Cross that will be the foundation for our celebrations of the birth of Christ.

The normal worship schedule
Preachers are listed in the weekly bulletin as the time approaches.

Sunday, December 1
Normal schedule
10:15 a.m. Advent Wreath and Jesse Tree Workshop
Alternative Gifts Table (Click on link in contents at right)

Saturday, December 7
Advent Quiet Day (Click on link in contents at right)

Sunday, December 8
Normal schedule
10:15 a.m. Using Stories to Awaken Your Child's Moral Imagination
Alternative Gifts Table (Click on link in contents at right)

Sunday, December 15
9:00 & 11:15 a.m. Lessons and Carols (identical services)
12:45 p.m. Holy Eucharist
Other services follow normal schedule
Alternative Gifts Table (Click on link in contents at right)

Saturday, December 21
2:30 p.m. Children’s Pageant

Sunday, December 22
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist with a Service of Lessons and Carols (Carolina Meadows)
10:15 a.m. Sixth Annual Christmas Poetry Gathering
5:30 p.m. Christmas Pageant Rehearsal (all youth in grades 6—12 are encouraged to participate; both rehearsals should be attended)
Normal schedule (No Compline)

Monday, December 23
3:00 p.m. Christmas Pageant Rehearsal

Tuesday, December 24 Christmas Eve
2:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist (Carol Woods)
3:00 & 5:00 p.m. Christmas Pageants
7:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist
11:00 p.m. The Christ Mass

Wednesday, December 25 Christmas Day
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist

Sunday, December 29
7:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist
9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
11:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist
5:15 p.m. Holy Eucharist
No Compline

Sunday, January 5
7:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist
9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist (Carolina Meadows)
11:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist
5:15 p.m. Holy Eucharist
7:00 p.m. Solemn Evensong (followed by Kings’ Cake Reception)
No Compline

Monday, January 6 Epiphany
5:15 p.m. Holy Eucharist

Using Stories to Awaken Your Child's Moral Imagination
Lisa Ripperton
Children love stories. Not only are stories enjoyable, but they are an important element in your child’s Christian upbringing. Discover what types of stories are appropriate for each age, and how to develop an effective program of reading and telling stories in the home. Become acquainted with resources for locating stories that are online or in print so that you can easily select the best stories to share with your child. Lisa Ripperton, a longtime parishioner, as a volunteer developed and maintains classroom libraries at Emerson Waldorf School. She recently constructed a website that offers online e-texts of dozens of books from the golden age of children’s literature. Top

Annual Christmas Poetry Gathering
Michael McFee
Michael McFee will host this sixth annual sharing of seasonal poetry. Parishioners are invited to bring their favorite Advent/Christmas/Epiphany poems to share with each other. These can be favorite verses from childhood, recent discoveries, or any poem at all that we can read aloud in the spirit of the season. Poet Michael McFee is a parishioner and teaches poetry at UNC. Top

Christmas Services
Van Quinn, Organist and Choirmaster
“O great mystery and wondrous sacrament: that beasts should see the new-born Lord lying in their manger!”
O magnum mysterium

The Pageant
The Chapel of the Cross Christmas Pageant, offered at 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve is one of the most popular of our Christmas traditions. Indeed, this pageant has become so popular that we felt it necessary to offer it twice to accommodate the numbers of people who attend. The text of the two pageants is basically the same, but there are some significant differences. If you are new to the parish you may be curious about which of these services would be best for you and your family.

The 3 o'clock pageant is slightly shorter and simpler. The Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke is read rather than sung. A real baby portrays the baby Jesus. The entire service takes place in daylight and may fit better with the daily rhythms of younger children. No candles are used other than those at the altar in the sanctuary. The Junior Choir is still there – looking angelic but with a smaller role, and there is a small orchestra to accompany the dance of the shepherds and the procession of the Magi. Friendly beasts are to be found outside (real ones!) and costumed ones inside.

The 5 p.m. pageant is the Candlelight Pageant. The music is more elaborate as the Christmas story from Luke is sung by soloists and the Junior Choir, accompanied by the little orchestra. Adults and children over the age of ten are given candles which are lit during the singing of “Silent Night” after the church has become dark. A big party is held in the parish hall after this service, and the friendly beasts are still waiting to be petted.

This is a wonderful way to begin your celebration of a Holy Christmas. Dec. 24

7:00 p.m. Eucharist
This is a festive yet simple Eucharist for Christmas Eve. Traditional carols and service music are sung. Because of seating limitations in the chapel, this service has been moved to the Church. Dec. 24

The Christ Mass
This 11:00 p.m. service is the parish’s principal Christmas service. It features elaborate and festive music for choir and organ, more complex ceremony, and is a “solemn” service (meaning that incense is used). Pre-service music begins at 10:30, and you should arrive by 10:00 to ensure getting a seat. Dec. 24

Christmas Day
The 10:00 a.m. Eucharist is a quiet and intimate celebration of Christmas. Held in the church it features the singing of traditional carols. Parking is not a problem and this service is usually out in little more than an hour. Dec. 25