2021 Annual Report

Rector Search

Our Discernment and Rector Search Committee is nearing the end of its work. The Committee received and reviewed resumes in the fall. They first met with candidates virtually. Semi-final candidates then traveled to Bronxville for worship and meetings with Committee members. Two final candidates are being referred to the Vestry. The Vestry will meet with the candidates and will ultimately vote to elect our next rector. 

Discernment with the parish revealed several things that were important to our community. First and foremost, we wish to call a deeply spiritual priest. Thereafter, there are four broad categories of skills that the community expressed a desire to see in our next rector. They are: Open Communication in terms of how the priests interact with their congregation, staff, and volunteers, Compassionate Leadership, Skillful Administration, and Meaningful Liturgy with Inspirational Preaching. Our finalists excel on each of these dimensions and others. We are very excited about the future here at Christ Church Bronxville. 

Music at CCBNY

Summer 2020 saw the end of the tenures of Philip Stopford as Director of Music and Ryan Kennedy as Organist. Soon thereafter, our parish was thrilled to welcome back Vaughn Mauren (former Organist at CCBNY) to serve as Interim Music Director. In just a few months, Vaughn conducted multiple evensongs with the choir, reinstated the Children’s Choir, and even coordinated a requiem mass for All Saints and All Souls’ Day.

The wonderful Christ Church Choir has continued to be a grounding force during our Sunday worship services, even as they endured the all of the shakeups from the pandemic — physically distanced ensembles, covid-related scheduling changes, singing through a mask, etc. In addition to leading sung worship at Sunday services, the choir has held monthly choral evensongs which have been a great opportunity to feel God’s presence on Sunday evenings, while looking forward to each week ahead. The parish is immensely grateful for their talents as musicians and their overall dedication to excellence.

The Handbell Choir, led by Debbie Cook, continued to ring this year including during Palm Sunday, Pentecost, and Advent IV. Each time the Handbell Choir rings, they enhance the worship services!

Youth Formation

On September 12, Christ Church was visited by The Rt. Rev. Mary D. Glasspool, Bishop Assistant of the Diocese of New York. She confirmed two classes of our youth confirmands, twenty-two teenagers, and received two adults into The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion; one adult also reaffirmed their baptismal vows. The seventh and eight graders studied the sacraments of the Church together —the outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace where God promises to meet each person on their journey of faith and life and love

Christ Church Bronxville’s Episcopal Youth Community (EYC) is now in its fifteenth year and continues to be a flourishing program for high school teenagers. It began as a small group of eight teens in 2007 and has grown to be a group of about sixty teens, with fifteen to twenty in attendance each week. EYC creates a space for our teens to let go of stress and discover who God calls them to be.

The EYC has continued their weekly youth group meetings, adjusting to remote, in-person, and hybrid as needed. The meetings begin with a shared meal followed by various Christian formation activities. These activities are grounded in our teenagers’ experiences of community, service, and prayer. At the meetings in 2021, the group discussed race and gender in the Bible, ideas about heaven and hell, and questions around translation. The EYC also participated in our parish in other ways, including serving in liturgy and organizing three midnight runs.

LGBTQ+ & Friends

LGBTQ+ & Friends is group of parishioners and non-parishioners a part of the LGBTQ+ community who in 2011 began gathering in homes for monthly festive potluck dinners. In addition to hosting casual social events, the group strives to be an active part of the parish by hosting events that raise awareness about LGBTQ+ issues. The group aims to reach out to others who identify as LGBTQ+ beyond the church community. In 2021, the group reassembled after a few inactive years. In November, the group had an enjoyable potluck hosted by Brett Delfino. It was great to come together, connect, and begin to brainstorm future events for the group. In October, Elis Lui, CCBNY’s Youth Minister and group member, served as an adult mentor for Center Lane’s Youth Pride event in White Plains. Special thanks to Elis for the parish and this great group!

Young at Arts

Young at Arts opened the doors of 2021 with a great deal of fearless faith and determination to keep their mission alive despite a pandemic which highlighted singing as a superspreading event! With many health and safety measures in place, YAA was not only able to stay alive but to expand their impact in 2021. The greatest challenge of the year was continuing to serve neighbors who, for reasons related to the pandemic, struggled to get to the Bronxville campus. In February, YAA was awarded a grant from Sing for Hope to begin to begin a pilot in-person performing arts program at the Amani Public Charter School in Mount Vernon. Out of the success of this program, the Sing for Hope – Young at Arts Lab at the Amani Public Charter School was created. This program serves over 350 children daily and provides both in school and after school performing arts programming.

Other highlights from 2021 include a United Nations performance, a hybrid musical production of The Sound of Music, and 2 summer camps. The YAA mission was supported through a benefit which raised over $59,000 and grants from Episcopal Charities, Arts Westchester, and Sing for Hope. YAA students received scholarships to colleges and placed in the finals of singing competitions.

Through the years, so many parishioners of Christ Church helped to make this dream happen. You volunteered your time. You sent children to sleep away camp. You donated pianos, food, clothing, and books. You painted libraries and classrooms at the Mount Vernon campus. You reached out to students in need. You counseled, tutored, and applauded. In essence, you faithfully shared your church and created a sense of home to every child who walked through its doors. And these are the reasons why YAA is still standing today.

Eliza Corwin Frost

As the old saying goes, “No mud, no lotus.” Needless to say, 2020 and 2021 were filled with heaps and heaps of mud for the world. ECF was no exception: teachers were faced with online learning, pandemic anxiety and reduced classroom sizes led to 1/5th of enrollment for 2020-21, and children learned in pods only with peers from their direct class. Boy, there was a lot of mud.

Despite the major disruptions due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the dedication of the faculty and staff of Eliza Corwin Frost has put the school in a position where lotuses are starting to emerge from the muck. Enrollment has increased substantially since last school year, now to 90 students, including many new families! Further, enrollment for 2022-23 is on track to eclipse pre-pandemic numbers! Our school is not only seeing growth in the number of new families, but also with an increase in our talented staff.

Our Parents’ Committee hosted several great events in 2021: a fall-themed Back-to-School Bash, spook-tacular Halloween activities, a Spirit Wear sale, and a Thanksgiving food drive. Without the deep dedication of our faculty, administrative staff, steering committee, and parent volunteers, we wouldn’t be in this strong position.