past events
christmas town festival - 2023
festival of Creation - October 5, 2024
Fr. Brett with the the Llama from Country Quilt Llama Farm, comfort dog brought by Andrea Croce, Darlene Kascak from The Institute for American Idnian Studies, working dog from Katalyst Kennels.
Carolyn and Eleanor manning the soup and water table. Maria with more goodies, Fr Brett blessing some animals, our eco friendly display items.
bethlehem Fair Booth - september 2023
We were able to provide this lovely space until the wind and rain intervened and leveled our beautiful tent. Many people left notes that they enjoyed the space.
Easter Vigil - April 8, 2023
.The lighting of the Pascal Candle. Prayers and readings. Lamb dinner catered by Oliva’s on Main with donations collected for IRIS for Ukraian refugees. Over $500 was collected!
Tuesday, February 21, 2023. This event was held with the help of members of St. Paul’s Bantam.
Summer 2020 - fresh local produce and hummus from Oliva’s
Toyland - an annual event housed in our Parish Hall in conjunction with Caring for Bethlehem holiday food and gift distributions.
This outreach program is sponsored by Caring for Bethlehem, but was housed in our church this year. Parents had the opportunity to choose from new and mostly new items for babies to teens. Toys were donated by State Police and the Antique Car Show group.
March 2021 Corned Beef and all the fixings donated to Bethlehem first responders.
January 2021 - Prayer Books/Hymnals
NW Grocery Mission 2021 - present
(written by Carolyn Happy-Christ Church Bethlehem)
Last fall, another parishioner at Christ Church Bethlehem and I joined the volunteers of St. Paul’s Woodbury to drive delicious meals prepared at Camp Washington to seven families in Waterbury once a week. School social workers had identified these families.
I had already begun volunteering at Caring for Bethlehem the previous spring, when the pandemic began and my family left New York City for full-time life in Bethlehem; it was there that I learned so much about how the state and federal food programs work, details that were both inspiring and disheartening. I also learned, from Rick Wood of Caring for Bethlehem, the history of members of the Bethlehem community support of families in Waterbury over the years. I was compelled by this tradition as Rick guided me through the process of establishing this new mission to the seven families: delivering nutritious grocery staples twice a month.
Working from the CT Food Bank website and USDA TEFAP’s offerings, I am able to pack about 50 pounds of groceries, perishables and shelf-stable, for each family with a sister parishioner at Christ Church. By far, my favorite part is working from each family’s hoped-for preferences on the grocery lists I sent them before starting this process. Knowing a family’s unique nutritional needs and preferences helps us support them with dignity and respect. A volunteer and her husband from St. Paul’s share the delivery route with me and we enjoy the families’ familiarity with us and the children’s excitement to unload the groceries.
Much about the pandemic has felt overwhelming. An opportunity to focus on the needs of a small group of God’s children is a gift.