Palm Sunday

Sunday, April 2, 8am & 10am

This Sunday, we gather in the Parish Hall and then process outside and into the Church with palms to celebrate Jesus' triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. The Canterbury Choir will sing and the children will go to Sunday School after the palm procession. On this day, we hear the powerful Passion according to Matthew and begin the most sacred week in the Christian year. Stay after the service for coffee hour and stuffing eggs for the Children's Easter Egg Hunt. This service will be live-streamed. 

As a bonus, you can check out our video on how to fold a Palm Cross.

Holy Week Evening Prayer

Monday, April 3 and Tuesday, April 4 – 7pm

Join us at 7pm in the Nave for the simple beauty of Evening Prayer, a traditional Anglican service. 

Tenebrae Service with St. Stephen’s, Millburn

Wednesday, April 5 – 7:30pm

On Wednesday we will gather with our friends from St. Stephen’s, Millburn (119 Main St.) for a Tenebrae Service. The name Tenebrae (the Latin word for “darkness” or “shadows”) has for centuries been applied to night services during Holy Week. In this service, candles and other lights in the church are gradually extinguished until only a single candle, a symbol of our Lord, remains. This service is in-person and will be live-streamed on St. Stephen’s YouTube page. 

Maundy Thursday Service and Simple Supper

Thursday, April 6 – 6:30pm - In-person Only

We will meet in the Parish Hall for supper at 6:30pm as we live our own way into the story of Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples. Passages from all four gospels will be read by our confirmands, children, and lay members of the parish and foot washing will be offered (a powerful, but optional, sacrament instituted by our Lord). The service progresses into the Church for the traditional stripping of all decorative elements in the Sanctuary. Then we will walk through the Walkway into the Memorial Garden to remember Jesus’ final hours in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he was arrested. We hope you will be part of this moving journey with Jesus. 

Good Friday Services

Friday, April 7 – 3pm and 7pm

At 3pm, you are invited to the field for an outdoor Stations of the Cross service designed for children, youth, and families. All are welcome.

At 7pm, we mark the Good Friday liturgy as we gather in somber contemplation of Jesus’ crucifixion, the ultimate sacrifice. Youth of the parish read the Passion According to John. We will join Anglicans around the world in a freewill offering for the church in Jerusalem. This is one of the most important days for Christians around the world. The Rev. Canon Robert Griner will preach. This service will be live-streamed.

The Great Vigil of Easter

Saturday, April 8 – 7pm - In-person Only

As the sun goes down, we will meet outside the front door of the church at 7pm to light the new fire of Easter. Together we will tell the stories of our redemption as we transition from the darkness of Lent into the joy of Easter. This ancient service from the early church is a deep and mystical liturgical experience with beautiful music, candles, flowers, and Eucharist. The Rev. Dr. R. Kevin Johnson will preach. 

Easter Service

Sunday, April 9 – 10am

On Easter Sunday, we celebrate the resurrection and God’s unfailing love, filling the church with flowers as well as choir, brass and organ music by Peeters, Rutter, Hancock, and Callahan and much Easter joy! Rev. Bowie Snodgrass will preach. Nursery care is available for children 0-3. The Easter Service will be live-streamed.

The joy will continue after the service as we invite the children to our Easter Egg Hunt!

In preparation for Holy Week, join Deacon Elena Barnum at Christ Church to engage with ancient and contemporary prayers. During this time of quiet, we will reflect on “The Way of the Cross” – Christ’s walk to Calvary. Come explore Christ’s extraordinary gift of love and service for us as we reconcile with what we may have lost or may grieve for ourselves and others. Please RSVP to the Parish Office.

It’s Christ Church in Short Hills 140th Anniversary – and we have so much to celebrate! At this special Anniversary Gala, we will raise a glass as we honor the rich history of Christ Church and look toward the ambitious future we are charting together. 

The evening will feature a silent and live auction, cocktail/mocktail party, sit-down dinner, live entertainment, and other special surprises. You will not want to miss this night of fun, friends, and fellowship.

We need your help to identify and secure items for our silent and live auction. Do you have a vacation home we can auction off for a week? Tickets to the big game or a Broadway show? Want to host a cocktail party or dinner? We need them all!

If you have an idea, item, or experience you would like to contribute, contact Gala Chair, Patricia Shewmaker: patricia.shewmaker@gmail.com or 973-951-5100. 

Download Auction Donation Form



This Lent is a time for us to serve those in need through our fundraising efforts with Episcopal Relief & Development. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me.” Through its annual Lenten campaign, ERD offers us the opportunity to make Jesus’ words a reality.

Last fall, the Christ Church Outreach Grants Committee allocated the funds to finish the editing on "The Philadelphia Eleven" trailer for the forthcoming documentary. The film tells the story of the brave women who dared to get ordained as priests at the Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia in 1974. The official trailer was premiered earlier this month at the Episcopal Parish Network Conference in Jacksonville. Watch the trailer below:

Learn More and Support the Film

Wherever you are on your journey, it is never too early or late to discuss wills, bequests, and planned giving. Join us on April 16 after the 10am service for an adult forum with L. Allison Garde, Esq. The forum is tailored to a diverse audience, including those with young families, retirees, and everyone in between.

Allison Garde has specialized in the practice of trust and estate law for over 35 years. Her practice encompasses all aspects of estate planning and estate and trust administration, including counseling families with regard to planning for the needs of future generations, charitable planning and planned giving, planning for the special needs of family members, strategies to minimize estate, gift and generation-skipping taxes, and the drafting of Wills, trust agreements and other documents to implement clients’ plans. 

Allison is a member of Grace Church, Madison. She has served as Vice Chancellor of the Diocese of Newark, on the Diocesan Planned Giving Committee, and as Parliamentarian for annual Convention. She currently serves as Chair of the Rules of Order Committee for Convention, President of the Gertrude Butts Foundation, and as a member of the Executive Committee for the Corporation for the Relief of Widows and Orphans. 

Join Rev. Bowie to read, learn about, and reflect on Scripture. This winter, we’ll read the Gospel of Matthew. Come in person to the St. Mark’s Room or join via Zoom on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month.

Join Bible Study on Zoom

Meeting ID: 817 3619 4713

Passcode: 430150

Christ Church Prayer List

Christ Church In Short Hills

66 Highland Ave, Short Hills, NJ 07078

(973) 379-2898

communications@christchurchshorthills.org