Dragon Tales 4/26/17

Sixteen of our St. Margaret's youth group participated in the Nightwatch program at St. John the Divine this weekend in New York City - nearly half the entire total of students from the Maryland Diocese!

E-news for April 26, 2017

The NEW Issue of the Spire is out! Click HERE to download!

A Note about the Diocesan Convention

Each year in May, our diocese gathers in convention to meet, plan, dream and worship together. Resolutions are discussed, bishops are sometimes elected, and clergy and lay persons are nominated to serve in various capacities. All churchgoers are welcome to attend!

St. Margaret's sends three delegates, aside from clergy, to the convention. They are Charlie Lang, Tom Wenz and Maggy Cullman. Kathy Lang will serve as our alternate. Please pray for them and the Rev. Peter W. Mayer as they participate. We look forward to this year's convention when we will hear from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. Look for a report back later in May!

Diocesan Convention, May 12-13, Turf Valley Conference Center

Schedule

Last Thursday's pre-convention meeting was recorded on video and posted to the Diocese YouTube channel. Follow this link to view it.

Tickets are still available for The Big Tent Meeting, May 12, 7:00-8:30 PM, with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, music by Patrick Lundy and the Ministers of Music. Use this link to reserve your FREE tickets.

UTO Reminder

Did you see the blue UTO envelopes in your bulletins on Sunday? The Diocesan UTO Ingathering will take place at the convention on May 13 when all churches are invited to bring their UTO offerings during Saturday's worship service. We will be collecting St. Margaret's UTO offerings in the offering plate on Sunday or in the blue box in the narthex this coming Sunday.

A Word About the Rev. Jane

We have heard from the Rev. Jane. Her doctors are pleased with how the surgery went, but she is still in some pain. She is recovering at home now, and though not ready for visitors or phone calls quite yet, she appreciates your prayers.


Announcements Sunday School Volunteers We are still in need of Sunday School teachers for next year. Specifically: Godly Play Door Greeters 4th and 5th grade class Middle School (1-2 volunteers willing to help a bit this year and be mentored to lead next year). Please contact Jenelle Mejia or Jeff Conover for more information. Summer Bible Camp* ONLY 3 SPACES REMAINING TODAY Our LEGO themed "Bricks 4 God" summer bible camp is almost full! The camp will be held June 26-30, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Margaret's for children entering Kindergarten through completion of 5th grade. There will be a $25 fee which includes a camp t-shirt. There are very few spaces left! Registration is done on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you wish to register your child, please e-mail Jenelle@st-margarets.org to see if there is room first! Summer Registration for Claggett Camps Registration is now available for our student summer formation camps at the Claggett Center in Western Maryland this summer: High School: June 18-23 Middle School: June 25-30 Youth: July 9-14 Mini Week: July 9-12 Special Challenge: July 30-Aug 3 Click HERE for more information. Day School Summer Camps From June to August our St. Margaret's Day School offers fun-filled, themed day camps for ages 2-9! Every two weeks, there will be new exciting camp theme with crafts, projects, games, science explorations, and more. For more information, click here.	Coming Up Relay for Life 2017 We are so proud of our Team Dragon Slayers who participated in last weekend's Relay for Life. We appreciate all who supported the efforts as well! However, we are short of our financial goal of matching last year's amount. You can still support our team through financial donations. See our team page or contact volunteer coordinator Judy Hall. Day School Silent Auction on May 6 Our St. Margaret's Day School's largest fundraiser of the year is happening Saturday, May 6 in the church Parish Hall starting at 7 p.m. A variety of luxury auction items are available! Come out and support our school! Click here for tickets. St. Margaret's Guild Meetings Our St. Margaret's women's guild will meet on Weds., May 3, at noon in the Fellowship Hall for a presentation on travel through the U.S. National Parks. Their annual summer luncheon will be held on June 7 at the South River Golf Club at noon. Tickets are $30. Checks should be made out to "St. Margaret's Church" will "Guild luncheon" on the memo line. All are welcome! Deadline for payment is May 30th. Thomas Pandolfi in Concert May 13 Just in time for Mother's Day, virtuoso Thomas Pandolfi, a noted pianist, will return in a concert at St. Margaret's on Saturday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 by cash or check at the door or by credit card on the church website . Big Tent Service with Pres Bishop The Episcopal Church's Rt. Rev. Michael Curry will hold a "big tent" service at the Kraushaar Auditorium of Goucher College in Towson on Friday, May 12. For tickets, click HERE.

Mondays

All activities resume Monday, April 24 - May 22

5:00-5:30 - Spirit Singers Rehearsal

5:00-6:00 - Arts & Crafts

5:30-6:00 - Acolyte Practice

5:30-6;00 - Youth Chorale Rehearsal

6:00-6:45 - Fellowship Dinner

6:30-8:00 - Youth Group

6:45-8:00 - Choir Rehearsal

Coming Soon - Adult Formation Class in May - Starting THIS Monday

GET CONNECTED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT!

In John 16, Jesus tells his disciples he will leave them soon, but that then the Holy Spirit will come and lead them - and presumably us - to all truth. How does this happen? What is the process? What are the most effective ways to invite the Holy Spirit to guide us? And if we hear what we think is guidance, how do we know whether it is from the Holy Spirit, CNN or our mother? And perhaps more importantly, how do we block the Holy Spirit from our lives? Explore these questions with Dave Boyce for four weeks in May. Sessions will be held on Faith & Fellowship Mondays from 6:45 to 8 pm in Classroom E, beginning May 1 and ending May 22. Sessions will be interactive and experiential. Join us!

Celebrating God's Creation - April 30

Join us on Sunday, April 30 at the 9:00 & 11:15 a.m. services as we celebrate Earth Day with our liturgy, hymns, and a special forum at 10:15 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Our special guest who will be presenting at the services and be available during coffeehour is Jodi Rose, the Executive Director for the Interfaith Partners of the Chesapeake.

Blue Jean Sunday - May 7

Spring is here, and we need some volunteers! Plan to join other members of the St. Margaret's community for a couple of hours of clean up and maintenance around the church campus on Sunday, May 7. Wear your blue jeans and T-shirt to the 9a.m. service and then join us until noon. Meet outside the Formation Building to join one of our volunteer teams.

Dageno Girls School Forum - May 14

Join us for a Sunday forum on May 14 at 10:15 in the Fellowship Hall for an update on the Dageno Girls Center. Located in Karatu, Tanzania, the Center is a "design thinking and doing" residential entrepreneurial education center that supports roughly 150 girls. Since 2014 through our Endowment Grants Program, St. Margaret's has helped them grow from 50 girls packed into a five-bedroom house to their new campus (a former school). In those early years, St. Margaret's and an individual parishioner that served as their initial Grants Liaison was their primary funder. Come hear about their amazing progress!

Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon - May 21

St. Margaret's could not provide the programs, formation offerings, worship opportunities, etc without the time and talents of many volunteers. We would like to thank and celebrate our many volunteers on Sunday, May 21, in a luncheon after the final service, at 12:15 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. From teachers to coffeehour hosts, from musicians to building & grounds volunteers, from Eucharistic Ministers to members of our Altar and Flower guilds, please join us for appreciation and fellowship of another successful program year. To adequately plan for the event, please email info@st-margarets.org to confirm your participation.

Bluegrass Mass - June 4

Our annual outdoor Bluegrass Mass and parish picnic will occur on Sunday, June 4, at 11:15 a.m. Led by our Third Sunday Band, our Mass will include a good, old-fashioned hymn sing. Bring lawn chairs or a blanket. Hot dogs and hamburgers will be provided. For those with last names from A-L, please bring a dessert. For those with names from M-Z, please bring a side dish.

We will also recognize our graduates for the school year. I f you have a graduate you want recognized, please send the following information to info@st-margarets.org by May 30:

*Name of Graduate

*Parent/Parishioner Family Member

*School Graduating From

*Future Plans.

Summer Schedule

We are currently putting together our service schedule for the summer. So for all Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers, Healing Team members, and Flower Guild members,if you have any scheduled times when you will be away, please email that information to info@st-margarets.org ASAP.

From Holy Week 2017