A NOTE FROM THE RECTOR
Greetings beloved St. Georgians,
I attend a lot of meetings at St. George's. In general, meetings are enjoyable. For the past year and a half, we have been intentional about beginning every church meeting with prayer and a few minutes of "check in" where people around the table are invited to share something from their heart. Instead of jumping right into "business," we recognize that part of our business is connecting with God and each other.
Although I enjoy most meetings, I say that my favorite is the monthly finance committee meeting. I started saying it when I first came here with a bit of a sly smile. People do not expect the rector to say, "I love the finance meeting." You might think the finance meeting is a chore, having to stare at spreadsheets and talk about numbers. I am not naturally inclined to enjoy those things, although I try my best to understand them. I started saying that finance is "my favorite" because I wanted to communicate to myself and to others the real importance of that meeting. This is the time, each month, when we sit down and focus on the generosity of our parishioners. We also are reminded of God's generosity.
Truth be told, I do not really have a favorite meeting at St. George's. I enjoy the opportunity to reflect on all the ministries we share and the ways in which the Spirit is working. I will keep calling finance my favorite, though, because I never want to forget the meaning of those spreadsheets and numbers. Those numbers represent people taking a leap of faith. They reveal generosity and a willingness to put our treasure where our heart is
(inspired by Matthew 6:21).
2017 has been an incredible year thus far in terms of generosity. You, St. Georgians, are are generous group, giving of time, talent, and money. I want to celebrate that and encourage us to continue taking those leaps of faith. Continue to ask God for the grace to give and share. I believe God is always calling us to stretch a bit farther than we think we can, just so that God can reveal to us how generous God's grace can be. If you need some encouragement about giving to St. George's, I invite you to take a look at our
stewardship page.
We are forming our stewardship commission that will focus on inviting generosity in the form of financial pledges this fall. This is another group that many people try to avoid! But I ask you to pray about whether you might be called to help us imagine creative, simple, and effective ways to share stories of grace and invite generosity. It's not hard in a parish that gives as much as ours. I am meeting next Tuesday at 7 p.m. with anyone who is interested--no commitment required. Be in touch. Maybe this will become your "favorite" meeting at St. George's.
Your rector and brother in Christ,
Joe+
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 PIC OF THE WEEK
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Well, it LOOKED like a beautiful day to fire up the grill for the annual Mighty Mo's sandwiches at the Community Dinner on Monday, but the heavens decided to open. No worries; just swap the grill for the griddle and voila! The Men's Group had a great crowd helping out--thanks to all our Community Dinner volunteers!
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| NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS |
This is the last week to let St. George's know what makes our faith community special and give your feedback on the best way to reach you. You can
respond online or pick up a survey from the tract rack as you go out of the church on Sunday. It only takes a few minutes. We appreciate your participation!
STEWARDSHIP COMMISSION
The stewardship commission is now forming. With the vestry, we invite St Georgians to pray and give of time, talent, and money as a generous expression of faith. A big part of the work is a campaign this fall to share stories about the blessing of giving and to invite financial pledges for 2018. We are exploring new approaches for that process.
The rector will hold an interest meeting on Tuesday, June 27, at 7 p.m. in Faulkner Hall.
OFFICE NOTES
The office will be closed on June 28 as a 'staff development day' so that staff can catch up on some important summer projects in preparation for the fall. There will be a noon Eucharist that day.
Also, the office will be closed July 3-4 for the July 4 holiday, and the Table will be closed on July 4 as well.
Our youth team to Glory Ridge is ready to make work worship, starting next Sunday. We head to Madison County, N.C. July 2-8. See t
he Glory Ridge page on our website for more information and to make a donation. Thanks to all who have donated or bid on silent auction items and contributed in other ways to this team. Please pray for these 14 youth and 4 adult leaders.
SCHOOL DRESSING DAYS
When school starts, many children in our community will not have the clothes or supplies they need. Since the late 1960s, School Dressing Days has worked to meet this need.
Throughout July, St. George's will be collecting girls' size 6 skinny jeans, boys' size 8 straight-leg jeans, women's socks, and women's underwear sizes 5, 6, and 7. Drop them off in the narthex (church entryway) on Sundays or at the office.
SUMMER READING!
Interested in a good read this summer? Our newly reorganized Library (Thank you, Anne Thaxter and Sandy Kenyon!) is a treasure trove of spiritual reading. Prayer and Meditation? Spiritual Women? Notable Christians? Old Testament? New Testament? World Religions? We have you covered! Stop by the library or grab a list of our titles on the website. Please sign the binder to let us know what you take home. Enjoy!
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
"Abundance Orchard: Where faith grows and hungry people are fed." Ages 4 to 8. The program starts on July 30, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for all ages-children and families; lunch included. It then continues for children July 31-Aug. 2 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Sign up at our website!
SUMMER WORSHIP ARTS CAMP
Aug. 3-7.
Oh Jonah
by Allen Pote: A frolicking, fun-filled youth musical based on the Old Testament story of Jonah that carries a message about responsibility. We need singers, dancers, actors, set designers, painters and LOTS of parents to make this a successful production! Participants must attend ALL rehearsals (6-8:30 p.m. Wed-Fri; 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday) and Sunday performances. The camp is open to kids from age 4 through 8th grade. High school students can participate as assistants in a variety of ways, and can even be a part of the performance! Sign up here.
LOVE FLOWERS?
Join the Flower Guild! The guild will host a workshop on Aug. 5, 9-11 a.m. in Sydnor Hall, for current members and for anyone who would like to join. It will include a demonstration by Jeanette Cadwallender and a tour of our supply areas. Each participant will be able to make a small arrangement that we will place around the church. All skill levels welcome-in fact, no experience is necessary! Please RSVP to Jane Guerin at
[email protected] or 540 972-6949. We hope to see you there!
WE ARE COLLECTING FOR VBS:
Vacation Bible School needs your empty plastic salad dressing bottles for a music project they will be working on. Drop them off with Michelle in the office.
FREDERICKSBURG: CITY OF HOSPITALS
St. George's Episcopal's Docents are pleased to present a "double-header" Civil War history event on August 10. "Fredericksburg: City of Hospitals" will feature a medical reenactment in Sydnor Hall (which served as a Civil War hospital in 1862) at 6 p.m. with Dr. Jon Willen, followed by a lecture on medicine during the Civil War by John J. Hennessy, upstairs in the church nave (which served as a Civil War hospital in 1864). The evening promises to provide the audience a realistic view of how medicine was practiced at the time the Civil War and how it played out in Fredericksburg in several locations.
EMPTY INK CARTRIDGES?
Help us save on office supplies by bringing your used computer printer ink cartridges in to St. George's for recycling. Drop them in the basket in the Narthex or bring them to the office.
IF YOU ARE TRAVELING THIS SUMMER...
Visit a church and bring back a bulletin or other interesting visitor information to the office. The staff loves seeing what is going on in other parts of the Church.
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MICAH MOVERS
Micah is looking for volunteers from all the Micah churches to build a force of volunteers who are available with trucks and trailers who can pick up donated furniture and move it into the homes of people who need it, people who can sort items in the warehouse, and people who can manage donor requests (return phone calls, and match donors with a pick/up team). Micah is holding a meeting on June 29 at 7 p.m. at the Fredericksburg United Methodist Church. Interested? Contact Carey in the church office.
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| THE TABLE |
THE TABLE IS COLLECTING....
The Table is collecting salad dressings for distribution with our lovely fresh greens at our market-style food pantry. Please leave donations in the Narthex baskets on Sundays or bring to the office during the week. Thanks!
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