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Dragon Tales E-News July 12, 2017
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A Note from Anne
One of my daughters has a birthday that often falls on Father's Day. Years ago I was running with my friend, a few days before Father's Day and she asked if we were all ready for the big weekend. I was tickled to share with her that I had found the most adorable pink tutu with a sweet white tulle skirt. Jean was silent as we ran along, and I was puzzled why she wasn't excited about the present. Then I realized we were talking about different celebrations on the same weekend, and she was trying to unsee in her mind's eye my 6'5" husband packed into a pink tutu and tulle skirt.
Communicating is a tricky art.
Last Sunday's reading from Romans, 7:21, is a passage that is as tricky as it gets, without commas, or pausing for thought. It moves quickly like a street hustler's shell game, demanding you focus, don't be distracted by the patter. This passage reading is as much about listening as it is about message. It's as much about trusting your reader as it is about reading. Sometimes communicating is listening, and trust.
Communicating is a multi-layered art.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 loses much of its power without context. When we tell the tale quickly to our children, it's about the Jewish traveler, robbed and beaten, who is rescued finally by a Samaritan. But there is more richness in the context. Samaritans were not Judeans, like Jesus, and despised by Jesus' audience. Yet the hero of the tale is from this community of outliers. The road, from Jerusalem to Jericho, was notorious, known as "The Way of Blood," so how did these travelers, on this road affect our understanding of the parable? The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. used this tale to speak to greater ethics - about violence, and community safety, responsibility, risk, and love.
Communicating is about context too.
This all occurs to me because of the Romans reading Sunday. I trusted the reader, though, and she read me through the challenge. Thank you, Izzy.
Anne Sessions is currently the Senior Warden on the St. Margaret's Vestry.
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Episcopal Youth Event 2017
Every three years the Episcopal Church convenes an international youth event.
This week, the 2017 Episcopal Youth Event (EYE17) welcomed more than 1,300 participants, workshop leaders, speakers, and volunteers to the campus of the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond including our very own Abby Wenz!
You can follow along via the live stream on social media using #EYE17 or use these links:
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Light House Pantry Food Drive in July
Each July St. Margaret's is responsible for a special drive to stock the Light House food pantry that provides needy community members with non-perishable goods such as canned fruits & vegetables; dried products such as mashed potatoes, pasta, rice, cereal; soup, spaghetti sauce (plastic bottles or cans, please), peanut butter, dry milk, and tuna fish, and personal care items such as small soaps, shampoo, toothpaste, etc. (not "junk" foods such as chips & cookies). We hope everyone at St. Margaret's will contribute at least one bag of the above items between now and the end of July. There are bags, kindly provided by Safeway and Giant supermarkets, and a list of especially needed items in the narthex. Please place donations in the container in the church narthex (which is always open). Thanks to all who continue to donate throughout the year!
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Episcopal Baseball Night on Aug. 4
Seats are being purchased quickly by SMC parishioners for the Episcopal Night at Camden Yards Orioles game on Friday, August 4, starting at 7:05 p.m. Discounted tickets can be purchased by check ($14 a seat made out to "St. Margaret's Church" with "Orioles in the memo line) or
by credit card for $15 here. Tickets will be distributed by the church office. Once you have purchased the tickets, stop by the church office to pick up your tickets when the office is open. No reservations by email or by phone call will be accepted.
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Summer Lunches for Light House
PLEASE NOTE: We have extended providing lunches through August. Please continue to sign up throughout the summer for those in need. St. Margaret's will once again be providing bagged lunches for families in need through the Light House in Annapolis this summer. The need is greater than ever, especially with children who are out of local schools which provide free and reduced price lunches to Annapolis area families during the school year.
Click here for more information and to provide bagged lunches during the summer for this mission effort.
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Camp Allen - Volunteer Sign Up Now!
The 17th annual Camp Allen will be held on July 31-August 4 at the Allen Apartments in the Parole area of Annapolis. It is a half-day camp for an urban housing complex in the city. This project was begun by the Rev. Wes Wubbenhorst and Arvilla Wubbenhorst as an outgrowth of Wes' mission work in Honduras. The children look forward to Camp Allen as a highlight of their summer.
To put on this very successful program, we are seeking volunteers for a wide variety of jobs at the camp. We need youth counselors, Spanish speakers to help with registration on Monday and Tuesday, other volunteers to help with purchasing, preparing and serving snacks and lunches, people with large vehicles to help with transportation of tables and supplies, people to help with crafts and games on Monday or Tuesday or to help chaperone field trips on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We always also need extra hands to do whatever needs to be done. Any amount of time you would like to devote to the program, we can put you to work!
Please contact Sarah Hyde at 410 280-6737 (home), at 410 562-9904 (cell), or by e-mail at
[email protected].
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Adults, youth, and children are encouraged to join us for a night of fellowship and joy as we hear the talents of fellow parishioners! The event is free. Bring your family and friends! If you would like to perform a number, please contact Tom Wenz at [email protected] to make sure we have the music ready for you.
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Upcoming Youth Group Summer Activities
(Middle & High School Students)
ATTN Youth-We have some upcoming fun days scheduled to keep the momentum of the youth group moving during the summer months. If you are in town, make plans to attend, hang out with your youth group friends and maybe make some new ones. You must let the individuals planning the events know if you are interested in attending. If you are interested in hosting an additional date/activity, please email
[email protected] to get on our schedule.
Coming Up:
July 21st: Pool party!
Dana Timmer and Stacy Mulder are opening their pool (232 Wiltshire Lane, Severna Park 21146) to the Youth Group on July 21st from 4-7pm . You KNOW it will be hot -- a perfect time for a dip and a chance to see some friends you might not have seen over the summer. Pizza & salad dinner with ice cream for dessert will be provided. Contact Dana at
[email protected]
if you plan to attend and if you have any dietary restrictions.
August 13th -- Cooking Outdoors -
4:00 to 8:00 pm, behind the Formation Building on the St. Margaret's campus.
Come experience
cooking in the outdoors
with parishioner Len Morgan, Boy Scout leader. Learn how to safely use a variety of camp cooking equipment, prepare and eat dinner and dessert, and finish off the evening by roasting marshmallows over the fire. Just want to watch and eat? That's OK, too. RSVP if you can to [email protected] by August 11th.
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Join the Seekers
THE SEEKERS is a discussion group that descends from the Heretics adult formation group that explored scripture, books and articles and other literature that enlighten our spiritual pilgrimage. The Seekers meet at 10:15 to 11:00 every Sunday morning. during the summer with one or two page readings that are handed out to spark the discussion theme for the day. Recent topics of discussion include: Unconditional Love. Forgiveness, Justice, Christianity, Buddhism, and how we understand it. Come join us. No preparation needed, just a willingness to add your voice and views.
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Help Us Update at SMC
We are updating our database this summer and are looking for:
*Any changes in email addresses or other contact info
*Cell phone numbers if you wish to receive last minute info in texts
*Any new photos for an updated photo directory (submission needs to be digital)
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Education For Ministry - Sign up now
Want to know more about Christianity? About how the Church became what it is today? About the Bible? About your personal ministry?
The EfM program invites you to join small, mentored communities that help us understand our lives and share our actions as we deepen our Christian faith. Through readings and discussions, we shape and define our personal ministry and spiritual growth. The setting is more "sharing" and discovery than "teaching". We learn and reflect through each other while having the advantage of texts to guide us. It is a safe, compassionate, and non-judgmental environment.
EFM is a four year study program through the School of Theology at the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee. We look at the Bible historically, literally, metaphorically, theologically, and "scientifically" (using science now known, we can apply dates, ascribe authorship, have political background, etc.). We refer back to historical things - which certainly set the pace - but also look at social and political ramifications. Consideration is directed at social justice movements that have impacted our world community.
Part of our class time is sharing what we have read that week, not a book report, but how the reading touched us in some way. The chapter lessons have a common theme that crosses the four-year study. Another part of our discussion is called "Theological Reflections" in which we discuss sometimes words, sometimes issues, sometimes concepts.
St. Margaret's EfM meets on Wednesdays from 9 am until 11:30 weekly September through May in the Formation Building. Please contact Karen Engelke (
[email protected]
or 410-562-3624) or Jim Hall (
[email protected]
or 410-956-5120). The cost is $375 and includes all texts. Scholarship help is available. Students who have completed a year or more previously are encouraged to rejoin the program; or if you want to explore EfM through the new texts, you are very welcome.
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Weed Warriors Needed!
Can you sacrifice one hour sometime over the next few months? Just one?
We are looking for some volunteers to help us with keeping our native plant landscaping looking good. We need some Weed Warriors! All we ask is that you consider choosing a week between now and October and volunteer to stop by the church and pull some weeds for one hour. You can do it any time of day, any day of the week you choose. Weeding can be meditative, a good time for prayer, and give you a sense of accomplishment! Many hands will make light work!
Just sign up through the sign up genius at the following web link:
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Monday - Thursday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Closed Fridays
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Mark your calendar --
Anniversary Weekend on Oct. 20-22
to receive a daily post about
St. Margaret's history.
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St. Margaret's Church
410-974-0200 | 1601 Pleasant Plains Rd, Annapolis, MD 21409 | [email protected]
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