July 12-18 with St. Martin's
Sunday with
St. Martin's
Abbreviated Liturgy 10:30


The link to our weekly Zoom service is on the top of the home page of our website, with a link to the leaflet/hymns as well. Each service is recorded and posted on the St. Martin's website https://www.stmartinsnj.org/
and Facebook (St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Bridgewater, New Jersey) the following week in case you missed it.   

Join the Zoom Meeting - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/408114126

Invite your friends, your neighbors, even strangers! Several churches are reporting growth during this time of pandemic. Worshipping with St. Martin's is a good way to start your week with God and one another.



We're talking about Racism

How should we articulate the spiritual disfigurement caused by our racialized society and then chart a course toward authentic racial reconciliation through the Body of Christ?

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88375946808?pwd=NmRyNHE0VVVTRWFXaVpYUzRGQjlYQT09

Meeting ID: 883 7594 6808
Password: 628678


Join St. John’s / St. Martin’s Adult Forum
Thursday Zoom meeting.
Please share !

Beginning July 2 and continuing Thursday nights at 7:00 p.m. through August 6, the congregations of St. John's in Somerville and St. Martin's in Bridgewater will have a Zoom conversation about race and our faith.

Keeper of the Light

There is a light at St. Martin's that never goes out. We call it the "Sanctuary Light" because it hangs in the sanctuary of the chancel (front of the church) lighting the Reserved Sacrament. It reminds us of the presence of Christ who is with us always. During this time when we are not able to be in our building, members of the parish have been taking turns caring for the light in their own home and then passing it on to another member for the next week, until we can all be together again in the church building.

Last week, the Hawley's were the keepers of the Light. They wrote: "The candle remained on our dining room table, which is very central to the house. The kids commented multiple times that God is with us and "is still here" which keeps a great reminder of His love. We appreciated the opportunity to keep the light in our home."


This week, the Vernon family will care for the Light of Christ.
We Pray We Are Getting Closer to Our Next Rector!

At last night's Vestry meeting the Discernment Committee reported that they. have begun interviews with applicants. Please keep the applicants, the committee and our parish in your prayers that God will send us the right person for the next chapter of ministry here at St. Martin's.





A Raffle that
Makes a Difference!


Be the difference in the life of a family struggling with housing and food security.
Tickets are on sale now for IHN’s Holiday Calendar Raffle. The raffle draws seven winners each week in November,
December, and January 2021. All tickets are re-entered for each weekly drawing, giving ticket holders multiple chances to win! Each day of the three-month period has a designated value of $30 to $100. Winners will receive a check in the mail after each drawing.

You can make their annual fundraiser a success! Tickets are $10 and are available by calling  908-704-1920,  or emailing  Karen@ihnsc.org . You may also stop by the office, 98 West End Avenue, Somerville, during regular business hours.


August is St. Martin’s month to help the Somerset County Food Bank with distribution of food at Shiloh Pentecostal Church in Somerville. A van driver and helpers are needed each Saturday of August, and there are 5 Saturdays! One person is needed at the food bank location in Bound Brook at 8:20 a.m. to help load the vans and drive one of them to the church. Two or three additional helpers are needed at the church at 9:00 a.m. to assist with food distribution. Please email Marlene at  MFICZKO@OPTONLINE.NET  if you would like to volunteer. Let her know which dates you are available and if you would be willing to drive the van. Thank you.
Last Sunday, our confirmation class
met via Zoom with Fr. Mulder. Each person had prepared a statement of faith and whether or not they want or don't want to be confirmed. It was a good conversation about growing and changing faith. This week we will be asking Bishop Stokes when and how Confirmation will be celebrated.
How can we put this delicately and positively?

The people of St. Martin's are generous with their time, their finances, and offering the volunteer services they do. We have so much for which to be grateful. We are so committed to the ministry we share. We love this church so much.

But your Vestry has to be honest with you - we are running a significant financial deficit.

As of last night's Vestry meeting the report was that we are $20,000 short of our budget, which does not have wiggle room.

We are not a parish with an endowment or other major income streams. We depend on our member's gifts. WE DEPEND ON YOU! If your pledge is not up to date, could you please do that now? But even if everyone fulfilled their pledge, we wold still not be meeting our budget for 2020.

Right now it will take approximately $300 per household in addition to people's regular pledges for us to break even. We realize that in these times some of you may be out of work, struggling in other ways, dealing with already tight finances. But if you are among those who can right now, it would really help to have a mid-year additional gift to St. Martin's. As we move into calling a new rector, we want everything here to be in as healthy of shape as it can be. Please do as you are able. And thank you!

St. Martin’s Episcopal Church
1350 Washington Valley Road,
Bridgewater, NJ 08807
www.stmartinsnj.org

Call Us: 908-526-1350