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Weekly e-Nouncements

This Sunday, January 27
after our 10 am service

Sunday, January 27, after our 10 am service for our Annual Meeting in the Parish Hall.
Be Encouraged 
and Be a Good Encourager

Continues this Sunday,
January 27,  4-5:15 pm

A four-session training series for teenagers and parents seeking to encourage friends and each other will be held on Sundays beginning Jan. 13 at St. Bernard's Episcopal Church.

The series will be led by the Rev. Beth Rauen Sciaino, Priest-in-Charge at St. Bernard's, and is scheduled for Jan. 13 and 27, and Feb. 10 and 24, from 4-5:15 p.m. in the new Parish Hall adjoining the Church. This is an interfaith opportunity and all are welcome to participate.

The sessions are intended to provide listening techniques for young people and parents. For teens, the goal is "to become equipped to walk alongside a peer and encourage him or her through supportive listening that allows the friend to identify action steps." In addition, each session will include a guided exercise related to self-compassion, compassion for others, anxiety, or focus, offering life-giving responses for daily life.

Please note you do not have to attend all four session for it to be a benefit!

Spread the word! Questions? Contact Pastor Beth: [email protected] or 908-766-0602.

Bishop's Forum 
for Laity in the 
Watchung Convocation
January 31, 7-9pm

All are welcome to attend the Bishop's Forum for laity on Thursday, Jan. 31, 7-9 pm at 
All Saints' Episcopal Church, 559 Park Ave., 
Scotch Plains, NJ 07076. 

Discussion topic: 
Discipleship. Why it matters, what it means, how it's reflected in the Book of Common Prayer.


St. Bernard's Church ranked 6th
in list of 10 most beautiful cathedrals and churches in Northern NJ!

Recent visitors to St. Bernard's Church bought to our attention that our beautiful church is listed in an article on The Culture Trip website!  St. Bernard's is listed 6th in a list of 10 most beautiful cathedrals and churches in Northern NJ.
Certainly not news to us as we all know how beautiful our church is, but great to know that other people agree!
Here is the link to the article:

JOY! Service
February, 17 at  9 am

Families with young children (infants and up) are welcome to join us for our monthly JOY! service, on the 3rd Sunday of the month at  9 am.   

Our next service will be on February 17, 
at 9 am

This 25 minute service welcomes children into our liturgical tradition in informal, participatory, and fun ways. Please contact Pastor Beth with questions or to help.    And spread the word - all are welcome!

Please prayerfully consider a friend or neighbor whom you will invite to "Come and See"  St. Bernard's on a Sunday in early 2019. You'll arrange a date and accompany the friend(s) or neighbor(s) during worship and coffee hour, introducing them to Sunday morning. Perhaps you can extend an invitation for a Christmas service, too! Speak to Pastor Beth or a Vestry member to learn more or if you have any questions. Forms are available in the church pews which can be returned in the offering plate, by mail, or by emailing our Parish Administrator at [email protected] .
Homework Help and Academic Support - Volunteers Needed!

St. Bernard's/YMCA's after-school academic support program is seeking volunteers to sign up. The program runs through the school year in St. Bernard's Parish House from 3 to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Volunteers can be adults or Eighth Grade and up students (so great for Community Service hours!).  

For more information, please contact Jessica Bruno at Somerset County YMCA, (908) 766-7898 ext. 544, or Alison Davidson at St Bernard's Church, (908) 766-0602.

Offering Card available 
in the Narthex

If you give electronically (by automatic bill pay) or on a quarterly or annual basis, you are invited to use one of our offering cards during the offering to indicate your support for God's mission here at St. Bernard's.

Missed Pastor Beth's Sermon?
Pastor Beth's weekly sermons are now available to listen to via audio file.  Just go to www.stbernardsnj.org/sermons and click on the Audio Play button at the top of the page, or next to the relevant date. Previous sermons (from Dec. 6, 2016 onwards) are also available via audio file.
Somerset Hills Chorus sing with the 
King's Singers, 
Feb 23, 7:30 pm at 
Delbarton Abbey, Morristown
On Sat. Feb.23 the world famous King's Singers will perform with The Somerset Hills Chorus (which includes members of St. B's choir) in St. Mary's Abbey at Delbarton School.  Part I of their program, Communio, is a compendium of music, ancient and modern, based on the Christian Mass.  Part II is called Up Close and Personal. For more information and to buy tickets please go to www.musicsh.org/concerts/


 

 AA Update:

Alcoholics Anonymous meets  on Tuesday evenings at 8 pm and Saturday evenings at 6 pm in the Parish House, while construction is going on.  

Good News in the Garden State Newsletter

For up to date news from Bishop Stokes and the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey you can subscribe to receive the weekly email Newsletter.  Go to www.dioceseofnj.org/newsletter/  to subscribe!
Event Calendar @ St. Bernard's!
Check the dates of all the upcoming events below and mark them in your calendar!

January 2019

27 10 am
Holy Eucharist
3rd Sunday after Epiphany
Coffee Hour (during Annual Meeting) in Parish Hall
27
After service
Annual Meeting in 
Parish Hall
Refreshments served.
27
4-5:15 pm
Be Encouraged and Be a Good Encourager
Training series for teens & parents
31 7-9 pm
Bishop's Forum for Laity 
All Saint's, Scotch Plains
All are welcome!

February 2019

3
10 am
Holy Eucharist
4th Sunday after Epiphany
Coffee Hour in Parish Hall
10 10 am
Holy Eucharist
5th Sunday after Epiphany
Coffee Hour in Parish Hall
10
4-5:15 pm
Be Encouraged and Be a Good Encourager
Training series for teens & parents
17
9 am
Joy! Service
For families with young children
17 10 am
Holy Eucharist
3rd Sunday after Epiphany
Coffee Hour in Parish Hall
18
President's Day
Office Closed
20
7 pm
Vestry Meeting
24 10 am
Holy Eucharist
3rd Sunday after Epiphany
Coffee Hour in Parish Hall
24 4-5:15 pm
Be Encouraged and Be a Good Encourager
Training series for teens & parents

Pastoral Needs
For pastoral needs and emergencies contact  the Rev. Beth Rauen Sciaino, Tel: 973-615-4778 or, email:   [email protected] .



The Episcopal Church

Are you an adult interested in learning more about the Episcopal Church? Perhaps you've thought about being Confirmed or Received into the Episcopal Church. Reach out to Pastor Beth for more information and to receive preparation, [email protected] or 908-766-0602. The next youth Confirmation Class will begin meeting in September 2019, with an organizational meeting in spring of 2019.

Our new Parish House
Donations welcomed!

We are so grateful for financial donations toward furniture and equipment. We are starting to order Phase 2 furniture and items which includes things like signage, shelving, window blinds, etc. If you would like to donate still, please write "Parish House Fund" in the memo line of your check. Thank you!

To keep in touch with the
Lutheran Episcopal Advocacy Ministry of New Jersey - Faith in Action, sign up for their email newsletter using this link
St. Bernard's Episcopal Church, Bernardsville
Women Leaders in the Early Church:
Following the Evidence
Tuesday March 5, 2019, 6-7:30 pm
12th  Floor Lounge, Lowenstein Center Lincoln Center Campus, 113 W60th St, NYC.

In her acclaimed book Crispina and Her Sisters, author Christine Schenk, C.S.J., explores the history of women's roles in early Christianity, as well as the authority that women exercised in the ancient church.
Looking closely at the visual imagery found on the burial artifacts of these early Christian women, Sister Schenk demonstrates how they and those around them saw women as influential leaders within the church.

An evening of dialogue and conversation with Sister Schenk-delving into this fascinating history and asking what it means for Christian communities today. As a columnist for the National Catholic Reporter and the retired cofounder of FutureChurch, Sister Schenk brings wisdom and experience to the conversation about the role of women in the church.

You can register for this  free event here!

Or if
 you are interested in going with other St. Bernard's parishioners as a group please let either Pastor Beth or our Parish Administrator, Alison Davidson know.