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This Sunday's Offerings, March 21
Sixth Sunday in Lent
9 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite One
,
Little St. Mary's
10 a.m. Adult Form: We Declare to You,
New Parish Hall
10 a.m.
Sunday School and Confirmation Class,
Sunday
School Classrooms and Education Building
10:50 a.m. Palm Sunday Procession,
Terrace and Churchyard
11 a.m.
Holy Eucharist Rite Two,
New St. Mary's
12 p.m.
Cookies and Coffee,
Café and New Parish Hall
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Last Night of Lenten Supper and Speaker Series
Wednesday, March 21, 5:30 p.m., New Parish Hall
Lenten Soup supper's final offering is tonight at 5:30 p.m. Join your St. Mary's family for a simple supper beginning at 5:30 p.m. with programs for adults,
children, and youth following at 6:15 p.m.
The final installment of Thom Blair's series titled The Stories He'd Tell: Exploring the Parables of Jesus focuses on "The one behind the faces," Matthew 25:31-46. Dinner is $8 per person and $22 per family.
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Palm Sunday Procession this Sunday
Sunday, March 25, 10:50 a.m., Terrace and Churchyard
Our service on
Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus's triumphant entry into Jerusalem
. Join us at
10:50 a.m. on the terrace this Sunday, March 25
as we all
process around the churchyard
, making a joyful noise as we begin the 11 a.m. service on the steps of New St. Mary's.
Bring your tambourines, bells, and other noisemakers
and gather in the Dover Lounge for this festive event!
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Lenten Adult Forum: Meeting Jesus in the Gospel of John
Sunday, March 25, 10 a.m., New Parish Hall
Throughout this season,
we have focused on our relationship with Jesus and how that relates to our own personal stories and the larger story of St. Mary's community.
Join Matt Rawls and High School youth this Sunday, March 25
at 10 a.m. in the New Parish Hall as they have an "arm chair conversation" on the theme "We Declare to You." Also, watch past weeks' forums on
our YouTube channel!
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Come help decorate for Easter!
Saturday, March 31, 9 a.m., New St. Mary's
On Saturday, March 31 at 9 a.m., the Altar Guild invites anyone interested to come help 'flower' New St. Mary's for Easter services. Please bring your clippers and every blooming thing from your garden. Also, please help clean up on Tuesday, April 3 at 9:30 a.m. For any questions, please call Margaret Lundvall at (804) 358-2048.
Children are invited to gather and "unhide" our beautiful wreath alleluias that have been tucked away in the church. We will hang them in the windows of New St. Mary's to help get ready for Easter on Saturday, March 31 at 9:30 a.m.
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Now Collecting Easter Eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt
Easter Sunday, April 1, 12:15 p.m.
Save the date for St. Mary's Annual Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday, April 1 at 12:15 p.m.!
Please note this year, the Easter Egg Hunt will take place after the 11 a.m. service. All children, toddlers through 5th grade, are invited to participate. Parents are asked to bring in two dozen plastic eggs for each child who will participate in the Easter Egg Hunt. The eggs should be filled with candy or stickers. Please NO PEANUT or TREE NUT candy or treats. Drop off the eggs at Amelia McDaniel's office or in a collection box in the Café by Saturday, March 31.
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Date with the Daffodils - Buy your ticket today!
Friday, April 13, 6 p.m., St. Mary's
St. Mary's is hosting its first ever Outreach Gala on Friday, April 13, 2018. The event will honor Isabel Souder Correll and benefit the mission and outreach programs of St. Mary's. Invitations have been sent to your mailbox! Please mail in the RSVP card or go online to purchase tickets by March 30.
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Church Directories are now available
Stop by the Parish Office or pick one up on Sunday
Church Directories are now available!
Directories can be picked-up on Sunday mornings in the Dover Lounge
from 10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and at the Parish Office on Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There are plenty of extra copies, so if you did not pre-order you can still get a Church Directory! Please don't forget to pay the suggested donation of $10 when you pick one up.
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The search is making great progress!
Update from the Rector Search Committee
The Rector Search Committee (Chair Tracey Ragsdale, Brantley Holmes, Andy Howlett, Michelle Lewis, Kim O'Shea, Nancy Reed, Bruin Richardson, Al Rider, Susie Salsitz, Carrie Schaeffer, Armistead Talman, Joan Wilkins, and Russell Wyatt) is making great progress in the search for St. Mary's next rector. The job posting expired at the end of February and the committee is no longer accepting applications. During the time the posting was active the committee discussed and communicated with 45 applicants. From those applicants, Skype interviews were conducted with 11 candidates. Further discussion and follow-up interviews will continue over the next several weeks. As always, please keep your hearts and minds open during this process and keep this committee in your prayers as they continue this important work.
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We're All In!
Support the future of St. Mary's
The support that we receive through the Annual Giving campaign directly supports vital missions of St. Mary's
. However, when pledges are not received, the vestry cannot plan and difficult decisions must be made. We are nearing 70% participation in the 2018 campaign on our way to our goal of 80% participation by Easter Sunday. During this season of Lent, we are challenging you to lean all the way in. If you have made a pledge to the 2018 campaign, thank you! You are directly supporting the work that we do. If you haven't yet made a pledge, please know how much your commitment today can shape the year ahead for St. Mary's. Thank you for making St. Mary's a priority in your life. Your joyful participation on Sunday, throughout the week, and in our community programs enriches our legacy to our community.
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Be Still Ministry begins in April
Tuesdays, April 10, 17, 24, and May 1, 8, and 15, 10 a.m., Education Building
Several years ago,
St. Mary's offered a Centering Prayer ministry, Be Still. This year as our season of Lent comes to a close,
Mary Lou Bean and Sydna Street are following up with a return of the
Be Still ministry. Join them for six weeks of
practice of stilling our bodies, minds, and spirits. It will be a time to rejoice, reflect, and act upon the Easter message with all of our hearts!
On Tuesdays, April 10, 17, 24, and May 1, 8, and 15, at 10 a.m. in the Education Building begin with a
1 hour yoga session for all levels and ages followed by a 20 minute contemplative time of quiet and stillness. All you need to
bring is a mat or bath towel and an open heart and mind. For more information, contact
Ashley Cameron.
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New Women's Book Study begins in April
Thursday, April 26, 7:30 p.m.
St. Mary's second annual winter Women's book study on
Accidental Saints by Nadia Bolz-Weber was a great success! The group desired to keep meeting but recognized that spring time commitments don't allow for a weekly study. Therefore, the group decided to try a
once-a-month book club for a few months beginning in April. All ages of women are invited to participate.
Join them to discuss Everything Happens for a Reason and other Lies I Have Loved
by Kate Bowler
on Thursday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. (location TBA). Pick up a copy in the café for $20 or order a copy online. For questions or more information, contact Amelia McDaniel.
Frank and funny, dark and wise, Bowler pulls the reader deeply into her life in an account she populates affectionately with a colorful, often hilarious retinue of friends, mega-church preachers, relatives, and doctors. Everything Happens for a Reason tells her story, offering up her irreverent, hard-won observations on dying and the ways it has taught her to live.
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Ongoing Opportunities
Check out the list below of continuing opportunities to join throughout February:
Tuesdays:
7:30 a.m.
Men's Spiritual Practice,
Old Parish Hall
Wednesdays:
10 a.m. Lectionary Bible Study,
Library
12 p.m. Noonday Prayer, Little St. Mary's
5 p.m. Children's Choir, Choir Suite
5:30 p.m. Evening Prayer, Little St. Mary's
Other Opportunities:
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Holy Week and Easter at St. Mary's
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Stations of the Cross next Wednesday Night
Wednesday, March 28, 5:30 p.m., Little St. Mary's
Stations of the Cross
is on Wednesday, March 28 at 5:30 p.m. followed by a simple Lenten Supper. This shadow play,
performed by the Children's Choir and the youth of St. Mary's,
is a
beautiful production and a moving meditation on the crucifixion of Christ.
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Join us for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services
Thursday, March 29, 5:30 p.m., and Friday, March 30, 5:30 p.m., Little St. Mary's
Maundy Thursday on Thursday, March 29 marks the beginning of the holiest three days in the church year.
The liturgy reenacts and remembers the events of Jesus washing the disciples' feet and holding his Last Supper. At the close of the liturgy, the altar is stripped bare. This symbol is a very stark reminder of Jesus' being stripped before the crucifixion. The congregation may stay and pray, leaving in silence when ready.
On Good Friday, March 30 we commemorate the events immediately leading up to and including the death of Jesus Christ as we read John's account of those events. We pray the solemn collects for the Church and for the world.
At the conclusion of the service the bell is tolled 33 times to commemorate each year of Jesus' earthly life. We leave the service in silence, waiting for the next chapter of the story to unfold. In the Episcopal Church, it is customary that the offering on Good Friday goes to support the work of the church in Jerusalem and the Middle East.
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St. Mary's first Easter Vigil
Saturday, March 31, 7 p.m., New St. Mary's
This year St. Mary's will celebrate our first Easter Vigil on Saturday, March 31 at 7 p.m. It is the climax of the story of Holy Week and moves from death to new life. Beginning outside on the Terrace with the lighting of the New Fire - the return of the light of Christ to our midst - the Paschal Candle is lit for the first time from this fire, and by its light the congregation enters the darkened church.
The story of God's relationship with humanity is told, moving from creation to salvation. Through a series of readings we hear about times when God's people feared that all was lost but were saved by the power of God's love. These include the story of creation, the flood, Israel's deliverance at the Red Sea, Isaiah's promise of a new heart and a new spirit, and the valley of dry bones. With the conclusion of the history of salvation, bells are rung, the lights come up and the celebration of Easter begins with the Easter greeting, "Alleluia, Christ is risen!" "The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!" The service then continues with the reading of the resurrection story and Holy Communion.
The service will last approximately an hour and a half and will be followed by a champagne and cake reception. Please consider making this beautiful service part of your Easter celebration.
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Flowering of the Cross on Easter Sunday
Sunday, April 1, 10:50 a.m., New Parish Hall
A wonderful St. Mary's Easter tradition is the "flowering" of the cross. Before the 11 a.m. service, the children are invited to join in a beautiful procession into the church with flowers to decorate the cross. Please gather in the New Parish Hall at 10:50 a.m. with flowers from your yard. There will be extra flowers available if needed.
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Easter Egg Hunt AFTER 11 a.m. Sunday
Sunday, April 1, 12:15 p.m., Terrace and Churchyard
St. Mary's Annual Easter Egg Hunt is on Easter Sunday, April 1 at 12:15 p.m.! Please note the time change this year. Our earliest walkers through 5th graders gather on the Terrace AFTER the 11 a.m. service.
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