Dragon Tales E-News
February 26, 2020
A Note from Jim

The Sounds of Silence

It is hard to believe that the season of Lent is upon us already, beginning today with Ash Wednesday. Lent is the time of year when we as Christians embark on the forty day preparation for Easter by observing Jesus’ sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for forty days.

Some compare the seasons of Lent before Easter to Advent before Christmas. While Advent is a more celebratory and anticipatory time leading up to the birth of Jesus on Christmas, Lent is a more solemn time leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus on Easter. Like Palm Sunday and receiving palm branches, Ash Wednesday is unique in that the receiving of ashes provides a physical symbol of something deep and spiritual. Our ashes come from the burning of the previous year’s palms, and we are marked with them on our foreheads as a reminder to turn towards God, ask for forgiveness and believe in God’s word.

I recently returned from a music and liturgy conference where clergy, musicians and scholars from the US, UK and Canada gathered to learn and discuss the origins and evolution of music during the Advent and Christmas seasons. I was reminded of how silence can and should play a role in liturgy, allowing for time to turn inward for reflection on the songs sung and the words read. I think it’s safe to say we live in an insanely noisy and busy world with little or no silence at all, and the season of Lent provides a period of time to withdraw a bit and be silent, to further open us up to God’s grace. On the Sundays in Lent here at St Margaret’s, one way of doing this is to deliberately add silence to our worship by omitting prelude and postludes before and after the services. I would encourage you to take advantage of it as a time for prayer and personal reflection, even if for just one or two minutes! 

Ash Wednesday services at noon and 7:00 p.m. today.
UTO Offering this Lent
uto
St. Margaret’s Women’s Guild will be sponsoring a collection drive for the Episcopal Church’s United Thank Offering (UTO). There are blue boxes available in the narthex, formation lobby, and in the church office. The idea is to put change in the boxes in thanks for a blessing every day of Lent. We ask all families bring their full boxes to church on Palm Sunday or to the church office if you won’t be here April 5th. The Guild will then deliver the entire offering amount total to the Diocese at the convention in May. All funding will go to the UTO program offering grants to nonprofits here in our country and around the world.
Lenten Adult Study
Our Monday night adult study in March is called “Signs of Life – Why Church Matters.” Each week we’ll explore a different element of life – Light, Water, Food, Shelter, and Community – and discover “Why Church Matters.” This program will help us explore the layers of meaning these symbols carry, and how we live with them each day. We’ll learn to pray what we live and live what we pray.  Monday nights after our family dinner at 6:20, in the Fellowship Hall. Begins around 7:00 p.m. No book purchasing required!

Lenten Luncheon
Join members of St. Margaret's Guild for their annual Lenten soup and salad luncheon next Wednesday, March 4 in the Parish Hall. The Rev. Peter W. Mayer will lead a morning prayer service there at 11:30 a.m. with the lunch following. All are welcome.
Supplies Needed for Upcoming Dageno Trip
Needed by 3/10/19:

·          Old suitcases
·          Tech equipment  : laptops, digital cameras, unlocked cell phones, projectors, SD storage cards
·          Science lab supplies  : microscopes, beakers, test tubes, magnets, scales, legos
·          Art supplies:  construction paper, markers, crayons, colored pencils, colored chalk, certificate/award paper, paint pens, fabric scissors
·          Gardening supplies  : drip irrigation pipes, vegetable seeds
·          Games  : soccer balls, volley balls, kick balls, whiffle ball set, board games, puzzles
·          Camping supplies  for the Dageno graduates’ tourism business: tents and sleeping bags
·          Bedding and towels  for Dageno graduates’ lodge business: double and twin sheet sets, hand towels, bath towels
·          Kitchen supplies  for Dageno graduates’ restaurant

Or Donate:  $1,000 covers tuition, books, food, healthcare and housing for a girl for a full year:
-Checks to:“Empowerment Works” with “Dageno” in the memo – drop off to Missions Commission box at church.
-Credit card:  https://www.empowermentworks.org/  - designate Dageno

Questions?  Contact:  Janice Graham
(443-871 2308,  janicejohnrg@gmail.com  ) or 
Gail Pelton (301-385-3816,  peltongail@gmail.com
Connected & Vulnerable
St. Andrew by the Bay will be hosting a two-day parent awareness symposium on nurturing children in the digital age. The program will be on Saturday March 7 and 14 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and is designed to inform and highlight the challenges of raising children in a society that is far different with digital connectivity. Register today HERE.
Celtic Service on March 15
Our annual Celtic service is scheduled for Sunday, March 15 at the 9:00 & 11:15 a.m. featuring our Third Sunday Band with special guests. The Celtic style of contemplative liturgy used in this worship service is known for engaging imagination through visual and spatial imagery, as well as emphasizing the life of God within creation. Join us!
Pantry Volunteers Needed
St Margaret's is looking for volunteers to help out at My Brother's Pantry in March.

The biggest thing that My Brother's Pantry does each month is to provide a monthly food supplement to    more than 125    local families who could use a little extra help.

1. Packing Grocery Bags    -    6:30 pm on Thursday, March 12 , at the Pantry located at College Parkway Baptist Church on College Parkway (~1.5 hours)
We'll set up a joyful little assembly line in the Pantry to pack the bags for our big monthly distribution.

2. Delivering Grocery Bags    -    8:45 am on Saturday, March 14 , meeting at the Pantry (~1.5 hours)
We'll send one group of volunteers loaded with packed bags of groceries to our families at College Parkway Place, while a smaller group stays at the Pantry to help our other families who come to pick up their food.

We could use volunteers for one day or both. All ages are welcome!! For questions, email Russell Jackson at russell140.6@gmail.com.
Quiet Day Retreat
On Sunday, March 22nd, from 1-4 p.m., the Rev. Patti Sachs and Dalyn Huntley will lead a few hours of quiet meditation. We will have a short service in the sanctuary, rooms for journaling, quiet music and meditation. (Hopefully it will be a pleasant day, as walking around our campus makes for a beautiful meditation.) Mark your calendars and please plan to make a little time just to be quiet and walk with God.
Day School Auction Coming

Day School summer camps are already half full. For camp information and registration, go to their website @ www.stmargaretsdayschool.org .
Youth News
Bishop Unplugged: Spring
Youth in grades 6-12 are invited to spend the afternoon with Bishop Sutton in fellowship and fun this Saturday, March 7, 2 to 4 p.m. at All Saints in Frederick. Cost is $5. A revamp of our annual Bishop's Bash: participants will gather for a few hours of music, Bible study, and time to talk with our bishops.

Confirmation
The date for confirmation in 2020 has been set – it will be April 19 at 4 p.m. at St. John’s in Ellicott City. If your child is ready to make this mature, informed decision, please contact Jeff Conover, our Youth Ministries Leader at jeff@st-margarets.org . As a reminder, EVERYTHING in Youth Group pertains to a child's own progress on their faith journey. Everyone in the group, regardless of age or grade in school, should be familiar with what we as Christians believe and how we as Episcopalians put those beliefs into action. That is why youth study the Nicene and the Apostle’s Creeds. It is why they spend time on youth-led service. When the Holy Spirit finds them, they’ll be ready!

Summer Pilgrimage to Maine
Youth Ministries Leader Jeff Conover is planning a summer pilgrimage for interested youth for July 6-13. The trip will include service, environmental stewardship, learning to see beyond the façade a new place may present, and forging deeper connections with God and each other. Space is limited. Let Jeff know if your child is interested. There will be an informational meeting on Sunday, March 8 during coffeehour in the youth room.

Upcoming Youth Lock-in @ SMC - March 20-21
Diocesan Programs
March 13, 2020 - March 15, 2020

  • High School Camp: (grades completed 9-12) June 21-26
  • Adventure Camp (grades completed 5-8, special focus on outdoor skills and activities): June 28-July 3
  • Middle School Camp (grades completed 6-8): July 5-10
  • Youth Camp (grades completed 2-5): July 12-17

South Africa Pilgrimage with Bishop Sutton
Join Bishop Sutton on a South Africa Pilgrimage of Creation, Reconciliation and Hope , November 6-18, 2020. Participants will travel to both Cape Town and Johannesburg, visiting historic sites related to Apartheid, President Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. They will tour the countryside, including nature preserves, whale watching and a safari. They will spend two nights at an Anglican monastery, but otherwise stay in hotels. Most meals and all transportation will be included in the price .
Easter Egg Candy Needed

Our annual Easter Egg Hunt will take place on Easter Sunday at 10:30 a.m. We are in need of candy for the eggs. Please make sure that all donations have no nuts or nut oil . Donations can be left in the church office or in the narthex in the labeled boxes.
Easter Flowers Orders

Honor or remember a loved one this Easter by purchasing Easter flowers to beautify the church on Easter Day. All donations will be added to Easter bulletins. Due date is April 5th. Cost is $35.
easter lily

*You can purchase through a check made out to "St. Margaret's Church" and put "Easter flowers" in the memo line
or
*by credit card by going to www.onrealm.org/smcannapolis/give and choose the category "church flowers."

Make sure you provide the following information to laura@st-margarets.org or your order might not appear in the bulletin:

Your name
Name of Person(s)
In Honor or In Memory of
This Sunday, March 1

7:30
Eucharistic Minister: Fran Becker
Lector: Kathy Polk

9:00
Eucharistic Ministers: David Allen, Janet Allen
Lectors: Charlie Lang, Kathy Lang
Acolytes: Cole Canuel, Austin Canuel, Sophia Canuel, Katherine Parker, Matthew Parker
Children's Chapel: Emily Delsordo, Ernie Tucker, Ella Tomko

11:15
Eucharistic Ministers: George Saroch, Christine Feldmann
Lectors: Jim Weekley, Liz Hutchison
Acolytes: Peter Saroch, Grace Feldmann, Connor Feldmann

Altar Guild: Elizabeth Parker, Susan Roberts, Betsy Dobbs, Lyn Sloan
Coffee Hour Hosts: Holly and Brian Williams, Charlie and Kathy Lang, Katy Strother
Next Sunday, March 8

7:30
Eucharistic Minister: Joan Rich
Lector: Joan Rich

9:00
Eucharistic Ministers: Elizabeth Bowers, Terry Otis
Lectors: Mark Torrence, Jean Clarke
Acolytes: Sunny Bowers, Molly Rose Svendsen, Caroline Viscardi, Dylan Bishop, Hannah Ruegg
Children's Chapel: Kristen Berthelotte, Arvilla Wubbenhorst

11:15
Eucharistic Ministers: Janis Brewer, Peg Overton
Lectors: Jerry Smith, Ann Lallande
Acolytes: Wes Reising, Greta Lunsford-Poe, Dylan Lunsford McBride, Caroline VanArsdall

Altar Guild: Nancy Saroch, Stephanie Ceruolo, Lisa Moylan, Lynn Goff
Coffee Hour Hosts: Sarah Westcott, Anne Sessions, Ted and Mary Lesster, Carol Bracken