Outermost Voice

St. Mary of the Harbor

OUTERMOST VOICE

May 2019

Sabbatical

I am told that parish priests are supposed to model faithful, healthy living, something that I fail at spectacularly each day. One of the most glaring ways I fail is that I routinely allow myself to be caught up in a 24/7 culture that is not conducive to rest or renewal. I am not alone. Many of my colleagues burn the candle at both ends and then we wonder why we are so tired. That is probably why the Diocese of Massachusetts has policies in place to insure that its clergy take sabbatical time. As such, I will be taking some time off for six weeks starting on May 15 and concluding June 30.

The Reverend Sr. Sarah Randall from the Sisters of St. Margaret in Duxbury will be at St. Mary's on Sunday, May 19. The Reverend John McGinn, from Sandwich will be with you on the subsequent Sundays while I am away.

Mark Weinress, St. Mary's Senior Warden, will be in charge of the parish. If you need anything, Mark can be reached by email at [email protected] or you can text him at 703-517-8614.

Terry+

Seawall Repair

Repairs to the church's seawall were recently completed by a Marstons Mills company that specializes in seawall construction and repair. The 26k project was funded in large part by this year's Easter offering.

Workers injected a solidifying liquid solution 8 feet into the ground to strengthen the seawall against stronger and more frequent tidal action

Repairing, patching and sealing the seawall buttresses

Financial Update

Mike Sutila, Treasurer

Looking at the church's finances, the trend from January 1 through the quarter ending March 31 has not changed much. YTD pledge and plate revenues for the first three months is down $4666 from the previous year. Total expenses for the same period compared are higher, with outreach and personnel costs accounting for more than half of the increase. We ended the first quarter of 2019 with a $7920 operating loss.

A bright spot on the expense line was the decrease of $875 in fuel oil expense. This can be substantially attributed to the use of the electric split units we now use to heat the church and parish hall in the winter. Electricity generated by the new solar panels offset the use of fuel oil and on top of that, the church's solar panels generated more electricity than the church consumed in March and April, resulting in a $212 credit balance on the church's EverSource bill.

The church's investment portfolio has yet to fully recover from the the stock market's setbacks this year. First quarter reports reflect a $26,522 decline in asset valuation for accounts held in the Diocesan Investment Trust.

Overall, the church's finances could be better but given the first quarter results from previous years, St. Mary's is stable financially. We anticipate a more positive trend in finances with the arrival of the summer season.

Upcoming Events at St. Mary of the Harbor

June 28

Mary Oliver Memorial Concert

time to be announced

June 30

11:30 a.m. Annual Parish Meeting

July 4

7:00 p.m. Annual Parish Picnic

July 7

7:00 p.m. Chamber Singers Concert

July 20

7:00 p.m. Art & Spirit Art Auction

5:30 p.m. preview and reception

August 3

Summer Fair

gate opens at 9:30 a.m.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

The ongoing paving project on Commercial Street is making its way and street work is now being done in front of the church. As such, we are advising parishioners and visitors to build in some extra time on Sunday morning as it may take a bit longer to circumnavigate your way to the church. Depending on the weather and progress made this week, portions of the street in front of the church may not be paved.

Though we do not anticipate it, we will send out a parish-wide email should there be any problems accessing the church's parking lot on Sunday.

Also, the owner of the School House Gallery up the street from us has asked us not to park in their lot. Please observe this request and park elsewhere if there are no spaces available in the church's parking lot.

Cape & Islands Deanery Assembly

St. Mary's hosted the Cape & Islands Deanery Assembly in March where delegates from fifteen Episcopal parishes were represented, including Mary Jo Avellar and Maghi Geary who represented St. Mary of the Harbor. Deanery congregations work together to further the gospel, to learn from one another and to identify and provide needed ministries on the Cape and Islands. One such ministry is Amazing Grace, a summer program for the children of incarcerate family members. St. Mary of the Harbor has supported this ministry since its inception several years ago. To learn more about the Cape & Island Deanery, you can visit our website at https://capeislandsdeanery.org

The Reverend Andi Taylor (L) of St. David's West Yarmouth, Connie Melahoures (seated in the middle) of Christ Church Plymouth serve as Co-conveners of the Cape & Islands Deanery. Dickie Allison of Church of the Messiah in Woods Hole (seated at the right) is the deanery secretary.

Co-Convener Connie Meahoures

Let There Be Light

New energy efficient LEDs were recently installed in the church to replace the fluorescent bulbs. Contracting with Cape Light Compact program, most of the cost for the installation was paid for by federal and state subsidies. St.Mary of the Harbor is now 100% LED, inside and outside.

Love Set to Music

More than a few of our Sunday visitors have remarked that St. Mary's is a congregation that sings. With so many singers, we would like to invite you to consider using your voice to help lead our worship by singing with the choir on Sundays.

There are no midweek night practices involved. St. Mary's choir practice takes place at 9:00 a.m. on Sundays. Even if you are not musically trained but enjoy learning to sing anthems and hymns, and no matter if you are not in town every Sunday, you will be welcomed with open arms and open hymnals by Bill and the choir. To learn more, speak with Bill Carlson or you can email him at [email protected]

Vestry Update

Vestry Actions for March through April 2019:

Commissioned Nominating Committee to interview and recommend candidates for election to vestry and other offices at upcoming Annual Parish Meeting in June
Approved funding plan to pay for seawall repair, upcoming parish hall flooring project and painting of exterior trim on rectory
Appointed Julia Perry to chair the 2019 Summer Fair
Designated the Good Friday Offering to go to the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem

The church's financials and minutes from vestry meetings are posted on the church's website. They can be located by linking on the following link under "Events, News and Reports" menu bar at the top of the webpage. Here is the link:

http://www.stmaryoftheharbor.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=206

Building and Grounds

Bruce Cagwin was appointed earlier this year to chair the building and grounds committee. He is looking for parishioners with experience or an interest in property management and gardening to serve with him.

This important group oversees the care of the church, parish hall and rectory as well as the garden and grounds in accordance with one of the four Core Values of the parish:

"We believe that we are stewards of a sacred space whether you see God in the juxtaposition of land and sea, in the natural beauty of our garden, in the charm of our building adorned with the art work of our predecessors, in what we do here together, or in all of these, we all agree that this is a sanctified place where God can be found and that we are committed to maintaining and protecting it."

Stay in touch. Get the latest diocesan wide news at this link:

http://diomass.org/news-pubs/by-category/Diocesan%20News

Parishioner Directory

If you need an updated directory sent to you, please contact Penny at [email protected] or call the office at 508-487-2622.

Paypal

Online giving is now available for people who are interested in making pledge payments or one time gifts electronically. Access it through the church's website at www.stmaryoftheharbor.org where you will find a "Donate" button on the menu bar at the top of the page and to the right. Click and it will take you to Paypal where you can make your donation. Contact Mike Sutila at msutila@chasemachine if you have questions.