Dragon Tales E-News
October 24, 2018
peter new pic
A Note from Peter

I’m not one to reminisce, or look back into the past much, but last Sunday was hopping and popping at St. Margaret’s. We celebrated the many partnerships that we have with local organizations through our Missions fair, we welcomed the Canon to the Ordinary, the Rev. Scott Slater to our worship, as well as Deacon Kathy Shahinian. We also welcomed several youth from area churches as part of a Girl Scout Gold project to study different liturgies and worship. We had wonderful music from the Third Sunday Band.

After the worship was done, our youth group was joined by Episcopalians from other local churches for an afternoon of fellowship and fun. A group of parishioners travelled to the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Lands with the Rev. Patti Sachs. On top of all that, I was lucky to bless the marriage of a parishioner on Sunday afternoon in our sanctuary.

Not every Sunday is this packed. But St. Margaret’s is lucky to be this active. It is not an accident that this is so: our parishioners are engaged, energized and want to be part of something that is spiritually deep and enriching.

This coming week marks the last few days of this year’s pledge campaign to fund our ministries for next year. Many of you have given generously, and many more have given time and other resources that allow our church to transform lives.

If you haven’t yet given, there is still time. Please connect with us. Connect with this place that is buzzing with spiritual energy, with relational love and meaningful worship. Connect with neighbors that are building a better community, and with organizations that are transforming the world. Connect with the God who loves you, who will always be with you, who both challenges and comforts you, the God who gave all for you.

And as Canon Slater challenged us on Sunday, keep moving forward. Move forward by getting involved, by saying yes, and by giving. 
Stewardship Campaign for 2019
The Power of Pledging
Stewardship Campaign: Last Week!

The Stewardship Committee thanks all of you who have made a pledge thus far. As Scott Slater’s sermon from Sunday imparted, “Stewardship is a form of serving others.”   Giving not only allows us to grow spiritually, it provides the resources St. Margaret’s needs to fulfill its mission of “transforming lives in Christ through worship, formation and giving.” Not only on the Broadneck Peninsula, but around the world.

Currently, we are 80% of the way to our goal of $910,000 BUT we have only reached 62% of our participation goal.  We are making a final push ahead of the October 28 th deadline. If we achieve 100% of our participation goal, we will hit, and hopefully exceed, our goal. 

You can pledge several ways:
·    Online at the St-Margaret’s Stewardship Campaign page by clicking HERE.
·    Mail or drop off a pledge card that you should have received in September to the church: 1601 Pleasant Plains Road; Annapolis MD 21409
·    Place a pledge card (found in the pew pouches) in the offertory plate

Your pledge is not binding and does not require a payment now, but it is a financial commitment that allows St. Margaret’s to plan their 2019 budget. 

Thank you for your prayerful consideration, and if you have any questions, please contact Brad Callahan ( brad@metacoastal.com ; 443.326.3333) or Doug Seybert ( doug_seybert@yahoo.com ; 703.599.8746).

Sunday's Sermon
Now Livestreaming the 9:00 a.m. Service

We will be livestreaming our 9:00 a.m. service this Sunday on our Facebook public page at https://www.facebook.com/smcannapolis/. You do NOT have to be a Facebook user to view it. If you ARE a Facebook user, "like" our public page and it will appear in your feed. We will try to avoid showing faces during communion time as best we can. Thank you for being patient as we work through these issues.

NEW --Once the service is livestreamed we will be loading it on our website each week. Look for the green button in the middle of the homepage titled Sunday Service to view or click HERE.
*Youth Lock-in THIS Saturday

*Nightwatch Nov. 9-10

*Bishops Unplugged Nov. 17


food pantry
Food Drive for the Light House THIS WEEK Only

Our Day School will be holding a Food Drive for the Light House pantry in Annapolis next week -- Oct. 22-26. Donations of non perishable items will be collected in the Day School lobby and in the formation building lobby (designated box) this Sunday.
Blue Jean Sunday Coming Up

Wear your work clothes and bring your gardening and other tools this Sunday for our clean up day. We will begin work after the 9:00 a.m. service.  Assignments will be made that morning. Look for the check in table near the Parish Hall.
CHANGE OF DATE--Newcomers Dinner Postponed

Check back for another date in the next few weeks.
All Souls Day Cemetery Tours

All Souls Day, November 2, is the  Day of the Dead  and is celebrated in México and Latin America. Day of the Dead celebrations typically take place in a church yard or cemetery.  At 5:00 PM, Thursday, November 1, and noon Friday, November 2, St. Margaret’s Church History & Archives Project will offer walkthroughs of our church yard, including the cemetery.  Tours will take about one hour and will be held only if there is advance interest. Please contact Mike Winn at mwinn421@gmail.com  or 410.703.2768 if you want to visit the cemetery. And if there is interest, a walkthrough can be arranged for the following Sunday morning, November 4, at a convenient time. Contact Mike Winn.
All Saints Dixieland Mass

On Sunday, November 4th at 9:00 & 11:15 a.m. we will hold our annual, joyous All Saints services! This year, our special musical guests will be the Naptown Brass Band (whose tuba player is our own parishioner Dave Bontempo). Please plan to join us! But remember to make your clocks fall BACK.
Necrology List for 2018

In the All Saints bulletin, we will be listing all those who have died or been baptized in 2018. You can submit a name to
laura@st-margarets.org to appear in the list in the bulletin. Deadline is November 5th.
Voters Express for SMC

SMC will pilot its first "Voters Express" on Tuesday, November 6th, providing transportation to parishioners and others who are unable to make it to their voting polling place because of transportation challenges. Registered voters will be matched with drivers from SMC who will also assist, if needed, the voter into and out of the polling site.  

If you are, or know of, a registered voter who needs transportation (doesn't have to be SMC parishioner), please contact Fran Becker, 703-338-4004 or  fran.becker10@gmail.com .

If you would like to volunteer to transport voters for a few hours, please let Fran know!  
Guild Meeting on Nov. 7

The next monthly meeting of the St. Margaret's Guild will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at noon. All are welcome. Bring a bagged lunch. Beverages and dessert will be provided. Guest speaker will be Jim Hall who will discuss the Nicene Creed.
Day School Book Fair

Our Day School will hold their annual Scholastic Book Fair in the parish hall on Nov. 7 starting at 4:30 p.m. through Friday, Nov. 9 at noon. Books for all ages will be offered for purchase -- just in time for the holidays -- and a percentage of the profits will go to the school. Parishioners are welcome to stop by!
Brotherhood Men's Breakfast Nov. 10

All men of the church are encouraged to attend our upcoming Men's Breakfast on Saturday, Nov. 10, 9:00 a.m., at Riverbay Roadhouse in the Cape center.
Guest speaker will be parishioner Brent Bolea, Principal Counsel for Budget and Management for the MD Office of the Attorney General. Please RSVP with Tug Knorr at tugknorr@aol.com .
Call for Veterans Photos --
Veterans Day Special Service Nov. 11

We will be joining churches across the diocese in noting the 100th anniversary of WWI with a tolling of the church bells at 11 a.m. on Veterans' Day, Sunday, Nov. 11, followed by a special music service at 11:15 a.m.

During coffeehour, we will offer a slideshow of St. Margaret's military parishioners' and/or family members' (of any era) service photos. You can either email a digital copy to
laura@st-margarets.org or drop off a hard copy and place in Laura's mailbox in the church office. Please be sure to leave the veteran's name and the name to whom the photo should be returned.

Photos are due no later than Monday, November 5th.
Young Children's Communion Class

On Saturday, Nov. 17 at 10 am in the church, we will gather children and parents to learn more about Holy Communion. This Eucharistic Celebration will teach us what communion is, why we do it, and how we do it. While we’ll be talking about communion at a child’s level, children of all ages are invited.  And on Sunday Nov. 18 at the 9 am service, those children will be invited to sit with their families in front of the church, and come to the altar with me while I celebrate!
Annual Holiday Bazaar

It's time for the Women's Guild annual Holiday Bazaar coming up on Saturday, Nov. 17th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Shoppers will be treated to local and regional artisans selling handmade items as well as vendors selling various products for wonderful holiday shopping. Proceeds benefit the Women's Guild missions efforts.

A White Elephant (upscale yard) Sale will be held in the Fellowship Hall. If you have any appropriate items you would like to donate, please bring them to the Fellowship Hall on Friday, Nov. 16 between 5 and 7 p.m. For more information, contact coordinator Judy Hall at judy.hall0404@gmail.com .
Coffee Hour Teams -
Help Us Conserve!

Do something for conservation! The coffee hour ministry is making a commitment to using re-usable coffee mugs instead of paper cups. The challenge to make this happen every Sunday is that we often don’t have the manpower to set up and clean up. Going forward, we are going to make a leap of faith each Sunday that there will be parishioners that will make a choice to support this effort. Ceramic mugs will be put out and if the team needs help they may be asking for help. If you have the time on a given Sunday, perhaps you can check with the team to see if they need help. Generally the washing starts during coffee hour and is finished by 11:15. If you want to make yourself known as a go-to person for washing, please contact Kathy Lang at  Kathy.lang@verizon.net . (You can also bring your own cup on Sundays if preferred!)
Faith & Fellowship
Monday Activities

Our Faith & Fellowship evenings have begun!

Activities include:
5:00 - Spirit Singers - Choir Room
(Grades 2-5)
5:30 - Youth Chorale - Choir Room
(Middle & High School)
5:30 - Acolytes practice - Sanctuary
5:30 - Arts & Crafts - Parish Hall
6:00 - Fellowship Dinner
6:30 - Youth Group
6:45 - Adult Formation
6:45 - Motet Ensemble Rehearsal

Adult Education Class
Our Living the Questions program continues on Monday, Oct. 29th with the topic of "Evil, Suffering and a God of Love." If God is all-loving and all-good, how do you explain and respond to the existence of suffering and evil in the world? Come join us as we discuss this fascinating topic.
 
Nursery care begins at 6 p.m.

Pay for Meals by credit card here!

Office Emails
The Rev. Peter W. Mayer, Rector,  peter@st-margarets.org
The Rev. Patti Sachs, Assistant Rector,  patti@st-margarets.org
Elizabeth Radley, Dir. of Operations,  elizabeth@st-margarets.org
Jim Douglas, Director of Music, music@st-margarets.org
Laura Tayman, Planning & Comms. Asst.,  laura@st-margarets.org
Jeff Conover, Youth Ministries Director,  jeff@st-margarets.org
Teresa McCorkle, Bookkeeper,  office@st-margarets.org
Judy Hall, Churchyard Administrator,  churchyard@st-margarets.org
Izzy Winn, Grants Administrator,  missions@st-margarets.org
Tricia McVeigh, Day School Director,  tricia@st-margarets.org

1601 Pleasant Plains Road, Annapolis, MD 21409
(410) 974-0200 www.st-margarets.org