Immediately following our 10:30 Mass we will gather in the undercroft for a delicious brunch and our annual meeting.

This is our opportunity to thank our fellow members who have given of themselves to serve on our behalf on the Vestry as their term concludes. It is also a time to elect new members to the Vestry to guide us through this crucial year of discernment as we search for our next rector.

Our senior warden, David Persson, will fill us in on the anticipated steps of the discernment process and our anticipated timeline.

Our treasurer, Gary Keyak, will present our preliminary budget for 2020. Many of our other ministry leaders will report on the work carried out by St. Martin's in 2019 and their plans for 2020.

And here's some more good news - many of you submitted a pledge of your financial commitment to St. Martin's this week. Thanks to you we turned the corner from wondering how we might possibly make our 2020 budget in a responsible way to being quite hopeful that we will be able to do just that if only the rest of our members also indicate their support. We are in the home stretch of this year's request for an indication of your support. During the coming week members of the Vestry will be reaching out to those from whom we have not yet received a pledge to ask if they would consider doing so. Of course, there are many ways a member can support one's parish, and we are grateful for all the ways the people of St. Martin's make this such a vibrant parish. Each one of you is precious to God; each of you matters to St. Martin's!

Last Sunday we got off to a great start of talking about the Episcopal Church. In response to the question, "Is the Episcopal Church Catholic or Protestant," we answered, "Yes!" We said we appreciate the mystery of God and the central role the Sacraments play in our life and worship. At the same time we are grounded in scripture and affirm that every person has direct access to God. This Sunday we will explore aspects of the Protestant Reformation and how they influenced our Anglican ways, but also how we differ from some of those ways. Join us at 9:30 in the meeting room and tell us why you love being an Episcopalian, too!

Did you know St. Martin's has an easy to use app for your phone that can help you connect with anyone in the parish? Download the Instant Church Directory App and sign in as a St. Martin's Bridgewater member. If you need help, call the parish office at 908-526-1350 and we'll help you get started. Also, we encourage everyone to upload a picture of yourself or your family so that it makes it easier for us to get to know one another.