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Dragon Tales E-News
September 25, 2019
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A Note from Jeff
Youth Group is off and running again, and we aren’t just running in place! We always have different layers of focus in Youth Group. The primary focus is ensuring everyone feels safe, welcome and loved. This year, we will also focus on the youth-led service on January 12
th
. The Group already has one of these under its belt, and now we feel more confident in our discernment process.
Supporting that is what I think of as our “crypto-Confirmation” program. While it may not be an important topic in the students’ minds, we know we must ensure our youth are ready to stand before God, the congregation, and the Bishop, and state with c
onviction that they are confirming their belief in the gift of Baptism they received when much younger. We are taking a holistic approach, and not one based on a particular age or grade. We are using a program called My Faith, My Life; A Teen’s Guide to the Episcopal Church, by Jenifer Gamber, as the basic framework for many of the discussions we will have all year long. We are not following it by rote; rather we will use it as a roadmap, but we aren’t afraid of interesting detours!
Throughout the year I highlight service opportunities, and there are recurring events that we always support (the Warm Tree, serving at the Light House, mission trips, My Brother’s Pantry, and Winter Relief are just some examples).
Our final focus this year will be on our mission trip to Maine next summer. There are still details being worked out, but it will center on awareness of hidden poverty, service to an underserved and aging community, with strong environmental stewardship lessons thrown in for good measure. This is a St. Margaret’s trip, not Diocesan-sponsored. That means all the planning and execution is on us!
As you can see - we are busy! To keep this momentum, I need some help. We are entering Stewardship season, but I’m not going to plea for money. Stewardship is about more than money. It is about recognizing that you can influence the future while growing and protecting the present. I’m asking you to consider taking on one more Stewardship role and volunteer to help with the Youth Group. At the most basic level, I must have enough adults to ensure a safe environment. But it really is about much more than that.
It is about getting to know some interesting and thoughtful young people you might not otherwise encounter.
It is about sharing your accumulated wisdom – yes, you have some.
It is about listening and understanding.
It is about belonging.
It is about joy.
I’m not asking for much. If you can give us two hours a month on a Monday night that would be amazing. And I’ll make you a deal. If at the end of your first meeting you don’t feel a mixture of happiness, excitement, and maybe even a little wonder, I’ll pay for your dinner and the gas you used getting here and home again.
Spoiler alert
– I won’t be paying, and you’ll be back.
Youth Events in 2019-20
St. Margaret's Youth Lock-in will be held Nov. 1-2
. Students should be dropped off at the church at 6 p.m. and picked up Saturday morning by 8:00 a.m.
Youth-led Sunday service at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, January 12th.
A MLK Day youth event
through the Diocese will take place on January 19-20th. More details to follow.
Youth Happening #13
will take place for students in
grades 9-12 at the Claggett Center
near Frederick, MD. Participants should arrive Friday at 7 p.m. with parent pickup on Sunday at 3 p.m. Cost is $95 due by Jan. 23. Scholarships available.
New Beginnings diocesan program for grades 6-8
will be held April 26-28 at Camp Wright in Stevensville, MD. Cost is $75. Scholarships available. Deadline is April 18 for registration.
End-of-Year Lock-in will be held at St. Margaret's on Friday, June 15th
. Look for more registration in the future.
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Realm: Get Connected.
We are asking all parishioners to join Realm to foster efficiency and communication at SMC.
Special Note on Dragon Tales
Starting Oct. 31, we will be sending Dragon Tales out through Realm
only
on Wednesdays.
For those not in Realm, you can view it on our website, but it will not be directly emailed to you.
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Just like giving of your time and talents, whether it be attending a service, participating in a missions program, or taking part or even leading a formation class, regularly giving funds to the church is also very important to the St. Margaret's community. We have tried to make that effort as easy as possible. Now we are in need of
all
members/families of the church
to provide our leaders with an estimate of what you will be giving in total next year so that we can present a budget for 2020. The Stewardship Committee is challenging parishioners to increase their giving 7% from last year.
If you would like to see what you pledged last year and where your current amount of giving is, you can use Realm if you have logged in. Just go into your account and click the "Giving" tab.
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Foyers 2019-2020
Foyers is a gathering of parishioners in small groups.with the goal of creating new relationships, increasing our admiration of each other and our love for our church. The
Kick-off Social will be this
Sunday -
September 29, 2019 - 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm in the Parish Hall
. Bring a dish to share: Last name A-R: Appetizer ... S-Z: Dessert. Wine and other beverages will be provided. For more information or to be added to a Foyers group, email
WebBeth@me.com
or
JaniceJohnRG@gmail.com
.
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Newcomer Class w/Rev. Peter begins Sept. 30
If you are new to St. Margaret's this year, the Rev. Peter will offer two classes that focus both on being Episcopalian and getting more involved to become a transformed member of St. Margaret's. Two classes will be held -- on Sept. 30 & Oct. 7 -- at 7 p.m. in Classroom E. Childcare is provided in the church nursery for ages 0 to 4. Come at 6:20 and join us for a Fellowship Dinner in the parish hall.
Registration is now available in Realm under "Registration Events."
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Flu Shots on Oct 6
Flu shots will be offered on Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Please make sure you bring your medical card and your checkbook.
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Blue Jean Sunday Now on Oct 6
Wear your work clothes to church and join other parishioners in sprucing up the church campus for the fall. Make sure to bring your work gloves and gardening tools. Work begins at 10:15 a.m.
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Blessing of the Animals on Oct. 6
All are welcome to bring their beloved pet to receive a blessing on
Sunday, Oct. 6, 4:00 p.m. on St. Margaret's campus. The service will be recognizing St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of Animals. Please bring animals on leash or contained. Stuffed animals and photos also welcome. Rain or Shine.
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October 12: Rockin' the Hall
We invite all budding musicians and singers to participate in our upcoming OPEN MIC event on October 12 beginning at 6:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall. Do you play guitar, piano, or another instrument? have you written a song? Do you like to sing with friends? would you like to tell a story, slam a poem? Join us for this acoustic singer/songwriter edition of our Fall Coffeehouse. We will have a sound system and instruments set up to help your performance, some refreshments and snacks, and of course coffee! Members of the Third Sunday Band will be participating but we hope this is mostly about YOU!
If you would like to participate in the show, or if you are able to help with set up and snacks, contact Al Todd at
thirdsundaymail@gmail.com
or text 443-481-9042.
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and White Elephant Sale
Sponsored by St. Margaret's Women's Guild
Saturday, November 23 * 9:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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Children's Registration for 2019-20 Programs is now open!
NOW is also a great time for your child to join the acolyte program here at St. Margaret's. Children ages 7-18 are welcome! Practice is at 5:45 in the Sanctuary on Mondays (NEW TIME) and every other Sunday afterwards from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. For more information, contact leader Julie Svendsen at
julesannap@gmail.com
.
For children's music, chorister programs are available for K-2, 3-5, and 6-12. Practice is available on Mondays (make up time on Wednesdays). (See info below.)
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Faith & Fellowship Mondays
The
NEW
Schedule for Faith & Fellowship is:
5:15 to 6:00 p.m.- Spirit Singers Kindergarten through second grade and third grade to fifth grade - Meet in Formation Building Classrooms B & C
5:30-6:15 p.m.- Youth Chorale (grades 6-12) - Choir Room
5:45-6:15 p.m.- Acolyte practice - Sanctuary
6:00-6:15 p.m.- Arts and Crafts - Parish Hall
6:20-6:45 p.m.- Fellowship Dinner - Parish Hall
6:45-8:30 p.m.- Youth Group - Classroom D
7:00-8:30 p.m.- Adult Formation -Formation Building
7:00-9:00 p.m.- Motet Ensemble Rehearsal - Choir Room
Adult Formation Schedule:
Monday Evening Book Study
-
Our Monday adult formation class is studying the riveting story of seeking safety in another land. The book is a gripping journey of loss, alienation, and belonging. Author Karen Gonzalez recounts her family’s migration from the instability of Guatemala to making a new life in Los Angeles and the suburbs of south Florida. In the midst of language barriers, cultural misunderstandings, and the tremendous pressure to assimilate, Join us!
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Join the Thursday AM Book Study
Our Thursday morning book study is held in Classroom E from 9:15 to 10:30 a.m. in Classroom E in the Formation Building. The group will discuss the C.S. Lewis book "
Mere Christianity." All are welcome. Childcare for ages 0-4 is available in the church nursery.
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Upcoming Day School Events
*Blessing of the Animals with Rev. Peter and Patti for SMDS families is at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3.
*Day School Open House on Tuesday, October 10 from 9:15 to 11:15 a.m.
*Kindergarten registration opens October 10th for year 20-21.
*SMDS Board and SMC Vestry visitation day is October 11th.
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Compline Services 2019-20
Join us this choir season we are offering a regular schedule of
“fourth Tuesday” evening Compline services at 7:30pm
in the sanctuary on the following dates:
October 22
January 28
March 24
April 28
Any singer in high school or above is welcome to sing for Compline. Rehearsals take place prior to each service at 6:30 pm.
This contemplative service is 25-30 minutes in length and is comprised of prayers, lessons, psalms and collects, all chanted to ancient and timeless unison plainchant and a cappella choral repertoire. The present-day renewal of Compline places its emphasis on spiritual peace. It takes its name from the Latin word completorium, meaning completion, as it marks the completion of the working day through its focus on preparing the body for temporal rest as well as preparing the soul for its passage to eternal life. In many monasteries it is the custom to begin “The Great Silence,” an act by which the entire community, including guests, observes silence until the morning as a discipline to still the body, mind and spirit. Join us!
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Endowment Grants Program for 2020
The 2020 St. Margaret's Church Endowment Grants application is
now available on the church website
. New this year: the committee will award one multi-year grant to a deserving organization. Applications are due by November 30, 2019. Pass this along to your favorite non profit!
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Missions Fair on Oct.13
Where do you want make a difference in God's world? Visit the
Missions Fair on October 13 in the Fellowship and Parish halls during the formation hour of 10:20 to 11 a.m. You will discover information on the many efforts St. Margaret's parishioners are a part of. It might just change your life!
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Tanzania Information Session - Oct. 20 - 10:20am - Fellowship Hall
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Church Clergy/Staff
The Rev. Peter W. Mayer, Rector
peter@st-margarets.org
The Rev. Patti Sachs, Asst. Rector
patti@st-margarets.org
Elizabeth Radley, Director of Operations
elizabeth@st-margarets.org
Jim Douglas, Director of Music
music@st-margarets.org
Laura Tayman, Communications Asst
laura@st-margarets.org
Jeff Conover, Youth Ministries Leader
jeff@st-margarets.org
Teresa McCorkle, Bookkeeper
office@st-margarets.org
Tricia McVeigh, Day School Director
tricia@st-margarets.org
Judy Hall, Churchyard Adm.
churchyard@st-margarets.org
Christine Feldmann, Grants Adm.
missions@st-margarets.org
Jim Bowersox, Facilities/Operations Asst.
Quick Links
To give to St. Margaret's online, click here:
To give through text, then text GIVESMC to 73256
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Service Participants
Sunday, Sept. 29
EM @ 7:30: Joan Rich, Alice Gillis
Lector @ 7:30: Joan Rich, Alice Gillis
EM @ 9:00: Kim Coble, Terry Otis
Lectors @ 9:00: Russell Jackson, Jeff Conover
Acolytes @ 9:00: Sophia Canuel, Anna Morgan. Julia Morgan
Children's Chapel: Teresa Todd, Arvilla Wubbenhorst
EM@11:15: Jim Weekley, Sue Snyder
Lectors@ 11:!5: Mel Kessler, Sarah Hyde
Flower Guild: Mary Kirkeby
Coffeehour Hosts: Lynne Killam, Jen Albanese, Michelle Servary, Leslie Salvail, Web Chamberlin
Sunday, Oct. 6
EM @ 7:30: Joan Rich
Lector @ 7:20: Joan Rich
EM @ 9:00: David Allen, Janet Allen
Lectors @ 9:00: Phil Meeder, Pam Roth
Acolytes @ 9:00: Sarah Mayer, Katherine Parker, Allen Mayer, Matthew Parker
Children's Chapel: Emily DelSordo, Ernie Tucker, Ella Tomko
EM@11:15: Peg Overton, Jim Reising
Lectors@ 11:!5: Ann Lallande, Pat Hall
Altar Guild: Elizabeth Parker, Susan Roberts, Betsy Dobbs, Lyn Sloan
Coffeehour Hosts: Sarah Hyde, Teresa Todd, Carol Bracken, Bill Saur, Milko Rospiglio
Go to our scheduling system to request a replacement or sign up where needed.
(Bulletins are usually printed
on Wednesdays each week.)
Church Office Hours
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. - Mon - Thurs
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St. Margaret's Church
Office Phone: 410-974-0200
Emergency Pastoral #: 443-837-5463
info@st-margarets.org
www.st-margarets.org
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