Can You Believe It?
It's been all hands to the pumps at St Martin’s since the start of the new program year. So, it is even more impressive that with everything else going on we were able to organize and hold the first of this program year’s Estate Sales. The sale was held over this last weekend. The increased foot traffic to the Great Hall was also good for business in the Thrifty Goose. Between the sale and the shop, we made $10,000 – an astounding achievement!
It’s vital for everyone to realize that an event like this requires careful planning and a lot of physical hard work. Literally hundreds of items must be washed and/or polished – we go through a gallon of Old English - then skillfully price and attractively arrange to entice the purchasers. I am sure those of us not involved in a hands-on manner cannot fully appreciate how much time and effort is required to organize and run a successful Estate Sale. I want to extend our congratulations and express our gratitude to Brigit and her trusty team of volunteers and helpers for their skill, time, and commitment to ensuring this sale was the success it became. Thank you to everyone who donated items - we could not have had such a fine result without your generosity.
Burnout in church life is always a danger. One of the key antidotes to burnout is feeling that what you give in terms of time and talent is recognized and appreciated by others. It’s so easy for the rest of us to keep our heartfelt gratitude to ourselves, so if you recognize faces in the picture above, do take a little time to communicate your appreciation for a job well done.
INTERFAITH SERVICE
The Interfaith Service this year will be hosted by Temple Beth-El on Tuesday 26
th November at 7 pm. The quest speaker this year will be Dr. Annie De Groot from
Clinica Esperanza
(Clinic of Hope). St Martin’s is a supporter of the clinic’s work with undocumented women and children.
THANKSGIVING DAY DINNER
For as long as anyone can remember, St Martin’s volunteers have offered a Thanksgiving Day dinner to those who may find themselves alone on Thanksgiving Day. Last year we served around 70 meals and a similar number of takeout. Both Gail Peet and Elke Moonan have been the lynch pins of this amazing tradition – again for a long as anyone cares to remember. However, now it’s time for the baton to be passed to others in order to keep this long tradition alive.
Many of you love to volunteer your time in preparing and serving the dinner, so there remains no shortage of willing hands to help.
However, what we are now in urgent need of is a person or a small team to step forward and take the leadership and organizational responsibility for this event. If you would like to take on this ministry of service for this year, let me assure you that you are not signing a contract to continue to do so in perpetuity. There is no reason why we can’t have different people from year to year, heading up the Thanksgiving dinner. It goes without saying that
if
no one steps forward we will not be able to offer a Thanksgiving dinner this year. If interested, please call the office.
RESTORATION WORK
Work has now begun on repairing the water damaged sections of the interior of the church. So, for the next six weeks or so, we will all experience some disruption in church on Sunday mornings. In addition to the continued cordoning off of the chapel, we are about to cordon off the east wall above the High Altar which will mean the High Altar chancel and organ pipes will be out of commission until Early November.
Your forbearance is appreciated during our restoration work and I look forward to seeing you in church this Sunday!
Yours as ever,
Mark+
