January 13, 2022

*****Inclement Weather Update: We will be monitoring the weather forecast for this weekend and announce any changes to our worship schedule and Sunday concert by 12 pm on Saturday. Please check our website and Facebook page for announcements.

Dear church,

It has been a week!

Maybe the tweet above resonates with you, too. But as I was thinking in my snowed-in apartment, I realized that we’re now in a stage of the pandemic of real moral ambiguity. There aren’t right answers in the way it seemed like a year ago. Sure, there are some obvious choices (wear a mask, get vaccinated), but once we get into the how of each decision, none of the choices seem as clear.

And, church, this is exactly the ambiguity and confusion in which Jesus meets us. Jesus who didn’t come to deliver a series of ethical commands or a “how-to-be-a-respectable-and-ethical-person” pamphlet, but rather to affirm us in the impossibility of it all. Jesus who didn’t just come to be with those who were “doing the right thing,” but who associated with the reviled, the marginalized, and, shockingly, us. It doesn’t make sense. But it’s true.

And then, that means our job isn’t to be perfect people who always know what to do. Our job is simply to try to love the best we can, and to accept God’s grace when we fail.

Rest well, y’all.

Fr. Will

You can view our Sunday worship schedule here. We also publish bulletins here on our website.

On Wednesdays, at 12 pm, we offer Noonday Prayer with Holy Eucharist and Healing Prayer in the nave. All are welcome! Please contact Fr. Will if you would like to volunteer for this service.

As we continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, our precautionary measures include the following:

The Daily office (Morning and Evening Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer) is offered on Zoom and led by a group of lay persons on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8 am and 5:30 pm. All are welcome. Click here to join.

Meeting ID: 890 4918 9545 Passcode: 638538 Dial in: +1 301 715 8592

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Your generous gifts help fund our ministries and serve the community. Thank you!

For example, this month your gifts have helped:

You can make a one-time or recurring gift electronically or text to give (send a text message with the dollar amount [e.g. $50] to: 540.701.4133). You can also mail a check to the church office (P. O. Box 7127, Fredericksburg, VA 22404).

If you have any questions, please contact our Business Manager, Ben Hicks.

We plan to hold Eucharist services at 7:45, 9 am (in person and livestream) and 5:30 pm. We will elect four new vestry members and hear brief reports about our ministries and our finances.

Our vestry candidates are: Michele Prout Alston, John Graham, Anne Carey O’Connor, and Mac Smith. Since we only have four candidates for four open positions, we will ask for a vote on the slate as a whole by acclamation rather than voting for individuals.

Look for a parish email on Wednesday of next week with more information about the candidates. To request information in hard copy, please contact the church office (540.373.4133).

The meeting is open to everyone, regardless of membership status. Registered members in good standing may vote in the election.

Meeting ID: 831 8935 3537

Passcode: 602390

Dial-in: 301 715 859

As we enter a new year, we also begin a new season of inviting our parish to journey along the giving path as generous supporters of St. George’s. Our Generosity Team and Vestry have shifted our annual giving campaign to January and February rather than the Fall. We hope this change will offer a bit more space for intentional reflection as households plan their giving for the year ahead.

Part of our reflection during the campaign includes a devotional book. We are inviting the parish to read “Practicing Extravagant Generosity: Daily Readings on the Grace of Giving” by Robert Schnase. You can receive a daily email over four weeks, beginning Monday, January 17. We also have hard copies available.

Schnase writes in the introduction: “Giving helps us become what God wants us to be. Giving is not merely about the church’s need for money but about the Christian’s need to grow in generosity.” Each reading includes a scripture verse and brief devotion which will both inspire and motivate us along the giving path.

You can sign up for the daily emails here. If you would like a hard copy of the book, please contact the church office.

Our Concert series continues this Sunday, January 16 at 3 pm with local favorite Hazel Run! Join us for a free folk and bluegrass concert. Donations are accepted at the door.

Please note masks are required for all over the age of 2 - vaccinated and unvaccinated and seating will be socially distanced.

This concert will also be livestreamed on our Facebook page.

We will announce any weather-related changes to the concert (and worship schedule) for Sunday by 12 pm on Saturday via our website and Facebook page.

Our office will be closed on Monday, January 17 is observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. If you have a pastoral emergency (loss of job, serious illness, death of loved one, etc.) and need to speak with clergy, please call or text 540.361.8573 to reach clergy on call.

We invite everyone to prayerfully consider our annual estimates of financial giving to St. George’s for 2022. Thank you to our co-chairs, Julie Lang and Tommy Thompson, along with our Generosity Team for their work. From January 16 - February 13, we are sharing a daily devotional (email or hard copy), special pastoral messages, and additional resources to encourage all of us on the Giving Path. You can also share your estimate of giving at any time by contacting business manager, Ben Hicks

(ben.hicks@stgeorgesepiscopal.net).

On Sunday, Jan 23rd youth will be meeting at 5 pm in Sydnor to make 50 care packages for Mary Washington Healthcare workers. Youth are invited to bring items that they would like to include in the care packages. The parish is also invited to drop off small items (lotions, chapsticks, hand sanitizer, small gift cards to Starbucks, chocolate, snacks, etc.) for inclusion in the box in the Narthex. Thank you for helping us to teach our children to find gratitude even in difficult times. For more information, please contact Kate Long katelong22@hotmail.com.

Looking for a gift that keeps on giving? Make a donation to Micah Ministries and give a card from Micah telling the recipient that you gave in their honor. Cards and giving envelopes are available in the narthex and at the church office. Donations should be made directly to Micah: www.micahfredericksburg.org 

Priority registrations for the 2022-2023 school year for current families, alumni families and parishioners begins on Wednesday, January 12 at 8:50 am. For a virtual tour and registration materials, please visit our website at sgpreschool.wordpress.com. For more information, please contact Danielle Davis at danielle@stgeorgesepiscopal.net.

The next meeting for our Afghan Allies group is Tuesday, January 18 at 7:30 pm via Zoom. Meeting ID: Meeting ID: 883 9849 2752; Passcode: 487894; Dial in: 307.715.8592.

Want to stay up to date on the latest news and ministry opportunities at St. George’s? You can follow us on Facebook for news updates and subscribe to our YouTube Channel for worship services and other videos.

Would you like to pray for others? Click here to sign-up to receive our weekly prayer list, sent out on Friday morning.

Join us via Zoom for a forum to discuss the readings in our Daily Office Lectionary Bible challenge. You do not have to be participating in the challenge to enjoy the forum. We are currently reading from Genesis, 2nd Isaiah, Ephesians, Hebrews, Mark, and John. Bring your reflections and questions. Led by our rector, Joe Hensley.

Meeting ID: 832 1668 8396

Passcode: 218382

Dial In: 301 715 8592

There’s still time to join our rector, Joe Hensley, for this year’s Bible Challenge: Daily Lectionary Edition. This challenge follows the daily schedule of readings in our Book of Common Prayer. There are options to read most of the Bible in one year or two or just read the Gospel each day. Participants will receive an email every week or so encouraging them and sharing resources for further learning. The challenge began Sunday January 9 (but you can also join anytime), For more information or to sign up: joe.hensley@stgeorgesepiscopal.net. You can also view a recording of last week’s Zoom adult forum discussion here.

For more information and to enroll please contact Christine Klein at lyricviolin@gmail.com or call 540.786.3238.

Meeting ID: 840 3354 6934

Passcode: 183016

St. George’s Book Group has just begun to read “Love is the Way” by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. Tuesday evenings. All are welcome to participate. Contact Norah Hooper nshooper@gmail.com or Nanette Lofaro nanettel48@aol.com for more information.

Children’s formation is currently on break and will resume January 30 on Zoom. Stay tuned for more information.

It’s not too late to register your child for our 2021 – 2022 program year. Click here to sign up.

Youth Group resumes on January 23 to assemble care packages for Mary Washington Healthcare workers from 5 - 7 pm in Sydnor Hall. Contact Kate Long for more information.

It’s not too late to register your youth for the 2021 – 2022 program year. Click here to sign up.

Sign up here to assist or provide dinner for our Sunday youth group gatherings: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E094BA5AD23A6F58-youth

"Without love, there is no reason to know anyone, for love will in the end connect us to our neighbors, our children and our hearts."

--Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Monday, January 17, we honor and remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Shown here is picture of the MLK Memorial in West Potomac Park, next the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

On Monday, January 17 the Fredericksburg Branch of the NAACP is hosting a breakfast in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with proceeds supporting the Branch. This year's them is "Walking in the Light". Our Rector, Joe Hensley will offer the opening prayer. Click here to learn more and to purchase tickets.