Theological Musings
Confirmation
The Sacrament of Confirmation evolved as infant baptism became more normalized in the Church, and the need arose for those who had been initiated into the Church in infancy to be able to profess for themselves their faith in Jesus Christ and to affirm the promises that had been made on their behalf by their parents. Today in the Episcopal Church, Confirmation is a mature, public affirmation of one's faith. It is a celebration of one's Baptism, and one's public intention to follow Christ as a member of the Episcopal Church. It is celebrated by the prayers of the community and the laying on of hands by the Bishop. In Confirmation, the Holy Spirit confirms the gifts given at Baptism, just as the Holy Spirit confirmed the faith of the Virgin Mary, the Apostles, and the disciples gathered in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost.
If you were baptized (in any Christian Church that baptizes in the Name of the Most Blessed Trinity) but were never confirmed, you might consider receiving this Sacrament as a means of strengthening your faith. If you were confirmed in a Church with Apostolic Succession, you do not need to be "re-confirmed" in order to become a member of the Episcopal Church. However, you may wish to be received into the Episcopal Church by the bishop with the laying on of hands.
The Bishop will be visiting St. Martin's in November to confirm both youth and adults who desire to make a public affirmation of their faith, and go receive those who have been confirmed in other churches. You may also wish to renew your faith with the laying on of hands by the bishop.
Information about classes required for Confirmation will be forthcoming. In the meantime, please speak with Father Rob if you have any questions.
* Please note, you are a member of the church by virtue of your baptism. However, according to the canons of the church, only confirmed members may serve on the vestry, serve as a Eucharistic Minister or Lay Preacher, or seek ordination.
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Epiphany House Blessings
It is traditional to have homes blessed during the season of Epiphany. This blessing may occur in one of two ways:
Option One: You and your family may bless your home by inscribing an Epiphany blessing on the lentil of your door with blessed chalk. The blessing uses the initials of the names of the three wise men (Casper, Melchior, and Balthasar) to create an anagram which represents a latin prayer, Christus Mansionem Benedicat- which means "Christ bless this house." The blessing is written as: 20+C+M+B+22
Blessed chalk will be available in the narthex on Sunday and a simple liturgy for the house blessing will be posted on the website.
Option Two: You may make an appointment with Father Rob to come to your house blessing at your home during the season of Epiphany. The season of Epiphany begins on January 7, and ends on Mardi Gras, March 1. The cycle of Christmas ends on the feast of the Presentation, also known as Candlemas. The greens will be removed from the church after the end of the 12 days of Christmastide, but the creche will remain throughout the season and will be removed after Candlemas (February 2).
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Prayer Requests
- Jane Linn's, granddaughter-in-law, Rachael, was diagnosed with breast cancer and will have radical surgery in February.
- Keep Mike, Christine Kellam's dad in your prayers.
- Mary Irwin is experiencing some health issues.
- I ask your prayers for the repose of the soul of Margaret Perritt, who passed away while in Hospice Care. Margaret was Alison Evans' mother, and was one of the founding Members of St. David's Episcopal Church in Cranbury, NJ in 1968, and continued to be active in the church until a few years ago. Please keep the Perritt and Evans families in your prayers.
- Philip and Nancy
- Yvonne
Please send your prayer intentions to Philip at philip.muniz@gmail.com.
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Diocesan Convention 2022
The diocesean convention is scheduled for March. Information will be forthcoming regarding whether it will be in person, via zoom, or hybrid. Participating in the diocesan convention is a wonderful opportunity to connect with other Episcopalians in our diocese and to see the inner workings of the church. Because the Episcopal Church values the voice and discernment of all the people of God, the diocesan convention allows delegates from various parishes to participate in prayerfully discerning God's desires for the church in this place.
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Jubilee Parish
A Jubilee parish is a parish committed to the social justice ministry of advocacy and service for the poor and oppressed. It is a network of parish and diocesan Jubilee Centers throughout the Episcopal Church. It was established by an act of the 1982 General Convention as “a ministry of joint discipleship in Christ with poor and oppressed people, wherever they are found, to meet basic human needs and to build a just society.” The term “Jubilee” means the fiftieth year. It is derived from Lv 25:10, which says that the fiftieth year shall be a jubilee: “you shall return, every one of you, to your property and every one of you to your family.”
If you have a special heart of compassion and concern for the poor and oppressed and want to work for a more just church and society, perhaps God is calling you to be a member of our newly formed Jubilee Commission. We will be prayerfully discerning over the next several months what God is asking us to do in service of the poor in our county, in our state, our nation, and the world. Please speak with Father Rob if you are interested in this important work.
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Upcoming Dates
March 2nd - Ash Wednesday
March 13th - 9 - 2 p.m. American Red Cross Blood Donations in the Undercroft.
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Super Bowl Squares
It is officially Super Bowl week! The teams are set and we will see the Cincinnati Bengals face off against the Los Angeles Rams in just under a week. The grid is almost 2/3 full which means we are in good shape, but there are still boxes available. I will be at church on Sunday and will choose the numbers then.
Information below is the same:
The full rules and instructions are in the attached link, but in a nutshell, please enter your name(s) directly into boxes (if you would prefer to just email me, I can enter the boxes for you). It is preferred that you let me know and advise how you will pay so that I can keep track.
50% of the proceeds go to St. Martin's and 50% are used to pay the winners - $10/box.
You can pay the church directly (check with "SuperBowl" noted in the comments) or you can Venmo me @Clay Kellam or find me at church.
As always - if you have any issues or questions drop me a note or give me a call. My cell is 908-419-5838.
Thanks,
Clay
Copy the link below and paste in your browser to enter your name:
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Outreach
The Outreach Committee will begin collecting personal care items for the Jail Chaplaincy beginning Feb. 12th. A container will be in the narthex until Sunday, Feb. 27th. Thank you for all your book donations.
We also received a request for help from HOME. The Presbyterian Church in Pluckemin will not be hosting families in 2022 so we will not be providing coverage at that church. However, we will deliver meals to the agency on three Mondays this year. Below is an email I received directly from HOME. If you volunteer to help HOME, please contact them directly but let me know you have done so. Thank you.
Lend a hand at HOME
HOME of Somerset County (Formerly IHN) is looking for volunteers to help with our Emergency Shelter program. Due to the pandemic, the congregational rotation hosting schedule has been closed and our families have been staying at a local hotel. We are planning to re-open the shelter component of the program the first week of April 2022 and we are in need of volunteers.
Dinner shift hosts are needed at 5:00 pm (until 7:00 pm) to set up for the meal and to welcome our families. Our evening (hospitality) shift is generally from 7:00-10:00pm and the overnight hours are 10:00pm-6:00am (8:00am on Sat. & Sun). For more information please contact Director of Volunteer Services, Karen Donohue, 908-704-1920 / karen@homescnj.org https://homescnj.org
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Lenten Book Study
All are welcome. This year we will be learning about and discussing six women from the Old Testament in five sessions. They include Jephthah’s daughter, the Shunammite woman, Esther, Judith, and Naomi and Ruth. Some will be familiar and some probably will not. All have a story to tell and things to teach us about their time and place, their beliefs and spirituality, and their relationship with God and their people.
We will be using the book “Bible Women: All Their Words and Why They Matter”, by the Reverend Lindsay Hardin Freeman (ISBN 978-088028-391-5), It is available online, in both hardcopy and electronic format, from a variety of vendors, including Amazon. This is the same book we used for the 2018 Woman in the Bible program.
Meetings will take place each Monday during Lent beginning on March 7 and continuing on March 14, 21, 28, and April 4 at 7:00 pm. We will be meeting at the home of
Juanita Hawkins
90 Vandeveer Drive
Basking Ridge, New Jersey
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Stolen Checks
Here is something that you can do if you think one or more of your checks have been stolen:
First, definitely report this to your bank. If your checks were cashed, the bank should be able to help you recover the funds. Either way, they should be made aware this happened.
Second, our warden, Larry Ottenstroer, has reported this to the Bridgewater Police, and they have assigned a case number. However, since you, as an individual are the actual crime victim, not (technically) the church, it would be most helpful for you to make your own police report.
Larry spoke with Officer Grasso, and the case number assigned is 22024050. You can reference that number so they will group our cases together.
Our new mailbox which is a lockbox has arrived, and hopefully will be installed in short order.
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Summer Mission Opportunity
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in New Providence is sponsoring a work mission trip in the summer and inviting all parishes in our convocation to participate. It is a trip similar to an ASP trip, where those who participate will be working on light construction projects to improve the lives of the poor in Connellsville, PA. There will be opportunities for fun and recreation on the weekend and evenings, including white water rafting and possibly a visit to Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water.
The trip is open to anyone in 8th grade and older. This is a wonderful opportunity for families to do a mission trip together. The cost is $450-$650 per person.
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