The St. Georgian Weekly E-newsletter |
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A Message from Our Rector |
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Greetings beloved St. Georgians,
Occasionally we post signs on our graveyard fence as a way of sharing inspiration with the community. Last spring, you may have seen these messages: “Keep your heart open,” “Choose faith not fear,” and “You are not alone.” As our nation and community continued a renewed reckoning around racial injustice and white supremacy (as well as other forms of oppression), we posted this sign series in mid-November:
“We are blessed and yet broken.”
“We have chosen not to listen.”
“We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.”
“We have work to do.”
“We will with God’s help.”
“Will you walk with us?”
In the wake of the January 6 deadly, terrorizing invasion of the U.S. Capitol building and the deep concern and polarization that continue, we are posting these signs again. This is a time for repentance and recommitment. We admit that we, as a society and even as a church, are off course and stuck in so many ways. We need God’s help to do the work we are called to do.
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry delivered a “Word to the Church” last week, a homily on the theme, “ Who shall we be?” We choose community instead of chaos. We are a people of love. As Bishop Curry says, this love is not mere sentimentality. It is fierce and active, long-suffering and kind. It does not rejoice in the suffering of others but rejoices in the truth. We are a people who speak the truth and listen for it in others.
Our Bishops in Virginia are calling us to reflect on that kind of love, as expressed in 1 Corinthians 13 and to pray, January 15-20. St. George’s will post prayers and have a nightly vigil on Zoom to pray, in words and silence, for the nation and its leaders and for love during this stressful time of a transition of power (Visit zoom.us/join or call 929.205.6099. Meeting ID: 881 9964 9295; Passcode: 362776). As Christians, regardless of politics, we model how to gather in humility before God, blessed and yet broken. We admit that we have often chosen, in many ways, not to listen. We open our ears and hearts to listen for God.
We strive to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). Let us pray: O God, make speed to save us. O Lord, make haste to help us.
Your rector and brother in Christ,
Joe+
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Don't Miss This Matched Giving Opportunity |
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An anonymous member of the parish has committed up to $25,000 to match any new or increased estimates of giving for 2021! Please watch the video below to see an invitation from our rector, Joe and vestry senior warden, Sheryl Stroud-Bryant. |
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Will you take a step of faith and complete an estimate of giving? Will you prayerfully consider increasing your your estimate for 2021?
By “new” we mean brand-new estimates (you haven’t made a “pledge” before) as well as estimates from households who have not “pledged” in a while. If you pledged in 2020 but haven’t submitted an estimate for 2021, we encourage you do so with an increase if you can. The increase will be matched. Likewise, if you already submitted your estimate for this year (thank you so much) your increase will be matched.
This match opportunity has been extended!
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Children and Youth will also have a mixture of ways to connect! See below for details!
Sundays:
9 am: This service features liturgies from the Book of Common Prayer and Enriching Our Worship. It is live streamed from our Nave via YouTube and shared afterwards on Facebook. You can also call in to the service at 9 am via Zoom (audio only): call 929.205.6099 Meeting ID: 896 2345 6510
Password: 045971
10 am: Adult Formation via Zoom
Webinar ID: 392 738 239
Password: 107758
11 am: Virtual Coffee Hour via Zoom (same login as Adult Formation)
Webinar ID: 392 738 239
Password: 107758
5:30 pm: 3rd Sundays Celtic Evensong. It is live streamed from our Nave via YouTube and shared afterwards on Facebook.
Wednesdays:
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We have been called by our Bishops to pray in the days leading up to the Presidential inauguration. This is a time to unite across the political spectrum as many are deeply concerned in this time of transition. Please join us on Zoom through January 20 at 8 pm.
Click here for more information about the days of prayer.
Visit zoom.us/join or call 929.205.6099. Meeting ID: 881 9964 9295; Passcode: 362776. |
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Annual Parish Meeting - January 24 |
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Mark your calendars and save the date!
St. George’s Parish Annual Meeting is Sunday, January 24 10 am - 11:30 am.
All members of the parish family are invited to attend via Zoom (or call in via telephone) as we review the past year, look ahead to 2021, and elect four new members of our vestry board.
Zoom login is the same as our weekly adult forums and coffee hours: www.zoom.us/join or call 929.205.6099; Webinar ID: 392 738 239; Password: 107758.
Please join is praying for our vestry nominees: Dave Davies, Casey Hu, Beth Klein, Meghan O'Connor, Suzan Voga-Duffee, and Jane Yaun. Click here to learn more about our nominees. Nominations are officially open until the meeting. |
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Our formation activities for children and youth are open to all If you haven’t yet registered, please register your child here (pre-K - 5th grade) or youth here (6th - 12th grade).
Children's Formation During a Time of Social Distancing
For our children in Pre-K3– 5th Grade, we are offering online formation. St. George's is offering pre-recorded videos featuring familiar St. Georgians with suggested activities (for different age levels) each week that will be emailed to registered families and posted on our families Facebook group on Sundays at 8 am. These videos are short formational videos that will invite the children to worship and explore our traditions. If you would like to watch previously posted videos, click here. To register your child for Children's Formation click here. For more information please contact Hecti Musa.
Youth Formation and Youth Group During a Time of Social Distancing
Continuing through May 2021, in lieu of our normal in-person gathering at church, St. George's invites youth grades 6 - 12 into a deeper discussion on topics that inform our faith. Grades 6 - 8 meet online on Sundays from 5 - 6 pm and grades 9 - 12 from 6 - 7 pm. Through the remainder of this program year (May 2021) we will be continuing our discussion on environmental stewardship and caring for God's creation. We also plan to offer opportunities for in-person, distanced gatherings throughout the Fall. For more information please contact Hecti Musa. To register your youth for our offerings click here.
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Celtic Service Returns January 17
Join us this Sunday at 5:30 pm on YouTube for an online livestream from the nave of our Celtic prayer service in addition to our other offerings. We are bringing this back on 3rd Sundays to start.
Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
St. George’s office will be closed on Monday, January 18, for the Dr. King holiday. If you have a pastoral emergency and need to speak with clergy, please call or text 540.361.8573. See our rector’s invitation about attending the Fredericksburg NAACP branch community-wide celebration on Monday as well as the Sunday forum about one of Dr. King’s mentors, Howard Thurman. We will also remember Dr. King during our evening prayers on January 18 at 8 pm on Zoom.
From our Rector, Joe Hensley:
The Fredericksburg Branch of the NAACP’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration and prayer breakfast is an event that brings together our wider community. I invite St. Georgians to participate in this year’s virtual event as we build relationships and mutual support for a community that promotes dignity and justice for all people. Here is the information that has been shared from the NAACP: “The sponsor recognitions will run from 8:40 am to 9:00 am and the program will be held from 9:00 am to 10:00 am. The program will feature the music of Keith Armstead, and the keynote address will be from Reverend Jarvis Bailey. You may register for the event as a contributor ($10) or as a patron ($25) at https://ShilohOldSite.org/MLK2021. For additional information or to pay by check, please contact Charlyne Jackson-Fields at cej102269@aol.com 540.710.1349 or Anne Little at thegate@cox.net 540.207.4298.
Avis Harris ECW 2021 Kick-off Meeting
The Avis Harris ECW is holding its initial 2021 meeting on Wednesday, January 27 at 7:00 pm. We invite current and prospective members to join in a special Zoom gathering to catch up, learn about activities planned for the coming months and toast the New Year. Bring your beverage of choice! To access the meeting, go to zoom.com and type in the meeting ID 886 2558 0708, followed by the password 774450. Phone in for those without computer access: 301-715-8592. Passcode: 774450. ECW membership is open to women of all ages, and we look forward to welcoming new members. For inquiries, contact Vicki Lewis at vlewis007@verizon.net.
Virtual Movie Night
Join us to watch and discuss 'The Social Dilemma' on Saturday, January 30th at 3 pm. The 'Social Dilemma' is a Netflix documentary that explores the darker effects of email and social media consumption. We'll start watching the movie at 3 pm. Our conversation about it will take place from 5 - 6 pm. Feel free to join us if you've already seen the movie! For more information and to sign up, please contact the Rev. Areeta Bridgemohan. Join via Zoom: Meeting ID: 827 1504 2695; Passcode: 859024.
Episco 101
This course is designed for adults who are new to St. George’s or the Episcopal church and for those interested in baptism, confirmation, or being received into the church from another denomination. Everyone is welcome! We will meet online every Sunday in Lent, beginning Feb 21. Contact Jan Meredith to register.
New Mailing Address
We have gotten a post office box to help with receiving mail during the pandemic. If you've mailed something to us recently, don't worry as mail will be forwarded to our PO Box. Please send any mail to:
St. George’s Episcopal Church
P. O. Box 7127
Fredericksburg, VA 22404
Weekly Prayer List - Sign up to Receive Via Email
If you would like to receive our parish prayer list via email, please sign up here. If you don't sign-up, we will not send it to you. The prayer list will continue to be included in our weekly service bulletin as well. We hope this will help create an intentional opportunity to reflect on the prayers and thanksgivings of those in our parish family. If you would like to request prayer for yourself or a loved one, please click here. You can also contact the church office directly.
Praying for Health Care Workers and First Responders
Please contact the office if you are a health care worker or first responder or if you are related to one. We would like to include names in a special section of our parish prayer list during this pandemic crisis.
Resources and Assistance
St. George's has information and funds to help in a time of need. Please contact the church office or clergy for more information.
Pastoral Care
If you have a pastoral emergency, including but not limited to hospitalization or a death, please text or call 540.361.8573 to reach the clergy on call. For less urgent pastoral needs, contact clergy directly or one of our pastoral lay ministers through the church office.
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Live Stream Worship and Fellowship Events |
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Sunday Formation - 10 am via Zoom
To celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King life and legacy, join us for an adult forum on one of his mentors, Dr. Howard Thurman, led by Rev. David Casey. 10 am via Zoom. To join, visit https://zoom.us/join and enter webinar ID 392 738 239 and password 107758. To call in, dial 929.205.6099 and then enter webinar ID 392 738 239 and password 107758 when prompted.
Small Group Fellowship Opportunities
Reconciliation Book Group 1 (Tuesday Evenings at 7 pm)
RBG is reading and learning with the understanding that reconciliation can only occur with shared truths. We welcome all to read and participate with an open mind and heart. Contact Marcia Russell, Anne Beals, or Janice Brunson if you are not already on our email list and wish to participate. Our remaining schedule:
January 19 The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism by Jamar Tisby Facilitated by Charlie Russell
February 16 Richmond’s Unhealed History, by Benjamin Campbell presented by the author, himself.
Tuesday Afternoon Racial Reconciliation Book Club
St. George's second Racial Reconciliation Book Club begins a new year of books, films and discussion, and our first read will be Howard Thurman's Jesus And The Disinherited, which we'll be discussing at our January 26 virtual meeting (via Zoom) Contact Pam Jewett-Bullock or Anne Beals for information about the group. |
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Volunteers for Lunch Service at Hazel Hill Needed
If you are available to help serve lunches to the children who live in the Hazel Hill area, please sign up at the link below. Lunches are picked up from the Walker Grant Center and served daily, Monday through Friday from noon to 12:45 at the Hazel Hill apartment office. For more information contact Jennifer Woollven. You can sign up to volunteer here.
Micah Ministries Community Dinner Volunteers Needed
The Micah Ministries community dinner model (serving our neighbors who have been homeless and are temporarily housed) has changed and we need your help! We need between 5 - 10 volunteers to deliver food to Micah guests at 3 hotel locations in Fredericksburg at 5 pm on the third Monday of the month. If you feel called to this ministry or would like more information about it, please contact Beth Klein at outreach@stgeorgesepiscopal.net.
Volunteer Opportunities
The measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 can lead to a feeling of helplessness and supporting our vulnerable neighbors can be a great way to share Christ's love and help us feel like we're making a difference. There are many ways to support our vulnerable neighbors. Please check out our spreadsheet for opportunities to get involved. Please contact the Rev. Will Dickinson for questions or updates.
Sending Supplies to Detainees in Caroline County
We have an opportunity to send domestic postage stamps to immigration detainees at the Caroline Detention Facility. The chaplain of the facility is making sure that every detainee has two holiday cards to send to loved ones and needs 600 stamps to go with them. There is also a need for loose leaf notebook paper and plain, white mailing envelopes. Supplies can be mailed directly to: Caroline Detention Facility. Attn: Chaplain Peter Shoars 11093 S. W. Lewis Memorial Drive Bowling Green, VA 22427.
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Slow down.
Hit the pause button.
Take a deep breath.
Close your eyes and repeat the short meditation either silently or aloud.
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“Only through an inner spiritual transformation do we gain the strength to fight vigorously the evils of the world in a humble and loving spirit.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love
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St. George's Episcopal Church | 540 373-4133
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