online at https://www.facebook.com/www.stmarysstoneharbor.org at 9 am.

www.stmarysstoneharbor.org

As the 16th-century Christian mystic Teresa of Avila put it, “Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet, on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ looks with compassion on this world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”

The question then becomes, does the world trust us as shepherds?

Does the world know us? Or are we strangers? It’s more than just saying the right things. They will know us by the manner of our living. Do we, does our church, show the sacrificial love of a shepherd to a troubled world? Do we condemn? Or do we serve? Are we known as a sanctuary of trust, or just a building where folks out of touch with the world meet to stay pure from society? As John writes in his first letter, “Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.”

On Tuesday morning, my brother in Christ reached out to me after morning prayer. One short sentence, "How are you, my sister?" and the tears began to roll down my cheeks. In many ways, he shepherds me, he loves me, he guides me, and I trust him. I shared with him my heartache, my struggle, my concerns. "My sister," he said, "you were made for this very moment. You were born for this day." After conversing for awhile, he concluded, "Now my sister, put on your helmet of salvation, your breastplate of righteousness, pick up your shield of faith, tighten your belt of truth and pick up the sword of the spirit and go. Go proclaim your witness in Christ. Go proclaim the Gospel and stand firm in your integrity. Pray, organize, and act. You got this. You were born for this. Now go."

His voice, his way is the way of the shepherd. Guiding, loving yet firm.

In this week's Gospel, Jesus says, "The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me." Here, Jesus is guiding, loving, and firm. He points to not just his words, but his actions in God's name. WIll we, do we indeed, recognize him? Follow him? Trust him? Can anything snatch us from his hand?

Our often fragmented, unconnected lives make us believe sometimes that there is something wrong with us, that we fall short and are defective in some way, but through our Baptism, we are marked and sealed as Christ's own. So be reminded this Sunday, and every day, that there is nothing that can snatch us away from Him. We are washed, cleansed, redeemed, restored, and bonded to Christ. We are the beloved of God. So stand firm in your faith and follow Him, Christ who loves you.

Blessings in Christ,

Mo. Allison+

Important Dates to Note:

May 9th - "Unchecking Boxes: Stewardship to all God’s Children." The LGBTQ Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey :

May 12 - Family Promise dinner delivery- sign up!

May 15 - 9 AM A Baptism for Parker Longnecker

May 15 - 10:30 am Vestry Meeting

May 21 - 1 PM Memorial service Fred and Ruth Maiden

June 3rd - Wedding Rehearsal

June 4th - the wedding of Chelsea Schuster and Andrew Hickman

June 4th: NO Saturday Service.

June 5th - (Baptism) Details to follow.

June 11th- Celebration of Life Grace and Bill Repp

July - We are looking forward to the Science Explorers returning, Thursday's on the Lawn, and Saturday Evening Beach services.

Since 1967, The Episcopal Church has maintained its “unequivocal opposition to any legislation on the part of the national or state governments which would abridge or deny the right of individuals to reach informed decisions [about the termination of pregnancy] and to act upon them.” In light of the recent report about a pending decision in the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, The Episcopal Church reaffirms our commitment to “equitable access to women’s health care, including women’s reproductive health care,” which we view as “an integral part of a woman’s struggle to assert her dignity and worth as a human being.” The Office of Government Relations will continue to advocate at the federal level to protect reproductive rights.

We encourage you to read this overview of The Episcopal Church’s positions on abortion and women’s reproductive health.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to Meg Ziemba and ALL of you who participated in creating a Memorial Garden, a place to rest, restore, and renew all life.

A blessing and dedication of the Memorial Garden are being planned, details will follow soon.

St. Mary's is scheduled to provide dinner for the family on Thursday, May 12th.

The meal: a cooked main dish (no seafood), salad, and dessert in disposable pans

Delivery: Dinner will need to be driven to the Family Promise Day Center at 505 Town Bank Rd., No. Cape May - 609-846-7862

Time: dinner must be delivered between 4 and 4:30 pm on May 12

ALSO: This year we will be raffling Baskets. If you would like to donate something to be used in a basket or a basket itself, please contact Dina Ziemba.

Back when the process began, many on the committee felt that it was a stretch to believe that the profile could be completed by Easter and the nominations opened up. With a great deal of hard work on the party of many, this was completed and the profile was completed and circulated on Easter Monday. While some have no doubt wondered if we would receive candidates, many have heeded the call and we are pleased to share that indeed, a good many folks have put in their nominations. Nominations close on May 9th, and we’ve been told that if this Bishop search is anything like many that have gone before in many Dioceses across the country, we can expect them to come in under the wire, just ahead of the deadline.

Once nominations close, the process will enter a quiet stage, where the committee members will do their work of discernment with the candidates that have applied, and the process will culminate at the end of October when the slate of candidates is put forth by the committee and the nomination by petition process begins. But don’t take the silence from the committee to mean that important work isn’t taking place; this is a critical time in the process.

For the summer, the Education and Communication will be distributing “miter on the move” materials to the deans for distribution to the parishes. This will be a children’s project that will allow children to make a bishop’s miter, and then take photos of it in fun places – vacations, summer camps, etc. Parents will be encouraged to submit photos for us to use on the Diocesan website, Facebook pages, etc.  

The committee asks that you keep us, and the candidates, and the Diocese in your prayers!  

The LGBTQ Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey presents: "Unchecking Boxes: Stewardship to all God’s Children."

Every time Episcopalians renew our baptismal vows, we promise to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” We say aloud, “I will, with God’s help.” This is one chance to receive God’s help. The LGBTQ Commission of the diocese has a two-fold mission: to educate around issues of gender and sexuality, and to advocate for full inclusion of all God’s children, regardless of orientation or gender identity.

We invite you to join our very first public (online) gathering around the welcome and experience of the LGBTQIA+ community in our parishes and in society. We will look at the past, present, and future, hear queer voices, and suggest actions we can take individually and together as we seek to fulfill the baptismal covenant and resemble even more God’s beloved community.

The Rev. D. Scott Russell (he/him) serves as the Episcopal chaplain at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. He also serves as the chair of the diocesan LGBTQ Commission, as a part of anti-racism training, and as the Interfaith/Ecumenical officer.

Ayden Petrone (they/them) is a candidate for priesthood in the Diocese of New Jersey. As a non-binary/trans* individual, they have spent many years advocating for those who are gender diverse and providing training to hospitals, universities, as well as churches, on gender diversity and pronoun importance. Ayden currently lives in Ewing, NJ, with their wife of almost ten years and their 5-year-old son.

Micah Cronin (he/him) is a candidate for priesthood in the Diocese of New Jersey. As a gay and transgender man, he has long been involved in LGBTQ advocacy and ministry. He currently lives in Princeton.

May 9, 2022 07:30 PM in Eastern Time

The May, June July issue of Forward Day by Day in both large and small print is now available in the church narthex and chapel. Please help yourself to a booklet. We would also be happy to mail a copy to you. Call the church office. 609-368-5922

The Branches is in need of help with groceries. Between the Mobile Ministry, Community Food Pantry, and providing breakfast and lunch, The Branches is going through a lot of food. They depend on the generosity of faithful supporters to help out when supplies run low. They are in need of the following: eggs, butter, coffee, sugar, cookies, crackers, spam, hot dogs, hot dog rolls, bread, ketchup, mayo, Cup of Noodles, breakfast bars, hamburger, chicken, fresh fruit, salad dressing and diapers, sizes 4 and 6. Groceries may be dropped off at The Branches, 1304 Rt. 47, Rio Grande. Questions? contact Sandra Lockhart 609-886-5091

Thank you so much for your faithful support of our mission at The Branches!

May 9th - "Unchecking Boxes: Stewardship to all God’s Children." The LGBTQ Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey

CHECK OUT OUR CALENDAR on our website for all activities taking place throughout the week.

Tuesday - Thursday 8:30 am Morning Prayer via Zoom

Sunday 9:00 AM Live on Facebook

Services, studies, and service bulletins may be accessed on our website: www.stmarysstoneharbor.org