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Dragon Tales E-News
May 11, 2022
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A Note From Reverend Peter | |
The kids in the day school chapel always forget what God did on the seventh day. They remember the plants, the animals…some of them even remember the separation between sky and sea on the first day. But they rarely remember that God rested on the seventh day. The Sabbath comes from this scriptural idea that rest is tantamount to the work that we do on the other days of the week. I’ve often reflected on the fact that in my profession, the church, the sabbath is the day when I work the hardest.
My sabbath, such as it is, is generally on Mondays. When the weather is good, I’ll play golf with friends, sometimes other clergy. When the weather isn’t good, I’ll watch a movie and clean the house. I’ll admit, it’s not much of a true sabbatical in the original sense of not driving, not using machines, not producing anything, but it does refresh me from the work I’ve done and recharge me for the work to come.
The past two years have forced us to reimagine the concept of rest, time off, and sabbath. The lines between work and home have been completely erased in most cases, and most of us are expected to be completely available all the time. It’s counter-cultural to not be at the beck and call of our phone, or to be out of pocket for even a few hours. I fear that many of us are sacrificing the benefits of a slower pace of life learned during the pandemic in the hopes of returning to ‘normal’.
It can be more complicated when your work is a calling. Many of you know this; it is not unique to the clergy. In many helping professions, there is a far greater degree of burnout as we try to mend an increasingly fractured society. I am so grateful to St. Margaret’s for ‘holding it together’ as well as we have. I am not one of the clergy who have lost swaths of parishioners for taking stands on things, nor do I think I have to fight culture wars in our pews. This doesn’t mean we all agree on all things, but rather than we can disagree respectfully and retain the dignity of the other while remaining firmly in the fight for justice.
I will be away on sabbatical beginning on June 13 of this year, and will return on August 30. I am grateful to the congregation, to the vestry and to the wardens for the opportunity to refresh, renew and recharge. It will also be a time of reconnection with my God, my family and myself. Please know that I remain committed to our work here at St. Margaret’s. I anticipate and hope that I will return a reinvigorated priest to serve side by side with you in God’s world. You are in good hands with Patti and with our incredibly gifted lay ministry leaders. Please stay engaged in my absence. Continue to attend and give and support the work we do. You will be in my prayers, as I know I will be in yours.
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We can sing in church!! Don't forget your masks this Sunday! | |
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New Beginnings Retreat
New Beginnings is a weekend retreat for youth aged twelve to fifteen designed to address spiritual and social needs in this age group. The aim is for those who attend to discover new things about themselves, their relationships, God, and the church. The weekend is designed to provide an atmosphere of openness where participants can ask questions and have the freedom to explore answers without fear of judgment.
Several St. Margaret's youth attended New Beginnings a couple weeks ago. New Beginnings is an annual event. It is for middle school kids and is staffed by High School students. Next year (2023) it will be on April 28,29, 30 April, at Camp Wright.
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U.S. Citizenship Classes
WE NEED MORE TEACHERS. Under the auspices of the Missions Commission, volunteers from St. Margaret’s teach applicants to prepare them for the Civics Test portion of their United States citizenship interview. Offered through the Center for Help in Annapolis, the classes cover everything from the Application for Citizenship form (USCIS N-400) to U.S. geography, government, history and holidays. With students from El Salvador to Pakistan to China our volunteers present 12 units to students covering the 100 potential questions which may be asked. In the last two years we have helped 15 of 15 applicants pass their civics interviews to become new U.S. citizens.
We are starting a new summer semester, in-person at the Center of Help on Forest Drive in Annapolis. We need two teachers per class. Depending on our numbers of teachers, we’ve been teaching once every four weeks. Classes are from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Thursdays, starting on May 26th.
If you are interested in joining our teaching team, please contact Robert Thomas at thomas.byrom@gmail.com or 757-408-1225 to be blessed by meeting and helping a group of wonderful potential new U.S. citizens.
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UPCOMING EVENTS/OUTREACH
From the SMC Missions Committee
May 19 (LIGHT HOUSE): Friends for Friends Light House Fundraiser at the Annapolis Waterfront Hotel. See https://friendslhs.ejoinme.org/FFF2022 for more information.
June 4 (PRIDE): Annapolis PRIDE Parade and Festival. SMC is a sponsoring organization and will participate as a group in this 2nd Annual family-friendly event. Please plan to join us and invite your friends and family - ALL ARE WELCOME! For more information and to sign up, go to this SignUpGenius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0E4BADAE2AA2F85-stmargarets4
June 9 (LIGHT HOUSE): Friends of the Light House Golf Tournament, Renditions, Davidsonville, MD (currently a waitlist). Talk to Peter if you want to play. See https://friendslhs.ejoinme.org/golf2022 for more information.
July (LIGHT HOUSE): SMC's Annual Food Drive for the Light House Pantry to honor the great contributions of outgoing Director Joann Mattson. Details to follow. SMC POC: Pam Roth, SMC's Light House Donation Coordinator, rothsbythebay@verizon.net
September 18 (LIGHT HOUSE): Annapolis Run for the Light House, Quiet Waters Park, Annapolis, MD. See https://www.annapolis run for the lighthouse.org/ for more information.
OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORT SMC's MISSIONS
PRIDE: NEED VOLUNTEERS ASAP to lead/help coordinate SMC's participation in this year's Annapolis PRIDE Parade & Festival. If you are interested, please contact Marti Engstrom @ martiengstrom@gmail.com to learn more.
WINTER RELIEF - 2023: NEED VOLUNTEERS to lead/help coordinate SMC's Winter Relief in January 2023. Please contact Marti Engstrom for more information.
Light House: Ongoing: Sign up to prepare and deliver food to Light House for one (or more!) of SMC's Monthly Dinners. For more information and to sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0e4badae2aa2f85-smcmodified1 SMC POC: Marti Engstrom, martiengstrom@gmail.com
Light House: Ongoing: Donate REQUESTED food and other items to Light House by placing in the designated area under the window in the narthex. Please see list of needed items here: https://annapolislighthouse.org/get-involved/needs/ SMC POC: Pam Roth, SMC's Light House Donation Coordinator, rothsbythebay@verizon.net
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Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Update
Join us Sunday (May 15) after 9:00 worship for our May Coffee Hour Chat on Critical Race Theory. Our guest speaker is Commissioner Cheryl Mcleod a local scholar with over thirty years’ experience in community engagement, inclusion training and equity. She is an attorney experienced in educational, labor, governmental & juvenile law. Appointed by Governor Hogan to represent Howard County to the Maryland Office of African American History & Culture, Commissioner Mcleod advocates to include how the African American story brings truth to history, social justice, education, and democracy.
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Afghan Relief Efforts: SMC continues to help Afghan Families living in the Calvert Hall Apartments, Prince Georges County
Below is a note written by W, a father of 4, who worked for the United Nations in Kabul:
"The Afghan refugees who arrived at Calvert Hall Apartments were released from the military bases where they received immediate life-saving support and were processed for the immigration documents. Most of the 20 families are large in size with more than 4 kids in each family. The resettlement agencies who were assisting the families to resettle in various communities were devastated and had limited capacity for providing life saving support and assistance.
The 20 families were the fortunate refugees who received attention from St. Margaret's Church who helped the families by addressing their immediate needs with both monetary and non-monetary assistance. The cash contributions to the families enabled them to meet their urgent needs such as medical, transport, essential cell phone bills, laundry, electricity bills and many other expenses which were not addressed by the resettlement agencies immediately when entering the US. The families fled Afghanistan with bare hands with little money and the clothes on their backs.
The food and other non-monetary contributions from the church team helped the families stay in good health and diets until the food stamps were issued from DHS offices. The church also helped some of the families find jobs to be self-sufficient in the long run.
There are new challenges of meeting the rent requirement of Calvert Hall since the initial months of [resettlement agencies] assistance is already over for most of these families, most of them are still without full-time jobs and struggling to keep a normal life in this community.
The families and friends at Calvert Hall Apartment will always be thankful for the contributions made during this period which formed the basis for starting a new life and feeling at home. This wasn’t an easy journey but was made possible with your team's support and assistance."
Thank you and God bless.
W's family and friends at Calvert Hall Apartments
A note from Fran Becker: SMC, through grants from the Missions Commission and gifts from individuals, has supported three Afghan communities for more than six months. As W wrote, most are either unemployed or underemployed. This is a critical time for these families as resettlement agencies' funds are exhausted. If you are interested in helping, please contact Fran Becker fran.becker10@gmail.com or Janice John, janicejohnrg@gmail.com. Thank you for all your support!
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Volunteers Needed from July 5-14
(General Convention in Baltimore, MD)
Volunteers recruited from the Diocese of Maryland and neighboring dioceses, who welcome guests and support the logistical work of the General Convention, have an opportunity to learn about the structure and governance of The Episcopal Church. In addition to experiencing the gathering of The Episcopal Church, volunteers who contribute their time have the chance to meet people from around The Episcopal Church and connect with others in the diocese whom they would not have otherwise met.
There are two steps to become a General Convention Volunteer:
Step One — Complete an online form by going to https://bit.ly/3JMHSor and share your contact information (name, congregation, email address, and phone number) with the Diocese of Maryland. If you do not have an email address, you may contact Caroline Bomgardner at 410-467-1399 ext. 1379 to indicate your desire to volunteer.
Step Two — Those who complete the online form will receive an email in February 2022 providing information about signing up to volunteer for specific days, times, and areas of interest. A link and log-in information to a scheduling application will be included. Once completed, you will receive a confirmation email from the system with your selections.
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Servers on May 15
Readers
7:30 - Ben Tolley
9:00 - YOUTH SUNDAY
11:15 - YOUTH SUNDAY
Eucharistic Ministers
9:00 - Kim Coble
11:15 - Christine Feldmann
Acolytes
9:00 - YOUTH SUNDAY
11:15 - YOUTH SUNDAY
Altar Guild
Charlie Lang, Robert Thomas, Susie Byrom
Ushers
9:00 - Mark Torrence, Sam Sloan
11:15 - Steve Brennan, Fred McKinney
Coffee Hour Hosts
Anne Sessions and Jan Little
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Servers on May 22
Readers
7:30 - Joan Rich
9:00 - Kathy Lang
11:15 - Sarah Hyde
Eucharistic Ministers
9:00 - Al Todd
11:15 - Stacia Bontempo
Acolytes
9:00 -Anna and Julia Morgan, Brayden McCarthy, Olivia Felt
11:15 - Zacca and Joseph Jackson
Altar Guild
Jeanne Nardi, Jan Little, Kim Morrow
Ushers
9:00 - Kathy Lang, Russ Phillipi
11:15 - Ray Feldmann
Coffee Hour Hosts
Web Chamberlain and Janice John
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