April 25, 2024

View our Sunday 9 am livestream worship service on our YouTube channel here.

Greetings beloved St. Georgians,

This Sunday, I’m excited to welcome back to our pulpit the Rev. Dr. Rosemary Beales for the morning services. As I have shared earlier, I am so thankful that Rosemary and the Rev. Dr. Lynn Collins and our other retired clergy can serve occasionally, and that we continue to be blessed by them.

I am also looking forward to Shrine Mont Sunday! Our parish weekend does not happen until October, but we open registration in the spring so that we get this important time of fellowship and retreat on our calendars. Our forum this Sunday will not only be a chance to learn about Shrine Mont but also to experience a taste of the experience we are calling “FRED Talks” (kind of like TED Talks). Our programming at Shrine Mont last year and again this year features St. Georgians sharing short presentations about how faith and life meet. I hope you will attend the forum this Sunday when we will also unveil our theme. Thank you to two of our beloved St. Georgians for making the journey to Shrine Mont last weekend to bring us some favorite tastes of Shrine Mont (buns, Route 11 chips, cookies, apple butter, and more) for our coffee hour! Many thanks to Danielle Davis, Wendy Cannon, and our Shrine Mont planning team for their work so far to get us prepared for a wonderful weekend in the mountains in October.

I also want to remind you that I am offering two opportunities this Sunday at 12:30 pm and 4:30 pm to hear updates about our Open to All in Love project. Join me in Faulkner Hall. 

We are halfway through the Great Fifty Days of Easter. I pray your Eastertide season is blessed and I hope to see you Sunday.

Your rector and brother in Christ,

Joe+ 

• 7:45 am: Holy Eucharist Rite I spoken worship
• 9:00 am: Holy Eucharist Rite II with Jazz Band and Choir. Also on YouTube Live.
• 11:15 am: Holy Eucharist Rite II with Organ and Choir
• 5:30 pm: Celtic Evensong with Holy Communion and Celtic Ensemble

Shrine Mont Sunday - This Sunday

Join us at the Adult Forum this Sunday, April 28 at 10:15 am as we unveil the theme for this year's Parish Weekend, Oct 11 - 13 at Shrine Mont! Registrations open that day. Any questions, please contact Danielle Davis. 

Notre Dame School in Haiti Benefit Concert - May 5

As we continue to offer support to our siblings in Christ at Notre Dame Parish and School in Port Au Prince, Haiti, we are excited to welcome the Latin Feeling Band led by percussionist and friend of St. George’s Alberto “Limon” Perez., on May 5 at 3 pm in the nave for a concert with donations to benefit the school. During this time of chaos and gang violence in Haiti, the school remains open as a beacon of hope by the grace of God and through our ongoing support. As always, if you would like to contribute to our Haiti funds, click here (and select the Haiti option in the giving menu) or send a check to St. George’s designated for Haiti mission. 

• Daily Office on Zoom: Join a group of St. Georgians praying Morning and Evening Prayer, Monday-Friday at 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Zoom. The service only takes about 20 minutes. Click here to join.
• Meeting ID: 890 4918 9545
• Passcode: 638538
• Dial in: +1 301 715 8592
• Wednesday Worship: Join us in the nave for the Holy Eucharist and optional healing prayers and anointing at noon.
• Centering Prayer: Our rector leads this simple and profound meditation practice, Thursday mornings at 8 am in Faulkner Hall. It Includes a short scripture reflection and some basic instruction about Centering Prayer. All are welcome.
• Friday Morning Bible Study: Explore the readings for the following Sunday. All are welcome! Bring your Bible, or we have plenty to share. Meets at 9:30 am in Faulkner Hall.
• Rector’s Daily Office Lectionary On-your-own Bible Study: Individuals read short passages on their own according to the daily schedule in the Prayer Book. Our rector sends a weekly email with the readings. reflection, resources, and encouragement to make Bible reading a regular habit. To sign up, please contact the rector.

Nursery:

• For our youngest St. Georgians, we offer nursery during the formation hour (and 9 am and 11:15 am worship services). Nursery caregivers Amy and Meredith welcome all babies, infants, and toddlers to the nursery for playtime.

Children (age 3 - 11): 

• age 3 – 2nd grade: Godly Play in the Preschool (lower level of McGuire) 
• 3rd – 5th grade: SPLASH (Spirit, Play, Love all spoken here), using a curriculum designed by the Episcopal Church, on the Youth Floor (3rd Floor of McGuire) Register your child here. 

Youth (6th - 12th Grade): 

• Youth Café is back! Youth will gather in the small side of Sydnor and head to a local coffee shop for fellowship.
• Youth Group meets 1st and 3rd Sunday evenings from 5 - 7 pm on the Youth Floor (accessed by the door to the church office off of the graveyard). All are warmly welcome; please contact Kate Long or Amy Bogardus for more information. 

Adults and Youth: 

• Adult Forum (Sydnor Hall) – Shrine Mont Sunday: We will talk about our Fall parish weekend in the Shenandoah Valley which will include some “Fred-talks” by parishioners. Whether you are new to Shrine Mont or have been before, this forum will have something for all (and includes some of our favorite Shrine Mont snacks and goodies!) Our next session of our series, Life Together, continues on May 5. 

Parish Survey Update

Thank you to everyone who responded to our parish survey. We received 130 responses and are in the process of reviewing the results among the staff and vestry. We plan to share a report with the congregation in mid-May and hold a forum to discuss the results on Sunday, May 19 at 10 am.

Open to All in Love Project Update Sessions This Sunday

Join our Rector and representatives from the vestry at information this Sunday at 12:30 pm or 4:30 pm in Faulkner Hall to hear the latest project information. We will have a capital campaign this fall to raise several million dollars for critical and long-term maintenance, accessibility improvements, and a graveyard columbarium. We are still researching feasibility and receiving feedback, so please come and learn and share your thoughts. If you are unable to attend, please contact the rector. 

Exit Drill at All Services on May 5

On Sunday, May 5, we will hold an “exit drill” at the end of each service and practice exiting the nave in an orderly and efficient manner. There are a variety of reasons why we might have to leave the church quickly during worship, and this practice is intended to be a general practice, not a drill for a specific situation. This is part of some larger work by the Vestry to set up safety procedures. For questions or concerns, please contact the vestry.  

Are You Graduating in May? 

Please let our office know so that we can be sure to include all those completing high school, college, and graduate programs for a special blessing. 

Sparking Freedom Tour - May 8

Limited $25 tickets are available for a special trolley tour, "Sparking Freedom: Enslaved Resistance in Fredericksburg and Stafford, Virginia," on Wed, May 8, from 11 am - 12:30 pm. We are so fortunate that Gaila Sims, Curator of African American History and Special Projects at Fredericksburg Area Museum, will be our guide. The tour makes 10 stops in Fredericksburg and Stafford, where participants will hear stories of the Chatham Uprising and other daring acts of resistance among the local population of enslaved and freedmen in their quest for freedom. There has been and will be very limited availability of the free public tour. Two preview trolleys in April and one public trolley offering in July were all fully booked immediately. To confirm ticket availability and RSVP, email Pam Jewett-Bullock. Payment and meet-up information will follow. 

Writing our Way to Wholeness Group Continues

The group "Writing our Way to Wholeness" is beginning another 8-week session from May 7 - June 25 on Tuesday mornings from 10 am - 11:15 am on Zoom. Guided by the book Pilgrimage into the Last Third of Our Lives by Jane Marie Thibault and Richard Morgan, we will encounter both the joys and the challenges of these years as we discover how our God walks the path with us ever more closely as we age. We will be going on a pilgrimage to seven gateways that are especially revealing during the later years of our lives. This study was developed by Marjorie George of the Diocese of West Texas and offers questions (as well as our own) to reflect on, write on and discuss together. For more information and to join this group please contact Kate Hardy (703 229 3864). Participants will need to purchase the book.

JaM Concert – Friday, April 26 

JaM (Jazz and a Mission) has their final concert tomorrow, April 26 at 7 pm at Fredericksburg Presbyterian Church. The concert features St. Georgians David Bronston and Malanna Henderson. Proceeds from the concert benefit Loisann's Hope House. 

The Herndon Memorial Trust

The Herndon Memorial Trust Fund, established in the 1950's, is administered by St. George's Episcopal Church, and was made possible through the generosity of John W. Herndon during his lifetime and by bequest upon his death. The Trust exists to offer needs-based funds for medical assistance to elderly men (aged 55 and older) of the St. George's congregation primarily and of the greater Fredericksburg community. The mission of the Trust and the hope and wish of the Committee and Vestry which oversee it is to help relieve the financial stress and worry that often accompany illness or change in income status.

The Trust has funds available to assist members of St. George's parish and/or the community who meet the gender, age, and income requirements. St. George's members are encouraged to help identify eligible men and assist them, if necessary, in making application. View more information on our website. You can also click here to download an application.

Daughters of the King 

Daughters of the King meets in at Wegmans second-floor meeting area the second Monday of the month from 10 am – 11 am and virtually on the fourth Wednesday of the month via MS Teams. Those wishing to know more about joining should contact Dr. Candace Allshouse.