St. Bartholomew's

Episcopal Church

E-Bulletin

March 21, 2024

Please join us on Sunday morning for Palm-Passion Sunday. The service will be led by the Rev. Amanda Gerken-Nelson.

Sunday School is offered on the first Sunday of the month. Nursery Care is available every Sunday.

Masks are optional.

To view the bulletin for the service and to find the streaming link, CLICK HERE for the Services page of our website.

Need hearing assistance? We have earpieces that receive audio from the sound system. You can find them in charging stations in the entryway. Simply slip the earpiece over your ear, turn it on with the volume switch, and adjust volume. Please return to the charging stations when you are done.

Pastoral Care

In Need of Our Prayers:

For all who have commended themselves to our prayers; for our families, friends, and neighbors; that being freed from anxiety, they may live in joy, peace, and health, we pray to you O Lord. (BCP, Prayers of the People, Form V, 391)



We pray for: 

Pat; Antonia; Al; Alex; Virginia & Jamil; Hannah; Mike; David; Sarah; Jenny & Matt; Perry; Jim; Elaine; Sasha; Paige; Diane; Karl; Nathaniel; Will; Tom & Laurel; Nancy A.; Dennis; Robert & Mary; Karen; Debra; Haskell; Sue; Deb; Don; Hazel; Matilda; Gregory; Mary Jane; Michael Curry; Curt; Bethany; Zach; Andy; Mark; Sally; and Ruth.

For those who have died, especially John Martin "Marty" Doggett, brother-in-law of Tom and Laurie Hyndman; and Charles "Cal" Calvin, husband of Mary Calvin, we pray: Receive them into the arms of your mercy.

Click HERE to go directly to the Pastoral Care section of our website. We have information about Healing Prayers, our Words of Comfort booklet and how to contact us via email.

New Members Sunday: April 7th! 

Are you considering becoming a member of St. Bart's? Hooray! Rev. Amanda will be welcoming new members during the Sunday morning service on April 7th. Those who would like to participate and be formally welcomed as members of the congregation should email Amanda or Anne Jacobs and Susie Soule from the Membership Committee.

A reminder that membership is not a requirement to participate in the ministries of St. Bart's. Membership status, though, signifies a commitment to the vitality and sustainability of our ministries through thoughtful engagement, participation in decision-making, and contributions of time, talents, and treasure.

Questions can also be directed to Amanda, Anne, or Susie.

Second Church Storytellers for Sunday, March 24.

We will begin about 15 minutes into coffee hour. Participation by storytellers and story listeners is always welcome. For those who would like to share a story, please tell a story about a time you went to a place you had never been. As usual, this could be physical, emotional, spiritual, or ...

Easter Flowers

As we prepare to celebrate Christ's resurrection on Easter, we are once again offering members the opportunity to remember family members and loved ones who have died and who now reside in Christ's everlasting arms, as well as give thanks for the blessings of those still living who bring joy and hope to our lives. When you make a contribution to the St. Bart's Flowers and Music Fund in memory or in honor of your loved ones, their names will be printed in the Easter bulletin. The Flower Committee is preparing a special flower arrangement to adorn our altar during the service. Please click on the link below for the form; you can choose from a Word Document or a PDF. The form should be filled out and sent to the church (mail or email) no later than Monday, March 25 in order to be included in the March 31 Easter bulletin.

Learn Psychological First Aid

First Parish Congregational Church and St. Bart’s are joining together with an opportunity to enhance and learn new skills to assist others during or following a stressful or challenging event. 

This Psychological First Aid (PFA) 6 hour course will be offered on Saturday, April 13that no cost to members of our congregations, to the faith community in Yarmouth, high school juniors and seniors, teachers and educational staff, and all interested community members as space allows.

Please click here to learn more about this course and to sign up.

Have an Idea for an Improvement to the St. Bart's Facilities?

The Vestry is seeking ideas for improvements or upgrades to St. Bart's facilities that might begin this year or next. You may have heard ideas recently like installing a restroom upstairs, making the book room into a more functional meeting space, installing heat pumps in the office area, among others. Are there others you've been thinking of?

The Building and Grounds committee will be collecting ideas from now until March 28, and will prepare recommendations to the Vestry for its April 2 meeting. Based on the Vestry's choices of priorities, the next steps will be gathering cost information and conducting a brief fundraising effort. The Vestry is envisioning a short timeline, so some construction could begin this summer if possible.

As a reminder, this initiative is separate from maintenance of our existing facilities, small and large, such as repaving the parking lot.

Email ideas to admin@stbartsyarmouth.org with the subject line "building idea."

St. Bart's Endowment - A Presentation, April 21

On Sunday, April 21 following the morning service, the Endowment Committee will offer a short presentation on the St. Bart’s endowment to anyone interested in learning more about the fund. We will briefly cover the background of the fund, it’s purposes and current status, and tax efficient ways to donate to the fund. All members are invited to attend.  For more information see or call Ed Simmons or Bill Macleod.

March Lenten Study: This Sunday, 3/24, 3:30 - 5 pm

Religious Literacy: Judaism

The Lenten study of Religious Literacy continues. This week's session will be looking at the words and concepts shared in conversations about Judaism. No prior experience is necessary.

Questions? Interested? Sign-Up? Contact Dan Hudkins dfhudkins@gmail.com or 207-401-0836.

Friendship House:

Wish List

Please note the following items that are on the Friendship House Wish List:

Paper towels, Bath tissue, 55 gallon trash bags, Disinfectant cleaners, Antibacterial hand soap, Personal hygiene items, Dishwasher soap, Coffee, Dry eraser markers

Items can be put in the box outside of the church office. Please contact Pam Hobson (pamhobson46@gmail.com) with any questions. Thank you for your donations.

St. Elizabeth's Toothpaste Drive was a big success!

Thanks to your generosity we collected 358 tubes of toothpaste!

We are grateful for you support of the mission of St. Elizabeth's.

April/May Book-of-Two-Months-Club

Because we say the Lord’s Prayer together every week, perhaps we forget to wonder about its origin and meaning. It’s a prayer most of us learned as children, although its language is anything but childish! The Lord’s Prayer will be the focus of St. Bart’s Book of Two Months Club in April and May, as we read and discuss The Greatest Prayer: Rediscovering the Revolutionary Message of the Lord’s Prayer, by noted Jesus scholar John Dominic Crossan.

Conversations facilitated by Sukie Curtis will take place on ZOOM, Tuesdays April 30 and May 28 from 7 to 8:30 pm. Dr. Crossan (who just turned 90!) will join our conversation on May 28. The Greatest Prayer is a brief but potent book, marked by Crossan’s scholarly precision and breadth and his trademark humor. Join this exploration and hearthe Lord’s Prayer with new understanding! Contact Sukie Curtis to register or with questions (sukiecurtis@gmail.com).

2ND ANNUAL ST. BART’S DAY OF SERVICE

SAVE-THE-DATE: Saturday, May 4, 2024

We welcome all parishioners to participate in our 2nd Annual St. Bart’s Day of Service! This is a collaborative way of expanding our outreach and generating interest and momentum for serving our communities via local organizations. Many members of St. Bart’s already volunteer their time by working with organizations like Friendship House and St. Elizabeth’s Essentials Pantry. Some of us hear about these things, but don’t know how or when to get involved, or admittedly, we might be nervous about volunteering on our own without knowing anyone. The Day of Service is a specific day designed to help address those concerns and bridge that gap. 

All you have to do is choose which of the 4 organizations you’d like to volunteer with for the day and sign up to attend. If transportation is a challenge, we can help organize carpools since a whole group of St. Bart’s folks will be volunteering together at each location. This year’s Day of Service is set for Saturday, May 4th. The times for volunteering vary based on location. At 1:00 pm, all participants are invited to come back to St. Bart’s for a cookout and casual fellowship to share about their volunteer experience. 

Leading up to the Day of Service, a representative from each organization will come to separate Sunday services in April to share with the parish more about what their group is and does and what volunteering will look like. We hope that information will help you decide which organization to volunteer with on the Day of Service.

This event is brought to you by a joint effort of the Outreach Committee, Fellowship Committee, and Youth Education Committee. Sign-ups will begin in April. If you have questions, please contact Catherine Richards (cmrolney@comcast.net), Peter Sillin (sillin@gmail.com), or Pal Covie (palcovie@gmail.com).

Resources for Volunteers

To learn more about opportunities to volunteer in the community through St. Bart's (St. Elizabeth's, Friendship House, etc.), go to the COMMUNITY OUTREACH page on our website.

To sign up for a Sunday morning Coffee Hour shift, click HERE. One additional host is needed for March 24!

To sign up for a Sunday morning Nursery Assistant shift, click HERE.

Upcoming Duties

An Invitation to a Half-day Meditation Retreat, Sat. March 23

at First Parish Church in Yarmouth

On the cusp of Holy Week, you are welcome to attend a half-day meditation retreat on Saturday, March 23 at First Parish Church (116 Main St. Yarmouth). This is time to use as is meaningful to you. If you wish to be alone to read, write, pray, or meditate for the entire 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. retreat, that’s fine. You may leave whenever you like, but if possible, please start the day with us by 9:00 a.m.

Bring a bag lunch if you wish to eat at our mid-day time together; we’ll provide beverages.

There also will be opportunities to participate in several spiritual disciplines: finger labyrinth; meditating on icons; and singing bowls

8:30 a.m.        Fellowship Hall - bagels, coffee, and a brief overview of the day

9:00 a.m.        Silence begins

10:30 a.m.      The Rev. Dr. David C. Bellville offers a brief introduction to iconography

and leads guided meditation using icons in the Chapel

11:30 am         Silence resumes

12:30 p.m.       Mid-day time together (optional) – coffee, tea, and juices provided

1:00 p.m.         Rachel Rivera plays the singing bowls in the Chapel

2:00 p.m.         Silence resumes

2:45 p.m.         Gathering for a time of prayer together