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NEWS FROM ST. MARY'S
A community of Christian worship, well-being, & service.
Weekend of Jan. 25th & 26th, 2020
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Called To Walk In The Light
Dear Friends,
This week has been a good one at St. Mary's, a hopeful time of reflecting and planning. We had a vestry meeting in which we reviewed our 2019 ministry and took stock of what God has accomplished through our ministry and hard work as a church. We celebrated the growing number of members who engaged in some kind of ministry or leadership. It is wonderful to know that thirty-one new members joined St. Mary's last year. We are grateful for the generosity of our members and the hard work of our Historic Church Renewal Team and the Funding Team. As a result of all that was offered, we are close to the end of the second phase of the restoration project. The exterior is within days of completion. We have paid for the entire project with gifts and grants; mostly gifts. Though the project was more expensive than anticipated, we even have a bit of money left over. That is truly amazing! We also look back at the last year and note that our pledged giving was $20,000 over budget. This represents a twenty percent increase in actual giving in 2019 over 2018. We can all be delighted to see that at 10:30 last Sunday we had a growing group of children heading to Sunday School, as thirty or so adults headed to Bible Study. If you have been with us in worship you may have experienced, in the words of one of our hymns, "there is a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place."
We are also as a church community taking a look forward. We do this with care, taking stock of where we are, listening to each other and the community and most importantly discerning God's call to us. We know some of what is in store for St. Mary's in 2020. We will be planning carefully for staffing our church. We are beginning a series on race and faith. We want to continue the restoration of the historic church interior. Most significantly, we want to deepen spiritually and build on the foundations that have been set in 2019. Invite, Welcome, Connect is the primary focus of our community life. Having experienced some tangible and significant development from this ministry, we are excited to see how God will use us in the coming year to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
This weekend our good news is about sharing light and following God's call. Michael Templeton will be our preacher and I hope you will be a part of our worship. Arise, shine, for our light has come!
The Rev. Jennifer Pedrick
Rector, St. Mary's Episcopal Church
A community of Christian Worship, Well-being and Service
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-W O R S H I P-
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness... - Psalm 96
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Third Sunday After The Epiphany
"The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light. . ." Matthew 4
Access the readings (track 2)
HERE
Liturgical Ministry Assignments:
Saturday 5PM
LEM:
Bob Vergnani
Sunday 9AM
Crucifer:
Steve Downing
Acolytes:
Andrew Silveria, Sarah Freitas
Lectors:
Andrew Nash (1st), Carol McOsker (2nd)
Intercessor: Ann Gizzi
LEM: Michelle Freitas
Greeters: Ann Gizzi, Lauren Lima
Counters
Karen Spohn,
David Brierley
Coffee Hour Hosts: Cindy Jilling, Rita Verespy
Altar Guild:
Carol Brierley
Joanne Garcia
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-W E L L - B E I N G-
Growing into the full stature of Christ... - Ephesians 4
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PRAYER SHAWL PRAYER
While you have seen the wonderful productivity by the St. Mary's Prayer Shawl Ministry of hats, gloves, scarves, and mittens in recent issues, you may not have seen this beautiful blessing prayer, published on the St. Mary's Website, which accompanies each shawl given to a recipient of one of these beautiful works of fiber art.
"May this shawl enfold you, encircle you and empower you.
May this shawl show you that you are loved.
It is a shawl of protection, wholeness, strength, healing and patience."
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Bishop's Visit
Our bishop will be visiting St. Mary's on February 22nd @ 5 pm, Feb. 23rd @ 9 am, and will offer the rites of Confirmation, and Reception for those who wish. Rehearsal for Confirmation and Reception candidates is 8:15 am on Feb. 23rd.
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Adult Bible Study Continues This Sunday, January 26th
10:30 -11:15 in the Adult Education Room
Our Theme for our Winter-Spring Journey~The Kingdom of God.
Throughout the gospels Jesus is found preaching and teaching about the Kingdom of God. He compares it to so many things; a tiny seed, a hidden treasure, even a bit of leaven. He also invites us to seek the Kingdom of God, to live in it and surprisingly, to find it nestled in the human heart.
You are invited to come when you can and hopefully, you can come often!
Karen Laroche will once again be our leader and guide.
Scriptures:
Last Week 1/19 A Mustard Seed Spirituality~ If you have the faith of a mustard seed, you have all the faith you need! Matthew 13:31-32 Ezekiel 17:22-24
Upcoming 1/26 Luke 8:1-15 (The same story, with a different emphasis is found in Mark 4:1-20 and Matthew 13:1-23). Isaiah 55
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Children's classes continue after the 9 am service.
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Hearing assistance technology available at St. Mary's Services
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-S E R V I C E-
Let the greatest among you be the servant...
- Matthew 23
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Cleanup at Gull Cove
Join the teen group and Clean Ocean Access on Saturday, February 1, 2020 at 12 PM - 2 PM for a beach cleanup at Gull Cove in Portsmouth, RI. Gull Cove is located off of Route 24 North.
Sign up today and complete your PAPERLESS waiver:
Questions, contact Jenny
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MLKC Food Pantry, 2019 St. Mary's Totals
Thanks to all of the members and friends of St. Mary's who contributed to our Tree of Light food donation drive over the Advent season! The MLK Food Pantry picked up our donations, which amounted to 993 pounds of food, personal care, and household cleaning products. That made St. Mary's total contributions in 2019 to the Food Pantry 3780 pounds, valued at $6,350 (based on $1.68 per pound, a standard established by the non-profit hunger relief organization Feeding America).
Weekly donation baskets are located at the main entrance to the Parish House. Volunteers deliver donations each week to the food pantry. The MLK Food Pantry serves those in need throughout Jamestown, Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, and Tiverton and Little Compton.
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CONGRATULATIONS TUCK FUND RECIPIENTS
Congratulations to Michael Adkins, Bella DeAngelo, Cali Hall, Savannah G. Kacher, Abby Kaull, Jane Kaull, Cece Lord Harvey, Sara Lundberg, Connor Pratt, and Claire Williams. These ten St. Mary's students received $2000 each in scholarship money from the Adeline Tuck Fund. This money will be used for undergraduate and graduate studies in the Spring semester 2020.
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ALTAR FLOWER REQUESTS
Many parishioners ask how to go about ordering altar flowers in memory of someone or to mark a certain occasion, etc. If you are interested there are 3 dates open; March 14/15 & March 21/22 Please contact Ann Gizzi (401-846-6282), if interested in one or more of those dates.
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COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
ANNUAL MEETING:
St. Mary's Annual Meeting is on Sunday Feb. 2nd at 10:30 am in St. George's Chapel.
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St. Mary's Website News
An easy way to get to past issues of the SMC ENews!
Have you ever missed the ENews in your email? Or lost, or deleted it all together? Fret no more. We have made retreiving the weekly St. Mary's ENews easier and quicker! Here's how.
1. Home Page - Under My St. Mary's, click on ENEWS. Here you will find...
- A link to the latest edition of the ENews
- Archived back issues of the ENews (10 weeks worth)
- A link to a form to sign up to receive our ENews
2. Scroll down a bit on the Home Page to What's Up? Section. Here you will find...
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A direct link to the Latest Edition
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A link to the ENews page described above.
Either way, the St. Mary's ENews is now just a click away.
for even more St. Mary's information.
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CENSUS TAKING OPPORTUNITIES
Every ten years the U.S. Census Bureau must conduct a nationwide census. The next Decennial Census will be taken in April 2020. The Census Bureau is currently seeking to hire local residents to assist with the work. The jobs feature great pay, $25 per hour for Census Takers in Rhode Island. The work starts in May and is expected to last 6-8 weeks. The hours and days are flexible, pay is weekly, and there is also paid training and mileage pay. The assignments are in your own community. The application process in all online and no resume is required. For more information or to apply online, visit
Learn how you can help collect important data that will determine your state's representation in Congress, as well as how funds are spent in your community on things like roads, schools and hospitals.
Best regards
Edith M Kloss
Recruiting Assistant
Providence Area Office
U.S. Census Bureau
Field Division
If you have news or an announcement that you'd like to be added to this e-newsletter, please email:
[email protected]
Submissions needed by Wednesdays to be added to the weekend e-
news.
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**Please Note:
As we are entering the season when common illnesses are more prevalent, if you are not feeling well, it may be helpful to abstain from the Cup during Holy Communion.
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IMPORTANT, PLEASE NOTE: EMAIL
HACKERS ARE OUT THERE.
Recently, many, many organizations, especially churches have been the targets of fraudulent emails.
They often appear to be from the rector or a staff member. They usually ask for money or personal information.
If an email looks suspicious before you open it, trust your instinct and DO NOT open it.
If you are unsure, DO NOT open it.
If you do open an email and it appears to be asking for money or personal information, DO NOT REPLY and DO NOT send money.
Jennifer and the SMC staff and leaders will NEVER ask you for money directly via email.
You can always call or send an email to us if you are not sure. We are aware of the problem and this is part of the technology age in which we live and there is very little that can be done to stop this annoyance, but we should be mindful when opening and replying to emails always.
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STAFF:
Parish House Hours:
Sunday 7 am to 12 pm; closed on Monday
Tuesday through Friday, 9 am to 3 pm; and by special arrangement with the Parish Administrator, Karen Laroche
([email protected]).
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