Shining the Light

Dear ones,

When I'm rushing and stressed, I can too easily slip into a closed mindset, where my own to-do list is my highest priority. It is important to pause from time to time to appreciate everyone else's responsibilities, be they to public health and safety, creative endeavors, education, or service. When I do pause, I realize and remember how much I need, value, and appreciate those efforts and the people whose work differs from my own. 

Labor Day offers a necessary reminder of our interconnectedness. More specifically, I'm reminded of my own dependence on the efforts of those all around me, who "both night and day work while others sleep," to quote a prayer from the compline service. That same prayer goes on to ask God to "grant that we may never forget that our common life depends on each other's toil." 

Another prayer to hold in mind this weekend, also from our prayer book, is a Collect for Labor Day:

Almighty God, you have so linked our lives one with another that all we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives: So guide us in the work we do, that we may do it not for self alone, but for the common good; and, as we seek a proper return for our own labor, make us mindful of the rightful aspirations of other workers, and arouse our concern for those who are out of work; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

May our interdependence be a source of joy and blessing. Happy Labor Day weekend to all.

Dorota+

Services will resume at 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. beginning Sunday, September 4.

Each Wednesday at 8:30pm members of St. Andrew's meet via this Zoom Compline link for a brief service of contemplative nighttime prayers. All are welcome to join. For those who do not have a copy of the BCP at home, you may download this Compline booklet.

Today's reading from the Letter to the Hebrews notes that God is present when strangers eat together. However, Rev. Dorota Wright-Pruski reminds us that these relationships depend not on food, but on hospitality. Relationships deepen when strangers treat each other as honored guests. To embrace this practice, we can start small by greeting strangers we encounter, or by stretching our comfort zone to spend time with people who are different from us.

After a two month hiatus, our "First Sunday" monthly breakfast is back on Sunday, September 11 from 9:00-10:00am in the undercroft. Join us!

Join us for a series of five sessions intended to encourage Christians to speak and act on behalf of God's good creation. Using the House of Bishop's Pastoral Teaching on the Environment, the Bible, and the Book of Common Prayer, we will discover important ways that the church can respond faithfully to the mounting social and environmental challenges of our time.

Youth and adult sessions will run concurrently on Sundays from 9:00 - 9:45 a.m., beginning September 25 and ending October 23. To learn more contact Rev. Dorota (adults) or Mallory Nonnemaker (youth). Register here.

Please wear your nametags at church throughout September. As we find our rhythm with our regular worship schedule, school routines, and work flow, we often see new faces in the pews. Let's be prepared to greet each other warmly and show hospitality to our visitors!

Now is a great time to log in to our online church directory to check your contact information and/or update your photo.

If you've never logged in online, go to https://members.instantchurchdirectory.com and following the prompts under "Sign In" to "Create a login now." You will need to use your email address as listed in the directory to create a log-in the first time you use the online directory. Not sure what email address might be in the directory or if you're even in the directory? Contact the parish administrator, who will be happy to help!

The much-needed wifi upgrade to the campus is complete, which gives us greater signal, bandwidth, and flexibility to support our work today and into the future. We have a network for use by all who come to St. Andrew's; the credentials are:

Network name: SAEC-Access

Password: Andalsowithyou!

There are additional options available for ministry leaders who might need additional bandwidth and/or wired connections; contact the Parish Administrator or Mark Seip to learn more.

The community picnic is back! Join us for one combined worship service on Sunday, September 18 at 10:00 a.m., followed by a picnic, outdoor fun, and fellowship. The picnic will include games, crafts, face painting, balloon animals and more! Bring a dessert or side dish to share; burgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs and drinks will be provided. Bring friends, family, or neighbors -- all are welcome! RSVP and sign up to help here., or sign up on the bulletin board outside of Rev. Dorota's office.

The next quarterly meeting of St. Anne’s Guild will be Tuesday, September 13 at 11:30 am in the lounge. We are pleased to have seminarian Brandon Nonnemaker as our guest speaker. He will be sharing his faith journey which has led him to seek ordination to the priesthood.  If you would like to learn more about the Guild and enjoy fellowship with Brandon and others in an informal setting, please know you are welcome to join us. Buffet lunch will follow the meeting, and dishes are always fun and delicious!  Bring a sandwich to share. Beverages and desserts are provided.

Glorious Companions will resume its weekly Wednesday morning meetings at 10:30 am in the Lounge on September 21. Please read through page 35 in our new book — A Severed Wasp — by Madeleine L’Engle. New members are always welcome. Please join us. You needn’t be “glorious”; we aren’t. Just be a “companion”!

Interested in helping make this celebration a success? Sign up here!

100^th Birthday Celebration

The next few Sundays a large card will be available for folks to send a message to Trudy. Even if you have not had the privilege of meeting her, please feel free to sign and send greetings as she reaches this milestone. Members of St Anne’s, Glorious Companions and Congregational Care will join Rev. Dorota on the 15^th to have communion with Trudy and present the card and gifts. 

Thanks to Carol Kiranbay for hosting a wonderful meeting of the Murder Mystery Book Club on August 20! We enjoyed great food, fellowship, and a few trips down memory lane as we discussed Kate Charles' book Evil Intent. Next up is Wicked Autumn: A Max Tudor Novel by G.M. Malliet. This first book in a series about an MI5 agent-turned-vicar "sharply skewers the quintessential English village in a cunningly modern version of the traditional drawing room mystery. Wickedly entertaining, it’s the perfect choice for Agatha Christie fans." We'll meet in the early spring to discuss it, so there's plenty of time to dive into this newest choice. Happy reading!

On Monday Great Outdoor Solutions, led by Billy Nunley, did drainage work in the Memorial Garden. At the end of the job the crew had no further tasks for the day. Billy saw that there was still a large pile of mulch to be moved to the Playground, so he told his crew to move that pile at no cost to St. Andrew's. Many thanks to Billy and his crew!

I will be away Thursday and Friday of this week to travel to Indiana for my mother-in-law's funeral, which has been postponed for the past two years due to Covid. The church office will also be closed Monday September 5 in observance of Labor Day. I will return Tuesday September 6. - Emily

This week we pray for: Trudy Koczyk, Henry Schmidt, Paul Thorton, Derek Cruz-Nagoski, June Dudley, Debbie Green, Paul and Kate Bayes and the people of Ukraine.

We pray for the repose of the soul of Walter Ratcliff, former parishioner, who died August 14.

Would you like to add a name to the prayer list? If so, please email the church office with your request. Names will be kept on the prayer list for about a month unless otherwise specified, and will be published weekly in Shining the Light.   

Emily watered the garden on Tuesday and Thursday this week. On Saturday, Mallory, Finley, Fletcher, Finley, Samira, Lydia, Teddi, Jen, Steve, Anne, and Ted tied up tomatoes, picked and packed kale, zucchini, peppers, and tomatoes. The weather was very pleasant. Anne and Ted delivered 97.5 pounds to Rock Spring Congregational Church on Saturday. Our poundage for the season is now up to 1853.8 pounds!

Our next work day is scheduled for Saturday, September 3, starting at 9:00am (our alternate rain date is Sunday, September 4 at 11:00am). We will harvest more, and weed and tie up peppers and tomatoes! To join us, please sign up through our Sign-Up Genius. See you in the garden!

If you are able to drive the donations to AFAC for a contactless delivery, please sign-up here. Here is a list of items AFAC accepts.Thank you to Carol Kiranbay for taking our most recent haul to AFAC.

The Diocese of Virginia will be hosting new Sacred Ground Circles beginning the week of September 11. Sacred Ground is a sensitive, prayerful resource that creates space for difficult but respectful and transformative dialogue on race and racism. It holds at its center a vision of Beloved Community where all of God’s children are honored, protected, nurtured and flourish. If you are interested in learning more about the program, contact the Rev. Dr. J. Lee Hill, Jr., diocesan Missioner for Racial Justice and Healing or Chris Cameron, member of the Ministry for Racial Justice and Healing. Register here.