April 18, 2024

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

Greetings beloved St. Georgians,

Alleluia, Christ is risen! I want to catch up with you on a few things.  

I am so thankful to the 130 people who responded to our parish survey. We received a lot of thoughtful comments with a variety of feelings and ideas. The clergy and vestry are reflecting deeply and prayerfully on what you have shared. We want to share a report with you in May, giving us additional time to discern how best to summarize the results and how to respond. The survey confirmed for me that our congregation cares deeply about our life together, which is a blessing! I think we will grow in faith and fellowship as a result of this sharing. Again, thank you for engaging in this important feedback process.  

The survey did make clear a desire for greater overall transparency around how decisions happen in our parish. In the recent mailing that accompanied the quarterly giving statements, I reminded everyone that we are planning a capital fundraising campaign this fall for a project we are calling “Open to All in Love.” On Sunday, April 28, vestry members and I will again be available to share details of where we are with this project and receive feedback, as we are still in the feasibility and planning phase. I’ll be in Faulkner Hall at 12:30 pm and again at 4:30 pm that day.

Also in a spirit of sharing clearly, I want to give plenty of notice that on Sunday, May 5, at all services, we will hold an exit drill. At the end of each service, we will simply practice leaving the church in an orderly and efficient manner. This drill is part of a larger safety effort from the vestry to improve our preparedness in the case that we would need to evacuate the nave during worship (for any number of reasons). There will be more communication about this between now and May 5. Thank you to the vestry and other leaders who are working on this.  

Let’s keep catching up! Feel free to be in touch with questions or concerns or to schedule a coffee sometime. Take care.

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

YogaVoice Workshop with Mark Moliterno

During the month of April, St. George’s is offering the YogaVoice wellness program to the St. George’s community at no charge. No experience in Yoga is required, and all techniques are adaptable to ensure individual comfort and success. There will be 1-hour introductory sessions led by Director of Music Ministries John Vreeland on April 15th, and 22nd at 7 pm in the choir room. The YogaVoice workshop, led by founder Mark Moliterno, will take place on April 26 – 28. You can find more information on our website or you can sign up here.

Concert Series Continues - This Sunday

Our monthly concert series continues this Sunday, April 21 at 3 pm with The Portland Guitar Duo. Don't miss this afternoon of classical guitar music. The concert is free with donations accepted at the door. 

Seeking Dinner Group Leaders

Do you love to host? Are you willing to give some time and space in your life to help other St. Georgians feel belonging? We’re forming a new cohort of leaders for a new season of our Dinner Groups, intentional small groups that meet weekly or every other week for 8 weeks, simply to build community and help each other belong. All groups have two co-hosts, and you get to decide when and where your group meets. For more information or to volunteer, please contact Fr. Will.  

• 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) – This Sunday is the nextt session in our series, Life Together, exploring friendship, led by Jennifer Vaughan and fellow parishioners.

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 wtih the congregation in May.

Youth Group Bake Sale

This Sunday during Coffee Hour, our Youth Group will be holding a bake sale to benefit their upcoming trip to the Fred Nats and other ministries. Come ready to enjoy some delicious treats!

Docent Tours During Historic Garden Week

Garden Day, sponsored by the Rappahannock Valley Garden Club, will feature tours of gardens in lower Caroline Street on Tuesday, April 23, as part of Historic Garden Week in Virginia. St. George's will have docents -- BL Trayhos, Gina Moriarty and Craig Rains -- on duty from 10 am - 4 pm on April 23 to welcome visitors to the downtown area.

Avis Harris ECW Meeting - April 24

The Avis Harris ECW will have a meeting on Wednesday, April 24, at 5:30 pm in Sydnor Hall. Suzi Valentine will make a presentation about her pilgrimage to the church of Padre Pio, a patron saint of healing in the Catholic Church. All women of St. George’s are invited to attend. For inquiries, please contact Diane Young.

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 back to St. George’s percussionist, 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. 

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. 

Personal Prayer Ministers (PPM) 

Each Sunday at the 9 am and 11:15 am services, there is a person sitting quietly during communion on the left of the nave (partially hidden by the piano). This is a Personal or Healing Prayer Minister, a person trained to hear prayers in your heart you wish to have sent to God. In addition to their training, each person is blessed by clergy prior to moving to the prayer corner. All are welcome to come to this sacred space at either of these services after receiving communion. The front pew is reserved for anyone who is waiting for the PPM. 

This Sunday, April 21, we will host a guest speaker who is very experienced in prayer ministry. Randall Clinginpeel is a member of Trinity Church, a graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary, and an active prayer minister. This meeting will be at 1:30 pm in Faulkner Hall. It is open to anyone who wishes to have more information on prayer ministry. After the program, Joe Hensley and I will be happy to give you more information should you think this is a call you might like to follow. For additional information, call (540.809.6566) or email Vicki Lewis.

Shrine Mont Sunday - April 28 

Join us at the Adult Forum on 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. 

JaM Concert – Friday, April 26 

JaM (Jazz and a Mission) has their next concert Friday, 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. 

Pastoral Care 

We are here for you throughout your faith journey and the ups and downs of day-to-day life. To request prayer, contact the church office or submit an online prayer request here. You can also call the church office during our office hours to speak with a member of clergy: 540.373.4133.  

If you have a pastoral emergency (e.g., death, loss of job) and need to speak with clergy urgently, please call or text our pastoral emergency phone at: 540.361.8573 to reach clergy on call. 

Sign Up to Bring Dinner to Our College Students 

At The House, our college students gather weekly for dinner on Tuesday nights from 5-7pm and members of our three supporting church communities take turns bringing dinner and joining us in fellowship. If you'd like to sign up to provide dinner one week, please sign up at the attached link here. With questions, please contact Fr. Ethan, our campus missioner