Greetings!

Old Donation is on a roll! Last Sunday was a beautiful day, and we spent it with lots of smiling faces enjoying pumpkins, chili, fellowship and treats.

And this coming Sunday it continues! We will be celebrating All Saints Sunday, remembering loved ones and renewing our baptismal covenant. At the offertory we will offer back to God our pledges—made both in person or online—for thanksgiving and blessing. And then, after the 10:30 service, we will hold a forum in the Great Hall; lunch and childcare will be provided. As always, lots going on, and it’s all intended to nurture our faith and our community. So please join us! Old Donation is a community of faith that is gifted in worship, music, service, fellowship, and formation. And at its heart, this congregation is deeply caring, and deeply committed to faith-full living. So in spite of these challenging times, it is still a wonderful place to belong, to love, and to be blessed. Be there! And we look forward to seeing you.

Faithfully,

Mimi+

Thursday:

Healing Worship with Holy Eucharist 10:00am in the Church

Bible Study 11:00am in Canterbury

Choir Practice

7:00pm in the Church. Contact Zach Moats if you need info!

Saturday:

Beach Bags Prep

THIS Saturday, 31 October 9:00am Canterbury. Old Donation partners with Pembroke Elementary on the Beach Bags program. This program prepares food items for children for their weekend meals. We prepare for several weeks at one time thus not requiring much of your time. It generally takes about an hour to prep. Questions? Call, text 757-802-1671 or email Maureen Jacques.

Pledge In-gathering / All Saints’

All Saints is one of the four biggest days in the Church year. We give thanks for all the faithful who have blazed a trail. On this day we thank God for the saints who have taught us how to live faithfully, and following their example, we rededicate ourselves to God’s mission and ministry.

On this day each year we make our own commitments of financial stewardship to support ODEC in its mission and ministry. Come celebrate our parish, its saints, and make a pledge that will bless God’s work in the coming year. 

Remember to Fall Back Saturday Night! You get an extra hour to prayerfully consider your 2027 pledge.

As always, we invite you to bring photos of your loved ones who have gone before. You can place these on the table in the Great Hall, or in the windows in the Church. We will be surrounded by our great cloud of witnesses.

Today is the LAST CALL for you to email us names of loved ones that have died in the last year.

Monday!

Oyster Roast Jam Making!

Monday, 2 November 4:00pm in the kitchen

Oyster Roast Info!

It's right around the corner: 21 November. We need volunteers ☩ baked goods ☩ books ☩ silent auction items ☩ white elephant items. Click on the graphic ➡️for ALL info and points of contact! The POD is here, so clean out your closets!

Click HERE to sign up where you'd like to help before, day-of, and after!

New to ODEC?

Are you new(ish) to ODEC, and have not been welcomed by email? If so, please email Gretchen so we can officially welcome you to our ODEC family.

Please remember to wear your name tag!

Adult Forum in Tucker Hall

Cloud of Witnesses - in an ecclesiology where "we are all saints," how does the Episcopal Church determine who is recognized for special remembrance? With Karen Meridith.

3rd - 5th Grade - Coventry

Humbled and Exalted with Sharon Weeks and Paige Martin.

Rite 13 in Canterbury

Made in God's Image - Spirituality: How do I connect with God? With Marty Martin and CJ Godoy.

J2A in Alfriend House

Laying the Foundations: Spirituality: God of the Old and New with Dan Ries and Sherry Caruana.

We hope everyone in our church family will join us for this important event as we Move Forward in Faith. Please mark your calendar because YOU are ODEC and we need each of you. Lunch is provided, and fun for the children in Tucker Hall.

Parish Forum will be in the Great Hall, directly following 10:30am worship in the Church.

Altar Flower Dedications

Would you like to dedicate flowers in loving memory of or thanksgiving for someone dear to you? Email Janet, and we will let the Flower Guild know. The dedication is included in the Sunday bulletin. The cost is $75.

Loose offerings this week go to the Rector's Discretionary Fund.

Cycles of Prayer - Week of November 1

In our Diocesan Cycle of Prayers, we pray for St. Johns’s, Portsmouth and Trinity, Portsmouth; for Episcopal Church Women (ECW); and for the Order of the Daughters of the King (DOK). We also pray for our chaplains, military members, their families, and for those serving in Connecticut at Naval Submarine Base New London, Bradley Air National Guard Base, Camp Niantic, Coast Guard Station New Haven, Federal Correctional Institution Danbury, and the VA Connecticut Healthcare System.

Morning Star Baptist Church 140th Anniversary Celebration

Come and celebrate and strengthen our relationship with our Baptist friends.

Saturday, 7 November | 4:00–6:00pm Union Baptist Church | Tickets: $60 Wish to attend? Please give cash or a check payable to Morning Star Baptist Church to Mal Higgins or Tony Richardson. Payment deadline is Friday, 23 October. For more info, click HERE.

Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Tribe’s 38th Annual Corn Harvest Powwow

Join tour BBC commission on Sunday, 8 November at noon near Courtland, VA, for Native American dancing, drumming, crafts, food, and cultural exhibits.

Admission: $10; seniors 65+ $7. 🚌 ODEC bus may be available with sufficient interest, departing at 10:00am. Bus riders should plan on 8:00am or 5:00pm worship! Contact Mal Higgins at 757-777-8881 for details.

Director of Admin & Comms: Gretchen Hood

Parish Secretary: Janet Castro

Senior Warden: Bill Waide

Interim Rector: The Rev. Mimi Lacy