Chimes 18 January 2026

Agnus Dei

Cláudio Pastro

Benedictine Monastery of Encantro

Parana, Brazil

Old Donation Episcopal Church

Weekly Chimes E-News

Second Sunday after the Epiphany

18 January 2026

Dear Old Donation,

After being here at Old Donation for about two months, I have been thinking a lot lately about what it really means to belong to a community. Not just to show up, but to feel known enough to relax and become your full self. I have felt that kind of belonging in churches before, like before I was a priest and when someone remembers your name without checking the directory, or when you miss a Sunday and someone notices, not to guilt you, but because your absence mattered. Belonging is not about fitting a mold or having everything figured out. It is about realizing that there is space for you as you are, and that your presence actually makes a difference.

In this weekend’s Gospel John points to Jesus and says, “This is the one,” and two disciples decide to follow him without a clear plan. Jesus turns around and asks a simple question. What are you looking for? Not what do you believe yet, or what do you have figured out, but what are you actually seeking. The invitation that follows is just as simple. “Come and see.” It is an invitation, not a demand. It is the beginning of a relationship rather than a test.

As the story unfolds, people start to change, sometimes before they even realize it. Simon is given a new name. Strangers become companions. Seekers become witnesses. No one arrives fully formed or perfectly certain. They are shaped through connection, through being noticed, through staying a little longer than they planned. As we move into this new year together, I keep returning to this quiet truth. Transformation happens where people feel they belong. Not because they have earned it, but because they are welcomed into it. Over time, we will be listening more closely to how God is calling us into deeper belonging with one another, and what kind of people we are becoming along the way.

If you are curious about this season of “Belonging,” I will be sharing more about that at our Annual Parish Meeting, next Sunday, 25 January! Please join us as we all continue to pray and grow as ODEC!

~Nelson+

I will Usher!

I need a name tag

Prayer List

Thursday

Healing Worship 10:00am in the Church
Bible Study 11:00am in Salisbury
St. Cecilia Choir Practice 7:00pm in the Church

Midday Munchers

Tomorrow! Thursday, 15 January 12:30pm

Please RSVP to CJ Godoy

CJ will confirm the location when you RSVP.

Parish Office Closed

THIS Monday, 19 January for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

REALM!

All active members have received an email to REALM, our new platform for parishioners. The email address from which it came is : and will look like the graphic below.

You will need to download the app and choose your preferences of what to show to others. At that point, you will be part of the directory. Exciting, but there may be growing pains. Please be patient!

Click below to download the app to your phone:

Link for Apple App

Link for Google App

All Saints' Annual Auction

Friday, 30 January 6:00pm - 9:30pm

Hors d'oeuvres, beverages, entertainment, auctions!

Click the graphic for full info!

Chanco is situated on 125 acres of woods surrounded by natural wildlife along the James River, located in Surry County.

It's not too early to start thinking about camp! Click the graphic to see what all is offered!

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.

Day School Registration for 2026/2027

Day School will have registration in January - watch for details!

Questions? Contact Sarah Wilson.

Sunday Readings

Worship Ministers

Please be sure to wear your name tag!

Adult Formation:

This week, join us for a presentation by Mal Higgins on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” written on April 16, 1963.

In 1963, Birmingham, Alabama’s white clergy—including the Episcopal Bishop of Alabama—published a letter in the local newspaper titled “A Call to Unity.” In it, they criticized Dr. King, his methods, and the work of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Dr. King wrote his now-famous letter while imprisoned in the Birmingham jail in response to their statement. In it, he challenges the clergy’s call for patience and “delay,” and confronts what he saw as their moral and theological failure to oppose injustice.

ODEC’s Becoming Beloved Community Commission considers this famous 1963 response of King is an important document in light of ongoing issues today.

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.