Dragon Tales for Jan. 16, 2019

Dragon Tales

E-News

January 16, 2019

A Note from Jeff

A true philosophical puzzler – Can there truly be a Youth Group without lock-ins? Sorry! It really isn’t a puzzler at all – the answer is a resounding NO!

Thank goodness our youth group has two of them coming up. The first one is the MLK Jr. Lock-In on Jan 20-21, at Memorial Church in Bolton Hill, Baltimore. At this lock-in we will have the chance to renew some friendships with others from the diocese and meets lots of new folks. It will be a great blend of service, civic action, fellowship and, of course, fun.

We are reaching a bit further from our own backyard, but what we learn in Baltimore will certainly be applicable here in our own neighborhood. If you are interested, there is still time to sign up. You can find all the details and the registration form online at http://episcopalmarylandyouth.weebly.com/events.html. While we will have fun, the MLK lock-in definitely has serious overtones.

The lock-in we are planning for February will be anything but serious – except for some serious fun! On Saturday, February 16 ^th, Presidents' Day Weekend, we will gather at 6 p.m. for a night of food, fellowship, games, and maybe a movie. We spend a lot of time exploring some deep subjects and engaging in service to others. It just seems like the right thing to do to kick back a bit and just enjoy each other’s company for an evening. In a bit of a shift, instead of ordering pizza we are going to cook our own dinner right at the church. We will design the menu, do all the prep and cooking, and of course, the clean-up, and we’ll have fun doing it, too. The only cost will be donating some menu ingredients. We will roll from our lock-in into church the next morning, so be on the lookout for some bleary eyes! (Hey, all you awesome adult volunteers – you know what I’m going to ask next, right?)

And while we are on the topic of lock-ins, I heard a terrific suggestion earlier this year from one of our youth. Instead of having a lock-in, maybe we are really having a sleep-over with Jesus! I love that!

MLK Youth Lock-in on Jan. 20-21

A diocesan youth event -- a Martin Luther King Jr. Lock-In for grades 6-12 will be held on Sunday, Jan. 20 at 7:00 pm – Monday, Jan. 21 at 3:00 pm at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Baltimore, Cost is simply a donation for food pantry or warming bags. This lock-in, for youth in middle and high school celebrates the life and mission of Dr. MLK Jr.! The evening is focused on the sin of racism, how to continue our work to dismantle it, a film about overcoming racism, and discussion. There will also be time for fellowship and food. On Monday, participants take time to create posters, work on a service project, and march in the parade alongside Memorial, Bolton Hill. Please join us as we take steps for the Jesus Movement! For questions contact Jeff Conover at [email protected].

Day School News

Our nationally recognized Day School for ages 2-Kindergarten will hold an Open House for prospective families on Thursday and Friday, January 17 and 18 from 9:15 to 11:15 a.m. Registration for the 2019-20 school year begins January 25th.

Registration for the school's themed summer camps is now open! All camp sessions for 4-10 year olds run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. All camp sessions for 3 year olds run MWF 9am-1pm, 9am-3pm or M-F 9am-3pm. All camp sessions for 2 year olds run T, TH 9am-12pm.

VOTE FOR SMDS ON HULA FROG UNTIL 2/1

Our St. Margaret's Day School has been nominated as one of the favorite schools of this area by the family site Hulafrog. If you would like to vote for them, CLICK HERE.

For more information on any of these activities, go to www.stmargaretsdayschool.org .

Annual Meeting on January 27

St. Margaret's Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, Jan. 27, around 12:45 p.m. in the Parish Hall. A potluck lunch will be held after the 11:15 a.m. service that day. Parishioners will hear about our successes and challenges and will vote on our new set of vestry members. Childcare will be provided. If you can assist with set up or clean up, please let Kathy Lang know at [email protected].

Beverages of coffee and water will be provided. We ask that parishioners with the last names starting with

A-G - Bring side dishes;

H-O - Bring entree dishes; and

P-Z - Bring desserts.

Winter Relief is Coming!

Look for the Winter Relief volunteer sign-up starting January 27th!

Judy Hall and friends will have a table on Sunday mornings during coffeehour or you can

Alliance Event at St. Margaret's

On Thursday, Jan. 24, from 6 to 9 p.m., support the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and attend their 2019 Wild & Scenic Film Festival here at St. Margaret's. The event brings together incredible selections of films that inform, inspire, and ignite solutions and possibilities to restore the earth and human communities while creating a positive future for the next generation. Festival-goers can expect to see award winning films about nature, community activism, adventure, conservation, water, energy and climate change, wildlife, environmental justice, agriculture, Native American and indigenous cultures. You can purchase tickets HERE.

Scouts Sunday on Feb. 10

Scouting Sunday at St. Margaret's will be held on Sunday, Feb. 10th. Both Boys and Girls Scouts in the area are offered an opportunity to assist the ushers with their duties during the 9:00 or the 11:15 a.m. service where the congregation will recognize them during the service.

Neighborhoods Efforts at St. Margaret's

We are implementing a new Neighborhoods effort, providing a new way to stay connected with St. Margaret’s and your fellow Dragonslayers. While we draw parishioners from several zip codes, we are concentrated in the middle of Anne Arundel County. But you might not know that some of your neighbors attend a different service time. We hope that by knowing your neighbors, you will be able to take care of each other better by staying in touch throughout the year. If you are willing to be a Neigborhood leader, contact the Rev. Peter at

[email protected].

Grants Liaisons Needed

This is the time of year the grants committee begins reviewing the applications for the 2019 Endowment Grants Program. Parishioners who would like a very short but very meaningful opportunity to assist the committee by being a liaison (a contact) with one of the finalist applicants can email Izzy Winn immediately at [email protected] . A 45-minute required training session will be given to those who have signed up on Sunday, Feb. 3 at 10:20am between services. Izzy will be confirming with everyone who previously signed up at the missions fair in October.

Upcoming Coffeehouse on Feb. 9

Rockin' the Hall Cafe - Shake off that winter chill with the warmth of good people and good music. Local band 21012 and our own Third Sunday Band will provide the entertainment for this evening in the Fellowship Hall at St Margaret's. Kids welcome. Snacks and drinks will be available. BYOB for other refreshments. Doors open at 5:30. Music begins at 6 p.m.

Service Scheduling Calendar

Our Service Calendar is now available on our website. Look for the "Quick Links" tab at the bottom. Our system software company says that the linked version is "live" to reflect any changes or swaps. You still need to use the system to change dates, but at least it will reflect in a shared schedule now. That "live" schedule is what we will use for bulletins.