February 2025 Formation Email

February Formation at St. Mary's: LOVE

This month our Family Dinner will take place just two days before Valentines Day. We thought that gave us a great reason to talk about love!

RSVP for our Family Dinner on Wednesday, February 12. We will be serving hotdogs and beans, soup, salad, and cookies. If you able to prepare, serve or clean up please sign up to help!

In addition to our Family Dinners we have some other formation opportunities coming up over the next few months. Keep reading to learn more about our Episcopal Beliefs and Practices Class and a Lenten Book Group.

Read-a-long: Love

This month's read-a-long is "Love" by Matt De La Peña and Loren Long. It is read by Judy Hall, coming to us all the way from Naples, Florida! Judy serves at St. Mary's on our Outreach Team, our Hospitality Team, and as a greeter.

Look for a hard copy of the book when you head into church on Sunday.

Conversation starters from "LOVE":

What if we re-read the story and replaced the word "love" with "God"? Would that change the story?

Is God love and is love God? Can you have one without the other?

Where do you find love? In places? In people? And where do you feel and see God?

The Bishop is coming!

Our Bishop will be visiting St. Mary's in early May, which means there is an opportunity for people to be Confirmed or Received in the Episcopal Church.

Confirmation is available for those in 7th grade and up. Reception is available for anyone who has been confirmed in another denomination and wants to formally commit to the Episcopal Church. Please email Jennifer if you are interested in either, and see below to learn more about the classes being offered to prepare!

Formation Offerings at St. Mary's

Episcopal Beliefs and Practices

In preparation for the Bishop's visit, Jennifer and Meaghan will be offering a six class series that explores what the Episcopal Church believes and how those beliefs are practiced in our common life together. The class will use the book Walk in Love as it's foundation and will be engaging and fun. While this is perfect for those preparing for Confirmation or Reception, it will also be a rich and helpful class for people in any part of their walk of faith.

Join us Sundays after church in St. George's Chapel:

February 23

March 2, 16, 23, 30

April 6

Lenten Book Group

Join Jenny Williams and The Rev. Meaghan Brower on Wednesday afternoons in Lent for a book group on An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor.

Join us Wednedays at 4pm in the Southside Classroom of the Parish House:

March 12, 26

April 2, 9, 16

On March 19 the adult discussion at the Family Dinner will be centered around this book. Please join us in the evening that week!

Watch the video above for Jennifer's answer!

ASK A PRIEST

Each month we'll feature a question from the congregation and see what our clergy will have to say! Submit your question to formation@smcportsmouth.org.

This month's question was submitted by Noah:

What does the Episcopal Church view the Wiccans? Do we accept them or do we think of them as evil?

FAMILY DINNERS: Save the Dates

Everyone in the St. Mary's Family (that means you!) is invited to join us for our monthly intergenerational Family Dinner in St. George's Chapel from 6-8pm. We will eat our meal together and then the children and adults will have separate programs. The evening will end with the brief service of Compline service. Dinner is provided.

Save the dates for future dinners:

February 12

March 19

April 9

May 14

FORMATION IN ACTION:

PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY

Each Wednesday at 10am our knitters

meet in the Adult Ed Room in the office to knit and crochet prayer shawls. These shawls are given to people all over our communuity to provide support and care during different times of their lives. Baptism blankets are given to those baptized at St. Mary's. Everyone is welcome to join this group, and the company is as lovely as the shawls made in that space! Email Susan Kelchner for more information!

RESOURCE CORNER:

THE DAILY OFFICE

In her sermon Sunday, Meaghan talked about the Compline service as a "well-worn path to God." Anyone can pray Compline, or any of the daily prayers from the Daily Office, at any time. You can find those prayers in the Book of Common Prayer, but technology also makes it easy! The Daily Office app can be installed on your phone, or you can visit the website to have immediate access to the prayers throughout the day. For morning and evening prayer the assigned readings are already included!

The Daily Office

St. Mary's After Hours

Missed church last weekend? Don't have time to watch the whole Facebook livestream? We've got you covered! A weekly podcast is now available with simply the gospel and the sermon from each Sunday. Listen in your car, on a walk, or while you do the dishes! You can find the podcast directly on the podcast streaming website or in Apple Podcasts.

St Mary's Church | www.smcportsmouth.org