Happy New Year!

Beannacht: A Blessing for the New Year 



By John O'Donohue

On the day when

The weight deadens

On your shoulders

And you stumble,

May the clay dance

To balance you.

And when your eyes

Freeze behind

The grey window

And the ghost of loss

Gets in to you,

May a flock of colours,

Indigo, red, green,

And azure blue,

Come to awaken in you

A meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays

In the currach of thought

And a stain of ocean

Blackens beneath you,

May there come across the waters

A path of yellow moonlight

To bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,

May the clarity of light be yours,

May the fluency of the ocean be yours,

May the protection of the ancestors be yours.

And so may a slow

Wind work these words

Of love around you,

An invisible cloak

To mind your life.

Ministry Notes

Creation Care Column from Pastor Russ

This month Pastor Russ is sharing an article elucidating what went on at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change referred to as COP 28. Click here to read the article.

Introducing...

A New Monthly Column from Pastor Russ;

Aging Gracefully

LIVING LONGER LIVES

Demographics tell us that we are an aging society. The fastest growing segment of the

population are those over 100. When I look out over the congregation on Sunday, most of the

folks I see have hair that looks like mine. How do we approach aging? Is it possible to age

“gracefully”? In this monthly column of our parish newsletterI hope to help all of us reflect

on how to live successfully in the “second” half of life. Along the way, I will offer links to

resources that might be helpful to some or all of you. Here is a sample of one such resource.

‘Rosalynn Carter died in her home on November 19th, at age 96. Former President Jimmy

Carter, now age 99, was by her side. He himself has been in hospice for many months.

Rosalynn Carter would never have to know a life without him.’

“It is sensible enough to try to live longer lives. But we are working with a false notion of what long really means. We might live to be a thousand years old and still complain that it had all rushed by too fast. We should be aiming to lead lives that feel long because we manage to imbue them with the right sort of open-hearted appreciation and unsnobbish receptivity, the kind that five-year-olds know naturally how to bring to bear. We need to pause and look at one another’s faces, study the sky, wonder at the eddies and colors of the ocean, and dare to ask the kinds of questions that open others’ souls.”

From The Oldster, “How to Lengthen Your Life”

https://oldster.substack.com/p/how-to-lengthen-your-life

(You can subscribe to The Oldster Magazine at no cost)

Search Committee Corner

Traditionally, the arrival of the New Year incites reflections about the past year and excitement

about likely events in months to come. As we took a short break for Christmas, members of the Search Committee embarked on both activities. Reflecting on the year that has passed, we find ourselves filled with gratitude. That sentiment applied to several individuals. Among clergy, they includes the Rev. Canon Kelly O’Connell, our region’s Cannon for Transition Ministry; our diocesan consultant, the Rev. Elisabeth Tunney; and our interim rector Father Scott Bellows, who has given us invaluable advice from the viewpoint of priests invited to participate in a search. Elsewhere within our community, we salute Vestry member Jane Martin, who contributed her skill in helping to choose photographs to illustrate the Parish Profile; Melody Martin, designer of the St. Mary’s website who also designed the profile; Allison Bressette, our Communications and Community Engagement Coordinator, who put in countless hours to transform the original concept of the profile into the final document; Parish Administrator Julie Remie, who helped Allison with that task and the work of putting out this monthly update and the weekly Search Committee Corner; and Treasurer Barry Olofsson, who oversaw our budget. Equally important, the committee thanks you, the members of St. Mary’s, for your loving support of our efforts throughout the past 12 months. You showed that support in particular through the extraordinarily high number of you who completed the CAT survey that laid the foundation for the Parish Profile. But we have also appreciated your prayers – communal and individual – and personal comments that have assured us of your backing for our quest. As we start the year in which, God willing, St. Mary’s will welcome our next rector, we ask for your continued support and prayers – prayers that the Holy Spirt will continue to guide us as our search narrows down to one person, and will also guide and bless that person whom we will welcome as our next rector.

If you have any questions or comments for us, please email them to our dedicated email address: search@stmarys-church.org.

It is Time for Vestry Nominations 2024

The Vestry seeks your help in filling three three year positions in 2024. We welcome and thrive on diversity in background, skills,

and experience. New vestry members should be baptized, confirmed or received members of the church, 16 years or older, active

in parish life, and regular worshippers. They will have made and maintained a financial commitment to St. Mary’s. They should be

willing and able to make the necessary commitment of time and talent to serve on a committee or task force in addition to

attending regular meetings and retreats. We appreciate members willingness to speak their mind, vote their conscience and work

for consensus.

Please contact any member of the nominating committee with names of those parishioners you feel we should consider, We will

also put a reminder in service bulletins in January.

Brad Goodwin, Senior Warden

Marian Ferguson, Junior Warden

Vestry members whose term has been completed:

Bill Babcock

Sally Cameron

Beth Hearn

Father Scott Bellows, Exofficio

Coming Events

No Place For Hate Workshop

We will be offering a special workshop in collaboration with First Lutheran Church. Only 20 spots total in the workshop. The signup will open the second week of January.

Saint Mary's Christmas

A Beautiful Community Celebration



We want to take a moment to say THANK YOU to all of you who worked to make this Christmas so very beautiful and special.

• Dr. Mark Lawlor and the Choir out did themselves creating beautiful music throughout the season.
• So many people contributed their talents to our very successful Pop-Up Market.
• Robert Stewart, Ruthanne Allen, Susan Jilson and Henry Ramage helped set up our beautiful Creche.
• The Flower Guild transformed the church into elegant Christmas Splendor.
• The Altar Guild worked tirelessly to support the busy worship services.
• Thank you to our Liturgical Participants for all your contributions making our Worship Services so special.