Newest News for You!

Piedmont Episcopal Church

October 22, 2026

The Rev. Becki Casey

214 Church Street

Madison, Va 22727

540-948-6787

All are Welcome!

Sunday 11 a.m.

Weekly At Piedmont Church

Tuesday

8 a.m. Men's Bible Study - Rev. Brad Jackson

6 p.m. Grief Support Group at Grace Church (Nov. 3rd & 17th)

Wednesday

9 a.m. Genesis Bible Study - Rev. Becki Casey

5:30 p.m. Potluck Fellowship Dinner

6:30 p.m. Choir Practice - Rev. Brad Jackson

Friday

9 a.m. Morning Prayer - Dave Bagby

Readings for October 25, 2026

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

Matthew 22:34-46

The Prayers of the People - If you are Intercessor, please pick up a copy of The Prayers of the People posted on the bulletin board in the church. The date is designated in the upper right corner.

Lay Servers - October 25, 2026

Vestry Person..................Beppy White

Usher...............................Joe Myers

Acolyte............................Molly Sanford

Children's Ministry............Bev Young

Lector...............................Karen Czar

Intercessor.......................Molly Sanford

LEM..................................Bob Novak

Altar Care.........................Beth Roireau

Coffee Hour Fellowship.....Bev Young

Prayer List

We offer prayers for those who are dealing with health issues and other ongoing needs: Mac Barber, Bernadette Blanding, Sue Brown, Anna Bullen-Naismith, Beth Burke, Sharon Carter, Janice Edwards, Luise Greco, Vera Griffin, Brad and Lydia Hansen, Ginger Hawkins, Zoe Hubbard, Shelby Jean Hull, Mike Miller, Hannah Moyer, Mary Moyer, Kevin Pritt, Robert, Fred Schreiner, Neal Schreiner, Ann Skidmore, Sarah, Robert Ulrich, Lyssa Weiner and Everett Yowell.

*If you wish to add or remove someone from the Parish Prayer list please send an email to Rev. Becki Casey @ beckisafeinhishands@gmail.com by Wednesday to ensure that it gets into the bulletin and weekly messenger.

Cycle of Prayer

Please join us in praying for our larger Church communities. This week in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we remember St. Aiden's, Alexandria; St. Martin's, Richmond; and St. Peter's, New Kent. In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we lift up The Church of the Province of Central Africa.

Good Citizens!

As November 3rd approaches, I want to encourage everyone to make a plan to get to the polls! Early voting is already available. Consider clicking HERE to hear from our presiding bishop and access resources regarding the upcoming elections.

And please be praying with us:

God of justice, whose son drew near to those left on the margins, we pray that representative bodies of all kinds will reflect the constituencies they represent. We are grieved by efforts to make voting burdensome or inaccessible for many voters, especially Black communities and other communities historically targeted for disenfranchisement. Keep voting sites free from intimidation, threats, and fear. Guard the public square from propaganda that spreads distrust and discourages people from casting their ballots. Strengthen the advocates who demand a voice for these communities. Grant all local, state, and national authorities the wisdom to ensure fair and safe elections throughout this country. May our nation, whose people are made in your image and reflect many cultures, be just and peaceable, and all for your glory. Grant this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Minister's Musings

The Peace of Confession

I spend time each week sitting with people who, for a variety of reasons, cannot attend church services. In many cases, we take communion together, praying through a shortened version of Sunday’s liturgy. One prayer we always say is The Confession. And I admit to wondering just how many sins these precious people have had the opportunity to commit, confined to their beds, immobilized by age or infirmity. At times I feel uncomfortable, even ashamed, to pray the familiar words with them. Asking forgiveness for things “done and left undone” reads differently when one’s ability to “do” anything is so severely limited. And yet, we are all limited. We all are limited by the boundaries of human flesh, the boundaries of our time and our places. And each of us must make choices to live within those boundaries and then give account for our choices. Regardless of our human ability, all of us live within that ability before God.

It is difficult for me to imagine most Episcopalians committing any truly atrocious sins. I don’t imagine parishioners out causing physical harm to others, although I cannot know what happens beyond closed doors. The people in our pews on Sunday morning seem peace-loving, kind, generous, and compassionate. Most of us are quite well behaved. And yet… good behavior is not the same thing as the absence of sin.

I know myself, so I have to believe there are overlaps for those reading this. Poor behavior is the least of our problems. The catechism defines sin as “seeking our own will instead of the will of God, thus distorting our relationship with God, with other people, and with all creation.” Willfulness is something that begins in our hearts and minds long before it reaches our mouths or hands. And it is within the hiddenness of those depths that our lives are shaped. What we allow ourselves to think, believe, and marinate are the things that shape our relationship with God and ultimately our words and behavior.

Lately I’ve been more attuned to anxiety; the loops where my mind gets trapped, and the proceeding feelings that increase my heartrate and clench my back and jaw. My own body can become infected by the sin of forgetting God. It isn’t bad behavior… in fact, it is often my intention to manage my behavior into goodness which flood my body with cortisol. The sin begins, not in poor conduct, but a failure to recognize God’s presence and God’s character. One does not need to be “able-bodied” to experience that. And so, I am embracing the regularity of our communal confession as a means of releasing stress. In so doing, together we remember God, bend our knee, and embrace God’s goodness. Whether we make our confession at an altar rail, in a wheelchair, or beside our bed at night, may we all embrace the gift of confession…remembering the God of peace.

-Rev. Becki

Advent Reflection Submissions

Are you a writer or someone who enjoys putting thoughts down in creative ways? Over the next month we are collecting the writings of the Grace/Piedmont communities. These writings will be assembled and offered as daily readings and meditations during Advent.

What we need:

Creativity, and enthusiasm (no perfection required)

Short essays, poems, paragraphs, short stories, etc.

Advent and Christmas themed content.

Include a scripture passage or prayer, if appropriate, to help guide the readers.

All offerings need to be submitted to Becki no later than November 8th.

Please consider being brave and allowing God’s Spirit to move through you to inspire us into a more meaningful Advent season!

Pledge Sunday - October 25th

Just a reminder! If you have not returned your pledge card, you can place it in the collection plate this Sunday, October 25th or drop it in the mail. If you did not receive a stewardship letter and card but would like one, please let Sharon know. Thanks!

Mary Walker Memorial

Longtime member of Piedmont Church, Mary Walker, passed away at her home in Texas on May 5, 2026. She was the wife of Jim Walker and both were active in our Madison Community. They were co-directors of MESA, lead the J2A program and offered their musical talents to Piedmont. Her name has been added to the Piedmont Memorial Wall Plaque, in our sanctuary, in honor and remembrance of her.

Fall Cleanup!

Thank you to so many that came out and braved the chilly temperatures to help clean up our church grounds! Thanks to Beppy White for organizing this project.

We will be collecting new and gently used coats between October 11th and November 19th. You can drop them off on the carport at Piedmont Episcopal Parish House right next to the church at 214 Church Street, Madison,VA.

Please call Karen at 908-337-9754 to let her know you have dropped some off or if you would like her to pick them up from you. Thanks so much for your donations!

Outreach Thanks

Piedmont recently made monetary donations to several of our local programs that offer services to the Madison community. We received written letters of thanks from Madison Free Clinic and MESA. The letters are posted on the bulletin board in the parish house.