NEWSLETTER JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2017
Greetings from the Vicar

Dear parishioners and friends of St Ann Chapel :

I'm pleased to welcome you to the first edition of our parish newsletter.  This is a way in which we hope to keep in touch with you about what's going on in our little community on an ongoing basis.  Whether you're a one-time visitor to St Ann's or a regular parishioner, we hope you'll find this newsletter a valuable way to keep track what we're up to as we seek to serve our Lord's Great Commission in our area.

Currently we're sojourning through the Epiphany season, and getting ready to gear up for Lent, which means it's time to start thinking about Lenten abstinence and fasts.  What superfluity can you find in your life that you might be able to do without for the next forty days in order to have more time for God?  It's something that bears thinking about, and Lent is approaching quickly, so put those thinking caps on and get to work!

We plan to bring out new issues of this newsletter on a bimonthly schedule.  I'd be glad to receive your impressions of the newsletter, and of course to hear suggestions about what you think might improve it.  In the meantime, I hope you enjoy it and find it useful. 

See you in church,

The Rev. Matthew Weber, Vicar
St Ann Chapel Anglican Church

 News from The Anglican Province
of Christ the King

APCK Lenten Retreat, March 3-5, 2017

The Lenten Retreat will be held at the Vallombrosa Center at 250 Oak Grove Avenue, Menlo Park, CA.  The Retreat will begin Friday evening March 3rd and end Sunday afternoon on the 5th. This special silent retreat will provide a wonderful opportunity to set aside our daily cares in order to draw nearer to God this Lent as we prepare for Holy Week and Easter.  

The cost of the retreat is $249 for a single room and this includes all meals.  Please make your reservations by sending a deposit of $50 to: Diocese of the Western States, Anglican Province of Christ the King, P.O. Box 15095, San Francisco, CA 94115. For more information, contact Cannon Steven Dart at (408) 488-0525.

First Rector for St. Francis of Assisi

Did you know that our sister parish, Saint Francis of Assisi Anglican Church in Livermore, just confirmed its first Rector? Congratulations to Fr. Benjamin Brown, former Vicar, whose institution was this fall on the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity.

 New Provincial Chancellor

Congratulations also to Fr. Richard McNeely, Vicar of St. Thomas Church, San Francisco. Fr. McNeely is newly Provincial Chancellor of the Western Diocese and is now Canon McNeely.

For more information on happenings throughout the Province,  here is a link to Christus Rex, the quarterly provincial newsletter.

     Parish News and Updates
The Annual Parish Meeting will be on January 29, 2017, following the 11 am Mass. The Annual Meeting is an important event at St. Ann, because it provides an opportunity for all of us to hear important reports and updates on the business of the parish. To vote in the annual meeting, you must be a pledging member of the church. Fr. Weber will post a list of voting members for 2016 in the narthex.  Please plan to join us for worship and attend this important meeting. Our annual parish potluck will follow the meeting.
Upcoming Bible Study: The Book of Daniel

If you haven't gone to Bible study in a while, 2017 would be a great time to start.

On Wednesday, January 25, at 7 pm, we will begin our study of the book of Daniel. Join us to find out more about this important prophetic book of the Old Testament.



St. Augustine said "To sing is to pray twice" and we would add that to have the St. Ann Choir provide music each Sunday is to be blessed twice.

Music is an integral part of the liturgy and worship at St. Ann's and we would like to express deep and heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to the wonderful musicians that supported our liturgy this year.
Thanks to (left to right) Faith Lanam, Organist; Amy Mendon, Arlene Boyd, Justin Cavazos, Josh Lanam and Helen Holder, Music Director.  

The Nappy Drive sponsored by the Anglican Church Women (ACW) has been a great success! Thanks to all of you who have participated by buying disposable diapers for this important effort.

 Our diaper donation to needy mothers will be coordinated through a wonderful nonprofit: Help a Mother Out. This organization distributes diapers to families in need through a network of social-service partners including voluntary home-visiting programs, facilitated parent-support groups, family-resource centers, and public-health departments.

 We will continue the Nappy Drive through the end of Epiphany, so please pick up some diapers on your way to church these coming Sundays!

A sincere thank you to all who participated in the Christmas outreach project through the Family Giving Tree.

 The Family Giving Tree is a wonderful local charity that has fulfilled Christmas gift wishes for over 1 million San Francisco Bay Area children, families, and seniors from low-income households. This year, thanks to Judy Lhamon, Joan Urquhart, and Kent Williams, we supported this great work by hosting a Family Giving Tree in our parish hall. Thanks to all who participated in this successful effort.

The Anglican Church Women continues to meet on the second Sunday each month at 10:15 am in the parish hall. All women in the church are welcome to participate in this vibrant ministry. So what is the ACW up to these days? A number of initiatives:
  • The ACW is donating some of the funds it raised at the 2016 Yard Sale to the Palo Alto Opportunity Center, which operates under the nonprofit Life Moves. This organization helps the homeless and needy in our community. The ACW will also make a site visit to learn more about this organization and the future support that it needs.

  • ACW will also make a donation to the Anglican Relief and Development Fund, which is an international nonprofit that helps families in developing countries

  • " Feeding Body and Soul" the new parish cookbook is under active construction. Do you have any favorite recipes that you would like to share? Let's put them in the cookbook. Send submissions directly to Carol  Karcher at beauspaniel@comcast.net.

Would you like to participate in these and other outreach opportunities and events? If so, come to the next ACW meeting on February 12 at 10:15 am, or just contact ACW President, Carol Karcher, at the email address above.

The newly formed Outreach Committee has been very busy since summer 2016. The purpose of this new committee is to help St. Ann Chapel fulfill its Christian mission by bringing awareness of our church to the people in the community who may be looking for a church home and a network of spiritual support. In addition, the Outreach Committee actively develops community-ministry opportunities and helps other ministries within St. Ann promote their outreach efforts.

To do so, the Outreach Committee is actively improving the church’s social-media presence through:
 
  • An expanded use of the Facebook page. Thanks again to Tom Pfaeffle, who personally developed and hosted the church’s first Facebook page for several years. His initial work created a great foundation for the new expanded format, and St. Ann greatly appreciates his efforts.

  • A total revamping of the parish website to be more informative about current events and to connect seamlessly to other social-media outlets.

  • Targeted internet and direct-mail advertising for special events. 
Would you like to participate in this exciting new outreach opportunity? If so, please contact the Outreach Committee Chairman, Steve Perry, at steveperry182@gmail.com .


Lent is Coming!

With the end of the Christmas season, we now look forward to a break before Lent. It’s coming up, though, so look for some spiritual reading.  New titles include:


  • A Lenten Journey with Jesus Christ and Saint Benedict
  • Woman, Why Are You Weeping?
  • Lent and Easter Wisdom from St. Benedict
  • Lent and Easter Wisdom from G. K. Chesterton
  • Lent and Easter Wisdom from St. Ignatius of Loyola
  • The St. Teresa of Avila Prayer Book

The St. Ann Chapel Prayer Guild meets weekly at the church on Wednesdays at 5:45 pm to pray for people who have requested prayers as well as others whom the group may know of who need support. The Prayer Guild also recites the Rosary in the church on the first Wednesday of each month at 5:45 pm.

 Outside this weekly gathering, the individual Prayer Guild members also offer prayers daily for the mission and vitality of the church and for all who have expressed a prayer need. 

 If you have a prayer need, you can drop a note in the prayer-intentions box in the narthex or ask the Vicar to add you to the list.

 If you are interested in participating in this ministry, please contact Gabrielle Gross. .


Upcoming Feast Days

February 2, 2017

Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Low Mass at 7 pm

 

Are you on Facebook? We are - so please "Like" our new  Facebook Page  and share with others that might be interested in our church and the wonderful things we are doing. 



Have you visited our parish website lately? We are in the process of updating the site but the "Events" page is still good place to also see new articles and updates from the church.
If you have news that you would like to share about happenings at St. Ann Chapel, please contact our newsletter editor, Cyndi Perry, at cyndiperry72@gmail.com.