Sunday January 19, 2019

after the 10:00am Mass

Parish Hall

At this meeting, the parish will review the past year in ministry and look forward to the next year. The 2020 budget, having been previously approved by the Vestry, will be presented, and new Vestry members will be elected. The nominees pictures and bios are listed below.

You are invited to attend, even if you're not formally a member of the parish! Those eligible to vote must meet the following requirements:

If you have questions about your voting eligibility, please contact Raja Reed in the church office.

St. Mary's Family,

The Vestry unanimously affirmed a strong slate of  five candidates  for the upcoming Vestry election:

There are  four open Vestry slots : three standard three-year terms, and one one-year unexpired term. You can read more about each of the five nominees as listed in alphabetical order below.

Vestry elections are not accomplished by political campaigning, but instead by discerning the will of God. We aren't seeking the most charismatic candidate with the best hair, but rather are seeking the Christian who has been called to offer his or her service to Christ and His Church in this particular ministry.

As you prepare to vote, ask God for wisdom and guidance as you discern. Talk with the nominees; ask them how they feel about particular areas of joy or concern you may have about the parish. Lastly, trust that no matter who is elected, the Lord will continue to guide and direct St. Mary's as we do the ministry we've been called to do!

Peace,

Fr. Charles

Sylvia Rose Augustus

 I am a native New Yorker. I work as an architect for the United States Government. My job involves preserving and protecting historic federal buildings. My family is from the Caribbean. My grandparents were baptized and married in the Church of England and great grandparents in the Dutch Reformed Church. When they immigrated to the United States and became U.S. citizens, they also became members of the Episcopal Church. I was raised in the Episcopal Church in New York City. I was baptized at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. I was confirmed and married at the Church of the Intercession. Both St. Luke’s and the Church of the Intercession were very high church.   

I had the fortune of attending the Church of the Intercession when Dr. David N. Hurd was on staff. Dr. Hurd’s his music has been permanently a part of the mass at the Church of the Intercession ever since his tenure. When I moved to Kansas City, I visited most of the Episcopal Churches in the Kansas City Metropolitan area while I was looking for a church family. When I got to St. Mary’s, it felt like home.  It was the best fit for my spiritual and liturgical needs.

I have been attending St. Mary’s for 10 years. I have been active with the St. Mary’s Belle’s, including hosting two events at my home. Lately, I have been very involved in assisting with our Coffee Hour. I love to cook.  I feel food, drink and conversation after mass strengthens our bond as a church family and builds community.

 

My community volunteerism has included serving on the Historic Kansas City Foundation Board; Kansas City Jewish Museum (Epsten Gallery) Board; Imago Dei Christianity and the Arts Board and volunteering for Kansas City Artist Coalition and the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City. 

While serving on the vestry, I will use my skills and experience to work hard to support the vital role St. Mary’s plays in the Episcopal community and Kansas City community at large.   

My free time is spent pursuing my passions as an artist. I have been honored that my Equine and Landscape photography has been shown at several Kansas City galleries. 

I live in the Northland with my husband Scott and our dogs.  

Don Clark

Don has been a member of St Mary’s since December 2011 when he was confirmed in the Episcopal Church. He had long been searching for a worship experience like we have at St Mary’s and realized on his first visit this was the church for him. He has served on the Vestry for the last three years, served on the Building and Grounds committee and was appointed Junior Warden in April of 2019.

Don believes that music is one of the things that makes St Mary’s so special. He is proud to be a volunteer tenor with the St. George’s Choristers, one of the best church choirs around.

Don was born and raised in Illinois and came to Kansas City in 1996. After a long career in human resources/labor relations he took a job as manager and caretaker of a 105-year-old historic condo building in Midtown Kansas City. His hobbies include singing, freelance music reviews, collecting vinyl LPs and his aquarium.

Jason Dean

I've been blessed to be a member of our parish since my wife, Jen, and I moved to Kansas City in 2018. We were drawn to St. Mary's because of the parish's deep commitment to social justice, equality, and welcome all who seek Christ. The commitment to our Anglo-Catholic heritage makes a wonderful place even better. I want to bring my talents for management, leadership, and fiscal oversight to help support the ministry of our clergy and laypersons in reaching all our neighbors and those who seek Christ's presence.

I am currently the Vice President for Special Collections at the Linda Hall Library here in Kansas City, and Jen is the founder of All Girls Considered. 

Bonnie Haupt

My eldest daughter suggested that I visit St. Mary's about twenty nine years ago. I felt that I was home. The high service was inspiring and fulfilled a sense of spirituality that had been lacking. In my earlier years at St. Mary's I served on the Reception committee, occasionally helped in the food panty/luncheon, served on the vestry and was parish representative for what is now the Episcopal Relief and Development Fund. Parish rep for the Fund led me to be Diocesan Coordinator and host an annual meeting in Kansas City. I am a graduate of Education for Ministry and a lengthy course on the Prayer Book by Rev. Barbara Beam.

  

At present I lead the women's group, The Belles, and the Arts and Crafts Group, and the fledgling Children's Ministry. On the Diocesan level I am a member of the Companion Diocese Committee. I will contribute my knowledge of our parish history and decades of being an Episcopalian with an ability to work with others for the future of St. Mary's.

Chris Steinauer

I joined the St. Mary’s community after my partner, Seth, and I had been going for a number of months in 2018. I was not planning on joining a church community, but the rituals and connections to an ancient, beautiful religion helped me see Christianity in a way I hadn’t ever before. I was baptized in November of 2018, and that summer Seth and I were confirmed in the Episcopal Church. 

St. Mary’s is an important community that has brought me a number of new friends and a passion and dedication to serving God and others. I currently serve as a member of the St. Mary’s Social Justice Committee. If given the opportunity to serve on our vestry, I would prioritize the enrichment of our community through service, fundraising, and community-building. The most I can do for St. Mary’s is to reflect and share the light and love we receive from each other and our discipleship of Christ.

Outside of church involvement, I am a full-time teacher at an elementary school in the Historic Northeast. I teach elementary science, so I see students from 6-10 years every day. I’ve also got almost a decade of experience as a performer of improvised comedy, or improv. This year, Seth and I bought a house in the same neighborhood in which I teach, and we live there with our two cats, two snakes, and many plants.

The CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE scheduled for this Saturday, January 4th at Brian and Bonnie Haupt's home has been cancelled.

Choral Evensong and Benediction

Sung by The William Baker Festival Singers

Sunday, January 26th, 5:00 p.m.

The Anglican tradition of Evensong  is an ancient and venerable one. It is a 16 ^th Century conflation and expansion of the daily offices of Vespers and Compline. Let the words of the prayers, lessons, and choral music wash over you. Pray with us and with the whole Communion of Saints as we participate in the Church’s obedience to our Lord’s command “pray without ceasing” as we offer our sacrifice of praise.

Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament  enables us, outside the context of the Holy Eucharist, physically and spiritually, to freeze liturgical time at that one moment in the mass when the consecrated host is offered to and for the Faithful:  Ecce Agnus Dei : Behold the Lamb of God! We pause and reflect. We gaze upon and adore. We acknowledge and proclaim the real presence of the living and resurrected Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.

Dear St. Mary's family,

I am excited to announce that Raja Reed officially began serving as Parish Administrator today! Raja's devotion to St. Mary's combined with his past experience and skills made this an easy choice for me. As part of this position, he is living in the Rectory (the apartment off of the southwest corner of the nave).

When you see him next, please join me congratulating him on the new position!

Peace,

Fr. Charles

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Raja has been at St. Mary's since the summer of 2017. He was confirmed in April of 2018. He knew the first time he worshipped at St. Mary's that he was where God wanted him to be.

He has served on the Vestry this past year and heads up the "Immaculate Reception" Committee.

Raja was born and raised in Ohio and came to Missouri in 2007. He spent his career in the service industry. While working for Wendy's International, he obtained his MBA degree from the University of Akron. He worked for Wendy's for 24 years.

Raja's love of St. Mary's liturgy, music, the outreach programs, and especially his fellow parishioners makes him want to be apart of this wonderful team to do God's work in this community. 

Raja and his cat Ebony now live in the Rectory and his very excited to serve the parish has its administrator. 

Did you know that more than 650 Kansas City children come to Operation Breakthrough – each weekday for nutritious food, lively learning, health and dental care, therapy and TLC – while their parents work or attend school.  This average family lives on an income of less than $12,000 a year. The parents often struggle to provide the basics. 

Bring your donations to the church by this Sunday, January 5 and place them under the Social Justice Christmas tree in the Parish Hall.  The items will be blessed before being delivered to Operation Breakthrough..  

They are in need of non-perishable food, health-related items and items for the classroom. For suggestions, please click on the donation button below for more specific ideas. Click here to learn more about Operation Breakthrough.

Please consider donating as your gift will make a real difference!

sponsored by the St. Mary's Social Justice Committee

Our giving tree will be up through this Sunday, January 5. We are decorating it with new or gently used items such as Hats, Gloves, Scarves, Socks and Mittens...some for men, woman and children.

The idea is we place the items on the tree and as our guest pass by the tree in the parish hall they simply take what they need.At the end of Christmastide, I will simply donate unused items to a local shelter.

Blessings to you and yours,

Raja

Would you like to formally join St. Mary's and The Episcopal Church? Interested in the exploring the sacrament of confirmation? If so, please prayerfully consider joining me for an introductory meeting to explore what this might mean for you! 

From the Catechism in the Book of Common Prayer:

Q.  What is Confirmation?

A.   Confirmation is the rite in which we express a mature commitment to Christ, and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop.

This discussion is for those who have not yet been confirmed, and as well as those who have already been confirmed in another tradition but would like to explore formal membership at St. Mary's.

We will meet immediately following the 10:00 Mass on Sunday, January 26th. You're invited!

Peace,

Fr. Charles

Weekly Service Schedule

Sunday

Low Mass: 8 a.m.  

Solemn High Mass: 10 a.m.

Sung Compline: 7 p.m. (2nd Sunday of the month)

Weekdays (except Wednesday)

12:00 p.m.: Low Mass

Wednesday 

6:00 p.m.: Evening Prayer with Holy Communion

Saturday

11:00 a.m.: Low Mass

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