St. Mary's News & Notes

St. Mary's

News & Notes

Volume 4

Issue 44

October 22, 2026

Twenty-Second Sunday

after Pentecost

Welcome You Are Home!

Message from Your Rector

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As we conclude our annual stewardship journey together, I invite you to reflect once again on these words from Psalm 136:1:"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever."

Stewardship begins not with budgets or pledges, but with gratitude. We are a people blessed by God's unfailing love and sustained by His countless mercies. Everything we have, everything we are, and everything we hope to be comes from the gracious hand of God. Our response to His goodness is thanksgiving.

At St. Mary’s, our worship is central to our life together. Week by week we gather around Word and Sacrament, offering our prayers, praises, and thanksgivings. Stewardship is an extension of that worship. Just as we present bread and wine at the altar, we also offer our lives to God: our time, our talents, and our treasure.

This week, I encourage you to prayerfully consider how God is calling you to participate more fully in the life and ministry of our congregation. Stewardship is not simply about financial support. It is about faithful discipleship. It is about offering ourselves completely to God in gratitude for all He has done for us through Jesus Christ.

On our upcoming Commitment Sunday, November 1, 2026, parishioners will be invited to make commitments of time through worship, prayer, and ministry; talent through service and the use of spiritual gifts; and treasure through faithful financial giving.

As you pray and reflect, ask yourself:

· How has God shown His goodness and faithfulness in my life?

· How am I offering God my praise and worship?

· How can I use my gifts to serve Christ and His Church?

· How is God calling me to grow in generosity?

May this stewardship season be a time of spiritual renewal for our parish. May we grow in gratitude, deepen our discipleship, strengthen our ministries, and joyfully proclaim the Gospel together.

Thank you for your faithfulness, your generosity, and your commitment to the mission and ministry of St. Mary’s. I look forward to all that God will accomplish through us in the coming years as we offer ourselves anew to His service.

With every blessing in Christ,

Blessings,

Fr. Jim+

Your 2026 Vestry

. Committee Chairs

Senior Warden - Mike Avadikian

Junior Warden - Greg Gude

Christian Formation - Liz Mitchell

Church Growth - Rick Jelesky

Communications - Susie Cort

Church Life - Norma Barendse

Inreach - Karen Zummo

Outreach - Zach Smith

Finance - Doug Dunkelberger

Vestry Meetings are held the fourth Sunday of each month immediately after the 10:00 service. Please advise the Rector if you have an item for the agenda.

Healing has always been a very important ministry of the church. Fr. Jim will be giving healing prayers and anointing on an individual basis immediately after the 7:45 Service continuing until 9:15 each Sunday morning. No appointment is necessary.

Come, get healing prayers from any of your infirmities of body, mind, soul or spirit.

Serving Teams

To All Serving Team Members: Just a reminder...if you cannot serve on your designated time, please go into Realm and decline your serving role. It is still your responsibility to find someone to serve in your place. Please have your substitute make an adjustment in Realm with the new server's name. Please be kind to others and give them enough time to adjust their schedules. Also, please remember to notify admin@stmdc.com so that we can correctly adjust the bulletins. Thank you for your assistance in making this procedure run smoothly.

Upcoming Services/Events

St. Mary's

Sunday Services October 25, 2026

*7:45 a.m.* Mass Rite II No Music

*7:45 a.m. *Sunday School ages 4 & up

*7:45 a.m. * Children's Sunday School (Downstairs Freeman Hall)

*8:30 a.m.* Coffee Hour

*9:00 a.m.- 9:45 a.m.* Adult Education (Conference Room)

*10:00 a.m.* Mass Rite II Eucharist with Music

*11:30 a.m.* Coffee Hour

Additional Services/Events/Meetings of Interest

October 24th 11:00 a.m. * Celebration of Life for Sandra Sartain

October 24th 7:00 p.m. * Friday * Dade City Symphony Fall Concert

October 29th 6:30 a.m. * Thursday * Men's Eucharist/Breakfast (Freeman Hall)

October 29th 7:30 a.m. * Thursday * Bible Study (Freeman Hall)

October 29th 10:00 a.m. * Thursday * Bible Study & Eucharist

October 30th 9:00 a.m.-Noon * Friday * Rachel’s Guild-Tanno Hall, Quilting

October 30th 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. * Friday * Handmad’ns—Freeman Hall-Knitting

October 31st 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. * Cursillo 4th Day* Venice, FL

October 31st 2:00-4:00 p.m. * Saturday * Trunk or Treat *

Stewardship Spotlight

Dear St. Mary’s family,

We have heard so many wonderful stories from our faith family this stewardship season about how St. Mary's became a home to them. That feeling of love and welcome led them to a clearer call to get involved and become a deeper part of everyday life at St. Mary's.

In these talks, they have stressed the importance of getting involved and giving their gifts of time and talent to make St. Mary's an active and welcoming place of worship. While time and talent are crucial to the growth and vitality of our ministries, we must not fail to recognize the importance of our financial gifts to St. Mary's as well. It is only by the faithful giving of our treasure that we can keep the church doors open, the lights on, and provide the many important ministries that we provide to our congregation and community.

We can only do that through the financial commitments, the faithful pledges, of our Church members. I hope that you will prayerfully consider how you might be a blessing to the life of St. Mary's by making a financial commitment for 2027. To assist you in making your gift, pledge packages will be sent out to the congregation on Monday, October 26th. I ask you to spend some contemplating all of the gifts that you have received from St. Mary's as you consider your gift of thanksgiving and return your commitment card on our Consecration Sunday, November 1st, 2026.

We are called to render unto God all that is God's. All that we are and all that have is a gift from God. I hope and pray that you will take time this week to prayerfully consider all of the blessings you have received from God. As you do, please consider how you might make a commitment to offer your gifts of time, talent, and treasure back to God with heartfelt gratitude and in thanksgiving for all of the blessings that he has given you.

With gratitude and every blessing in Christ,

Fr. Jim

Rector

Let us be good stewards of the gifts that have been entrusted to us. As our utility bills grow bigger and bigger, please do what you can to alleviate the costs by turning off lights when not needed, turning air conditioning up to 78 when not using a room and closing & locking doors as you leave. Every little bit helps!

Sign-up Genius Quick Links

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One Clicks gets them ALL

CLICK HERE

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Altar Flowers

Contact the church office at: admin@STMDC.com

CLICK HERE

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Coffee Hour

Contact the church office at: admin@STMDC.com

CLICK HERE

Trunk of Treat

Contact the church office at: admin@STMDC.com

CLICK HERE

Come Pray With Us

The Collect for the Twenty-Second

Sunday after Pentecost

Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

News

from the

Music Department

Choir practice has moved from Wednesday night

to Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m.

Bell Choir remains at 6:00 p.m.-7:00p.m. in Tanno Hall.

New members are welcome in both choirs!

Children's Bags Available

During Church Services

New Children's Bags have been filled with goodies to keep children entertained during

the service. Please take their projects home

but leave the bags for the children in the

next service. Thank you!

Thursday's are Prayer Time

Prayer is always encouraged throughout your day, in times of thanksgiving, in time of crisis and in time of discernment. Any time of day is appropriate for prayer. No matter what your life involves... Pray!

We offer many additional ways that can assist you with your prayer life other than traditional services:

8:00 a.m. on FaceBook Live (recorded to see later)

Fr. Jim leads Morning Prayer

Page 75 in the Book of Common Prayer

10:00 a.m. Bible Study @ St. Mary's - Freeman Hall

7:00 p.m. on FaceBook Live (recorded to see later)

Fr. Jim leads Compline

Page 127 in the Book of Common Prayer

Please join us and enrich your prayer life!!

Come Learn With Us

Thursday Morning

Bible Study

We will continue to study

John's Gospel

Chapters 10 and 11

Please come & join us!!

Sunday School is now in session!

Begins at 7:45 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.

Downstairs in Freeman Hall

Children will be brought in for communion

Come Grow With Us

Trunk of Treat

To sign up to volunteer

contact the church office at: admin@STMDC.com

CLICK HERE

Check out our Website:

Check out our FaceBook Page:

Handicap Parking

Please do not use the Handicap parking spaces in the front parking lot on Sunday morning or during Church activities unless you have a blue handicap parking permit or a real need for using such a space.

We have many ministries here

at St. Mary's that you can help support.

Please click on the button below to

Give today or contact Fr. Jim if you have any questions

or if you wish to donate in another way

Give to St. Mary's

St. Mary's News & Notes

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