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July 9, 2021
Dear Family in Christ,
Good News in the Life of Christ here at St. Mary's!
"Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me."
— Revelation 3:20 (NRSV)
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Throughout scripture, God opens doors--doors of ministry, doors of the heart, doors of the mind, doors of hope.
In my early days here, it was my intention to open wide the big red doors of the old Narthex. On one level, it is a symbol of invitation, open welcome, and hospitality. On a deeper level, it inspires the breath of the Holy Spirit to seek refuge in every inch of our worship space and carries us from that space out into the world. With every exchange of breath is new life and new life inspires new hope.
By the Grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, we opened our Big Red doors! Though challenged by the pandemic closures we were delayed from my start, but non-the-less we persevered together. In opening our doors, we saw new people walking into the church through the service on Sunday, we saw children around the Baptismal font once again; we greeted families entering for camp, and heard the delightful sounds of teachers and students. The breath of the spirit brought new life to us all, new life, and a renewed energy.
On Wednesday, I opened the doors of our worship space for just an hour. In that time I met four new people and even a new puppy friend, Maggie, who sought a calm quiet space.
The grace of God does not end here, our doors open even wider. Engaging in ministry across the island and inland, we are making new friends and building new relationships which in turn will be fruitful to our mission and ministry.
I am excited about where God is leading us in the Life of Christ here at St. Mary's.
Blessings,
Mo. Allison+
551-697-6133
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If you would like a pastoral visit or a visit from one of our
Eucharistic Ministers, please contact Mo. Allison.
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JULY 25th at Noon
Invitations were sent via email and thus far we have an impressive response, but email is funny sometimes and we are attempting to reach EVERYONE to Celebrate!
You do not have to register to attend, however, it sure does help us plan in advance.
If the email has slipped by you, click on the link or the picture of the invitation to let us know if you will be attending.
Can't wait to see you here!
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Two years ago Branches was fortunate enough to take the children from local motels to a water park for the day. It was a spectacular day and the kids had a blast. Tickets to the water park were donated and we raised enough money to pack a bag lunch for each child and buy ice cream on the boardwalk at the end of the day.
COVID 19 prevented us from doing the same last year. However, thanks to the generosity of a very kind someone, we were able to have a game day and be visited by an ice cream truck.
Thankfully COVID 19 is not preventing us from planning a trip to the water park this year. It is happening on August 10th! The pandemic has made many things more difficult and our plans for this fun day for the kids are no exception. We are going to have to raise the money to make this a reality.
We understand that this is a big undertaking, but at Branches, we always have faith that where there is a will there is a way. If you would like to help us brighten the lives of some great kids there are several ways to do so.
You can send a check made payable to Branches to: 1304 Rt. 47 S, Rio Grande 08242. Please designate for “Water Park.”
You can stop by with a cash donation. Or, go to our website: www.thebranchesoutreach.org and locate the donate button. You may donate through PayPal. Make sure that you designate for “Water Park.”
Thank you in advance for your generosity and your faithful support of our mission at Branches! We are truly grateful.
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Faith Sharing Continues... |
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In evangelization, your story of faith is very important. Our personal testimony is our own story of faith as it reflects and gives testimony to the presence of Jesus and the action of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Any experience of God becomes the material for a faith story … meaning we have many faith stories that reflect from different points of view, our master story, our belief, and our experience of God.
All are invited to participate in the experience of faith sharing. Continue your faith journey and share it with others as we all grow.
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It's good to be open again! |
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Coffee Hour has returned!
Come and enjoy coffee and fellowship on Sunday mornings after the 9 am service.
If you would like to provide a small snack for all to enjoy, a sign-up sheet is posted on the kitchen door.
Alanon has resumed meeting in the parish hall Friday mornings at 10 AM.
AA has also resumed meeting at St. Mary's on Tuesday evenings at 8 pm.
SUNDAY PARKING: Sturdy Bank lot and Fred's Tavern lot may be used.
Please remove your car from Fred's before 12 noon.
(The meters are off until 10 AM.)
*** MEMORIAL SERVICES ***
The Memorial Service for Timothy Fitzgerald Noble will take place on Saturday, July 24th at 1:00 pm
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Thursdays on the Lawn and Worship at the Beach |
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Three and One got our Thursdays on the Lawn concerts off to a great start last night! One of our favorites, The Snake Brothers, joins us this Thursday, July 15th, followed by The Quietmen on July 22nd, Marnie and Nate on July 29th, and C. Lynne Smith on August 5th. We'll wrap up on August 12th with Three and One.
Bring a chair, bring some friends, and plan to join us on the front lawn this summer!
A sign up sheet to help with refreshments can be found on the parish hall bulletin board or contact Cheryl Barton or Dina Ziemba.
Our Saturday service has moved from the church to the beach for the summer months. "Come as you are" to Worship at the Beach on the 101st St. Beach Pavilion, Saturdays at 5:30 pm beginning this Saturday, July 10th! Plan to join us for a relaxed worship service in a glorious setting!
In the event of rain, concerts and worship will be held in the church.
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continues this week
at St. Mary's
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It's been a fun week for our Science Explorers and we loved having them in the parish hall. We're looking forward to this coming week
for Loose in the Lab!
Final Frontiers follows during the week of 7/19 and Jr. Explorers concludes the Summer Camps the week of 7/26.
www.SCIENCEEXPLORERS.COM
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Traffic Alert Sunday, July 11th |
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The Stone Harbor Triathlon will run on Sunday, July 11th from 6:30 am to 9 am. Road closures will include Third Ave. from 87th St. to 90th St. and Second Ave. from 87th to 90th St. The Stone Harbor bridge will remain open, as well as First Ave. Expect delays and be alert for racers.
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Jeffrey Tobias and Jayson Weider on July 10th,
Janet Kowalski on July 11th,
Henry Schellenger, III on July 13th and
Stephen Mihalek on July 14th!
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Blueberry Festival
Sunday, July 18, 6:30-8:30
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Enjoy delicious blueberry desserts and live music at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, 9212 Third Ave. Donations benefit the Parish Nurse ministry. |
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Used Cargo Van wanted to purchase |
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The Branches has been awarded a grant titled “Nourishing Neighbors Summer Meals Program.”
We are very grateful to Albertsons/Acme for making it possible for us to serve families in our area that may need some extra help with food during the summer when schools are not in session.
Branches will be stationed in the parking lot at Pet Smart in Rio Grande from 10-12 noon on Mondays and at The MLK Center in Whitesboro on Wednesdays from 10-12 noon.
We will also be supplying food to Mitnick and Memorial Schools in Lower Twp. for pick up on Mondays and Thursdays from 10-12 noon. We are supplementing the already existing outstanding program in Lower.
We are beyond excited to embark on this new venture. However, we have one very big problem. At the present time we are transporting food in vehicles owned by our volunteers. We would very much like to use our grant money to purchase a used cargo van. Unfortunately, these vans are in short supply, because of COVID 19.
If you, or anyone you know, has a used cargo van that may be available for purchase, we would love to hear from you!
Many, many thanks to Albertsons/Acme!
We are blessed by your community minded spirit.
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Lectionary Text for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 10 |
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Saturday 5:30 pm on the 101st St. Beach Pavilion
Sunday 9:00 AM in person (church) and
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Daily Office and Study Links |
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