From the Pastor

Dear Church, 

We are complying with directives from our Bishop and from the Dept of Public Health by canceling all on-site services, gatherings and events until it is advisable to resume normal activity. This is hard. It's hard to be surrounded by such pervasive anxiety and not be able to see you or offer a hug. But do not fear, do not panic. Through faith we are leaning on the Creator, we are finding solutions to help us stay connected, and in all of this God's ever-present love is known.

Pastor Liz often reminded us that the Letter to the Philippians is her favorite book of the Bible. Today, I lift up a portion of that lovely epistle that we all need to hear:

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.

Let your gentleness be known to everyone.

The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything,

but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving

let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:4-7

Paul doesn’t tell people who are happy to rejoice, he says this to people who most need to be told. Through all of our trials, frustrations, loneliness and anxiety: Rejoice, Rejoice, Rejoice. Beloved people of God, we have canceled services but we haven’t canceled church--YOU are the Church, and no matter where you are, you are still part of God’s plan, and an agent of Christ’s transformative love. 

So join us for Morning Prayer on Sunday mornings at 10:00 by visiting our website or find it on Facebook . Look for our new “Wonderful Wednesday” emails, remember to follow along with Lent Madness , and especially remember to pray.

Wash those hands and keep in touch!

Lenten blessings,

Fr. Tom+

 The following ongoing events are cancelled. Go to the St. Augustine website for further instructions.

Service Times

During this time of isolation, Sunday services are cancelled. However, we will share in Morning Prayer via Zoom and Facebook Live on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m.

8 a.m. Sunday Service

This is a simple communion service without music using Rite II. The quiet service will appeal to some every week and to others occasionally as a quieter way to worship.

10 a.m. Sunday Service

The 10 a.m. service is supported by the St. Augustine Choir. Sunday School begins at 10 a.m., except on some Holy days and special occasions.

Centering Prayer

One of the themes that is emerging in our ongoing practice of Centering Prayer is the awareness that God just wants to spend time with us. In response to the enthusiasm growing around this feeling, our Centering Prayer gatherings are offered Mondays at 6:30 p.m. and Fridays at noon. We hope that you will join us and see how contemplation can enrich your own experience.

While we will not be gathering for Centering Prayer, you can still pray on your own. We invite you to download the Centering Prayer app to your device. You can find the download links on the church website. Fr. Tom+

Adult Formation Classes



"Being Mortal" Study Postponed

Join us for a four-part series exploring the book Being Mortal. Author and physician Atul Gawande calls for a change in the way that medical professionals treat patients approaching the end of life. He recommends that instead of focusing on survival, practitioners should focus on enabling well-being.

If you would like to discuss these issues and how they might translate into your own life, please join us. Each week participants will read a few chapters of the book and then meet to explore questions posed by facilitator, the Rev. Maryellen Garnier RN.

We will reschedule this class when we resume normal programming.

St. Augustine Transition Prayer 

Support St. Augustine while you shop online by shopping through our Amazon Smile page. Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice, St. Augustine Church. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service. Remember to log into smile.amazon when you shop.

Simply visit the link below or visit our website to get started! smile.amazon.com/ch/68-0305177

Altar Flowers

We are ordering fresh flowers for the altar from the Rocklin Flower Shop on the corner of Stanford Ranch and Park Drive. If you wish to donate for altar flowers, please sign your name and the occasion (thanksgivings, memorial, anniversary, birthdays, etc.) on the sign-up sheet in the display rack near the office.

Please make checks payable to St. Augustine for $40 with ‘Altar Flowers’ in the memo line. Names of those giving flowers for special occasions will be acknowledged in the bulletin on the appropriate date.

 

Thank you.

If you have questions or need more information, please contact Ginny Dearing at:

[email protected].

In Loving Memory

Outreach Ministry

Spring Gala

POSTPONED!

Fiesta for the Whole Family!

Come one, come all! 

Bring the kids to the OUTREACH OLE! Outreach Ministry’s Spring Gala is bound to be a fun FIESTA FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY. 

There will be fabulous food, no host bar for mom and dad, a piñata for the kids and a silent auction of treasures. We will cap the evening off with our famous dessert auction.

Although postponed, you will not want to miss this fundraising social event. Not only will you have a great time, you will support multiple charities and community outreach. Tickets are on sale for $25 each. Children are free.  

The Gathering Inn Hosting Program

St. Augustine Church is part of a rotating shelter for The Gathering Inn. On the second Wednesday of each month, we welcome our homeless brothers and sisters into our church for a hot meal and a place to sleep for the night. It is a wonderful ministry that is so rewarding and is such a blessing to those in need.

We are waiting to hear when and how we will resume normal involvement in this ministry.

We need volunteers each month to make this happen. Please consider signing up for a shift to help make this happen.  Volunteer shifts start at 1:30 and go to approximately 7:30. Times vary depending on the activity for which you sign-up. We encourage anyone who may be interested in helping sustain this worthwhile cause to contact Janice or Rick Stenzel at:

[email protected]

916.218.2423

You may also sign up at Church on The Gathering Inn sheet found at the Welcome Center.

The Gathering Inn Donations

The Outreach Ministry is embarking on a sleeping bag drive to be distributed by The Gathering Inn. The Inn lends the bags to those homeless who have to stay outdoors due to occupancy challenges.

When a sleeping bag is given, it is with the understanding that it would be returned the next day and that person would then have priority for services. Not all bags are returned, so the Inn has to replenish their supply periodically.

Outreach Ministry has donated 17 sleeping bags and is inviting parishioners to make private gifts as well. The Inn has approved $28 bags from Amazon that are lightweight, low temperature and weatherproof.

Bags can be ordered through Amazon and sent directly to:

The Gathering Inn, 201 Berkeley Avenue, Roseville, CA 95678.

 

If you do order a sleeping bag for The Gathering Inn, please email Beth Sulc at: [email protected] . This way she will know the number of private donations that come from our congregation.

 

On the order from Amazon, there is the opportunity to have St. Augustine get credit as well. Be sure to use smile.amazon.com/ch/68-0305177  All gifts will help ensure that we help keep our community from sleeping out in the cold.

 

If you have questions, please contact Beth at:

 

[email protected]

 

Thank you for your generosity!

St. James Food Pantry Ministry

 

Thank you for your continued support of the Food Pantry in Lincoln run by St. James Episcopal Church.

The need for food is especially critical at this time. Please drop off your donations at the church during regular office hours: Monday - Thursday,

11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jim will deliver the donations to the Food Pantry.

Requested food for this month includes: pancake mix, peanut butter, canned chicken and tuna, cereal, dry pinto beans, rice, tortillas - flour or corn. Precooked food like stews are not really useful. The majority of the beneficiaries of this food are not homeless but do not have adequate income to afford nutritious food for a full month.

Your generosity is a blessing to many of our neighbors in Lincoln.

Thank you,

Jim Quinney

Please make sure your items are not past the expiration date and are unopened.

St. Vincent de Paul Dining Room

A group of volunteers from St. Augustine Church regularly serves meals at the St. Vincent de Paul Dining Room the third Thursday of each month. They work from approximately 9:15 a.m. until 1:45 p.m., helping prepare, cook and serve a warm meal for those in need. Approximately two to three hours of standing are involved. All food is provided, and no cooking experience is needed.

Volunteers include Jack Dillon, John Redmond, Deidre and Rob Shonk, Catherine Beckman, Jim and Stephanie Tilton, Jim and Carla Dolislager, Rick and Janice Stenzel, Steve Broce, Lyn Fuson and Kathryn Jordan. 

On Thursday, March 19 ^th , Rick and Janice Stenzel will only work in the morning to help prepare the meal and set-up. The meal will served by St. Vincent de Paul staff. On April 16 ^th , Rob and Deidre Shonk and Steve Broce will be the volunteers.

Please contact Rob Shonk if you are interested in working in this important ministry:

[email protected]

Meal Train Ministry

The Meal Train Ministry is an online calendar that organizes delivery of meals for parish families in times of need. Barbara Woolman is in charge of the Meal Train Ministry. If you are interested in providing meals for parish families, please contact:

[email protected]

916-771-8830

Youth Co-op News!

We are partnering with St. James Episcopal Church and Lincoln United Methodist Church to form a cooperative youth group that rotates between our parishes and meets the 3 ^rd Wednesday of the month, 6 - 7:30 p.m.

We're looking forward announcing the next date when we return to our normal programming!

Looking forward to more Godly Play when we return to our normal activities!

Sunday School has been a very busy place with lots of exciting changes!

We have officially made the transition to Godly Play as our primary curriculum. With designated children's ministry funds, we were able to purchase the complete set of materials that goes with Book 4 covering Lent, Easter and other lessons through June. 

We were also able to purchase shelving to transform our Sunday School classroom to a Godly Play classroom. The Godly Play materials are displayed on the shelves and after the daily lesson the students have access to the Godly play materials where they can reenact the Bible stories helping them gain a deeper understanding of God's message. 

A huge THANK YOU to the new parish handyman group (Handyman Helpers) that assembled the shelving units for our program. They also assembled our new ball cart! We now have playground equipment (jump ropes, bubbles, chalk, balls, spike ball and more) for our kids to use after church during coffee hour. The ball cart is stored in the shed, and we will be assigning ball cart helpers to get it out and put it away each Sunday. 

Many thanks also go to Christine Hohmann for donating her talents and making the Godly Play banners and Godly Play church calendar.

VBS News

Please Save the Date for Vacation Bible School the week of July 27 ^th for our children ages pre-k (4)-5 ^th grade. It will be held at St. James Church in Lincoln. More information will be available soon.

If you need more information, please contact Natalie Cooper or Kara Diaz at:

[email protected]

[email protected]

Cristina Billikopf was baptized into the Church Sunday, February 23 ^rd , the Last Sunday after Epiphany, celebrating the Transfiguration of our Lord.

Steve Mershon and Rich Wampler were Cristina's witnesses. Several of Cristina's friends and family were in church to celebrate her baptism.

News from the Nursery

Jordan Craft and Siena Giampaoli are the Nursery Attendants.

Our Nursery is a very active place, which is awesome. Please know you are welcome to bring your child back into the nursery after communion if you choose. Please let our Nursery Assistants know if you plan to do this, so they are prepared. Our attendants do take turns for communion, but there is always someone in the Nursery.

Please contact Kathy Dillon or Fr. Tom, if you have questions:

[email protected]

Children's Choir

The Children's Choir rehearsals follow the 10 a.m. service, concluding by noon. Rehearsals take place on the first and third Sundays.

The Choir sang, " I'm Gonna Sing When the Spirit Says Sing!" at a recent service.

The choir sings periodically during the 10 a.m. service throughout the school year. All children from kindergarten through 5 ^th grade are welcome.

We are looking for more children to share their enthusiastic voices in the awesome Children's Choir. Give it a try!

Questions? Contact Amy Quinney at:

[email protected]

or

916-257-2343

Daughters of the King

The St. Augustine Chapter of Daughters of the King meets in the Sunday School room the second Sunday of each month from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with some exceptions. Visitors are encouraged to participate and join in the fellowship.

DOK met Sunday, March 8 ^th to learn a new card-making craft with Dottie Neil instructing the group.

The 135 ^th anniversary of Daughters of the King occurs right around Easter. Celebrations for this momentous occasion have been postponed until further notice. Our St. Augustine chapter will join in these celebrations at a later date.

DOK will not meet in April. Further meeting dates will be announced later.

Questions? Contact Carol Ann Hackley, president at:

916-253-7565

[email protected]

Brotherhood of St. Andrew

The Brotherhood of St. Andrew holds its regular monthly meetings at 9 a.m. in Canterbury Hall the fourth Saturday morning of the month. Coffee and breakfast are served. All men and youth are welcome and encouraged to attend a meeting. Even if you are not a member of the Brotherhood, and just have an interest in what we do, you are welcome to join us for breakfast and the meeting. 

The Brotherhood prepared and served supper for the Shrove Tuesday event on February 25 ^th. The National Day of Service, originally scheduled for Saturday, April 25 ^th has been postponed.

The Brothers are working with Fr. Tom and Pastor Maryellen to install a memorial nameplate on the newly installed bench outside the side entrance of the church in memory of our founding member Ralph Nave.

The Brotherhood will not meet on Saturday, March 28 ^th, 9 a.m. at St. Augustine. Details for the April meeting will be announced at a later date.

Director Rob Shonk will soon be appointed as the Diocesan Coordinator for the National Brotherhood. He will be meeting with the Men's Group from Faith Episcopal Church in Fairfield and the Men's Group at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, Antelope, in April.

Rob Shonk is the Director. If you have an interest in learning about the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, please contact Rob or Secretary John Redmond:

[email protected]

[email protected]

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper

Prepared and Served by

The Brotherhood of St. Augustine

Burning of the Ashes

The Prayer Shawl ministry will take a break from formal meetings for a few months. However, members will continue to knit and crochet prayer shawls on their own.

There are shawls available if you would like to give one to a person in need. The shawls are presented with a beautiful card and a selection of prayers from the Book of Common Prayer. These prayer shawls are given to people who need to feel the love of God and the support of our congregation as they struggle with illness or life’s challenges.

Please contact Greer Nave if you need more information.

[email protected]

Volume 10 No. 2 & 3 March/April 2020