From the Pastor  

There's a book I use regularly called A Priest's Handbook . It has fantastic notes on so many aspects of our common life of worship, but not surprisingly there is no chapter on how to worship during a time of pandemic. It's amazing to see how the Internet has enabled us to create so many more ways to stay connected, to pray together, to study together and to share love. And yet the heart longs for something more.

The Episcopal faith is at its core level all about incarnation. We may not understand God completely - each of us holds only a piece - but we know that when we gather, when we taste and see, we come to know God in powerful and transformative ways. I think our digital fellowship is real fellowship, but how my heart aches to be with you again.

As I shared in our quarterly town hall meeting (over zoom), we are still waiting for directions from our experts and officials on how and when we will return to public services. Some things are certain: we will need an adequate supply of sanitizing products, masks will likely be a part of our public life for some time (I've got one that matches my green vestments), and we will continue to maintain a live stream of the whole service for those who for their safety remain at home. 

Last month we observed Holy Week and celebrated the beginning of Easter. Although we have struggled in our self-isolation, we have made this a celebration for the books as we proclaim  Alleluia! Christ is Risen!  through these great fifty days from our many places, inviting the brilliance and luminance of the Risen One to visit our chambers as he visited those first disciples. And we are on the road to the hilltop of Bethany, where he will ascend, where he will depart from our eyes and with the gift of the Holy Spirit we are reminded that although it appears we are apart from him, we are not alone.

Grace and peace,

Fr. Tom+

Ongoing Events

Go to the St. Augustine website for instructions to join Zoom or watch for an invitation via email.

Wonderful Wednesday

Stay connected with Fr. Tom and our Church family by reading

The Wonderful Wednesday Newsletter,

sent by email every Wednesday morning.

Look for...

An invitation to join Fireside Chat Wednesdays at 7 p.m.

Join via Zoom.

An invitation to join The Good Book Club discussion of The Gospel of St. Matthew at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays.

A link to the Sunday Morning Prayer service each Sunday at 10 a.m.

A link to the Prayer List. Feel free to add names to the list.

Other timely news...

A study for the Great 50 Days of Easter:

The Gospel of Matthew

 

As we move into the 50 days of Easter, we invite you to accept Bishop Megan’s invitation to read The Gospel of Matthew using The Good Book Club resources. Below you will find links and an invitation to join in the St. Augustine virtual small group in this 50-day Gospel adventure.

It will help us to deepen our understanding of scripture and engage us in thought and conversation about Jesus and being followers of Jesus. We will be reading the Gospel of Matthew with the rest of the faithful in The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California.

Information about this study can be found at www.goodbookclub.org . This is a great opportunity for fellowship and formation. It is not too late to join.

St. Augustine will host a discussion on the readings from The Good Book Club at 7:30 p.m. following the Wednesday Fireside Chats.

St. Augustine Transition Update

Treasurer's Report

A large thank you to the parishioners of St. Augustine Episcopal Church for their generosity during these very stressful times. As expenses need to be paid, income from pledges for the month of April is at 80% of what we projected. Year-to-date, we are at 86% of our projected income. Please be mindful and do what you can.

Continued donations and pledge payments may be mailed to the Church or paid online (see directions below).

St. Augustine Church

1800 Wildcat Boulevard

Rocklin, CA 95765

Online Giving - Electronic Donations

Quick, Easy, Safe

Between 35% and 40% of our monthly giving is being donated online. Visit the St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church website at:

staugustineepiscopal.com

Click on the 'Donate' button. Follow the screen instructions to create an online profile. You can make one-time donations and also set up recurring gifts. You can use credit cards and build your points and miles. You will have the option to help offset the credit card processing fees.

Payroll Protection Plan

We submitted a loan application to Umpqua Bank for a Payroll Protection Plan through the Small Business Administration for $26,500. If this loan is used for payroll costs, utilities and/or mortgage payments, it will be forgiven with no payment required. On the same day that the government announced that the funds allocated for this loan were exhausted, we received notice that our application had been approved. Once we receive these funds, they will be used for the intended purposes within the loan.

Due to the coronavirus impact, 500 RISE Against Hunger events have been postponed with significant negative impact on operations. There is a need for unrestricted cash donations. You can donate funds to RISE through the Church's online donation site or through Facebook.

The global health crisis presents many challenges to our daily routines, but finding ways to stay active doesn’t have to be one of them! To help us reach the children and families who are counting on us now more than ever, join us for our first-ever virtual 5K/10K run/walk challenge May 15-17! When we work together, there is still so much hope for a brighter future for 820 million people facing hunger worldwide. 

Join us in supporting RISE Against Hunger through this creative (and safe!) 5K/10K fundraiser. Register if you want a T-shirt, or simply donate if you don't, and be sure to share your photos so we can all celebrate making a difference!

P.S. Be sure to have your donation credited to our team, the St. Augustine Church “We Care” Team.

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. While we will not be gathering for Centering Prayer, you can still pray on your own. We hope that you will join us and see how contemplation can enrich your own experience.

We invite you to download the Centering Prayer app to your device.

Apple/iPhone: 

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/centering-prayer/id844280857

Google/Android: 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.contemplativeoutreach.centeringprayer&hl=en_US

The Center for Bible Study Podcast

The Center for Bible Study is offering free online podcasts to help people grow in their study and understanding of the Bible. The first course, Exploring the Old Testament in the New, can be found   here .  All participants need is a Bible (NRSV, NIV, CEB), a notebook, and a desire to dig deeper into scripture.

Future episodes will be found at the link below and on the websites of  St. Andrew's, Antelope   and   The Center for Bible Study .

The course is free, but donations of thanks for this course may be sent to:

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church,

7850 Watt Ave,

Antelope, CA 95843

Podcast link:  buzzsprout.com/1026769

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In Loving Memory

Holy Week

Easter!



Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

A New Day is Dawning!

St. Augustine

Outreach Ministry

The Gathering Inn Hosting Program

&

Donations

An Update from Nathan Cox, Director

The Gathering Inn

South Placer Emergency Housing/Supportive Services Program

The Gathering Inn is now sheltering in place at two sites. A small contingent of the guests who are working or medically fragile stay on our campus overnight. The remaining are staying at St. John's Roseville each night. There are still an average of 55 guests each night. Most often, dinners must be purchased for the guests. Other church partners do make some meals the guests can enjoy.

The Gathering Inn staff very much misses the church partners and looks forward to returning to a normal hosting schedule. Safety for all involved is paramount.

In lieu of hosting our guests during this time, St. Augustine Outreach Ministry is donating $250 each month to The Gathering Inn (an amount equal to the cost of hosting the guests) until we are able to host at the Church. 

At the moment, The Gathering Inn is not able to accept many physical donations. The main focus now is serving the guests who stay at the site and use the Resource Center once a day.

By providing a safe place to stay, surrounded by supportive and caring staff, The Gathering Inn provides homeless women, men and families the dignity and resources they need to become active members of our community.

Want to Donate???

The staff is unable to take physical donations at this time. However, The Gathering Inn is very grateful for financial contributions. There are five ways to donate:

staugustineepiscopal.com

thegatheringinn.com

The Gathering Inn

P.O. Box 297

Roseville, CA 95678

stjohnsroseville.org

St. John's Roseville

2351 Pleasant Grove Boulevard

Roseville, CA 95747

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., preparing, cooking and serving 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.

Due to the corona virus shelter-in-place restrictions, St. Vincent de Paul has closed their kitchen for the month of April. Coordinator Rob Shonk will meet with St. Vincent de Paul manager, John Moore, to determine if they will open the kitchen in May.

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 Kathy Jordan.

 

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

[email protected] or 916-599-1218.

Youth Co-op News!

We look forward to announcing the next date when we return to our normal scheduling!

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

Dear Sunday School Kiddos,

We miss you all so much! This new normal has parts to be celebrated and parts that continue to be a challenge. We are trying very hard every day for each family member to not only say what they are thankful for but also write it down.

When we are feeling uncertain, we enjoy reading through our thankful jar, and it helps us remember that we really do have so many blessings. We encourage you to try it with your families.

Moving forward... since we do not know when we will get to be back together physically, we will be posting a link to our weekly Godly Play lesson on our Shutterfly page and the private St. Augustine Facebook page. We will also try to include an art activity or game to go with the lesson.

Please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] or Kara at [email protected] if you have any questions or need assistance. We are so fortunate to have our Church community and want to make sure our kiddos know we are here for them.

Natalie and Kara

The Daughters of the King international order for women of the Episcopal Church is celebrating 135 years of service, since its founding in 1885. A group of women from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in New York City met the day before Easter that year , and were encouraged by Margaret Franklin to form DOK.

When they met for the first national convention in Baltimore in 1891, there were already 250 chapters and 8,000 members. The Daughters’ mission is to pray daily for their sisters, church, clergy and “for the spread of God’s kingdom.” 

 

St. Augustine’s Mother Teresa Chapter was officially chartered on November 8, 2003. Chris Alexander Deering and Rhonda Wampler were among the ten founding members. The DOK meets for spiritual study, prayer and service.

 

Members provide support to Acres of Hope, a faith-based renewal center, St. Luc Episcopal School in Haiti and The Gathering Inn. Service also has included helping the Brothers of St. Andrew with the Christian Men’s Conference, Bingo Spaghetti Night and other events, Kairos prison ministry and the RISE Against Hunger food-packing project.

 

Carol Ann Hackley, DOK president, invites interested women to attend meetings and become involved. When Church services resume, the Daughters will meet at 11:30 a.m. on the second Sunday of every month. 

Contact:  [email protected] or 916-253-7565.

Brotherhood of St. Andrew

The Brotherhood held its April 25 ^th meeting by via Zoom. National officers, Jeff Butcher, president; Jack Hanstein, vice president, and Tom Welch, Executive Director, were in attendance. Ron Cupid from the Fairfield, Grace Episcopal Men (GEM), was also in attendance. Fr. Tom opened the meeting with a prayer and brief homily. Pierce Leavell paid tribute to the late Lloyd Kriner, a beloved member, who passed away this month. 

Guest, Jim Quinney, spoke about the need for financial support of RISE Against Hunger. All meal-packing events have been canceled during this period, so fundraising is dependent upon financial donations. Brotherhood members voted to donate $1,000 to RISE. 

The National Day of Service and the church BBQ have both been postponed. Brother Fred Buhler suggested a “virtual online” fundraising project while we are in this sheltering-in-place situation. Jack Hanstein said he would send Rob Shonk the links for getting a “virtual fundraiser” going. 

Jack Hanstein also recommended that Brotherhood members work with Daughters of the King to organize an event for National Prayer Day, May 7 ^th . Rob will work will Carol Ann Hackley and Joanne McCormack to coordinate with the Daughters.

The Brotherhood of St. Andrew normally 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," said Rob Shonk, Director. If you have an interest in learning about the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, please contact Rob, Secretary John Redmond or Treasurer John Quigley.

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

The next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, May 23 ^rd at 9 a.m. via Zoom.

The St. Augustine Daughters of the King and Brotherhood of St. Andrew Chapters will sponsor a joint Zoom Teleconference on National Day of Prayer, Thursday, May 7 ^th at 7 p.m. Our members will join the Zoom meeting and watch a video, performed by select members of the Daughters and Brotherhood nationwide. Our members will also be able to follow along with a Prayer Guide which could be downloaded from the National Day of Prayer website. There will also be some time after the video for feedback & fellowship.

The video for the National Day of Prayer will be recorded on Saturday, May 2 ^nd, and will have guest speakers from the Daughters and Brotherhood. The prayers will be on the following topics: Church, Government, Family, Business, Education, Military, Media and a special prayer on COVID-19.

The video will be edited and uploaded to YouTube. The link will be forwarded to the Church, and the video will be played through the Zoom application.

Daughters President Carol Ann Hackley and Brotherhood Director Rob Shonk, have worked together to make this joint event successful.

May Birthdays

May Anniversaries

Volume 10 No. 4 May 2020