November 23, 2023 | VOLUME 35, ISSUE 44

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Christ the King Sunday

November 26, 2023

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

Psalm 95:1-7a

Ephesians 1:15-23

Matthew 25:31-46

Preacher: The Reverend Jennifer Wagner Pavia

Sunday, November 26, after each service: Advent Wreath Making in Parish Hall

Saturday, December 2, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM: JoyCatchers event to decorate Christmas trees for veterans in Parish Hall

Sunday, December 3, 10:00 AM: Advent Festival of Lessons and Carols with St. Bede's Choir & Soloists in Sanctuary

Friday, December 8, 6:00 PM: Sisters of Bede Christmas Party at Mohler residence

Saturday, December 16, 3:00 PM: SoB Venue: A Very Merry Vegan Christmas at Murray residence

Bible and Breakfast

Tuesdays | 9:30 AM

Luther Hall & Zoom

Dinner Church with Eucharist

Wednesdays | 6:30 PM

Luther Hall

Our Coffee Hour on Sunday, November 26, will consist of your Thanksgiving leftovers. Please bring what leftovers you can and Liz and Penny will put them out for all to share. Thank you all so much!

May your hearts be filled with gratitude this Thanksgiving and throughout the coming year!

This year our annual Sisters of Bede Christmas Party will take place on Friday, December 8, starting at 6:00 PM at the Mohler residence. All who identify as women are invited. With a yummy potluck dinner, a delightful, often riotous, gift exchange (where participation is voluntary) and warm, caring fellowship, the event is always festive, elegant and a blast!!! We truly hope you will join us. You can RSVP here.

(1) Verger Kathy Fairchild at last year's JoyCatchers tree trim event. (2) Men enjoy this event as well as women. (3) Sampling of trees to be given to veterans.

The Holy Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ according to Matthew 25:37-40 (NRSV):

"Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’”

If you would like to be one of God’s people who contribute to the “least of these” this year, please consider joining the JoyCatchers on:

• Saturday, December 2
• Morning Tree Trim Shift: 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM
• Afternoon Tree Trim Shift: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
• Location: St. Bede’s Parish Hall
• Refreshments: Light lunch, cookies, bottled water and hot cider
• Donation: Requesting $10 to help defray costs of trees & decorations
• RSVP: Email charlaking37@hotmail to let her know you are coming & whether you will have lunch or just snacks

For the past three years this organization has gathered at St. Bede’s to sponsor a holiday tree trim, where tabletop size trees are individually decorated by volunteers. Both the trees and a substantial variety of decoration materials are supplied by the organization. The decorated trees are then given as gifts to seniors, veterans, people in hospice, adults experiencing Alzheimer’s or cancer and individuals in transitional housing, assisted living or board & care homes. As stated on the JoyCatchers website, “A JoyCatchers tree is much more than a tree. It is a means to ‘catch the joy’ of the holiday season and share it with those who may be alone, lonely, or ill during a season when much of society is in an exuberant, celebratory mode. What we make with our hands, we give with our hearts.”

Good news! There is still room for parishioners and friends to sign up and participate in this lovely and unique Christmas event. You, along with your fiends, are invited to join in the fun and taste foods traditionally featured in a Scandanavian Christmas, vegan style. If you are interested, please email Daphne Moote at moote@mac.com to let her know how many in your party will be attending.

The St. Bede's Mission Committee would like to announce its fall/holiday project--and it's all about shoes! We will be collecting new and gently-used shoes -- and cash to acquire more shoes. Our advisors at the Salvation Army, where we will donate the shoes (their Santa Monica site sponsors a monthly service day, much like Neighbors 4 Neighbors used to do), have the following asks/advice:

The greatest need is for adult shoes. (Another notable need is for long/big sizes for men.) 

The shoes can be sneakers, hiking boots, and walking shoes-- as long as they are "comfortable for everyday wear." 

We will have a box in the Narthex to collect the shoes for folks who want to shop in stores --or shop their closet.

Please stay tuned for more details! Questions? Please ask any member of the Mission Committee.

Visit the St. Bede's website and at the top of every page, look for the "Donate" button. When you click on the "Donate" button, you will be transported to St. Bede's Vanco eGiving and Payment Process Site.

Vanco is an industry leader in online payments. More than 40,000 churches, faith-based groups, nonprofits, schools, and educational organizations trust Vanco to securely complete transactions every day. Vanco complies with PCI Level 1 standards, the highest security standard in the payment processing industry.

You are invited to set up one-time or recurring gifts using credit, debit, or bank transfer on Vanco's secure payment processing platform. Giving online through the Vanco site saves time and the hassle of remembering to bring your offering. In addition, you decrease the expense incurred by St. Bede’s from handling and processing checks and cash.

Church of the Epiphany in Washington, D.C., operates as a designated hypothermia shelter for men between Nov. 1 and March 30. Photo: Church of the Epiphany

Church of the Epiphany serving as ‘hypothermia shelter’ in downtown Washington, DC

By Shireen Korkzan

For the second straight year, Church of the Epiphany in Washington, D.C., is operating as a designated hypothermia shelter through the winter.

In Washington, “hypothermia season,” when unsheltered individuals are at most risk from dangerously low temperatures, lasts from Nov. 1 through March 31. Hypothermia alerts are activated when the weather, including wind chill, is forecasted to be 32° or below, or 40° or below if precipitation is likely.

On average, 30 men stay from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. at Church of the Epiphany, located a couple blocks from the White House, where they are provided a blanket and a cot to sleep on, as well as dinner and breakfast. Narcan is also available on site for anyone suffering from a possible opioid overdose. The church operates as a men-only shelter in coordination with the D.C. Department of Human Services.

The Rev. Glenna Huber, rector of Church of the Epiphany, told Episcopal News Service that homelessness is a “huge concern” in Washington, citing a lack of affordable housing and entry-level jobs.

“Being able to open our doors means that there’s hopefully one less person who dies from hypothermia while sleeping on the street,” she said.

Homelessness is an increasing problem throughout the Washington region, surging by 18% between 2022 and 2023. On any given night, more than 3,700 people in the U.S. capital experience homelessness, according to the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness, an independent nonprofit devoted to providing housing resources to homeless people in the Washington area.

READ MORE HERE

Archbishop Hosam Naoum of the Diocese of Jerusalem speaks in a Nov. 21 webinar with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry.

Jerusalem archbishop thanks Episcopal supporters for prayers, donations amid ‘devastating’ war in Holy Land

By David Paulsen

Archbishop Hosam Naoum, the top Anglican leader in the Middle East, joined Presiding Bishop Michael Curry for a webinar Nov. 21 in which he described dire conditions amid the Israel-Hamas war while thanking Episcopalians for their prayers and support.

“What we’re going through is something that I don’t wish any person or nation to go through,” Naoum said in the Zoom session, hosted by The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations. “What is happening here is absolutely devastating. … My heart personally has been absolutely broken to see so much suffering and death within this area, within the country.”

Israel declared war on Hamas after the militant group attacked and raided Jewish communities in southern Israel, killing an estimated 1,400 people and taking about 200 hostages back to Hamas’ stronghold in Gaza. Israel responded by launching an intense and prolonged aerial bombardment followed by a ground invasion of Gaza that has killed more than 13,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Also on Nov. 21, Israeli and Hamas leaders indicated they may be close to agreeing to at least a limited cease-fire after six weeks of fighting.

Naoum is the bishop of the Diocese of Jerusalem and the primate of the larger Anglican province that includes Jerusalem, Israel and the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank. The Diocese of Jerusalem’s ministries include schools and hospitals open to people of all faiths, and its Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City has been on the front lines of the humanitarian response to the crisis in the territory.



READ MORE HERE

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