A Christian community of all ages

grounded in

worship, well-being, and service.

November 9 - 15, 2024

From the Lay Associate,

Dear Friends,

As a psychologist, when I am working with a couple in distress, I look for areas of commonality, safe spaces, a place to meet. When we feel safe, we are able to share with each other. Through sharing who we are, we offer the gifts that God has given us. Sometimes I think that building the kingdom is like putting together a puzzle where each of us has been given a different piece. 

This is hard, important, vulnerable work. As we make space for each other, as we seek to share what God has given us, we need to feel safe to do so. Perhaps, like holding a child who learns that she can always return to that embrace, she gains the ability to take risks and to grow, knowing the power of that hug and her ability to return to it. We need to be able to draw on this sense of being held. 

We also need help remembering that this safety exists, that it is in God’s love for us and in the love that God has given us to share. This is one of the big reasons I go to church on Sunday. When we are together, when we pray together, we manifest this love and our commitment to each other. I think about this particularly when we say the Lord’s Prayer, realizing that at any moment, someone somewhere is praying the Lord’s Prayer – in every language, in every place, around the

world. When we pray it, we add our voices to this great web of prayer that surrounds us all. Holding us in it. Like the meniscus that forms at the edge of a glass where the surface of the water curves, I imagine our prayers holding us.

Last week we began our four session exploration of the fall theme: Walk in Love. I invited people to tell stories involving the Lord’s Prayer. What happened was transformational. I was blown away by what you shared, by your willingness to be vulnerable, and by the depth of your faith. This has held me this week. In the weeks ahead, we will continue to explore aspects of the Lord’s Prayer, create a prayer for St. Mary’s, and discuss how this connects to our time together this fall and to Jesus’ call to all of us to walk in love. 

Walking with you,

Brian

For a calendar of all of St. Mary's activities visit our website.

Well-Being

Walk in Love

Brian will offer a series of workshops following the 10 a.m. service on November 10, 17, and 24. The class will take place in the Southside Classroom on the lower level of the Parish House. You are welcome to attend any session - participation does not depend on having been the previous week.

Service

Solito Opportunity

Did you enjoy the book group discussion regarding Solito by Javier Zamora and want more information? The Rogers Free Public Library in Bristol sponsors monthly conversations with authors. On Thursday, November 14, at 4:00 p.m. the library will host an hour-long virtual conversation with the book's author, Javier Zamora, about his memoir.

You can register for this event on the library's website.

Supporting the MLK Community Center Santa’s Workshop is one of St. Mary’s signature community outreach programs. Many families on Aquidneck Island are struggling, and we seek to bring the spirit of Christmas to them by providing gifts for their children. 

Once again, the Christmas Giving Tree recipients will be from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Newport. The Center is encouraging us to support their families in several ways.

• Purchase toys once again!!! A suggested toy shopping list is available online.

• Donate gift cards in $25.00 increments for the 'teens and 'tweens. Please buy gift cards from the following stores:
• Walmart
• TJ Maxx/Marshalls
• Old Navy
• GameStop
• Amazon
• Ulta Beauty

• Purchase gift cards in the amount of $10.00 to Stop and Shop and Shaw’s to help support families in need of holiday food.

I hope that the response from our community will be as overwhelming as it has been in the past. A member of the outreach committee will be at each service collecting gift cards starting Sunday, November 17 through Sunday, December 8. Toys can be left in the Parish House. The deadline to donate new, unwrapped toys and gift cards is Sunday, December 8.

Thank you in advance for your love and generosity. If you have any questions, please reach out to me at 401-924-4252 or email me.

.

With gratitude,

Judy Hall

Image credits: Richard Grosvenor, Historic Church, watercolor, used with permission.

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