|
Sermon Sunday October 18, 2026
The Rev. Mike Ferrito Preaching
The sermon video will be available on our YouTube Channel tomorrow morning. Thank you for your patience.
| | |
St. Michael's Stewardship
Faith & Giving
| | |
St. Michael’s Ingathering Sunday Luncheon
Please RSVP Today!
Join us October 25 at 10am for our ingathering Sunday wrapping up this year’s Stewardship. We will be blessing all of the pledges during the service, but you're welcome to send your pledge card anytime. We will gather in Johnstone and Parish Hall immediately following the service for a light luncheon. Please use the RSVP button below.
We are asking that you please RSVP by end of day today so we have an accounting of how many to set up for this weekend. Thank you so much!
| |
Dear St. Michael's Members & Friends
Every message about our pledge campaign begins with gratitude, and I am deeply grateful for all the ways this community has met the challenges of this past year. Through those challenges, we have continued to find common ground and to share a community grounded in love, joy, compassion, and service to our neighbors. Thank you for all that you have contributed to making St. Michael’s the community it is today.
Our stewardship theme this year is Faith in Giving. Those words speak to me in two ways.
Continue Reading here
| | |
Stock Giving
Todd & Betsy Stone
Betsy and I are so grateful for the many ways St. Michael’s enriches our lives, and like everyone in our congregation, we do what we can to support it.
I’d like to share with you something that we have been doing in the past few years, an easy new way to support St. Michael’s… while also helping us. Then I’m also going to talk briefly about two other creative ways to support St. Michael’s.
Okay, let’s talk about our experience with “appreciated stock donations.” Instead of writing a check, we’ve directly given to St. Michael’s a stock that has increased in value over time. Some stocks, like Apple, have really shot up in value, but there are lots of stocks that have appreciated.
Continue Reading....
| |
Prior Testimonials
In case you missed a previous testimonial you can check these out on our website through on our Stewardship Page and/or find this through the front page of the website. We have also added a new Stewardship Testimonial Playlist to our YouTube accessed here.
| | |
Reserve your space today!
Life Planning Guide Workshop
St. Michael’s - Saturday, November 7, 2026
Doors open at 8:30 with Program from 9 - noon
WILL YOU LEAVE A LEGACY OR A MESS?
A Life Planning Guide workshop can help.
The Life Planning Guide Workshop provides an organized format for getting things done! This lively workshop includes vital information for every adult, from young parents to Seniors, with discussions on many topics, including: Making arrangements for your children, organizing those important papers, and assuring that someone knows where to find them, writing love letters to your family/friends, leaving the necessary information for your funeral and your obituary, preparing your Advance Directive, end-of-life choices, understanding Hospice, how to donate your organs, deciding who will receive your assets, the importance of having a will, and the difference between a will and a trust. The program, developed by Marcie Larkey and Todd Murray has now been offered to 900+ individuals. Testimonials & full article below.
“I thought I had done my preplanning but learned that I had omitted some things which I will now be able to correct.”
“I really enjoyed the humor that was interjected.”
“The pace was perfect. No boring details... What you did was open our hearts and our eyes.”
There are many ways to sign up: call Marcie, or Michelle or use the button below.
Click here to read more..
| | St. Michael's Youth & Family | | |
Sunday School
We are excited to announce that our Sunday School program is in place! Sunday School will be taught in the Godly Play room in the Church office. Children who would like to attend the class are invited to join the Sunday School Teachers immediately following the Children & Community Homily for a lesson, crafts, and prayer. Our teachers will escort the children back to the service during the peace so they can join their families for communion. Our classes will be led by a rotation of our wonderful parishioners including Rev. Kathy Hopner, Kathy and John Rojek, Cindy Dewey, and Sue Corbin. Please contact the church office with questions.
| | |
Trunk or Treat
Thursday, October 29
| |
Calling all our wonderful volunteers to help us invite our community to a night of Fun, Friendship and Food for our annual Trunk or Treat! This year we are hosting the event on Thursday, October 29th from 6 to 8pm. We're hoping this change will give our neighbors (and parishioners) an additional chance to celebrate without conflicting with other Halloween plans. As an added treat, the St. Micheal's Day School 5th Grade class will be helping run our games!
We may even have a visit from a Fire Truck if time allows.
As always, costumes and decorated trunks are encouraged but not required to participate in the fun! Please sign up to volunteer and/or host a trunk below and contact the office with questions!
We will be serving Nachos with Chili (regular and vegetarian) and Cheese! We need volunteers to help with set-up and clean-up, please use the RSVP button. We are also in need of candy donations! Last year we almost ran out! Donations can be dropped off to the office or the church on Sundays.
| | St. Michael's Learn & Connect | | |
Book Reading with Marilyn McEntyre
Sunday November 8
Join us after coffee hour to hear Marilyn McEntyre read from and discuss her new book, As We Age: A Conversation.
Co-authored by Marilyn and a longtime colleague and friend, the conversation that unfolds in As We Age, beyond personal reflections, offers an invitation to readers to reflect on their own aging—what questions and challenges arise in the final season of life, and what unexpected pleasures. It ranges among memories of learning moments, passages from beloved books, observations about shifting friendships and family relationships, and speculations about death, dying, and what lies beyond that portal.
| | |
Documentary and Dessert evening
Sunday November 15 at 6:30pm
Sacramento, along with many other cities, is in the thick of public debate about proposed construction of AI Data Centers. Join us Nov. 15, 6:30-8:00 in the Friendship Center for a short PBS documentary about data centers and reflective discussion about some of the promises and perils of AI development.
| | |
Welcome Table
The Welcome Table is open during Coffee Hour. This will be your point of contact for visitors, new and existing members to find connection with our various ministries, learn about upcoming events and programs, or connect you to the office or clergy.
| | |
St. Michael's Continuing Studies & Offerings
| | |
In the community & on Campus
SingIN event with the Carmichael Resistance Choir- Wednesday November 4 at 6:30pm in Johnstone Hall at St. Michael's. Flyers can be found here & in the Narthex on Sundays.
| | |
Thanksgiving Gift Cards!
Help make Thanksgiving a little brighter! It is time for our annual Thanksgiving Gift Card collection for food gift cards to help those in need have a special Thanksgiving meal. If you are giving by check, please write “Food Gift Card" in the memo. You can also give online or put cash in an envelope (you can find these in the pew pockets), mark it with "Food Gift Card" and put it in the plate on Sunday. Please have your donations to the church or office by Sunday November 15.
Your donations will buy Safeway gift cards that will be distributed at River City Food Bank and The Center at St. Matthew’s. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time for us to share our bounty by helping the less fortunate among us have a memorable meal. For more information please contact Terry Bridges or the Office.
| | |
Formula Collection through November 15
In partnership with St. Michael's Episcopal Day School's 5th Grade Class November collection we will be collecting baby formula now through November 15 in the baskets in the Narthex. Please consider picking up a pack of formula when you are on your next shopping run to contribute to the young families in need in our community. Thank you for all you do!
| | |
Plastic Film Collection
St. Michael’s is now a collection point for all of your clean plastic film and bags. Please check out the flyer for more details and instructions on what items are taken. Please contact Laura Quené if you have any additional questions.
| |
|
Regular Outreach Opportunities
River City Food Bank Center at St. Matthew's - Distribution Prep every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday
& Distribution every Wednesday & Friday
Food Barrel located at the back of the Narthex
Carmichael HART Carmichael Presbyterian Church - Lunch program every Thursday & the Shower Ministry every Saturday
God's Helping Hands Laundry located at Mega Wash on Fair Oaks Blvd. at El Camino. Volunteers are needed every 3rd Saturday of the month, and donations are appreciated.
| | St. Michael's Worship & Music | |
Weekly Services
10am Sunday Morning Worship Eucharist (also Livestreamed)
5pm Sunday Evening Contemplative Prayer Service on Zoom
9am Morning Prayer – Zoom Monday through Thursday
8:30am Friday Morning Contemplative Eucharist
| The Daily Office Chanted ~ For those who are interested Fr. Rodney Davis shared an offering with us at Staff Meeting that he thought you would enjoy looking into. The Daily Office Chanted offers Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Compline every day, sung according to the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church in the ancient tradition of Gregorian chant. Click here to check out this offering - https://thedailyofficechanted.podbean.com/ | | |
Honoring our Deceased Loved Ones
Names for All Saints Day & All Souls' Day
It is our tradition to honor our departed loved ones by reading their names at the All Saints and All Souls services. This year we will be honoring our loved ones a little differently. We are inviting you to bring photos of lost loved ones to hang up in the church in preparation for these services. We will be celebrating All Souls' Day at our Friday Morning Contemplative Eucharist on Friday October 30 at 8:30am where we will read all the names of our loved ones aloud and on All Saints Day at our 10am & 5pm services on Sunday November 1 we will print their names in the bulletin only. Please email or call the office with the names of people you want us to read aloud during these services. Please include phonetic spelling so we can be sure to pronounce them correctly at the Friday service.
Please have your names submitted by 5pm Wednesday, October 28.
| | |
Forward Day by Days Available
The new Forward Day by Days for November through January 2027 are now available although we are still waiting for the large print versions to arrive. These will be in the ushers desk at the narthex and the church office for you to pick up on Sunday. Donations towards these are welcomed and can be dropped in the collection plate on Sundays. Thank you!
| | |
Choral Masterworks
by Dr. John Cozza, Music Director
Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80 by Bach
This coming Friday, October 31, is not only Halloween but also the Feast of the Reformation, celebrating the day in 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the city of Wittenberg's castle church. Many important choral works have been composed over the centuries to celebrate this day, but perhaps the most famous is one of Bach's most impressive church cantatas. Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott ("A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"), BWV 80 is a chorale cantata for Reformation Day by Johann Sebastian Bach. He reworked it from one of his Weimar cantatas, Alles, was von Gott geboren, BWV 80a. The first Leipzig version of the church cantata, BWV 80b, may have been composed as early as 1723, some five months after Bach had moved to Leipzig. Some years later he reworked the cantata one more time, writing an extended chorale fantasia as its opening movement. The text of the BWV 80a version was written by Salomon Franck and contained one stanza of Martin Luther's hymn "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott"; for his chorale cantata versions, BWV 80b and 80, Bach added the complete text of this Lutheran hymn. Bach scored the cantata for four vocal soloists, a four-part choir and a Baroque chamber ensemble of up to three oboes of different kinds, strings and continuo.
Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott was published in 1821, the first of Bach's cantatas published after his death. The Bach Gesellschaft edition appeared half a century later.
For more information, here is a link to the Wikipedia article:
And here is an exciting live recording from Switzerland with the Chorus and Orchestra of the Bach Foundation:
| |
|
Prayers for Pregnant Women & Their Babies
We have an ongoing relationship with the Episcopal Sisters at the Order of Julian of Norwich monastery who pray daily for pregnant women and their babies. If you have name(s) of loved one(s) who are expecting that you would like to have included in the sisters' prayers, please email Fr. Rod.
Giving Thanks with Flowers!
You can remember your loved ones and celebrate important moments in your life with the gift of flowers to the church. If you would like to give in this way, please let the office know and what you would like to give thanks for in the bulletin. You can send a check (or drop it off) to the office or pay on-line.
Mercy and Social Justice Committee
The Mercy and Social Justice Committee exists to provide St. Michael’s parishioners with opportunities to share God’s love and justice. We accomplish this by offering parishioners several ways to participate in outreach to our most vulnerable and marginalized neighbors. The last committee meeting for this year will be 7 – 8pm on November 2nd. We will be discussing our upcoming 2027 calendar as part See Terry Bridges if you are interested in attending as a guest.
Name Tags
Name tags are available at Sunday morning check in on the greeter cart. Please be sure to grab and wear your name tag before the service. If you are in need of a name tag please let the office know.
St. Michael's Hours
Office Hours: Monday through Friday 10:00am - 1:00pm
Sanctuary, Columbarium and Courtyard are open during office hours. Please let the office know you will be coming. Call 916.488.3550 or email.
Pastoral Hours -
Rev. Megan will be available on request. Please email revmegan@stmichaelscarmichael.org to schedule.
Fr. Mike will be available on request. Please email revdrferrito@outlook.com to schedule.
Fr. Rod will be available on request. Please email fatherrod@stmichaelscarmichael.org to schedule.
Giving & Stewardship
Thank you all for generously supporting St. Michael's and our ministries. We are accepting pledge payments through the mail. We are also accepting online giving via the donate button below. You may have to set up an account to do so. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Kate Muris. 2026 Pledge Cards can be found here.
| |
St. Michael's Episcopal Church
2140 Mission Avenue, Carmichael CA 95608
| | | | | |
