Nathanael Under The Fig Tree

James Tissot

Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you

that I saw you under the fig tree?

You will see greater things than these.” 

John 1: 50

This Week of January 14

Second Sunday after the Epiphany

Weekly Calendar

Quick Links for Online Worship and Fellowship

Study of a Fig Tree

John Singer Sargent

Prayer Requests

If you have additions to our Parish Prayer List, please fill out this,

Online Prayer Request Form There are also always paper forms available in the rear of the church or our parish office.

A Prayer for our Community in Transition

Almighty God, you know the needs of your Church in every place: look graciously upon the people of Saint Mary’s and grant us the guidance of your Holy Spirit as we seek a new Rector for this parish. Guide the members of our Search Committee as they labor to be faithful in seeking your will. Inspire those who will discern with us, that each may be responsive to Your call. Give us wisdom and confidence in your timing, and in all things help us to seek the path you have set for us to follow. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

Helping Our Friend Ardie

Ardie is having shoulder surgery shortly and will need some support having healthy meals delivered while she is unable to cook and shop. The meals are primarily for Ardie; however, she does all of the cooking for herself and her roommate, Stephanie, so please plan a meal for two. Stella Bearse has set up an easy to use meal sign-up system that organizes everything and even provides helpful suggestions. Please click here to sign-up.

Thank you in advance!

Coffee Hour

We are excited to share that we will now be hosting a Fellowship time after the 8:00 AM service on the first Sunday of each month! Please be sure to look at our updated sign-up sheets in the sunroom with slots for both the Fellowship times; following 8 AM and following the 10:00 AM services. We are always looking for more hosts and hostesses.

You are welcome to co-host with a friend if you desire. We have allowed for 2 volunteer slots each week although, you are welcome to host solo as well. This is a crucial way for us to build community and welcome newcomers. Thank you very much for your help with this ministry.

Volunteering at Saint Mary's

A heartfelt thank you to all of you who filled out your Commitment Cards this year pledging to volunteer in different ministry groups on at Saint Mary's. We have been carefully compiling everyone's comments and generous offers. It is so inspiring to see your generosity and love of this place! You will be hearing from Ministry Group Heads in the New year. These gifts of your time and talent are a priceless resource for our Church Community.

Thank you!

The Search Committee has now begun the latest phase in its task of discerning our next rector: undertaking Zoom calls with our ten remaining applicants. We expect to complete the process by this month’s end. We’ll then determine whom to interview in person. The calls also mark a fresh phase in our communications with you, St. Mary’s members. As our search intensifies, we’ll discontinue these weekly reports and the monthly updates in the newsletter. Why? To assure confidentiality. As Father Scott noted last Sunday, confidentiality is not secrecy. It is an effort to respect the lives of candidates, their families, and their congregations. So as we work towards recommending our next rector, we will be guided by your prior input, the Holy Spirit, and our committee’s heartfelt discernment and deliberations.

Please email questions or comments to search@stmarys-church.org.

No Place For Hate Workshop - February 4, 2024

Space is Limited! Sign-up today!

We will be offering a special workshop in collaboration with First Lutheran Church. This is a fabulous opportunity to learn how you can make a difference in our community, support those who are persecuted, bullied or victim to racism and hatred. Participants will participate in powerful role playing designed to teach Bystanders how they can help. There are only 20 spots total in the workshop so, please sign-up quickly if you are interested. The workshop will take place at First Lutheran Church in West Barnstable from 12:30 to 2:30 PM.

Please click here to signup.

Wednesday Spiritual Discussions Group

Wednesdays at 10am via zoom. We are discussing The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr (available on Amazon). We will begin with The Forward and Introduction. All are welcome! For more information, please contact Deacon Elizabeth Whitmore at emmausw65@gmail.com

The Province 1 Formation Network's Conversations

The Province 1 Formation Network's Conversations with Noted Speakers is starting 2024 with a conversation with Kathryn Lord and Lacy Finn Borgo as they explain OutoftheBox, a new way to facilitate conversation through storytelling. You can learn a bit about it here and then join them on January 18 at 7 p.m. to hear more about the program and discuss how it might work in your context.

Sign up here

Join Us This Sunday Afternoon - 2:00 PM Walden Hall

Cinema Paradiso

This 1988 French Italian film picked up several awards, including the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. The film is in Italian with English subtitles. Its' running time is 155 minutes. Set in a small Sicilian town, the movie follows through flashback the relationship between a young boy, and an aging projectionist at the titular Cinema Paradiso in town. The friendship that ensues and the influence it made on the boy’s life will make you laugh and cry. It has one of the most meaningful and moving endings I have ever experienced in cinema. Feel free to bring your favorite beverage. We’ve got the popcorn! See you at the movies!

~Kinnet

Movie Theology Series

Join us for fabulous movies and discusion following. Please bring your own beverage, adult or soft, a seat cushion and we’ve got the rest, including the popcorn. We have a great line up of movies selected for this year. Please invite friends and help us welcome others to Saint Mary's on the following dates.

• January 14
• February 11
• March 10
• April 14
• May 12
• June 9

You are encouraged to share the flier on your social media and around town. Thank you!

A Case For Love - Movie Field Trip



St. Mary’s is taking a “field trip” to see A Case for Love, a feature-length documentary inspired by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and his message of love. The film is making its nationwide premiere in more than 1,000 theaters on January 23, and we’re organizing a group to see it that day at the Regal Independence Mall in Kingston, MA at 4:00pm.

The film is structured in seven chapters featuring 14 individual stories of people from a wide range of backgrounds, who the director describes as “ordinary people doing ordinary-to-extraordinary things.” Between each chapter there are clips from “people on the street” interviews, as well as some well-known public figures such as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, actor Sam Waterston and the Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas, canon theologian of Washington National Cathedral.

Our hope is to have big group going with plans to carpool so those who need transportation are able to join us. The theater is a 40 min. drive from St. Mary’s, and if we have 25 or more going we’ll get tickets a rate discounted from the usual $14.00.

If you’re interested in joining us, please fill out the form found at

https://forms.gle/F1GKCuX4Vbqk9LEq8

or email Rev. Margot at margotcritchfield@gmail.com.

Singing for Pipes

A Concert to Benefit A Pipe Organ Renovation

St. Peter's Lutheran Church, 310 Route 137, Harwich, MA is hosting the Chatham Chorale on Sunday January 14, 2024 in a 2 PM concert "Singing for Pipes " featuring works by Schubert and Handel to benefit our Pipe Organ renovations.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased on the website below: 

https://app.onechurchsoftware.com/stpeterscc/egiving or at the concert.



Altar Flower Dedications

Please click here for the online signup form. Flower arrangements can be donated for so many different reasons whether it is in loving memory of a deceased loved one, in celebration of a joyous event, a wedding, a baptism, a graduation, or in thanksgiving for something important in your life. We are very blessed to have a team of talented flower guild members who always work to create beautiful arrangements holding your intentions in their hearts. We also have a paper sign-up on the bulletin board in the sunroom as well. Please note that dates do need to be shared as we have a large community to honor and celebrate together. There are NO flowers during Advent or Lent. You are welcome to dedicate Altar Arrangements during Advent but please understand the arrangements will not include flowers, just seasonal greens.

Thank you!

Sharing Your Thoughts

Your Vestry has decided to set up an on-line Let's Talk Box in addition to the physical ones around campus. Please click on the image below to share your thoughts, questions, concerns, ideas etc. The hope is this additional pathway of communication will help our Vestry members know what is on the hearts and minds of our parish.

• Weekly E-News deadline: Wednesday at noon.
• In an effort to keep it brief we will only highlight happenings of the next 10 days in our E-News.
• The deadline for submissions for our Monthly E-Newsletter will be the 25th of the prior month.
• For your convenience, the Monthly Newsletter (printed out) will be available in the sunroom and the back of the church for those who would like a paper copy. If you know of someone who would enjoy receiving a paper copy in the regular mail please let Allison know.

     Saint Mary's Episcopal Church

P.O. Box 395

3055 Main Street

Barnstable, MA 02630

508-362-3977

www.stmarys-church.org