Week of November 17, 2024

The waters have lifted up, O Lord,

the waters have lifted up their voice; *

the waters have lifted up their pounding waves.

Mightier than the sound of many waters,

mightier than the breakers of the sea, *

mightier is the Lord who dwells on high.

Psalm 93

Tuesday November 19

8:00 AM Men's Fellowship, Walden Hall

12:00 PM Silent Meditation, First Lutheran Church

7:00 PM NAMI Meeting, St. James Room

Wednesday November 20

9:00 AM Rector/Wardens Meeting

10:00 AM Angels' Treasures Big Christmas Sale Continues, Walden Hall

10:00 AM Staff Meeting, St. James Room

10:00 AM Wednesday Spirituality Discussions, Deacon Elizabeth Whitmore's Home

2:00 PM Eucharist at Cape Regency

3:00 PM Bereavement Group, Library

5:00 PM Our World United Meeting, St. James

6:15 PM Parish Choir Rehearsal, Walden Hall

6:15 PM Sacred Journey Potluck Supper, First Lutheran Church

7:00 PM Sacred Journey Worship Service, First Lutheran Church

Thursday November 21

8:30 AM Holy Eucharist and Book Discussion Group, Walden Hall, zoom

10:00 AM Angels' Treasures Big Christmas Sale, Walden Hall

1:00 PM FCEN Meeting, St. James Room

6:00 PM Barnstable Village Association Meeting with Barnstable Fire, Walden Hall

6:30 PM Zen Meditation, St. James Room

Friday November 22

10:00 AM Angels' Treasures Big Christmas Sale, Walden Hall

1:00 PM Grief Support Group, Library, zoom

Saturday November 23

9:00 AM Society of The Companions of The Holy Cross, St. James Room

9:00 AM Bulb Planting Bonanza, Gardens

10:00 AM Angels' Treasures Big Christmas Sale, Walden Hall

5:00 PM Holy Eucharist, Church

Sunday November 24

8:00 AM Holy Eucharist, Church

10:00 AM Holy Eucharist, Church

11:15 AM Coffee and Fellowship - Walden Hall

11:15 AM LAST DAY! Angels' Treasures Christmas Big Sale, Walden Hall

11:30 AM Vestry Nominating Committee, St. James Room

Monday November 25

3:30 PM EfM Group, St. James Room

6:45 PM Cape Cod Chorale Rehearsal, Walden Hall

Tuesday November 26

12:00 PM Adventtide Study, Walden Hall

12:00 PM Silent Meditation, First Lutheran Church

3:00 PM Strategic Planning Meeting, St. James Room



Upcoming Events

Save the Dates!

The Opening weekend of the BIG Christmas Sale was a tremendous success. Thank you to everyone who helped transform Walden Hall into a Winter Wonderland.

If you missed it last weekend; have no fear because, the sale continues in Walden Hall for one more week during Angels' Treasures normal hours, Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM Many items are now marked for clearance at 50% off.

This Saturday, November 23 the Garden Committee will be planting over one thousand bulbs in our Daffodil Meadow. Please join us! People from all over Cape Cod come to see our Daffodil Meadow every spring. Help us spread joy! Planting bulbs is an exercise in building hope. We hope you will join us. We start at 9:00 AM and plant until we are done. If you have your own bulb digger or trowel please bring it along. We will provide the snacks, cider and hot coffee.

Please join us for a Community Thanksgiving Day Celebration. We will gather in the church for a Thanksgiving Worship Service at 11:00 AM. Immediately following the service, you are invited to join us in Walden Hall for our Community Potluck Thanksgiving Dinner. In the spirit of sharing our gifts together, we are asking everyone to contribute something towards the meal. We will provide the turkey, stuffing, and gravy and ask that everyone else please sign-up on our on-line sign-up form to bring either an appetizer, a side dish, a dessert or some beverages to share with the group. If cooking is not your thing please know you are still welcome to join us and you can sign-up for set-up or clean-up.

Please click here to sign-up. All are welcome! Please share this invitation to anyone you know who may be alone this Thanksgiving or is seeking community. All are welcome!

OAT is taking orders for Thanksgiving and Christmas pies. Laurel Galvin has once again offered to bake a whole batch of beautiful pies for us as an OAT fundraiser. You choose, blueberry, apple or pumpkin. There is a very limited supply so please place your order ASAP! There will be a sign-up sheet available at coffee hour this coming weekend or you can call or text Beth Hearn at 703-321-5151 to place your order. Pies are $30 each.

Please help us spread the word to any families with children between the ages of 5 and 12 years. The first Sunday of each month we offer Children's Church. Our next Children's Church date is December 1, 2024. The children will be learning all about the Season of Advent. Each child will go home with a set of Advent candles for their families.

If you have any questions about Children's Church, please reach out to Barbara Hersey for more information.

St. Mary's Formation & Education

Join Fr. Michael for an Adventtide study as we prepare our hearts for the season of anticipation and hope. Beginning on Tuesday, November 26 and continuing on December 3, 10, and 17, we will gather at noon each week to reflect on the names of the Messiah found in Isaiah 9:6: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Together, we will explore the significance of these titles in their historical context and what they might mean for us today. We will use Walter Brueggemann's, "Names for the Messiah" as our study guide.

Bring your own lunch and come ready for meaningful conversation and reflection.

Dates: November 26, December 3, 10 and 17

Time: 12:00 pm

Location: Walden Hall

Facilitator: Fr. Michael

Education for Ministry (EfM) theme for this year is Living into the Journey with God. EfM meets each week for 3 hours from September through June. Year 1 participants study the Old Testament, Year 2 studies the New Testament, Year 3 studies Christian History, and Year 4 puts everything together in Theology. In addition each Year reads the same two texts, one around Christmas, Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman and the second around Easter,The Four Vision Quests of Jesus by Steven Charleston. The discussions are lively and engaging and the community that is developed is well worth your time. Speak with Amy Crocker if you are interested or have questions about the program.

The group will be meeting in the comfort of Elizabeth and Steve Whitmore's home going forward. Click here for the address. They meet every Wednesday morning at 10:00 AM. The group is currently discussing the Gospel of Mark. All are warmly welcomed! Any questions? Please contact Deacon Elizabeth Whitmore.

Please consider joining our weekly gathering on Thursday mornings in Walden Hall at 8:30 AM. Each week different participants take turns facilitating the discussion and contributing tasty breakfast treats. All are welcome!

This is a perfect time to join in if you have been considering participating. The group is beginning, a new book, The Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis.

The Problem of Pain is a 1940 book on the problem of evil by C. S. Lewis, in which Lewis argues that human pain, animal pain, and hell are not sufficient reasons to reject belief in a good and powerful God.

Lewis states that his writing is "not primarily arguing the truth of Christianity but describing its origin, a task necessary if we are to put the problem of pain in its right setting". He begins by addressing the flaws in common arguments against the belief in a just, loving, and all-powerful God such as: "If God were good, He would make His creatures perfectly happy, and if He were almighty He would be able to do what he wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore God lacks either goodness, or power, or both."  



Topics include human suffering and sinfulness, animal suffering, and the problem of hell, and seeks to reconcile these with an omnipotent force beyond ourselves.

Supporting Our Church

PLEDGING FUN FACT:

We have received 72 pledges so far, which puts us halfway to reaching the number of pledges that has sustained St. Mary’s for the last 4 years. We need your help to surpass the pledging of the last 4 years and reach our goal of 155 pledges for 2025.

You can see our progress in the charts below.

Cape Community News and Events

Cape Cod Maritime Museum in Hyannis is hosting author Don Wilding will explore some of the most notorious shipwreck disasters and the heroic, and sometimes tragic, rescue efforts of the U.S. Lifesaving Service and Coast Guard, from his books, “Shipwrecks of Cape Cod” and “Cape Cod and The Portland Gale of 1898.” Follow up his talk with a look at the Museum’s new exhibit, The Menace of Cape Cod: A Hazard to Navigation. $5 – reserve your spot here.

The 6th Annual Taking Care of Cape Cod Summit, sponsored by the Cape Cod Anti-Litter Coalition, CARE for the Cape and Islands, and Center for Coastal Studies, will focus on tangible ways to reduce waste and engage in environmental stewardship. This summit is for individuals, businesses, municipalities, and organizations. This year’s theme is “Stemming the Tide of Wastefulness.” $35; The event will take place at the Cultural Arts Municipal Building in Harwich. Reserve your spot here.

The annual Barnstable Village Stroll is always on the first Wednesday night in December. This year on Wednesday, December 4, St. Mary's will be representing with a table/display in front of the Barnstable Village post Office. We are looking for volunteers to help us create a fun and friendly display and serve hot chocolate. Please reach out to Allison if you are interested in helping represent St. Mary's and spread some Holiday cheer.

Episcopal Church News

Get Involved With Volunteer Opportunities

The St. Mary's Outreach Action Team has assembled an flier to highlight some of the Inreach and Outreach opportunities that exist at St. Mary's. On one side we highlight current volunteer needs and on the other, we list some of the ongoing outreach ministries you may be interested in joining. The contact information for the ministry heads is included. We will continue updating this flier as outreach campaigns and needs change throughout the year. These fliers are always available at the back of the church and in the sunroom. Click here for the latest OAT flier.

A Few of Our Current Volunteer Opportunities

• Church Greening Helpers email the office

• Jingle and Mingle Committee Team email the office

• Village Christmas Stroll Greeters email the office

St. Mary's Social Media -

Downsizing to One Facebook Page

 Saint Mary's Episcopal Church

P.O. Box 395

3055 Main Street

Barnstable, MA 02630

508-362-3977

www.stmarys-church.org