Week of October 13, 2024

Seek good and not evil,

that you may live;

and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,

just as you have said.

Hate evil and love good,

and establish justice in the gate;

it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,

will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

Amos 5:14 -15

Tuesday October 8

12:00 PM Silent Meditation, First Lutheran Church

1:00 PM Newcomer's Committee Meeting, St. James Room

Wednesday October 9

9:00 AM Rector's Warden Meeting, Rector's Office

10:00 AM Staff Meeting, St. James Room

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

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 October 10

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

1:00 PM OAT Team Meeting, St. James Room

5:00 PM Vestry Meeting, St. James Room

6:30 PM Zen Meditation, Walden Hall

Friday October 11

1:00 PM Grief Support Group, Library, zoom

9:30 AM Society of the Companions of The Holy Cross Meeting, St. James Room

Saturday October 12

9:00 AM Garden Work Day, Gardens

10:00 AM Private Baptism, Memorial Garden

5:00 PM Holy Eucharist, Church

Sunday October 13

8:00 AM Holy Eucharist, Church

10:00 AM Holy Eucharist, Church

11:15 AM Coffee and Fellowship, Walden Hall

11:30 PATH Team Meeting, St. James Room

Monday October 14

Indigenous Peoples' Day

~ Parish Office Closed

3:30 PM EFM Group, St. James Room

6:45 PM Cape Cod Chorale Rehearsal, Walden Hall

Tuesday October 15

November Newsletter Deadline

8:00 AM Men's Fellowship, Walden Hall

12:00 PM Silent Meditation, First Lutheran Church

7:00 PM NAMI Meeting, St. James Room

Thank you to everyone who helped create a successful Ministry Fair. There was a great turnout and the displays were beautiful. best of all, many of you signed up to join new groups. So fun to see all the energy and passion poured into these ministries. Did you miss it? Click below for the booklet.

We had our largest turnout ever for the Blessing of the Animals service on a glorious Fall evening in the garden. Thank you to Pastor Russ and Amy Crocker for creating such a beautiful service and thank you to Fr. Michael and Pastor Russ for bestowing blessings on all our furry friends. Each critter went home with their very own St. Francis medallion.

Our first Children's Church was a success. Everyone had a good time and it was heart-warming for many to see the Children process out of the church for their lesson. The next Children's Church Sunday will be on November 3, 2024 during the 10:00 AM service. Please continue to spread the word to families with children from 4 to 12 years of age. All are welcome! Any questions? Please contact Barbara Hersey

St. Mary's Formation & Education

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. 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.

The group will begin a new book on October 10, 2024, When One Religion Isn't Enough, The Lives of Spiritually Fluid People by Duane R. Bidwell. If you have been thinking about joining this group, now is a great time to join.

Supporting Our Church

You should receive a letter in the mail by the end of this week from our Warden's inviting you to enter into St. Mary's Season of Stewardship with hearts full of love and gratitude for our church and one another. There will be more information coming, but in the mean-time we invite you to prayerfully reflect upon your own God-given spiritual gifts. Where has God blessed you? Where is God leading you to serve? You may wish to delve deeper into this questioning by taking the online spiritual gifts assessment tool linked below. Give it a try - your may be surprised!

https://spiritualgiftquiz.org/. 

This is the very last week to place your orders for bulbs. Our inventory is getting low. Please click on the flier for more information. The QR code links to an order form or click here.

According to the American Bar Association, only 33 percent of adult Americans have executed a medical directive. This directive dictates what measures you want before you die. It is very important to direct your loved ones as to your wishes while you are able to do so.

If you would like to learn more about the 1891 Society, please contact Linda Gadkowski at 508-292-5500.

Upcoming Events

Save the Dates!

Our World United Preschool is inviting St. Mary's parishioners to join in their Annual Potluck Dinner in Walden Hall on Friday, October 18, 2024 at 4:30 PM. You are encouraged to bring a dish from your cultural background to share with others. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to connect with the preschool families and staff all while enjoying delicious food and broadening our cullinary horizons. Click on the flier for more information. Please RSVP to Allison so we know how many tables to set.

All graduates of Sacred Ground are invited for a reunion luncheon with Fr. Michael after church on Sunday, October 20th, in the St. James Room at 11:30 AM. This will be a time to reconnect, hear about an exciting new initiative, and brainstorm our next steps. Please RSVP to the church office. If you have any questions please contact Margot Critchfield or Susanne Bennett

October 30, 2024

at 5:00 PM

We are thrilled to be offering a fun and festive trick or treating for the Barnstable Community. Not familiar with Trunk or Treats? Click here to read an article about this fun community offering. Get into the SPOOKY Spirit and decorate your own trunk.

Here are ways you can help:

• Direct Traffic
• Be a costumed Greeter
• Donate Candy (collection boxes in sunroom)
• Decorate the trunk of your car or help someone else decorate theirs.
• Create or man a game to play on or near your car (bean bag toss, bubble blowing, face/hand painting etc.)

Cape Community News and Events

Please join us for this first-ever, non-denominational, fundraiser to help meet a growing need on the Cape. Concert Featuring:

Fr. Ray Kelly

Internet singing sensation

from Ireland & Britain’s Got Talent



Saturday, Oct 12, 2024 at 7:00 PM

John Paul II High School Auditorium

120 High School Rd, Hyannis, MA



Click her for more information and to purchase tickets.

Tuesday October 15, 2024

10:00 AM at Sturgis Library

There is a saying "it's not so much what we say, its how we say it." This rings true for most caregivers. This discussion will review positive and successful approaches to communicating with the person we are caring for, medical personel and families. Questions? Contact Stacey Cullen at stacey.cullen@town.barnstable.ma.us or call 508-862- 4765

Thursday, October 17, 2024

7:30 PM at Tilden Arts Center at Cape Cod Community College

Breaking Point: Democracy's Struggle

Steven Levitsky, Harvard Professor and New York Times best-selling Author will speak on Why democracy is faltering in the U.S. but not in other wealthy, diverse nations. The evening will be moderated by Mindy Todd, Managing Director of "The Point" on CAI.

Please click the flier for more information.

Episcopal Church News

In response to a resolution passed by the 238^th Massachusetts Diocesan Convention in November 2023, a group of lay people and clergy have come together to ask what healthy congregations look like and how we can work to support them. They are beginning by looking at how we are living into our mission and vision as a diocesan community. Where do we shine and where can we, in collective ministry, find new ways to lift each other up?

Over the next few weeks, they will collect measurable data through Holy Cow Consulting’s “Landscape Assessment.” This will provide insight into the current health of our diocese, identify things that need immediate attention, and where people would like to put energy and resources in the future.

All people in the diocese are encouraged to participate in this process– lay folks and clergy alike. Click here to complete the Landscape Assessment

Your responses are anonymous; all completed surveys go directly to Holy Cow Consulting. Questions may be sent to the Task Force by emailing: HCTF@diomass.com.

The Province 1 Indigenous People's Justice Network is hosting an online book group on November 13, 7:00-8:30 PM: 

Massacre on the Merrimack: Hannah Duston's Captivity and Revenge in Colonial America by Jay Atkinson.

Here is a Smithsonian article which may be of interest to readers.

You can register for the Bookgroup here.

*Province I consists of the seven New England Dioceses of the Episcopal Church; the Diocese of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Western Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

If you'd like to submit a reflection or article about your diocese or congregation’s work on racial justice, healing, truth-telling, reparations and/or reconciliation to this churchwide newsletter, please email reconciliation@episcopalchurch.org. We are hoping to share lots of good news from Province 1!

The Camino Project: Faith-Forward Pathways for Episcopal Families, is a five-year initiative aimed at helping parents and congregations raise faith-filled children, especially in nontraditional, non-dominant-culture families. The Camino Project—named for the Spanish word for road, path, and way—will provide Spanish and English resources, community cohorts, and pilgrimage experiences for families and congregations throughout the parenting years. Click here to learn more about this initiative.

Please click here to read the letter from our Bishops, pleading for continual prayer and to consider donating generously to Episcopal Relief & Development's Hurricane Relief Fund.

Members of the Episcopal church around the world collaborated with Churches for Middle East Peace, to observe the one-year anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza with a virtual ecumenical service of lament. There will be another service hosted on October 9, 2024. Please click here to read more.

Get Involved With Volunteer Opportunities

 Saint Mary's Episcopal Church

P.O. Box 395

3055 Main Street

Barnstable, MA 02630

508-362-3977

www.stmarys-church.org

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