November 19, 2020 Dear Friends of St. Timothy: One of the first rules I learned as an English Major in college was never to assume the reader knows what you are talking about. I violated that cardinal rule last week by using the technical term "bubble," when talking about our exposure to others over the holidays. My wife even warned me that nobody would know what I was talking about, and, of course, she was right. What I meant to say was, if you spend prolonged time, in an enclosed space, with people you don't normally spend time with, you are outside your bubble. So, going to the grocery store is not a problem. Sitting at your dining room table for two hours on Thanksgiving, laughing and talking with your cousin who lives out of state is a problem. The main things to remember are these: 1. The virus is transmitted through breathing out and breathing in. And 2. People who show no symptoms can still spread the virus. If you spend time outside your "bubble" with people who have not been recently tested, we insist that you not come to any in-person services for at least ten days. So, if you're spending time on Thanksgiving with people you don't normally spend time with, well . . . please enjoy our online services until after December 6th.

WORSHIP Because of the Safe Thanksgiving holiday, we have just four services this week. You can find this week's bulletin insert HERE. Sunday Services: 8:00am Holy Eucharist Rite I, including distribution of bread, for those who wish to partake. Please remember: everyone  must  wear a mask, so please bring your own. All must enter through the parking lot doors, and provide contact information (if we don't already have it).  10:00 am, we will stream Morning Prayer, Rite II. The service outline is HERE, and hymns are HERE. This service will only be available online, due to restrictions against singing together in person. Tuesday 7pm:  We will stream The Great Litany and sung Compline at 7pm, on Facebook and at our website. Wednesday 12:30pm: Rite II Holy Eucharist. Though we are unable to offer anointing for healing due to social distance restrictions, we will have distribution of bread for those who wish to partake. (Restrictions and guidelines are the same as Sunday 8am service.) I must confess to intentionally not telling you about the Community Worship that was to be held Thanksgiving Eve, because I didn't want any of you to risk virus exposure. Turns out, that service has been cancelled due to an outbreak at the host church, where they routinely sing without wearing masks. So, I feel I made the right decision in not telling you about that service until now. No Thursday service this week. Happy Safe Thanksgiving! More information on all our services can be found at the Calendar page of our website, and all streamed services are then uploaded to our youtube  page.

ANNUAL BLANKET DRIVE (ends 11/22) We are collecting blankets to distribute to our neighbors in need, through the Salvation Army. Until this Sunday, November 22nd, you can purchase and contribute new blankets to this ministry. (If you prefer, you can send a monetary contribution and we can purchase blankets on your behalf.) Blankets may be dropped off any time the office is open, but we suggest you call first to make sure someone is here. 330.833-3183 We will bless these blankets on Christ the King Sunday, November 22nd.

PRAYERS REQUESTED Please keep these friends and parishioners in your prayers. David Wigginton, Brian Dorosch, Don Zimmerman, Rachel Sanchez, Anne Smith, Bob Meyer, Chris Lane, Chelsey Levin, Judy Wigginton, Don Merrill, Trish Dwigans, Priya Kurian, Sarah, Ben, Chuck Tilley, Mike Requa, Becky, Michael Flamm, Dave Cottrill, Leslie, Bob Long, Tim Welch, Chester Brumbaugh, Stormi, Megan Wood, JoAnn Ely, Dave & Ann Renkert, Rick & Etta Trimpi, and all those affected by COVID 19. And do call the office if there's anyone you'd like to have added.

SAFE THANKSGIVING OUTREACH (ends 11/22) Thanks to Ann Higgins and our Outreach Team, we will be sponsoring five families for Safe Thanksgiving this year. You can find updated information at THIS LINK. Monetary contributions are always welcome, to offset the costs for perishable items. Deadline for dropping off is Sunday, Nov. 22nd at noon.

ALTAR FLOWERS This coming Sunday (11/22), we'll get to enjoy the cracker jack Altar Guild's annual Safe Thanksgiving display! Beginning next Sunday (11/27), we will be adding poinsettias to the Altar each week, rather than plants or flowers. If you'd like to contribute a memorial or dedication some Sunday, please call the church office to see about availability. For the Christmas Season (which begins at sundown on Dec. 24th), we will once again flood the chancel with poinsettias. We will soon have an order form available, if you're interested in sponsoring one or more.

WEEKLY PUZZLE This week, we're going with a close-up photo of the west window, in the back of the sanctuary. As with last week, you'll see the arc of 7 decorative windows. (The number 7 is sacred in most religions, as you'll recall.) Below these 7 windows, you'll see our old friend, the pomegranate, which symbolizes eternal life, because of the abundance of seeds.  You will find the puzzle by clicking HERE. You can choose your background color, number of puzzle pieces, and even set it to display just the edge pieces. Plus, you get a very affirming crowd reaction once you have completed it!

STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN EXTENDED Given the challenges posed by not meeting together in person, Vestry has extended our stewardship campaign for an extra two weeks. A reminder, we have added a tab on our website, which allows you to pledge discretely online, meaning you can opt not to return the pledge card, if that's more convenient. You can find that link HERE.  Thank you all for your continued support of our parish.

BIRTHDAYS and ANNIVERSARIES Celebrating birthdays this week are some guy named Fr. George (11/23), Matthew Mizer (11/24), amd Nickolas Rohr (11/25). Lots of anniversaries to celebrate this week, including Jim & Donna Bower (11/22), Bob & Linda Morrow (11/25), Keith & Betty Jarvis (11/26), and Ted & Cricket Boyd (11/27). Be sure to send happy thoughts and good wishes to all who celebrate this week!

ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS On Monday, we will mail out a packet of materials (similar to what we did for Holy Week) to everyone on our mailing list. If you would like to receive these materials, but are not on our postal mailing list, please call the office ASAP. We've begun our planning for Christmas Eve services. Currently, we will have a 7pm in-person service with limited music, and a 9pm streamed service with lots of music. We will add additional services earlier in the day if necessary. You can sign up to reserve seats at the 7pm service by clicking HERE, or by calling the church office 330.833-3183. Also, our Choirmaster Andrew Bolden has been arranging for a series of Advent Brownbag Concerts, featuring local organists on Wednesday afternoons. More information will be coming, but we are hoping to be able to stream these, as well as having listeners in the building, with all safety protocols in place.

STAY SAFE OUT THERE As you've heard by now, there are at least two vaccines that show promise, and these will likely become widely available sometime in the spring. But as you've noticed, we are nowhere near spring right now. We need to get to spring in order for the vaccines to become the actual good news that they are. As of this writing, six of our parishioners have recently tested positive. One has recovered, three are holding steady, and two have been hospitalized--one of whom is in ICU. (Given that these emails are public documents, I won't be using names here.) Although none of these persons has been attending our in-person services, the fact that they all contracted the virus is a reminder to us all that we must remain vigilant, and continue to wear masks, and avoid spending time with people from outside our household. I really really want us to celebrate a glorious Easter together in 2021. Let's all get there together. Faithfully, Fr. George