November 5, 2020
Dear Friends in Christ:

As faithful Christians, you and I together are the Body of Christ in the world. The walking, breathing, loving, serving Body of Christ. And for this reason, the ultimate aim of evil is to divide us, to turn us against one another, to isolate us.
In short, when we are divided, evil wins.

As I write this, we still don't know who is going to be sworn in as president in 2021. Some of our parishioners prefer one candidate, and some prefer the other fellow.
But no matter which of them is ultimately declared victor in this drawn-out contest, you and I must remain united as the Body of Christ, and I have every confidence that we will.

On to the updates . . .
WORSHIP
Back to our regular five 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.

Also, in case you missed it--since the election is ongoing as of this writing--you can find our Election Eve service HERE.

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.)

Thursday 7pm:
We will continue our weekly Thursday service, based on a Taize' model. You can tune in at 7pm, on Facebook and at our website. You can find an updated outline of the service HERE.

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.
STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN
Thanks so much to those who have returned pledge cards or pledged online.
The Vestry and I ask that you prayerfully consider your support of St. Timothy's, and to make a "best estimate" of what you expect to give in the coming year, so that we can finalize the budget for 2021.
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 in advance for your continued support of our parish.
BIRTHDAYS and ANNIVERSARIES
Celebrating birthdays this week are Quinn Higgins (11/8) and Larry Hann (11/9).
No anniversaries I'm aware of for the next week.
Be sure to send happy thoughts and good wishes to all who celebrate this week!
ANNUAL BLANKET DRIVE
We are collecting blankets to distribute to our neighbors in need, through the Salvation Army. During the month of November, we encourage you to 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
WEEKLY PUZZLE
This week, I decided to give you a close-up photo of the window above the High Altar. It just seems like a good week for all of us to focus our attention on the cross, where we find life and salvation.

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!
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, and Tim Welch. And all those affected by COVID 19.
And do call the office if there's anyone you'd like to have added.
THANKSGIVING OUTREACH
Thanks to Ann Higgins and our Outreach Team, we will be sponsoring five families for Thanksgiving this year. You can find more information at THIS LINK.
But the non-perishable items we will be collecting are as follows:

Cereal- Lg. Box
Instant Mashed Potatoes - Lg. box
Regular Noodles - Lg. pkg.
Peanut Butter - Lg. jar
Grape Jelly - Lg. jar
Applesauce - Lg. can or jar
Sweet potatoes - Lg. can
Canned fruit
Tomato Soup– Lg. can
Chicken Noodle Soup - Lg. can
Gravy - Lg. can/jar
Tuna - Lg. can/pack
Spaghetti Sauce
Spaghetti/Pasta

Deadline for dropping off is Sunday, Nov. 22nd at noon. And monetary contributions are always welcome, to offset the costs for perishable items.
WE PRESS ON
This entire election has been strange and unsettling. As I send this to you, we still don't know who will win the election, nor what will happen after that. I suppose that's sort of fitting, given everything that 2020 has thrown at us.
But I encourage you to keep reminding yourself and those around you of this:
We do not know what the future holds, but we do know Who holds the future. The God who created us, and redeemed us, will see us through. That is our sure and certain hope.

Faithfully,

Fr. George