October 8, 2026

View our Sunday 10 am livestream worship service on our YouTube channel here.

Greetings beloved St. Georgians,

In June of 2015, I had the honor and privilege of blessing a new addition to our St. George’s campus and to The Table at St. George’s: the Cooling Shed. For the first few years of operation, The Table had been storing veggies in Sydnor Hall, and it was difficult to keep them fresh. The Cooling Shed was a long-time in the making and the result of a lot of creative effort by our parish leaders (including getting approval from the Architectural Review Board and installing a slate roof so that it would match the church roof). At the time I said this: “This cooling shed not only allows us to store more fresh food to give away, it enhances our ability to connect with the community. That community includes farmers, people who may not have regular access to produce, volunteers who want to be part of creating a world without hunger, and many more.” For the past eleven years, the Cooling Shed has been an essential part of The Table’s ministry and has indeed helped St. George’s connect with many neighbors.

This past Tuesday, I said a prayer over the Cooling Shed to “deconsecrate” it as we prepare for its removal. Our Open to All in Love project includes a renovation of the entire courtyard which will require temporarily removing all the bricks, putting down a vapor barrier, and re-laying the bricks so that water drains away from the building. Over these eleven years, the Cooling Shed has had increasing maintenance concerns as well as issues with runoff from its roof affecting the church building. It cannot stay where it is, and it is time to find a new solution for storing the fresh veggies for The Table.

The task is urgent, as our contractor may be ready to begin work in the courtyard soon. We have not found anyone else who wants the Cooling Shed, and it will not fit on another part of our campus. We will dismantle it in the next couple of weeks (while salvaging the slate tiles and other useful pieces). We have a temporary plan to ensure that fresh veggies get to The Table on Tuesdays and are working on a longer-term solution.

It is sad to bring this chapter to a close. I want to express my gratitude again to all those who worked so hard to make the Cooling Shed a reality and who have made countless trips in and out with crates of veggies so that we can share that abundance with neighbors. I capitalized “Cooling Shed” in this article, because the shed has taken on a personality, and losing the shed is a little like losing a member of the family. But the connections that the shed has facilitated continue, and The Table at St. George’s remains an essential ministry for our parish. As with any loss, it is important to give thanks and take time to grieve even as we trust that God is always working. I trust that we will find a new way, with God’s help. Thanks be to God for all the ways that this little building has made a huge impact.   

Your rector and brother in Christ,

Joe+

Sunday October 11, 2026

• 8 am: Holy Eucharist Rite I
  Fellowship and Coffee available immediately following the 8 am worship service.
• 9 am: Due to our Shrine Mont Parish Weekend, there is no formation for all ages this Sunday. 
• 10 am: Holy Eucharist Rite II (Available for Livestream on Youtube)
• 11 am-ish: Fellowship and Coffee in Sydnor Hall
• 5:30 pm: Celtic Evensong Holy Eucharist 


Wednesday Holy Eucharist II at Noon

Want to read over and think about the lessons for Sunday ahead of time? This Bible study resource from The Episcopal Church offers brief and thoughtful reflections.

Thursday Morning Contemplative Prayer and Bible Study 
This group meets Thursdays at 8 am in Faulkner Hall for prayer and reflection, followed by Bible Study at 9:15 am. No previous experience necessary. Contact Susan Harrison for more information.  

Pastor Joe’s “On your Own” Lectionary Bible Study

Each week, our rector sends a short email to over 100 people who have signed up to read the Bible lessons assigned in our Prayer Book Daily Office Lectionary. Pastor Joe provides the schedule and a few resources for study and prayer. Make reading the Bible a daily habit. Email Pastor Joe to sign up.  

Daily Office on Zoom: 
Join a group of St. Georgians praying Morning and Evening Prayer, Monday – Friday at 8:00 am and 5:30 pm on Zoom. The service only takes about 20 minutes.

Click here to join.

• Meeting ID: 890 4918 9545
• Passcode: 638538
• Dial in: +1 301 715 8592

Shrine Mont - This Weekend

This weekend, October 9 – 11, a group of parishioners will travel to Orkney Springs, VA for our annual St. George’s Parish Weekend at Shrine Mont. Parishioners will connect with nature and with each other through prayer, reflections, rest and recreation. We will have a worship service at the Shrine on Sunday at 11 am. All are welcome.

For those of us staying behind, join us in welcoming back our former Interim Associate Rector, the Rev. Rock Higgins, who will be at St. George’s this Sunday, October 11 as guest preacher and celebrant for the 8 and 10 am services!

Please note that there will be no Sunday School or Adult Formation this Sunday, October 11 due to a large portion of our formation leaders gathering at Shrine Mont. We will resume formation groups (Sunday School and adult formation) on October 18. There will also be no nursery staff on site. The nursery room will still be available for families to use as a crying/play space as needed.

Scary Music for Organ - Oct. 30, 7:30 pm

St. George’s will offer a free concert of Scary Music for Organ on Friday, Oct. 30 at 7:30 pm, featuring The Organists of St. George’s (Trystan Bennett, Brooks Kuykendall, Achim Loch, and Lucy Monte). Our most popular annual concert includes haunting renditions of works by J.S. Bach, Beaumont, Chaminade, Elfman, Gounod, Guilmant, Langlais, Mendelssohn, Messiaen, Mozart, and others.

The evening will be sure to be terrifyingly delightful and monstrously entertaining. Feel free to come in costume! The concert is free with donations accepted at the door.

St. George’s Moment in Time

To celebrate the 306 years of our parish, the St. George’s History Commission occasionally will present a moment in time from our past. 

St. George’s Timeline: 168 years ago

On October 3, 1858, our rector, Rev. Edward C. McGuire, in failing health, preached his forty-fifth anniversary sermon “in a feeble and emotion-choked voice,” remarking that he did not expect to preach again upon a similar occasion. During Holy Communion, he stated that it would probably be the last time he would “partake of the Lord’s supper on earth.” He died the following Friday and his funeral was held three days later while the bells of all Fredericksburg churches tolled.

Financial Update Next Sunday: 

Our parish Treasurer, Peggy Mathias, will give a brief update on the finances of our parish next Sunday, October 18, during the announcements at morning services as we prepare for our 2027 generosity campaign. Look for a special communication from our Vestry Wardens this week about our campaign as well.  

Have Questions About Your Giving?

In 2026 St George’s transitioned to a new financial management platform. Like all such transitions we have had to work out a few issues with our data reporting. Because of that, you may have noticed that there has not been the quarterly mailings of Generosity Statements as we are accustomed to. We are working to get the next round of statements ready and are preparing for end of year as well. In the meantime, if you have questions about your giving to St George’s please reach out to our Parish Finance Director Jake DeNap.

From Our Micah Ministry Partners

Micah Ecumenical Ministries has special events coming up:

• Jeremiah Community Open House Sundays: Every Sunday, October 10 – Dec 20, 12 pm – 2 pm at 401 Willis Street, Fredericksburg. Stop by for your chance to tour the model home, ask questions about Jeremiah Community, and experience the big, beautiful vision of providing a home for our neighbors. No signup required.
• All Saints Day Neighborhood Remembrance Service: Thursday, October 29 at the Methodist Green (green space outside of Fredericksburg Unite Methodist Church). The campsite vigil begins at 5.30 pm, with the candlelight service beginning at 6.30 pm. This important community event gives us a chance to set aside time to remember those in the Micah community who have passed away this year. 

Community Dinner - at FUMC through October

On Monday nights we share a meal and a time of fellowship with our neighbors in need. Note that due to the construction in our kitchen, we are continuing to host community dinner with the help of our neighboring churches. All dinners in October will be held at Fredericksburg United Methodist Church (308 Hanover St). Please consider joining us! We are looking for volunteers to assist on the second and third Monday each month. We are also looking for donations of fruit to share with our neighbors. You can sign up here. For more information or assistance signing up, please contact Nana Noi. 

Archeological Findings Presentation Video

On Sunday, August 30, over 170 people gathered in our nave to hear the results of the Archaeological Study completed on our graveyard as part of our Open to All in Love Construction Project. Dr. Kerri Barile Tambs, team lead for the archaeology, presented the findings and provided significant historical context for how our grounds have evolved over the years in response to changing needs of our community. We have received final approval to release the video of Dr. Kerri Barile Tamb’s presentation on the archaeological findings from our project. You can view it here.

Special Award to St. George’s

We are pleased to announce that St. George’s has received the 2026 Michael Allen Hoffman Award for “significant contributions to historic preservation in the Commonwealth of Virginia.” The Council of Virginia Archaeologists (CoVA) recognized St. George’s for the archaeological work conducted as part of our Open to All in Love construction project. Our Open to All in Love Project Manager, Laurel Loch attended the CoVA awards banquet to accept the award on St. George’s behalf. Many of the professional archaeologists attending expressed their enthusiasm for our project and expressed gratitude for our commitment and support of archaeology. Thank you, St. Georgians for your generous support of this project and for helping uncover and share our history with others.

ECW Fall Meeting - October 17

The ECW Virginia Fall Meeting is on October 17, 2026, at Grace and Holy Trinity Church, 8 North Laurel Street, Richmond, VA 23220. The program, "Baptized for Life" with Lisa Kimball, will follow a continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. Please see complete details and register online by October 12, 2026.

Latino Festival at St. Timothy’s - October 24

Join us for the upcoming Latino Festival at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church (432 Van Buren St, Herndon, VA) on Saturday, October 24 from 12 - 4 pm. It will be a vibrant celebration of the unity and diversity of the many cultures in our Diocese, with live music, antojito food, dancing, and more! Admission is free, but registration is required by October 14th. Learn more and register here.

Housing still needed for fellow parishioners

We continue to be on the lookout for a room or apartment for a couple of parishioners who are seeking a stable housing situation and are income-limited. Please contact Rev. Joe Hensley for a confidential discussion (with no pressure) if you know of a potential place.

Storytelling and Sharing

Hispanic and Latine Heritage Month: Joesph Kelly

My name is Joseph Kelly, and I have a mother who was from Peru and a father who was from Kansas. For most of my youth, I viewed myself as a white kid because I felt that’s how I was brought up to be. It was before I knew what ethnicity/nationality meant and that I had roots which tied into a completely different culture. By the time I entered high school, I finally started to realize that I wasn’t just an American white kid, but I’m also half-Latin American. What helped me see that I was partially Latino was taking Spanish classes in High school. I only knew how to speak English growing up, and after my first year in Spanish, I realized that the language was only a small portion of Latin American culture and there was more to discover. Personally, I chose to embrace something that’s different and has so much history behind it; I think it's also because it makes me feel more unique as a person. Each Latin-American country is proud of their own unique traditions while also sharing numerous similarities like with food and music. For those reasons, I want to embrace my Latin American heritage.

Joseph Kelly is the son of Gabi Kelly. He's been a parishioner since 2017 and helps with produce delivery for The Table on Sundays.

St. George's Episcopal Church | 540 373-4133

905 Princess Anne Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401 | StGeorgesEpiscopal.net