St. Mary's Calendar for Week of January 29, 2012

Your Help is Needed!
FABRIC CUTTING FOR EL SALVADOR - PARISH HALL
SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 2012 12:00 Noon

The Women of St. Mary's are planning to make some simple, colorful, cotton dresses to send to El Salvador when George and Paul go in April. Please join us after church on Sunday to cut fabric (no sewing). We should be through by 1:30 p.m. There will be a sign-up sheet for anyone who would like to help with the sewing. Come join us!

Sunday, January 29
8:00am Holy Eucharist
9:45am Childcare
9:45am Sunday School
10:00am Holy Eucharist
11:00am Coffee Hour
12:00pm Fabric Cutting for El Salvador
4:30pm Christ the King
Monday, January 30
8:30am Yoga
12:45pm Staff Meeting
8:00pm AA (6:30 newcomers)
Wednesday, February 1
7:00pm Zumba
Thursday, February 2
9:30am Chapter Room in use
4:30pm Miracle Kitchen
6:30pm Junior Choir
7:30pm Adult Choir
Friday, February 3
9:30am Hills & Falls - Parish Hall
Saturday, February 4
4:00pm Music Recital - Parish Hall
Sunday, February 5
8:00am Holy Eucharist
9:45am Childcare
9:45am Sunday School
10:00am Holy Eucharist
11:00am Coffee Hour
4:30pm Christ the King

Taize Evensong Sunday, February 12 at 6PM

Sung Evensong with Music of Taizé
Sunday, February 12 at 6:00 p.m.
Followed by a Soup and Bread Supper

On Sunday, February 12 at 6:00 p.m. the Adult Choir will lead a meditative service of Evening Prayer in the tradition of Taizé. We will gather in the candlelit sanctuary for a quiet service of contemplation and music.

The Taizé tradition began many years ago in the ecumenical monastic community in Taize, France. Brother Roger, Taizé's founder, arrived in the French village in 1940. In the midst of World War II, he dreamed of creating a community where reconciliation was a daily reality. He began by giving shelter to refugees of the war. Brother Roger recognized that the search for reconciliation was within each individual as well as within the community. People from around the world, especially young people, come to Taizé looking for meaning in their lives as they prepare for responsibilities in their own communities.

The liturgy of the Taizé service is meant to "quiet the soul." There is repetition in the words of the music, there is time for silence and prayer. There is no sermon or celebration of the Eucharist. The service provides an opportunity to become more peaceful and centered in the midst of our busy lives.

Please join us for the Evensong service on February 12 at 6:00 p.m., followed by a soup and bread supper in the Parish Hall. Childcare will be provided during the service. All are welcome.

Calendar for the Week of January 22, 2012

SUNDAY, JANUARY 22, 2012
Please join us at 10:00 a.m for a Baptism & Holy Eucharist Service,
followed by a brunch and the Annual Meeting. Childcare will be available at 9:45 a.m. and at the Annual Meeting. Please note that we will not have an 8:00 a.m. service this week.

Calendar for Week of January 22
Sunday, January 22
Please note - there will be no 8:00 a.m. service on January 22
9:45am Childcare
9:45am K - 5 - Sunday School
10:00am Holy Eucharist & Baptism
11:00am Brunch and Annual Meeting
4:30pm Christ the King
Monday, January 23
8:30am Yoga
12:45am Staff Meeting
8:00pm AA (6:30 newcomers)
Tuesday, January 24
7:00pm Hills & Falls - Chapter Room
Wednesday January 25
7:30pm Zumba - Parish Hall
Thursday, January 26
9:30am Chapter Room in use
6:30pm Junior Choir
7:30pm Adult Choir
Sunday, January 29
8:00am Holy Eucharist
9:45am Childcare
9:45am K - 5 - Sunday School
10:00am Holy Eucharist
11:00am Coffee
4:30pm Christ the King

Zumba Classes at St. Mary's

Parish Hall at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesdays - February to April 2012
Walk-ins welcome
$10 per class

No prior Zumba or dance experience necessary.
Wear sneakers (or dance shoes if you've got them), bring water, and be prepared to have a great time!

Contact info:
Jessica Santiago-Green
JSGFitness@gmail.com

Annual Meeting on Sunday, January 22

Dear Friends,

If you come by the church in the next week you'll see an example of our rich history; a warrant for the annual meeting, posted on the front door of the church. Warrants for town meetings are traditional in New England letting all members of the community know about meetings where they have voice and vote. The same is true of our warrant.

In other words the warrant is as a warning (they come from the same word) about an upcoming meeting.

The warrant you'll see on the church door is basically the agenda for the meeting scheduled for January 22 at 11:15 a.m. We will elect a moderator, elect new officers, hear reports and entertain any other business that comes from the floor. (We will also have a great pot luck luncheon provided by the vestry).

Our bylaws state, 'All meetings of the parish shall be announced by posting an attested copy of the Warrrant calling the meeting in a prominent place near the usual public entrance to the church or place of worship occupied by the Parish at least seven days before the fixed date for an Annual Meeting.' I've also included it in this message so you don't have to come by the front door to find out what we're up to!

--George


WARRANT
ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
SUNDAY, JANUARY 22, 2012
11:15 AM

The members of the EPISCOPAL SOCIETY OF ST. MARY'S CHURCH IN NEWTON are hereby notified to meet in the Parish Hall of said church in Newton Lower Falls on the 22nd day of January, 2012 at 11:15 a.m. for the following purposes:

FIRST: If necessary, to choose a moderator;

SECOND: To elect by ballot the following Parish Officers:

Senior Warden
Junior Warden
Clerk
Treasurer
Superintendent of the Churchyard

Also to elect by ballot:
4 members of the Vestry for 3 years
1 member of the Vestry for 1 year
2 delegates to the Diocesan Convention for 1 year
3 delegates to the Deanery for 1 year

THIRD: To hear and act upon reports of Parish Officers and Committees;

FOURTH: To act upon any other business that may properly come before
the meeting.

- Mary Green, Senior Warden
Stewart Tucker, Junior Warden

Yarn Needed

Unfortunately, the Knitting Project at the Framingham Women's Prison has been dropped. However, your donations of yarn have found a new home at the UUA Urban Ministry in Roxbury. This ministry sponsors the Learning to Knit Shawl Project (art therapy for Renewal House residents), and the Children's Craft Project (at the Explorers Club). If you have yarn to donate - please put in bin near bulletin board across from the Chapter Room. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!

St. Mary's Calendar for Week of January 15, 2011

Sunday, January 15
8:00am Holy Eucharist.
9:45am Childcare
9:45am Sunday School
10:00am Morning Prayer
11:00am Coffee Hour
4:30pm Christ the King
Monday, January 16
Martin Luther King Day - office closed
8:00pm AA (6:30 newcomers)
Tuesday, January 17
10:00am Zumba - Parish Hall
7:30pm Vestry Meeting
Thursday, January 19
9:30am Chapter Room in use
1:00pm Clericus
6:30pm Junior Choir
7:30pm Adult Choir
Friday, January 20
9:30am Hills & Falls in Parish Hall
Sunday, January 22
8:00am Holy Eucharist
9:45am Childcare
9:45am Sunday School
10:00am Holy Eucharist & Baptism
11:05am Brunch & Annual Meeting
4:30pm Christ the King

Calendar for Week of Sunday, January 6

Sunday, January 8
First Sunday After the Epiphany
8:00am Holy Eucharist
9:45am Childcare
9:45am Sunday School
10:00am Holy Eucharist
11:00am Coffee Hour
4:30pm Christ the King
Monday, January 9
8:30am Yoga
12:45pm Staff Meeting
8:00pm AA (6:30 newcomers)
Wednesday, January 11
7:00pm Stitch’n Chat at Lynn Farnell’s
Thursday, January 12
9:30am Chapter Room in use
6:30pm Junior Choir
7:30pm Adult Choir
Sunday, January 15
8:00am Holy Eucharist
9:45am Childcare
9:45am Sunday School
10:00am Morning Prayer
11:00am Coffee Hour
4:30pm Christ the King

St. Mary's Calendar for Week of January 1, 2011

From Christmas Eve at St. Mary's

Sunday, January 1
No Church School
No 8:00 am Service
9:45am Childcare
10:00am  Holy Eucharist 

4:30pm  Christ the King
Monday
Monday, January 2

12:45pm   Staff Meeting

8:00pm  AA (6:30pm newcomers)

Tuesday, January 3
9:30am Holy Eucharist
10:00am WSM Board Meeting
Wednesday, January 4
12:00pm Clericus Meeting
 - Chapter Room
Thursday, January 5
9:30am Chapter Rm in Use
6:30pm Junior Choir

  7:30pm  Adult Choir
Friday, January 6
9:30am Hills & Falls Parish Hall

Sunday, January 8
8:00am Holy Eucharist
9:45am Childcare
10:00am Holy Eucharist
11:00am Coffee Hour
4:30pm Christ the King

Christmas Message from Bishop Shaw

For several weeks now, in the place where I pray, I have had a copy of the 16th and 17th-century Italian artist Caravaggio's "Adoration of the Shepherds." You see the four poor men, shoeless, unwashed, with unkempt beards and worn clothing, bent in quiet awe over the child Jesus and the clearly exhausted Mary.

Caravaggio almost always painted poor people. He wanted to remind the rich patrons who commissioned his paintings and the viewers who saw his paintings on the walls of the mansions and chapels of Rome's wealthy of the people God came to serve in Jesus. He wanted to remind those who had so much of their responsibility to care for the thousands of impoverished homeless people crowding the alleys and public spaces of Rome. In this painting the four shepherds, and even the figure of Mary, look as if they came straight from the streets of 17th-century Messina.

As I listen to many of you in the conversation that happens as committee members are gathering before meetings or the informal talk at meals or receptions at visitations, you speak of how the giving of gifts has changed for you over the years. You recognize who Christmas is for--those who have so little--and so, instead of an expensive gift for someone you love, you are giving a contribution in that person's name to Episcopal Relief and Development, the Annual Fund of the diocese, the B-SAFE program for vulnerable city children, Ecclesia Ministries with those who are homeless or any number of other nonprofits committed to caring for those who have so little.

What gratitude God has for you and for your deep comprehension of the meaning of God's incarnation. One of the shepherds in the painting has spread his arms in absolute amazement at the sight of God's humility in the child Jesus. May his wonder be yours in this Christmas season.

- The Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE
Christmas 2011

Photos: Christmas Pageant

Special Music for Christmas

December 24 – Christmas Eve
At the 5:00 p.m. service, trumpeter Ken Laing, cellist Anayis Wright, and soloist Lynn Edwards will present special music for the Christmas season. The congregation will have the opportunity to join in singing many familiar Christmas carols.

The 10:00 p.m. Christmas Eve service will begin with a festive musical prelude at 9:45 p.m. The Adult Choir will sing carols of the season accompanied by harpist Deborah Fabiciewicz.

Please join us as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ at these festive Advent and Christmas services!

St. Mary's Calendar for Week of December 18

Sunday, December 18
No Church School
8:00am  Holy Eucharist 
9:45am Childcare
10:00am  HE & Christmas Pageant 

11:00am  Coffee Hour

4:30pm  Christ the King

Monday, December 19
 
8:30am  Yoga

12:45pm   Staff Meeting

8:00pm  AA (6:30pm newcomers)
Tuesday, December 20
7:30pm  Vestry Meeting

Thursday, December 22
9:30am Chapter Rm in Use
No Junior Choir Rehearsal today
7:30pm  Adult Choir

Saturday, December 24

5:00pm  Christmas Eve - Holy Eucharist
9:45pm Festive Musical Prelude
10:00pm Christmas Eve Service - Holy Eucharist
Sunday, December 25
No 8am Service, No Sunday School, No childcare
10:00am  Holy Eucharist
Preacher: The Rev. Gwen Buehrens

4:30pm   Christ the King

Thanks to All Who Participated in the Cookie Sale!

The Cookie Sale has raised over $2100 for The Women of St. Mary's outreach. Thank you everyone who worked so tirelessly, and contributed so generously. It was an amazing affair.

Holiday Cookie Sale - December 10

Holiday Cookie Sale-Saturday, December 10
from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m (or until cookies are gone)
Over 1,000 homemade cookies, candies, jams & jellies for sale. So many varieties - all decorated, delicious, and wrapped for individual sale. Special diet varieties include gluten and nut free -- and even cookies for dogs! Money goes toward outreach.

Where: St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 258 Concord Street, Newton Lower Falls

Calendar Update for Sunday, December 11

Sunday, December 11
8:00am Holy Eucharist
9:45am Childcare
9:45am K-5 Sunday School
10:00am Advent Lessons & Carols
11:00am Coffee Hour
4:30pm Christ the King
Monday, December 12
8:30am Yoga
10:15am Hills & Falls - Parish Hall
12:45am Staff Meeting
8:00pm AA (6:30 newcomers)
Tuesday, December 13
6:30pm WSM Christmas Party
Thursday, December 15
9:30am Chapter Room in use
1:00am Clergy
6:30pm Junior Choir
7:15pm Pageant Rehearsal
7:30pm Adult Choir
Friday, December 16
9:30am Hills & Falls - Parish Hall
Sunday, December18
8:00am Holy Eucharist
9:45am Childcare
9:45am K-5 Sunday School
10:00am Christmas Pageant
11:00am Coffee
4:30pm Christ the King

Mission Fundraiser for The Reverend Ted Gaiser to Colombia, This Saturday December 3

This January, The Reverend Ted Gaiser, a deacon in the Diocese of Massachusetts, will move to Colombia in South America to begin work as a missionary. Ted’s work in Colombia will draw on his business background as he works with the bishop and diocese there to strengthen their financial position. He’ll also be building up an English-speaking congregation while pursuing ordination to the priesthood. Ted anticipates remaining in Colombia for several years. Missionaries sponsored by the Episcopal Church are not paid, but are required to raise sufficient funds to cover all of their expenses for the time they will be away. On Saturday, December 3, from 3:00-8:00 pm, Trinity Parish of Newton Centre will host a “Fair Trade” sale of crafts from Central and South America, Palestine and Africa, the proceeds of which will go to support Ted’s ministry. Come and shop – and eat (food will be from the Camino Real Colombian restaurant in Allston) – to help support Ted!

St. Mary's Calendar for Week of December 4

Sunday, December 4
8:00am Holy Eucharist
9:45am Childcare
9:45am K-5 Sunday School
10:00am Holy Eucharist
11:00am Coffee
2:30pm Christ the King - Parish Hall
4:30pm Christ the King
Monday, December 5
8:30am Yoga
12:45am Staff Meeting
8:00pm AA (6:30 newcomers)
Tuesday, December 6
9:30pm Holy Eucharist
10:00am WSM Board
Thursday, December 8
9:30am Chapter Room in use
6:30pm Junior Choir
7:15pm Pageant Rehearsal
7:30pm Adult Choir
Friday, December 9
Parish Hall Booked
8:00am Yoga (tentative)
Saturday, December 10
9:00am Cookie Sale (9am - 12noon)
9:30am Choir Rehearsal
4:00pm Cello Group
Sunday, December11
8:00am Holy Eucharist
9:45am Childcare
9:45am K-5 Sunday School
10:00am Advent Carols & Lessons
11:00am Coffee
11:00am Pageant Rehearsal
4:30pm Christ the King

Women of St. Mary’s Christmas Party Tuesday, December 13 at 6:30 p.m.

ALL WOMEN are invited to join together for an evening of fellowship and festivities at the annual Women of St. Mary’s Christmas Party.  After the potluck supper in the parish hall, there will be carols and then a traditional Yankee swap.  Please bring a wrapped present ($5-$10) to put in the swap.  Hosted by Anne Turtle at anne.turtle@verizon.net and Jane Sabin at janesabin@comcast.net .  A signup sheet is on the bulletin board. 

We will also be collecting items for the children at Rosie’s Place.  Of particular need are presents for the older children ages 10 – 12.  They should be new and unwrapped.  Gift cards are also appreciated. $10 and $25 amounts from Target, Barnes & Noble, Old Navy, Best Buy, Macy’s, CVS and Marshalls.  Wrapping paper & ribbons will allow the mothers to wrap the items themselves.  Even if you are not able to join us for dinner, please consider sharing with these children in need.   Questions regarding the gifts for Rosie’s Place can be directed to Jane Sabin at janesabin@comcast.net. 

Mittens & Hats Needed for the Homeless!

ADVENT MITTEN TREE
The cold and windy days of winter will soon be upon us, and to those people without homes this can be an especially difficult time of year.

We are collecting hats and mittens during Advent season for adults and children. These will be given to the Boston Health Care Agency for the Homeless, sponsored by Massachusetts General Hospital.  The Mitten Tree is in the hall outside of the Chapter Room. Your generosity will be greatly appreciated.

Outreach Opportunities

Rosie's Place Coat Drive
Rosie's Place needs coats and jackets for those who will be shivering and cold. Winter coats needed - We welcome women's or men's coats. Please ensure that the coats are clean and in good condition. Many of our guests need larger sizes, so men's coats are perfect. Plus we have many women who simply prefer the style of a man's coat. We will gladly accept lighter jackets as well. Please put coats in plastic bin located under the bulletin board in the front hall. If you have any questions, please contact Jane Sabin at janesabin@comcast.net, or 781-444-5246.

Yarn Donations for Framingham Women's Prison
Donations of yarn/needles to facilitate the crocheting program at the prison. The program teaches residents how to crochet blankets, scarves, hats, and mittens and sweaters; additionally it provides them with stress relief and skills to make their own items. If anyone has extra yarn they'd like to donate, please call Greta Cullison at 617-332-1182 or email her at gretamarie@comcast.net. or drop in donation box next to bulletin board in front hall.

Vincent Newborn Neccesities
We are in need of clothing for Newborns - 6 months (boy, girl, unisex), Diaper wipes in tabletop or travel sizes (not bulk) & Maternity Clothes. Vincent Newborn Necessities is an outreach program in partnership with the Vincent Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Massachusetts General Hospital, providing clothing and other essentials for mothers and infants of the Chelsea Health Care Center. Please leave donations in box located under the bulletin board in the front hall. If you have any questions, contact Elisabeth Comer at ewcomer@verizon.net or 781-772-2220.

Outreach - Salvation Army "Miracle Kitchen"
Please consider volunteering at the Salvation Army in downtown Framingham or "Miracle Kitchen" on the first Thursday of every month St. Mary's is responsible for preparing and serving a dinner there for 60 to 100 people. Dinner preparation starts around 4:30 p.m. and is served at 6:00 p.m. We have finished cleaning up by 6:45 p.m. You can volunteer for the whole time or just part of the time. Anyone over the age of 12 is welcome. We need a minimum of 5 people to prepare the food but more are sometimes helpful for serving and cleanup. We have a good time and our guests are very appreciative so hope you will consider volunteering. Please call Andrea Gordon at 781-237-6668.

At Thanksgiving

Amid football, family, and too much food, we pause quickly and without inconvenience to remember and to thank. We remember ancient pilgrims, who followed dreams of alabaster cities and financial opportunity; we remember hospitable first nation people who welcomed them, and then lost their land; We remember other family times filled with joy and filled with anxiety, and old scars still powerful.

We thank you for this U.S. venue of justice and freedom, and are aware of its flawed reality; we thank you for our wealth and our safety, and are aware of how close to poverty we are and how under threat we live.

We gather our impulse for gratitude today, grateful to you and our ancestors, grateful to you for our families, our health, our government, our many possessions.

We gladly affirm that "All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above," but we yield to none in a sense of self-sufficiency, our weariness in needing to share, our resentfulness of those who take and do not give.

Your generosity evokes our gratitude, but your generosity overmatches our gratitude. We are ready to thank, but not overly so; we remember our achievements, our accomplishments, our entitlements, and our responsibilities that slice away our yielding of ourselves to you.

Move through our half measure of thanks and let us be, all through this day, more risky in acknowledging that we have nothing except what you give.

You have given so much-not least your only Son. Give us the gift of dazzlement and awe that we may rejoice in our penultimate lives and keep you ultimate all the day long, relishing the wonder of your self-giving love. Amen.

From 'Prayers for a Privileged People' by Walter Brueggeman

Calendar at St. Mary's - Week of November 27

The annual Advent Wreath Making Workshop will be held on Sunday, November 27 in the Parish Hall during coffee hour. Kits will be available.

ADVENT I
Sunday, November 27
8:00am Holy Eucharist
9:45am Childcare
9:45am K-5 Sunday School
10:00am Holy Eucharist & Baptish
11:00am Swedish Reception
11:00am Advent Wreath Making
4:30pm Christ the King
Monday, November 28
8:30am Yoga
12:45am Staff Meeting
8:00pm AA (6:30 newcomers)
Tuesday, November 29
7:30pm Outreach Meeting
Thursday, December 1
9:30am Chapter Room in use
4:30pm Miracle Kitchen
6:30pm Junior Choir
7:30pm Adult Choir
Friday, December 2
9:30am Hills & Falls - Parish Hall
5:30pm CTK - PARISH HALL
6:00pm William Lawrence Camp Meeting
Saturday, December 3
4:30pm Eucharist Training
Sunday, December 4
8:00am Holy Eucharist
9:45am Childcare
9:45am K-5 Sunday School
10:00am Advent Lessons & Carols
11:00am Coffee
2:30pm CTK - Parish Hall
4:30pm Christ the King

Good News: November 18, 2011

The Good News from November 18 is now available for download:

Good_News_2011_Nov_18

This issue includes a Thanksgiving reflection by Reverend George Stevens...

"As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we turn our hearts not only to football, turkey and shopping, but to the deep sense of gratitude that is the real purpose of the celebration. The General Thanksgiving in the Rite One language uses the marvelous term “unfeignedly thankful.” Thanking God for all the gifts of our lives with sincerity and without pretense is certainly in order on this day. This gratitude comes from the abiding sense that all we have is from God..."

Christian Education Events

Pie Making for Middle School Kids - Sunday, November 20, 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
We will be making pies for Thanksgiving to distribute to local food pantries. For more information, please contact Tyler Lineback at 617-378-1855 (tyler@st-marys-episcopal.org) or speak to George.

Advent Wreath Making - Sunday, November 27 at 11:00 a.m.
The annual Advent Wreath Making Workshop will be held on Sunday, November 27 in the Parish Hall during coffee hour. Kits will be available.