Mountain E-Messenger
Email Update for Fall - Pentecost 2009
www.stmarysinthemountains.org
WORSHIP – Every Sunday at 10:30am; Reflective Evening Prayer every Wednesday at 5:30pm.•October 4th – Blessings of the Animals at 2pm in celebration of St. Francis Day. Join us for this 7th annual, fun event! There will be refreshments for 2 and 4 footed animals, St. Francis give-aways, songs and prayers and a collection with all funds going to help those who help animals. Note: For their own protection, all animals must be leashed, reined, or caged appropriately. JOIN US!
•October 11th – Bishop Tom Ely’s Visitation and Observance of the 11th Anniversary of the Death of Matthew Shepard. Worship Service at 10:30am when we will remember Matthew, give thanks for the diversity in our community, continue to pray and work for the end of hate and prejudice, dedicate our new Worship Chairs, and new Kneeler and maybe even celebrate a Baptism! Special offering to support the Matthew Shepard Foundation and their Erase Hate campaign. Festive reception.
•November 1st – All Saints Day
PARISH EVENTS – Christian Formation Opportunities Etc.
•Join us for our 2nd Annual Diversity Weekend October 10 and 11:
o Saturday – 5pm Discussion with the Bishop on Embracing Difference, followed by pot-luck at 6:30pm. All are invited.
o Sunday – 10:30am Worship remembering the death of Matthew Shepard, Dedication of Worship Chairs; festive reception and Vestry meeting with the Bishop.
This is a great opportunity to invite someone you know from the community who might enjoy worshipping at St. Mary’s and meeting the Bishop and other St. Mary folk.
•For six Sunday mornings this summer we had a series on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. Wow! There was a lot going on back then! OH, but wait: We discovered how lots of what Paul was responding to “then” is some of the same stuff the Church is dealing with “now.” Maybe Scripture is relevant!!!
•Thank you Betsy McEwen and Liz Marshall for a wonderful Parish Picnic at your home on Sunday, August 23rd. Great food and stunning croquet. Who knew we were competitive!
• Movie Nights are coming - starting Wednesday, December 2nd at 5:30pm. Food – Film – reFlection.
VESTRY NOTES:
• We are putting “on hold” until November our work with the Diocese concerning formation of a formal “Covenant Group. We are looking into ongoing issues with our building and the possible move to a new building… but only investigating the options.
•New T-Shirts are a big hit! Over 25 are already being worn! The logo above is on the back and the Episcopal Church seal is on the front left. When we have 10 orders we get more. $15 at St. Mary’s; $25 mailed to you. Funds support the Discretionary Fund and help our community.
•Our pledges support St. Mary’s and our ministries. Please keep your pledge up to date or let us know if there is a problem.
•Our Mission Statement: St. Mary’s in the Mountains Episcopal Church is a Christian community. We welcome spiritual seekers. We minister to all through acts of faith, kindness and acceptance, which is the message of God’s love.
The Mountain E-Messenger is an occasional emailed notice of things happening at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church at 95 East Main Street in Wilmington, VT 05363. Because we have so many visitors during the four seasons of the year we will try to “stay in touch” with all our members, worshippers and friends with this electronic newsletter. For information or to be added or removed from the St. Mary’s Email List please contact Thad Bennett at tbennett@dioceseofvermont.org or at 17 Lane Drive, Newfane, VT 05345 or 802-365-7269. Also visit us at www.stmarysinthemountains.org.
