Transparent Color Logo   
The Shamrock
March 4, 2015
In This Issue
Coming Events
Parish Happenings
Christian Formation
Outreach
Income Summary
This Week at St. Patrick's



PARISH BIRTHDAYS:

March

1-Brent Temple, Noah Alexander, 2- Marie Seay, Mike Brunson, 4-Emily Judge, 5-Grace Barrett, 6-Marigold Watson, Harrison Hope, Claire Wilson, 7-Bill Hunt, Susan Roberts, 8-Katy Thirey, 10-Bonnie Stephenson, Claire Mazewski, 11-Ray Warren, Meredith Harper, Neal Yates, 13-Peter Rhodes, Jasmine Hutt, 14-Marcia Hutchins, Sherri Taylor, 15-CaTherine Brantley, Dorothy Brantley,  17-Alice Kamman, Patti Halstead-Jude, Ramsay Hall, 18-John Lauber, 19-Rosemarie Charles, 20-Rick Rasche, Teresa Hoyt, 20-JC Boyanton, Christian Warren, 21-Mimi Hunt, Lander Stoddard, Jacqueline Davis, 22-Cowen Harter, Mychal Walker, 24-Steve Barrett, 25-Alex Watkins, Drew Yates, 26-Allison Game, 29-Joey Main, 30-George Birdsong, Jake Farley


Happy birthday!

 


 Patty's Porch

 

 

 

Lenten Greeting from the Presiding Bishop: Click here to watch a video Lenten greeting from the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori. 

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Stewardship: Pledge cards for the 2015 Operating Budget are available in the office and  you can find a printable pledge card here.
Pledge cards should be returned to the parish office. "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Cor. 9:7 

 

Want to Join St. Patrick's? Please  email Amanda Vaughn or call her at 770-455-6523 for more information.

 

STAY CONNECTED

Contact us:

The office is open Monday - Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The phone number is 770-455-6523.

 

Deadline for submitting news items for The Shamrock and bulletin is noon Tuesdays. Send news and photos to [email protected]. Most news items will run for two weeks. 

 

The Shamrock is published weekly. It is distributed most Wednesdays.

 

All content submitted is subject to editing. 

 

Contact: Amanda Vaughn, Director of Communications, 770-455-6523 or [email protected]

Out and About in the Diocese of Atlanta    
Want to stay current on all the events going on in the Diocese of Atlanta? Click here to sign up for Connecting, the Diocesan email newsletter. Visit their website here.

 



Lenten Tapestry

Into the desert

 

 "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." While perhaps not the best banner phrase to post out in front of a church by way of invitation, these words of Jesus are essential for they contain within them the very seeds of resurrection life. It is an invitation unique to each person, for it not "the cross" we are invited to pick up, nor is it "Jesus' cross." Rather we are invited each to take up our own crosses, each person's as unique as the person him/herself, and to follow Jesus.

In churches there is almost always a cross to gaze upon, and sometimes specifically Jesus on the cross, yet rarely if ever do we have the opportunity to gaze upon our own crosses within the context and support of our faith communities. And this is important in two ways: first, it helps us to remember that all of us are carrying a cross of some sort, we are all in this together; second, there is great power in gazing upon our cross, seeking to notice the seeds of resurrection that percolate up and in that very place.

Our Lenten Canvas is a breath-filled invitation to journey together into the wilderness of our lives. All are invited to take one of the cut squares from the basket beside it, and to create on it an expression of your own unique cross. You can use pictures, drawings, words- whatever expresses that which you need to express. And you can choose to sign it, or simply not sign it. Then return the piece to the basket, placing it in an envelope if you wish, and the art ministry will weave your offering into our communal journey of lent, expressed in the desert canvas.

This is a beautiful and powerful offering.  Please join us in its creation.

With much love and many prayers,
Julia


 
COMING EVENTS

 

 

Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 8. Remember to set your clocks forward an hour before you go to bed on Saturday night. 

 

 

March 6-8
Ministry Architects Here
March 6-8
Spring Arts Retreat

March 8

 

Acolyte Round Up

 

March 14, 6-11 p.m.
St. Patrick's Day Open House at Game's
March 15
Hunger Walk
March 15
Garden Club Meeting
March 22 at 12:30 p.m.
Vestry Meeting
March 22 at 5 p.m.
Celebration Eucharist


 

 

 

PARISH HAPPENINGS

 

 

 

Arts Retreat Spaces Available: Spaces still available for Arts retreat this weekend! Beautiful Lake Allatoona is awaiting. Call or email Diane Rankin .

 

Hunger Walk: We will celebrate our Patronal Feast Day this year on Sunday, March 15! How will we celebrate it? We are going to Walk the Walk and Talk the Talk, Together, all in, for the Hunger Walk! Adults, youth,  grandparents, singles, children, grab your walking shoes and join the Malachi's Miracle Makers team! We will feed you lunch in the Parish Hall after church and then all caravan to Turner Field to walk as a team! Click the photo above to go to the registration page, and please read more in the "Outreach" section of this newsletter about how to sign up to walk the walk or donate to the team.

 

Centering Prayer: Please join us for Centering Prayer. It is a gathering shaped for us all, beginner and seasoned practitioner alike. We are finding that opening with a short five minute sit to begin, and then about ten to twelve minutes, with opportunities to share experiences and questions in-between, is developing into a wonderful rhythm  Before our sits we have time to introduce the practice or listen to a brief reading on Centering Prayer, and after our sits we have time again to debrief with one another and share questions and noticings. It is a very gentle practice.  We would love for you to join us. We are currently offering two opportunities: Mondays at 1 p.m. and Tuesdays at 10 a.m.

 

 

Wonderful Wednesdays in Lent - The Color Purple: Episcopal Reflections from the Wilderness: The Bishops are coming, Wednesday nights during Lent. 
  • March 4     The Rt. Rev. Rob Wright
  • March 11   The Rt. Rev. Keith Whitmore
  • March 18   The Rt. Rev. Frank Allan  
  • March 25   The Rt. Rev. J. Neil Alexander

6:00 - 8:00 p.m. - Parish Family Dinner and Study

Wednesday nights begin with dinner in our Parish Hall! Dinner is served at 6:00 p.m., 6:45 evening liturgy in the nave, program at 7:00 p.m. Adult meals are $7, Youth and Children (3-12 years of age) are $5, with a Family Maximum of $20.  

 

Please email Amanda Vaughn to make your dinner reservation by noon the Monday before. Childcare, at no charge, is available by reservation through the church office by the Monday before.

Acolyte Round Up and Pizza Party, March 8 after church!

Calling all 3rd through 12th graders, acolytes new, old and interested. Join us after the 10:30 on March 8 for a brief training tune up with our vergers and a pizza party. Parents and clergy will meet at the fireside during the training in the nave for some organization and dreaming before our Italian Feast. RSVP to Amanda Vaughn 

by Friday, March 6, so we know you are coming - and let us know of any dietary restrictions!


Planning for Our Youth & Children:
We value the children of our church, and we are committed to building sustainable youth and children's ministries that are going to have a deep impact. That's why we are developing a game plan together. We have invited Ministry Architects to 
visit us March 6-8, 2015.  (Learn more about them here).

Ministry Architects will spend the majority of their time listening to a variety of groups within the church through focused listening groups. After spending 2 days in these listening groups, the Ministry Architects team will hunker down to write a report, sharing with us what they've heard about the youth and children's ministries. On March 8 at 6:00 p.m., the report will be presented to the congregation laying out specific recommendations and a blueprint for how to move forward.  If you would like to be part of this process and have your voice heard, please contact Mother Sarah at  770-455-6523 or email her here. All are invited to attend one session of the listening groups. You may sign up on line, by clicking here.

 

Shamrocks  

The Being Mary and Martha Group - March 10 We'll meet for dinner and an Irish movie in honor of St. Patrick's Day!  Dinner begins at 7:15 PM, and the 96 minute movie "The
Snapper" will begin shortly thereafter. Teresa Hoyt is our leader for this month's meeting.

"The Snapper" is a comedy-drama about a working class
Dublin family that is thrown into chaos when they learn that the eldest daughter, Sharon, is pregnant. ("Snapper" is Irish slang for a small infant.)  By choosing not to reveal the father's identity, Sharon becomes the target of rampant gossip.  From a review by the late Roger Ebert: "The Snapper" sees its characters with warmth and acceptance and earns its laughs by being wise about human nature."

Teresa is bringing Ann and Karla's famous Shepherd's Pie and a salad.  If you are joining us, RSVP here so she knows how much to make. Please also bring a beverage, bread, or dessert to round out the meal, or perhaps a movie snack such as popcorn.


Garden Club Meeting March 15: The garden club will meet at 12:30 p.m. on March 15 in the Gathering Room.

Birthday Party - March 22 at hospitality house: Mimi Hunt is turning 80 and the party will be at hospitality house in the parish hall. Everyone is invited. Cake by our own Keith Harper. Lots of good food! Thank you, see you there.


Celebration Worship Service - March 22, 5:00 p.m. in Parish Hall: Mark your calendars for a wonderful evenings of praise and celebration. It will include a homily and communion. Help us spread the word by inviting friends, old and new, to worship with us in this casual and open-hearted way.  

 

Parish Retreat Survey- Please Take by March 5: We'd like to know what you think about a parish retreat in the near future! Please click here to take the survey so we can get a feel for the interest and best times to go away and be a community on retreat.

 

Add a description Kids Summer Camp at St Patrick's: July 20-24, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Save the Date! Kids Summer Camp at St Patrick's is coming! July 20-24, 9AM-5PM. All rising K-rising 5th graders are welcome! Watch for details in this space. For more information, please contact the Rev. Julia Rusling or Mo. Sarah Fisher.
 
Burying Alleluias: On the first Sunday in Lent, the children in CGS have a special liturgy which helps them remember the more somber nature of the Lenten season. The children write or draw Alleluias and place them in a container. Then the children process outside, singing songs of Alleluia, and with prayers and Scripture readings, they bury the container. This reminds them that we don't say Alleluia (or as the children say, the "A-word") all during Lent. On Easter Sunday, the children dig up the Alleluias and once more sing joyful songs of Alleluia!  See more photos on our flickr page here.

Name tags:
Remember, wear your name tag when you come to St. nametag Patrick's! They're hanging alphabetically on the name tag board. Each Sunday the board can be found in the narthex. Otherwise it lives in the back hallway. If you need a nametag, please email Amanda Vaughn or fill out the form that can be found Sunday mornings in the narthex on the stand next to the visitor's book.


CHRISTIAN FORMATION


 

 

 

Nursery (newborn - 4 yrs old) - 9:00 a.m. 

 

Children (ages 2 � - 11)  Catechesis of the Good Shepherd - 9:00 a.m. 

 

Youth - Rite 13, J2A, and YEA meet at 9:00 a.m.  

 

Adults - 9:15 a.m.  

Lent

February 22 - March 29

            

CELEBRATION OF DISCIPLINE
Chapel, led by the Rev. Game, the Rev. Fisher, and the Rev. Rusling

For our spiritual enrichment during Lent, we will explore Richard J. Foster's Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth. Hailed by many as the best modern book on Christian spirituality, this text explores the central spiritual practices of Christianity showing how each discipline contributes to a balanced spiritual life.  

 

Scripture Study Class and Roundtable Discussion Group are

suspended during Lent so that class members can

attend the Celebration of Discipline class.

 

PAINTING LOOKING UP

Art Lab, led by Nancy Dusenberry and Diane Rankin

Do you have fantastic dreams that you'd like to keep as teachers? Memories that you'd like to freeze in time and revisit? We begin with a meditation time to "call up" and focus our chosen images, talk a bit, and sketch. Subsequent weeks are spent producing and resolving. No prior experience needed.

 

DREAMS: LISTENING TO GOD

Library, led by Brenda Marquis and Kendra Yates

The Dream Group provides a safe and sacred space to share dreams and help participants find spiritual fulfillment in them. Participants are also helped to discern what God might be telling them in "God's forgotten language." Every week varies according to who attends and the dream selected for discussion.

 

Adult Christian Formation classes for Lent - Eastertide 2015: Click here to see the full schedule and see which one interests you.  

 


 
OUTREACH


 

 

 

    Malachis web logo

 

 

 

Hunger Walk - March 15: Join us as we are forming our team 
of Malachi's Miracle Makers! Please sign up to walk, sign up to donate, sign up to do both! The hunger walk is Malachi's largest fundraiser of the year! Your donation gets us credit at the Atlanta Community Food Bank to purchase food for Malachi's at .16 a pound. Our goal this year is $20,000! We are very excited and would love for you to join us in body or spirit!

Click here to donate and/or join the team!

 

 

Lenten Meditations: This years'  issue of Episcopal Relief & Development's (ERD) Lenten Meditations includes the voices of leaders throughout the Anglican Communion who have personal insights into the impact of our work. They were asked to focus on some core statements that are the basis of the work of ERD. Those statements are:

* I believe that everyone should have access

   to clean water.

* I believe that no one should go hungry.

* I believe that all children and families deserve

a healthy start in life.

* I believe that no one should live in poverty.

* I believe that together we can heal a hurting world.

These booklets are available at St. Patrick's and can be found online here.

Please contact James Tola for any questions on how you can be the agent of change through ER&D. Email him here or call at 678.467.2222.


   

   

 

     INCOME SUMMARY     

 

 

Actual Income (Adjusted) - YTD*
Budgeted Income - YTD
 Year to Date Difference: Actual - Budgeted
Projected Year End Difference

Projected Year End Difference (% of Annual Budget)
$60,939
$74,536
($13,596)
($88,375)
-18.2%
* : pre-payments of pledge values have been annualized






 

 

CALENDAR   

 

 

This Week at St. Patrick's

 

For more detailed information, please check the website. If you are not on the weekly Shamrocks email list and would like to be, please email Amanda Vaughn.    

                                    

Thursday, 3/5 

12:30 p.m.         Holy Spirit Prayer Group, Library  

8:00 p.m.           The Male Room (AA - Men only), Room 14

 

Friday, 3/6 

Ministry Architects Meetings 

8:00 p.m.           The Dunwoody North Group (AA), Room 9

 

Saturday, 3/7 

Ministry Architects Meetings  

9:00 a.m.           Malachi's Mobile Food Pantry            

 

Sunday, 3/8   

8:00 a.m.            Holy Eucharist, Chapel    

9:00 a.m.            CGS and Youth classes

9:15 a.m.            Adult Christian Formation classes 

10:30 a.m.          Holy Eucharist, Nave
12:00 p.m.          Acolyte/Verger Training, Nave
12:30 p.m.          Hospitality House
6:00 p.m.            Ministry Architects Report, Nave

 

Monday, 3/9                               

9:30 a.m.           Tai Chi, Parish Hall

11:00 a.m.          Staff Meeting, Room 1   

1:00 p.m.            Centering Prayer, Library   

7:00 p.m.            EfM, Room 8 

7:00 p.m.            Men's Accountability Group, Room 1

8:00 p.m.            AA (open), Room 14

  

Tuesday, 3/10         

6:45 a.m.            Men's Prayer Group, Room 8 

10:00 a.m.          Centering Prayer, Library  

6:00 p.m.            German Ensemble, Choir Room   

6:30 p.m.            Finance Committee, Office     
7:00 p.m.            Being Mary & Martha Group, Parlor

 

  

Wednesday, 3/11            

11:00 a.m.          Malachi's Storehouse, Parish Hall     

12:15 p.m.          Healing and Eucharist Service, Chapel    

6:00 p.m.            Wonderful Wednesday Dinner

6:45 p.m.            Wonderful Wed. Liturgy, Nave 

7:00 p.m.            Wonderful Wed. Bishop Lenten Series, Nave  

 

Thursday, 3/12

12:30 p.m.         Holy Spirit Prayer Group, Library  

8:00 p.m.           The Male Room (AA - Men only), Room 14

 

Friday, 3/13  

8:00 p.m.           The Dunwoody North Group (AA), Room 9

 

Saturday, 3/14

6:00 p.m.           St. Patrick's Day Open House, Game's Home 

 

Sunday, 3/15  

8:00 a.m.            Holy Eucharist, Chapel    

9:00 a.m.            CGS and Youth classes

9:15 a.m.            Adult Christian Formation classes 

10:30 a.m.          Holy Eucharist, Nave
12:00 p.m.          Acolyte/Verger Training, Nave
12:15 p.m.          Stephen Ministry Meeting,Room 8
12:30 p.m.          Garden Club Meeting, Gathering Room
12:30 p.m.          Hospitality House
2:00 p.m.            Hunger Walk