St. Martin's Newsletter

Weekly E-News October 30, 2015

www.stmartinsprov.org

Worship Schedule

Sunday

8am and 10am

Holy Eucharist

9:45am Nursery
Tuesday-Friday

9am Morning Prayer in the Chapel
Wednesday

7am service with Holy Eucharist

Daylight Savings...

Don't forget to set your clocks back this weekend (late Saturday night).
Enjoy that extra hour of sleep!

Sunday Evening

Labyrinth Walk in the Great Hall 6:30-8pm

The Women's Spirituality Group of St Martin's will gather in the Great Hall at 6:30pm for a brief introduction to the labyrinth and centering prayer before walking the labyrinth. Afterwards, you're invited for a comfortable cup of tea by the fireplace, with time to just to be and to process the experience. We will close the evening with Compline.

The Weekly Epistle

I spent 17 years as Presiding Chaplain at the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust. For comparison Maudsley can be likened to Johns Hopkins in size and international research and clinical reputation. For some reason peculiar to Maudsley culture chaplaincy was part of the Strategy and Organizational Development Directorate. A possible explanation for this seeming anomaly lay in an intuitive understanding of the role of chaplains as pastors to the institution and its life. As lead chaplain, to fulfill this expectation required me to possess training and skills in the facilitating the dynamics of organizational change. In a culture of perpetual and stressful change, understanding the effects of change on individuals was an indispensable part of my pastoral care of them within the work place setting. The one invaluable lesson I learned in all these years is that even among those who support change as desirable, change is at a deeper human level also resisted. We long to change yet what we fear most is to change.

Parish life at St Martin's is always in a process of evolution, so change is not new to us. However, during Advent we are about to experiment with a very big change. Although, as we move past Christmas into Epiphany we will have an opportunity to take soundings and to review the experience of this experiment, on November 29th, the first Sunday of Advent and the start of the new Christian year we will move to a new timetable for Sunday mornings. Between now and then I want to explain about the reasons for this change, acknowledging from the outset that even among those who understand and support the need for change, the experiment will nevertheless, be a disruptive one. So let's notice and give room for our feelings of resistance and maybe even resentment at the changes, so they don't take us by surprise.

The chief reason for the change is to create space on Sunday morning for Christian formation. This necessitates moving the 10am Eucharist with choir and sermon to 9:15am thus creating an hour between 10:30 and 11:30 for every-member learning. This new structure will allow whole families to worship together. Best practice now supports the need for children to be in church rather than separated out from the worship life of the community. At the conclusion of a 60-minute service the children will process directly into the KidZone and youth rooms, as the adults grab a cup of coffee and a snack in the Great Hall before settling down for adult Christian formation.

Now, I know this is not going to please everyone. Some will, at least I hope only initially, choose not to attend the formation hour. Yet, let me offer a startling statistic from our recent online RenewalWorks spiritual inventory: 33% of members self-described as taking first small steps in an intentional spiritual journey, 43% self-described as having a lot of questions about belief and practice still unanswered. That amounts to 76% of our membership still in the early stages of an intentional faith journey. 22% self-described as relying on God's presence and power in daily life, and 2% identified as holding God at the top priority of their relational lives.

The significance of this data really comes alive when compared with our online survey response rate. St Martin's had a 120% response rate to the spiritual inventory survey. RenewalWorks reports this has a startling first for them in over 10 years of conducting this survey. The normal response rate in a parish like ours would be expected around 40-65%. This comparison tells us that we not only need to learn more about our Christian faith, but that we want to. In fact, we have a ravenous desire to be fed. We are hungry for spiritual food that nourishes us and supports us to live more creatively in the face of the stresses of modern life.

Next week I will explain the reasoning behind additional changes with new services at 7:45am and 12pm. This coming Sunday is the commemoration of All Saints, so let's celebrate our community life within its larger context of being surrounded by a greater cloud of witnesses. See you in church, this Sunday!

Mark+

NEW SERVICE HOURS!

Beginning on November 29 and running through Epiphany, February 7, we will be experimenting with new service times:

7:45am Holy Eucharist

8:30am Bible Study

9:15am Holy Eucharist with choir and sermon

10:30am Adult & Children's Christian Formation

12noon Holy Eucharist

READINGS THIS WEEK

Wisdom of Solomon
3:1-9 (OT)

Revelation 21:1-6a (NT)
John 11:32-44 (Gospel)
Click here for this Sunday's readings.

THIS SUNDAY

Services

at 8am and 10am (Intergenerational Service at 10am)

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Gluten Free Hosts available at the altar rail.

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Weekly Bible Study at 9am in the Stearns Room (see the Biblebox below)
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Nursery at 9:45am

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Thrifty Goose open
9am-12noon

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Youth Group at 11:30am
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Coffee Hour this Sunday is hosted by Parker Smith.
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Labyrinth Walk
6:30pm Great Hall

MORNING PRAYER

It is my practice to endeavor to say Morning Prayer in the Chapel of the Church at 9am on Tuesday through Friday each week. I look forward to seeing you there!

Mark+

***Thanksgiving Bags (donated by Eastside Market) are available at the back of the church. Please return the filled bags by Sunday, November 22nd.
*Bags will be distributed to PICA and Camp Street Ministries.

Biblebox
(Weekly Bible Study)
Gospel: John 11:32-44

To dig a little behind the Gospel text for this Sunday, take a look at this week's Working Preacher in preparation for discussion at our weekly Sunday Bible study at 9am in the Stearns Room.

Healing Prayers...

Healing Prayers are now offered every Sunday. After receiving Holy Communion you may then go to the Chapel where you can request healing prayers for yourself, a loved one, or for a situation in the wider world before returning to your seat.

Coming Up!

Saturday, November 14 at 10am

Memorial Garden Clean-up
Interested in helping? Please call Rosalind Ditson at 508-336-5116

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Sunday, November 15

The Feast of St. Martin of Tours
A parish-wide, family friendly celebration of our Patron Saint
Choral Evensong at 4:30pm with Festival Potluck Dinner immediately following
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Tuesday, November 24 at 7pm

Interfaith Service.
Please join us at Temple Beth-el for our Interfaith service. Our children's choir will be singing! It's also a great chance for us to welcome the temple's new rabbi, Howard Voss-Altman.
(see flyer at back of church)

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Thursday, November 26 at 1pm
Thanksgiving Community Dinner in the Great Hall.
We need volunteers to cook, clean-up, help set up the day before etc.
Please contact Gail Peet at 725-0064
or gep@cox.net if you can help in any way.

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Sunday, November 29

Family Advent Festival
Please join us in the Great Hall after the 9:15am service to make an Advent Wreath
for your home! All materials provided.
Suggested donation:
$10 for materials.

Vestry Nominations Committee Formed

In accordance with Article VII, Section V of the By-Laws of St. Martin's Parish, the Rector and the Wardens have appointed the following individuals to a Nominating Committee to prepare at least one slate of candidates to the Vestry: David Brookhart, John Lawlor, Edmund Leather, Sean Mulholland, Jill Scott, Elizabeth Welshman.

The Vestry has five vacancies for election at the Annual Meeting on January 24, 2016: including that for Junior Warden.The Nominating Committee invites all Members of the Parish to self-nominate for these vacancies. In accordance with Article III, Section 1 of the By-Laws, "The members of the Parish shall be all persons who have received the Sacrament of Holy Baptism and who are registered as members of the Parish." Please contact a member of the Nominating Committee to express your interest in this ministry.

The Nominating Committee will offer its slate(s) in the eNews immediately preceding Sunday, January 10, 2016, and in the News and Notes on
Sunday, January 10, 2016.

Respectfully submitted,

Mark Sutherland, Rector

Elizabeth Welshman, Senior Warden

Sean Mulholland, Junior Warden

Boots on the ground...

We all put our pants on one leg at a time.

I urge you to consider for a moment when you tie your shoes or pull up your socks ... one at a time... consider that we are all human. We are all cut of the same cloth. We all have particular needs. With winter temperatures, there is an urgent need in the local homeless community for reliable boots and shoes.

$30 buys a new pair of men's work boots. Buy 1 or 5, but please consider buying something to help. Or, give us your gently used shoes and boots. (Other casual men's wear items gladly accepted, too.)

When you are homeless, your boots are your car. Your boots are your transportation. Through boots, we will bring the glory of God to the streets of Providence.

Types of donations needed: New Men's Socks and Men's underwear; Tee shirts, sweat shirts, comfortable Men's pants. Shoes and boots. Winter Jackets and winter hats. Snacks. Toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Thank you in advance,

Mary Gray

*A collection bin is located at the back of the church for this ministry.

LAST WEEK.....

Spencer's (Izzo) Eagle Scout Project Donation Basket

The Boy Scouts of America and Troop 31 Crompton are collecting items for Amos House: toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, soap, razors, combs and skin lotion. The collection basket is in the back of the church. **Please make sure they are travel size.

Thank you!!

The Providence Village...

is a grassroots, community based network of support for Seniors who choose to stay in our homes and communities as we age. This fall, the Providence Village is launching a pilot Rides program to help Village members who cannot drive with their transportation needs.

To do this, the Providence Village needs volunteers who are willing to be drivers and service coordinators. This is a great opportunity to help create a network of mutual support that can make a real difference in the lives of Seniors in our community.

Can you help?

For more information about the Providence Village and volunteer opportunities , please visit our website at: www.providencevillageri.org .
Or call the Providence Village: 401-441-5240

Thank you!

Martin's List

Opportunities for Ministry

Help in the office with folding bulletins, esp. during busy holiday time

If this ministry opportunity speaks to you, please call the church office at
751-2141 and speak with Deborah or Susan or email us at church@stmartinsprov.org.

Many thanks in advance!

Ministries

November 1, 2015 Reading link (Track 2)	November 8, 2015 Reading link (Track 2)
8am: Reader Missy Bennett Altar Guild Pat Knowles 10am: Walter Cotter (OT) Peter Dennehy (NT) Mary DiSandro (Prayers) Altar Guild Susan Rodgers Tom McDonnell Eucharistic Ministers David Whitman (V, H) Al Anderson Elizabeth Welshman Acolytes Robin McGill Alex Potter Ushers Sarosh Fenn Bill Hollinshead Brooks Magratten Jaye Tyler Greeters Jill Scott Kathy Phillips Coffee Hour Parker Smith	8am: Reader David Brookhart Altar Guild Linda Brookhart 10am: Jim Kelliher (OT) Bill Hollinshead (NT) Rosalind Ditson (Prayers) Altar Guild Susan Allen Brooke Hammerle Eucharistic Ministers Linda Griggs Jim Kelliher Meg LoPresti (V,H) Al Anderson Elke Moonan (C) Acolytes Rebecca Loell Oliver Parker Erin Welshman Ushers Peter Dennehy Peter Lofgren Peter Gray Bill Hollinshead Greeters Amy Fuller Joyce May Kathy Phillips