St. Martin's Newsletter

Tomorrow...

Saturday, December 5 at 10am

Altar Guild Meeting

This Sunday...

St. Nicholas will visit church school at 10:30am!

Weekly E-News December 4, 2015

www.stmartinsprov.org

Worship Schedule

Sunday

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

Nursery
9am - 11:30am

Tuesday-Friday

9am Morning Prayer in the Chapel
Wednesday

7am service with Holy Eucharist

I sense a shift in the atmosphere. I am not talking about the weather, although I am talking about the climate. As our daily lives are so affected by the shifting patterns of the weather, we often miss the more subtle yet ultimately more momentous changes in the climate. I became aware of shift in the atmosphere around the issue of climate change during the recent high level Paris Conference. Unlike previous conferences, this seemed no longer a fringe event. With nearly all countries represented at the highest levels of their leadership, Paris confirms that the rest of the world outside of the US Congress that is, seems now ready to address the urgency of climate change. At long last climate change and the effects of human agency are now universally recognized as the number one issue facing the future of humanity.

I also noted as a regular listener to NPR that the extent of the coverage of the Paris conference was wideranging and comprehensive. I don't listen to commercial radio so I don't know how this sector covered the climate talks, though I imagine there was little coverage. One might naturally expect NPR to focus on coverage yet it delighted me to discover that it was the number one topic around which more regular elements of the NPR schedules were arranged. In my memory this has not been the case before. These two factors together evidence something having shifted in the collective consciousness.

Addressing climate change is now a priority for our hope. Advent is time for reflecting on hope. Hope is a cardinal virtue, but it's tricky because of our tendency to confuse optimism with hope. Hope based on optimism disappears when optimism inevitably turns to more pessimistic outlooks. Hope has nothing to do with optimism and everything to do with faith. The letter to the Hebrews states that faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

Hope expresses our high-level confidence in the goodness of God's dream for humanity. If our confidence is rooted only in what we can see, and in what we can initiate and control by our own efforts, then hope is doomed to disappointment. By contrast, hope is the assurance that what we hope for is to some extent, already present to us. The practice of hope simply makes it more so.

The best practice of hope is to commit to planting the seeds in our own generation for the future we want for our children and their children's children. For most of us this means that we have air we can breath, land and crops we can successfully farm; that we direct our efforts to the preservation of ecosystems that support the diversity of life in and of our oceans, lakes, rivers and forests. This is God's intention for creation, the protection and preservation of which has been entrusted to humanity.

Beginning with this Advent season, might this become the practice of our Advent hope that through the seeds we plant now the future may not simply be a repetition of the past. Our hope envisions wide-ranging change in the culture of business as usual. Let's hope for government that serves the needs of the governed and not the entrenched interests of the financial sector, extractive industries, and let's not leave the NRA off this list.

We made a great beginning with our new Sunday Schedule last Sunday. So let's look forward to greeting one another -in Church - this coming Sunday.

Mark+

A Message from the Director of Christian Formation

Dear Friends,

Thanks to all of the folks who participated in our 2nd Annual Advent Wreath-Making Festival on Sunday! The Great Hall smelled wonderful with all of the greenery, and I believe a good time was had by all.

If you would like to sign up to be an Intergenerational Prayer Partner, please let me know as soon as possible. This is a simple way to deepen your spiritual life by praying for and being prayed for by a person of another generation. Forms are available in KidZone and at the back of the church on Sunday.

We have had a great response to our Christmas Pageant sign-ups so far, but are still in need of a few shepherds and sheep, an entire Heavenly Host, i.e. A Bunch of Angels, and a trio of Magi with their camels, i.e. youngsters small enough to sit on a parent's shoulders in really awesome costumes. Come and help us tell the Story on Christmas Eve! Contact me or Lian-Marie Holmes if interested.

I look forward to seeing you in church on Sunday, and seeing your children in KidZone. The youngsters will process out of the church with their teachers at the end of the service and be taken to their classes. And word has it that Nicholas of Myra, aka St. Nicholas, might be making a church school visit on Sunday morning... :)

Peace,
Linda

READINGS THIS WEEK

Baruch 5:1-9 (OT)

Philippians 1:3-11 (NT)
Luke 3:1-6 (Gospel)
Click here for this Sunday's readings.

THIS SUNDAY

7:45am
Holy Eucharist

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8:30am Bible Study
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9am Nursery

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9am Thrifty Goose open

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9:15am Holy Eucharist with choir and sermon
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10:30am

Christian Formation:
Church School &
Episcopal 101

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12noon Holy Eucharist

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Gluten Free Hosts available at the altar rail.
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Coffee Hour this Sunday is hosted by

Diana and Rosie Hassel.

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+

SERVICE HOURS

Now, through Epiphany, February 7, our new service times will be:

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

**see box at top for full service schedule

Christmas Services Coming Up...

Monday, December 21
'Blue Christmas' - Service of Darkness and Light at 5:30pm

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Thursday, December 24
Christmas Eve Services 4pm & 9pm
Pageant during the 4pm service
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Friday, December 25
Christmas Day service at 10am

Biblebox
(Weekly Bible Study)
Gospel: Luke 3:1-6

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.

Schedule of those leading Healing Prayers:

December 6 Beth Shearer

December 13 Beth Shearer

December 20 Jeana Whittredge

'Our Hearts are Open' Gift Project

In its fifth year, St. Martin's parishioners are participating in buying Christmas gifts for children in DCYF care. Sign-ups continue in the atrium after church. All gifts must be returned by December 13 to ensure timely delivery.

Please contact Helen Anthony at hanthony5th@gmail.com or call the church office at

751-2141 for more information.

GANDER!

The next meeting of our men's spirituality group named Gander is this coming Tuesday, December 8th at Waylan Tucker's, 201 Wentworth Ave Edgewood 02905.

Waylan is making pizza and others are bringing choice items they would also like to eat and drink. Eating together will start at 6.15pm followed by spiritual exploration.

AMOS HOUSE HOLIDAY DRIVE!

As many of you know, Lisa and I have long supported the wonderful work of Amos House, at the Mother and Child Reunification House and the Fatherhood House. We're once again raising funds for the Holiday Drive. Last year our donations provided the following:

New toys and clothing for Christmas for over 250 children, as well as adults enrolled in all programs

Over 500 Christmas Eve meals

Gift bags for each of the men and women living in the Transitional Housing program

St. Martin's has a long history with Amos House, and we'd appreciate anything you might be able to contribute to the Holiday Drive. Checks should be made out to Amos House with "Holiday Drive" in the memo line. Lisa and I will be at the 9:15 service this Sunday, and will be happy to get the checks to Amos House in time for the deadline, early next week.

Many thanks,

Susan Loney & Lisa Ballou

National Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath Weekend

December 10-14, 2015

Join places of worship across the nation, the Washington National Cathedral, the Newtown Foundation and Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence (a coalition of more than 50 national denominations and faith-based organizations) to remember those who have lost their lives to gunfire, pray for those whose lives have been forever changed because of the loss of a loved one, and to educate one another on proven strategies to reduce gun violence.

Between December 10-14, hundreds of places of worship and other groups across the country will participate in the National Vigil for Gun Violence Victims and the National Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath Weekend. Please plan to participate through your house of worship.

Vestry Nominations Committee Formed

In accordance to 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 six vacancies (4 vestry members, Clerk, and Junior Warden) for election at the Annual Meeting on January 24, 2016.

All Members of the Parish are invited 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) by Sunday, January 10, 2016.

Respectfully submitted,

Mark Sutherland, Rector

Elizabeth Welshman, Senior Warden

Sean Mulholland, Junior Warden

Ministries

December 6, 2015 Reading link (Track 2)	December 13, 2015 Reading link (Track 2)
9:15am: Reader Elizabeth Welshman (OT) Pat Nolan (NT) Sean Mulholland (Prayers) Altar Guild Susan Rodgers Tom McDonnell Eucharistic Ministers Linda Griggs Jim Kelliher Meg LoPresti (V,H) Hal Conner Gail Peet Acolytes Diana Blake Laura Blake Ushers David Brookhart Linda Brookhart Sam Coale Walter Cotter Greeter Natasha Lofgren Coffee Hour Diana and Rosie Hassel	9:15am: Reader Denis Moonan (OT) Elke Moonan (NT) Paul Parker (Prayers) Altar Guild Jane Langmuir Lisa Ballou Tyler Eucharistic Ministers Linda Griggs Jane Langmuir (V) Denis Moonan Elke Moonan (C) Acolytes Alison Kostas Peter Kostas Alex Potter Ushers Greg Piper Cathy Bodner Allen Dennison Jane Dennison Ray Esposito Greeters The Kostas Family Coffee Hour The Hollinsheads