St. Martin's Newsletter

Weekly E-News January 8, 2016

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

Tomorrow...

Saturday, January 9, 2016

Knitting Ministry
12:30pm - 3:30pm
(off-site meeting)

Contact Natasha Lofgren at nal811@icloud.com for address

THIS SUNDAY, JANUARY 10TH

A Visit from The Rt. Rev. Nicholas Knisely

Bishop Knisely will make his annual visitation to our parish. He will meet with the Vestry and paid staff at 8.30am. During the 9.15 Eucharist he will have a lot to do. He will not only administer the rites of confirmation and reception for those who are now coming into formal membership of the Episcopal Church, but will also baptize an infant into membership of the Christ's Holy Catholic Church. Everyone will have a chance to meet and talk with Bishop Nicholas and his wife, Karen, during a coffee hour reception following the 9.15 Eucharist.

The Weekly Epistle

I would like to thank everyone at St Martin's who had a particular role in ensuring the quality of our Christmas celebration. I don't know about you but for me, it seems that the passage of time is speeding up exponentially. Epiphany falls on the 6th of January and is the 12th day of Christmas. Epiphany Season is short this year and so within a month we will arrive at Ash Wednesday (February 10th) and the season of Lent will be upon us.

Epiphany, meaning showing, passes most Episcopalians by because falling on January 6th, it mostly falls on a weekday and most Episcopalians don't go to Church on weekdays. Epiphany commemorates the arrival of the Wise Men at the birth of Jesus. They followed in the direction indicated by a Star, which Matthew tells us hovered over the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem.

We all need such a star because from the beginnings of time human beings have looked to the stars to navigate by. The stars provided a reference point for locating their whereabouts as our ancestors journeyed by land, and especially by sea.

How do you know the direction to take unless you have a marker that indicates the way? The Star of Bethlehem has a contemporary value as a symbol, understood as a navigation aid on the path of our own spiritual journey. Christ is our star. Christ is the divine Word made flesh; the communicative nature of God. Christ is the destination towards whom we journey.

Sunday is the Baptism of the Lord. Mark's Gospel has no nativity story rather, he begins with a fully-grown Jesus, who comes to be God's son, not through birth, but by adoption. When, Jesus is baptized by John God declares: This is my son in whom I am well pleased, listen to him. I wonder, will we listen to him?

The uniqueness of Christianity is that we alone believe that God the creator of the universe has become part of the created order. Whether by birth or through adoption, the meaning is clear that to be human, is to be most like God. To be Christian, is simply to know that to be human, is to be most like God.

Two more things before I end. This Sunday we welcome Bishop Nicholas and his wife Karen for their annual visitation to St Martin's. With two baptisms, nine persons confirming their baptism, and three persons being received into the Episcopal Church, we will be keeping him busy. Secondly, please complete the online Sunday morning worship survey. The link was emailed to you this last Wednesday and appears also in this edition of E-news. The survey will remain open until January 16th.

Mark+

Does anyone have...?

a spare oriental carpet that they are not currently using and would be willing to lend/donate to the church to be placed under the nave altar?

If yes, please speak with the Rector.

READINGS THIS WEEK

Isaiah 43:1-7 (OT)

Acts 8:14-17 (NT)

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 (Gospel)

Click here for this Sunday's readings.

THIS SUNDAY

7:45am
Holy Eucharist

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8:30am Bible Study in the church office
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9am Nursery

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9:15am Holy Eucharist with sermon

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10:30am

(No Christian Formation

this Sunday)

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(No 12 noon service this Sunday)
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Gluten Free Hosts available at the altar rail.

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Healing Prayers are offered every Sunday during communion.

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Coffee Hour this Sunday is hosted by Helen and Doug Anthony

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+

Biblebox
(Weekly Bible Study)
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

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 8:30am in the Church Office this week.

Links to check out...

our latest online survey
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Letter from Bishop Knisely re: St. George School

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Lifelong Learning Community Bag Lunch:
Topic: Health Advocacy
Wednesday, January 13
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Coming Up...

Thursday, January 14

Reading of the 'Letter from the Birmingham City Jail'
7pm-8:30pm
(see box below)

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Tuesday, January 19

GANDER meeting at 7pm at the home of Peter Gray

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Sunday, January 24

St. Martin's Annual Meeting in the Great Hall immediately following the 9:15am service.

The Annual Meeting is an opportunity for the parish to have brunch together, to review the past year including programming and finances, elect vestry officers and members, and to learn about what we have to look forward to in the next year. The RenewalWorks report will be presented as well as the results of our recent surveys for the worship space and Sunday schedule. Child care will be provided.

'Letter from the Birmingham City Jail'

Thursday, January 14 from 7-8:30 pm
Temple Beth-El

70 Orchard Avenue
Providence, RI

Come and experience a dramatic reading of Dr. King's historic letter at Temple Beth-El on Providence's East Side. The letter will be performed by a talented group of actors from Rhode Island's own Mixed Magic Theatre Company. Afterwards, all in attendance are invited to join in a brief group discussion about their experience. Actors from the readings and community organizers will also participate in the discussion.

This event is FREE and open to the public so space is limited.
Please register for attendance.

For more information please go to:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/letter-from-the-birmingham-city-jail-tickets-19937789465

Ministries

January 10, 2016 Reading link (Track 2)	January 17, 2016 Reading link (Track 2)
9:15am Readers Elizabeth Welshman (OT) Al Anderson (NT) Laura Bartsch (Prayers) Altar Guild Pre 9:15am Linda Brookhart Post 9:15am Lisa Ballou Tyler Eucharistic Ministers Linda Griggs Jim Kelliher Hal Conner (H) Elke Moonan (C) Acolytes Rebecca Loell Oliver Parker Erin Welshman Ushers Peter Dennehy Peter Lofgren Jaye Tyler Bob Amarantes Healing Prayers Beth Shearer Greeters Raya and BG Goff Coffee Hour Helen and Doug Anthony	9:15am Readers David Burke (OT) Barbara Blossom (NT) Sam Coale (Prayers) Altar Guild Pre 9:15am Pat Knowles Post 9:15am Susan Rodgers Tom McDonnell Eucharistic Ministers Linda Griggs Al Anderson David Whitman (V) John Condon (H) Hal Conner (C) Acolytes Elizabeth Blake Diana Blake Laura Blake Ushers David Brookhart Linda Brookhart David Burke Sam Coale Walter Cotter Healing Prayers Pat Nolan Greeter Natasha Lofgren Coffee Hour Mary Gray