St. Martin's Newsletter
   Weekly E-News February 19, 2016

Worship Schedule

Sunday  
   8:00am  Holy Eucharist
   8:45am  Bible Study 
   9:15am  Nursery
   9:30am  Holy Eucharist with choir
and sermon
 
     10:45am   Christian Formation
 
Wednesday-Friday
9am Morning Prayer in the Chapel
Wednesday
7am service with Holy Eucharist

**Morning Prayer on Tuesdays is cancelled through Lent.

 Tomorrow...

Saturday, February 20th
Knitting Ministry
12:30-3:30pm in the Stearns Room (weather permitting)

The Weekly Epistle 

We are now coming to the end of the first week in Lent, and we had a great first night of the Lent Program this last Tuesday with around 36 attendees. If you have not done so please sign up to the program at http://ssje.org/ssje/growrule/. We also had around 50 for the Sunday morning adult forum during Christian Formation Hour for the first of several sessions on spiritual practice, drawn from Michelle Heyne's book In your Holy Spirit: Traditional Spiritual Practices for Today's Christian Life.
 
What both experiences are revealing to us is that the theory of the spiritual life can be complex, but the practice of the spiritual life is always simple and get's simpler, the closer we come to God. Judging from a few conversations I have had with folk, simplicity is something that is taking us a bit by surprise. Episcopalians are on the whole very intellectually curious. This is a great attribute, making our community life stimulating and challenging. Yet, because of this, we are people who like to learn, like to know about things and when we approach spiritual practice we come often with this orientation.
 
The program Grow a rule of life is really very simple and our fear initially might be it's too basic for us. Yet, the program comes out of two spiritual powerhouses of the Episcopal Church - the Society of St John the Evangelist and the Virginia Theological Seminary. In our Lent group experience we came to see in our first session that there is a great deal more material that puts flesh on the workbook outline. My concern is for those of you doing the program at home. I suspect some might be finding it hard to engage with just the video clips and workbook alone without the weekly group experience.
 
My suggestion is to make the daily video clip the focus of each day's Lenten reflection. Build some time around viewing it to listen to it several times and let it form an impression with you. The clips are not informational, in that we don't learn much about the theory of spiritual practice. They are spiritually reflective, with each brother speaking from his own heart of experience. Get into a reflective zone with this by building 15-20 minutes around the experience of online listening and focus on the key question at the end of each clip. Each question can become enormously challenging if we let it.
 
At the end of each week there is a compilation clip of all the week's videos. Sit with this in one sitting and let this be a kind of review of your journey during the last 7 days. Then make the appropriate recordings in your workbook or journal, or draw- paint, or work with your body in some form of bodywork like swimming, walking, yoga, tai chi. Please remember Linda and I can address any questions that arise for you. We would love to hear from you especially if you are feeling frustrated or disappointed by the experience so far. There is a handout of model rules of life to help you formulate your own style of rule. If you would like this please email [email protected] and we can send one out to you.
 
A spiritual hint for keeping a Holy Lent: deny yourself something that you know is not good for you. Every time you want to indulge, the experience of deprivation will remind you of your desire to want to grow closer to God.

See you in Church, this Sunday.
Mark+
 

This Sunday....

We will continue taking reservations for our Lenten Program that began this past Tuesday, and also distributing printed copies of the Pictorial Directories.
Please see Laura Bartsch or Susan Esposito in the Great Hall after church.
*We are asking for $35 in support of the program which includes
a simple supper and study guide. 
If you won't join us for supper, your help with the study guide is appreciated at $5.00
+
Kitchen Clean-Out after the 9:30 service! 
The Women's Spirituality Group will meet at 6pm for dinner and to discuss When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi. Contact Susan Allen at 274-2397 or email her at [email protected]  

READINGS THIS WEEK


Genesis 15: 1-12, 17-18
(OT)

 Philippians 3:17-4:1 (NT) 
 Luke 13:31-35 (Gospel)
Click here for this Sunday's readings.
     THIS SUNDAY
8am 
Holy Eucharist in the Church
8:45am 
Bible Study
+  
9:15am  Nursery 
+
9:30am Holy Eucharist with choir and sermon 
10:45am
Christian Formation 
Gluten Free Hosts available at the altar rail + 
Healing Prayers are offered every Sunday during communion
+
Coffee Hour this Sunday is hosted by Evon Burge and Jane Taylor
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+

*Please note: Tuesday Morning Prayer has been cancelled through Lent.

**Morning Prayer on Wednesdays-Fridays still scheduled.


Biblebox
(Weekly Bible Study) 
Luke 13:31-35
 
Lenten Discipline to benefit St. Mary's Home for Children
 
St. Mary's Home was founded in 1877 in the Rectory of St. Mary's Episcopal Church in East Providence to house orphans and other needy children. In 1928, the home was moved to its present site in North Providence. It is still an Episcopal entity supported by the Episcopal Charities Fund. Bishop Knisely is the Chairman of the Board and Fr. Mark sits on the Governing Council. With preservation of the family as the goal, St. Mary's has initiated innovative and highly successful programs that combine residential treatment with outpatient counseling and in-home services for the care of abused and neglected children. The facility also provides on-campus classroom education.

As part of your Lenten discipline, will you consider making a contribution to St. Mary's of items used routinely for celebration, therapy, rewards and incentives? The staff offers these suggestions: colored pencils, brushes, small bottles of tempera paint, washable markers, construction paper, craft sets, playing cards, stickers, posters (animal, cartoon characters, cars), lanyards, stress balls, silly putty, Wii games (old or new), sour candy, scented lotions, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, hair brushes, hair accessories, make -up, deodorant, cosmetics, beads, tickets to the zoo or a museum and all local movie theatres, gift certificates in the $5-$25 range to the Providence Mall, Warwick Mall, Target, McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Newport Creamery, Friendly's, Chelo's, Chili's, Applebees, Papa Gino's, Pizza Hut and general use cards.

There is a collection basket at the back of the church labeled St. Mary's Home.


We will be collecting items through Easter. Questions? Please speak with Jennifer Kiddie or call the office.

Continuing through Lent...  
                                                 Tuesday Night Lenten Program* 
                                                     Now through March 15th                                                     
                                                  5:30pm Stations of the Cross  
                                                    followed by Holy Eucharist 
                                                      6:15pm Simple Supper
                                                    7-8:15pm Program:  
                                                        Growing a Rule of Life
                                                       8:15-8:30pm Compline

*We are asking for $35 in support of the program which includes a simple supper 
and study guide. If you won't join us for supper, your help with the study guide is appreciated at $5.00.   
Coming Up...

Sunday, February 28th
Episcopal Charities Speaker
We will launch our Episcopal Charities Campaign on Sunday, February 28th under
Kurt Loell's leadership and will welcome Angelica Spirito as our guest speaker during our 9:30am service. She is a licensed mental health counselor at St. Mary's Home for Children. She brings insight into the lives of the children under the care of this foundation to which we have dedicated our Lenten
Giving Project.
+
 
                                                 Good Friday Walk, Friday, March 29th
Registration at St. Martin's at 8:30am 
"Step out" at 9am 
   
Walking together for a cause has been a traditional Good Friday observance at St. Martin's for many years. The Annual Good Friday Walk for Hunger is a fundraiser that benefits the PICA, South Providence Neighborhood Ministries, and a dozen smaller causes, including our own Epiphany Soup Kitchen. On Good Friday, walkers will register at St. Martin's (and other sites) at 8:30am and "step out" at 9am. We will walk to the State House for an 11:15am rally to raise awareness of hunger and homelessness, The organizers will provide transportation back to the stepping out site.

Contributions large and small will be gratefully accepted at registration, and the organizers also gratefully accept donations at www.GoodFridayWalkForHungerRI.org, which is secured by PayPal. The website has information on the organization, which is tax-exempt.
Please see John Lawlor, Bill and Mary Hollinshead, Cynthia Shattuck or Chris Izzo for more information.   
    


The Thrifty Goose is in need of donations, especially women's clothing.
Housewares are also welcomed.

Drop-off can be M-F 9am to 3pm, as well as during the Thrifty Hours of Wed. and Sat. from 10am to 2pm. Please call ahead if you would like assistance from the sexton.
Ministries
February 21, 2016
February 28, 2016
Reading link
8am
Missy Bennett
9:30am
Readers 
Emily Gray (OT)
Malcolm Griggs (NT)
Denny Scott (Prayers)
Altar Guild
8am
Arline Walker
9:30am
Raya Goff
Brooke Hammerle
Eucharistic Ministers
Linda Griggs
Gail Peet
Denny Scott (V)
Elke Moonan (C)
Acolytes
Rebecca Loell
Oliver Parker
Erin Welshman
Ushers
Peter Dennehy (H)
Peter Lofgren (H)
Jaye Tyler
Bob Amarantes
Edye DeMarco
Healing Prayers
Jeana Whittredge
Greeter
Kate Chute


8am
Dwight Phillips
9:30am

Readers 
Jennifer Kiddie (OT)
Fla Lewis (NT)
Meg LoPresti (Prayers)
Altar Guild
8am
Al Howes
9:30am
Elizabeth Welshman
Susan Rodgers
Eucharistic Ministers
Linda Griggs
Jim Kelliher
David Whitman (V)
Hal Conner (C)
Acolytes
Elizabeth Blake
Diana Blake
Laura Blake
Ushers
David Brookhart (H)
Linda Brookhart (H)
Sam Coale
Walter Cotter
David Burke
Healing Prayers
Pat Nolan
Greeter
Kate Chute



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