St. Martin's Newsletter

Weekly E-News March 4, 2016

www.stmartinsprov.org

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.

Important Phone Information

Please note that the church phones lines are still out-of-order as of this Friday afternoon. Our phone service is in the process of being switched to fiber optics. But if you phone the church and the lines are still down, please call Susan at 474-2001.

Tomorrow, Saturday, March 5...
Lenten 'Quite Day' at S. Stephen's Church

Lenten Quiet Day at S. Stephen's begins at 9 am with Morning Prayer and Low Mass, followed by breakfast and addresses by The Rt. Rev. Russell E. Jacobus, Retired Bishop of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Luncheon will be served following Angelus and Noonday Prayer. After a final address by Bishop Jacobus, we'll conclude with tea and conversation at the end of silence at 2 pm.

If you are planning to attend, please do let us know via reply email at office@sstephens.necoxmail.com or by calling the parish office at 401-421-6702, ext. 1.

The Weekly Epistle

We are having a very active Lent at St Martin's. I would like to thank everyone who is participating in one or more of three ways. Firstly, many of you are taking advantage of the Tuesday evening program where we have been regularly attracting around 30 folk for dinner and 40+ for the program class. Secondly, others of you not able to make the Tuesday evenings are following the program online, viewing the daily videos and using the workbook from the Society of St John the Evangelist (SSJE) . at home. Once we get into the mindset, the gardening metaphor for creating a rule of life seems to be bearing good fruit among us. Thirdly, there is the possibility of attending the Sunday morning Adult Forum and we have been attracting between 50 and 60 to our exploring in greater detail the four elements of traditional Anglican spiritual practice. You can find the Sunday morning session handouts here .

I am sure some of you are wondering where to look for the signs of the long-term application of RenewalWorks. I will talk more about this over time. Our approach to Lent this year is the first application of what we learned from RenewalWorks i.e. our stated desire to deepen our spiritual lives. St Benedict spoke of the monk's life as a mini Lent, which raises the question, so how does Lent play into the rest of our yearly lives? I am not suggesting that our lives should be a mini Lent, but that they bear the fruits of our intentional endeavors in the Lenten season.

Several ideas are already emerging from our exploration in Lent 2016 on spiritual practice.

Daily Common Prayer Groups - small groups that don't need to physically meet but would undertake to pray at least one of the Daily Offices - morning, midday, evening or night prayer - intentionally keeping the other members of the group and the whole community, in mind. This can be done most conveniently using the electronic phone and tablet apps listed here when you don't have easy access to a Book of Common Prayer.
Lectio Divina groups - small groups meeting in one another's homes following this ancient practice of reflecting on a short piece of Scripture to prayerfully encounter God's invitation to focus on what needs our attention over the next 5-7 days .
Meditation, either in a group, or individual practice. Here, we can begin to learn a number of ways to practice meditation, best defined as piercing through the peripheral chatter that fills our heads to encounter God in the silence that lies towards the center of our lives.
Community Bible reading. After Easter we are proposing to begin a parish-wide reading of The Story and more on the that to come.

We are going deeper, as we do so our priorities become reordered, bearing richer fruit in our commitment to God, to our core relationships, and to our community membership, and civic consciousness. In these ways we will become more fit for purpose; the purpose that God has for us, in this world.

See in church, this Sunday!

Mark+

This Sunday...

Please sign-up:
To watch for an hour in the Gethsemane Garden in the Chapel
and also
To read one of the Palm Sunday Passion Readings
The clipboards with sign-up sheets are at the back of the church.

and

If you've left any dishes or pans etc. behind in our kitchen, please retrieve them Sunday from the front of the stage. All those left unclaimed will be donated.

and

Episcopal Charities

Those of us involved in Episcopal Charities are very gratified by the initial show of support for our mission, and encourage those who have previously given but not yet done so to see one of us soon. We'd also like to invite other members of the parish to join, and to encourage that, we have available envelopes for every recorded member. Each envelope includes an invitation to join us and materials necessary for an easy application.

Please stop by our table after both services. And thanks again!

Kurt, Elke, and Jennifer
and
The Thrifty Goose is open this Sunday from 9am to 12noon.

READINGS THIS WEEK

Joshua 5:9-12 (OT)

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 (NT)

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 (Gospel)

Click here for this Sunday's readings.

THIS SUNDAY

8am

Holy Eucharist in the Church

+

8:45am
Bible Study
+
9am Thrifty OPEN
+

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 the Tyler Family.

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
and will resume
Tuesday, March 22nd.

**Morning Prayer on Wednesdays-Fridays at 9am.

Biblebox
(Weekly Bible Study)
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

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

For more information on the program Growing a Rule of Life please visit

www.ssje.org/.

The Hospitality Committee needs helpers for both the Easter Vigil and Easter Day services
to provide all things chocolate for the Vigil and cupcakes for Easter Morning.
If you can help please contact Jane Taylor at 480-4601

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE 2016

Sunday, March 20

Monday, March 21

Tuesday, March 22

Wednesday, March 23

Thursday, March 24

Good Friday, March 25

Saturday, March 26

Sunday, March 27

Palm Sunday services at 8am & 9:30am
Christian Formation at 10:45am

Evening Prayer at 5:30pm

Morning Prayer at 9 am
Evening Prayer at 5:30pm

Holy Eucharist at 7am
Morning Prayer at 9am
Stations of the Cross at 5:30pm
Morning Prayer at 9am

Maundy Thursday Service with foot washing
at 7:00pm

The Watch: 9pm to midnight (Thur)
5:30am-8:30am (Fri)
Morning Prayer at 8:30am
Good Friday Walk at 9am
Stations of the Cross at 12noon
Good Friday Choral Service 7:00pm

Easter Vigil Service with Baptism at 7pm
      followed by Champagne & Chocolates
Easter Services with choir and brass
      ensemble at 8am & 10am
*Special reception following both services

Coming Up...

Wednesday, March 9th at 6pm
Gander Meeting
Call the office or see the Rector for more information
+

Saturday, March 12th

Altar Guild meeting at 10am

and

The Prayer Shawl Knitting Ministry will meet 12:30-3:30pm

in the Stearns Room

Friday, March 29th

Good Friday Walk with Hot Cross Buns and fellowship!

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.

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.

Special One-Night Appearance!

Singer-Songwriter Caroline Cotter Performs
to Benefit The Peace Flag Project
SATURDAY, APRIL 30th

    WHERE

Lincoln School Music Center

    301 Butler Avenue, Providence

    WHEN
April 30, 7:30 pm
    (Doors open 6:30 pm)

    TICKETS: $25 per person
    CONTACT: Ginny Fox 401-862-9348

Caroline (Walter Cotter's daughter) grew up on the East Side, attended Lincoln School and graduated from Classical High School, before heading off to college and becoming a lover of travel and world music. You may want to check out her web-site: http://www.carolinecotter.com/.

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

March 6, 2016 Reading link	March 13, 2016 Reading link
8am Missy Bennett 9:30am Readers Holly Loell (OT) Mary DiSandro (NT) Denis Moonan (Prayers) Altar Guild 8am Pat Knowles 9:30am Jane Taylor Tom McDonnell Eucharistic Ministers Linda Griggs Jim Kelliher Meg LoPresti (V) Elke Moonan (C) Acolytes Alison Kostas Peter Kostas Erin Welshman Ushers Greg Piper (H) Cathy Bodner (H) Irving Sheldon Michael DiSandro Healing Prayers Jane Langmuir Greeter Sam Coale	8am David Brookhart 9:30am Readers Elke Moonan (OT) Sean Mulholland (NT) Pat Nolan (Prayers) Altar Guild 8am Linda Brookhart 9:30am Jane Langmuir Lisa Ballou Laura Bartsch Eucharistic Ministers Linda Griggs Jim Kelliher Jane Langmuir (V) Hal Conner (C) Acolytes Rebecca Loell Oliver Parker Erin Welshman Ushers Peter Dennehy (H) Peter Lofgren (H) Ray Esposito Peter Gray Healing Prayers Kathy Good Greeter Kathy Good Chris Dennis