March 29, 2018




JOIN US FOR WORSHIP
THIS SUNDAY, April 1st, The Sunday of the Resurrection, Easter Sunday, there will be one service only at 10:00 a.m.
There is a service of Morning Prayer on Wednesday mornings at 9:00 a.m.

We hope you will join us for worship and fellowship.
READINGS FOR SUNDAY                
Sunday, April 1, 2018
Easter Sunday
Year B
Acts 10:34-43
Psalm 118: 1-2, 14-24
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
John 20:1-18
 

FROM THE RECTOR
And today it begins. Maundy Thursday. The Last Supper. Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. The Garden of Gethsemane. The betrayals. The trial.

Tomorrow, Good Friday, the Cross. The Crucifixion. Jesus’ death.

The waiting on Saturday, and then the Great Vigil. The first Eucharist of Easter! Leading us to Easter morning and the Resurrection.

Join us for all of this, as we commemorate the last days of Jesus, and his glorious Resurrection.

Come. Join in the waiting and the watching that leads us the glorious celebration of Easter.  And, when the time comes, rejoice! Rejoice in the Light of Christ, the Risen Christ, our Savior!

May you be blessed in this Holy Week and on the day of the Resurrection.
Caroline

Coffee Hour on Easter

Don’t forget! You are invited to bring your favorite brunch item to share at Coffee Hour on Easter Sunday. 
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR
 
6:01 PM CDT Bell Toll (7:01 our time)
April 4, 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.  It occurred at approximately 6:01 pm at the Lorraine Motel, 450 Mulberry Street in Memphis, Tennessee, now, the location of the National Civil Rights Museum.  As part of the commemoration, churches and campuses across the nation have been invited to ring their bells 39 times to honor the number of years Dr. King dwelled on this earth and to pay homage to his legacy. Chris Boldt and I, who both grew up in the South and remember the moment well, will toll the bells at St. Andrew’s at 7:01 EDT. All who would like to join us are welcome.

DINNER BELL



Dinner Bell cook team for this Sunday April 1st  
Easter Dinner/Lobin Frizzell
All are invited.

Dinner Bell cook team for next Sunday April 8th
Wakefield
~
Thank you for your volunteer
work in this special Outreach program!

COMMUNITY FOOD CENTER


Starting April 1st, the Hannaford Cause Bag program at the Hannaford store located at 891 NH 16, Ossipee, NH will be focused on the sale of the FIGHT HUNGER BAGS in support of THE COMMUNITY FOOD CENTER food pantry!!
Every day counts~ we hope you find the resources at http://newhannaford.bags4mycause.com/ helpful in your continued outreach.
And, don’t forget to share with everyone that the Fight Hunger bags with the message “This bag helped feed someone in need” can be found on the reusable bag rack at various registers.
The Food Pantry thanks you for your contributions throughout the year.

The Food Pantry thanks you for your contributions throughout the year.
The monthly item for April is Laundry Detergent.
FORWARD DAY BY DAY FOR TODAY
THURSDAY, March 29, 2018
Maundy Thursday
Luke 24:4-5 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.”

Imagine being with a beloved friend as the last breath is slowly exhaled. Soon the sheet is pulled over the body. You step outside to collect yourself. When you reenter the room, you are dismayed: The bed is empty and the covers rumpled. Out of the air step two dazzling figures.
Why are you looking for your friend here? Go seek the living among the living! Grief and exhaustion turn into terror. Shaking, you are speechless.

This must be what it is like for the women who have come to say goodbye to Jesus. They are ready to take the final step with Jesus, preparing his body for permanent rest.

God bless these precious friends for being willing to accompany Jesus to the very end. And God bless Peter for racing to the tomb once he hears the news that Jesus is not dead. They are all scared—they knew what to expect with death. They just don’t know what to expect with Jesus—the love that continues beyond death, the love that never ends.

MOVING FORWARD: Attend your community’s Maundy Thursday service.

FROM Deb IN THE OFFICE


FOOD FOR THOUGHT


March BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES
If you do not see your birthday or anniversary listed, please make sure Deb in the office has an information sheet on file for you.
     

Birthdays
March
10      Susan Ines
13      Trudy Thompson
16      Caroline Hines
20      Albert Bunker
21      Chris Boldt
30      Kaitlyn Marshall, Barbara Lord
31      Claudia Kennedy
         
PHOTO GALLERY


LINKS FOR MOBILE VIEWERS
 ANNUAL REPORT PDF
MONTHLY MINISTRY ASSIGNMENTS
PARISH CALENDAR
FACEBOOK PAGE

March 22, 2018

 

JOIN US FOR WORSHIP
THIS SUNDAY, March 25th, The Sunday of the Passion, Palm Sunday, there will be one service only at 10:00 a.m.
There is a service of Morning Prayer on Wednesday mornings at 9:00 a.m.

We hope you will join us for worship and fellowship.
READINGS FOR SUNDAY                
Sunday, March 25, 2018
Palm Sunday
Year B
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11
The Passion Gospel Mark 14:32-15:39
 

FROM THE RECTOR
This Sunday is Palm Sunday!
We will have one service at 10:00 am so that we may all participate in the blessings of the Palms and Procession to the church. At the moment, the weather appears to be in our favor – partly cloudy with a high of 37. Not bad, given our recent weather! The liturgy will begin in the Parish Hall. I hope you will join us.
We then have a full Holy Week schedule beginning Wednesday with 9:00 am Morning Prayer and a reading of the Revelation to John at 7:00 pm, and followed by liturgies of the day on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday at 7:00 pm and The Great Vigil on Saturday at 8:00 pm. In addition, on Good Friday the Sacrament of Reconciliation is available by appointment at 11:00 am, and a service of The Seven Last Words of Christ at Noon. This noon service, consisting of a reading of each of Jesus’ last utterances from the cross, prayer and silence, will last for two hours. You are invited to stay for all or part of this service. Finally, on Easter Sunday, we will have one service at 10:00 to celebrate the Resurrection of our Savior.
Holy Week is best observed by attending as many of these services as possible. I urge you to consider coming as often as you are able. Each liturgy has its own unique flavor, commemorating a particular event in the last week of Jesus’ life. Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper and Jesus’ command to love one another, modeled by his washing the disciples’ feet. On Good Friday we commemorate his crucifixion through solemn prayer and the veneration of the cross. The Great Vigil is a service like no other, beginning in darkness and culminating in the joyous proclamation of Christ’s Resurrection. If you are only able to attend one of the Holy Week services this is the one! Here we kindle the new fire, remember our ancient salvation history through Old Testament readings, renew our Baptismal vows, and celebrate the first Eucharist of Easter.  I hope you will join us often.
Caroline
Martin Luther King

6:01 PM CDT Bell Toll (7:01 our time)

April 4, 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.  It occurred at approximately 6:01 pm at the Lorraine Motel, 450 Mulberry Street in Memphis, Tennessee, now, the location of the National Civil Rights Museum.  As part of the commemoration, churches and campuses across the nation have been invited to ring their bells 39 times to honor the number of years Dr. King dwelled on this earth and to pay homage to his legacy. Chris Boldt and I, who both grew up in the South and remember the moment well, will toll the bells at St. Andrew’s at 7:01 EDT. All who would like to join us are welcome.
FUNDRAISING

St. Paddy’s Dinner was a success!  

Check out the pictures below                                          

DINNER BELL

Dinner Bell cook team for this Sunday March 25th  
Slader

 
Dinner Bell cook team for next Sunday April 1st  
Easter Dinner/Carol Tubman & friends
All are invited. If anyone has any special Easter dish
they would like to contribute, it is welcomed!
~
Thank you for your volunteer
work in this special Outreach program!

From Preston

Upcoming school event 
School's Out Talent Showcase
 to benefit the School's Out Program.

Ossipee Central School

Come and see  local kids sing, dance and play music.  It's a fun and lively evening!
Friday March 23rd 6:00pm at The Ossipee Central School
Center Ossipee NH
$3 per person or a family (no size limit) $10

COMMUNITY FOOD CENTER


Starting April 1st, the Hannaford Cause Bag program at the Hannaford store located at 891 NH 16, Ossipee, NH will be focused on the sale of the FIGHT HUNGER BAGS in support of THE COMMUNITY FOOD CENTER food pantry!!
Every day counts~ we hope you find the resources at http://newhannaford.bags4mycause.com/ helpful in your continued outreach.
And, don’t forget to share with everyone that the Fight Hunger bags with the message “This bag helped feed someone in need” can be found on the reusable bag rack at various registers.
The Food Pantry thanks you for your contributions throughout the year.

The Food Pantry thanks you for your contributions throughout the year.
The monthly item for March is JELLO.
FORWARD DAY BY DAY FOR TODAY
THURSDAY, March 22, 2018
Luke 21:16-19 You will be betrayed by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.

Luke 21 is one of the most difficult chapters in the New Testament to assimilate and hear. These are the days of vengeance, Jesus says. Some of you will need to flee, and others of you will die. Jesus is not pulling any punches. Some scholars cast these verses as purely symbolic language, and others maintain that the signs of the end times are presently upon us.

The Bible is what it is. Jesus’ words are what they are. The details are best left to God.
What comforts me in this difficult and strange chapter in the ministry of Jesus is the ending. Jesus, after a long day of teaching, walks up the Mount of Olives to sleep. We know the stones are his friends—no doubt the stars are as well. Closing his eyes under the blanket of night, he finds peace. May we come to know that same peace as well.

MOVING FORWARD: Watch the sunset tonight. Spend some time thanking God for the stars in the sky and the peace in your heart.

FROM Deb IN THE OFFICE
Please get your Easter Flower requests in to me by Monday, March 26th.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
A Prayer for Evening
At the setting of the sun,
in the darkness of the night,
we step from the day into the night
with a desire to be still,
and in being still
to turn to you, O God.
At the setting of the sun,
in the darkness of the night,
we turn to you.              
                                                - John Philip Newell

March BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES
If you do not see your birthday or anniversary listed, please make sure Deb in the office has an information sheet on file for you.
     
Birthdays

March
10      Susan Ines
13      Trudy Thompson
16      Caroline Hines
20      Albert Bunker
21      Chris Boldt
30      Kaitlyn Marshall, Barbara Lord
31      Claudia Kennedy
         
PHOTO GALLERY

Photos from St. Paddy's Dinner
It starts with the COOJKING







Pictures from 
an evening with
Masters of the Celtic Harp



LINKS FOR MOBILE VIEWERS
 ANNUAL REPORT PDF
MONTHLY MINISTRY ASSIGNMENTS
PARISH CALENDAR
FACEBOOK PAGE

March 15, 2018

Image result for fifth sunday of lent 2018



JOIN US FOR WORSHIP
THIS SUNDAY, March 18th, The Fifth Sunday in Lent, there will be two services at 8:00 and 10:00 a.m.
There is a service of Morning Prayer on Wednesday mornings at 9:00 a.m.
Click here for the Holy Week Schedule 
We hope you will join us for worship and fellowship.
READINGS FOR SUNDAY                
Sunday, March 18, 2018
Fifth Sunday in Lent
Year B
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm 119:9-16
Hebrews 5:5-10
John 12:20-33
Image result for John 12:20-33

ALTAR FLOWERS FOR EASTER                


If you would like to make a dedication for the Easter Altar flowers, please complete a slip found on the bulletin table or on the Parish Hall table and turn in to the office by March 25th.  You may also send your request by email to office@standrewsinthevalley.org.


FROM THE RECTOR
Another Snowy Day and the Book of Revelation

Having a snow day this week gave me time to immerse myself in preparations for Holy Week a bit earlier than usual. Bulletin drafts for all the Holy Week services are ready for Deb, and I’ve made a good start on all those sermons! For the most part our Holy Week schedule is the same as in previous years. But we are reviving a practice from a couple of years ago on Wednesday evening of Holy Week, and we’ve decided that the noon observance on Good Friday will consist only of Jesus’ Seven Last Words from the Cross (no Stations of the Cross). On Wednesday March 28 at 7:00 pm we will read the Revelation to John in its entirety. We will gather in a circle in either the Chancel (the space behind the altar) or the Transept (the area with the piano) and those who would like to read will take turns until we reach the end.

Some background on The Book of Revelation, adapted from Cliff Notes and various other sources: The revelation contained in this final book of the Bible was given to John while he was in exile in Patmos, and gives us a glimpse into the apocalyptic hopes of the early Christian community. The Apocalypse was not a new phenomenon among Christians; it was a well-established belief among Jews, who held that the coming of the kingdom of God would not be brought about by a gradual transformation but by a sudden intervention, when God would end the present age and establish his kingdom in the new age. But before this occurred, it was believed that the struggle between the forces of good and evil would become more intense. As the evil powers grew stronger, those who lived a righteous life would experience persecution or even death. The struggle would eventually reach a climax, at which time God would intervene, destroy the forces of evil, and set up a new order in which the righteous would live for all time to come. The early Christians believed that all this would be accomplished through the return of Jesus. This second coming would initiate the coming of the new age, as well as the final destruction of all the forces of evil.

The purpose of the book was to strengthen the faith of the members of these churches by giving them the assurance that deliverance from the evil powers arrayed against them was close at hand. John was confident that the great day of divine intervention would occur within a comparatively short time, but in accordance with the apocalyptic literature with which Jewish Christians were familiar, he knew that many terrifying events would take place first. He wanted to warn his fellow Christians concerning these events and thus prepare them for the time when their faith would be put to a more severe test than anything that they had experienced thus far.

The idea of reading the Book of Revelation in one sitting intrigues me. Hearing it read aloud in different voices will help us pay attention and stay focused throughout. And it is a book that isn’t read that often in the Sunday morning Lectionary cycle of readings. I suspect that is, at least in part, because hearing only a brief passage without the context of the surrounding passages loses much of the meaning.

So I invite you to join us for this reading. You may choose to read a section aloud or to simply listen. Revelation is not terribly long; we will finish in less than an hour.


FUNDRAISING
St. Patrick's Day Dinner
Image result for St paddy's day dinnerFriday March 16th, 2018 6 pm
Join us for a traditional Corn Beef and Cabbage Dinner .
and live music provided by Chris and Carolyn Boldt!
Adults $10.00 Kids 6-16 $5.00 5&under free
Family Rate 2A/3K $25.00
For more info Call DAVID MANLEY @ 603-651-1744
                                          

DINNER BELL


Dinner Bell cook team for this Sunday March 18th  
Hammond

Dinner Bell cook team for next Sunday March 25th  
Slader
~
Thank you for your volunteer
work in this special Outreach program!

COMMUNITY FOOD CENTER
The Food Pantry thanks you for your contributions throughout the year.
The monthly item for March is JELLO.
FORWARD DAY BY DAY FOR TODAY
THURSDAY, March 15, 2018
Luke 17:1-2 Jesus said to his disciples, “Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown in the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble.”
In my mid-20s, I rented an apartment from a colleague. She warned me before I moved in that I might hear negative things about her. There had been one or two complaints from tenants, she said, but her tenants had misspoken and were “crazy.”
Soon I realized that my landlady routinely screamed expletives at her two little girls, accusing them of misdeeds large and small. Verbal abuse was rampant. Was there physical abuse? I didn’t see any, but I would not have been surprised. But I was scared that if I reported her, I would be the focus of anger both at work and at home.
I moved after six months. My lack of courage bothers me to this day. No doubt the girls were already stumbling—I could have at least smiled at them and better yet, picked up the phone to call for help.
MOVING FORWARD: Is there a difficult phone call you’ve been avoiding? Ask a friend to pray for you and make the call today.
FROM Deb IN THE OFFICE
It’s good to be back! even though….
"toes in sand"

beat "boots in snow"

THANK YOU to Joyce Carter for helping in the office during my absence.
  
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
In our last Sunday book discussion meeting we touched on the fact that all of us have old prejudices that sometimes rear their ugly heads and take us by surprise. This reflection by Henri Nouwen in Called to Love; Called to Life: Lenten Reflections spoke to me of that discussion. It’s called “Living without Prejudices Is Difficult”.

One of the hardest spiritual tasks is to live without prejudices. Sometimes we aren’t even aware how deeply rooted our prejudices are. We may think that we relate to people who are different than we are in color, religion, sexual orientation or lifestyle as equals, but in concrete circumstances our spontaneous thoughts, uncensored words and knee-jerk reactions often reveal that our prejudices are still there.

Strangers, people different from us, stir up fear, discomfort, suspicion, and hostility. They make us lose our sense of security just by being “other”. Only when we fully claim that God loves us in an unconditional way and look at “those other persons” as equally loved can we begin to discover that the great variety in humanity is an expression of the immense richness of God’s heart. Then the need to prejudge people can gradually disappear.

Dear God, make known to me my prejudices and help me to overcome them.
March BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES
If you do not see your birthday or anniversary listed, please make sure Deb in the office has an information sheet on file for you.
     
Birthdays
March
10      Susan Ines
13      Trudy Thompson
16      Caroline Hines
20      Albert Bunker
21       Chris Boldt
30      Kaitlyn Marshall, Barbara Lord
31      Claudia Kennedy
         
PHOTO GALLERY


LINKS FOR MOBILE VIEWERS
 ANNUAL REPORT PDF
MONTHLY MINISTRY ASSIGNMENTS
PARISH CALENDAR
FACEBOOK PAGE

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