September 30, 2021

 


FROM THE RECTOR

We will celebrate St. Francis Day at our 9:00 service on Sunday with the Blessing of the Animals. All animals are welcome! They should either be on a leash or in a carrier until time for the Blessing, which will occur in the middle of the service, just before the Peace. Val is bringing treats! I look forward to meeting your pets!

I will be at the Diocesan Clergy Retreat Monday – Wednesday of next week. We gather at St. Methodios Faith and Heritage Center in Contoocook, a center of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston. It’s a beautiful setting with hiking trails and small lakes, and good food. This year our retreat will be led by Br. James Koestler of the Society of St. John the Evangelist. I’m looking forward to a few days of retreat.

Please call our Sr. Warden, Patti Rau, in the event of a pastoral emergency while I’m away.

Blessings,  Caroline

SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP
JOIN US FOR WORSHIP
The 1st Sunday of the month at 9:00 AM
The remaining Sundays at 8:00 and 10:00 AM

This Sunday-October 3rd

19th Sunday after Pentecost

at 9:00  a.m.

Join us for the service
 via Zoom (email RectorSAITV@gmail.com for Zoom information)
or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/standrewsinthevalleytamworth/

READINGS FOR SUNDAY                
Sunday, October 3, 2021
Pentecost 19, Proper 22, Year B

The Collect                              

Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy

The First Lesson                                 Job 1:1; 2:1-10

In our first lesson we hear the beginning of the story of Job: the plight of a righteous man.  Satan appears in God’s heavenly court and charges that Job is upright only because of the many blessings that are his.  God permits Satan to test Job greatly through terrible and tragic trials.  Then, through dialogue and poetry, the book of Job explores the problem of human suffering and faith in God’s ways with unflinching honesty and feeling.

Psalm 26

A plea for justice by one who serves the Lord well.

The Second Lesson                             Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12

The author of the Letter to the Hebrews teaches that Jesus, the exact imprint of God’s being and the pioneer of our salvation made perfect through suffering, is superior to all the angelic order. God inspired the prophets but has now spoken through a Son, the heir of all things, and through whom the worlds were created.  For a while made lower than angels, he now through his death sanctifies all whom he calls brothers and sisters.

The Gospel                               Mark 10:2-16

In the gospel Jesus, asked about divorce, reaches back to the creation story to set before his hearers the ideal of the marriage relationship, and then blesses children.  In Jesus’ lifetime there were many views on divorce, some strict and some more lenient.  In one sense, Jesus is the strictest of all: what through natural union God has made one cannot be separated by human action.  Yet, in another sense, Jesus’ answer refused to deal with the question in the way it is asked.  Instead he honors the solemnity and purpose of marriage.  Anything less is sin, which cannot be dismissed by human regulations.  His disciples seem surprised by this teaching and also by his embracing of children.




Click below to see the readings: 

 PRAYERS FOR EACH OTHER
One thing we can always do while we stay at home is to pray for each other! We would like to keep our prayer list up to date and publish it each week in the Thursday Memo. Please email Deb at office@standrewsinthevalley.org with any updates.


This Week We Pray for

Health and Wholeness for:  Megan Adams, Angela B, Gary Cole, Sue Huckman, Carolyn Jarvis, Patrick Kennedy, Jack Lamberti, Bob Lewis, Chris Mains, John McGowan, Peg Patenaude, Sage, Sharon Sousa, Bunny Thompson, Steve Thompson, Gabriele & Bob Wallace.

For those who are home: Audrey Berry, Carolyn Boldt, Marilyn Cloran, Joyce Gendron, Judy Grace, Marge Hagerup, Joan Marshall, Elizabeth Pease, Elizabeth Wiesner.

Updating the Prayer List

Please let Deb know if you need someone added to the prayer list. Thank you.

TIME FOR PIE

Save the Date!

Sat. October 9th   9am – 12pm

Tamworth Farmers’ Market

St. Andrew’s-in-the-Valley Pie Sale

 As with last year, we will not be sponsoring our Harvest Dinner and Pie Auction due to Covid-19.  Instead, we will be offering pies (and other goodies) for sale at The Tamworth Farmers’ Market!

Calling all bakers!  Please consider your favorite recipes….the more pies we have, the more we can sell!

                        Reminders:

                                    --you can use aluminum pie plates, if you so choose

                                    --pies and pie plates will be sold together

                                    --there is a sign-up board in the Parish Hall to help plan on the type and

                                                quantity of pies.  Please stop by and add your pie!

                        


Happy Baking!

Tina, Lin and Jean DeThomas


Letter to Bereaved Parents

CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICE

Contemplative Practice on Zoom

Tuesdays from 9:00-10:00am

Teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.

Psalm 90:12

The pace with which we move through our days can cause our hearts to be weary and distracted. We can feel disconnected from our lives. Making room in our life to pause, sit in silence, and simply be can help us reconnect and strengthen our hearts.

Each Tuesday morning our session will draw upon the Christian contemplative tradition, monastic spirituality, Buddhist meditation, and self-compassion practices. Our time together will include prayer, guided meditation, contemplative sharing from the heart, conversation, and fellowship. Newcomers are welcome at each session.

If you would like to learn more or have questions, contact Christi Humphrey at cchumphrey@comcast.net.

Christi offers a Tuesday evening contemplative practice, virtually, through Bethany House of Prayer, Arlington, MA. If you are interest in this offering visit https://www.bethanyhousearlington.org/contemplative or contact Christi.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.


COMMUNITY FOOD CENTER

The Food Pantry thanks you for your contributions throughout the year.

Food pantry continues to serve the communities needs
New Hours
Alternating Wednesdays
11-3 pm
Next Food Pantry:
October 13
October 27
November 10
Monday, November 22

Any questions call 603-960-4067.




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
5   Ray Walker
9   Joan Wright, 
11   Rob Walty
20  Lois Brady
22  Sally DeGroot, John McGowan
27  Larry Grace
28  Dick Wakefield, Dwight Baldwin

Anniversaries
8   Judy and Larry Grace

PHOTO GALLERY

Here is Gretchen with her first grand nephew, Cedar Robert Behr, born July 16, 2021. 


Gretchen with Cedar’s blanket presented to her for Cedar on Sunday, September 12, from the Prayer Shawl group. 



September 23, 2021

 


FROM THE RECTOR

The Buildings and Grounds Committee (Lin Frank, Chair, Pat Adams, George and Patti Rau, Lisa Thompson and Caroline) are hard at work identifying and getting estimates for projects that need to be completed in the near future as well as down the road.

We have quite a long list, some of which are included below. 

Projects that have been recently completed:

  • New gravel in the front parking area (Please do not park on the grass). Many thanks to Tom for overseeing this and spreading the gravel mixture!
  • Windows on the front of the building have been scraped, caulked and painted.
  • Prince Room woodwork has been re-stained – Many thanks to Lisa who undertook this job single-handedly!

Some of the priority projects on our list include:

  • Fixing the loose railing at the front entrance
  • Installing heat cables in the roof valleys
  • Repaving the parking lot
  • Laying crushed stone around the foundation to help with drainage
  • Electrical work: replacing fluorescent lights with LED lighting, installing a second light fixture and an outlet for a heater in the large bathroom, replacing the light outside the small bathroom. 

We’d also like your input - are there maintenance items you think need to be prioritized? Our list continues to grow, but we want to be sure we consider those things you consider important. If you have items please contact either me or Lin Frank.

When our project list is complete (as much as something like this can be) it will be published - it's still a work in progress!

Blessings,  Caroline

SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP
JOIN US FOR WORSHIP
The 1st Sunday of the month at 9:00 AM
The remaining Sundays at 8:00 and 10:00 AM

This Sunday-September 26th

18th Sunday after Pentecost

at 8:00 and 10:00 a.m.

Join us for the service
 via Zoom (email RectorSAITV@gmail.com for Zoom information)
or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/standrewsinthevalleytamworth/

READINGS FOR SUNDAY                
Sunday, September 26, 2021
Pentecost 18, Proper 21, Year B

The Collect                              

O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

First Lesson                              Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22

In this Hebrew Bible story we hear how Queen Esther, by wisdom and providence, turns the tables and saves her people.  Israel is in exile in Persia, where a Jewish woman is taken into the king’s harem and is eventually made his queen.  One of the king’s advisors, Haman, makes a personal vendetta into a persecution of the entire Jewish people.  This story of sorrow turned into gladness, set during the reign of Xerxes I, is celebrated in the Jewish festival of Purim)

Psalm 124

A hymn of thanksgiving for deliverance.

The Second Lesson                             James 5:13-20

This New Testament lesson is an affirmation of prayer and the power of forgiveness in all circumstances.  Prayer should characterize the lives of the suffering and joyous alike, and those who are sick should seek the intercession of the church leaders.  The community of believers is to strive for the restoration to faith of any who have strayed.

The Gospel                               Mark 9:38-50

In the gospel Jesus bids his disciples to accept all who seek to do good in his name and to deal ruthlessly with whatever part of themselves causes sin.  Early Christians were doubtless faced with people outside their communities who said they were acting in Christ’s name.  The tolerant answer given here suggests that Jesus’ followers must avoid arrogance and be open to God’s divine actions.  On the other hand, it is a serious matter to lead a believer astray.  The counsel to destroy offending parts of the body is exaggerated to make clear the importance of avoiding various sins.  The description of hell is drawn from the garbage dump outside Jerusalem.






Click below to see the readings: 

 PRAYERS FOR EACH OTHER
One thing we can always do while we stay at home is to pray for each other! We would like to keep our prayer list up to date and publish it each week in the Thursday Memo. Please email Deb at office@standrewsinthevalley.org with any updates.


This Week We Pray for

Health and Wholeness for:  Megan Adams, Angela B, Gary Cole, Sue Huckman, Carolyn Jarvis, Patrick Kennedy, Jack Lamberti, Bob Lewis, Chris Mains, John McGowan, Peg Patenaude, Sage, Sharon Sousa, Bunny Thompson, Steve Thompson, Gabriele & Bob Wallace.

For those who are home: Audrey Berry, Carolyn Boldt, Marilyn Cloran, Joyce Gendron, Judy Grace, Marge Hagerup, Joan Marshall, Elizabeth Pease, Elizabeth Wiesner.

Updating the Prayer List

Please let Deb know if you need someone added to the prayer list. Thank you.

TIME FOR PIE

Save the Date!

Sat. October 9th   9am – 1pm

Tamworth Farmers’ Market

St. Andrew’s-in-the-Valley Pie Sale

 As with last year, we will not be sponsoring our Harvest Dinner and Pie Auction due to Covid-19.  Instead, we will be offering pies (and other goodies) for sale at The Tamworth Farmers’ Market!

Calling all bakers!  Please consider your favorite recipes….the more pies we have, the more we can sell!

                        Reminders:

                                    --you can use aluminum pie plates, if you so choose

                                    --pies and pie plates will be sold together

                                    --there is a sign-up board in the Parish Hall to help plan on the type and

                                                quantity of pies.  Please stop by and add your pie!

                        

  Weekly updates and more information will be posted here!

 


Happy Baking!

Tina, Lin and Jean DeThomas


CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICE

Contemplative Practice on Zoom

Tuesdays from 9:00-10:00am

Teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.

Psalm 90:12

The pace with which we move through our days can cause our hearts to be weary and distracted. We can feel disconnected from our lives. Making room in our life to pause, sit in silence, and simply be can help us reconnect and strengthen our hearts.

Each Tuesday morning our session will draw upon the Christian contemplative tradition, monastic spirituality, Buddhist meditation, and self-compassion practices. Our time together will include prayer, guided meditation, contemplative sharing from the heart, conversation, and fellowship. Newcomers are welcome at each session.

If you would like to learn more or have questions, contact Christi Humphrey at cchumphrey@comcast.net.

Christi offers a Tuesday evening contemplative practice, virtually, through Bethany House of Prayer, Arlington, MA. If you are interest in this offering visit https://www.bethanyhousearlington.org/contemplative or contact Christi.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT                                                                                    NIVERSARIES

 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off;
         it is better for you to enter life maimed
         than to have two hands and to go to hell,
         to the unquenchable fire.

                   —Mark 9.45

The hand that causes you to stumble
is not at the end of your arm. It’s deeper than that.

What is the hand in you
that reaches for what is not yours? Cut it off.
There is nothing you need to grasp.

What is the eye in you that does not look with love?
Pluck it out. The eyes of love are good enough.

What are the feet in you that that won't trust,
that lead you away from the path of love?
Cut them off. You don’t need to go there.

Does it sound harsh? Don’t worry,
they’re not part of the real you.
Besides, they’ll grow back.

The Teacher is not asking you to maim yourself.
He is inviting you to name what interferes,
and to take away its power.
He's leading us out of the unquenchable fire
of our fears, desires and attachments.

Without our grasping, fearful, compulsive parts,
perhaps then we will rely more
on the eyes and hands and feet of Jesus.

                                                  This pruning is how we become whole. BIRTHDABIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIESBIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIESYS & ANNIVERSARIES

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
5   Laurie LaBrecque
5   Antonio Faella
8   Bruce Kennedy
14 Preston Mills
21  Pat Scarborough
24  Sammie Wakefield
28   Jane Horn
29  Valerie May

Anniversaries
20     Kathy & Alan Bunker

PHOTO GALLERY


September 16, 2021

 


FROM THE RECTOR

The Diocese of NH has announced plans for a capital campaign in 2022. The theme is From Deep Roots, New Life – Funding a Flourishing Church. There will be three phases: Discernment, going on now; a Feasibility Study, beginning in 2022 and taking 4-5 months to complete; and Campaign Solicitations, which typically takes 5-8 months.

Unlike most capital campaigns which are designed to raise money for building renovation or new buildings, this campaign is focused on programs:

Episcopal Missional Communities

Continued support for clergy and lay leaders, providing for gathering space, and other assistance critical to strengthening these communities.

 

Missional communities are new shoots of the vine that offer alternative forms of worship and community. Dinner churches, nature churches, digital churches are all examples of different ways of “being church” that are being raised up here in New Hampshire. Since 2014 we have seen these new sprouts emerge such as Church of the Woods, The Mission in Franklin, The Digital Mission, and Christ the Way Community.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIeekIAFmIA

 School for Ministry

Salary for a full-time dean, stipends for faculty, upkeep and improvement of the physical space, curriculum fees, and scholarships for students.

The School for Ministry was launched in 2020 to develop leaders for our congregations, both lay and ordained, raised up locally from our congregations. Many of these congregations are appropriate for part-time ministry, so the school has a particular focus on bi-vocational leaders.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuqG26YomuE

 Bishop’s Curates Fund

Endowing this fund will ensure that the Diocese of New Hampshire will continue to attract talented young clergy.

 

The Bishop’s Curates Fund provides support for congregations to hire promising, newly ordained clergy, that they otherwise would not have been able to afford. They bring new ideas, energy, and vision to the congregation and the diocese. The Bishop’s Curates Fund was started in 2020 and has supported five clergy leaders so far. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQHw0pDkAHw

  Ministerial Development Fund

Endowing this fund will continue to help build strong congregations with dynamic clergy.

 The Ministerial Development Fund connects early and mid-career clergy with great potential with congregations who have similarly great potential but cannot yet support full-time clergy. These funds provide three fully funded years, and tapering support for two years. This fund was started in 2016 with support from the Episcopal Church Foundation and the Lilly Endowment. To date it has enabled seven dynamic clergy leaders to engage and grow their congregations. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8HvAwSF8IY

 Coaching Fund

Endowing this fund will continue to help church leaders develop and adapt to our changing times and ministries.

 This fund provides for coaching for newly ordained clergy, or clergy and lay leaders who are stepping into new calls, to help navigate the landscape of their congregations. Coaches help leaders clarify and define specific goals, challenges, next steps, and provide oversight that leads to successful follow through. Since its inception in 2020, the coaching fund has helped numerous leaders in our churches grow and develop their leadership. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwLJsVWlKcw

Be sure to take a look at the videos when you have a moment – they give a more in-depth picture of each program to be funded, and you’re likely to see someone you know!!

Stay tuned: more information will be forthcoming when it is available.

Blessings,  Caroline

SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP
JOIN US FOR WORSHIP
The 1st Sunday of the month at 9:00 AM
The remaining Sundays at 8:00 and 10:00 AM

This Sunday-September 19th

17th Sunday after Pentecost

at 8:00 and 10:00 a.m.

Join us for the service
 via Zoom (email RectorSAITV@gmail.com for Zoom information)
or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/standrewsinthevalleytamworth/

READINGS FOR SUNDAY                
Sunday, September 19, 2021
Pentecost 17, Proper 20, Year B

The Collect                              

Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

First Lesson                              Proverbs 31:10-31

In this lesson from the Book of Proverbs we find a poem to a woman of worth who embodies attributes beyond charm and beauty, all of which have their source in their allegiance to God.  In an agrarian culture where the economic and social well-being of the household was primary, the industry and ability of ranking women were essential to the success of the extended family and its dependents.  The virtues of the ideal woman described in this acrostic poem are substantially economic; she is an astute businesswoman, managing with excellence all that is in her charge.  She is charitable to the poor and extends herself for the needy, displays wisdom, and teaches kindness.

Psalm 1

The Lord makes fruitful those who choose the way of righteousness.

The Second Lesson                             James 3:13–4:3, 7-8a

In this New Testament epistle believers are to cleave to wisdom that is pure, peaceable, gentle, and full of mercy and good fruits.  The Christian community must recognize the results of worldly attitudes and desires: jealousy, disorder, quarrels, even murder.  Prayers are too often offered for the wrong motives, but a harvest of righteousness is sown for those who sow in peace.  The wise will refuse evil and draw near to God, and in doing so, they will find that God has also drawn near to them.

The Gospel                               Mark 9:30-37

In the gospel Jesus foretells his death and resurrection as the Son of Man, bidding his disciples to have a servant ministry and to learn to welcome him and God in a child. The several sayings are linked together by the theme of Jesus’ lowliness and readiness to suffer for others.  His followers’ difficulty in understanding him and their discussion concerning which of them is greatest stand in sharp contrast to their Lord’s teachings.  Jesus’ action and words with regard to the child remind us of another saying: whatever is done to the least member of the community is done to him.




Click below to see the readings: 

 PRAYERS FOR EACH OTHER
One thing we can always do while we stay at home is to pray for each other! We would like to keep our prayer list up to date and publish it each week in the Thursday Memo. Please email Deb at office@standrewsinthevalley.org with any updates.


This Week We Pray for

Health and Wholeness for:  Megan Adams, Angela B, Gary Cole, Sue Huckman, Carolyn Jarvis, Patrick Kennedy, Jack Lamberti, Bob Lewis, Chris Mains, John McGowan, Peg Patenaude, Sage, Sharon Sousa, Bunny Thompson, Steve Thompson, Gabriele & Bob Wallace.

For those who are home: Audrey Berry, Carolyn Boldt, Marilyn Cloran, Joyce Gendron, Judy Grace, Marge Hagerup, Joan Marshall, Elizabeth Pease, Elizabeth Wiesner.

Updating the Prayer List

Please let Deb know if you need someone added to the prayer list. Thank you.

TIME FOR PIE

Save the Date!

Sat. October 9th   9am – 1pm

Tamworth Farmers’ Market

St. Andrew’s-in-the-Valley Pie Sale

 As with last year, we will not be sponsoring our Harvest Dinner and Pie Auction due to Covid-19.  Instead, we will be offering pies (and other goodies) for sale at The Tamworth Farmers’ Market!

Calling all bakers!  Please consider your favorite recipes….the more pies we have, the more we can sell!

                        Reminders:

                                    --you can use aluminum pie plates, if you so choose

                                    --pies and pie plates will be sold together

                                    --there is a sign-up board in the Parish Hall to help plan on the type and

                                                quantity of pies.  Please stop by and add your pie!

                        Weekly updates and more information will be posted here!

 


Happy Baking!

Tina, Lin and Jean DeThomas


CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICE

Contemplative Practice returns on Zoom

Tuesday, September 14th from 9:00-10:00am

Teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.

Psalm 90:12

The pace with which we move through our days can cause our hearts to be weary and distracted. We can feel disconnected from our lives. Making room in our life to pause, sit in silence, and simply be can help us reconnect and strengthen our hearts.

Each Tuesday morning our session will draw upon the Christian contemplative tradition, monastic spirituality, Buddhist meditation, and self-compassion practices. Our time together will include prayer, guided meditation, contemplative sharing from the heart, conversation, and fellowship. Newcomers are welcome at each session.

If you would like to learn more or have questions, contact Christi Humphrey at cchumphrey@comcast.net.

Christi offers a Tuesday evening contemplative practice, virtually, through Bethany House of Prayer, Arlington, MA. If you are interest in this offering visit https://www.bethanyhousearlington.org/contemplative or contact Christi.

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
5   Laurie LaBrecque
5   Antonio Faella
8   Bruce Kennedy
14 Preston Mills
21  Pat Scarborough
24  Sammie Wakefield
28   Jane Horn
29  Valerie May

Anniversaries
20     Kathy & Alan Bunker

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Beloved,
be my wisdom,

my way of seeing,
knowing by your love.

Be my gentleness,
my soul meeting another.

Let my wisdom be
tender respect for all.

You who are so gentle with me,
by your grace

let my gentleness
be my good life.


Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light

www.unfoldinglight.net