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| Stone facade: repairs completed! |
Services
for this coming Sunday, August 17th, the Tenth Sunday after
Pentecost, will be at 8 and 10 am. In Rev. Heidi’s absence this Sunday, we
welcome the Rev. Ellie McLaughlin as our presider and preacher. Ellie has been
a long-time friend of this parish, and recently she and her spouse, Betsy Hess,
have become regular members. We hope you will join us for worship and
fellowship.
The readings for
this Sunday are Genesis 45:1-15, Psalm
133, Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32, Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28.
This Sunday is the day
for the Annual Church World Service CROP Walk! The walk begins at the
Baptist Meeting House on Church St. in Sandwich at 1 pm and goes for about five
miles. Several people from
our parish will be walking and are still collecting sponsors. If you haven’t
already contributed, please consider doing so this Sunday, and be part of this
important endeavor that raises funds for our Community Food Pantry, Dinner
Bell, and overseas efforts to eliminate hunger. Thanks.
Kaitlyn in The Sound
of Music: We
haven’t seen much of Kaitlyn Marshall lately. She’s been busy with work and
theatre, but she’d be delighted to have old friends come see her (as one of the
nuns) in the production of The Sound of Music at the Eastern Slope Inn Playhouse, evenings at 7 through this Sunday. http://www.artsinmotiontheater.com/
An update on the
Rummage Sale: The FUN-Rising Committee met last night and have decided to take
a break from the Rummage Sale this year so that energies could be directed to
other upcoming events, most especially preparation for our booth at the
Sandwich Fair October 11–13. If you have clothing that you plan to donate, it will
be gratefully received by our friends at Agape,
2.5 miles south on rte. 16, opposite the Pizza Barn, at the near corner of Pine
Hill Road.
Thinking about HOSPITALITY at Saint Andrew’s – An important
committee report and food for thought…
Being a welcoming congregation is a hallmark of this place! All
of us who are here enjoythe benefits, both as receivers and as providers of
hospitality. We do it well, and there’s room for change. The chair of hospitality, the senior
warden, and the rector met this morning over breakfast to strategize
improvements on how we host coffee hour and other (non-fundraising) special
events. We all recognize how important it is to us as a community to gather
after the service on Sundays to enjoy each other's company and to greet and
welcome guests. And we’ve all been the recipients of a hot cup of coffee and a
few tasty bites to accompany our conversations. But we’ve struggled with
sharing the pleasures and work of hosting.
Being a welcoming congregation is a hallmark of this place! All
of us who are here enjoythe benefits, both as receivers and as providers of
hospitality. We do it well, and there’s room for change. The chair of hospitality, the senior
warden, and the rector met this morning over breakfast to strategize
improvements on how we host coffee hour and other (non-fundraising) special
events. We all recognize how important it is to us as a community to gather
after the service on Sundays to enjoy each other's company and to greet and
welcome guests. And we’ve all been the recipients of a hot cup of coffee and a
few tasty bites to accompany our conversations. But we’ve struggled with
sharing the pleasures and work of hosting.
As a result of this morning’s meeting, we would like
to try something and encourage your participation. There are three parts to
this new proposal:
First: Sally DeGroot (our hospitality chair)
would like to have a list of hospitality volunteers to call on. The more
names on this list, the lighter the load. Agreeing to be a volunteer indicates
that you’d be willing to be called on from
time to time to provide food for refreshments and that you’d be willing to
be asked on occasions when help is needed. (You would always be free to
decline.) To sign up as a volunteer, please email Sally (rootyclan@aol.com) or sign the new
volunteer list at coffee hour.
Second: We would like to establish three
coffee hour teams to serve on the second, third, and fourth Sundays of each
month from September through December (at which point new teams would be
established if the fall season teams are ready for a break). A team would
consist of two or three people and would have full responsibility for hosting
the coffee hour following the 10:00 service: providing food, setting up, making
coffee, and cleaning up. By having two or three members to each team the load
would not be heavy on any one person. It is also a great way to bring in newer
members, since collaboration is one of the world’s best ways of getting to know
each other and building friendships. You do not have to be a great baker!
Crackers, cheese and some fruit finger-food are perfect! To sign up as a
team member, please email Sally (rootyclan@aol.com)
or sign the new team list at coffee hour.
Third: Recognizing that not everyone may not
be in a financial position to cover the costs, we would like to have a
back-up supply of suitable items, well-wrapped in zip-lock freezer bags, in
our freezer labeled “available for coffee hour.” When you bake a batch of
cookies or breads for your own use, consider setting a dozen cookies or a small
loaf aside to contribute to our church freezer. We also are reinstituting a
“contributions” basket to assist if people need help with purchases.
Our hope is that we can establish a system that will
flow smoothly, for which people take responsibility, and to which we all
contribute in some way.
Feasting and breaking bread together are profound
signs of God’s kingdom, whether it is around the altar with bread and wine –
the gift of God’s presence within us – or informally in the Parish Hall with
coffee and a cookie and conversation with a new or old friend.
The Letter to the Hebrews reminds us: Do not forget to show hospitality to
strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing
it. It is a reminder that whenever we reach out in hospitality, whether it
be to strangers who are our guests or friends and family members whom we’ve
known and loved for years, we often find that we have entertained angels – that
we have been blessed by a messenger of the divine and our lives have been
enriched! May we each come to experience both sides of this holy hospitality in
this place!
Summer blessings,
Heidi+
Heidi+
