JOIN US FOR WORSHIP
THIS SUNDAY, February 23rd, The Last Sunday after Epiphany, there will be two services at 8 and 10 a.m.
WE HOPE YOU WILL JOIN US FOR WORSHIP
and FELLOWSHIP
CENTERING PRAYER
Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m.
MORNING PRAYER
Wednesday mornings at 9:00 a.m.
SERVICES
February 26th
NOON AND 7:00 PM
WE HOPE YOU WILL JOIN US FOR WORSHIP
and FELLOWSHIP
READINGS FOR SUNDAY
Sunday, February 23rd
READERS FOR THIS SUNDAY:
The Last Sunday after Epiphany
Year A
Exodus 24:12-18
Psalm 99
2 Peter 1:16-21
Matthew 17:1-9
Psalm 99
2 Peter 1:16-21
Matthew 17:1-9
1st Reading: Bruce Kennedy
2nd Reading: Davis Dassori
Prayers: Sally DeGroot
Click below to see the readings:
FROM THE RECTOR
Sunday
is Vitality Sunday!
All congregations in the diocese have been asked to set aside some time to take
stock of the state of our relationship with God and each other in Christ. A
pastoral letter from Bishop Rob will be read and parishioners will be given a
short survey to complete. Instead of typical metrics, such as average Sunday attendance,
this survey seeks to evaluate elements of vitality in our congregations.
It's
a very brief survey, and responses will be tallied immediately so that we can
see results after the services. Please plan to stay for a short discussion
after coffee hour.
Our Lenten study
group this year will
meet on Wednesdays during Lent beginning on March 4. We will begin at noon with
a simple meal of soup and salad, and end at 1:30 p.m. We are using Amy-Jill
Levine’s book, Entering the Passion of Christ: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy
Week.
Here
are several other offerings for Lenten studies:
THE SIGNS
OF LIFE CURRICULUM for individuals and
congregations is offered by the Society for St. John the Evangelist and
Lifelong Learning at Virginia Theological Seminary. This free 5-week offering
on light, water, food, shelter, and community encourages individuals and groups
to explore the riches of our faith tradition. Materials are available on the
table in the Parish Hall. If you would like to join an online discussion group,
Tina Pickering, Canon for Ministry Development, is facilitating a small online
group that will meet for five Mondays at 5:00 pm, starting March
2nd. To use the free online conference call Zoom platform, you will simply
need an internet connection and a webcam-equipped computer, tablet, or smart
phone. Register for Canon Tina's group here.
SAVE
THE DATE: LAY LENTEN QUIET DAY WITH THE BISHOP
Bishop Rob will lead a Lay Lenten Quiet Day
on Saturday, March 21st at St. Barnabas Church in Berlin. The
quiet day will run from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm with lunch included. More
information will be
forthcoming.
"BLOWN
BY THE SPIRIT" LENTEN QUIET DAY
The
women of the diocese are invited to join the VT/NH chapter of the Society of
the Companions of the Holy Cross for a Lenten Quiet Day, “Blown by the Spirit,
Where are You Led?” It will be held at St. Andrew’s in Hopkinton
on Saturday, March 14. Please arrive for 9:30 am, program runs from 10:00
am to 2:30 pm. Contact Marti
Hunt for
more information and to RSVP.
AND
DON’T FORGET LENT MADNESS!
Brackets are available for your personal use, and the large bracket is posted
on the kitchen door. There is also a copy of “The
Saintly Scorecard,” the official guide to Lent Madness 2020, featuring the
biographies of the thirty-two saints in contention for the Golden Halo. Please
enjoy it in the Parish Hall, and leave it for others to peruse.
Caroline
February 25, 2020
PREPARATION FOR LENT WORKSHOP
IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN US EVEN IF YOU HAVE NOT SIGNED UP!
Please join us even if only for part of the morning.
Please join us even if only for part of the morning.
Saturday, February 22, 2020
9:30am – 12:30pm
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence and take not your holy Spirit from me.
Give me the joy of your saving help again and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.
Psalm 51:10-12
Each year, as we are invited to observe a holy Lent at the Ash Wednesday service, we pray these lines from Psalm 51. The season for returning and renewal encourages us to times of self-examination and repentance; prayer, fasting, self-denial, reading and meditating on God's holy Word.
Perhaps you have established habits which support you or maybe you are looking for inspiration in shaping a practice for the Lenten season. Please plan to attend this workshop in which we will look at and try on different practices of prayer. We will consider what are the components of a prayer practice, how to get started and how to keep it going.
Facilitated by Christi Humphrey, the workshop will include times for prayer, contemplation, and conversation.
Christi Humphrey MDiv, is a spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and a colleague at the Bethany House of Prayer in Arlington, MA. She holds a Certificate in Spiritual Direction from the Center for Religious Development. For twenty years, Christi has accompanied others on their spiritual journey through various projects -- spiritual formation groups, pilgrimages, mission trips, and as a Minister of Spiritual Care.
INTERFAITH PRAYER
INTERFAITH PRAYER
VIGILS FOR IMMIGRANT JUSTICE
Please join us and participate in an important
act of witness and solidarity. Interfaith Prayer Vigils and Jericho
Walks take place on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from
9:00 am - 10:15 am at the Norris Cotton Federal Building,
275 Chestnut Street, Manchester. Upcoming Prayer Vigils and Jericho
Walks are
Tuesdays, March 3rd and
March 17th.
The walks’ name refers to the the biblical story which
describes the walls of Jericho falling down after the Israelites marched around
the city seven times. (Joshua 6:15-27) More information about the Jericho
Walks can be found at https://www.afsc.org/blogs/news-and-commentary/bringing-down-walls-our-unjust-immigration-system.
If you would like to carpool please
be in touch with Christi Humphrey, cchumphrey@comcast.net.
SHROVE TUESDAY
February 25, 2020
PLEASE HELP WITH DESSERTS!
We are looking for your
chocolate decadent delights to
share on Shrove Tuesday.
Please bring a dessert to share!
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY
Please keep in mind during the winter when the weather looks questionable for safe travel to call the church before you leave home to check for schedule changes. If a storm comes in on Saturday evening or Sunday, I will make a judgment by 7:00 AM about whether to hold, cancel, or delay services. Cancellations will posted on WMUR9. PLEASE do not travel if it feels unsafe to you. Enjoy a Sabbath morning at home and remember St. Andrew’s in your prayers.
If only the 8:00 a.m. service is canceled, an email will be sent out to the regular 8:00 attendees.
SAFE CHURCH
If you are up for Safe Church Renewal
you must do your renewal modules on Armatus
then sign up for one of the following meetings online.
Safe Church Zoom Call
If you have questions, please contact Safe Church Minister, Marty Cloran.
PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY
Come join us! Knitting skills not required.
1st and 3rd Wednesday morning at 10:15 a.m.
If you knit or crochet (or would like to learn how to) and are led to engaging in an outreach mission that provides physical and spiritual comfort to those in need, please join us on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month at 10:15 AM in the Prince Room. We are a joyous group that will keep you in stitches! The coffee and tea will be on and new members are always welcome. If you have any questions, please call Lin Frank at 323-0402.
DINNER BELL
Dinner Bell cook teams for the month of February are:
23 Slader
Thank you for your volunteer
work in this special Outreach program!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
RESIST
It’s an active
word. It takes practice, effort. I heard the command over and over
in my daughter’s ballet class. After a pirouette, the teacher would call
out: “Pause... hold... RESIST.”
After a delay,
a hanging in the air, the dancers would place their heel gently on the floor
and come to a rest. Every turn, every lunge, every grand plie was
followed by that same instruction: “Pause... hold... RESIST.”
Resist the
pull of gravity for just a second.
Resist the
urge to land where you normally land.
Resist.
It’s a command that runs through scripture, from the midwives who
resisted Pharaoh to Jesus who resisted temptation.
It’s a helpful
word for Lent, which begins today. Resist your typical response. Resist
yelling at the kids when you are frustrated. Resist withdrawing when you
are depressed and eating when you are stressed.
The season of
Lent asks: What do you need to resist? Consumption? Taking on
too much? Being too hard on yourself? Hopelessness? Apathy?
Turning a blind eye to the violence in Syria and Venezuela?
Resist.
It takes forty days, and then some.
In the 1700s,
Marie Durand was imprisoned in France in the Tower of Constance for
thirty-eight years for practicing her faith. During her long
imprisonment, she used her finger to carve the French word “resiste” into
a stone block.
It takes a
long time to carve stone with your finger. So it is with Lent.
If our goal is
to be different people come Easter Sunday than we are on Ash Wednesday, we must
take time, step back, and evaluate our patterns. It will take active
effort, intentional practice, and a supportive community.
If you want to
land somewhere different?
Pause...
hold... RESIST.
+++++
From the SALT
Project
By the Rev.
Holly McKissick, Pastor of Peace Christian Church (UCC)
COMMUNITY FOOD CENTER
The Food Pantry thanks you for your contributions throughout the year.
The Community Food Center (CFC), which operates out of St. Andrew’s Church on Old Route 25 in Tamworth, is looking for new volunteers to help with this important program. The Center is open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10:00 am to noon for clients to come in and pick up their food. On each of these days, two volunteers staff the Center and a CFC Board Member is on hand to help and answer questions. Scheduling is done bi-monthly and substitutes provide flexibility for volunteers who have other commitments.
FROM Deb IN THE OFFICE
I will be out of the office from February 25-March 5th having shoulder surgery on the 25th, followed by a period of recovery.
I will be looking for angels to help in the office during the month of March with bulletin assembly and maybe various other tasks that I would need a right arm for. If you can help please drop an email to the office or let Rev. Caroline know. Thank you in advance for you assistance.
Debra
Debra
February 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
2 Joan Marshall
3 Carolyn Boldt
7 David Manley
13 Bill May
14 Linnea Frank
17 Nathalie Smith
20 Tom Huckman
21 Judy Grace
26 Melissa Bunker
Anniversaries
14 Ken & Debra Hoyt
20 Bill & Valerie May
21 Judy Grace
26 Melissa Bunker
Anniversaries
14 Ken & Debra Hoyt
20 Bill & Valerie May
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos courtesy of
LINKS
