T H E P A R I S H N E W S
St. Mary’s United Church of Christ
Silver Run, Maryland
Volume XXX November 2009 No 10 modified for the Web.
(Previous issues available: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
All Saints Communion - November 1st
Time Change - November 1st
New Member Sunday - November 15th
Mother's Class to be Honored - November 15th
Special Thanksgiving Service - November 22nd
Thanksgiving Donations - November 22nd
Advent Communion - November 22nd
Homewood Auxiliary Membership Drive - November
Advent Workshop - December 2nd
White Gift Sunday - December 6th
Living Christmas Trees - sign up now!
In her book, Memories of God, Roberta Bondi
writes that “humility is the key virtue that is both the starting point and
the enabler of the whole Christian experience.”
Unfortunately, as she notes, our world has replaced a healthy
understanding of humility with a sense of “groveling before God and other
human beings” that equates humility with passivity and having a poor image of
ourselves. If instead we think of
humility as acceptance of ourselves and of others as we are, both in our
strengths and in our weaknesses, our virtues and our vices, we are at that place
where our lives can begin to be transformed by the power of God’s Holy Spirit.
I believe that such a positive sense of humility is at the heart of a
life of gratitude and makes true thanksgiving a real possibility.
Thanksgiving is the time of year when we are reminded
that the Christian life is a life of gratitude.
In the spirit of humility, we thank God for this marvelous creation of
which we are a part. We thank God
that in Jesus Christ we are shown God’s love and compassion for us and offered
the promise of life in all of its fullness, life that is meaningful and
everlasting. We thank God that
through the church we are called and empowered by the Holy Spirit to lives of
purpose and possibility so that as worthy stewards of all God’s gifts we might
help to realize God’s will for our lives and for our world.
This month when we think of the saints, we do so in
humble gratitude for the legacy they have passed on to us.
When we offer our pledges to support our common life together at St.
Mary’s United Church of Christ, we do so in humble gratitude for the gifts
which are ours to share. When we
come to a time of thanksgiving as both the beginning and ending of the circle of
our Christian experience, we do so in humble gratitude that God is God and has
seen fit to share with us this miracle which we call life.
May this time of thanksgiving be our time to come to God in a true and
healthy humility, offering to God the praise and gratitude due the One from whom
all blessings flow.
Grace and peace, Dick
Our church will be observing
Thanksgiving Sunday on November 22nd with a special service of
worship at our 10:30 AM worship hour. This
service will include both traditional and praise style music lead by our
organist, choir, bell choir, and praise band and will include a traditional
liturgy as we anticipate the Thanksgiving holiday.
All are welcome. Hope to see
you there.
Again this year, the Concern for Others Committee is
encouraging the congregation to bring in canned and boxed food items as well as
paper goods to donate to Carroll County Food Sunday.
We will be receiving these items at our Thanksgiving service on Sunday
November 22nd at 10:30 AM. We
invite the congregation to bring forward their donations to the front of the
Sanctuary during the first hymn. Monetary
gifts will also be received during our offering on Thanksgiving Sunday for the
work of Carroll County Food Sunday. Checks
should be made payable to St. Mary’s UCC and thank you for your generous
support.
We will celebrate All Saints
Sunday on November 1st at our 10:30 AM worship service which will
include the Sacrament of Holy Communion served in the pews.
This service will also offer us an opportunity to remember the names of
those whose passing we continue to mourn. All
are invited to participate with us and join us at Christ’s table.
Hope to see your there!
The
season of Advent begins on Sunday, November 29th at the end of the
Thanksgiving weekend. We will begin
our celebration of this time of joyous expectation with a traditional worship
service including Holy Communion served at stations in the front of the
sanctuary during our 10:30 AM worship hour.
All are welcome!
We will be receiving new members into our congregation at our 10:30 AM worship service on Sunday, November 15th. In preparation, there will be a new member orientation following worship on Sunday, November 8th. Anyone interested in becoming a member of St. Mary’s church should be in touch with the pastor or the church office as soon as possible.
Poinsettias to beautify
the sanctuary for the Advent and Christmas Season will be available through the
Worship Committee. Order sheets will
be available the beginning of November in your church bulletin or contact
the church office.
From
the Stewardship Committee:
The harvest season is the time of year for our annual
stewardship campaign. This is a time
to reflect on how far we have come and to look forward in the direction we want
our church to grow. Over the next
few weeks, we are asking you to prayerfully search your heart and make a
commitment to the ministry of our church and our witness to the gospel of Jesus
Christ. This year’s theme is
entitled By
Grace Made Full. It reminds
us that by God’s grace, we are blessed with an abundance to share with others
in the doing of God’s work.
You will soon receive this year’s mailing from The
Stewardship and Enlistment Committee. Please
read over the materials, pray about our church’s future, and fill out the
enclosed commitment card. These
cards can be mailed to the church office or placed in the Treasure Box at our
worship service on Stewardship Sunday, November 8th when our
commitments will be dedicated. Thank
you for your continuing support of this ministry that we share together.
With
two months remaining in 2009, we are reminded that we are still carrying a large
deficit in our church’s General Fund. Our
committee has taken steps to improve our investment income in the months ahead,
but we still need the best efforts that our congregation can make as we conclude
this difficult year. As God
continues to shower blessings upon us, we must still search our hearts to
discern how God expects us to use and to share the gifts that have been
entrusted to us. Now is the time
that we need each other. Now is the
time that your church needs you. Thank
you for your continuing support of our church and its ministries.
On the Sunday mornings during November, persons are invited to join the Auxiliary of Homewood at Plum Creek. The dues are $2 per person and you will receive a Pocket Calendar for 2010. To join, please see our Auxiliary representative, Molly Scott, during our Fellowship time following our November Worship Services.
Plan now to attend this
year’s Advent Workshop, which will be held on Saturday, December 5th,
starting at 9:00 AM. This will be
our opportunity to join together for decorating our church for the Advent and
Christmas season. A sign-up sheet
will be posted on the bulletin board outside of the church office to allow
everyone to choose the tasks they would like to help with.
We hope to be finished by late morning and decided to forgo a lunch
afterwards. Many hands make light
work. Hope to see you there!
WHITE GIFT SUNDAY – December 6
Donations
for Homewood Homes and
Names
of
For
For
Men – shaving
cream, shaving lotion, after shave, New electric razors, talcum powder, liquid
soap, shirts, sweaters, gloves, socks, hats, slippers, underwear, pens,
stationary, washcloths, Kleenex, handkerchiefs, bandannas, shampoo, conditioner,
deodorant, cologne.
For
Women –
cosmetics…lipstick, powder, makeup, etc. hair ribbons, barrettes, non-aerosol
hair spray, talcum powder, perfume, lotion, washcloths, toiletries—shampoo,
conditioner, deodorant, hand cream, slippers nightgowns, robes, sweaters,
gloves, underwear, pens, stationary, liquid soap.
For
either sex – puzzles,
books, word find books, playing cards, all occasion cards, key chain, video
tape, cassette tape, holiday cards.
Please
remember on all wrapped gifts to note on the outside as to contents, and mark
for male, female or either. Thank you!
In gratitude for all their years of
being an important part of our church life together, we will have an opportunity
on Sunday November 15th, to honor the members of the Mother’s Class
and to thank them for their legacy of dedicated service.
Over the years they have supported our congregation with the fruits of
their fund raising efforts, and most recently they donated $4500 to our Capital
Improvement Fund to help pay for last year’s Kitchen and Basement renovation
projects. A special Fellowship Hour
will be held following our morning worship and we hope that many of us are in
attendance to greet and thank these ladies who have given so much of themselves
to our church over the years.
The
For information about
Remember that Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, November 1st. Set your clocks back one hour the night before and enjoy the extra hour’s sleep.
Anyone interested in participating in the December “Living Christmas Card” display contact Steve or the church office.
During the first three Sundays of Advent, the Children
and Youth Ministries will be sponsoring a sock tree. Children, youth and adults
are encouraged to bring pairs of socks to hang on the tree in the vestry.
All size socks from infant to adult are welcome. All the socks will be
donated to Shepherd Staff, in
Thank You for sharing our Parish News! If you would like to be added to our mailing list, please contact the church office.
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Email: office@stmarysucc.org Page last updated: October 31, 2009 |
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