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Email: office@stmarysucc.org
Page last updated: February 28, 2010
T H E P A R I S H N E W S
St. Mary’s United Church of Christ
Silver Run, Maryland
Volume XXXI March 2010 No 2 modified for the Web.
(Previous issues available: 2008, 2009, 2010)
New Member Sunday - March 28th
One Great Hour of Sharing - March 14th
Congregational Meeting - March 14th
World Day of Prayer - March 5th
Daylight Savings Time - March 14th
Baobab Blast VBS - June
Easter Celebration - March 27th
Spring Fling Pot Luck & Bingo - March 20th
Soon Easter will arrive.
Soon the joy of the resurrection will be upon us.
We look around us now and see piles of winter snow and it is hard to
imagine that soon it will disappear. Yet
the month of March brings many changes. We
observe the arrival of spring and the bursting forth of New Life in God’s
creation. The sun rises earlier and
sets later. Snow and ice and cold
give way to flowing streams and a lush green earth.
During March we will see the buds of trees ready to burst forth and the
flowers of early spring rise up bringing their beauty into our world.
Before this month is over, our world will change and we will welcome its
newness as we celebrate Palm Sunday and anticipate the joy of Easter.
During this month, we are in the heart of the Lenten
season. And as Easter approaches there is work remaining for us to do.
This will be a time to clear away the debris of winter.
This will be a time to prepare the ground for the planting of seed.
This will be a time for us to ready our hearts to experience the drama of
Holy Week and the triumph of Easter. This
will be a time for us to expose our souls to the transforming power of the
Spirit of the Risen Christ.
In our personal devotions and in our worship and
study together, in the ministries of service we render to one another and to the
world around us, may this be our time to prepare our lives for the New Life
Christ offers to us. May we be
prepared to welcome Jesus as Lord of our lives as he enters on Palm Sunday.
And may we be prepared to follow him to his cross that we might rise with
him from the tombs which would try to imprison us.
Easter will soon arrive; having been prepared may we know the joy of the
New Life which can be ours.
Grace and peace, Dick
This year, Palm Sunday falls on the fourth Sunday of March. On Sunday, March 28th, we will celebrate Palm Sunday with a traditional service of worship that will include organ, choir, and bell choir music. We will also welcome new members on that date. The March contemporary praise service will be a week earlier on Sunday March 21st, with music provided by our praise band, Winds of the Spirit. Also, plan now to attend Holy Week services which include our Maundy Thursday communion service on Thursday, April 1st, at 7:30 pm, and our Good Friday Tenebrae service on Friday, April 2nd, at 7:30 pm. Easter Sunday is April 4th and we will celebrate with our Sunrise Service at 6:30 am, Easter Breakfast at 7:00 am, Praise Communion Service at 8:30 am, and Traditional Communion Service at 10:30 am. Invite your friends, all are welcome!
A special envelope is enclosed
in this newsletter for our annual Easter Benevolence Offering.
In years gone by, many of us had filled coin folders as a way of
reminding us to share our God given resources with those less fortunate.
Again this year, our offerings using these special envelopes will help
our church reach out to the world in a very tangible way through the support of
our Benevolence Fund. Offerings made
using these envelopes can be place in the offering plate during our Lenten and
Easter services or mailed to the church office.
Additional envelopes are available in the sanctuary on the back
windowsills. Thank you for your
continuing support of our benevolence giving.
Please give generously as you are able, as together in Christ’s name we
continue to make a difference.
We will be receiving new members into our congregation at our 10:30 AM worship service on Palm Sunday, March 28th. In preparation, there will be a new member orientation following worship on Sunday, March 21st. 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.
When disaster strikes, the church has been there to offer help and hope. In times of disaster and loss, the church has been able to be a first responder because someone has been willing to share. Our gifts to the One Great Hour of Sharing have helped to allow the church to offer significant help in times of need. We will have the opportunity to support the One Great Hour of Sharing with a special offering on Sunday, March 14th. Envelopes will be provided on that Sunday. Checks should be made payable to St. Mary’s UCC. Please be as generous as you can in your support of this essential ministry as we reach out to others in their time of need.
A Congregational Meeting has been called by the Consistory for Sunday, March 14th. This meeting will be held in the church Fellowship Hall downstairs after table fellowship. The agenda will be two proposals presented by the Property Committee for essential building exterior maintenance related to brick work and trim painting with funding to be provided from the Leppo Fund. Church members are urged to attend this important meeting.
Record snowfalls have left their mark on our church programs this year. In particular with the cancellation of two worship services this season, we want to let the congregation know how cancellation decisions are being made and information shared. The decision to cancel a worship service is resting with the President of Consistory, the Chair of Worship, and the Pastor in consultation with a designated member of the Property Committee. In the event of a decision to close, phone contact is being made to those who had participation responsibilities in the service and also to all members of the Consistory. If possible we are placing a notice on our website, email notification for all members for whom we have email addresses, and changing the phone message on our church office answering service. Repeated attempts to be included on TV and radio lists have not proved all that helpful or reliable. Our first priority is always the safety of our people. Even if we have chosen not to close, we encourage our people to use their own best judgments based on conditions where they are. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Larry and all who have helped him clear snow from our parking lots and church building entrances. This has been an exceptionally difficult year and we pray that the worst is over!
“The Beginning of the Concept of Stephen Ministry”
– an excerpt taken from “Stephen Ministers Listen Well” by Marge Terman
Stephen Ministry is a lay-caring ministry started in
1975 by Dr. Kenneth Haugk. As a
pastor, clinical psychologist, author, and educator, Haugk saw a great need in
his own congregation for helping people get through trying times.
Since Haugk did not have adequate time to spend with
every person, he turned to his congregation for help.
He wanted his venture to be spiritual in nature, so he searched the
Scripture for a base. He chose Acts
6:2-5a. Thus, Stephen Ministry was
born to bring the body of Christ together as partners in ministry.
For more information about Stephen Ministry at St. Mary’s, please contact Pastor Scott, Steve, or Dorothy Ellen.
The Church Women United in Carroll County will host the World Day of Prayer service at Carroll Lutheran Village at 2 pm Friday, March 5th. It would be nice to have a group attend from St. Mary’s. If you would like to carpool, contact Becky. Hope to hear from some of you.
We are all reminded that this year, Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday, March 14th. Don’t forget to turn your clocks ahead one hour.
SUNDAY SCHOOL AND YOUTH NEWS
The Children’s offering for the month of March will be used to purchase items for Easter Baskets. Assembled baskets will be given to Shepherd’s Staff for distribution to children in the Carroll County area. The baskets will include items that reflect the spirituality of the Easter season.
Baobab Blast is coming June 21-25, 2010. All children age 3 (potty-trained) -5th grade are welcome to attend. Join us each morning from 9:30am-noon. This will be a week of games, crafts, music and Bible stories. Adults and youth helpers are needed. If you would like to be a site leader, guide or assistant, please contact Linda or the church office.
On
Saturday, March 27th 9:30am to 11:30am the church will be
having their annual Easter Celebration. This event includes egg hunts,
crafts, games and maybe a special guest! Children of all ages are welcome.
The following donations are appreciated: cakes for the cake walk, small
door prizes and individually wrapped pieces of candy. If you are
interested in helping with this event please see Stacy or the church office.
Join us the last Sunday of the month from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for an evening of fun & games. All kids in Grades K through high school are welcome. Bring a friend! A light snack will be provided. Contact Brian or Lisa or the church office for more information.
The Youth Sunday School
class of St Mary’s is asking for donations for an orphanage in Haiti. Since
children have become the face of the disaster in Haiti we will be decorating
plastic baby bottles, and asking the congregation to take a bottle home and fill
it with any spare change you may have available. Fill one bottle and pick up
another. Our goal is to fill 100
baby bottles by Palm Sunday when we ask for all bottles to be returned. The
money will then be sent to an orphanage in
Haiti. If there are any questions please contact any member of the youth class,
or ask Steve Matthias.
Potluck
& Bingo
March
20th
Play
Bingo & Win Prizes
Meat, rolls & drinks will be provided.
Bring a side dish or dessert to share.
Doors open at 5 pm, dinner served at 5:30 pm.
Bingo prizes and door prizes. Sign-up
in vestry (for head count only).
The Stewardship Committee is looking for volunteers to help keep the General Fund (supports the operating expenses of the church) IN THE BLACK during 2010. A fundraiser featuring delicious Joe Corbi products will be held during the month of March. We will kick-off the event during fellowship time in the vestry following worship on March 7. There will be samples of the products we will be selling for your enjoyment. Brochures will be available so you and your family can begin asking friends, relatives and co-workers to purchase items from the Joe Corbi’s Family Favorites brochure. The selling period will run through March 21. All orders and payment (in the form of a check payable to St. Mary’s UCC) must be turned in after worship March 14 or March 21, No late orders will be accepted. Delivery will be March 31. All orders will need to be picked up between 6:00-7:30 pm in the downstairs social hall. If you have questions, please contact the church office or Wanda.
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: February 28, 2010 |
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