1895 Laurel, Saint Paul MN 55104

Saint Mary's Episcopal Church

1895 Laurel Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104

Saint Mary’s Weekly – January 14, 2022

by

IMPORTANT NOTICE: St. Mary’s moves to Virtual Services for the remainder of January

Weekly Worship Service
Sunday, January 16, 2022

  • First Message: “I Dream a World” a poem by Langston Hughes
  • Gospel: John 2: 1-11 (The wedding in Cana)
8:00am – Virtual Adapted Morning Prayer Service via Zoom led by Steve Andrews.  In place of a homily, there will be a Gospel Based Discipleship discussion. After the service a Zoom social gathering will be held.
For the 8am Zoom worship service on January 16, 2021 Click HERE
If asked for a passcode, enter 171895
If asked for a meeting ID, enter 878 4182 3048
 
10:00am – Virtual Adapted Morning Prayer Service via Zoom led by Michael Phillips. A pre-recorded homily given by The Reverend Stephanie Spellers will be shown. After the service a Zoom social gathering will be held.
To join the 10am worship on January 16, 2022 Click HERE
If asked for a passcode, enter 277625
If asked for a meeting ID, enter 818 4016 4967
 
To join by cell phone only (voice only, no video),
call: 312-626-6799
Enter Meeting ID 818 4016 4967
If asked for a passcode, use 277625
 
For the January 16th Service Bulletin – Click HERE
For the Epiphany Songbook – Click HERE

What’s in this Weekly?

Worship Team

Keeping our community safe and healthy

Vestry Update

Search Committee

Children and Youth

Outreach

Prayers in the Weekly

Upcoming Events at Saint Mary’s

  • New!: The Evening Compline Service will be moving from Tuesday nights to Monday nights at 7:30pm starting January 17th.
  • New!: The Thursday evening Contemplative Service will be Zoom only until the end of February and will then be reassessed.

Worship Team

Liturgy Matters at St. Mary’s by The Reverend Susan M. Moss

Transcript of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s Epiphany Address to the Nation from January 6, 2022 – “A Moment of Peril and Promise”

A reminder that Susan will be on vacation until January 24. Should a pastoral emergency arise at Saint Mary’s during Reverend Susan’s vacation, please contact Brian Nerbonne, warden, at  6I2 8IO 7898.
 
 

What’s New?

  • For the rest of the Sundays in January (16, 23, 30), St. Mary’s will NOT hold in-person services.  Worship will be Zoom ONLY.
  • To hear The Reverend Tom Eklo’s homily given on January 9, Click HERE.
  • New for season of Epiphany: Printed song sheets are available for those worshipping in person. These are songs that will be used during the Epiphany season that aren’t in the hymnal. (For those in the hymnal, the hymnal song number will be shown in the bulletin.) This was requested so people in the pews can clearly understand the lyrics. We are not encouraging parishioner singing because of the transmissibility of the Omicron COVID variant…quiet humming or very, very quiet singing are okay.
  • Question from a parishioner: “In light of omicron, why is the choir still allowed to sing in church?” FROM VONDA – Choir members wear special resonance masks that are double layer cloth with a special paper filter. The masks have a rubber like seal on the nose crown an extend below and over the chin, creating a good seal while still allowing movement of lips and opportunity for better diction. Also, all choir members are fully vaccinated, boosted and we are distanced from the congregation over 20’. The choir sound is picked up by microphones as well.

Feedback is welcome!
Expect changes as we try things, see how they work and make improvements! Your feedback is more important than ever before to help us know what’s working well and what isn’t. Please send your thoughts, ideas, suggestions to the Worship Team.

Click HERE to give feedback. Thanks!

Return to Top

St. Mary’s moves to Virtual Services for the remainder of January

As everyone is likely aware, the omicron variant is creating a large wave of COVID infections, regardless of vaccination status. St. Mark’s Cathedral recently made the decision to move to Virtual only services, and the St. Mary’s vestry has decided to do the same. We view this as a way for us to do our part to minimize the spread of COVID at a time when our health care system is under strain. It is a way to love our neighbor as Jesus calls us to do.
 
One of the few pieces of good news about this wave is that it is anticipated to be relatively short, with the peak happening in the next week to ten days. The vestry will revisit the question of in-person services in advance of the first Sunday of February to see if conditions warrant a return to in-person services. For the remainder of January, all services will be conducted via Zoom. The link to the Virtual Services is available in the Weekly newsletter emailed to subscribers and posted on the St. Mary’s website as well as in the St. Mary’s calendar of events. We hope folks will join us online for these Sundays.
 
Sincerely,
 
The St. Mary’s Vestry
 

“Love your neighbor” and COVID Protocols

“Love your neighbor” implies to me that we care about, and for, each other. We care about our neighbors near and far and, right now, part of that care involves having COVID protocols that work to keep us all as safe as we can be. Being vaccinated and boosted is expected…that’s the first step.

KN95 masks provide greater protection than cloth or 3-layer paper masks. If you can find them, buy some/one!

The Vestry again looked at our St. Mary’s protocols at its January 4th meeting and re-affirmed those already in place and added a few more.

**NEW: Given the growing number of Omicron cases, these protocols were added this week.

  • **NEW: At least through the end of January, in-person social time is not being encouraged. Please visit outdoors if you do want to socialize.
  • **NEW: For hymns, quiet humming and very, very quiet singing is still okay.
  • Wear a mask (covering nose and mouth) when in the building. KN95 is best!
  • Practice 6’ physical distancing (also referred to as “social distancing”).
  • Stay home if you’re not feeling well.
  • If you’re scheduled for a Sunday morning lay ministry but are feeling uncomfortable with the idea of being with people, know you have permission NOT to come to church. Please let the Verger or Brian Nerbonne or Paulette Briese know ahead of time if you can.
  • If you’ve had close contact with someone who has COVID, consider testing or not coming to church.
  • If you get a positive test result within 72 hours of being at church, let Brian Nerbonne know so others at St. Mary’s can be made aware of their potential exposure.

Yes, in the world we live in today, part of how we show our love for our neighbor is by doing our part to keep not only ourselves, but also those we come in contact with, as safe as we can. Thank you, St. Mary’s, for being concerned about the common good and for loving your neighbors.

Paulette Briese
Worship Team

Return to Top

Summary of the January 4, 2022 Vestry Meeting

In the interest of more timely communication of happenings at vestry meetings, we are beginning to publish a brief summary in the Weekly email following the meeting, rather than waiting a month to publish the minutes once they are approved. If you have questions about the meeting, please contact warden Brian Nerbonne at michigander_guy at yahoo.com.
 
Finance: The St. Mary’s bylaws call for a finance meeting to be held in January of each year. In lieu of holding a meeting, given our current circumstances due to COVID, the vestry approved a plan to instead distribute the working budget via email.
 
Committee re-shuffle: All of our various teams that handle duties at St. Mary’s (e.g. worship planning, finance, stewardship) have been active for over a year, some for several years. With a new year arriving, we would like to offer the opportunity for current committee members to consider whether they need a break, or if they would like to try a role on a different team. This will also be a chance for people to try out serving on a team if they haven’t previously. Look for an item coming soon in the weekly to kick off this process.
 
Stewardship: Final numbers are 48 pledging households totaling over $153,000. Thanks to everyone who pledged, and much appreciation to Jim Wheeler and Cindy James for leading this year’s campaign. Jim and Cindy also made the proposal to look to adding members to this team, as both are ready to rotate off of this duty to focus on other things. They also propose that we look at making stewardship a more year-round activity, broadening it to include other contributions to the congregation beyond just pledging.
 
Door codes and required Safe Church training: Episcopal Church of MN canons require all people with keys or door access codes to the church to complete Safe Church training once every three years. This is also required of vestry members or those working with youth. Jim Wheeler and Aimee Sutherland worked together to cross reference records on safe church training with those who are currently assigned door codes. Many people are currently in need of the training, or will be some time in 2022. Emails will soon be sent to people in need of the training. They will have the option to give up their code or take the training. If no action is taken by people to rectify this, we may need to deactivate codes after a reasonable time period (i.e. a few months). Please look for an email with information on how to complete the training if this might apply to you. We are also insuring that our building tenants fulfill this requirement.
 
Omicron considerations for in-person services: The vestry discussed whether to consider any shifts to services with the Omicron variant causing a significant spike in COVID cases. The vestry feels that we can continue to do in-person services safely, but also have virtual options for people who do not feel comfortable in-person. We will continue our current protocols, but also begin to encourage KN-95 mask wearing to further reduce the chance of viral spread. Look for an item in the weekly outlining COVID precautions we are asking people to follow.
 
Letter from St. Mary’s to Title IV complainants: As another step toward moving forward from our former rector’s Title IV process, we will be discussing with the bishop the idea of sending a brief letter to the complainants, expressing wishes for healing from any harm that occurred. Based on the bishop’s feedback, we will discern next steps.
 
Member transitions: So that people can have a way to stay informed of births and deaths in our community, new St. Mary’s members, and St. Mary’s members who have moved away or left our congregation, we will begin publishing an item once a month in the Weekly email covering these transitions.

Return to Top

Search Committee

New Candidates
We are excited to share that we have received a number of applications after re-opening our job posting for a permanent priest. We are reviewing them with great joy, and we will meet with the candidates in early January. As before, we will share our progress as often as possible. You can reach us with questions or comments any time at transitionteam@saintmarysepiscopal.org. 
 
God is good, all the time! 
 
Prayers for the Search Committee and Candidates
Dear Saint Marians:
 
As the Rector’s Search begins anew, let us remain constant in prayer for members of the Search Committee and the candidates who have come forward.
 
Faithfully, 
 
Susan
The Rev. Susan M. Moss
 
 Let us pray:
 

Lord Jesus Christ you are the Light of the World!

May your Holy Spirit continue to  guide and illumine the discerning hearts and minds of the Saint Mary’s Search Committee and rector candidates, in the search for a faithful pastor who will care for your people and equip us for ministries in your name.  Amen.
 

Return to Top

St. Mary’s Children’s and Youth for Winter

Youth Group:
Join Kat for youth group on Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm-8:00pm We are excited that the youth will be back in person again this year! Just a reminder that Youth Group is for young people who are 7th through 12th grade. Stay tuned to our text chain. Kat will inform the group if YG will be virtual or in person. Contact Mia if you need to be added to the group.
 
Tweeners:
Join Mia and Emily for Tweeners on Thursdays from 7-7:45pm. Please note that Tweens will be on THURSDAY and not on WEDNESDAY due to the availability of the tweens that expressed interest! The meeting will be virtual. Please contact Mia for the link!
 

Return to Top

Outreach

MICAH (Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing) Legislative Breakfast on January 26, 2022

Hello!
 
I am writing to invite members of your congregation to the MICAH (Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing) Annual [Virtual] Legislative Breakfast taking place on Wednesday, January 26th from 8-9:30am via Zoom.   At the breakfast, we will join with elected officials, city staff, faith leaders, community members, and people who have experienced or are experiencing homelessness and housing crises as we work towards a St. Paul/MN where everyone, without exception, has safe, decent, accessible, and affordable housing!  Let’s work together to make it happen.
 
We hope you will be able to share some version of the invitation with your congregation through your newsletter and/or other communications.  (Click HERE)
  

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at this email (micahbrkfst@comcast.net).  We hope to see members from your community at this important event. 

Looking forward to seeing you in the New Year!
 
Jean Giebenhain
 
MICAH, St. Paul Chapter
 

Prayer Requests

Please pray for those on Saint Mary’s prayer list: Don; Anne; Kirby; Amara; Steven, Bishop Craig Loya as he leads the ECMN; all frontline workers; teachers and those who support children and youth in education, all who are thinking about getting or waiting to get a COVID vaccine or booster; all who are homeless, unemployed, or struggling financially; doctors, nurses, caregivers, and all who care for the sick or dying; all who work for new systems of justice and equity; all who are in need of prayer.

If you would like a name to be added to Saint Mary’s public prayer list, please email claire1412 at gmail.com. The prayer list will be updated weekly, and all prayers will remain on the list for one month unless otherwise requested.

CaringBridge for Don Horton

Hello my dear friends,

If you would like to stay updated on my dad’s health situation and don’t use Facebook, I will be posting updates on CaringBridge too.

Website Link: https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/donhorton

Much love,

Claire Horton

Return to Top

Upcoming Events at Saint Mary’s
Opportunities for Worship, Education, Choir, & Meet Ups
for the week of 1/14 – 1/20

Sunday, January 16, 2022
Virtual Morning Prayer via Zoom
8:00am
Link

Sunday, January 16, 2022
Virtual Worship Service
10:00am Service
Link

Monday, January 17, 2022
Compline (Now on Mondays!)
7:30pm
Link

Tuesday, January 18, 2022
Finance Committee Meeting
6:30pm
For more information Click HERE

Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Youth Group
6:30pm
Contact Mia for more information. Click HERE

Thursday, January 20, 2022
Tweeners
7:00pm
Contact Mia for more information. Click HERE

Thursday, January 20, 2022
Saint Mary’s Dinner Group
Contact Julie Thomas for more information – julieandcats at comcast.net

Thursday, January 20, 2022
Thursday Evening Contemplative Service
Led by Erika Scheurer and Anna Clark
7:00pm
Link (please note that the Contemplative Service will be Virtual Only until the end of February and then reassessed)

Visit the Saint Mary’s Calendars page for more information on what is happening.

Return to Top