1895 Laurel, Saint Paul MN 55104

Saint Mary's Episcopal Church

1895 Laurel Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104

Saint Mary’s Weekly – January 21, 2022

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

Weekly Worship Service
Sunday, January 23, 2022

  • First Message: Isaiah 60:1-6
  • Gospel: Luke 4:14-21
10:00am – Virtual Eucharist Worship Service via Zoom. The Reverend Debbie Brown will be the celebrant and preacher. Debbie and Ron Brown were previously members of St. Mary’s. After the service a Zoom social gathering will be held.
To join the 10am worship on January 23, 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 23rd Service Bulletin – Click HERE
For the Epiphany Songbook – Click HERE

What’s in this Weekly?

Worship Team

Keeping our community safe and healthy

Finance Committee

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

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?

  • St. Mary’s will NOT hold in-person worship service on Sunday, January 23 and 30. Worship will be Zoom ONLY.
  • Come to Zoom church and see faces you may not have seen for awhile. Even though it’s been great to have both the Zoom and in-person worship options, it’s also nice to have the community gathered all together.
  • To hear The Reverend Stephanie Speller’s homily given on January 16, Click HERE.

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!

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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

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2021 Annual Contribution Statements

2021 annual contribution statements will be sent out via e-mail by January 28th. If you do not have a current e-mail address on file, please send your current e-mail address to Rex Holzemer, Treasurer, at rexaholzemer at gmail.com. If necessary, a hard copy of an annual contribution statement will be mailed to any parishioner without an e-mail address on file.
 
If you think there are any inaccuracies on your statement or you have questions, please feel free to call or e-mail Rex Holzemer, Treasurer, at 65I-3O8-4895 or rexaholzemer at gmail.com.
 
Thanks to each of you for your generosity and financial support of St. Mary’s in 2021!
 

Saint Mary’s Annual 2022 Finance Report

Greetings St. Mary’s Community,
 
In an attempt to get information out to all parishioners regarding our 2021 and 2022 budgets as soon as possible, the Vestry has decided to send out the Annual Finance report via e-mail immediately rather than wait until an annual meeting can be scheduled. An update on St. Mary’s finances will still be provided at the annual meeting.  
 
We have some good news! Due to pledge income coming in higher than expected in 2021 and significantly lower than expected expenses, as well as excellent gains on our investments, we ended 2021 with a $48,189 surplus. This surplus has been moved to contingency reserves to cover any future budget deficits.
 
The challenging news is that our projected budget deficit for this year is ($84,176). This is due to the fact that the Vestry has committed to hiring a full-time priest to assist in rebuilding our parish community, and we have 9 fewer household pledges in 2022 compared to 2021.
 
We continue to have a very committed parishioner base. With continued commitment and leadership from our parishioners, the Vestry is hopeful and confident we will indeed be a thriving, vital community again in the future. It likely means we will run deficits for the next couple of years or so. However, given our solid reserves thanks to those who came before us, we can manage such deficits during the rebuilding process.  
 
Attached (link below) is a simplified 2-page annual report from our Finance Committee that is a quick read and important for all St. Mary’s members to understand. Please take time to read through it. If you have any questions regarding our budget or finances, please feel free to call or e-mail Rex Holzemer, Treasurer, at 651-308-4895 or rexaholzemer at gmail.com.  
 
My personal thanks to each of you for your continued financial support of St. Mary’s and for your commitment to this community!
 
Rex Holzemer, The Finance Committee, and The St. Mary’s Vestry
 
 

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Search Committee

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.
 

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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. The meeting will be virtual. Please contact Mia for the link!
 

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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

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Upcoming Events at Saint Mary’s
Opportunities for Worship, Education, Choir, & Meet Ups
for the week of 1/21 – 1/27

Sunday, January 23, 2022
Virtual Worship Service
10:00am Service
Link

Monday, January 24, 2022
Compline (Now on Mondays!)
7:30pm
Link

Tuesday, January 25, 2022
Vestry Meeting
7:00pm
For more information Click HERE

Wednesday, January 26, 2022
Youth Group
6:30pm
Contact Mia for more information. Click HERE

Thursday, January 27, 2022
Tweeners
7:00pm
Contact Mia for more information. Click HERE

Thursday, January 27, 2022
Saint Mary’s Dinner Group
Contact Julie Thomas for more information – julieandcats at comcast.net

Thursday, January 27, 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.

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