1895 Laurel, Saint Paul MN 55104

St. Mary's Episcopal Church

1895 Laurel Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104

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Saint Mary’s Weekly – January 28, 2021

January 31, 2021 by communications


Weekly Worship Service

Sunday, January 31, 2021

Worship via Zoom with Coffee Hour to Follow – 10:00 AM

 
This will be the 4th Sunday After the Epiphany and the focus will be “Revelation in Transfiguration”. The Rt. Rev. Craig Loya will be our preacher. The Rt. Rev. Craig Loya was consecrated the X Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota on June 6, 2020.  Bishop Loya served as Dean of Trinity Cathedral in Omaha, Nebraska from 2013-2020, and was the Canon to the Ordinary in the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas from 2009-2013.
 
Psalm 111:1a, 7, 9
First Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Gospel: Mark 1:21-28
 
Please note that the Zoom information below is new for the New Year!
For the Zoom worship service on January 31, 2021 CLICK HERE
If asked for a passcode, enter 657179
If asked for a meeting ID, enter 915 5954 9145
 
To join by cell phone only (voice only, no video),
call: 312-626-6799
Enter Meeting ID 915 5954 9145
If asked for a passcode, use 657179
 
For the Epiphany 4 Service Bulletin – CLICK HERE
For the Revised Epiphany Song Book – CLICK HERE

Worship Team

Epiphany Message from Bishop Craig Loya:
 
“…I spent yesterday reading Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s newest
book, Love is the Way. In it, he calls us to embrace a universal love as
the way forward as individuals and a nation. His understanding of what
love is, how we find God, and how love has the power to change the
world and see us through these challenging times is deeply grounded in
his own very real experiences of both suffering and hope….” (excerpt
from Bishop Loya’s message in the 1/19/21 ECMN Weekly News)

 

What’s New?
  • To listen to the 1-24-21 sermon by Rachel Babbitt, CLICK HERE.
  • Sunday’s worship service highlights our St Mary’s Elders.
  • Ash Wednesday is on February 17th this year. In preparation for that day, ashes will be available to be picked up on Sunday, February 14th, from 2 – 3pm at St Mary’s. (See “Pastoral Care” below for more info.)
  • Worship services during Lent are now being planned. If you have thoughts about Lenten services CLICK HERE.
Feedback is welcome!
We welcome your feedback and recommendations about worship services.
 
CLICK HERE  to give feedback. Thanks!

Vibrant and Thriving in a Virtual World

Have you looked at the St. Mary’s calendar?  Almost every day there are events on the calendar, and more are being added as the weeks go by. Our community is alive with so many opportunities to be together in community – book club, pastoral care, Tweeners, choir to name but a few.
 
A year ago, most of us had never heard of Zoom and now it’s a way of life for many of us. Work meetings, online school and yes, St. Mary’s on Sunday mornings and beyond.
 
While Zoom may not work for everyone and it’s certainly not a substitute for in person gatherings, it does afford us the chance to participate together and see each other.
 
The Communications Committee is taking the opportunity over the next few weeks to showcase some of what’s happening at St Mary’s in this virtual world we live in.
 
Sunday mornings find many of us gathered in front of our computer, tablet or phone Zoomed in to the 10:00am worship service coming live into our homes, cabins or wherever we might be on a Sunday morning. These services are put together by the Worship Committee and a group of volunteers each week who read prayers and lessons, provide music and make sure our technology is up and running. We’ve learned a great deal about ‘being live’ and providing a thoughtful and uplifting service each week. While we have had a few glitches, it is all part of the process that makes St. Mary’s an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.
 
As we move forward together, take a look at our calendar and see where you can Zoom into St. Mary’s to enrich the fabric of our community with your presence.

Pastoral Care

It is with sadness that I inform members and friends of St Mary’s that the mother of Anne Hanson, has departed this life. Please keep her family in your prayers. Notes of condolence may be sent to 1861 Pinehurst Ave / St Paul MN 55116. 
 
And Taylor, daughter of John and Tonia Erickson. Please keep her family in your prayers.  Notes of condolence may be sent to 1800 Keller Lake Dr / Burnsville MN 55306. 
 
May their souls and the souls of all faithful departed, through God’s immeasurable love and mercy, rest with the angels in peace and rise with the saints in glory! 
 
******
 

Please keep Jennie Ward and her family (Todd, Max, and Theo) in your prayers as she recovers from a significant and startling health crisis.  If you would like to keep updated, please visit:

Caring Bridge Site: https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jennieward
 
To provide other support:
 
Meal Train Site: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/ye369y
GoFundMe Site: https://www.gofundme.com/f/jennie-ward-and-family
******
Pastoral Care Calendar for January/February 2021
Fridays (ongoing) 
Elders & Evening Prayer 6:30 PM
 
Monday, Feb. 1
Pastoral Care Team Meeting 7:30 PM
 
Tuesday, Feb. 2
Caregiving for Aging Loved Ones 7:00PM
 
We have launched our new Prayer Chain, a ministry that anyone can support! 
Please contact Rev. Cindi if you would like to be included among those praying for 
the needs of St. Marians or if you have a prayer request. (No meeting required)
 
You are invited to join any of these events: 
Reach out to Reverend Cindi Brickson at 
pastoralcare@saintmarysepiscopal.org for a Zoom link
 
For confidential prayer requests, reach out to Rev. Cindi at pastoralcare@saintmarysepiscopal.org

Finance Updates:

2020 Contribution Statements E-mailed
 
Year-end 2020 contribution statements for contributions to St. Mary’s for the period January 1, 2020 thru December 31, 2020, were e-mailed to all contributors on Monday, January 25th. If we do not have an e-mail for your household, a written statement will be sent to your mailing address early the week of February 1st.
 
Please note that any 2020 contributions that were received either by mail or electronically after December 31, 2020, will be reflected in your 2021 contribution statement. 
 
If you note any inaccuracies in your 2020 statement, please contact Rex Holzemer, Treasurer, at 651-308-4895 or rexaholzemer@gmail.com.  
 
We are very grateful to everyone that has continued to provide financial support to St. Mary’s over this past year. Thank you!!     
 
PPP Loan Eliminates 2020 Deficit!
 
We ended 2020 with a deficit of ($29,173), just shy of the projected ($31,190) deficit for calendar year 2020.  Fortunately, we just recently received confirmation from the Small Business Administration that the $31,700 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan we received in April of 2020 was 100% “forgiven”.  As a result, we can apply the full PPP loan proceeds to our operational budget, effectively allowing us to eliminate the 2020 deficit and add approximately $2,500 to our contingency reserve for future years.
 
Our initial review of the second round of PPP loans just being made available indicates that we will not be eligible for another PPP loan in 2021.  Our current working budget for 2021 has a projected deficit of approximately (32,000+), so this is of significant concern given we will need to utilize reserves if we cannot either increase pledge income or further reduce expenses.  
 
We have already reduced expenses by approximately $45,000 in 2021 compared to 2020.  Further reductions are being considered, but another $32,000+ in reductions would effectively disable our services and staffing.  We currently have only $166,000 in 2021 pledges from 60 households, so the projected pledge income we have included in our current 2021 working budget is $170,000, $30,000 less than in our 2020 budget.   In 2020, we received approximately $187,700 in pledge income, or ($12,300) under our budgeted pledge income of $200,000.  
 
We will continue to provide updates as we work to identify further budget reductions and manage what will be another challenging year financially for our community.  Any additional pledges or contributions will be greatly appreciated!! 
 
If you have any questions regarding the 2021 budget, or input related to revenue or expenses, please feel free to contact Rex Holzemer, Treasurer, at either 651-308-4895 or rexaholzemer@gmail.com.

Upcoming Events at Saint Mary’s  

Opportunities for Worship, Education, Choir, & Meet Ups for the week of 1/29 – 2/4 

Friday, January 29, 2021
Elders & Evening Prayer
6:30 PM
Contact Rev. Cindi for the Zoom link at 
pastoralcare@saintmarysepiscopal.org or 612-998-5136
 
Sunday, January 31, 2021
Worship via Zoom with Coffee Hour to follow.  
10:00 AM
Link
 
Monday, February 1, 2021
Pastoral Care Team
7:30 PM
Contact Rev. Cindi for the Zoom link at 
pastoralcare@saintmarysepiscopal.org or 612-998-5136
 
Tuesday, February 2, 2021
Caregiving for Aged Loved Ones
7:00 PM
Contact Rev. Cindi for the Zoom link at 
pastoralcare@saintmarysepiscopal.org or 612-998-5136
 
Tuesday, February 2, 2021
Saint Mary’s Men’s Group
7:00 PM
Please email Jim Wheeler if you have any questions or 
would like to get the Zoom link.
 
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Adult Choir
7:00 PM
If you would like to join us, or have any questions, please contact
Vonda at musicdirector@saintmarysepiscopal.org
 
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Adult Ed./Book Study
7:00-8:30 PM
If you would like to join us, or have any questions, please contact 
Nina Johnson at nina@jazmn.net or 651-308-8663 
 
Thursday, February 4, 2021
Saint Mary’s Dinner Group
Contact Julie Thomas for more information. Click here to contact Julie
 
Thursday, February 4, 2021 
Thursday Evening Contemplative Service Via Zoom
Led by Erika Scheurer and Anna Clark  
7:00 PM 
Link

Filed Under: News

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