St. Mary's Update - Sunday, November 1 - All Saints' Sunday

Remember to turn your clocks back one hour on morning of November 1 (end of Daylight Saving Time)


Sunday, November 1.
8:00am & 10:00am - Holy Eucharist
Celebrant & Preacher: The Reverend Ms. Margaret Schwarzer
9:00am Sunday School for grades 4 -5 and middle school
9:45am Childcare
10:00am K-3 Attend Church first; leave at start of 2nd Hymn
with the teachers
11:00am Adult Forum on Special Music led by Kirsten Johnson
Please Note: Childcare is available today during the Adult Forum
3:00pm Parish Hall in use - Cello Recital
Monday, November 2
8:00pm AA (6:30 newcomers)
Tuesday, November 3
9:30am Holy Eucharist
10:00am WSM Board Meeting
7:00pm Craft Workshop
Wednesday, November 4
6:30pm Sharing a New Song
7:30pm Search Committee
Thursday, November 5
6:30pm Junior Choir
7:30pm Adult Choir
Friday, November 6
Diocesan Convention
Saturday, November 7
Diocesan Convention
7:00am Cradles to Crayons
9:30am Children’s Service Rehearsal

Christian Education Update

Godly Play Curriculum Building

Children’s Service Planned for St. Mary’s
St. Mary’s is planning a Children’s Service next Sunday, November 8th. All children are invited to participate in the service (with adult leadership) as ushers, greeters, almsbearers, acolytes, readers, or junior choir members. We are still seeking youngsters to participate on this special day, so please contact Isabel Phillips, our Interim Director of Christian Education. Isabel’s Email: reading_doctor@comcast.net.
Phone: (978) 852-4633
The November 8th Children’s Service will be a service of Holy Communion led by Margaret Schwarzer. Our older youth will present a short homily on the topic of: “Stewardship from a Place of Gratitude.” If you are a student in Middle School or High School and would like to share your own thoughts and reflections, please let Isabel Phillips or Jeffrey Hughes know ASAP. There will be a rehearsal for this service on Saturday, November 7th from 9:30 – 10:15am, and again before the service on Sunday, November 8th at 8:45am. (Dunkin Donuts will be served at 8:45am).

Children’s Service Planned for St. Mary’s

Upcoming Events for Youth

Sunday, November 15 Middle School Pie-Making for the Newton Food Pantry Thanksgiving Dinner (2:00-4:00 pm)

Saturday, December 19 Rehearsal for Christmas Pageant - (9:00 a.m.–12 noon with pizza served for lunch)

Sunday, December 20** Christmas Pageant @ 10:00am service

**Please note that the pageant this year will be held on the Sunday before Christmas instead of on Christmas Eve. Lucille Rossignol has graciously offered to assist Isabel Phillips with the pageant this year. Thank you Lucille! Any other parents who would like to assist as chaperones at the rehearsal would be welcome!

Update for Sunday, October 25, 2009

Sunday, October 25
UTO Ingathering
8:00am Holy Eucharist
Celebrant & Preacher: The Reverend John Finley
9:00am Sunday School for grades 4 -5 and middle school
9:45am Childcare
10:00am Holy Eucharist
Celebrant & Preacher: The Reverend John Finley
10:00am K-3 Attend Church first; leave at beginning of 2nd Hymn
with the teachers
11:00am Coffee
11:15am Adult Forum on Epiphany School
led by The Reverend John Finley
Monday, October 26
1:00pm Staff Meeting
8:00pm AA (6:30 newcomers)
Tuesday, October 27
9:30am Foods'n Fancies Crafts Workshop
Wednesday, October 28
6:30pm Sharing a New Song
Thursday, October 29
6:30pm Junior Choir
7:30pm Adult Choir
Sunday, November 1 (Daylight Saving Time ends)
8:00am & 10:00 am Holy Eucharist
Celebrant & Preacher: The Reverend Ms. Margaret Schwarzer
9:45am Childcare
Church School as Usual
11:00am Coffee
11:15am Adult Forum on Music led by Kirsten Johnson
3:00pm Parish Hall in use (Cello Recital)

Evensong with Music of Taizé - November 8th

On Sunday, November 8 at 5:00 p.m. the Adult Choir will lead a meditative service of Evening Prayer in the tradition of Taizé. We will gather in the candlelit sanctuary for a quiet service of contemplation and music.

The Taizé tradition began many years ago in the ecumenical monastic community in Taize, France. Brother Roger, Taizé's founder, arrived in the French village in 1940. In the midst of World War II, he dreamed of creating a community where reconciliation was a daily reality. He began by giving shelter to refugees of the war. Brother Roger recognized that the search for reconciliation was within each individual as well as within the community. People from around the world, especially young people, come to Taizé looking for meaning in their lives as they prepare for responsibilities in their own communities.

The liturgy of the Taizé service is meant to "quiet the soul." There is repetition in the words of the music; there is time for silence and prayer. There is no sermon or celebration of the Eucharist. The service provides an opportunity to become more peaceful and centered in the midst of our busy lives.

Please join us for the Evensong service on November 8th, followed by a soup and bread supper in the Parish Hall. All are welcome.

Cradles to Crayons - Volunteers Needed

St. Mary's has volunteered its Parish Hall on Saturday, November 7, 2009, to serve as the final sorting location for all Newton donations made to the Massachusetts Cradles to Crayons organization. An hour of your time to help sort these donated items for distribution to needy children would be a welcome contribution. Come have a good time doing good!

Cradles to Crayons was formed in 2002 specifically for the homeless and needy children of Massachusetts. You may volunteer your time to help sort donations and/or bring your own new or gently used items such as: children's clothing, shoes, newborn essentials, toys, books, birthday presents(gift cards), arts and crafts supplies, backpacks and school supplies. Such donations can be placed on the stage before November 7th or brought to the Parish Hall on sorting day. In keeping with the spirit of "stewardship from a place of gratitude" (see our Children's Service description above), we are inviting all children of St. Mary's to consider bringing their friends for an hour to help sort the clothes, toys, and puzzles for needy children in the Parish Hall.

Minutes, September 2009 Vestry Meeting

Minutes from the September 2009 Vestry meeting, as approved at our October Vestry meeting, are available for download:
Vestry_Minutes_2009_September_Redacted.pdf

Also available for download is the budget vs. actuals for both September and for Q3:
St_Marys_Financials_2009_Sept
St_Marys_Financials_2009_Q3_Detailed.pdf

Sunday October 25: Rev. John Finley at St. Mary's

The Reverend John Finley, with Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, at the Epiphany School

On October 25th, The Reverend Mr. John Finley, will be joining St. Mary's to preach and preside during our two Eucharistic services. A graduate of Groton School and Harvard College, The Reverend John H. Finley IV is the co-founder and head of Epiphany School. Mr. Finley has helped launch several other schools inspired by Epiphany's example and has also been involved in many other initiatives in education including Esperanza Academy in Lawrence, MA. At 11:15 a.m. on Sunday,October 25th, he will offer an Adult Education class on the current work of the successful Epiphany School. Please come learn more about this excellent program, one of the places our outreach dollars are hard at work.

International Day of Climate Action

October 24 will mark the International Day of Climate Action, which will be celebrated by many parishes in our Diocese at the request of Bishop Bud Cederholm.

The Diocese provided us with the following materials, which will also be included in this week's bulletin:

EnvironmentBulletinInsertFullPage1009.pdf

EnvironmentBulletinInsert2FullPage1009.pdf

St. Mary's Update - Sunday, October 18

Sunday, October 18
8:00am & 10:00am Holy Eucharist - Preacher & Celebrant: The Reverend Ms. Margaret Schwarzer
9:00am Sunday School for grades 4 5 and middle school
9:45am Childcare
10:00am K-3 Attend Church first; leave
at beginning of 2nd Hymn with the teachers
11:00am Coffee Hour
Monday, October 19
1:00pm Staff Meeting
8:00pm AA (6:30 newcomers)
Tuesday, October 20
12:30pm MECA
7:30pm Vestry Meeting
Wednesday, October 21
6:30pm Sharing a New Song
7:30pm Search Committee
Thursday, October 22
6:30pm Junior Choir
7:30pm Adult Choir
Saturday, October 24
9:30am Foods’n Fancies Craft Meeting
Sunday, October 25
Childcare & Church School as Usual
8:00am & 10:00am Holy Eucharist
The Reverend John Finley
11:15am Adult Forum led by John Finley

Rosie's Place - 2009 Holiday Toy Drive

Rosie's Place relys on donations of new toys and gift cards to make it possible for our guests to make their children’s holiday dreams come true. Here are a few facts regarding toy distribution at holiday time:

*Women will be able to browse our “store” and choose what gifts they would like to take home for their children.

*All toys should be new and unwrapped.

*Donated wrapping paper and ribbon is given to mothers to wrap their children’s gifts.

PLEASE NOTE: We are most in need of toys and gift items for boys and girls 12-16 years old.

TOYS WE PREFER
• Gift Cards
• Puzzles and books for all age groups
• Multicultural dolls, books and games
• New stuffed animals
• Unisex toys
• Legos and building blocks

TOYS WE CANNOT USE

• War toys

Please drop off toys in the front hall near the bulletin board. Please call Elisabeth Comer at 781-772-2220, if you have any questions or would like to arrange a delivery date. Thank you for your interest in helping provide a happy holiday season for the children of Rosie's Place.

Update for Sunday, October 11, 2009

Sunday, October 11
No Church School
8:00am Morning Prayer - Homily by Jeffrey Hughes
9:45am Childcare
10:00am Morning Prayer - Homily by Jeffrey Hughes
11:00am Coffee Hour
1:00pm West Gallery
Monday, October 12
Columbus Day - office Closed
8:00pm AA (6:30pm newcomers)
Tuesday, October 13
6:30pm WSM Annual Mtg & Potluck
Wednesday, October 14
6:30pm Sharing a New Song
Thursday, October 15
6:30pm Junior Choir
Sunday, October 11
8:00 & 10:00am Holy Eucharist
Celebrant & Preacher: The Reverend Ms. Margaret Schwarzer
Childcare & Church School as Usual
11:00am Coffee Hour

Opportunity to Join the Outreach Committee at St. Mary's

If you are interested in joining the OUTREACH Committee, please email me.  I will elaborate more on outreach for anyone interested...  EMAIL is ewcomer@verizon.net.  WE will be meeting in NOVEMBER to designate where funds from the 175th Anniversary and funds from the budget will go, with (hopefully!) thoughtful discussion prior.

Outreach - Salvation Army “Miracle Kitchen”

Please consider volunteering at the Salvation Army in Framingham or “Miracle Kitchen”on the first Thursday of every month.
St. Mary’s is responsible for preparing and serving a dinner there for 60 to 100 people. Dinner preparation starts around 4:30 p.m. and is served at 6:00 p.m. We have finished cleaning up by 6:45 p.m. You can volunteer for the whole time or just part of the time. Anyone over the age of 12 is welcome. We have a good time and our guests are very appreciative so hope you will consider volunteering. Please call Andrea Gordon at 781-237-6668.

A big thank you to Beverly and John Hurney and their grandson Nicholas, Florence Ayochok, Ron Bau, Paul Bau, Lynn Farnell, Amy Molloy, Pat Warner, Mary Jane Burgess, Rick Gordon and Kitty Smith for all their help over the past year. Without your support St. Mary’s would not be able to continue this much-needed service in the community.

Outreach Opportunity this Friday: Soles for Souls

We can "Change the World, One Pair at a Time" - Clarks is proud to partner with Souls 4 Souls and will be collecting worn shoes.

This Friday October 9th from 8AM to noon, the Souls 4 Souls RV will be parked out front at 156 Oak St, Newton Upper Falls and will collect shoes from the public. The Souls 4 Souls RV has been traveling the country and collecting 1,000's of pairs of shoes and we are proud to be part of their tour!

Soles4Souls and Clarks will be collecting your gently worn footwear to ship to people in need, whether they are victims of natural disasters or subject to living in extreme poverty. It is estimated that Americans have 1.5 billion pairs of unused shoes lying in their closets. The charity can use each and every one of these pairs to make a tangible difference in someone's life.

Nashville-based Soles4Souls™ facilitates the donations of both new and used shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide. Soles4Souls has distributed more than 5 million pairs (currently donating one pair every 13 seconds) to people in over 125 countries, including Honduras, Uganda, Romania, and the United States. The charity has been featured in Runner's World and the Green Guide by National Geographic. It has also appeared on CNN, NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, BBC and hundreds of regional outlets around North America. . Visit www.giveshoes.org for more information.

Thank you in advance for your support.

New Email List

We are migrating our parish email list to Constant Contact. This should eliminate most of the problems we have had in the past with blocked or poorly formatted emails. If you aren't receiving weekly email updates and wish to, please sign up here.

Save-the-Dates for November

Our Sunday, November 8 10AM service will be a special Children's Sabbath. There is no separate Sunday school and all youth will participate in the main service.

On that same evening (Sunday, November 8) at 5PM, our Adult Choir will host Taize Evensong followed by a soup and bread supper in the parish hall.

Lastly, our annual Foods 'n' Fancies Church Bazaar will be on Saturday, November 21. This Women of St. Mary's event is our only fundraiser during the year, with all proceeds going to Outreach programs.

Photos: Blessing of the Animals

We had a wonderful turnout for today's Blessing of the Animals - countless dogs of all sizes, a bee from the hive of a family that raises bees, and a stuffed dragon, in addition to remote blessings of two cats and a goldfish that could not be with us today. We also collected several large baskets of pet food donations for the Wellesley Food Bank - thank you all!

Larry Walton Memorial Offering Update

Thank you everyone who donated to the memorial for our former Rector Larry Walton. Donations totaling ~$2100 (to date) will be sent to the Wareham Area Committee for the Homeless in honor of Larry.

Music of Peter Lea-Cox

Thank you to Peter Lea-Cox, Kirsten Johnson, and St. Mary's Adult Choir for a wonderful special music program this past Sunday.

We were able to record some of the music, which you can download (MP3 format) below.

Prelude - Komm, Gott Schopfer, BWV 667, and Opening Hymn - O Holy Spirit, By Whose Name
Track_1.mp3

Chorale Prelude -Aus Tiefer Not, BWV 686, and Hymn 151 - From the deepest woe I cry to thee
Track_2.mp3

Chorale Prelude - Erschienen ist der herrlich Tag, BWV 629, and Hymn 201 - On Earth has dawned this day of days
Track_3.mp3

Chorale Prelude - Wie schon leuchtet der Morgenstern, BWV 1 (O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright)
Track_4.mp3