Reminder: All Parish Dinner this Friday

Calendar for Week of February 28

The image above was created by the artist Jan Neal, and is part of a collection of logo art available for use on the Episcopal Church website. You can see much more at the website Episcopal Church and Visual Arts (ECVA), whose mission is to "encourage artists, individuals, congregations, and scholars to engage the visual arts in the spiritual life of the church".

Sunday, February 28
8:00am Holy Eucharist
Celebrant: The Reverend Ms. Margaret Schwarzer
Preacher: Nick Gilbert
9:00am Sunday School for grades 4-5
and Middle School
9:45am Childcare
10:00am Morning Prayer
Preacher: Rabbi Ronald Weiss
10:00am K-3 Attend Church first;
(leave at 2nd hymn w/ teachers)
11:00am Coffee
11:15am Adult Forum - Lenten Study
Topic: Yearning, Temptation, & Sin
led by The Reverend Ms. Margaret Schwarzer
*Childcare & Activities available during forum. Please see below
Monday, March 1
12:30pm Staff Meeting
8:00pm AA (6:30pm newcomers)
Tuesday, March 2
9:30am Holy Eucharist
10:00am WSM Board Meeting
5:30pm Riverside Station Neighborhood Coalition Meeting
Wednesday, March 3
9:30am Hills & Falls - Parish Hall
6:30pm Sharing a New Song
Thursday, March 4
Parish Hall in use for set-up
4:30pm Miracle Kitchen
6:30pm Junior Choir
7:30pm Adult Choir
Friday, March 5
No Yoga
Parish Hall booked all day
6:00pm Parish Potluck Dinner & Magician
Sunday, March 7
Childcare & Sunday School as usual
8 & 10am Holy Eucharist
11:00am Coffee
The Reverend Ms. Margaret Schwarzer
11:15am Lenten Study on Prayer led by The Reverend Ms. Margaret Schwarzer

*Special Youth Activities for the Lenten Adult Forum Series
Supervised activities will be available downstairs while parents attend the special Lenten program in the Chapter Room from 11:15 – 12 noon.   Marie Schlegel will offer extended childcare for the younger children. Older youth will have the choice of viewing a movie in the middle school classroom or participating in other supervised activities in the K-5 Sunday School rooms. Popcorn will be served!

Wellesley Interfaith Food Drive

It’s Time for the Wellesley Interfaith Food Drive!

Over the past eighteen months, the Wellesley Food Pantry has seen a significant increase in the demand for their services. More than 200 families are in need of their help. Starting Sunday February 28th, in a town wide effort to support the Food Pantry, twelve Houses of Worship in Wellesley will be collecting designated Food items for the Wellesley Food Pantry.

The Interfaith Food Drive will take place over a four week period. St. Mary's has been asked to collect only vegetable oil and mayonnaise or Roche Brothers $10.00 gift certificates. The Food Pantry has identified certain products for each House of Worship in order to best meet the needs of their clients over the next few months.

We ask that you bring your vegetable oil and mayonnaise to service with you on Sunday February 28, March 7th, 14th, and 21st. Please leave your donations in the collection boxes available in the Narthex.

Then on Saturday March 27th, all the Houses of Worship will bring their collections to the Assembly Room at the Wellesley Hills Congregational Church and celebrate the abundance of gifts for the Food Pantry.

We will also need volunteers from each House of Worship to help with separating and putting the food away in the Pantry on Saturday the 27. If you would like to help, please contact Elisabeth Comer at ewcomer@verizon.net.

We have so much to be thankful for and we know….that it is better to give than to receive. Thank you so much for helping in this wonderful Interfaith effort.

Lent's Spiritual Landscape Continues on Sunday, February 28

In our Ash Wednesday Liturgy, our Book of Common Prayer invites us "in the name of the Church to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentence; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditation on God's holy Word." This year, we will live out that invitation by exploring Lent's spiritual landscape together during our Adult Forum starting at 11:30am on the Sunday dates dates listed below.

Please join me to reflect on the theme of the week and discover its revelance for our 21st century daily living. February 28, Yearning, Temptation and Sin; March 7, Prayer; March 14, Forgiveness; March 21, Practicing Resurrection.

--The Reverend Ms. Margaret Schwarzer

Youth Collaborative Event for Middle Schoolers: Love Your Neighbor Scavenger Hunt and Adventure - Friday, March 5

March 5 - March 6, 2010, from either Friday 4PM to Saturday morning 10AM, or just on Friday 4PM to 8:30PM

You find yourself broke, homeless and hungry in Newton Centre, with only your backpack.
· Where will you eat?
· Where will you sleep?
· Where will you shower?
· Who will help you?
Walk with your neighbors in their holey hungry shoes. Explore obstacles confronting our neighbors living at the margins of society, through a Scavenger Hunt in Newton Centre. Eat only what you can afford. Watch a movie about one family's life on the street. Sleep outside in a shelter that you build. Then create a 4-minute YouTube video to share what you learn with others. Youth are also welcome to attend Friday afternoon/evening events and leave after dinner, without staying for the movie (The Pursuit of Happyness), sleepover, and breakfast.

This event will be held at the Parish of Saint Paul, 1135 Walnut Street, Newton Highlands. Please let Isabel Phillips know if your middle schooler is interested in attending, or if you would be willing to be a chaperone for our youth in this event. More information and a registration form can be downloaded below:

Program_Description.pdf
Registration_Form.pdf

Yoga Classed Offered on Mondays and Fridays

You are invited to join the yoga classes held at St. Mary's on Monday mornings from 8:30am - 10:00am, and on Friday mornings from 8:00am - 9:15am. All levels of experience, including beginners, are welcome. For cost and more information, please call Ann Igoe (781-772-2057) or Lee Croft at 781-431-7463.

Good News: February 19, 2010

The Good News from February 19 is now available for download:
Good_News_2010_February_19.pdf

This issue includes the article "How to Keep a Good Lent" as well as an article adapted from Margaret's Ash Wednesday sermon.

Each year, as Lent comes, I am asked by interested people as to how they should organize their intentions and ambitions for the forty days. No two persons respond in the same way to Lent, and I am not going to try to prescribe a rigorous course of behavior. Experience tells me, however, that what I propose works, and because it does, I am eager to share it with you.

Photos: Youth Christian Ed (1 of 2)

Photos: Barbara Harris Camp (September 2009)

Several of our middle school aged youth participated in the Charles River Deanery Youth Collaborative trip to to the Barbara Harris Camp last autumn. The trip started from a chartered bus departing from St. Mary’s and included both a Eucharist and the experience, excitement and team building of doing a Low Ropes Course. Below are pictures from the trip.

Ash Wednesday Services, February 17

Ash Wednesday services will be held at 9:30AM and 7:30PM on Wednesday, February 17.

DIocesan Medical Mission Trip Planning Meeting at St. Mary's

The diocese’s Global Mission Partnership Task Force and Samaritans Now, an Episcopal medical relief program, are hosting an informational meeting for any and all healthcare professionals interested in participating in a mission trip. Planning is underway for healthcare mission trips in 2010 and 2011 to the Caribbean, West Bank and Africa.

The meeting takes place on Saturday, April 10, 10 a.m., at St. Mary’s Church (258 Concord Street) in Newton Lower Falls. Attendance will help participants develop a vision for what is involved in this type of trip, learn more about details of participation as a member of a medical team and discern whether or not it is the right commitment for them. For more information: The Rev. Ted Gaiser, Global Mission Partnership Task Force (617/782-1577 or tgaiser@diomass.org).

Calendar for February 14, 2010 and Upcoming Week

Sunday, February 14
No Church School
8:00am Holy Eucharist - The Reverend Ms. Margaret Schwarzer
9:45am Childcare
10:00am Holy Eucharist - The Reverend Ms. Margaret Schwarzer
11:00am Coffee Hour
1:00pm West Gallery
Monday, February 15
President's Day - Office Closed
8:00pm AA (6:30 newcomers)
Tuesday February 16
10:00am Staff Meeting
12:00am MECA
Wednesday, February 17
9:30am Ash Wednesday Service
7:30pm Ash Wednesday Service
Thursday, February 18
7:30pm Adult Choir
Friday, February 19
8:00pm Yoga
Sunday, February 21
Church School as Usual
8:00am Holy Eucharist
The Reverend Ms. Margaret Schwarzer
9:45am Childcare
10:00am Holy Eucharist
The Reverend Ms. Margaret Schwarzer
11:00am Coffee
11:15am Lenten Study on Fasting and Silence
led by The Reverend Ms. Margaret Schwarzer
Please note that childcare is available for the Lenten Study.

Parish Dinner Friday March 5th

CELEBRATE FAMILY, FUN & FELLOWSHIP AT THE MAGIC OF ST. MARY’S “MAGICAL” POT LUCK DINNER!

Friday, March 5th starting at 6:00 pm

Featuring special guest Bonaparte’! Be swept beyond amazement as renowned magician, Bonaparte dazzles St. Mary’s with his unique and interactive style of magic. As a leading magician in the entertainment industry, Bonaparte is sure to amaze all of St. Mary’s with his unique blend of magic, comedy, balloon sculptures and much more!! A favorite of children of all ages!

6:00 – Appetizers
All are welcome to come and enjoy a pre-show snack while Bonaparte meanders creating magic wherever he steps!
6:40 – Show begins
7:15 – Dinner served

Come early for the show and stay for dinner.
Not certain your kids can stay up past 8? Come fed and in PJs and stay just for the show.

If you have any questions, please contact Kathy Acuna at 781-235-5860/kathyacuna@yahoo.com, Julie Gilbert at j_gilbert@globe.com or Kathryn Quirk at quirkpr@gmail.com

Update: Donations for Haiti

To date, St. Mary's has donated a total of $1,960 which we are splitting between Episcopal Relief and Development and The Society of St. Margaret's, our Episcopal convent with a sister house in Haiti. These donations will bring food and support to the people of Haiti.

The photo above is from Episcopal Relief and Development - you can learn more about their on-going Haitian relief work here.

Photos: Eucharist Instruction

Godly Play Presentation Materials

On January 31st, Isabel Phillips led a forum about Godly Play, the new Episcopal curriculum being used in our K-5 Sunday School classrooms this year. Godly Play was created by an Episcopal priest and renowned expert in the development of spirituality of children, who co-taught children and youth with his wife for over 20 years. The program teaches sacred Biblical stories, parables and liturgical actions through story-telling with concrete tactile objects and biblical figures.

For those unable to attend, you can download Isabel's presentation as well as the materials distributed at the forum here:

Godly_Play_Presentation_Jan_2010.ppt (Powerpoint format)
Godly_Play_Presentation_Jan_2010.pdf (PDF format)

2010_Godly_Play_Wishlist.pdf
Godly_Play_Story_Sequence.pdf
Summary_of_Survey_Results_CE_Priorities_2009.pdf

Photos: Events at St. Mary's on Sunday, January 31

Junior Choir


Forum on Godly Play


Evensong


Soup and Bread Supper

St. Marys Calendar for Sunday, February 7

Sunday, February 7
8:00am 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 Holy Eucharist
Celebrant and Preacher: The Reverend Ms. Margaret Schwarzer
10:00am K-3 Attend Church first; leave
at beginning of 2nd Hymn with
the teachers
11:00am Coffee Hour
11:15am Adult Forum on Eucharist instruction led by Margaret Schwarzer
for Children and Families

Monday, February 8
8:30am Yoga
12:45pm Staff Meeting
8:00pm AA (6:30 newcomers)
Tuesday February 9
7:00pm Stitch’n Chat at
Jane Sabin’s house

Wednesday, February 10
6:30pm Sharing a New Song

Thursday, February 11
6:30pm Junior Choir
7:30pm Adult Choir
Friday, February 12
8:00am Yoga

Special Eucharist Instruction: Sunday, February 7

After the 10am service, Margaret Schwarzer will be offering a child-friendly presentation on Eucharistic instruction from 11:15am to 12:15 pm. All parishioners at St. Mary's are invited to attend and bring questions. Families are invited to learn about the Eucharist and to offer it to their children when it is right for each family.

Adult Forum: Lent's Spiritual Landscape Begins on Sunday, February 21

In our Ash Wednesday Liturgy, our Book of Common Prayer invites us "in the name of the Church to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentence; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditation on God's holy Word." This year, we will live out that invitation by exploring Lent's spiritual landscape together during our Adult Forum starting at 11:15 a.m. on the Sunday dates dates listed below.

Please join me to reflect on the theme of the week and discover its revelance for our 21st century daily living. February 21, Fasting and Silence; February 28, Yearning, Temptation and Sin; March 7, Prayer; March 14, Forgiveness; March 21, Practicing Resurrection.

-The Reverend Ms. Margaret Schwarzer