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WEEKLY BULLETIN
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the Episcopal church of st. andrew
the second sunday after epiphany 17 january 2021
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Sunday worship - Jay invites you to join the National Cathedral for worship at 11.15am HERE. The preacher is the Rev. Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, a Vanderbilt professor and author of the bestselling Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America. You can download the Order of Worship HERE.
Coffee Hour - For coffee hour on Zoom at 10am, please click HERE. Thank you for joining our "hybrid" worship last Sunday which was broadcast live from St. Andrew's with our virtual choir's pre-recorded hymns dropped into the liturgy. Apologies to our worshipers (and to Jack) for failing to capture his wonderful voice, but we've figured out how to make that work next time. Feedback about the quality of the sound has varied widely. Jack's voice excepted, many people said that the service sounded fine on their tablet, computer or TV, whereas others reported that the sound was terrible. We value your feedback, so please let Jay have comments and suggestions for improvement, preferably via email HERE. Our schedule of services going forward into Lent is below:
Offer Your Voice on 24 January - Jack has recorded a video so that any church member -- whatever their age or skill -- can join the virtual choir for our final hymn on Sunday, 24 January. To view Jack's teaching video and to hear the recording track (the one you'll sing along to), click HERE. For the words and music of "You have called us by our name," you can access the sheet music HERE. You listen to Jack through earphones and sing along into your phone, and then you send the sound file from your phone to Jack via email. It's actually quite easy -- I've just done it. The trick is to send the recording off to Jack without listening to it! My voice sounds dreadful on its own (especially to my ears) but that changes when it's blended with everyone else. Most smart phones have a voice memo or recorder app already installed, but if not, the AVR app is easy and free. Please send your audio recording to Jack by tomorrow (Sunday) night. Contact Jack with questions HERE. Kathleen's Lectures Postponed - The Rev. Dr. Kathleen Rusnak recently underwent eye surgery. Due to complications with her cornea, Kathleen's lectures on "The Kingdom Within" (originally scheduled to begin this Tuesday) have been postponed. Please keep Kathleen and Claire in your prayers. Creating a Fire Orchestra with "Wild Epiphany" - In the midst of a pandemic, it's hard to keep an after-school enrichment program going, especially when your volunteers are in high-risk categories and children are "zoomed out" from school. But UpBeat in Newport has carried on since July, meeting outdoors and conscientiously keeping safety protocols. Rebranded as "Wild Epiphany," UpBeat's classroom is currently the Newport town forest. On Thursday afternoons, youngsters are discovering (and making!) music in nature. Working with Jack and Aaron this week, they created a fire from a bow drill. When each child tossed their foraged offering on the fire, the result was a delightful "fire orchestra." Enjoy the photos and listen to the sounds HERE. Food Bank - we are asked to donate canned fruit in January. The plastic tub for donations is outside the door. Annual Meeting, Elections & Budget - Our Annual Meeting will take place via Zoom this year on Sunday, 31 January. After our InSpirit worship online at 9am, we'll have a brief time of fellowship (abbreviated "coffee hour") at 10am followed by the Annual Meeting which will run until 11am. We need to elect church leaders, and our outgoing Warden, Bruce Avery, has consulted church members to create this slate of candidates for election:
Weekly Giving Envelopes Available - Weekly giving envelopes are available to pick up in the hall across from the name tag rack. Please stop in when the church building is open from 9:30 to 3:30 on weekdays, taking care to sanitize your hands on entry, to wear a mask, and to keep physical distance. Please call Shelly if you would like to order weekly giving envelopes. Alternatively, you might consider making recurring gifts securely from your bank account (checking or savings) via the giving portal on our website HERE (there is also provision for donating via credit card). LAST SUNDAY OUTREACH - Our Outreach Commission has chosen The Friendly Kitchen in Concord as the recipient of the January Outreach Offering. The only soup kitchen in Concord, The Friendly Kitchen has provided a meal for the hungry in a warm, caring environment since 1980. Anyone is welcome. Volunteers plan menus, prepare and cook the meals, serve the food and wash the dishes. Much of the food is donated by volunteers, businesses, and community food programs. St. Andrew’s volunteers usually serve on the last Friday of every other month. Meals are provided seven days a week: three times a day Monday through Friday; twice a day on the weekends. With the COVID pandemic, the meals could no longer be served inside so the Kitchen switched to take-out meals. Approximately 600-700 meals a week are served. As always, your donation to the Last Sunday Offering will be matched by our anonymous donors. You can send a check to the office (payable to St. Andrew's Church with Friendly Kitchen in the memo line) or give online HERE. Our Last Sunday Offering for the Episcopal Church in Navajoland is not until February, but please offer your prayers now. The virus continues to exact a deadly toll on the reservation, especially amongst elders. Amongst the indigenous leaders of the Episcopal Church in Navajoland, Canon Cornelia Eaton has lost two aunts, an uncle, and a cousin; Fr. Michael Sells buried his grandfather this past week, and G. J. Gordy (ECN's communications director) lost her sister to COVID on Monday. Prayer Flags to Honor NH Victims of COVID - Join our high school youth group in prayerfully decorating a prayer flag to honor each person who has lost their life to COVID-19 in New Hampshire. You can pick up strands of 10 flags from the bin outside the entrance at St. Andrew’s and take them home to decorate, returning them to the bin when finished. Ski Outing to Cannon Mountain - Amidst all the personal and political pressures, fresh air and physical exercise are helpful. Your Rector's day off is Wednesday, and on 27 January, I plan to ski Cannon Mountain, taking advantage of its half price deal for NH residents (those over 65 ski free at state-owned Cannon every weekday!). We can't ride up the lift together (apart from those in the same household or bubble), but we'll naturally see each other on the mountain. Everyone (including those over 65) will need to make a reservation HERE. Even without the tram which is closed this season, Cannon is a great ski mountain with the state's highest summit and biggest vertical drop. Boot up at your car and bring a bag lunch to eat outside. I'll be in the Peabody Express lift line by 8.55 to enjoy the groomed corduroy and plan to eat outside the Peabody Lodge at 11.15. Feel free to join me! - Jay Beware of Email Scams - Scammers sometimes create an email address to impersonate clergy and solicit funds from church members. These are known as "phishing scams." St. Andrew's and its staff will never send an email asking you to buy gift cards or to give personal financial information. There is nothing we can do to keep someone from creating an email address that looks similar to that of our staff. Jay uses two email addresses: jay@standrewsnl.org and jaymacleod@mac.com. He will not communicate with you via any other email addresses. Phishing emails often smell fishy. Asking for emergency funds while traveling is a standard ploy. If you think it's a scam... Do not open the email. If you've already opened it, do not click on anything. Scammers are often professional con artists who can play on the goodwill of the holiday season. Let's keep our hearts open to those in desperate need and keep giving to our trusted mission partners. St. Andrew's members can now make financial offerings online via our website. Alternatively, you can send a check to St. Andrew’s Church, PO Box 294, New London, NH 03257. Your continue financial support is very much appreciated. It's been lovely to welcome worshipers to Midday Prayer on weekdays at noon on Zoom. Here's the LINK. This week we celebrate her birthday with Tina Colehower. Please pray for: Katlin McLaughlin, Pat Goodwin, Deb & David, Kate Marshall, Reilly, Dick, Jan Hunt, Pastor Kenneth T. Michnay, Janet Benzie, Andy, Nate, Irene Boucher, Ellen Robertson, Nicholas Elliot, Russell Jacobs, Annie Feeley Kieffer, Lin Potter, Sue Greenbaum, Dawn Woolley, Harper Oates, Pam Morland, Christina, Michael Maple, Deb, Bruce Avery, Susan King, Beth, Robert Murphy, Sarah, Debbie Knowles, Christine Taylor, Michael Prosperi, Carol Ryder, Martha Andreo, Fran & Bob Kenney, John Fuller, Cody, Kevin Bland & family, Tuckerman, Don & Dana, Christopher Baron & family. Pray for the repose of the soul of Deborah Lambert. This week we remember with thanksgiving Jack Andrews, Adam Ottenritter, Jack Hambley, Tracy C. Dickson, and Harmon Lewis. |