WEEKLY MESSAGE – October 18, 2024

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WEEKLY MESSAGE – October 18th – Bishop McGregor

Take Things One Step At A Time
As many of you know, I wasn’t in church this past Sunday. Last weekend, Patsy and I spent five days in South Bend, Indiana, where we attended the Inspired Leadership Initiative program alumni gathering at the University of Notre Dame. Every year, alumni come together to attend lectures, discuss issues, meet new graduates, reconnect with friends, and enjoy an Irish football game. The events are stimulating, encouraging, and filled with joy.
I’m glad we went, especially since we almost didn’t because of the hurricane and tornadoes. Patsy and I struggled to decide whether to go, given all that was happening in our lives last week. The Weather Channel was issuing warnings about impending disasters, with conflicting updates about the storm’s path. We had to consider everything that needed to come together: If we stayed, what would we need? What supplies would we need to survive without electricity? We also thought about safety and security—what about our belongings outside? Our windows? Our home? What should we do with the food in our refrigerator?
On the other hand, if we decided to leave, what steps would we need to take? Would flights still be running? Could we even find an Uber to the airport? And what about Patsy’s mom, who lives nearby? We felt overwhelmed by all these decisions and stressors.
One of the best decisions we made was to tackle everything in smaller chunks. First, we prioritized our tasks and then divided them up, addressing them one at a time. Once we did that, it didn’t seem as overwhelming. It allowed us to achieve smaller victories along the way.
I think our parish can be a bit like this. Sometimes, we may feel overwhelmed by our responsibilities as stewards of God’s creation and the body of Christ—whether it’s maintenance, finances, skill sets, projects, ministries, events, or people. It can be helpful to prioritize, divide tasks, and take things one step at a time, celebrating our progress along the way.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Sandwiches for St. George’s:  Please bring your sandwiches to St. David’s west side parking lot on Wednesday mornings from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Hospitality Hour is scheduled after the 10:00 a.m. service – Hosted by the Caribbean Sunday Committee.   Next week Sunday will be hosted St. David’s Episcopal School & PTO.  We will honor Ms. Kathy Vandamas’ retirement after twenty-two years as headmistress at St. David’s Day school.

Caribbean Sunday is scheduled on Sunday at the 10:00 a.m. service.  Our guest celebrant and preacher is the Rev. Sonley Joseph.  Live steel pan.  A Caribbean reception to follow in the Parish Hall.

Bunco is scheduled on Saturday, October 26th at 6:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall.  Bring a dish to share – and we will have someone to watch the little ones.  $10 per person, with 3 separate cash prizes.

St. David’s Episcopal School Sunday will be celebrated on Sunday, October 27th.  The students will make a special presentation in honor of Ms. Kathy Vandamas’ retirement after twenty-two years as headmistress at St. David’s Day school.

Church Directory.  All photos that are not taken by the photographer will cost $20 to be included in the directory. Please submit all photos to Marie Hogan (Capricorn11@hotmail.com) by 10/31. No professional photos please. This entitles you to receive a directory also. Anyone submitting photos and anyone wishing to purchase a directory but no picture, please give $20 to Linda McKeown by 10/31.  Please make checks payable to St. David’s.

Baptism is scheduled on All Saints Sunday, November 3rd at the 10:00 a.m. service

Stewardship Pledging Sundays are scheduled on November 3rd, 10th and 17th.

A Service of Choral Evensong is scheduled on Sunday, November 3rd at 4:00 p.m.  A reception to follow.  Anyone wanting to contribute food and or beverage to the reception, please see sign-up sheet in the narthex.

St. George’s.  We are collecting food items for St. George’s table on November 3rd and 10th.  Items requested are Elbow macaroni, cans of tuna fish and cans of mushroom soup, so that they can serve a casserole.  Connie Hanson and Kristi Lee will be in the parking lot at the front entrance to the church to collect these items.

Health and Wellness Seminar.  Please join us for a Legal Wellness for Life seminar on Saturday, November 9th at 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 a.m. in the parish hall where you will learn about Wills and Trusts and how to protect your family and your legacy.  Looking forward to seeing there!
Healing Service is scheduled on Sunday, November 17th immediately after the 10:00 a.m. service in the church for those who would like special prayers.

First Communion is scheduled on Sunday, December 1st at the 10:00 a.m. service.

New Members Course for those who want to know more about the parish and become members, we will have our last meeting on Sunday, December 8th after the 10:00 a.m. service.

Sunday school is open and available for children starting at age 3 years old.  We would love to have new teachers in our Sunday school, if you are interested in helping, please contact Katie Waters at katiewaters@hotmail.com.  Nursery Care is available for children under 3 years old.

Bible Study at 9:00 a.m. is scheduled on Sunday in the Sunday school classroom.

No Women’s Bible Study this Sunday.  They will resume on Sunday, October 27th at 11:30 a.m. in the Mark Room.

Youth Group Bible Study will be on Sunday, October 27th in the small school classroom.

Tuesdays:  Holy Eucharist/Morning Prayer at 8:30 a.m.

Sunday’s Worship – We are open for live worship on Sundays at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.  We also “live-stream” our 10 a.m. service.

Video Viewing Options for Sunday’s mass.  There are three different ways to view our videos: 1) our church website; 2) our Facebook page; and 3) our YouTube channel.  See the links listed below.

Opportunities for Giving – there are several options that safely and efficiently expedite your generous donations: electronic bank transfers or automatic bank transfers via personal accounts or credit/debit cards; personal checks delivered by USPS; and our favorite through joining our giving family online through our website or at  https://www.myEoffering.com with our secure vendor Church Envelope Budget Company, who provides you with yearly offering envelopes. Please do NOT leave any envelopes with checks/cash unattended at church mailboxes.

PLEASE PRAY.  For the sick:  Audley, Bernadette, Beverly, Bob, Carol, Carmen, Cathey, Clive, Danny, Dennis, Dudley, Elsa, Emily, Evelyn, Gavin, Gloria, Ina, Iris, Jameson, Jim, Julie, Linette, Lloyd, Logan, Mary Ann, Megan, Michael G., Michael M., Millie, Pat, Pearl, Peggy, Phyllis, Predrag, Robin, Rohan, Ronald, Shelley, Taj, Tanner, Teresa, Tom, Violet.  For birthday celebrations:  Aaron Harvey-Chung, Violet Henry.  For anniversary celebration:  Everald and Phyllis Thomas.  For our search committee:  Howard Barrett, Jenifer Elmore, Janice Jacques, Kristi Lee, Sera Peat, Yvonne Wolliston, Cecil Wray.

Vestry Members:  Howard Barrett – Senior Warden, Laurette Bagley, Kenneth Barnett, Jenifer Elmore, Matthew Hogan, Karlene Kiminyo, Chris LaBorde – Secretary, Linda McKeown, Irene Oknewski, Yvonne Wolliston, John Webber – Junior Warden, Dennis Wright – Treasurer.