The Epistle January 2012
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Transcript of The Epistle January 2012
FlU)#\. tkQector·
What Is God Up To Next?As we enter the year 2012, we have to
celebrate what God has been up to in St.Paul's over the last 5 years as we haveworked together as priest and people. Inconsidering what lies ahead, I have alsobeen reflecting on all the things we haveaccomplished. Amazing things havehappened here at St. Paul's in our timetogether:
We . have restored and refurbished
much of our church and sanctuaryincluding the donations of frontals, newcandlesticks, candelabra, and a large altarcross as well as wall-mounted shelves forflowers.
Cleaned up the upstairs Sunday Schoolrooms - which had primarily becomeoversize closets for storage - and put themback to use as they were intended - as aSunday School space dedicated toproviding Christian formation for ourchildren. The children love having "theirown" space in which to learn and share.
Lowered the lights in the sanctuary andrepainted it to make it brighter and easierto see.
Replaced the leaded glass windows inthe church and repaired the frames.
Repainted and ·added new fixtures andcabinets to the bathrooms on the mainlevel
Re-roofed, re-sided, and re-screenedall the buildings on the parish property.
Re-designed and replanted the beds inthe front and sides of the church to makethem more attractive.
Re-worked the St. Francis Garden so itis more attractive and has markers forthose buried there.
Re-carpeted the hallway of the mainnarthex
Cleared and widened the back picnicarea and added additional benches andtables for outside services and events.
Lowered the lights in the parish hallDeveloped Vestry Ministry Teams to
support all the ministries in our parishCreated several opportunities for on
going faith development and Bible studyfor people of all ages.
Continued a successful annual summerVacation Bible School open to thecommunity.
Have numerous outreach projects forthe wider community and partner withboth LifeStyles and Children's Aid
Created the emergency FoodPantry
Re-established foyer groupsDeveloped a St. Paul's Book ClubCreated "Ladies' Night Out" group for
the women of the parishDeveloped a hand-chime choirContinuation and expansion of our
blessed worship experiences together andhave involved many more members asreaders, lectors, and lay Eucharisticministers.
Continue to develop and enhance ourSunday School experience and involvemore adults as teachers and leaders
Created the Older Active AdultMinistry and Fabulous 50+ luncheon
Are part of the Region 6 CollaborativeMinistry endeavor and participate inLessons and Carols with 3-4 otherchurches as a regional event.
..... and so much more.As I reflect on all of this, I realize that
it comes together as a solid foundation forthe NEXT things that God is calling us to.And what is that?
God is calling each of us - and all ofus together - to LET OUR LIGHTSHINE! (Mt 5:16) This is a standing callfrom Jesus to His disciples, but it's a callespecially appropriate for this time andthis place.
WHEN are we to let our light shine?Now and in the coming year, 2012.
WHERE are we to let our light shine?In our own community of Charles County.
Beginning more than a decade ago,urban planners predicted that the nextwave of decline in our country would be inthe suburbs .:..places like Charles Countyand St Mary's and even La Plata - wherefarms that were turned into suburbs tosupport industry and government declinemore and more as people are laid off. Sofar, Charles County has been among themore fortunate communities becausegovernment/military continues to providejobs. But even so, with the currenteconomic downturn our community issuffering more than ever. As you know,many people look to give help primarilyoverseas... and certainly help there isneeded, but my major focus has alwaysbeen to look carefully at the place whereGod has put you... and see what can bedone right where you are.
In the midst of ttying times for us and forour neighbors, it's crucial for each of uswith hope in Him to LET OUR LIGHTSHINE! God will reveal His power andhis plan for this area in fresh new ways. Ibelieve that God's promise to us is this: ifwe dare to LET OUR LIGHT SHINE, thenwith His power working through us can domore than we can hope for or imagine(Eph 3:20).
My wish for all of us for the comingyear is that God's blessings and joy willcontinue to pour down on us and that wewill allow His light to shine through us aswe reach out to others. In this New Yearmay we be blessed and become blessingsto those around us.
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LUNCH FOYER GROUP
The Lunch Foyer Group will meet atnoon on Wednesday, January 4, 2012 atMarie's Restaurant, 6325 Crain Highwayin La Plata, telephone 301-932-6884.
If you would like to join us, pleasecontact Val Carter, 301-934-2883 byWednesday, December 28th so we canmake our reservation. We are an opengroup and extend a warm welcome to allnewcomers. (Marie's has been a strongsupporter of our Silent Auction in 'recentyears.)
ST. PAUL'S, PINEY BOOK CLUB
The next meeting of the 81. Paul's,Piney Book Club will be on Monday,January 16th in the clubhouse atHeritage of S1. Charles in White Plains,Maryland from 7-8:30 pm.
We welcome new members and lookforward to another great discussion. Formore information, please contact JaniceMiller at [email protected].
The book for discussion at thatmeeting will be The Best of Me byNicholas Sparks.
LADIES' NIGHT OUT - January 18
The next Ladies' Night Out will be at 6pm on Wednesday, January 18th• Welook forward to seeing you on this eveningfor fun and fellowship.
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WINTER GATHERING
Tentative plans are being made for aChili Cook-off followed by an evening ofmusic and fun sometime in February orMarch. To make this happen, we areasking for volunteers to help plan andorganize the evening. The first planningmeeting will be held on January 22th at9:45 in the parish hall. If you would liketo join the planning team, please speakwith Linda Hurd or Lorraine Berry.
II r.~1
COFFEEU"",.·. ~ ...'"& CONVERSATION
Thank you to those who hosted CoffeeHour in December:
Pam and Guy SmithMary and Steve FugateJoyce ScofieldDora BuntingGeorgi WalshGreg and Donna FergusonSusan and Mike FritzElaine MillerLinda LockhartDavid LemanVicky Mumford
**********************************
To my Dear Piney Family,Thank you all so much for the prayers
and cards during my recent surgery andrecovery.· Thank God, no follow-uptreatment is required at this time.
God is good!:Barbara fe'l1uson
**********************************
A special thanks to Mary Fugate andher elf-like volunteers for the Saturdaymorning Christmas crafts. It was loads offun for the little ones, moms, grandmomsand great-grandmoms.
Yieten Pf!J1..J7er
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FROM THE CEMETERY DIRECTOR: JANUARY 1, 10 am MINISTRIES:
Senior Warden: Kristin Sackman, 301-392-9367Junior Warden: Mike Fritz, 301-934-5736
List of Ministries for the month of Januaryis posted on the bulletin board.
Paula TruitteSandie Branan
Scott WesleyKay LaughtonScott WesleyFred RitterSewell TruittePaula Truitte
Vicky MumfordLois Keech
Tuesday - Friday,
9:30 am - 2:30 pm
301-645-5000
301-638-5894
www.PinevParish.ora
Altar Guild
Acolytes
Lector2nd Lesson ReaderLEMS
UsherGreeterCoffee Hour
Pancake and Sausage Breakfast
The Right Rev. Dr. Mariann Edgar BuddeThe Bishop of Washington
Rector: The Rev. Dr. Joy Rose, TSSFPhone: 301-934-8001
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours:
Parish Office:
FAX:
Email:
Web Page:
Yes, at this Advent season we look tosee God's presence in our lives. Here atSt. Paul's, you need not look any furtherthan looking at our cemetery and ourCemetery Committee. They do awonderful job with the stewardship of ourgrounds.
As all of us know, with the downturnof our financial markets, in the past yearsour Cemetery Perpetual Care Trust has notgenerated enough interest monies to payfor our current expenses. Our CemeteryOperating Fund account is being drainedof its reserved funds. As of December 15,2011 we have paid out in expenses$14,192.18.
The Cemetery Committee takes pridein keeping up our grounds here at St.Paul's. As you will notice, we have twonew flower gardens on each side of theentrance to our church. So as the year of2011 winds down and you have enjoyedour wonderful grounds, please considergiving a donation to our St. Paul's, PineyParish Cemetery Fund so we can continuekeeping our grounds looking wonderfulfor 2012.
I would like to thank all the membersof our Cemetery Committee for all thework they do for this special ministry hereat St. Paul's, Piney Parish.
May everyone have a "Happy NewYear" following a very "MerryChristmas!"
Peace,P/ii{ :J{ami{tonCemetery Director
Facilities Coordinator:
Donna Ferguson, 301-934-3127Cemetery Director: Phil Hamilton, 301-645-5327
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ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
Sunday, January 15, 2012
following 10;J 5 a.m. service
• Pot Luck Lunch (please bring a dish to share)
• Election of Vestry members &2013 Diocesan Convention Delegates
• Presentation.of 20 12 Budget.: Reports from ~ es and .committees
JanuarySunday MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturday
1
23456711 am
Yoga 9:30am 10-12 amPrayer Shawl Ministry
Food Pantry Open6pm
"Handchime Rehearsal7pm
Bible Study 7pmAdult Choir Rehearsal8
9101112131410am
Eucharist 10-12 amat CCNRC11 amYoga
Food Pantry Open,- -.
6pmHandchime Rehearsal7:30 pm
7pm
Vestry Meeting
Adult Choir Rehearsal
15
161718192021ANNUAL PARISH
EPISTLE 9:30amMEETING
DEADLINEJ11 amYoga6pmPrayer Shawl Ministry 10-12 am
and7pm Ladies' Night Out6pm Food Pantry Open
POT-LUCKSt. Paul's Book Club at Olive GardenHandchime Rehearsal
LUNCH at Heritage of St.Restraurant in7pm
Charles Clubhouse
7pmBible Study WaldorfAdult Choir Rehearsal
22232425262728
6pm
Diocesan Convention9:45am
11 amYoga Handchime RehearsalWinter Gathering
7pm10-12 am
Planning MeetingAdult Choir Rehearsal
Diocesan ConventionFGod Pantry Open
7 pm Gospel of Mary 7pmBible Study
Silent Auction293031
Each Sunday11 amYoga 8amH.E.
9amChoir
9:15 am5.5.
10:15 amH.E.
".tJ..tJ..tJ.A.tJ.A/:;A
DDDDDDDDBIRTHDAYS &ANNIV€RSARI€SOO
IN JANUARY
1 - AmyLeman
David Leman, Jr.
3 - John Sackman, Jr.
4 - Skip Roland14 - Susan Carroll
18 - Kyle Fugate
Nick Fugate
20 - Mary Fugate
22 - Steve and Wendy Milone24 - ToddJameson
25 - Cindy and Merritt Bears
James and Ann Robey
29 ~ Wendy MiloneJo.. - Claire Hamilton
31 - Darlene Guy
" ~rady KeechJohn Sackman, Sr.
"1fyou have a birthday or anniversaryin January and are not listed above,please notify the ojJice so that youccm be included next time. Thank
yoU!
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