Every Sunday, a congregation of both housed and homeless people gathers to worship together on Boston Common. We have been invited to join in worship with the Common Cathedral congregation. We will provide a simple lunch for the homeless members of the congregation, then share in their worship. Our visit will include an introduction to Common Cathedral by one of their clergy, and time for reflection following the service and meal. We’ll leave St. Andrew’s at 10am on Sunday, and should arrive back at the church by 5pm. All youth in 6^th grade or older are welcome; we have room for some adults to come along, as well!

Only a few of us will be making the trip, but support from the congregation will help us be good visitors! Can you help by providing one or more items from this list?

For the lunch on September 5:

Please let Miranda know if you can provide some of these items.

- Loaves of sliced bread (approximately 20 needed)

- Large containers of lemonade powder

- Single-serving potato chips/snack bags

Other gifts – items that are useful for Ecclesia’s other ministries:

You can bring these items anytime before August 16, and drop them off with Julie in the church office for our team to deliver.

- New white cotton socks

- Nutrigrain bars

- Jars of peanut butter or jelly

- Plastic cups, paper napkins, drink mixes, and microwave popcorn

(used at other Ekklesia programs for the homeless)

- Acrylic paints, sketch books, pencil sharpeners, rulers, other art supplies

The volunteer coordinator for Ecclesia Ministries writes, to us an all Ecclesia’s volunteers, “The fact that you are willing to spend a Sunday coming to Boston to be with people whose lives are in disarray is an incredible blessing to us. You are witnesses of God’s love to us. Thank you!”

To learn more or RSVP, contact Miranda Hassett, 746-3415.

In June of 2010, we made the following gifts:

Concord Boys and Girls Club, for the scholarship fund for their Hopkinton camps – $280

New Hampshire Children’s Trust Fund, to support their good work preventing child abuse – $280

Monadnock Worksource, based in Peterborough, which provide and foster quality life experiences for individuals with developmental disabilities – $150

Head to Head School, Haiti, to continue educating and feeding young Haitians – $260

Common Cathedral, the worship and food program on Boston Common, hosted by St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral – $280.

We also sent a gift, by way of the Rector’s Discretionary Fund, to Rubia Handwork. Rubia, Inc. is a New Hampshire, USA non-profit organization, working with Rubia in Afghanistan to serve women in rural Afghanistan, through education, skills training and the promotion of their hand-embroidered textiles. Check out their online catalog – buy a gift or something for yourself!

Feel free to invite a friend – and don’t worry if you can’t come every time; join us when you can!

Home does not have chapter divisions. We’ll discuss these chunks of the book on these dates:

Session 1 (June 29/30): Read through page 65.

Session 2 (July 13/14): Read through page 126.

Session 3 (July 27/28): Read through page 194.

Session 4 (August 17/18): Read through page 264.

Session 5 (August 31/Sept. 1): Finish the book (page 325).

BRING EVIDENCE OF YOUR TALENTS
TO THE MAY 16th, 10 AM SERVICE!

Don’t forget the special in-giving and celebration of the 10 Talents
Event this Sunday after the ten o’clock service. Please bring the money you
have raised from your “talent”, any stories you wish to share about how you
raised it, and a pot luck item for lunch.

This Sunday’s check list for church:
1. money raised during the Ten Talents Project
2. sweet or funny tales from your efforts (i.e. people you have gotten to know, things you learned about yourself, fundraising ideas that didn’t work they way you thought)
3. potluck food for lunch (to be held directly after the service)

Speaking directly to our youth, he spke about how the idea of “service” needs rebranding to sound more exciting and life-changing. He noted that “community service” sounds like what you have to do when you break the law – but in reality, his experiences in Nicaragua were some of the most exciting of his life, and the closest he’s ever come to being Indiana Jones! Taylor makes a strong case that service to others can be an adventure, and changes your life as well as – perhaps even more than – the lives of those you serve.

Taylor and his friends are raising money to build two more schools. If the fundraising goes well, they hope to travel to Mali in West Africa to help start a new school there. Click this link to go to their webpage, where you can make a donation or get the address to send a check!

On Good Friday, following the 7pm service, we held a Good Friday Wake – a time of silence and sharing, keeping vigil with an image of Christ in his tomb, meditating on poetry and images, and sharing hot cross buns and tea. Canon Charles Lafond attended, and wrote this reflection on his blog.

Why a Good Friday Wake?

Our traditional Holy Week liturgies walk us beautifully through the great story of Jesus’ death and Resurrection. Still, the formality and the familiarity of these rites can hold us back from fully entering the emotions of these events. At the Good Friday Wake, we take time to reflect on Jesus’ death and mourn him as one of our own beloved dead. Joining the first disciples in the grief of these hours can help us join them more fully in the astonished joy of Easter.

Maundy Thursday, April 1

At 6pm we gather in our Great Hall to remember Jesus’ final meal with his friends. We’ll share a simple supper, then move into the church for footwashing (following Jesus’ example), and Holy Eucharist followed by the stripping of the altar. This service is appropriate for all ages.

From 8pm to noon on Friday, April 2, we observe our Nightwatch vigil. Following our Maundy Thursday service, members of our community keep watch in pairs for hour-long shifts. Sign up for a shift in our Great Hall, or call the church office. The overnight vigil is appropriate for adults; youth and older children could share the morning vigil.

Good Friday, April 2

At 12pm we gather for a simple and ancient service at the hour when tradition tells us Jesus was crucified. This is a quiet, contemplative service with music to move our hearts.

At 7pm, the Good Friday service is repeated without music. This service is appropriate for adults, youth and older children.

From 8pm to 11pm, all are invited to our Good Friday Wake. We will keep vigil with an icon of Jesus in his tomb; share silence, readings, and reflections; and enjoy tea and hot cross buns. Come when you can and stay as long as you like. This service is appropriate for adults and youth.

Holy Saturday, April 3

At 10am and 11am, children and parents are invited to our Children’s Easter Story – an age-appropriate, participatory experience of the whole Easter story, from the Last Supper to the Resurrection. Come at either time. This event is for children ages 3 and up.

At 8pm on Saturday night, we gather for one of Christianity’s most ancient liturgies, the Easter Vigil. This is a lively, beautiful service, featuring candlelight, music, story, baptisms, bells, and much joy! This liturgy is appropriate for adults, youth, and kids who can handle a late night.

Easter Sunday, April 4

At 6:15am on Putney Hill we gather for our community’s ecumenical Sunrise Service, followed by coffee and goodies at our neighboring Congregational church.

At 8am and 10am, we will celebrate our festive Easter Eucharists here at St. Andrew’s. After the 10am service, there will be a community brunch and an Easter egg hunt for younger kids.

These services are appropriate for all ages!

To learn more about our church or any of these events, call our church office, 746-3415.

On Sunday, March 21, the Confirmation Class, with their parents and sponsors, will meet at St. Andrew’s from 1 to 3pm to plan our Confirmation service for the Day of Pentecost, May 23rd. This will be a fun gathering, with conversation, art, and snacks – be there!

On Sunday, March 28, the Youth Group will meet at 6pm to share a meal and watch a Holy Week-themed movie together. Youth are very welcome at the 5pm worship service, as well!

On Saturday, April 3, the Youth Group will assist with our Children’s Easter Story event – come at 9am (or as close to 9am as possible!) for 10am and 11am performances. This will be a lot of fun, and a wonderful offering for the younger kids of our parish and the community!

On Saturday, April 10, our resident artist Barbara Filleul invites the youth group to meet at church from 1 – 3pm to do some stamping and printing – making greeting cards which we can sell as part of the Ten Talents fundraising initiative. Time doing art with Barbara is always a treat – if you’re able to be here, you’ll be glad you came!

On Sunday, April 11, the Youth Group is especially invited to come hear Taylor Breed, a young Episcopalian, speak about his experiences traveling the world and serving others. Come to the 5pm Eucharist, share dinner afterwards, and then hear Taylor speak and ask him any questions you may have.

We won’t meet in late April because of school vacation.

In May, we will meet on the 16th and the 30th (both Sundays) – activities TBD, but I’m taking suggestions for a fun outing of some sort for one of those dates.

In June, we’ll meet on the 13th – the evening of Celebration Sunday – for our own end-of-the-year celebration!

To learn more about St. Andrew’s youth group or any of these activities, contact Miranda at assistantst (dot) andrews (at) comcast (dot) net, or call the office (746-3415) and leave a message.

Ten Talents is a new parish-wide fundraiser, based on the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25). We challenge the parish to live out the parable! Every member who wishes to participate will receive $10 – a modern parallel to the coins in the Bible story – to use as “seed money”, then use their gifts or skills (everybody has something they’re good at!) to raise more money.

On Sunday May 16, we will gather to celebrate and share our successes as faithful stewards of God’s Kingdom on earth. The money we raise will support our Christian Formation programs here at St. Andrew’s, and our Rector’s Discretionary Fund – the fund that allows Kevin to help those from our parish and community who come to him for assistance with rent, groceries, health care bills, and other needs.

Ten Talents Project Fundraiser: Steps to Success

1) Pick up an envelope containing $10.00, with no strings attached, to use as seed money for your personal Ten Talents Project.

2) Decide how you want to use your own God-given talents to multiply the money entrusted to you. You may choose to create a product, offer a service, or plan an “adventure” (e.g. special meal, party, etc.). The possibilities are endless! You can work with friends or family on a joint project, too. If you’re running short on ideas, ask around or post a comment below – you may find inspiration, or friends to work with.

3) Fill in the Ten Talents Classified Ad form and return to the parish office to be posted on the Ten Talents Inspiration Board. If you’d like, also print up an 8 1/2 X 11 flier to display in the Great Hall.

4) Get to work using your talents and multiplying your $10.00.  Have fun!

5) Take advantage of various coffee hour venues (the Inspiration Board, the Roadside Stand, the Two Thirds Event – more about these later) to advertise and sell the fruits of your talents.

6) Share your Ten Talent successes with others through voice, print, and picture.

7) Bring your story and your envelope with your Ten Talent earnings to the May 16 service. Then join us for a pot luck lunch,The Sum of the Ten Talents, to celebrate all that we have accomplished!

If you’ve got an idea to share, need help developing your idea, or want partners to join you in a project, post a comment below! Comment moderation is enabled to keep out spam, so the first time you leave a comment it may not show up right away, but we will try to keep up with letting comments through.

No one at the school was injured in the January earthquakes, but the building was damaged and cannot be used, and the costs of repair are still unknown. St. Andrew’s will be keeping in touch with Jean and looking out for ways to assist further, as our small contribution to the long and difficult time of recovery ahead for Haiti and its people. If you’d like to learn more or get involved, contact the Rev. Miranda Hassett at 746-3415.