St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church Sudbury, Massachusetts September 2015

Sunday, September 13

2105-2016 Church School Year Begins.

Blessing of the Backpacks

St. E’s Welcome Back Picnic

2015 and 2016

OUTREACH

What is the meaning of Outreach and who benefits from our actions and collaborations? What is our mission at St.

Elizabeth’s and how do we fulfill our Christian responsibilities? Is outreach just a giving/one way action or a

reciprocal one? Should we be joining forces with other churches to enhance and broaden these experiences? These are

all great questions and the Outreach committee needs your thoughts, suggestions and involvement in order to

develop and improve these relationships with our fellow brothers and sisters.

The Outreach committee has a very active year planned and we want you to be aware of the events that are on the

calendar so far:

SEPTEMBER 13: Blessing of the Backpacks & school supplies for the Blackstone School in the South End

NOVEMBER 22: Ecclesia/Common Cathedral’s Thanksgiving on the Common

DECEMBER: Giving Tree during Advent (supporting Sudbury families and people who are unhoused)

JANUARY 18: MLK Day of Service at the Blackstone School for the entire family

MARCH/APRIL: Spring Baskets (supporting Sudbury families with nonperishable food items)

MAY 8: Mother’s Day Walk for Peace to end violence in our schools, streets, and neighborhoods

JULY: B-SAFE Summer Camp (providing lunches, reading with children, and sponsoring a field trip)

Throughout the year: Providing and serving dinner at the Miracle Kitchen in Framingham on the second Tuesday of

every month, supporting fundraisers for the Appalachia Service Project youth mission trip, and reading to students

weekly at the Blackstone School in the South End.

All are welcome to join us for our first meeting on Sunday, September 20th at 11:30 AM in the Multipurpose Room.

We also invite anyone who donated, cooked, or volunteered with B-SAFE, or anyone who is interested in learning

more about the program, to join us for a debriefing with B-SAFE staff on Sunday, September 27th at 11:30 AM.

Please consider being involved and help us in carrying on God’s work in our community.

The Mantle September 2015

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From Our Rector by The Rev. Barbara Williamson

As September gets underway and the activity level ramps up, we have the

chance to rethink priorities from a faith perspective. What is critical and what

is merely important? What feeds and nurtures your soul, your primary

relationships, and your spiritual, physical and mental health?

When traveling by air, after the main cabin door of the aircraft is closed, the

flight attendants remind passengers of the safety features at their disposal. If the cabin loses

pressure, gold cups will drop down from the compartment above your seats. Reach for the mask pulling it toward you

to the full extent of the tubing, cover your nose and mouth and adjust the straps to tighten. REMEMBER: Put on your

own mask first. Then assist the people you are traveling with. Why? Because if you can’t breathe, you are no help to

anyone, including yourself.

What do you need to do or let go of to make sure you can breathe? What do

you need to do or to let go of to remain connected to loved ones, to your

innermost self and to God? Maybe it is carving out time for daily prayer.

Maybe it is regular exercise. Maybe it is walking in the woods. Maybe it is

getting enough sleep. Maybe it is serving at the Salvation Army Soup

Kitchen or reading to children at the Blackstone School. Maybe it is hiring a

babysitter and having a date night with your spouse. Maybe it is a routine of

weekly worship. Maybe it is having coffee with your best friend. Maybe it is

writing poetry or playing an instrument or working in the garden.

The church offers various programs to help you connect with God, others, and yourself in a way that is designed to

feed the soul. One program I would like to bring to your attention will be held on Saturday morning, October 24th.

Called “Unplug the Christmas Machine,” this workshop is designed to help you focus on the essentials of your ideal

Christmas celebration and then to help you make a plan to realize that ideal. The holidays are a metaphor for our over-

filled lives. This workshop helps you to set priorities so that time, energy, and money are directed to those priorities in

a way that yields a celebration more properly suited to your individual or family circumstances and values.

Relatedly, over the seven weeks leading up to Christmas, we will offer an alternative weekend worship service in the

contemplative Celtic tradition, featuring a fairly spare yet spacious candlelit liturgy with Celtic instrumental music, a

brief homily, and Holy Communion.

The church is here in part to help you discern the life in God for which you were created and into which you are called.

Of course, the church is biased. We believe that a life of faith in community, like the oxygen mask that drops down

from the compartment above your seat when the cabin loses pressure, is critical to your spiritual wellbeing, and we

beckon you to reach for the breath of life God proffers.

Barbara

Safe Church Policy at St. Elizabeth’s Church

All volunteers working with infants, children, adolescents, young adults and at risk parishioners are required to

complete either an online or group Safe Church training certified by the Diocese of Massachusetts. Online training is

available, at no cost, to all volunteers at St. Elizabeth’s. You must also have had a CORI check done within the past 3

years. Please contact Peg in the office at office@st-elizabeths.org to get certified.

What do you need to do or to let go

of to make sure you can breathe?

What do you need to do or let go of

to remain connected to loved ones,

to your innermost self and to God?

September 2015 The Mantle

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Vestry Notes by Mari Weldon, Member of the Vestry

Our August meeting began with reflection time, which

centered on a poem entitled “Be Thankful”. This

particular piece invites readers to focus on what they have

to be thankful for, even as they may be facing challenges

in their lives. It was a nice way to start the business

portion of our meeting, which always reminds us of what

we have to be thankful for as members of St. Elizabeth’s

even as we are faced with different operational

challenges.

The business portion of the meeting began with an update

on church communications, the challenges of producing

The Mantle each month, and whether or not our current

communications infrastructure is serving the needs of the

congregation. We had a lengthy discussion around this,

and there are many questions to be answered. Short term,

our priority is to identify more volunteers to produce The

Mantle each month. Over time, we want to explore

alternative options for communicating parish news,

which may mean reducing the frequency of this monthly

publication and relying more on electronic

communications. We want to be sensitive to the

preferences of all parishioners, so this process will likely

take time, and we are open to your thoughts and ideas.

The remainder of our meeting time was dedicated to

updates from Barbara, Jack and Cheryl, with a review of

financial statements for June and July. Committee

updates were also shared by the vestry liaisons, with the

most important announcement being the upcoming

fundraiser for ASP 2016. Please mark your calendars for

Trivia Night on October 17th! This promises to be a fun

night, so we hope you are able to attend. Further details

can be found in this issue of the Mantle, and please be on

the lookout for more information in the coming weeks.

Mari

My thoughts for Warden’s Words this time revolve around the quiet but wonderful work of

our Stephen Ministry. This Ministry has been enabled by a small segment of our TogetherNow

Comprehensive Campaign, and is being actualized by a small group of care-receivers and care-

givers within our St E’s Community.

Much of our recognition focuses on the intense and committed training of our Stephen Minis-

ters and Stephen Leaders, and deservedly so. However, I would also like also to acknowledge

the equally important “gift” of receiving – being a care-receiver. It takes courage to open up to

a listener an aspect of one’s personal life, but in turn, it also bestows a reciprocal gift on the care-giver. Without which,

no giving would take place at all. I often think in my own life that I find it sometimes more difficult to receive than to

give – and in that regard I am humbled by folks who step up to receive.

This thought is better made by the late and prolific writer, Henri J. M. Nouwen

Entitled “The Importance of Receiving”:

Receiving is often harder than giving. Giving is very important: giving insight, giving hope, giving courage, giving advice, giving

support, giving money, and most of all, giving ourselves. Without giving there is no brotherhood and sisterhood.

But receiving is just as important, because by receiving we reveal to the givers that they have gifts to offer. When we say, “Thank

you, you gave me hope; thank you, you gave me a reason to live, thank you, you allowed me to realize my dream,” we make givers

aware of their unique and precious gifts. Sometimes it is only in the eyes of the receivers that givers discover their gifts.

Thank you to both our care-givers and care-receivers, who are a living embodiment of Christian spirit among us.

Walter

Wardens’ Words by Walter Morgan, Co-Warden

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From the Organ Bench by Mary Sue Willie, Music Director

REMINDER: Opening day for COGS is Sunday, September 13. Please fill out a

registration form (elsewhere in the Mantle) for your child(ren), if you have not

already. If you are new to COGS and would like an orientation to the atrium before

the 13th, please email me (Susan Berry) at namaberry@verizon.net. We look forward

to another wonderful year with your children!

Angela Crocker, Susan DeMichele, Susan Dewey, Sarah Duffy, Ruth Griesel, Mara Huston,

Lisa Kenney, Suzie Kornblum, Kihm Sanders, Kris Wile, and Derek Zurn

Welcome back with the hope that each of us has been refreshed by our summer sabbatical.

The Adult Choir returns on Sunday, September 20th. Our first rehearsal will be on Thursday,

September 17th. We have openings in all parts and would love to have you join us as we begin

another program year (as opposed to Fiscal Year/Church Year/Calendar Year). The Youth Choir

will resume rehearsal on Sunday, September 20th following the 10 o'clock service. However, if

you would like to sign up and try on vestments (robes), you may let me know anytime and we

can set up a 'fitting'. Even our 'old' members may need larger vestments as the summer sun probably caused some

healthy growth.

We have lots to prepare for including Bishop Alan Gates' visit and special plans for Advent Music.

This comes with a quote :

To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than

fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not, rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and

sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions,

hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the

common--this is my symphony.

--William Ellery Channing

Mary Sue

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Atrium News by Susan Berry

On Sunday, October 4th we will welcome

Diocesan Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Alan M. Gates

to St. Elizabeth’s to preach and celebrate at the

one service that day at 10 AM. Bp. Gates will

meet with the congregation over coffee in the

Parish Hall following the service.

Save

the

Date

September 2015 The Mantle

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HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Valerie , Caroline , Jacob , Wesley , Bonnie ,

Catharine , John McNeill, Olivia , Barbara , Jacqueline , Sophia

, Owen , Julia , Jose Darias, Janice , Casey , Jane

, Fredrick , Kristen , Alexander , Hope , John

, Ken , Donna , Nathan , Mandy , Cliff ,

Meredith , David , Derek , Fay , Mark ,

Sonali , Ginny , Sarah , John , Ian Springsteel, Erin

Santomenna, Jim , Greg Hauck, Lucy , John , Lily , Jack

, Caroline , and Bill

Save the Date!

St. Elizabeth’s Trivia Night

A Fellowship Fundraiser to Support

The Appalachia Service Project Youth Mission Trip 2016

Saturday, October 17th at 6:30 pm

Please mark your calendars and get ready for a fun night of friendly competition as we host our first ever

Trivia Night contest! This event is being held to help raise funds to support the Appalachia Service Project

youth mission trip that will take place in the summer of 2016! Here is how the event will work:

• Team tables will be sold for $150 per table. Each team can include a maximum of six members.

Registration forms will be available in church in the coming weeks – so start thinking of who you

want to join your team, and come up with a creative team name!

• Three rounds of trivia will take place, with breaks in between to tally scores. Team rankings will be

posted during the event, and announced in between each round of trivia.

• Food will be served at this event. The menu is still TBD, but is likely to be simple: basic appetizers

(cheese, crackers, crudité), pizza, and desserts.

• Awards will be given at the end of the night to the teams in first and last place. In the event of a tie

score, there will be a sudden death tie-breaker round to determine the event winner!

This promises to be a fun event, and we hope that you are able to attend! So mark your calendars for

Saturday, October 17th, start building your team, and get ready for Trivia Night 2015!

If you have any questions or would like to be involved in planning this event, please contact Mari Weldon

(weldonfamily@me.com).

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September 2015 The Mantle

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The Mantle September 2015

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Listen to St. E’s Sunday’s Gospel reading and sermon:

http://www.st-elizabeths.org/audio/

T-App into MP3 Prayer at http://www.pray-as-you-go.org/

Calling all knitters and crocheters

(& those who would like to learn)!

The Knitting Group' meets the first Tuesday of the month at 7pm in the J2A room. Each

member is working on a project for their charity of choice. Knitting tutorials and assistance

are available from more experienced members. We hope you can join is! If you have any

questions, contact Cheryl Franke or Jack Clark.

Volunteer Opportunities @ St. E’s

St. Elizabeth's has a proud history and culture of volunteerism and service.

We invite you to explore one or more of the various volunteer activities

available across our parish. Click here to see how you can help:

http://st-elizabeths.org/volunteer.shtml

Thank you for making a difference!

“Did you ever have a best friend during your school years? He or she was

the one you could tell anything to, the one with whom you could share your

experiences, thoughts, doubts, wonders, and the bad things you had done.

He or she accepted you just as you were. That is very much like what it is to

have a Stephen Minister to talk to.” Reflection from one of our Stephen

Ministers.

Are you going through a transition or a difficult time-- emotionally,

physically, or spiritually?

Consider letting a Stephen Minister help. A Stephen Minister is a member of

our congregation who is trained to listen, care, encourage, pray, and walk

alongside you during difficult times. It's strictly confidential, free, and very

helpful. To learn more, talk to Barbara, Jack, or one of our Stephen

Ministers.

September 2015 The Mantle

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September 2015 The Mantle

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St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church invites seekers to share the joys and challenges of a journey of faith. Following the teachings of Jesus Christ and guided by scripture, tradition, and reason, we proclaim by word and action the love of God. We seek to serve and praise Christ in all people by celebrating the greatness of God's creation and all its creatures, helping those in need, and striving for justice and peace in all areas of our common life.

One Morse Rd., Sudbury, MA 01776 978-443-6035

www.st-elizabeths.org

The Rev. Barbara S. Williamson, Rector

barbara_williamson@st-elizabeths.org

The Rev. Jacqueline Clark, Assistant Rector

jack_clark@st-elizabeths.org

Mary Sue Willie, Director of Music

cvmswillie@comcast.net

Peg Scarlata, Parish Administrator

office@st-elizabeths.org

Walter Morgan and Michael Comer, Co-Wardens

wardens@st-elizabeths.org

Save the dates for …

September 13 First day of Church School (http://st-elizabeths.orgchurchschoolregistrationform.shtml

Blessing of the Backpacks

Welcome Back Picnic

September 20 Outreach Committee Meeting, 11:30 AM, Multipurpose Room

September 21 Deadline for submitting articles for the October Mantle

September 22 Loaf & Ladle Movie (Woman in Gold), 10:00 AM, Loaf & Ladle Luncheon, 12:00 PM

September 27 Debriefing St. E’s involvement with the B-Safe Summer Program, 11:30 AM

October 3 Congregational Resource Day at Bentley College

October 4 Bishop Alan Gates makes his first visitation to St. E’s. One service only at 10 AM

October 17 St. E’s Trivia Night, 6:30 PM

October 24 Unplug the Christmas Machine Workshop, 9 AM to 1 PM