Life at St. Mary's

An Update on Reopening

Dear Friends in Christ,

This week, the Governor rescinded nearly all legal requirements for capacity limits, physical distancing, and masking. In light of the Governor’s new order, I want to share with you the changes we will be making for our ministry groups, community groups, and for our worship services.

We are in what may be the trickiest part of COVID to navigate. Although we all long for COVID to be fully over, there is great difference of opinion on how close we are to that point. Some of you have expressed to me joy that the state has removed nearly all legal safety requirements and you are ready for St. Mary’s to remove all restrictions. Some of you have expressed concern that it is still too soon. Navigating that difference as a community will not be easy. I ask you to have grace with you fellow parishioners who think about these matters differently and to trust that they are acting in good faith.

Click “Read More” to read all about our most recent adjustments as we reopen more fully.

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On Reopening

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Dear friends in Christ,

We look forward to welcoming you back to worship together in person!

We know that some are past ready and some are not quite ready. I encourage you to have grace for your fellow parishioners as we navigate this time.

Please click “Read More” to read Bingham’s entire letter to the parish on reopening.

An Interview with Carrie

“In some ways Sunday, June 13, will be a typical mid-June Sunday for St. Mary’s. Our Joyful Noise choir will perform their final piece for the ’20-’21 program year. They will sing, virtually, Everybody’s Got a Place in the Choir for the pre-recorded service. Mid-June is usually the time when we wrap up our program year and celebrate the accomplishments of our children and youth ministries. A lot about Sunday, June 13, will not be typical by St. Mary’s standards. The fact that our Joyful Noise choir is performing via video is one obvious difference. Another difference is that on that Sunday we will be saying “Thank You” to Carrie Peil as she steps away from the role of Joyful Noise Choir Director. You may have noticed that I used the term “Thank You” instead of “Goodbye.”’

Click “Read More” to read the entire article.

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Vestry Report for Pentecost Bellringer

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“In this season of anticipation and waiting, we have decided to begin each Vestry meeting with a discussion of a short passage by Thomas Merton. We see this as a way of focusing on our spiritual growth. In March, we reflected on how we cannot explain everything, and how we shouldn’t always try to find answers. Sometimes we must sit with the unknown and with “the abyss of darkness” at our core. In light of the pandemic, Merton’s words reverberate loudly, especially his exhortation to let go of our desire to understand why and to embrace the ways we encounter God in our vast interior selves.”

Click “read more” to read the entire Vestry report.

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News from the Vestry: A Staffing Update

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Dear Friends in Christ,

Throughout the pandemic, the Vestry has been constantly considering how we adapt right now and to what is coming up next, one eye on the present and one eye on the future. One aspect we have regularly been examining is personnel. During this time, in conjunction with the Personnel Committee, the Vestry has been looking at what staffing has needed to look like and what it needs to look like over the coming months and even years. The future is full of uncertainties, but as we look to this past year and look toward the possibilities moving forward, we know that there are many challenges on the path. It has become clear to the Personnel Committee and the Vestry that additional staffing will be necessary to navigate this next leg in the journey.

Click “Read More” to read the Vestry’s entire announcement.

Episcopal Campus Ministry 2020 in Review

I began as interim chaplain in December of 2019. From January to March I worked to get to know the students, the house, and The Student Food Pantry. At the start of the year we had four student residents, Tatiana, Colman, Jepry, and Leslie. On Thursdays I invited local parishioners and Episcopal Campus Ministry (ECM) Board member to prepare meals and share in fellowship with the students and I invited local clergy to celebrate the Eucharist. This was a great way for us to connect with our local Episcopal Churches and to hear from different parishioners and priests about their faith journeys. For the Student Food Pantry, there was lots of hands-on learning and new connections to be made as I took on Chaplain Doug’s role of oversight. And then COVID-19 arrived.

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A Vestry Update

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Our dear St. Mary’s community,

Thinking back on the last two months feels like waking from a dream where the images fade but the impression remains. While this lingering impression is complex and individual, it is most likely some combination of continued grief for the loss of normal life mixed with the ever-growing uncertainty for the future. It is further complicated by the way our concept of time has become nebulous and unreliable, along with our fatigue. We are Just. So. Tired of continued catastrophes and of mustering the strength to make it through each day. Out of our mental, emotional, and/or physical exhaustion, haven’t we all prayed (or maybe yelled, wept, or whispered)– When? When will it be over? When will life return to normal? Please God let it be soon!

A Radical and Life Changing Book

The Universal Christ: How a forgotten reality can change everything we see, hope for, and believe 

Join the reading and discussion Wednesdays May 1, 8, 15, & 22 from 7 to 8:30 PM

This radical and life changing book has just been published. The author, Franciscan priest Richard Rohr, presents an expansive view of Christ:

Episcopal Campus Ministry

Since the 1980s, college students have had the opportunity to live in community at the Episcopal Campus Ministry House on E. 19th just south of the University of Oregon.

Over the years, a wide variety of students have lived at ECM House.Students from many parts of Oregon, the United States and from around the world have lived there.The religious affiliation of students has not only included Episcopalians, but also Catholics and members of other denominations. Each year is a new adventure, where people from a variety of backgrounds learn to live together.

Meals in Motion - The Healing Power of Feeding and Being Fed

Remember that feeling of being sick as a kid and your mother bringing you chicken soup and how that soup made you feel better, not just because of the magical properties of chicken soup but because the simple act of being fed made you feel loved? If you were blessed with this care as a child you know the healing power of being fed when you’re sick or in crisis.

Listening Hearts - Small Group Leadership Training

Small Group Leadership Training

Sunday April 22

3 to 5 PM in Berktold Hall

 

One of our five-year goals at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church is to have a small group available to anyone who would like one. Small groups are places where people practice listening to God and to each other in order to discern God’s presence and movement in our lives and community.

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Maundy Thursday

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I wouldn’t say we go to an experimental church.  But, yesterday our church had an experiemental service.  They offered their first annual Maundy Thursday Family Service.  I would call the experiment a success.  The only thing they should change would be saving the nice towels for the adult service.  More on that later.

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Get Ready for the Best Christmas Pageant in Eugene! We are thrilled to announce that Meredith B. and Angela A. will be this year’s co-directors for the Christmas pageant! All children and youth - long time members, first time visitors, and eve

Worship. Serve. Grow in Faith.