Vestry Report for Fall 2021

Our reflection from Thomas Merton that began our August meeting focused on uncertainty. Merton states bluntly: “I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me.” His words feel uncannily appropriate to our current moment as we transition from the end of summer to the beginning of fall. We have no idea what is going to happen with the pandemic. We are fatigued and frustrated, and we cannot see the road ahead. Merton continues, writing that he wants to follow God’s will even as he doubts his ability to discern what that is. He concludes by saying that he believes the desire to please God does in fact please God, and so he strives to cultivate that desire. This is the glimmer of hope that Merton offers us—even when we can’t see the way forward, we must still seek to find and follow God’s will. It is the desire that matters. We don’t know what God will ask of us in this coming season, but if we continue to desire to desire to follow him, he will lead us in the right direction, as he has always done. We can cling to that confidence as we forge ahead.

The Vestry is St. Mary’s elected governing body. They meet monthly throughout the year. Please click “Read More” to read their entire update that was included in the Fall 2021 Bellringer.

Coming Home to Presence: A Pilgrimage Through the Christian Year

Presence is the way that human beings experience God directly. When we are fully present in our minds, bodies, and hearts, the Divine shows up. It’s that simple, and it’s that difficult.

Christine Marie and Dan Martin warmly invite you to join us for this new series, beginning October 17, 2021.

For more information, please click “Read More.”

Outreach Allocation: An Exciting New Proposal

In July, Bingham+ read an Episcopal News Service story* about St. Bede’s Church in New Mexico that was able to leverage a $15,000 donation to buy $1.4 million worth of medical debt and then, in turn, forgive the holders of that debt.

To read the rest of this article and see how you can give your input, please click “Read More.”

A COVID Update - A Change in our Masking Policy

COVID cases are spiking locally. On Friday, July 30th, Lane County moved into the Center for Disease Control’s highest risk category for COVID spread. Models from the State of Oregon show that cases will continue to increase through the middle of August. The Oregon Health Authority is asking that all Oregonians, regardless of vaccine status, wear masks indoors in all public settings to help slow down the rate of COVID’s spread.

Therefore, following the new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Oregon Health Authority, and the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon, masks are again required indoors in all spaces at St. Mary’s, regardless of vaccination status.

Click “Read More” to read the entire statement.

A Successful World Refugee Day Event

“Our work with and for refugees began when we began to follow Jesus, to follow His way and His teachings. It is because we are followers of Jesus, because we follow the way of love, because we follow the way of compassion, because we follow the way of human decency and kindness that we must be passionately committed to helping the refugees and displaced persons of this day,”

The Most Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, from his 2018 message for World Refugee Day

Click “Read More” to read how St. Mary’s honored World Refugee Day 2021 and helped create refugee camp kits.

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.

Vestry Report for June 2021

It finally feels like summer has arrived! The school year is done and the solstice has passed, so bring on the long days and vaccinated in-person gatherings that were once only the stuff of dreams. At our June Vestry meeting on the threshold of this summer season, we tempered our excitement with a reflection on “rest” from Thomas Merton. The passage we read was from a work aptly titled “No Man is an Island,” which certainly strikes a chord after this pandemic year.

Fundraiser Recipient is Chosen: Community Supported Shelters

The Outreach Ministry Council has been asked by the Vestry to allocate funds raised in 2021 through the Blue Bag Bottles and Cans Recycling Fundraiser to an agency or program that addresses housing for our unhoused neighbors. The Outreach Ministry Council requested input from parishioners and then met on Zoom to discuss the potential organizations to support. We have decided that the money we raise from returning redeemable bottles and cans will go to Community Supported Shelters (CSS).

Click “Read More” to read the full article.

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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.

Summer Fun Fund - Supporting At-Risk Youth in Lane County

From Christmas stockings to summer activities, the Women of St. Mary’s support children throughout the year. From donations to fundraisers like the ECW table at the St. Mary’s Advent Fair, our funds grow, and we in turn distribute funds to help women and children in the community and beyond.


This year we are increasing our annual giving to Summer Fun Fund to $450. Will you help double that amount, triple that amount, quadruple that amount? Last year an additional $708 was given by parishioners. Children need good summer activities and the need to great. Let’s increase our giving.

Click “Read More” to read the entire article about the Summer Fun Fund.

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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.

Refugee Relief Kit Event

Refugee Relief Kit Event


The Refugee Resettlement Coalition of Lane County (RRC), which St. Mary's is a part of, invites all community members to join them Thursday, June 17, between 4 and 7 PM in the First United Methodist Church parking lot, 1376 Olive Street (enter on Charnelton Street). Contribute $20 (cash or check) and stay to assemble a relief kit for a refugee family.

Click the “Read More” button below to read more details.

Happy Pentecost

“The Holy Spirit is about life. In Hebrew, Greek, and Latin the word for spirit and the word for breath are the same. In the ancient story of creation, God breathed life into Adam, God gave him Spirit. Just as breathing is necessary for us to live physically, the Spirit is necessary for us to live spiritually. When the Spirit is mentioned in scripture, it is about giving life, about empowering, about liberating people from death and destruction. Living spiritually is about a life attuned to the life-giving divine action at work in this world. And it is about helping others do the same, allowing for the flourishing of all of humanity and creation.”

Click “Read more” to read Bingham’s entire Pentecost reflection.

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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.

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