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Starting April 3, 2022, communion wine returns as an option for those who would like. We will be using the common cup. If you are not ready to start receiving the wine again, that is fine. Receiving just the bread is considered full communion; the entirety of the sacrament is independently contained within each element. Several people did not take the wine before COVID for various reasons. This has always been perfectly acceptable.
Read Bingham’s entire announcement by clicking “Read More.”
The month of March is already a transitional time since it ushers in the first day of spring and leads to longer, lighter days. This year, March has been even more full of transitions for our church community, in addition to our local, national, and global societies. So much is happening so fast, and we are trying our best to keep up. It is a time of mixed emotions, and perhaps even conflicting or confusing feelings. We want to embrace the positive changes with enthusiasm and hope, all while we continue to keep ourselves as informed and educated as possible. We recognize that this time requires a great deal of emotional adjustment from each of us.
Thursday, March 10, 2022
Dear friends in Christ,
I am writing you today to talk about upcoming changes to our Covid protocols. As you have likely heard, the state will be removing the mask mandate on March 12th in response to the continuing good news regarding Covid cases and hospitalizations across the state. As of today, Lane County has moved into the low-risk category according to the CDC guidelines and we continue to see the seven-day average of cases drop. These improvements do not mean that the Covid pandemic is over. Whether this is a new normal or a calm between storms, we do not yet know.
Click “Read More” to read Bingham’s entire letter regarding masking.
As we begin our third pandemic Lent, I’m feeling like the pandemic is more akin to the forty years the Israelites wandered in the wilderness than the forty days that Jesus spent out in the desert! And yet, one of the great themes of Lent is that God is with us through the difficult times. God taught Noah how to build an ark for the stormy forty days. God nourished and guided the Israelites for those forty arduous years of struggle and longing. The angels tended to Jesus during those forty days of deprivation and temptation.
To read Bingham’s entire article, which was originally printed in the Lent Bellringer, click “Read More.”
Our last Vestry report, which was posted on the St. Mary’s website in January, reflected back on the Christmas and Advent seasons, along with the rise of the Omicron variant back in November. We were—admittedly—a little disheartened by the extreme weather disasters and pivots back to remote activities that ushered in the new year. The joke about 2022 as 2020 too felt more cruel than funny, and we wondered how we would endure yet another “unprecedented” stage of the pandemic. So far throughout the months of 2022, our Vestry meetings have continued to be illuminating moments of community, shared hope, and excitement for this year. We remember that it is a rare and wonderful privilege to be a part of such a caring and gracious group.
To read the entire report for February 2022, click “Read More.”
Give us grace to imitate his uprightness of life and his obedience to your commands;
Collect for Saint Joseph, BCP page 239
There are three churches in our relatively small diocese that are named for Saint Mary, but none that claim Saint Joseph as their patron saint. That is not uncommon, there are many fewer churches throughout the Church named for Saint Joseph than for his beloved wife. While Mary is certainly worthy of all the attention and praise Christians heap upon her for her willingness to say yes to God’s call to bear a son who would grow up to be the savior of the world, much was asked of Joseph as well.
To read Sharon’s entire article, click “Read More.”
Lent Madness is a unique, March-Madness-inspired Lenten devotional brought to us by Forward Movement. Several years ago, St. Mary's decided to play along as a group, as a fun way to learn about the saints and raise money for St. Mary's ministries!
Read all about our Lent Madness fundraiser by clicking “Read More.”
By putting our “little bits of good” together, St. Mary’s was able to abolish over $768,000 in medical debt for Oregonians! This good news story began in the fall when St. Mary’s Outreach Council brought forward a new proposal: to spend $5,000 of our outreach allocation funds to buy medical debt for pennies on the dollar and then forgive that debt, working through the non-profit RIP Medical Debt. At that time, it was estimated that our donation would enable us to forgive about $450,000 in medical debt. We surveyed the parish and received enthusiastic support to proceed.
Read the full story by clicking “Read More.”
When the Vestry met in mid-December, the Omicron variant had just appeared in the US. As it was still new, we were in that unfortunately familiar “watch and wait” situation. We began our meeting as usual with a reflection from Thomas Merton about how (at Christmas specifically) Christ comes uninvited into a world that has no room for him at all. Merton calls this world “a demented inn,” and we were struck by the intensity and seeming cynicism of that label. What Merton calls attention to though with his harsh language are
Read the full Vestry report for December and January by clicking “Read More".”
Do you have a loved one who is tricky to shop for? Maybe someone who doesn’t need a physical gift taking up space? We have some suggestions on ways to celebrate the people you love AND give back to the community at the same time. Here are some organizations St. Mary’s is connected with who are doing good things locally.
Just as Advent is a season of hopeful expectation, so we in the Vestry eagerly watch and wait for the completion of the many projects currently happening at St. Mary’s. In the midst of the growing darkness and the freezing nights, we find light and warmth in the promise of our eventual re-gathering together in our improved building space. In addition to the completion of the ventilation system upgrade and new lighting in the sanctuary, we are looking forward to the removal and relocation of bats that have been living within certain areas of our walls for many years. Their presence has mostly been peaceful, but the work on the ventilation system has revealed the extent to which they have made themselves a little too comfortable inside our walls. They will be gently but sternly pushed to take up residence elsewhere, and there will be some new alternative dwellings nearby so they won’t be forced to travel far to find shelter.
Read the full Vestry report for November by clicking “Read More.”
After setting all of the clocks, they have 37 seconds remaining. Mahoney says, “Great, well done. Now we wait.” Mr. Magorium responds, “No. We breathe. We pulse. We regenerate. Our hearts beat. Our minds create. Our souls ingest. Thirty-seven seconds, well used, is a lifetime.”
Click “Read More” to read Bingham’s entire Advent reflection.
Young people today are exposed to an entertainment world populated by a veritable pantheon of superheroes, about whom I must confess I know absolutely nothing. Truth be told, I grew up aware of only one such character: mild mannered newspaper reporter Clark Kent who would slip into a phone booth, (some of you may have to look up what those were,) whip off his suit, tie, and horn-rimmed glasses and emerge faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound… it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s SUPERMAN!
To read Sharon Rodgers’ complete reflection, click “Read More.”
We have spoken often this year of the old that is passing. We know that some way we have lived in the world is no longer working. Our last Pentecost reading from Mark ends with Jesus’s words: “The end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation; there will be earthquakes and famines. This is but the beginning of the birthpangs.”
Jesus is talking about the end times, which we all feel acutely these days, but the last image we are left with is pregnancy. The end of a pregnancy, and the beginning labor pains of delivery. The threshold of birth.
To read the Rev. Christine Marie’s full reflection, click “Read More.”
The Vestry is St. Mary’s elected governing body. They meet monthly throughout the year and post updates for us here in the articles section of our website. The October Report includes an update on their meetings, the Pledge Drive, and St. Mary’s building. Please click “Read More” to read their entire update for October.
Our September meeting started with a reflection from Thomas Merton about our need for relationships. Due to the myriad ways the pandemic has led us to acknowledge and treasure our interconnectedness, this reflection resonates with us deeply. Merton understands that we do not and cannot exist in isolation and that it is precisely our relationships that give our lives meaning. He writes: “we do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone—we find it with another.” This statement speaks to us of how fellowship with other people brings us closer to God and helps us to know God better.
The Vestry is St. Mary’s elected governing body. They meet monthly throughout the year. Please click “Read More” to read their entire update for September.
We are thrilled to announce that construction for our new HVAC system for the church has begun! We are so close to having a safer and more comfortable worship space. Of course, as is often the case with construction, there will be some inconveniences as we move through this phase. As they demolish the old system and put in the new, the church and chapel might feel a little chilly this month.
To read the entire update, click “Read More.”
That’s My Farmer Dinner - Monday, October 18
Support That’s My Farmer Low Income Fund while eating a delicious dinner prepared by owner/chefs Mark Kosmicki and Tiffany Norton at Party Downtown. They have offered to cook up a fantastic menu with farm fresh meat and produce contributed by That’s My Farmer farm members. This is once again a takeout dinner to enjoy in your home.
To learn how to participate, click “Reach More.”
For me, one of the miracles of the past year has been Zoom services at St. Mary’s. Since the beginning of COVID, we have gathered nearly 200 times online, for Wednesday and Friday morning prayer, and evening prayer. (In addition, the Spanish Zoom service meets each week.)
At first, I was skeptical. Can people really feel the energy and presence of God and of other people on a computer screen?
Read Christine Marie’s full Listening Hearts reflection by clicking “Read More.”
