Interesting times at St. Margaret’s … continuing Zoom services, stained glass removed and being repaired, light (and Light) pouring in from every direction –! Thanks be to God.
Starting June 7 we will be streaming our Sunday worship service at 9:30 a.m. from the church via ZOOM. Links are sent our for all our ZOOM events and worship in our e-newsletters. If you would like to be included, please sign up for our e-newsletter on our home page.
The Women (and a few men) of St. Margaret’s deserve a hearty round of applause and words of appreciation for the English Tea held last Saturday. From the Cucumber Crew to the servers, bakers, and all the workers, the event was a smashing success and a truly memorable event for all who attended and all who contributed.
More than 100 individuals enjoyed a pot of tea, cucumber sandwiches, mince tarts, ginger biscuits, lemon cake, and a warm scone with heavy cream and strawberry jam. In addition to the bake sale, the jewelry boutique, white elephant sale, and silent auction helped raise more than $2200 for programs and projects supported by the Women of St. Margaret’s.
Space prevents listing everyone who worked to make this a joyful occasion but you know who you are! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Save the date! On October 6, between the services at 9:30 a.m., all and any of our pets can be blessed by Rev. John Nieman on the lawn between the church and parish house. This is the Sunday closest to St. Francis’ Feast Day.Tell your friends and neighbors!
At our first session on January 27, participants indicated that for the next session we could consider our relationship to the planet itself as our neighbor, and what this world could be like – without us. The attached readings are on that topic: 1) “Would Human Extinction Be a Tragedy?”, and 2) “Varied Views Earth’s Anthropocene Age”. This second reading is long, but considers what it would take collectively, as neighbors on this planet, to keep us here, on this island Earth. And what is “here” anyway?, and what if we were not the only ones “here”? Loeb’s article is from the January Scientific American – “Advanced Extraterrestrials as an Approximation to God”. But just to be sure this issue is taken seriously, here is a piece from the Washington Post – “The religious questions raised by aliens”, as it is being considered in the Vatican. Yes, that Vatican.
St. Margaret’s potluck supper Saturday evening, Jan. 26, will be a feast and we should invite some friends to share it. The theme is Indian foods but all dishes are welcome and we encourage you to prepare what you would most like to share with guests.
A dozen special recipes are now on the Time and Talent Table in the Parish Hall. Some are for meat dishes Chicken Chettinad, Chicken Korma. Others are for vegetarian dishes, an Indian Corn Soup with Yoghurt, Aloo Gobi (a savory cauliflower and potato dish), a Madhur Jeffrey dish of crusty potatoes with ginger and garlic. Help yourself to any of the recipes, find something interesting online or bring one of your family’s favorite potluck dishes. Desserts are especially welcomed and non-cooks can always bring a quart of ice cream.
The Rev. Stephen Smith will join us and share some of his tales of travel in India including a description of his time at an ashram. Please join us for dinner at 6 p.m. Come a bit earlier if your dish needs to be reheated or arranged. Remember to bring your own beverages.
An online two-week discussion of how the Bible came into being, ways to read it, and how Episcopalians read it. You can join this from the comfort of your home. We will meet online on Thursdays February 21 & 28. Orientation and introductions are at 6:00pm and the seminar is from 6:15-7:15. If you are new to using Zoom on your computer, we will help you to get oriented before the first session, and if that fails you can participate by phone. Our leader, Deirdre Good ThD, is an experienced teacher of the New Testament and Christian origins. She is a licensed lay preacher in the Diocese of Maine, a parishioner at St. Margaret’s Belfast, and on the faculty at the Stevenson School for Ministry in the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania. We’ll record the presentation for churches who want to use it in the future. This seminar is free. Questions about the seminar? Please email Deirdre Good or Jane Hartwell. Register here.
