Saint Mar y's Episcopal Church

August 2018

August Happenings

• Wednesdays 9am-noon:

Rummage Sorting

• August 7—Lunch Bunch,

noon, Box Hill Pizzeria

• August 12—Father Don’s

Reception, 4pm

• August 15—Patronal Feast

Day, Service at 7pm

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Vestry Notes 2

Director of Music 3

Giving 4

Convention/ Happenings 5

Mission Trip 6

Sunday School 7

Calendar/Birthdays 8

Women of St. Mary’s 9

Ironbirds pics 10

THE MESSENGER

Logo created by Lee Jones

What is a Patronal Feast? It is the feast of the patron saint or title of a

church, school, religious order, or other organization. The custom of having

a patron saint can be traced to the practice of building churches over the

tombs of martyrs. Patron saints are chosen for a variety of reasons. A

church that was founded on a saint's day might have that saint as patron.

Some patron saints are associated with particular countries, regional or

ethnic backgrounds, or forms of ministry. St. David is the patron saint of

Wales, and St. Luke is the patron saint of physicians.

Our parish is named in honor of Saint

Mary; it is fitting that we celebrate all that

Mary, Mother of God has to teach us.

There are many Marian feast days, how

do we choose which we should celebrate?

Since most of the Marian feast days occur

during Advent, Lent or Easter when our

focus is on those seasons, it makes sense

for us to choose August 15. In the

Anglican communion, the sanctoral

(annual cycle of saints' feast days) makes

August 15 the principal feast day for

Mary; in the Eastern Orthodox churches

the day marks the Dormition ("falling

asleep," i.e., death) of Mary, and in the

Catholic Church it is the celebration of the

Assumption of Mary (i.e., the bodily

reception of Mary into heaven following

her death). The day serves to refresh and

excite our congregation in remembrance

of Mary and her dedication and devotion

to our Lord.

Since a Patron Saint is a saint chosen to be the special intercessor in

heaven of a particular place or organization, and the Patronal Feast is the

occasion on which a parish annually honors the saint who was chosen as

the Patron Saint of the parish, our parish will celebrate with a special Holy

Communion service (Rite II) on August 15 at 7pm. We pray you are able to

join us and this special and holy time together will be a blessing upon you

and our whole parish family.

S A I N T M A RY , O U R P AT RO N A L F E A S T

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

Treasurer Ana Jakse returns

from her summer job as a

camp nurse in early August.

Thanks go out to Gabbie

Taylor for keeping the

finances up to speed during

her absence. A party to

celebrate Father Don’s

reception into the Episcopal

priesthood is scheduled for

August 12th. Sunday school

will resume on September

16th. Cornerstone Community

Homeschool Co-op will begin

using the parish house again

on Mondays and Wednesdays

beginning September 12th.

JUNIOR WARDEN

Improvements have been

made to the wiring in the

parish house so that the WiFi

signal reaches into all areas

of the building. This is

particularly important for the

home school teachers, and

for DRE Nina Mullenax, who

was having trouble receiving a

signal in her downstairs

office. Thanks go out to Bill

Parker for his work.

SENIOR WARDEN

There are vacancies on three

committees of the vestry as of

the end of July: Fellowship,

Finance & Business

Management, and

Stewardship. The Fellowship

Committee position will

become vacant at the end of

2018, so it will not be filled at

this time. The vestry has

generated a list of people to

approach about serving in the

other two unexpired terms.

Anyone who is interested in

filling one of the two

vacancies can contact Senior

Warden Pat Weaver.

The group agreed that three

regularly scheduled all parish

meetings, in the fall, winter

and late spring, would

improve communication,

provide a channel for

feedback and foster

engagement between the

vestry and the congregation.

The Senior Warden is

arranging for a round table

discussion about St. Mary’s

historical connection with the

1928 BCP, and what the

future holds.

PROPERTY COMMITTEE

The development of policies

and procedures for

purchasing burial plots in our

cemetery has progressed

significantly over the past two

months.

FATHER DON’S REPORT

Father Don reiterated that we

will return to two services on

the Sunday after Labor Day,

September 9th.

Deacon Joan Kelly,

from Emmanuel

Church in Bel Air,

spoke to the vestry at

their July meeting. She

has organized a

summer reading

camp, to be held at

Emmanuel in mid-

August.

Thirty children, from 1st through 4th grade, who

are currently reading below their grade level,

will spend five mornings with teachers who will

encourage their enjoyment of books, and then

have some fun adventures each afternoon.

Deacon Joan is looking for another Episcopal

Church to sponsor a reading camp beginning in

summer of 2019. The vestry is considering this

option as a way to reach out to the youth in our

community during the summer.

Page 2

T H A N K Y O U F R O M F A T H E R V A N H O R N E

JU N E/JU LY V ESTRY NO TES

R E A D I N G C A M P S P O N S O R S H I P

Father Van Horne expressed his thanks to the

parish for our donation to Friendship House in

his honor.

Dear People of St. Mary’s Church:

Thank you for your wonderful and generous gift

of $367.00 for the work and ministry of Friend-

ship House. I assure you that it will do a tremen-

dous amount of good.

Let me say again how much I enjoyed serving

among you for nine months, and I wish you all

the best as your journey continues!

Faithfully,

Peter Van Horne+

1 John 1:7

but if we walk in the light as

he himself is in the light, we

have fellowship with one

another, and the blood of

Jesus his Son cleanses us

from all sin.

August 2018

Summer 2019

The Messenger Page 3

NO TES F ROM TH E O RGA N BEN CH

Creativity does not seem to be a human generated power. Ask any artist, any

creative programmer or musician as to where their creativity comes from, and they

start to sound a lot like a theologian. Creativity might well be the secular word for

what Christians call the Holy Spirit

For Christians, it’s certain that God is the most creative being in the universe.

Picture a celestial doodle from God's exquisite imagination like the inconceivably

beautiful/bizarre celestial formations seen through the Hubble telescope, to the

impossibly complex and equally beautiful universe inside a single cell, His

creativity and imagination leave us in awe. He paints a million constantly changing

masterpieces in sunsets and cloud formations everyday. His brilliance in

conceiving, designing, growing and sustaining living beings like humans and

animals will never be eclipsed. In Exodus 35:30-35, artisans are called by God to

design in all manners of artistic workmanship. The Bible is full of examples of God

using pictures, visions, dreams, stories and out-of-the-box ideas to communicate

to His people. And, as they say about family traits, His creativity runs in the blood

of His children.

So this is with the people of our parish as we will witness through the St. Mary's

Fine Arts Festival on October 20th. We will show that the gift of creativity is the

ability to use artistic skills such as art, drama, music, writing, dance, etc. for the

glory of God and the edification of the church. Included will be displays of painting

and sketching via ink and watercolors, wood works, photography, baked goods

with recipes and samples, weaving, cross stitch, crochet and knitting, published

music, live music and dramatic performances, and so much more. The Parish

House will be open from 4:30 to 7:30 pm to allow ample time to peruse displays

and a live performance time at 6:00 o'clock. There will be for sale items on display

ONLY in the Lobby Cafe, and people will be invited to see our new Library. So,

SPREAD the word to friends, neighbors, family to come visit St. Mary's Fine Arts

Festival to see our multi-talented offerings.

This wonderful event is an opportunity to get

to know an inner side of people and hear

their stories that you may not have known.

Personally, I am enjoying getting to know our

parish family through different eyes as I talk

to people about sharing their skills. Think

you're NOT creative? Think again, my friend!

Once you realize that God gave you an

imagination, you're well on your way to Holy

Spirit-inspired creating. Take some time to

dedicate your imagination to the Lord. Ask

Him to fill it with thoughts, ideas and

pictures. Then consider showing us your

creativity.

https://www.stmarysharford.org/

fine-arts-festival/ Click here (or log on) to fill out your entry

form!

1 Corinthians 12 vs 4-6

There are different kinds

of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes

them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are

different kinds of working, but in all of

them and in everyone it is the same God at

work.

Thanks be to God!

Thoughtful giving takes

more than just thought, it

takes intention and

execution.

New Ways to Give

AMAZON! We hope when

you log on to buy your

families needs at

Amazon, that you’re

intentionally choosing

the smile function.

Amazon donates 0.5% of

the purchase price to St

Marys Episcopal Church

https://

smile.amazon.com/

ch/52-6018453.

THE NEW WEBSITE! Log

on to our newly

redesigned website and

click on the donations

tab.

THE RUMMAGE SALE

Clean out your garage,

shed, attic and closets

and load up the car!

Donations are accepted

for our upcoming

rummage sale all through

the month of August. Not

sure when to bring it?

Sundays after church are

a great time, and the

office is open 9-4 M-Th

and 9-1 Fri.

GET INVOLVED!

Being active in your

church activities isn’t a

new way to give,

however, you may need

to know what your

options are! The bulletin,

Messenger, website and

emails are all St. Mary’s

way of keeping you

plugged in and fueled by

the exciting things we

have going on. If you

aren’t receiving emails or

need to change your

information, call or email

the office!

offers a lot of flexibility across

mobile, tablet and desktop

platforms.

Forms can be created for

events, the events calendar is

interactive and downloadable,

the blog pages are ready for

input (do you have something

about St. Mary’s you’d like

everyone to know? Call the

office and we’ll get you on the

web!), and you can make your

You may have noticed some

publication changes over the

past few months. St. Mary’s

has been refreshed with a

new logo, a new look in our

bulletin and Messenger and

now our WEBSITE has caught

up too! We have worked long

and hard (and had a ton of

fun learning new skills and

new programs) transferring

our website to a WordPress

theme that is clean, fresh and

tithes, offerings and other

donations ONLINE! How easy is

that?!!!

We are so excited about our

new look and our new platform

and we hope you are too.

Let a friend or neighbor know

they can find us online and

have them join you on a Sunday

if they like what they see!

Page 4

BEYO N D TH E T I TH E

A N U P DA T E O N T H E W E B S I T E W W W . S T M A R Y S H A R F O R D . O R G

Leviticus 27:30

All tithes from the

land, whether the seed

from the ground or the

fruit from the tree, are

the Lord’s; they are holy

to the Lord.

August 2018

https://www.stmarysharf

ord.org/donations/

Tithes, memorial offerings, good

will donations are all accepted!

F A T H E R D O N ’ S R E C E P T I O N ! A U G U S T 1 2 T H 4 P M

catered by Mission BBQ

(YUM!) and the rest will be

coordinated through the

Women of St. Mary’s. See

the sign up sheets on the

tract table in church or call

Beverly Wehry for

information on how you

can help! Monetary

donations are also being

accepted through the

WoSM.

Join us as we celebrate our

Celebrant and newly

received The Reverend

Donald Schranz! He

received his Holy Orders in

March (right in the middle

of Lent) so we were unable

to celebrate properly! Now

we can let loose and really

enjoy good food, good

friends and a good evening

together! Barbeque will be

The Messenger

Every three years the

Dioceses that make up

The Episcopal Church

(TEC) send their Bishops

along with clergy and lay

delegates to the General

Convention, held this year

in Austin, Texas.

The convention is the

primary way TEC governs

itself thru the

establishment of Canons

(laws), Resolutions, and by

providing the overall

direction TEC will take over

the next three years. The

structure is very similar to

Congress, with the

legislative responsibilities

divided among the House

of Bishops (Senate) and

the House of Delegates

(House of

Representatives).

Here are some of the

major legislative items

passed at the 79th

General Convention.

Preservation of the

1979 Book of Common

Prayer: BCP will not

undergo a revision.

Instead there will be a

new “liturgical revision”

project that will include

creation of alternative

texts to offer the wider

church.

Same-Sex Marriage:

Liturgies for same-sex

marriage will be made

available for all

congregations who wish

to use them as

authorized by their

rectors or priests-in-

charge. It provides a

structure that, in the

face of profound

differences in teachings

over marriage, preserves

the role of bishops as

chief teachers, pastors,

and liturgical officers

within their own diocese.

Please contact Sallie Par-

ker 410-838-3677 if

you’re interested in helping

out next time.

The Women of St. Mary’s

organize a quarterly dinner

at Welcome One Emergen-

cy Shelter in Belcamp.

They serve dinner, make

lunches for the next day

and bring breakfast items

as well. It’s a small kitch-

en, so 4-5 people is all it

will hold. This is a great

mission and everyone who

has participated feels

blessed for doing so.

Page 5

EP I SC OPA L CH URCH GE N ER AL CO NV EN T IO N

S E R V I N G D I N N E R A T W E L C O M E O N E S H E LT E R

Joshua 24:15

as for me and my

household, we will serve

the Lord

Page 6 August 2018

Y O U T H G R O U P M I S S I O N T R I P — J U LY 6 - 9 B Y : E R I C T AY L O R

I personally had no idea what a mission trip experience

would be like. I envisioned a multitude of possibilities,

none of which encapsulated all of the exhaustion,

frustration, and utter joy in the face of God that I and

the youth group participants felt during this year’s

mission trip.

We started bright and early on Friday morning; arrived at

St. Mary’s and met the tired, eager, and hesitant young

people who joined us for this year’s trip to Roanoke VA.

We were a small but mighty group which included Annie,

Augusta, Lynn, Ethan, Stephen, and Jacob, all led by the

dynamic duo of Shannon Sweeney and me, Eric Taylor.

With cars loaded and kids tucked in for the 6 hour drive, we embarked. As our

journey began we laughed, talked, snacked, managed through overheating cars,

and rest stop breaks. We arrived in Roanoke around 2pm to a mountain of kids

representing nine states from across the country. The energy was high and the

day was filled with checking in, tours, meeting people and finding a place in our

classroom to sleep. We stayed in Robert E. Lee middle school with boys on the

3rd floor and girls on the 1st. With air mattresses filled and our belongings set up,

we felt settled and excited to jump into action.

The days started and ended with worship led by the Mission Trip Group leaders. It

wasn’t my cup of tea at first, spiritually or liturgically. The programs were filled

with a talented musician playing guitar and all attendees singing along. It certainly

pushed us all from the comfort of St. Mary’s and the traditional liturgy we know.

The programs were fun and energized with lots of group activities designed to

drive communication and bond in community. I began to see more in the program

portion as the weekend progressed. Kids participated, sang songs of grace, and

praised the good news of the Gospel which was wonderful to watch. The best part

of our worship experience was after every evening program, each youth group

spent time in their own prayer and worship. Our Saint Mary’s group decided to

hold evening prayer each night. We spent time praying, going over the reading

from the coming Sunday and talking! Talking was the best! We heard questions

through curiosity driven by an urge to know God and see God, through possibly,

new eyes.

In the middle of all of the praise and worship we found time to wake up every

morning at 630am and be on the road to our work sites by 9am.

Our youth group was split up among multiple teams. I worked in

Ferrum, a small town in the heart of where bluegrass was born. I

had the pleasure of meeting Angela and Bruce. Angela was

barely able to stand having suffered from multiple strokes and

Onsite our first day, we discovered that her husband Bruce was

in hospice; with days to live. Angela had fallen multiple times

trying to leave her wheel chair at the bathroom doorway because

the opening wasn't wide enough. Our group was tasked to rip out

the existing doorway, reframe and install a wider door. We

-Continued on page 7-

The Messenger Page 7

S U N DAY S C H O O L R E G I S T R AT I O N T I M E !

school. If you know of

any friends or relatives

that would like their

children to attend

Sunday school, please

let me know and I can

send the information to

them.

NEW THIS YEAR

You can register online

at stmarysharford.org/

sunday-school/

F I R S T DAY I S S E P T E M B E R 1 6 T H A T 9 : 1 5 A M Nina Mullenax

(c) 410-937-4181

dre@stmarysharford.

org Interested in becoming

a teacher or an

assistant? Call Nina!

Teacher’s Meeting

Schedule—11:30am

August 26

October 8

November 11

Summer is heating up

and St. Mary’s Sunday

School is gearing up for

another fantastic year!

An email will be coming

out soon to all parents

with information and

registration forms to fill

out. Please send them

back via email to

nmullenax@gmail.com

or brought with you on

the first day of Sunday

installed grab bars and repaired, sanded, cleaned and stained

a massive ramp-deck, and back porch; all by ourselves. In a

recent sermon, I shared the fact that Bruce was healthy and

helping people in his own right just three months ago. Now his

wife and friends were watching him die. We prayed together

and we talked; both one and one and with our group. He was

strong and his faith inspired me each day. Reminding me, all of

the wake up songs, air mattress nights and lunch room meals

were part of one of the most extraordinary experiences in my

life. We were helping make the lives of total strangers better

and asking nothing in return. I watched a 16 year old boy lead prayer for the first

time. I watched a 14 year old girl work from 9:30am to 5:30pm. Working so hard

and still finding happiness at the end of the day.

Shannon and her group helped a man that told her on the last day his home was

saved by this mission trip. His house was violating Roanoke City laws and they were

going to begin fining him. He wasn’t able to make the repairs and wouldn’t be able

to pay the fines and he knew he would lose the only place he had to live.

As Christians our goal is to seek ways to reflect the love and grace of Jesus Christ

in every part of our lives. I don’t always do that! Sometimes, I miss the mark. For

four days in Roanoke, I felt love, grace, forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit pour

through my days. I saw glory in the faces of every single person present. Each

member of our group had similar stories of grateful people, home cooked food, and

the feeling of joy that comes from helping others. These emotions will stay with us

all for a long time to come. All together nearly 300 young people created 45 teams

which completed in excess of 55 projects over a four day period.

As we left on Monday afternoon both exhausted and jubilant in love; we had grown.

We had grown as people and as Christians.

Matthew 5:16

In the same way, let your light

shine before others, so that they

may see your good works and give

glory to your Father in heaven.

SER VIC E SC HED UL E

SUN D AYS 9:00A M

Page 8 August 2018

A U G U S T B I R T H DAY S A N N I V E R S A R I E S

Sandee Carlson 8/01

Carsyn Hyman 8/02

Carolyn Mitchell 8/04

George Pfeiffer 8/05

Michael Diem 8/06

Edward Jackson III 8/06

Isabella Petrecca 8/06

Ruth Mewborn 8/10

Lucy Pomilla 8/15

Dick Schwanke 8/16

David Whitehurst 8/17

Sandy Kern 8/19

Justin Brown 8/20

Robert Childs 8/21

Francis Butler 8/22

Michael Hipkins 8/22

Andrew Mullenax 8/22

Mary Rybczynski 8/22

Angeline Ekwonye 8/24

Mary Simpler 8/24

Glenn Weaver 8/24

Pamela Butler 8/29

Susannah Stratigeas 8/30

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas & Carolyn Mitchell

Mr. & Mrs. John & Martha Nichols

Mr. & Mrs. David & Judy Whitaker

Mr. & Mrs. Lee & Stephanie Jones

Mr. & Mrs. John & Elaine Sweaney

Mr. & Mrs. Francis & Pamela Butler

Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas & Michelle Havrilla

Mr. & Mrs. Edwin & Ann Weaver

August 2018

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 10am Ante-Communion

Rummage Sort 9-12

2

Vestry Meeting 7pm

3 AA 6pm

4

5 11th Sunday after Pentecost

(Rite II)

6

AA 7pm

7

Lunch Bunch

Noon

Box Hill Pizzeria

8 10am Ante-Communion

Rummage Sort 9-12

9 10 AA 6pm

11

12 12th Sunday after Pentecost

(Rite I)

Father Don’s Reception

4pm

13

AA 7pm

14 15 10am Ante-Communion

Rummage Sort 9-12

Feast Day Service 7pm

16 17 AA 6pm

18

19 13th Sunday after Pentecost

(Rite II)

20

AA 7pm

21 22 10am Ante-Communion

Rummage Sort 9-12

23 24 AA 6pm

25

26 14th Sunday after Pentecost

(Rite I)

27

AA 7pm

28 29 10am Ante-Communion

Rummage Sort 9-12

30 31 AA 6pm

Dates to Remember

● Wednesdays in August 9am–

noon Rummage sorting

● August 12—Fr. Don’s Reception

● August 15—St. Mary’s Feast Day

The Messenger

The Women of St. Mary’s

are collecting school

supplies for George D.

Lisby at Hillsdale

Elementary School.

Donations can be dropped

off in the lobby of the

Parish hall.

Glue Sticks

Ticonderoga pencils

Dry Erase markers

Dry Erasers

Wide Rule Paper

Pink Erasers

Pencil Top Erasers

Crayola Crayons

Marble Notebooks

Page 9

R U M M A G E S A L E — S E P T E M B E R 7 & 8

WOM EN OF ST . MARY ’S NEW S

SCHOOL SUPPLY

COLLECTION

We have begun to

collect school supplies

for a local school in

need. Collection bins

are in the Parish Hall

and will be collected

throughout the month

of August. Be generous

while the sales are

good!

RECEPTION FOR FATHER

DON

Sunday August 12 –

4pm

The Women are asking

for delicious food

donations. See the tract

table in church to sign

up or call Bev Wehry

410-838-2853. Don’t

like to cook? Monetary

donations are also being

accepted to offset costs!

Make your check

payable to the Women

of St. Mary’s.

1 and 6 throughout the

month of August.

HELP US SORT—Sorting

has begun on

Wednesday mornings, 9-

12. This is a great time

to get to know the

women in your

community!

Much help will be

needed in late August

and on Labor Day when

rummage is moved to

the Great Hall, and of

course, on the days of

the sale. Save the

dates on your calendars

now!

Time to start cleaning

out the attic, garage and

basement!

Work on the Rummage

Sale starts long before

the first day of the sale.

DROP OFF—Items may

be dropped off in Rooms

A Prayer for Guidance

Direct us, O Lord, in all our

doings with your most gracious

favor, and further us with your

continual help; that in all our

works begun, continued, and

ended in you, we may glorify

your holy Name, through Jesus

Christ our Lord. Amen.

S C H O O L S U P P L Y C O L L E C T I O N D O N A T I O N L I S T

WELCOME ONE

See our pictures from

our last dinner on page

5! Want to help next

time? Call Sallie Parker

410-838-3677

MEETINGS!

September is right

around the corner and

we will begin meeting on

the Third Thursday’s of

every month!

Join us to kick off the

year on September 20th

at 7pm in the Parish

Hall.

Lunch Bunch, noon, August 7. Call Tom Mitchell

410-679-1318 or sign up on the tract table.

These are the items

specifically requested

by the school. Thank

you for your generosity

in this collection!

1 Saint Mary’s Church Road

Abingdon, MD 21009

Saint Mary's Episcopal Church

I R O N B I R D S B A S E B A L L W I T H S T . M A R Y ’ S !

On July 15th the Ironbirds

took on the Auburn Tigers.

St. Mary’s had a great

showing at the game

and fun was had by all!

Thanks to Jim Gribbell

for putting together this

fun event every year!

Phone: 410-569-0180

E-mail: office@stmarysharford.org

www.stmarysharford.org

A beautiful breezy evening at the stadium!

IRONBIRDS 2018