Welcome to St. Andrew's Parish
1 North Main Street, Kent, CT
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Sunday, 16 January - Service Bulletin
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Click HERE for ALL St Andrew's Online Weekly Service Videos.
Please click HERE to read the latest issue of our weekly E-pistle Newsletter.
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~ From Father Douglas ~
Dear People of St Andrew's Parish,
I hope you are doing well. I wanted to update you on two things, today.
First, I am delighted to report that the Education Commission (Randy DiPentima, Ron Marasco, Chris Rehkow and I (we're always looking for more members!)) has finalized the job description for our new Christian Educator position. As you will recall, hiring someone to re-establish our Christian education program was one of the three key recommendations the Visioning Team made to the Vestry in the fall and that the Vestry heartily endorsed.
We are now looking for someone who will work ten hours per week. Her or his main responsibilities will be a Sunday morning education program for children and a once-a-week after-school children's activity time. We know there are already parents in our parish family who want their children to have 'Sunday school,' and we're also mindful that other families might wish to 'try on' St Andrew's in other ways and at other times than on Sunday morning. Our new Christian Educator will take up both of these opportunities.
The complete job description, including application information, is available here. If you know anyone who may be interested, please let them know and encourage them to apply!
(By the way, in a similar vein, this Sunday I will offer a brief Children's Message at the 10:30 Holy Eucharist. I plan to do this every few weeks as long as there is interest.)
Second, I feel a pastoral need to share my thoughts on in-person worship as we sit in the middle of the current Omicron surge. With the availability of vaccines and boosters for everyone older than four, medical grade masks (e.g., N95, KN95, etc) and social distancing, I am committed to making available, live, our full complement of liturgies for anyone who wishes to participate in-person … unless someone in civil or ecclesial authority over us instructs otherwise.
At the same time, I fully commend each of us to assess—and assess again, as often as seems warranted—her or his own situation, vulnerability(ies) and level of personal comfort. If you do not feel in-person worship is right for you at this time, that is perfectly OK. God does not require us to jeopardize our health or our emotional well-being in order to worship God. We will continue to livestream and record our principal Sunday Eucharist, our mid-week Eucharist and all our festal Eucharists; and to send links to these (along with bulletins for Sunday), each week. (We will add the Prayer for Spiritual Communion to the Epistle that comes out on Saturdays, in case you would like to pray this during the distribution of the Bread and Wine.) Your being with us spiritually, by participating from home, is a full presence in our worship, and we are very glad you are with us.
Take good care, and may God continue to bless the work of the Kingdom you are doing.
In the peace and love of Christ,
Douglas+
Frdouglas.sak@gmail.com
860-592-0171 (rectory, and also rings on mobile)
P S Jim and I will be away on vacation beginning Wednesday, 19 Jan; we will return on the 29th. I will be available by phone in case of pastoral emergency, but I will not be checking email very regularly.
I hope you are doing well. I wanted to update you on two things, today.
First, I am delighted to report that the Education Commission (Randy DiPentima, Ron Marasco, Chris Rehkow and I (we're always looking for more members!)) has finalized the job description for our new Christian Educator position. As you will recall, hiring someone to re-establish our Christian education program was one of the three key recommendations the Visioning Team made to the Vestry in the fall and that the Vestry heartily endorsed.
We are now looking for someone who will work ten hours per week. Her or his main responsibilities will be a Sunday morning education program for children and a once-a-week after-school children's activity time. We know there are already parents in our parish family who want their children to have 'Sunday school,' and we're also mindful that other families might wish to 'try on' St Andrew's in other ways and at other times than on Sunday morning. Our new Christian Educator will take up both of these opportunities.
The complete job description, including application information, is available here. If you know anyone who may be interested, please let them know and encourage them to apply!
(By the way, in a similar vein, this Sunday I will offer a brief Children's Message at the 10:30 Holy Eucharist. I plan to do this every few weeks as long as there is interest.)
Second, I feel a pastoral need to share my thoughts on in-person worship as we sit in the middle of the current Omicron surge. With the availability of vaccines and boosters for everyone older than four, medical grade masks (e.g., N95, KN95, etc) and social distancing, I am committed to making available, live, our full complement of liturgies for anyone who wishes to participate in-person … unless someone in civil or ecclesial authority over us instructs otherwise.
At the same time, I fully commend each of us to assess—and assess again, as often as seems warranted—her or his own situation, vulnerability(ies) and level of personal comfort. If you do not feel in-person worship is right for you at this time, that is perfectly OK. God does not require us to jeopardize our health or our emotional well-being in order to worship God. We will continue to livestream and record our principal Sunday Eucharist, our mid-week Eucharist and all our festal Eucharists; and to send links to these (along with bulletins for Sunday), each week. (We will add the Prayer for Spiritual Communion to the Epistle that comes out on Saturdays, in case you would like to pray this during the distribution of the Bread and Wine.) Your being with us spiritually, by participating from home, is a full presence in our worship, and we are very glad you are with us.
Take good care, and may God continue to bless the work of the Kingdom you are doing.
In the peace and love of Christ,
Douglas+
Frdouglas.sak@gmail.com
860-592-0171 (rectory, and also rings on mobile)
P S Jim and I will be away on vacation beginning Wednesday, 19 Jan; we will return on the 29th. I will be available by phone in case of pastoral emergency, but I will not be checking email very regularly.
Rev. Douglas S. Worthington - Provisional Priest in Charge
To see photos from our 2021 Annual Christmas Bazaar, click HERE.
Our Search for a New Director of Music
Scripture is filled with references to sacred music, and for good reason: The beauty of this music reveals and colors the presence of the Holy in all creation. The making of sacred music is an offering—a sacrifice of time and talent—to God. And the hearing of this music centers our often jangled, frazzled souls in something higher, better and set-apart.
Music of many types, provided by musicians of many ages and abilities, has been a hallmark of worship at St Andrew's for decades. As our Director of Music Tom Holcombe prepares to retire in February 2022, we are seeking a part-time trained sacred musician who will live into the parish's musical tradition; build up its musical capabilities; and widen its sacred musical experience.
A link to a more detailed description of the duties is available HERE.
Music of many types, provided by musicians of many ages and abilities, has been a hallmark of worship at St Andrew's for decades. As our Director of Music Tom Holcombe prepares to retire in February 2022, we are seeking a part-time trained sacred musician who will live into the parish's musical tradition; build up its musical capabilities; and widen its sacred musical experience.
A link to a more detailed description of the duties is available HERE.
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Kent Food Bank
Please help our parish family continue to support of the Kent Food Bank by sending a check in any amount to:
Kent Community Fund
P O Box 262
Kent, CT 06757
memo: Food Bank
You can also donate online by clicking HERE.
These funds will be used to purchase vouchers for local families in need, under the direction of Kent's Social Services Director, Leah Pullaro. In addition, Leah has told us how useful it is for her to have IGA gift cards to give to families who are in need.
Please consider purchasing a card, for $25 or $50, and taking it to Leah's office in Town Hall or dropping it in the donations basket in the Narthex. (You can also place it in the offering plate, marked for the Food Bank.)
The Kent Food Bank also accepts food donations. They are especially in need of staples such as beans, rice, tea, coffee, sugar, nuts, hot & cold breakfast cereals, peanut butter, jellies, jams and tuna. Make certain that the 'Best by ...' dates are not past! Please remember that the Food Bank accepts pet foods as well!
You may drop off food items on Thursdays from 9:00 to 12:00 in the back of the Community House on Main Street. You may also place donations in the basket in the church Narthex or in the bin in the breezeway at the rear of the Rectory.
ADDITIONAL DIOCESONAL NEWS:
To sign up for weekly newsletters from the Episcopal Church in Connecticut, and from Dylan Mello from our Northwest Leadership Team, CLICK HERE
To review other LOCAL ONLINE RESOURCES": https://www.episcopalct.org/northwest/
St. Andrew’s Histories
Reprints are now available for the two histories of St. Andrew’s:
Copies of each of these histories are available in the narthex or by contacting Heather in the parish office. We ask that you consider a donation of $8 for each history in order to help to defray the cost of printing.
Reprints are now available for the two histories of St. Andrew’s:
- “A Brief History of St. Andrew’s Church” published in 1957 which begins with the inception of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut in 1760 and documents the development of St. Andrew’s through 1956.
- “Half a Century: 1957 to 2009, an Anecdotal Account of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church” which picks up the story of St. Andrew’s through the voices of parishioners.
Copies of each of these histories are available in the narthex or by contacting Heather in the parish office. We ask that you consider a donation of $8 for each history in order to help to defray the cost of printing.
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Prayer List
Please contact Fr Douglas if you would like to add a name to our parish Prayer List. You can email him at frdouglas.sak@gmail.com or call him at 860-592-0171. It is helpful to indicate how long you would like the name to be kept on the list. We remember the faithful departed during the two weeks after their deaths, and on those Sundays when you ask for their names to be included.
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