Community updates (10/12/22)
HURRICANE IAN RESPONSE:
As emergency responders are now able to access areas hardest hit by Hurricane Ian, the toll of the disaster is coming to light.
Episcopal Relief and Development is partnering with dioceses in Florida, as well as reaching out to other impacted communities in Ian's path up the southern Atlantic coast and the Caribbean, who are determining what their communities need, both in the immediate future and down the road for a sustained recovery.
Please, will you make an urgent gift to our Hurricane Relief Fund today?
Our partners are reporting secondary flooding from Hurricane Ian, and flooding in places that have never seen flooding before. Additionally, in Puerto Rico, we're providing assistance with food, water and pastoral care for those impacted by Hurricane Fiona.
Your gift will help provide both immediate and long-term assistance – bringing relief and comfort to those in the wake of recent hurricanes. As the situation continues to unfold, we will continue to listen and respond to effectively meet the needs of those impacted.
You may donate directly at the link above or write a check to ECA with “Hurricane” written in the subject line. We will collect all checks and send a single one to ERD. Both ways are tax deductible.
If you do not receive Episcopal News Service emails weekly, you can subscribe for this free source of Episcopal News as it relates to the world around us. Subscribe https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/email-signup/
Susie’s Book Nook is now live on YouTube!
The first episode of Susie’s Book Nook is now live on YouTube! Click on the link below to have a look and share it with your friends and family. If you happen to know of anyone looking for a some good books to introduce to their children and/or teens exploring the topics of Creation Care and Social Justice, please send them this link and let them know about Susie’s Book Nook on our YouTube channel. She provides many great book recommendations!
Link to Susie’s Book Nook:
https://youtu.be/Kd2mDEugTUE
All Saints Day – November 6 – and ECA’s Birthday as well as Ingathering of Pledges for 2023
The Feast of All Saints, November 1st is a major feast of the Church, when we recognize the Communion of Saints – that unbreakable bond of love and presence among all God’s people who have gone before us, live now, or will someday be born. It is also ECA’s birthday; we turn 55 this year! We will be celebrating both – so please put Sunday November 6th on your calendar as a day to be sure you attend church. That Sunday is also our Ingathering of Pledges for 2023.
PLEASE MARK SUNDAY, DEC 4TH ON YOUR CALENDARS FOR ECA’S ANNUAL MEETING #1. As we did last year, we are splitting the 2023 Annual Meeting into two parts.
Part 1 will be after church on Sun, Dec 4th.
Part 2 will be after church on Sun, Feb 5 (Neither the play-offs nor the Super Bowl).
The Dec. meeting will focus on 2023 budget and elections for Vestry Members and Convention Delegates/Alternate. Part 2 will focus on where ECA is and the year ahead.
We hope it goes without saying – but we’ll say it here – as the Joint Venture Churches move ahead together with the Church of the Future project, ECA will continue to meet as an Episcopal Church, celebrating the Episcopal liturgy, as we always have. Our Christian Education and spiritual growth opportunities will continue, as well as our pastoral care, love of diverse church music, fellowship, and outreach work. Learning to be church in a new way does not mean leaving behind our faith community culture or Episcopal ethos and affiliation.
-Shelley
Sign up now for our Oktoberfest Fellowship Event – See the JV Bulletin Board
This will be a fun evening for both ECA and CCAV families and friends. Yes, you can invite neighbors and friends to meet all of us and our church. Menu includes bratwurst, German potato salad and German cucumber salad. Of course, pretzels and apple strudel, too. All for just $10/person. For those requesting a vegetarian entrée, please indicate such on the sign-up poster and our chef will prepare one for you. Deadline for signing up and payment will be Sunday, October 23, so that our shopping can be done conveniently for our volunteers.
Here's a special volunteer opportunity and get your dinner free. Sign up to be one of two dishwashers needed for the evening. If you do not already know how to run the dishwasher we will train.
There are many other ways you can help make this event a successful one and fun for all. Check how you might be able to help and sign up where you can. Thank you.
Questions? Contact Us and ask for Susie Ferguson or Debbie Bemis, your communication team.
Thursday Morning Bible Study Zoom Meeting – 10-11:30am every Thursday.
Open to all, meets each Thursday with the same link. You can find the recurring link in the weekly Wednesday message.
Feel free to Contact Us if you have any questions.
EACH WEEK: Wednesday Night Discussion Class continues on Zoom as a book study, 7:00 pm “The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, et al. This is available on Amazon – be sure to use Smile Amazon and give the credit to ECA – as book, Kindle, or audio book.
“No dark fate determines the future. We do. Each day and each moment, we are able to create and re-create our lives and the very quality of human life on our planet. This is the power we wield. Lasting happiness cannot be found in pursuit of any goal or achievement. It does not reside in fortune or fame. It resides only in the human mind and heart, and it is here that we hope you will find it… Every day is a new opportunity to begin again. Every day is your birthday. May this book be a blessing for all sentient beings, and for all of God’s children—including you.”
This lovely and inspiring book will lift your heart and soul. We will watch two great spiritual leaders of our time: one Anglican and one Buddhist, spend time together teaching and showing us what joy is and how it is cultivated, and we will be touched by their stories, deep friendship, good humor, and humble humanity. Open to all.
Wednesday Night Discussion Group Zoom Meeting - permanent link that you can find in the weekly Wednesday Message.
Feel free to Contact Us if you have any questions.
Here is a direct link to our weekly “An Episcopal Sermon” podcast.
Each weekly podcast episode is a live recording of the Gospel reading followed by the sermon based on that reading from our Sunday services. A new episode is posted on our website every Monday. This podcast provides thought provoking messages that can be listened to anywhere at anytime.
Enjoy!
https://www.churchinalmaden.org/news/oct9-2022-an-episcopal-sermon
Please save the DATE for the next Parish Transition Meeting with the Bishop
*** NOTE this is a DATE CHANGE FROM EARLIER COMMUNICATIONS
Please save the date for the 4th Parish Meeting with the Bishop. This Parish meeting will be reviewing Roles and Responsibilities of ECA through the Transition AND Discussing "Who ECA Is" This critical information will feed into the church's profile as part of the rector search
Event: Transition Parish Meeting #4 and Lunch Potluck
Date: Sunday November 20th
Time: Lunch Potluck (12-2pm) after church
Watch for a new sign ups for the potluck lunch on the ECA bulletin board!
Your attendance at this Parish Meeting is critical to the success of the transition! We need your inputs and participation as we walk together in our new path for the future. Contact Us if you have any questions or concerns.