Announcements
Chronicle Mailing List
Every copy of the St. Alban’s Chronicle that we print and mail costs money and resources. We’d love to have you read the Chronicle on our website (www.albansDC.org). That way, you could take advantage of all the links and additional features electronic media can offer. Of course, if you don’t have access to the Internet, we’d be happy to keep mailing them to you. If you would like to continue to receive the paper version of the Chronicle, please send your name and address to the church office by August 15th.Fall-Winter-Spring Service Schedule Coming Soon
Don’t forget that the last Sunday of the summer schedule of worship services (8am and 10am) is September 5. On September 12 we return to the regular schedule of services: 8am, 9:15am, and 11:15am. The 5pm Spanish Eucharist and 5:30pm Eucharist continue as usual.Rector Search Focus Group Sessions are Underway
In the search for a new rector, a thoughtful, thorough parish self-assessment is an essential element. To that end, the Search Committee has organized a series of focus group sessions to give parishioners an opportunity to talk about their hopes, dreams, and visions for St. Alban’s and for its next rector. The sessions are facilitated by trained parishioners. The information emerging from the focus groups is carefully captured and compiled and will be incorporated in the Parish Profile.Several focus groups have already met and valuable information has emerged. But we need more!! The Search Committee encourages all parishioners to take part in this discernment process. There are lots of options for date and time and child care is offered for many of the sessions. They will continue till mid-September. Please sign up in the Narthex.
St. Alban’s Day Offering Follow-Up: Thank You Very Much!
Thank you so much for your very generous contributions to the St. Alban’s Day Special Offering. Since our celebration of St. Alban’s Day on June 27th, the Parish has received gifts totaling $8,740 through this offering. As you know, in recognition of the daily works of the Parish, this special offering will support the day-to-day operations of this church, the annual budget for which is short by $23,800. We appreciate your contributions as we celebrate with joy and thanksgiving the many blessings of St. Alban’s Parish. If you would like to add your support to this offering, simply write “Special Offering” in the memo line of your check. Thank you for your sacrificial gifts to this church.THC’s Adopt an Apartment Program Needs Our Urgent Help!
Transitional Housing Corporation (THC) has 7 new families moving from the overcrowded DC family shelter into Partner Arms 1 and 2 in July and early August. All 7 units must be furnished immediately! THC faces a crisis situation in furnishing four 3-bedroom, one 2-bedroom apartment and two 1-bedroom apartments! As one of THC’s Adopt-an-Apartment church partners, we want to support them as much as we can! Please consider making a tax-deductible donation in the amount of $500, $250, $100, $50 or $25 to THC and mailing it to: THC, 5101 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20011 or by making a secure on-line donation at www.thcdc.org and clicking on “Support” and in the Comment Section please write “Home Connections.” THC is also asking for new or very gently used kitchen table/chairs, loveseats, chest of drawers. For furniture donations, contact Andrew Adams at aadams@thcdc.org or 202-291-5535, ext. 405.Vocational Ministry Retreats in the Diocese of Washington
The next Vocational Ministry Retreat in the Diocese of Washington will be held on October 1-2, 2010 at Bon Secours Retreat Center in Marriottsville, Maryland. Once again this retreat will be led by Marjory Zoet Bankson, the retired director of Faith at Work, an organization dedicated to helping people discover God’s calling in their lives of work, home and church. Marjory is a lay member of the Church of the Saviour here in Washington, DC and is a frequent speaker and retreat leader through the Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage at the Washington National Cathedral. Marjory has led these retreats since their inception in 2007.While these retreats are required of all who are discerning a call to holy orders, the primary intent of the retreat is to create a space and way for all baptized people to discern God’s call to ministry in their lives. The retreats have had their greatest affect on those who have attended them amid transitions in their lives and discerning God’s call in the midst of those transitions. Because the retreats are designed to foster individual and community discernment as part of congregational life these retreats will be offered in 2011 on April 1-2, 2011 at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore and on September 16-17, 2011 at Bon Secours.
Registration for each retreat is limited to 14 participants. Members of the Commission on Ministry are also present at each retreat to serve as hosts and to lead worship. The hope of the COM is that each retreat participant will have a holy time of reflection and prayer about how God is moving in his or her life.
All members of the parish are urged to consider attending this retreat. Registration is online at wwww.edow.org/events. The cost of the retreat is $120 and scholarships are available.
The Rev. Canon Mary Sulerud
msuledrud@edow.org
202.537.6531
Opportunity Shop Donations on Hold
The St. Alban’s Opportunity Shop is closed during the month of August and is currently not accepting donations. It will reopen the Tuesday after Labor Day and will resume accepting donations after September 14. Please do not leave any donations outside the shop until that time; there will be no one to process them. Thank you for your support.--The Opportunity Shop Volunteers
Next Readers’ Forum Meeting
The Readers’ Forum is on summer vacation. We will reconvene on Saturday, September 11th at 12:00 noon in the Satterlee Hall library. The book chosen for summer reading is Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. If you have any questions, call Lynn Freeburger at 410 745-4332.Healing Ministry
At our Sunday services there are usually healing ministers at the prayer desks on the sides of the church before you go up the chancel steps. It is true that our Eucharist is always a form of healing, as is our confession/absolution and the passing of the Peace. We know the power of prayer in thanksgiving or in petition for ourselves and those we love. However, now in times of war and disaster, I especially invite our congregation to use these summer months to make the intention of praying not only for ourselves but also for the healing of the nation and environment. I know you can do this privately and in your hearts, but there is something powerful when we invite others to pray with us. Don’t be shy and remember everything you say is always confidential. Want to do more? Come talk about joining the Healing Team. Contact Harriette at 202-363-8286 x 203.It’s Not Just for the Birds
Our Vacation Bible Camp this year in July and August is about “Why Do We Love Our Birds.” I’m looking for magazines and pictures of birds, feathers, and nests to use for collages and identification purposes. If you have any you are willing to part with, I would be most grateful. Contact Harriette at hsturges@st-albans-parish.org or leave them in her office. Thank you in advance.What’s an EV?
Just about the best thing ever. EV stands for Eucharistic Visitor. These are members of our congregation who are trained to visit those who can’t make it to church on Sunday. I may add: can’t come with a plausible reason--just because you want to sleep in and have room service isn’t the purpose--but you knew that anyway. However, if you have a sick child, spouse, partner etc., are in the hospital or homebound for a week or longer, contact Harriette or another member of the clergy and ask for one. The EV for that Sunday will contact you and set up a convenient time. No need to offer refreshments or entertain them. They are there to serve you. They bring the Eucharist, prayers, and news of the parish and can take messages to the clergy if you want pastoral care. Also don’t forget to let us know if you want your name in the Prayers of the People as well.
It Takes A Village
So therefore, St. Alban’s is offering a daytime program for parents and young children-babies-pre-school. Every Thursday from 10-12 you can find us in Nourse Hall doing yoga, music and movement, talking and playing, enjoying the Bishop’s Garden, having refreshments, working with Good Shepherd materials and maybe just chilling out. Put this on your calendar for a regular program, or you can just show up and bring a friend. Contact Harriette if you have questions.Vacation Bible Camp
Attention one and all! St. Alban’s will offer a second VBC on August 16 - 18 from 5:00 - 7:30 pm. The August program is for 4 and 5 year olds. Dinner will be offered each evening. Children, youth and adults ages 7 and up are needed to help lead the program. Please contact Harriette Sturges (hsturges@st-albans-parish.org or 202-363-2628 x203) to register your child and/or to volunteer. VBC will not happen without your support, so please contact Harriette right away!Summer Choir: Commitment-Lite, June 6 through September 5
Singing with the choir during the summer couldn’t be easier. Just show up in the choir room by 9:00 on the Sundays you’re in town this summer. We’ll work on an anthem, the hymns, psalm and service music as we ensure that music continues to soar through the summer with choral leadership for the combined 10:00 am service. Child care available beginning at 8:30 am.Stephen Ministry
St. Alban’s is one of several thousand congregations nationwide which equips lay ministers to accompany members of their communities through challenging times by extending Christian care giving. If you find yourself going through a difficult period in your life and want to explore the possibility of having a Stephen Minister walk along with you through your time of trial and provide a confidential caring or spiritual friendship, please contact one of the Stephen Ministry Leaders: Dee Dykstra at 703-971-5795, Ada Kugajevsky at 202-333-2631, Dick Parkins at 202-244-3798, or one of the clergy.Audio Sermons on the Web
Audio versions of sermons delivered at St. Alban`s are now available on the web. To listen to them, just follow the Sermons and Stories link and click on "Audio" for any given date. We are currently in the process of adding more sermons, so the list is not complete. Text versions (as before) are accessible by clicking on the "Text" links. The sermons can be found at:www.st-albans-parish.org/sermons_stories/
Lunch with the Interim Rector
On the second Monday of each month we hold informal lunch meetings with the Interim Rector in Satterlee Hall Library. All parishioners are invited to attend so they can ask questions, raise issues, offer advice, or discuss anything else that’s on their minds. Please bring your lunch and join us.Navigating Our Website
Sometimes trying to find a specific ministry or program on a website can be a challenge. We have added a feature to our home page (www.st-albans-parish.org) that we hope will make the process easier. The search option at the bottom of the page is somewhat different from that on most websites. Many website search functions end up referencing every word in the site, and what you often end up with is more obscure results than you care to slog through (or in some cases unwanted cross-references from some publication or press release). Our search mechanism addresses what we have discovered to be the most frequent need: finding basic information about organizations within St. Alban`s. To find the best set of links, you should enter a single word (such as "interfaith", "Alban", "peace", "cooking", etc...). HAPPY SEARCHING (and don’t forget--our News & Events link at the top of the page is updated several times a week to make sure the information is as up-to-date as possible!)Memorial and Commemorative Altar Flowers
The Flower Guild seeks donations for altar flowers given in memory of a family member or friend, and for flowers commemorating achievements and events -- "on the occasion of," such as birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and the like, for those living. Flowers also can be given simply to honor someone. To add a name, please contact Sandra Loftin at 202-966-4720.Time & Talent Pledging for the current Program Year (September 09 -- August 10)
Equally important to our financial pledge each year is pledging of our time and talent to the mission and ministry of St. Alban’s Parish. Time & Talent Pledging may be new to some people, so it might be helpful for you to read further for a thorough description of how it works.The best and easiest way to pledge is to go to our parish website and click on the link for Time & Talent Pledging. Once there, review and pray over where God may be calling you to serve in the coming year. Check those ministries to which you feel called to serve and submit the pledge. You will receive an email confirmation of your pledge. Also, the leaders of the ministries to which you have pledged will also receive an email with your contact information indicating you have made your pledge of time & talent to that ministry. Those leaders will then be in touch with you as soon as possible to help incorporate you into the ministries to which you have pledged.
Time & Talent Pledging is a way to open up the ministry of the parish to as many people as possible. It is a good way to be as inclusive as possible and to increase the number of people active in all our many and varied ministries. It is also an important means for each of us to contribute our part to the ministry of the whole parish.
Please take a few minutes to pledge your time and talent for the coming program year.
UPCOMING EVENTS
"Next Steps on Energy, Oil, Poverty, and More"
Sunday, August 1, 11:15 AMWithout question, the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico has further complicated our efforts to deal with climate change and a comprehensive energy policy. DeWayne Davis of the Episcopal Church’s Government Affairs Office -- who spoke to St. Albanites a year ago on health care reform -- joins us again to illuminate environmental and energy policy debate in light of 2010 realities. He also will give us an advance look at a new anti-poverty initiative that his office is about to roll out.
EPF Hiroshima Commemoration
Thursday, August 5, 6:30 PMThe Episcopal Peace Fellowship announces the following event in commemoration of the bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945: The Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom - DC Branch (WILPF-DC) - is joining with the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Committee of the National Capitol Area to sponsor the following commemorative event: Thursday, August 5, 6:30 PM - Hiroshima Memorial Lantern Float at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, Washington DC. For more information contact Helma Lanyi at 202-364-0546.