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There are several options for worshiping together on Sunday, June 28th:
1. Go to the St. Augustine's Facebook (www.facebook.com and search St. Augustine's) at either 8:00 am, 9:30 am (español), or 10:30am. The services at those times will be "live." OR.... 2. If you don't have access to the internet, you can dial in and listen live at those times by dialing (888)958-7272 and then entering one of these access codes (you can only listen while the service is "live"): 8:00 AM - 681851308 10:30 AM - 184400059 OR... 3. Go to the St. Augustine's Facebook (www.facebook.com and search St. Augustine's) at any time and watch the recorded services. These options are particularly appropriate for individuals 65 years or older and people of all ages with poor control of medical issues like high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, or a weakened immune system. (Or those who have gotten accustomed to church in their pajamas!) OR.... 4. Come to St. Augustine's for in-person, indoor worship at 8:00 am, 9:30 am(Espanol), or 10:30 am. If you decide to come, here's an idea of what to do and what to expect: - The liturgy will be similar to the past few weeks, that is to say we will not celebrate Holy Eucharist. (Hoping for July 5th for that!) - You'll need to wear a mask. If you don't have one, we will give you one. - You will be "checked in" by Susan Scotton, our Parish Health Minister, so that we can have a roster of attendance should contact tracing be necessary later. The "check-in" will take place by the fountain in the gatehouse. - We will skip a pew between congregants and ask people to maintain six feet of distance between family groups. - If we run out of pew space, Byrd Hall will be set up as an overflow area to watch on Facebook Live. - Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the church. - You will need to print and bring the bulletin and/or your personal Book of Common Prayer. Printed bulletins will not be provided and all books have been removed from the pews. - We will not "pass the plate," but the offertory plates will be set out for your donations. - The church will be disinfected between services. This will be possible in part because Darlene Fisher, our Housekeeper, has agreed to adjust her hours to work on Sundays. She'll be assisted by members of the Altar Guild and Vestry. - Chase will play and sing from the choir loft. - We will not provide any shared food or beverages after the services. - The Nursery will not be open. Virtual Coffee Hour We will continue hosting "Coffee Half Hour" at 9:00 am (a bit later to allow time for people attending the 8:00 service to get home). If you need a link to the meeting, e-mail Kate. Addictions Recovery Retreat - August 7th - 9th The Addictions Recovery Ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana has announced the dates for the annual weekend gathering for men and womenwho are in, or want to be in, recovery. The theme of the weekend is "Restlessness." For more information and to register, go to: http://www.seccla.org Notice of the Annual Parish Meeting - Sunday, August 2nd The parish charter of St. Augustine's calls for an annual meeting of the parish to take place on the third Sunday in April, or, if that should fall on Easter, the following Sunday. The coronavirus changed all that. The Vestry has agreed to a new date for the Annual Meeting. It will be on Sunday, August 2nd, from 9:30 am to 10:00 am. The meeting will be conducted via the Zoom meeting platform, hence the abbreviated time allotment. The information for the Zoom meeting will be sent in the coming weeks.
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WORSHIP THIS SUNDAY, JUNE 21ST There are several options for worshiping together on Sunday, June 21st: 1. Go to the St. Augustine's Facebook (www.facebook.com/staugustinesmet) at either 8:00 am, 9:30 am (español), or 10:30 am. The services at those times will be "live." OR.... 2. If you don't have access to the internet, you can dial in and listen live at those times by dialing (888)958-7272 and then entering one of these access codes (you can only listen while the service is "live"): 8:00 AM - 371007309 9:30 AM - 416480822 10:30 AM - 863691700 OR.... 3. Go to the St. Augustine's Facebook (www.facebook.com/staugustinesmet) at any time and watch the recorded services. These options are particularly appropriate for individuals 65 years or older and people of all ages with poor control of medical issues like high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, or a weakened immune system. (Or those who have gotten accustomed to church in their pajamas!) OR.... 4. Come to St. Augustine's for in-person, indoor worship at 8:00 am, 9:30 am (español), or 10:30 am. If you decide to come, here's an idea of what to do and what to expect: - The liturgy will be similar to the past few weeks, that is to say we will not celebrate Holy Eucharist. (Plans are under consideration about how to do this safely and reverently. We are hoping to have this in place in July.) - You'll need to wear a mask. If you don't have one, we will give you one. - You will be "checked in" by a member of the Vestry, so that we can have a roster of attendance should contact tracing be necessary later. The "check-in" will take place by the fountain in the gatehouse. - We will skip a pew between congregants and ask people to maintain six feet of distance between family groups. - If we run out of pew space, Byrd Hall will be set up as an overflow area to watch on Facebook Live. - Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the church. - You will need to print and bring the bulletin and/or your personal Book of Common Prayer. Printed bulletins will not be provided and all books have been removed from the pews. - We will not "pass the plate," but the offertory plates will be set out for your donations. - The church will be disinfected between services. This will be possible in part because Darlene Fisher, our Housekeeper, has agreed to adjust her hours to work on Sundays. She'll be assisted by members of the Altar Guild and Vestry. - Chase will play and sing from the choir loft. - We will not provide any shared food or beverages after the services. - The Nursery will not be open.
Virtual Coffee Hour We will continue hosting “Coffee Hour” at 9:00 am (a bit later to allow time for people attending the 8:00 service to get home). If you need the link or password, email Kate. In addition to checking in, please consider watching the film “Just Mercy”. It’s based on the book by Bryan Stevenson and his efforts to help bring justice to the criminal justice system. It’s also a powerful illustration about the redeeming potential of mercy. This website will tell you how to watch it for free: www.justmercyfilm.com Happy Father’s Day And last but by no means least, Happy Father’s Day to all our dads out there. Here are some of the lessons learned from dads (and baseball).  Weekly Words of Wellness Scott Stoner, The Living Compass Wellness Initiative - June 19, 2020 Baseball and Dadisms 2020 I miss baseball. I mean, what would it be like to go an entire summer without baseball? That's something I had never considered, but I'm afraid we just might find out. The thought makes me shutter. Every year as Father's Day approaches, I miss my Dad, and because I have so many special memories of him regarding baseball, I think I miss him most this year. So it only seems fitting this year to offer my annual column on Dadisms as an honor to my Dad and the countless other Dads who taught us so much about life through the lens of baseball. (Certainly, there are lots of Moms who love baseball, too, but that's another column for another time). In response to my requests, many of you sent in your favorite Dadisms over the last few weeks. I appreciated them all, and I also enjoyed the many stories you shared about your fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, and other father figures. Your stories provided a context for what you shared, and that made them even more meaningful. Several of your stories, like mine, included special baseball memories with fathers and grandfathers. So here is a baseball-themed version of my annual tribute to the wise sayings from the important men in our lives. "There is no 'I' in the word 'team.'" While not unique to baseball, the wisdom of this saying reminds us that it is "not always about you." Sometimes being a good team player is graciously being willing to sit on the bench so that others can have their turn to pitch or swing the bat on any given day. I always have great respect for aging veterans who fully accept their role as no longer being everyday players, and instead focus on mentoring the players or players that will someday replace them. "Know what you are going to do with the ball before it is hit to you." This is excellent advice in baseball and in life. Applied to baseball, it means to know the situation--how many outs there are, what the score is, and how many runners are on base--before the ball is hit, so that there will be no hesitation as to what to do if the ball does come your way. Applied to life, it means we need to know our responses to both positive opportunities and potentially harmful situations before they arise. Parents can teach their children, particularly teens, to practice their responses and be prepared ahead of time for potential negative influences and temptations. This is excellent advice for adults as well. "Wait for your pitch," and "Let the game come to you." These two similar sayings remind us that patience is the key to making good decisions in all aspects of life. Knowing when not to swing at a pitch is as important as knowing when to swing. Take your time, weigh your options, and resist trying to force the game to come to you. "Keep your eye on the ball." This piece of wisdom was shared in an attempt to make a player a better hitter. The wisdom here is all about the importance of being focused, and of paying attention to what is right in front of you. In our work and personal lives, as with baseball, staying focused on what is most important is vital. "Keep the main thing, the main thing," is another way of saying this same thing. "Look the ball into your glove." This is a similar piece of wisdom but related to being a good fielder. The lesson here is, again, the importance of focus and concentration. Errors are easily made if a fielder is looking to where they are going to throw the ball, rather than focusing on watching the ball land into the glove. The parallel to this in terms of family wellness is the gift we offer another person when we are truly present to them--when our conversation with them is all that matters to us at that moment. We follow their words carefully, just like we follow the ball into the glove, never taking our eyes off of them. We need to avoid making the error of losing track of the ball in the crucial relationships of our lives, as well as on the field. "Shake it off." This is often said either after a tough loss, after making an error, or getting hit by a pitch. This is not only sound advice, but it sends a positive, hopeful message. Things don't always go as planned. We all experience defeat and loss on and off the field. These things don't have to define us though. When we are hurting--in life or in baseball-maintaining emotional and spiritual resiliency is the key to recovering and moving on. "Know when and how to sacrifice." In baseball, executing a skilled sacrifice involves advancing or scoring another player who is on base at the expense of giving yourself up for an out; it's a selfless act. This can be done by bunting or by hitting a deep fly ball to the outfield (or even hitting to the right side of the infield, if there is a runner on second). It may look easy, but being able to make a well-timed sacrifice consistently takes years of practice, as many dads know through sacrificing for their families over the years. "2-4-6-8, who do we appreciate? Yay ....________!" My baseball coaches always had our team recite this cheer after every game, win or lose, filling the blank in with the name of the team we had just played. Learn to be a humble and gracious loser, as well as a humble and kind winner. And that seems like a great way to conclude this year's Dadisms column. "2-4-6-8, who do we appreciate? Yay.... fathers, grandfathers, and all the other influential men in our lives." ********************************************* I want to thank all of you who took the time to send your favorite Dadisms. I regret that I am not able to share most of them. Please know that I read and treasured all of them, along with the often poignant stories you also shared.
Follow Living Compass on Facebook. Permission is given to reprint, reuse, and distribute freely with attribution. Contact us with any questions or to learn more about our trainings and wellness resources for adults, teens, parents, and families: Living Compass There are several options for worshiping together on Sunday, June 21st:
1. Go to the St. Augustine's Facebook (www.facebook.com/staugustinesmet) at either 8:00 am, 9:30 am (español), or 10:30 am. The services at those times will be "live." OR.... 2. If you don't have access to the internet, you can dial in and listen live at those times by dialing (888)958-7272 and then entering one of these access codes (you can only listen while the service is "live"): 8:00 AM - 371007309 9:30 AM - 416480822 10:30 AM - 863691700 OR.... 3. Go to the St. Augustine's Facebook (www.facebook.com/staugustinesmet) at any time and watch the recorded services. These options are particularly appropriate for individuals 65 years or older and people of all ages with poor control of medical issues like high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, or a weakened immune system. (Or those who have gotten accustomed to church in their pajamas!) OR.... 4. Come to St. Augustine's for in-person, indoor worship at 8:00 am, 9:30 am (español), or 10:30 am. If you decide to come, here's an idea of what to do and what to expect: - The liturgy will be similar to the past few weeks, that is to say we will not celebrate Holy Eucharist. (Hoping for July 5th for that!) - You'll need to wear a mask. If you don't have one, we will give you one. - You will be "checked in" by Susan Scotton, our Parish Health Minister, so that we can have a roster of attendance should contact tracing be necessary later. The "check-in" will take place by the fountain in the gatehouse. - We will skip a pew between congregants and ask people to maintain six feet of distance between family groups. - If we run out of pew space, Byrd Hall will be set up as an overflow area to watch on Facebook Live. - Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the church. - You will need to print and bring the bulletin and/or your personal Book of Common Prayer. Printed bulletins will not be provided and all books have been removed from the pews. - We will not "pass the plate," but the offertory plates will be set out for your donations. - The church will be disinfected between services. This will be possible in part because Darlene Fisher, our Housekeeper, has agreed to adjust her hours to work on Sundays. She'll be assisted by members of the Altar Guild and Vestry. - Chase will play and sing from the choir loft. - We will not provide any shared food or beverages after the services. - The Nursery will not be open. Dear Faithful Friends, I often refer to the "ninth" beatitude: Blessed are the flexible, for they will never get bent out of shape. The truth of these words are all too obvious given the events so far in 2020. If we don't get comfortable with changing situations and evolving guidelines, we are likely to spend a lot of time feeling bent out of shape--or worse! This coming Sunday, we will move to another stage of "next normal." It will be closer to what we were used to, but still very different. We will have additional opportunities to worship, yet none will be completely satisfactory. If we remain flexible, we'll receive the blessing. Here are the options for worshiping together on Sunday, June 14th: 1. Go to the St. Augustine's Facebook (www.facebook.com/staugustinesmet) at either 8:00 am, 9:30 am (espanol), or 10:30 am. The services at those times will be "live." OR.... 2. If you don't have access to the internet, you can dial in and listen live at those times by dialing (888)958-7272 and then entering one of these access codes (you can only listen while the service is "live"): 8:00 - 593653472 9:30 - 851722948 10:30 - 997575256 OR.... 3. Go to the St. Augustine's Facebook (www.facebook.com/staugustinesmet) at any time and watch the recorded services. These options are particularly appropriate for individuals 65 years or older and people of all ages with poor control of medical issues like high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, or a weakened immune system. (Or those who have gotten accustomed to church in their pajamas!) OR.... 4. Come to St. Augustine's for in-person, indoor worship at 8:00 am, 9:30 am (Espanol), or 10:30 am. If you decide to come, here's an idea of what to do and what to expect: - The liturgy will be similar to the past few weeks, that is to say we will not celebrate Holy Eucharist. (Hoping for July 5th for that!) - You'll need to wear a mask. If you don't have one, we will give you one. - You will be "checked in" by Susan Scotton, our Parish Health Minister, so that we can have a roster of attendance should contact tracing be necessary later. The "check-in" will take place by the fountain in the gatehouse. - We will skip a pew between congregants and ask people to maintain six feet of distance between family groups. - If we run out of pew space, Byrd Hall will be set up as an overflow area to watch on Facebook Live. - Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the church. - You will need to print and bring the bulletin and/or your personal Book of Common Prayer. Printed bulletins will not be provided and all books have been removed from the pews. - We will not "pass the plate," but the offertory plates will be set out for your donations. - The church will be disinfected between services. This will be possible in part because Darlene Fisher, our Housekeeper, has agreed to adjust her hours to work on Sundays. She'll be assisted by members of the Altar Guild and Vestry. - We will not have any music this Sunday, June 14th. - We will not provide any shared food or beverages after the services. - The Nursery will not be open. We will continue with a Zoom "Coffee Hour" at 8:45 am. In addition to "checking in," I invite you to watch the film "Just Mercy" (based on the book by Bryan Stevenson) so that we can have a shared topic to discuss. More than just a story relevant to our national conversation regarding racism and justice, this is also a reminder about the redeeming potential of mercy. The film is widely available for free viewing. Here's a link: Just Mercy - Watch for Free In closing, I'd like to thank our Vestry for their tireless flexibility and ongoing commitment to the well-being of our congregation. They lead by example--an example of loving, good-natured, and yes-flexible servanthood. At some point we will reschedule our Annual Parish Meeting at which time we can thank them all appropriately--and elect three more! For now, the three outgoing members continue in what we are referring to as their "overtime." For the good and faithful work of all nine Vestry members, and of all those staying flexible, thanks be to God! Peace, AJ+ Click below to download the bulletin for Rite I and Rite II services.
Loving Like Jesus — Sacrificial and Unselfish During these turbulent times, it is helpful for us, as followers of Jesus Christ, to remember our promise to walk in his ways. How can we “love like Jesus” in the midst of violence, death, destruction, and systemic racial inequality? I have found insight and instructive inspiration from our Presiding Bishop. His sermon from Pentecost is below and worth a watch. https://episcopalchurch.org/responding-to-racist-violence Worship Services for June 7th and June 14th This Sunday, June 7th, we will continue with our FaceBook Live broadcast at 8:00 am (English) and 9:30 am (Espanol). You can also watch both of these services throughout the day at www.facebook.com/staugustinesmet. Additionally, please “stick around” for a virtual coffee hour following the service (approximately 8:45 am). Click below to download the bulletin for June 7. 
On Sunday, June 14th, we will offer these options for worship: 1. Continue watching on FaceBook live at 8 am (or 9:30 am en Espanol) 2. Watch on FaceBook Live at your convenience 3. Attend at St. Augustine’s at 8 am or 10:30 am. Those who are over age 65 and/or have other underlying heath conditions putting them at higher risk, are encouraged to stay home. A committee will be formulating and communicating a plan for our safe return. You’ll receive that information in next week’s email, but please know that although we will be returning, we are not returning to normal. We will all need to wear masks and practice social distancing. That means each service will be able to seat approximately 50 people. We will not have congregational singing or Holy Communion (probably until July). We won’t be able to have any communal food or beverage. We won’t even pass the collection plates! And people will have to sign in so that we have contact information should someone test positive after the fact. Congratulations! New life continues! There have been two births within the parish. Christopher and Sydney Jones welcomed Charlotte Indie Jones to their family. Sophia likes the idea!  Also, just this week, Mario and Lynn Munoz celebrated the birth of Lily Dorothy Munoz on June 3, at 2:56 pm. Lynn and Dorothy are happy and healthy. Mario is over the moon too!  O God, you have taught us through your blessed Son that whoever receives a little child in the name of Christ receives Christ himself: We give thanks for the blessing you have bestowed upon these families in giving them these children. Confirm their joy by a lively sense of your presence with them, and give them calm strength and patient wisdom as they seek to bring these children to love all that is true and noble, just and pure, lovable and gracious, excellent and admirable, following the example of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. For Dial-in this Sunday:
If you or someone you know can’t watch the service on-line, they can dial in at 8 am and listen to it through their phone line. Dial 1-888-958-7272 and then enter this access code: 730917553 Catherine Coats is inviting you to a "Virtual Coffee Hour" Zoom meeting Catherine Coats is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Coffee Hour - Reoccurring Time: May 17, 2020 08:45 AM Central Time (US and Canada) Every week on Sunday at 08:45 AM Please contact us for the link and password. Tips: Click on the link when it is time for the meeting. We will start very close to "on time" because of the meeting time limits. You will enter a "waiting room" then Catherine will let you in. In the bottom left corner of the screen you will control if we hear you or see you. When you sign in, we should be able to see you, but you might be muted at the beginning. If you cannot hear me speak, you will need to go to the bottom right corner of your screen and click on your volume to turn it up. this can also be done with your keyboard. |
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