Weekly Newsletter August 16, 2023

St. Michael’s Weekly News – August 16, 2023

Dear People of St. Michaels,    

          Yesterday, August 15, was the day to commemorate and honor Mary, the Mother of our Lord. There is certainly little debate that we should remember and honor Mary for all the ways she is an example of abiding faith in her raising Jesus, but also her presence at his death and even with the Apostles, recorded in Acts, in his Resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

          But I wondered about this date, firmly in the middle of August. It turns out August 15 was set aside to honor her since the fifth century in Palestine and possibility in the 4th century in the city of Antioch. That date was ordered by Roman emperor Maurice (582-603) to be the day to honor her and is probably linked to a church in Rome dedicated in Mary’s name about the same time.

          “The honor paid to Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ, goes back to the earliest days of the church. Two Gospels tell of the manner of Christ’s birth, and the familiar Christmas story testifies to the church’s conviction that he was born of a virgin. In Luke’s Gospel, we catch a brief glimpse of Jesus’ upbringing at Nazareth, when the child was in the care of his mother and her husband Joseph.

          During Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, we learn that Mary was often with the
other women who followed Jesus and ministered to his needs. At Calvary, she
was among the little band of disciples who kept watch at the cross. After the resurrection, she was to be found with the Twelve in the upper room, watching and praying until the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost.

          Mary was the person closest to Jesus in his most impressionable years, and the words of the Magnificat, as well as her courageous acceptance of God’s will, bear more than an accidental resemblance to the Lord’s Prayer and the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount.: - Lesser Feasts and Fasts

In Christ,   

Pastor Randy Knutson

St Michael & All Angels Green Team

St Michael’s Green Team is moving along on the project to calculate the present day combined carbon footprint of the Church, Larson Hall, and St. Veronica’s Hall. The Commission On the Environment of The Episcopal Diocese Of Northern California has made the Team aware of an Energy Efficiency Expert who  would survey our buildings to create a detailed energy efficiency assessment report The information in the report from the assessment will help the Team develop an action plan to become more energy efficient. The great news is that St. Michael's is on the list to get an energy assessment in August with the support of the diocese.

Green Team Mission Statement of St Michael & All Angels Episcopal:
As Stewards/Caretakers of God’s Creation - our shared home Earth - it is our responsibility to preserve and protect God’s gift. As part of being good stewards, St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church of Fort Bragg is committed to determine the carbon footprint of our Church buildings and grounds, develop a plan to try to reach carbon neutrality by 2030, and follow through with our plan.
The Green Team of St Michael’s is open to all who are interested in working on this very important project. If interested, contact any Green Team Member.

Please join us.

Your St. Michael’s Green Team:
Heather Anderson, Rev Randy Knutson, Robin Knutson, Marcia Waters, Rick Bondor, Renee Jones
Blessings

August Birthdays: Robin Knutson, Donald Romeri, Kathleen Johnson, Pat Karch, Bill Reynolds, Maria Miller, Rev. Cn. W. Barton Kendrick, Hailee Peterson, Lynette Smith, Steve Roberts, Steven Woeppel, Richard Crandall, Aaron Peterson

August Anniversaries: the Maganas, the Blantons, and the Norgards.

Recycling and Trash Concerns at St. Michaels

Dear Members of the Parish, we are all adjusting to a new reality in our homes and around our community concerning trash, recycling and compost; the three categories of left over material from our lives and gatherings. Recently, we even received the first of three warnings concerning black trash bags in our recycling container: after three times, a $25 dollar fee. So we need to be more careful about refuse after our meals, coffee hour etc. The main concern seems to be with recycling and compost.

Many of us had the mantra of ‘recycling’ repeated to us again and again, but we live in a different world now where less is able to be recycled and some things we might have thought to recycle should instead go into compost, including used paper plates, napkins and paper cups. These should go now into ‘compost’, not recycling. Compost can also include left over food, coffee grounds, fruit peelings, and other plant based waste; along with grass clippings and other plant trimmings.

Recycling needs to include only clean paper, cardboard boxes, CA redemption bottles and cans (rinsed and dried), plastic containers (#1-#7) and glass. As we found out, these should also not be in any kind of garbage bag.

Trash includes so many things, but unfortunately includes styrofoam cups and many other things that aren’t ‘compost’ and can’t be recycled. It seems like a waste to throw some things away, but what isn’t ‘recycle’ or ‘compost’ needs to go into this container.

Thank you as we all work together to clean up after our times of great fellowship and worship.

Narcan Overdose kits available in Fort Bragg and at St. Michaels
Recently our Chief of Police received a grant to have Naloxone and its nasal spray version, Narcan, widely available here in Fort Bragg; to help with overdose victims we might come across. The most recent meeting of the Fort Bragg Rotary had a presentation about it and through that, a Narcan kit is now at St. Michaels, if need. Here is some basic information:

Naloxone is a life-saving medication used to reverse an opioid overdose, including heroin, fentanyl and prescription opioid medications. Naloxone can be quickly given through nasal spray (Narcan®) in the nose, or through an injectable or auto-injector into the outer thigh or another major muscle. Naloxone is safe and easy to use, works almost immediately, and is not addictive. Naloxone has very few negative effects, and has no effect if opioids are not in a person’s system.

Shared Ministry Outdoor Service this week, August 20th  at 10:00 am

We are glad to have Trinity Lutheran joining us this Sunday for first an Outdoor Service at 10:00am and then a BBQ/Potluck together, for a time of fellowship. We had a very enjoyable time on July 2nd, hosted by Trinity there; now it is our turn to host this outdoor service together in the summer. Please sign up to bring a potluck item on August 20th. Hot Dogs and Hamburgers will be provided and cooked that day on site as we first worship at 10:00 am outdoors, in our courtyard, then enjoy fellowship and food indoors in Larsen Hall.

Online Worship Information (Altered for this Sunday)

This Sunday we will offer in-person worship and at the same time offer the online broadcast of our service at 10:00 am in the ways posted below:

Our Sunday Service will be on St. Michael’s Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/StMikesFtBragg

https://www.facebook.com/StMikesFtBragg/videos

It will also stay there on the Facebook Pages and you can watch it later.

You can also watch it on this YouTube Channel later that day as well.

This is a NEW St. Michaels YouTube Channel and also on our website!

https://www.youtube.com/@st.michaelsepiscopalfortbragg

Website

When you can, check our new website: https://www.stmichaelfb.com/