Weekly Newsletter September 13, 2023
St. Michael’s Weekly News – September 13, 2023
ROOF FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN
This week, we are continuing our fundraising campaign for the new roofs on St Veronica's, the kitchen and Larsen Hall!
Our new roof cost $65,800! We need to fundraise so that the cost of this roof does not wipe out our future reserves.
So, please seriously consider what each of you can contribute to this vital cause.
One parishioner has offered to match donations up to $10,000 so let's take advantage of this generous offer and get those donations rolling in.
So far, we have received $8,100! Let's continue this progress.
We will use this space to update you each week!
Remember this is OUR church and we are all in this together (and with God's Blessing we can accomplish much!)
See our gallery for pictures of the roof construction.
Dear People of St. Michaels,
Tomorrow, September 14, is Holy Cross Day. It is a church commemoration grounded in antiquity and also a day to honor this universal symbol of the church.
The Cross is such a simple symbol of our faith, found in so many places; in our building and in other churches. It is something people wear, usually around their neck, but in other elegant jewelry. Unlike what we might imagine, it was not the immediate symbol of the Christian faith, since it also stood for the Roman Empire’s gruesome way of killing traitors and criminals. When we hear of Jesus’ crucifixion, we might not remember that the place of his death, the hill of Calvary, was outside of Jerusalem, along the way, coming or going into the city. The criminals and their bodies hung there as a reminder of the cost of disobedience to the Empire. It was a gruesome symbol.
Instead, the simple symbol of the fish was one of the early Christian signs, with the Greek word for fish being "ichthys." As early as the first century, Christians made an acrostic from this word: Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter, i.e. Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. The fish had plenty of other theological overtones as well, for Christ fed the 5,000 with 2 fishes and 5 loaves and he called his disciples "fishers of men.” The ichthys symbol (or "Jesus fish") is a sign typically used to proclaim an affiliation with or affinity for Christianity. The fish was originally adopted by early Christians as a secret symbol. After Christianity was declared legal and the adopted religion of the Roman Empire and the death of Jesus understand as necessary for our salvation, the cross could then be claimed as a sign of our faith, and has been ever since.
One of the things the cross can remind us about is the two fold connection in our faith: to God and to each other. The cross stretches from top to bottom, going up and down along one side. That can remind us of our faiths connection from us to God. Jesus came that we might have that kind of direct connection to God and in our baptism we are reminded we become children of God, connected directly to God in prayer and by the Holy Spirit. The cross also extends from side to side, reminding us our faith should also connect us to others; it is not just an us and God faith, but intended to reach out to others. We also are to be connected, one to another. Perhaps this is best expressed when Jesus said the greatest commandment was "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."(Matthew 22:35–40) The cross as a symbol, should remind us of these two aspects of our faith.
So observe Holy Cross Day tomorrow (and every day). Remember how the cross connects to God and to each other. Observe all the crosses in our church, in our lives and how we use our church, our building, to help us to connect to God and to others. Our recent repairs had that kind of connection as well; and even if you look at the pattern in the roof, you might be surprised to see crosses there!
In Christ,
Pastor Randy Knutson
Special Days Coming Up
Sunday, September 24; 10:45 am - Our Annual Commemoration of St. Michael and All Angels in our Sunday Service (the actual date is Sept. 29)
Sunday, October 1; 10:45 am - Our yearly Blessing of the Animals Service, held outdoors this day. All pets and owners are welcomed at this Service.
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.
Bible/Book Study, Thursdays at 10:30 am
There will be no bible study on September 14th. Meetings will resume on September 21st.
September Birthdays: Andrew Scully, Margie Muto, Beverly Engelhardt, Anne Turner, Andrea Blanton, Susanne Norgard, Elea VanWormer, Mark J. Mesa, Karina Benson, Maryanne Baroni, Lynne Duncan
Online Worship Information (different this week!)
This Sunday, September 17, the service will ONLY be available later, recorded and put on our YouTube channel on Sunday evening.
You can watch it on this YouTube Channel later that day.
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/