THE ANNUNCIATION. VOLUME XXXIV No. 2 February Saint Mary s Church 337 Charlotte Street Asheville, North Carolina

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1 THE ANNUNCIATION VOLUME XXXIV No. 2 February 2018 Saint Mary s Church 337 Charlotte Street Asheville, North Carolina

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3 THE ANNUNCIATION - February St. Mary s Episcopal Church, Asheville, NC FROM THE RECTOR Father Brent Norris A few months ago I was in a situation where I did not have my regular reading material and had to read myself to sleep with something that I found on the shelf in the retreat center. I don t remember the title of the book but I do remember the major point. The author talked about how we, as individuals and as communities or organizations, often allow ourselves to let the past or others write our story for us. By this he meant that we let the direction of our lives be decided for us. We decide this is the way things have been therefore this is the way things always will be. Or, this is who we have been therefore this is who we will always be. Living in this mind-set is static. We simply accept what is as if there were no other option. The alternative is to take a more intentionally proactive approach to life. The idea is to make a plan and set about accomplishing it. One might fail, but at least one has taken responsibility for one s own life. There are obvious implications in this for the life of the Church. For the past few decades participation in the life of the Church has declined. Membership has fallen, pews are more and more vacant and most of the time we in the Church seem only able to ring our hands and moan about how sad that is, as opposed to actually trying to do something about it. We know that the Episcopal Church in general and St. Mary s in particular has not always been the most inviting or welcoming place for those who are seeking a deeper relationship with God and other people. We can change that. The Diocese of Texas has developed a program called Invite-Welcome-Connect which helps congregations adopt some simple common sense ways of being and doing that are proven to be effective in bringing people (even those already in the pews!) into a deeper relationship with God and each other. Over the next few months you will begin to see some examples of Invite-Welcome-Connect. There will be opportunities for each of you to be a part of it. I look forward to joining with you in this program to strengthen our faith and spread the good news of Jesus. SOUP LUNCH - SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 4 All are invited to join the ECW on Sunday February 4, after the 11:00 am Mass during Coffee Hour for Soup Sunday. There will be no charge it is our pleasure to serve you Soup and Cornbread, Dessert, and a Drink. Hope you can make it! Pat, Linda, Wanda, and Jo. INCLEMENT WEATHER PROCEDURE As we move through the winter season the likelihood of snow and/or ice becomes greater. If there is a question about whether or not services have been cancelled at St. Mary s, simply call the church office number ( ). The message on the answering machine will tell you what you need to know. You may also check our facebook page at St. Mary s Episcopal Church Asheville, NC or the closing notices on WLOS. The decision about cancelling the 8:00 am service will be made by 7:00 am. The decision about cancelling Sunday school and the 11:00 am service will be made by 9:00 am. Decisions about daily services will be made by 3:30 pm. The condition of roads can vary a great deal from one part of Asheville to another, not to mention our outlying towns. When in doubt opt for safety. Take out your BCP, read the service and scriptures appointed for the day, and make a spiritual communion in your heart.

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5 LOST AT CHURCH on Friday night, January 5, (Twelfth Night Party) a long cotton orange-cream scarf If found, please call Anne Harrell, Thank you. Dear St. Mary's Church Family, The families of Jennifer Frank Holder, Mary Kay Frank Armstrong, and Chel Frank Douglass thank you for your generous help, love, and prayers during the passing of our mother Mary LLoyd. We are grateful for your advice and kindness. We appreciate the special effort you made to provide a beautiful service and reception in mother's honor, during the huge snowstorm. Thank you for your love, Jennifer Frank Holder COFFEE HOUR CHANGES During the coming year St. Mary s will be using suggestions from a nationally recognized program for Church growth known as Invite-Welcome-Connect. One of the things we need to work on is how we welcome guests and new members. Part of this will be done by Greeters before the service, part will be done after the service at coffee hour which we will begin referring to as fellowship time. As a way of making our fellowship time more useful and welcoming we will observe the following format. Each week a tray of fruit and cheese and some sweets will be provided. Those who sign up for this ministry of hospitality will make the coffee, set out the refreshments and straighten the kitchen afterwards. Hosts will stand at the refreshment table to welcome people. Hosts may add a simple personal contribution of their own to the refreshments but that is not required. From time to time we have parish luncheons instead of coffee hour. Some of these are fund raisers. All fund raisers need to be scheduled through the Rector. If someone wants to provide a meal after church that must be approved by the Rector and it needs to, at least, take an offering for a designated outreach ministry. This new way of offering a time for fellowship will begin on February 18. LENTEN MITE BOXES FOR MARTHA A traditional activity during Lent is to keep a mite box. Money that would have been spent on alcohol, sweets, movies, and the like are kept in a cup or box and brought to the Church at Easter. For several years now the funds raised by these mite boxes are used to support our little sister at the Episcopal home for girls in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Mite boxes will be available beginning Ash Wednesday. Please make adding something to your box a part of your daily Lenten rule.

6 MARDI GRAS SPAGHETTI SUPPER Jeanne and Bob Perry are hosting our annual Mardi Gras celebration on Tuesday, February 13 th, at 6:15 pm in Emmaus Hall. Please contact them ( or ) to help with the spaghetti dinner. ASH WEDNESDAY AND LENT The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday (February 14th). Lent is the annual period of repentance and renewal in preparation for the celebration of the Resurrection on the Feast of Easter. Ash Wednesday is one of two fasting days appointed in the calendar of the Church (see Book of Common Prayer p. 17). In our tradition that means that all those who are between the ages of 18 and 70 and in good health should limit themselves to two half meals and one simple (meatless) meal during the day. Those who cannot, or should not, keep this food fast are expected to fast in some other meaningful way. LENTEN SCHEDULE AT ST. MARY S Ash Wednesday Noon Mass with Ashes 7:00 pm Mass with Ashes Tuesdays in Lent 5:15 pm Evening Prayer 5:30 pm Said Mass Wednesdays in Lent 7:30 pm Holden Evening Prayer at St. Mark s Lutheran Fridays in Lent 12:05 pm Mass 6:15 pm Stations of the Cross Movie night following stations February 23 All Saints March 16 The Shack Confessions: March 17 th : 12 noon-2:00 pm (or by appointment) MOVIES DURING LENT Following Stations of the Cross on February 23 and March 16, we will have our traditional Lenten movie nights. Please bring a meatless dish to share. The movies this year are: All Saints (the true story of an Episcopal parish that comes to life through an unexpected relationship) The Shack (the story of a man s experience in meeting God in the midst of crisis and tragedy.)

7 FEBRUARY PRAYER CYCLE Daily Prayers for: Diocese, Anglican Communion, Religious Communities 1 Incarnation, Highlands Diocese of Aba (Nigeria) Sisters of the Community of St. Mary, Sewanee 2 Good Shepherd, Haysville Diocese of Aba Ngwa North (Nigeria) Sisters of Charity, Little Britain, Ontario 3 Grace, Robbinsville Diocese of Abakaliki (Nigeria) Sisters of the Community of the Holy Spirit, New York 4 Grace, Waynesville Diocese of Aberdeen & Orkney (Scotland) Sisters of the Community of St. Francis, San Francisco 5 St. Agnes & St. John s, Franklin Anglican Church of New Zealand Sisters of the Community of St. John the Baptist, NJ 6 St. Cyprian s, Franklin Diocese of Western North Carolina Sisters of the Community of St. Mary, Greenwich, NY 7 Messiah, Murphy Diocese of Accra (Ghana) Sisters of the Transfiguration, San Pedro, DR 8 St. Andrew s, Canton Diocese of Adelaide (Australia) Sisters of St. Mary, West Province, Mukwonago, WI 9 St. David s, Cullowhee Diocese of Afikpo (Nigeria) Sisters of the Church, Oakville, Ontario 10 St. Francis, Cherokee Diocese of Agra (India) Sisters of the Transfiguration, Cincinnati, OH 11 St. John s, Sylva Diocese of Aguata (Nigeria) Diocese of Brothers of the Holy Cross, West Park, NY 12 St. Mary s College & St. Augustine s College, Raleigh Anglican Church of Australia Sisters/Brothers of Julian of Norwich, Waukesha, WI 13 University of the South, Sewanee Diocese of Aipo Rongo (Papua New Guinea) Sisters of St. Anne, Bethany Convent, Arlington, MA 14 Ascension, Hickory St. Alban s, Hickory Diocese of Ajayi Crowther (Nigeria) Sisters of St. Anne, Ascension Convent, Chicago, IL 15 Epiphany, Newton Diocese of Akoko (Nigeria) Sisters of the Society of St. Margaret, Boston 16 Grace, Morganton St. Stephen s, Morganton Diocese of Akoko Edo (Nigeria) Sisters of the Order of St. Helena, Augusta, GA 17 St. Mary s, Morganton St. Paul s, Morganton Diocese of Akot (Sudan) Anglican Communion Religious Communities 18 St. James, Lenoir Diocese of Akure (Nigeria) Brothers of St. Gregory s Abbey, Three Rivers, MI 19 St. John s, Marion Church of Bangladesh Brothers of the Servants of Christ Priory, Phoenix, AZ 20 St. Paul s, Wilkesboro Diocese of Alabama Sisterhood of the Holy Nativity, Ripon, WI 21 Lake Logan Center Diocese of Alaska Community of Taize 22 Bishop Henry Center Diocese of Algoma (Canada) Sisters of St. John the Divine, Toronto 23 Holy Spirit, Mars Hill Diocese in All Saints (Kenya) Brothers of the Society of St. Francis, Mt. Sinai, NY 24 Cathedral of All Souls, Asheville Diocese of Amazon (Brazil) Brothers of St. John the Evangelist, Cambridge, MA 25 Trinity, Asheville Diocese of Amiochi (Nigeria) Sisters of the Society of St. Margaret, Port-au-Prince 26 Grace, Asheville Redeemer, Asheville Anglican Church of Brazil Priests of the Society of St. Paul, Palm Desert, CA 27 St. George s, Asheville St. Mary s, Asheville Diocese of Amritsar (India) Sisters of Teachers of the Children of God, Tucson, AZ 28 St. Luke s, Asheville St. John s, Asheville Diocese of Andaman & Car Nicobar Islands (India) New Vocations 29 St. Matthias, Asheville Diocese of Central Interior (Canada) Associates of Religious Orders 30 St. James, Black Mountain Diocese of Angola Religious Communities in the Anglican Communion 31 Good Shepherd, Cashiers Diocese of Ankole (Uganda) Oblates of Religious Orders

8 MINISTRIES SCHEDULE FOR FEBRUARY February 4 February 11 February 18 February 25 Server 8:00 am H. Nicholls H. Nicholls Reader(s) R. Watson C. Longoria B. Perry A. Blankinsip Altar Party 11:00 am R. Bullock E. Cole N. Scaglioni T. Naomi R. Watson Andrea Blankinship R. Bullock T. Naomi N. Scaglioni T. Naomi E. Cole A. Bullock Andrew Blankinship S. Blankinship Andrew Blankinship L. Buckner Ushers M. Stanley B. Stanley M. Stanley B. Stanley J. Perry B. Perry J. Perry B. Perry Counters T. Naomi R. Watson Andrea Blankinship T. West M. Davis A. Bullock D. King C. Longoria Coffee Hour ECW Soup Lunch Perrys NOTICE +++ The deadline to submit articles for the March newsletter will be February FROM THE REGISTER ATTENDANCE REPORT 8:00 am 11:00 am Total December January January January January

9 St. Mary s Church FEBRUARY 2018 MH: Mercer Hall Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday EH: Emmaus Hall KH: Ketchum House 1 2 PRESENTTION 12:05 pm Mass (Rite I) White (B. Norris) 3 10:00 am Al-Anon/MH 4 EPIPHANY V 8:00 am Mass Green 9:45 am Forum/EH 9:45 am Atrium 11:00 am Sung Mass 12:30 pm ECW Soup Lunch 5 Rector s Day off 6 Titus 2-3:30 pm CDC class/eh 5:15 pm EP 5:30 pm Mass White (O. C. Edwards) 7 7:30 pm Choir 8 9 Cornelius (transferred) 12:05 pm Mass (Rite I) White (S. Weissman) 10 10:00 am Al-Anon/MH 11 EPIPHANY LAST 8:00 am Mass Green 9:45 am Forum/EH 9:45 am Atrium 11:00 am Sung Mass 12 Rector s Day off 13 Shrove Tuesday/ Absalom Jones 5:15 pm EP 5:30 pm Mass White (O. C. Edwards) 6:15 pm Shrove Tuesday Dinner 14 ASH WEDNESDAY FAST DAY Church open all day for Quiet Retreat 12:00 pm Mass/ Ashes Black 7:00 pm Mass/Ashes Requiem 12:05 pm Mass (Rite I) Black (S. Weissman) 6:15 pm Stations of the Cross 17 10:00 am Al-Anon/MH 18 LENT I 8:00 am Mass Purple 9:45 am Forum/EH 9:45 am Atrium 11:00 am Sung Mass 19 Parish Office closed 20 Martin Luther (transferred) 5:15 pm EP 5:30 pm Mass White (O. C. Edwards) 6:00 pm ECW/KH 21 12:30 pm Clergy Lunch/Tommy s 7:00 Holden Evening Prayer/St. Mark s 7:30 pm Choir ST. MATTHIAS (transferred) 12:05 pm Mass (Rite I) Red (S. Weissman) 6:15 pm Stations of the Cross/ Covered-dish Supper/Movie 24 10:00 am Al-Anon/MH 25 LENT II 8:00 am Mass Purple 9:45 am Forum/EH 9:45 am Atrium 11:00 am Susng Mass 26 Rector s Day off 27 George Herbert 5:15 pm EP White 5:30 pm Mass (O. C. Edwards) 28 7:00 Holden Evening Prayer/St. Mark s 7:30 pm Choir

10 St. Mary s Church 337 Charlotte Street, Asheville, North Carolina Phone: Fax: mail@stmarysasheville.org Website: saintmarys.diocesewnc.org CLERGY The Rt. Rev d José McLoughlin Bishop of Western North Carolina The Rev d Brent Norris Rector The Rev d Michael Ashmore -- Deacon The Rev d O. C. Edwards Priest Associate The Rev d Stephen Weissman Priest Associate The Rev d Catherine Powell Priest Associate VESTRY AND OFFICERS Tom Naomi Senior Warden Thomas West - - Junior Warden Patricia Crenshaw Treasurer Stephen Sesko - Clerk of the Vestry Ami Bullock - Class of 19 Matt Stone Thomas West Michael Davis - Class of 20 Roger Watson Pat Wooten Danielle King Class of 21 Christine Longoria Tom Naomi STAFF Mary Alice Nard - Parish Administrator Joel P. Rogers Organist/Choir Director Genelda Woggon - Catechist The Rev d Catherine Powell - Catechist Harvey Johnson Sexton