St. George Episcopal Church Witte Rd. SE, Maple Valley, WA 98038

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1 Come. Journey Together St. George Episcopal Church Witte Rd. SE, Maple Valley, WA Sunday Services at 9:00 am & 11:00 am Our Mission Statement: Love God...Love your Neighbor...Change the World. Saint George Episcopal Church is an inclusive family of faith in Maple Valley; a welcoming Episcopal congregation honoring the best in Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox traditions. December 2017 / January 2018

2 St. George Episcopal Church Witte Road SE, PO Box 510, Maple Valley, WA (425) Rev. Bonnie Malone: Sandy Schmelzle, Admin: Church Website: Church Calendar: Church Directory: Facebook Page: St. George Episcopal Church - Maple Valley, WA BISHOPS COMMITTEE 2017 SENIOR WARDEN: Godfrey Guerzon (Term expires 2019) Godfrey Guerzon: seniorwarden@saintgeorgemv.org JUNIOR WARDEN-BUILDINGS and GROUNDS: John Douglas (Term expires 2019) John Douglas: dougrj@comcast.net WORSHIP and MUSIC: Mike Fassio (Term expires 2018) Mike Fassio: mfassio@yahoo.com FINANCE and STEWARDSHIP: Rich Miskho (Term expires 2020) Richard Miskho: richard.miskho@intintsolutions.com EVANGELISM: Robin Porter (Term expires 2018) Robin Porter: rbnporter81@gmail.com CHILDRENS EDUCATION: Tina Shafer (Term expires 2020) Tina Shafer: tinashafer33@msn.com FELLOWSHIP: Margarete Sched (Term expires 2019) Margarete Sched: margarete.sched@gmail.com COMMUNITY OUTREACH: Joyce Walters (Term expires 2018) Joyce Walters: joycewalters1@comcast.net ADULT FAITH FOUNDATION: Richard Wilkinson (Term expires 2020) Richard Wilkinson: rwilkinson1123@gmail.com

3 St. Anne s Annual Saturday, December 2, 2017 St. George Episcopal Church Remember.what happens at St. Anne s.stays at St. Anne s!

4 Pledge Online, by mail, or at Church We understand that stewardship of time, talent, and treasure in our lives is a spiritual practice of thankfulness for all the ways that God has blessed us. Pledges of annual financial giving are not only vital towards the planning of our church budget for operations and our ministries, but are a response to God s Blessings and a sign that we recognize that God is the source of all that we have. Your pledges specifically towards our Capital Campaign fund the building of St. George s new education center, phase one of a two phase expansion. Your generous gifts of time and talent help our many ministries flourish and grow. To complete your pledge to St. George Episcopal Church for 2018, please fill out the form located on the link listed below and click send. If you would rather submit a paper pledge card you can mail in the pledge card sent to you or leave it in the offering plate at Sunday service, or request one from our Treasurer. Either way your financial pledges will remain confidential only those who track giving will have this information. In their Own Words Blustery winds and piles of soggy leaves remind us to spend some time planning for the new year. And that means once again it s the annual Saint George Stewardship Drive! This year we are blessed to hear from members of Saint George about what stewardship means to them and how they decide how much to pledge for the coming year. In case you missed the talks last Sunday by Stacy Sheagley and Tina Shafer, we are sharing them in this publication. Their words may be helpful to you as you get ready to complete your 2018 pledge card. You ll hear from other members of Saint George in the coming weeks as we continue to plan for our church community s future.

5 Sun., Dec. 24, Christmas Eve 10:00 AM Morning Service 7:00 PM Candlelight Service 9:00 PM Candlelight Service Sun., Dec. 31, New Year s Eve 10:00 AM Service Sunday, Jan. 28, :00AM Service followed by Annual Congregational Mtg. at 11:30 AM

6 Dear Church Family, I was asked to tell you what stewardship means to me and why I give. After my husband Merle and I moved to Maple Valley, we would drive up and down Witte Road and see this little church named St. George. We often talked about going to one of the services to check it out. Finally, I decided to do just that. I remember walking to the front door for the first time, and I was met by people who greeted me with their warm, welcoming smiles. After attending that first service, I knew St. George was going to be our new home church. What we found here is a church where everyone is welcome and a church that was growing so fast they were in the process of building a larger facility. Most importantly, we found a place where God's comfort and peace are present as we are fed spiritually. In the short time we have been attending St. George, I have come to love and care for this church and the many friends I have made. It is now that time of the year when we are asked to consider our stewardship in the giving of our time, our talent and our treasure. As I ponder how I will respond in my giving, the first thing I do is pray, and ask God to help me decide how he wants to use me. How can I best serve Him here at St. George? Second, I think about our future and what we want to accomplish, such as, continuing to grow, continuing to reach out to our Maple Valley community and beyond to share God's love, to hire a Children's Education director, we want to support our ministries and programs plus we want to do much more. Presently, I believe, we are a church full of life, with strong energy and a lot of potential as we move ahead. Now, it is time for me to think about what "I" want and need to do to help make this happen. It has always been important for me to do what I can, by giving my support and volunteering my time in the ministries where I am best able to use my skills and abilities. Besides giving of my time, Both Merle and I need to consider our financial pledge for next year. We will talk about the cost of what it will take to support the future of what we want St. George to become. Before we fill out our pledge card, Merle and I will pray about what we can give of our treasure to support our church. Then, we will fill out our pledge card. The last thing I want to say is, St. George is far from being a small church. Instead, when you go through those front doors, you will find, it is a big church with a big heart!! "St. George is known as the only church with a bell ringing on Sundays, and I envision it only getting louder as we move forward". Tina Shafer

7 Sunday, January 28, 2018

8 Tis the season of love and sharing. beginning December 3rd, the giving tree will be up in Litras Hall with gift tags for those at Vine Maple Place and the Maple Valley Food Bank who could use a little extra love this year. Please consider choosing a tag or two. Photographs & Memories

9 Upcoming Events December 2017 / January 2018 Men s Fellowship Saturday 9am Dec. 9 Jan. 13 St. Anne s Mtg. Friday 11:30am Dec. 8 Jan. 12 Worship Team Saturday 10am Dec. 9 Jan. 13 MOPS & MomsNext Thursday 6:30 p.m. Dec. 14 & 28 Jan. 11 & 25 Pastoral Care Saturday 11am Dec. 9 Jan. 13 Bishop s Committee Wednesday Dec. 6 7:00 p.m. Wednesdays 10 am Dec. 6 & 20 Jan. 3, 17 & 31

10 Dear Friends, As most of you know, St. George is now in its Fall Stewardship drive. What this allows us all is a time to step back and assess our time and our talents and what we will pledge to give to St. George in the upcoming year. Giving both from our energy, skills and time as well as our financial resources allows all of us, who are the church, to thrive and develop into a strong, active community who can in turn, give back to others. There are pledge packets in the back of the church and your name, if you have been coming here for any period of time, is on one of them. If you have not already done so, please pick yours up. There are two sheets inside, one for noting what you will pledge out of your time, and one for what you will pledge out of your talents, or financially. Please take time to review each of these, and to prayerfully consider how you will contribute in the coming year. At the bottom of the financial pledge sheet is a chart indicating percentage of giving based on annual income, which you can use as a guide. The time and talent sheet is organized by ministry and a recap of your responses will be given to the members of the Bishop s Committee. For me personally, I find that making a commitment to giving, both financially and physically through prayer and effort, and then offering up out of my resources, binds me tighter to the circle that we are as a community. This giving extends beyond to the larger church in the world. I give beyond St George, but I begin here because this is my home and St. George is my family. I support payroll, lights, reams of paper, and the myriad other items that it takes to run a church. We need to continually assess how to be a viable, lively place of integrity and knowing who and how much we can count on is one of the pillars we stand on. Please take time to pray, to consider and then to complete your pledge for the coming year. Stacy Sheagley

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12 Important Information Something to ponder as you consider your pledge for 2018, Our own Aaron & Nathan Parks will be part of the cast. A Tax Free Gift to the Church from your IRA. One of the Bishop Committee's (BC) responsibilities is to ensure St George's worship environment is a safe one. With that in mind, we are asking members of the congregation that are certified in first aid and CPR to let us know you are. We'll put your name on a list and post this list in the church so we know who to turn to if a medical emergency were to arise. Please consider providing your name and helping your BC making your congregation prepared. your name and what certifications you have to stgeorge.seniorwarden@gmail.com Congress permanently approved the provision allowing a tax free distribution from your IRA. Individuals over 70 1/2 years old with an IRA can have a portion or all of their qualified minimum distribution sent directly to a Church or qualified charity. Any amount up to $100,000 is TAX FREE. As this distribution is tax free, it is not tax deductible. See IRS Publication 509-B, Chapter 1, page 13 for additional detail. -pdf/p590b.pdf And for your knowledge, safety equipment can be found in the following locations: First Aid Kit --- Kitchen Fire Extinguishers --- Kitchen, Altar/Choir, Narthex, Vicar's office. Exit doors, marked "EXIT " - Sanctuary, Litras Hall, Kitchen, Narthex, Vicar's office.