St. Matthew s Episcopal Church Issue 118 November 18, 2015 Hello friends: Many of us have been working on preparations for our upcoming Celebration of the Rebuilding of St. Matthew s Episcopal Church & School. I want to be sure everyone is aware of what is being organized. Our celebration will occur on Saturday & Sunday, Dec. 12 & 13, 2015. We will have an Open House on Saturday from 10 AM until 2 PM. If you d like to sign up to be a docent at some point during that window of time, please contact Gail Duhe (ghduhe@comcast.net). Your job would be simply to be available to receive guests, welcome them, and give them a tour of the church and/or school. If you d like to help with keeping the punch and cookies well supplied, please let Debby Fortier know: roux1@comcast.net. I ve asked Mrs. Beulah to put out lots of balloons and a sign (or banner) that welcomes passers by to come in and enjoy our Open House. On Sunday, December 13, we ll worship at our usual time of 10 AM. I will take that opportunity to bless several of the items on the interior of the church: candles, stained glass windows, pulpit, etc. We will also enjoy a number of musical offerings from our St. Matthew s Episcopal School Choristers, as well as our St. Matthew s Bell Choir. Our musicians have been working hard rehearsing and preparing for the big event! A huge pot of gumbo will await us in the Parish Hall after the service, compliments of Mr. Lynn Kelley. If you d like to help with hospitality for this event, please let Debby Fortier know. On Sunday afternoon we will have another worship service at 5 PM. This will be a Rite I service of Choral Evensong. We ve invited choristers from our sister congregations in the Deanery to come and sing with us. The Rev. Canon John Kellogg will be our guest preacher that evening. Also, our St. Matthew s Choir will offer an encore of their performance of Locus Iste, which was just so beautiful! I anticipate that we may have some visitors from our wider Diocesan family that evening, as many of them (especially clergy) will likely be otherwise occupied on Sunday morning. Bishop Thompson will unfortunately not be able to join us, as he has an obligation at another Parish in the Diocese. A reception will follow in the Parish Hall. (Again, please let Mrs. Debby know if you d like to help with hospitality after Evensong.) We will be sending out invitations on a post card sometime next week, which will have the schedule of events for the weekend. We will send them far and wide. So many have helped get us to this great occasion, and so we are hoping to get an invitation into the hand of each of them. We will send an invitation to each church in the Diocese, and to each member of the clergy. Also, we ll invite the media, as well as our local business leaders and political officials to come and celebrate the restoration of this jewel in our community. To God be the Glory! Fr. Craig St. Matthew s Episcopal Church 243 Barrow Street phone 985-872-5057
St. Matthew s Announcements: Palfrey Polk, III has been accepted to Towson University in Maryland to continue his studies and pursue his masters degree in Forensic Science. Vestry Election Process Nov. 15 Deadline for publicizing call for recommendations of persons to serve on Vestry Nov. 29 Deadline for submitting names to the Vestry Nominating Committee Dec. 2----Vestry Nominating Committee proposes slate of 4 persons, each to serve 3-year term Dec. 20---Deadline to publish list of nominees, bios of same. Jan. 10---Deadline to submit nominations by petition, along w/biography Jan. 24----Annual meeting----elections conducted Feb. 4,5---Vestry orientation and retreat at Solomon Conference Center St. Matthew s Episcopal Church Sunday Service 10:00am Nursery & Youth Programs Available
Issue 118 Page 3 SMEC Website: www.stmatthewshouma.org Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana www.edola.org SMES Website: www.stmattsschool.com Happy Birthday! 1-Susie Schexnaildre 8-Joan Pustka 8-Whitney Wallace 9-Frank Pugh 9-Grace Hensley 9- Donna Knight 10-Brenda Bazet 11-Dana Davis Prayers & Thanksgivings Barbara & Alex S., Kathy, Margaret, Frances, Eula, Wilma, Ingree, Andrèe, Sharon, Sybil, Marian, Johanna, Angelle & Taylor, Emily, Rocelle, Warren, Harold, Gordon, Phil and Shirleen, Pete & Paula, Russell, Jennifer, Hunter, Penny, George, Delores, Kellie, Anna Belle, Barney, Helen, Flo, Ray, Louise, Kimble, Gerard, David, Denise, Gina, Jeanie, Steven, Ann, Aivyn, and our Partner-In- Mission sister parish, San Jose in Honduras. We give thanks and pray for St. Matthew s Episcopal School, S. Myers McAllister, Head of School, members of the Board, faculty, staff and students, our Parish Vestry and Building Committee. 14-Earl Carmichael 17-Sandra Pellegrin 21-Katarina Bazet 23-Karen Bowe 27-Florence Henry 27-Norma Hensley 27-Paul Verdin 27-Alice Leonard November BIRTHDAY PRAYER Happy Anniversary! 5-Herb and Andree Alexander 13-Jay and Kathy Theriot 17-Rod and Beulah Rodrigue 21-Irvin and Sandra Pellegrin 22-Susan and Barry Antill 24-Rob and Suzanne Alexander 25-Carl and JoAnne Plessala 30-Mike and Shanna Himel Watch over your child, O Lord, as his days increase; bless and guide him wherever he may be. Strengthen him when he stands; comfort him when discouraged or sorrowful; raise him up if he falls; and in his heart may your peace which passes understanding abide all the days of his life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
SCHEDULE November 22, 2015 Team 2 Eucharistic Ministers Sharon Pontiff, Donna Knight Lector EM Acolyte Kali Willet Eucharistic Visitors (EV) Debby Fortier Ushers Julio and Rina Medina, Karen Kelly Vestry Member on Duty Debby Fortier Altar Guild Sharon Pontiff, Suzanne Alexander Hospitality Debby Fortier Homes Visited Today: Eula McElroy Wednesday, November 25, 2015, 5:30PM Hilda Blanchard (Special prayers offered in observance of Thanksgiving) November 29, 2015 TEAM 3 Eucharistic Ministers Sandra Deroche, Alex Ostheimer Lector Becky Becnel Acolyte Hali Theriot Eucharistic Visitors (EV) Emilie Daye Ushers George Drury, Karen Chauvin Vestry Member on Duty Karen Kelly Altar Guild Sandy Ostheimer, Karen Kelly Hospitality Hilda Blanchard Homes Visited Today: Kathy Ryan, Wilma Belviy