JANUARY 2017 THE SANCTUS BELL St. Bride s Episcopal Church I am usually trying to find a Priest for St. Bride s three to six months out in :me. One of the advantages of this is that I see the church year a bit differently. What that did for me this Christmas was to really drive home the summa:on of our Chris:an beliefs. Everyone around me was celebra:ng the birth of a baby, and I was working on scheduling a Priest to be with us during that baby s Crucifixion, Death and Resurrec:on. Let s think of the two parts of Jesus s life together. A baby is born that in itself is a miracle, but this was a very special baby. God Incarnate. Some:mes our beau:ful language obscures meaning. If I asked you to define Incarnate or Incarna:on the likely answer would be God made man which is a perfectly good defini:on. But think of this being made man more physically. I once freaked out a confirma:on group by explaining that Incarna:on was from the same root as Carne in Chili con Carne. It means Flesh or Meat. So God was made fleshy or meaty. When we look at the body of Christ on the cross during crucifixion we see the meat of him, his muscles and bones and strength. But the birth of a divine infant is not the whole story. His birth alone would not have goten us to anything but worshipping a baby. If Jesus had not died and been raised from the dead would we even have Chris:anity? We need all the parts of the story a divine Incarna:onal birth, the manifesta:on or showing of his God- ness to people of all types, his persecu:on and Crucifixion, Death and Resurrec:on. The next few months offer us a :me to be a part of the journey with Christ. We can be par:cipants though Epiphany and Lent and Easter. Let s grab a dic:onary and get to work. Everything we need is in the Bible, the Prayer Book and the words we say each Sunday. If we atend Mass, celebrate Holy Days and read the story and study it again in our quiet :me, we will arrive at our Easter celebra:ons with a fuller understanding of what we believe. Upcoming Events 1/1/2017 Feast of the Holy Name Morning Prayer Rite I Bob Byles, Officiant 1/5/2017 The Eve of the Feast of the Epiphany Fr. Stokes, Celebrant 1/8/2017 1 Epiphany Fr. Hutton, Celebrant 1/18/17 Vestry Meeting 1/22/2017 3 Epiphany Fr. Hutton, Celebrant
The church looked beautiful this Christmas. Our thanks to everyone who prepared for this special time. We are particularly grateful for Mary Z and Sherry who did flowers and for Kathy and Jon who did the wreaths and the window arrangements. The flower arrangements in the parish hall were pretty spectacular as well! We are also grateful to Fr. Bridgford who returned to us for Christmas Eve Mass. It was fun to have him back after many years. We had a good crowd. Those of you who were unable to attend missed an excellent sermon on the Incarnation. Fr. Bridgford had 5 PM with us, Midnight Mass at his church as well as a Sunday Service and then Tucker House at 7PM on Christmas Day! Fr. Conor was able to fit our 10:30 Christmas Day Mass in following a late Mass at St. Francis as well as a Christmas morning Mass there. We were so pleased to be able to share our celebrations with Fr. Conor this is two years in a row does that make it a tradition? Jane had to complete the normal office work as well as separate bulletins for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Somehow she is able to remain calm while everyone around her is scurrying about. Jon Gower was also very busy this week prepping for Christmas. In addition to toting all the greens and helping Kathy arrange them, he also spent hours changing light bulbs and raking leaves. Ralph had a full Christmas Eve/Day as well. He played at St. Bride s for 5pm, for Hope Lutheran immediately afterward and, at Fr. Bridgford s late Mass at The Church of The Epiphany. He returned home at 2 am and was back at St. Bride s for the 10:30 Christmas Day Mass! Thank you all for your hard work Where can we get the vitamins you are taking? As The Feast of The Epiphany falls on a Friday this year, we will be celebrating it as The Eve of the Epiphany, with a Mass at 7 PM on Thursday, Jan 5 th. Fr. Grant Stokes (Christ and St. Luke s) will be celebrant for the Mass. Fr. Stokes was with us on All Souls Day at the 9AM Mass. He is looking forward to our HIGH Mass on Thursday, January 5 th. Please plan on attending.
Horatio s Corner Dear Friends, As I write my contribution to the St. Bride s newsletter, it is just a very few days before Christmas and I am hard a work decking my halls and baking. When you read this, the celebration of Christmas will have happened and we will be on the verge of Epiphany. Time surely goes by like a rocket! I am looking forward to the Christmas Eve Mass and also Christmas Day Service, which makes Christmas for me. If it weren t for these observances what reason would I have to celebrate would it? I certainly did enjoy the Advent Service of Lessons and Carols, it made the upcoming time of celebration real. There s still lots going around here, lots of coming and going and meetings and rehearsals and I join you all in praying that the New Year will bring progress in our search for a Priest. In the words of Tiny Tim, God Bless us, Every One! Horatio L. N. Churchmouse, A.O.A.C.M.+ Crosses Available Glenn Napier had numerous crosses. As Darlene and Roy have been sor:ng his belongings following his death, they have been bringing some of the crosses to St. Bride s. The crosses are displayed on the secretary in the parish hall. If you would like to have any of them, please take what you want. Roy and Darlene suggest a small dona:on to the church with the nota:on flowers would be suitable. What a nice way to remember Glenn! Thank you.
The inside of the church will be painted, beginning on January 2 nd. We have professional painters who will be arriving and working through the week. The church furnishings will be removed on Sunday, to give them a clean slate to work with. There will be NO MASS on Wednesday, January 4 th. We expect to have everything put back together in time for Mass at 7 PM on January 5 th when we will be celebrating the Eve of the Epiphany. Fr. Ted s Excellent adventure in India Namaste! That is how you greet people in India -- said to a person and with hands together and a brief nod of the head -- which means not only "hello" in our sense but also an acknowledgement of the goodness and dignity of the person you are greeting. People in India are not only welcoming and gentle but respectful of each other and of visitors. Our Anglican province is the Church of North India with about 2/3 of the membership of the Episcopal Church here and covering all of India except for the four southernmost states. It is bilingual with both Hindu and English language worship, so if you attend a service you would know exactly what is happening in liturgy even if you cannot understand the language. We visited a lot of castles, fortresses, havalis (stately homes) and temples in Rajasthan and of course the Taj Mahal -- the great crown jewel of any visit to India. The food is quite an adventure -- both flavorful in spices and sometimes quite hot to the taste. While I met very few Americans there, India is very worth time on your travel plans. Fr. Ted
January Calendar of Events Sunday, January 1 Feast of the Holy Name Morning Prayer Rite I Wednesday, January 4 No Mass Thursday, January 5 Sunday, January 8 1 Epiphany 6:30 AM 2:00 PM Men s Breakfast The Eve of the Feast of the Epiphany/ Fr. Stokes Troop 656 Girl Scout Meeting Tuesday, January 10 6:45 PM Daisy Girl Scout Troop Meeting Wednesday, January 11 with Healing/Fr. Eidam Thursday, January 12 Sunday, January 15 2 Epiphany Wednesday, January 18 with Healing/Fr. Alexander Vestry Meeting Thursday, January 19 Friday, January 20 - Saturday, January 21 Sandwich Ministry Sunday, January 22 3 Epiphany 2:00 PM /Fr. Hutton /Fr. Hutton Troop 656 Girl Scout Meeting Tuesday, January 24 6:45 PM Daisy Girl Scout Troop Meeting Wednesday, January 25 with Healing/Fr. Eidam Thursday, January 26 Sunday, January 29 4 Epiphany
February Calendar of Events Wednesday, February 1 Thursday, February 2 Sunday, February 5 St. Brigid 6:30 AM with Healing ODH Men s Breakfast Tuesday, February 7 6:45 PM Daisy Girl Scout Meeting Wednesday, February 8 Thursday, February 9 Sunday, February 12 6 Epiphany with Healing/Fr. Hennessy ODH /Fr. Hutton /Fr. Hutton Wednesday, February 15 Thursday, February 16 Friday, February 17 - Saturday, February 18 Sunday, February 19 7 Epiphany 2:00 PM with Healing/Fr. Eidam ODH Vestry Meeting Sandwich Ministry Troop 656 Girl Scout Meeting Tuesday, February 21 6:45 PM Daisy Girl Scout Meeting Wednesday, February 22 Thursday, February 23 with Healing/Fr. Alexander ODH Sunday, February 26 The Last Sunday after the Epiphany
January Birthdays & Anniversaries January 1st ~ Janet Trexler January 11th ~ Susan Chapman January 13 ~ Bob Byles January 18th ~ Catrina McCoy January 23rd ~ Mark Sayers January 25th ~ Emily Williams January 28th ~ Carolyn Martin Hampton Roads Anglo-Catholic Parish St. Bride s 621 N. Sparrow Road Sundays and 10:30 Check the calendar for services. Wednesdays with prayers for healing @ Holy Days As Announced Chesapeake, VA 23325 Office Phone: (757)420-7033 E-mail: stbrideschurch@gmail.com Website: www.stbrideschurch.org Facebook: St. Bride s Anglo- Catholic Parish Hampton Roads Fr. William C. Hoffman, Rector Emeritus Mr. Ralph Spoettle, Organist/ master Mary Lovell Swetnam, Sr. Warden 757-237-2503
Our Mission Statement VESTRY Sr. Warden Mary Lovell Swetnam Jr. Warden David Greenfield 2016 Mary Lovell Swetnam Mark Sayers Mary Zepnikowski 2017 Robert W. Byles 2018 Steve Anderson Mike Bryant David Greenfield St. Bride s witnesses to the Catholic faith as practiced in the Anglican tradition. This includes living within the Catholic pattern of worship, doctrine and action; making full use of the Book of Common Prayer; and basing our spiritual life in the threefold rule of prayer - Holy Eucharist (Mass), Daily Office, and personal devotions. We strive for a strong and full Christian life - in liturgy, service, evangelization, justice, spiritual formation and parish fellowship. We seek revitalization of ourselves and invite others to share in this renewal based upon practical application of the Catholic faith to contemporary needs. SAINT BRIDE S CHURCH 621 N. Sparrow Road Chesapeake, VA 23325 Address Correction Requested St. Bride s is thankful for Time Sensitive - Please Expedite