A huge thank-you to everyone who contributed to our backpack project for local children and youth in foster care, and to all those who helped pack the backpacks last Sunday after church.
What an amazing moment in our communal life this week has been. Last Sunday, about 160 folks from St Michael’s/San Miguel gathered for Eucharist and a picnic in Wilshire Park. It was like church on steroids: the service included a dramatization of the gospel of the day, Fr. Beto officiated at a wedding, and the Profile Committee handed off the Parish Profile to the Search Committee. That means that interested parties can now express an interest in being considered for Rector. Kudos to Barb and her Profile team!
Two important forums are coming up on August 7 and 14. A forum on the transition will be held at 11:30 am on Sunday, August 7, following the 10:00 am service. Led by Rev. Julia Nielsen, our Transition Minister, the purpose of the forum is to bring everyone up to date on where we are in the process of finding our new rector. On August 14, we celebrate recovery in both our service and at a forum following the service.
All are invited and encouraged to attend our worship in the park and parish picnic on Sunday, July 31, at 10:00 am. It will be held in Wilshire Park at NE 33rd and Skidmore near the covered area, which is in the middle of the park close to the playground. This will be the only service for St. Michael’s on that Sunday! Your vestry members are hosting the picnic and will provide the main and side dishes (think Hawaiian!) as well as utensils and plates.
St. Michael’s popular twice-monthly Saturday community lunches were victims of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Burrito Love ministry, which provides a burrito lunch on the last Saturday of the month, has filled some of the gap created by the loss of those lunches. St. Michael’s is going to build on the success of the Burrito Love ministry by offering regular sack lunches.
In addition to the many audiovisual improvements that have been made to the sanctuary, we are able to now offer our parishioners and visitors assistive-listening devices to help them better hear the Sunday services.
I found myself, typical morning decaf in hand, sitting on my front porch on Monday morning making a valiant effort to find a regular breath. Inhale… exhale. It’s been a long week. The parish profile is finding its final version. We’re moving forward into the next phase of transition, God willing. The world continues to move in ways that confound, with challenges in our news feeds. The turning toward summer is upon us, with heat and the mountains visible on the horizon.
It’s that wonderful time of the year when we collect backpacks and school supplies for local children in the foster-care system! This year’s shopping list has an emphasis on providing some of the most requested items from classroom teachers (see pre-sharpened Ticonderoga pencils!)
The gospel text this Sunday is familiar, Luke’s Good Samaritan. It’s simple: a man suffers assault and lies beside the road. Good and religious people pass by, for many reasons. Then a man who no one would guess has it in him stops and cares deeply for the fallen man, binding his wounds, finding him a place to rest and heal, showing him mercy.
Our June book exchange is over, though there are still a couple of tables of books in the Nativity hall for you to peruse. July is jigsaw-puzzle and board-game exchange month! Do you have stacks of puzzle boxes and board games filling up your shelves? Bring gently used jigsaw puzzles and the board games you’re ready to share to St. Michael’s Nativity Hall for “The Great Puzzle Exchange!” on the next two Sundays, July 10th & 17th.
Sunday Worship Schedule
7:30 – Spoken Traditional language (Rite 2 with no music)
9:00 – Traditional Service with Choir
11:00 – Inclusive Language with Choir
1:00 pm – Misa en Español
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