Benediction Weekly – August 8th, 2021

Benediction Weekly – August 8th, 2021

ON-GOING ACTIVITIES AT ST. BEN’S

ABUNDANCE SHOP– Thrift shop at 2025 9th St. COMMUNITY DINNER – Providing and serving food at SBCC, on 1st Thursday of odd-numbered months, in conjunction with Los Osos Cares.
EARTHCARE – ZOOM 3rd Wednesdays 3pm. Discussion/action group seeking spiritual and practical solutions to environmental concerns. MEN’S GROUP – 3rd Saturday of the month, 9am at the Budget Cafe in SLO. Contact John Horsley.
HEALING SERVICE – FACEBOOK – A time for prayers for healing at the 10:30  service on 5th Sundays.
HOLLISTER INSTITUTE – Opportunities for stimulating discussion and thoughtful exploration on Tuesdays at 10:15am on ZOOM.  “The Dream of God” by Verna Dozier begins Sep 7. LAUNDRY LOVE – Helping low-income families with funds, soap, and friendly assistance at Osos Clean Laundry.  4-6pm on last Wednesdays

PEOPLE’S KITCHEN – Providing and serving lunch at 40 Prado, 1st  Saturday of even-numbered months SATURDAY EUCHARIST Evening Eucharist on 2nd Saturdays at 5:30pm Zoom and Facebook VESPERS AND CONVERSATION  – ZOOM –  5:30 pm Tuesdays

VESTRY / PARISH COUNCIL – ZOOM –  3rd Sundays at 12:30pm.

  • The Rev. Dr. Caroline Hall, Rector 
  • Stef Shuman, Sr. Warden
  • Jane Wu, Jr. Warden
  • Lisa Gonzalez, Treasurer,     
  • Lorienne Schwenk, Clerk 
  • Esta Kandarian, 
  • Alan Kiste, 
  • Benjamin Nucum
  • Helen Schnieders
  • Barbara Schippers
  • Maureen Titus

Bidding Book Prayers – If you’d like to request prayers for someone and have their names read out during the online worship services on Sunday, please submit their names to stefshuman@sbcglobal.net during the week (by Friday).   

We are grateful for God’s financial providence and blessing. Thank you for making your offerings by mail to our PO Box, or on-line.

Our  Sunday services are held indoors at the church for anyone wishing to attend in person.  Masks are still required, and we will continue to ask people to maintain social distancing by having no more than three people per pew.   Communion will be distributed in bread only.  Wine will be received by sight.

The 8:00 am service will also be on Zoom.

The 10:30 am service will also be live-streamed for those who watch remotely — either on  Facebook at  www.facebook.com/stbenslososos/  or through our website at  https://www.stbenslososos.org/facebook-including-live-stream/

Service leaflets for both services are available under the Worship tab on our website: https://www.stbenslososos.org/category/service-bulletin/

Unless otherwise stated, our meetings happen on Zoom: LINK Passcode is: 93402

This Week at St. Benedict’s

Sunday, August 8
8:00 am – Contemplative Eucharist Service (Also on Zoom)
9:20 am – Bible Study (Sunday School Room)
10:30 am – Eucharist Service – (also live-streamed on FB)
11:30am – Virtual Coffee Hour (Zoom)

Tuesday, August 10
5:30 pm – Vespers service – (in person and also on Zoom)

Wednesday, August 11
5:30 pm – Choir Rehearsal

Sunday, August 15
8:00 am – Contemplative Eucharist Service (Also on Zoom)
9:20 am – Bible Study (Sunday School Room)
10:30 am – Eucharist Service – (also live-streamed on FB)
11:30am – Virtual Coffee Hour (Zoom)
12:15 pm – Parish Council Meeting at the church.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

RECTOR’S SABBATICAL – Caro+ is currently on sabbatical and will return on October 31. In her absence, Sunday services will be led by Susan Plucker+ and the Rev. Brian Stein-Webber. If you have a pastoral concern, please contact Senior Warden Stef Shuman who will put you in touch with help. Jay Matthew will be continuing in the office to answer questions and help with administrative details.  The Parish Council will be responsible for the congregation in the Rector’s absence.

PARISH COUNCIL MEETING – The next meeting of the Parish Council will be held Sunday, August 15 at approximately 12:15, following the 10:30 service.  The meetings are open to all parishioners and you are welcome to attend.  Time is limited so if there is something you want to bring before the council, please speak with Stef to get it on the agenda.  We are also looking for someone to serve as clerk, taking minutes of meetings and keeping the records up to date.  Speak with Stef.

WHAT’S UP WITH YOU?  It’s been a year since we invited people to submit something to our Newsletter about how they’ve been doing during the pandemic, while we were mostly apart. Let’s do that again, and check in with each other for the September/October issue:  What would you like others to know about your life right now? Tell us what you have been up to. What especially is bringing you joy these days? What are you looking forward to next?  Or anything else you’d like to share.  Please write something, and send it to Jay at office@stbenslososos.org with the subject “People’s Pages”. He will collect them and send them to our editors for publication. Be sure to sign your paragraph with the name(s) you want printed. If photos would be helpful, send those too.  The deadline for submissions is Friday, August 20

HOLLISTER INSTITUTE – Starting on September 7, the Tuesday Spiritual Conversation group will base its conversation on the book The Dream of God by Verna Dozier. There are five chapters and each one will form the basis for one week’s conversation, focused by Carol Brubaker-Walton.  Everyone is welcome to join in, even if you don’t have time to read the book. Conversations take place on Tuesdays at 10:15 on Zoom.  You can meet Verna in this very short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0giAg2qP9mY  You can read about her life here: https://www.stmarks.net/learning/dozierlibrary/dozierlife/

BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO CREATION CARE & THE CLIMATE CRISIS  –  The Earthcare Team of St. Benedict’s encourages your participation in five live-facilitated sessions on the “Beginner’s Guide to Creation Care and the Climate Crisis,” beginning September 9th. The sessions will include short Bible studies, video clips, and discussion.

This program culminates over a year of effort in preparing useful information in engaging ways. The goal is to help you move from despair to hope and practical actions you can enjoy. “We’ve focused on distilling lots of information into easily digestible segments,” commented member Don Maruska. “Come check out what we’ve cooked up and find out what you can do.”

The sessions will be 6:30-8:00 p.m., Thursdays, September 9 to October 7, via St. Benedict’s Zoom     Be sure to Register on our website.

Session Topics:

Sep   9:   What Is Climate Change and What Are Its Consequences?

Sep 16:   How do Christians See Creation?

Sep 23:   What’s a Christian to Do about Climate Change?

Sep 30:   What Can We Do as a Congregation?

Oct   7:    How Are We Called to Be Public Advocates for Climate Health?

For details talk with Don Maruska or any EarthCare member.

DIOCESAN  CONVENTION:  NOMINATIONS & RESOLUTIONS

Nominations are being accepted for elected and appointed leadership roles that will help guide the Diocese of El Camino Real into the future, serving our communities. A descriptive guide for leadership positions is available here.  This is a great opportunity to share your leadership skills, gifts, and experience for a variety of diocesan positions — Standing Committee, Board of Trustees, or Commission on Ministry — which will be decided at our 41st Annual Convention on November 6.  Nominations are due on September 30.

Resolutions to come before diocesan convention are due on September 7.  A guide for writing resolutions with full details is available here

For questions about diocesan convention, please contact Jeff Diehl, Secretary to Convention, at jdiehl@albionenvironmental.com.

NEW PHONE DIRECTORIES – Jay has compiled a new phone directory for St. Ben’s, and copies are available behind the last pew near the usher’s station.  If your information is inaccurate or missing, please let Jay know so he can update it for the next edition.

SUNDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY – Sunday Morning Bible Study is held each week between the two morning services starting at 9:20 in the classroom.  Lisa Gonzalez and Lorienne Schwenk will be leading the discussion.

COFFEE HOUR SIGN-UPS – Our after-service hospitality will continue in a limited fashion while Covid restrictions are still in force.  There will be a sign-up sheet posted in the kitchen for anyone who would like to host coffee hour on a specific Sunday (rather than have it be part of the ministry schedule assignments).  If you sign up, coffee will have been made in advance and you will just be asked to put out the coffee service and provide a light snack, such as cookies that people may pick up for themselves, and then you will clean things up and put them away.  If no one signs up there will not be coffee hour on that day.

VIRTUAL COFFEE HOUR – for those watching at home, the Zoom room is available between 11:30-12:30 on Sundays for informal no-host conversations. Supply your own coffee! 

MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES – We are looking for more people to serve on Sundays as ushers, tellers, lectors, altar guild, flower guild, and Eucharistic ministers.  If you have done this in the past and are now able to return to this ministry, please let Lorienne Schwenk know.  If you haven’t done it here at St. Ben’s before but would like to start, please contact Stef Shuman.

ECW ANNUAL RETREAT –   The Episcopal Church Women’s annual Mary Lou Thompson Retreat will be held August 27-28. This year’s theme is “Moving Forward: The Path of Love” at the beautiful St. Francis Retreat Center. This is a peaceful place to process our concerns in the light of our Christian Faith. We will gain insights into how we wish to proceed in the coming months as we transition into 2022. All are welcome to attend, family, friends, and fellow parishioners who are seeking a deeper experience of healing and renewal. Costs for this 24-hour retreat (includes overnight accommodations and three meals) will be $180 for a shared room, $220 for a single room, and $110 for commuters. Partial scholarships are available.  Space is limited so please let us know if you want to attend so we can save you a spot! Email Jane Pomeroy: jane.pomeroy@prodigy.net

CELEBRATIONS THIS WEEK –

ST BENEDICT’S OFFICE HOURS – 

Tuesdays 3-6pm;   Thursdays 10am-1pm;   Saturdays 10am-1pm

NAME TAGS –  We haven’t seen some of you for quite a while, and new hairstyles and face masks make it hard to recognize each other.   So we are asking everyone to wear a name tag. Please check the name tag board by the door for yours.  If you can’t find it, please ask Stef for a replacement. (Or just tell the ushers).  In the meantime, you can fill out an adhesive tag for the day.    

DONATIONS  – Collection plates are not passed during the service, but you may put your contributions in the plate by the usher’s station before the service, or contribute on-line at: https://www.StBensLosOsos.org/support-us/  or by mail to our PO Box.   Thank you for your offerings!  We are grateful for God’s financial providence and blessing.

VESPERS SERVICE CHANGE – Our Tuesday night Vespers service has returned to the church, but in order for people to still be able to participate from home we are using a hybrid format of both a zoom and in-person gathering.   Join us – one way or the other – any Tuesday at 5:30.

BIDDING BOOK PRAYERS – If you’d like to request prayers for someone to have their names read out during the worship services on Sunday, please submit their names to stefshuman@sbcglobal.net during the week.

PERSONAL PRAYER – A member of the Healing Prayer Ministry team is available each week after the 10:30 service to pray with you for special concerns. If you’d like this prayer support this week, contact Jill Denton at (805) 704-1364. If no answer, please leave a message and your call will be returned.

PRAYER CHAIN – Also, remember that you may send your prayer requests to the prayer chain at: prayers@stbenslososos.org  This is a group of individuals dedicated to intercessory prayers, who upon receiving your email will pray for your concerns.  If you’d like to be part of the chain and receive prayer requests by email, contact Stef.

BENEDICT’S CONNECTIONS – Please do not hesitate to reach out to each other to stay in contact, and feel free to call Stef at 805-534-3622 or stefshuman@sbcglobal.net

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Be well, be safe, and stay in touch.