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The Dragon’s Tale
NOVEMBER 2019
“St. George’s is a community of disciples joyfully
reaching out in love to nurture, teach, and
heal in Jesus’ name”
St. George’s Episcopal Church
912 Route 146 · Clifton Park, NY 12065
(518) 371 - 6351 www.stgeorgescp.org
Harvest Sunday Celebration
St. George’s Church members came together on Sunday, October 27
th, in thanksgiving and celebration of our many blessings.
Look inside for a few more photos and articles from Fran Gordon and Cathy Fare!
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This is a wonderful witness to what God is doing in and through the lives of people at St. George’s. It is our way of giving back to God from what he has entrusted to our care. Those who give sacrificially can attest to the blessings of giving back to God. We can never out-give God. He is the source of all that we are and have. He loves us and sent his only Son for our eternal salvation. If you have not had a chance to turn in your pledge for 2020, I invite you to do so at this time. Talk with God about your decision, offer it up in prayer and “…. whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6). Stewardship is ultimately between each one individually and God. It is our time of thanksgiving to give back to God from the many blessings he has given us.
Elizabeth+
“Bring the full tithe (10%) into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.” (Malachi 3:10)
Mother’s Musings November is here and I already find it hard not to think about the Thanksgiving holidays with family, food, and friends. The last of our colorful leaves are falling and winter is in the air. Thanksgiving Day, a time to celebrate and give thanks for the harvest, will come later this month. For Christians, Thanksgiving Day is a special opportunity to give God thanks for the many blessings that we are given with each new day. The Eucharist is The Great Thanksgiving offered to the glory of God and in thanksgiving for the gift of salvation promised through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There are many things in life for which to be thankful, but God’s saving grace, through Jesus Christ, is the greatest gift that we will ever receive. When we accept Jesus as Lord and make him the top priority of our lives, we are changed. Putting God first does not mean we no longer face challenges or hurdles in this life. It does mean that we are equipped to face those challenges and hurdles knowing God is at our side and that in the end “all shall be well, all manner of things shall be well.” On Saturday, October 26th, and Sunday, October 27th, people, throughout the common life of St. George’s, gathered to place their offering upon God’s Holy altar in thanksgiving. These annual pledges are an important and Biblical way of giving back to God through St. George’s from the many gifts God has given us. Everything that we have is a gift from God: our lives, our talents, our children and grandchildren, and all that we enjoy in life. Pledging monetary support is one of the ways God calls us to give thanks for what he is and has been doing in our lives. A wise and faithful Bishop, whom I had the privilege of knowing while at Nashotah House Seminary, liked to say that a person’s giving back to God is a good measure of spiritual health. I have been humbled to learn how true those words ring. To give from what is left over is easy and leaves us in control. To give out of faith from the ‘first fruits’ is life changing. If you have already made a pledge to St. George’s for the coming year, “Thank you.” During the Harvest dinner, our treasurer, Jim Olney, shared his annual stewardship report showing five new pledges received, thirty pledges increased, fourteen stayed the same, and eight having been reduced.
Mother’s Musings, cont’d
HAWS Christmas Outreach From Misty Quail and Jo Anne Robbins Healing a Woman's Soul is dedicated to helping women and children in our diocese who are domestic violence victims heal physically, emotionally, and spiritually in the Christian tradition. HAWS provides spiritual support to all, regardless of belief, assisting them to move from victim to survivor. Did you know that there are hundreds of women and their children living in a shelter this holiday season? St. George’s Outreach will be providing lists of items to be placed in bright red bags that will soon be available in a special display in Hatlee Hall. We will be providing gift bags for women and for children. If you would enjoy working on this holiday project, please contact Misty [email protected] or Jo Anne [email protected].
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Celebration of Christian Stewardship From Fran Gordon
On Sunday, October 27th, St. George’s parishioners came together at our Harvest Dinner to celebrate and give thanks for all that God provides. Throughout the Fall, parishioners have had opportunities to develop a deeper understanding, through scripture and stewardship talks, of what Christian stewardship really means and how it can shape our lives in important and meaningful ways. It is what God asks of us, and it leads us to a deeper spiritual relationship with Him. By placing our pledge commitments for the upcoming year directly on the altar on Harvest Sunday, we are giving thanks for the many blessings we have received, and we are acknowledging that all we have is because of God’s great love for us.
Harvest Sunday could not have happened without the commitment and effort of many volunteers who helped plan, set-up tables, decorate, and clean up. Parishioners also brought side dishes to share to supplement the delicious roast turkey and stuffing catered by Home Style Restaurant. Fr. Tom, Mtr. Elizabeth, Vestry members and our Treasurer were also significant members of the Stewardship team that worked so hard to make this such an enjoyable celebration. There were many “bright spots” in the Treasurer’s brief summary of Harvest Sunday pledging. If you were not able to offer your annual pledge at the altar on Harvest Sunday, please know that you can do that at any time in the near future by contacting Mary Golden or the office for a pledge card.
St. George’s, as a community of disciples, has much more work to do as we strive to live more fully into our mission. It is through your pledge and commitment to stewardship that we can continue to “reach out in love to nurture, teach and heal in Jesus’ name.” Thank you to everyone who stepped up in Christian stewardship this year!
Children were happy to eat at their own tables.
They enjoyed some activities after their meal, while parents enjoyed food and fellowship at
nearby tables.
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Winter Clothing Collection From Jo Anne Robbins Annual St. George’s Church and St. George’s School Winter Clothing Collection It is that time of year again! We are once again collecting gently used and in good condition hats, coats, boots, gloves, scarves and sweaters for children. There will be 3 location boxes around the Church: 1 by the school office, 1 in the front entryway and 1 in Hatlee Hall. Please be generous as we do our part to help assure children in the Diocesan refugee outreach ministry and other children in need have proper winter clothing. Please contact Jo Anne Robbins, Vestry person for Mission and Outreach ([email protected]) or Sandy Graves, Vestry Liaison with St. George’s School and Head of School ([email protected]) should you have any questions concerning this ministry and outreach opportunity. (518) 371-6351.
Wednesday Noon Healing Service Our Wednesday noon Healing Services have begun! Everyone is invited to join us for Holy Eucharist followed by anointing and individual prayer for you or someone else. We will be praying during the service for special intentions. You can have your intentions prayed for whether you can attend the service or not. There is a binder which will reside in the chapel in which you can enter names and intentions. There is a third column for answers to prayer. Please return to fill in that third column to let us know how God is healing! Our intention is that everyone in need of healing prayer is prayed for. Please help us make that a reality at St. George’s, a community of disciples reaching out in love to nurture, teach and heal in Jesus’ Name!
It's a Wonderful Life Bible Study From Deacon Bill This Advent, St. George’s is pleased to offer an inspiring Bible study based on the classic Christmas film, It’s a Wonderful Life. Produced and directed by Frank Capra, the 1946 film stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a man who has given up his dreams to help others, and whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve brings about the intervention of his guardian angel Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers). Clarence shows George all the lives he has touched, and how different life in his community of Bedford Falls would be if he had never been born.
It’s a Wonderful Life is one of the most popular and heart-warming films ever made. It’s near universal appeal and association with Christmas has provided a rich story of redemption that has inspired generations for decades. The Bible study will examine this beloved holiday classic and remind us how easily we can become distracted from what is truly meaningful in life. We will view segments of the film and then study and discuss relevant scripture passages as we remember that every human life has value and that true wealth, spiritual wealth, comes from a right relationship with God and selfless love toward others. Everyone is welcome to join us for all or any part of this study. This relaxed and popular study may be just the thing to invite a friend or family member to, especially that person who is seeking more meaning in their life. Mondays at 7:00 starting November 25-December 23. The cost of the optional participant’s guide is $10. Even if you can’t make the Bible Study, we hope you will consider joining us on Saturday, December 21, at 6:00 for a Potluck and Family Movie Night screening of It’s a Wonderful Life in its entirety.
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Please remember St. George’s Church in your estate planning. For more information, see
Episcopal Church Foundation brochures in the vestibule.
Scottish Service Coming From Gene Gordon
Scottish service is coming to St. George’s at our 9am Service on November 10th.
Can’t wait to break out your kilt again? Love the drone of the bagpipes? Well, you’ll be glad to know that our annual Scottish service – sometimes called the Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan – is coming again this year on November 10th to our 9:00 am service. Members of the St. Andrew’s Society of Schenectady and the Schenectady Pipe Band will be joining us as we honor the sacred bonds of family so graphically illustrated by Scotland’s clan system.
This annual tradition also reminds us of the Scottish roots of our own Episcopal Church. America’s first Episcopal bishop, Samuel Seabury, was ordained in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1786. Ordained just after the Revolutionary War, Seabury refused to take an oath of allegiance to the King and had to travel to Scotland to be ordained by bishops of the Anglican Church of Scotland.
We are also reminded that two saints of the Church with Scottish connections are remembered in November: St. Margaret of Scotland and St. Andrew. St. Margaret was an English princess of the House of Wessex who married King Malcom III of Scotland in 1070 AD. Known as the “Pearl of Scotland,” she was known for her charitable works, serving the needs of the poor in imitation of Jesus Christ. St. Andrew was one of the original Apostles. Church historians believe he was the older brother of the Apostle Peter, and was martyred by crucifixion on an “X” shaped cross. He is the patron saint of Scotland.
Plan to join us for this festive service – and don’t forget to wear your tartan!
Prayer Shawl Ministry From Cindy Hoetzer
In the past two years, St. George's has given close to 100 prayer shawls to people who needed comfort. Each shawl is blessed at the altar, a prayer card is attached, and it is placed in the armoire in Hatlee Hall for distribution. If you know of someone in need of a prayer shawl, please contact a clergy person. The Prayer Shawl knitters and crocheters at St. George’s meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month in the parish library from 1 to 3 PM. Our next meeting is on Tuesday, November 12th. Come join us for prayer, knitting, and fellowship. Help is available if you want to learn or if your skills are rusty.
Church Café From Cathy Fare ‘Chief Cook and Bottle Washer’ Church Café is the name given to the food ministry here at St. George’s. We have a freezer in the basement that holds dinners for whoever can benefit from them. The contents of the freezer are monitored so that there are always a number of meals ready at short notice. If I feel that the quantity is low, I will cook enough food to add 10 – 15 meals into the freezer. The food is kept for a period of 3-4 months and then it is discarded. If there is a meeting that can utilize the food near its end time, it will be heated up and a simple supper is provided.
At this point in time, the freezer is full. What was not consumed at our Harvest Dinner was packaged up and placed in the freezer. It will be discarded at 3/01/2020. If you know of anyone in need of a meal, please do not hesitate to take from the freezer. There are no requirements to receive the food—only that the recipient will benefit from it. After March, when the freezer will not be so full, parishioners will be asked, from time to time, to donate one or more bags of microwaveable vegetables. I will always make sure that there are meat and potato/rice meals available.
If you have any questions regarding this ministry, please ask me. I am at church most Sundays at the 9:00 am service and later at coffee hour.
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ST. GEORGE’S SCHOOL 8TH ANNUAL TURKEY TROT Nov. 28th – 8 a.m. Antonio “Tony” Lauria Memorial 5K Family Run/Walk REGISTER BY 11/22 AT FINISHRIGHT.COM Registration Information What is the deadline for registration? • Nov 6: Race T-shirt Deadline • Nov 22: Pre-registration Deadline • Nov 28: Race Day Registration @ Race Registration is ONLY at www.finishright.com or the day before the race/or race day on site.
Race Details What are the specific race details? • The race starts and ends at the St. George’s School parking lot. • The cost is $25 if you pre-register, $30 if you register at the race.
November Anniversaries
Neil & Tonya Manning John & Joyce Miller Herman & Pam Sabourin Bryan & Jennifer Bee Augie & Kathy Quail Jeffrey & Hadley Boone Tom & Sue Lessard John & Ellen Gilhooley Allen & Jeanne Nuss Alejandro Quintero & Mary Ziegler-Quintero
November
Birthdays
John Gilhooley, Kathy Harding, Fran Gordon,
Alfie Sarnacki, KellyAnn Keller, Martin Lytle, Milton Slewinski, Martha Underhill, Cecilie Lytle, Ben Scerra,
Tim Kaercher, Jake Glaser, Colleen Kinley, John O’Brien, Mark Simpkins, Sue Brooks, Rob Golden, Michael Blinstrub, Jackson Hicks, Mike Leonard, Steve Eyer
Outreach: Food Pantry From Jo Anne Robbins
A big thank you to all who have taken time to bring a donation for the Jonesville Food Pantry, one of the ways we provide outreach to our Clifton Park community.
Did you know that the Jonesville Food Pantry was founded in 1972? If you have never visited, it is currently located in a room next to the Jonesville United Methodist Church kitchen. The pantry is staffed by five co-directors and a bank of about 75 volunteers including some teens. Weekly, approximately 215 families in the Shenendehowa and Burnt Hills/Ballston Lake School Districts benefit from the services provided. All clients are interviewed and provide documentation of need. The CAPTAIN van picks up clients and brings them to the pantry on designated Friday mornings.
The pantry is supplied through community donations, food drives, donations from Price Chopper, Hannaford Supermarkets, and Stewarts Shops. Additionally, donations are received from Outback, West End Bagels, and Pepperidge Farm. The pantry also spends $500 weekly on food purchased through the Regional Food Bank. Monetary donations are received throughout the year from individuals and organizations and are a very necessary and appreciated part of the operation.
Pantry volunteer hours increase dramatically when Thanksgiving and Christmas approach. Gift certificates are provided in addition to regular weekly food. 100 families receive fruit baskets delivered through the Department of Social Services at Thanksgiving.
The food we donate to the food pantry is our way of saying, “Thank you, God, for our many blessings!”
This month, the weekend before Thanksgiving, please make an effort to give thanks to God by bringing an item from the following list and place it in our collection basket in the entrance or in Hatlee Hall: peanut butter, baby food pack, chicken broth, canned pumpkin, and canned cranberry sauce.
Your Outreach Committee plans to have a monthly article about the pantry in the Dragon’s Tale. We will share information about how you can help through donations or other ways to get involved.
Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor. Proverbs 22:9 NRSV
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St. George’s School From Sandy Graves
October was full of Fall festivities for our students. Field trips were enjoyed by many of the classes. Our kindergarteners enjoyed a day at Ellms Farm, the Pre-K students enjoyed a morning at Riverview Orchards, and hopefully by the publication of this newsletter, the 3 year old preschool will have had their field trip to Sunnyside Gardens! We were also fortunate to have the Jonesville Firefighters visit students to discuss fire safety. It was wonderful to have a mother of a student in the Pre-K class be one of the guest firefighters! Some of our students learned how fast the firefighters respond to calls since the firefighters received a call during their visit and needed to leave rather quickly! As quickly as October came and went, November will be just as busy. This month is an important time for the school as it hosts our biggest fundraisers: *Christmas Wreaths are once again available for purchase until Nov. 5th! The order forms are in the Narthex or you can order online at: https://forms.gle/1NB5Cq1o44bQ6TRz6 and then submit the payment to the school. *We would love to have you join us for our annual Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning! The 5K kicks off at 8 am and is followed by a Kids’ Run. It is a wonderful way to start the day! Go to: https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/CliftonPark/dAnnualStGeorgesSchoolTurkeyTrot to pre-register before 11/6 to guarantee a t-shirt! St. George’s Parishioners as well as current students’ families will have an opportunity in December to submit applications for the next school year before registration opens to the general public. If you are considering our programs but would like to get a little more information or visit the classrooms, we have scheduled an Open House on Saturday, December 7th, from 9-11 am. As always, thank you for your continued prayers and support. We wish the families of St. George’s a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving!
Please note:
Deadline for weekly announcements is Wednesday morning at 9 AM. Send to
Our Narnia Adventure From Jo Anne Robbins
On Saturday, October 12, a large group from St. George's that had participated in our summer community read were fortunate to attend a wonderful Narnia event at the Episcopal Cathedral of All Saints in Albany. We heard Dr. Michael Ward, author and C.S. Lewis scholar from the University of Oxford, England, present a program about The Chronicles of Narnia. Dr. Ward is one of the world’s leading authorities on C. S. Lewis and the author of the award winning Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis (Oxford University Press) and co-editor of The Cambridge Companion to C.S. Lewis (Cambridge University Press). His amazing program was titled, The Bible and the Imagination of C.S. Lewis.
We learned fascinating information about C. S. Lewis, one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. Lewis is best known as a novelist. He was the author of about 40 books, including The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity. Of course, the books that brought him the greatest fame may be The Chronicles of Narnia, the series of seven children’s books that have become classics of fantasy literature. Our summer read group read three of this series – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. These stories hinge around the story of Jesus (Aslan), the Lord of the forest; the Lord of Hosts, mighty in battle; the Light of the World; and the Evening Star. If you haven’t read these stories, they will make a great birthday present or Christmas gift. They are magical stories that engage curious minds of young and old alike.
St. George’s Narnia Travelers with author and
presenter, Dr. Michael Ward
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St. George’s Episcopal Church
912 Route 146
Clifton Park, NY 12065
Weekly Worship Schedule
Saturday:
4:30 pm - Rite II worship
Sunday:
7:30 am - Rite I followed by coffee hour
9:00 am - Rite II with organ and choir
10:00 am - Coffee Hour in Hatlee Hall
10:30 am - Sunday School for all ages*
11:30 am - Contemporary Service
Wednesday:
10:00 am - Morning Prayer (Chapel)
12:00 pm - Healing Service with Communion
*Sunday School meets every Sunday until June 23 except the Sunday after Christmas, Easter Sunday,
and Mothers’ Day.
Save the Dates
Nov 3 Continuing the Conversation 3:00 - 4:30 pm
Nov 5 Men's group BBQ
Nov 10 Scottish Liturgy at 9:00 service
Dec 6 An Evening with St. Nick
Dec 7 Altar Guild Work day
Dec 7 St. George’s School Open House
Dec 12 Christmas Concert by St. George School
children
Dec 15 High School Youth Group Christmas party
Dec 20 Middle School Youth Group Christmas
party
