St. Benedict’s Weekly Prayers: Week of July 6, 2025

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Fourth Sunday After Pentecost

The Collect:

O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

The Reverend Dr. Beth Echols

References below names "LFF" are celebrations from "Lesser Feasts and Fasts", 2021.  Holy Days are from the Book of Common Prayer Holy Day celebrations.  You can find "Lesser Feasts and Fasts" online at https://extranet.generalconvention.org/staff/files/download/21034

Daily Prayers for those in need or trouble:

Prayers for the Parish
Kathleen, Mary, David, Isabel, Gary Judy, Patricia, Matthew, Chris, Pam, Ray, Kay, Andy, John, Elisabeth, Rebekah, Jacob, Aaron, Daphne, Sally, Jane, Gerry and Gloria

Prayers for friends of St. Benedict
Nancy Jo, Adam, Tina, Amanda, Jess, Jim, Tim
__________________________________________
In the case of a pastoral care emergency please call the Rector directly
360-485-7281

Monday - July 7- For Parish Members

Spencer and David
Judy
Gift

Tuesday - July 8- For Parish Members

Charlotte
Sally
Holly

(LFF:  Priscilla and Aquila, Coworkers of the Apostle Paul)

Wednesday - July 9 - For Parish Members

Mary
Kelly
Gary and Isabel

Thursday - July 10 - For Parish Members

John
Tom
Gregory

Friday - July 11- For Parish Members

William and Janet
Karen
Fran and Larry
 

(LFF:  Benedict of Nursia, Monastic, c. 543)

           Saturday - July 12- 

O God, in the course of this busy life, give us times of
refreshment and peace; and grant that we may so use our
leisure to rebuild our bodies and renew our minds, that our
spirits may be opened to the goodness of your creation;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Book of Common Prayer

Reverend Dr. Beth Echols

Prayer adapted from Washington’s Circular Letter to the States, which he wrote on June 8, 1783 as the commander in chief, at his headquarters in Newburgh, New York

The Reverend Dr Beth Echols

(LFF:  Irenaeus of Lyon, Bishop and Theologian, c.202)

Sunday - July 13, 2025
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Worship Services - 8 & 10:30 am

For the members of our parish family that
passed away  this year:

Ildiko Baldwin
Reverend Robert Williams
Reverend Eldwin Lovelady
Robert Wilson
Patricia Basta

Give to the departed eternal rest;
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

A Prayer for this Parish

Almighty and everliving God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth, hear our prayers for St. Benedict's parish family.  Strengthen the faithful, arouse the careless, and restore the penitent.  Grant us all things necessary for our common life, and bring us all to be of one heart and mind within your holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
      Amen.

Parish Leaders

The Rev. Dr. Beth Echols, Rector
The Rev. Tony Irving, Deacon
Mr. Bob Zych, Senior Warden
Ms. Kelly Ellis, Junior Warden
Vestry members
Jan Akin, Bob Beckman, Karen Fraser,
Norman Gregory, Nancy Zabel, Gerry Apple, clerk

Why do we burn candles in church?

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Historically, candles and oil lamps were used simply to illuminate worship spaces, especially before the widespread use of electricity. This allowed clergy and others to see texts and music. Candles remind worshipers of Christ's presence and the light of hope, salvation, and guidance he offers. The flame can also symbolize God's presence, serving as a reminder that God is with the worshiping community. St. Benedict’s altar guild starts each Liturgical Season with new candles and as they burn it marks the passage of time in that season. When the candles get low, we trade them out for candles we have used previously in shorter Liturgical seasons. We just finished using the candles from the Easter Candleabras. The remaining candles are melted down into tea lights to use in our healing service and at the prayer table. Extra tea lights are offered to the congregation to burn at home.

Faith in Action: Thurston County Food Bank

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The Rev. Dr. Beth Echols

The Thurston County Foodbank has reached out to St. Benedict Episcopal Church to help with the crisis of hunger in our neighborhood.  This is an opportunity for us to put ‘the hands of Christ’ to service.

I plan to participate as my schedule allows and am scheduling a time for Student Chaplains to serve.

"We strive to provide healthy, nutritious food to families and individuals experiencing food insecurity, ensuring they have what they need to thrive. Hunger affects people of all ages and backgrounds, and the need has never been greater. We rely on the dedication of volunteers like you to help us distribute food, host drives, and assist with packing and sorting food donations."Eliminate Hunger Within Our Community, in the Spirit of Neighbor Helping Neighbor.'  is to 'Our mission." At the Thurston County Food Bank, we are on a mission to ensure that no one in our community goes hungry. We are reaching out to invite you to join us in this essential work by volunteering your time and talents to help those in need."

  • Lacey Food Pantry Service

    • Tuesday and Thursday Service 9:00 am-12:30 pm and 12:00 pm-3:00 pm

    • We have an evening food distribution event on the 2nd Wednesday of each month. We need volunteers from 3 pm to 6:30 pm. (March 12th, April 9th, May 14th)

  • Olympia Food Pantry (Greatest Need on Mondays)

    • These opportunities are available Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from (8:00 am-12:00 pm)  and (11:45-4:00 pm). Contact Jessica Colson at jessc@tcfb.org

  • Kiwanis Food Bank Gardens       

    •  Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday (9:00 am- 12:00 pm) (1:00 pm-3:00 pm). This program has three different locations so please check the location before volunteering.

Evangelism from St. Benedict

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Norman Gregory, Building Steward

I was pondering writing an article about the work we’ve been doing to spruce up our church and make it more visible and then my mind pivoted to the topic of evangelism.

Our Evangelical brothers and sisters might say that we Episcopalians don’t do a good job of spreading the Gospel because we don’t go out and shout from the rooftops at the top of our lungs. We even self mockingly joke about being the “frozen chosen”. I think this misses the point – we are much better at whispering to get attention and sharing our message. While this may be more subtle it can be very effective.

Our rector once commented on seeing that we have Episcopal shields on our vehicles (available from Amazon) that we were doing quiet evangelizing and she was right as periodically folks will ask us what that symbol means and a conversation is started (and who knows how many people remember that the driver of a car who politely let them merge on I-5 had an interesting symbol on the back). I have argued for years that whenever Clarice and I (and several others in our congregation) give care as nurses we are sharing our belief in God’s love through our hands. Spence and his team that quietly/faithfully make Meals for Many every month are doing evangelism by sharing their love to God’s Children in need. Even just welcoming a group that spins wool and makes garments from it counts as a form of quiet evangelism.

So why did evangelism come to mind when pondering writing about our garden and sign projects? Maybe because Clarice has made a new friend with our garbage collector who comments every week about the progress he sees. Maybe because I met our neighbors across Bowker Street and next door when we got into conversations about the work being done. Maybe because of the random people who have driven by and stopped to comment about how much better our grounds look with the work we have done so far even this early in the project. Finally, maybe because people have commented that our new mock-up sign has opened their eyes to the existence of a church they never noticed before. In other words the very act of changing the look of our grounds and having parishioners outside and willing to chat has made people aware that there is a living church here and that can well be the first step in quiet evangelism.

Activity Bags for Children during Church

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Dear Parents and Guardians, 
Since Sunday school is not going to meet for the summer, we know that you would like to have activities for your children to do during church. There will be activity bags available in the narthex for you to pick-up and use. The children will find crayons, colored pencils, and color sheets to use while in church. There are younger and older bags to choose from, indicated on the bag.
Please return your bags at the end of the service and we will re-supply with new activities the next week. 
 
Your Sunday school teachers

Diocesan Events for Summer

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Summer for Children & Teens — There's so much going on for children & teens in the Diocese of Olympia including Vacation Bible School, day camps, and overnight camps! Visit the summer activities page to see what's happening in June, July and August.
 
Dinner with the Bishop — People in their 20s & 30s are invited to the Office of the Bishop in Seattle for a casual gathering with our new Bishop, Phil LaBelle. We'll eat, do some Q & A with +Phil, tour the just-renovated Leary mansion, and then welcome summer with a solstice liturgy. Wednesday, June 25, 6:00 PM. Free! More info and RSVP here.
 
Seattle Pride Parade — Show your pride and demonstrate the warm welcome of the Episcopal Church by marching in the Seattle Pride Parade! Sunday, June 29, downtown Seattle, noon. More info and register here.
 
Sailing Adventure — High-school-age youth are invited to sail away on the historic schooner, Adventuress. This voyage is a little bit creation care (Adventuress is a floating science lab), a little bit high seas adventure (climb the mast! explore local islands!), and a great way to deepen faith and friendships. August 27 - 30. $250/person; sibling discount and scholarships available. More info and register here. 

Dear Sunday School parents and students

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Kelly Ellis, Junior Warden

Sunday school came to a close last Sunday. We have had such fun with your children and we will be looking forward to starting up again in the fall on September 7th.  

On this last Sunday, our students painted rocks to take home and also leave here in our church garden as a gift to this congregation. If you find a painted rock in your walks around the church, please enjoy it, and re-hide it for others to find. During Sunday stories, we read the book “Everyone needs a Rock” by Byrd Baylor and decided to help everyone find their important rock.  

We have loved being your children’s teachers this year and look forward to stories and adventures for the next.  

Kelly Ellis 
Helen Johnston 
Mary Jones  
Caroline Madden 

Wednesday Healing Service

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The Episcopal Church has an established tradition of providing healing services. The St. Benedict Healing service is a public gathering where folks come together to pray for healing and wholeness for themselves and others, with the laying on of hands and anointing with oil. The Service emphasizes prayer, spiritual support, and a sense of community in seeking God's healing presence.

Our community is blessed with the Great Cloud of Witnesses and so we call on the Saints of our faith to inspire us to wholeness.

We gather each Wednesday at the side chapel at 12:15. I hope you will join us.

Book Club Update: June 11

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The Wednesday Morning Book Group is starting a new book:  We Will Be Jaguars:a Memoir of My People  
by Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson. Nemonte is a leader of the Waorani people from the Amazon 
Region of Ecuador as well as being the winner of the 2020 Goldman Environmental Prize.

We expect to start discussing We Will Be Jaguars at our 11:00 am Zoom meeting on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

If you’re new to the group and wish to join us, please send me an email, and I’ll send you a link to the meeting.  
Send the email to Anne Metzler at annieg426@gmail.com .