St. Benedict’s Weekly Prayers: Week of September 14, 2025

Fifteeth Sunday After Pentecost

The Collect:

Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; 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,  Elisabeth, Rebekah, Aaron, Daphne, Jane,  Kissa, Daniel, Gen, Bruce and Paul

Prayers for the Repose of the Soul
Elizabeth

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

Monday - September 22 - For Parish Members

Tricia
Patricia
Andrew 

(LFF: Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist) 

Tuesday - September 23- For Parish Members

Julian and Janet
Andrew, Norma, Susan and Lily
Carol

(LFF:  Thecla of Iconium, Proto-Martyr among Women, c. 70)

Wednesday - September 24- For Parish Members

Carolyn
Dick
Anne 

(LFF:  Anna Ellison Butler Alexander, Deaconess and Teacher, 1947)

Thursday - September 25 - For Parish Members

John
Daidra
Andrea

(LFF:  Sergius of Radonezh, Monastic, 1392)

Friday - September 26 - For Parish Members

Gloria
Fran and Carla
Dawn and Bob

(LFF:  Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop, 1626)

           Saturday - September 27 - 

We thank you, merciful God, for the witness of your apostle and evangelist Matthew to the Good News of your Son; and we pray that, after his example, we may with ready wills and hearts obey the calling of our Savior to follow him for the healing of all Creation; through Jesus the Wisdom of Creation, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Reverend Dr Beth Echols

(LFF: Euphrosyne/Smaragdus of Alexandria, Monastic, fifth century)

Sunday - September 28, 2025
Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Worship Services - 8 am and 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
Sally Christopher
John Webster

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 the St. Benedict 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.

Send Prayer requests to the parish office via email at office@stbenedictlacey.org or phone 360.456.2240

PLEDGE ELECTRONICALLY

Battery Recycling

A Battery Recycling receptacle may be found on the hallway table by the Leadership Photo wall each Sunday.

You are encouraged to bring not only your used batteries but those of your neighbors and friends.

Each recycled battery will either be safely disposed of or recycled depending on the type of battery. Recycled batteries that have metals like cesium or lithium not only contribute to saving landfills from the acid they contain, but also provide precious metals to American industries that currently depend on foreign imports.

This is just one more example of St. Benedict taking steps to protect all things that are precious and not discard our Parish home.

Books in YOUR Church Library for the Season of Creation

New and recommended for the Season of Creation are the following 4 books: one for young children about a favorite family waterfall hike, a new book by the author of Braiding Sweetgrass, a memoir of a 2020 winner of the Goldman Environmental prize, and lastly a book with Bill McKibben's answer to the climate crisis question 'Where do we go from here?'. Check the the top shelf of the dark red book cart for these as well as other Season of Creation titles.
 
 E RIC
Abigail and the Waterfall: Loving God's Good Earth. By Sandra Richter; illustrated by Michael Corsini.
A picture book for sharing with young children, especially those ages 4-8 years old. Abigail describes her favorite family hike; a hike through a forest in the Appalachian Mountains to a special place where the stream water flows over the rocks and falls down into a pool.
 
581 KIM
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World. By Robin Wall Kimmerer with illustrations by John Burgoyne. Scribner, 2024. 112 pages.
In this little book the author invites us to participate in the 'gift economy', an economy like that of the serviceberry where our wealth and security come from the quality of our relationships rather than the accumulation of goods we own.
 
BIOG NEN NEN
We Will Be Jaguars: a Memoir of My People. By Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson.
A memoir and story of a fight to save the Amazon rainforest written by an international activist and woman of the Waorani tribe of Ecuador's Amazon rainforest.
 
333.7 MCK
Here Comes the Sun: a Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization. By Bill McKibben.
From one of the first to sound the alarm about the climate crisis comes a new hope for the future through making use of the gifts of Brother Sun and Brother Wind.

Wheat & Wine: Adult Education Returns

And so, Father, we who have been redeemed by him, and
made a new people by water and the Spirit, now bring before
you these gifts. Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be the
Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. (BCP p 371)

We have been worshiping this holy Creation Season with Rite II, Form C, and have joined Episcopal communities worldwide in gratitude for the Lord’s abundance.  We also reflect on our neglect and waste of God’s grace.
Please join us for a series of discussions during adult education between the two services beginning September 21.

This will be an opportunity to consider the deep meaning of the Eucharist that is easily overlooked and lost.  I hope to see you there.

Grounds Work Party Saturday September 27th

Saturday, September 27th will be a grounds work party. We have blocks to move ( to save for another project ), brush to clear, weeds to clear, compost and mulch to spread, etc, etc, etc. I’m hoping we can work hard from 9-12, have lunch and finish up ( cleanup, put tool away) by 2pm. If you have a pole chainsaw to clear some dead branches, that would be great to bring. Feel free to bring your favorite garden tools. Many hands will help us get some fall cleaning done before our weather changes. Please enjoy the fellowship at lunch.
Please sign up on the sheet in the front hall so we know how many to expect for lunch!  :)
Please call if you have any questions:
Clarice Gregory. 425 314 1612.

Lift Your Voice

Choir rehearsals are now held on Tuesday evenings from 7:00–8:30 PM. We would love for you to join us! Singing in the choir is a joyful way to share your love of music, connect with others, and help lead our congregation in worship. All voices are welcome!   We are especially looking for a couple of strong sopranos. Come and be part of the music ministry—you’ll be glad you did!  If you have young ones that you would like to bring with you, childcare will be provided.

Sunday School 2025-2026

Book bags are packed, first day pictures have been taken and our students are starting another year of school.
Here at St Benedict, we are starting Sunday school as well. Your teachers, Kelly Ellis, Helen Johnston, Mary Jones and Caroline Madden have been working to welcome your children to a new year of lessons during Sunday worship. All children, ages 5-12, at the 10:30 service will be starting Sunday school on September 14th.
Please come by and register your child before church and meet the teachers. Each Sunday, we start at 10:30 and meet for about an hour. Your child will be fed a snack and there may be some outdoor activities to enjoy. We will then bring our students into church for communion with their families.
By the way, we have received a grant from the dioceses for purchasing curriculum and other expenditures that has been matched by our own vestry. So, we are very excited about all the new things that will be happening for our kids! We can’t wait to see them!

Faith in Action for September & October

The Faith in Action committee has recommended donations of $500 to both PALS and Pear Blossom for the month of July.  St. Benedict Episcopal Church Vestry approved these expenditures at the monthly meeting on July 31st.  We encourage parishioners to give us suggestions for local non-profit groups that we may donate to that meet our mission statements.  Approximately, a thousand dollars per month is provided in our budget for these donations.
 

PALS (PET ASSISTANCE FOR LOW INCOME SENIORS)

The PALS organization provides financial assistance for low income pet owners to help with veterinary care costs and provide pet food.  Pets provide a lot of unconditional love.
  

PEAR BLOSSOM PLACE

Pear Blossom provides families with children a safe and warm 24 hour shelter.  It opened in July of 2014 and has since provided almost 200,000 nights of shelter and safety for more than a thousand families. 
When families arrive at Pear Blossom they enter a welcoming and caring environment with caring staff, warm bedding, food and hygiene supplies and other resources.  They are assigned a case manager who works with them until they are able to find a permanent housing solution, whether that is for ten days or ten months.  Support staff is available 24/7.
Gerry Apple has been taking items donated by St. Benedict’s parishioners to Pear Blossom for approximately a year.

Season of Creation 2025

We have entered the newest season of the liturgical cycle that runs until the Feast of St. Francis 5 October 2025.  The Episcopal Church is slowly awakening to the cry of creation.  In this betwixt and between place, we at St. Benedict Episcopal Church in the heart of Lacy shall lean forward to the new day and follow in the steps of others who are already setting forth the path of relationship with Creation and not domination. At St. Benedict, we look to the dove that proclaims the new Spirit flowing into the hope of reconciliation in Communion.
Creation Time is a part of the Season of Pentecost. It is when we celebrate the fact that creation is an integral part of all that we do … how we worship and honor a Creator God.  Our Biblical text for this year is Isaiah 32:14-18. The prophet Isaiah depicted a desolate creation without peace due to the absence of justice and the fractured relationship between God and humanity. This description of devastated cities and wastelands eloquently stresses the fact that human destructive behaviors harm the Earth
 
Orange is the corresponding liturgical color.   Creation Season and its color orange recapture an ancient Christian liturgical way of being that we had forgotten.
The color orange was:
• the Early Christian color for confessors, monastics, and matrons
• worn in some Russian churches during summer fasts; in Western rites, some mainline Protestant churches propose orange as a color for fall
• Some Orthodox Churches use scarlet, orange, or rust
Its Symbolism/Psychology:
• symbolic of endurance and strength
• color of fire and flame
• the red of passion tempered by the yellow of wisdom
• color of harvest, fruitfulness, joy
• color of positive energy

Calendars for the Mission to Seafarers

Ralph Provencal is collecting 2026 calendars for the Mission to Seafarers in Seattle.  They are provided to seafarers as a means of keeping track of the calendar days, events, and to brighten up the  on-board quarters.  All types are useful except extra large wall or desktop calendars, and loose-leaf.
 
There is a collection box on the counter in the entry hallway, near the parish hall doors.  Ralph will be collecting through January 17, 2024 and can use as many as we collect.  Ask you neighbors, friends, and any businesses.  He is committed to getting the calendars to the Seafarers mission in Seattle by Jan 19, 2026.

Saint Suppers in September!

Would you like to host? 
Saint Suppers are dinners for 8 adults in a host home.  The host makes the main dish, and the guests bring the rest.  Our next date is September 13.  Susie Zych and I are looking for hosts.  The only requirement is a table for 8 people. Once we have at least 4 hosts we will put out sign up sheets. 
We will assign singles and couples to a home and the host will call you to work out the details.  Email one of us to be a host and we will contact you.
Questions? Nancyzabel4@gmail.com or zychsusie@gmail.com

Reaching out for School Supplies!

St. Benedict is hosting a School Supply Drive! 
Everything the students in your community need for going back to school is on sale right now! 
If you can pick up a couple of items (pens, pencils, paper, glue sticks, crayons...  you know the list :) we know they will be very much appreciated!  
There will be a donation box in the Narthex for your donations.     
Thank you so much!

Let's Get Noticed!

St. Benedict will have a booth at the Lacey Night Market from August 22 to October 31st.  Would you like to help? 
Follow this link for event info and dates! https://cityoflacey.org/nightmarket/
See Chaplain Beth for more information!

Book Club Update: August 13

The Wednesday Morning Book Group is starting a new book:  The Tears of Things: Prophetic Wisdom for an Age of Outrage by Richard Rohr.
We expect to start discussing The Tears of Things at our 11:00 am Zoom meeting on Wednesday, August 13, 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 .

Guidance on Immigration Enforcement from the Diocese

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