St. Benedict’s Weekly Prayers: Week of May 18, 2025

Fifth Sunday of Easter

The Collect:

Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of 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, Pat, Andy, John, Elisabeth, Kathy, Rebekah, Becky, Kristie, Judith and Jacob
 
For Repose of the Soul:  Patricia

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

Monday - May 19- For Parish Members

Paul and Peggy
Kathy and William
Paul and Linda
 

(LFF:  Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, 988)

Tuesday - May 20 - For Parish Members

Robbie
Sally and Sara
Pam and Ray

(LFF:  Alcuin of York, Deacon, 804)

Wednesday - May 21 - For Parish Members

Spencer and David
Judy
Gift 

(LFF:  Lydia of Thyatira, Coworker of the Apostle Paul)

Thursday - May 22 - For Parish Members

Charlotte
Sally
Holly

(LFF:  Helena of Constantinople, Protector of the Holy Places, 330)

Friday - May 23- For Parish Members

Mary
Kelly
Gary and Isabel

Saturday - May 24 - 

Almighty God,
Shepherd and guardian of all,
We pray for your servant Pope Leo.
Grant him grace to follow in the footsteps
Of the Good Shepherd,
To preach the Gospel with boldness,
To build up your people in unity and peace,
And to serve them with humility and love;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The Reverend Dr Beth Echols,

(LFF:  Jackson Kemper, Bishop and Missionary, 1870)

Sunday - May 25, 2025
Sixth Sunday of Easter

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

Letter from Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe on Episcopal Migration Ministries

May 12, 2025
 
Dear People of God in The Episcopal Church:
 
I am writing today with some significant news about Episcopal Migration Ministries, the organization that leads The Episcopal Church’s refugee resettlement ministry.
 
Since January, the previously bipartisan U.S. Refugee Admissions Program in which we participate has essentially shut down. Virtually no new refugees have arrived, hundreds of staff in resettlement agencies around the country have been laid off, and funding for resettling refugees who have already arrived has been uncertain. Then, just over two weeks ago, the federal government informed Episcopal Migration Ministries that under the terms of our federal grant, we are expected to resettle white Afrikaners from South Africa whom the U.S. government has classified as refugees.
 
In light of our church’s steadfast commitment to racial justice and reconciliation and our historic ties with the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, we are not able to take this step. Accordingly, we have determined that, by the end of the federal fiscal year, we will conclude our refugee resettlement grant agreements with the U.S. federal government.
 
I want to be very clear about why we made this decision—and what we believe lies ahead for Episcopal Migration Ministries’ vital work.
 
It has been painful to watch one group of refugees, selected in a highly unusual manner, receive preferential treatment over many others who have been waiting in refugee camps or dangerous conditions for years. I am saddened and ashamed that many of the refugees who are being denied entrance to the United States are brave people who worked alongside our military in Iraq and Afghanistan and now face danger at home because of their service to our country. I also grieve that victims of religious persecution, including Christians, have not been granted refuge in recent months.
 
As Christians, we must be guided not by political vagaries, but by the sure and certain knowledge that the kingdom of God is revealed to us in the struggles of those on the margins. Jesus tells us to care for the poor and vulnerable as we would care for him, and we must follow that command. Right now, what that means is ending our participation in the federal government’s refugee resettlement program and investing our resources in serving migrants in other ways.
 
For nearly 40 years, Episcopal Migration Ministries has put hands and feet to our church’s commitment to seek and serve Christ in migrants and refugees. We have served nearly 110,000 refugees during this time, many of whom are now American citizens and beloved members of our communities, workplaces, and neighborhoods. Over the years, EMM has resettled individuals from Ukraine, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Myanmar. We have supported vulnerable populations from across the globe, regardless of nationality.
 
Since March, a dedicated team of Episcopal Migration Ministries employees has fulfilled our commitment to serve people who arrived just before or in the first days of the new administration. Now that we are ending our involvement in federally funded refugee resettlement, we have asked the administration to work toward a mutual agreement that will allow us to wind down all federally funded services by the end of the federal fiscal year in September. We are working with the affected staff members to provide extensive outplacement services and severance packages.
 
I have said before that no change in political fortunes alters our commitment to stand with the world’s most vulnerable people, and I want to reaffirm that promise. While our public-private partnership as a refugee resettlement agency is no longer viable, we are hard at work on a churchwide plan to support migrants and refugees through:

• Diocesan partnerships: We have vibrant ministries around the church serving migrants of all kinds. Episcopalians support newcomers through education, direct service, and advocacy. Our dioceses also work to address the root causes of migration. We pledge to redouble our efforts to support these ministries and the migrants among us.
   

• Global connections: We will invest in our ministries that support forced migrants throughout the countries and territories of The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. This includes our powerful ministry in Europe, where the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe has served more than 140,000 refugees in the last two years, primarily from North Africa, Ukraine, and Central Asia. We will continue to work with our dioceses and Anglican partners throughout Central America to help those seeking safety.
   

• Continued support for refugees: While new refugee arrivals and funding have been curtailed by the current administration, thousands of refugees welcomed by Episcopal Migration Ministries in previous years still need support. We will invite Episcopalians to connect with resettled refugees and explore how to continue services we have long provided—language services, continuing education, support with childcare, and job training. If refugee resettlement begins again with the support of private sponsors, we will explore those new possibilities. 
   

• Fundraising: It is important to understand the scale of federal grant money from which we are stepping away. In most recent years, Episcopal Migration Ministries received more than $50 million annually in federal funds. This is not a loss that can be bridged with donor funds or proceeds from investments. However, we will raise funds for new and expanded migration ministries across the church and for our partners in this ministry. You can contribute to this new work by making a donation on the Episcopal Migration Ministries website.

In the coming weeks, Episcopal Migration Ministries will share more news about how to be involved. In the meantime, please pray for vetted refugees who have not been granted permission to come to this country, for the staff who will be affected by the end of these federal grants, and for everyone who grieves the end of our federal refugee resettlement work.
 
May our faith in the Risen Christ, who draws all people to himself, sustain and guide us through the tumult of these times.
 

The Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe
Presiding Bishop
The Episcopal Church

Letter from Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of Cape Town to Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe received the following letter on May 14 from the Most Rev. Thabo Makgoba, archbishop of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa (ACSA). On May 12, Bishop Rowe announced that The Episcopal Church would end its refugee resettlement grant agreements with the U.S. government after being asked to resettle white Afrikaners from South Africa.

The Episcopal Church has long had a connection with ACSA, first speaking against apartheid and commending the South African church's witness against it in 1958. Beginning in 1966, The Episcopal Church urged church institutions to reconsider investing in South Africa. Later, the church supported the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission—led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who was then head of what is now ACSA.  
…..
 Dear Presiding Bishop Sean,
 
I write to thank you for your call on Sunday, and to assure you of our gratitude for the stand you have taken in support of ACSA and South Africa in regard to the group of South Africans being resettled by your Administration.
 
What the Administration refers to as anti-white racial discrimination is nothing of the kind. Our government implements affirmative action on the lines of that in the United States, designed not to discriminate against whites but to overcome the historic disadvantages black South Africans have suffered.
 
By every measure of economic and social privilege, white South Africans as a whole remain the beneficiaries of apartheid. Measured by the Gini coefficient, which measures income disparity, we are the most unequal society in the world, with the majority of the poor black, and the majority of the wealthy white.
 
While U.S. supporters of the South African group will no doubt highlight individual cases of suffering some members might have undergone, and criticise TEC for its action, we cannot agree that South Africans who have lost the privileges they enjoyed under apartheid should qualify for refugee status ahead of people fleeing war and persecution from countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Afghanistan.
 
Please feel free to share this letter publicly.
 
Blessings,
+Thabo Cape Town
 

Celebrate Military History Month

The local news, Jolt (Military) recently reported that over 50% of veterans who retire or complete their tour of duty remain in Puget Sound.  Our own St. Benedict Episcopal Church attests to the welcome service members and their families receive. 

During the month of May that celebrates our military, please reach out to service members and invite them to join us for worship and fellowship.  If you are a Veteran, we are glad you are here.

English Ivy

English Ivy has been a frequent topic of discussion in the St. Benedict landscape, as well as around the larger community. Although the plant may appear appealing, English Ivy is a Class C noxious weed widespread in Washington (Source: WA State Noxious Weed Board). The ivy grows very aggressively and invasively, overwhelming other plantings, and even choking trees. Controlling the ivy became a landscape maintenance frustration at SBEC. 

Vestry opted to eradicate the ivy infestation around the Columbarium and back parking lot. A contractor was hired to remove the ivy and begin a longer management process to safely and responsibly eliminate the plant. 
What a difference this has made lookig at the before and after pictures above!
Later this year, SBEC will craft a plan for replanting the areas with more friendly foliage.  

Wednesday Healing Service

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.

Anglican Communion secretary-general on the election of Pope Leo XIV

With great joy, we welcome the election and appointment of Pope Leo XIV, the 267th Pope and Bishop of Rome. On behalf of the worldwide Anglican Communion, we share our prayers, celebration and encouragement as His Holiness takes up his global ministry in service of the Church.

May he lead with faithfulness, vision and courage, embodying the Christian values of peace and justice in service of mission and evangelisation.

At this point in history, the world and the Church face significant challenges. Crises of mass migration, war, poverty and division press upon us all. As ever, the most innocent and vulnerable in our societies suffer most severely.

We welcome Pope Leo’s commitment to building bridges through dialogue, and his summons to all the faithful to visible unity without fear.

The Anglican Communion remains committed to our collaboration with the Catholic Church in the friendship of Jesus, sustained by our formal ecumenical institutions and the pioneering ministry of the Anglican Centre in Rome.

The Anglican–Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) and the International Anglican–Roman Catholic Commission on Unity and Mission (IARCCUM) help us to think and grow together. Anglicans and Roman Catholics look to these commissions — and the friendships that they enable —  in the spirit of Saint Augustine’s summons to the Communion of Love, founded in the whole Christ.

We pray that God will grant Pope Leo the strength to lead wisely and we assure him of our open arms in return. May we meet the Lord together again, as he comes to us and bids us not to be afraid (John 6:20).

Amen

Oppose Extreme Tax Cuts!

Congress is attempting to extend tax cuts first enacted in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. These tax cuts benefited the wealthiest Americans, and current proposals would pay for tax breaks by cutting programs such as Medicaid and food assistance that protect the most vulnerable. As a church, our priority is to center those at the margins of society, including by supporting a tax code that reduces economic disparities.  

As the markup for the reconciliation package moves forward, we urge you to oppose an extension of costly tax cuts at the expense of programs that serve those who are vulnerable.  

Join us in calling for a fair tax system that gives relief to those who need it the most!

Ladies’ Tea Party: Saturday, May 17, 2:00 – 4:00 PM

Moms, grandmas, daughters, grandaughters, sisters and girlfriends.   
Fancy food and wonderful tea or optional beverages.  
You are welcome to bring your favorite teacup and tell its origin story. Dress up? Wear a hat?  It’s all about having fun and spending time together. 
Sign up sheet is on the hall counter or call the church office (360) 456-2240     Come and have fun! It’s free! 

St. John/San Juan concert series wraps up with Gala Organ Concert: May 18 @ 3:00 p.m.

You are invited to experience the amazing musicality of distinguished organist and church musician Dr. Curt Sather, who will present a gala recital on the renowned Schlicker organ at 3 p.m. May 18 at  St. John | San Juan Episcopal Church, 20th and Capitol Way, Olympia. Admission is by donation. Curt is well-known in the Olympia community for his 24 hours of Bach concert several years ago!

Capital City Pride 2025: June 27-29

St. Benedict has been asked to support St. John Episcopal Church in Olympia as they prepare for Capital City Pridefest 2025!  More information about this event will follow shortly but, in the meantime, to have it on your calendars, it will be the weekend of June 27-29, with the parade on Sunday morning starting at 11am.   Kelly is working on gathering contact information if any SBEC parishioners want to consider volunteering!  SBEC has been a great source of support for our LGBTQIA+ community for years, and showing our support to our neighbors at St. John is part of being the Hands of Christ in the heart of Lacey!

Tellers Count, Can You?

Martha Liska, Head Teller

We would like to add one or two new folks to the tellering ministry.  Tellers count, tally and deposit the church's incoming funds.  The tellers work in teams of two and do their work following the 10:30AM Sunday service.  The tellering task takes about 90 minutes and each teller is scheduled to work about 14 times a year.  Training will be provided.  We say, "tellers count," so can we count on you?  Contact, Martha Liska, head teller with questions or to volunteer for this vital church ministry.  Best way to reach Marthe is in person or via email:   mlisk@comcast.net

Is it Time for a new SBEC Sign?

—Norman Gregory, Building Steward

When we first moved to Lacey and came looking for St. Benedict, we looked down Bowker Street for a familiar shield on a sign that announced to everyone that a strong Episcopal church was ready to welcome our family. But we did not see anything except a row of flowering trees, and we were confused.  We drove down the street further and eventually saw a small sign among the trees and realized that we had arrived. 
We have talked several times about that first impression and wondered how many other people seeking to come to St. Benedict simply missed our church and drove on and so the idea of a different sign was born.  We looked at traditional Episcopal Churches with tall steeples and walls of stone in our travels and wondered how we could bring that feeling of permanence to our modern-looking building.   
At the Vestry’s request these concepts were taken to sign shops in the area and the first rendering has come in. Now the Vestry would like to hear from the congregation how the design feels to them. Would a new sign with this or a similar design do a better job of helping people looking for a church home to find their way to our door? Please consider conveying your thoughts to a Vestry Member. 

Book Club Update: March 19

The Wednesday Morning Book Group is starting a new book:  The Wisdom Jesus: Transforming Heart and Mind—a New Perspective on Christ and His Message by Cynthia Bourgeault.  
We expect to start discussing The Wisdom Jesus at our 11:00 am Zoom meeting on Wednesday, April 16, 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.

St. Benedict Outreach: Faith in Action

Last month, Vestry approved a motion to take a 3-month hiatus on Social Justice donations to redevelop the outreach program. Subsequently, a subcommittee drafted a “Faith in Action Ministry Policy” which was proposed to Vestry on March 27th.  

The policy's purpose is to ensure that funds granted to organizations by SBEC are in line with our mission, while controlling the best use of available funds. This policy will serve to guide Vestry in the outreach decision-making process. Vestry will deliberate over the draft and anticipate accepting and approving a final policy next month. During the time a SBEC policy is being crafted, Vestry may approve specific donations.  

Our commitment to outreach remains unwavering. Feel free to reach out to a Vestry Member with your questions. Also, anticipate a forthcoming SBEC survey on the topic to further shape the outreach ministry.