St. Benedict’s Weekly Prayers: Week of August 31, 2025

Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost

The Collect:

Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; 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, Aaron, Daphne, Jane, Judy, and Kissa

Prayers for Repose of the Soul:  Helen and Sally

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

Monday - August 25 - For Parish Members

Sally
Holly
Mary 

(LFF: Saint Bartholomew the Apostle) 

Tuesday - August 26- For Parish Members

Kelly and Sammy
Gary and Isabel
John

(LFF:  Simeon Bachos, the Ethiopian Eunuch)

Wednesday - August 27 - For Parish Members

Tom
Gregory
William and Janet

(LFF:  Thomas Gallaudet with Henry Winter Syle, Priests, 1902 and 1890)

Thursday - August 28 - For Parish Members

William and Janet
Karen
Fran and Larry

(LFF:  Augustine of Hippo, Bishop and Theologian, 430)

Friday - August 29 - For Parish Members

Dave
Mary Michael
Jane

(LFF:  The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist)

           Saturday - August 23 - 

In the darkness of unknowing,
when your love seems absent,
draw near to us, O God,
in Christ forsaken,
in Christ risen,
our Redeemer and our Lord.
Amen

The Reverend Dr Beth Echols

(LFF:  Margaret Ward, Margaret Clitherow, and Anne Line, Martyrs, 1588, 1586, and 1601)

Sunday - August 31, 2025
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

Worship Service - 8 am  
Tri-Parish Picnic 10:00 am at Pioneer Park

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

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

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.

Our Roof Leaks

As Parishioners may know, SBEC has lived with pesky roof leaks since the building opened in 1987. The war against a few remaining leaks continues but Building & Grounds Steward Norman Gregory appears to have won one significant battle recently.
For years, others tried various tactics to stop leaks in the Rector’s office, without success. However, Norman’s tenacity & out-of-the-box thinking led him to remove the outside fascia & gutter near the front entrance. For the 1st time, the obvious, faulty construction problem finally revealed itself. 
Earlier failed material was removed. Appropriate repair materials were bought and applied.
Norman & Clarice climbed the ladders again and restored the outside appearance. Although the miracle will appear with the upcoming rainy season, the leak appears resolved once & for all.  And as a bonus, the insights gained from this issue as well as the purchased repair materials, may also prove useful in solving other minor leaks.
Thank you, Norman & Clarice. You dun really good on this one!

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!

Faith in Action for July

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.

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

Click to Open Document

Activity Bags for Children during Church

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

Dear Sunday School parents and students

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

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.

Calling All Ushers

The 8:00 am service has only one volunteer usher at this time.  Please let Chaplain Beth or Terryl know if you would be available to join the Worship Team as an usher at this service.  Thank you!