February 2018
From the Rector’s desk by Rev. Anthony MacWhinnie, II Lent begins on February 14th, Valentine ’s Day. At first, that seems contradictory, with Lent being a serious and solemn time for reflection, prayer, and fasting. Ash Wednesday this year may bring you chocolate temptations right off the bat! But, the more I think about it, the more I realize that Lent IS about love. Maybe it’s not about romantic love like Valentine’s, but it is about love. And more specifically, it’s about demonstrating that love. We demonstrate our love for another on Valentine’s Day by overt gestures, usually involving candy and a card. These both might be in the shape of a heart. Maybe a date night to the movies will be involved. Maybe a nice dinner will be had. We celebrate our life together. “Be mine.” We demonstrate our love on Ash Wednesday by beginning our Lenten observances. We impose the ashes on our foreheads in the shape of a cross. And we think about what it means to be tempted, or to give one’s life for another. Or, we think about our own mortality and what that means. “Remember that you are but dust, and to dust you shall return.” Yes, these two days do seem to be in conflict, but they are similar in scope. They are both about love. The difference is that one is only about the emotion of the present, whereas the other takes into account the inevitable future. One puts on rose colored glasses and the other puts on the ashen colored mark of the cross and the purple color of the altar hangings. This year, part of my Lenten observance will be to read along with the Good Book Club that our Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, is advocating. Each day there are readings
Our Staff & Vestry Rev, Anthony MacWhinnie, II, Rector Vestry: Beth Woods - Senior Warden Jim Warner - Junior Warden Dora Giles—Treasurer Susan Early & Margaree Mills-Fitchett Twinette McDonald - Music Director Sally Putters - Parish Nurse
that will take us through the Gospel of Luke. Then in the Easter Season, each day we’ll read a portion of Acts. I like this idea of doing something corporately for Lent, along with my fellow Episcopalians. It is meet and right so to do… Join me, won’t you? You’ll find more information in your bulletins each Sunday, as well as periodic updates from your parish GBC coordinator, Viv Welch. Peace, and I invite you to the observance of a Holy Lent. Anthony+
World Mission Day, February 11 Traditionally observed on the last Sunday after Epiphany, World Mission Sunday in 2018 is February 11. Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael B. Curry invites the church to observe World Mission Sunday in a video here . The purpose of World Mission Sunday is to focus on the global impact of the Baptismal Covenant’s call to “seek and serve Christ in all persons” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 305), and to raise awareness of the many ways in which the Episcopal Church participates in God’s mission around the world. “On World Mission Sunday, we are reminded that we are all called by God to live a life of reconciliation,” the Rev. David Copley, Director of Global Partnerships and Mission Personnel said in a sermon, “Reconciliation with God and with one another, and there has been no more urgent time to participate in God’s mission than today.” Currently, Episcopal Church missionaries are serving in many international locales, including Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, England, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel/Palestine, Panama, the Philippines, Qatar, Romania, South Africa, and Tanzania. For more information, contact Jenny Grant, Interim Officer for Global Relations and Networking.
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Saint Monica’s Messenger
Flu Facts by Nurse Sally Putters What is influenza (also called flu)? The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat and sometimes the lungs. It can be mild to severe and sometimes it can lead to death. The best way to prevent the flu is by getting a flu vaccine each year. Signs and symptoms of flu: People who have the flu often feel some or all of these signs and symptoms that usually start suddenly, not gradually: Fever or feeling feverish or chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue (very tired). Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in young children than in adults. It is important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever. How flu spreads: Flu virus can spread when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk spreading tiny droplets. These droplets can land on mouths or noses of people nearby. Less often a person can get flu by touching objects that may have the virus on them and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. You might be able to pass the virus to someone before you know you are sick as well as when you are sick. People with the flu are most contagious in the first three to four days after their illness begins. Some healthy people can pass the virus at the beginning of their illness and up to five to seven days after becoming sick.
Onset of illness: The time when a person is exposed to flu virus and infected to when symptoms manifest is one to four days, with an average of about two days. Complications: Bacterial pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections, worsening of chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes or heart failure. High risk persons: Anyone can get the flu, even healthy people. Serious complications can develop at any age, but some people are at a higher risk if they develop the flu. This includes people age 65 or older, people at any age with certain chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease, pregnant women and young children. Prevention: The first and most important step in prevention is to get a flu vaccination each year. Other prevention methods include staying away from people who are sick, covering your coughs and sneezes, and frequent hand washing to help slow the spread of germs that cause respiratory (nose, throat, and lungs) illnesses, like flu. If you suspect you have the flu, get tested to diagnose and treat properly. Myth Buster! Flu vaccines cannot give you the flu as vaccines are inactivated and do not contain live viruses. Some preventative measures: Wash your hands with soap and water by rubbing your hands together creating friction for 20 seconds. Wash under fingernails and creases, rinse well and dry hands using a towel to touch surfaces. Cover your nose and mouth with tissue when coughing and toss the tissue in trash after use. Avoid contact with sick people. Force fluids, especially water. Stay healthy and remember our Heart Health Screening on Thursday February 15th from 9:00 until 11:30 in the Narthex of the church. The screenings are FREE. God Bless, Nurse Sally
IMPOSITION OF ASHES
Serving beginning at 5 pm Grab you friends and neighbors & come celebrate Fat Tuesday (Shrove Tuesday) with a delicious Pancake Supper. We will be making fresh hot pancakes beginning at 5 pm along with sizzling sausage and bacon. Donations are gladly accepted, but not required.
FEBRUARY 14 @ 6 PM
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Saint Monica’s Messenger
CEV Team travels to St. Andrew’s Panama City
By Viv Welch On January 20, your Congregational Enrichment Team travelled to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Panama City Beach for the second session of this two-year venture. The theme for the day was “If We Close Our Doors, Who Would Notice? Knowing Your Context.” Prior to the meeting, we were given homework by Bishop Russell and the Session Two presenter Rev. Kammy Young. Bishop Russell asked us to review St. Monica’s founding story and from it discern what strengths and gifts were revealed by its founding, how they fit with the Gospel, what God is doing in our community and what God is calling us to do. Rev. Young asked us to watch a TED Talk video by Candy Chang and to review the Community Demographic profile for the neighborhood around our church. We did our homework and were well prepared. Our experience at Session Two was educational, enlightening and entertaining. We studied scripture (Luke 10:1-11), participated in large and small group contextual exercises, shared with other churches and talked about ways to forge relationships with our church neighbors. We were also treated to a tour of the renovated church nave by the Rector, Rev. Margaret Shepard. Prior to her arrival in 2010, the choir loft of the aging church was not handicap accessible. As the plan to bring that area up to code unfolded other plans were made which literally turned the church around. Pews, also challenging for the handicapped, were removed and replaced with more comfortable chairs that can be moved to make space for wheelchairs. The faux stained glass window which hid the beauty of St. Andrew Bay was replaced with clear glass, and a
Taize Service
Rev. Margaret Shepard, Rector of St. Andrew’s gives CEV participants a tour of the Nave, including this gorgeous labyrinth.
labyrinth was added along with other special features. The biggest change however, was relocating the altar from the front of the nave to the back which completely flipped the layout 180 degrees! Seeing this new space was truly an inspiration. Before our next session in March, your team is committed to practice what we learned by having one-on-one conversations with some of the people in our neighborhood to listen for the intersections of God at work in the world in which we live and move and have our being. The purpose is to intentionally cultivate relationships, seek to know our neighbors more fully and discern what it is that God is calling St. Monica’s to do and be. We ask you to pray for our church and our efforts as we move forward.
Wednesdays in Lent February 21—March 28 If prayer is a significant practice in your life, you might enjoy the style of worship created by the community of Taizé in France. Taizé worship is based around structured rhythms of contemplation and silence that provide a way to turn off the world and experience prayer anew. We would love to have you join us for this special service of prayer, song, and silence.
Sonshine Singers
Children through 4th grade will practice during children’s church. We will be singing on Easter.
Saint Monica’s Choir 8:45 AM-9:45 AM Rehearsals are upstairs. We are rehearsing for Holy Week and Easter. We welcome any new members! Hope to see all your energetic faces on Sundays. For more information and to sign up, please contact Ms. Twinette McDonald at 850-748-0335 or email twinette@cox.net
Saint Monica’s Messenger
An invitation to join The Good Book Club this Lent and Easter On Ash Wednesday, you will hear the invitation into the season of Lent, a portion of which follows: I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by selfexamination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word…. The Good Book Club is a church-wide initiative that invites all Episcopalians to read Luke and Acts during Lent-Easter 2018. Participants in The Good Book Club will begin reading Luke on February 11, 2018, the Sunday before Lent, and finish up the Book of Acts on the Day of Pentecost, May 20, 2018. In an open letter, Bishop Russell invites us all to join The Good Book Club and to “read and meditate on God’s holy Word” during this time. Forward Movement has created a set of daily readings that divide Luke and Acts into 50 days each. During this period, commentary on each day’s reading from Luke or Acts will replace the usual Forward Day by Day offering. “We are thrilled to invite thousands and thousands of people to enter the great narrative of Luke and Acts,” said the Rev. Scott Gunn, executive director of Forward Movement, the project initiator. “As people open their hearts and their minds to scripture, transformation follows. The Good Book Club could change thousands of lives, and, indeed, our whole church.” Dozens of organizations are already partnering with Forward Movement on The Good Book Club, including Episcopal Church Foundation, ChurchNext, Episcopal Migration Ministries, and the Episcopal Church and Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry. Bishop Russell said, “In truth, this initiative is more than a seasonal spiritual discipline. Renewal Works is an Episcopal-based program for assessing and developing the spiritual vitality of churches. In a recent report from Renewal Works that was published from several years of sur-
For Manna Continues through Game Day,
February 4
veys by some 12,000 Episcopalians in nearly 200 congregations, one of the four catalysts for transforming a congregation is engaging with scripture. In other words, the Good Book Club can be a catalyst for spiritual growth that reaches further and farther than the 40 days of Lent and the 50 days of Easter.” For more information, visit the website goodbookclub.org. Watch the video by our Presiding Bishop. Look at the wide variety of resources available on the website for individual and group study, for youth and adult study. Those wishing to join The Good Book Club can sign up for email updates on the initiative’s website (www.goodbookclub.org). Resources also will be available in Spanish at www.ClubBiblico.org.
ECW meeting Sunday, February 4. Calling all Episcopal Women! Get your refreshments and meet with us after church in the parish hall for about 45 minutes for our monthly meeting
Thank you Sending a huge thanks to all who stayed after the potluck on December 31, for our last quarterly Hwy. 95-A Trash Pick Up for 2017! Ten people stayed to help. Wearing our stylish florescent green, reflective vests and blue gloves, we picked up a truck load of trash (17 bags) and recyclables (3 bags). It is wonderful to see the area around our church cleaned up. One of the most rewarding things about starting this ministry is getting to spend time talking and singing with fellow parishioners as we do our part to help the environment. Be sure to keep an eye out for the next clean up announcement. Then you can join in on the fun! See Elizabeth MacWhinnie for more details. For more information on Keeping Pensacola Beautiful, visit their website here or their Facebook page.
Saint Monica’s Messenger
Convention begins February 22 The 47th Annual Convention of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast will be February 22 through 24 at St. Andrew’s By-the-Sea, Destin, FL. Allowing oneself to be elected as a delegate to represent the church is a statement of love, devotion and commitment to the church. As Bishop Russell stated in a letter to the delegates, “Navigating the logistics of travel and time away from home and work is never easy. I am deeply and humbly grateful for the sacrifice required for you to serve as a delegate.” St. Monica’s delegates this year are Bill and Julie Hart and Viv Welch. Delegates will attend one of several pre-Convention meetings at various churches across the diocese. The meeting for Convocation III (Atmore, Brewton, Cantonment, Gulf Breeze, Milton, Pensacola, Poarch) will be held from 6 to 8 pm on Monday, February 5 at St. John’s, Pensacola. This purpose will be to discuss the purpose and procedures of the Convention, share the issues and legislation of this particular Convention, provide an overview of the 2018 Budget and meet delegates and diocesan staff. The theme for this year’s Convention is Being the Church. In that spirit, delegates will suspend the usual legislative discussions of Friday to join together to pack 50,000 meals that will then be distributed to food banks in our area. Please pray for our diocese, churches, priests, delegates and staff. Pray for God to give them courage, creativity and compassion as they seek to further God’s Kingdom. For a Church Convention or Meeting Almighty and everliving God, source of all wisdom and understanding, be present with those who take counsel in The Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast for the renewal and mission of your Church. Teach us in all things to seek first your honor and glory. Guide us to perceive what is right, and grant us both the courage to pursue it and the grace to accomplish it; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCP, pg. 818
Sunday, February 11, from 9:20 to 9:50 It’s time to say goodbye to “alleluias” for Lent. We will be singing old favorite gospel and spiritual songs. Join us as we sing praise to God.
New Daughters of the King On January 28, the St. Monica’s Chapter of the Daughters of the King was instituted. The new chapter was organized by Elizabeth MacWhinnie. Members inducted were Margaree Mills-Fitchett, Danise Beadle and Julie Hart. Membership in the Order of the Daughters of the King is open to women at every stage of life. The diversity of different ages strengthens and enriches adult, or senior, Daughters of the King chapters. Younger women benefit from the discipleship of experienced spiritual mentors, and older women are invigorated by the fresh faith and energy of youth. Many senior chapters help spread the Kingdom to the next generation by sponsoring and supporting a Junior Daughters of the King chapter at their churches A Christian order is a community of men or women living under a religious rule. Because Daughters of the King accept a Rule of Life, they define themselves as an order, not an organization. The community is found primarily in US local chapters, but it extends around the world. The daughters don’t just enroll as members and attend meetings. After a three-month period of study and discernment, each new member takes vows to uphold the two Rules of the Order, the Rule of Prayer and the Rule of Service.
St. Monica’s Food Pantry Our Emergency Food Pantry provides emergency food relief for those in our community who turn to us for assistance. We provide non-perishable food items to sustain their immediate needs. For a complete list of needed items, see Ann Philen.
The Diocesan President of the Daughters of the King, Vicky Patterson, and Elizabeth MacWhinnie presented the DoK candidates for St. Monica's new chapter of DoK.
Episcopal Relief & Development Sunday, February 18
Episcopalians are invited to observe Episcopal Relief & Development Sunday on the first Sunday in Lent, February 18. Episcopal Relief & Development collaborates with local church and ecumenical partners around the world on long-term strategies for Early Childhood Development. “In this time of spiritual renewal, Episcopal Relief & Development Sunday is an opportunity for Episcopalians to pray for and act on behalf of the most vulnerable among us,” said Rob Radtke, President of Episcopal Relief & Development. “We are grateful to our friends and donors for helping us make a positive and tangible impact in our partnerships with families and communities around the world.” This church-wide tradition is marked with special prayers, materials and offerings to support the organization’s worldwide programs. The 2009 General Convention called the Church to “remember and support the life-saving work of Episcopal Relief & Development during Lent through prayer and a special offering,” said The Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, President of the House of Deputies of The Episcopal Church. “I have seen firsthand the ways in which Episcopal Relief & Development helps heal a hurting world, and especially this Lent, I hope Episcopalians will pray for and support this work that strengthens our ties with God’s people around the world.”
Written by a collection of Episcopal Church leaders and published by Forward Movement, Episcopal Relief & Development’s 2018 Lenten Meditations explore how children inform our spirituality and what we can learn from their spiritual lives. It is ERD’s hope that the Lenten meditations will deepen your faith in the risen Christ and strengthen your connection to our neighbors and partners around the world. You can sign up for daily email meditations in English and Spanish here. As we consider Jesus’ life of healing and sacrifice during this Lenten season, Episcopal Relief & Development asks you to reflect on your faith and how you might take action in responding to a hurting world. The traditional Lenten practice of almsgiving provides an opportunity to renew your commitment to people in need by supporting their work. You are invited to bring Episcopal Relief & Development into your prayer life. Please support this work by contributing to a plate offering or by mailing your gift with the response form in your bulletin insert on February 18. Your participation is a simple way to help convey Jesus’ love for our global neighbors. Together, we are making a vital difference for families and communities worldwide.
Free Heart Health Screening Thursday, February 15, 9 - 11:30 am Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. To prevent heart disease and increase awareness of its effects, St. Monica's Episcopal Church is proudly partnering with Sacred Heart Health Systems during American Heart Month to offer this FREE Heart Health Screening. Lots of folks stayed after church on Sunday, January 21to package dried pinto beans and white rice for our Beans & Rice Ministry. Beans and Rice are distributed on the last Saturday of every month. The next packaging will be February 18.
Beth Woods
Lent Jim Morningstar
John Velaski Fred Woods Trey MacWhinnie, Katherine Chaapel Rachael Ludwig & Gabe Hernandez Connie Chamberlin & Chuck Barnett
Bill Ramsey & Jim Warner
Open Valerie Smith
Trey MacWhinnie
Beth Woods
Trey MacWhinnie, Katherine Chaapel Rachael Ludwig & Gabe Hernandez
John Velaski & Carol Farrel
Jim Morningstar & Ron Giles
Beth Woods
Audrey Westbrook & Rowena Chaapel
Oen
Beth Woods
John Velaski
Psalm
Lector Epistle Reading
Acolytes
Altar
Ushers
Nursery
Coffee Hour
Flowers
Arrangers
Eucharistic Visitor
John Velaski
Beth Woods
Lent
* If you are unable to meet your obligation, please call a replacement, or swap with someone.
Ray Farrel
Susan Early & Twyla Hinton
Nancy Argabrite & Rita Nicholls
Carol Farrel
Ann Philen
Carol Farrel
Ann Philen
POTLUCK
Ray Farrel & Jim Warner
John Velaski & Tom Chaapel
Trey MacWhinnie, Katherine Chaapel Rachael Ludwig & Gabe Hernandez
Ray Farrel
Bill Hart
Carol Farrel
Ron Philen
February 25
Jeff Woods & Chuck Barnett
Valarie Smith & Carol Farrel
Trey MacWhinnie, Katherine Chaapel Rachael Ludwig & Gabe Hernandez
John Velaski
Chuck Barnett
Bill Hart
Kathy Vail
John Velaski
Lector 1st Lesson
Connie Chamberlin
February 18
Ray Farrel
February 11
Eucharistic Minister
February 4
Service Schedule for February 2018
Valarie Smith
Lent
Barbara Cross & Julie Hart
Beth Woods
Trey MacWhinnie, Katherine Chaapel Rachael Ludwig & Gabe Hernandez
March 4
February Prayer Requests
Military and First Responders Prayer List
Barbara Anagnostis Ruth Bates Myrna Claywell Chuck Collins Bea Collins Bill Cross Ken Dyson Tammy Edwards Elmer Fitchett Traci Ferguson Michael Hartsfield Helen Johnson Sherry Johnston James Klinginsmith Charlene Lee Daniel Lynch
Adam Blankenship Brian Condon Field Cross Patrick Ferguson Aaron Gaff Adrian Gaff Benjamin Gaff Justin Hanson William Knapp
Diana Lynch Bob Matlock Frank Murphy John Nicholls IV Maggie Rose Rodak Rusty Sellers Texann Stephens
Birthdays in February
6, Kathy Vail;13 Mary Currie; 18 Jenny Zayas
Anniversaries in February
14, Roberto and Jenny Zayas; 16, John and Melanie Velaski
Saint Monica’s Episcopal Church 699 South Highway 95-A Cantonment, Florida 32533 We’re on the web at Www.st-monicas.org
Phone: 850-937-0001 E-mail: Office@st-monicas.org All are welcome!
Andrew Kuntz Cody Melancon Chase Scott
Prison Ministry Cycle of Prayer Please make your prayers for the inmates, staff, victims of crime everywhere, and their families at each of these institutions rather than for the institutions themselves. Feb. 4 - Washington County Jail, Chipley, Florida Feb. 11 - Apalachee Correctional Institution, East Unit & West Unit, Sneads, Florida Feb. 18 - Bay Correctional Facility & Juvenile Facility, Panama City, Florida