January 2002

Dear Friends,

Peace be with you. May this year bring you a sense of security, a sense of good health and a sense of "God with us" in all things. We could not begin, however, without a note of thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make the Christmas celebration so meaningful. The Silver Tea was beautiful and the Swedish meatball dinners always are welcome; to all who worked on and in the Pageant - especially Lisa Kinser; to all who brought gifts for the Angel Tree and to Heidi Lynch and her daughters for organizing it; to Marion Clark, who seemed to play and play and play the organ; to the Altar Guild for hours of work making the church so lovely and for those who stayed to do the greening and then the de-greening of the church. Thank you to the acolytes and to Matt Penny, and thanks to Al Westerlund for keeping the entire church so clean no matter what the weather outside. These were fine ways to honor the birth of our Lord and Savior.

Our year begins with the Annual Parish Meeting, which will be held on January 20 at 10:30 AM. There will be one service on this day and it will be at 9:00 AM. A brunch will be served during the meeting and we will include some entertainment this year to liven it up and include our youth. It will not be potluck this year to give you a break. So please come and join in the fellowship and see how the business of the church is done. By the way all the church school classes will begin at 9:00 a.m. on this day instead of 10:00 a.m.

As we welcome in the new year, there are some who leave the vestry and other positions. Outgoing vestry members include Bob Price Sr., Jeff Dirk, and Amy Desmarais, who fulfilled a vacancy. Kathy Brewster retires as clerk. Andy Roberts retires as M&M treasurer. They have worked very hard to maintain all kinds of records for the church, and Andy has also helped us invest our money wisely. When you see them please thank them on behalf our the church.

As always, I look forward to your calls and visits.

Faithfully,

Peggy

March 2002

Dear Friends,

Forty days, forty nights of prayer, self-examination, fasting - always mindful that our Lord and Savior is as near to us as any movement we make. That is the gift of the season. Let us continue to stay focused on the journeys that we have keeping Jesus close to our hearts.

Be present,
be present dear Lord
in the everyday tasks
and in the evening calm.
Be present,
be present
our comforting one.
As we move with you
on the way 
to Calvary. 

Faithfully,

Peggy

Easter 2002

Dear Friends,

Peace be with you. The season of Lent brings us face to face with our won mortality and the choices we make along the way. As we move closer toward Easter Day we realize that there is earthly "life" and divine "life". One ends, the other never does. The Holy Week drama relives this eternal truth. Please join in the retelling of this story during the services of this Holy Week.

New this year is the Children's Service of Light, modeled after the style of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program. This will be a short service and will end with an Easter egg hunt of the grounds of the church. Please encourage your children to bring a friend.

This comes with every warm wish to you and yours for a Blessed Eastertide.

Faithfully,

Peggy

September 2002

Dear Friends,

Peace be with you. Yes, summer is fast coming to a close- though I wonder how that can be. A lot of time has been invested in readying our space for the Explorer's Preschool, which will open on September 9. (More information in another part of this letter). Thank you to Al Westerlund, Kathy Brewster and Harvey Hopkins for constant giving of their time and talent. Thank you to Bob Paschal for mowing the fenced in area as well as around the parking lot. Thank you to the Gardening Angels for the care of the flower gardens. Thank you to the Liturgical Space Committee for meeting with G. Paul Music and the Vestry to discuss our sound/space needs. Thank you to Tom Blesso for coordinating all of that work. And thank you to Ron Desmarais who continues to do the newsletter and the web site until Lisa Murray and Bill Cherin take the reigns after their wedding in October. This list could go on and on. Please know that all of the wonderful things you do in and around St. Anne's do not go unnoticed.

The Fall program year begins September 8 with the Welcome Back Brunch and Church School registration at 8:45 in between the services. This is a great way to catch up and meet new folks. There are quite a few people who want to know more about the Episcopal Church - the tradition and how we are alike and not alike other denominations. To meet this need I will be teaching a course on Saturday mornings at 10:00am beginning September 21. It is entitled "Welcome to the Episcopal Church." Anyone is welcome to attend. I am also excited about the newly formed Young Adult group. If you are in your twenties and want to be part of a dynamic social group give Lisa Kinser a call.

Another very exciting upcoming event is the Yankee Doodle weekend. St. Anne's will host twenty-seven people from our sister town of Billericay, England for worship at 10:00am. Following the service, the St. Elizabeth Guild will host a combination brunch/tea. All this is on September 15.

Behind the scenes planning for the Holiday Fair (November 23) has begun. This year an ambitious project is underway to publish our own cookbook. You will receive separate mailing about this. You can now look forward to seeing in print the best recipes of St. Anne's cooks.
It is with a thankful heart that I am able to tell you that Mary Ellen Markey has completed a very intense course at Boston College on Parish Nursing. She has been a nurse for thirty-one years and now wishes to share some of her gifts. Her role will be to help folks understand insurance forms if they are confusing; to be a resource for programs and services we might not know about; and to provide educational courses such as CPR. Thank you Mary Ellen.
One of the most consistent ministries at St. Anne's over the years has been the Thrift Shop. A solid core of very dedicated women have kept it going through thick and thin. Now, however, they need your help. Especially needed are workers for Saturdays. If you could commit to two hours (10-12 or 12-2), it would be a great help. Please contact Margaret Westerlund.

The first acolyte meeting of the season will be on September 1 following the 10:00 service. It's not too late to join the acolyte corp. You only need to be six years old and a regular attender of worship services. If you would like to join, please speak to Rev. Peggy or Shawn Regis.

It is also true that the choir would very much like additional voices. They practice before and after the 10:00 service and not at all during the week. If you are interested, please speak to Marion clark.

As always, I look forward to hearing from you. May you be renewed in body, mind and spirit as you think about the fall and all the ministry opportunities.

Faithfully,

Peggy