January/February 2006

Dear Friends,

Peace be with you. The last of the Christmas decorations have been put away and the services, pageant and Silver tea remain as a beautiful memory. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard and long during a busy season.

There is a nice rhythm at St. Anne 's -with more people -wanting to participate in different ways. New was Wendy Kessler 's Prayer bead workshop. By popular demand she plans to have another workshop on Thursday, Feb. 9 at 11:00 AM in the toddler room. There will be a sign-up sheet on one of the bulletin boards. It would be helpful if you have beads to bring them. For more information call Wendy at 978-362-3655.

The annual meeting will be on Sunday, January 29 following one service at 9:30am and a potluck brunch. There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board for your convenience.

We look forward to the annual ecumenical Lenten Lunches. Once again the St. Elizabeth Guild will prepare the Ash Wednesday lunch. Sr. Mary Coffey has retired from the Life Care Center recently so she will not be joining the liturgy. We will miss her participation.

There is a bill before the House of Representatives that, if passed, would hurt all churches in the state. It is known as the Church Finance Disclosure Bill S-2267 and the amended version # 1074. It "would mandate all religious congregations to file annual financial reports signed off by a CPA to the Massachusetts Attorney General ' s office. Our Diocese and the Massachusetts Council of Churches estimate that this mil cost about $5,000 to $10,000 a year for most churches.

The impetus for this bill came from dissatisfaction with the lack of transparency by the Roman Catholic Church. The proposed remedy would severely punish congregations like St. Anne's who do practice complete financial transparency. We publish all financial reports at the annual meeting. This is true of most religious congregations in the state except for the Roman Catholic Church. This bill is NOT the way to force a change on them.

Unless the State Representatives hear from the people in the pews, they will assume that this bill is justified. Please call them and affirm that your church already makes public all financial information and that this bill would severely impact adversely our already tight budget. Other effects would include having to disclose publicly anyone the church helps financially or otherwise. This violates the sacred confidences we have and would discourage people from wanting to provide help.

You can call
Rep. TomGolden -- 617-722-2410 or
Rep. Bill Greene-617-722-2210

This bill may appear on the floor as early as January 26. If you have any questions about this legislation, please call me for clarification.

A couple of weeks ago, I asked the congregation to share on paper what they thought the criteria for Baptism should be. I have read each one with interest. Thank you very much. Most people thought that there should be some instruction and several weeks of attendance at worship prior to Baptism and then support and commitment on some level to St. Anne's.

As the year gets under way, you might be thinking of ways to get involved. Here is a brief list of ministry opportunities:
1. Newsletter editor
2. Parish historian
3. Finance or Stewardship committee
4. Choir/musician
5. Coffee hour host/hostess
6. Parish visitor bring Holy Communion to shut-ins

If you are interested in any of these, please let me know and I will put you in contact with the coordinators.

Last but not least, there will be an important 8-week course beginning on Tuesday, February 21 at 7:30 PM. The first four weeks will compare Islam and Christianity and the second half will be a discussion of "Fundamentalism and Violence", with particular emphasis on the attacks of 9/11. There is also a sign-up sheet for this on the bulletin board. This is a timely study and very well done by the staff of Trinity Church, Wall St.

Faithfully,

Peggy

Lent 2006

Dear Friends,

Peace be with you. As we move through the days and weeks of Lent, it is clear that our God has great love for all people - saint and sinner alike. We are reminded over and over again of the covenant relationship which comes to us in new ways each time we let God down. This latest new covenant is the epitome of love as God's only begotten Son take on our nature and comes among us to reconcile us to God in His living and in His dying. Followers of Jesus in all ages and times are invited to walk with Him toward the cross relinquishing control of any power or ambition or even life itself, if it attempts to get in between them and God.

As we approach Holy Week - the most sacred of weeks - please come and affirm your place in the drama. Take up your cross and follow Jesus to Calvary and beyond.

Faithfully,

Peggy

May/June 2006

Dear Friends,

Peace be with you. The ladies of all ages at St. Anne's are still basking in the warm memory of Sunday's luncheon hosted by the Men's group. Thank you! Thank you! on behalf of all of us. It truly was very special.

We are also looking forward to a visit by our diocesan Bishop, Rt. Reverend M. Thomas Shaw SSJE on Mother's Day, May 14. Please note that there are NO confirmations this year. Aware that many people have other plans for that day, there will be a brunch instead of a lunch following the ONE service at 10:00 AM. Bishop Shaw would like to visit with as many people as possible during brunch. So please plan to come to the service and stay for a little while.

10:00 AM - Service

11:30 AM - Brunch with Bishop Shaw, May 14

The Bishop's visit will be a hard act to follow, but the Youth Group will step up to the plate on May 21 and lead the worship service at 10:00 AM for a Youth Sunday.

We add to the calendar a new event for this year - the Crafter's Fair on June 3. More information is found in the 'Upcoming Events' link on the left navigation bar.

Recognition Sunday falls on Pentecost this year, which is June 4. There is much to celebrate that is the spirit of St. Anne's. Please plan to come. An explanation of the Feast of Pentecost is found in the 'Do you know?' link on the left navigation bar.

As the program year winds down, the Gardening Angels will once again host the Strawberry Festival on June 17 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. They look forward to seeing a lot of St. Anne's friends at this social gathering.

In midsummer the ladies will host an old-fashion picnic on the lawn to honor the men of the parish. The date will be July 30, the Sunday after the Feast Day of St. Anne. Please bring a blanket, a picnic basket of salads, fried chicken, lemonade, pies and other favorite foods to share.

Graduation time is here. Please let me know if you have someone graduating from high school or college, and what their plans are so that we can acknowledge the milestone.

Finally on a business note, since all play and no business is not productive, we are hoping to raise the balance of money asked for last year for the furnace/floor fund. Your generosity supplied the much needed new furnace, but fell short of the total cost of the floor. We are hoping to raise the remaining amount needed. More information will follow.

Faithfully,

Peggy

September/October 2006

Dear Friends,

Peace be with you. Just back from a restful vacation, I am ready to start the new program year. I hope that you have had a good change of pace and are ready to return to church. One of the unsettling parts of summer form a clergy point of view is the low attendance week to week. "Where have all the people gone?", we wonder.

The rhythm of this coming year will be a little different. There will be more focus on mission and education; more explanation about the traditions and customs of our rich heritage; more opportunities for community building.

The year will really begin on September 3. Our young people will be returning to school and we will honor that with a blessing for their year. I am asking that they bring photos from special vacations to share at coffee hour on September 10.

The third Sunday of the month will be brown bag Sunday. For years we have supported the Alternative House at Christmas time. It is my hope that we will consider their needs year round. A wish list of items they need all the time is enclosed further on. We can add to that list seasonal things such as school supplies, mittens, rain hats. We will never know where these houses of shelter are - only that they provide a safe haven for women and children with needs and scars we probably can't even imagine. If we all bring a couple of items each month in a brown bag, we will be reaching out in a profound way.

Many ministries will resume soon. The prayer bead workshops and the embroidery guild to name a couple.

Tanya Lavine will teach another "Music Together" program for preschoolers. There will be a Pampered Chef Book party (Sept. 24), a Fall Harvest Fair (Oct. 14) as well as the annual Golf Tournament (Sept. 23). Choir practice is moving to Thursday nights.

Life-line screening will be using our space from 8 AM - 5:30 PM on September 23. They provide a wonderful community service of testing for strokes, aneurysms and arterial diseases - all noninvasive testing. You can sign-up for one or all of these tests by calling 1-800-324-1851.

There will be several adult course offerings this fall, which are also described further on. All classes will be in the newly carpeted Nichols Room.

In case you haven't heard, the work in the sacristy is now complete and is lovely. The new hall floor s also in and looks great. We are blessed to have so many generous, caring people at St. Anne's.

As the new program year begins, I am hopeful that you will submit some for your thoughts in this newsletter.

Blessings,

Peggy

December 2006

Dear Friends,

Peace and Advent Blessings to you. This has been a most unusual week at St. Anne's. On Wednesday night (Dec. 6) a pipe burst in the wall of the men's bathroom. It was discovered in good time because our treasurer, Ed Giroux, decided late at night to get some paperwork for the 2007 budget he was working on. Even so, there was water almost everywhere in the administration building. We vacuumed 15 gallons of water out of one of the Atrium (Catchesis classroom) rugs alone (not counting the pad). Since Thursday, there have been several pieces of noisy equipment placed strategically by Service Master to dry the floors, walls, rugs, etc.

This wrinkle is a reminder that life isn't always easy or predictable. Now we wait and hope for a quick return to normalcy so life can go on peacefully at St. Anne's.

We all wait and hope for something. God is in the waiting, the hoping and the becoming. The God who was and is and ever shall be - born anew each year dramatically in the birth of Jesus and in our hearts and minds if they are spiritually ready for a new creation, an new beginning - hallowed in God's time.

Please come and share this Holy time with your brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

Merry Christmas to you and yours,

Peggy