Easter 2007

Dear Friends,

Peace be with you. If we are not careful, this greeting might distance us from entering into the highly emotional drama of the Easter experience - might foster complacency because we already know the ending. Consider that the empty tomb is a life-transforming event provoking terror and amazement once again as we try to come to terms with the eternal truth of it all.

The truth - that death is not the final word; the final act of creation is Easter, and like the first, it is all about life. Beyond the darkest hour in all our lives there is light and the hope of new life, a new beginning.

The truth - that when we do some act - any act of evil - God responds with forgiveness and challenges us to do likewise in our relationships with others - even when we are right!

The truth - that until we enter the Holy Week drama and try to come to terms with the forces that can destroy us, we are not going to be able to live that way of life we call peace. We turn once again to Holy Week as we struggle to allow our deepest fears to be transformed. We enter once again into the pain and we follow where God in Christ has led through the realities of loss and descent to the light and life which can be found no other way. This is the rhythm of Holy Week and Easter. Each of us has a unique part in the drama. Please come and share yours.

This comes wishing you and yours...

A most Blessed Easter,

Peggy

Spring 2007 - Finally

Dear Friends,

Peace be with you. It has just occurred to me that many of you may not be aware that the Special Ladies Luncheon, hosted by the Men's Group, will be this Sunday, April 29 at 11:30 AM. Last year it was a time of good fellowship and celebration of the amazing women at St. Anne's. Please plan to come.

This year has gone by very fast. As we come to a close of the program year, there are some dates you should know. Recognition Sunday will be June 5 and will include making your own ice cream sundaes. The annual Flea Market and Strawberry Festival will be on June 16. Also, there will be a St. Anne's Golf Tournament at Swanson Meadows, N. Billerica on June 23. If you are not a golfer, you can still come to support it by joining in for a luncheon BBQ.

The Thrift Shop continues to thrive but is in need of an inside drainage system to help with Spring Flooding. If you are able to help out in any way in July, please let Rev. Peggy or Al Westerlund know.

Thank you everyone for your support, leadership and care of St. Anne;s and all the various ministries.

Blessings,

Peggy

Summer 2007

Dear Friends,

Peace be with you. I hope that this summer finds you a little more rested and enjoying the good weather. The Strawberry Festival and the Golf Tournament were both very successful and a lot of fun. We will make these annual events. There will be some changes made to the interior of the sanctuary soon. We are hoping to install a new hardwood floor and carpeting. Pew cushions have been ordered as well. It has also come to the vestry's attention that the roof on the Thrift Shop needs replacing and the tree near it should be removed. Richard Hyatt has addressed these issues in a letter that will be sent out to the parish for your consideration.

The church has new computers and we are trying to send most of the correspondences out via email. Ron Desmarais has included a letter about that as well as your input about why St. Anne's is important to you.

As the summer moves along I am aware that there are many who will want to be more involved in one way of another this fall. If you are interested in teaching or serving as an acolyte or in the choir or as a coffee-hour hostess or in the Thrift Shop, please let someone know. St. Anne's is only as strong as the faith and commitment of its members.

Wherever this summer takes you may you feel God's presence with you on the journey.

Blessings,

Peggy

September 2007

Dear Friends,

Peace be with you. Here we all are, not quite sure that we are ready to begin again after such a good summer. It went by quickly. If you have been away, you will be pleasantly surprised by the changes to the sanctuary. The pews were taken out and a new hardwood floor installed. And last week the new carpeting was installed. Pew cushions will be delivered next week. The look is sheer elegance and many thanks to Janet Blesso for picking the color of the carpet, to Kathy Brewster and Al Westerlund for coordinating everything, to Jeff Dirk for staining the new bureau in the narthex, and to Jean Mansfield for making it all possible. We are truly blessed at St. Anne's with so many people who extend themselves in so many ways.

The Welcome Back Brunch will be on September 9 at 8:45 AM in between the services as usual. If you are new to the church, please plan to come. It is a time for all members to gather informally over brunch (which is hosted by the vestry) and to visit, catch up and (if you have not already done) to register children for church school, which will begin on Sept. 16. In addition there will be picture board of the camping experiences of three of our campers who went off to the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center this summer. If you would like to bring photos of your vacation, please do that as well. Mostly this time signals a return to the fall schedule and a more structured rhythm of church life.

Many of the newcomers have received an invitation to take the 'Welcome to the Episcopal Church' course. If you have not received an invitation and would like to be included, please let us know. The first meeting will be on Sept. 15 at 10:30 AM. In addition a yearlong course will be offered on the Book of Genesis, which begins on Sept. 25 at 10:00 AM and again at 7:30 PM.

There will be a Youth Group orientation for youth and their parents on Sunday, Sept. 16 following the 10:00 AM service. If you have any questions about the Youth Group, you can contact Carol Batten or Jose Torres.

Plans are beginning for the Holiday Fair, which will be held on Dec. 8 and will be coordinated by Brenda and Mark Komarinski this year. If you have any ideas or would like to help in any way, please contact them. Edna Rideout will be coordinating the Gift Party Books once again.

There will be a Pet Blessing and a special service in honor of St. Francis once again on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 1:00 PM.

As always, we need as many people as are called to serve in the various ministries of the church. We are in need of lay Eucharistic ministers and lectors at the 8:00 AM service. Perhaps you are a ten-o'clocker who would not mind serving at this service every once in a while? And as always, there is a need for more people to help host coffee hour, sing in the choir, teach Sunday School, be an usher, acolyte - you name it and we need you. Please let me know if any of these ministries are right for you and I will connect you to the directors.

The Thrift Shop is open again with wonderful donations being received daily. Thank you for supporting this vital ministry of the church.

I look forward to seeing you all back in church and all the wonderful activity that goes with it.

Blessings,

Peggy

All Saints' Day 2007

Dear Friends,

Peace be with you. Yesterday someone I hardly know wished me a "Happy Halloween" at the end of a short telephone conversations. I wondered when people started doing that; - since it foretells this day I say to you, Happy All Saints' Day. By that I hope you are happy knowing God's eternal love for you and those around you - past and present together.

This day I pause to reflect and remember. Tonight as this is written there are a few people headed to Framingham to the Marist House for a coed Cursillo weekend. Our own candidates are Cathy Stella and Darin Leedberg. Their sponsors are Marie Figenbaum and Cathy Zechner; and Pete Jeffrey and John Geen respectively. At the same time another group of St. Anne's folks are meeting at the church to take part in a Wellness Workshop.

At the beginning of the week the sale of Helen Wolfe's mobile home became final. a young couple now lives where she had lived for over thirty years. They are happy to be in a place that was so loved over the years. Little signs - the trees, hedges, fence in the yard with a bird feeder, and inside the ceramic outlet plates and reminders of Nova Scotia. Helen lived and died with grace and faith and courage. I also remember her smile.

Olan Mills photographed over one hundred people for the pictorial directory. One of those was the Rev'd D. Gay Cox, who will begin at St. Anne's on 1 Advent as deacon. She will be with us for three years. It is a gift to our parish to experience the work and ministry of a deacon. She will be at St. Anne's 8-10 hours a week and will serve at both Sunday services. Her ministry incurs no cost to St. Anne's excepting mileage.

This week the stump near the back driveway was ground up and looks as if there never was a giant tree on that corner. We are hoping to tackle the Thrift Shop roof next year.

Speaking of the Thrift Shop - many hands helped to remove the old washer and dryer this week. The vestry would like them to have new ones of their choosing. It is not possible to thank the many workers enough for tireless dedication to keeping that Thrift Shop stacked and running smoothly. If you haven't been there lately, you will be pleasantly surprised.

This is the first year in almost eleven that I have been here that we are too busy to schedule an All Parish Event separate from other events. So without a lot of fanfare your commitment card is being mailed to you. We have had a good year financially in the sense that pledge payments did not drop off during the summer months. You may remember that we adopted a "good faith" deficit budget to meet the many demands on the funds. Now as we look toward the end of the year and paying the Diocesan assessment we will be short by at least $4,000, assuming that the proceeds from the fair are $8,000 (this is very optimistic). If for some reason you haven't been able to keep up your pledge or if you are able to contribute toward the assessment it would be greatly appreciated. The amount we are assessed annually by the Diocese is very roughly ten percent of the operating budget.

Of course a lot will happen in the life of the church between now and then. There will be a service of Holy Eucharist on Thanksgiving Eve at 7:30 PM. And then the Holiday Fair will be Dec. 8 from 9 AM - 2 PM, with the Ham and Bean Supper with the Gift Party Book drawings at 5 PM. I am certain there will be fliers around town and wonderful write-ups everywhere to promote it.

This year the Christmas Pageant will be on 4 Advent on December 23 at 10 AM. It will be followed on Christmas Eve by the Festival Eucharist and Silver Tea at 1 PM and the Carol Sing and Midnight Service beginning at 10:30 PM.

As always, I look forward to hearing about your thoughts and dreams for St. Anne's.

Faithfully,

Peggy

Advent-Christmas 2007

Dear Friends,

Peace be with you this Season of Advent. For many this is the busiest time of year as days and weeks move quickly toward Christmas. There is the energetic bustle of the Holiday Fair and all those who contribute in untold ways to its success; the gift party book drawing at the ham and bean supper; the pageant rehearsals and all the planning that goes into that. On the home front there just might be boxes of decorations to be unpacked and put in their rightful holy day places; then there are the cards to be sent, gifts to be purchased and parties to attend. Have you every stopped in your tracks to wonder why you put yourself through this exercise year after year? We get so caught up in the rhythm because it's what everyone else does - it's the thing to do.

The lessons of Advent, however, help us to pause and reflect on the promise of the one who is to come again - ending whiff the beginning of the greatest story ever told. God gave you and me - and everyone throughout history - His only begotten Son to live and move and be among us. One of us. We are His and He is ours. This ancient of stories is what we try each year to bring into our homes and lives. "I am bringing you good news of great joy for ALL the people: to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord."

No matter how we might try to bring all of this home, we really can't do it justice. We need the community of faith at prayer, worship, and song to enrich the glorious power of the story. Please come and help reenact the story of the Holy Birth once again.

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

Peggy