January 2010

Dear Friends,
Peace be with you. At ten o'clock yesterday there were thirteen people who came out for worship. The de-greening of the church will be next Sunday when there are more to help out. Your 2010 envelopes are in the narthex. If you are new to the church please know that it is much easier if you are able to pick them up before or after church. The initial offering envelope is designed to cover the cost of the printing of the envelopes which is about $5.00.

The Christmas services were wonderful; each very different from the other. We changed the time of the later service from 11:00 PM to 10:00 PM because so many wanted it earlier. Please let me know if it met your expectations. Should we change the time again? I am interested in your thoughts for next year.

As many of you know Ron Desmarais has been the inspiration behind the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program for almost twelve years without a break. He has taught teachers and served as the treasurer of the Diocesan Guild as well. He will be taking a well-deserved sabbatical at the end of this program year. With that said his part of the program is in need of teachers. If any of you are interested in teaching in the coming year please speak to me or to Ron.

As we make the transition we are going to try something new. Our Deacon, Gay, will be teaching a special art class for all children and youth from Kindergarten to high school. Beginning on January 17th from 9:15 AM to 9:45 AM in Bixby Hall they will explore all the ways to celebrate Epiphany: A season of light, stars, joy; using paint, paper, 'bling', glue, baking and all kinds of materials they will create things to enjoy both in church and at home. Again this special program begins on the 17th at 9:15 AM in Bixby Hall.

This year's Annual Meeting will be on January 24th following the one service at 9:30 AM It will be a brunch. The current vestry will work out the details and contact you after the meeting on the 12th. If you are responsible for a report for the Annual Meeting please submit your typed copy to Pat as soon as possible. Remember that the vestry meetings are open. If you are curious or interested in the work of the vestry please come. We meet in the Nichols Room.

One of the requirements of serving on the vestry is to attend the overnight retreat at the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center in Greenfield, NH. It is a time to pray together and to envision the ministries of St. Anne's. This year the retreat will be February 5-6th.

Over the past weekend the Sutton family (Don, Lisa, Michael and John) moved. DJ has remained here in a dorm at the University of MA at Lowell. Please contact the church for their new address. They would like very much to hear from you.

If you change your email address or get one for the first time or if you think that I don't have your email address please send me an email so I can add your name to the parish list. It is my hope that almost all of our communication can be sent via email. It is so much faster and less expensive. My email address is peggyhowell05@yahoo.com.

As this new year begins I am happy to announce a new ministry. Nancy Ferris will be developing a ministry around the Memorial Altar Flowers. Please watch for details about this.

This comes wishing you and yours the best in 2010- a new decade.

Blessings,

Peggy

Holy Week and Easter, 2010

Dear Friends,

Peace be with you. We have been given an opportunity during Lent to reflect once again on the shortness of life (for dust we are and to dust shall we return). Anyone who enjoys life must come to know death. But not everyone knows death experiences life. That is a faith response. The season of Lent helps us to understand these external truths about life and death.

The truth - that death is not the final word; the final act of creation is Eater 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

Late Summer/Fall 2010

Dear Friends,

Peace to you. As the summer winds down and the warm weather becomes a memory, I am aware of all the new things that are about to begin at St. Anne's. Many of you have volunteered to teach Sunday School this year as we enter into the Anglican Edition of the David C. Cook series. I am told that before I came the original Cook series was used so it should be familiar to some. I am still thinking about where to place the additional classes and will look for some suggestions on Saturday, August 28, when we meet to discuss the program. Brenda Komarinski will continue her Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) - Level 1, in the same room. The high school students will use the former CGS - Level II classroom, which is in the process of being renovated to include 12 guest chars, a new chalkboard and a new bulletin board. That room will also be used by the youth group and any other small group that needs meeting space. It is the grades 2&3, 4-6 and 7&8 that need to work out spacing issues in Bixby Hall - probably using the curtains as dividers. If you would like to help teach, please let me know, as we are looking to fill in some teaching slots that are still open. Otherwise there will be no church school for that grade on that day.

In addition to these classes, there is a new one entitled Rhythms of Grace, an alternative classroom experience focusing on the interaction of telling the stories on felt board and then expressing that story creatively. This program is still very much in the planning phase because there is a lot of detail to it.

All of this is to happen by September 12, which is the start of the program year. It will start in fun with a church picnic complete with face painting. I am asking that we dress casually, bring a picnic lunch to eat after the 10 AM service on the church grounds. The campers will do some of the songs and dances that they learned this summer at the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center. Please bring a blanket or we can use the chairs in the church. I note that September 12 is also Grandparents Day. So we will want to honor all grandparents as well. This day will take the place of the Welcome Back Brunch. As in the past it would be great to hear from all the youth on their summer fun.

The next Sunday, September 19, there will be a lesson from one of the church school classes given in church during the sermon time. It is my goal that all of the children will gather in church the 3rd Sunday of the month for a shared lesson taught during the sermon time. Classes will begin in the classrooms on September 26. A registration form can be requested at church.

There will be a "Blessing of the Animals" service on Saturday, October 2 at 10 AM.

The Adult Bible classes will begin on October 5. They will meet as in the past on Tuesdays. In the mornings at 10 AM the lesson will be "Biblical Wisdom Literature" and in the evening at 7:30 PM we will study "Exploring the Roots of Religion" - a study in the very beginnings of the religious experience. Everyone is welcome to attend either of these classes.

Also new this year is that the Explorer's Preschool is under new management. The new owner is Tina Vanaria. She has completely redone the play area and has many other new touches which you will see when you walk the hall of the administration building. Welcome to Tina and her staff!

It has been 3 years since the last pictorial directory, so Olan Mills has been contracted to come again. They will be here November 11, 12 and 13 - and if needed again on Monday, November 15. You will be hearing from Andrea Haskell who will be scheduling your sitting appointments. As in the past you will be given a free 8x10 photo for participating. If you have extended family and they would like to have a photo taken that is possible as well. Please put these dates on your calendar.

There have been some changes in the Thrift Shop. Two sheds have been installed - one in the front to accept clothing and other housewares, and one in the back to store the plastic bins that have been stacked in the kitchen area of the Thrift Shop. Electrical work has been done to better light the floor space and the street late at night. A new bathroom has been installed upstairs. Many thanks to Mark Komarinski and others who helped to make it happen. Soon major renovations will begin in the kitchen area as well.

A new white picket fence is about to be installed in front of the chain-link fence and behind the dumpster. It will add a nice look to that area. The church's sign has also been graced with lights that go on-and-off by a timer.

As the program year begins I am aware that we are in need of people to help in the various ministries of the church. Acolytes, coffee hour hostesses, leaders for the prayers of the people, and choir members to name a few. You can contact Sandra Giroux if you are interested in becoming an acolyte, Sue Geen for coffee hour hostess, Peter Morelli for choir, and me for prayers of the people.

In conversation with Jose Torres I have learned that he is very excited about youth group this upcoming year. There are now a good number of youth for the program.

All of this describes a parish family moving and changing with the times. We are blessed with new families and a lot of Baptisms. At the same time we are well aware that our Deacon Gay is preparing to leave. Her last day with us will be Sunday October 17. Her next assignment will be in Beverly. She has become endeared to all of us and good-byes are very difficult. The vestry is planning a special potluck brunch in her honor for October 17 following the 10 AM service. Please plan to bring your favorite dish to share.

At around the same time Pete Jeffrey will be moving on to St. Anne's in Lowell as part of his Diaconal training. That our St. Anne's has been blessed with such fine leadership is a credit to the ministry here. May God bless both Deacon Gay and Pete as they answer God's call in other churches.

As always I look forward to your visits either by phone, email or in person as this new and busy year begins. Please don't hesitate to let me know your thoughts and dreams for the church. I am keenly aware on a personal level that I am about to lose two people who have been not only dear friends to me but an incredible help in so many ways. As we go forward I will need your help in whatever way you can give it.

A Prayer from Therese of Lisieux:

My life is an instant,
An hour which passes by;
My life is a moment
Which I have no power to stay.
You know, O my God,
That to love your here on earth -
I have only today.

 

Blessings,

Peggy

October 2010

Dear Friends,

Peace to you. It is Sunday, the 17th of October. We have just celebrated the ministry of our Deacon, Gay, with a reception, art presentation by the children and youth, as well as a generous check for her to use as seed money for the mission in her next church. We have been enriched by her art and all the other gifts she brought into our midst.

Deacons are assigned to parishes by the Bishop. Since there are few deacons and many who want them, the bishops are careful to place them in growing, viable churches. St. Anne's was a gift to her as she was to us.

We are growing and viable because of all of you. Every gift is precious. We are the face of the church in North Billerica, MA. As a parish family we live in Billerica and all the surrounding towns. We are friends bonded by the common Eucharist cup that we share; bonded by the prayers we say, the Word we study and the services we are happy to give. Indeed, St. Anne's is a very special place.

Individually and collectively the economy has impacted our ability to give money easily. Please know, however, that the church needs your support in whatever amount we can give. Our pledges keep the programs, building and administration running smoothly. When you site in church some Sunday, try to imagine what it takes to put a Sunday service together. It looks easy because there are so many people who work very hard to make it happen.

St. Anne's is self-sustaining - receiving no money from the Diocese. In fact, we are assessed each year by the Diocese - next year around $22,000 - to support the Diocesan work of the church.

This letter comes asking you to pray and think about how you can support the work of St. Anne's Church. Our budget is formulated on the amount filled in on the stewardship cards. St. Anne's needs all of us - our time, talent and treasure in 2011.

Blessings,

Peggy

December 2010

Dear Friends,

Peace be with you as we approach His coming among us once again. In Jesus God has spoken loud and clear. He has said that God chooses to be in relationship with us - in and among us in our joys and in our sorrows; He has said that no matter what God will be with us - no matter whether we think we are worthy of so loving a covenant or not; He has said that the love of God is stronger than anything and it is His gift to us now and always.

Please come and celebrate this Good News.

Christmas Services

Friday, Christmas Eve
At 1 PM - A Festival Service of the Holy Eucharist followed by Silver Tea
At 9 PM - A Carol Sing
At 9:30 PM - A Candlelight Festival Service of the Holy Eucharist

Saturday, Christmas Day - NO SERVICES

Sunday, 1 Christmas - Rite I Service of the Holy Eucharist

This comes wishing you and yours all the blessing of the Holy birth.

Peggy