Fr. Harrison's Letter for September 11, 2016

Dear Hearts,

Before getting into the events of Welcome Back Sunday, there is a bit of Saturday prep-work that would enhance our Sunday experience:  Please consider stopping by Saturday morning, 9 a.m.- Noon, September 10, to help tidy up the parish grounds. A little weeding, raking or trimming in a spot of your choice, would help polish our grounds for Sunday's welcoming activities.  Remember your gloves and tools; the parish's own will be available.

This Sunday marks the return of our school-year Sunday Schedule:  Sunday School and Middle School classes will meet, the Choir returns to the loft, and we will share our now-traditional Welcome Back Sunday BBQ and Potluck Picnic:

• The Town of Guilford will mark the 15th Anniversary of the tragedies and heroism of September 11, 2001, with an event on the Green at 9 a.m.  Therefore, the first fall meetings of the Rectory Forum and the HIgh Schoolers' Young Adult Program will be postponed to September 18.  And yes, I will make every effort to see that our 8 a.m. service concludes in a timely fashion; so interested folks may participate in the observance on the Green. 
• Our new Sunday School Director Laurie Varley will lead a new children's "Chapel Time" in the Parish Hall beginning at 9:30 a.m.  In addition to get-to-know-you games, a devotion and introduction to teachers and classrooms, the big draw of Chapel Time may be the doughnuts and juice Miss Laurie plans to share!  Chapel Time will lead directly into Sunday School classes at 10 a.m.  The Middle School class also begins at 10 a.m.
• Another new feature of Sunday School, hatched by Miss Laurie and Music Director Mark Sullivan, will be a "Music Time" in the Parish Hall just before the children join the congregation at the Peace.  This builds on our "Music with Children & Youth" conversation last Spring.
• The Choir has been back, reviewing and rehearsing now for two weeks and will return to the balcony this Sunday.  We will again benefit from the Choir's leadership in singing hymns and service music, and our worship will be enhanced by the Choir's Offertory Anthem.     
• Our Welcome Back Picnic will follow the 10a.m. service, rain or shine.  Featuring the Marketplace's BBQ Pulled-Pork sandwich-makings, and the side dishes and desserts you bring to share, the picnic will also provide a chance to catch-up with parishioners you may not have seen since our last picnic in June!  Feel free to drop-off your side-dish or dessert in the Parish Hall Kitchen on your way into the 10 a.m. service.  Help with setting-up, serving and clean-up would also be a great way to help.

If you know someone entering 4th grade (or higher) who would like to serve as an Acolyte, the picnic would be a good opportunity to speak to Acolyte Director Sue Shackford.  Acolytes play a very important role for us, they lead us into and through our worship Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. and on other special occasions.  Sue offers thorough training and ongoing support (sometimes involving chocolate!) after Sunday worship and by special arrangement.

Last Sunday began the internship of seminarian Andrew Dosswith us.  If you didn't meet Andrew last week, be sure and say hello to him this Sunday.  Andrew, a friend of last year's seminary-intern Stephen Douglas', comes to us with an amazing array of gifts and experiences from the Diocese of Louisiana.  Jane Ferrall has posted an introduction to Andrew on our parish web site; scroll down the page for Andrew's intro.

Andrew will lead the opening fall sessions of the Sunday Rectory Forum and the Tuesday Supper Conversations.  Among his many talents and experiences is that he is a published and produced playwright!  And he will lead us in reading and talking about his play Song of a Man Coming Through, which he wrote with his father, and which was presented in New Orleans in 2015 -- winning an award for Best Original Work.  The play explores baptismal identity in a time of crisis for a man on death row.  Please join the conversation on Sunday mornings beginning September 18th at 9 a.m., or the parallel conversation on Tuesday evenings beginning September 20th at 6 p.m.  Both meetings are in the Rectory.

The first Homegatherings in the second phase of our "God's Call to Us -- Now & Into the Future" Parish Planning Process are this Friday and Saturday evenings at 6 p.m.  In the homes of fellow parishioners, these gatherings will address our service to one another within the life of the Parish (Friday, at the Leonards'), and sustaining the financial well-being of the parish (Saturday, at the Cuddys').  Yet to come, outreach-service by the parish in the larger community (Sunday, September 18, at noon), and support for families with children and youth (Sunday, September 25, at 4:30 p.m.)  Details are on the parish web-site and in Senior Warden Pat Daunic's letter mailed to parish households on August 29th. 

I look forward to beginning a terrific fall season with you!

In faith and hope,
Harrison+
YFNR