the word: Justice & Mercy
by Cass Cole
Happy Wednesday! Cass here, writing to you as the Vestry Liaison to the Justice & Mercy Team at Saint David's. As you’ve read in previous eNotes, one current focus of our Vestry is reviving (resurrecting?) the work of the Ministry Teams. Our beloved congregant, Kari Stanley, will continue to lead the reborn Justice & Mercy Team going forward.
The Team will be focused on coordinating the various social justice projects that the wider congregation is already involved in, communicating that work to the congregation, and supporting that work through the Social Justice Fund.
The first meeting of that team is scheduled for April 24th.
Interested? Please email Kari at karistan51@gmail.com or me at cassandracole90@gmail.com.
Cass, I’m new. Or I’m not new, but I can’t keep track of all the great stuff the church is doing AND complete the daily Wordle, Quordle, Nerdle, and Queerdle. So what social justice projects are we already involved in?
So many!
- Partnering with All Saints Episcopal to provide a hot meal to our neighbors every month
- Taking food, clothing, and other requested supplies to our neighbors on the street with our cheerful Red Wagon
- Saying the Names of our Black and brown siblings killed by racist violence every Friday at noon
- Reading books together like Baptized in Tear Gas and My Grandmother’s Hands
- Providing shelter through Family Promise Metro East
- Supplying Hygiene4All’s clothing exchange with laundry facilities
- Assembling food packages with the folks at Saints Peter and Paul on Tuesday nights
- Communing with our neighbors who do sex work at Rahab’s Sisters
This is all great, but I’m so overwhelmed with the world that I feel like I can’t make a difference. Can you provide some inspirational words?
“I have friends, and I am seeing people I love get brittle and cracked around the edges. They are burning fuel that is not being replenished. I think if we ask how we supply the justice that this broken and beautiful world needs, the breach will become too wide, and we will burn out. Justice is God's. The hunger and the thirst that we feel is God's hungering through us. We get to participate in the care and the feeding, the tending and the repairing. We participate in justice and mercy, but we do it fueled by love.”
- From a Sermon by the Rev. Kerlin Richter at Saint David of Wales Episcopal, February 5th, 2017
This is great! How about a Bible verse, though? Maybe the one quoted on the rainbow flag out front?
God has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
- Micah 6:8
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Easter Egg Hunt Goodies Needed
We are having an Easter Egg hunt this year after the Easter service!
We have plenty of plastic eggs for the hunt, we just need goodies to fill them with. There will be a donation basket placed in the Narthex the next 3 Sundays (March 27, April 2, and April 10.) We will be filling the eggs after the Palm Sunday service.
Questions? Contact Cleo at kids@saintdavidpdx.org
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Garden Plants for Chapel
After two years on Zoom we will be creating a garden in the chapel at Saint David’s for the overnight watch from the end of the Maundy Thursday service until Good Friday. Please look around your house and garden for potted plants big and small, flowering or greenery, that you can bring to the chapel to create a space for prayer and contemplation. Bring plants to the chapel on Wednesday, April 13th between 4:30 and 6:30 pm. Plan to pick up your plants on Friday morning. Watching with Christ--in remembering that he went with his disciples to the garden to pray after the Last Supper, we watch with him through the night.
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Overnight Vigil in the Garden
Keep vigil in the Chapel garden from
8pm Maundy Thursday, April 14th
to
8am Good Friday, April 15th
Please sign up for one hour or more so we can have at least two people per hour. Please feel free to come without signing up. The Chapel will be open all night.
Online sign up available at tinyurl.com/2p8fs5pr. Physical sign up available on the cork board outside the office.
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Choir!
When: Wednesdays at 6:30pm
Where: Saint David’s Parish Hall
Who: Everybody!
Yes, everybody.
You just need to come, willing to make some joyful noise with us!
Please bring your proof of vaccination to the first choir night you attend, and of course, remain masked while you are in the building.
Questions?
Br. Finn can be reached by email at music@saintdavidpdx.org
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Have an announcement for the eNotes or the bulletin?
Submit your announcement here!
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Notes from the Building Improvement Implementation Team
Work continues mostly behind the scenes on several areas of building improvement. We're happy to let you know two items in particular.
#1 The city is actively reviewing the additional documentation and plans it requested for our kitchen support beam permit application.
#2 Our contractor has installed the new kitchen window (another long supply-chain wait), which replaces our old poorly functioning, energy inefficient, dilapidated window.
If you would like more details about the Building Improvement Implementation Team’s work, please contact team leader, Margaret McCue at margaretpdx8@gmail.com.
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Say Their Names
Friday from 12noon to 12:08.46
Weather Permitting
We will gather as a community committed to racial justice and hear their names and ring the bell to honor each beloved person who was killed.
Please gather near the church steps by 11:55am.
We continue to practice compassionate distancing so please be prepared to wear a mask and stay at least 6ft from your neighbor.
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June 5th is Pentecost!
And there will be baptisms!
AJ and Dennis will be holding some sort of baptism preparation leading up to Pentecost, still to be determined by those who are interested.
If you are interested or just have questions please email AJ at aj@saintdavidpdx.org
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Our Red Wagon Ministry Needs You!
If your heart is moved and you would like to help us serve our unhoused neighbors in ways that they find loving and support, please email office@saintdavidpdx.org . Please also consider an item donation through Amazon or a monetary donation through the church. (Please remember to include a note indicating the reason for your donation.)
Email Cass at cassandracole90@gmail.com to arrange drop off.
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In-Person Godly Play
Days: Every Sunday
Time: During 10:00 am service
Where: Godly Play Classroom
Kids ages 5-11 years old are invited to gather for a Godly Play lesson every Sunday at the church during the 10:00 am service.
Masks must be worn by all in attendance.
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St. David's mask mandate to remain in place
Though the Oregon mask mandate was officially lifted on Friday, March 11, Saint David of Wales will keep our building mask mandate in place. Vestry and staff will revisit the mandate during our vestry meeting in April and will provide an update at that time.
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Holy Week Church Clean Up Party
Sunday, April 10th at 11:15
Since folks will be back in the building for Holy Week and Easter(!) it's time to bring back our traditional Church Cleanup Party on Palm Sunday after the service. Please email juniorwarden@saintdavidpdx.org if you want to join in. By serving together, we'll get to connect with each other and celebrate the fact that many of us can worship together in person again.
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Social Justice Actions at Saint David’s
The Saint David’s Justice and Mercy Team is dedicated to planning and implementing Saint David’s social justice actions. Programs are presently in place, and there is opportunity to plan for the future.
Please join the Team for its first meeting rescheduled to Sunday, April 24 at 11:10 am. Everyone interested in becoming involved in Saint. David’s social justice actions is invited to attend. Contact Kari Stanley at karistan51@gmail.com or just come!
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Help Needed for
Easter Egg Hunt
I need help filling plastic eggs with goodies and hiding the eggs.
Egg filling- after Palm Sunday service in Godly Play classroom.
Egg hiding- right before or during Easter Sunday service in front of the church.
Email Cleo at kids@saintdavidpdx.org or just show up!
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Ally Conversations Workshop
A coalition of faith congregations is bringing David Campt and The Dialogue Company to Portland on April 21-23. The purpose of the workshops is to encourage and inspire people to have constructive conversations about race and to give the tools to do so. The Dialogue Company is committed to build the capacity of people, organizations and communities to defuse racism by engaging in positive and inclusive dialogue and using non-violent communication of listening, story telling and compassion.
The April 21-23 sessions are in person at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1624 NE Hancock. However, there is a virtual keynote address on March 30 at 7pm.
For further information and also to inquire about financial assistance to attend the workshops, please contact Madeline Moore, member of the Diocesan Racial Justice Working Group at diocerjwg@gmail.com.
For ticket purchase, please go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/westminster-ally-conversation-toolkit-workshop-tickets-276159258777
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The hybrid worship team needs your help
If you are able to join the team that makes Sunday hybrid worship happen, please email Saint David's tech team:
techsaintdavids@gmail.com
We have need for folks helping from home and from church. No experience necessary.
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Sunday Hybrid Church at 10am
Join us in-person or on Zoom!
All are welcome!
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/851443254?pwd=dkVDYmFtQytUbkxLaXY2RlQvaDltQT09
Meeting ID: 851 443 254
Passcode: 137843
Computer troubles stopping you from participating in Sunday's zervice?
Contact office@saintdavidpdx.org for the full invitation so you can call in on your phone to participate!
The sermon will eventually be available on the Saint David's YouTube page . Previous sermons are available as well.
Here is this week's virtual bulletin.
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