From the Rector

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