September 2005

Dear Friends,

Peace be with you. The arrival of this newsletter bears witness that the summer is officially over, and another rhythm begins. As summer's go, this one was not particularly restful or quiet. Several of us worked very hard cleaning out Beverly's mobile home, getting it ready to sell. Others worked on new classes for our young people and others met several times to brainstorm ideas for the fair. One of the big decisions was to have two seasonal fairs: the Fall Fair on Oct. 29 (more info in this edition) and the Christmas Fair on Dec. 3. We are looking for someone to help sell Christmas trees this year. If you are interested, please let Doris Hamner, Sandi Grioux, Cyndi Hopkins or myself know.

To formally begin the program year, the vestry will once again host the Welcome Back Brunch on Sept. 25 at 8:45 a.m. - in between the services. A light breakfast will be served as 8 o'clockers and 10 o'clockers come together to visit. There will also be an opportunity to register your children for church school and meet the teachers. I am very pleased that two new classes will be offered this year: a class for toddlers and a class for 7th & 8th graders. In addition, Mrs. Brenda Komarinski is enrolled in formal training for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program.

The very next weekend will be full. Saturday Oct. 1 is the All Parish Event. This year we have reserved the Kohlrausch Park from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Please bring a sandwich-type lunch for your family and come with an eye toward fun. A softball game is being organized as well as cribbage, and a variety of relay races. There will be something for everyone. You may want to bring some lawn chairs. There is an outdoor bathroom and a playground for little ones.

The very next day, Oct. 2, several of our friends from the UK will be among us at worship. They come as representatives of our sister city, Billericay, in the Billerica Twinning group. The St. Elizabeth's Guild will host a high tea in their honor after the 10:00 AM service.

The Tuesday morning group will begin anew on Oct. 4 at 9:30 AM. We have been reading some books during the summer: Inner Garden, St. Benedict's Toolbox, God the Alchemist, and A Thread of Grace. Let us begin in fellowship and prayer and discuss which of the four books to focus on first.

There have been a few ideas for the Thursday night study group but nothing is in place yet. I am looking for an in-depth study of world religions on video to help us understand the seeds of extremism and fundamentalism, particularly in the Eastern religions. If you are aware of any, please let me know.

We are fortunate to host the Explorers Preschool once again. They bring a lot of energy and laughter into our midst.

As we continue to grow and reach out to our neighbors, I am mindful that 2005 is also the 115th anniversary of St. Anne's - we have come a long way from meeting in people's homes. We will have some photos of the original church structure available at the Harvest Fair on Oct. 29.

As I think about all the ministries and programs , I am mindful that some of our youth have graduated from high school and have moved on. All of life changes - and very quickly these days. May they continue to bloom and grow in love and knowledge that they are loved for their very being by this community.

As you read all this you may wonder about something or have a comment or a wish. Please share them. In the meantime, may the God of all power and might fill our hearts and minds with love and energy for the journey ahead.

Faithfully,

Peggy