St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church
Our Vision: To be a community… Real. Rooted. Relevant.
Our Purpose: To follow Jesus Christ so that we will be His hands and feet in the world.
The Call
June, 2023
A Message from Fr. Larry
Summertime….and the Living is Easy
Many years ago, music composer George Gershwin wrote the now classic jazz standard “Summertime – and the living is easy” as part of the 1935 musical “Porgy and Bess”. From the very start, this musical was controversial due to its use of stereotypical African American dialogue, and the depiction of black culture as full of addiction, gambling, and violence.
Although the musical score was charming, the play and musical embodied racial stereotypes that were common for the day. Stereotypes are difficult to overcome. They serve as an easy way to label a group of like individuals, often in very negative ways. They serve as a shortcut to really getting to know a person or group of people in all of their uniqueness. They are the exact opposite of the Way of God which invites us into intimacy and closeness with a person as they
really are. Stereotypes block us from getting to know other people as images of God.
Yet, the words of this song invite us to enjoy these days of summer which often have a different pace, different activities, and special times spent with those we love and care about. In many ways, summer serves as a ‘Sabbath’ in our culture. Sabbaths are a time to slow down, to take time for relationships that really matter, a time to refresh and renew, a time to soak in the sacred. May this month of June be a time of Blessed Sabbath for you!
Blessings,
Larry Ehren+
Join Our New FaceBook Page!
Since Arni’s death we have been unable to add any new Editors to our FaceBook page because she was the Administrator. Attempts to get FaceBook to change this have been futile.
We have since created a new page- the Group name is St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal, Belton and Loch Lloyd and the link is here. To join the site click on “Follow”. You may also access it from the button on the front page of the web site.
We promise to update frequently!
From Your Editor
They let me back in the country after 3 weeks in some of the most beautiful parts of God’s creation but this edition may be somewhat abbreviated and include a few “reminder” items from last month’s issue. I could still use some help in putting The Call together! Let me know if you’re interested.
The New Spirit is published every two weeks. Read the latest issue here.
The Expense portion of the 2024 Budget Draft for the Diocese has been completed. Based on four Pillars of Ministry (proclaiming the good news, forming disciples, serving others, and striving for justice), it will include increased grants available to churches and ministries all around the diocese, as well as making more funds available for properties — with emphases in sustaining our properties that are in need of repair as well as making our churches more accessible for those with disabilities. Given the fact that the Diocese will be, hopefully, electing a new bishop at Convention 2024, there is no plan to add more staff to the Diocese at this time — that should be a decision made by Diocesan Council and the new bishop after they are ordained and consecrated in 2025. The full text of Bishop Bruce’s message is at this link.
Bishop Diane will be in the KC Pride Parade Saturday, June 10. There are other ways to participate over the 3 days of events (June 9-11). We have already requested that we be listed among the “welcoming churches” in the literature and swag we hand out. More details at this link.
World Labyrinth Day
On May 6, World Labyrinth Day, people all over the world walked a labyrinth at 1 PM in their own time zone, so people were walking somewhere at every hour during the day. We geristed our labyrinth for teh event and a small dediccated group participated after a brief orientation.
Later this Fall, Fr. Larry will be offering an educational session on labyrinths.
Getting to Know You
These all too familiar faces are seen every Sunday and possibly during the week. Yes, they are very own Don & Kim Gerhardt. This Prairie Village couple has been in our midst since back in the funeral home days, roughly 20 years ago. They were recruited by then Priest Eric Long, who had been commissioned to start a church. I’m sure they can probably tell you some stories of the “good ole” days of Mary Mag. Prior to their retirement, Kim was a registered nurse with labor and delivery. Don was a bio. Tech. that was kept busy due to the nurses breaking equipment. (HUM? Go figure) These two wonderful people are constantly busy with the ministries they are involved in; acolytes, altar guild, lay ministers, eucharistic visitors and the list doesn’t end there. Whatever is needed at the church, you are sure to find them there. Don is also kept very busy as the Grounds, Repair & Maintenance person for the church. As for the future, I’m sure if there are additional ministries added, they would be there.
Help Wanted: Mowing Team
Our large, beautiful property is maintained slely by volunteers- another example of our careful stewardship of our resources. The Mowing Team needs more members. We have a state-of-the-art riding mower to make the job easier. If you’r einterested in helping, pelase talk to Rich Koch or Don Gerhardt. Thanks!
On-Line Training: Safe Churches, Safe Communities
If you’re involved in any kind of ministry at St. Mary Magdalene (and most of you are!), the Diocese strongly recommends this series of on-line modules. Each can be covered in 15 minutes or less. Everyone- Chalice Ministers, Lay Readers, Acolytes, Vestry members, people with a key to the church, Sunday School teachers, etc.- needs to be educated on risks and risk mitigation to keep God’s people safe.
If you haven’t started these courses, contact Cyndi and she’ll set up an account for you.
New Way to access Ministry Schedules
From Regina:
A reminder from last month:
You will not be getting reminder e-mails from the churchscheduling.com software (I removed everyone’s e-mail addresses). Ignore any you do get. As we phase out Breeze you will not get them from Breeze, either. You can, however, get the entire schedule any time at this link or from the “Ministry Schedules” button on the front page of our web site.
Please let me know of any upcoming changes and I’ll update the schedule.
There was no vestry meeting in May. The next meeting will be June 11.
Women‘s Book Club
The June 5 book will be Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.
As of now there will not be a meeting in July.
The August 7th book is The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda.
Daughters of the King
Daughters of the King meets the third Sunday of the month in Education Room right after church. . If you’re interested, please contact Cyndi Troyer.
God and Guinness June 16
Heart-N-Hand Ministries, right here in Belton, serves the homeless as well as others just needing a hand up. At their website, www.heartnhand.org, there is always a current list of donated items they are seeking.
Heart-N-Hand would also appreciate volunteers to assist in their Thrift Store, Monday-Saturday; the store hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For for more information, please contact Alexis Butterfield, Executive Director, at 816-322-1133 or 417-551-2470. Her e-mail is alexisjbutterfield@gmail.com.
Thank you for your consideration!
Here are some additional items you can donate; donations can be left in the Narthex.
Heart N Hand in Belton could use:
· Hygiene items (Preferably travel sized items: wash cloths, small combs and brushes, deodorant, body wash, razors, lip balms, wipes)
· Band-aids and individual sized medications like Tylenol, Ibuprofen, tums, etc.
· Lightweight brand-new fleece blankets.
· $10 HyVee gift cards to be used as gas cards for our clients.
· Winter gloves
· Size 4, 5, and 6 diapers
· Adult diapers of varying sizes
· Coffee creamer / sweeteners (individual packets)
· Cleaning supplies (Lysol wipes, toilet bowl cleaner, multi-purpose cleaners)
· Food donations (any non-perishable goods are always appreciated!), including individual bags of chips
· Here is a link to items you can order from Amazon
Our Next Blood Drive will be Wednsday, June 7 from 2 PM to 6 PM.
Our January drive results were excellent: 19 donors including two who donated double units of red blood cells.
We still need plastic bags to make mats for the homeless. If you’d like to learn how to crochet them, contact Regina at berensregina@gmail.com.
Single Moms KC needs clothing for women and children and full-size toiletries.
Missouri Puppy Mill Rescue needs bleach and Lysol multi-surface cleaner.
The Call
We are still looking for another person to create The Call every other month (alternating with Regina). It can be done gradually as you get announcements of events, etc. Many other items are provided by others and you just have to incorporate them with some pretty straightforward “drag-and- drop” software. Please let Regina know if you are interested.
Events
We need someone to take over co-ordination of church events — the earlier, the better so Denise can show you how it works. Please contact her if this interests you.
Service Streaming
We are looking for someone to help stream the service so that people can access it on our YouTube channel. Frank and Brock will train you; talk to either of them if you’re interested.
More About Us
St. Mary Magdalene offers in-person Sunday Worship at 10:30 a.m. We are also live streaming the service for those who prefer to join us from home, on our YouTube channel at this link.
If you have a family illness or a personal concern, please contact the church office at 816-331-2222 and leave a voicemail.
We miss you when you cannot participate in church, and we want to know when one of our members can be comforted from a pastoral visit, being added to our prayer list, or by receiving communion at home.
If you have a family illness or a personal concern, please contact the church office at 816-331-2222 and leave a voicemail.
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St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church | 16808 Holmes Rd., Belton, MO 64012
(816) 331-2222 | http://www.marymag.com
