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
March, 2024
A Message from Fr. Larry
“Beware of the Ides of March”
Perhaps, along with me, you recall those words from a high school or college class that required students to read William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar’.
In the play, a sage warns Caesar of his upcoming assassination on the 15th (Ides) of March. His death is a turning point in the play and was in fact a turning point for the Roman Empire. But did you know that the ‘Ides of March’ already had significance in the Roman world before Caesar’s death? It was a special religious feast and was the date on which debts were to be paid or forgiven. That was news to me.
As we all know, Lent is a special time that invites us to personal spiritual renewal and prepares us for the Great Feast of Easter and the Renewal of our Baptismal Vows. In the early Christian Church, it was a special time of forty days for non-Christians to prepare to be baptized and received into the Christian community. You and I are invited to put into action special spiritual practices that have been part of Lent for centuries – Pray, Fast and Give alms to the Poor.
Recalling the meaning of the “Ides of March” makes me wonder if another key practice of Lent is seeking and giving forgiveness – as the Romans did with debts. I certainly am aware of my own need for forgiveness from God and other people, and I am also aware of the need for me to forgive. My guess is that I am not alone.
Are you in need of forgiveness? Do you need to offer forgiveness? I know I do. During these days of Lent, let us “Seek the Lord while the Lord can be found” as Isaiah 55 reminds us. These are special days – do not let this invitation to seek and give forgiveness pass us by.
Blessings,
Larry Ehren+
On February 18, your vestry met and discussed the following:
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Steve Hirtzel will be the new Vestry Warden and Paul Patrick will be the Junior Warden.
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We will be surveying the congregation about their hopes and dreams for our next priest using a format provided by a consulting firm. The link will be disturbuted as soon as it is available. Fr. Chas Marks will join us for part of the Vestry Workshop on Saturday, March 2.
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We discussed the recommendations of an anonymous donor who provides funds for Outreach and will no longer be a sponsor of the Belton Educational Foundation; Additional money will be donated to Heart n Hand.
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Don Gerhardt has received estimates for termite control traps and quarterly services. The vestry agreed to go ahead with the work. He also has estimates for necessary furnace repairs.
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Regina and Fr. Larry attended a joint Standing Committee/Diocesan Council retreat over the weekend. There were many fruitful discussions about our next Bishop and the future of the Diocese.
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Regina has obtained a quote for church cleaning form a woman who has been doing the same work for St. Paul’s in Lees Summit. She has offered to come in once a month for $120/month.
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Minutes of the December vestry meeting are at this link.
“Pay off Principal” Continues
Last year we were able to contribute $25,000 towards additional principal on our mortgage thanks to yoru generosity!
This will be an ongoing effort to encourage year-round awareness of stewardship as one way to give from what God has given us. Please take an envelope home so you can add donations to the offertory plate when you’re moved to do so. No amount is too small!
Update on our Priest Transition
As part of the priest transition, we’re using a Survey compiled by Holy Cow, a consulting firm recommended to us by the Diocese. This will allow everyone to provide tehir oipinions on our strengths and challenges, where we want to grow in faith, and what we’re hoping for ion our next pastor. It is important that each person in a household fill out the survey. We plan to leave the survey open for 3 weeks but the sooner we get a response from the majority of our parishioners and friends, the better! So far we;ve received 25 responses- an encouraging start.
The survey is at this link. We have also posted the link on the front page of our web site.
Update on The Bishop Search
The “Listening Tours” are over and the survey results are in, so the Bishop Search Committee has given everyone in the Diocese multiple chances to provide their input about the joys and challenges of their own church and community and what they want in their next Bishop. The results of the on-line survey are available at this link. It’s interesting to note the small number of paritcipants by parish for most churches; only 7 from St. Mary Magdalene responded. The Survey responses were heavily-weighted towards clergy and vestry; 80 out of the 248 responses were from clergy or vestry.
The most important qualities for our next Bishop included the ability to work and communicate across differences of any kind, being an effective pastor, ability to manage change and a vision for reaching the unchurched.
We on the Search Committee are committed to communicating what we can while maintaining necessary confidentiality. The Bishop Search page of the Diocesan Web site will be updated weeklyand the Diocesan Profile (information about who we are and what we do as a Diocese) should be available on the Diocesan web site in early March.
Please pray for us during this challenging and important process.
A detailed description of the process, potential time line and the work of the three Committees involved (Search, Transition and Consecration) in the selection of the new Bishop is here.
The New Spirit is published every two weeks. Read the latest issue here.
On-Line Training: We Especially Need a Sunday School Team!
If you’re involved in any kind of ministry at St. Mary Magdalene (and most of you are!), the Diocese strongly recommends the “Safe Churches, Safe Communities” 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.
As we think about how to attract young families, having Sunday School is key. For this effort in particular, we need a team of people who can be “on call” if there are children in the congregation who want to be in Sunday School. You won’t be put on a schedule but if you’re in church and there are kids in Sunday school you’d be asked if you can serve. All you need to do to prepare is to go over the readings in the Bulletin and lead a discussion on one. There are plenty of supplies in the classroom for recreation and crafts afterwards! We require two adults for Sunday School so you’ll have help. Please let the clergy or any vestry member know if you’re interested.
If you haven’t started these courses, contact Cyndi and she’ll set up an account for you.
Heart-n-Hand Gala March 23 at the Armacost Car Museum
Heart-n-Hand is a major outreach ministry for our church. The organization was founded by a local pastor and they provide support to the low-income and homeless in Belton and some of our members are involved in their work. This gala was held for the first time last year and raised over $45,000. It’s at the Armacost Car Museum, which has an extensive collection of antique and classic cars, and is open to the public only for charity events.
An anonymous member has bought a table for 10 people to attend the event. If you’d like to attend at no cost to you, please let Fr. Larry or a vestry member know. You can also purchase your own ticket(s) by clicking on the graphic above. If you purchase your own ticket, please let us know if you’d like to sit with other church members so we can inform the organizers and be seated at the same table.
Women‘s Book Club
The March 4th book is Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.
At our April 1 meeting we will discuss Bicycling for Butterflies by Sara Dykman.
The meetings will be held at the home of Susan Petrakos (13204 Jefferson Ct., Kansas City, MO 64145).
Daughters of the King
Members of our chapter of Daughters of the King helped serve dinner for the second time at Heart-n-Hand in Belton.
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.
March 15
God and Guinness Night at Conroy’s
Please join us for a fun gathering of fellowship, drinks, and food.
Contact Rich Koch 913-707-0148 or koch0520@sbcglobal.net for questions or information.
KC for Refugees Needs Household Items
A few years ago we opened up the basement of the House of Grace to KC for Refugees, an organization that provides support for newly-arrived refugees from war-torn countries. They’re in need of all the basic necessities. Here’s their most recent communication:
We need your help! Our Welcome Closet is nearly out of all supplies! We need lots of help to replenish our storehouse for the refugees arriving weekly to the KC Metro area!
Needed donations include: Towels, blankets, small kitchen appliances (rice cookers, electric tea pots, pressure cookers, etc), dishes, silverware, pots and pans (the bigger the better), diapers, sheets (twin and queen size) and hygiene and cleaning kits, diapers, maxi pads, socks and underwear for children and adults.
Our Amazon wishlist is available for easy donation! All items purchased are delivered to a KC for Refugees volunteer who delivers to our Welcome Closet.
Or donations are always welcome in person! All donations should be new, or very gently used with lots of life left in them. They can be dropped off at the lower level of the House of Grace on Thursdays from 9-11am, or brought to church.
Thank you so much for your help! We cannot do this great work without your help and support!!!
Heart-n-Hand Ministries
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.
Here’s the latest list of items they need most. Donations can be left in the Narthex.
Canned meals like Chili, Ravioli, Spaghetti-O’s, stew (pop top preferred)
Pancake Mix Eggs
Pork & beans Crackers
Refried beans Ready to eat Soup
Spaghetti sauce White rice
Boxed mashed potatoes Baking goods: Flour, Sugar, cooking oil
Peanut Butter Grape Jelly
Canned chicken, ham, or pork Canned fruit
Condiments Powdered milk
Fresh produce Meat ( ground beef, ground turkey)
Lunch meats Cheese
Juice Dressing
Baby wipes Dish soap
Toilet paper Paper towels
Household cleaning products Shampoo and conditioner
Tampons and pads Kleenex
Here is a link to items you can order from Amazon
We collected 14 units of blood at our January 25 Drive!
Our Next Blood Drive will be Wednesday, April 1 from 2 PM to 6 PM. June 5 and August 28.
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 Mom KC needs clothing for women and children and full-size toiletries.
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.
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
