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

September, 2024

Church

A Message from Steve Hirtzel, Vestry Warden

The roller coaster of temperatures continues as I write this. That’s the Midwest for you. I can’t believe it’s been nearly 3 months since Fr. Larry’s retirement. Thanks go out to all of the supply priests and especially Brock as he continues to steady the ship until we call a new priest. In addition to his normal duties, he led us in morning prayer twice as well as preaching one Sunday. Also, much appreciation goes to Regina Berens and Scott Laurent for preaching this month. We’re very fortunate to have them both in our congregation.

The vestry and Search Committee met with Bishop Bruce and Fr. Chas earlier this month to spell out our needs and the qualities we want in a clergy person It was a good discussion and I believe they came away with a better understanding of what is needed at St, Mary Magdalene.

The community garden continues to reap a healthy harvest. Over 150 lbs. of vegetables have been delivered to Heart n Hand. There will be another opportunity to help them coming up. Stay tuned.

Please pray for the Rev. Mary Margaret Saxon. one of our first supply priests after Fr. Larry’s retirement. She had a bad fall last weekend. Fortunately there were no broken bones but she suffered severe inner and outer contusions. She will be laid up for a few weeks but we look forward to seeing her in October.

I’d like to end this update with my favorite verse. If you know me at all, you know I’m a worrier. This passage gives me strength. If you, too, have worry and anxiety, I hope it will help you.

Philippians 4: 6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation, by prayer and petition and with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

God’s Blessings,

Steve

A Farewell Note from our Soprano, Jen Townsley

Hello members and clergy of Saint Mary Magdalene,

At the beginning of 2022, I began singing at St. Mary Magdalene. It has been an absolute privilege, blessing and joy to have been a part of this community. Both myself and Bob have felt like we found a really special place to call our home church, and I will forever cherish it. I am writing to announce that after a lot of prayer and discernment, I am stepping down from my singing position at St Mary Mag’s. I am simply looking to make some changes now that I am done with my doctoral degree, and it feels like the best time to make these changes. Rebecca and I had our first discussion about this at the beginning of summer, and she was gracious enough to respect my wishes to not make it “a big deal” and allow me to leave quietly. I am terrible at goodbyes, so please forgive me for leaving in a way that may feel abrupt. I do feel however that this is not a goodbye and that I will be back, but perhaps this time, I would be the pews instead of facing them.

I leave you in the wonderful and capable hands of my dear friend Lauren Stokke, who subbed for me a lot this summer and has the voice of an angel. There is no one that I would trust more with this position than her, and she will be a wonderful addition to St. Mary Mag’s. I know you will all welcome her open open arms.

I thank you all so much, and I pray for the entire community and future of St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church. God be with you ’till we meet again.

With love,

Jen

On Sunday, August 11, your vestry met after church.

Steve has assembled a full schedule of supply priests through September.
Fr. David Wilcox, Diocesan Youth Missioner, will preach at our service on September 15 and hold a short meeting afterwards.
We have completed $9,000 of repairs on our A/C units and will be using donor funds, which we hope to supplement with a small grant from the Diocese, to replace some windows that are developing condensation between the panes.
Name tags are available in the rack to the left of the door as you face the driveway. Wear yours during the service!
Minutes of the June vestry meeting are at this link.

There was no vestry meeting in July.

“Pay off Principal” Has an Impact!

Last year we were able to contribute $25,000 towards additional principal on our mortgage and this year we received an anonymous donation of $15,000!

Under some reasonable assumptions (depends on the interest rate and term of the new loan) every $10,000 we pay against the mortgage now can reduce out future monthly payments by about $100.

This is 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!

Planned Giving Reminder: Members of our leadership frequently receive material on Planned Giving and sometimes attend educational sessions. We were surprised and blessed when Arni, our former Business Manager, left us her house in her will and the proceeds have provided a nice financial cushion, which is being kept partly in cash and mostly in CDs yielding over 5% annually. This is a relatively small congregation and people don’t update estate documents frequently, but if you are in the process and wish to discuss planned giving, QCDs, donation of appreciated stock or any other non-cash forms of donation, please talk to Dave Pierson, Chair of the Finance Committee, Cyndi Troyer, our Treasurer, or Regina Berens.

Update on our Priest Transition

This is an update on the progress your Search Committee is making towards calling a new Rector
to St. Mary Mag.

As Steve noted, the vestry and the Search Committee met with Fr. Chas and Bishop Diane earlier this month. It was a fruitful discussion and we’re waiting for Fr. Chas’ final approval of our profile before adding it it to our web site and publicizing it through the Office of Transition Ministry. We ask that everyone continue praying for us.

Thank you,
Karen Hansen
Chair, Rector Search Committee

Update on the Bishop Transition

On July 31 the Diocese announced the slate of candidates for the next Bishop of the Diocese of Western Missouri. Full profiles, including video interviews, are at this link .

We’re excited about the great group of candidates who feel called to be our next Bishop. You’ll have a chance to meet them personally in September at gatherings around the Diocese, 3 of them in the KC area. Sign up at this link.

This election is vital because the Bishop sets the tone and the direction of the Diocese. (Bishop Diane will be a hard act to follow!) This, in turn, may affect the selection of potential candidates for St. Mary Magdalene’s next priest since the Bishop is a pastor to the clergy. Please plan to be at one of these important meetings.

Check out our New Web Site!

The Diocese has migrated church web sites to a new platform (WordPress). As in the past, this support is paid for from Diocesan funds at no additional cost to us. Zach, our Diocesan Communications Director, created a beta version and I updated it and added items. Please take a look at it and let me know what you think! I’d also welcome help with it; WordPress is widely used so there are many helpful resources on the web.

Remember that the site will be a resource for prospective priests wanting to learn more about us, so it’s important that they really see how vital our community is!

The URL is unchanged; it’s still http://www.marymag.com.

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.

Women‘s Book Club

On September 9 we will discuss The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin.

The book for the October 7th meeting is Life After Life by Kate Atkinson.

Meetings will be held at the home of Susan Petrakos (13204 Jefferson Ct., Kansas City, MO 64145).

Blessing of the Animals, October 5 at 11 AM

This popular community event in honor of St. Francis will be held at Lord of Love Lutheran Church this year. The address is 8306 E. 171st St. in Belton.

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.

September 20

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.

Amazon Wish List Link

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

Help Save Lives with Your Donation!

We collected 23 units of blood at our August 28 drive- a record! (The offer of a $20 gift card to donors may have helped. 🙂 )

Our next drive will be Thursday, January 23.

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.

.

St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church | 16808 Holmes Rd., Belton, MO 64012

(816) 331-2222 | http://www.marymag.com

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

September, 2024

Church

A Message from Steve Hirtzel, Vestry Warden

Before I talk about July, I want to talk about a swing and miss on my part in last month’s The Call. I forgot to mention a very important event that took place on June 9 th . That being the baptisms of Emma and Rebecca Sutton. My apologies to the Sutton family on not mentioning such a blessed event. Congratulations ladies. Also, thanks to Brock and Fr. Bill Fasel for baptizing them.

July has been a busy month. Thanks to Fr. Stephan Beatty for preaching three of the Sundays and to Rev. Mary Margaret Saxon for preaching the other. We look forward to having them both back. In August, we look forward to Fr. Bill Fasel and Fr. Mark
McGuire returning. In addition, Regina Berens, Scott Laurent and Brock will be preaching. I personally want to thank Brock for all of his guidance and support. I’m learning my way through this transition. Having only been an Episcopalian for 4 years,
I’m learning on all fronts with being the Vestry Warden as well as the going through the
Clergy transitional period. Thank you, Brock.

The Search Committee has been busy this month, thanks to Karen Hansen and the rest of the committee. You’ll see what they’ve been up to in Karen’s report in this edition of The Call. The Search Committee and Vestry will be meeting in person with Bishop
Bruce on August 14 th at the church. It will be an opportunity to discuss our progress and to exchange ideas back and forth with her on the search going forward. We’re all looking forward to that.

Many thanks to the generous anonymous donor of funds to replace the windows in the vestibule. They have lost their seals and really look bad. They will be replaced in August. In addition, this person is donating to the replacement of the windows and frames in the
education wing. This is something that has to be done soon because the carpenter ants have wreaked havoc. Thanks again.

Thank you to all who contributed non-perishable items for the food pantry at Heart & Hand. We were able to deliver 4 BIG boxes of items. Pam at Heart & Hand was thrilled and overwhelmed. We have a very generous congregation, which I am so grateful for.

Also, the community garden continues to flourish. In July, we’ve donated squash, tomatoes and cucumbers. The garden is doing very well with much more to donate in the coming weeks.

Finally, I want to conclude with my scripture theme of patience in our clergy search. Trust me, I do this as much for me as anyone. This month’s passage comes from Romans. “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same
attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus has.”

God Bless,
Steve

On Sunday, August 11, your vestry met after church.

Steve has assembled a full schedule of supply priests through September.
Fr. David Wilcox, Diocesan Youth Missioner, will preach at our service on September 15 and hold a short meeting afterwards.
We have completed $9,000 of repairs on our A/C units and will be using donor funds, which we hope to supplement with a small grant from the Diocese, to replace some windows that are developing condensation between the panes.
Name tags are available in the rack to the left of the door as you face the driveway. Wear yours during the service!
Minutes of the June vestry meeting are at this link.

There was no vestry meeting in July.

“Pay off Principal” Continues

Last year we were able to contribute $25,000 towards additional principal on our mortgage and this year we received an anonymous donation of $15,000!!

This is 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!

Planned Giving Reminder: Members of our leadership frequently receive material on Planned Giving and sometimes attend educational sessions. We were surprised and blessed when Arni, our former Business Manager, left us her house in her will and the proceeds have provided a nice financial cushion, which is being kept partly in cash and mostly in CDs yielding over 5% annually. This is a relatively small congregation and people don’t update estate documents frequently, but if you are in the process and wish to discuss planned giving, QCDs, donation of appreciated stock or any other non-cash forms of donation, please talk to Dave Pierson, Chair of the Finance Committee, Cyndi Troyer, our Treasurer, or Regina Berens.

Update on our Priest Transition

This is an update on the progress your Search Committee is making towards calling a new Rector
to St. Mary Mag.

We have finished writing the Profile, and Ian Coleman is putting the finishing touches on it. The
Profile is the document that tells potential candidates what St. Mary Mag is all about. We have
also completed the comprehensive questionnaire that will go up on the Diocesan website with the
Profile.

We had hoped to have these two documents online by the end of July, but the Bishop has asked
for a meeting with the Search Committee, the Vestry, and Fr. Chas. She wants to discuss the
possibility of our offering the House of Grace as part of a compensation package for the new
rector. The earliest we could schedule a meeting is the middle of August.

Our new goal is to be up on the Diocesan website by the end of August. We ask that everyone
continue praying for us.

Thank you,
Karen Hansen
Chair, Rector Search Committee