Newsletter for 3/13/2015

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Rector's Ramblings

Christ the King

Some of you may have heard, or seen the announcement, that Fr. Desmond Francis is
retiring from Christ the King at the end of April, 2015.

At this point, I do not know what this means for the conversations that we were 
hoping to have this year on living into the Bishop's Vision of a McLean County Parish
with two Eucharistic Communities.  What I do know is that our brothers and sisters
at Christ the King will need our prayer and support as they say goodbye to a long
term pastor and friend, and begin preparing for their next priest.

I also know that there are no plans to close Christ the King or to merge our two
 congregations.  Each of us continues to have a valid and important ministry in 
our communities, and will continue to serve the Lord in our diverse ways.

I have made the offer of personal assistance to the Leadership Team of Christ the
King in this transition, and assured them of St. Matthew's prayers and support as
well.  Please lend your own voice to this as you can.

Wishing you a Holy Lent,

Dave+
Remember that my library is open if you wish to borrow a book for Lent.
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Service Schedule
for the week of March 15, 2015

Holy Eucharist Rite I
(Spoken)
7:30 AM
Holy Eucharist Rite II
(Music)
10:00 AM
Evensong
5:00 PM
Other Services:
Morning Prayer
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at 7 AM
Thursday morning at 7:30 AM
Intercessory Prayer
Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at noon in the Chapel
For Lent
Stations of the Cross at
5:30 PM Fridays
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Ministry Links

St. Matthew's Webpage [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=zcgbzmtab.0.0.unte9odab.0&id=preview&r=3&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stmatthewsbloomington.org]
The Episcopal Diocese of Springfield [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=zcgbzmtab.0.0.unte9odab.0&id=preview&r=3&p=http%3A%2F%2Fepiscopalspringfield.org]
Rector's Blog [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=zcgbzmtab.0.0.unte9odab.0&id=preview&r=3&p=http%3A%2F%2Ftheologicalhumidor.com]
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The Good News
A weekly newsletter of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church
March 13, 2015
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Morning Prayer
Morning Prayer is offered at 7AM on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and at 730
AM on Thursday.  The fourth Thursday at 7:30 AM is Holy Eucharist.
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Breakfast Fellowships
Women's & Men's Breakfast fellowships will eat jointly and to meet on Saturday (3/21)
at 8:15 AM.  All friends and members of the church are invited.
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Lenten Series
Our Lenten Soup, Salad and Study series will kick off on Tuesday, February 24 and
run through the Tuesday in Holy Week. We will gather at 6:00 for a light supper 
and finish by 7:30.
This year, since we read the Gospel of Mark in the Eucharistic Lectionary, we will
explore this Gospel with the help of Rico Tice a priest in the Church of England.
All ages are invited to fellowship and study together.

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Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross will be held each Friday evening in Lent beginning at 5:30
 PM.

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Outreach Items of the Month

During the months of March and April, the Outreach Committee will collect items 
on the Wish List for the Countering Domestic Violence (CDV) emergency shelter program
in McLean County. Operated through Mid Central Community Action, CDV offers free
 and confidential services to victims of domestic violence, including a 24-Hour 
Hotline 309- 827-7070, 24-hour emergency shelter, criminal justice advocacy, legal
advocacy and safety planning. The following items are currently needed for the shelter
(Neville House):

* Paper products (paper towels, toilet paper, boxes of tissue)

* Hats/Gloves (snow/cold weather types for both adults and children)

* Socks (all sizes)

* Gift/Gas cards (increments of $25 are more flexible)

* Cleaning Supplies/Products

* Journals

The Outreach Committee appreciates your ongoing support of this program. For more
information about the services provided by CDV, visit: http://www.mccainc.org/clarion_rocket/programs/countering-domestic-violence/
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Good News Daily
Each week we are glad to offer a set of daily devotional readings from the Bible
 Reading Fellowship.  These are short devotionals include references to the readings
from the Daily Office Lectionary, and can be customized for each parish.  Currently,
we are adding the Anglican and Diocesan prayer cycles, and will be adding a parish
prayer cycle in the future.
Copies may be picked up in one of the entrances, a PDF uploads to the website (www.stmattsblm.org
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=zcgbzmtab.0.0.unte9odab.0&id=preview&r=3&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stmattsblm.org])
each Sunday, or get it today here [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=zcgbzmtab.0.0.unte9odab.0&id=preview&r=3&p=http%3A%2F%2Ffiles.ctctcdn.com%2F4bd42add001%2F3e750789-3800-4d04-819a-60981225faad.pdf].
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Youth Group
Youth meet on Sunday nights following Evensong which begins at 5:00 p.m.  At about
6:00 p.m. a lite meal, study and fellowship are provided

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Holy Week and Easter Schedule
Holy Week services will be combined services with Christ the King.
Holy Wednesday there will be a Taize Tenebrae service at Christ the King at 7PM.
Maundy Thursday will be celebrated at St. Matthew's at 7PM
Good Friday will have two services.  At noon we will gather at Christ the King for
the Seven Last Words of Jesus.  The clergy and members of both Eucharistic Communities
will deliver a short meditation on each of the seven words.
The traditional Good Friday service will be held at 7PM at St. Matthew's.
Easter Vigil will be celebrated at 7PM on Holy Saturday at St. Matthew's.  If you
have a candidate for baptism that evening, please let us know.
Since the Easter Vigil is the first, and traditionally, the primary celebration 
of  the Resurrection, there will be only one service on Easter Sunday.  We will 
gather at 9AM for Easter.  The traditional Easter Brunch will follow.  We need volunteers
to coordinate the brunch and clean-up.

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Volunteers Needed on Sunday Mornings
Greeters--Additional volunteers are needed to be greeters, at both services.  Please
let Pat know, in the office (info@stmatthewbloomington.org or 662-4646) if you are
available, and which service time.
Are you interested in serving as a Eucharistic Minister at 7:30, 10:00, or special
services?  Please speak with Fr. Halt about training and preparation.
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Formation Opportunity
N.T. Wright, former Bishop of Durham and current lecturer at the University of St.
Andrew's, is presenting as series of online courses in Christian Theology and Biblical
Studies.  The list of courses and their timelines is available at NT Wright online
[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=zcgbzmtab.0.0.unte9odab.0&id=preview&r=3&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ntwrightonline.org%2F].
Fr. Halt is planning on joining the course on Paul and the Galatians, and if anyone
else is interested in forming a study group, he would be glad to facilitate the 
gatherings.

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Readings & Music for March 15, 2015

Hymns:  #321, #690

Numbers 21:4-9              OT  109

From Mount Hor the Israelites set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the
land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against
God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?
For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food." Then the 
LORD sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that 
many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by speaking
against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take away the serpents from
us." So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a poisonous
serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live."
So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent
bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 Page 746, BCP           Confitemini Domino

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, *
and his mercy endures for ever.

2  Let all those whom the LORD has redeemed proclaim *
that he redeemed them from the hand of the foe.

3  He gathered them out of the lands; *
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.

17  Some were fools and took to rebellious ways; *
they were afflicted because of their sins.

18  They abhorred all manner of food *
and drew near to death's door.

19  Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, *
and he delivered them from their distress.

20  He sent forth his word and healed them *
and saved them from the grave.

21  Let them give thanks to the LORD for his mercy *
and the wonders he does for his children.

22  Let them offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and tell of his acts with shouts of joy.

Ephesians 2:1-10            NT  148

You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following
 the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit
that is now at work among those who are disobedient. All of us once lived among 
them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and
we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. God, who is rich in mercy,
out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our 
trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-- by grace you have been saved-- 
and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ
Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his 
grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through
faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God-- not the result of
 works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ
Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

John 3:14-21

Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
 so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal
life.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes
in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

"Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order
that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned;
but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed
in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has
 come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their 
deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light,
so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the
light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God."
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Ministry Assignments for March 15 & 22

15-Mar

7:30

Greeters: Ray Durham

Lector: Bill Johns

Lector: E.M.: Bill Johns

10:00

Greeters: Dedee Champion & Brad Bauman

Lector: Julie Bennett

Acolytes: Liam Halt, Christian Pitts, Alley Roberson

Crucifer:  Sarah Halt

E.M.: Jack Pitts &

Monday Counter:  Susan Clark

Coffee Hour: Susan & Jeffrey Clark

22-Mar

7:30

Greeters: Doug & Dede Dyson

Lector:  Ann Nadakavukaren

E.M.: Diane Gardner

10:00

Greeters:

Lector: Brad Bauman

Acolytes: Shelley Brenneman Carter, Margaret Cutter, Alex Davingman

Crucifer: Bill Ingersoll

E.M.: Shelley Brenneman Carter & Chuck Palm

Monday Counter: Gary McGinnis

Coffee Hour: Janet Hoffman & Dedee Champion
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Birthdays & Anniversaries   March 12 - 22
Ora Bachmann
Lartha Lakin
Roy Laws
June MacNulty
James Gordon
Jessica Hospelhorn
Daniel Laken
Janenne & Paul Schmidt
Scott Roberts
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Collect for Sunday, March 15th
Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the 
true bread which gives life to the world; Evermore give us this bread, that he may
live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and for ever. Amen
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Contact Information
St. Matthew's Episcopal Church

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