A Reflection on St. Anne’s Ministries & Stewardship
Hello St. Anne’s! I am speaking to you as a member of your Vestry – to let you know about a few important happenings in the life of our Church, and also as a parishioner, as I consider how the Lord is calling me to use the gifts of time, talent and treasure He has entrusted to me.
I have been a member of the Vestry for the last 6 years and will roll off in February. It has been a joy to serve St Anne’s in this way, following a long line of faithful parishioners that goes back hundreds of years!
For the last two years, I’ve served as your Junior Warden. In this capacity, I have become familiar with the tremendous amount of work that goes into maintaining this historic church building and our Parish House. The Facilities committee, chaired by Bill Wilbert, and our facilities manager, Mark Strandquist, work diligently to ensure that our buildings are well maintained. Many of you know that we’ve been needing to replace our HVAC system in this building – this is a big undertaking and I’m pleased to report that we have settled on a contractor and will begin this critical task in the coming weeks. We’ll also be installing a new controller for the chimes and bell in our steeple which will allow us to sync the chimes with the clock, as well as ring our large bell for weddings and funerals which we’ve not been able to do with our outdated controller. There’s also been much needed work happening in the Parish House. Our wise stewardship of this Church and the Parish House ensures that we can come together in safe and beautiful spaces.
Last Sunday evening , we gathered for the first annual St. Anne’s chili cook off! The event brought 65 parishioners of all ages together to enjoy a variety of delicious chilis and spend time getting to know each other! I encourage you to come to the next gathering!
Another way to come together as the Church is to volunteer with Winter Relief. For many years, St. Anne’s has partnered with 1st Presbyterian to host a group of men experiencing homelessness. This year, we will offer winter relief the week of Feb 16-23 . You can sign up to make a meal for the men (which I’ve done many times with my family and neighbors) or help with a variety of other important tasks. Please consider reaching out to Katie Mazur for more information about this critically important volunteer opportunity where you are truly the hands and feet of Jesus.
We also have some exciting changes happening in our children’s ministry. Earlier this year St. Anne's established a Children's and Youth Committee chaired by Mother Alice. That led to our successful communion class last month and other changes are on the way. Beginning in January look out for a new curriculum and a new time for Sunday School at 11:30 am in the Parish House. The committee is also organizing monthly gatherings for the children so they can spend time together outside of church engaged in fun activities. We're hopeful that these are just the first of many steps and that every child at St. Anne's has a chance to grow in faith and gain the confidence that comes from being part of a supportive community.
And finally, I’d like to call your attention to the table in the back with tags for our annual Winter Gear for Kids program. Each year, St. Anne’s partners with Annapolis Elementary School to ensure that all students have a warm, winter coat or boots. Please consider taking a tag and buying a coat or boots for one of our young friends at AES. Please return your gift next Sunday, November 23 (or drop it off this week). All the info is available in the back or you can email Caroline Purdy or me. Thank you for partnering with our neighborhood school to show Christ’s love in a tangible way.
Frederick Buechner, the American writer and theologian, said that we can love Jesus, we can learn from him, but we come to know Jesus only by following him—by searching for him in his church, in his Gospels, in each other. I see the truth of this quote borne out in our ministries at the Stanton Center, the elementary school, in Winter Relief, as well as our work in Guatemala and Kenya. But I also see us drawing close to Jesus in other ways too. I’ve been blessed to participate in the planning of the annual women’s retreat for the last ten years. Each Spring, St Anne’s women gather to seek Jesus in his Gospels and in each other. The weekend is full of stories of God’s grace, His provision of daily bread and miraculous interventions – all shared by the precious women of this parish. It’s a beautiful weekend where women of all ages gather to learn and pray, sing, sit in silence and contemplation, immerse ourselves in the beauty that surrounds us at the beach, and seek Jesus together. There is so much wisdom and joy and encouragement and hope found there. It’s a little microcosm of the Church. We gather together, taking time from our busy lives, to seek Jesus in community. And He always rewards our seeking.
St. Anne’s has been here in Church Circle for over 330 years. I pray that He continues to strengthen and grow this Parish, enabling us to partner in His Kingdom building. I hope you’ll join me in not only pledging your financial resources but will also look for where the Lord is calling you, calling us as a church, to engage in his Kingdom work.
Townsend McNitt, Junior Warden and Vestry member