TIDINGS
DECEMBER 2020
If you would like a full copy of the tidings for this month, please email or visit Annie in the office.
FROM THE PRIEST-IN-CHARGE
Come God, scatter the darkness from our paths to refresh, renew and transform us.
We are in full bore Advent mode coupled with navigating COVID. Advent is a time for beckoning, more so demanding, God and the whole company of heaven, to provide us with a heightened sense of awareness, being fully awake, while also patiently waiting for always available revealing of the Presence of God in our lives. Advent affords us all the opportunity to practice storming heaven with our prayers for God to come, be fully present, as we also practice patience in waiting for the time when God will be all in all. Advent is a challenging time, particularly this year, to demand and wait.
One part of Advent that assists me in practicing the demanding and waiting is one of the Opening Sentences of Morning Prayer, from Enriching our Worship 1:
Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the skies rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation may spring up, and let it cause righteousness to sprout up also. Isaiah 45:8, NRSV
I revel in this verse of scripture during Advent. The image of rain, dirt, and seed provides comfort for me in the tension of demanding and waiting during Advent, coupled more so now as we navigate COVID.
So, demand freely for God to come, shower you from the heavens above, so that things that are hardened may be opened up for the gift of new growth.
Lastly, until further notice all of our services will be offered via Zoom.
Peace,
Fr. Doug
THANKSGIVING THANKSGIVINGS
From Father Doug:
I want to thank the nearly 50 plus who helped make our Annual Thanksgiving (to-go) Meals a success. Particularly I would like to thank Victoria Atkins for spearheading our meal planning, Annie Seder for the outstanding organization of the take-out and delivery needs, the Snyder family who assisted in packing the take out meal and making most of the meal, including homemade rolls, using our kitchen and their own commercial kitchen of Mona Makes, https://www.facebook.com/MsMonaMakes/ and Hope’s Kitchen for the nearly 300 pounds of homemade mashed potatoes. Lastly my gratitude for the community of St. Barnabas for their generous contributions and to the wider community as well. Truly a community effort once again for our success in offering meals to anyone in need.
From Annie:
Well, you’ve done it again! This year, with pandemic precautions in place, Grace’s Kitchen served over 350 community members, including 72 individuals who were unable to leave their homes to join us in person. I heard so much gratitude from the community: from those who couldn’t afford a meal this year, to those who are homebound or needing to isolate due to COVID, to those who couldn’t have family for their usual visit! They appreciated the accessibility of the meal, the kindness and professionalism of the volunteers, and the quality of the food! Whether you helped to organize, cooked, volunteered, spread the word or donated food or money, you helped us to make this huge event work.
Thanks especially to our community and St. B’s volunteers and donors, including: Sylvia, Chris H, Sue K, Nancy M, Linda G, Jim & Karen, Erin & Fred, Amelia & Eric, Judy O, Janice, Rhoda, Judith F, Judy P, Helen & Wade, Carolyn, Ann & Chuck, Bill D, Dave & Cathie, Jack & Judy, and Bill & Julie.
We especially want to thank the Snyder Family for heading up our cooking team this year, and Victoria for her all-around organizing. They did an incredible job and we are so grateful for all they do for Grace’s!
PLEDGES & PAPERWORK, OLD AND NEW
Thank you to all who have faithfully paid their pledges over the past year! We are so fortunate that in this year of change and uncertainty, St. Barnabas and its ministries were able to rely on your support. Annie will be sending out December pledge statements soon as a gentle reminder of what it left in your 2020 pledges, and pledge cards for 2021 can still be dropped off or mailed to us at your convenience!
Preparing for tax season and worried about finding all those pesky donation receipts I’ve sent you? Each one of you will receive a 2020 donation summary in January reflecting both payments made towards your pledge and all your other donations towards the general fund and St. Barnabas’ ministries.
Thank you to each and everyone one of you for your support this year.
GIVE A GIFT OF LOVE
Show your appreciation for someone in your life by making our community a healthier and more loving place! Give to Grace’s Kitchen or Montezuma Youth Pride in honor of a loved one this Christmas. All donations go straight to these programs.
Contact the office for more information and to arrange for a special giving certificate!
STAY TUNED FOR CHRISTMAS EVE
Christmas Eve will look a little different than we’re used to this year! Stay tuned for specifics in the upcoming weeks.
OFFICE CLOSURE
The office will be closed December 24th and 25th for the holiday!
MORNING PRAYER ON ZOOM
With COVID numbers rising and the thermometer falling, we are back to offering Sunday Morning Prayer on Zoom. It is still so wonderful to get to connect with everyone each week, even in this new virtual world.
Contact the office for Zoom access info!
OTHER WORSHIP OFFERINGS DURING COVID
While we are apart due to COVID, worship in separation can certainly feel challenging. We hope that you are finding some sense of connection and ritual in the Zoom offerings, and are exciting to have added a couple more worship opportunities (somehow now we have more than we did even before COVID! Life doesn’t always flow in only one direction).
Daily gospel readings and meditation continue to be posted on the website, so we encourage you to partake. They are posted each week. Father Doug and Paxton are now also now offering Compline, evening prayer, via the website.
MUTUAL AID DURING COVID
A reminder for all that we are here to help connect you to what you need during this time of COVID. Please don’t hesitate to call or email Annie – we know this is a strange time and many of us are experiencing challenges that we’re not accustomed to.
Additionally, the 4 Corners Mutual Aid form is a place where people can request assistance and others can sign up to meet their needs (person to person help). Check in out if you need help or if you’d like to offer help to others. You can visit it at: tiny.cc/4CornersMutualAid or call 970-343-4687 to sign up! Please let others know about it or help them to sign up if they need help.
If you would like to donate to our local Four Corners Mutual Aid Fund to help people in our community pay their rents and take care of other necessities during this time, you can do so at: www.paypal.me/4cornersmutualaid.
COVID-19 UPDATES
We have created a special page on our website specifically about COVID-19, so please visit there or contact the office for more information: www.stbarnabascortez.org/COVID-19.
ARTICLES OR ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THE TIDINGS
If you would like to submit an article or announcement for the Tidings, please send it to office@stbarnabascortez.org by 10:00am on the last Thursday of the month!
MINISTRY & OUTREACH SUPPORT
2020 Year-To-Date
Good Samaritan Food Pantry: $1,100
The Bridge Emergency Shelter: $1,100
Cathedral Ridge Camp: $1,100
Montezuma Youth Pride: $1,382**
Grace’s Kitchen: $16,287*
Sanctuary at Mancos United Methodist Church: $475*
Rector’s Ministry to Community: $7,357
*Ministry is funded solely by donation
**Ministry funded solely by donation and grant income
GRACE’S PATRONS
October 2020: 737 Meals Served
Jan-Oct 2020: 8,170
Total Meals Served Since 1998: 222,312
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
Race as in darker than your own skin color, race as language and physical features, unlike yours, would be embraced if we see through the eyes of our Maker who is all the people we are. When we love our Maker with all that we are we also come to love all people in whom the Divine resides.
Sylvia Clahchischilli
THANK YOU
We would like to express great appreciation to the following people:
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Everyone from the congregation and community who make our Community Thanksgiving Meal so successful! See above for more thanks
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All the congregation members who contributed hygiene items to our drive for Good Sam’s
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Thank you for the support from the congregation with gift giving in time, talent, and treasure to the Church in its ministries