Welcome to our News Blog! Here, you’ll find the latest news we have to share about our parish this week. If you wish to receive our weekly newsletter, “This Week at St. Alban’s,” every Friday, please email office@stalbansdc.org, and we’ll include you to our mailing list. Now, ahead with the news:
Parish Meeting on September 15: Please mark your calendars for the upcoming Special Parish Meeting. The meeting will take place in Satterlee Hall’s Trenbath Assembly on September 15th at 10:30 a.m. The purpose of the meeting is to vote on certain amendments to the parish bylaws as proposed by the Vestry. In brief, the proposed amendments would:
- Authorize electronic meetings and electronic voting on a going-forward basis, in keeping with a recently enacted canon of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and
- Change our election procedures for Warden and Vestry positions by requiring the Nominating Committee to put forth only one nominee for each open position so that contested elections would no longer be mandatory while also liberalizing the rules under which parishioners may nominate a candidate by petition.
A Party To Celebrate Emily’s Ministry and Farewell: Please join us on Sunday, September 8, between the 9:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services at a joyful reception in Satterlee Hall to honor Emily, give thanks for her years of ministry at St. Alban’s, and lovingly send her on her way to her new calling as Canon Vicar at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle, Washington. This will be her last day with us, so let’s make it a great party!
We can’t wait to welcome children back to Sunday School this fall. Our primary curriculum is Godly Play, a Montessori-based method of spiritual guidance for children of all ages. Register by clicking here. Classes for children run from age 2 ½ to Grade 6 and meet on the 2nd floor of Satterlee Hall (the large building across the driveway from the Church). A Walk-Through Open House will be held this Sunday, September 8 at 10:15 a.m. Classes resume on September 15 at the same time. Questions about Sunday School or Godly Play? Contact Francoise Le Gall or Candice Brown.
We are excited to resume our youth programs at St. Alban’s! If you are a young person or know someone in grades 7-12, we would love to welcome you into our fall offerings and youth group activities. Join us on September 8 for an Open House from 10:15-11:00 am, followed by the first day of classes on September 15. Youth classes meet on the Lower Level of Satterlee Hall. Please get in touch with the Rev. Sarah Taylor Miller if you have any questions. To register, please click here.
Wednesday Nights At St. Albans Will Resume This Week: Please join us this Wednesday, September 11, for prayer, a meal, and an opportunity to grow in faith. We start with Evening Prayer at 5:30 p.m. in the Church, continue with a catered dinner at 6 p.m., and programming beginning at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome to join at any point in the evening. Suggested donation for the meal: $14 per adult, $5 per child. To plan accordingly, please click here to RSVP for the meal by Monday, September 9.
Parish Ministry Fair – September 22: As we enter the quickening fall season full of new hope and excitement for our parish life, a Ministry Fair will be held at St. Alban’s in Satterlee Hall on September 22 between the 9 and 11:15 a.m. services. The Fair will bring our parish together to see and celebrate the many ways that we are doing God’s work within our walls and in the wider world.
Education For Ministry: Do you have questions about your faith? Most people do, and most find it challenging to get answers. Education for Ministry (EfM) was developed by the School of Theology in Sewanee, TN, to help you answer some of your questions. EfM is a four-year program that meets via Zoom every Wednesday evening from 6 – 8:30 p.m. from September through May. It provides a framework for the members to connect faith to their daily lives through reading and discussion. EfM allows you to think theologically, reflect faithfully, and shape your faith into action. No “experience” or expertise is needed, just a willingness to participate and share. Please contact Margit Williams via email or 813-431-4057 if you have any questions.
Youth Music at St. Alban’s! Do you know a child who loves to sing? The Choristers are once again recruiting for our upcoming program year! We are thrilled to offer two exciting groups — our Cherub Choir for Kindergarten and Lower Elementary Schoolers, and our Choristers Upper Elementary and Middle Schoolers. In conjunction with our Wednesday Nights at St. Albans, the Cherub Choir will be rehearsing on Wednesdays from 5:15-6pm, while the Choristers will be rehearsing on Sunday mornings after Sunday School from 11am-12pm. All children are welcome to sing, so feel free to bring friends! Should you have any questions, or be interested in joining, please reach out to Chorister Program Director Joseph Kaz, at JosephK@stalbansdc.org. We look forward to another musical year!
Looking for a Few Good Bookmates! Do you love to read AND grow in faith? Are you interested in learning more about the great theologians throughout church history? Then join this book group this fall! Starting in September, a book group led by Bertie will kick off and meet every two weeks throughout the fall semester (the group might return in the new year). The day and time of the meetings are TBD, depending on the group’s availability. If you are interested, please email Jessica Miller, who will contact you with more details.
Healing Histories: A Reparations Dialogue This September: The Committee on Diocesan Reparations and Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde cordially invite all Black-identifying parishioners—from any parish in the diocese and especially those at our historically Black parishes—to a day of fellowship and discussion of reparations at Transfiguration Parish in Silver Spring. The Committee will present the work we have conducted so far, including our research into what reparations might look like in our diocese and how reparations may affect you and your parish. We will also devote good time to hearing your thoughts in a safe, welcoming space. Breakfast and lunch will be served. Join us on Saturday, September 28, 2024, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at Transfiguration Parish (13925 New Hampshire AVE., Silver Spring, MD 20904) RSVP required: Please complete the registration by clicking here. If you have trouble with the Registration Form, please email reparations4edow@gmail.com.
Blessing of the Backpacks Next Week: Join us on Sunday, September 15, at 9:00 a.m. as we bless all those who carry backpacks to school or work at the onset of this new school year. Kids, teens, teachers, faculty, and staff, we invite you to bring your backpack to church on this day so we can bless it and you! We’ll pray for you as a group during the announcements and give you a special backpack tag to take with you.
You Can’t Tell the Parishioner Without a Nametag: Thanks to those 30-40 parishioners who signed up for new nametags over the past two Sundays. Your nametags will appear on the board in the Wade Room a week or two after your request. With the Rev’d Sarah Taylor Miller’s recent arrival, this is a good time for everyone to wear a nametag to help facilitate her introduction to the parish members. If you don’t have one or if yours needs replacing, please email Mery Montenegro in the church office, and she will facilitate getting those produced. Even if you’ve been a member for decades, wearing a nametag makes it easier for our newer parishioners to feel connected. Everyone likes to be called by their name, so let’s make it easy for that to happen!
Morning Prayer: Please join the clergy of St. Alban’s every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 9 a.m. in the St. Alban’s Sanctuary for Morning Prayer. The Book of Common Prayer’s Office of Morning Prayer is both an ancient and beautiful way to spend time with God each day, and a phenomenal education in Scripture, as the lessons read walk us through the majority of the Bible over the course of their two-year cycle. All are welcome!
Acolytes and Crucifers Needed for our Services: No matter if you are an experienced acolyte or crucifer or would like to learn about these important liturgical ministries, we are looking for kids, youth, and adults who would like to volunteer in these capacities for our Sunday service at 10 a.m. Please contact Dudley Winthrop to learn more and sign up.
Grate Patrol Volunteering Opportunity: The Grate Patrol ministry would like to offer you the opportunity to deliver meals on the second Friday of each month. The food will be prepared in advance, the Salvation Army van will meet you at Church at 6:00 pm, assist you with serving meals and return back to Church by 8:00 pm. This is a wonderful chance to serve those in our community. Please, email Susan Morris if you have any questions. And not to worry, no long-term commitment is required.
We are looking to expand our list of Christ House volunteers. We serve food at Christ House the first and third Friday dinners every month. Please contact Michael Nix for further info.
Donating to St. Alban’s is easy! All you have to do is click HERE, or mail a check to the church office. You may also text your donation to St. Alban’s by simply typing the keyword STALBANSDC$ and the amount of your donation to 73256. If you need assistance with text giving, text HELP. Thank you very much for your generous support of St. Alban’s!
We pray especially for Sage Hoare, Geraldine MacTigue (friend of Elizabeth Fisher), Boyd Huppert (friend of Deborah Potter), Aida Armaly,Tom Browder (friend of John Maclean). Caroline Zaino McCall (granddaughter-in-law of Alex Netchvolodoff), Irene Colando (mother of Candice Brown), Janice Green (mother of Wendy Stengel), Ashley Shacklee (niece of Bob Witten), Sarah Cooley (niece of Elizabeth Dietel), Cameron Cunningham, Philip Yasinski and Janet Reingold (friends of Marty Kerns.)
