The Rev. Kit Brinson got some sugar from Rolo during the annual Blessing of the Animals on Saturday. The Yorkie, who was accompanied by his house-mate Duke and owners Buffy and Neely Mann(grand-daughters of St. Michael’s parishers Chris and Carol Mann), was one of 15 dogs to be blessed by St. Michael’s Episcopal Church’s interim priest. This is an annual event for St. Michael’s heard each year in October to Honor St. Francis of Assisi and his love for all creatures.

Welcome to St Michael’s Episcopal Church!  We are located in the heart of Waynesboro, Georgia – the Bird Dog Capital of the World.

Please take a few moments to look around our website via the links on the right and discover who we are.  Please join us for worship each Sunday morning at 10:30am.

In an effort to better support the pastoral needs of the parish, I want to reorganize the system of delivery and response. We are creating a broader umbrella of needs called the Pastoral Care Committee. The Care Committee will be one part of that. Memory Zittrouer will remain the contact person for the Care Committee, who in turn will contact the teams to supply food in times of crisis and grief. The two deacons-in-training, Terri Degenhardt and Jim McDonald, will be the contact people for pastoral needs, including prayer requests, visiting shut-ins, hospital visitation, and home communion, etc. It is important in their training, and their formation in the servant role as deacon to experience all areas of need. Rev. Kit will have an active role in overseeing the process, making pastoral calls and coordinating our efforts. Pastoral care also includes disseminating intercessory prayer needs, so that others can pray for the needs of fellow parishioners. Someone once said, “A joy shared is doubled and a sorrow shared is halved.” Efforts will be made to be general in requesting prayers to keep the specific and private parts of our lives from public view. Such as, please pray for Kit who is going through a difficult time (not really). We find that it is important to provide more focused, specific responses for faster and more effective availability. Our desire is to be a pastoral presence for St. Michael’s I know from my own experience in both receiving and giving care, just how important a pastoral presence can be. My desire is to continue to reinforce our connectedness in the Body of Christ. We are one family, and we are one story. Mary Oliver says, “There are so many stories more beautiful than answers.” It is critical that information be passed on the committee, so a pastoral response can be made. We are counting on you to share news when you hear it. Terri can be reached at 706-399-0462 and terri.degenhardt@gmail.com Jim can be reached at 912-564-2400 and Kit can be reached at 706-830-5656 and  kitbrinson187@msn.com

United Thank Offering

   United Thank Offering (UTO) is a ministry of the Episcopal Church that provides a way for men, women and children to give daily thanks to God. Every year, the total offering of almost three million dollars, is used for projects at home and abroad to support grants for missions and ministry. The challenge is that the grant requests usually total close to seven million dollars. Families drop coins into the Blue Box each time prayers of thanksgiving are offered. On November 2, 2008, we will collect the boxes, count the money and write a check to UTO. All Saints Day (Nov. 2) and Ascension (May 24,2009) Sunday are the recommended ingathering times. Please give with a generous heart!

       ECW Readers and Friends met recently to review and discuss (with both laughter and tears) Randy Pausch’s best-selling book The Last Lecture.  A highly respected and popular computer science professor at Carnegie- Mellon, Dr. Pausch is married and the father of three young children.

     On almost the same day that he was invited to give the college’s annual last lecture, Dr. Pausch was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given 3 to 6 months to live.  He decided to use The Last Lecture podium to describe the goals he had set himself to live life fully and well.  It was a lecture focusing on life rather than death, and it then evolved into book-form with the aid of Jeffrey Zaslow, a columnist who had attended the lecture.

     At it’s next meeting, on August 26^th 6:30 pm, at the Wimberly House the Readers will discuss The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood, an autobiographical novel about a mother coping with the loss of her only child.  All interested readers are surely welcome.

 Alice Mann

 The St. Michael’s Thread Guild is an organization that supplies hand-made items to give comfort and hope to people in need—including people who are ill or undergoing stressful treatments for illnesses. These items include prayer shawls, blankets, hats, and scarves. The Thread Guild uses knitting, naalbinding, and crocheting to make these one-of-a-kind gifts. If you have need for an item, please contact Dee McKinney (graiae66@gmail.com) and let her know whether the item is for a male or a female, and what you would like to have for your gift (blanket, shawl, etc.).  Currently we have two weekly gatherings of Guilders, Mondays at 4 pm and Wednesdays at 5 pm.  All are welcome to join us in this rewarding ministry.

 Thanks

Dee McKinney