January 2024

Happy New Year to all. I would like to thank you for the wonderful Christmas gift that I was given.  I plan to use it wisely starting with some new clergy wear.  After 5 years, it is time to replace some items and try some new ones.

I also want to thank everyone for helping to make Christmas special for our five adopted families.  Your generosity was greatly appreciated.   I am aware that most of you know that we had an issue with a few gifts missing this year, so with that in mind we are going to make some changes to the way we collect and store items until they can be delivered.  Sue K and Jinjer have volunteered to help provide some much-needed organization and help.

January is normally a quiet time where the only things we are collecting are hats, gloves, mittens, and scarves for the Mt. Hope Nanjemoy school kids.  However, this year we have been asked to join with the diocese and the Refugee Response Team to provide baby blankets for the expectant mothers who are arriving on buses from our southern border. They have specifically asked for handmade blankets.  We will bless the blankets before passing them on to Deacon Susan Walker who is heading this ministry.

I receive a daily email of a spiritual reflection from Bishop Steven Charleston, and I would like to share this with you.  Bishop Charleston is a retired Episcopal Bishop and is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation and a Native American Elder.

“The strength of the Spirit is round about you, encircling you with the power of love. You need not be afraid, for the Spirit will be with you, through all seasons, through all situations, the presence of love will not depart from you.  You are sealed into a living relationship with the holy, bonded to hope as though it was your heartbeat.”