We are a loving and inclusive community of believers
and seekers who know that God is love (1 John 4:16), mercy
triumphs over judgement (James 2:13), and being a Christian
means living and loving like Jesus (Matthew, Mark, Luke &
John). Come and see!
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BISHOPS STOKES APPEAL
Collection for the Diocese of the Bahamas
“Rejoice
in hope, be patient in suffering, contribute
to the needs of the saints,
extend hospitality to strangers.”
--
Romans 12:12-13
We’ve all been heartbroken to see the
devastation visited upon the Bahamas by Hurricane
Dorian. As of Friday morning, more than 30 are
confirmed dead, with that number expected to
rise significantly. Large areas have been completely
leveled. Lives, homes, and basic infrastructure
have all been destroyed. The blessing of diversity
all across our diocesan community also means
that the vast majority of our congregations
are grieving family members and friends who
have been impacted, or have community connections
with those whose loved ones have been affected.
Bishop Stokes has pledged the support of our
Diocese to relief efforts led by the Anglican
Diocese of The Bahamas & The Turks and Caicos,
and is offering us the opportunity to respond
in solidarity by asking congregations to take
up a second collection every Sunday in September
to benefit storm victims in the Bahamas.
Checks should be made out to St. Mary’s
(please note: Diocese of the Bahamas in the
memo) At the end of the month a check
for the total will be forwarded to the Diocesan
House which will then be forwarded to the Discretionary
Fund for Bishop Laish Zane Boyd Sr. in the Bahamas.
 
UPDATE:
BISHOP STOKES RECENT REQUEST Thanks
to your generosity we will be sending a check
to the Diocese in the amount of $1431.00
which they will forward to the Diocese of the
Bahamas for the relief efforts in the Bahamas
& Turks and Caicos.
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SINGERS NEEDED The choir is
in need of a few singers, especially females
(altos and sopranos). If interested, please
speak to
JoAnn Roy, our choir director/organist.
SPECIAL THANKS to John
Wesson and Rich
Wood for cutting and trimming
the church lawn all summer
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BLUE
CHRISTMAS SERVICE 
The holidays can be a sad time
for many when a number of painful life situations
can make parties and joviality difficult for many
people. Those looking for comfort, wholeness,
and renewal are invited to our Blue Christmas
service which will be held on Sunday, December
15 at 4PM. Our worship will be a quieter celebration
of Christmas, a time of reflection, meaningful
words, and music designed to help each us to feel
God’s presence.
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HOME CHURCH GATHERING
Please consider hosting a HOME CHURCH
GATHERING. We will bless your home
with Love, Laughter, food, scripture and Eucharist.
A fun and casual way to worship like the early
church did! Please phone the parish office if
you plan on attending or for more details. Our
next gathering will be at the home of
Suzanne Jorgensen on Monday,
Dec 2 at 6:30PM
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Eucharistic Ministers are available to
bring Communion to those who are not able to get
to church for extended periods of time due to
illness or mobility issues. We are grateful to
Robin Henry for stepping forward
to co-ordinate this vital parish ministry. If
you know of someone who needs home, hospital,
rehab, or nursing home visits, please let us know.
If you would like to be trained to participate
in this beautiful ministry, please contact
Robin or Mother Victoria. |
Welcome to the WeShare family!
Want a more convenient way to support St. Mary’s?
Want to support St. Mary’s consistently
throughout the year?
Want to make sure your pledge is there when
you can’t be?
Switch to electronic giving – simply
click on the heart below or go to
https://saintmarysbythesea.churchgiving.com
Please feel free to contact the WeShare
customer service team for assistance at WeShare@4lpi.com
or call 1 (800) 950-9952 and select Option 1.
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ST. MARY'S WELCOME COMMITTEE
PRESENTS:
THANKS FOR GIVING SUNDAY!
On Sunday December 1st our
10 am service will celebrate volunteerism
at St. Mary's. We invite everyone who
works so hard in any of our outreach
ministries to join us for special prayers,
music, reflection, and coffee hour goodies.
For this hopefully first annual event,
we have chosen to especially honor Ms.
Lois Lyon, as founding mother of our
signature outreach ministry Mary's Table.
We are grateful to Lois and to everyone
who works so faithfully in living the
Gospel of Jesus Christ here at St. Mary's!
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ST
GREGORY’S PANTRY
Set up for this year’s
Thanksgiving Distribution is on November
24 from 2 to 4PM.
We need lots of helpers to move heavy
cartons and stock tables with enough food
for the 225 families that will be attending
the event on Monday,
Nov 25. Please come on
the 24th & help us make this possible.
Many thanks. We are also in need of helpers
for the Distribution on Monday,
Nov. 25 anytime from 9:00AM-1:00PM
ST. GREGORY’S
CHRISTMAS DISTRIBUTION of both
food and toys, will be held this year
on Tuesday, December 17
(home deliveries on the 18th) If you would
like to volunteer please come anytime
from 9:00AM-1:00PM
Thank you, St. Gregory’s
Pantry
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2019 Advent Bible Studies
“When you are truly a happy Christian,
you are also a Buddhist. And Vice Versa.”
p 197 Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich
Nhat Hanh
Lesson #1: Tues, Nov 12, 10:00 AM, Jones Room,
The Beginning of Buddhism. Please read “The
Agganna Sutta” and Genesis 1:1-3:24.
Lesson #2: Tues, Nov 19, 10:00 AM, Jones Room,
Women in Buddhism. Please read “The Songs
of the Female Elders” and “The Gospel
of Mary”
Lesson #3: Tues, Dec 3, 10:00 AM, Jomes room,
Buddhism and the West. Please read “The
Smokey the Bear Sutra” and the XIV Dalai
Lama’s “Nobel Peace Prize Speech”
Lesson #4: Tues, Dec 10, 10:00 AM, Jones Room,
Chronology of Buddhism, Islam and Christianity.
Please read “Budda’s First Sermon”
and The Sermon on the Mount/Plain in Matthew
5-7 or Luke 6:20-49.
Lesson #5: Mon, Dec 16, 10:00 AM, Jones Room,
watch a PBS film entitled “The Buddha,
The Story of Siddhartha”. Please read
“Verses of the Dharma” and some
of The Book of Proverbs in the HB/OT.
Questions: Andrea Rittenhouse andrea.rittenhouse@verizon.net
or phone 732-295-8233
All Buddhist readings and non-canonical Christian
readings will be given to you a week ahead except
the ones from the Bible
which you can easily find for yourself.
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SUNDAY SCHOOL FAMILIES We’re
nearing the start of another fun Sunday
School year and we look forward to
seeing the children of St. Mary’s. Copies
of the calendar and registration form are attached
here and can also be found at the rear of the
church. Please complete the registration form
and return to teachers on the first day of class
in September (the 15th).
Download
Registration Form here
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ST. MARY’S CHALLENGE A
COMPLETE SUCCESS!!
 Back
in January, at the Annual Meeting, we introduced
the St. Mary’s Challenge. The challenge
was that if we could raise an additional $5,000
in donations (designated as St. Mary’s
Challenge) above our pledged amount of donations,
an anonymous donor would match those additional
donations dollar for dollar.
We have not only
met the challenge, we have exceeded it by $135.00!
As Treasurer, I would like to thank everyone
who contributed to the challenge. Your generosity
has been magnified with the match!
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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
For the Soup Kitchen in Asbury
Park. We need a few more volunteers for 1 or
2 Saturday mornings a year. Please contact Laura
Grodewald (ldunn06@gmail.com
/ 732-948-3186) for more information.
Check out our 
Calendar of Events
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SUNDAY BOOK STUDIES 2019 – 2020
Sundays Between Services in the
Jones Room 9 to 9:45 am
Join Us Anytime!
October 6 to December 15
“God
of Love: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity
and Islam” by Mirabai
Starr
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JOAN VALENTINE HOUSE
2019 CHRISTMAS WISH LISTS
 Once
again this year, the staff at Joan
Valentine House has compiled
a list of Christmas gift wishes for
their 50+ residents. The residents ‘wishes’
are split among several local churches.
If you would like to purchase a present(s)
for one of the residents, please click
here. Each resident has
a couple of items listed (clothing,
CD’s, books etc.), along with
a request for a gift card(s) from any
of the local businesses that they frequent
here in town (Dollar General, Corner
Bagelry, Stop & Shop etc.). The
suggested donation for a gift card is
$10.00, but any amount will be greatly
appreciated. All gifts should be wrapped,
tagged and returned to the parish office
no later than Sunday, December
15th. Please include gift
receipts for clothing so that
items that don't fit can be exchanged.
If you choose to shop for a resident,
please email Cherisse at stmssecretary@verizon.net
with their name and I will remove them
off the master list. If the name has
already been taken we'll get back to
you and let you know.
Please click
here for the
list.
Any questions, please email or give
Cherisse
a call in the office at 732-892-9254.
Also, if you have a truck or SUV and
would be able to help transport the
gifts over to Valentine House on Monday,
December 16th, please let me
know.
Thank you so very much to everyone that
has offered to shop for a resident.
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MARK
YOUR CALENDARS!
St. Mary’s 14th Annual Gift Auction
Saturday, February 22, 2020
~ VFW Adamston Road in Brick
If you would like to put your name on
the list and be notified when tickets
are available, please contact Cherisse
in the parish office with the number in
your group.
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SEAMEN’S CHURCH INSTITUTE
Traveling for business or pleasure? Please
consider bringing home the hotel’s
or ship’s toiletries to share with
the seafarer’s at SCI. SCI is eager
to receive travel-sized toothpaste, shampoo,
conditioner, lotion (hand or body), and
soap. Unscented items are preferred. Please
leave your donations in the kitchen marked
for Elaine Long.
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Twenty-Second
Sunday after Pentecost
Proper 27
November 10, 2019
O God, whose blessed Son came into
the world that he might destroy the works of the devil
and make us children of God and heirs of eternal life:
Grant that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves
as he is pure; that, when he comes again with power
and great glory, we may be made like him in his eternal
and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
In the second year of King Darius, in the seventh
month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the
word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying:
Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor
of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high
priest, and to the remnant of the people, and say,
Who is left among you that saw this house in its
former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it
not in your sight as nothing? Yet now take courage,
O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; take courage, O Joshua,
son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage,
all you people of the land, says the Lord; work,
for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts, according
to the promise that I made you when you came out
of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear.
For thus says the Lord of hosts: Once again, in
a little while, I will shake the heavens and the
earth and the sea and the dry land; and I will shake
all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations
shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor,
says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and
the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts. The latter
splendor of this house shall be greater than the
former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place
I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.
Haggai
1:15b-2:9
As to the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ and our being gathered together to him, we
beg you, brothers and sisters, not to be quickly shaken
in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or
by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the
day of the Lord is already here. Let no one deceive
you in any way; for that day will not come unless
the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed,
the one destined for destruction. He opposes and exalts
himself above every so-called god or object of worship,
so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring
himself to be God. Do you not remember that I told
you these things when I was still with you?
But we must always give thanks to
God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord,
because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation
through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief
in the truth. For this purpose he called you through
our proclamation of the good news, so that you may
obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then,
brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to
the traditions that you were taught by us, either
by word of mouth or by our letter.
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself
and God our Father, who loved us and through grace
gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your
hearts and strengthen them in every good work and
word.
2
Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17
Some Sadducees, those who say there
is no resurrection, came to Jesus and asked him a
question, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if
a man's brother dies, leaving a wife but no children,
the man shall marry the widow and raise up children
for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the
first married, and died childless; then the second
and the third married her, and so in the same way
all seven died childless. Finally the woman also died.
In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the
woman be? For the seven had married her."
Jesus said to them, "Those who
belong to this age marry and are given in marriage;
but those who are considered worthy of a place in
that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither
marry nor are given in marriage. Indeed they cannot
die anymore, because they are like angels and are
children of God, being children of the resurrection.
And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself
showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks
of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob. Now he is God not of the dead,
but of the living; for to him all of them are alive."
Luke
20:27-38
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St.
Mary's by the Sea is a Christian community
that
strives to create a sanctuary for ALL
seekers
and believers alike
to
come and experience the Love of God through Jesus Christ,
to
share that love with those around us
and
in the wider world,
and
to grow in faith
as
part of a caring Christian family.
