A Message from Mother Dorothy

Dear friends in Christ,

When St. George’s Church served Room in the Inn at The Cottage on March 7, our overnight guests included three families: one mother, with her five children, a father, with his two sons, and a father with one son. It was wonderful that RITI was able to accommodate them that night: While we don’t always see families, it’s a bit heartbreaking when we encounter children who are being shuttled from church to church each night in search of shelter. In the same breath, we acknowledge how wonderful it is that RITI is there to provide the stop-gap that keeps these families off the streets and in places of warm hospitality.

In that way that God always seems to provide just what is needed, PZ and Selby Horton had an absolutely perfect meal for families that night: Hamburgers and fries. The children gobbled up the delicious dinner (Everyone had seconds!), and enjoyed ice cream and cookies for dessert. They were all well-mannered and well-behaved, thanked us for dinner and for being there to help, and busied themselves with games and toys on hand at The Cottage. The parents were busying themselves with laundering the kids’ school uniforms for the next school day, sharing loads to wash pants and shirts.

More and more families are finding themselves without shelter, as the cost of rent increases and wages from part-time jobs simply can’t keep pace (https://collegevilleinstitute.org/bearings/restoring-housing-hope/). As we gratefully serve and express our own prayers of thanksgiving that RITI is there for our neighbors, we can also acknowledge the fact that there must be ways to provide housing stability to persons who are struggling to make ends meet. I continue my own commitment to trying to find good answers, and pray that many of us who are fortunate enough to be sheltered will continue to support ministries like Room in the Inn.

In Christ,

Dorothy+

St. George's Events & Activities

Mar. 25 – 29 – Germantown Preaching Series
Mar. 28 – Maundy Thursday Service (7 p.m.)
Mar. 29 – Germantown Preaching Series at SGEC (12 p.m.) & Stations of the Cross (1 p.m.) ; Good Friday Service (7 p.m.)
Mar. 31 – Easter Day, Services at 6:30, 8, and 11 a.m., Family Egghunt
April 1 – SGEC and SGEP closed, FOM Concert by the Balourdet String Quartet (7:30 p.m.)
April 03 – St. Cecilia Choir Rehearsal (5:30 p.m)
April 05 – EYC to attend play at Elmore Park Middle School (6-9 p.m.)
April 06 – Train Show
April 07 – Youth Sunday with Baptisms, St. Cecilia choir, Celebration for Mother Dorothy & Youth
April 08 – Knitting Gathering (7 p.m.)
April 09 – Book Club (7 p.m. Library)
April 12 – Lancers & Partners in Parenting Potluck
April 13 – DOK Diocesan Spring Assembly / Artist’s Reception (3-5)
April 14 – Sunday, Bldgs & Grounds, Rhodes Singers Concert (3 p.m.), EYC Dinner & Devotion (4 p.m.)
April 17 – Pokeno
April 19 – Flying Solo, EYC to All Saints
April 21 – Sunday, DOK, MTAM, EYC at You’nited @ St. Columba
April 24-25 – SGEP Trike a Thon
April 27 – Earth Day event/Picnic with Youth, Children & Families ministry
April 28 – Sunday, Vestry Meeting
May 29 – June 2 – EYC Mission in Memphis
June 2 – Sanctifica Wind EnsembleConcert (2 p.m.)
June 2-7 -Youth & Adult “drop in helper week” for VBS.
June 10-14 – VBS

Weekly Events

Sunday – St. George’s Consort (12:30 p.m.), and Sanctifica Rehearsals (1:30 p.m.)

Monday – EfM

Tuesday – Tai Chi

Wednesday – St Cecilia Choir rehearsal / DOK Bible Study / Coventry Choir rehearsal

Thursday – Exultemus rehearsal, Thursday Night Bible Study

Worship with us In-Person or Online

We continue to provide a worship service online each Sunday,  livestreamed at 10:30 a.m. on our YouTube Channel then recorded and posted on our YouTube page and our Facebook page for later viewing. You can also access these from the front page of our website at https://stgchurch.org under Worship or Sunday Schedule by clicking wherever our YouTube channel is mentioned.

Healing Prayers each Sunday

If you would like to have healing prayers for yourself or through you for a family member or friend, members of the Order of the Daughters of the King or clergy will be available in the chapel in the back of the nave to administer healing prayers with laying on of hands and anointing if desired. Just go back to the chapel after you take communion or at the end of the service where they will meet you for prayer.

Message from the Treasurer:

Just use this button below, to give or to pledge! It’s that simple! We thank you for your support! 

To pledge time and offerings, you can use the link below or contact the church office. The report delivered at the Annual Meeting on January 28 details the many areas where you can volunteer, including once-a-year opportunities (with a fair helping of more frequent slots as well). If you have any questions, please contact me.

Jim Vogel, Treasurer

Special Gifts for Easter

Would you like to commemorate a special occasion, persons, or honor someone with a gift donation for the Easter flowers, musicians (the brass) or just a special offering to the church? There will be Easter Donation envelopes in the pews this Sunday and next for your offering or give online from the QR code above or the button below, designating your gift for Flowers, Musicians, or Special Easter donations and providing the name(s) of persons you wish to honor or memorialize. Donation deadline March 25 to be listed in the Easter bulletin.

Gifts for Mother Dorothy upon her Departure

If you are wanting to make a gift in honor of Mother Dorothy upon her departure, here is her wish as expressed in her column from the TIP of the Lance, 2-15-24: “So, after discussing this with the Vestry and obtaining their approval, I offer that if you’re wondering about a way to remember me, and are so inclined, please make a gift to St. George’s Friends of Music – Amahl and the Night Visitors 2024. I can’t think of anything more wonderful than offering this musical gift to the community again, even after I have begun serving the Diocese of Mississippi.”

This Week and Next

Maundy Thursday Dinner

Please make plans to join us for a time of fellowship and worship on Maundy Thursday – March 28, from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. We will gather in the Parish Hall for a Soup, Bread, Salad and Dessert. Then, we will proceed to the Nave for Maundy Thursday service at 7:00 p.m. Cost is $5 per person. Please RSVP to let us know that you are coming. We have a signup sheet in the Narthex or you can call the church office to RSVP. (901)754-7282.

Good Friday Services

12:00 noon Germantown Holy Week Preaching Service with homily by Mother Dorothy

Stations of the Cross immediately following in the Nave

Good Friday (choral) Service 7 p.m. with the Passion Reading, Veneration of the Cross,

Flowering of the Children's Cross Easter Morning at 11 a.m.

Children and youth are invited to bring a cut flower from your yard and meet in the Narthex prior to the service where they will adorn the cross with their special flowers (we will have additional flowers available so don’t worry if you forget yours!). After securing the flowers to the cross the children will wait in the Narthex to join in a special procession accompanying the cross into the Nave. Children and Youth will join their families in the pews immediately following the procession (save them a seat).

Lenten Food Drive Completed

As of today (Maundy Thursday) we have just completed week 6 of our Lenten Food Drive and delivered 2,742 lbs of food through last week (week 5) so our grand total will be over 3,000 lbs!!! Our thanks to everyone in our parish family and preschool who donated food, pantry and personal items, and special thanks to Rebel and Michael Marzec, Stephanie Billue, Sara Kasden and family and Mother Dorothy who loaded up their vehicles and took hundreds of pounds of food to the Collierville Food Pantry each week.

Parish News

The Pem Field Library has been updated and brought online!

Virginia Baird has reorganized our Library to catalog recent gifts and make it even more user-friendly by including a listing of its contents online (https://www.librarycat.org/lib/stgeorgelibrary). The Library employs the Dewey Decimal classification system with the OOO’s starting to your left as you enter the library and continuing clockwise around the room, culminating in the Children’s collection on the far right. The Gibson and Marquis collections have been integrated into the main collection and designated with the initial call letters GIB and MAR respectively. For instructions on how to use the Library in-person or online

From the Vestry:

What does community mean to you? Is it a particular place or a group of people? Is it both? I am sure for each of us our community includes the various places and people with whom we interact on a regular basis, whether that is through work, volunteering, friends or family. I would also venture to say that for most of us one community that we identify with is our St. George’s Episcopal Church Parish, but what is it exactly that makes it a community and more importantly one that you want to keep showing up for week after week?

I was raised in the Episcopal Church, meandering here and there as a teen and early adult, only to land back in the Episcopal Church around 2010. It was immediately recognizable to me that I had been missing what I would call the Episcopalian community. The spaces that are filled with reverence, the services filled with liturgy, the sermons rooted in history, however, what I was missing from this particular community was a sense of belonging.

This all changed the summer of 2019 when I first rolled into St. George’s Episcopal Church. It was clear to me that this was the community I was looking for, the community I needed. So, what made St.George’s stand out to me as a place I could plant and grow? Of course the spaces in which we worship are beautiful, the liturgy and services comforting and familiar, but what really struck me were the people. Never once in those first few Sundays, did I leave church without feeling seen, respected, and wanted. It was a community, while new to me, that was very clearly deeply embedded in the work of caring for one another. 

So for me, that is how I would define the St.George’s community, a place where I feel not only welcome, but needed, and also most importantly a place where I belong.

However, one of the constants of community (and family) is that they are always stretching, growing, and changing. While these aspects of a living community are necessary, they can also be difficult. Our community is currently in the midst of change, as we send our long time leader, our Mother Dorothy, out to a new community that needs her. However, we still have each other and that essence and sense of belonging that I first felt. This is what makes St. George’s a community, because while we may be losing a key member, we are not losing each other.

“ As it is, there are many parts. But there is only one body.” (1 Corinthians 12:20).

So, I want to thank you all for embracing me those years ago and welcoming me into a community where I feel like I belong. A community that is committed to each other and to the Lord’s work. In the coming weeks I hope that we all remember that we have an entire network of people with whom to connect to, rely on, and worship with.

Yours,

Molly M. Prewitt

Junior Warden

"Getting to Know You! Getting to Know All About You! " Lancers and Partners in Parenting Intergenerational Potluck, April 12

OK, so I couldn’t resist quoting some of my favorite Rogers and Hammerstein lyrics, but they just seemed so appropriate for our social event this month. Join with these two groups for an intergenerational evening of getting to know one another on Friday, April 12 in the Parish Hall. BYO drink (beer, wine or sodas), an appetizer, main dish, side or dessert to share. Social Hour at 6:30, dinner about 7 p.m. There will be food and activities for children in one of the classrooms. We will need several people to host to come early to set up and to ensure clean up. For information or to volunteer as hosts, contact Kit Decker or Karrie LaCroix.

Have Your Family Photo Taken for St. George's New Picture Directory - Photography Starting Sunday, April 14

We’ll be taking pictures after the 9 am and the 10:30 am services on Sundays April 14, May 5, and May 12 in the activity center. No appointments needed.  Just show up and wear clothing that will be visible against a darkish background.

Our photographers are donating their time so we’re not asking for any contributions, just a good turnout.  We need to help our new rector and any interim rectors get to know all of us and wouldn’t it be good to know each other better. 

If you have any questions or wish to volunteer, please contact Taylor Key at 901-503-9700 or email: taylor.key@penske.com

CPR and First Aid Classes Now By Demand Only

Bev Holllingsworth is no longer regularly scheduling CPR and First Aid Classes. However if you need to be certified or to recertify, contact Bev at bmhmom74@gmail.com to request a class.

Welcome to Coffee Hour

Coffee Hour normally follows our 10:30 a.m. worship service except on Food & Formation Sundays.

Meet your friends for coffee and a chat in the Parish Hall – thanks to Brunch Bunch (1st Sundays), Flying Solo (2nd Sundays), Vestry (3rd Sundays) and Daughters of the King (4th Sundays). We are so grateful to these ministry teams for taking the lead and helping us revive our Coffee Hour! We are also interested in other members or groups who might like to host an occasional Sunday. If you’d like to bring goodies to contribute on either Sunday, please contact

Sarah Bettendorf, for Brunch Bunch Ministry (Sarah@stgeorgesgermantown.org),

Sandi Bethel, for Flying Solo (slbethel@aol.com),

Taylor Key, for Vestry (Taylor.key@penske.com).

We are in need of a Coffee Hour Coordinator!

If this is your calling, please reach out to karrie@stgeorgesgermantown.org.

Be a Part of Our Worship Team

Crucifers and Torch Bearers Needed

Crucifers and Torch Bearers Needed

Thank You to all of our children and youth who will serve as acolytes! It’s never too late to join in so please contact Mary Margaret Freeman (marymargaretfree@gmail.com, or 901-336-1790) for more information.

Welcoming Teams, LEMs, & Acolytes Needed

We continuingly need a few more ushers/greeters to greet and help our worshippers find seats, and LEMs for 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services.

For more information about serving, please contact or respond to:

Andrew Proctor (LEMs, lectors, at proctorandrew@hotmail.com)

Stan Walker (ushers, stanlwalker64@gmail.com)

Leslie Darr (greeters, 6ldarr5@comcast.net)

Mary Margaret Freeman (Acolytes, marymargaretfree@gmail.com

Join a Music Ministry

St. George’s music ensembles, now in rehearsal, invite you to join in music-making:

Children’s choir Wednesdays, 5:30 – 6:15 pm (beginning Oct. 18)

Please contact Stephen Karr at music@stgeorgersgermantown.org.

Wednesdays, 7:00 p.m. – Coventry Choir

Please contact our Stephen Karr at music@stgeorgersgermantown.org.

Thursdays – Exultemus, our folk guitar and vocal ensemble, rehearses. Please contact Tom Fields (tgfields1@hotmail.com).

Sundays at 12:30 p.m. – St. George’s Recorder Consort – Please contact Angela Saunders (901-438-9975).

Sundays at 1:30 p.m. – Sanctifica Wind & Brass Ensemble – Please contact Karen Moore (901-486-0417).

Tai Chi Classes

Richard Link offers Tai Chi for Healthy Living on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. in the Activity Center. For more information, please contact Richard at (901) 581-8456 or link1945@aol.com.

“Notes about the Notes” - from Stephen Karr

As we look forward to the spring and summer at St. George’s, I have a goal that we reestablish a regular series of musical performances presented by the Friends of Music—during the summer, Concerts on the Garth: several informal performances by various Memphis-area musical groups where the community is invited to bring lawn chairs and picnics (or to purchase food from our youth) to pass a pleasant evening in our beautiful outdoor space, and during the academic year three or four various performances in the church, whose acoustics are excellent for music making. The prospect of offering our resources to the larger Germantown community is quite exciting, but I can’t do it alone. This week, I am asking for people to get in touch with me who might be interested in joining the Friends of Music committee. We especially need people who are interested in helping communicate about our presentations to folks outside of our walls, and who are willing to help with the nitty-gritty of presenting events (artist relations, set-up, clean-up, hospitality, copy-editing and—lest we forget—fundraising). No one person can do all of these things, but if you are interested in helping us present high-quality musical events, we can surely use your talents to great effect. Please reach out to me at music@stgeorgesgermantown.org if you’d like to help, and thank you for your support of our many-faceted music ministry here at St. George’s.

Stephen Karr

Director of Music Ministry

Don’t forget: You can find Stephen’s demonstrations of our service music on our YouTube channel! Please take a listen!

Gloria: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSlAodyyblI

Sanctus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwIuypyVgNA

Fraction Anthem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DglWUDBjEP4

Save the Date for These Post-Easter Musical Treats

Monday, April 1, St. George’s Friends of Music will host this group from Concert’s International, at 7:30 p.m. The Balourdet Quartet – currently Graduate Quartet-in-Residence at the prestigious Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University – received the Grand Prize at the 2021 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, as well as prizes in international competitions including the Banff, Borciani, and Carl Nielsen Competitions. The Quartet was also awarded the Gold Medal at the 2020 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the 2021 Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition, as well as top prize at the Borciani Competition in Italy. The Balourdet Quartet is a shared ensemble with our London partner, Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT). Members of the quartet are Russell Houston, Cello; Justin DeFilippis, Violin; Benjamin Zannoni, viola; and Angela Bae, violin, photo by Kevin W. Condon.

Sunday, April 14 – Sit back, relax and enjoy an afternoon of music on Sunday, April 14 at 3 p.m. when the Rhodes Singers from Rhodes College will present a concert hosted by our Friends of Music (and consider joining Friends of Music to help us bring and enjoy more concerts throughout the year.) Let Stephen Karr know if you’d like to join FOM.

Rhodes Singers, under the direction of William Skoog, is a select, auditioned mixed choir of 43 Singers, and serves as a flagship ensemble for Rhodes College. They perform a variety of mostly small-form choral works, in genres from virtually all style periods. They perform nationally and internationally and in recent years by invitation at the Kennedy Center and the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

The theme for this year’s concert tour is “Music for Healing.” Our society and world has experienced intense and horrific incidents of violence and terror in recent years; our local and regional communities, likewise, continue to see acts of violence. Music surely is a great instrument for healing and for building community. That is why this year, in light of those harsh realities, their 2024 tour program features the theme of healing.

Music in this program includes a setting of Kyrie Eleison, from Memorial by Rene Clausen. This work was written for the victims of 9-11, and includes texts in Hebrew, Greek, Arabic, and English, all pleading for mercy and peace. The concert also includes a meditative song for healing of our world entitled As I Walk the Silent Earth, by Thomas LaVoy, a movement from Rachmaninov’s Vespers done in memory of those killed in a Russian jetliner, Faure’s Cantique de Jean Racine in honor of those recently slain in Paris, an Estonian work entitled Su Rahva, by Timothy C. Takach, written for Rhodes Singers on a commission. The concert rounds out with a Gospel song by Caldrich and Ivory, entitled John the Revelator (to heal the sick and disabled), and the spiritual Hear My Prayer, by Moses Hogan. It is our desire that this concert will offer healing of a personal and societal nature for our world, and provide a message of hope and comfort for all who are receptive to its much-needed message.

How We Can Serve Others #Serve901

St. George's Room in the Inn Ministry hosts Feb 1st.

Thank you to everyone who has made St. George’s Church’s winter season with Room in the Inn a success! We are so thankful to everyone who has given so much of themselves to create a space of holy hospitality for our guests this season: our incredible coordinator and leader, John Remsen, everyone who has prepared meals, served guests, made beds, done laundry, and been present. Thank you all for all that you have done. John and his crew have now earned a season of rest. Watch for our call for volunteers next Fall.

More Than a Meal Needs Servers on Third Sundays

We serve More Than a Meal on the 3rd Sunday of each month at Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church from 3 – 5 p.m. . Join your St. George’s friends (and make new ones, too), when we next serve More Than a Meal and help make this season a hospitality-filled one for our neighbors. There are a number of roles for Sunday afternoons, from making nametags for guests, to plating food in the kitchen, to serving guests. We’ll start setting up at 3 p.m., and the meal will be served at 4 p.m. with cleanup usually finished by 5 p.m. Our next More Than a Meal Sunday will be April 21st.

Cooking for More Than a Meal

It is St. George’s delight and honor to lead the 3rd Sunday cooking team. If you enjoy making your way around a kitchen, and would love to have a hungry crowd to appreciate your cooking, here’s your opportunity! Many thanks to PZ and Selby Horton for leading the cooking team. Please contact PZ Horton at hortonpz@gmail.com for more information about joining the cooking team.

Calvary Closet Needs Clothing Donations

Calvary Closet needs gently-used seasonal clothing, especially for men, in large and extra large sizes, shoes, and blankets/ throws/ sleeping bags are especially needed for those sleeping outside. Also desired are duffle bags and wheeled suitcases. See the list of items needed and place your bags in the gift tubs in the Narthex. Coats are a high priority at this time, so that Calvary can stock its closet! Calvary’s Clothes Closet is desperate for coats and jackets for adults–the bigger the better as our neighbors experiencing homelessness layer clothing all winter. You can also order from the Amazon wish list (search for “Calvary Memphis Outreach”), and they will be sent straight to Calvary! Other needed items include

Backpacks
Rolling Suitcases
Hoodies
New Underwear
Work Boots
Men’s Belts
Plastic grocery bags
Jackets
Umbrellas/rain ponchos
Elastic waist pants/sweats
Blankets
Sleeping bags
Large/XL t-shirts
Toothbrushes/toothpaste
Deodorant’
Sneakers/Casual Shoes

MIFA Offers New Volunteer Opportunities

MIFA has a very urgent need for donations to assist people with Emergency Needs due to utility bills, mortgage payments, and restoration costs due to January’s severe storms that have caused crisis situations for folks who were barely getting by before the storm. Help MIFA respond with a gift to Emergency Services today. Your support ensure that our team can remain flexible and responsive, even as the need for services grows.

MIFA also encourages you to participate in their Plus 1 program where you elect to add $1 or more to your MLG&W monthly bill to help clients, vetted by MIFA, with their utility bills.

Other Ways to Make St. G's Smile

Kroger Community Rewards continues to support St. George’s. If you shop at Kroger for your groceries and sundries, please register with Kroger so that your purchases earn contributions to St. George’s.

Adult Formation

Education for Ministry now meets every Monday through May 2024.

To learn more, reach out to any EfM recent graduate or current participant: Caroline Brown, Rhea Clift, Janet Cooper, John Hannum, Perry Pennington, or John Planchon, or contact Verlinda Henning, mentor, at VerlindaH@aol.com r 901.490.1714

Thursday Night Online Bible Study Now Studying Christian Apocryphal Texts -- Register Anytime

St. George’s Thursday Evening Bible Study meets weekly via Zoom with Dr. Jimmy Elam as facilitator. We will meet online every Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. until May, 2024, unless there is a holiday or other conflict. Everyone is welcome each week, even if you have been unable to attend any prior weeks. 

We are now studying the early Christian church and it’s spread through the known western and eastern world. Readings, with outlines of the video lesson, , are provided weekly prior to the Zoom sessions. Join us each week as we investigate these amazing ancient documents. For information or to register: Contact Jimmy Elam at (901) 326-2376 / Jimmyelam@hotmail.com. You will need to register to receive the class handouts and Zoom link.

Next Forward Day by Day Available

Forward Movement offers beautiful books, apps, mobile-friendly websites, and podcasts to support a roving life of prayer. Visit prayer.forwardmovement.org to find morning and evening prayer, the daily scripture readings, Forward Day by Day meditations, special seasonal meditations and more. Or visit forwardmovement.org/podcasts to discover our various podcasts. If you’re not an online person, call 800-543-1813, and a staff member can talk with you about books that support prayer on the go. You can tuck a printed copy of Forward Day by Day in your pocket or purse.

Saint Paul challenged us to pray without ceasing. In today’s chaotic, sometimes hope-less, world, the advice to pray always has never sounded better.

Forward Movement’s Lenten Booklet Will You? is available right away as an ebook from Amazon Kindle or Apple Books and is also available as an audiobook from Audible or Apple Books. You may find print copies for sale with other online retailers and independent bookstores. 

-Yours faithfully, Scott Gunn, Executive Director, Forward Movement

The February-April issue is now available for pick up in the Narthex. You can also subscribe to an emailed daily version of the publication here.

Wednesday Morning Bible Study Open to All

St. George’s Chapter of the Order of the Daughters of the King hosts a Wednesday morning Bible study from 10 – 11 a.m. that is open to all interested persons.

They have completed their special Lenten Study and are now returning to the study of Hebrews beginning April 3rd. The study guide is Engaging God’s Word Hebrews. It is available from Amazon in print or kindle format at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1621940063?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

St. George's Book Club Meets April 9

St. George’s Book Club continues our reading year (monthly, every second Tuesday) with a discussion of Memphis by Tara Stringfellow at 7 pm in the church library. A Zoom option will be available.

Special Event: The author will be joining us via Zoom for our discussion.

This spellbinding debut novel by a local author, traces three generations of a Southern Black family and one daughter’s discovery that she has the power to change her family’s legacy. It unnfolds over 70 years through a chorus of unforgettable voices that move back and forth in time, Memphis paints an indelible portrait of what we pass down, in a family and as a country: brutality and justice, faith and forgiveness, sacrifice and love.

Our final book for May will be Take Me With You by Catherine Ryan Hyde and in June we will select our books to read for next year. If you would like to join the group, contact Kit Decker at kit.decker@earthlink.net to be put on the email group list for the Book Club schedule, announcements and ZOOM login information.

Family and Children's Formation

Please click here for a Google calendar with more detailed information. Please email Karrie for any questions or to RSVP for an event.

Our “Worship and Wonder” class for children ages 3 years old through 5th grade meets Sundays in Classroom B during a portion of our 10:30am service. “Our Journey with God” class for EYC (6th-12th grade) meets in Classroom A during a portion of the 10:30am service.

March and April have so much in store for you all! Please check things out below!

Thursday, March 28th, 5:30pm Maundy Thursday Soup Supper and 7pm service

Friday, March 28th, 7pm: Stations of the Cross for Children and Youth in the Parish Hall and Activity Center

Easter Sunday, March 31st: Family Egg Hunt and Festive snacks on the Garth immediately following the 11am service. EYC helpers needed at 10:15am to help with the egg hiding—donuts provided!

Friday, April 5th, 6pm-9pm. EYC meet in the front parking lot of St. George’s Episcopal Church. We will head to Bartlett Middle school to watch, “Mean Girls, Jr.”

Sunday, April 7th, 10:30am: Youth Sunday, No evening EYC

Friday, April 12th, 6:30pm to 8:30 pm: Partners in Parenting joins Lancer’s!

Sunday, April 14th, 4pm to 6pm:  EYC Dinner and Devotion. Our activity will be a project for The Vibe prom.

Friday, April 19th 6:30pm to 9pm: EYC to volunteer at The Vibe Prom at Madonna Learning Center.

Sunday, April 21st: “You”nited youth group Garden Day at St. Columba, details TBD 

Saturday, April 27th, 3pm to 6pm:  Families with children and youth join us for a special Earth Day lesson and celebration at St. George’s. We will have a brief lesson, complete various gardening projects at St. George’s and close out the event with a picnic together!

Sunday, April 28th, 4pm to 6pm: EYC dinner and devotion. 

 March/April Events with details have been added to the calendar; so, please click here for a Google calendar with more detailed information. Please email Karrie for any questions or to RSVP for an event!

Registration Open Now!

EYC Mission trip 2024 registration is now open! St. George’s Mission Trip is open to all rising 6th graders-12th graders. We will meet Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at 9am at St. George’s Episcopal Church and end our trip following the 10:30am worship service on Sunday, June 2, 2024 at St. George’s Episcopal Church. We will spend the days doing service work with Room in the Inn, MIFA, etc. Nights will be spent at St. Columba. We will have one day of fun at St. Columba on the waterslide and Ziplining. All meals, lodging and service activities will be provided. This trip is flexible so come even if you are only able to spend a day or two! There will be no fee for this year’s Mission trip due to an anonymous donation to the fund. Hope to see everyone there! To register your youth, please email Karrie!

Make plans now to come "sea" us for Vacation Bible School 2024 at St. George's Episcopal Church!

You will want to be sure to come aboard for “God is the Captain of Our Ship: Lessons at Sea!” where we will explore bible stories related to all things in the sea! There will be bible stories, crafts, science, games, snacks and much, much more! We hope to “sea” you there! 

VBS is for children 3 years old(and potty trained) through 5th grade. Any rising 6th graders and up interested in volunteering, please email karrie@stgeorgesgermantown.org

Date and Time: June 10th-June 14th, 9am to 12pm

Location: St. George’s Episcopal Church, 2425 S. Germantown Rd, Germantown, TN, 38138

There is a $25 fee per child for Vacation Bible School($15/each additional sibling).  

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

Please email karrie@stgeorgesgermantown.org for any questions!

June 3-7, 9 am to 4 pm Youth and Adult VBS "drop in" helper week

Any adults, youth and rising 6th graders interested in helping with Vacation Bible School, please come help us get the church ready for VBS! We will be here preparing decorations (we have a BIG vision for this!), organizing supplies and trialing games and activities in anticipation of the following BIG week of VBS! Lunch provided. Come as you are able.

Children are so very welcome at St. George’s!

Families, please know that children’s activity bags can be found in the Narthex! These bags include activities to help your entire family talk about the day’s scripture lessons. Please place bags in the basket under the coat rack after use so that we can refill them with supplies!

George's Bookshoppe

The Bookshoppe is full of Spring and Easter merchandise! We have adorable shelf sitters and plush animals plus Easter themed home decor including crystal eggs. Stop by and check out our nice selection of seasonal books, jewelry & scarves, too.

The Bookshoppe is open Sundays from 10 – 12:30

Art Gallery

Art Gallery Exhibit – “The Four Seasons” by St. George’s Episcopal Preschool

Our preschool children will grace the Art Gallery with their artworks through Easter Sunday. Come view the delightful arts and crafts displays from our preschool classes.

The next professional exhibit will be a one-man show by David Chapple entitled “Forty-some Odd Paintings” that will hang April 10 – 28, with a reception on April 13, 3-5 p.m.

Relief and Support for neighbors suffering following international conflicts, natural disasters, and refugee needs.

    • Episcopal Relief & Development has:

      • partnered with HIAS to Provide Mental Health Support in Response to Israel-Hamas War in Israel and with the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem to provide emergency medical support in the Gaza Strip in response to the Israel-Hamas war with the establishment of the Episcopal relief and development middle east fund.
      • developed an International Crisis Response Fund to support the families of the thousands of persons who have died in an earthquake hitting Morocco, flooding that has struck Libya – and left many thousands more without shelter, resources or employment. Please visit EpiscopalRelief.org to support the International Crisis Response Fund.
      • developed a Hawaii Response Fund to support our neighbors in Lahaina, Maui, following the devastating fires. Please visit EpiscopalRelief.org to support the Hawaii Relief effort.
      • developed a fund to support our neighbors in Turkey and Syria who have been devastated by a recent earthquake. Please visit https://support.episcopalrelief.org/syria-turkey-earthquake/ to learn more and to give.
      • developed a Hurricane Relief Fund to support those who are suffer from the effects of hurricanes and natural disasters in the USA and abroad. Please visit https://support.episcopalrelief.org/hurricane-relief/.
      • partnered with The Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe to aid Ukrainian refugees. Please visit  https://support.episcopalrelief.org/ukraineresponse.

Help Needed for St. Vincent’s School in Haiti

(A message from the Dean, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Memphis)

Violence and unrest in Haiti is endangering the important work of St. Vincent’s School, long supported by the West Tennessee Haiti Partnership (WTHP) which is co-chaired by St. Mary’s own Dr. Susan Nelson. 

WTHP is committed to supporting an orthopedic surgeon who plans to return to Haiti as soon as possible and will need vital supplies and financial support.

Two things are urgently needed: (1) your prayers for the people of Haiti, for the children and staff of St. Vincent’s, and for all who are trying to provide much-needed help; and (2) your money to support the work of WTHP, especially in helping provide this surgeon with supplies and funds.

To donate, please send a check to:

WTHP c/o the Diocese of West Tennessee

692 Poplar Ave.

Memphis TN 38105

Note: WTHP no longer has a website, so please consider sending a check —— with WTHP noted in the memo line. Thank you!

“Faithfully Memphis” continues each week on on WYXR 91.7 FM!
You’re invited to join Bishop Phoebe and others from the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee for our radio program “Faithfully Memphis” on WYXR 91.7 FM & podcast! Tune in each Thursday at 8 AM
Have a question for Bishop Phoebe that you’d like featured in our “Stump the Bishop” segment? Email it to us at faithfullymemphis@wyxr.org.
 

Diocesan and Community Events Coming Up

The Diocesan Communicator

The Diocesan Communicator of the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee is full of news and events listed below. For more information click on the Diocesan Communicator link above and click on the current issue.

2024 Diocesan Cycle of Prayer

Make praying for the ministries and churches of the Diocese of West Tennessee a part of your prayer practice in 2024. The Diocesan Cycle of Prayer for 2024 is now on our website. Access it at http://tinyurl.com/WTNDCOP24

2024 Bishop’s MIssionary Appeal for Seminarians and Curates

This year, funds raised will support individuals preparing for ordination in the West Tennessee Diocese. To learn more and to make a gift or a pledge, go to tinyurl.com/DWTNBMA2024

Coming Events:

Coming Events (Click on The Diocesan Communicator link above for details and more.)

  • April 21, 4 p..m. April YOUnited Gathering at St. Columba
  • Friday, April 26, 5:30 p.m. 12-Step Eucharist at Barth House Episcopal Center, followed by open 12-step meeting and meal
  • Applications Open: Summa Theological Debate Society and Summer Camp, July 16-24 at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee

News from St. Columba

Mud Camp Registration Opens

MUD CAMP– A SUMMER LIKE NO OTHER

Overnight and Day Camp sessions beginning June 16. Camp sessions are open to rising 1st through 6th graders with CIT camp for rising 7th and 8th graders. To REGISTER today, please visit us online at www.MemphisMudCamp.org

Summer Jobs for Teens

We are hiring for summer camp jobs for teens and young adults! Nothing could be more rewarding that having a job where you literally get to play with amazing children and get paid. Mud Camp and Camp Able are currently seeking Rising Sr. High school students and college students to serve as lifeguards, counselors, and adventure leaders this summer. Learn more!

Link for registration:

http://saintcolumba.campbrainregistration.com

Link to apply for staff:

saintcolumba.campbrainstaff.com

Camp Able, June 4-8

Camp Able is a nationally known camp serving children and adults with disabilities, or “diverse-abilities.” Each June, we host a traditional day camp that offers many outdoor and indoor activities for your camper in a safe and nurturing Christian environment with a camper/counselor ratio of 1:1. Your camper will climb, zip, slide in the mud, canoe, swim, fish, hike, and make new friends at St. Columba Episcopal Center near Bartlett, TN.

Link for registration:

https://saintcolumba.campbrainregistration.com

To inquire about holding an event at St. Columba contact: .https://saintcolumbamemphis.org/

Sunday Worship Service Schedule

Sunday worship at 9 and 10:30 
 
Face masks are no longer required, but strongly recommended for all unvaccinated and at-risk individuals during indoor worship and activities; any persons who are more comfortable wearing a mask should continue to do so. 
 
Those individuals who are working with children under the age of 5 are required to wear a mask.
 
Small groups may determine by consensus to continue to wear masks while meeting in the church or elsewhere.
 
People with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should worship with us online.
 
All unvaccinated persons who are eligible and able to receive the vaccine, and any persons who are eligible and able to receive a booster, are encouraged to do so.
 
Eucharist
We will not drink from the common cup; rather, if you would like to receive wine, the priest or the LEM will intinct the wafer into the chalice before placing it in your hand.

Worship with us In-Person & Online!

We plan to continue providing at least one service Online each Sunday livestreamed at 10:30 a.m. (NEW TIME) on our YouTube Channel and then recorded and posted on our YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/user/StGeorgesGermantown and our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/stgchurch/) for later viewing. You can also access these from the front page of our website at https://stgchurch.org under Sunday Schedule by clicking on the YouTube Channel link for the livestreamed service and the YouTube page and Facebook page links for the posted service.
 

We are Here for You

This year has affected all of us in unforeseen ways. Do you need help? St. George’s is YOUR community. Mother Dorothy is YOUR priest. If you need help–be it spiritual, mental, financial, physical, or emotional–the wisest action for you to take would be to reach out to a discreet resource that cares about you. There is no shame in saying, “I need help.” It is a courageous act of self-care.

We have confidential prayer warriors wanting to add you to their list. Let us know of any burden or joy you’d like to share.

Maybe you are someone who is comfortable right now, but remembers a time when you couldn’t manage to get Christmas dinner on the table. If you would like to “pay it back” or “forward” you can contribute to Mother Dorothy’s discretionary fund or contact her directly if you have resources to share with your St. George’s family.

Even if we cannot GO to church, we can still BE the church. Together, we will get through this.