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Register Today for 2019 ASL Classes

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Learn American Sign Language!

Classes run Tuesdays, April 23 – June 11, from 7 – 8:30 pm at the Renwick Building (815 Princess Anne Street). Classes are taught by Pastor Mike Byrd, who is Deaf and has over 30 years of teaching ASL to hearing students. His passion and zeal for teaching and sharing his Deaf heritage are evident to all who meet him.

Fill out the form below to register. Cost for the class is $25, scholarships are available. Child care is available, please contact the office.

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Give Up Plastic for Lent

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Consider the tons of plastic we use and be aware it often ends up in our oceans. It is estimated that at the rate we are going there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean.  It can feel like a problem too big to address but:

What if we just stopped buying plastic for the 40 days of Lent?

  • What would it look like?
  • We’d shop from places that didn’t package food in plastic.
  • We’d take our own containers to shops to be refilled
  • We’d eat at home more often, and not wrap leftovers or lunches in plastic
  • We wouldn’t buy plastic
  • We would refuse to take free plastic stuff
  • We would frequent places that are not contributing to plastic pollution

This is just a start; please add to this list and share.

I know I for one will be surprised to see how much plastic I use without thinking.

Giving up plastic for Lent could make us more conscious of our connection to our surroundings. It could make us more conscious of our decisions. It could make us better stewards of God’s creation.

Lent is a time for reflection and for trying to get closer to God to understand what he wants for us and from us.

What if giving up plastic for Lent helped?

Lenten Weekend 2019

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The_Rev_Ōshin_Jennings
The Rev. Liam Ōshin Jennings

Rooted in Wholeness: Contemplative Prayer and Mindfulness

March 8 – 10, 2019. Featuring the Rev. Ōshin Jennings, leader of No Barriers Zen in Washington, D.C.

Online registration is now closed. Please register when you check-in at the door.

How do we remove barriers to nurture our inner selves? This year’s Lenten Weekend invites participants to let go of their thinking and surrender to God’s wholeness through practices of meditation and contemplative prayer. Our keynote speaker is The Rev. Ōshin Jennings. Rev. Ōshin is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest, a trained psychotherapist, and multi-media artist. He is the first known Deaf Buddhist monk and leads No Barriers Zen, a meditation community based in Washington, DC. The aim of No Barriers Zen is to make meditation practice accessible to people of all abilities and disabilities.

This weekend is accessible to all Deaf, hearing, and ASL communities and is made possible in part by a grant from the Episcopal Conference of the Deaf (ECD).

 

Schedule of Events

Friday – March 8
Sydnor Hall
6 pm: Potluck dinner – bring a dish to share!
Nave (note location change)
7 – 9 pm: Introduction to Meditation by The Rev. Ōshin Jennings

Seats and a limited number of cushions will be available. Please feel free to bring your own meditation cushion.

Saturday – March 9
10 am: Tour of St. George’s facilities
Nave (note location change)
7 – 9 pm: Expanding Our Practice by The Rev. Ōshin Jennings

Seats and a limited number of cushions will be available. Please feel free to bring your own meditation cushion.

Sunday – March 10
Nave
9 am: Worship Service with Homily by The Rev. Ōshin Jennings

Sydnor Hall
10 am: Adult Forum discussion “The Embodied Buddhist Journey” led by The Rev. Ōshin Jennings

Youth Floor
12:30 pm: Lunch with Youth

Nave
2 pm: Interfaith Panel Discussion: How do different faith communities participate in meditation?
Panelists:

Rev. Ōshin Jennings, our keynoter for the weekend
Seham El-Ansary, Islamic and inter-faith scholar and community leader, Fredericksburg-area resident. She is the founder and director of WAH- Women Alliance For Humanity, self-prosperity coach, former education and management consultant, and a lifelong community activist who has dedicated her efforts to civic empowerment, women & youth training, interfaith outreach, and the betterment of the community. She holds an MBA and a BA in Social Sciences and Education, with a minor in Psychology. She lectured in many universities, churches and synagogues. Her community work has been featured in various local newspapers, TV & Radio shows, in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. Education and empowerment work is her paramount focus and passion in life.
Dr. John McLaughlin, M.D. physician and mindfulness based stress reduction instructor. John has been involved in meditation and contemplative practices since his late teens. He started with TM (Transcendental Meditation) and currently practices in the Non Dual tradition in the Ramana Maharshi and Sri Nisargadatta lineage. His root teacher in Adyashanti. John is a cofounder of the Yoga Foundation of Fredericksburg which is a nonprofit organization which offers yoga, mindfulness and wellness workshops with a focus on the underserved in our community.  He teaches Mindfulness Bases Stress Reduction (MBSR) after having finished his teacher training with the founder Jon Kabat Zinn at the University of Massachusetts. He has a strong science background having trained as a MD and now combines his passion for the Body with that of the Mind and Spirit.
The Rev. Joe Hensley, rector of St. George’s.
The Rev. Ed Jones, Episcopal deacon and former editor of the Free Lance Star will serve as the moderator for the panel discussion

 

Online registration is now closed but you are welcome to attend! Please register at the door when you check-in.

 

Register for Chime Choir!

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Children grades 3 – 8 are invited to join our Chime Choir! Rehearsals are Mondays from 4:30 – 5:15 p.m. in McGuire beginning January 7. Contact Lisa Bogardus for more information.

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Annual Meeting 2018 Details

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St. George’s will gather for its annual meeting to elect the next class of vestry members on Dec 9 at 10:00 a.m. in the church nave at a combined meeting and worship service. There will be no 9 or 11:15 services. We will still hold the 7:45 and 5:30 services but voting will only occur at 10. The meeting and service are open to everyone.

Why are we shifting to a different format this year?

The main business of the annual meeting is electing four vestry members for 3-year terms. Our Episcopal church canons (laws) require us to “elect” vestry members. Many of us have struggled with this process as it means some people are chosen while others may feel rejected. Selecting church leaders is rightfully a spiritual discernment of whom God is calling, not a popularity contest. Conducting the election in the context of a worship service will set a more prayerful mood. Last year we offered voting opportunities at all the services. This was really stretching the limits of how the Diocese expects us to conduct the election. We will only vote during the 10:00 a.m. service and meeting this year. And again, I hope that it will bring an enhanced sense of discerning God’s will together.

The canons stipulate that only registered members of the parish, in good standing (actively attending and financially contributing) are eligible to vote. If you are not sure if you are registered, please contact the church office asap. We operate the election on the honor system. If you are not eligible to vote, we ask that you participate by praying during the election portion of the service while others fill out their ballots.

By combining the meeting with our principal worship service, I hope that we have a greater sense of participation as a whole congregation than we have had at separate meetings in Sydnor Hall. I encourage as many people to attend as possible from all the services so that we can see and pray with one another. Some have expressed concern that the children in the service may get restless. We will provide a special activity for kids to do during the announcements which will be somewhat extended but not too much. We are spreading out elements of the meeting throughout the service, so that it will flow along. There will also be fewer reports as we have had at other annual meetings. My hope is to have a meeting in February 2019 to give a true “annual report” of 2018.

As always I welcome your feedback and ideas. As we try a new thing, I pray God blesses our meeting and gives us wisdom and grace as we worship and give thanks for St. George’s and the opportunities we have to serve, care, learn, pray, give, and grow together.

Your rector and brother in Christ,
Joe+