This Week’s Announcements

Gaywood School Supplies Drive
As you may know, each year at this time we hold a school supplies drive for Gaywood Elementary School. However, because schools will start the school year using distance learning, we need to run the drive a little differently than in the past. Please do not buy bulk amounts of supplies. Rather, we are asking that you purchase a backpack and fill it with the specific supplies a child in either Grades K-2 or Grades 3-5 will need. You can find the lists here. The first day of school is 8/31/20 so we would like to start collecting your filled backpacks as soon as possible. Backpacks can be dropped off at the church during the following dates and times: Monday 8/24 from 7-8pm; Wednesday 8/26 from 9:30am-2:30pm; Thursday 8/27 from 1pm-4pm and 7-8pm; Saturday 8/29 from 9:30-11am. We will also collect backpacks on Wednesday 9/2 from 9:30am-2:30pm and 7-8pm but keep in mind that school will have already started by then, so backpacks should be dropped off sometime the prior week if possible. If you would like to participate in this year's supplies drive but none of these dates work for you, or if you have any questions, please contact Donna Haselton at dlhaselton@msn.com  Thank you!



Agape Meal and Evening Prayer
Let’s get together and break bread with a special service on Thursday, August 27 at 7:00 pm. The plan is to meet, perhaps at your kitchen or around your dining room table as we are linked to one another via Zoom. Or maybe you will have just finished dinner and retire to the family room or den where you can come online.  In some ways, it will be close to how the Acts of the Apostles describes the first gatherings of believers who gathered in their homes to break bread. 
And speaking of bread, you might even decide to bake your own loaf of bread with the directions we will provide for making a no-knead bread that you can make with the kinds of kitchen ware that most of us have. It is a simple recipe and you will get guidance for various options for leavening the dough. 
In the course of the service, we will reflect on scripture, sing a hymn and then bless bread (either the bread you make or the loaf you get from a store) and a beverage (could be wine or juice, for instance).  We will also reflect on the meaning of breaking bread with another, especially at a time when some—but not all of us—anticipate returning to our church services.  Join us this Thursday, August 27 at 7:00 pm. Please note, this event replaces the usual 6pm Evening Prayer for Thursday this week. You can find the meeting details on the calendar page of St. George's website.

Diocesan-Wide Virtual Service on Sunday August 30
Next Sunday, August 30 there will be no service to view at St. George’s as the Diocese has invited all parishes to join them for a virtual diocesan-wide service. Bishop Mariann will preside and preach at the National Cathedral, which will be live-streamed at 11:15 AM on the National Cathedral website, YouTube, and Facebook pages. Please note that on August 30 the St. George's hospitality time will go from 10:00 – 10:45 am. There will also be a Cathedral Service watch party via Zoom for those who would like to participate.  The link will open at 11:00 am for the 11:15 am service that morning. Find the meeting details on the calendar page of St. George's website. For those who want to watch the service outside of the watch party, on their own, here is the link for the National Cathedral website.  On that page, you can find links to National Cathedral YouTube and Facebook pages as well.

Sacred Ground Dialogue on Race and Faith Starts September 14
Register now for the Sacred Ground program! "Sacred Ground is a film- and readings- based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith.  Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race and racism, while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity.  It is a 10-part series in which participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of the present day, while grounded in our call to faith, hope and love.” The Sacred Ground program will be offered at St. George’s this fall via Zoom, with the first meeting on Monday, September 14. Here is what to know:

• The program will meet monthly, starting September 14 and then on the first Monday of each month
• Participants are asked to commit to the entire ten sessions, ending in June
• You must preregister as space could be limited; email Margaret McHale to register at mcbb2@verizon.net
• There are two books that form the foundational material, and as well as film clips, films and articles to read in preparation for each meeting
• We will order the books for participants.  If you can’t cover the cost, don’t let that keep you away!  We have the Ensuring Our Future Fund for just that reason. Just check in with Connie.
• The program will be offered for St. George's and facilitated by members of the Race and Social Justice Committee of the Diocese
• St. George's racial reconciliation team Repairing the Breach is sponsoring this program in conjunction with St. George's Justice League