Wednesday Information - July 21, 2021 - St. Martha's ...

Wednesday Information - July 21, 2021

Dear friends,

I began to serve as your interim rector at St Martha’s in August 2020, and I want
to take this opportunity to look back at the past twelve months.

When I arrived, the church was closed due to Covid, and the traditional route for a
priest to come to know their flock wasn’t available. I couldn’t visit anyone. Nearly
everyone wore masks.

The chief question was, “if we aren’t permitted to worship together, how are we
still the church?” That question had already been answered in part, since your
leadership team of Ron Kerchner, Tina Edgar and Mimi Dupont, were meeting
daily to discuss the affairs of the church and make sure everything continued
smoothly and that planning for the future was being undertaken.

That made things a lot easier for me when I started. I focused on returning the
church to in-person worship, which I believed was important to do in a time of
uncertainty. At least, I thought, if we can do nothing else, we can offer our
members the comfort of religion. Worship is the beating heart of any church, and
out of this worship our ministries continued to grow and flourish.

Soon after I arrived, the transition committee organized a “meet and greet” outside
the church, although it had a slightly surreal element with many people wearing
masks. Later I was able to meet with a number of you informally through the
Forum on the Corner. Once a week, I sat outside on one of the wooden benches
and waited for anyone to join me. There was only one day when no-one turned up.
That proved to be an excellent way to meet you, and to hear your stories.

St Martha’s congregation is mostly retired folk. I often hear people asking the
question, “how do we attract young families?” Believe me, in every church where I
have served, this question is asked. If I knew the answer, I would write a book and
retire on the millions I would make. There is no simple answer. At this stage, I
suggest you rejoice in the congregation you have, whose numbers are growing.

One of the strengths of St Martha’s is its people. You are warm, open and
welcoming. The church has an above average budget for outreach. The church
building is in good condition, well kept by its members. The location is fantastic
(hard to believe now that Bishop McKinstry, who bought the land, was criticized at
the time for making a bad investment). You have so much to be thankful for.

Through the Covid year the church continued with online services which have
continued into this post-pandemic phase. I hope that people have found their faith

renewed and strengthened during this time. St Martha’s main purpose is to
worship God and to build a faithful and loving community. This is an ongoing work,
requiring dedication, discipline and humility. Concentrate on God, and the rest will
fall into place.

I’ll have more to say on Saturday and Sunday. But for now, thank you to everyone
for your warm welcome and for making me feel at home here. The past twelve
months have been a real joy and a blessing.

With heartfelt thanks

Father David

       Join us as we worship together in person.
                        Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
                           Sunday, July 25, 2021
                          10:00 am- Holy Eucharist

If you are unable to worship in person, please join
               us as we livestream.
  To view the livestreamed service please click the Youtube link below.

Seashell Ringers Bell Choir Rehearsal
Wednesday July 21 at 1:15 pm

Adult Choir Rehearsal
Wednesday, July 21 at 7 pm. Meet in the Parish Hall.

Funeral of Elsa Fuentes
Saturday, July 24 at 11:00 am, followed by a reception in the Parish Hall.

Patronal Festival of St Martha
The saint day of St Martha - usually July 29 - is transferred to July 25. A special
Holy Eucharist which commemorates our church's patron will be celebrated at
10:00 am.

Farewell Celebration
Father David’s last service is THIS Sunday . We will have one service only at
10:00 am followed by a lunch at Bear Trap Dunes from 12:00 pm to 2:30
pm. Music will be provided by The Jazz Sanctuary Band.

Yoga
Beginning Monday, August 2 at 9:30 am in the Parish Hall. Rise & Shine Gentle
Yoga — Trish Huxley-Cohen, a 200RYT yoga teacher and LICSW counselor. $7
per person/”love offering.” Attendees should bring a mat.

Save the date
St. Martha's Annual Golf Outing to be held at the Salt Pond Golf Club in Bethany
on Saturday, August 28 from 9 am to 1 pm. More information to follow soon.

Who are we? We are parishioners helping parishioners of St. Martha’s

          •   To be actively connected to the St Martha’s community of faith, a community
              of mutual support

          •   To live as independently as possible as you grow older

          •   To have the ability to manage your appointments and your schedule

          •   To take care of things you normally cannot take care of yourself

          •   To obtain information on a variety of services available in the area

Services offered:

Friendly Visits or Calls –
Providing conversation and companionship, respite for caregivers

Transportation - Driving members to medical appointments, social or cultural events, the
hairdresser or barber, grocery stores and errands

Assisting with grocery shopping, clothing, and gift shopping, and picking up prescriptions

Taking care of minor household organization, minor household repairs, occasional pet
care, and plant care

Home Maintenance – Changing light bulbs, hanging pictures, checking smoke alarms,
moving outdoor furniture, providing simple repairs and minor yard work

Technology - Helping with computer, printer, email, programmable thermostats, smart
phones, and more. Helping connect with on-line services

Meals – Providing meals (on a short-term basis) when circumstances indicate a special
need. (This is not to take the place of Meals on Wheels)

Home repair projects – St. Martha’s has funding for doing special projects in
parishioner’s homes on an as needed basis. These could be accomplished by volunteers
or contracted out

Referrals – To be a source of information on available services in the area

Volunteer - St. Martha’s invites you to volunteer and support parishioners in our Parish.

          •   Volunteer Your Way - You decide the type of services you would like to
              perform as well as the days and hours you would like to volunteer. We
              appreciate all that you have to offer, and we will work with you to find the
              best fit for your contributions

          •   For questions or to volunteer, please contact Ron Kerchner, the Helping
              Hands Coordinator (609-424-7281 or thekerchners@msn.com).

Outreach
Summer Literacy Corp offers free reading lessons and books for students in first through
fifth grades June 28-August 5. For more information contact Alexis Elkins
at alexis@summercollab.com

Hospitality
On August 4 at 11AM the Hospitality Committee is having a meeting to discuss the
events for the remainder of the year. If you are interested in helping us plan events this

year, please contact Josie Legeer at Jlegeer@comcast.net or Pat Long
at carlandpatlong@hotmail.com.

Flower Guild
This is a reminder that we only have eight Sundays still available for memorial flowers.
September 12 and 26, October 3 and 17, November 7 and 21, and December 12 and
19. If you would like to remember someone or an occasion on one of these dates, just let
me know. Alice Anne Freund aafreund@verizon.net

Capital Ringers Presents “Rise
Up! Reflect. Ring. Renew.”

“Rise Up! Reflect, Ring, Renew” is a virtual
tribute to the Community and all that we
have endured together over the past year.
The six selections are inspirational and
stirring and just in time for the Fourth of
July. The concert can be viewed using the
following link: St. Martha's - Bethany
Beach - Capital Ringers It will be
available online until November 2021.
Please share this site with your friends and
neighbors! St. Martha’s is a proud sponsor
of Capital Ringers.

                                               Congratulations to our Vision Mixer Timothy
                                               Gordon, who started work this week with Mid
                                               South Audio. Timothy works behind the
                                               scenes every Sunday to produce our weekly
                                               livestream and upload to YouTube. We wish
                                               him all the very best in his new position.

Vision Mixer

We are looking for people to learn the art of
mixing our livestream videos. Our aim is to
build a team of people who are trained and
efficient in operating the video technology
every Sunday. If you are interested, please
contact Father David or Clem Edgar or send
an email to
admin@stmarthasbethanybeach.org.

                                     Prayer List
Bev and Jack Shubert, Marie Hogsten, Robert Hicks, Christine Mains, Carolyn Clarke,
Jim Lucas, Jane Robbert, Cathy Jordan, Al Davidson, Diane, Barbara Mahoney, Harry
Burlew, John Walker, Ron Steen, Don Boebel, Jenni, Sister Cassandra Norsworthy, Tom
Mieszala, Mimi Drew, and Anne Marie Gee

For the recently departed: Elsa Fuentes and Daniel Hasson

For our serving military: Quinn Barber, HM3 Kevin Murphy, Conner Warlow, Daniel
Olnick

Prayer LIST – If you would like to add someone to the Prayer List please contact the
office at (302) 539-7444 or email admin@stmarthasbethanybeach.org. The Prayer List
is a way to ask for prayer from the whole congregation for a loved one who is dealing with
a stressful issue such as chronic illness, job problem, or other personal problem. Only the
person’s name is listed. Names stay on the list for one month unless and until renewed.

Prayer CIRCLE – These volunteer prayer warriors pray for a person who has asked for
urgently needed short-term prayer for a specific purpose like surgery or an upcoming
medical test. These requests are confidential. You can
email prayercircle@stmarthasbethanybeach.org for Prayer Circle intercessions. You
can also contact Jaclyn at admin@stmarthasbethanybeach.org or 539-
7444. Voicemail messages are being monitored and you will receive a return call during
normal office hours (Monday-Thursday, 9am-1pm).

Pastoral CARE –If you have a pastoral care need, please call Carol at (732) 216-6875 or
contact the office using the email address or phone number listed above.

Pastoral Care EMERGENCY – Please contact Ron Kerchner at 609-424-7281.

Please give by mail or website donate button
Please continue to support our mission work by submitting your pledge to St. Martha’s
Episcopal Church, PO Box 1478, Bethany Beach DE 19930 or give via the donate button
on the website where there is a box to note your contribution
purpose: https://www.stmarthasbethanybeach.org/make-donation-or-pledge/.

              Almighty God, we entrust all who are dear to us to your
            never-failing care and love, for this life and the life to come,
             knowing that you are doing for them better things than we
           can desire or pray for; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

                            Have a wonderful week!
The Rev. David Beresford, 302-468-9062, davidberesford@gmail.com
Senior Warden, Ron Kerchner, 609-424-7281, thekerchners@msn.com
Junior Warden, Bill Freund, 301-229-0799, wmfreund42@gmail.com
Secretary, John Short, 302-829-1699, johnnyeshort146@gmail.com
David Kemper, Music Director, 267-421-4453, dc.kemper@hotmail.com
Jaclyn Hickman, Administrative Asst., 302-539-7444, admin@stmarthasbethanybeach.org