Welcome to newcomers Jacqueline, Christopher, Margot, and Nicolas Hasty; to David Nixon; and to Ed, Kate, and Phoebe Biali. We are very happy to have you here.

Thanks to Michael Rose for overseeing the plastering and repainting of the chapel. If you haven’t had a chance to take a look, please do so – and note the way in which the architectural details of the room have been brought out by a slightly darker blue trim. Michael also helped oversee recent plumbing repairs in the church building.

Thanks to Noreen McLaughlin for her help in shepherding our application to the town for permission to put up a new church sign. Noreen took over from Lynn Mahone, who worked with an architect and the various parts of Saint Saviour’s community to develop a sign design.

Thanks to Carol Marinelli for her dedication in stocking the parish kitchen with paper goods and coffee hour supplies.

Thanks to Liz Sweeney and Suzanne Graham for serving as counters (of the Sunday collections) each week.

Thanks to Liz Sweeney who, after many, many years of dedicated and loving labor on the Altar Guild, has tendered her resignation.

Saint Saviour’s youth group mission trip to St.Christopher’s
Saturday, April 10, through Thursday, April 15, 2010

In 1943, Father H. Baxter Liebler, the man who built Saint Saviour’s Episcopal Church in Old Greenwich, left Connecticut to start a mission among the Navajo in Bluff, Utah.
St. Christopher’s Mission is still in existence in what remains one of the poorest parts of the United States. In its early years, St. Christopher’s didn’t bring just the gospel to the Navajo; it provided education and health care. Most of these social services are now being provided by tribal and governmental organizations, but St. Christopher’s is still spreading the gospel and acting as a focal point for the Navajo community in Bluff.

On April 10, 2010, seven members of the Saint Saviour’s youth group will leave Old Greenwich before dawn and arrive in Bluff, Utah, in time for dinner. Over the next four days, the youth group members and their four adult leaders will live and work with the community at
St. Christopher’s. The principal work project for the group will be the large community farm at St. Christopher’s. This community farm has fallen into disuse, but St. Christopher’s is working on bringing it back, and the Saint Saviour’s team will help with irrigation, planting, and other tasks. The youth group will also have the opportunity to participate in the Hogan Learning Circle at St. Christopher’s, learning about Navajo culture and discussing the evolving mission of
St. Christopher’s within the Episcopal Church in Navajoland.

The youth group hopes to raise $2,000 through the gumbo dinner to be held on Saturday, March 13 at 6 p. m. at Saint Saviour’s. Half of this amount will be donated to St. Christopher’s, to go toward the community farm and other projects. The remaining funds will help to defray the costs of the trip, including the rental of two vans to make the 340 mile trip from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Bluff and back, and the purchase of food while the group is living at St. Christopher’s, cooking its own meals.

Bill Mahone

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Gumbo dinner

The Saint Saviour’s youth group served a stunning gumbo dinner on Saturday, March 13, in the midst of the worst storm of the 21st century. The undercroft turned out to be a safe and welcoming place to sit out the storm, with delicious corn bread, stewed okra, fresh Wellfleet oysters, and GUMBO (spicy and/or sort of mild)! There was also a wonderful array of homemade desserts.

The entire youth group turned out to prepare, serve and clean up: Aubrey Carter, Charlotte D’Acierno, Gillian D’Acierno, Elizabeth Devlin, Katherine Devlin, Maya Edward, Whitney Lees, Jordan Lytton-Smith, Bobby Schantz, Alex Yancey, and Michael Yancey.

Able adult assistance in the cooking, set-up and clean-up was provided by (sorry if I missed anyone): Tara Burns, Joe Carter, Marky Carter, Margaret Devlin, Tom Devlin, Bill Grant, Barbara Kohn, Kim Kohn, Courtney Lees, Bill Mahone, Lynn Mahone, Joe Marinelli, Noreen McLaughlin, Marian Rose, Lauren Stevens, and McKenzie van Meel.

And, of course, Marshall Gumbo himself, Michael Rose was everywhere. Michael conceived, planned, and executed this extraordinary dinner. Apart from everything else, Michael spent many late nights stirring pots of steaming seafood, chicken, sausage and the “secret ingredients” that made the gumbo so delicious.

The purpose of the dinner was to raise money for the youth group’s mission trip to Utah in April. The goal was $2,000. Well over 100 people attended the dinner, and many people who couldn’t attend made generous donations. The final tally amounted to $3,012. Many, many thanks to everyone who supported the youth group in this ambitious undertaking.

Tents for Haiti

Through your generosity, Saint Saviour’s has contributed $3,199 to help buy tents for people in Haiti left homeless by January’s devastating earthquake. Thank you, thank you.

The next FOODBANK SUNDAY will be
April 11.

Please put the date on your calendar, and, remember, if you are not going to be in church
on April 11, you may make a small donation by check, payable to “Saint Saviour's Church” a
nd designated on the memo line for the FoodBank of Lower Fairfield County.
Please pack your food contributions in boxes if you can.

We are collecting items that the FoodBank most needs. These items are:
canned chicken and tuna, soup, Carnation Instant Breakfast,
saltine crackers, breakfast cereals, peanut butter, grape jelly,
rice, powered milk, jarred or canned spaghetti sauce, pasta,
canned vegetables, pork and beans,
macaroni and cheese, and applesauce.

Thanks to all of you for your generosity. Shel Grant.

“Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”

Discussion of this book written by Paula Fredriksen has been postponed from March 23 to
April 20 at 7:30 p. m. to give folks more time to read it. It’s a wonderful book – please join us if you can.

“From Jesus to Christ”

On two Tuesdays, May 4 and 11, from 7 to 9 p. m., Lisa Byrns and Leo D’Acierno will host a showing of the film, From Jesus to Christ, which explores how the mission of Jesus developed into the early Christian Church. It is a well done, accessible, and sophisticated program, in four parts (we will watch two parts per evening). Seating is limited to ten, so please contact the parish office (203-637-2262) if you are interested in attending.

Suggestions?

Please let me know if you have topics you would like addressed in sermons and let Dianne Ellis or me know of hymns you would like us to sing. We will try to weave these into upcoming services. Please also let me know if there are subjects for adult education you would be interested in pursuing. Victoria

Please contribute to the rector’s discretionary fund

The principal means we have of helping individuals and families who are experiencing difficult financial circumstances (not being able to make rent, pay for essential medical supplies, etc.) is through the rector’s discretionary fund. The only money that comes into the fund on a regular basis is that specified in canon law – loose bills and coins in the collection plate on one Sunday a month, in our case, the first Sunday of the month. This usually runs about $30 a month.

A small number of parishioners contribute by writing checks specifically for the discretionary fund, either on the first Sunday or at other times (as long as the check mentions the rector’s discretionary fund, the timing doesn’t matter). Especially in these troubling economic times, there is an ongoing need by both parishioners and non-parishioners for assistance – to enable them not to lose their housing or medical insurance, if they have it; to enable them to purchase drugs or get medical care if they don’t have medical insurance.

Please consider donating to the rector’s discretionary fund, occasionally or regularly, by writing a check specifically for this purpose or by putting a generous cash donation into the offering plate on the first Sunday of the month. (And, in case you are wondering, the fund is audited annually, as part of the parish audit.)

Many thanks. Victoria



Suggestions?

Please let me know if you have topics you would like addressed in sermons and/or hymns you would like us to sing. I’ll try to weave these into upcoming services. Please also let me know if there are subjects for adult education you would be interested in pursuing. Victoria