The Next 90 Days or So, At a Glance... 

Wednesday 10:00 Eucharist will continue until August 1 and then will take a break for the remainder of August. We will resume our Wednesday 10:00 Eucharist on September 5.

Formation Opportunities:

For children & youth:

Sunday School & Children’s Church has ended for the year. Look for these to resume in September.              

Summer Camp opportunities listed at bottom.

For Adults:

Wednesday Morning Discussion Group will resume September 12 and will be reading of Joan Chittister’s book, In Search of Belief. Joan Chittister is a Benedictine nun, much sought after speaker and writer of several best-selling books. The focus of this book is the Creed. The back cover of the reads, “This book is dangerous. Once you have read it, you can never again mumble the Creed complacently without thought.  Joan Chittister kindles fire in its dry formulations, setting them ablaze with renewed meanings, making each phrase light the way to profound meditation. Read it at your own peril.” We will look at the many creedal statements that we share with both the Roman Church and the Orthodox church as well as the Lutherans and examine what they might mean to us today.   In Search of Belief can be purchased through our office in August for $9.36.  Books are currently on order.  Call office for more details.  

Sunday Morning Summer Formation Opportunities: 

July 15 & August 19  9:00 a.m-9:55 a.m. Lectio Divina come reflect together on the scriptures for the Sunday readings and our life in community.

September 16: Growing In Christ Journey begins after the 10:00 Service  This process is for those journeying toward the waters of baptism, those interested in confirmation, reception or reaffirming the faith of their baptism. Basically, it is for anyone that is looking to live into the baptismal words of growing into the full stature of Christ. See the weekly announcement page in your September Bulletin for more detailed information about each week’s class topic.    

Upcoming Events:

Community Dinner 3:00 July 28, August 25 & September 22     

What’s a community dinner? Community Dinner is our congregation’s chance to be Christ’s hands in our community. One Saturday a month, we fling open the doors of our church and invite everyone to come have dinner with us. Who do we invite? Those that Christ would have us invite—the hungry and those in need. We invite any and all parishioners to sign up for the many opportunities that these dinners provide: sandwich making, cooking, serving, having dinner with our guests, greeting guests, driving the community van, setting and cleaning up. We also now are proud to be a Satellite Food Bank for Thurston County. This means we can provide food to those in need that come to our dinner.  

June 27-July 25: The Brentwood Summer Art Program resumes in the parish hall from 2:30-4:00 p.m. on Wednesday afternoons. This project is for the at risk youth that are residents of the Brentwood facility. It is a program that encourages the young ladies of Brentwood to express themselves creatively while also facilitating growth of their self esteem. We are looking for volunteers to come help on Wednesday afternoons. The Project will end with a fun Art Show of their work on Sunday July 29.   Sign up sheets are in the hallway.  

September 2: Tri-Parish Picnic for the Episcopal churches of Thurston County 

10:30 outdoors at St. Christopher’s Church on Steam Boat Island Bishop Nedi Rivera will be our preacher & presider. Fun for all ages! Bring your lawn chairs or blankets for sitting, a dish to pass for the picnic after the Eucharist. Games, and fellowship for all ages. Music at the picnic will be provided by the band, Snake Oil.  There will be no 10:00 Eucharist @ St Benedict’s on the 2nd—only an 8:00.  Those interested in carpooling can meet at the church at 9:30. 

September 9: Guest Preacher Carla Robinson and Guest Presider Jerry Shigaki will be with us on that day. It is the 2nd Sunday of the month, so children will be invited to join us at the table.    

All Greeters & Ushers will meet after the 10:00 service—information coming in the mail to our hospitality ministers—keep an eye on your mail box!        

Outreach Committee will also meet after the 10:00 service  

September 16 is our welcome back to Church Sunday!

Come one, come all! This is a great day to join us. After the 10:00 Eucharist, we will have a brunch in honor of our newcomers along with the beginnings of our Growing in Christ class!  Everyone is invited that morning for food and for our Growing in Christ “class time” which will be more of a brief presentation and conversation about the history of St. Benedicts and the Episcopal Church in general. This is a great opportunity to welcome newcomers and learn more about our Church or refresh your memory about the Episcopal Church.   

September 24 @ 5:30-8:00 p.m.  Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers Potluck Meeting

All EMs & Lectors are invited and requested to attend this meeting. We will have the chance for fellowship and formation that evening as well as the chance to ask any questions about this vitally important ministry. Letters to all EM & Lectors are in the mail.  

Wonderful Camp Opportunities:  

Camp Michael, our local regional Episcopal Camp begins on August 5-9.  This is a wonderful program that is run by volunteers and is a creative fun camp for all ages.  For older kids, there is Counselor in Training Opportunities as well. Brochures for Camp Michael are in the hallway. This is a great chance for the whole family to have fun at camp and for kids to learn about God and religion outside of Sunday School. 

Camp Huston is our Diocesan Camp located in Gold Bar, Washington, approximately 2 hours from here. Camp Huston offers camp sessions for campers 3rd Grade -10th Grade with counselors as well. A mini-camp for younger children is also available for 2nd graders. This diocesan run camp is a wonderful way for children to learn about their faith, plan chapel, be in the woods and play non-competitive community building games as well as learn about being away from home. Camp Huston also offers adventure camps for everything from skate-boarding to horse back riding. Our Vicar Georgi spends a session at Camp every year as the Chaplain. For more information, see the brochures in our hallway or contact Georgi. Scholarships are available for children of all ages—as the camp is quite expensive. Please do not let finances deter participation as this program is outstanding! 

And as always… go out and have fun in the wonderful creation we call the outdoors! Don’t forget to play nice! 

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is.”  – Albert Einstein