St Martin's Episcopal Church in New Bedford MA

 

A Message from our Priest-in-Charge

 

Dear People of God at St. Martin's and St. Peter's,

 

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:  In the gospel we hear the story of a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years.  The gospel tells us that "she had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, 'If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.' Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease." QUESTION: CAN YOU THINK OF A TIME WHEN JESUS CHANGED YOUR LIFE IN SOME WAY?  If we approach the Lord with faith, healing can be ours:  physically, emotionally, spiritually.  Trust.  Pray.  Surrender.

 

GREEN SEASON:  We are now in the "green season."  The vestments of the priest are green as is our liturgical environment.  During the Sundays from Pentecost through Advent, we use the color green to remind us of our spiritual growth.

 

FACEBOOK PAGES:  The vast majority of people who discover a church find their new church these days via social media.  To reach our Facebook pages, simply enter "St. Martin's Episcopal Church New Bedford" or "St. Peter's Episcopal Church Dartmouth" and it should take you there.  Don't forget to "like" and "share our posts so that people in the wider community can see what is going on.  We all want our parishes to grow and this is a very easy way to help to get us there.  

 

MASS ON THE GRASS:  St. Peter's is hosting a simple "Mass on the Grass" on the weekend of the Fourth of July.  All are welcome to come to a fun celebration of the Eucharist on Sunday, July 5 at 10:30AM on Rex Field on Elm Street, right behind St. Peter's.  Invite your family and friends.  There will NOT be a lunch/cookout following the service....just a simple outdoor service.  We will save the cookout for our combined parish "Mass on the Grass" in September. Bring a lawn chair with you.  For those of you from St. Peter's who cannot attend the outdoor service, we welcome you to join us at St. Martin's at 9:00AM for our regular service of Holy Eucharist.

 

INTERFAITH WORSHIP SERVICE - ALL ARE WELCOME:  Both of our parishes have been invited to take part in a special service in light of the tragedy in Charleston, SC.  This is a message we have received from the church:  The oldest African-American congregation in the city of New Bedford, Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, will host an Interfaith Worship Service, TODAY, Sunday, June 28 at 4:00PM.  “Indeed, our hearts were broken last Thursday morning as we rose to the news of the tragedy at our sister church, Mother Emanuel A.M.E.,” explained the Rev. Kevin T. Taylor, Bethel’s pastor. “The heinous attack on that congregation – and the nine lives lost in the process – hit especially close to home for the Bethel family as we are part of the connectional A.M.E. Church and many of our parishioners have ties to the congregation and community there,” he added. Sunday afternoon’s worship service at will provide an opportunity for civic and community leaders, elected officials and concerned citizens of all ethnicities and faiths to remember the fallen in Charleston, S.C., and to sow the seeds of equality, tolerance and acceptance in New Bedford. “At the conclusion of worship, we will light candles of hope and peace,” Rev. Taylor said of the service. “But the flame will not be extinguished there. It is our duty as a church and is consistent with our vision of being ‘the church by the sea making fishers of all people,’ that we partner together to be the change we want to see in the world.”  For more information contact the church office at (508) 997-2410.

 

PRAY FOR AN END TO RACISM AND GUN VIOLENCE:  The transformative work of Martin Luther King, Jr. is handed on to us in a very real way.  We continue his mission as he continued the mission of Christ handed on to him at his baptism. There is a heightened sense within our country of violent racism and injustice.  What does this say about the human family when people are subjected to live lives of oppression because the color of their skin, because of who they choose to love….it’s all oppression, it’s all racism.  And combining this blatant racism with the gun violence that we experience, here in New Bedford, in our city, and in Dorchester, right in our backyard, we are headed toward an uncertain future. It is not enough to pray for peace in the world. We need to pray that we may be AWAKENED FROM OUR COMPLACENCY. The song tells us “Let peace begin with me, let this be the moment now.”  Wherever God leads us, we bring peace.  Wherever God leads us, we bring love.  How might St. Peter's and St. Martin's work together to be more intentional about bringing God's peace to our neighborhood??