Please Pray for the Repose of the Soul of Pat Grothendick

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Pat Grothendick. Pat is survived by her husband Gerry, pictured above, and several children. Pat and Gerry have been longtime members of several Episcopal churches, including St Augustine's, and most recently St James Episcopal in their hometown of Fremont. Pat died last week, attended by family and with comfort care measures present.

Notes of condolence may be sent to Gerry and family care of St James, Fremont:

301 E 5th Street, Fremont, Nebraska 68025

A memorial for Pat will be held tomorrow, Friday, March 15th at 10:00 am at St James, Fremont, with an interment in the St James columbarium following. A reception will follow at the Eagles Club in Fremont.

May Pat's soul and those of all the departed, Rest in Peace, and Rise in Glory.

Lenten Study, Living Well Through Lent: Practicing Forgiveness with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength and Mind March 25 at 10:00 AM

The daily study booklet is available as:

1) a free down-loadable 94 page pdf file from livingcompass.org/

2) a free daily email for 40 days from same website

3) on Kindle for 99 cents (can be enlarged).

4) a printed booklet in our narthex (only 1-2 remain)

All men and women are invited to Zoom or in-person in Fellowship Hall for group discussions of the readings led by three priests of our own parish on 3 Mondays 10-11 a.m.

March 11 with Rev Lorraine Coufal

March 25 with Rev Ruth Tomlinson

Maundy Thursday-Washing of the Feet, The Last Supper,

and the Garden

Thursday, March 21, 6:30 PM

Each year on Maundy Thursday, we  remember Jesus’s commandment to “Love one another,” through  several things. One is Jesus's institution of the Eucharist by the Last Supper with his disciples and friends. Another is the removal of much of our sanctuary dressings as we remember the arrest of Jesus in the garden late in that night. 

Before those, we also have an annual remembrance and rite of washing the feet of those who are comfortable, re-enacting a powerful and intimate act of service and care that Jesus undertook for his disciples. This year, Mother Ruth Tomlinson will be our preacher for Maundy Thursday, and would like to issue a special invitation for the Foot Washing in particular.  Like Jesus did with his disciples, we'd like you to think about asking someone you'd like to honor if you can wash their feet as part of that night. This can be a parent or other loved one, a close friend, or any person you deeply respect and care for. We recommend you ask in advance, though you're also welcome to ask someone at the service if you can wash their feet for them. Our altar party that evening will also be available for anyone who would like to have their feet washed that evening. We will invite others to take a turn if they'd like to stand prepared to wash feet for those who come forward.  If you are not able to wash feet, please feel free to sit and prayerfully pray for those who are.

Learn to Fold Palm Crosses

Sunday, March 17, in between services

Have you always hoped to learn how to fold a palm cross? We will have the opportunity for you to learn March 17 in between services. Youth Group, will be folding crosses out of palms to pass out on Palm Sunday, if you would like to help, please join them that day!

Youth Easter Egg Hunt

Easter Sunday, 9:40 AM

Please join us for an Easter Egg Hunt organized by our Youth Group. We have begun to stuff eggs, and are excited to hide them for a hunt rain or shine Easter Sunday, March 31 at 9:40 AM in between Easter Services. We can’t wait to see you there!

Journey to the Cross

All are invited to participate in our interactive prayer walk through the Stations of the Cross, located in the Parish Hall. Appreciate the beauty of the work of artist Monica Welch as you participate in various hands-on tasks throughout the experience. These tasks can help us connect our daily lives with Jesus’ journey to the cross. A prayer book is available to guide you through the stations. 

Easter Flowers

During Lent as we anticipate the coming of Easter, consider remembering and celebrating loved ones through a gift of flowers. Envelopes are available on the welcome table. Please include your name, the name(s) of the person(s) in whose honor the flowers are being given and whether they are given in celebration, memory, or thanksgiving. Please return envelopes no later than Palm Sunday, March 24, so that names can be included in our Easter bulletins

Looking for Lectors

We will be looking for quite a few lectors for Palm Sunday and Holy Week Readings. If you have been thinking of reading, or do already, check out the Lector Sign Up Sheet on the table in the Narthex next to the bulletins and schedule some dates. Thank You

Rocket Notes to God

The Rev Ernesto Medina, who formerly served in our diocese, has received a special grant to help people of all ages practice basic rocketry builds and launches, and has invited St Augustine's to participate! 

Thursday, April 11th, 6:00-7:45 pm: Rev Ernesto will bring rocket kits and lead us in some basics of preparing them for the launch day! We can write notes to God to put in our rockets to "Let our prayers rise like incense" to God (Psalm 141:2). We'll have pizza dinner on hand to fuel us as we prepare for launch! Adults, youth, and children are welcome to participate, and build a rocket together as a family, but we ask that if you have children participating, you plan to stay with them this evening. RSVP's to Fr Ben (rector@sainta.net) are requested to help us know how many kits to prepare, though we'll plan for a few extras.

Saturday, April 13th, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Site TBD: Near Bellevue and Papillion

Come join us as we launch rockets! Rev Ernesto will be coordinating with other trained launch officers. We will gather at a sod farm near Bellevue and Papillion – specific site TBD as we get closer to the event. We will hear special rules about when and how to launch rockets, and watch our rockets and notes launch throughout the morning. Feel free to join for the fun and spectacle, whether you'd like to make one or not!

The Special Offering for March is United Thank Offering

In March our special collection will benefit United Thank Offering(UTO). This year, you can contribute in multiple ways: weekly Lent Madness voting(support your favorite saints by dropping a coin or bill into their box every Sunday); filling up the traditional "blue boxes" (UTO Ingathering of boxes will be Sunday, April 7); and our monthly special collection! We invite you to develop (or deepen) a discipline of gratitude by donating to this important ministry of the Episcopal Church. Remember, 100% of the funds rised will be distributed through grants to ministries focusing on urgent human needs throughout the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion.

In February, we raised $847.00 to benefit our Youth Fund. Thank you everyone for your generosity! 

Walking the Mourner's Path

Sundays, April 14-June 2, 3-4:30 PM

We will be offering a small group of Walking the Mourner's Path this coming Spring on Sunday afternoons. This workshop is for those who have lost a loved one and would like to honor and remember them in a faith setting. This small group will create norms together and use a workbook to guide conversations, so you will have a safe setting with the same group throughout, and don't need to worry about knowing where to start or what to say. This is a good place for processing grief and remembering a loved one with trusted others. Mother Ruth Tomlinson, Mother Lisa Aguilar, Deacon Rebecca Smith, and Don Hoes will be our facilitators for this session. The group is open to friends of the parish as well if you know someone who would benefit. For more information, please contact Mother Lisa or one of the other facilitators.

Episcopal 101 for Children (grades 1-5) Wednesday's, beginning

April 17, 6:20-7:00 PM

During our Wednesday evening programming, all children grades 1-5 are invited to participate in Episcopal 101. We will gather for four weeks, beginning April 17^th from 6:20-7:00 PM to learn about the mystery of baptism as an outward sign of our Christian faith. If your child is a in Boys Scouts of America or Girls Scouts, this class will fulfill the requirements to earn the Religious Emblem: God & Me.

Visit With A Veteran

 Recognizing the importance of community and growing up enjoying the stories of his two veteran grandfathers, 82-year-old Donald Sattem, who served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War and 99-year-old Lester Rygg who served in the Navy during WWII, Elkhorn South High School Junior Peter Rygg has launched a project to add two Veterans benches to St. Augustine’s Hitchcock Memorial Garden and Prayer Walk as a place where veterans and non-veterans can gather to share time and stories with one another and the youth of our community.

The purchase, installation and the reception for the two benches are estimated at $5,000.00. A local non-profit 50 Mile March, which raises funds for organizations dedicated to helping veterans, will match bench donations up to $2,500.00. Donations can be made directly to St. Augustine or online at the Visit with a Veteran Facebook or Instagram pages. Mark check Memo Line – Visit with Veteran.

A dedication ceremony for the Veteran benches will be held on Sunday, 10^th November 2024 after the 10:30 service.

All St. Augustine Veterans are asked to contact Jim Keepers so you can be invited to the bench dedication. Please list rank and branch of service.

Peter Rygg will be speaking at both church service this Sunday the 17^th of March. He will also be present for both Sunday coffee hours if you have any questions about his veteran’s bench project.

Let’s support Peter’s project 100 percent.



Submitted by Peter Rygg & Jim Keepers

Let Us Serve You

During COVID, the Daughters of the King kicked off a service for individuals who may need an extra hand. This service continues to be available if you need a ride, groceries, a meal or anything else. If you need something, contact Barb Hall at 907-759-4692 or email her and she will locate someone to assist you.

Men's Bible Study

Friday's 8:00 AM

Join us at St. Augustine or via our Zoom Link every Friday at 8 am for men’s bible study. Please call or text Jack Ott (402) 469-1801 to get set up to receive the weekly Zoom link. Call or text Jack Ott, Bill Smith, Dave Holmquist. David Randall or Richard Krueger with questions or to receive additional information.

Newcomers Sunday!

Sunday, April 14 After Worship!

On Sunday, April 14th, we'll have a special celebration at coffee hour for visitors, newcomers, guests, and new members! Our "enhanced coffee hour" will have tasty treats, and we'll have a brief program from the church staff about some of the ways to be involved (for newcomers and longtime members alike!). We'll also be announcing some of our upcoming activities for the rest of the spring and the summer, so stay tuned and we hope to see you on the 14th!

Breast Cancer Support Group

Second Sunday's at 9:45 AM

The Breast cancer support group will meet on the second Sunday each month at 9:45 in the care room. 

If you have any questions contact Barb or Lynette. 

COPE Board of Directors

Introducing our representatives to the COPE board of directors. Rhonda Vest and David Wright. Rhonda has been involved with Cope for a number of years, and David is our new alternate to the board, you can contact them with any questions. We want you to know that you do not have to be a member of the board to be involved. Jim Keepers is helping us organize garden plots for Ukrainian refugees, and we have our dough boys who deliver bread and milk weekly. If you have organizational skills, finance skills, want to be involved with the back pack program or Christmas party/family adoption, volunteering at the golf tourney, May breakfast at the Elkhorn Eagles Club, marketing skills, donation gathering, or just general volunteering, we can find a spot for you. Stop by and get a tour of the facility and see how this all works. 

In January we served 217 families (785 individuals) with food pantries, household goods, and clothing.

Personal Care/Toiletry Drive for COPE

Our Youth Group is collecting Personal Care Products for COPE(Christian Outreach Program of Elkhorn) 

At youth group this week, they decorated a bin and some signs, and are ready to collect!

They are looking for:

• soap
• shampoo & conditioner
• razors
• menstrual products
• adult diapers
• toothbrushes & toothpaste
• nail files & clippers
• combs & brushes, etc.

Please bring your products and place them in or around the bin, just inside the red doors. Thank you!!

Church Family Dinners Continue into the New Year!

We have enjoyed spending dinner time with you all, and are excited to continue our new Wednesday Dinner tradition in 2024!

We are always looking for more dinner planners, cookers & helpers. If this is something you think you would enjoy for one Wednesday, a year, month, or week please let us know!

If you would enjoy helping with the entire or partial meal on a Wednesday, please let Kate know. We do also have a sign up genius to pick any date to help with dinner. CLICK HERE to access that. This is a community gathering, any and all help is welcome!

Children's Storytime at Wednesday Night Dinner

Children 5^th grade and younger are invited to participate in songs, stories and God’s love! We will meet from about 6:20-6:40 PM after the Wednesday Night Dinner in one of the Sunday School rooms. If you enjoy songs and stories and are interested in working with our children during this time, please email Mtr. Lisa.

Elaine Randall Book Club

Tuesday, March 26 11:30 AM

The Elaine Randal Book Club meets once a month on Tuesday's at 11:30 AM. All are welcome! The books to read for the March meeting are Inheritance: a Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro and The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson. There are Book Bags in the Parish Hall. Please Contact Rhonda or Nancy for questions.

Tuesday Bible Study: The Passion of Jesus

Tuesdays, Noon: March 19th

The Tuesday Bible Study will be spending Lent reading about the Passion of Jesus, with a special focus on how the ways we have told this story as Christians have had a history of tension with our Jewish neighbors. By learning about this history, we can be better neighbors today. We'll spend time talking about how we read the Passion during Holy Week, the preparations Jesus and others make for his arrival in Jerusalem in scripture, the differences in the Gospels, and prophecies from the Hebrew Bible. For the session on Tuesday, March 5th, you're invited to read the article: https://www.christiancentury.org/article/interviews/what-should-churches-do-about-treatment-jews-john

(As a reminder: the Tuesday Bible Study will not meet on Tuesday, February 27th, due to the meeting of the Elaine Randall Book Club – see their announcement!)

Lent Madness

During Lent, we will celebrate saints of the Episcopal Church through the 2024 Lent Madness, as we wait to discover who will win the Golden Halo this year. All are invited to fill out your own bracket, watch for updates on our Lent Madness poster! It will be a fun opportunity to learn about the saints as we hear about saints from a variety of places, cultures, and eras. Vote on Sunday's in person by donating to the UTO box for your favorite saint! We’ll reveal who won within our parish the following Sunday along with the official bracket winner and upcoming matchup.  Last week Adomnam of Iona defeated Joseph Vaz to move into the Saintly Sixteen!

Culture Club Event

Mark your calendar for Hello Dolly! Which will be at The Omaha Playhouse the afternoon of Sunday, June 9. Group rate for these tickets will be $32, collected in early May. Please let Sandra know if you would like to join!