Dear St. Patrick's,

Grace and peace. A year ago, on this day, our friends in Haiti experienced the horrific earthquake that left many dead and much of the infrastructure destroyed.

Those who survived have spent the year rebuilding their lives. St. Patrick's raised money to support the church and school at St. Etienne, a community with whom we have partnered for the past thirty years. Marilyn Nowalk, the chair of our Social Concerns Committee, received a photo from Christ Redempteur School. Christ Redempteur used the funds we sent to build new classrooms on a cement foundation (see photo). I ask that you continue to keep St. Etienne, and all of Haiti in your prayers. [Photos][Ministry Information]

            We also remember in our prayers the victims of the Arizona shootings and their families and friends. There are many in our community for whom this tragedy hits close to home. The moment of silence, requested by our President, was observed on our campus on Monday morning concluded by the following prayer written by Associate Rector the Rev. Dr. Marjorie Gerbracht-Stagnaro.

          God, sometimes we do not understand the ways of the world.  They are different than the ways you teach us.  You teach us to be peaceful. But in our world many choose to do harm.  You teach us to love others, yet many in our world choose to hate.  Today we ask your healing spirit to rest upon the families and friends of those killed or injured in the shootings that occurred in Arizona this past weekend.   Be with the doctors, nurses, and caregivers who tend the 14 people who were wounded.   Soothe the souls of the loved ones of the six who were killed.  God, we know You have gathered into your loving embrace John, Gabe, Dorothy, Dorwan, Phyllis, and Christine.   Heal the hearts of those who grieve their deaths: their families, their friends, and we ourselves.

          This weekend President Obama said: "What Americans do in times of tragedy is to come together and be supportive."  God, may this time together in community remind us You have called us to do as You do - to watch over and care for one another.  May this tragedy inspire us to love others more deeply at all times and all places.  Finally, take away our fears and let us know that You, God, are always with us and that we are safe and loved.  In your name we pray.  AMEN

          As you know, we are running a projected deficit budget for 2010-2011 of $40,000. This was based on $620,000 in pledges for 2011. We have come in short of our pledge goal, which means that our deficit is significantly larger than expected. Thankfully, we have received some grants and special gifts at the close of 2010 and the beginning of 2011. Recently, The John Jay Hopkins Foundation donated $5,000 to St. Patrick's in honor of Harry Teter and two parishioners gave $10,000, above and beyond their pledge. We are, by no means, out of the woods. We need your help, if you are able, to close our budget gap.

            Our 2010-2011 budget projects $30,000 in fundraisers above and beyond pledges. The raffle that concluded at the beginning of December raised $15,000 toward that goal. Our winter event is a casino night on January 29th beginning at 7:30pm. This evening is a time for socializing with fellow parishioners and an opportunity to invite others to meet the fun people of St. Patrick's. The event will be hosted at the home of Tom Monahan and Sharon Marcil. Tickets ($75) which includes dinner and lots of fun, are available on Sunday or from a vestry member. Help out St. Patrick's by attending this community event.

Many Blessings,

Read last Sunday's sermon titled, "Baptism."      

Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in Heaven. - Matthew 5:16

Sunday School for children in Preschool through 6^th Grade is scheduled to resume Sunday, January 23^rd, though helpers are still needed.

Some FAQs about Teaching Sunday School: 

 1)      Do teachers teach every Sunday, all semester? 

No, most commitments are only 4 weeks.

 2)      I've never taught Sunday School.  How will I know what to do? 

St. Patrick's uses a fun curriculum that provides detailed plans to volunteers.  Andrea Martin will also meet with you to make sure you feel confident.   

3)      Will I be on my own with a group of children? 

Never - there are always 2 or more adults with any group of children.

With our current curriculum, children learn about God while teachers lead activities they enjoy doing - cooking, gardening, reading, building with LEGOs, working with clay, etc.

To read more about opportunities for helping - and/or to sign up - visit:  Sunday School at St. Patrick's

Or, email Andrea Martin, andrea@stpatrickschurchdc.org, for more information.

Casino Night on Saturday, January 29^th at the Monahans'! Please join us for a fabulous night of dinner and casino games like roulette and black jack  at Tom Monahan and Sharon Marcil's house in Chevy Chase, Maryland for our winter fundraiser for St. Patrick's. This would be a terrific event to bring friends along to play! Come have some fun, and help close our budget gap. Tickets are $75, and will be available in the Great Hall after the 10am service, from Vestry members or in the church office.  

Jean-Luc Princivil will playing (...he plays the violin♫) for our worship service on this holiday weekend.  We especially keep Jean-Luc and his family in our prayers this week as they mark the one year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti.  From our Mother's Day program last May, which was a musical benefit for St. Etienne in Haiti, we were able to purchase many Creole hymnals for the church. We are working on finding a music amplification system that will work for their situation and provide a lot of options for worship and celebration.  Thank you all for your contributions to this effort.

8:00am Server:                 Lesley Krauland

Altar Guild:                       Deborah Estes

Lay Eucharistic Ministers:  Sandy Chamblee-Head, Paul Geffert

Ushers:                            Charlotte Perry, Benno Schmidt, Needed!

Greeters:                         Needed!

Readers:                          Benno Schmidt

Intercessor:                     Carrie Anderson

Psalmist:                         Josh Firebaugh

Server:                            Jesse Lynch

Flowers:                                

Refreshments:                     

Vestry Person of the Day:  Charlie Johnson IV, Carrie Anderson

We need a lot of volunteers to make Sunday morning services happen here at St. Patrick's! Please look at your schedule, and volunteer to read, usher, greet, or bring refreshments one Sunday in the coming months! Email Karen (churchoffice@stpatrickschurchdc.org) and she will connect you with the coordinator of greeters, readers or ushers to get you on the schedule.