ON-GOING ACTIVITIES AT ST. BEN’S
ABUNDANCE SHOP– Thrift shop at 2025 9th St. (If you would like to volunteer, please contact them at (805) 528-1370)
COMMUNITY DINNER – Providing and serving food at SBCC, on 1st Thursday of odd-numbered months, in conjunction with Los Osos Cares.
EARTHCARE – ZOOM 3rd Wednesdays 3pm. Discussion/action group seeking spiritual and practical solutions to environmental concerns. MEN’S GROUP – Morning social gathering, 3rd Saturdays – 9am at Celia’s Garden Cafe.
HEALING SERVICE – FACEBOOK – A time for prayers for healing at the 10:30 service on 5th Sundays.
HOLLISTER INSTITUTE – Opportunities for stimulating discussion and thoughtful exploration on Tuesdays at 10:15am on ZOOM. “The Dream of God” by Verna Dozier begins Sep 7.
LAUNDRY LOVE – Helping low-income families with funds, soap, and friendly assistance at Osos Clean Laundry. 4-6pm on last Wednesdays
PEOPLE’S KITCHEN – Providing and serving lunch at 40 Prado, 1st Saturday of even-numbered months
VESPERS AND CONVERSATION – ZOOM – 5:30 pm Tuesdays
VESTRY / PARISH COUNCIL – ZOOM – 3rd Sundays at 12:30pm.
- The Rev. Dr. Caroline Hall, Rector
- Stef Shuman, Sr. Warden
- Jane Wu, Jr. Warden
- Lisa Gonzalez, Treasurer,
- Lorienne Schwenk, Clerk
- Esta Kandarian,
- Alan Kiste,
- Benjamin Nucum
- Helen Schnieders
- Barbara Schippers
- Maureen Titus
Bidding Book Prayers – If you’d like to request prayers for someone and have their names read out during the online worship services on Sunday, please submit their names to stefshuman@sbcglobal.net during the week (by Friday).
We are grateful for God’s financial providence and blessing. Thank you for making your offerings by mail to our PO Box, or on-line.
Our 8am and 10:30 am services each Sunday are Eucharist services, held indoors at the church for anyone wishing to attend in person. Masks are required, and we will continue to ask people to maintain social distancing by having no more than three people per pew. Communion will be distributed in bread only. Wine will be received by sight.
The 8:00 am service will also be available on Zoom.
The 10:30 am service will also be live-streamed for those who watch remotely — either on Facebook at www.facebook.com/stbenslososos/ or through our website at http://www.stbenslososos.org/facebook-including-live-stream/
Service leaflets for both services are available under the Worship tab on our website: https://www.stbenslososos.org/category/service-bulletin/
Unless otherwise stated, our meetings happen on Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7977776046?pwd=VUFZSXY3UVpNVitJaDl2VmhPS3E2UT09 Passcode is: 93402
This Week at St. Benedict’s
Sunday, Oct 17
8:00 am – Contemplative Eucharist service (also on Zoom)
9:20 am – Bible Study
10:30 am – Eucharist service – (also live-streamed on FB)
12:30 pm – Parish Council Meeting (Zoom)
Tuesday, Oct 19
10:15 am – Spiritual Conversation: Lovinkindness (Zoom)
5:30 pm – Vespers service – (Zoom)
Wednesday, Oct 20
3:00 pm – Earthcare Meeting
5:30 pm – Choir Rehearsal
Sunday, Oct 24
8:00 am – Contemplative Eucharist service (also on Zoom)
9:20 am – Bible Study
10:30 am – Eucharist service – (also live-streamed on FB)
LOOKING AHEAD:
Sunday, Oct 31 – “Ecumenical Sunday,” Eucharist with Prayers forHealing, and the Rector’s return
10:30 Ministers of the Service Oct 17
Celebrant: The Rev. Brian Stein-Webber
Eucharistic Minister: Lisa Gonzalez
Lector: Roz Malone
Piano: David Alm
Ushers: Barbara Schippers and Jim Malone
Altar Guild: Lisa Gonzalez
Flowers: Elaine Beckham
Prayer Team: Louisa Beeler
ANNOUNCEMENTS
BIOREACTOR INSTALLATION – In July the Parish Council approved the purchase and installation of a bioreactor on our property, which will turn leaf matter into a high quality food source for our plants and trees by the growth of micro-rhizome fungi. You are invited to join EarthCare and friends in a work party on Saturday, October 30 to build the bioreactor: 9:30am-12noon, followed by lunch. Tim LaSalle (Director of the Center for Regenerative Agriculture, Chico State) will guide us in building the bioreactor. We anticipate that it will take about 2.5 hours to complete. Lunch will be provided to celebrate our accomplishment. Bring work gloves and a mask for Covid protection and to avoid inhaling dust. If you can join in, please RSVP project manager Don Maruska.
SPIRITUAL CONVERSATION – Join us for a new Spiritual Conversation Tuesday mornings through Nov 2, based on the book .Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness by Sharon Salzberg. In this inspiring book, Sharon Salzberg, one of America’s leading spiritual teachers, shows us how the Buddhist path of lovingkindness can help us discover the radiant, joyful heart within each of us. This conversation will be focused by Kathanne Lynch. You are welcome to participate even if you have not had a chance to read the book.
Sessions take place on Tuesdays at 10:15am on Zoom through November 2.
ALL SAINTS’ DAY – Call for Names and Photos
This year we will be observing All Saints’ Day on Sunday, November 7 with a memorial slide show presentation during the 10:30 service with photos of loved ones departed, especially those we’ve lost during the last year. If you would like to submit photos for this display, please send them to Jay in the church office at office@stbenslososos.org Also during prayers at that service there will be a reading of the names of the departed, called the Necrology. Submit names for that to stefshuman@sbcglobal.net
NEW FOOD SERVICE GUIDELINES –
The Diocesan Office has issued new food service guidelines that will allow for food to be served indoors at church events, provided it is in a well-ventilated space, and mask-wearing and social distancing is observed when eating and conversing with others during the event. People will be allowed to remove masks while eating and drinking, but must replace them when engaged in conversation. Food handlers must pour any beverages or distribute any food, and they must be vaccinated, gloved and masked. (Full text of the revised guidelines is given at the bottom of the page.)
This new protocol will allow us to have our annual Gratitude Dinner November 12 and Thanksgiving Dinner November 25. Watch for details.
COMING IN NOVEMBER –
Community Dinner at SBCC – Thursday, November 4
Diocesan Convention online – Saturday, November 6
Gratitude Dinner – Friday, November 12
Pledge Ingathering Sunday – November 14
Thanksgiving at St Ben’s – Thursday, November 25
CELEBRATIONS THIS WEEK:
— Birthdays —
Oct 18 Shelley Watanabe
Oct 18 Helen Schnieders
Oct 21 Stef Shuman
PERSONAL PRAYER – A member of the Healing Prayer Ministry team is available each week after the 10:30 service to pray with you for special concerns. If you’d like this prayer support this week, contact Louise Beeler at (805) 543-2898. If no answer, please leave a message and your call will be returned.
BIDDING BOOK PRAYERS – If you’d like to request prayers for someone to have their names read out during the worship services on Sunday, please submit their names to stefshuman@sbcglobal.net during the week.
PRAYER CHAIN – Also, remember that you may send your prayer requests to the prayer chain at: prayers@stbenslososos.org This is a group of individuals dedicated to intercessory prayers, who upon receiving your email will pray for your concerns.
IN-PERSON SERVICE AT ST. BENEDICT’S
To help lessen the chance of spreading Covid – or Flu or colds – please observe the following behaviors when worshipping at St. Ben’s. Thank you.
- Masks are required at all times inside the church, except when putting the communion bread into your mouth, or when reading the lessons or making announcements from the lectern.
- Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer frequently.
- Maintain safe social distancing – spread out in the pew to maximize space both from side to side and before/behind.
- When coming forward for communion, spread out the circle to keep from standing too closely together.
- During communion the consecrated bread will be dropped into your palm for you to consume. The consecrated wine will be held before you to receive by sight alone.
- No physical contact with people outside of your family unit.
- We will only have coffee hour if someone signs up in the kitchen in advance and agrees to follow the diocesan food service guidelines posted there.
SUNDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY – Sunday Morning Bible Study is held each week between the two morning services starting at 9:20 in the classroom. Lisa Gonzalez and Lorienne Schwenk will be leading the discussion.
COFFEE HOUR SIGN-UPS – Sign-up on the sheet posted in the kitchen if you would like to host coffee hour on a specific Sunday. If no one signs up there will not be coffee hour on that day.
CHURCH OFFICE HOURS – Jay will be in the church office on:
Tuesdays 3-6pm; Thursdays 10am-1pm; Saturdays 10am-1pm
NAME TAGS – We are asking everyone to wear a name tag. Please check the name tag board by the door for yours. If you don’t have one, or if an old one has become too shabby, please ask Stef to make one for you. (Or just tell the ushers). In the meantime, you can fill out an adhesive tag for the day.
DONATIONS – Collection plates are not passed during the service, but you may put your contributions in the plate by the usher’s station before the service, or contribute on-line at: https://www.StBensLosOsos.org/support-us/ or by mail to our PO Box. Thank you for your offerings! We are grateful for God’s financial providence and blessing.
ST. BENEDICT’S CONNECTIONS – Please do not hesitate to reach out to each other to stay in contact, and feel free to call Stef at 805-534-3622 or stefshuman@sbcglobal.net
Diocesan Fellowship Protocols: Revision Dated 10/15/2021
Protocols for the sharing of food in an institution of The Diocese of El Camino Real are revised this date due to the decrease in rates of infection in our area.
When people are eating their masks are off and they are engaged in conversation. These are the conditions under which the virus is most likely to be transmitted. The sharing of food is permitted inside following the protocols below.
1. Participants may remove masks when eating and drinking. However, they must replace them when engaging in conversation.
2. The sharing of cooked food and snacks is permitted if properly handled and served by a food handler, with all protocols in place. Pre-packaged and wrapped food is preferred.
3. If coffee or other beverage is offered, a food handler must pour the beverage for each person to avoid contamination.
4. Food handlers must be vaccinated and be able to show proof of vaccination, wash their hands, use hand sanitizer, wear masks, wear gloves, and distribute food using tongs or other TOUCH FREE method to avoid passing along the virus.
5. Each person participating in a food sharing event should wash their hands and use hand sanitizer.
6. Social distancing must be observed when eating and conversing with others during the event.
7. The space used should be well ventilated.
The CDC offers further information and recommendations for gatherings at this link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/large-events/considerations-for-events-gatherings.html#anchor_1619540981216
The CDC’s General Information page on COVID 19 is at this link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html
Be well, be safe, and stay in touch.