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 Book of Joy” by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama starts Nov 30.
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.
Week of December 26th, 2021
Sunday, Dec 26
8:00 am – Contemplative Eucharist service (also on Zoom)
9:20 am – Bible Study
10:30 am – Service of Lessons and Carols – (also live-streamed on FB)
Monday, Dec 27 RECTOR’S SABBATH
Wednesday, Dec 20
11:00 am – Laundry Love
4:00 pm – Laundry Love
Sunday, Jan 2
NO 8 am service
9:20 am – Bible Study
10:30 am – Eucharist service – (also live-streamed on FB)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
STAR PARTY! — WEDNESDAY, JAN 5 6:00 pm — Our traditional Twelfth Night/Epiphany party will happen in person on January 5th. We will sing together, crown Kings and Queens of Epiphany, undress the church, share a small fire to burn tokens of our Christmas decorations, bless the church for the New Year and receive our Star Words for the year. We will also be having a Star Party Feast! (To minimize possible viral transmission, we will not serve ourselves, rather food will be served onto a plate for each person individually.) If you would like to bring food for the party, please wear a face-covering when you are preparing a dish to bring for the feast.
MUTUAL MINISTRY REVIEW IS COMING – The Mutual Ministry Review [MMR] is part of our formal self-evaluation by the congregation prior to the Parish Council going into retreat to plan for 2022. The ‘mutual’ part of the review means we solicit and indeed, rely, on your comments and concerns to obtain a clear image to reflect upon. The more participation we receive the better we may fine tune our outreach and worship. Our survey/review asks for your comments based on questions that cover all aspects of our lives in community. We will be asking you to give your feedback in any of three manners:
- Telephone Call. All members and friends listed in our directory will be contacted by a member of the Parish Council by telephone. If you choose another method to record your responses, we are happy to just have you tell us so, otherwise we hope to get your real time testimony.
- Online [anonymous]. The questions will be posted so you may respond online. You will be emailed the access code soon.
- Paper Copy [you may volunteer your name or remain anonymous]. We will have paper copies of the survey available at the church soon.
CELEBRATIONS THIS WEEK:
Birthdays
Dec 28 – Louisa Beeler
Dec 30 – Jack Senter
Dec 31 – Carol McPhee Norton
Jan 1– Kathie West
Anniversaries
Dec 28 – Jim & Roz Malone
LAUNDRY LOVE – One day a month St. Benedict’s helps low-income and no-income families with funds, soap, and friendly assistance at the Osos Clean Laundry. Please consider stopping by on Wednesday, December 29, at 11am or 4pm to help out, or you may wish to make a contribution to cover expenses. Maureen has details.
COMING IN JANUARY:
- Epiphany Star Party – Wednesday, January 5 – 6:30pm
- Los Osos Community Dinner at SBCC – Thursday, January 5 – 5pm
- Men’s Breakfast – Saturday, January 15 –9am
- Memorial Svc for Larry Swafford – Saturday, January 15 – 3pm
- Annual Parish Meeting – Sunday, January 23 – 12:00pm
- Tree-planting workday – Saturday, January 29th
TUESDAY SPIRITUAL CONVERSATION – Although we are skipping this week, our current Tuesday morning spiritual conversation will be back January 4th. It is based on The Book of Joy by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama. This conversation is open to anyone and everyone whether or not you read the book. On-line via Zoom on Tuesdays at 10:15am. A service of Prayers for the Morning is also available on Tuesdays, starting at 9:45.
VESPERS We are skipping this week, but will resume January 4th.
Consider coming on Tuesdays at 5:30 for some mid-week fellowship. This short service includes time for bible reflection and sharing together. It is a good way to build relationships and deepen community. If you come in person, please consider staying afterwards for a glass of wine or other beverage. You can also participate in Vespers via Zoom. You will be able to see and hear the participants in the church as well as others joining via Zoom and those in the church will be able to see and hear you as well. Everyone is welcome.
RDF – On the last Sunday of each month, the loose cash in the plate offering is designated to the Rector’s Discretionary Fund, to help those in the parish or the wider community in need of emergency assistance. Or you may write checks to St Ben’s with “RDF” in the memo line. Thank you for your generosity!
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 during the week, contact Jill Denton at (805)704-1364. 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 write them in the bidding book on the stand by the usher’s station as you come into church.
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.
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 contact Caro+ at 805-704-5826 or caro@stbenslososos.org She loves to hear from you. In an emergency, texts are best.
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.
HOW TO FIND OUR SERVICES
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