Weekly Announcements
for July 6th, 2008

UPCOMING EVENTS — MARK YOUR CALENDAR

SEE THE CALENDAR PAGE FOR SERVICE TIMES

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL--POWER LAB STARTS
TOMORROW!!!
Our exciting Vacation Bible School starts tomorrow at 8:30am. We will be preparing to welcome all our young “Professors” and need your help! Anyone who can blow up a balloon or handle a roll of tape is invited to meet in the Parish Hall at 12Noon today. We will also be decorating the Church and could use a little “ muscle”. If you’ve got “the Power” please ask Lisa or Janet about the “heavy lifting” it won’t take more than ten minutes!

GIFT SHOP - Sale!!! 50% Off Today Only!!
We have gifts for the home, jewelry to compliment every outfit and St. Martin’s kid sized shirts are reduced to $5.00. This is a perfect opportunity to pick-up Christmas gifts. The gift shop will be open after both services. See what your ECW has for you!

Your Cursillo team is taking the summer off.
First Sunday of the month breakfasts will be suspended for the months July/Aug/Sept. See you October 5th for our first breakfast of the season.
Jan and Janet

THE ORDER OF SAINT VINCENT PRESENTS: EVENSONG
This Thursday, July 10th at 7pm in the Chapel of the Ressurection The Order of Saint Vincent will be hosting the vigil of Saint Benedict from the 1928 Prayer Book with Evensong and Homily by Brother David Amason O/OSB. Brother Amason is a former parishioner of Saint Martin’s so we know you’ll want to make him feel Welcome here. Saint Benedict is considered the Father of western Monasticism. His Rule has defined monastic life ever since.

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!!!!
As we prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July, Church @ the Grove, our new church
plant in western Palm Beach County, is inviting everyone to participate in this project to provide some joy for our men and women in the Armed Forces serving overseas. Church@ The Grove is collecting Christian Music (preferably contemporary Christian music) CD's for our Soldiers serving overseas. We are working with an organization that, monthly, puts together individual boxes of needed and wanted supplies. Church @ The Grove was approached by this organization who reported to us that they have had numerous requests, from the soldiers, for Christian music, especially contemporary Christian music. Our goal is to collect a minimum of 500 CD's, either new or gently used, for this organization to distribute. We are also accepting donations allowing us to purchase CD's to donate. Contemporary Christian music CD's are available at most stores including Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Barnes and Noble and Family Christian Stores. We
are unable/unwilling to accept illegally copied CD's. We would be blessed to have other churches join with us on this special outreach to the men and women who so generously serve in the armed services! CD's can be mailed to us or, if a large quantity, we'll work with you to find a way to receive them from you.
Donations should be made out to Church@ The Grove and sent to 15730 88th Place North, Loxahatchee, FL 33470. All monies collected will go specifically to this project! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Holly Ostlund, Church@ The Grove!, 561.333.2020! Thank you and God's blessings!

INVITATION Bryany, our daughter, is marrying Johnny at 5:00p.m.on
Saturday, July 19. Bryany and Johnny will say their vows on the spot where John and I did the same 39 years ago, also where she was baptized and confirmed. We invite you as our church family to take part in this event in sharing communion, enjoying the musical quintet and helping us to spiritually welcome this new family under God. Carol Moore

Cursillo
Exciting things are happening in the Cursillo Movement in Southeast Florida,
and you can be a part of that! A woman’s weekend is coming up in July (17-20) and a men’s will be held in September (25-28). For those of you who have been, you may want to be identifying candidates to attend, speaking to your priest and
praying for them. After this, get them to fill out an application and get it in as soon as possible. We would like to have all applications for the men’s by August 24th, so we may adequately prepare, the women's deadline has now past. Remember to tell those filling in applications that only 42 individuals get to attend one Cursillo, and the candidates are divided evenly between the North, South and Central
sectors. So, if they don’t get called this time, they may have to wait until next
year. Hurry and get those applications in; as those received first are called first.

ECW - BOOK SALE
Our ECW is having a book sale in the Parish Hall August 16th and 17. We’ll keep you posted on times and such. This is the “Heads Up” to start putting aside those books you’ve enjoyed but have no space for. Let’s see everyone’s Summer Reading!

SUMMER VACATION
Many of us will be going away on vacation these next few months…….here’s your “Summer Homework”! This is an opportunity to visit local churches as you travel (Episcopal or otherwise) bring back your Sunday worship leaflet and write down one or two things that you liked about the church you visited. At the end of Summer, we’ll have a “Summer Show & Tell Bulletin Board where we’ll post the worship leaflets and let everyone see what sorts of churches have been visited and how these churches present their worship and communicate their announcements on Sundays. Let’s let our travels bear fruit for our Church Home, St. Martin’s.!

SUMMER BELL TOWER DEADLINES
Summer is almost here and some things are slowing down a bit as our Snow Birds leave us and the family vacations begin. There will be one publication of our monthly newsletter, The Bell Tower, for the summer. This summer issue will be packed with the “happenings” at St. Martin’s, please don’t forget to send any interesting stories or photographs into the office for inclusion. The Deadline for the Mid-July, summer issue is July 7th and for the September issue, August 24th. We thank all of you who have sent articles in the past, keep it up!

DAUGHTERS OF THE KING:
We invite any woman or girl who is interested in enriching their lives and others with the power of prayer.

The Daughters of the King is an Order for women in the Episcopal Church with chapters in the Roman Catholic Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Daughters are dedicated to prayer and service for Christ's sake. If you would like more information about the St. Theresa's Chapter at St. Martins, please contact Joan Engskow or Jo Pecaro or call the church office.

Signs from God?
Or sign-up sheets for God’s work? You decide. There are so many opportunities for us to serve the Lord and the Narthex table has several different ministry areas that need assistance. Have a look. There’s something for every talent.

Raise the Praise: Our Music Director (Ms. Madeline Zung) is asking for a few “Good Men & Women” to join the Choir for our Christmas Program. It’s a beautiful program of Lessons and Carols that will be sung for the Christmas Eve. No Auditions!

Building Bridges Pre School: Miss Edith Moore, the Director of our Pre-School would like volunteers to help out in the morning from 7:30am - 9:30am. This is a busy time for drop-offs, parents trying to get to work, etc. Help answering the phones and greeting families would be greatly appreciated.

Coffee Hour: As much as we love our Fellowship after the services, we’re facing a challenge keeping this tradition alive. The coffee and lemonade are provided by the ECW and only a plate of pastry or cookies need be added. Let’s keep this
wonderful time we share, Please sign up!


Parish Office Volunteers Needed
If you have a morning or afternoon free, or if you’re a “Special Project” person, your help would be greatly appreciated. There are many different things to do, help prepare the bulletins, newsletters, mailings, phone messages and computer projects. We have fun as we work at the epicenter of Parish Life!

Friday Fun Night Hosts
Now here’s a fun way to serve. Offer your home for a Friday evening of fun and fellowship. Everyone brings snacks and beverages, so there’s not too much to do. Please check the sign-up sheet for the openings and ask a “veteran” for advice.
This is a great way to support our Parish Life!

Our Nursery is Growing!
If you have a very young one who really isn’t into the sermons yet, please go over to our Nursery and meet Gaylene. She is a wonderfully loving Mother with two of her own in the program. The little ones are cared for in a nurturing environment while their older siblings are having fun and learning about our Lord in the Sunday
School. Please walk over and meet Gaylene...have a look at our Christian Education Facilities.

ST MARTIN’S FOOD PANTRY
We thank those of you who drop food and personal care items into the
baskets in the church from time to time. These donations are put to such
good use. The personal care items and larger food products (especially
those without pop-tops or that need preparation) are sent to St. Lawrence
Chapel to help them in their outreach to the Homeless population. We do our
part here almost every day by helping someone make it through the day with
a bag of food. Especially suited to this ministry are such foods as: crackers,
canned meats w/ pop-tops, hearty soups that are not condensed, ravioli,
macaroni & cheese, fruit, wrapped cookies, jerky, and almost any kind of
bean. Remember, these foods should not require heating or preparation.
This “Front Door” ministry of St. Martin’s has helped many, just as our patron
St. Martin helped a poor man, Christ.

HEY KIDS!!!
Children's folders are now available in the back of the church!! Please take
one on your way into church, and return them at the end of the service. You
are welcome to take the children's bulletins that are in the folders home with
you, to read and work on with your family!

NEW FENCE
Please have a look at the sample piece of the new fence in the Parish Hall. We
are still collecting money to pay for it. Please consider making a donation to
a project that will protect our grounds and new landscaping.

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JOIN THE CHOIR!
It is great to see everyone in the choir loft and have their beautiful voices leading our worship. Thank You!! Still, your Choir needs a few more good people
to raise the praise at St. Martin’s! There are no scarey auditions! This year our
rehearsals are on Sundays after Church for about one hour! Come this Sunday, at 12 noon and join us --- you will be glad you did! For more information contact our
Fabulous “Musical Madeline” at madzung@bellsouth.net or call her at (954) 881-
2800 or just stop by the organ after Church today.

GREETERS & USHERS
If you are interested in joining the Greeter Ministry, please Contact Jill Johnson at 954-524-3418 or the Church Office at 954-941-4843.

INK JET CARTRIDGES
St. Martin’s is now collecting empty inkjet cartridges for recycling. We
receive up to $4.00 for each cartridge recycled. Please bring in your empty
cartridges and deposit them in the collection bin located in the Parish Hall.
Simply place the old cartridge in a plastic sandwich bag and deposit it in the
bin. In addition to raising money for the church, recycling inkjet cartridges
has a positive impact on the environment. Consider the following: Nearly 1
million inkjet cartridges are thrown into landfills every day. It takes 1000
years for plastic to decompose. So GO GREEN and help the Church out at
the same time. (Gathering them from work, too!) We take the following
brands: Apple, Canon, Compaq, Dell, HP, Lexmark, Okidata, Sharp And
Xerox. We can not accept Epson.
If you have any questions, please call the Parish Office. Thank
you for your participation in this endeavor.

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ALTAR FLOWERS AND SANCTUARY CANDLE MEMORIALS
Our Altar Flowers are donated by those who wish to make a special memorial or celebrate a special event. Flower arrangements are $35 each and the Sanctuary Candle is $10. Please contact the Church office for further information or to make a flower/candle request.

EYC
Have you noticed there is a new acronym on the calendar? EYC = Episcopal Youth Community aka Youth Group! Grade 7-12 students are invited to attend meetings on the first and third Sundays at 9:15 in the Music building. We have many upcoming activities but need you to attend. See you at the next EYC!d

ALTAR GUILD
The Altar Guild, which prepares the Altar for each Service, meets every Friday morning at 10:00. This fun loving group and sometimes "too rowdy for their own good" are looking for others to join them. Come, learn and have fun.

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E-MAIL SAVINGS:
If you would like to help St. Martin’s save on expenses and “save a tree” at the same time consider receiving the Parish Newsletter: The Bell Tower electronically through your e-mail address. Email Janet at janet@stmartinchurch.org if you are interested.This last month we saved close to $45 in postage and printing costs.

HOME COMMUNIONS:
If you know of anyone who is unable to attend Sunday services on a regular basis but would like to receive Holy Communion, have them contact the Church office to schedule a home communion visit with either Fr Bernie or one of the several licensed Eucharistic Visitors. This is a great way to stay in touch with our shut-ins.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
If you would like to add a person's name to the Parish Prayer list, please fill out a Prayer card found in each pew. We ask that you include your name and address along with the prayer need. This will enable us to contact you if needed. If someone's name has dropped off the list, please resubmit it with a Daughters of the King Prayer request card.

MORE PRAYER REQUESTS
Please note on the back of the weekly bulletin is St. Martin’s Prayer List -- the names on this list are people who we are asked to pray for. Please try to remember these people in your prayers. The names and intentions are prayed for during daily Morning Prayer and Eucharist celebrated here at St. Martin’s. They are also remembered in the daily prayers of each of the members of the Order of the Daughters of the King. Prayer is an important aspect of our common life here at St. Martin’s. Please do your part. God will bless us.

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CHURCH MEMBER'S INFORMATION:
If you have had any changes in your personal profile or email addresses for the data base, please let the office know. Even if Father Bernie has emailed you in the past, we need to know your current/active email along with any other updated information we may not have. Please call the Church office 954-941-4843 or email secretary@stmartinchurch.org. Any other changes to your membership records (telephone, address, etc) is needed as well. Click here to access a personal information form PDF format, print it out, fill it out, fax it in or bring it to church. Thanks!

BINGO:
Doors are open at 11 a.m. Early bingo starts at noon and regular bingo and specials start at 12:30. Call the office if you are interested. Please come out and help support St. Martin’s. If you can volunteer please call Pat Litzenberger at 561-479-2811 or sign up in the Narthex. Best hot lunch in town!

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HEALING SERVICE:
For all who are in need of physical, emotional, financial or spiritual healing we are fortunate to offer a Healing Service every Thursday (unless noted in the calendar) at 11:55 with a Eucharist following. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate in this special Service each week.

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