Weekly eNewsletter from
St. Nicholas-on-the-Hudson
for the 4th Sunday after the Epiphany
This Sunday!
This is a great time to be together to reflect on the past year and to look forward to what's next in our life as a parish. First, stream the service on our YouTube channel and our Facebook page. Then head over to Zoom for the meeting.
Click here to join the Annual Meeting in Zoom (immediately following the service).
Worship this Sunday
THE PARISH ANNUAL MEETING CONTINUES AFTER WORSHIP IN ZOOM AT 10:30am
Click here to join immediately following the service
Or Dial by your location if using your phone: +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
- We offer one service of Holy Eucharist, Rite II at 9:30am streaming live from St. Nick's to our YouTube Channel and our Facebook page.
- Participate in the liturgy by using this bulletin. You can access the entire prayerbook online at anytime at www.bcponline.org.
- We use a small team of people to help lead worship, including AV people, readers, and prayer leaders. Please sign up here if you would like to help this small team lead worship. For the safety of all, please only attend the service if you have signed up for a role in the liturgy.
- To submit a prayer request, please use our prayer request form. We clear this list at the beginning of each month. Please feel free to resubmit your prayer requests.
- Should you or your family wish to receive the Eucharist from the Reserved Sacrament at the church, please schedule an appointment with Mtr. Leigh here.
- If you weren't able to participate in last week's service or would like to see any of our previously streamed services, you can watch them here.
Save the Date: Cookie Walk
Saturday, February 13, 9:00am-2:00pm
Poughkeepsie UMC will host the 13th Annual (drive thru) Cookie Walk on Saturday, February 13, 9:00am-2:00pm. This is a fundraiser to benefit the ministry work of local churches through Love INC.
To keep everyone safe, cookies will be prepackaged into $10 boxes (1.25lbs) by limited masked and gloved workers at PUMC. Buyers will drive up and buy boxes, and some specialty boxes will be available.
You can help by baking cookies. Special Valentine cookies are appreciated but all are welcome. Liz Pavelka can pick up on February 10th and 11th, or you can deliver to PUMC. For more information, contact Kathy Betz: (845) 240-1779, CookieWalk2021.gmail.com or our own Liz Pavelka: (845) 297-4907, [email protected]
Please let either know: your name, email, phone number, church, and approximately how many cookies you plan to bake. This will help them plan ahead. Thank you!
Lent begins February 17th
Our Lenten observance will look different this year. Bishop Dietsche has requested that ashes not be imposed or distributed in any form due to surging Covid 19 positivity rates and the threat of new strains of the virus. But, as the good bishop points out in his letter linked above, the point of Ash Wednesday isn't the ashes but our own repentance. In fact, the rubrics of the prayerbook do not require the imposition of ashes.
Our Ash Wednesday services will be held in Zoom at noon and streaming to our social media at 7pm on February 17th. See links below.
Also this Lent, beginning February 18th, Mtr. Leigh will offer Morning Prayer in Zoom, Monday through Thursday at 8am.
Lent is a season for reading and meditating on God's holy Word. Our book for study this year, beginning at 7pm on Wednesday, March 3rd, will be Lent in Plain Sight: a Devotion Through Ten Objects by Jill J. Duffield. From the cover: "God is often at work through the ordinary: ordinary people, ordinary objects, ordinary grace. Through the ordinary, God communicates epiphanies, salvation, revelation, and reconciliation. It is through the mundane that we hear God’s quiet voice.
In this devotion for the season of Lent, Jill J. Duffield draws readers’ attention to ten ordinary objects that Jesus would have encountered on his way to Jerusalem: dust, bread, the cross, coins, shoes, oil, coats, towels, thorns, and stones. In each object, readers will find meaning in the biblical account of Jesus’ final days. Each week, readers encounter a new object to consider through Scripture, prayer, and reflection. From Ash Wednesday to Easter, Lent in Plain Sight reminds Christians to open ourselves to the kingdom of God."
Order your book online now, as the devotions begin on Ash Wednesday. You can purchase through a local bookshop or your preferred online retailer. Book group will meet in Zoom at 7pm for four sessions: March 3, 10, 24 & 31. Please come to the first session having read all the dated material in the book up to that date.
Links for Lenten Opportunities
12pm, February 17th, Ash Wednesday Liturgy. Click here to join in Zoom.
Or join by phone - dial by your location: +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
7pm, February 17th, Ash Wednesday Liturgy. Streaming to our YouTube Channel and Facebook page.
8am, Beginning Thursday, February 18th and continuing Monday through Thursday during Lent, Morning Prayer. Click here to join in Zoom.
Or join by phone - dial by your location: +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
7pm, Wednesday, March 3rd and continuing March 10, 24 & 31, Lent in Plain Sight Bookgroup. Click here to join in Zoom.
Or join by phone - dial by your location: +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
A Thank You Gift for Pledgers
To close out a very difficult year, and as a thank you to those households who promised to support St. Nick's in 2021, we're offering this handmade ceramic ornament to all who filled out a pledge card. The ornaments, along with pledge envelopes for those who have requested them, are available now for pick up in the church. Lovingly crafted by our own Polly Myhrum, each ornament measures approximately 3.5" and features an imprint of our rose window. If you haven't made a pledge for 2021, there's still time. Please use our online pledge form, and once you submit your card, we will respond to confirm your pledge. Thank you so much for your support in the upcoming year. We are truly grateful.
After months of careful deliberation, following a diocesan announcement that its e-pledge system was ending, St. Nick's chose Vanco as its new platform for online giving. Some of you have been using PayPal to make donations during the pandemic, and we appreciate it! Online donations have been crucial (and safe!) for us this year. In 2021, we will begin to fully transition over to Vanco (which takes a smaller cut for transaction fees and even allows the giver to cover them) for our online giving. We will soon introduce the Vanco app, but for now, you can follow this link for instructions to set up your online giving (good for one-time donations or regular monthly payments from checking or credit card). If you had formerly been using the diocesan e-pledge system, please set up your payments for 2021 using the above instructions.
ZOOM Office Hours with Mtr. Leigh are...
Tuesdays 3p to 5p
Wednesdays 10a to 12p
Thursdays 11a to 1p
Schedule appointments through Mtr. Leigh's online scheduler:
https://calendly.com/leighhall
COMING IN MAY 2021!
We will have our annual Trash and Treasure Sale on Saturday, May 15, 2021 with a rain date of May 22. We hope that holding the event in the spring will encourage more interest as well as help us to handle the Church Fair and the T & T Sale separately with greater success for both events. It will be held outside. Please keep the T & T Sale in mind during your spring cleaning! We will enlist helpers and have more information in the early spring. For questions contact Eileen Doherty at (914) 474-5564 or [email protected]
Food Pantry & Personal Care Pantry
We have so many families hurting in Dutchess County. Your donations go a long way. The food pantry always needs cereal, peanut butter, mac & cheese, tuna, etc. The linens pantry needs gently used blankets, towels and new pillows. For more information Please call Liz at 297-4907.
ZOOM Lectionary Bible Study: Mondays @ 2pm
Each Monday we'll read and study together the lessons for the upcoming Sunday. To find out what the lessons are, please visit The Lectionary Page. We generally use the first option of the two listed for the first reading.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85728735074
END OF LIFE PLANNING The Coronavirus pandemic has likely made us aware of our own mortality in new and profound ways. It is the responsibility of the Church to assist its members in preparing for death "while they are in health," which often entails the preparation of a will, or, at the least, the preparation of a plan in the event of a member's death. We have prepared a funeral planning form that will help you begin to think through and to plan your funeral, and we encourage you to begin this process seriously if you haven't already. After you complete the forms contact Mtr. Leigh for planning.
From the Book of Common Prayer: "The Minister of the Congregation is directed to instruct the people, from time to time, about the duty of Christian parents to make prudent provision for the well‑being of their families, and of all persons to make wills, while they are in health, arranging for the disposal of their temporal goods, not neglecting, if they are able, to leave bequests for religious and charitable uses." (p. 445)
A CALL TO PRAYER FROM OUR BISHOPS From time to time, Bishop Dietsche writes letters to the Diocese, and we are required by canon to share them with the parish. To read the Bishops' call to prayer following the riots at the Capitol on Epiphany 2021, please click here.
2021 CALENDAR OF VESTRY AND FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETINGS To see a complete list of dates for these meetings, please click here.
STAY IN TOUCH DURING THE PANDEMIC For Buddy Groups and captain contact information please click HERE
PARISH DIRECTORY A Parish Directory with the most updated contact information we have for all of you is available. If you would like a digital copy of the directory, please email the church office.
AA GROUP MEETINGS St. Nick's does have regular AA meetings but due to the Coronavirus restrictions they are currently on hold until further notice.
INTRA OFFICE DEADLINES Want to put an announcement in the weekly e-news? The deadline for submission is: Wednesdays 12pm
AGING NEWS: SENIOR RESOURCES Click on this link for the recent enews from Dutchess County Department For The Aging:
In Our Prayers
Those for whom prayers have been asked:
Martha + Dean + Eleanor + Connor + Adrienne + Christina + Patrick + Jennifer + Bert + Evelyn + Marlene + Ann Marie + Bernice + Judy + Walter + Helen + Sandy + Pat + Kimberly & John + JoEllen + Roger + John + Pete + Henry + Christina + John + Noah + Joy + Josh
- for all healthcare workers and first responders
- for those in prison and for prison workers
- for nursing home staff and residents, especially Jackie
- for the sick, especially those with Covid-19
- for all who struggle
- for the unemployed, the disappointed, and the oppressed
- for all who work for peace and justice
- for teachers and parents
- for our nation and its leaders
- for those struggling with addiction, and the families who are affected
- for a safe and effective vaccine, and for its efficient distribution
In thanksgiving for:
- for the possibilities
- for all who support the ministry of St. Nick’s
- for the vaccine
- for my family
For the departed:
all who have died of Covid-19
St. Nicholas-on-the-Hudson
for the 4th Sunday after the Epiphany
This Sunday!
This is a great time to be together to reflect on the past year and to look forward to what's next in our life as a parish. First, stream the service on our YouTube channel and our Facebook page. Then head over to Zoom for the meeting.
Click here to join the Annual Meeting in Zoom (immediately following the service).
Worship this Sunday
THE PARISH ANNUAL MEETING CONTINUES AFTER WORSHIP IN ZOOM AT 10:30am
Click here to join immediately following the service
Or Dial by your location if using your phone: +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
- We offer one service of Holy Eucharist, Rite II at 9:30am streaming live from St. Nick's to our YouTube Channel and our Facebook page.
- Participate in the liturgy by using this bulletin. You can access the entire prayerbook online at anytime at www.bcponline.org.
- We use a small team of people to help lead worship, including AV people, readers, and prayer leaders. Please sign up here if you would like to help this small team lead worship. For the safety of all, please only attend the service if you have signed up for a role in the liturgy.
- To submit a prayer request, please use our prayer request form. We clear this list at the beginning of each month. Please feel free to resubmit your prayer requests.
- Should you or your family wish to receive the Eucharist from the Reserved Sacrament at the church, please schedule an appointment with Mtr. Leigh here.
- If you weren't able to participate in last week's service or would like to see any of our previously streamed services, you can watch them here.
Save the Date: Cookie Walk
Saturday, February 13, 9:00am-2:00pm
Poughkeepsie UMC will host the 13th Annual (drive thru) Cookie Walk on Saturday, February 13, 9:00am-2:00pm. This is a fundraiser to benefit the ministry work of local churches through Love INC.
To keep everyone safe, cookies will be prepackaged into $10 boxes (1.25lbs) by limited masked and gloved workers at PUMC. Buyers will drive up and buy boxes, and some specialty boxes will be available.
You can help by baking cookies. Special Valentine cookies are appreciated but all are welcome. Liz Pavelka can pick up on February 10th and 11th, or you can deliver to PUMC. For more information, contact Kathy Betz: (845) 240-1779, CookieWalk2021.gmail.com or our own Liz Pavelka: (845) 297-4907, [email protected]
Please let either know: your name, email, phone number, church, and approximately how many cookies you plan to bake. This will help them plan ahead. Thank you!
Lent begins February 17th
Our Lenten observance will look different this year. Bishop Dietsche has requested that ashes not be imposed or distributed in any form due to surging Covid 19 positivity rates and the threat of new strains of the virus. But, as the good bishop points out in his letter linked above, the point of Ash Wednesday isn't the ashes but our own repentance. In fact, the rubrics of the prayerbook do not require the imposition of ashes.
Our Ash Wednesday services will be held in Zoom at noon and streaming to our social media at 7pm on February 17th. See links below.
Also this Lent, beginning February 18th, Mtr. Leigh will offer Morning Prayer in Zoom, Monday through Thursday at 8am.
Lent is a season for reading and meditating on God's holy Word. Our book for study this year, beginning at 7pm on Wednesday, March 3rd, will be Lent in Plain Sight: a Devotion Through Ten Objects by Jill J. Duffield. From the cover: "God is often at work through the ordinary: ordinary people, ordinary objects, ordinary grace. Through the ordinary, God communicates epiphanies, salvation, revelation, and reconciliation. It is through the mundane that we hear God’s quiet voice.
In this devotion for the season of Lent, Jill J. Duffield draws readers’ attention to ten ordinary objects that Jesus would have encountered on his way to Jerusalem: dust, bread, the cross, coins, shoes, oil, coats, towels, thorns, and stones. In each object, readers will find meaning in the biblical account of Jesus’ final days. Each week, readers encounter a new object to consider through Scripture, prayer, and reflection. From Ash Wednesday to Easter, Lent in Plain Sight reminds Christians to open ourselves to the kingdom of God."
Order your book online now, as the devotions begin on Ash Wednesday. You can purchase through a local bookshop or your preferred online retailer. Book group will meet in Zoom at 7pm for four sessions: March 3, 10, 24 & 31. Please come to the first session having read all the dated material in the book up to that date.
Links for Lenten Opportunities
12pm, February 17th, Ash Wednesday Liturgy. Click here to join in Zoom.
Or join by phone - dial by your location: +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
7pm, February 17th, Ash Wednesday Liturgy. Streaming to our YouTube Channel and Facebook page.
8am, Beginning Thursday, February 18th and continuing Monday through Thursday during Lent, Morning Prayer. Click here to join in Zoom.
Or join by phone - dial by your location: +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
7pm, Wednesday, March 3rd and continuing March 10, 24 & 31, Lent in Plain Sight Bookgroup. Click here to join in Zoom.
Or join by phone - dial by your location: +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
A Thank You Gift for Pledgers
To close out a very difficult year, and as a thank you to those households who promised to support St. Nick's in 2021, we're offering this handmade ceramic ornament to all who filled out a pledge card. The ornaments, along with pledge envelopes for those who have requested them, are available now for pick up in the church. Lovingly crafted by our own Polly Myhrum, each ornament measures approximately 3.5" and features an imprint of our rose window. If you haven't made a pledge for 2021, there's still time. Please use our online pledge form, and once you submit your card, we will respond to confirm your pledge. Thank you so much for your support in the upcoming year. We are truly grateful.
After months of careful deliberation, following a diocesan announcement that its e-pledge system was ending, St. Nick's chose Vanco as its new platform for online giving. Some of you have been using PayPal to make donations during the pandemic, and we appreciate it! Online donations have been crucial (and safe!) for us this year. In 2021, we will begin to fully transition over to Vanco (which takes a smaller cut for transaction fees and even allows the giver to cover them) for our online giving. We will soon introduce the Vanco app, but for now, you can follow this link for instructions to set up your online giving (good for one-time donations or regular monthly payments from checking or credit card). If you had formerly been using the diocesan e-pledge system, please set up your payments for 2021 using the above instructions.
ZOOM Office Hours with Mtr. Leigh are...
Tuesdays 3p to 5p
Wednesdays 10a to 12p
Thursdays 11a to 1p
Schedule appointments through Mtr. Leigh's online scheduler:
https://calendly.com/leighhall
COMING IN MAY 2021!
We will have our annual Trash and Treasure Sale on Saturday, May 15, 2021 with a rain date of May 22. We hope that holding the event in the spring will encourage more interest as well as help us to handle the Church Fair and the T & T Sale separately with greater success for both events. It will be held outside. Please keep the T & T Sale in mind during your spring cleaning! We will enlist helpers and have more information in the early spring. For questions contact Eileen Doherty at (914) 474-5564 or [email protected]
Food Pantry & Personal Care Pantry
We have so many families hurting in Dutchess County. Your donations go a long way. The food pantry always needs cereal, peanut butter, mac & cheese, tuna, etc. The linens pantry needs gently used blankets, towels and new pillows. For more information Please call Liz at 297-4907.
ZOOM Lectionary Bible Study: Mondays @ 2pm
Each Monday we'll read and study together the lessons for the upcoming Sunday. To find out what the lessons are, please visit The Lectionary Page. We generally use the first option of the two listed for the first reading.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85728735074
END OF LIFE PLANNING The Coronavirus pandemic has likely made us aware of our own mortality in new and profound ways. It is the responsibility of the Church to assist its members in preparing for death "while they are in health," which often entails the preparation of a will, or, at the least, the preparation of a plan in the event of a member's death. We have prepared a funeral planning form that will help you begin to think through and to plan your funeral, and we encourage you to begin this process seriously if you haven't already. After you complete the forms contact Mtr. Leigh for planning.
From the Book of Common Prayer: "The Minister of the Congregation is directed to instruct the people, from time to time, about the duty of Christian parents to make prudent provision for the well‑being of their families, and of all persons to make wills, while they are in health, arranging for the disposal of their temporal goods, not neglecting, if they are able, to leave bequests for religious and charitable uses." (p. 445)
A CALL TO PRAYER FROM OUR BISHOPS From time to time, Bishop Dietsche writes letters to the Diocese, and we are required by canon to share them with the parish. To read the Bishops' call to prayer following the riots at the Capitol on Epiphany 2021, please click here.
2021 CALENDAR OF VESTRY AND FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETINGS To see a complete list of dates for these meetings, please click here.
STAY IN TOUCH DURING THE PANDEMIC For Buddy Groups and captain contact information please click HERE
PARISH DIRECTORY A Parish Directory with the most updated contact information we have for all of you is available. If you would like a digital copy of the directory, please email the church office.
AA GROUP MEETINGS St. Nick's does have regular AA meetings but due to the Coronavirus restrictions they are currently on hold until further notice.
INTRA OFFICE DEADLINES Want to put an announcement in the weekly e-news? The deadline for submission is: Wednesdays 12pm
AGING NEWS: SENIOR RESOURCES Click on this link for the recent enews from Dutchess County Department For The Aging:
In Our Prayers
Those for whom prayers have been asked:
Martha + Dean + Eleanor + Connor + Adrienne + Christina + Patrick + Jennifer + Bert + Evelyn + Marlene + Ann Marie + Bernice + Judy + Walter + Helen + Sandy + Pat + Kimberly & John + JoEllen + Roger + John + Pete + Henry + Christina + John + Noah + Joy + Josh
- for all healthcare workers and first responders
- for those in prison and for prison workers
- for nursing home staff and residents, especially Jackie
- for the sick, especially those with Covid-19
- for all who struggle
- for the unemployed, the disappointed, and the oppressed
- for all who work for peace and justice
- for teachers and parents
- for our nation and its leaders
- for those struggling with addiction, and the families who are affected
- for a safe and effective vaccine, and for its efficient distribution
In thanksgiving for:
- for the possibilities
- for all who support the ministry of St. Nick’s
- for the vaccine
- for my family
For the departed:
all who have died of Covid-19
