The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, September 20

Altar Flowers remind us of the beauty of God's creation. 

Mass Servers: (8:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.) Celebrant and Preacher - – The Rev. Dr. Robert Wetherington, Deacon – The Rev. Anthony Sgro, Ed.D. (11:00 a.m.) Servers – L. Bullock, E. Wetherington; Lectors – H. Teahan, L. Bullock; Ushers –; Hospitality – the Cagles; Counters – T. Naomi, D. Stone (Vestry persons of the day)

September 20, 8:00 and 11:00 a.m., Bulletin Insert

Click here for our seasonal Seasonal Bulletin.

Adult Forum series topic: “Alternative Strands of Scripture.”  Join us on Sundays at 9:30am for thoughtful and important discussions. 

Lectionary readings, Lectionary study resources

Compline is now offered every Sunday at 7p.m.

Saint Francis Day liturgy: Blessing of the Animals and Dedication of the Saint Francis Chapel is Saturday, Oct. 3, at 9:30a.m.

World Communion Sunday will be celebrated Oct. 4 at 11:00a.m.

Richard, The Reed Family, Ken, Randi, April, Cynthia, Tom, Josh & Jennifer, Jamey, Colin, Keylani, Matt, Will, Gus and Jean, Hayes, Derek, Melinda, all those deployed in harm’s way at this time, Arlene, Paul, Ryan, Taunya, Julie, Joanne and Family, Bryce and Family, Brian & Devon and Family, Margaret, Mary, Brendan, Bill & Debbie, Julia, Hanna, Huston, Sam, Kent, Andrew and Family,  Jane, David, Carol, George, Susan, Kevin, Linda, Mike, Kathy, Gideon, Maurice, Edith, Taylor, Karl, Florence, Stephen, Ellen, Trish, Diann, Nellie, Sharon, Susan, Nicki, Sandy

Prayer for Bishop Search:  Almighty God, giver of every good gift: send forth your light and your truth, that they may lead us in discerning who we are as Christ's church now, and who God is calling us to be in our next season of shared ministry; so guide the hearts and minds of those who shall choose a bishop for this diocese, that we may receive a faithful shepherd, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Youth Group now meets every Sunday evening from 5-7:30p.m. More info is in the Youth Ministry section. 

Adult Forum current series topic: “Alternative Strands of Scripture”. Join us on Sundays at 9:30am for thoughtful and important discussions. 

Special Adult Forum on Sept. 27 with guest Coby Wellshear of Guardian ad Litem – this organization equips volunteers to serve children of alleged neglect and abuse by advocating for their best interests in court. 

Compline is now offered every Sunday at 7p.m. by several lay people. Come experience this beautiful and peaceful service many find meaningful to complete the day. Several lay people have volunteered to lead it, and we welcome others interested in leading also. If you would like to, but are unfamiliar with it, contact the Parish Admin and sign up on the board outside Emmaus Hall.  

Blessing of the Animals and Dedication of the Saint Francis Chapel in observance of this feast day, October 3 at 9:30a.m.  We will meet on the green and process to the chapel for the dedication and pet blessing. 

World Communion Sunday, October 4 at 11:00a.m. – We welcome our ecumenical brothers and sisters to worship with us at 11am. Extra goodies for coffee hour afterward are welcome! 

Crop Hunger Walk Hospitality Teams, Oct. 4 from 2:30-4:30pm: In support of this annual effort to raise money and awareness for ending hunger, we will be open to provide water and restrooms for walkers from 2:30-4:30pm. Volunteer hosts are needed - sign-up on the board outside Emmaus Hall. 

Name Tags: Saint Mary’s name tags are available to members for a cost sharing portion of $7.00 each. Please print your first and last name, and preferred name on a sign-up slip. 

ECW’s next meeting is September 15 at 6:30pm.  ECW meets every 3rd Tuesday.

Saint Mary’s “Merch”! Show your love for Saint Mary’s with merchandise with our shield on everything from water bottles to t-shirts, and everything in between. Visit: https://articlesofreligion/collections/st-marys-asheville 

Updates to our website (saintmarysavl.org) include a printable monthly calendar and a link to the newsletters. 

Greetings,

First off, a huge thank you for a successful first gathering! The youth enjoyed a cookout, toured their new space, and caught up on a full few months of overdue fellowship with roaring laughter, ping-pong, sundaes, and ridiculous drawings. We concluded by beginning a prayer chain craft and praying Compline together. It was truly a joyous occasion. Our next meeting will be this Sunday, 09.20.2026, in Emmaus Hall. We will be gathering with a new meeting time of 5pm to 7:30pm to accommodate an intergenerational Compline service into the meeting hosted this week by Scott. Father Robert's and my hope is that this will enrich an intentional connection between the youth, their prayer lives, and our broader Parish family. Our agenda, attached below, will include dinner and establishing a Covenant for our year together. Father Robert will be leading this meeting with a volunteer while I am away for a family matter. Lastly (for now) a HUGE shoutout to Joni Lawler and Episcopal Church Women for offering to provide a meal train for our gatherings. This ministry is possible by majority of the support that St. Mary's has offered me. And, for that, I am eternally grateful. Until next week, God's peace! 

Colin Rice

colin@saintmarysavl.org

The first shelf of the Missioner's Corner is devoted to holy cards and spiritual pamphlets.  Copies of Mother Teresa's, "The Simple Path",  have been printed onto small cards and are now available.  The cards are free.  The Simple Path is Mother Teresa's road map of developing a deep prayerful inner life.  The card gives us a practical method of developing an inner anchor centered on peace and serenity.  The path begins with daily taking time for silence and prayer.  Over time, our moments of  silence and  prayer will lead to a deepening of our faith.  This can lead us into a more intense love for God, our selves, and our neighbor. The sharing of this love invites us to take part in service/ministry in our parish and community.  Over time, this simple path grounds us to an inner anchor of peace. Feel free to take copies of "The Simple Path" to share with friends and family.  It's a beautiful prayer/poem to say daily and to put into daily practice. 
--Brother John

Ministry of Hope

The MINISTRY OF HOPE serves women at the Western Correctional Center for Women - they are mothers, daughters, sisters, family, & community members. Learn more about what they do and their programs here. Also see the flyer highlighting their ministry of spiritual parenting education. 

Opportunities for Diocesan Ministry

In preparation for our Diocesan Convention, the Nominating Committee of the Diocese of WNC hopes to be able to present a full slate of nominees for open positions on Diocesan Committees. Please see the list of openings and a brief description for each committee HERE.  If you have interest or questions, please contact Jonathan Stepp, Nominating Committee Chair at jonathanstepp7@gmail.com, or any member of the committee: Jim Bowden, St. Peterby-by-the-Lake/Denver; Christine Longoria-All Souls/Asheville; Bill Hasskamp-St. James /Black Mtn; Perry Hildreth - Holy Communion/Ashe Co.; Joslyn Schaefer - Grace/Waynesville

Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM)

ABCCM has many ways you can help to provide individuals an opportunity to grow, mature and express their faith through fellowship and service for the joy set before us in Christ.  You can learn more  HERE.  ABCCM operates seven ministries that provide emergency needs and longer term efforts to help individuals heal and be restored. You can be a part of this. CLICK HERE 

Each One Teach One Through Food, Inc. (E1T1)

Click the button to see what is happening in our community of faith of Western North Carolina.

Subscribe to the Diocesan Newsletter here.

Bishop Transition Webpage:   The Search Committee would like to thank everyone who participated in the survey process! The feedback from the survey created a great foundation for our diocesan profile. In the near future we will be hosting a series of online listening sessions which will be mediated by Holy Cow, Consulting. The information captured in these listening sessions will be combined with the results of the survey and this information is what the search committee will use to draft our diocesan profile, which will then be released to the wider public later this fall. The search committee is currently finalizing dates for these listening sessions, and they will be released soon. Please keep us in your prayers as we do this holy work. And, as always, if you have any questions, please email us at BishopSearch@diocesewnc.org. 

Opportunities for Diocesan Ministry

In preparation for our Diocesan Convention, the Nominating Committee of the Diocese of WNC hopes to be able to present a full slate of nominees for open positions on Diocesan Committees. Please see the list of openings and a brief description for each committee HERE.  If you have interest or questions, please contact Jonathan Stepp, Nominating Committee Chair at jonathanstepp7@gmail.com, or any member of the committee: Jim Bowden, St. Peterby-by-the-Lake/Denver; Christine Longoria-All Souls/Asheville; Bill Hasskamp-St. James /Black Mtn; Perry Hildreth - Holy Communion/Ashe Co.; Joslyn Schaefer - Grace/Waynesville

Learn more about The Episcopal Church

The Episcopal Church mission and ministry priorities rise from the work done at General Convention. See the depth and breadth of the work in which our church is involved HERE.

Episcopal News Service shares stories of faith lived and prayers offered.

The EPISCOPAL PUBLIC POLICY NETWORK (EPPN) is a grassroots effort of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations to educate, equip and engage individual Episcopalians in federal public policy advocacy, guided by the resolutions of the General Convention and the Executive Council.