 FATHER DUANE ON VACATION AUG 12-22
Father Duane has booked some time off from August 12 through August 22. We will attend virtual services at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, August 16, followed by our usual Zoom coffee hour. Rev. Minka Sprague has agreed to handle any pastoral emergencies. Her number is 504-255-5724. EPISCOFEST! EpiscoFest is a fun event for 6th-12th grade students to kick-off a new school year together. Join us on Zoom, Saturday, August 15th at 2pm for ice-breakers, games, small groups, and worship. EpiscoFest welcomes youth of all faith backgrounds from around Louisiana. When we're not busy dancing and playing, EpiscoFest will share the lives and experiences of Saints of Color. Register in advance: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0kf-2tpz0vHtOqEkziAieV6fs4Q62FWQLp After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Zoom meeting. Email the Rev. Jane-Allison Wiggin-Nettles (jwigginnettles@edola.org) with any questions. VESTRY SETS RECORD FOR FASTEST MEETING OF ALL TIME Our hard-working, laser-focused Vestry members met on Zoom last Sunday in advance of our Parish Picnic/Bingo event, and carried out important Parish business in an extremely efficient and productive 27 minutes! Decisions were made to approve the Diocesan assessment of $17,021 for 2021 and to approve a lease for a new tenant, Lemons are Blue. The board also agreed that the church building will remain closed for the month of August. They will continue on a month-by-month basis to review the prospects for safe re-opening. The vestry meets again August 30 at 5 pm. Your current vestry members are Marcie Courtney, Senior Warden Todd Gonczy, Junior Warden Pamela Merideth, Secretary Bates Whiteside, Treasurer Elizabeth Gruver Philip Howell *7th seat vacant Andrew Lapeyre, Assistant Treasurer (ex-officio) Michael Carbo, Chancellor (ex-officio) HERE'S WHAT'S COMING UP: Email or text Fr. Duane for the Zoom password. It is the same for every meeting at both churches. Or sign up for our weekly email and get an easy 1-click link every week.
NEWS FROM OUR DIOCESE A Pastoral Letter from The Rt. Rev. Morris K. Thompson, Jr., Bishop of Louisiana: https://www.edola.org/a-pastoral-letter-on-covid-19/ MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES Readers needed! We need people to pre-record readings for our Sunday worship service! If you have a smartphone or computer with video recording ability, you have all the equipment you need. Please let Fr. Duane know at Duane@AnnunciationEpiscopal.com More than ever, we need beauty in our lives! Sign up for Altar Flowers with by emailing Suzanne Fontan. PARISH NEWS Vestry Vestry will meet August 30, 5pm Racial Reconciliation Small Groups We now have four small groups studying Latasha Morrison’s book, Be the Bridge, Pursuing God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation. This newest meets on Zoom every Sunday at 8pm, and is designed to accommodate the schedules of parents with young children. If that sounds like you, let Grace Slattery (504-331-2693) know you are interested! The e-book is available from Amazon (smile.amazon.com/ch/72-0508566 will benefit the Church of the Annunciation Episcopal Foundation), you can order a hard copy from your preferred bookseller (Community Book Center is a Black-owned bookstore here in New Orleans), or from Christbooks.com. Third 30 Meets Tuesdays! Third Thirty, Mount Olivet’s program for people 60 and older, has moved to every other Tuesdays at 1pm - next meeting is August 11. Annunciation members and friends are invited to join in! Just email Chris Pomfret, facilitator, to let him know you're interested. Mount Olivet Zoom Meeting ID: 504-366-4650 or use 1-click https://zoom.us/j/5043664650?pwd=eWFsd0hJNVZpemo2ckF3R3p0U1YyUT09 Neighbors in Need The Broadmoor Food Pantry has seen the number of clients double in the last month. Stable shelf items can be dropped off at Broadmoor Community Church at 2021 South Dupre Street (next to El Pavo Royal) at the following times:
Resources for Parishioners Broadmoor Improvement Association exists to help every resident in Broadmoor thrive, and is open to all members of Annunciation, even if you reside outside the neighborhood. They provide affordable counseling and social services for all income levels on a donation basis. Call the BIA at 504-249-5130 or email wellness@broadmoorimprovement.com for more information. Hurricane Preparedness Hurricane season has unfortunately not been cancelled. Are you prepared? Check out Ready.nola.gov/plan/hurricane/ for information, checklists, and other helpful resources. If you need help evacuating in the event of a hurricane or other disaster, please let Fr. Duane know. GIVING The work of the Church goes on, even if the building is closed. Your generosity is needed and appreciated more than ever. Please give what you can, and if you are concerned about being able to fulfill your pledge, just reach out to Bates Whiteside or Jessica Jackson. Together, we can weather these uncertain times. The all-around best way to give is with a recurring contribution through your bank account. It’s easy to set this up online, or our Parish Administrator Jessica Jackson can walk you through it. Give her a call at 535-4452. We are also grateful to accept your gift at any time in either of the following ways: Donate online at www.AnnunciationEpiscopal.com/Give OR text GIVE to 504-565-2682. OR mail your check. Shopping from Amazon? Help support Annunciation. Your purchases made through our link at smile.amazon.com help support Annunciation at no extra cost to you. To select us as your preferred charity, visit smile.amazon.com and search for Church of the Annunciation Episcopal Foundation. The Amazon shopping app on iOS and Android mobile phones now supports smile.amazon.com as well. Go into the main menu of the Amazon Shopping app, tap into 'Settings', tap 'AmazonSmile' and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process. PRAYER REQUESTS Do you or does someone you know need our prayers? Please email Father Duane or call/text him at (504) 357-8211.
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  BINGO & PICNIC IN PLACE THIS SUNDAY! Since our planned Parish picnic on the church lawn had to be cancelled due to heightened restrictions on in-person gatherings, and since we still have PRIZES to give away, all are invited to participate in a “Picnic in Place” event on Sunday July 26, 5:30-7 pm! We will have bingo via Zoom (digital game cards will be sent out in advance), and prizes (three fabulous baskets assembled by Suzanne Fontan, pictured above) will be delivered to the winners! BE THE BRIDGE BOOK STUDIES We now have three small groups studying Latasha Morrison’s book, Be the Bridge, Pursuing God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation, and a fourth is forming for parents of young children. If that sounds like you, let Grace Slattery (504-331-2693) know you are interested! The e-book is available from Amazon (smile.amazon.com/ch/72-0508566 will benefit the Church of the Annunciation Episcopal Foundation), you can order a hard copy from your preferred bookseller (Community Book Center is a Black-owned bookstore here in New Orleans), or from Christbooks.com. THIRD 30 MEETS TUESDAY! Third Thirty, Mount Olivet’s program for people 60 and older, has moved to Tuesdays. Topic: Advance Directives; how to ensure that your end of life wishes are met within the laws of Louisiana. Zoom Meeting ID: 504-366-4650 HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK: All Annunciation-hosted meetings, unless otherwise stated, take place in Zoom, Meeting ID 504 895 8697 and use the same password. If you need the password, or wish to connect over the telephone (audio only), or need other assistance, please let Father Duane by emailing Duane@annunciationepiscopal.com or call 504-895-8697 and leave a message. Meetings sponsored by our sister parish, Mount Olivet, use a different Meeting ID, but the same password.
HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS Hurricane season has unfortunately not been cancelled. Are you prepared? Check out Ready.nola.gov/plan/hurricane/ for information, checklists, and other helpful resources. If you need help evacuating in the event of a hurricane or other disaster, please let Fr. Duane know. MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES Readers needed! We need people to pre-record readings for our Sunday worship service! If you have a smartphone or computer with video recording ability, you have all the equipment you need. Please let Fr. Duane know at Duane@AnnunciationEpiscopal.com More than ever, we need beauty in our lives! Sign up for Altar Flowers with Suzanne Fontan at sfontan@entergy.com. PARISH NEWS Vestry Vestry will meet July 26, 5pm Shopping from Amazon? Help support Annunciation. Your purchases made through our link at smile.amazon.com help support Annunciation at no extra cost to you. To select us as your preferred charity, visit smile.amazon.com and search for Church of the Annunciation Episcopal Foundation. The Amazon shopping app on iOS and Android mobile phones now supports smile.amazon.com as well. Go into the main menu of the Amazon Shopping app, tap into 'Settings', tap 'AmazonSmile' and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process. Neighbors in Need The Broadmoor Food Pantry has seen the number of clients double in the last month. Stable shelf items can be dropped off at Broadmoor Community Church at 2021 South Dupre Street (next to El Pavo Royal) at the following times:
Resources for Parishioners Broadmoor Improvement Association exists to help every resident in Broadmoor thrive, and is open to all members of Annunciation, even if you reside outside the neighborhood. They provide affordable counseling and social services for all income levels on a donation basis. Call the BIA at 504-249-5130 or email wellness@broadmoorimprovement.com for more information. GIVING The work of the Church goes on, even if the building is closed. Your generosity is needed and appreciated more than ever. Please give what you can, and if you are concerned about being able to fulfill your pledge, just reach out to Bates Whiteside or Jessica Jackson. Together, we can weather these uncertain times. The all-around best way to give is with a recurring contribution through your bank account. It’s easy to set this up online, or our Parish Administrator Jessica Jackson can walk you through it. Give her a call at 535-4452. We are also grateful to accept your gift at any time in either of the following ways: Donate online at www.AnnunciationEpiscopal.com/Give OR text GIVE to 504-565-2682. OR mail your check. PRAYER REQUESTS Intercessions are requested for Monica, Molly, Carrie and Matt, Kenny, Julie, and Amelia, Martha and her daughter Lisa, Bates, and Sadie, and for public health and safety, for essential and frontline workers, and for small business owners and restaurateurs. We ask for prayers for Members of the Armed Forces. We give thanks for July birthdays: Eli Gay (07/01), Bates Whiteside (07/01), April Courtney-Foshee (07/02), Cynthia Costello (07/04), Avery Crooks (07/12), Steven Prejeant (07/16), Asher Howell (07/17), Myles Breaux (07/23), Robin Yeager (07/23), Julie Zitzmann (07/26), Lily Holmes (07/27), Maureen Young (07/29) Do you or does someone you know need our prayers? Please submit prayer requests by the end of Monday for inclusion in the weekly news/service bulletin by contacting Rev. Duane at Duane@AnnunciationEpiscopal.com or (504) 357-8211. Prayer requests will automatically expire after one month on the list. If you want to renew a request, just let us know.  SPOTLIGHT ON ANNUNCIATION/MT. OLIVET IN DIOCESEAN MAGAZINE
“God is wherever and however we gather.” Father Duane has an article in the June 2020 issue of Churchwork, a publication of the Diocese of Louisiana, in which he writes about the experience of pastoring through the pandemic. Read “Focusing on Connection and Community” here. PICNIC IN PLACE JULY 26 Since our planned Parish picnic on the church lawn had to be cancelled due to heightened restrictions on in-person gatherings, and since we still have PRIZES to give away, all are invited to participate in a “Picnic in Place” event on Sunday July 26, 5:30-7 pm! We will have bingo via Zoom (game cards will be sent out in advance), and prizes will be delivered to the winners! As last week’s pastoral letter urged, let’s be creative in how we re-imagine this gathering. Some folks in higher risk categories may need to picnic at home and rely on Zoom for community. Some of you may be comfortable with getting together in pairs or small groups to picnic outside with due precautions. The important thing is to maintain the connections that keep us strong and healthy as a community during this time when we cannot all gather in the parish hall or church pews. Outside-the-box thinkers, this is your time to shine! BE THE BRIDGE BOOK STUDY HAS NEW OPENINGS We now have three small groups studying Latasha Morrison’s book, Be the Bridge, Pursuing God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation. There are two evening groups meeting alternate Wednesdays from 6:30-8 pm, and one daytime group, which meets every other Wednesday morning, 10:30 am -12 pm. All meetings take place over Zoom (Meeting ID 504 895 8697). There is still time to join Evening Group B (led by Kyran) or the daytime group (led by Marcie), both meeting next on 07/22. The e-book is available from Amazon (smile.amazon.com/ch/72-0508566 will benefit the Church of the Annunciation Episcopal Foundation), you can order a hard copy from your preferred bookseller (Community Book Center is a Black-owned bookstore here in New Orleans), or from Christbooks.com. YOUR CHURCH IS AS VIBRANT AND ACTIVE AS EVER. HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING: Email or text Fr. Duane for the Zoom password. It is the same for every meeting at both churches.
AUDIO-ONLY TELEPHONE ACCESS TO ALL ANNUNCIATION ZOOM MEETINGS Call 1-646-558-8656, enter Meeting ID number 5048958697, enter numeric passcode (available on request from Father Duane) HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS Hurricane season has unfortunately not been cancelled. Are you prepared? Check out Ready.nola.gov/plan/hurricane/ for information, checklists, and other helpful resources. If you need help evacuating in the event of a hurricane or other disaster, please let Father Duane know. MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES Readers needed! We need people to pre-record readings for our Sunday worship service! If you have a smartphone or computer with video recording ability, you have all the equipment you need. Please email Father Duane. More than ever, we need beauty in our lives! Sign up for Altar Flowers with Suzanne Fontan PARISH NEWS Vestry Vestry will meet July 26, 5pm Shopping from Amazon? Help support Annunciation. Your purchases made through our link at smile.amazon.com help support Annunciation at no extra cost to you. To select us as your preferred charity, visit smile.amazon.com and search for Church of the Annunciation Episcopal Foundation. The Amazon shopping app on iOS and Android mobile phones now supports smile.amazon.com as well. Go into the main menu of the Amazon Shopping app, tap into 'Settings', tap 'AmazonSmile' and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process. Neighbors in Need The Broadmoor Food Pantry has seen the number of clients double in the last month. Stable shelf items can be dropped off at Broadmoor Community Church at 2021 South Dupre Street (next to El Pavo Royal) at the following times:
Resources for Parishioners Broadmoor Improvement Association exists to help every resident in Broadmoor thrive, and is open to all members of Annunciation, even if you reside outside the neighborhood. They provide affordable counseling and social services for all income levels on a donation basis. Call the BIA at 504-249-5130 or email wellness@broadmoorimprovement.com for more information. GIVING The work of the Church goes on, even if the building is closed. Your generosity is needed and appreciated more than ever. Please give what you can, and if you are concerned about being able to fulfill your pledge, just reach out to Bates Whiteside or Jessica Jackson. Together, we can weather these uncertain times. The all-around best way to give is with a recurring contribution through your bank account. It’s easy to set this up online, or our Parish Administrator Jessica Jackson can walk you through it. Give her a call at 535-4452. We are also grateful to accept your gift at any time in either of the following ways: Donate online at www.AnnunciationEpiscopal.com/Give OR text GIVE to 504-565-2682. OR mail your check. PRAYER REQUESTS Intercessions are requested for Emily, Jonah, Martha and her daughter Lisa, Bates, and Sadie, and for public health and safety, and for families in conflict. Thanksgiving is offered for Morris Jones recovery. Prayers for Members of the Armed Forces. July Birthdays Eli Gay (07/01), Bates Whiteside (07/01), April Courtney-Foshee (07/02), Cynthia Costello (07/04), Avery Crooks (07/12), Steven Prejeant (07/16), Asher Howell (07/17), Myles Breaux (07/23), Robin Yeager (07/23), Julie Zitzmann (07/26), Lily Holmes (07/27), Maureen Young (07/29) Do you or does someone you know need our prayers? Please submit prayer requests by the end of Monday for inclusion in the weekly news/service bulletin by contacting Rev. Duane at Duane@AnnunciationEpiscopal.com or (504) 357-8211. Prayer requests will automatically expire after one month on the list. If you want to renew a request, just let us know.  The following article by The Rev. Duane Wiggin-Nettles appeared in the June 2020 issue of Churchwork, a publication of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana I recently heard a colleague push back against what must already be the most tired marketing trope of the decade, “In these uncertain times…” “What times are certain?” he said. I agree. Life has always been full of uncertainty and change. There’s a season for everything, as Ecclesiastes reminds us. But in every season, there is also a constant- -God. Scripture describes a world born out of chaos into the hands of a loving and stable Creator and redeemed by the incarnational Christ Jesus. This idea has guided me and the leadership at both parishes where I serve as priest, Free Church of the Annunciation - Episcopal and Mount Olivet Episcopal Church, to shift the focus from chaos and uncertainty to connection and community with God and one another - to be present in this moment. Early in the pandemic, I read a theological reflection from a Jesuit priest inviting us to see ourselves as a people in exile, as during the Prophets, when ancient Israel was removed from the temple, the physical presence of God in their lives. The great stability in their lives. As we have been separated from the eucharist, the physical, stable presence of God in our own lives. While the Israelites mourned their loss, the Prophets invited them to consider how to be the people of God without the temple. I felt this was a time for us to do the same. Our Episcopal and Anglican traditions offer many ways in which to experience the physical and stable presence of God when we gather, even without eucharist. We read in Ezekiel that the prophet literally ate the Scripture rolls, feasting on the word of God as an example to the people in exile. We decided we would also feast on Scripture during this time. I moved our services online to Morning Prayer. We could not pretend that nothing had changed. It was a different time. We could do nothing about what was happening, but we could do something about our response. We needed to find new ways to commune together with God. I decided to stream services from my house. My parishioners were working from home, so I would do the same. We’re all in this together. I also felt it was good to set an example to stay home. It’s been an opportunity to show people that we can find God in places other than the church building. God is wherever and however we gather. While acknowledging our loss, I encouraged us to embrace new-found opportunities before us. It’s been a time of creativity for me. I took the approach that online is a different medium than in-person so it should look different. Our streaming devices (phones, tablets, TVs) call for a more intimate experience. We do a live-stream at 10 a.m. each Sunday to foster community and connection in a way I felt pre-recording could not. We sometimes have technical issues, but in-person worship isn’t perfect either. Mics go out. Readers sometimes cannot be heard. The wrong hymn might be played. Once we got over the need for perfection, we instead focused on having a shared experience. A friend of mine summed it up well when he observed that we are about “connection, not perfection.” We follow the service with coffee hour on Zoom. We usually see about 20-25 people join in for time of fellowship, from all over the country and even from Canada. We end with prayer requests.  Instead of retracting, we’ve expanded our small group offerings using Zoom. We have formed new parent groups and retiree groups that people have been talking about for years but could never seem to get off the ground before. We are meeting people where they are, as Jesus and the early church went to the people wherever they were.
I make a point to attend most small group meetings over Zoom in order to see and connect with folks since the opportunity for casual conversations before and after service is not possible. I also spend a great deal of time on the telephone to stay in touch or provide pastoral care. The length of phone calls has surprised me the most. They last much longer than a pre-pandemic call. While I had to adjust my schedule to this, I’ve welcomed it. The one-on-one conversations offer an opportunity of deep connection. For all the disruption at this time, my parishes and I have learned new ways of being that we will carry into the next phase of our life together. Tomorrow won’t look like the past or the present. The future will bring its own challenges and joys. Chaos will certainly be there. As in every age, we will be faced with the choice between shrinking from it in fear or stepping out into the light of Christ in the hands of a stable Creator. Friends,
Due to increasing COVID-19 cases, the Mayor's new restrictions on outdoor gatherings, the Vestry and I felt it necessary to cancel this Sunday’s parish picnic. This news from the Mayor was difficult to hear. These measures affect everyone, but our prayers especially go out to owners and staff in the service industry who are struggling for their livelihoods, while trying to do the right thing. Most of us are feeling anxious. Some are angry at those who are not practicing social distancing or wearing masks consistently when in public. We need everyone to do their part for sure. But I think it is important to remember that even if everyone followed every rule, this virus would still be with us. There would be fewer cases and fewer deaths, but we would still not be "back to normal.” Science still has much more to learn about this virus in order to provide us with a path "back to normal." In the meantime, we are going to have to practice patience. I know. New Orleanians are only patient for one thing: a Mardi Gras parade. We will sit for hours waiting for one to come. But we don’t sit there moping, angry, and depressed. We wait in a spirit of community and connection with our family, friends and neighbors. Maybe that could be our inspiration as we anticipate the return of a time when we can again celebrate festivals, sit down in our favorite restaurants and bars, and sing together in the pews of our church. We can use this time of waiting to be creative about how we congregate and connect. We continue to be one church, but for now, we need to think about being one church made up of many small groups. Almost anything we would be doing in larger numbers can be adapted to a small group format -- learning, praying, serving others, and having fun. Small groups can more easily follow public health guidelines, and can be formed around particular safety concerns and needs. One group may be comfortable meeting in person on a front porch or backyard to watch a Sunday morning service together. Another may need to stay in touch through a text thread or zoom meeting. Some could organize ministry projects that could be carried out in person or remotely. I know we have the imagination to make this work, but it will take everyone’s active participation. This is an invitation for you to organize with others. As our mission instructs us, showing up for God, and for each other. If you need an ear to bend because life has been stressful, please call me anytime at 504-357-8211. Also, the Broadmoor Improvement Association offers counseling services on a sliding fee scale. The service is available to any of you on this email, since our church is located in the neighborhood. Call the BIA at 504-249-5130 or email wellness@broadmoorimprovement.com for more information. We don’t have to wait for “back to normal” to resume living out our mission. Come on friends. We miss each other. Let’s figure this out.  PARISH PICNIC THIS SUNDAY!
Our rained out Independence Day Parish Picnic will be held on the lawn at Claiborne and Napoleon this Sunday, July 12 from 5:30-7pm: Bingo, sprinkler for the kids, the lighting of the Easter fire, sparklers, and social distancing! This will be our first post-lockdown get-together, so please pay careful attention to the following expectations that your clergy and vestry have set for everyone’s protection:
BE THE BRIDGE BOOK STUDY Two of our small groups are exploring God’s call to racial reconciliation this summer, using the book, Be the Bridge, by Latasha Morrison, as a guide. Both groups will meet every other Wednesday on Zoom from 6:30-8pm. Please note that these groups will be closed to new participants after the first session. The second Annunciation group will begin their study July 8 (Zoom Meeting ID 504 895 8697). The e-book is available from Amazon (smile.amazon.com/ch/72-0508566 will benefit the Church of the Annunciation Episcopal Foundation), you can order a hard copy from your preferred bookseller (Community Book Center is a Black-owned bookstore here in New Orleans), or from Christbooks.com. The initial discussion will look at the sample excerpt that is free on Amazon. We begin gathering at 6:30 for social time, and the discussion will begin at 7, concluding at 8. Join us with an open heart and mind! (Our sister parish Mount Olivet will also begin a group this Thursday, July 9, Zoom Meeting ID 504 366 4650) ZOOM MEETING ACCESS All of Annunciation-hosted Zoom Meetings use Meeting ID and are password protected. To obtain the password, or for an easy 1-click link, or to join from your telephone for audio only, text or email Father Duane or email community@annunciationepiscopal.com YOUR CHURCH IS AS VIBRANT AND ACTIVE AS EVER. HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING:
HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS Hurricane season has unfortunately not been cancelled. Are you prepared? Check out Ready.nola.gov/plan/hurricane/ for information, checklists, and other helpful resources. If you need help evacuating in the event of a hurricane or other disaster, please let Father Duane know. MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES Readers needed! We need people to pre-record readings for our Sunday worship service! If you have a smartphone or computer with video recording ability, you have all the equipment you need. Please let Father Duane know at Duane@AnnunciationEpiscopal.com More than ever, we need beauty in our lives! Sign up for Altar Flowers with Suzanne Fontan. PARISH NEWS Vestry Vestry will meet July 26, 5pm Shopping from Amazon? Help support Annunciation. Your purchases made through our link at smile.amazon.com help support Annunciation at no extra cost to you. To select us as your preferred charity, visit smile.amazon.com and search for Church of the Annunciation Episcopal Foundation. The Amazon shopping app on iOS and Android mobile phones now supports smile.amazon.com as well. Go into the main menu of the Amazon Shopping app, tap into 'Settings', tap 'AmazonSmile' and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process. Neighbors in Need The Broadmoor Food Pantry has seen the number of clients double in the last month. Stable shelf items can be dropped off at Broadmoor Community Church at 2021 South Dupre Street (next to El Pavo Royal) at the following times:
Resources for Parishioners Broadmoor Improvement Association exists to help every resident in Broadmoor thrive, and is open to all members of Annunciation, even if you reside outside the neighborhood. They provide affordable counseling and social services for all income levels on a donation basis. Call the BIA at 504-249-5130 or email wellness@broadmoorimprovement.com for more information. GIVING The work of the Church goes on, even if the building is closed. Your generosity is needed and appreciated more than ever. Please give what you can, and if you are concerned about being able to fulfill your pledge, just reach out to Bates Whiteside or Jessica Jackson. Together, we can weather these uncertain times. The all-around best way to give is with a recurring contribution through your bank account. It’s easy to set this up online, or our Parish Administrator Jessica Jackson can walk you through it. Give her a call at 535-4452. We are also grateful to accept your gift at any time in either of the following ways: Donate online at www.AnnunciationEpiscopal.com/Give OR text GIVE to 504-565-2682. OR mail your check. PRAYER REQUESTS Intercessions are requested for Lawrence and Eileen, Jonah, Becky, Bates, Sadie, and for public health and safety. Thanksgiving is offered for Morris’ recovery and birthday. Prayers for Members of the Armed Forces. Prayers for the repose of the soul of Rev. Dr. Mark Gasquet July Birthdays Eli Gay (07/01), Bates Whiteside (07/01), April Courtney-Foshee (07/02), Cynthia Costello (07/04), Avery Crooks (07/12), Steven Prejeant (07/16), Asher Howell (07/17), Myles Breaux (07/23), Robin Yeager (07/23), Julie Zitzmann (07/26), Lily Holmes (07/27), Maureen Young (07/29) Do you or does someone you know need our prayers? Please submit prayer requests by the end of Monday for inclusion in the weekly news/service bulletin by contacting Rev. Duane at Duane@AnnunciationEpiscopal.com or (504) 357-8211. Prayer requests will automatically expire after one month on the list. If you want to renew a request, just let us know.  What’s the buzz? (Scroll down for a complete list of what’s happening in our parish) PARISH PICNIC! Our annual Independence Day Parish Picnic will be held on the lawn at Claiborne and Napoleon this Sunday, July 5 from 5:30-7pm: Bingo, sprinkler for the kids, the lighting of the Easter fire, and social distancing! This will be our first post-lockdown get-together, so please pay careful attention to the following expectations that your clergy and vestry have set for everyone’s protection:
NEW BOOK STUDY - jump in either tonight or Wed, 7/8 Two of our small groups will be looking at God’s call to racial reconciliation this summer, using the book, Be the Bridge, by Latasha Morrison, as a guide. Both groups will meet every other Wednesday on Zoom from 6:30-8pm. The Annunciation Bible Study small group will begin their study July 1 (meeting ID 504 895 8697 email Father Duane at Duane@annunciationepiscopal.com for the password). The Annunciation Prayer Group will begin theirs on July 08 using Annette Sisco’s Zoom meeting space (email Annette at asisco@theadvocate.com for details). The e-book is available from Amazon (smile.amazon.com/ch/72-0508566 will benefit the Church of the Annunciation Episcopal Foundation), you can order a hard copy from your preferred bookseller (Community Book Center is a Black-owned bookstore here in New Orleans), or from Christbooks.com. The July 01 group will begin by looking at the sample excerpt that is free on Amazon. We begin gathering at 6:30 for social time, and the discussion will begin at 7, concluding at 8. Join us with an open heart and mind! ANNUNCIATION: UPDATE ON IN-PERSON WORSHIP At the regular Vestry meeting this week, the Vestry and I discussed a time-frame for returning to in-person worship. The Vestry voted to not return to in-person worship during the month of July. At the July meeting, it will make a decision about August. I’ll try to summarize our discussion. We considered the moral, theological, and legal implications for our congregation. While our Bishop has given permission to return to in-person and to hold communion services, there are several challenges for our church. The Vestry and I had hoped to hold communion services in July, but we are concerned by the recent uptick in cases around the city and state. Churches are consistently ranked as one of the least safe places to gather during this pandemic primarily because of our openness and welcoming approach to life together. The feeling was that while we all miss in-person worship, we think the health and safety of each of you is more important. As the saying goes: just because one can do something, does not necessarily mean one should do something. Let me assure you that when we feel it is safe to gather, we will return to in-person worship with communion. We eagerly hope for this to happen. OBITUARY AND FUNERAL NOTICE FOR REV. DR. MARK GASQUET A private funeral service will be held on July 11 for Rev. Dr. Mark Gasquet (family only). Rev. Gasquet was 11th Rector of Annunciation from 1973-2000. He served Annunciation faithfully through decades of many changes. During his time, the church once again became a diverse congregation that welcomed all people. We wouldn’t be who we are without his many, faithful years of service. Our prayers are with his wife, Marilyn, and their family. You can read his obituary here. YOUR CHURCH IS AS VIBRANT AND ACTIVE AS EVER. HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING: Email or text Fr. Duane for the Zoom password. It is the same for every meeting at both churches.
HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS Hurricane season has unfortunately not been cancelled. Are you prepared? Check out Ready.nola.gov/plan/hurricane/ for information, checklists, and other helpful resources. If you need help evacuating in the event of a hurricane or other disaster, please let Fr. Duane know. MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES Readers needed! We need people to pre-record readings for our Sunday worship service! If you have a smartphone or computer with video recording ability, you have all the equipment you need. Please let Fr. Duane know at Duane@AnnunciationEpiscopal.com More than ever, we need beauty in our lives! Sign up for Altar Flowers with Suzanne Fontan at sfontan@entergy.com. PARISH NEWS Broadmoor Cottage for Rent Marcie has a great little cottage she says is spotless and available for a very reasonable rate to a drug-free tenant with a personal reference from a parishioner. Contact Marcie at 504-214-8314 Shopping from Amazon? Help support Annunciation. Your purchases made through our link at smile.amazon.com help support Annunciation at no extra cost to you. To select us as your preferred charity, visit smile.amazon.com and search for Church of the Annunciation Episcopal Foundation. The Amazon shopping app on iOS and Android mobile phones now supports smile.amazon.com as well. Go into the main menu of the Amazon Shopping app, tap into 'Settings', tap 'AmazonSmile' and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process. Neighbors in Need The Broadmoor Food Pantry has seen the number of clients double in the last month. Stable shelf items can be dropped off at Broadmoor Community Church at 2021 South Dupre Street (next to El Pavo Royal) at the following times:
Resources for Parishioners Broadmoor Improvement Association exists to help every resident in Broadmoor thrive, and is open to all members of Annunciation, even if you reside outside the neighborhood. They provide affordable counseling and social services for all income levels on a donation basis. Call the BIA at 504-249-5130 or email wellness@broadmoorimprovement.com for more information. GIVING The work of the Church goes on, even if the building is closed. Your generosity is needed and appreciated more than ever. Please give what you can, and if you are concerned about being able to fulfill your pledge, just reach out to Bates Whiteside or Jessica Jackson. Together, we can weather these uncertain times. The all-around best way to give is with a recurring contribution through your bank account. It’s easy to set this up online, or our Parish Administrator Jessica Jackson can walk you through it. Give her a call at 535-4452. We are also grateful to accept your gift at any time in either of the following ways: Donate online at www.AnnunciationEpiscopal.com/Give OR text GIVE to 504-565-2682. OR mail your check. PRAYER REQUESTS Intercessions are requested for Ashley and children, John, Bill Grunmeyer, Pastor Greg Manning, Sadie, the Peterson family, April, Julie and Kenny, and Amelia, for those preparing to return to school in August, and for public health and safety. Prayers for Members of the Armed Forces, especially Sergeant Major Patrick Milstead and TSgt Earl Dontavious Moorer. Prayers for the repose of the soul of Rev. Dr. Mark Gasquet July Birthdays: Eli Gay (07/01) Do you or does someone you know need our prayers? Please submit prayer requests by the end of Monday for inclusion in the weekly news/service bulletin by contacting Rev. Duane at Duane@AnnunciationEpiscopal.com or (504) 357-8211. Prayer requests will automatically expire after one month on the list. If you want to renew a request, just let us know. STAYING CONNECTED YouTube Live Our online worship services are best viewed and heard through your internet-enabled TV. Open the YouTube app or channel and use the search window to locate Church of the Annunciation Episcopal and subscribe to our YouTube Live channel. You can also watch on your computer or smartphone through our website. Please note that our online services are live and subject to unforeseen technological glitches. Should our broadcast freeze, lose audio, video, or otherwise be interrupted, be patient. If we haven’t sorted it out in a minute or two, you can try refreshing the page. If it’s been several minutes or you see a notice that the video has been removed (due to overaggressive artificial intelligence monitors), go back to our main YouTube landing page and check to see if we’ve started over with a new feed. Perhaps use this time to pray for your worship team. It certainly can’t hurt. If you are on Facebook, be sure to like and follow our pages, facebook.com/AnnunciationNOLA and facebook.com/MountOlivetAlgiersPoint/ Zoom Meetings Zoom is a video-conferencing tool that is free and very easy to use. If you already have Zoom and know how to join a meeting, our meeting IDS are the same as our main phone numbers. 504 895 8697 for Annunciation, and 504 366 4650 for Mount Olivet. We use the same password for all our meetings. Message Father Duane if you don’t know it. Zoom works best when we can all see each other, but if you do not have access to a computer or smartphone with a video camera, you can still join in by telephone. Dial (346) 248-7799 and when prompted, enter the Meeting ID. Call Father Duane for the numeric passcode. Weekly News News is emailed weekly and posted to our website https://www.annunciationepiscopal.com/ shortly after. If you have announcements to include in weekly news, please send them to Kyran at community@annunciationepiscopal.com. |
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©2016 Free Church of the Annunciation - Episcopal
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