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2020 ANNUAL PARISH REPORTS
for the
Annual 2021 Parish Meeting
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church Edmond, OK
Sunday, January 31, 2021
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A publication of
601 N. Kelly Avenue, Suite 107 Edmond, OK 73003
(405) 341-3855
www.stmarysedmond.org
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Table of Contents
2020Annual Meeting Agenda 4
Prayers 5
2019 Annual Parish Meeting Minutes 6 –7
Alcolytes and Beadles 7
Altar Guild 8
Blanket Ministry 9
Chancel Choir 9
Children’s Formation 10
Christian Formation—Wired Word 10
Deacon’s Report 11
Emmanuel Chapter of the DOK 12
Financial Report (SEE INSERT) 12
Junior Warden 13-14
Men's Dinner 15
Rector’s Address (go to St. Mary’s website)
Rector's Discretionary Fund 16-17
Saint & Sinners 18
Scouts ,Troop 1 and Troop 6001 18-21
Senior Warden 22-23
St. Mary's School 24-25
Thursday’s Bible Study 25
UCO Ministry 26
Whole In One 26
Vital Statistics 27
2022 Annual Meeting Date 28
Page #
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2019 Annual Meeting Agenda January 31, 2021
1. Opening Prayers: The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Story
2. Voter Qualifications: Mr. Andy Smith, Sr. Warden
3. Appointments: The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Story
a. Secretary: Mary Hendricks
b. Parliamentarian: Tom Ferguson
c. Tellers: Deacon Bill Hesse
Deacon Nancy Bridges
4. Motion to approve the 2020Minutes The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Story
5. Motion to receive printed reports
6. Financial Report Mr. Ben Kenyon, Treasurer
7. Rector’s Report The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Story
8. Presentation of Vestry Candidates for general election Mr. Andy Smith, Sr. Warden
(Three to be elected for 3 year terms and one to be elected for fill an unexpired 2 year
term)
a. Jackie Shield
b. Kathryn Wilde
c. Danny Grellner
d. Tookie Hayes
9. Presentation of the Candidate for Jr. Warden-Elect
a. Debbie Hand
10. Presentation of Diocesan Convention Delegates Mr. Andy Smith, Sr. Warden
No nominations forthcoming. The Vestry will appoint four people.
11. Senior Warden’s Comments Mr. Andy Smith
12. Recognitions
13. Motion to Adjourn The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Story
14. Dismissal The Rev. Nancy Bridges
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Prayers
Priest: The Lord be with you.
Response: And also with you.
Priest: Let us pray.
Almighty and ever living God, source of all wisdom and understanding, be present with those who take counsel in our Annual Meeting for the renewal and mission of your Church. Teach us in all things to seek first your honor and glory. Guide us to perceive what is right, and grant us both the courage to pursue it and the grace to accomplish it; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O God, the King of saints, we praise and glorify your holy Name for all your servants who have finished their course in your faith and fear: for the blessed Virgin Mary; for the holy patri-archs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs; and for all your other righteous servants, known to us and unknown; and we pray that, encouraged by their examples, aided by their prayers, and strengthened by their fellowship, we also may be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; through the merits of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Carol Mann 02-28-2020 Jim Rainey 03-21-2020 Susan Hanna 06-16-2020 Mary Anne Pogue 10-08-2020 Virginia McCubbin 12-16-2020
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Annual Parish Meeting Minutes Mary Hendrick
Annual Parish Meeting Minutes 2020
1. The Annual Parish Meeting was called to order and opened with prayer by Father
Mark Story. Father Mark offered prayers for the 14 members of our church who
have passed away throughout this past year.
2. Sr. Warden Andy Smith read the Voter Qualifications according to our bylaws. A
voter must be in good standing, 16 years or older, have taken communion at least
three times during the preceding year and be faithful in their worship.
A quorum was declared.
3. Appointments for the following positions were nominated, moved and seconded:
a. Secretary: Mary Hendrick
b. Parliamentarian: Tom Ferguson
c. Tellers: Deacon Bill Hesse, Deacon Nancy Bridges, Dick Mason
and Gavin Marshall
4. A motion was made to approve the 2019 Minutes. Motion was seconded and
passed.
5. A motion was made and seconded to receive the printed reports from the parishion
ers representing various committees and guilds. Motion was passed.
6. Sr. Warden Andy Smith presented the following Vestry Candidates for general
election: Don Hensch, Clayton McCook, David Pepper and Kevin Sharp. Three
members are to be elected. The three who were elected are Don Hensch, Clayton
McCook and Kevin Sharp.
7. Wes Stucky was appointed as Senior Warden Elect and was accepted by the parish.
8. There were no appointed Diocesan Convention Delegates for the 2020 Convention,
so four will be invited to attend in November.
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Acolytes and Beadle Gavin Marshall
9. Sr. Warden Andy Smith updated the progress on the North Broadway building
project. He thanked the parish for their support of the new church project and in
particular those who have supported the sorting, packing and moving of the parish.
The schedule for the remainder of the time we have before we move to our
temporary location at SMES is: April 26 – last Easter Sunday service, April 30 –
final day. The first service at SMES will be May 3rd.
10. Ben Kenyon, Treasurer, updated the parish on our financial status and submitted
his 2019 Year End Statement of Financial Condition. The report is included with
the Parish Reports.
11. Father Mark recognized outgoing Senior Warden Dewayne Crunk and thanked him
for his service. He also thanked Tom Majors, Altar Guild, Diane Wilson, Flower
Guild and Karl Nelson, and the choir for their services. He presented Michelle
Davey with the annual Starfish Award. Kaylynn Sturm was the recipient of the
Fruit of Faithfulness award, Chris Hand for the Fruit of Goodness award, and
Roger Banks was awarded the Fruit of Faithfulness and Goodness. These are new
awards that he will offer throughout the year in thanksgiving and as an ongoing
recognition of faithfulness.
12. A motion to adjourn The Annual Meeting was made and passed. Deacon Bill Hesse
dismissed the meeting with a blessing.
Annual Parish Meeting Minutes continued….
NO REPORT SUBMITTED
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Altar Guild Tom Majors
The Altar Guild is a lay ministry, a gift of time and talent. While it dates to the last half of the 19th century, its roots are traced back to the earliest days of the church, when the priests and attendants had responsibility for the care of the altar and sanctuary. It is the ulti-
mate support group, working behind the scenes at Father Mark’s direction to serve God and this Parish. Altar Guild members are evangelists and help keep the tra-ditions of the Church and the beauty and timelessness of our worship. Its members are the preparers, keepers and observers for the most sacred traditions of the Episcopal Church. It is also an educational ministry. We learn the background to the liturgy and the traditions of the Church. We are more than wine, bread and silver. We learn the rea-son for, and the names of the linens and vessels used in performing the Eucharist, and we lovingly care for them.
This year, 2020, has been an unusual year for all of us. Just after Advent we began packing for our temporary move to the school while the new Church is built. At the same time, we came to grips with the Global Pandemic, terminating our services at the old Church
early and resulting in limited services ‘socially-distanced and ‘Facebooked’ at the school.
As a result, the scope of duties and the func-tion of the Altar Guild have also been limited. We still prepare for Eucharist on Sunday, we still clean-up after services and prepare for special services such as Baptisms.
We are looking forward to ‘unpacking’ in the
new Church and resuming our duties, hopefully at Easter. We will need help! If you are interest-ed in becoming a member and would like to know more, or are a former member who would like to serve again, you can contact an Altar
Guild member or give Father Mark or Tom Majors a call. Tom can be reached at [email protected] or on his cell phone at 405.403.5041. Service on the Altar Guild re-quires only a few hours a month and usually only one Sunday. New members do not serve alone but are partnered with one or more seasoned members for training and guidance.
Please know that that our Parish is blessed by the continued donation of communion
wine by Vance Gregory, owner of the Edmond Wine Shop.
Taylor Hall Set-Up for Sunday Service
Packing, Packing and Packing Last March
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Blanket Ministry Mary Lambert
Chancel Choir Dr. Karl Nelson
St. Mary's blanket ministry, which was first imagined by the late Chris Slyter as a focus for
communal prayer for a new birth, and for the sick, has become one of our signature ministries
of our Church.
The fleece blankets are knotted and prayed over by Parishioners and Blessed by Father
Mark. They are then presented to parishioners and nonmembers alike.
The Prayer Blankets, prayed over, knotted, blessed and have been sent from Florida to
Alaska, and to several countries outside the United States.
We give thanks to Lord for the opportunity to offer a symbol of Gods compassion to
all. Twenty -one have been sent, at this writing, in a unique year.
We encourage a donation of $10. for each blanket but no request is ever turned away.
For information on sending a Prayer Blanket or donating to this Ministry contact Mary
Lambert, Ministry Coordinator, [email protected], or, St. Mary's Office.
Like every organization, the choirs at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church have made adjustments in the past year. Choral participation requires deep inhalation and exhalation, factors which en-hance the risk of infection and has created reason for pause. I’m looking forward to the time when the Chancel and Youth Choirs will be able to meet safely again and present music for our worship services.
In the meantime, our scholarship music students and I have filled in to sing hymns, anthems and solos as the need arose. Betsy Banks continues to be a stalwart servant as our service organ-ist and pianist. Unlike past years, the students continued to sing for services through the sum-mer months, rotating anthem solos and singing hymns when congregational gatherings were not allowed. The students are Haleigh Phillips (soprano, graduate in Vocal Performance), Hannah Mitchell (alto, senior in Vocal Music Education), and Ethan Snowden (tenor, graduate Vocal Performance and Pedagogy). Previous to 2020, the Chancel Choir has hosted fundraising con-certs since 2014, including a meal and/or dessert to finance our Student Scholarship Endow-ment. This endowment has become essential for the weekly service music during this time of transition, provides assistance to talented students working towards a post-secondary degree, and often times, offers students an opportunity to participate in a loving and supportive Christian environment for the first time. We hope to continue this program through the continued support of our parishioners.
Respectfully submitted, Karl Nelson, D.M.A., Director of Choirs
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Children’s Formation Lisa Jones
Christian Formation—Wired Word Michele Davey
The Wired Word class meets most Sundays at 9:00 am. Every week stands alone. A lesson is emailed prior to Sunday and additional lessons are available in class. Each week is a new conversation about a current event and how we as Christians are called to respond. The discussions are always thought-provoking and lively. Every adult is welcome to attend.
The Children’s Formation teaches the elementary-aged children of St. Mary’s in hour-long Sunday school classes in between the two services on Sunday morning. Prior to the cessation of church services due to COVID-19, average attendance of classes were approximately fifteen children. There are approximately thirty children registered for Sun-day School classes. The Sunday School calendar is normally based on the Edmond Public Schools calendar. Sunday School is taught by seven volunteer teachers, who are organized into two-member teams that rotate teaching responsibilities. Children are divided into two classrooms, Pre-Kindergarten to 2nd Grade and 3rd to 5th Grade. The teachers utilize the Weaving God’s Prom-ises curriculum, which provides explanations for Biblical stories in an age-appropriate way, ac-tivities ideas, and connections to the Episcopal tradition. Biblical stories and activities are based as much as possible on the liturgical and lectionary calendar. We are looking forward to returning to class and other fun programs in our new location post-pandemic!
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Deacon Report The Rev. Bill Hesse
As in years past, I continue to serve at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Edmond, functioning liturgically, teaching classes, and making pastoral calls on people at home or in hospitals. I am the mentor of an Education for Ministry (EfM) seminar which normally meets Sept—May each year. I continue to assist other Episcopal congregations in the Oklahoma City area as the need arises. The State of Oklahoma certifies Law Enforcement Chaplains through its CLEET program. I have been certified through this program and, along with clergy from other denominations, serve as a volunteer chaplain for the Edmond Police Department. I have been re-elected to the board of directors for the Edmond Family Counseling, Inc., a community mental health organization located in and serving Edmond.
Deacon Report The Rev. Nancy Bridges
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, As I write this report to you, I have now entered my 20th year serving as a Deacon at St. Mary’s as directed by the bishop of the diocese. June 16, 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of my ordination that took place at St. Paul’s Cathedral in OKC. I have been truly blessed by my call to formal ministry as well as thankful for the assistance I have been able to provide for this faithful church community. In my role as deacon, I continue to serve St. Mary’s priest, Father Mark, and other clergy on Sundays during worship and at other services, Christian formation, and in other areas of church life, especially in pastoral care. The outbreak of the Covid virus has greatly affected our worship time together, Christian formation, and evangelistic programs. In addition to the shut down caused by the virus, the move of St. Mary’s parish to another location brought dis-ruption to the church’s normal routine. However, with God’s loving help, St. Mary’s, under the guidance of Father Mark and the Vestry, has found ways to carry on the work of the parish while following diocesan and CDC restrictions. Soon our new building will be ready for us and with great anticipation we can look forward to worshipping together, enjoying once again the complete routine of parish life. God’s love is always with us and it remains unfailing no matter what occurs. We must trust in him. Let us go forth in His name, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit. Remember, it only takes a sunbeam to wash away the shadows in our lives. I am praying for each of you and for St. Mary’s. I would ask for your prayers in return. God’s blessing, Deacon Nancy
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Emmanuel Chapter of the Daughters of the King Susan Story
SEE INSERT
The Daughters of the King (DOK) is a national order for women who are committed to a rule of life which includes prayer and service. The St. Mary’s Emmanuel Chapter meets the second Sunday of each month. Since March and the Covid pandemic, the Emmanuel Chap-ter has met over Zoom, with the exception of October where we were able to meet outside. Daughters pray daily for our parish, its members and clergy, as well as the nation and world If you have special prayer concerns, the Daughters will pray confidentially for you. Please let a Daughter, Father Mark, or Deacon Nancy know if you have prayer re-quests.
In addition to prayer, Daughters of the King are committed to study. This year, the members read the book Following the Way of Jesus by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, re-viewed a study of the National Order of the Daughters of the King Strategic Goals Reignite the Flame, and began the book Receiving Jesus The Way of Love by Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde.
Women who are interested in discerning whether they would like to be a Daughter, should contact Fr. Mark.
Please know that the Daughters have held each of you in prayer as Covid has prohibit-ed us from worshipping all together. Know that the Daughters have held our parish in prayer as we transition to our new worship space and location.
God is working with us and through us. . . thanks be to God.
Financial Report Ben Kenyon
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Junior Warden Tim Bridges
This has been a very active year for efforts surrounding the physical facilities in support of the church. At the beginning of the year, we were trying to finalize the plans and the finan-cial structure to build the new church on North Broadway. Work began slowly as all plans and permits were being approved by the City of Edmond and in April work began in earnest. It was hoped that the work would allow us into the church within a year. Then, in February, the Covid-19 virus began to affect all our operations and in early March activities within our facilities came to a halt. While we did not know the total affect the Covid shut down would have on construction, we pressed forward. The workers on site continued working using dis-tancing, working outside, and masks. Except for a few minor slowdowns due to supply short-ages and subcontractors experiencing temporary shutdowns due to the virus, work has pro-gressed very well. The weather during the period also produced few times when work could not be done. The one real effect the virus had was on our financial plan. We planned to use a significant amount of our investments and the interest generated by them to help fund the building. The shutdowns reduced interest proceeds and the overall amount of money to com-plete the project. Something had to be cut as a result and the bell tower, steeple, and comple-tion of the gathering wing which included the parish hall and kitchen had to be put on hold. The exterior of the gathering wing will be completed, but not the interior. We will not be able to use it until we raise additional funds to complete the inside of that wing. We will, howev-er, be able to complete the office and classroom wing along with the Nave. The stock market has returned to value, but we had to expend some of the invested funds before they could re-alize this increased value if we wanted to stay on the construction schedule. To delay until the market returned to full value would have cost nearly as much in a stretched construction schedule. Currently, we anticipate having Easter Services in the new church. Next, we had to plan for and execute the move of the church from 325 East First Street and establish a temporary office until the new facilities became available. We started late in 2019 by identifying those things that would not make the move with us. We had to be out of the building by May 1 as UCO needed the building empty for their preparations to use the facility for classes in the fall of 2020. Plans were made and then Covid came. We had to work in small numbers doing our best to socially distance and wear masks when we could not. We filled two large dumpsters with items no longer needed, sent two loads of usable items to the Salvation Army, secured our resident saints from the Columbarium and sent them to Matthews Funeral Home for safe keeping, gave away three of the old refrigerators, sold a few items on eBay/half priced books, had the organ removed and sent to Kansas City for rebuilding, and gave most of the pews to the Assembly of God Church in Guthrie. The bell was removed from the bell tower and is stored on our current property awaiting the con-struction of the bell tower. The expensive playground equipment was also removed and is on our new property awaiting a space and resurrection. Many church items had to be put into storage with those requiring climatic control stored in a spare room at the temporary office. The remaining items were moved by a moving company to storage in the temporary office and to two large storage containers (one loaned to us by Miller-Tippins Construction) near the baseball field behind the school. Many thanks go to all who helped in the move, especially Traci Hampton, who initially led the monstrous effort in determining what items should be kept and which ones not.
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The next large effort involved the church rental property at 1000 Mary Lee Lane in Ed-mond. The work initially began to perform several large projects in the house to prepare for new renters. However, as work progressed many of the volunteers asked each other why we have this house and is it worth the rental proceeds to continue renting it, or should it be sold, and the proceeds invested to generate operating income for the church? When the last renters moved out, the kitchen required repainting, the kitchen lights replaced, the stove replaced, the kitchenette fan replaced, the wall behind the washer rebuilt, the entire interior of the home re-painted, all of the cabinets in the house repainted and hardware replaced, the master bedroom vanity and faucet replaced, the sprinkler system repaired to working order, light fixtures re-placed, the roof replaced due to hail damage, gutters installed, attic supports repaired, exterior mortar repairs, insulation replaced on a cooling line, frame repair around the garage doors, broken windows repaired, termite treatment around the house, replacement of all light bulbs in can lights with LED light bulbs, removing the refrigerator, cleaning the fireplace and chimney, and many more small tasks. Managing this house as a rental, takes more time than many real-ize, and we began to conclude that it was better in the long run to sell the house. Thanks to Joel Hart, a parish member and real estate agent, and his advice and help, we were then able, with the consent of the Vestry, to put the house on the market to be sold. This happened in De-cember and we currently have a buyer and hope to be closed on the property by the Annual Meeting. Many thanks go to those who provided their time, talent, and support to get all this work done: Mike Ryan, Ben Kenyon, Andy Smith, Don Hensch, Gavin Marshall, Traci Hamp-ton, Wes Stuckey, and Kyle Baker with Ben and Emily. If I have forgotten anyone, please for-give me. Whew!!
All of this said, we are not done with our major work. In 2021 we must complete the facili-ties of the new church including installation of the new and upgraded organ, move everything
out of the temporary church office into the new church, get all the items out of the storage containers and into the church, plan the completion of the gathering wing with kitchen, and raise/find the funds to erect the steeple, bell tower, and gathering space. With God’s help all of this will be done. Thanks be to God.
Junior Warden continued…..…..
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Men’s Dinner Dennis Weigand
Normally “The Mary Men” meet for dinner, fellowship, and service activities on the first Friday of each month. Nothing was normal after February, because of the COVID Pandemic. In February, we, and the ladies, enjoyed the annual Valentine’s Day Dinner, with entertain-ment by Karl Nelson and the UCO Jazz Ensemble, and decorations by the ladies. In March, we met at the Hensch residence, where the cooking facilities had been placed be-cause of the transfer of the church building to UCO. We also observed Oktoberfest at the Hensch residence. In November, we met at Andy Smith’s home, with a reasonable adherence to social distanc-ing. Dinner for December was cancelled. Donations were suspended in recognition of this eventual need for cooking equipment in the new building. Regular planning for future dinners is on hold.
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Rector’s Discretionary Fund The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Story
Rector's Discretionary Fund: 2020 Income and Expense The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Story
The Alms and Contributions, not otherwise specifically designated, at the Administration of the Holy Communion on one Sunday in each calendar month, and other offerings for the poor, shall be deposited with the Rector or Priest-in-Charge or with such Church officer as the Rec-tor or Priest-in-Charge shall appoint to be applied to such pious and charitable uses as the Rector or Priest-in-Charge shall determine. When a Parish is without a Rector or Priest-in-Charge, the Vestry shall designate a member of the Parish to fulfill this function.
Canon III.9.6
Although the Canons of the Episcopal Church require that one Sunday a month be set aside to provide a source of income to The Rector’s Discretionary Fund, our practice has been to provide funding through designated gifts directly from parishioners and other sources. This practice existed prior to my arrival in 2002 and, in a practical sense, works. It is important to know that, despite our variant funding practice, there has never been a time when the purpose of the Discretionary Fund was not fulfilled. Over the years, I have reported that the financial needs of our neighbors will almost always equal or exceed the resources we provide. Without any hesitation I can say that we are a very generous congregation. I cannot think of a single time when we have not generously respond-ed to a stated need. Our calling in Christ is to remain ever mindful of the needs of others.
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Rector's Discretionary Fund: Income and Expense 1/12020—12/31/2020
1/1/2020 through 12/31/2020 Category Total Income Categories_________________________________________________________ Deposit 2,495.00 Income—Unassigned 0.00 Total Income Categories 2,495.00 Expense Categories_________________________________________________________ Burial Expenses 295.00 Housing Electricity 588.44 Motel 300.00 Rent 993.00 Total Expense Categories 2,176.44 Grand Total 318.56
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Saints & Sinners Jackie Shields and Margie Bean
Scouts, Troop 1 Nick Peterman
The Saints and Sinners dinner groups offer newcomers, long-time parishioners, couples, or singles the chance to become better acquainted with each other through sharing fellowship with a meal or through any type of gathering. The groups meet in each other’s homes or go out to a restaurant or any activity of their choosing. The fall groups meet from September through December and the winter/spring groups February through May. The new friendships created help grow the bonds between parishioners and strengthen our fellowship that creates a warm and invit-ing presence for those who enter our doors. Please consider joining Saints and Sinners. Contact either Jackie Shields or Margie Bean if interested in joining these groups.
January: Well, most of the Troop chose Trapper’s Rendezvous (43rd annual swap meet) in Burrton, KS. At least those that are up for the polar bear challenge of camping in winter con-ditions. Thankfully this year the roads were not iced over and allowed for us to make the trek. Troop conducted their Troop Youth Leadership Elections. February: Troop conducted their Court of Honor (COH) to recognize rank advancements, merit badges achieved and to change responsibilities of their new troop youth leadership at St. Mary’s sanctuary on 1st Street for the last time. We received 3 news scouts during annual crossover and enrollment from Cub Scout Pack’s 349 and 430 as well as an out of state enroll-ment. Troop attended a District run event called Top Shot at Diamond H Scout Ranch, Cook-son, OK. They shot shotguns, .22 rifles, black powder rifles, archery and threw throwing knives to name a few. Troop conducted their introductory leadership skills training (ILST) for incoming youth leaders. March: During this month both Troop 1 Boys (B) and Troop 6001 Girls (G) had our annual chili cook-off and auctioneered fundraiser. This was our last big event at St. Mary’s on 1st Street. Judges had a unanimous decision for the scout’s hottest chili. Scout couldn’t have been anymore happy while watching the judges decide, got milk? With this being move out month from Canterbury House (a.k.a – Scout Shack). Troop conducted an eCamporee at one of the volunteer’s office. While the scouts interacted with their electronics during the cam-pout, the adults built shelves in the trailer to accommodate the remote environment. We quiet-ly moved out of Scout Shack while anxiously and patiently waiting our new home. April: April became the change no one was looking forward too. With COVID-19 pandemic and moving out of the church which is relocating, we went virtual. Troop adult volunteers and youth alike made for a mad scramble of how to work within the ever changing environment of a pandemic. The relatively new youth leaders brainstormed and worked through many exer-cises that corporations and large organizations had to do in communicating remotely and re-taining scouts. After having virtual rules and protocols developing, the scouts started on their first merit badge, Wilderness Survival, how fitting.
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May: Troop and company got restless being so formal virtually. So, we conducted an eCamp-oree virtually. Scouts played their games while adult volunteers sat quietly listening to the madness of gaming by those in attendance. For the scouts, they loved it…adults, well, glad the scouts were happy and content. June: Just when we thought virtual games wasn’t enough, we went virtual with chess merit badge training. Followed with a virtual night until midnight of chess games in their tourney. July: Troop held their summer youth leadership elections. Troops 1 B and 6001 G held COH to recognize rank advancements, merit badges achieved and to change responsibilities of their new troop youth leadership at South Fink Park, Edmond. August: Troops 1 B and 6001 G conducted their ILST for the incoming youth leaders at Lake Arcadia, Arcadia. Held a day camp of fishing at the hundred acre woods (secluded land in Guthrie). One of the parents caught the largest at 5 lbs, all were ecstatic. September: Participated in Eagle District Second Annual Make a Difference (MaD) event. Last year it was led by one of our very own youth leaders. This year another youth volunteered to be an organizer out of a total of 4 leads. The event covers a combined 21 Troops/Cub Scout Packs, 18 community service projects, 350 volunteers and 1589 total service hours. We look forward to continue to being MaD. October: Planned out one of our regular campouts at Dripping Springs Scout Ranch, Arapaho, OK. During this campout we met another troop that was working on their space exploration merit badge. One of the events the other troop shared was launching model rockets. Scouts had a blast. Troops 1B and 6001G met up at the haunted corn maze at P Bar Farms, Hydro, OK. November: Troops 1B and 6001G held our Feast at Jon Nichols Scout Ranch, Mustang, OK. The adults cooked a coke caramel ham and in a dutch oven, a turkey. During this campout the scouts worked on their cooking merit badge. Scouts figured out how to cook side dishes for the masses. For those scouts, which were many, they tried giblets for the first time. They were like Oliver Twist, “more please”? Parents couldn’t believe they tried them. December: We conducted a social distancing eCamporee at Mitch Park YMCA, Edmond. Scouts worked on their annual required swim test while at the YMCA. They then set up their electronics all throughout the YMCA for gaming tournaments. We left a little early, because we started getting one of the first snows that amounted to 5 inches. Order of the Arrow is the National Honor Society for Scouts, BSA. One of our own was select-ed for OA. He had his ordeal in August. In 2020, we have 32 registered scouts. Scouts rank standings 3 Eagle Scouts; 5 Star Scouts; 5 First Class Scouts; 8 Second Class Scouts; 5 Tenderfoot Scouts and 3 Scouts. This year’s total service hours, we had 13 scouts with 89.27 hours. Troop 1 has endured a year of a pandemic. They have learned to “Be Prepared”. Even though this year we have been remote, we understand the whole world has lived what we have lived. We have embraced this journey remotely, but look forward to coming home to a new St. Mary’s! Visit us at https://edmondtroop1.org Yours in Scouting and May God Bless, Chris Shoffner, Scoutmaster Nick Peterman, Committee Chair
Scouts, Troop 1 continued….
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Scouts, Troop 6001 Jessica Hukill
In January, Troop 6001 attended Trappers Rendezvous in Kansas. This is always a fun campout with troops gathered from Kansas, Oklahoma and surrounding areas. Not only were there numerous activ-ities available for the scouts, they enjoyed setting up and trading “goods” with each other over the weekend. In February, Troop 6001 attended the 1 year celebration of the Scouts BSA (allowing female scouts into the BSA). This Campout was located in OKC at John Nichols Scout Ranch. The scouts partici-pated in many activities, such as knot tying, geocaching, first aid and fire building. Troop 6001 also completed ILST (Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops) with Troop 1. This is an opportunity for the incoming youth leaders to review their individual leadership positions and how to work with each other. March started off with our annual fundraising Chili Cook-off and Auction. This was very successful and both Troops worked well together to make it so. Our monthly Campout was cancelled due to weather. We officially moved out of St. Mary’s at the end of the month. Due to the pandemic, Troop 6001 transitioned to virtual meetings on Zoom. We even had a pillow/blanket fort contest and a virtual “Campout” in the forts. The scouts really enjoyed doing something new and creative, working with what we had available. In May, the troop continued meeting virtually. No campouts or other activities occurred. In June, the troop met at Hafer Park for a socially distanced in-person meeting. The scouts canvassed the park and picked up litter. July brought us our first in-person Campout since February! We camped individually or in family units at John Nichols Scout Ranch. It was our introduction to camping during the pandemic. The scouts completed their swimming requirements for rank advancement. It was a successful event and was a great chance for the scouts to get together and spend time with each other. Both Troops also held a Court of Honor at Fink Park. August - In August, both troops went fishing in Guthrie to complete the fishing merit badge. This was a fun event with a delicious fish fry at the end. We also completed another ILST at Lake Arcadia. We followed this up with a swim at the lake. September - Troop 6001 participated in Make a Difference (MAD). This is a collaborative volunteer event involving many troops from all over the council. We completed a project for The Lake Arcadia Project Office, painting their railings then cleaning up the beach below that was full of litter. The troop also camped overnight at a property in Guthrie. The scouts completed their emergency prepared-ness merit badge.
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In January, Troop 6001 attended Trappers Rendezvous in Kansas. This is always a fun campout with troops gathered from Kansas, Oklahoma and surrounding areas. Not only were there numerous activ-
In February, Troop 6001 attended the 1 year celebration of the Scouts BSA (allowing female scouts
pated in many activities, such as knot tying, geocaching, first aid and fire building. Troop 6001 also completed ILST (Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops) with Troop 1. This is an opportunity for the incoming youth leaders to review their individual leadership positions and how to work with
off and Auction. This was very successful
in the forts. The scouts really enjoyed doing something
person meeting. The scouts canvassed
scouts completed their swimming requirements for rank advancement. It was a successful event and
was a fun event with a delicious fish fry at the end. We also completed another ILST at Lake Arcadia.
Troop 6001 participated in Make a Difference (MAD). This is a collaborative volunteer event involving many troops from all over the council. We completed a project for The Lake Arcadia
The scouts completed their emergency prepared-
October - the troop completed in-person meetings at Fink Park. We didn’t have a Campout this month. The scouts did complete some of their hikes for the hiking merit badge, including a 15 mile walk along the Oklahoma River. November - the troop completed their hiking merit badge with a 22 mile hike at the beginning of the month. The weather cooperates and they had a great time. Troop 6001 and 1 had their annual Thanksgiving Feast at John Nichols Scout Ranch. This was a great opportunity for eve-ryone to get together for great food (made by the adults and the scouts). In December Troop 6001 volunteered for Winter Cub Day which was an event for Cub Scouts to complete many different fun scout activities. This event was held at John Nichols Scout Ranch. Although 2020 presented many hurdles for the Troop, we persevered and did what we could to make it work. As I’m sure St. Mary’s has felt, one of the big challenges was losing a space to meet. Keeping up with Father Mark’s videos on social media, we are staying apprised of the progress of the new church. We are looking forward to when the troop will be invited back to start meeting at the new location (which is looking great!) We currently have 10 scouts in the Troop. We had 1 scout earn Tenderfoot, 3 scouts earn 1st Class, 1 scout earned Star and we now have 1 Life Scout! We are looking ahead to 2021 for new adventures. Yours in Scouting, Jessica Hukill Troop 6001 Scoutmaster [email protected] (405)513-0034
Scouts, Troop 6001 continued….
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Senior Warden’s Report Andy Smith
First of all, I want to say how much I have enjoyed being your Sr. Warden. We’ve had an in-teresting year. We’ve bridged the gap with internet and virtual communications. Clayton McCook has attended Vestry meetings virtually from Las Cruces, New Mexico. Traci Hampton connects via cell phone due to her travel schedule. We purchased a new camera to broadcast our services on U-tube. I think that FR. Mark likes the wider audience via Facebook and U-tube. Once he said that we had listeners from Germany as well as other parts of the US. It is my opinion that we should maintain and /or expand this part of our ministry. St. Mary’s has a gift that we can share with others and it’s ours for the broadcast. Next, I want to say thank you for responding to our sanctuary “chair” solicitation request. To date we have received $9000 toward the purchase of chairs for our new facility. With this addi-tional amount and our previously committed down payment, we can complete our purchase of 250 chairs. This will be a significant improvement from our earlier position of using our old blue chairs. If you haven’t contributed to this cause, you can still do so by sending a check to the office. Our Budget is “balanced” for 2021, but there is no “fat” in it. All of us will need to keep our pledges current, in order that we finish the year without dipping into our ever depleting reserve account. The Year 2020, at St. Mary’s was a year of transition. We started the Pre-COVID year antici-pating a move into temporary quarters. We packed, sorted, organized our belongings and dis-carded a “whole lot” of items while arranging for a moving company to transport them to their temporary locations. A few parishioners who volunteered above and beyond normal expecta-tions deserve special recognition for their efforts: Anne Winzenread – for organizing categorizing and preparing our larger items for a garage sale. Traci Hampton – for organizing and boxing our items in preparation for our move. Gavin Marshall – for nearly single handedly disassembling our playground equipment and pre-
paring it for re assembling it at our new location.
Janita Ruth – for allowing us to store our grand piano in her living room until we have a space
for it in our new church.
Miller-Tippens – for loaning us a storage container in which to put half of our things at the new location. Ben Kenyon for finding our temporary office location at 601 N. Kelly. Sara Memmott – for cleaning out the Library and making disposition of our books. Tom Majors – for packing our Altar Guild supplies and linens.
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Our move drop dead date was May 1, 2020 about the same time as our COVID protocol was being initiated. If fact our anticipated garage sale didn’t take place due to being cautious about possible contact with the virus. The move did take place and without incident. This year the vestry made the decision to sell the house that Marshall Cochrane bequeathed to us several years ago. We had used the house for rental purposes and had received substantial benefit from doing so. However, the house had deteriorated over time and we decided that we weren’t in that business and its upkeep was more than we could oversee. The house has been vacant for the entire year and Tim Bridges and Mike Ryan spearheaded a maintenance and up-grade effort to enable us to sell it at the end of January this year. We hope to receive $200,000 from the sale. The money from which will be invested to earn income for our operations and programs. Soon after the move when COVID forced us into an abbreviated worship mode and oil pric-es tanked, we faced the issue of reducing the scope of our new church construction project. We reduced the scope of the project about $375,000 by not finishing the Parish hall, eliminating the bell tower, reducing the extent of the architectural trim of the building, and negotiating to share our road with the oil producer on our property rather than building a new road independently. One of our goals for this coming year is to cultivate more relationships with St. Mary’s School. We’re worshiping in Taylor Hall which acquaints us with the facility. The School sponsors a gala called Beau Geste, as a fundraiser for the school. I hope to see more St. Mary’s parishioners supporting that function. St. Mary’s Church helped with a Trunk or Treat activity for Halloween, and of course our efforts to help the Food Bank could be expanded to include the school. Any ideas that you might have to improve the church school relations would be appreciated. We look for brighter days ahead. With COVID behind us and a new facility in front of us, an opportunity to become re-acquainted through fellowship activities such as Saints and Sin-ners, and other small groups i.e., Bunko, or an excursion group, or men’s fellowship group, we will reestablish friendship ties that have been disrupted during all this upheaval thrown at us during 2020. I have full confidence in Wes Stucky, your next Sr. Warden to lead you into an eventful
2021.
Senior Warden’s Report continued……..
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St. Mary’s School Report Pamela Dockter
St. Mary’s Episcopal School, established in 1977 as a parish day school of St. Mary’s Epis-copal Church, serves as an outreach ministry of the church educating young children ages two and half through grade five. Your parish supports the education of 191 students and a staff of thirty-eight including administrators, faculty and support staff. A 12-member School Board of Directors, with Ryan McGann serving as President and Bryce Page as treasurer, governs St. Mary’s Episcopal School, with 51% of the membership being Episcopalians. Our mission calls us to provide quality academic programs in a Christian environment fos-tering respect for faith, family, others, and self. St. Mary’s attracts families because of the edu-cational environment, Christian values, and a culture of respect that fosters learning. Christian principles and moral values are an important part of our students’ daily lives. The Rev. Dr. Mark Story servers as our school chaplain and religious advisor. We welcome St. Mary’s Epis-copal Church into our physical location every Sunday. When school opened in August students and teachers did not return to the classroom learn-ing environments they left behind in March. Changes included daily temperature checks, wearing masks, social distancing, frequent hand hygiene, desk in straight rows with shields, no large gatherings and increased sanitization. At our School, every student is known and we are deeply committed to students reaching their true potential. To achieve this classes are small by design and our faculty is of the highest possible caliber. Teachers focus on learning rather than teaching. They personalize the learning experience for each one of their students. Teachers appreciate the support from administration, colleagues, students and their families. Our teachers are given the freedom to teach and prepare their students to be contributing members of their local and global communities. Our students are eager to learn about the world and their place in it. In addition to our outreach and academic programs we have found our niche in the commu-nity by offering several after school clubs and activities, including STEAM Club; Chess Club; Strings, violin, viola and cello; Encore, an elite musical performance ensemble; Art Club; Lego Club, Soccer Shots, Archery Club, Cheer and Tumbling. Beyond the Classroom offers before and after school activities for students of every age. Beginning as early as 7:15 a.m. and con-cluding as late as 6:00 p.m., this program is a great option for working parents and provides fulltime students a safe and secure atmosphere beyond their regular classroom schedule.
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Thursday’s Bible Study Report Anne Winzenread
Enrollment is up by 7.3 percent this year. A second grade classroom and a third preschool classroom were added this school year. We are projecting additional third grade and kinder-garten classrooms for the 2021-2022 school year. With our enrollment growth, our Board of Directors are exploring an Early Childhood classrooms expansion. Along with launching, a capital campaign in the near future including funds for a multipurpose space, indoor play-ground and archery course, additional storm shelter and elementary classrooms. With your help and prayers, we can continue to build our future. For more information about your par-ish day school or enrollment, you may contact Pamela Dockter: 405-341-9541 X101 or [email protected]; or visit our website at www.smesedmond.org. St. Mary’s Episcopal School is continuing providing the highest quality educational ex-perience to our students in a nurturing, Christian environment. As always, I would like to express my gratitude to Father Mark and the church members who continually support St. Mary’s Episcopal School in many ways.
St. Mary’s School Report continued….
Like most of the groups of St. Mary’s, our Bible study got pretty much shut down this year. But not before we completed one study. Spring of 2020, we shared the video driven study called, “A Place Called Heaven 10 Surprising truths about your eternal home,” by Dr. Robert Jeffress. We anticipate being able to meet again for another study in September 2021.
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Whole In One Nancy Bridges
UCO College Student Ministry Linda Mason
The UCO ministry focuses on our UCO Chancel Choir scholarship students and the Regional Food Bank located at UCO. In general, Linda Mason or Karl Nelson are contact persons for the ministry to UCO, but many others participate in activities. 2020 CALENDAR Fundraiser No Chancel Choir Scholarship Fund Raiser – Traditionally, the Chancel Choir
organizes a fund raising dinner/reception/music event in the spring to support the Chancel Choir scholarships. No event was provided this year because of the move and the COVID-19 virus.
Students’ 2020-2021 Scholarships are given to Haleigh Phillips, Hannah Mitchel, and
Ethan Snowden. ScholarshipsAlong with Karl Nelson, they sing in the live Sunday services representing the
congregation and choir. The COVID-19 has made it necessary to provide only 4 singers in a live service in order to minimize spread of the disease.
Over the years, St. Mary’s has provided full Chancel Choir scholarships to the following students: Jeffrey Tyler Barton, Cheri Bryant, Courtney Bryant, Alex-andria Carmon, Chelsea Choate, Sydney Conner, Amy Coplen, Brittany Clark, Collin Crull, Kristopher Eckelhoff, Av’Ree Edmonds, Savannah Gordon, Matthew Johnson, Jason Kiespert, Jara Kiespert, Griffin LaVictoire, Hannah Mitchell, Guy Nembhard, Haleigh Phillips, Lauren Rose, Alexandria Skinner, Troy Anthony Small, Ethan Snowdan, Sarah Spurrier, Audrey Thomas and Hayden Turner.
Ongoing UCO Food Pantry Collection – The UCO Food Pantry collection continued after
the church moved out of the old building into the St. Mary’s School. In the sum-mer and fall of 2020 parishioners were encouraged to bring items of food to the school/church service or the office to support the UCO Food Pantry. The food is taken to UCO on a regular basis.
Whole in One began as a ministry for the single members of St. Mary's. This singles minis-
try outreach has expanded to include members from at least three other area Episcopal churches
plus friends from other denominations. We continue to encourage this fellowship outreach to St.
Mary's members and their friends. Whole in One (WIO) usually gathers to "break bread
together" either in someone's home, at St Mary's Church, or in a restaurant. Our gatherings are
as intimate as 5 in attendance to as many as a dozen or so. We usually meet at 5:30 pm on the
2nd and 4th Fridays of the month. Deacon Nancy is our clergy contact for this group.. She may
be contacted at 405-833-4761 or via email at [email protected]
We continue to invite singles to join our fellowship. However, due to the Covid virus, WIO is not meeting. A notice will be provided to the parish when the group officially can be re-convened.
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Confirmations
2020 Vital Statistics
Baptisms
Name Date of Baptism Clara Mary Weatherford 1-12-2020 Oliver Blake Callaghan 8-16-2020 Margaret Jane Ferguson 10-4-2020 Laney Jane Tidwell 10-4-2020
Burials Name Date of Death Carol Mann 02-28-2020 Jim Rainey 03-21-2020 Susan Hanna 06-16-2020 Mary Anne Pogue 10-08-2020 Virginia McCubbin 12-16-2020
Marriages Name Date of Marriage
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR
2022
ANNUAL MEETING
Sunday, January 30
Parish Hall
