Today, Sunday, June 5, the missionaries of the two teams who are going to Jamaica  and the Dominican Republic were introduced to the Holy Sacrament Church at the 8:00 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. services. Dressed in white polo mission shirts and black slacks, two missionaries (one from each team) told congregants as to why they felt called to go on these missions. An outstanding feature was the large number of young people who will be participating in missionary work. They feel a strong sense of giving back to young people of their own age.

The congregation learned that this year in the Dominican Republic, the pediatric medical team, led by Dr. Pat Rowe King, anticipates serving over 400 children in the favela areas of Bonao and will offer Vacation Bible School for over 300 children.  Additionally, team members will be performing light construction and painting at the church and homes of the parishioners of San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist), Bonao. The members of the Jamaica team will be providing Vacation Bible School to 60 girls at Granville Place of Safety for Girls, in Falmouth. The medical team, led by Dr. John Williams, will be offering free medical services to the community.

The Rev. Maud Paraison will lead the spiritual side of the mission for the Jamaica team. The Rev. Maud has served in this ministry for a several years. I am the Spiritual Leader for the Dominican Republic team. This will be my first mission with our church since becoming its Rector in January this year.

The missionaries will attend a Eucharist this Wednesday, June 8, followed immediately by the packing  of items for the trips.

Other Activities of the Day

  • Holy Sacrament is a church that is very much alive and oftentimes a number of other activities are taking place the same day. Today was no exception.
  • At the 8:00 a.m. Eucharist, I baptized little Phoenix.  An early time for a baptism but she was awake and alert.
  • Today was Blood Drive Day. The Blood Drive mobile provided members  of the parish who desired to give blood the opportunity to do so.
  • The Sunday School also held its End of Year Event to signal the end of the Sunday School year and the beginning of the summer break. Children and their parents enjoyed playing various games (including egg-and-spoon and sack races), having fun, refreshments, and sharing fellowship with each other.
  • We also welcomed our new Parish Administrator, Martha Bowers, her husband, James, and their elder son, Carlos, to our church. Ms. Bowers’ first day at work was on June 1. We are delighted to have her join our dedicated staff. You may read my announcement to the congregation at: http://s3.amazonaws.com/mychurchwebsite/c1764/letter_-_new_parish_administrator.pdf

All in all, it was truly a blessed day.