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The Beacon Newsletter 08/27/2026

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THE BEACON WEEKLY
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Blueberry Bash 2026 Photo Album

 Articles this issue….. 

 

 

 
 
This Week at St. Christopher’s…
Week of August 24th
Monday (08/24/2026) –  St. Bartholomew, Apostle
  Mitford Reading Group Series – On Summer Break
          
Tuesday (08/25/2026) – Louis, King of France; died 1270
  Faithful Living – 6:15 am
  Centering Prayer – 8:00 pm
      
Wednesday (08/26/2026) 
  Worship Band – 11:00 am
  Widows/Widowers Support Group – 1:30 pm
  Hot Meals Outreach – 4:00 pm
                                   
Thursday (08/27/2026) – Monica, Mother of Augustine; died 387; Thomas Gallaudet; died 1902, with Henry Winter Syle; died 1890
  AA Meeting – 6:00 pm
            
Friday (08/28/2026) – Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, Teacher; died 430; Moses the Black, Monk and Martyr; died ca. 400
  Clergy Sabbath
 
Saturday (08/29/2026) – The Beheading of St. John the Baptist
  
Sunday (08/30/2026) 
  Morning Prayer – 7:00 am (Online only) 
  Contemplative Eucharist – 8:00 am (In-Person only) 
  Choral Eucharist – 10:30 am
  Children’s Sunday School – On break for summer
  Blessing of the Animals Planning Meeting – 12:00 pm
  
   *On our website, church app, Facebook, or Vimeo. 
** Via Zoom. Requires a free Zoom account for security purposes. 
           
Take a Minute:
Notes from the Bishop’s Council
 
From the August 10, 2026 meeting: 
  • Bishop’s Council Membership Changes: Andy Sloan has resigned from the Bishop’s Council, leaving the position of Clerk vacant. Carrie Bowen will temporarily serve as Clerk until a new Clerk is selected. The Clerk does not need to be a current member of the Bishops Council. The term ends January 2028.
     
  • Facilities & Maintenance: Grass will be planted in the Fall where the septic work was done. Work on the playground is continuing. The freezer is now on its own breaker.
     
  • Blueberry Bash: There were a lot of last-minute suggestions, such as adding a coffee table and some new activities.

    To get earlier feedback for next year the Bishops Council will sponsor a debriefing event, “Bash the Bash,” after church Sunday August 30.
     
  • Treasurer’s Report: After completing the liquidation of our former investment accounts at Franklin Templeton and Schwab we now have three separate funds in one account at the Diocese Investment Fund (DIF); They are the Building  Fund, the Unrestricted CSS Fund, and the Restricted CSS Fund, in addition to retaining $25,000 in checking for unanticipated expenses.
     
  • Pastoral Report: Fr. James thanked Fr. Pete for stepping in after his unanticipated absence on August 9 as well as at an earlier service in July. The Bishop’s Council expressed its appreciation of Fr. Pete’s many services to the church.

    Arrangements have been made for the Memorial Service for Betty Kuttner on August 27 at 11:00 am.
The Bishop’s Council meeting is on Monday, September 7 at 7:00.

…Check out the Happenings at StC Page! Please check out the Happenings at StC Page below the “Did you know?” section for major announcements.

…On August 27, 1955, the first edition of the Guinness Book of World Records was published. 

…Our Calendar where Resurrection is Front and Center. I was asked an interesting question this week. “Why are the dead people the first thing in the newsletter?” It took me a minute to realize the question was about the celebration of Saints’ Days. We put the Saints Days in the calendar because the Church (not just St. Christopher’s… the WHOLE Church on Earth and in Heaven) is on a different calendar, a different time frame than the rest of the secular world. We are on Heaven’s calendar. And the ones who have gone before us have passed through death and yet live with God. So when we remember heroes of yore, we are celebrating their lives then AND that their lives continue. For us – the Church – celebrating the Saints is to declare the reality of the Resurrected Life we gain in Christ Jesus. We are putting the reality of Jesus front and center!  

…We are helping other congregations? Recently a Lutheran congregation in our synod called for help with their technology. And the College for Congregational Development, a diocesan program/school for lay and clergy leadership, sent us a group with several churches of different denominations who were considering cooperating or federating. They had many questions for us…    
 
… Inter-denominational vs. Non-denominational. Perhaps you have heard Fr. James say, “St. Christopher’s is an inter-denominational community Church sponsored by the Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) and the Episcopal Church (TEC)… and we have many other denominations represented as well!” Most people are accustomed to “community churches” being non-denominational – they have no denomination.  Inter-denominational means we are working within multiple denominations, in our case the ELCA and Episcopal churches. We don’t have “no denomination” nor do we belong to just one denomination. We belong to multiple denominations. And there are many blessings in that – twice as many resources, extra help, more relationships and connections, more diversity in theology, history, and cultures, and the list goes on…   

 

 
 
 
 

Articles 

St. Christopher’s 2026 Pledge Drive
“Tell Out My Soul” Has Begun! Pledge Cards being collected this Sunday, Dec. 14th. Make your pledge at https://bit.ly/My2026Pledge or on the MyChurch App under “Give”.                                   ———>>>

Click here to learn more

 
 
Happenings at StC
Important Announcements & News…

St. Christopher’s Needs Your Help:

  • Interested in hosting coffee hour (weekly on Sundays after 10:30 service)? Please contact Annaka at Annaka.Thibodeaux@gmail.com or (206)678-3437 (call/text).
  • Interested in acting as a Reader? If you are interested in reading at one or more services, please sign up on the list by the sign-in book in the church. If you have questions, please contact Marcia Rugg at (206) 200-5536 or via email at ruggmbeach@comcast.net. 
  • Interested in Volunteering for Hot Meals Outreach (3rd and 4th Wednesdays of Each Month)? Please contact Linda Karamatic at ljk552000@yahoo.com or (360) 701-5635 or Matt Tilger (509) 741-0452 (talk/text).
Text Message Reminders about Worship. Would you like text message invitations to our online and in-person services? Receive reminders on your phone by texting WORSHIP to (360) 810-3292 or clicking this link https://mtxt.cc/list/join/360.810.3292/worship. You can opt out anytime by texting STOP or text HELP to see other options.

 

 

 
 

In our Prayers

Prayer of the Week: O God, with all your faithful followers of every age, we praise you, the rock of our life. Be our strong foundation and form us into the body of your Son, that we may gladly minister to all the world, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.


Congregational Prayer List

Larry & Str Kathy Little
Cory Hilby
Tuula Lingren 
Leila DePaolo
Krista Barr
David Allen
Civillia Winslow-Hill
Lindy Vincent
Pr. Michelle and Phil de Beauchamp

For the Repose of the Souls of…
Bron Lingren

Congregational Cycle
Richard & Shelley Ackroyd

Diocesan Cycle
St. Martin – St. Francis, Rockport

Synod Cycle
Stella Lutheran Chapel, Longview

 

Daily Scripture Lessons 

Regular time spent in scripture and prayer ways we grow as people of faith: here is a list of suggested daily readings to complement the Sunday readings in worship. (from the Daily Revised Common Lectionary).  

Monday
Psalm 8
Exodus 1:1-7
Romans 2:1-11

Tuesday
Psalm 8
Exodus 2:11-15a
Romans 11:33-36

Wednesday
Psalm 8
Exodus 2:15b-22
Matthew 26:6-13

Thursday
Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b
Exodus 2:23-24
Ephesians 5:1-6

Friday
Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b
Exodus 3:16-25
2 Thessalonians 2:7-12

Saturday
Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b
Exodus 4:1-9
Matthew 8:14-17

Sunday
Exodus 3:1-15
Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b
Romans 12:9-21
Matthew 16:21-28

 
Next Week at St. Christopher’s…
Week of August 31st
Monday (08/31/2026) – John Bunyan, Teacher; died 1688
  Mitford Reading Group Series – On Summer Break
    
Tuesday (09/01/2026) – David Pendleton Oakerhater, Deacon and Missionary; died 1931
   Faithful Living – 6:00 am
   Centering Prayer (Online) – 8:00 pm

Wednesday (09/02/2026) – Nikolai Frederik Severin Grundtvig, Bishop and Renewer of the Church; died 1872; The Martyrs of Papua New Guinea; died 1942
  Fellowship Breakfast – 9:00 am
  Worship Band – 11:00 am
  Widows/Widowers Support Group – 1:30 pm
       
Thursday (09/03/2026) 
   Olympia Commons Meeting – 2:30 pm
   AA Meeting – 6:00 pm
      
Friday (09/04/2026) – Albert Schweitzer, Missionary to Africa; died 1965; Paul Jones, Bishop; died 1941
  Clergy Sabath
            
Saturday (09/05/2026) – Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Renewer of Society; died 1997
           
Sunday (09/06/2026)
  Morning Prayer – 7:00 am
  Contemplative Eucharist – 8:00 am (In-Person only) 
  Choral Eucharist – 10:30 am (Virtual* and In-Person)
  Children’s Sunday School – On Summer Break
   
   *On our website, church app, Facebook, or Vimeo. 
** Via Zoom. Requires a free Zoom account for security purposes.
 
Contact Us:
(No solicitations, please.)

(360) 866-2111

Office@StChristopherOlympia.org

St. Christopher’s Community Church
7902 Steamboat Is. Rd. NW
Olympia, WA 98502
 
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