Quicklinks:
-Dedicate altar flowers https://forms.gle/9MYAw6CdHjvdjH4H8
-Host coffee hour https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080445ACAF2E5-57613910-coffee#/
-Submit a prayer request https://forms.gle/ZdxuP36Commodo6L6
-Request a nametag https://forms.gle/SS27AueptdmQT64Q9
-Learn about this Sunday’s music https://stdavidsbaltimore.org/sundays-in-song/
-Listen to last Sunday’s sermon https://youtu.be/H4cIymO9aM8?t=1441
-Watch Sunday School for Adults https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8yU2xXdBbcVjsKnUK8xlRnvPDb__posy
Word of the Week
Our word of the week is embolism. An embolism in your body is bad, but an embolism in prayer is just fine, and you have one every week!
Poem of the Week
This week’s poem is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but I am always happy to see contemporary works of art using imagery from the Bible and engaging in its stories. This poem turns a Biblical image for us to look at in a very different way: Fidelity, by William Ward Butler. ~ Fr. Todd+
Sunday School for Adults
The Sunday School for Adults meets in the Great Hall at 9am; we have coffee and tea to help you wake up. If you have kids, they can go to the nursery or to the Day School Chapel with Miss Corky until their own Sunday School class begins. And if you aren’t able to join us in person, look at the top of this newsletter, in the Quicklinks section, and you’ll see a link to recordings of the previous week’s class.
This year, we continue our series on the Stories of the Bible. We’re working our way through the Book of Judges, and this Sunday we’ll learn about a man who swore an oath without fully considering the consequences. If you’re reading along in your Bible, read Judges chapters 10-12.
Blessing of the Animals
Our annual Blessing of the Animals in honor of St. Francis of Assisi will take place during the 10am service this Sunday, October 4th. All animals are welcome, but for everyone’s comfort and wellbeing, animals should be leashed or contained in an appropriate carrier. If your pet is not up for coming to church, bring a picture of them, a stuffed animal representing them, or a collar or tag, and we will bless them in absentia. This will be a full service, with choir and Communion, but we shorten things quite a bit (fewer and shorter lessons, a 3-5 minute homily) out of consideration to our companions who might not be used to sitting quietly in church, or anywhere!
Acolyte Training ~ This Sunday!
If your child is 8 or older (or close to 8 and ready to serve), our Director of Children & Youth Ministries Corky Hovermill will be doing a brief introductory training for new acolytes this Sunday after the 10am service. The training will last about half an hour. We’re trying to add torchbearers back to our acolyte corps, and it’s a perfect opportunity for younger children to be involved. If you have questions, contact Corky Hovermill.
Annual Stewardship Campaign
Pledge cards to support St. David’s in 2027 went into the mail on Thursday morning, so if you haven’t received them yet, you should be soon. It’s a large mailing, and it seems like every year a few cards get lost in the mail; if you don’t receive one, please contact the church office and we will get one out to you right away. Click here to watch Fr. Todd’s presentation of the draft budget from September 27th, and click here to see the slides about pledging at St. David’s prepared by our parish treasurer, Joe Hovermill.
We hope that everyone will participate in the pledge campaign. St. David’s is fortunate to have an endowment that contributes to our budget, but the majority of our operating budget is funded by pledges. If you’ve never pledged before, start with whatever amount you know you can contribute. We all start somewhere, and we appreciate every gift. If you’re already a pledger and can increase your pledge to help with our rising costs, we hope you’ll do so. And we also understand that there are folks on fixed or limited incomes who are already giving what they can, and we want you to know that we are thankful for your gift and your dedication to St. David’s.
If you have any questions about the budget draft or about pledging, don’t hesitate to contact Fr. Todd, treasurer Joe Hovermill, or any member of the vestry.
Parish Life Meeting ~ October 6th
The Parish Life Committee has changed its usual meeting time; from now on, the Parish Life Committee will meet in the Great Hall at 6pm-7pm on the first Tuesday of the month. All are welcome!
Fall Fellowship Dinner: October 16th
Join us for an Italian-style potluck on Friday, October 16th, from 6pm-8pm in the Great Hall. Feel free to bring friends and neighbors, the more the merrier! Click here to RSVP and signup to bring something.
Holiness in the Stranger
How can we love our neighbors when fear keeps us apart? Join the Latino Ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland for “Holiness in the Stranger: Beyond Our Fears – Walking Together,” a time of prayer, immigrant testimonies, and a legal perspective on immigration in Maryland and Baltimore. Together, we will explore radical hospitality and practical ways to build trust and walk alongside our Latino immigrant neighbors. A shared meal will provide time for conversation and connection. Everyone is welcome, whether already involved in this ministry or wondering where to begin. This free event will take place on Saturday, October 24th, 8:30am – 1pm, at the Diocesan Center, 4 East University Parkway. Click here to register by October 16. For more information, contact Mtr. Santana.
Thanksgiving Eve Service Survey
Attendance at St. David’s Thanksgiving Eve service has been declining for many years; while it seems to be around 15-20, some years it has been low as 2. Seeing the declining numbers, when I got here I called the nearby churches on Roland Avenue to see if they might be interested in a combined neighborhood service, and they all told me that they had canceled their Thanksgiving services due to lack of interest. We might consider canceling ours, but before we do that, I feel like I need some more information; I would hate to cancel it if we really just need to change the day or time. If you are interested in attending a Thanksgiving service and are pretty sure you would make the time and effort to attend, please click this link and complete the survey about days and times. Thanks! ~ Fr. Todd+
Christmas Bazaar Country Store
Attention all “canners!” We would love to have donations of your homemade jams, jellies, pickles, relishes, and sauces to sell at the Bazaar on November 21st. Please contact Hannah Morehead or Holly Crosby with questions, or bring items to the office. Thank you in advance for helping to stock the Country Store! ~ Hannah Morehead
Christmas Bazaar Christmas Shop
As we begin to plan for this year’s Bazaar, please remember the Christmas Shop welcomes your donations of holiday decor. Please contact me for further information or questions. ~ Kate Kenny
Bishop Rabb’s Book Group
We will have another book group and it will be The Heart of a Stranger by Angela Buchdahl. She is a nationally known rabbi, and we are seeking to have a Jewish-Christian group. We are in the middle of the Jewish High Holy Days, and so there is not fixed schedule yet, but it will be either in early winter of at the start of 2027. I appreciate your patience, and this will be an important opportunity. Contact me for more information and with any questions. ~ +John Rabb
Confirmation 2026
The Rt. Rev’d Carrie Schofield-Broadbent, Bishop of Maryland, will be visiting us on Sunday, December 13th, 2026. She will be offering the rite of confirmation and reception at the 10am service that day. Confirmation is for folks who are baptized and are ready to make a mature affirmation of their faith. We’ve had many adult confirmands here at St. David’s in addition to youth confirmands. The diocesan “minimum recommended age” is 15, but I will make exceptions for youth as young as 12, just talk to me! If you were confirmed already as a Roman Catholic, ELCA Lutheran, or Eastern Orthodox, or were baptized as adults, will be received rather than being confirmed. Those confirmed in churches outside of the historic apostolic succession (churches other than the ones named above) will be confirmed in The Episcopal Church. There will be classes; we’ll choose a time once we know who is wanting to be confirmed or received. The first step is to fill out this form and let us know you’re interested!
Sunday Mornings for Children
The Children’s Sunday School class (generally for kids ages 3 and up) begins at 9:50am in the Day School chapel; they join us in the church for Communion.
Our professionally-staffed Nursery is open from 9am until noon. If you want to attend the Adults class, your kids are welcome in the Nursery until the Children’s class begins. If your kids are too young for Sunday School, the Nursery is open and your kids can be there throughout the service or you can go down and get them at the offertory so that they can join you for Communion.
The 10am service is broadcast live on the TV in the Great Hall so that you don’t have to miss anything if you or your child need a break from being in the church for a few minutes during the service.
Please Pray For:
Debbie and family, Helen, Sarah, Corky, Kathleen, Darlene, Robert, Mark, Jane, Quinn, Tony, Bill, Amy, Nancy, Meg, Caleb, Manish, Arthur Thomas, John, Jenny, Katie, Laila, Linda, Barbara, Eleanor K., Judy, Allison, Brendan, Cole, Elizabeth, Randy, Peter, Dockery, Tod, Anne, David, Jim, Dianna, Will, Nathaniel, Penny, Betsy, Anne, Mike, Patricia Ann, Russell, Til, Betsy, Braeden.
Calendar
Sunday, 10.4 Blessing of the Animals, 10am
Monday, 10.5 Day School Board meeting, 5:30pm
Tuesday, 10.6 Outreach Committee, 4pm
Tuesday, 10.6 Parish Life, 6pm
Monday, 10.12 Day School Fall Break begins
Tuesday, 10.13 Vestry, 7pm
Sunday, 10.18 Flower Guild meeting
Saturday, 10.31 Paul’s Place casserole ministry
Sunday, 11.1 All Saints’ Sunday
Sunday, 11.1 Paul’s Place casserole ministry
Serving This Sunday:
8am: Lector: Hugh Robinson
Intercessor/Chalice: Stan Klinefelter
Usher: David Trebing
Altar Guild: Jill Heptinstall
Flower Guild: Jenny Hovermill
10am: Lector: Bruce Lyons
Intercessor: Daniel Casasanto
Chalices: Corby Pine, Jane Stone
Crucifer: Alex Corwell
Ushers: David Gorman, Rich Hall
Altar Guild: Mary Louise Dawson
Flower Guild: Jenny Hovermill
Tech Team: Scott Martinet
Coffee Hour: Helen Reilly