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/LvM94Rf7pPk?t=995
-Watch Sunday School for Adults https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8yU2xXdBbcVjsKnUK8xlRnvPDb__posy
Word of the Week
Our word of the week is Agnus Dei, a liturgical anthem we use seasonally here at St. David’s; agnus dei is Latin for Lamb of God.
Poem of the Week
This week’s poem is short, but lovely; it’s Stationery, by Agha Shahid Ali.
Fall Fellowship Dinner: October 16th
If you’re reading this the day the newsletter comes out, it’s not too late – join us for an Italian-style potluck this Friday, October 16th, from 6pm-8pm in the Great Hall. Feel free to bring friends and neighbors, the more the merrier! Click here signup to bring something.
Sunday Strollers
St David’s Strollers will walk this coming Sunday, October 18th at 3:30pm for 30-45 minutes. We meet in front of the church – please join us!
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.
Our topic this year is Stories of the Bible, but we’re taking a break from it this week to take a closer look at Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on artificial intelligence, Magnifica Humanitas.
All Saints Flower Dedications
All Saints’ Day is coming up on Sunday, November 1st, and it’s a particularly appropriate occasion on which to dedicate altar flowers in memory of someone who has died. You can make an altar dedication by using the link in the quicklinks section at the top of this newsletter or by clicking here.
Outreach: Manna Bags This Sunday
“Manna bags” are filled with snacks, personal hygiene items, and other small necessities that are especially helpful for people experiencing housing insecurity. You can pick up manna bags from the baskets on the tables in both narthexes and keep them in your car or your bag and offer them to folks in need you encounter during the week. Once a month, we make more manna bags to keep those baskets full. Alex Corwell will set up a manna bag-making table at coffee hour after the 10am service this Sunday for anyone who would like to help put them together.
Teen Confirmation 2026
If you have a teenager interested in being confirmed when the The Rt. Rev’d Carrie Schofield-Broadbent, Bishop of Maryland, visits us on December 13th, we will be offering a short confirmation course on Sundays in November after church. The diocesan “minimum recommended age” is 15, but we will make exceptions for youth as young as 12, just talk to us! The first step is to fill out this form and let us know you’re interested.
Ensemble-in-Residence Concert
On Friday, October 23 at 7:30 pm we welcome our 2026-2027 Ensemble-in-Residence, Trio Sirènes, for an evening of chamber music featuring flute, viola, and harp. The performance will include works of Gabriel Fauré, Chen-Yu Huang, Georg Philipp Telemann, and Harold Ganzmer.
Outreach: Yellow Bags for Hampden Food Pantry
Every month we collect food for the Hampden Food Pantry. Pick up a yellow bag at church (on the tables by the entrances, or under the drop box in the lobby of the office wing), and please return your yellow bag, filled with non-perishable food items, to the church by Sunday the 31st. All non-perishable items are welcome, but the food pantry has given us a list of things they particularly need: cereal, tuna, spaghetti sauce, soup, cake mix, and canned fruits and vegetables. When you see these items or other non-perishables on sale, pick up some extra for the yellow bags!
Annual Stewardship Campaign
Pledge cards to support St. David’s in 2027 should have arrived at your homes by now. If you didn’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.
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.
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
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.
2027 Pledge Campaign
Thank you to everyone who has already returned their pledge card, and especially to the households who are pledging for the first time at St. David’s! If you’ve lost your card, contact Fr. Todd and he’ll send you a new one, or you can pledge by email. If you missed it, you can watch Fr. Todd’s presentation on the 2027 budget draft here. And if you’ve never pledged before and have questions about how it works, don’t hesitate to ask!
2026 Pledges Received (as of October 13th)
Mac Barrett
Alma Bell
the Rev’d Todd Bruce
Lloyd & Tim Burdette
Diane & Jeff Caslow
Marque & Stephen Cordi
Mary Louise Dawson
Mike Dominelli & Vince Smith
Bill & Elke Durden
Margy Gifford
John Gould
Margie Guyther
Gilchrist & John Hammond
Jill Heptinstall & John Fitzpatrick
Anne & Tim Hurley
Blair & Scott Iodice
Jane & Lizzie Kennedy
Kate Kenny
Brooks & Denise Kitchel
Jim Knighton & Jo Reed
Bill Lippincott
Stephanie & Adam Lubitz
Lori & Scott Martinet
the Rev’d Neil O’Farrell & Stephen Sattler
Charlie & Anne-Steuart Palmer
Terry Pritt
Don & the Rev’d Judith Harris Proctor
Judy Prosper
Elizabeth & Ken Rice
Hugh & Liz Robinson
Bill & Joanne Ryan
Viveka Ryn
Jim & Rachel Seba
David Trebing
Tony & Susan Whitman
Mary Galvin & Dan Wilson
Sarah Wyeth
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
Friday, 10.16 Fall Fellowship Potluck
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
Monday, 11.2 Outreach Committee, 3pm
Tuesday, 11.3 Parish Life Committee, 6pm
Thursday, 11.5 Parish Ladies’ Night
Sunday, 11.8 St. David’s Day School fundraiser at Shananigans
Tuesday, 11.17 Vestry, 7pm
Saturday, 11. 21 St. David’s Christmas Bazaar
Serving This Sunday:
8am: Lector: Travers Nelson
Intercessor/Chalice: John Gould
Usher: Topper Webb
Altar Guild: Hugh & Liz Robinson
Flower Guild: Lloyd Burdette and Jen Spencer
10am: Lectors: Joshua Bornfield, Stuart Smith
Intercessor: Cynthia McIntyre
Chalices: Barbara Pilert, Helen Reilly
Crucifer: Corby Pine
Ushers: Holly Crosby, Lori Hopkins
Altar Guild: Corby Pine
Flower Guild: Lloyd Burdette and Jen Spencer
Tech Team: Lina Nandy
Coffee Hour: Loxley Nichols