Friends,
I know that lots of us are planning on having smaller Thanksgiving celebrations than usual, and therefore many of us are going to miss seeing family and friends that we would normally have around the table. I want to try find some ways to make this pandemic-laced-Thanksgiving one where no one is left isolated and lonely.
Enter... Project Giving Thanks TOGETHER!
Thanksgiving Breakfast
I’m going to make several pans of cinnamon buns the week before Thanksgiving. I will deliver a bun to ANYONE who asks for one—enough for everyone in your home. Then, at 10AM on Thanksgiving Morning we’ll gather on Zoom for coffee/tea, our sweet little treat, and Morning Prayer. After we pray, we can hang out and chat together on Zoom for as long as we want.
Anyone who would like to read a lesson, pray a collect, etc, please let me know and I’ll give you a job to do for Morning Prayer that day.
If you don’t want to go to Morning Prayer, but you’d still like a cinnamon bun... no problem!
And, please contact the office and let us know how many buns you’ll need! (908) 766-9058 or stmarks.br@verizon.net
Zoom—Loan
The church has two Pro Zoom accounts—which have no limit on the amount of time you can meet (the free Zoom accounts limit your time to 40 minutes). Around Thanksgiving, we will make our accounts available for anyone who would like to use them. All you need to do is call the church, and we’ll schedule your call for whenever you’d like that weekend. We’ll give you a link/phone number that you can share with all of your friends and family who would be joining you.
Tech Assistance
If you are unsure of how Zoom works, or you don’t have a computer/tablet/smartphone with which to connect to Zoom, let me know and I’ll either give you a quick tutorial on how to access Zoom OR I’ll loan you a device that will let you connect up to Zoom. I’ll walk you though the whole thing. You don’t need to be intimidated by this technology at all, and we’ll help you feel comfortable.
Depending on how popular this option is, I might need some help from people who have a device they would be willing to loan to a fellow parishioner.
Everything above is completely free-of-charge—even the cinnamon bun! I think it will add some fun and connection to what is shaping up to be a subdued holiday. However, if someone feels like they absolutely have to make an offering, they may make a contribution to one of our feeding ministries—Curbing Hunger, the Giving Garden, or the Keansburg mission.
With Gratitude,
Fr Rick