Morning services beginning 11/22 have moved to Parish Hall, outside on the Patio Annex, or inside depending on weather.

The North Wall is stabilized and the new patio/annex is complete and available for use. Sunday service was held there 11/15 and will continue outside in this location as weather allows, or move inside
Readings for Sunday, November 22, 2020:
First Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Psalm: Psalm 95:1-7a
Second Reading: Ephesians 1:15-23
Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46
St. Mary Magdalene Updates and Announcements as of 11/19/2020
  • ATTENTION: Sunday service is returning to 106 East Washington Street from the outside Polk Street location. We are so fortunate Tom and Celia Wallace hosted the church at their Hackberry Cathedral these last several months. Many thanks for their generosity and hospitality.
  • Weather permitting, going forward Sunday services will be held 9AM in the Parish Hall North Wall Annex (aka Covered Patio) in the St. Mary Magdalene campus backyard.
· If it’s too cold or rainy for the Annex, service will move inside the Parish Hall configurated to accommodate up to approximately 33 individuals with 6 ft safe distancing between individuals or families and the altar table relocated to the NE corner to utilize both main parish hall and kitchen/main office hallway for seating.
· If it is not too cold outside, folks who choose to may sit on the Annex with the annex door open and participate with worship inside the Parish Hall. Please participate at your level of comfort in our safe distance services. All are welcome. Wear masks. BCPs and hymnals are available. All Baptized Christians are invited to receive communion.
  • Fr. Peter Whalen will conduct service 9AM this Sunday, November 22, which will be Peter’s last Sunday as supply priest this year. Hopefully, he and Barbara will join us for worship as often as they are able.
  • Fr. Patrick Soule celebrated Eucharist last Sunday, November 15th in the North Wall Annex with 17 attending. This was the first event held in the Annex since its completion; it’s a wonderful space.
  • Fr. Patrick will ‘supply’ StMM each Sunday, beginning 11/29 through Advent, Christmas, and the end of January 2021.
  • The Vestry is checking to determine if both our traditional Early/5PM & Late/10:00PM Christmas Eve (Thursday 12/24/2020) services should be scheduled. These services will be in the Annex or Parish Hall as appropriate.
  • Fr. Patrick visited StMM to supply Oct. 11th and 25th. The diocese arranged his visits for us to meet him for consideration as a possible clergy fit. He is open to both supply and part time options with us.
  • 6:30 PM Wednesday Evening Prayer continues to be livestreamed to StMM’s FaceBook page.
  • The ECW Chair will coordinate the Prayer list to be included in StMM’s Weekly Update.
· To add names of friends/family on the Prayer list, please contact Paula, our ECW President, or if you do not have her contact information, please email, message, or call the church.
· Names will remain on the List four weeks from the date added. If a name (for whom prayer should continue) falls from the list, please contact Paula to add that name again.
· Please continue to pray for those on our Prayer List.
  • 6:30 PM Wednesday Evening Prayer is livestreamed to StMM’s FaceBook page.
  • Please remember the Rector’s discretionary fund, collected the first Sunday of each month, from which we assist some in need in need in the community.
  • For pledges/donations, please use direct deposit or mail checks to: Treasurer, St. Mary Magdalene EC, PO 150, Fayetteville, TN 37334. Donations are also accepted at Sunday worship service.
  • The regular November vestry meeting was postponed and held Tuesday, Nov. 17. The Vestry has been meeting via Zoom for several months as the diocese requests parishes limit gatherings.
  • Construction on our open patio is complete. Ideas for landscaping are being entertained. Take a look and note what you think might enhance its appeal. The remainder of the parish hall is being painted and some trim stonework will be added. The shed will be renovated and painted soon to match!
  • The parish office is open by appointment; voicemail and email are monitored regularly. Contact Jim, call church office, or contact via facebook to access the parish hall, office, or sanctuary. Private visits may be scheduled easily.
  • Debbie has hung new HAPI artwork in the Parish Hall. If you don’t have a door code and would like to view the new display, please contact her or Jim.
  • If you are a parishoner and are not receiving the weekly email, please let Jim know or call the church office and leave a message.​​
  • Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) continues to meet in the Parish Hall, Mondays and Thursdays at 7PM. AA also meets at First Baptist Church on Saturday mornings.juju

  • The North Wall/Patio Capital Campaign continues. Please prayerfully consider an ongoing pledge or continuing donation.
  • Your ongoing support is both needed and appreciated!​
  • For pledges/donations, please use direct deposit or mail checks to: Treasurer, St. Mary Magdalene EC, PO 150, Fayetteville, TN 37334.
· Donations for designated gifts or general operating costs are also accepted at Sunday worship outdoors.
  • Please remember the Rectors Discretionary Fund on the first Sunday of each month. StMM continues to receive requests for help and to assist folks with groceries, short term lodging, gasoline, electric and water bills. StMM also coordinates with Hands of Mercy to provide utility bill assistance. Thank you to all who support this outreach.
​

Additional updates and plans for resuming in-Church worship with appropriate precautions will be posted as available. The Bishop has released guidance from the Diocese on the Diocese website in a document entitled, "The Wilderness Road", for the parish as we begin the journey down an unpredictable road to our new normal means of worship and working to fulfill God's mission for us.
Please Check our Facebook page, @smmepiscopal, for more opportunities to interact, including online Evening prayer and other resources.
​
(Please contact thru phone or email.)
Office Hours:
​ by appointment only.
Phones and email are monitored on regular basis.

Church Location*:
​106 E. Washington Street
Fayetteville, Tennessee
Parking lot is adjacent to Parish hall on Washington.

Mailing Address**
(Please send donations by banking bill pay or check to this address:
St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church
P.O. Box 150
Fayetteville, TN 37334

​Office Phone: (931) 433-2911
​Email: office@smm-episcopal.net

* UPS and FedEx deliveries should be addressed to the physical location, not US Mail.
**for US Mail. The Post Office only delivers mail for PO Box users addressed to that box.

​When conditions allow removal of current restrictions on meetings in confined spaces, we plan to resume our previous regular worship in the church sanctuary at the corner of Elk and Washinton.
Daily Community Worship
All members of our parish are invited and encouraged though physically apart, to pray together daily at 8 AM, Noon and 6 PM for solidarity, to fortify our sense of community and to counter the uncertainty of these times. Let’s begin that today and do so whenever we are able.

While we are unable to all meet together for public worship, each of us can continue to draw strength through our individual and family prayer life.

Join us in prayer wherever you are as we continue to pray for our community, country, and world as together we fight the pandemic and the turmoil it is causing. Take part in an on line service to join your voices with others. And, don't forget to reach out to someone else with a call, a text, or message during this time of physical social distancing

The Book of Common Prayer is a rich resource, including Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Daily Devotions. ​​

Resources for personal worship, including links to on-line Book of Common Prayer, the Lectionary Page, and the Diocese website, are found in the Resources section at the bottom of this page.

Fr. Peter suggests especially The Supplication, BCP p. 154 and Prayers and Thanksgivings, BCP p. 814-841.
​
Individuals are encouraged to attend on-line streaming worship if unable to attend in person.
  • StMM is streaming Evening Prayer on the St. Mary Magdalene Facebook page, @smmepiscopal, using Facebook Live on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 pm.
  • Links to other​ Churches in our Diocese currently offering streaming of their services can be found at:
https://edtn.org/worship-resources/

The transition to resume Regular Weekly Services has begun. Currently:
  • ​Limited In-Person Services (off-site outdoor location)
  • Wednesday Evening Prayer at 6:30 PM each Wednesday live on Facebook @smmepiscopal
  • Various groups and activites, including Church organizations such as Vestry, DOK, ECW and ECM continue to meet monthly or as scheduled. Most currently meet by video or teleconference in respect of social distancing. Contact the church office for more information.
  • Other uses of Parish Hall or Sanctuary should be scheduled in advance.


​Currently, No Sunday Services are planned in the Sanctuary @ 106 E. Washington location.*
​An outside service is being offered in the Parish Hall patio Annex to meet social distancing requirements.
For those uncomfortable or unable to attend in person, please consider taking advantage of offered on-line Services.
​*The outside service relocates to Parish Hall with limited attendance in case of rain.


​Readings for each Sunday can be found in the Lectionary Pages.

Churches in our Diocese currently offering streaming of their services can be found at:
https://edtn.org/worship-resources/
​
​ Additional Resources for personal worship, including links to on-line Book of Common Prayer, the Lectionary Page, and the Diocese website, are found in the Resources section below.

​Reminders:
  • St.MM office can be contacted by phone or email. Office hours are by appointment only. but phones will be monitored. Please work with Jim or email office@smm-episcopal.net for additions/changes to calendar, administrative items and/or bulletin.
  • Note: St.MM uses only PO Box 150 for US mail delivery. The mail is picked up at the main Post Office, not delivered directly to the church. FedEx and UPS can deliver to our 106 East Washington Street address, but USPO regulates postal patrons with PO boxes to only receive mail addressed to that box. Mail addressed to the street address will not be delivered. Please coordinate before sending anything directly to the church building to make sure someone will be there to receive it.
  • Please verify Community meetings & events schedule with Sponsors.
  • Normally recurring meetings include:
    • Cub Scout meetings 5:30-7:00PM in the Parish Hall, Tuesdays except 2nd Tuesday of the month.
    • Alcoholics Anonymous meets 7:00 PM in the Parish Hall on Mondays and Thursdays.
  • Reminder: Last person leaving the building is responsible for ensuring all unneeded lights are turned off and all exterior doors are locked. This includes both side and front doors of church, and all three exterior doors at parish hall! You may not have opened it, but someone else may have.
Opportunities
  • Photos needed! If you have digital photos of recent StMM events (or take any pics in the future), please forward to StMM email: office@smm-episcopal.net to possibly be included on our St.MM FaceBook page.
Other
  • Rector’s Discretionary Fund is supported by the First Sunday plate offering. While many in our community are experiencing additional economical impacts, plate offerings are limited due to service limitatioms. Checks are appreciated and may be mailed to St.MM's postal address. Designated donations to the Discretionary Fund are always welcome and may be given at any time. The Fund supports local assistance to individuals for grocery, gasoline and heating bills. Two primary methods currently used are: 1. St.MM also provides Outreach funding to Hands of Mercy, primarily for assistance with utilities. (During this period of unusual need and very limited resources, SMM is providing additional funds to Hands of Mercy for food distribution as well.) Hands of Mercy has the resources to review applications and qualify requesters based on income and actual need. 2. St.MM has been a long time supporter and staffer of Good Sam (currently closed) which provides grocery staples and utility assistance. Cash and checks are welcomed in addition to, or to allow bulk purchase of foodstuffs, including our assigned Mac&Cheese and canned fruit! ​Volunteering opportunities also exist, as Hands of Mercy continues their efforts.

 OUR HISTORY The first congregation was organized by A. S. Thomas, a banker from Columbia, Tennessee.  Early communicants were confirmed by the Rt. Rev. Charles T. Quintard.  For a time, services were held in various homes and at the courthouse.

The cornerstone of the church was laid on September 22, 1881 and that first Eucharist was celebrated in the unfinished Church of St. Mary Magdalene on May 4, 1884. The minutes of the Guild of St. Mary Magdalene (the forerunner of the current Episcopal Church Women) state that the church was dedicated on St. Mary Magdalene's Day, July 22, 1884 and in 1890 the mission became a parish.

The building was destroyed in 1952 as the result of a tornado.  Following the tornado, the nine families with 33 active members, who were the church family of St. Mary Magdalene, rebuilt the church on the same spot but rotated 90 degrees to the south. A FAITHFUL CONGREGATION REBUILDS...Bishop Barth officiated at the laying of the cornerstone of the present church on June 7, 1953.  The first parish hall was built in 1960; it was divided into Sunday School rooms in 1985 when a new parish hall was added.  In 1982,  St. Mary Magdalene celebrated its Centennial, and buried a time capsule to be opened in 2007.
At the regular meeting of the Mission Council on December 11, 1991, the members voted unanimously to apply to the Diocese of Tennessee at the 169th Convention for parish status.  In the calendar year 1991, the church became financially independent of the Diocese of Tennessee.   In January 1992, it obtained parish status.

CLERGY From the time of its founding until about 1920, the church was served by full-time resident clergy.  From 1920 to 1955 it was served by seminarians and supply clergy from the University of the South at Sewanee.  During these years without a priest, the church was forced to go from "parish status" (being entirely self-supporting) to "mission status" (depending on the diocese for financial support).  The church did not have a resident priest again until 1955.

Clergy Who Served St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church:
F.A Davenport, Prentice A. Pugh, Dr. H.R. Howard, James F. Plummer, Wm. G.G. Thompson, Henry James McGehee, Rowland Hale, Peter McKinnon Dennis, Francis R. Starr, Erle Homer Merriman, John Fernsley, E.P. Bartlam, B.B. Ramage, C.A. Cole , A. Bailey Hill, Sterling Tracy, A.C. Killeffer, George A. Fox, D. Troy Beatty, William Sanders, J.M. Northrup, Arthur Freeman, H.F. Keller, Sanford Garner, Ellis M. Bearden, S. W. Toal, Francis M. Osborne, Thomas E. Dudney, John T. Deforest, Jr., James R. Cullipher III, A.F. Schwenk, David H. Fisher, C.M. Galbraith, Robert L. Beasley, William A. Jones, Jr, Clark M. Baker, J.L. Postel, Charles W. Livermore, J.E. Waller, William T. Patten, Richard N. Walkley, Buckley H. Robbins, Henry W. Lancaster, Jr., Charles Randall Dunnavant, Ben H. Shawhan, William J. McNeely, Douglas Girardeau, James L. Rogers, Gerard S. Moser, Homer Le Grand, Al Scoggins, "Randy"  Hoover-Dempsey, Harry B. Bainbridge, III, William H. Ralston, Julie Anna Johnson, James C. Pappas, Jason S. Terhune
IVY FROM CASTLE The ivy which grew on the walls of the old church until it was destroyed was brought from Kenilworth Castle, the home of Sir Walter Scott, in England.  "Rev. Hale," the second Rector at the church was an Englishman and on various trips back to England he brought articles to be used in the church.  These items were slightly damaged in the tornado, but were restored and are still in use today.  A huge brass eagle, whose out-spread wings held a large Bible, was purchased by the Rev. Hale and is still in good condition.  Suspended from the exposed, aged, wooden rafters above, the chancel of the original church were seven brass lamps with red glass chimneys enclosing candles.  The lamps represented the seven churches of Asia.  They were demolished by the tornado and one was blown through the wall of the rectory next door.  Even before the disastrous tornado of 1952, another tornado had damaged the church slightly in 1890, but it was evidently not very serious.
ORGAN FROM MEMPHIS There was also a unique organ in the original church which came from Christ Church in Memphis.  During the War between the States, this organ was seized from Christ Church by drunken soldiers who took it into the streets of Memphis and danced by its music.  Later it was retrieved and sent to St. Mary Magdalene where it was used for many years.  The unusual feature of the organ was that it was pumped by hand, and a person had to be behind it grinding before it would emit a sound.  Early members of the church report that if a sound did not come from the instrument, it was usually found that the little boy organ grinder had fallen asleep. THE ALTAR
(THIS PORTION OF HISTORY WAS TAKEN FROM THE REV. ROWLAND HALE'S PERSONAL NOTES ON THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF ST. MARY MAGDALENE CHURCH, OF WHICH HE WAS THE SECOND RECTOR.)The current altar has been present in the church since its inception.  The altar is a memorial to the Rev. C.C. Parsons and the Rev. John M. Schwar who fell victims to the Yellow Fever in 1878.  This memorial was the gift of the mother of the Rev. Rowland Hale, Rector.  It is the work of Geisler & Co. of New York.  It is of oak with carved panels, the center one showing the "Agnus Dei" (Latin) for "Lamb of God."   The Rev. C.C. Parsons and the Rev. John M. Schwar are among the clergy remembered with Constance and her Companions as the Martyrs of Memphis on September 9th in the liturgical calendar.  

Resources
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