Love Your Church and Your Pets – St. Nick’s News Oct. 3, 2025

Full St. Nick’s News for October 3, 2025

Dear Friends,

This coming weekend at St. Nick’s we are overflowing with opportunities to love, to bless, and to give thanks.

On Saturday, October 4th, we’ll begin the day with a Workday at 8:00 a.m.—our monthly Love Your Church Day. Together, with hands in the soil and tools in our palms, we’ll tend to the place God has given us. There is something holy about working side by side, brushing off the dust, mending what needs care, and remembering that this space is not just a building but a home – a sacred home – for our community.

Saturday evening, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., we’ll gather outdoors for a Blessing of the Pets—a time of food (thanks to the awesome Maggie Mae’s Fresh Eats), worship, and joy with crafts for all ages and all species. Bring your dogs, cats, birds, bunnies, or even your child’s beloved goldfish – all properly restrained or crated of course. Each creature reminds us of the wonder of creation and of St. Francis’ wisdom: that God’s love is reflected in every living thing. To bless them is to recognize what is already true—that God delights in our companions and in the love they bring us.

On Sunday morning, October 5th, our children (and the young at heart) are invited to bring their favorite stuffed animals, our lovies, to worship for a special blessing. Teddy bears and unicorns, stuffed koalas and pandas—each will remind us of God’s tenderness and joy. Following our 9:30 a.m. worship, we’ll hold Communion Instruction, open to all ages. At St. Nick’s we believe communion instruction is ongoing and open to all of us. We will be teaching our lovies how to receive communion and the importance of the elements, and learn about the importance of the Eucharist. In our Episcopal tradition, we believe the Eucharist, the Great Thanksgiving—our weekly holy meal – is at the very center of our life together. At God’s table, the altar, we are bound to Christ and to one another, nourished by bread and wine, and reminded that God’s presence meets us in the most ordinary and tangible ways.

This weekend is like a living parable of what it means to be the church: working together, blessing God’s creatures, cherishing the playfulness of children, and returning to God’s Holy Table that anchors us in the transforming love of Jesus Christ.

Come, and bring your family, your pets, your stuffed friends and lovies, and your hungry hearts. At St. Nick’s, everyone is welcome, everyone is loved, everyone is empowered, and everyone belongs. Everyone!

God’s Peace, Love, and Blessings,
Beth+