By Elizabeth McCorkle

Reentry Team

Plans were submitted and approved by the Vestry and Bishop Lucinda to allow small outdoor group gatherings on St. Mary’s campus. Please contact Pastor Kristine if you would like to schedule a small group outdoor meeting. The Sunday worship service and many other small groups will continue to meet online and the Reentry Team will monitor the situation in Monterey County and consider additional protocols as warranted.  All reentry plans must be approved by the Diocese before going into effect.

Buildings and Grounds

Many thanks to Junior Warden Robert Daunt for tackling several long-overdue repairs and maintenance, including:

  • Replacing four toilets in Edwards and Clay Hall with new, water-efficient models.
  • Additional plumbing repairs on Edwards and Clay Hall.
  • Removing the exterior chimneys from the sanctuary building and Edwards Hall (starting soon).
  • Closing off the exterior stairwell and landing at the backside of Clay Hall (starting soon).

Christian Social Concerns (CSC)

Sarah Schramm continues to lead an amazing group of core volunteers as the number of clients utilizing CSC has steadily increased. We anticipate that the need will continue to grow in the coming months and please contact Sarah if you are interested in volunteering.  All CSC services are conducted outside with stringent safety protocols in place.

Online Giving

Many thanks to everyone who has continued to donate and pledge to St. Mary’s over the last several months. Your pledges are more important than ever! Our overall donations are down but this was offset by a small loan St. Mary’s received through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and designated for employee salaries and utility expenses. The vestry is committed to supporting the people and programs of St. Mary’s and your continued generosity is very much appreciated.

The vestry has approved the use of an additional online giving platform called Tithe.ly. More details coming soon but using Tithe.ly will allow those who wish to give online an easy way to give instantly and track donations in real-time. Of course, people can continue to give by mailing in their donations to St. Mary’s at 146 Twelfth Street, Pacific Grove, 93950.

Please consider using Amazon Smile as a way to donate to St. Mary’s! Visit smile.amazon.com and choose “St. Mary’s By-The-Sea Episcopal Church” as your organization.  St. Mary’s receives a small donation (.5%) for every eligible purchase made using the smile.amazon.com link. Please let us know if you need help setting this up.