Nativity Newsletter

Nativity - what a great place to worship. As The Reverend Christopher Powell said last week "it's such a joy to see everyone exchange the Peace - it's like no other." For me, seeing the children excited about taking up the offering. As Liz Reynolds said on Sunday after so many families were away for Spring Break "The young families in our church bring such joy and excitement to our fellowship. We appreciate them so much and it's always good to see them." Amen!

5th Sunday of Lent - March 22, 2026

Those Who Serve

Celebrant: The Reverend Tina Frizzell

Music: Brenda/Katherine

LEM: Suzy

Altar Guild: Anne

Lectors: Dawn/Karen

MC POD: Mary Beth

Lessons:

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Romans 8:6-11

John 11:1-45

Psalm 130

Collect for Nativity

Father of all wisdom and love,

In whose wisdom we trust and in whose love we dwell.

We come asking you to guide us as we search for a new shepherd for this flock, a new teacher for those who seek, and for a steadfast companion who will walk with us along the way.

All this we ask in the name of our creator, redeemer and sustainer, one God, whose mercy endures forever. Amen

Announcements

For ALL Children: if your child would like to take up the offering on Sundays, please let me know (Kathy Shoalmire - kathybshoal@gmail.com or (662) 801-6695). We are going to compile a list and make "loose" assignments. You will not be required to find a replacement. The Mission Committee Person on Duty will collect the offering if needed - so no pressure on parents. If you know dates that you will be out of town, that would be helpful. It is so touching to see their excitement and such a great introduction to service.

Flowers for Easter Sunday - If you would like to help provide Easter Lilies in honor or memory of someone, there are envelopes in the back of the pew. The "recommended" contribution is $30. Please note on your check for Altar Guild - flowers.

Holy Week Schedule

Palm Sunday - next Sunday - March 29. We will gather across the street at the Salt & Light Building at 10:25 where we will receive our palm branches. The Reverend Andy Andrews will be with us. After the palm liturgy and then we will triumphantly enter the church together.

Maundy Thursday Service led by Michael Prager at 6pm

Good Friday - no service - the church will be open from 11am-2pm for prayer

Easter Sunday - With Easter we will celebrate the sacrament of Holy Baptism with Austin and Kelcey Roye. The Reverend Ann Whitaker will be the celebrant for Easter.

Easter Sunday - around 12:30 after church all are invited for the annual

Champagne and Coconut Cake Potluck at the home of Alexe van Beuren and Kagan Coughlin (509 Wagner Street) Bring a dish, friends, family, but no pets and no smoking in the barn! Kids' Easter Egg hunt around 2:30pm - Bring a basket.

Nativity Newsletter

(photo of Debbie features her holding Neuty (the Nutria - King of Mardi Gras (2025) in New Orleans.)I am a lifelong Mississippi resident, for better or for worse. I grew up on a farm in the Mississippi Delta, attended Mississippi College in Clinton, went to law school at the University of Mississippi, and joined the faculty of the law school in 1981, where I taught until 2022. I did leave the state for two years to clerk for Judge Elbert Tuttle of the (then) Fifth Circuit and to do housing work at the Atlanta Legal Aid Society. My two passions in teaching have been housing and family law, and I still do work in both areas. I loved teaching, but especially clinical teaching. Working side by side with students on their first cases was always a thrill.Attending church (Sunday morning, night, and Wednesday night; revivals in the summer; church camp) was an important part of my childhood. We attended a small, country Baptist church nearour home. It was a warm, loving church community. The pastor for twelve years of my childhood tempered the harsh doctrine with a genuine spirit of love. But by the time I was 18, the exclusionary doctrines and focus on personal behavior rather than social justice made no sense to me. I went to a Baptist College nonetheless, which just led to more questions -- and some ill-advised decisions. I started smoking briefly because men could smoke but women couldn’t. Notmy best moment.For the next twenty years, I was not a part of any church. I still read books that inspired me (Thomas Merton in particular) but that was it. Then, in 1996, my twelve-year-old daughter, who attended Camp Bratton-Green with an Episcopal friend, asked me to go to the St. Peter’s Ash Wednesday service. The Episcopal Church was a breath of fresh air for me; the liturgy was moving. I was hooked immediately. I do miss the country church music of my childhood that isseared in my brain. But after 30 years I’ve learned a new set of hymns. Still, I’m grateful we sang “Rock of Ages” last Sunday. (The music at Nativity is beautiful). As an additional bonus, I was introduced to Neil White at St. Peter’s shortly after that Ash Wednesday service. We were married there in 1999. Neil and I will always feel a part of St. Peter’s. But sometimes what we need changes with the times we live in and the trajectory of our personal lives. The Church of the Nativity has become the place that calls to us.I am so grateful to be a part of this close, loving, energetic congregation. I look forward to every Sunday. I miss the service, the incredible lunch, and all of you on those weekends when the call of grandchildren takes us to New Orleans. The last year, without Duncan, has been a surprise to me. Like many of you, probably, I feared a dip in the energy, a drop in attendance, a feeling of being a bit lost. That has not happened. If anything, it feels stronger. I look forward to years of growing with Nativity and with you.

Those Who Serve - 4th Sunday of Lent - March 15, 2026Celebrant: Christopher PowellMusic: DianneAltar Guild: Liz/AnneLEM: JamesLectors: Suzy/JackMC POD: April

Lessons:

• 1 Samuel 16:1-13

• Ephesians 5:8-14

• John 9:1-41

• Psalm 23

  
  

Prayer Requests:Roxie: sister of Sally Lott McLellanJan NicholsSusan: sister of Les NicholsRichard: father of Dawn DenhamSteve: father of Kaityln DillardWilliam: friend of Margaret LoveBetty: aunt of Kathy ShoalmireLisa Grey: friend of Kathy ShoalmireSeth: friend of Patricia KruegerMatt: friend of Kathy ShoalmireThe young men and women called into servicePeace in the Middle East and the worldThe Mission CommitteeVicar Exploratory CommitteeThose Who Serve NativityCollect for NativityFather of all wisdom and love,In whose wisdom we trust and in whose love we dwell.We come asking you to guide us as we search for a new shepherd for this flock, a new teacher for those who seek, and for a steadfast companion who will walk with us along the way.All this we ask in the name of our creator, redeemer and sustainer, one God, whose mercy endures forever. Amen

Announcements:Giving Life to Our Prayers workshop: This Saturday, March 14th from 10:00 am - 11:30 (meet in the church). Break for lunch at B.T.C. if able. Then wrap up in the Salt & Light Building. Contact Mary Beth Pulsifer for more information or to sign up (mpulsifer23@gmail.com)

Maundy Thursday (April 2) We will be having a Maundy Thursday service led by Michael Prager beginning at 6 p.m. We are also gauging interests in a potluck Agape Feast at Salt and Light following the service. If you would like to participate in a potluck, sign up at church or let Mary Beth know at mpulsifer23@gmail.com . If a decent number are interested we will let you know as the date approaches.April 16-17 - Small Church Conference  for all Lay and Ordained Leaders at All Saints, Grenada. See flyer for additional information.

Nativity Newsletter

Remember to SPRING FORWARD - Sunday, March 8

Mission Committee Spotlight - Patricia Kruger, Secretary

I came to Oxford on March 1, 1994, from the Northwest where I’d lived all up and down the I-5 corridor from very close to the Canadian border to Eugene, Oregon. I had finished law school and clerked for a judge in Eugene. Seeing all the different lawyers in the courtroom showed me that I wanted to do some kind of public interest law. The South seemed like the best place to “cast my net,” so here I came. I didn’t know a soul (certainly no lawyers!) when I arrived, and I had to take the MS bar exam (MS refused my OR score — bastards!)

Once I cleared that hurdle and got my license, I heard about all the legal services offices in the state. I wrote to them all, and North MS Rural Legal Services hired me. And that’s how I got to Oxford on March 1, 1994, on the heels of the 1994 ice storm, as it happens.

Oxford was love at first sight, but I needed to meet people. Why not church? I knew nothing about any denomination except Episcopalian because my mom took me to St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle a few times, so off to St. Peter’s I went. Again, love at first sight. I joined the choir, taught Vacation Bible School, and provided meals for college students on Sundays.

And then the church just grew and grew (I know — that’s what they’re supposed to do), but the congregation weirdly stayed the same age: young families. Meanwhile, I kept getting older. Soon, I knew so few people, I felt like a stranger, an old stranger.

One Sunday last summer, I moseyed down Highway 7 to Nativity, on Duncan’s last Sunday, in fact. Wow! I’d come home. Listening to Duncan took me right back to when he was the rector at St. Peter’s. Then I looked around. What a mix! Young families, single people, young people, older people. Best of all, it was small. I could get to know everyone like I did when I first joined St. Peter’s.

So here I am, and I’m never looking back!

But wait! We have to grow if we want to thrive, right? Sure. But I’d like for us to be sure we attract a wide variety of people like we presently have. What can we do to bring in young families, young singles, couples, middle-aged and older people? And what can we do to be sure the new folks (like me) can get to know the “old timers” (like y’all) and feel welcome from the moment they first step through our door (like I did)?

Those Who Serve - 3rd Sunday of Lent - March 8, 2026

Celebrant: The Rev. Canon Gary Meade, Canon to the Ordinary

Music: Brenda/Katherine

Altar Guild: Kathy/Margaret Love

LEM: Michael

Lectors: Brenda/Suzy

MC POD: Eddie

Collect for Nativity

Father of all wisdom and love,

In whose wisdom we trust and in whose love we dwell.

We come asking you to guide us as we search for a new shepherd for this flock, a new teacher for those who seek, and for a steadfast companion who will walk with us along the way.

All this we ask in the name of our creator, redeemer and sustainer, one God, whose mercy endures forever. Amen

Announcements

March 14th - 10:00 am - Outreach Workshop: The Rev. Sarah Stripp, Deacon at St. Andrews and managing director for Springboard to Opportunities, a non-profit helping families in affordable housing reach their goals, will be conducting a workshop for us. We will meet 10-12 in the sanctuary, break for lunch, and conclude 1:30-3 in the Salt & Light. (Note: those attending the Lenten Study are welcome to join when finished.)

The Rev. Sarah Stripp serves as a vocational deacon at the Cathedral. In addition, Sarah is the Director of Socioeconomic Wellbeing for Springboard To Opportunities, a nonprofit helping families in affordable housing reach their goals in life, work, and school and has been working in community development based non-profits for the last 12 years. While Sarah grew up in Michigan, she has been in Mississippi since 2014 and now considers it home and is passionate about creating communities where all people have an opportunity to flourish. Sarah is a graduate of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Leadership Network Fellowship and the Aspen Institute’s Jackson Workforce Leadership Academy.

Short description of the session:

Giving Life to our Prayers is a workshop designed to support parishes in recognizing the needs of their community around them and creatively consider the assets they already have to help meet those needs and embody the prayers that we pray every Sunday morning. This interactive workshop will include activities, discussion, and personal reflection as we develop an action plan for moving forward together.

If planning to attend the workshop, please sign up in the back of the church or let Mary Beth Pulsifer know. (mpulsifer23@gmail.com)

REGISTRATION for Camp Bratton-Green

Registration for camp is now open on the following website:

https://graycenter.org/camp-bratton-green/. Parents, if you are interested in a scholarship from Nativity for your child to attend camp this summer (or any Diocesan Youth Event throughout the year), please contact Sr. Warden Mary Beth Pulsifer @ mpulsifer23@gmail.com.

Cursillo: Please let Kathy Shoalmire know if you plan to attend Cursillo, May 1-3 at Camp Bratton-Green. The last day to register is April 1. Sponsor assignments and priest recommendations need to be completed for your application.

April 16-17 - Small Church Conference for all Lay and Ordained Leaders at All Saints, Grenada. See flyer for additional information.