Category: Weekly Parish Information

Dear parishioners,

A lot happening today at St. Edward’s!  Repairs were completed to the rector’s office ceiling.  The new wall-to-wall carpet for the rector’s study will be installed tomorrow, and we put up a new banner outside the church to invite our wider community to worship with us, online.  We conducted Zoom calls to record the readers for this Sunday, and Beth Lynch was in to help in redoing our library area. All great stuff!

And. . . having Father Rick here every day has been such a blessing.  Such great ministry happening, it is exciting to witness!

For today we have:  A meditation; release of the May Scepter; a link to some awesome “what’s in my pantry” recipes; and the “journey” for today is to the Georgia Aquarium and their webcams of the marine life.  Do these incredible wildlife creatures “know” what is happening to our world, outside their tanks and habitats?  One of the great mysteries. . .if we could talk to the animals, yes?

Enjoy.

Michelle

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THURSDAY, April 30

John 8:7 Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.

From the Archives: December 30, 1996

“What is original sin?” the twelve-year-old asked her grandfather. He replied, “It is something we all have in common. It is one of the things that hold us together.”

Grandfather’s definition of original sin was a way of saying what Jesus had in mind when he said, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Jesus understood the destructive consequences of adultery just as much as the scribes and Pharisees. But when Jesus zeroed in on sin, it was not just the obvious sins that caught his attention.

Hard-heartedness is also a sin, because in its rush to condemn, it does not hear the message of mercy and forgiveness from the Savior. Jesus’ parting words to the woman—“neither do I condemn you”—are a reminder of just how forgiving is the God whom we meet in the Bible.

MOVING FORWARD: Do you have a Judas place in your heart? How does Jesus come and meet you in that place?

Read the contemporary reflection here.

PRAY for the Diocese of Kondoa (Tanzania)

Ps 37:1-18 * 37:19-42 | Exodus 20:1-21 | Colossians 1:24—2:7| Matthew 4:1-11

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The May Scepter is out and can be found on our website here:

https://sainteds.org/scepter-newsletter/

 

We will also be making copies to put out tomorrow at our “usual table” outside the front red doors.  Stop by and pick one up. .  . It is predicted to be sunny and 64 degrees!

And if you have not picked up a new 2020 directory, they are available as well.

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Hungry? Here are some tasty looking dishes we can all make with items in our pantry.

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/easy/g31704197/best-pantry-recipes/?slide=4

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Take a peek inside the Georgia Aquarium Webcam to marine wildlife:

https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/beluga-whale-webcam/

 

Dear parishioners,

Today was a beautiful day.  It was nice to see people stop by, again, properly masked and protected! We will be keeping the baskets of publications out all week and will be adding the May Scepter to it by Friday morning.  So, if you have not had a chance to pick up a directory and/or would like a copy of the Scepter, stop by!

Volunteers:  We were so thrilled to hear from two people who have offered to volunteer with some ministry tasks this week.  Beth Lynch will be coming over tomorrow morning at 9 AM and Ellen Milligan will be coming to church on Saturday.  To respect our social distancing and protection protocols, we ask that other volunteers or visitors not stop by during these times, or if you do, to pick up a publication outside, and if someone is here, please make sure you have your masks on and respect social distancing!  Thank you.

Youth & Young Adult Ice Cream Social:  The diocese has an event geared towards our youth and young adults on Monday evenings, via Zoom.  To our St. Edward’s youth, if you would like the opportunity to visit with other youth in our diocese, join the fun!  Here is the link on our site to get the sign up information:  https://sainteds.org/diocesan-youth-young-adult-virtual-ice-cream-social/

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A meditation for today:

WEDNESDAY, April 29                           Catherine of Sienna

Psalm 119:28-29 My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. Take from me the way of lying; let me find grace through your law.

I hung on a cross next to his. Me, a criminal; him, an innocent man…and so much more. My punishment was deserved; his was not. He was hanging there, pierced by nails and thorns, pierced by the unseen wound of disbelief. But he forgave them…and me.

The last words I spoke were: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he answered, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” I hungered and thirsted for love that day as I hung on a cross next to Jesus.

Now, love overflows. Here I am, dandled by love. Cradled by love. Loved by pure love, for now and all eternity, with Jesus. I breathe love. I see love. And, most miraculous of all, I feel that I am love—a child of God’s love, reaching out to share that love with others.

MOVING FORWARD: When have you felt Jesus’s complete and total love? Share that story with someone who may need some encouragement today.

PRAY for the Diocese of Kolhapur (Northern India)

Ps 38 * 119:25-48 | Exodus 19:16-25 | Colossians 1:15-23 | Matthew 3:13-17

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By happenstance the Anglican prayer above was for a diocese in Northern India and I had already picked the journey for tonight. . . A trip to “Incredible India”. . . coincidence?!?!?  Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77czO8sxABI

 

 

Be Well. Stay Safe.  Keep the Faith.

Michelle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear parishioners,

Lots of things are happening at St. Edward’s.  We still have the baskets outside the front doors with directories, annual reports, and Forward Movement books for anyone who wants to stop by to get copies.  Today, Father Rick met with some Praise Band members, and in an environment of safety following social distancing protocols, reorganized the Praise Band area, hung the lovely banner that normally is in that wall space, and recorded some wonderful music that you will be hearing in upcoming services.  We continue with our renovation projects, as well.

Some of you may have noticed the Community Aid bin at the end of our parking lot looks horrible (it does!) with bags and such.  It appears people decided in their zest to clean during this time of “stay at home” to drop off their unwanted belongings at the bin, not realizing that as with all non-essential businesses, Community Aid pick-up service was not operating.  We received a letter last week informing us that they have been granted their waiver to start picking up the bins and cleaning up, but as you can imagine, there are probably many bins like this, so it will take a week or two to rectify.  Please do not bring anything to the bins until mid-to-end of May.

Readers:  I have spoken to Carol Cotnoir and I am working with her to arrange readers from 10:15 schedule; servers from 10:15; readers/LEMs from 8 AM to read in the upcoming Sunday’s in May.  There are 4 parts for each Sunday, so plenty for everyone to share and we are seeking anyone in these reader/server groups who is comfortable with getting on Zoom to participate!  I will send the readings on Tuesday’s along with a link to a “Zoom meeting” scheduled for Thursday’s at a time convenient to you.  I will host the “meeting” where I will record you doing the reading.  This way, the hassle of you doing your own recording and getting the video/audio file to St. Edward’s is eliminated!  If you would like to be put in this roster please let the office know.  I start with the schedule Carol has created and fill in with Psalm readers and Prayers of the People readers.  We would love to see you in our online service!

Michelle

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From Arch and Dolly Cross is this wonderful video they shared with us from her cousin’s family of the College Church in Wheaton (Chicagoland) Hallelujah Chorus.  It is great (and uplifting) to see how inventive houses of worship celebrate in the age of Covid19!  It will get you singing!!

 

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I leave you with a communication from The Episcopal Church about:

Explore the Way of Love with new video series

[April 28, 2020] The Way of Love is a way of life. More than a program or curriculum, it is an intentional commitment to follow Jesus by following seven practices: Turn, Learn, Pray, Worship, Bless, Go, Rest. Episcopalians and others looking to engage the Way of Love and learn more about each of the individual practices are invited to Explore the Way of Love in a new series of short videos and accompanying primer cards from The Episcopal Church.

The videos and primer cards, available in English and Spanish, are downloadable for use in parishes and dioceses. Each of the three-to-four-minute videos feature an explanation of the practices of the Way of Love – Turn, Learn, Pray, Worship, Bless, Go, and Rest.  Individuals, congregations, or small groups can view the videos as an introduction to each practice and use the printable primer cards to start building personalized rules of life. Explore the Way of Love can also be used for online instruction as well, and in conjunction with any of the Way of Love curricula. Supporting materials about the Way of Love are found at episcopalchurch.org/wayoflove.

“Our hope is that these short videos will be both versatile in use and inspiring in content,” says Jerusalem Greer, staff officer for evangelism, “Helping congregations dive deeper into each of the practices, while providing a compelling invitation to those new to the Way of Love.”

Explore the Way of Love is another of the many Way of Love resources available here for congregations and individuals who are interested in engaging more deeply with these practices, building and deepening a rule of life.

 

 

 

 

Dear parishioners,

What a wonderful service yesterday with Father Rick celebrating and preaching his first sermon for St. Edward’s! By all appearances, we attracted quite a Sunday “attendance” with over 217 views! And, we’re busy at St. Edward’s adding sound system improvements, courtesy of Father Rick; recording music for future services; and setting up Zoom sessions for readers so we can contact the reader, streamline the process, and add a level of comfort for readers to be able to focus on reading without having to record and upload their file to us. We are continuing to improve the rector’s study with some ceiling repairs and wall-to-wall carpet installation and in speaking with the renovation project manager today, there will start to be some “opening up” orders granted by Governor Wolf that will allow construction projects to get back on track so, hopefully we will be able to complete the kitchen during the month of May.

Again, if there are parishioners who feel safe, in the upcoming weeks, to do some scheduled and singular ministry at church there is a short list of projects that we could use your help with! Please contact the parish office if this is something you would be interested in so that we maintain all of the appropriate safety protocols.

Today, we offer you three items: A meditation; a personal note from a parishioner; and a little bit of a different “journey” in the form of a livestream from yesterday in celebration of the great American composer and lyricist, Stephen Sondheim’s 90th birthday. It is a bit long (about 2.5 hours), but a wonderful journey of musical theater, and it is fun to watch the inventive ways that our creative talents from music, theater, and all of the arts have embraced this new way to communicate and entertain us and lift our spirits, and all in the spirit of charity and raising money for so many of the causes to help support those in need as a result of the pandemic. For this event, the cause was: ASTEP (Artists Striving to End Poverty): http://www.broadway.com/sondheim90

We hope you enjoy as for many of us, you will remember many of these classic tunes.

Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration

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Forward Day by Day Meditation for MONDAY, April 27, 2020 Zita of Tuscany
Matthew 3:1-3 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his path straight.’”

Close your eyes for a minute and look at John the Baptist. A single dark fin cutting through the ocean of sand and scrub brush, sleepless eyes fixed on the horizon like a desert shark. Between bursts of angry shouting, he speaks about a messianic tide that will lift and carry us all to a loving shore together.

Truthfully, the Baptist is kind of frightening. There is something unearthly about him, as if there is a thin place in the world that only he can see through.

Look at Jesus standing beside John, listening. Can you see Jesus turn and look at each one of us, as if there is something inside of us that only he sees? In his eyes, we see hope and a straight path between his heart and ours, between our journey and his.

MOVING FORWARD: Jesus and John were cousins. Do you have a cousin who reminds you of John or Jesus? Reach out to this person today.

PRAY for the Diocese of Kobe (Japan)

PRAY for the Diocese of Kobe (Japan)

Ps 25 * 9, 15 | Exodus 18:13-27 | 1 Peter 5:1-14 | Matthew (1:1-17); 3:1-6

 

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A personal note form Mike and Sandy Patrone:

Hi everyone,

Sandy & I are doing fine. No activities here at St. Anne’s. Our Bistro is
for takeout only. We only go out for groceries. Wegmans has been our
go to place for toilet paper and wine ?. We walk everyday with a few
friends but it’s hard to talk when six feet apart. Keep the faith everyone.
This too shall pass, but when, only God knows. We have been following
services via internet.

Mike & Sandy Patrone

Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central PA,

As you know, Bishop Scanlan has said that it is unlikely that we will be able to meet in person before the end of May. However, in the video message below, the Bishop shares her thoughts on initial preparations towards reopening.

 

For COVID-19 resources and information, visit: https://diocesecpa.org/parish-news/coronavirus-facts-precautions-and-prayers/

In the Way of Love,

The Rt. Rev. Audrey C. Scanlan

XI Bishop

 

Dear parishioners,

As the weather starts to get warmer, and we are in a location where people can do ministry safely (albeit, singularly) Father Rick and I talked about several areas that, if people felt comfortable, and wanted to get out of the house, they could come by St. Edward’s to participate in some quiet and contemplative tasks.  Here is a short list (for now) that we were thinking of:

• Sacristy could use a little cleaning, especially the new floor.
• We are going to keep the bookcases that Father Rick did not want in rector’s study and move them over to the library area and swap out the short bookcases that are overflowing with books and flow the books into the taller bookcases and then repurpose those bookcases if there is a need (we could even swap out some of the older strange looking pieces in the Christian ed wing with these).  We have some nice sets now so we can get rid of some of the older cases.  And. . . we could even use 1-2 in the lounge area to store the Knit Wits supplies in an attractive way instead of in boxes behind the sofa.
• Weed the Memorial Garden – Please check with Ginny Kloepping first by phone or email.
• Plant the front urns with some nice spring flowers.  Please check with Nancy Oliver first.
• Pick up weekly flowers from Stauffer Kissel Hill, on Tuesday’s to make 2 altar flower vases (no intricate arranging).
• Read the Prayers of the People for Father Rick to record either Wednesday’s or Thursday’s for our virtual service.

We want people to be safe, arrive safely with proper protection, and schedule their visit so we only have one person here at any given time.  So, please contact the parish office and let us know.  It would be helpful to our parish community and we just thought that perhaps people were getting a little “cabin fever” and would like to participate in ministry.

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A personal note from John Meyer:

Hi Everyone,

John Meyer here.   I am doing fine and wish everyone a Blessed Easter.   I go for walks most days and am fortunate to have a good supply of books to read.   If the weather cooperates soon I will be doing yard work.   My house is now very organized and I continue to do those household projects that used to be put off for another day.  Hopefully this virus will settle down and allow us to slowly return to what used to be our normal lives and I look forward to seeing my Saint Edward’s family at church.   Take care, be safe, and stay well.

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Let’s go to Venice, Italy today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peQMP-b0XqM

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Forward Day by Day Meditation:

THURSDAY, April 23                           Toyohiko Kagawa

Romans 12:3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

From the Archives: February 12, 2014

I’m not much, but I’m all I think about.

So many decisions each day and most, if not all, of them are centered on self. Each of us has a set of scales constantly weighing the pros and cons of every behavior.

However, the instinct to protect self can run amok. Suddenly, protection of self becomes promotion of self. Erroneously, we fear no one else is going to speak up for us, so if we want to be heard or recognized, we better blow our own horn. Either that, or deep down, the way we see ourselves is so distorted that we seek to bolster our perception with self-service.

Seeing ourselves as right-sized can be a lifetime process for some. Finally settling in, we find it fits like nothing else.

MOVING FORWARD: If you were making a color wheel, what colors would love be? Happiness? Peace?

Read the contemporary reflection here.

PRAY for the Diocese of Kiteto (Tanzania)

Ps 18:1-20 * 18:21-50 | Exodus 16:10-22 | 1 Peter 2:11-25 | John 15:12-27