Dear friends of St. Edward’s,
We welcome you to our online worship this weekend as we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Advent.
Due to the alarming rise in cases within Lancaster County and here in our own township, as your rector, I prayerfully request that we continue to refrain from gathering with other parishioners in public groups, particularly in restaurants, indoor spaces, or even outdoors without masks. COVID-19 is not a hoax. We are all in this together, and honoring our parish community, by complying with the recommendations set forth during this time, conveys our love for God in Christ, the members of our parish family, and the wider community.
Here are two links that may be helpful:
Lancaster County, PA COVID-19 Hub
Father Rick +
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Please note our Sunday Service is at 10 AM, via our YouTube Channel, which will be followed by a virtual coffee hour (detailed below).
This is a special service this week, filled with a variety of music ministries!
We offer an opportunity for those viewing our online service to Donate to St. Edward’s via our Paypal link directly from our YouTube Channel. On the St. Edward’s Channel Home Page, in the lower right corner of the image of our church is a “Donate to St. Edward’s” link. You can also find it in the “About” section, just scroll down to “links” in that section. We have installed it, tested it, and it works securely and wonderfully!
We also wanted to take this opportunity to share with you important announcements regarding upcoming events, as well as prayer and adult spiritual formation opportunities.
The season of Advent is upon us, and while we must stay socially distanced and refrain from in-person worship, in our sanctuary, there are many opportunities for us to worship together during this Covidtide. Please see a listing below and stay tuned to our weekly emails, web site posts, and Sunday bulletins for updates on specific details as we are updated with times and links. We invite you to celebrate with us, as a community of faith! We are all in this together and we are all connected as we walk in hope, peace, joy, and love, during this season of Advent, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
. . . .It’s almost here!
We hear the Virtual Christmas card is receiving its finishing touches and will go “live” on our YouTube Channel, with a link to access, in a special email that will be sent on Wednesday, December 23rd, with all of our Christmas Eve service information and Christmas greetings. So, email messages for next week will be Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Virtual Coffee Hour after our Sunday service 11:00 AM – 11:40 AM, on Zoom. Hosted by Christina McLaughlin. Let us share our fellowship with one another during this stay-at home holiday season! Your join code and pass code were in your Saturday email message.
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Christmas Flowers at St. Edward’s: We will be offering our traditional Christmas Flower sign-up with your “In Memory of” or “In Thanksgiving for” names to be placed in the Christmas Eve bulletin. Please prayerfully consider signing up for Christmas flowers this year. Flowers are $20 and can be submitted, via email, with your check mailed into the parish office, made payable to St. Edward’s and marked “Christmas Flowers” in the memo line. Deadline is Monday, December 21st.
Lessons & Carols Virtual Convocation Event – This is a wonderful service with 10 parishes from our Lancaster Convocation, including St. Edward’s, offering readings and wonderful music!
Click here for the service on our YouTube Channel
Click here for the service bulletin.
At-Home Communion for Christmas Eve at St. Edward’s: We have put together packets of pre-consecrated communion wafers for our virtual live-streamed Christmas Eve service. Following all health and safety protocols, and utilizing food-safety envelopes, each packet is ready for you to pick up at St. Edward’s from Monday, December 21st – Wednesday, December 23rd, from 11 AM – 4 PM. If you cannot get to St. Edward’s and would like communion wafers, PLEASE contact the parish office via email or phone message and let us know. We will form a list and make sure your packet is delivered to you. It is important to us, to have all of you have the ability, at your discretion, to participate in communion on Christmas Eve, with us, virtually.
Grocery Cards: We will be ordering grocery cards for January and you will be able to pick them up on January 4th.
Scepter: Mac is requesting articles, photos, etc. to her by tomorrow, December 20th for the January Scepter.
Giving Envelopes: YES! Our 2021 giving envelopes are in and if you are a household who gets giving envelopes I will make sure they are ready to be picked up when you pick up your communion wafers this Monday – Wednesday.
Office Closed: December 24th – January 3rd. BUT, if there is an emergency or a need, you can always reach out to leave a message on the parish office phone, via email, or contact Father Rick, for pastoral needs, or Michelle for church “business.”
Welcome to Congregational Care! Each Saturday, we will include in our messages any submissions we receive from our parish community, as we invite you to share prayer requests or news about yourselves or your family. We believe this outreach to be incredibly important to keep our spiritual community connected to each other and to Jesus Christ, our Lord, as we walk in love with one another in our daily journeys. Please submit your “news” to the parish office by Friday of each week and we will feature it in the Saturday email, bringing it to our hearts and minds in our Sunday prayers.
We pray for the family of Harry West, Harry passed away last Saturday, in Winston-Salem, NC where he lived near his daughter, Wendy Martin. Harry and Barbara West were long-time members of St. Edward’s and were faithful parishioners attending the Rite II and Contemporary services each Sunday. Barbara passed away last year and is interred in our Memorial Garden. Harry will also be interred in our Memorial Garden, next to his beloved Barbara.
We pray for Eric and Jackie Sandblade as they mourn the passing of Eric’s sister, Julie Sandblade. Please keep the Sandblade family in your prayers, tonight and in the days to follow.
We are praying for so many, as there are just so many to keep in our thoughts and prayers every day. Those who have been so generous and helpful in every way during this Covidtide that no simple “thank you” can ever be enough to express our immense gratitude. Whether they be on the front lines, in our schools and essential businesses; in the food pantries, shelters, and services to help those in need; or those keeping their homes and families safe, they all need our prayers. And, we especially keep all those who are experiencing loneliness and illness, during this holiday season, in our prayers. There are so many stories of people, who we now know, stricken with COVID19 and struggling, and people who continue to self-isolate to be safe, but are experiencing deep loneliness. So, let us be gentle and kind, to ourselves, and each other. Take deep breaths, be safe, and thank God for all of our blessings.
Click here to read Bishop Scanlan’s Christmas Message to the Diocese.
Looking for a way to brighten someone’s day during the holidays? We can all participate in our own personal “social outreach.” Click on the link below to find a list of Retirement Homes in our area that are accepting cards for their residents. What a nice way for us to reach out to the wider community to let them know that we care!
Retirement Home List for Christmas Cards
Besides prayers, calls, cards and emails, there is one more thing you can do to support St. Edward’s. Please keep up-to-date with your pledge or regular contribution. Pledges/giving can be mailed to the church, and we also have an easy-to-use “Give to St. Edward’s” button on our website that links to our secure Paypal page, as well as a “Donate” button on our YouTube Channel home page.
To assist parishes, the diocese has set up online giving for each parish. If you feel comfortable making your weekly giving or pledge donation in this manner (it is a secure giving tool), simply go to the diocesan web site, click on the tab up top and it will take you to a page where you can scroll down, find St. Edward’s, and continue with making your contribution! Thank you for maintaining your faithfulness through your financial stewardship!
To learn more about St. Edward’s, please click our website, YouTube, or Facebook icons at the bottom of this email.
Be well. Stay safe. Keep the faith.
– Michelle