Dear parishioners and friends of St. Edward’s,
We welcome you to our online worship and ministry offerings for this Sunday, the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany. All essential links are noted below.
Due to the alarming rise in cases within Lancaster County and here in our own township, 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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What a wonderful celebration of life for Stephen+ at St. Edward’s, today. Our deepest thanks to Bishop Audrey Scanlan and Bishop Nathan Baxter for providing such words of comfort and love for Rayelenn, Emily, Elizabeth, Sadie, and Emma and for all of those who loved Stephen+ far and wide. Thank you to the musicians and vocalists for their uplifting and inspiring musical selections and hymns. It was amazing to see the outpouring of love and prayers in our wider community during the service. Please know that we were able to forward all of your good wishes to Rayelenn and the family in a printed transcript. Please continue to keep Rayelenn, Emily, and Elizabeth in your daily prayers as they so appreciate the love and support from all of us – even in our quiet ways. . . they feel the love!
Cards of condolence and comfort can be sent to:
Mrs. Rayelenn Sparks Casey
429 Camp Meeting Road
Landisville, PA 17538
Please contact the parish office for the addresses of Emily Casey and Elizabeth Casey Stauffer.
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A Collect for Saturdays – from The Book of Common Prayer, Page 99
Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Be well. Stay safe. Keep the faith.
Michelle
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Sunday Service Information:
Click here to download our service bulletin for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany.
*If you enjoy the St. Edward’s Episcopal Church, Lancaster, PA YouTube channel, and you have a Gmail or YouTube account, the next time you tune in, please click the red SUBSCRIBE button on the home page to be included as a subscriber to St. Edward’s! We would welcome the support and we will not generate any unwanted notifications to you. Become a part of our St. Edward’s community!
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.
We continue to honor the guidance delivered by our bishop, as well as our love of God in Christ, to care for one another, by remaining socially distanced, and refrain from in-person worship and gathering. There are many opportunities for us to worship, and perform ministry, in community, in other ways, during this continued 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!
Virtual Coffee Hour this Sunday, January 31st, from 11:00 AM – 11:40 AM, on Zoom. Hosted by Christina McLaughlin. Let us share our fellowship with one another during our extended Covidtide. The Zoom join code and pass code were in your Saturday email.
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We will be compiling a new parish directory which will be available on February 7th. If you have not indicated any information change since our 2020 directory, we will use what we have on file. If you did not indicate that you would like your contact information printed in our parish directory, but would like to be included, please contact the parish office by Monday. No worries if you miss this deadline, we will make edits after our Annual Meeting in March and that will give people another opportunity to be included.
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There is still time to submit your photos and written reflections for our February Scepter, in Memory of The Rev. Canon Stephen C. Casey. This issue will be a special issue devoted to the life, legacy, and ministry of The Rev. Canon Stephen C. Casey, encompassing his 20 years, as our rector, at St. Edward’s. Please forward your images and written words no later than Monday, February 1st. We will forward them on to Mac Miller, so she can work her magic in creating this special issue.
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Fresh altar flowers grace our altar shelves each week through the generous donations from parishioners. These flowers are in memory of those whom we love, and in thanksgiving for the blessings in our lives. There are 41 weeks in a calendar year that we seek donations of $100 for our altar flowers, with the remembrance printed in our bulletin and read during the Prayers of the People. We are happy to report that in just 2 weeks since we have put our request out to fill in our weeks, we have received commitments for 17 Sundays in 2021! We are seeking 24 additional commitments. It is our hope that you will prayerfully consider donating to this important ministry. Please contact the parish office with questions on how to donate and submit your remembrance.
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We have exciting Spiritual Formation opportunities to engage in starting in January, 2021. Click here to get an overview, but please pay attention to weekly emails which will provide the Zoom invitation details.
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 join us via our website, YouTube Channel, or Facebook page.