Tag: diocese of Central PA

St. Edward’s Monday Message – December 14th

administrator

Dear parishioners & friends of St. Edward’s,

As we journey through the third week of Advent, let us know the meaning of joy in our hearts, minds, and prayers of gratitude.

A prayer for Grace at Meals

Give us grateful hearts, our Father, for all thy mercies, and make us mindful of the needs of others; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—
In case you missed it, we invite you to view our Sunday worship:

Sunday, December 13th – Rite II – 10:00 AM

Be well.  Stay safe.  Keep the faith.

Michelle
—
This is the last week of Krist Kindling (already!?!?) It has been a BLAST!  For those participating, please be safe this week as the weather will give our hijnks a few challenges.
—
The Episcopal Calendars are in.  Please let the office know if you would like one put aside for you.
—
Christmas Flowers:  This is the last week you can sign up for Christmas flowers in memory of, or in thanksgiving for, your friends and family.  As is our tradition, each remembrance will be printed in our Christmas Eve bulletin. Please prayerfully consider donating to our altar flowers this Christmas.  We are seeking suggested donations of $20.  Those raised funds support the arrangements that will decorate our altar shelves and our pews in glorious Christmas celebration!

—

Hempfield Area Food Pantry:  We continue to receive monetary donations, from our parish family, that are so needed at HAFP.  With Christmas just a week away, a donation to the Food Pantry is the perfect gift to show our support for those in need in our wider community. Please keep these families in your prayers.Thank you for your dedicated and continued support.
—
MINISTRY, WORSHIP & FELLOWSHIP CALENDAR FOR THIS WEEK VIA ZOOM
Tuesday, December 15th – 6:00 PM – Vestry Meeting

Wednesday Evening, December 16th – 6:30 PM Contemporary Bible Study
Led by Bill and Yvonne Gasperetti via Zoom.  Please email Bill or Yvonne if you would like to participate.

Friday, December 18th,  Lunch & Learn Adult Spiritual Formation – 12 Noon – 1 PM
Join us for this series led by Father Rick, Bob Mosebach, and Wanda Stoltzfus.  Scroll down to note the Zoom meeting join information.

Friday Evening Prayer – December 18th
We invite you to Evening Prayer this Friday evening at 7:00 PM.  This is a wonderful way to peacefully end our week and is led by Patrick Ishler.
Join us on Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86327105082
Join Code:  863 2710 5082

—

Lessons & Carols Virtual Service – Friday, December 18th
Tune into the St. Edward’s YouTube Channel to enjoy this year’s Lessons & Carols with our diocesan parishes! Click here for the link to our YouTube Channel 

Blue Christmas Service at St. Luke’s Mt. Joy via Zoom – December 19th at 7 PM 
Please do follow the link to the RSVP, at https://forms.gle/qvMd9A43TidGcG9z6 so that we know to welcome you into the service. This is to ensure that the Zoom meeting is secure.

Drive-In Christmas Worship – December 20th 6:30 PM – Drive-in Christmas worship at Cumberland Valley Drive-in, Newville.  These services will be approximately one hour and will feature live music, lessons, Christmas Carols, and a special Christmas message. You will be able to watch the service live on the drive-in screen from the comfort of your automobile.
Father Rick, Randy Westgate, Mike Freshwater, and Jamie Alton will be providing the wonderful musical offerings at both of these services!  Let’s join them!

Friday Lunch & Learn:  December 18th 12 Noon – 1 PM via Zoom
Our conversation continues, this week, with Chapter Six, in our text.  We have had engaging and enlivening discussions each week! Please take the time, this week, to review the handout (link is below) as you read Chapter Six. Perhaps you would feel comfortable in delivering the closing prayer? There are so many wonderful Prayers and Collects to share with the group, from our BCP.  We would welcome your participation. Attendance at every session is not required.

Chapter Six Handout, click here.

With Peace,
Father Rick, Bob Mosebach, and Wanda Stoltzfus

Join Zoom Meeting

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Meeting ID: 844 7970 9447

Passcode: 228332

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Sunday Online Worship at St. Edward’s – Third Advent – December 13, 2020

administrator

Dear friends of St. Edward’s,

We welcome you to our online worship this weekend as we celebrate the Third 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 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

PA Department of Health

Father Rick +

—
Please note our Sunday Service is at 10 AM, via our YouTube Channel, which will be followed by a virtual coffee hour (detailed below).

Click here to connect to our YouTube Channel to enjoy the Third Sunday of Advent Rite II service, with a Prayer for Spiritual Communion, at 10:00 AM, on Sunday, December 13th.

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!

Click here to download the Third Sunday of Advent Rite II service bulletin, with a Prayer for Spiritual Communion, for Sunday, December 13th.

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.

Let’s bless our church family with some Holiday cheer!  
Since we can’t wish each other a Merry Christmas in person this year, we are asking you to send a digital photo of you/your family holding a large piece of paper or sign displaying some sort of Christmas message.  (Santa hats and reindeer antlers are optional). We’ll put them all together to create a virtual Christmas card.

Text your photo and names of those in the photo to Christina McLaughlin at 717-415-7043 or email them to [email protected] no later than tomorrow, December 13th.
– Christina McLaughlin and Ellen Milligan

And. . .here is a fun “challenge” – If you participate in the virtual Zoom coffee hour on Sunday (details below), come to the coffee hour, tomorrow, with a holiday cheer “sign” to hold up at one point during the coffee hour (Christina will say “when”) so we can take a screen shot and include in our card project.  Print one out at home tonight. .  have your kids make a fun sign. . . hold up a Christmas card. . anything with a holiday message of love, peace, or Merry Christmas cheer!


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 Zoom Join Code and Pass Code are in your Saturday email message.
—
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  NEXT SUNDAY, December 20th.

December 18th: Lessons & Carols Virtual Convocation Event – Stay tuned for details/link in this week’s email.

Drive-In Christmas Worship: Our December Bishop Out of the Box event will be Drive-in Worship services. We will have two options of free, outdoor, socially distanced services to help us all celebrate the Christmas season. From your car, enjoy a Christmas message, live worship, and carols. The first will be on Saturday, December 19, 2020 at 6:30 PM at The Point Drive-in, Northumberland. The second will be on Sunday, December 20, 2020 at 6:30 PM at The Cumberland Valley Drive-in, Newville. We welcome fellow St. Edward’s parishioners to join us at either of these events (Carlisle is the closer drive-in event) as Father Rick, Randy Westgate, Jamie Alton, and Mike Freshwater will be providing wonderful music for these services.

Christmas Eve at St. Edward’s: December 24th 8 PM virtual Rite II service live streamed on the St. Edward’s YouTube Channel. Please stay tuned for details regarding how we will distribute Consecrated wafers for Christmas Holy Communion at home.


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.

Let us continue to pray for the sick, those suffering from COVID19 and those suffering from other illnesses and unable to get the care they need, as we struggle with the challenges of this pandemic.  Let us keep in our hearts all who have worked so hard, and have given their lives to keep us well.  Let us pray for all who are lonely.  And, there are so many people who are lonely and isolated, right now.  Please take a moment to open your directory and give your fellow parishioner(s) a call, just to say “hello” and see how they are doing.  It is a bright spot in a person’s day.

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

—

Join us, at St. Edward’s, and with our convocation churches, for wonderful offerings, each week, of prayer and adult spiritual formation, via Zoom. Join in, anytime!  Click here to learn more.

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!

Click here if you would like to donate online through the diocesan portal. You will scroll down to find St. Edward’s under Lancaster. The portal is a secure giving site.

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

St. Edward’s Thursday Message – December 10th

administrator

Dear parishioners & friends of St. Edward’s,

We offer, this evening, a Collect For Peace, in this Second Week of Advent:

Almighty God, kindle, we pray, in every heart the true love of peace, and guide with your wisdom those who take counsel for the nations of the earth, that in tranquillity your dominion may increase until the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Be well.  Stay safe.  Keep the faith.

Michelle
—
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

—

Let’s bless our church family with some Holiday cheer!  
Since we can’t wish each other a Merry Christmas in person this year, we are asking you to send a digital photo of you/your family holding a large piece of paper or sign displaying some sort of Christmas message.  (Santa hats and reindeer antlers are optional). We’ll put them all together to create a virtual Christmas card.

Text your photo and names of those in the photo to Christina McLaughlin at 717-415-7043 or email them to [email protected] no later than Sunday December 13th.
– Christina McLaughlin and Ellen Milligan
—

Be a part of a St. Edward’s tradition by contributing to our Christmas Altar Flowers.   We will continue with our tradition of offering people the opportunity to donate to our Christmas Flowers for our Christmas Eve service, live streamed at 8:00 PM, with the names of your loved ones remembered in the service bulletin.  Flower entries are at a suggested donation of $20.  Please email the parish office by December 20th with your names and amount donated.  When sending in your check, please make it payable to St. Edward’s and mark in the memo line “Christmas Flowers.”  Click here for more information.
—

Many of you have expressed an interest in receiving a 2021 Episcopal Church calendar.  We have ordered 25 and they have arrived!  Please let the office know if you would like to have us put aside one for you!  We are accepting donations for the calendars, with a suggested amount of $3-$5, to offset the cost of production.  Thank you.
—
Click here for service times and offerings during the seasons of Advent and Christmas, at St. Edward’s, as well as diocesan offerings (including the information for our Sunday Virtual Coffee Hour at 11 AM!)

We are so fortunate to have an invitation to a wonderful spiritual offering by The Community of Francis and Clare, and Br. David Rutledge, for Christmas Eve morning.  If you were able to join us for the Thanksgiving Morning Prayer, you know how meditative and special these offerings are and we encourage you to join us!

Christmas Eve Morning Prayer @ 9:00 am ET
Time: Dec 24, 2020 09:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 853 9636 2496
Passcode: 062205

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—
MINISTRY, WORSHIP & FELLOWSHIP CALENDAR FOR THIS WEEK VIA ZOOM
Friday, December 11th,  Lunch & Learn Adult Spiritual Formation – 12 Noon – 1 PM
Join us for this series led by Father Rick, Bob Mosebach, and Wanda Stoltzfus.  Scroll down to note the Zoom meeting join information.

Friday Evening Prayer – December 11th
We invite you to Evening Prayer this Friday evening at 7:00 PM.  This is a wonderful way to peacefully end our week and is led by Patrick Ishler.
Join us on Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86327105082
Join Code:  863 2710 5082

Friday Lunch & Learn:  December 11th 12 Noon – 1 PM via Zoom
Our conversation continues, this week, with Chapter Six, in our text.  We have had engaging and enlivening discussions each week! Perhaps you would feel comfortable in delivering the closing prayer, this week?  There are many wonderful Prayers and Collects in our BCP!  We  would welcome your participation. Attendance at every session is not required.

Chapter Six Handout, click here to download.

We encourage you to have your Book of Common Prayer for each session and the text, Walk In Love is optional, but can be ordered at forwardmovement.org or by contacting the parish office (we have copies on hand).  If you do not have a copy of the BCP on hand, this link will give you the downloadable pdf.

With Peace,
Father Rick, Bob Mosebach, and Wanda Stoltzfus

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84479709447?pwd=OWlobm83TDgwNlVoK3hFbjBlWnZSdz09

Meeting ID: 844 7970 9447

Passcode: 228332

One tap mobile

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+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)

+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

Meeting ID: 844 7970 9447

Passcode: 228332

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbq2eaazXj

St. Edward’s Monday Message – December 7th

administrator

Dear parishioners & friends of St. Edward’s,

As we journey through the second week of Advent, let us keep our vision of peace in our hearts, minds, and prayers.

Let us also start the week with a prayer for Church Musicians and Artists.  We have been so blessed, at St. Edward’s, to receive the gifts of our talented singers and musicians, each week, live and recorded, for our services.  And we are blessed to have the talents of Father Rick and all those dedicated to making this upcoming Christmas season brighter as they fill it with music in the many offerings that are being planned. And, we should pray for all those musicians and artists longing to perform, and cannot, due to Covidtide, and how their hearts are yearning to bring “joyful noise” to so many.  All of this talent is no small thing, and for that, we thank you all.

For Church Musicians and Artists
O God, whom saints and angels delight to worship in heaven: Be ever present with your servants who seek through art and music to perfect the praises offered by your people on earth; and grant to them even now glimpses of your beauty, and
make them worthy at length to behold it unveiled for evermore;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—
In case you missed it, we invite you to view our Sunday worship:

Sunday, December 6th – Rite II – 10:00 AM

Internet and Email Safety Reminder:  Please be vigilant in protecting your email accounts and your private information with online purchasing.  The office received an email today, from “Rick Bauer” asking for a favor in running an errand.  Looking at the email address attached to the name revealed it was a fake, but it is very easy to get lured in, especially when you think you are helping our rector, or fellow parishioner, especially during this season.  Please delete anything that looks suspicious, and do not reply.  If you have replied, go into your account settings and change your password.

Be well.  Stay safe.  Keep the faith.

Michelle
—

Let’s bless our church family with some Holiday cheer!  
Since we can’t wish each other a Merry Christmas in person this year, we are asking you to send a digital photo of you/your family holding a large piece of paper or sign displaying some sort of Christmas message.  (Santa hats and reindeer antlers are optional). We’ll put them all together to create a virtual Christmas card.

Text your photo and names of those in the photo to Christina McLaughlin at 717-415-7043 or email them to [email protected] no later than Sunday December 13th.
– Christina McLaughlin and Ellen Milligan

The December Scepter is online. If you would like to stop by for a color copy, during the week, they will be in the front entry of the church from 11 AM – 3 PM.

Jesse Tree gifts have been wrapped and are ready to be picked up this week by the COBYS representatives.  Thank you to all!

Is everyone who is participating in Krist Kindling having fun?!?!?  It sounds like there are some great stories, already!!

Those people who indicated their grocery cards should be mailed to them, they are being posted tomorrow.

The Episcopal Calendars are being shipped this week and should be available by next Monday, December 14th.

—
Hempfield Area Food Pantry:  We continue to receive monetary donations, from our parish family, that are so needed at HAFP.  As we continue to get closer to this holiday season, keep these families in your prayers, and prayerfully consider a monetary donation to St. Edward’s to send to HAFP.  Thank you for your dedicated and continued support.
—
MINISTRY, WORSHIP & FELLOWSHIP CALENDAR FOR THIS WEEK VIA ZOOM
Tuesday, December 8th – 6:30 PM – Finance Committee Meeting

Wednesday Evening, December 9th – 6:30 PM Contemporary Bible Study
Led by Bill and Yvonne Gasperetti via Zoom.  Please email Bill or Yvonne if you would like to participate.

Friday, December 11th,  Lunch & Learn Adult Spiritual Formation – 12 Noon – 1 PM
Join us for this series led by Father Rick, Bob Mosebach, and Wanda Stoltzfus.  Scroll down to note the Zoom meeting join information.

Friday Evening Prayer – December 11th
We invite you to Evening Prayer this Friday evening at 7:00 PM.  This is a wonderful way to peacefully end our week and is led by Patrick Ishler.
Join us on Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86327105082
Join Code:  863 2710 5082

Friday Lunch & Learn:  December 11th 12 Noon – 1 PM via Zoom
Our conversation continues, this week, with Chapter Six, in our text.  We have had engaging and enlivening discussions each week! Please take the time, this week, to review the handout (link is below) as you read Chapter Six. Perhaps you would feel comfortable in delivering the closing prayer? There are so many wonderful Prayers and Collects to share with the group, from our BCP.  We would welcome your participation. Attendance at every session is not required.

Chapter Six Handout, click here.

With Peace,
Father Rick, Bob Mosebach, and Wanda Stoltzfus

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84479709447?pwd=OWlobm83TDgwNlVoK3hFbjBlWnZSdz09

Meeting ID: 844 7970 9447

Passcode: 228332

One tap mobile

+13462487799,,84479709447#,,,,,,0#,,228332# US (Houston)

+16699006833,,84479709447#,,,,,,0#,,228332# US (San Jose)

Dial by your location

+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)

+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)

+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

Meeting ID: 844 7970 9447

Passcode: 228332

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbq2eaazXj

Sunday Service Online – Last Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 29 Christ the King – November 22, 2020

administrator

Dear friends of St. Edward’s,

We welcome you to our online worship this weekend.

As you know, in accordance with the Bishop’s pastoral letter to the parishes in our diocese, delivered last weekend, we are closed for in-person worship and fellowship gatherings.  You can read Bishop Scanlan’s letter, here.

Due to the alarming rise in cases within Lancaster County and here in our own township, as your rector, I prayerfully request that we 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

PA Department of Health

Father Rick +

Please note the NEW TIME of 10 AM for our one Sunday Service via our YouTube Channel, which will be followed by a virtual coffee hour (detailed below).

Click here to connect to our YouTube Channel to enjoy our Sunday service of Liturgy of the Word with a Prayer for Spiritual Communion at 10:00 AM on Sunday, November 22nd.

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!

Click here to download the Sunday Service 10:00 AM bulletin – Liturgy of the Word

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.

Krist Kindling assignments have been distributed by Meredith Westgate!  We look forward to this fun, outdoor fellowship opportunity!

—
Our Annual Stewardship Campaign is progressing at a good pace and we are continuing to work towards our goal of full participation from our parish community. This is a very important component to the continuing ministry of St. Edward’s.  Matthew Sternberg will be delivering our Stewardship message during the service for this week.  Pledge commitments can be mailed to the office.  If you have any questions, would like more information about stewardship, or did not receive a packet, please contact the parish office.  We thank you for your prayerful consideration.

—
Annual Jesse Tree Project Has Begun
Please mail or drop off your form and check to the parish office by November 29th (next Sunday).  

For many, Thanksgiving and Christmas represents a ‘season of giving’.  Giving to the foster children of COBYs during the holidays has been a long-time favorite of this parish.

This service is known as the Jesse Tree project.  Jesse Tree provides gifts for children in foster care, making Christmas a little brighter.  Through COBYS Family Services we obtain a list of children in foster care, their ages, and their Christmas wishes. We don’t take the place of Santa. Rather, we act as Santa’s helpers by adding another gift or two for a child to open on Christmas morning.

Click here for information and sign up form. 

Join us for our Virtual Coffee Hour, right after the 10 AM service, each Sunday,  from 11:00 AM – 11:40 AM, on Zoom.  It will be hosted by Christina McLaughlin. During these holidays, and because we cannot gather in-person through the end of this calendar year, sharing fellowship with our community is not only a connective thread for the fabric of our parish life, but it is wonderful “social outreach.”  We invite you to join us!  Your join code and passcode are in your Saturday email.


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.

For this week, we pray for all those who have lost their lives to COVID-19 this year, and for all  who are struggling with the disease.  Let us especially remember those who are on our front lines, every day and in every way administering to the sick, the friendless, and the needy; for those who work in our essential businesses to make our lives run as smoothly as possible; for all of our teachers; for the parents of our young; for our young & young adults; and for those who are caregivers to their parents; and for those who are alone.  Our collective prayers and compassion is what our world needs right now, for everyone!

Prayer For Guidance

O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light riseth up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what thou wouldest have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in thy light we may see light, and in thy straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

—

Join us, at St. Edward’s, and with our convocation churches, for wonderful offerings, each week, of prayer and adult spiritual formation, via Zoom. Join in, anytime!  Click here to learn more.

 

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!

Click here if you would like to donate online through the diocesan portal. You will scroll down to find St. Edward’s under Lancaster. The portal is a secure giving site.

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

Sunday Service Online – Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 22 – October 4, 2020

administrator

Dear friends of St. Edward’s,

We welcome you to online worship this weekend.

For those who feel comfortable with coming to church, we are fortunate to be able to hold in-person worship on Sundays at 8 AM – Rite I and 10:15 AM – Rite II. We hope that you will join us!  We continue to follow healthy practices for your comfort and safety and we are mindfully complying with mitigation efforts through the governor’s office, as well as our diocesan office.

Please know that we extend our warm invitation of worship to those in the wider community and those parishioners who are still at home, via YouTube Live, with our live streaming service each Sunday. We are one community of faith and we are worshipping together!

Click here to connect to our YouTube Channel to enjoy our Sunday service of Holy Eucharist Rite II LIVE at 10:15 AM on Sunday, October 4th.

A new feature on our YouTube Channel:  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!

Click here to download the Sunday Service 10:15 AM bulletin – Rite II

If you prefer the said service of Rite I, we have provided our service bulletin for you to download and enjoy the service.

Click here to download the Sunday Service 8 AM bulletin – Rite I

We also wanted to take this opportunity to share with you important announcements that are in our paper bulletin on Sundays, that may be of interest to you, at home, regarding upcoming events, as well as prayer and adult spiritual formation opportunities.

If you would like to reserve your tickets for our October 24th fundraiser, in person, at church on Sundays, we will have a table in the library area, after each service, to enable people to reserve ticket bundles for the raffle as well as reserve their boxed dinner.  Once you leave church, you can re-enter through the office wing door, and please have your checks made out in advance so that we can keep social distancing in place.  The fundraiser details can be found by clicking the link below. Here is a quick rundown of pricing:
$75/55 tickets
$55/40 tickets
$25/15 tickets
Boxed dinners $10/each
Checks made payable to St. Edward’s with memo line “October 24th fundraiser.” We will note this on a sheet to give to you to complete at home (after you review catalog selections) and then you can email your ticket selections, we will fill them out for you, and place them in the boxes of your choosing.  Our ambitious goal this year is $4,500, as this is our ONLY fundraising event.  We have achieved 12% of our goal, so far, and we have 3 Sundays left.  Please join us in making this a St. Edward’s success.


LINK ME TO INFORMATION ABOUT THE ST. EDWARD’S FALL FUNDRAISER BY CLICKING HERE

The October Scepter is online and in print!  Click here to download the online version.  Thank you, Mac Miller, for putting together such a great publication each month!

The Stauffers grocery cards are in your parish mailboxes.  It appears Giant is taking longer in their fulfillment times, so those will not be in until next week.  Starting with the November 1st order, we will adjust our order time so that we order 2 weeks ahead of the first Sunday in order to meet our normal delivery time to you!  We apologize for any inconvenience.

If you would like to take a survey to help us determine how we may move forward with our Jesse Tree initiative this year, please click here.

Join us, at St. Edward’s, and with our convocation churches, for wonderful offerings, each week, of prayer and adult spiritual formation, via Zoom. Join in, anytime!  Click here to learn more.

We have an additional course offering from our friends at St. Luke’s, Mount Joy that may be of interest to people.  The details are below.  Please email [email protected] if you are interested in attending.

What if you could defuse tension and create accord in even the most volatile situations—just by changing the way you spoke?

Course details:  Wed October 7, 14, 21, 28  @ 12 noon.
There are four sessions of  60-90 minutes each, via Zoom:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87241283345

The session will be recorded, in case you cannot attend live. Please contact the office for the link to the recording.

Course objectives:

  • Identify the four steps of the Nonviolent Communication process
  • Employ the four-step process in every dialogue you engage in
  • Utilize empathy to safely confront anger, fear, and other powerful emotions
  • Discover how to overcome the blocks to compassion and open to our natural desire to enrich the lives of those around us
  • Observations, feelings, needs, and requests—how to apply the four-step process of Nonviolent Communication to every dialogue we engage in
  • Overcoming the blocks to compassion—and opening to our natural desire to enrich the lives of those around us
  • How to use empathy to safely confront anger, fear, and other powerful emotions

Besides prayers, calls, cards and emails, there is one more thing you can do to support St. Edward’s during this time. 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.  We have had several people engage with this newly installed Paypal giving button with great success, so please consider that as an easy way to support St. Edward’s.

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!

Click here if you would like to donate online through the diocesan portal. You will scroll down to find St. Edward’s under Lancaster. The portal is a secure giving site.

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

St. Edward’s Thursday Message – October 1st

administrator

Dear friends,

Look for all links related to Sunday worship on our usual Saturday afternoon posting.

Many happenings at St. Edward’s, all listed below with easy-to-click links for reading and downloading of materials.

—
Our theme, this year, for the St. Edward’s Talent Show, Boxed Take-Out Dinner & Basket Raffle is:


Our Virtual Fundraiser is here!  Click the link below to view our catalog that has instructions on how to order our boxed dinners, how to order ticket bundles for our wonderful baskets, as well as how the raffle will work this year, and when/where to tune into our October 24th Variety Show.  It seems like it is a loooonnnggg time away, but we know these days in Covidtide go by very quickly, so reserve your tickets now!  We will be drawing the basket winners on October 20th and they will be revealed during the variety show.  Our goal, this year, is to make it simple and FUN for everyone, so if you have questions or need a printed catalog sent to you to participate, please contact the parish office.

Our fundraising goal for this year is $4,500.  We’re pleased that in our first 5 days we are at 12% of our goal, but we would be remiss if we did not mention that 100% would be a wonderful thing to achieve!  So, we hope you will participate and pass it on to friends and family.  The “silver lining” is the wonderful opportunity we have, this year, for ALL to participate with dinners, raffle, and the show, because it is online.  So, join us!

Click this link:

2020 ST. EDWARD’S FUNDRAISER CATALOG

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Tomorrow is the Blessing of the Animals at St. Thomas!  It promises to be a crisp, sunny afternoon and early evening!  Let’s support our sister parishes and be in community, outdoors, enjoying nature and each other’s fellowship.

Don’t forget the incredible Blessing of the Animals that will happen at St. Thomas, FRIDAY, October 2nd at 6:00 PM. Click here for details.
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Hempfield Area Food Pantry:   Here is a wish list of current food items for October:

Cereal, spam, prune juice, chicken and beef broth, large peanut butter, large jelly, 2 pound packages of rice, canned pears, instant oatmeal, boxed pasta, cream of celery soup, and cream of chicken soup.
—
Scepter will be out this Sunday.

Grocery cards will be in your parish mailboxes by Sunday.

Please connect via this link to refresh yourself regarding monthly adult spiritual formation, that include the first Saturday of the month Taize service sponsored by St. Luke’s, Mt. Joy.

—
Please take the time to click the link below and complete a brief survey regarding our Jesse Tree Project this year.  We thank Leslie Arnold for compiling this survey so that we may continue this very important social outreach initiative for our wider community.

JESSE TREE SURVEY 2020

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October is an exceptional month as we have two full moons

October 2020 is a “Blue Moon” month with two full Moons. The first full Moon is on October 1st. The second, a so-called “Blue Moon,” occurs on October 31st. In recent years, people have been using the name Blue Moon for the second of two full moons in a single calendar month. An older definition of Blue Moon is that it’s the third of four full moons in a single season.

Continue reading below for the details for our Friday and Saturday worship and fellowship activities.

Be well. Stay safe. Keep the faith.

Michelle


Friday Lunch & Learn:  October 2nd 12 Noon – 1 PM via Zoom
Please join us for this informative and spiritual time together.  This week, we will finish our discussion about our Book of Common Prayer (Chapter 2 of Walk in Love).  Attendance at every session is not required.  If you would like to join and need a copy of Walk In Love, please contact the parish office.

Handout for this Friday, October 2nd Session click here.

We encourage you to have your Book of Common Prayer for each session and the text, Walk In Love is optional.   If you do not have a copy of the BCP on hand, this link will give you the downloadable pdf.

Remember to take some time to devote to exploring and making notations on the handout that Bob has supplied so that we may engage in our spiritual formation together, sharing our insights, thoughts, and questions, and if you  would like to offer the closing prayer for any week!

Each week, we will provide a hand out in the Monday emails that you can download and review prior to the Friday session.

With Peace,
Father Rick, Bob Mosebach, and Wanda Stoltzfus

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84479709447?pwd=OWlobm83TDgwNlVoK3hFbjBlWnZSdz09

Meeting ID: 844 7970 9447

Passcode: 228332

One tap mobile

+13462487799,,84479709447#,,,,,,0#,,228332# US (Houston)

+16699006833,,84479709447#,,,,,,0#,,228332# US (San Jose)

Dial by your location

+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

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+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)

+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

Meeting ID: 844 7970 9447

Passcode: 228332

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbq2eaazXj

—
Friday Evening Prayer is cancelled for this week, due to The Blessing of the Animals service.  But, please mark your calendars for next Friday, October 9th  at 7:00 pm.

Our Saturday Social Coffee Hour is taking a brief hiatus for the month of October.  But, we will return with a new offering on Sunday afternoons at 4:00 PM.  Stay tuned for more information towards the end of October.

St. Edward’s Live Streamed Cultural Event – Maria Thompson Corley Sunday, September 13th 3:00 PM

administrator

Join us for a special live streamed event, presented by the Stephen C. Casey Cultural Events Series, on our St. Edward’s Episcopal Church YouTube Channel this Sunday, September 13th at 3:00 PM.

Jamaican-born pianist Maria Thompson Corley – pianist, soloist, collaborator, and composer was raised in Canada. She has appeared on radio, television, and/or concert stages in Canada, the United States, Central America, the Caribbean, Bermuda and Europe, both as a solo and collaborative artist, including performances in Budapest at the Liszt Academy, and in Carnegie Recital Hall, Aaron Davis Hall and Alice Tully Hall, all in New York City.

Maria is sure to delight our online audience with her wonderful program entitled On The Bright Side featuring works from Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Scott Joplin, and Frederic Chopin, to name a few of the composers she has selected for her program.

We hope you join us, this Sunday, for an afternoon of wonderful music.

Please click here to download our event program.

You will also notice, when you are on the St. Edward’s YouTube channel, that you will have the opportunity, to Donate to St. Edward’s, via our Paypal giving link, which you will see in the lower right portion of our YouTube channel home page photo.  There is also a link in our “About” section to our giving opportunity. 

We thank you, in advance, for supporting our cultural events series through your donations.  Your continued support allows us to provide the wider community with cultural events, for when we gather now, via live stream, and for when we meet again, in-person. 

Please look on the back of your program for two upcoming events that may interest you:  Our St. Edward’s Variety Show and Basket Raffle fundraising event, that will be during the month of October, culminating in a YouTube event on October 24th, as well as a Celtic concert featuring Fire in the Glen on December 13th at 3:00 PM, via our YouTube channel.

St. Edward’s Thursday Message – August 27, 2020

administrator

Dear friends,

Look for all links related to Sunday worship on our usual Saturday afternoon posting.

Phase One Memorial Garden project continues.  Weather permitting, we anticipate the wood sculptor will start carving our tree for stage one of the Celtic Cross design this Saturday. Many of the design elements, such as the 5′ circle and the 7′ arm are crafted in his workshop and then will be brought here to install.  We have also placed the frame for the positioning of the monument, which is staked out in the garden. And, with the review and approval from vestry, we have purchased our water element feature, to be delivered and installed in conjunction with our landscaping.  We reviewed samples of our paver stone  from Penn Stone, and the layout pattern in “real time.”   We are also scheduled to have Brubaker install an outdoor outlet for the water feature and allows us electricity access for upkeep and outdoor functions.    To learn about all of the specifics of our progress with the care and beautification of this sacred space, please click here to visit our web site page. 

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Giant and Stauffers Grocery Card Program

We have had interest in resuming the 2 grocery card programs.  Right now, we have orders for $800 in Giant cards and $650 in SKH cards.  We need to have a minimum of $1,000 in each program to successfully relaunch for September.  Please contact the parish office by Monday, August 31st.  It is a great way for St. Edward’s to earn 5% in passive fundraising income.  Our first resumed order would be delivered on Sunday, September 6th if we have enough people willing to participate.
—
Hempfield Area Food Pantry

We are so thankful for all of the monetary (and food) donations that continue to come into our office through the generosity of our parishioners for our local Hempfield Area Food Pantry.

Current food requests are:
One or 2 pound packages of rice, canned fruit (no fruit cocktail no Mandarin oranges)
Canned tomatoes, canned peas, canned kidney beans, canned soup (no chicken noodle) and cereal.

If you would like to donate food, please bring on Sunday and drop in baskets in the narthex.  If you would like to donate food and do not come to services but would like a curbside drop-off, please call the parish office to make arrangements. We want to make certain we are here to accept your donation.
—    
We leave you with a prayer from the Book of Common Prayer For Those Who Live Alone 

Almighty God, whose Son had nowhere to lay his head: Grant that those who live alone may not be lonely in their solitude, but that, following in his steps, they may find fulfillment in loving you and their neighbors; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Continue reading below for the details for our Friday and Saturday worship and fellowship activities.

Be well. Stay safe. Keep the faith.

Michelle

We invite you to Evening Prayer this Friday evening at 7:00 PM.  This is a wonderful way to peacefully end our week and is led by Patrick Ishler.

Join us on Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86327105082
Join Code:  863 2710 5082

—
Join us for our Virtual Saturday Social from 9 AM – 9:40 AM Saturday morning on Zoom.  It will be hosted by Christina McLaughlin. It’s a great time to get together and say hi to your fellow parishioners. We look forward to sharing some time of fellowship THIS SATURDAY, August 29th at 9:00 AM.

We are considering alternative times for our coffee/social hour commencing after Labor Day weekend.  But, we want to hear from you!  If a coffee/social hour is something you would participate in, please email the parish office by September 1st and let us know the following:

(1)  Do you like the current Saturday 9 AM time and will you participate in the fall?
(2)  Do you like the Saturday option, but 10 AM would enable you to participate more fully?
(3)  Would you participate if the coffee/social time was moved to Sundays at 12:15?


ZOOM JOIN CODE:  419 646 4139
ZOOM PASSCODE:  449312

St. Edward’s Thursday Message – August 20, 2020

administrator

Dear friends,

Look for all links related to Sunday worship on our usual Saturday afternoon posting.

So many glorious things happening at St. Edward’s this week!  Here’s an update:

We are starting to receive our new Ordinary Time (green season) altar hangings and they will look beautiful.  We hope to be celebrating with these new altar hangings by Sunday, September 20th.

We have completed the new lighting project for the sanctuary in the choir and praise band area, as well as the lectern area on the altar, and it brings such wonderful lighting to these spaces.

We are also in full motion with our Phase One Memorial Garden project.  To learn about all of the specifics of our progress with the care and beautification of this sacred space, please click here to visit our web site page.

We have continued ministry support with small carpentry/housekeeping projects and the care and feeding of our landscaped spaces by faithful parishioners.

All of these projects would not happen without the strong support of you, our St. Edward’s parishioners, and our friends of St. Edward’s.  For these expressions of generosity and continued grace, we most heartily thank you all.

—
Giant and Stauffers Grocery Card Program

If you are interested in starting to order your SKH or Giant grocery cards, or are interested in being a new participant in our grocery card program, please contact the parish office by Monday, August 31st.  It is a great way for St. Edward’s to earn 5% in passive fundraising income and while we had suspended the program during this Covidtide, it has been expressed that people may be interested in having it go back in place.  Our first resumed order would be delivered on Sunday, September 6th if we have enough people willing to participate.
—
Hempfield Area Food Pantry

We are so thankful for all of the monetary (and food) donations that continue to come into our office through the generosity of our parishioners for our local Hempfield Area Food Pantry.

Current food requests are:
One or 2 pound packages of rice, canned fruit (no fruit cocktail no Mandarin oranges)
Canned tomatoes, canned peas, canned kidney beans, canned soup (no chicken noodle) and cereal.

If you would like to donate food, please bring on Sunday and drop in baskets in the narthex.  If you would like to donate food and do not come to services but would like a curbside drop-off, please call the parish office to make arrangements. We want to make certain we are here to accept your donation.
—
We leave you with a prayer from the Book of Common Prayer for In the Evening

O Lord, support us all the day long, until the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done.  Then in thy mercy, grant us safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at last.  Amen.

Continue reading below for the details for our Friday and Saturday worship and fellowship activities.

Be well. Stay safe. Keep the faith.

Michelle

We invite you to Evening Prayer this Friday evening at 7:00 PM.  This is a wonderful way to peacefully end our week and is led by Patrick Ishler.

Join us on Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86327105082
Join Code:  863 2710 5082

—
Join us for our Virtual Saturday Social from 9 AM – 9:40 AM Saturday morning on Zoom.  It will be hosted by Christina McLaughlin. It’s a great time to get together and say hi to your fellow parishioners. We look forward to sharing some time of fellowship THIS SATURDAY, August 22nd at 9:00 AM.

We are considering alternative times for our coffee/social hour commencing after Labor Day weekend.  But, we want to hear from you!  If a coffee/social hour is something you would participate in, please email the parish office by September 1st and let us know the following:

(1)  Do you like the current Saturday 9 AM time and will you participate in the fall?
(2)  Do you like the Saturday option, but 10 AM would enable you to participate more fully?
(3)  Would you participate if the coffee/social time was moved to Sundays at 12:15?

Your pass code and join code are in the email from Thursday.