St. Edward’s Monday Message – July 13, 2020

Dear friends and parishioners,

We open this week with amazing grace notes of generosity.

So much is happening at St. Edward’s and our ministry is so strong, we should really be calling today’s email message, “Ministry Monday”!!

First, our Sunday Online Service recap:  If you missed our streaming service yesterday, no worries!  You can watch it by clicking the link below and you can also download the service bulletin to follow along.

Click here to connect to our YouTube Channel to enjoy our July 12th Sunday service of Holy Eucharist Rite II.

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


MINISTRY HAPPENINGS AT ST. EDWARD’S

GREETING CARD MINISTRY
A ministry we are launching today is a greeting card ministry.  With great good fortune and some very heavy lifting, Thomas Ishler was able to secure quite a bounty of greeting cards from a pharmacy that was closing its doors in Lancaster County.  Thousands of cards were to be tossed away and Thomas had a wonderful idea to bring them to St. Edward’s so that we could open the opportunity for people to come in, safely “shop” for greeting cards, and donate a free-will offering for their selection.  We have set them up in the Christian Ed wing in safe and healthy spaces for people to, take a drive, get out of the house, browse the cards and make their selections.  Bring your own “green” shopping bag to fill up.  In our season of Covidtide, card writing is a great way to reach out to those who you miss so dearly.  So, stop by and stock up!  Zoom, Facetime, text, and email are great, but everyone loves to get a card in the mail from people in their life.  We also encourage people to reach out to others they know and perhaps put together packets of cards to give away.  Maybe the residents of retirement communities or nursing homes would love a supply of cards to send.  What a great way to reach out to our wider community in ministry and love!  If you feel comfortable, give an organization a call and see if you can put together a bag of cards to drop off for their residents!  Everyone has an extra shopping bag to bring in and fill up.  We hope to see you soon!  Please come in any day, Monday – Friday between 10:30 AM – 4:00 PM.  We have in place healthy practices for your comfort and safety.

PLANT-A-TREE MEMORIAL GARDEN PROJECT
As part of Phase One of our Memorial Garden beautification, we have launched a plant-a-tree campaign to create the green wall between our sacred space and our neighbor.  In just 1 week, we have received commitments for 13 trees!!  We are in need of 7 more commitments.  We hope you will prayerfully consider donating to this phase of this most important and sacred space.  Please know that there are other very important elements of Phase One that would benefit from your gift, should we meet our tree quota.

BASKET AUCTION
And as if the generosity towards our Memorial Garden project was not enough, we have commitments for 9 baskets so far, ranging from wine baskets, a Mexican food-themed basket, tea time basket, gift card baskets, perhaps a “thanksgiving feast” basket. . but there are so many more ideas. . all we need is you!  Contact the parish office if you will commit to creating a basket.  As always, we can arrange the basket, & we wrap, bow, and tag each basket for you!

SCHOOL SUPPLIES for the Landisville Primary Center 
Collections start JULY 19 and we will set up a bin outside our covered front entry, as well as a staging area inside our front red doors, during the week & Sundays for people to make their drop-off. The list is as follows:
Pencils                       Colored pencils                         Crayons
Erasers                      Notebook paper                        Colored paper
Glue sticks                 Tissues                                      Hand Sanitizer
Dry Erase Markers, fine pt., black            Dry Erase Markers, fine pt., red
Folders without clasps
Let’s help our neighborhood children be ready to learn!

COOKBOOK MINISTRY
We hope people are gathering their favorite recipes and any creative writing, drawing, music they would like to share for our cookbook!

MINISTRY, WORSHIP & FELLOWSHIP THIS WEEK
On Tuesday, the Cultural Events ministry will be holding a Zoom meeting at 7:00 PM to discuss possible future events during this time of COVID19.  this meeting is led by Patrick Ishler.

Wednesday Noonday Service of Healing – July 15th
Please enter through the parish hall doors. Masks are required. We have put in place healthy practices for your comfort and safety. May we ask that you please let the parish office know if you are planning on attending (if you have not already done so).

Wednesday also brings to us Bible Study, at 6:30 PM, via Zoom, faithfully led by Bill & Yvonne Gasperetti.  While they are in the middle of the current session, if you are interested in learning more about Bible Study, please contact Bill at [email protected] or Yvonne at [email protected].

Friday Evening Prayer
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


A closing prayer from The Book of Uncommon Prayer – Meditations & Devotions

Better Way
If I am right, thy grace impart
Still in the right to stay;
If I am wrong, O teach my heart
To find that better way!
– Alexander Pope

Be well. Stay safe. Keep the faith.

– Michelle

Weekly Message from Bishop Scanlan – July 10, 2020

Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central PA,

Bishop Scanlan asks the question, “how are you experiencing and living into community these days?”

 

Summer Virtual Liturgy Offerings: We are pleased to share our first summer virtual offering, featuring members of your Diocesan staff. Liturgies will be produced for the 2nd the 4th Sundays in July, August and September. To view the liturgy for July 12, please click here.

Summer Webinar Series: Our summer webinar series kicked off on Wednesday. The Rev. Canons Chris Streeter and Dan Morrow spent 30 minutes together discussing our identity, spirituality and temperament as Anglicans. The first webinar can be found by clicking here. Our series continues on Tuesday, July 14 at 7 pm. Canon Streeter will be joined by our Bishop, The Rt. Rev. Audrey Scanlan. Details are located by clicking here.

Sunday Service Online at St. Edward’s: Fifth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 9 – July 5, 2020

We welcome you to St. Edward’s! Father Rick welcomes you!

We are holding in-person worship this weekend at 8 AM – Rite I and 10:15 AM – Rite II!  Join us!  We have put in place healthy practices for your comfort and safety!

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, July 5th.


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

If you prefer the more meditative 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.


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. Even though we must keep our doors closed for a period of time, we also must continue to pay our fixed expenses such as electricity, insurance, and salaries. We will continue to pick up our mail, so you can easily mail your contributions to the office and we will see that they are properly credited.  We have also been blessed to discover that 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!

Something to think about:

I read an interesting article about Covidtide and perhaps

reimagining the thought of social distancing in our daily lives with

better thoughts. While we must be physically separated, we can still

be socially connected. Studies showed that people who engaged in the

disciplines listed below were able to better weather what will be a

long season of Covidtide.

  • Exercise
  • Self-care (such as participating in hobbies and relaxing)
  • Engaging in spiritual activities (prayer & meditation)
  • Interacting with other people, especially via video applications
  • Going out of your way to help other people

And, guess what?!? St. Edward’s has many opportunities to all of the

above!  Soothe your soul and read about all of the upcoming fellowship

and ministry opportunities in our Summer Scepter. (click link)

Memorial Garden updates & plant-a-tree project

Fall Basket Auction

St. Edward’s Cookbook project

Food Pantry & School supplies donations

Potential late summer/early fall fellowship events at St. Edward’s

Re-Opening of our Wednesday Noonday service of healing on July 8th & our new “chapel” space in the Parish Hall

You are in our thoughts and prayers and please keep your

fellow parishioners, and those in need, in your daily prayers, and give

them a call, to say “hello.”

Be well. Stay safe. Keep the faith.

– Michelle

A Pastoral Letter from Bishop Scanlan

Dear members of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania,

As we enter the fifth month of the COVID-19 pandemic in our region, I write to you with words of gratitude and encouragement; gratitude for your faithfulness in this time, and encouragement to persevere- to “run with patience the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12: 1-2). I am so proud of how we have been finding ways to continue worshipping and serving as the Body of Christ understanding that the sacrifices that we make at this time are for the good of the whole, and that even the simplest of measures like wearing a mask in public are ways to express our Christian faith as we “love our neighbors as ourselves.” (Mark 12: 31, Matthew 22:40, Luke 10:27). From what I have been reading in the newspapers and receiving in briefings from our Diocesan Disaster and Emergency Coordination Ed Robertson, we have a long road before us. About ¾ of our churches have resumed worshiping in their buildings using the guidelines of the Operations Task Force. This is a critical time in which we cannot let our guard down. We cannot become lax about protective measures, and we need to respect the insidious nature of this disease by staying vigilant. Please wear your masks in church unless you are speaking in the role of lector, intercessor or officiant. Please refrain from greeting your fellow congregants with a hug. Please understand that while we may be able to gather in a churchyard for a time of fellowship, that social distancing is still required. If you are a church leader who needs support in maintaining these protocols, please call my office and we will help you. Safety must come first.

Most of our congregations have been able to provide on-line worship for their parishioners in these recent months. Others that do not have the capacity or bandwidth for producing videos or whose congregants do not have easy access to the internet have been diligent about making phone calls and developing prayer chains and card ministries. Stewardship among those who pledge has remained high, and I know that all of our leaders are grateful for this continued support of the work of the church. Many of our churches have suffered lost income from those who do not pledge but give faithfully “in the plate” and cannot do so now, and all of our churches are have been forced to re-think fund raisers that in the past have depended on community participation and patronage. Please do continue, as you are able, to support your parish; your faithful stewardship is greatly appreciated. If you prefer to donate on-line, the diocese does offer a secure on-line giving platform that allows you to choose the parish recipient. For more information, visit https://diocesecpa.org/stewardship/

Our clergy are working hard. I have been impressed with the ways that they have adapted to online platforms, are experimenting with new venues of social media, recording and “broadcasting.” It has been exciting to watch. Our parishes are hosting on-line bible studies, coffee hours, men’s and women’s groups, teen chats, book groups, talent shows, discernment groups, and worship around the clock- Morning Prayer, Noonday Prayer, Evening Prayer and Compline. Clergy continue to offer pastoral care over the phone and zoom and, for care in extremis, home visits. While restricted to small congregations, the pastoral work of funerals, burials, baptisms and weddings have continued. Now that many of us are returning to worship in the buildings, clergy are both re-engaging in their worship spaces and offering online services as well. For some, this means producing two different events on a Sunday. As a way to offer some respite care, the diocesan staff will be creating pre-recorded worship services for the second and fourth Sunday of each month in July, August and September. These will be posted on the diocesan website by Friday night of the weekend for which they are scheduled. I hope that they will received in the spirit in which they are intended- to serve as an option for clergy who, otherwise, would need to produce a second service. The Rev. Canon Chris Streeter is taking the lead on this project and we hope to continue offering online services in the fall as an effort of our convocations working through the Shaped by Faith project.  I hope that you will encourage your clergy to take time this summer for rest and refreshment. While physical vacation plans may need to change, the need for sabbath continues.

I have been meeting with our clergy on Tuesday mornings for the past several months and will continue to do so through the end of July. I have been releasing short videos for our diocese on Friday mornings and will also continue those through the end of July. I will also continue my monthly blog on the first Friday of each month. The videos and the blog are always able to be accessed through the diocesan website: www.diocesecpa.org.  When I return from my time away in August, I will reassess the communications strategy from my office in the time of this pandemic.

Finally, beloved, keep on saying your prayers. The best way that I know to move through this time is to do so with God at our side, and to continue sharing with our Holy Source, Companion and Comforter, the joys and anxieties of this time. Here are two prayers that I have used regularly that still my soul.

Keep us, good Lord, under the shadow of your mercy. Sustain and support the anxious, be with those who care for the sick, and lift up all who are brought low; that we may find comfort knowing that nothing can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Gloucester Cathedral, England

This is another day, O Lord. I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If I am to stand up, help me to stand gravely. If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly. If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently. And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly. Make these words more than words, and give me the Spirit of Jesus. Amen.

Book of Common Prayer pg.461

 

In the Way of Love,

The Rt. Rev. Audrey C. Scanlan

XI Bishop

 

 

Weekly Message from Bishop Scanlan – June 12, 2020

Dear Members of the Episcopal Church in Central PA,

Bishop Scanlan invites us to join her in moving forward working to dismantle racist systems.

 

“White Privilege. Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack Peggy McIntosh 1989

https://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/mcintosh.pdf

 

“Understanding White Privilege.” Francis Kendell

https://www.cpt.org/files/Undoing%20Racism%20-%20Understanding%20White%20Privilege%20-%20Kendall.pdf

 

“The Assumptions of White Privilege and What we can Do About it.” Brian Massingale

https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/assumptions-white-privilege-and-what-we-can-do-about-it

 

LET ME NOT LOOK AWAY, OH GOD by the Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston, Choctaw

Let me not look away, O God, from any truth I should see. Even if it is difficult, let me face the reality in which I live. I do not want to live inside a cosseted dream, imagining I am the one who is always right, or believing only what I want to hear. Help me to see the world through other eyes, to listen to voices distant and different, to educate myself to the feelings of those with whom I think I have nothing in common. Break the shell of my indifference. Draw me out of my prejudices and show me your wide variety.

Let me not look away.

In the Way of Love,

The Rt. Rev. Audrey C. Scanlan

XI Bishop

The Rev. Canon Christopher Streeter, Canon for Mission Development & Innovation, provides an update to the diocesan initiative, Shaped by Faith, during the time of COVID-19.

For more information about Shaped by Faith, visit https://diocesecpa.org/shapedbyfaith/.