Worship at St. Edward’s: Tenth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 13 – August 1, 2021

Dear parishioners and friends of St. Edward’s,

Father Rick and all of us at St. Edward’s welcome you to our Sunday worship, tomorrow, the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost:  Proper 13.  Whether you will be joining us in-person, or via our live stream on our St. Edward’s YouTube Channel, please know we are glad to be worshipping with you!  All of the important links you need to our YouTube channel and our Sunday service bulletins are listed below.

As we prepare for a new week and our day of simplicity, it is amazing to witness God’s eternal creation in the rising sun and the blue sky.  As I put together packets of consecrated wafers for those who cannot attend in-person worship but would like to receive communion in one kind as they watch our Sunday service, I meditate on the Invitation we place on each packet:  “Feed on Him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.” And it is this very Invitation that reminds us, we walk by faith, not by sight, and we walk in love, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessing, on this beautiful day, from Earth Gospel

May you go out today in peace,
believing in God’s power to transform all creation,
including you.

Rest well.  Keep the faith. Journey in peace.

Michelle

Click here to connect to the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 13 service, August 1st, which will be live streamed at 10:15 AM on Sunday. 

Click here to download our 8:00 AM Rite I service bulletin for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 13 service

Click here to download our 10:15 AM Rite II service bulletin for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost:  Proper 13 service

*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!   Thank you to those who have subscribed! 


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 via direct links noted below.  Stay tuned to our weekly emails and web site posts for updates on specific details. We invite you to celebrate with us, as a community of faith!

Faith In Action Initiatives:


Backpack Drive
It’s Back-to-School time again!  As in the past, we will be helping Hempfield students be prepared for school; but, this year will be a little different.  Instead of collecting crayons, pencils, etc., we will be collecting backpacks!  Specifically, we are looking for backpacks for older students.  Think plain colors and large sized.  If you’re not sure of what to buy, you may donate by writing a check to St. Ed’s with ‘backpack drive’ on the memo line and Faith in Action will buy the backpack.  All backpacks will be donated to Hempfield Student Services.  School social workers will gift the backpacks to the students that they work with and help in other ways.  Any additional funds will go toward replacement ipad charging cords.  We are off to a fantastic start – more than 10 backpacks have been donated to date.  Keep them coming and thank you!!

Hempfield Area Food Pantry Update:
Requested items:  Canned fruit; Canned mixed vegetables; Canned garbanzo beans; 1 lb. packages of rice; 2 lb. packages of rice; Noodles; Boxed pasta; Pasta sauce; Cereal; Oatmeal (regular or quick NOT instant).

Parish News:
Grocery cards 
will be available after Tuesday of next week.  We did not receive our Giant card order this week.  Our apologies for any inconvenience.

Please keep Carl and Carol Cotnoir in your thoughts and prayers as Carl continues to heal from his ankle injury.  We are certain they would love a visit, a call, or a funny card to keep their spirits brightened!!!!  We are a family!

SCEPTER REMINDER:  There will be no Scepter in August, but looking forward to September, Michelle will be on vacation August 30-September 10, consequently  the September Issue will need to be completed by August 29th.  Therefore articles, pictures and announcements for the September Scepter will have to be submitted no later than Friday, August 20th.  Pictures from your summer travels, family get togethers, celebrations, warm weather activities, etc. would all be welcome. Please send items to: [email protected]

Reminder:  Parish directories are in your parish mailboxes.  They will include your invitation (with a required RSVP by August 13th) for our 40th Anniversary worship and celebration as well as an information flyer regarding creating baskets for our fall fundraiser.  If you are not coming to church for in-person worship and would like to receive your directory (or any other materials!) please contact the parish office.


40th Anniversary – September 12th INVITATION
**If you have special dietary needs, please let the parish office know.

St. Edward’s Annual Basket Raffle – Seeking volunteers to create baskets – We only need 5 more baskets!!!

Stephen C. Casey Memorial Fund booklet Our parish family and friends are invited to prayerfully consider participating in this set of beautification projects.  We will be finalizing all contract details by August 15th, with the completion target date for projects of December 2021. The beautification projects welcome donations of any size.

The Book of Joy – Summer Lunch & Learn

Widow’s Group Meeting Announcement

COFFEE HOUR IS TOMORROW BETWEEN 9-10 AM.  You will have the opportunity to pick up an FAQ sheet on coffee hour hosting and there will also be a sign-up sheet for August coffee hours.  You can also click the link below for sign-up and information!

Click here to connect to Google docs sign-up sheet and coffee hour information.

Spiritual Formation and Evening Prayer Offerings:
St. Edward’s is offering a full complement of Adult Spiritual Formation during the summer months!  Click here for more information about our summer offerings.

Please visit our Christian Formation page to explore the wonderful weekly lesson and activity postings for youth, from Leslie Arnold, Sunday School ministry leader. Click here for the Christian Formation page.


Sunday Evening Prayer – August 1st at 7:00 PM:  We use the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and the readings for the Sunday Lectionary.  It is a quiet service and a good way to end the weekend and prepare for the week to come.  Anyone interested can send me an email to be put on an email distribution list:  [email protected]

Sunday Evening Prayer @ 7:00pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/95355083080
Meeting ID: 953 5508 3080

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.


We are providing links, below, that may be helpful and informative to you:

Lancaster County, PA COVID-19 Hub

PA Department of Health

Vaccine Distribution Information PA DOH

Worship at St. Edward’s: Ninth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 12 – July 25, 2021

Dear parishioners and friends of St. Edward’s,

Father Rick and all of us at St. Edward’s welcome you to our Sunday worship, tomorrow, the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost:  Proper 12.  Whether you will be joining us in-person, or via our live stream on our St. Edward’s YouTube Channel, please know we are glad to be worshipping with you!  All of the important links you need to our YouTube channel and our Sunday service bulletins are listed below.

Today, on our Calendar of Saints for The Episcopal Church, we remember  Thomas à Kempis, Priest 1471. While Thomas was never declared a saint, he is widely known for his manual of spiritual advice, The Imitation of Christ. His works embody a devotional character with the intention to assist the soul with its pursuit of holiness and communion with God. Thomas belonged to the school of mystics who travelled and lived along the Rhine in Switzerland, Strasburg, Cologne, and in the Netherlands. Many people consider The Imitation of Christ an essential read and speak to the way it is so beautifully written and truly speaks to the soul.  One of my favorite quotes from the book is from Book Two – The Interior Life, The Third Chapter – Goodness and Peace in Man:

“FIRST keep peace with yourself; then you will be able to bring peace to others.”

I close with a prayer from Lesser Feasts and Fasts,

Holy Father, you have nourished and strengthened your Church by the inspired writings of your servant Thomas à Kempis: Grant that we may learn from him to know what is necessary to be known, to love what is to be loved, to praise what highly pleases you, and always to seek to know and follow your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Rest well.  Keep the faith. Journey in peace.

Michelle

Click here to connect to the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 12 service, July 25th, which will be live streamed at 10:15 AM on Sunday. 

Click here to download our 8:00 AM Rite I service bulletin for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 12 service

Click here to download our 10:15 AM Rite II service bulletin for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost:  Proper 12 service

*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!   Thank you to those who have subscribed! 


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 via direct links noted below.  Stay tuned to our weekly emails and web site posts for updates on specific details. We invite you to celebrate with us, as a community of faith!

Parish News:

SCEPTER REMINDER:  There will be no Scepter in August, but looking forward to September, Michelle will be on vacation August 30-September 10, consequently  the September Issue will need to be completed by August 29th.  Therefore articles, pictures and announcements for the September Scepter will have to be submitted no later than Friday, August 20th.  Pictures from your summer travels, family get togethers, celebrations, warm weather activities, etc. would all be welcome. Please send items to: [email protected]

Youth Summer Event:  Our parish youth have the opportunity to participate in a diocesan event at Camp Mount Luther, which you will find on our Youth page – please scroll down on the page.  Click here to connect to our Youth page on our web site to learn more about this great event.  

Reminder:  Parish directories will be in your parish mailboxes tomorrow, Sunday, July 25th.  They will include your invitation (with a required RSVP) for our 40th Anniversary worship and celebration as well as an information flyer regarding creating baskets for our fall fundraiser.

40th Anniversary – September 12th INVITATION

St. Edward’s Annual Basket Raffle – Seeking volunteers to create baskets

Stephen C. Casey Memorial Fund booklet Our parish family and friends are invited to prayerfully consider participating in this set of beautification projects.  We will be finalizing all contract details by August 15th, with the completion target date for projects of December 2021. The beautification projects welcome donations of any size.

The Book of Joy – Summer Lunch & Learn

Widow’s Group Meeting Announcement

COFFEE HOUR IS TOMORROW BETWEEN 9-10 AM.  You will have the opportunity to pick up an FAQ sheet on coffee hour hosting and there will also be a sign-up sheet for August coffee hours.  You can also click the link below for sign-up and information!

Click here to connect to Google docs sign-up sheet and coffee hour information.

Please visit our Christian Formation page to explore the wonderful weekly lesson and activity postings for youth, from Leslie Arnold, Christian Formation ministry leader. Click here for the Christian Formation page.


Please continue your support of the Hempfield Area Food Pantry.  Requested items:  Canned fruit; Canned mixed vegetables; Canned garbanzo beans; 1 lb. packages of rice; 2 lb. packages of rice; Noodles; Boxed pasta; Pasta sauce; Cereal; Oatmeal (regular or quick NOT instant)

St. Edward’s is offering a full complement of Adult Spiritual Formation during the summer months!  Click here for more information about our summer offerings.


Sunday Evening Prayer – July 25th at 7:00 PM:  We use the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and the readings for the Sunday Lectionary.  It is a quiet service and a good way to end the weekend and prepare for the week to come.  Anyone interested can send me an email to be put on an email distribution list:  [email protected]

Sunday Evening Prayer @ 7:00pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/95355083080
Meeting ID: 953 5508 3080

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.


We are providing links, below, that may be helpful and informative to you:

Lancaster County, PA COVID-19 Hub

PA Department of Health

Vaccine Distribution Information PA DOH

Worship at St. Edward’s: Seventh Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 10 – July 11, 2021

Dear parishioners and friends of St. Edward’s,

Father Rick and all of us at St. Edward’s welcome you to our Sunday worship, tomorrow, the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost:  Proper 10.  Whether you will be joining us in-person, or via our live stream on our St. Edward’s YouTube Channel, please know we are glad to be worshipping with you!  All of the important links you need to our YouTube channel and our Sunday service bulletins are listed below.


Tomorrow, July 11th, is the Feast Day for Benedict of Nursia, Abbot of Monte Cassino. You may be familiar with St. Benedict by his writing, the Rule of Saint Benedict (516) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot.  It combined the spiritual with the administrative tasks of their daily life.  A meaningful aspect of this writing is Ora et Labora – pray and work, meant to provide a guidance, in the monastic day, for balance between prayer, work, contemplation and/or charitable works.  It also elevated the dignity of labor in the service of God.  In reflection, maybe we can all take a little bit from the Rule of Saint Benedict and apply it to our daily lives.  We close by offering this Collect Of a Saint from The Book of Common Prayer, page 250:

Almighty God, by your Holy Spirit you have made us one with your saints in heaven and on earth: Grant that in our earthly pilgrimage we may always be supported by this fellowship of love and prayer, and know ourselves to be surrounded by their witness to your power and mercy. We ask this for the sake of Jesus Christ, in whom all our intercessions are acceptable through the Spirit, and who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

Image:  St. Benedict of Nursia writing the Benedictine Rule
Portrait (1926) by Herman Nieg (1849–1928); Heiligenkreuz Abbey, Austria
https://stfrancis.clas.asu.edu/gallery/art/herman-nieg-st-benedict

Rest well.  Keep the faith. Journey in peace.

Michelle


Click here to connect to the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 10 service, July 11th, which will be live streamed at 10:15 AM on Sunday. 

Click here to download our 8:00 AM Rite I service bulletin for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 10 service

Click here to download our 10:15 AM Rite II service bulletin for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost:  Proper 10 service

*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!   Thank you to those who have subscribed! 


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.  Stay tuned to our weekly emails and web site posts for updates on specific details. We invite you to celebrate with us, as a community of faith!

Parish News:
You may have noticed, even though it is summer, there is so much happening at St. Edward’s, ranging from our 40th Anniversary planning, to seeking volunteers to create baskets for our fall basket raffle (we have 5 baskets already!); our Stephen C. Casey Memorial Fund beautification projects, to our upcoming Faith in Action school supply-focused project and an update on our Books for Prisoners project found in your Sunday bulletin and on the Faith in Action web page; our upcoming summer Lunch & Learn Session to the formation and meeting of our Widow’s group.  While Saturday emails are devoted to Sunday Worship news, we have provided quick links to all of these items, below, for you to access so you don’t miss a thing.

Youth Summer Event:  Our parish youth have the opportunity to participate in a diocesan event at Camp Mount Luther, which you will find on our Youth page – please scroll down on the page.  Click here to connect to our Youth page on our web site to learn more about this great event.  

Reminder:  We will be updating the parish directories this week and will distribute them via your parish mailboxes by Sunday, July 25th.  They will include your invitation (with a required RSVP) for our 40th Anniversary worship and celebration. So. . . now is your opportunity to update your contact information or add your name and contact information to the directory.  Please send an email to the parish office this week with your information.

40th Anniversary – September 12th

St. Edward’s Annual Basket Raffle – Seeking volunteers to create baskets

Stephen C. Casey Memorial Fund booklet (Our parish family and friends are invited to prayerfully consider participating in).

The Book of Joy – Summer Lunch & Learn

Widow’s Group Meeting Announcement

COFFEE HOUR IS TOMORROW BETWEEN 9-10 AM.  You will have the opportunity to pick up an FAQ sheet on coffee hour hosting and there will also be a sign-up sheet for August coffee hours.  You can also click the link below for sign-up and information!

Click here to connect to Google docs sign-up sheet and coffee hour information.

Please visit our Christian Formation page to explore the wonderful weekly lesson and activity postings for youth, from Leslie Arnold, Christian Formation ministry leader. Click here for the Christian Formation page.


Please continue your support of the Hempfield Area Food Pantry.  Requested items:  Canned fruit; Canned mixed vegetables; Canned garbanzo beans; 1 lb. packages of rice; 2 lb. packages of rice; Noodles; Boxed pasta; Pasta sauce; Cereal; Oatmeal (regular or quick NOT instant)

St. Edward’s is offering a full complement of Adult Spiritual Formation during the summer months!  Click here for more information about our summer offerings.

Sunday Evening Prayer – July 11th at 7:00 PM:  We use the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and the readings for the Sunday Lectionary.  It is a quiet service and a good way to end the weekend and prepare for the week to come.  Anyone interested can send me an email to be put on an email distribution list:  [email protected]

Sunday Evening Prayer @ 7:00pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/95355083080
Meeting ID: 953 5508 3080

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.


We are providing links, below, that may be helpful and informative to you:

Lancaster County, PA COVID-19 Hub

PA Department of Health

Vaccine Distribution Information PA DOH

Worship at St. Edward’s: Sixth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 9 – July 4, 2021

Dear parishioners and friends of St. Edward’s,

Father Rick and all of us at St. Edward’s welcome you to our Sunday worship, tomorrow, the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost:  Proper 9.  Whether you will be joining us in-person, or via our live stream on our St. Edward’s YouTube Channel, please know we are glad to be worshipping with you!  All of the important links you need to our YouTube channel and our Sunday service bulletins are listed below.

As we pray for Father Rick, Katrina, Ricky, and Christian for safe travels (and joy!) during their vacation, we welcome The Reverend Tim Small, as he returns to St. Edward’s to celebrate and preach, this Sunday.  For those who may not know Tim+, he was installed as vicar of St. Edward’s in 1984, when we were a mission church worshipping at the Union Hall on Nissley Road, and shepherded us to our groundbreaking of where we worship today! It is a blessing to have Tim+, and his wife Betsy, back at St. Edward’s this weekend!

While we will celebrate the Fourth of July, with our family gatherings, cookouts, fireworks, or perhaps some quietude in nature, let us take a moment and say a prayer for our human family, all God’s creation, and a prayer:

For our Country – The Book of Common Prayer, pg 820
Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Rest well.  Keep the faith. Journey in peace.

Michelle

Click here to connect to the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 9 service, July 4th, which will be live streamed at 10:15 AM on Sunday. 

Click here to download our 8:00 AM Rite I service bulletin for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 9 service

Click here to download our 10:15 AM Rite II service bulletin for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost:  Proper 9 service

*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!   Thank you to those who have subscribed! 


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.  If you click on the bulletin links above, you will get a complete list of our weekly announcements on the last page of the bulletin.  Stay tuned to our weekly emails and web site posts for updates on specific details. We invite you to celebrate with us, as a community of faith!

We are providing links, below, that may be helpful and informative to you.

Lancaster County, PA COVID-19 Hub

PA Department of Health

Vaccine Distribution Information PA DOH

Parish News:
Grocery cards will be in your parish mailboxes.

Scepters in print will be in the narthex.  Pick up a copy as it has incredible articles, stories and photos as well as important pull-out sheets to upcoming events for our 40th Anniversary, basket auction, and fall fundraiser.  You can also view online by clicking here.

Speaking of 40th Anniversary. . .Save the date!  It promises to be an event not to miss in the life of our parish (You will be seeing a lot of this logo in the next 2 months!!!)


Click here to view the wonderful booklet that details the beautification projects St. Edward’s is embarking on (and our parish family and friends are invited to prayerfully consider participating in) under the Stephen C. Casey Memorial Fund. 


If there is someone from the 8 o’clock service who has started the coffee pots before, could you please help out by coming to church a bit early on Sundays to “prime the coffee pots.”  Thank you!

COFFEE HOUR IS TOMORROW BETWEEN 9-10 AM.  You will have the opportunity to pick up an FAQ sheet on coffee hour hosting and there will also be a sign-up sheet for August coffee hours.  You can also click the link below for sign-up and information!

Click here to connect to Google docs sign-up sheet and coffee hour information.


Please visit our Christian Formation page to explore the wonderful weekly lesson and activity postings for youth, from Leslie Arnold, Christian Formation ministry leader. Click here for the Christian Formation page.



Please continue your support of the Hempfield Area Food Pantry.  Requested items:  Canned fruit; Canned mixed vegetables; Canned garbanzo beans; 1 lb. packages of rice; 2 lb. packages of rice; Noodles; Boxed pasta; Pasta sauce; Cereal; Oatmeal (regular or quick NOT instant)


St. Edward’s is offering a full complement of Adult Spiritual Formation during the summer months!  Click here for more information about our summer offerings.


Sunday Evening Prayer is taking a one week hiatus and will be back next Sunday, July 11th.

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.

Worship at St. Edward’s: Fifth Sunday of Easter – May 2, 2021

Dear St. Edward’s Family,

I cannot adequately express my sense of deep gratitude for the thoughtfulness and the generosity of our community around the events of last week’s Celebration of a New Ministry.  In addition to the blessing of our bishop and the beautiful liturgy that accompanied the Installation, I was completely blown away by the virtual reception that we enjoyed together this past Sunday.  Without knowing what would be happening or who would be participating, the incredible efforts of our Installation Committee (Julie Hoff, Meredith Westgate, Nancy Mannion, Christina McLaughlin, Herb Johnston, and Mike Freshwater) facilitated a gathering that touched my heart and stirred my spirit.  Please know that Trina, Ricky, Christian, and I have been truly moved by the cards and the well wishes.  I’ve spent time this week breathing in an awareness of gratitude, reading every card, and praying for each of you.

Though we haven’t been able to spend very much time together physically in our first year together, the support and the prayers of our parish family have provided me with a palpable feeling of acceptance and of home here at St. Edward’s.  I am so very excited for what the future holds for us, and it is an honor to be serving as your rector.  With humble appreciation,

Father Rick+


We welcome you to worship with us as we celebrate this Fifth Sunday of Easter.  All essential information and links for our Sunday services are noted below. 

For this Saturday, the first day of a new month, as you enter the evening hours of this gorgeous day, may we reflect on the beauty of this life with:

A Collect for the Presence of Christ
Lord Jesus, stay with us, for evening is at hand and the day is past; be our companion in the way, kindle our hearts, and awaken hope, that we may know you as you are revealed in Scripture and the breaking of bread. Grant this for the sake of your love. Amen.
(BCP, p.124)

Be well.  Stay safe.  Keep the faith.

Michelle

Click here to connect to the Fifth Sunday of Easter service, May 2nd, which will be live streamed at 10:15 AM on Sunday. 

Click here to download our 8:00 AM Rite I service bulletin for Fifth Sunday of Easter

Click here to download our 10:15 AM Rite II service bulletin for Fifth Sunday of Easter

A few friendly reminders for those returning to in-person worship and for those new to our in-person worship:

– We will have ushers/greeters inside the narthex and they will have the service bulletins for you. We will also continue to take your name and contact information.

– Please do not forget to wear your mask.

– Ushers will direct you to pew locations to maintain social distancing and will also guide you during communion.

– As we will not pass the offering plate, it will be located on the pedestal at the back of the church for you to place your Sunday offerings.

– On the shelf in the narthex are materials that you may find of interest to take home with you.

*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!   Thank you to those who have subscribed! 

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.  If you click on the bulletin links above, you will get a complete list of our weekly announcements on the last page of the bulletin.

We continue to honor the guidance delivered by our bishop, as well as our love for God in Christ, to care for one another, by remaining socially distanced, and refrain from in-person fellowship gathering.  There are many opportunities for us to worship, and perform ministry, in community, in ways that are of comfort to us, 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. We invite you to celebrate with us, as a community of faith!

Father Rick Installation

Click here to read a wonderful article from our local newspaper – TownLively – on Father Rick’s+ Installation and  St. Edward’s.


We are providing four links, below, that may be helpful and informative to you as they detail COVID19 vaccination site information and department of health information.

vaccinateLancaster.org

Lancaster County, PA COVID-19 Hub

PA Department of Health

Vaccine Distribution Information PA DOH

The May Scepter is online and in print.  Click here to view the online version.

Leslie Arnold has done amazing ministry keeping our youth engaged in Christian Formation Click here to view the lessons and activities that are posted each week. 

St. Edward’s is forming a team to “walk our way” in the YWCA 2021 Race Against Racism.  For more information on this event and to learn how to join us, please click the links below (they include passwords for registration). It is never to late to register to participate with us on May 15th!  We are so grateful for the support!  We have 22 participants signed up!

St. Edward’s Registration Information Flier

YWCA Race Against Racism brochure

Please continue your support of the Hempfield Area Food Pantry. Current food list:  Canned green beans; canned corn; canned peas; canned applesauce; cereal; pancake mix; pancake syrup; large grape jelly; bagged noodles.

The Faith in Action committee asks for your help collecting some books for prisoners in Lancaster. An Episcopalian prison chaplain, Deacon Stacey Catigano, keeps a library for prisoners, and she could use some Bibles and other devotional or inspirational titles to circulate among prisoners. You can either donate books or money to buy them. Just drop off your donations in the narthex or make out a check to St. Edward’s with “books for prisoners” in the memo line.  To learn more about this project, stop by the bookcase in the narthex and pick up a flyer and browse some of the books we have already collected.  You can also go to this link to see what kinds of books are needed.

Let’s show our love for our human family and strive to fill our bookcase, as we collect books throughout the summer months.

Curious about becoming a prison ministry volunteer?  If you feel God is calling you to prison ministry, please join a Zoom Q&A Meeting on Sunday, June 6th at 1 PM to learn more.  The Rev. Stacey Catigano, Deacon, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lancaster will be the host.  Please contact Deacon Stacey (717) 799 -9764 or email: [email protected] to sign up. There are information flyers in our narthex, and by clicking here.

St. Edward’s is offering a full complement of Adult Spiritual Formation.  Click here for our Spring information sheet. Please check your weekly emails which will have all the study details & Zoom invitation details.

Sunday Evening Prayer: Each Sunday at 7:00 PM. Anyone interested can send Br. David Rutledge an email to be put on an email distribution list: [email protected] Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/95355083080 Meeting ID: 953 5508 3080

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.

St. Edward’s Monday Message – June 29, 2020

Dear friends,

We hope you had a lovely Sunday. It was so nice to see people at church for both the 8 AM Rite I and the 10:15 AM Rite II service.  We continue to welcome you, as your comfort level allows, to worship with us on Sundays, and commencing next week, joining us for our Wednesday Noonday service on July 8th.  Rest assured we continue to have in place the proper protocols for health safety while also creating welcoming and contemplative spaces for worship.

If you missed our YouTube livestream, you can click here to view.  We also have included links to both service bulletins, in the event you would like to read along with the 10:15 AM service, or create your own service by worshipping in Rite I and then advancing the video to the 15:00 minute mark to listen to Father Rick’s sermon.

Click here to download the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 8 Sunday Service bulletin for 10:15 service.

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 for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 8.
If you would like to read our said service for Rite I, please click here to download that bulletin.

We continue to tweak and refine our technological process and how we deliver the various worship components to meet the spiritual needs of our parish community, while extending our welcoming to the wider community of faith.  We ask for your patience and understanding as we continue to improve our offerings.

To that end, we are also “finding our way” from the Daily Messages to a new rhythm that allows us to stay connected to everyone, while providing content that is enlightening, meditative, invitational, and informative.  For now, we will try this schedule:

Monday Message:  Recap of Sunday worship offerings, news for the week that will include activities all can participate in, a meditation, prayer or virtual tour.  Check out our events calendar on our web site to stay aprised of events and services:   https://sainteds.org/events-calendar/

Thursday Message:  Ministry news and offerings for Friday and Saturday as well as information the rector may share with us, and events for the upcoming week.

Saturday Message:  All essential links for Sunday worship: 8 AM and 10:15 AM bulletins, YouTube Livestream link, stewardship link.


FOOD PANTRY NEWS: 
Looking for a volunteer(s) to pick up bread on Mondays at Columbia Weis to bring back to the pantry!  One person could do every Monday OR could “split” with one, two, three or four other volunteers…each take one week of the month!  Pick up time is 8-8:30 AM. Please contact Beth Lynch if you are interested in volunteering and she can pass your name along to the Food Pantry to see where the need is (along with other volunteers from other churches).

Also, as you may be hearing in the news, food pantries are stretched thin of supplies to meet the growing need in our communities to provide for our food poor. Many of us are so fortunate to sit down at any time during the day to a bountiful table, while so many in our community struggle to provide even just one healthy meal a day for their family.  We continue to accept monetary donations to help the HAFP, made payable to St. Edward’s, with a memo notation of “food pantry.”  Thank you!

We leave you with a writing from The Book of Uncommon Prayer of Meditations and Devotions, a compilation from various writers, which Amy Swiernik passed on to us to share with others.  Today’s meditation is a writing from Harriet Beecher Stowe, a writer and Prophetic Witness, 1896, who has been honored in the past with a feast day of July 1st on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA).  The current Episcopal Church liturgical calendar honors Pauli Murray – a lawyer, poet, author, activist, Priest and the first African-American woman ordained in the Episcopal Church in 1985.

Calm and Divine
Abide in me; o’ershadow by Thy love
Each half-formed purpose and dark thought of sin;
Quench, ere it rise, each selfish, low desire,
And keep my soul as Thine, calm and divine.

– Harriet Beecher Stowe

Be well. Stay safe. Keep the faith.

Michelle