Dear parishioners and friends of St. Edward’s,
We welcome you to worship with us as we celebrate this Third Sunday of Easter. All essential information and links for our Sunday services are noted below.
I prayerfully request that we continue to refrain from gathering, with other parishioners, in public groups, without masks. In Lancaster County, we continue to move towards wider distribution of vaccines, and within our diocese, we are adhering to the same safety protocols we submitted in 2020 for our in-person worship. We are all in this together, and honoring our parish community, by continuing to comply 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.
We are providing four links, below, that may be helpful and informative to you.
vaccinateLancaster.org
**If you need assistance in registering/navigating this website, please contact me, or the parish office, and we will assist you.
Lancaster County, PA COVID-19 Hub
Vaccine Distribution Information PA DOH
Father Rick+
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At St. Edward’s today, it was glorious to see so many people stop by to view our Memorial Garden monument that was installed this past week. We will be adding the final touches to the monument in the next 10 days.
To see people meander up the garden path and be able to sit and pay respects to their loved ones and touch the name plaques on the monument brought tears to my eyes. As I was out in the garden, sitting next to St. Francis, the patron saint of ecology and animals, and as we approach Earth Day, this week, as well as make wonderful preparations for the most important event in the life of our parish and for Father Rick+ – a Celebration of a New Ministry, it seems like a wonderful opportunity to pray these words by St. Francis:
A Song of Praise by St. Francis
You are holy, Lord, the only God,
and your deeds are wonderful.
You are strong.
You are great.
You are the Most High.
You are Almighty.
You, Holy Father are King of heaven and earth.
You are Three and One, Lord God, all Good.
You are Good, all Good, supreme Good, Lord God, living and true.
You are love. You are wisdom.
You are humility. You are endurance.
You are rest. You are peace.
You are joy and gladness.
You are justice and moderation.
You are all our riches, and you suffice for us.
You are beauty.
You are gentleness.
You are our protector.
You are our guardian and defender.
You are our courage. You are our haven and our hope.
You are our faith, our great consolation.
You are our eternal life, great and wonderful Lord,
God Almighty, merciful Savior.
Source: St. Francis, d. 1226
Be well. Stay safe. Keep the faith.
Michelle
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Click here to connect to the Third Sunday of Easter service, April 18th, which will be live streamed at 10:15 AM on Sunday.
Click here to download our 8:00 AM Rite I service bulletin for Third Sunday of Easter
Click here to download our 10:15 AM Rite II service bulletin for Third 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!
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Click here to view all of the important details for the Celebration of a New Ministry events for Father Rick+
We will participate in ALL events virtually. For the Wednesday, April 21st 7 PM service, via our YouTube Channel, and for our April 25th 12 Noon reception, via Zoom.
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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. Thank you to all who signed up by April 7th to receive the race “swag.” We would encourage others to join us and you can register up to the race date to participate. All of the registration details are in the links below.
St. Edward’s Registration Information Flier
YWCA Race Against Racism brochure
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Please continue your support of the Hempfield Area Food Pantry. April food list: Canned green beans; canned corn; canned peas; canned applesauce; cereal; pancake mix; pancake syrup; large grape jelly; bagged noodles.
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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
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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!