This past week we gathered by Zoom and had a fabulous conversation around a very short book in the New Testament: Paul’s Letter to Philemon. Perhaps because of it’s brevity, it encouraged us plenty of time to discuss some of the major themes, and to wonder together, why this book was first placed in the canon (books of the bible) and what would have been missing if it hadn’t.
We found the book filled with the theme of hospitality and how right relationships are an expression of the hospitality of God, which we are to show with each other.
To read the notes and questions, please click below.
Thank you so much. Your generosity is so very appreciated. We asked for your support for SPO and our Food Pantry and you have responded. We are able to continue our regular monthly donation of money to purchase fresh eggs for our local food pantry — and send additional money, thanks to you!
Each month we commit to sending $75.00 to Shippensburg Produce Outreach because we believe this food pantry provides an essential service to our neighborhood.
We thank you too for your donations, in-kind, or monetary, to support our “Little Free Pantry”. We fill it up every other day, so we know your donations are going to people who are hungry. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.
This past Wednesday, we gathered together, first to catch up, which was so delightful — and then to delve into Paul’s first Letter to the Corinithians.
We began, however, learning how to read scriptures so they aren’t merely a nice story on the pages of the Bible, but how we can learn more about the context of the letter, make connections with other the books in the Bible, begin to notice how Christian thought was beginning to develop, take a simple phrase, like “brothers and sisters in Christ” and think through what that means for us as Christians.
We then looked at the context of the letter, since that is always vital in understanding the audience of the book. We focused then on the two main teachings of this book: 1) Paul’s depiction of the Last Supper and the importance of it being equally shared among all classes of people; that there was to be no division in Christ and 2) Paul’s view of the resurrection, which was a spiritual, not physical resurrection.
To read notes about this session, please click below.
We are blessed that we have a number of parishioners who can knit and pray, who can create something warm and comforting that can wrap around someone in need, and can offer it knowing that it has been filled with loving prayers during the creation of the beautiful prayer shawl.
We all know the gift of receiving a hand-made item, for we know it has taken that person thought, intention, care, and a lot of time to create this special offering.
When a prayer shawl is finished, Mother Barbara blesses it on the altar, the congregation is asked to bless or pray over it in the weekly e-newsletter, and then the shawl is delivered to those in need.
These beautiful shawls, knit with love and prayer, for anyone in need.
If you would like to join our prayer shawl ministry, please contact Lisa Woolley or Mother Barbara– we’d love to have you with us.
If you would like to receive a prayer shawl, please let Mother Barbara know. We are knitting our hearts out and now have a few prepared, ready to go to someone in need.
Oh, my! It was so much fun to be together by Zoom, to see each other’s faces, to engage in conversation, to laugh together, to share our struggles, and to be the Body of Christ in a brand-new way.
Thank you to all who joined us — and perhaps next time, more of you will be able to come along for the companionship and joy. We will offer this opportunity once a month, or as often as you’d like.
I invite us all to continue to hold our parish and our world in your prayers.
Our youth at St Andrew’s Episcopal Church are growing in knowledge and understanding of the Holy Scriptures as they study together and take time to ask many valuable questions. We did an 8 minute youtube romp through all the books of the Bible, spoke of the timeline, origins, the different languages.
Their pre-class work was to take a virtual tour of the Bible Museum in Washington DC prior to class. We discovered that there are many Bible translations. Stay tuned to our next updates to see how our youth are learning and growing together spiritually which will strengthen them both now and through to adulthood.
This past Wednesday, we gathered by Zoom to explore the writings of Paul, especially focusing on his letter to the Thessalonians. In this short letter, he sets the stage for the structure and dynamics of the early church, with an emphasis on his “new family” imagery, his use of his famous triad, “faith, hope, and love”, and his charge for “simple and unobtrusive” living. We learned some about the person of Paul, looked at the historical context of this letter, studied some important themes, applied his writing to our liturgies, and then imagined the comfort and challenge his writing may offer to our current context. It was a time of sharing, discovery, and engagement with our sacred texts.
If you are interested in joining our next session, please contact Mother Barbara at rector@standrewsship.org.
To read the notes from our session, please click below.
We gathered in our own homes, in our comfy and sacred spaces and entered into the presence of the Holy with intention and care. Through music, calming voices, beautiful artistry, and the soothing words of the Eucharistic Prayer, which always draws us into the presence of the Risen Christ, we found a place of peace and holiness. Although we cannot physically receive the sacrament at this time, we can engage in the prayer of spiritual communion, which is available to us at all time. I have it listed below here, for your use at any moment you are in the need of that deep union with Christ.
My Jesus, I believe that you are truly present in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. I desire to offer you praise and thanksgiving as I proclaim your resurrection. I love you above all things, and long for you in my soul. Since I cannot receive you in the Sacrament of your Body and Blood, come spiritually into my heart. Cleanse and strengthen me with your grace, Lord Jesus, and let me never be separated from you. May I live in you, and you in me, in this life and in the life to come. Amen.
There is hunger in our neighborhoods and we as a church are committed to be there with the people who are hungry, meeting them, welcoming them, and feeding them. We continue our offering of the community meal twice a month (1st and 2nd Monday of each month). Due to the health situation of COVID-10, we have needed to change the way we serve, but we’re willing and able to do that. All our ministers wear face masks, to protect the ones who come to receive the meal. And we serve only “to-go” containers. We miss sitting at the tables with everyone and catching up on life, but we are blessed that we are still able to offer a loving heart and boxes filled with good home-cooked meals.
If you would like to join this ministry, please contact the church office at 717-532-8089 or email our Parish Secretary (Melanie) at office@standrewsship.org. She will get you in touch with our Community Meal Coordinator, Mike Stitt.
Recently there was a news article about our church serving this meal . My favorite quote is from Mike Stitt and goes like this: “We consider this meal part of our communion that we have every Sunday. We are not only nourishing the body, we are nourishing the soul, too.”
We are blessed that we are able to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world. If you would like to make a donation to the parish to support our feeding program, which includes our Little Free Pantry, please write a check out to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and place in the memo line “Feeding Program” and we will use your check to ease the worry on the hearts of many families of how to have enough to eat.
“Alleluia! Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed. Alleluia”
Oh, what joy it is to say these words aloud. And to know in our hearts and souls, we actually believe them, even in the midst of our strange world at the moment. Easter celebration looked differently this year — there were no filled churches overflowing with love and joy and the scent of Easter lilies, but Jesus has still be raised from the dead — and our lives are forever changed.
Let us go forth rejoicing in the power of God to move through death into life, so that all of us may live a full and spiritually rich life in Christ.
You can access Mother Barbara’s Easter Message in the sermon section of our website.
Through beautiful imagery, spoken word, and music we entered from the darkness of our world and moved into the light of Christ. The Great Vigil is a service that tells the story of our salvation and invites us to find our place within it. This year, since we couldn’t gather together, we gathered many voices through recordings and put them together with love and grace to offer something beautiful for you to engage with. Our hearts felt the joy of the resurrection as we shouted “Alleluia” for the first time since Ash Wednesday.
Our hearts and souls were turned more closely to Christ as we walked the journey with Jesus to the cross. While engaging in the pre-recorded service of the Stations of the Cross, we were touched by the compelling woodcut prints by Margaret Adams Parker which drew us into the reality of Jesus’ journey to Calvary. There were times emotions overwhelmed us as we entered deeply into prayer. We also used the opportunity to name before God our sins, that which has kept us from fully loving our Lord, by writing them on slips of paper, later to be burned. As always, the music, images, and sacred texts draw our hearts to where they need to be — at the foot of the cross with Jesus.
