February 24, Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany

The Holy Eucharist, 8 a.m., Rite I
Inquirer's Class with Fr. Joel, 9 a.m.
The Holy Eucharist, 10 a.m., Rite II

Church School 10 a.m. | Child Care 9:45 a.m.
The Collect:
O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. A men.

This week’s lessons: Genesis 45:3-11,15; Psalm 37:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50; Luke 6:27-38

Epistle
“What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.” 1 Corinthians 15:50
The Gospel | Luke 6: 27-38

Jesus said, "I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back."
Schedule for the week of February 24

Tuesday, 10:00 a.m., Julian of Norwich Prayer Group
Tuesday, 12:00 p.m., Holy Eucharist, Rite II
Tuesday, 1:00 p.m., Bible Study
Tuesday, 7:00 p.m., Bible Study
Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m., Quilt Show
Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m., Quilt Show
Sunday, 1:00 p.m. to 4 p.m. Quilt Show

Rector’s office hours, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 11 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

See online calendar at standrews-edwardsville.com/events !
Celebration of a New Ministry!
Bishop Daniel Martins officiated at the installation of Fr. Joel Morsch as Saint Andrew's 33rd Rector on February 16.

Go to the lower portion of the parish website history page to view pictures of that day!
A Bishop in Full

The fact that it had taken Bishop Chase several years to consecrate the first St. Andrew’s was probably due to the primitive travel conditions prevailing at that time and the size of his diocese. Planning for the division of the Diocese of Illinois into more manageable fractions began the following year. Sectional rivalries and financial limitations obstructed progress until 1876, when it was decided that three dioceses—of Chicago, Quincy, and Springfield—would take the place of the previous one.

George F. Seymour, Professor of Ecclesiastical History and Dean of the General Theological Seminary in New York City and fierce advocate for Anglo-Catholicism, was consecrated the first Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Springfield in June 1878. He had accepted the job with considerable reluctance. The new diocese was no ecclesiastical plum. Its 41 parishes and missions, embracing 1,863 communicants who were, from his perspective, ill-educated in the Faith, were served by a total of 19 priests. It was overwhelmingly rural and, relative to the rest of the state, economically depressed.

Bishop Seymour confronted this painful reality when, in his first episcopal address, he observed that “we are among the poorest, if not the poorest, diocese in Christendom.” He suffered personally as a result of diocesan poverty, as the payment of the $2500 annual salary that the 1876 convention (as synods were then known) had pledged was not always delivered. Fortunately, he was the beneficiary of a sizeable inheritance, which apparently was one of the reasons he had been chosen. On at least one occasion, he donated $2350 (the equivalent of over $56,000 today) from his own pocket to assist his struggling diocese and on another, offered to forgo his salary in return for diocesan efforts to build an endowment.

He worked to bring African-Americans into the Episcopal Church, although probably in a segregated format. In 1883 he confirmed a large class of African- Americans at St. Michael’s Church (probably Cairo), which he had helped to organize, and introduced a Black priest to the diocese. Seymour’s determination to impose high church discipline on what he regarded as a doctrinally lax diocese embedded in a strongly Baptist, Methodist, and “Campbellite revivalist” population raised considerable hostility and prompted him to carry a gun on some of his visitations!

St. Andrew’s shared the depressed state of the diocese, but, as noted in an earlier article, also benefited from Bishop Seymour’s beneficent administration. In 1882, learning that St. Andrew’s mortgage was about to be foreclosed and ownership of its property assumed by Roman Catholics, Bishop Seymour galloped to the rescue with the funds necessary to save it. Without him, there might not be the church we know and treasure today. Maybe Bishop Seymour deserves a window at St. Andrew’s!

-Jim Weingartner

St. Andrew’s Quilt Guild's Annual Show: March 1, 2, 3

Come to see heritage quilts and the latest creations in the fabric arts shared by area artisans for the Quilt Guild's annual display!

It’s an amazing show that fills the nave, the Cloister Walk, and Pearson Hall. A Quilt of Valor, made by Quilt Guild members, will be given to a local veteran each day at 1 p.m. Admission is $5 per day.

Show Hours:
Friday, March 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday, March 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday, March 3, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Announcements
A Big Thank You from Outreach!
Thanks to the generosity of St. Andrew’s parishioners, 80 cans of soup and canned meat were delivered to the Glen-Ed Pantry just in time for a warm meal during the cold weather. Thanks to all who shared.

Game Night February 22, 6 p.m.
Bring a snack to share, enjoy our games or bring your favorite from home. It’s a wonderful night of fun for family and friends in Pearson Hall.

Book Club to read Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
At its March 18 meeting, St. Andrew’s Book Club will discuss Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie. This book (192 pages) which was on The New York Times bestseller list for 23 weeks is about two teenage boys who have been sent to the mountains in China for “re-education” during the time of Chairman Mao and the Cultural Revolution. Sijie himself was forced to undergo re-education from 1971-1974, the time during which the book takes place. It has been described as “a delicate and often hilarious tale” by the Los Angeles Times Book Review . –Pat Rudloff

ECW to Meet March 7 at 7 p.m.
ECW invites all the women in the parish to come to Pearson Hall to discuss our Lenten Retreat to be held later in March.

Open Date for Coffee Hour: Volunteer Needed
March 10, the First Sunday in Lent
From the Editors

We've chosen to distribute this week's newsletter one day early to call attention to the gallery of pictures from Fr. Joel's installation that are on the parish website and to the Quilt Guild 's annual show next weekend. Also, early distribution helps Editor Smithson get ready for departure to Florida Saturday morning. Due to her travel, next week's newsletter will be a shortened publication, sent from her laptop next Friday or Saturday!
 The St. Andrew's Week-End Updat e , a weekly emailed newsletter, is designed to keep parishioners up to date on church activities. Please send news items to Editors Marianne Cavanaugh and Jane Weingartner by 11 a.m. on Tuesday to have them appear in the following Friday's newsletter.