St. Andrew's e-Pistle for March 29,2020
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Connect with us on these platforms by clicking on the icon:
Facebook (the f in the blue circle), Twitter (the dove), Instagram (the camera in the pink circle), and YouTube (the play arrow in red)!
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Greetings!
I hope this e-pistle finds you well.
Our online services
As someone who has resisted social media, I am increasingly grateful for it. I am rapidly becoming almost 21
st
century in my command of Zoom, Facebook Live and other electronic forms like DropBox and Google Docs. My challenge for this coming week is to master posting videos on the St. Andrew’s YouTube channel - yes, such a thing does exist!
Social media has allowed us to stay in touch with you and to post our daily services of Morning Prayer and Compline and our Sunday morning service. We have been pleasantly surprised by the number of “views” these services have received on our Facebook Page. Many of our Morning Prayer services have received over 200 views (one received over 700) and one of our Sunday Morning services received almost 900 views.
Holy Week and Easter services online
The importance of being able to do these services online really came home to us earlier this week when we received guidelines from the Diocese stating that the suspension of “physical” worship services in churches has now been extended to include the whole of Holy Week and Easter Sunday itself.
This is obviously very disappointing but it hardly came as a surprise to the clergy and staff at St. Andrew’s. But while we will not be able to have these services in church, we will do them online.
We are now energetically and enthusiastically planning our online Holy Week and Easter services. We know they will not be the same as having them at the church , but we are confident that we will be able to hold services which will be enable us to join together, although in our own homes, as a church community to celebrate Holy Week and Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday. It will certainly be a celebration of Holy Week and Easter that we will remember.
Spiritual Reflection – unexpected blessings
During this strange time, one of the conversations I have been having with a lot of people or have been asking people during my online services is “where have you been surprised to encounter God during this time or what have the silver linings been in this otherwise challenging time?”
I have found it has not been difficult for people to find answers to these questions. Many people have told me that they feel the closeness of God to them. Some have said how this time has made them really focus on what is important – family, faith, friends, community and trying to help others. Others have spoken of an increased appreciation of the important roles people have in keeping our society going. I think we all have an increased sense of thanks to the many people doing jobs such as stocking the supermarket shelves and keeping the utilities going.
It seems there is much to be thankful for in the face of the real challenge of this Covid 19 disease. Part of following Jesus is to see blessings and God’s love in places and situations where we don’t expect them. And, of course as we near Easter, we are reminded that not even death can overcome Christ’s love. It is God and God’s love that has the last word.
With this knowledge the question for us is how do we make God’s love present in our hurting world by our actions and care for others? Perhaps this is the question I am going to ask myself and people I encounter in the week going ahead.
In my own neighborhood an example of this has been a little card we received yesterday addressed to all of us in Princeton Road to set up a WhatsApp group so that we can take care of any of us in need at this time – like grocery shopping or other things, especially for our older neighbors.
In this spirit, one of the requests I have for all of ous is to think about any parishioners you know who might be in need of help or just a friendly word. If no one springs to mind or you don’t know where to start, one idea I have is for everyone to contact the person whose name appears before them and after them in the parish directory. If you don’t have a parish directory you can look below for the link to take you to the St. Andrew’s Church online parish directory.
May God bless you during this time.
Yours in Christ, Adrian
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Online Church Directory
Did you know that we have a directory for church members that you can access
from our website
? Your email address will need to be in our database for you to get a username and password. Click on “
Directory
” in the upper right hand corner. Then look for "
Need a login? Click here
" and enter your email, first name, and last name. you will be prompted from there about getting a password. (
Click here to email Kate
with questions.)
There is also a mobile app for your cell phone called “
Church Life
” you can use once you have a username and password. Check it out!
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News, Announcements, and Prayers
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9am Christian Formation for March 29
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This Sunday you are invited to join Sunday forum/adult education via Zoom led by the rector of St. Michael's Church in Holliston, Sarah Robbins-Cole. (
general zoom information found below
). We will gather at 9am, start at 9:05am, and finish by 9:50 in time for Morning Prayer.
Click on this link to Join the meeting
.
(
If you already know Zoom, the m
eeting ID is
734 634 191
.)
This will be a Bible Study based on Chapter 23 from the book
The Path: A Journey through the Bible.
The subject is "
Be Doers of the Word
." You do not need a copy of the book to participate, but you can
click here for a pdf of chapter 23
. You also do not need to do the assigned Bible reading, but here are the scripture references.
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The "kids in charge" on
Sunday, March 29 at 10am
! Tune into our live service on our website or Facebook page for Prayers of the People written by Rite-13, a special Creed written by our confirmation class, and sermons by three of our confirmands (Annie Fisher, Hunter MacArthur, and Carolyn Urban). Plus music by Amanda and greetings and readings from our young families! Hope you enjoy it all.
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Things are changing rapidly in the world. Meeting our church needs and goals are evolving as well. Please
check our website often to see the changes we are making to meet your needs. And please join us for Facebook Live weekday services when you can, or view them after they have posted. You will find other ways to join us in community
by following this link and seeing if we are posting on a platform you are on or are familiar with. Our Sunday Service this week will begin at 10am on Facebook, and here is the one sheet program for following along.
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Following the service, you're invited to
drop-in to check-in
with our clergy and other parishioners after the service until 12noon. Dress code is casual! (PJs encouraged!)
Scroll down to the bottom of the email for more detailed instructions for how to use Zoom on phone or computer.
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Virtual Children's Programs
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All kids should plan to attend the Youth Sunday at 10am on Facebook Live or our website.
11am: Rite-13
6:45pm: Virtual Youth Group
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Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter for the Parish
There will be daily offerings of a variety of services and activities from Palm Sunday, April 5 though Easter Sunday April 12. We will announce times here in the e-Pistle next week and on the website. Please stay tuned for more information.
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April 5 Palm Sunday
The Liturgy of the Palms, Dramatic Reading of the Passion
April 6 Monday
Taizé-style Service
April 7 Tuesday
Stations of the Cross
April 8 Wednesday
Service of Tenebrae
April 9 Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday Service
Maundy Thursday All-Night Vigil
April 10 Good Friday
The Good Friday Liturgy
Good Friday Children’s Service and Hot Cross Buns
April 12 Easter Day
Festival Easter Service at 10am
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What will Easter look like for your family this year? Many of our favorite Holy Week and Easter family traditions may need to be creatively reinvented. Join Rev. Mia and other parents on
Wednesday, April 1 at 7:30pm
on Zoom for a conversation about how to make this Easter fun, loving, and memorable for kids.
Zoom link
(Meeting ID: 700 440 136)
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Meeting God in Mark
and 9am Christian Learning
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Some time after Easter, we will return to our 9am Christian Learning speakers, who will join us on zoom, and we will hold two more classes on former Archbishop Rowan Williams’ brilliant book
Meeting God in Mark.
This book brings new depths of understanding and insight to Mark’s 16 Chapter gospel. I hope you can join us as we reschedule our opportunities around zoom. (People with phones can call in to hear and participate.)
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Parish Prayer List
Asher Griffin, Kim McGovern, Melissa Stampf, Lee Goodnow, Vickie Alexander, Stephen, Theresa Given, Cam Czubek, Rob Rodormer, Jack, Roxanne Manners, Lisa Dutile, Jim Tilmon, Bill, Ashley, Michael, Jean, Chetan Phadnis, David McFarlane, Gary Christelis, Alison, Meredith, Mark Peacor, David Sears, James , Emily, Lindsay, Jim Weigel, John & Laura, Carolyn Frye, Mary Ann, Bobbe, Cindy, Jessica, Connie, Wendy Barnes Kelly, Kathy, Elizabeth Peishoff, Vivienne Mary Kurz Engelke, Rebecca Kurz Engelke, Joseph Harris, Holly Marcinelli, and Matthew Marcinelli
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We pray for the repose of the soul of
John Reed who died this week, son of parishioner Dot Reed and uncle of parishioner Keileigh McReynolds.
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We offer special prayers in loving memory of
Robert C. Hussey.
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Special Prayer for Outreach Partners
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We expect you are concerned about the needy in our community in these days and we encourage your prayers for our outreach partners. Here is an update, as of March 18, 2020, on each partner and its needs.
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St. Stephen's Youth Programs
Discontinued in-person services and ramping up virtual learning and support for students and families. Will pay their teen counselors and staff as usual, to reduce the financial impact on them. Would welcome financial donations.
Click here to donate.
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Family Promise
All four families moved to a hotel (at a steep discount), so they each have a kitchenette to practice social distancing. Three families have no income due to workplace closures.
Would welcome financial donations.
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common cathedral
Continues Sunday worship, with appropriate distance, and lunch in the form of grab-n-go bags.
Click here to donate.
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Healthcare Without Walls
Housing has been disrupted as shelters are attempting to distance socially.
Monetary donations needed
for gift cards to grocery stores for basics.
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United Way/Pearl Street Cupboard & Cafe
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Knitting Ministry
Continues in members' homes.
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el hogar
The Honduras government ordered all schools closed, but 50 young people remain on the residential campus. The farm remains operational.
Please click here to donate.
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Join Coffee Hour via computer
After the service concludes,
click this link
:
If you do not already have Zoom, your browser will prompt you to download Zoom as a desktop application. Download Zoom. Here are
video instructions
for how to download Zoom on different browsers.
If prompted to enter a Meeting ID it is:
555 810 268
Join the meeting using your computer's audio and video. You can opt to join without video.
You will be automatically muted when you join.
Click the microphone button
in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen to unmute. Please mute yourself when you are not talking.
You can also stop your video at any point if you'd like by clicking the stop video button.
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Join Coffee Hour via phone:
After the service concludes, dial:
646/558-8656
The voice will prompt you to enter a meeting ID:
555 810 268
The voice will prompt you to enter a participant ID or to press pound.
Press Pound
.
You will automatically be muted. To unmute yourself,
press *6
. To re-mute yourself,
press *6
again.
Please mute when you are not talking or when your background noise is loud.
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