Message from Jerry+
What is an Ember Day, Anyway?
When I was young my parents would get their annual calendar from the local bank. It had a lot of interesting information like phases of the moon and national holidays. Occasionally it would list things that made no sense to me, for instance, “Ember Days.” What is an Ember Day, anyway?
Pop quiz! Does Ember refer to:
- A glowing hot coal of heated wood, coal, or a similar material.
- A nice restaurant in Arroyo Grande, California that cooks food over a wood fire.
- A song (plural, “Embers”) that received zero points for the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest.
- A modernization of the Anglo-Saxon word ymbren referring to a cycle of seasons.
All four are correct!
I confess that I was stretching a bit on the Eurovision—but back to Ember Days. The Ember Days likely started as agricultural observances, but the church adopted them as days of prayer for ministry. The Ember Days occur on the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday following the observances of St Lucy (13 Dec), Ash Wednesday, Pentecost, and Holy Cross (Sept 14).
Sadly, like the calendar of my childhood, Ember Days probably pass most people in ignorance or neglect. But they are a good reminder. We need to pray that God will raise up ministers. Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Mt 9:37-38). Amazing; that ties together the agricultural background with a prayer for workers! Pray for ministry – the future of St Francis and the whole church depends on it!
A Prayer for Ministry:
Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church is governed and sanctified: hear our prayer which we offer for all your faithful people, that in their vocation and ministry they may serve you in holiness and truth to the glory of your name; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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Prayers of the People - Starting on Trinity Sunday we will be making some changes to the Prayers of the People in the worship bulletins. We will no longer be reading lists of names as part of the prayers. We will certainly mention individual names as needs arise or under special circumstances. This coming Sunday you will see our prayer list names at the end of the bulletin. |
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Memorial Day - We remind you that our offices will be closed on Monday, 31 May. We will remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in our prayers on Sunday and encourage you to attend local observances as you are able.
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Remember to Reserve Your Place for Sunday Worship!
- To attend the service you must reserve a place in advance so that we can manage social distancing and keep records as per Diocesan rules.
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Click here to make your reservation. Please read details of our safety precautions when you reserve your place. Note - you don't need to print a paper ticket. We have an electronic record we refer to on Sunday mornings.
- And dress in layers - the doors will be open for ventilation.
- If you have problems with the online system please contact Mary in the church office - 310 375 4617.
- Livestreamed worship will still continue - indefinitely - to take our mission out beyond our walls, and to those who cannot, or do not wish to attend in person. Our at-home congregation are loved and appreciated and not forgotten!
Please contact Kristina Pelá to arrange for a lay Eucharistic Minister to safely bring you communion. |
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New Bible Class Begins Soon – Four Great Parables
Tuesday June 8th 7:00-8:30pm, on Zoom
Email Jude+ for the link.
June 8: The Mustard Seed
June 15: The Pearl of Great Price
June 22: The Laborers in the Vineyard
June 29: The Rich Man and Lazarus
Come and join Jack Hailwood, Suellen Eslinger and me for questions and more questions
about what Jesus was getting at with first century followers and what He might still be
trying to get at with us!
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Meanwhile, Rev. Jude, together with lay leaders, continues to offer opportunities for faith, connection and pastoral care, as below.
Please don't hesitate to contact her by email, phone, text 310-701-5966, or in person, with questions/prayers/requests/ideas for other groups or practices. We deeply want to continue to support all of our church family as we navigate these 'in-between' times with regard to the pandemic, and as we move forward into a new normal.
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Join Us...
...for the quiet, peaceful, 15-minute service of Compline.
Led by a group of lay leaders - and we have some new faces joining the team!
Watch and comment with others live, or watch later in the evening before you sleep.
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Thursday Morning Meditation and Bible Study
Every Thursday 9:30-10:30am - on Zoom
Contact Jude+ for the zoom link. Become part of an intimate group who spend a while in meditation together followed by a time of Bible Study and discussion. On zoom it's easy! No driving; bring your own coffee; come and go as you need.
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Do you need help of any kind?
Physical, Spiritual, Psychological, Material?
We are here to do our best to help you with whatever you may need. We know circumstances are difficult for many at this time. For help of any kind, or just for a Zoom or Facetime or phone call, please email or call Jerry+ or Jude+ at any time. You are not interrupting our work - you ARE our work!
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Watch Our Services Live via Facebook and Youtube
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Our Youtube Channel holds our Worship and Sermon videos, plus Virtual Choirs, and more! Hit Subscribe while you're there!!
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Compline - Live via our Facebook page
Prayer for the evening - Monday, Wednesday and Friday Evenings, 7:00 p.m.
Livestreams are also saved to our Facebook page, so you can watch again at any time if you miss one.
Other Offerings and Meetings
Zoom groups -
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Enews Submission Deadline - 3pm on the Wednesday before the Thursday when the enews is issued each week. Email Susan with your requests. |
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View or download our bulletins - bulletins will be posted in time for livestreaming.
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Contacts:
You are not interrupting our work - you ARE our work!
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