Called to Worship. Sent to Witness. Led to Welcome. | | From a Member of Saint Andrew's Church | | |
What is Centering Prayer?
Centering Prayer is a method of silent prayer in which you choose a sacred word as a symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within. While holding that sacred word and your intention in silence, you enter into a still place of prayer without words. When thoughts come, which they inevitably will, you simply return interiorly to the sacred word. You do this gently, without berating or judging your sit. Just let thoughts come and go. Centering Prayer is a spiritual practice of letting go. When sitting in this place of stillness and silence, you simply let go of everything else for twenty minutes.
Imagine walking into the sacred, gorgeous St. Andrew’s church when hardly no one else is there. The residual sweet scent of incense lingers from Sunday’s services. The breath-taking stained glass window behind the altar, symbolizing our Christian faith, beckons to be gazed upon. You select a pew and you sit, relaxing the full weight of your body there. You take a few deep breaths and enter the stillness. A time to simply BE, you call to mind a word that is sacred for you - Jesus, Abba, Spirit, Peace, Rest - and you let go of all that concerns you for just this precious few moments.
The thoughts come and threaten to interrupt your still silence. But you remember that you are simply practicing and so you choose to let the thoughts come and then let them go. You don’t attach to them or go down a rabbit hole with the thought. You simply return ever so gently to the sacred word. This practice of letting go, over time, begins to have a ripple effect in your everyday life when you need to let something come and then go. Perhaps a rude driver in front of you. Or that defensive come-back that you feel you just have to make. Many opportunities to decide to let something come and then let it go.
Even while sitting here in the church you will have opportunities of irritations or seemingly distracting interruptions. It might be the sound outside of a team of workers blowing the leaves off the sidewalk. Or a lawnmower showing up to take care of the grounds. Perhaps a screaming siren. All of these, as well as the internal distractions, we can choose to smile, let go and stay present to the Divine presence and action within you that is not distracted at all.
At the end of the twenty minutes, we pause quietly a little longer and then recite the Lord’s Prayer. We leave the sacred space just a smidge calmer than before we sat down. We carry on about our day, taking this Holy Presence with us to face whatever comes.
– Cynthia Fore
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Want to try out more types of Centering Prayer? Check this out!
Welcoming Prayer
by Mary Mrozowski
Welcome, welcome, welcome.
I welcome everything that comes to me today, because I know it’s for my healing. I welcome all thoughts, feelings, emotions, persons, situations, and conditions.
I let go of my desire for power and control.
I let go of my desire for affection, esteem, approval, and pleasure.
I let go of my desire for survival and security.
I let go of my desire to change any situation, condition, person or myself.
I open to the love and presence of God and God’s action within. Amen.
| | Worship & Formation Schedule with Links | | |
Sunday, July 19 - The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
8:30 AM Low Mass, Rite II
10:30 AM Sung High Mass, Rite I (livestream available)
Wednesday, July 22 - The Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene
5:30 PM Healing Mass, Rite II, followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
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| Prayer Requests & Resources | |
The following people have been commended
to the prayers of the parish:
| Bob, Brian, Charlie, Chuck, Cleve, Don, Doug, Holly, Jim, Jodi, Joe, John, Joyce, Lyra, Margaret Lee, Margaret, Marvin, Mary, Nancy, Patt, Sarah, Shawn, Sylvia, Terry, Theresa, Tony, and Wade | | |
To add someone to the Parish Prayer List, please contact the office.
To add someone to the Daughters of the King prayer list, please e-mail dok@standrewsgreenville.org
There is also wooden box in the Narthex where you can fill out prayer cards.
The Daughters will add your names to their prayers.
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7/1 Lisa Brandon
7/2 Hampton Randall
7/5 Amelia Trammell
7/6 Cheryl Banks
7/9 Robert Whitmire
7/11 Mia Buck
7/12 Charlie Shields
7/14 Lila Armstrong
7/14 Olivia Lomady
7/15 John Blackburn
7/15 Sarah Montjoy
7/16 Phil Buck
7/16 James Muhleman
7/19 Sara Conrad
7/20 Caroline Gosnell
7/22 Anne Marie Currier
7/24 EJ Sherer
7/25 Carolyn Prosio
7/27 Cindy Henry
7/27 Emily Shields
7/27 John Siegel
7/27 Anna Whitmire
7/28 Johnny Buck
7/28 Mary Jo Totman
7/29 Quincy Buck
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Vestry Meeting | Sunday, July 19 | 12:30 PM
Our monthly vestry meeting will take place in the upstairs of the Parish House following Sunday's 10:30 AM Sung High Mass.
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Quarterly Planning Lunch Meeting | Wednesday, July 29 | Noon | Parish Hall
Our next quarterly planning meeting with the leaders of all parish ministries will meet in the parish hall on Wednesday, July 29, at noon. Please plan to join us as we look ahead to the coming season at Saint Andrew’s and prepare for all the exciting things to come.
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Summer Family Social | Sunday, August 2 | 4-6 PM | Parish Hall
Join us on August 2 for a Summer Social with ECW and Mission & Outreach. Bring a snack, dessert, or appetizer to share as we play games and fellowship with one another. All donations will go to the Mission & Outreach committee. Contact Marion Reeves, ECW President, with any questions.
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Save the Date! Blessing of the Backpacks | Sunday, August 9 | Both Masses
Many of our local schools start back on Tuesday, August 11! Students and teachers are encouraged to bring their backpacks to church on Sunday, August 9, so that the students, teachers, and their backpacks can be blessed for the upcoming school year. The blessing will take place in both masses.
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Choir Rehearsal Update
Now through Labor Day, Sunday morning choir rehearsals will take place at 9:30 AM in the Parish Hall with the piano. Starting September 13, we will begin rehearsal at 9:00 AM in the Parish Hall before moving to the sanctuary at 9:30 AM for the remaining time. Please make a note of this change.
Additionally, please let Leslie Boyette know if you have a preference on a mid-week rehearsal day. This would begin the week of September 13. Due to other activities going on in the Parish Hall on Wednesday evenings this fall, it may be best to rehearse on another day. If you have a preference, please email Leslie.
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What’s your favorite hymn?!
Do you have a favorite hymn from The Hymnal 1982? For the remainder of the summer, we hope to feature some of your favorite hymns during the 10:30 AM Mass on Sundays. Please email Leslie Boyette the hymn title and hymn number to submit your choice.
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Back to School Supply Drive:
Now until August 2
Saint Andrew’s is once again partnering with Christ Church Episcopal to fill 150 backpacks for students in need of school supplies. We have already surpassed our goal to collect 150 boxes of 24 Count Crayola Crayons! We will continue collecting crayons through Sunday, August 2. If you wish to contribute crayons, please bring boxes to the Parish Hall.
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Save the Date!
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Clergy Schedule | Mtr. Lee Ann Tolzmann will be preaching on July 26 and August 9.
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Youth Back to School Bowling Gathering | Sunday, August 23
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Annual Pledge Campaign Kick-off | October 4
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Bishop's Visitation | November 1
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A Note on Parish Name Tags
Another batch of name tags has been placed on the name tag board for this Sunday! If do not have a name tag, have misplaced yours, or need something changed, or if you requested a name tag previously but have not seen it on the board, please let email Frances Twomey, our Director of Communications.
Thank you for helping us build a more connected and hospitable parish!
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New Saint Andrew’s Parish Directory Available
The 125th Anniversary Edition of Saint Andrew’s Parish Directory now available. Please let us know if you have not gotten your copy yet! You can pick up one per household from the Parish Office.
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Coffee Hour
Volunteers Needed!
Please consider volunteering to assist with refreshments and set up for our coffee hour fellowship following the 10:30 AM Mass. A sign up sheet can be found on the “Welcome” bulletin board in the Parish Hall or online at the link below.
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UPDATED: Parking at Saint Andrew's
For detailed parking instructions, click here.
***PLEASE NOTE - West End Baptist Church, which owns the parking lot around Saint Andrew's, has reduced the parking lot area available on Sundays to the area closer to South Main Street--with the back part of the parking lot (against Rhett Street) no longer available. As a result, please enter the parking lot via South Main Street. The map linked below has been updated to reflect that change.***
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Note: You need a parking decal to park in the designated lots. They can be found on the shelf to the left of the doors as you exit the church.
| Sunday Altar Flower and Presence Candle Dedications | |
On Sundays, we have the opportunity to offer a special dedication of the altar flowers or presence candle in honor, memory, or celebration of loved ones. The cost to the church for altar flowers is now $100 per Sunday, so we are suggesting that donations for dedicating altar flowers be in the range of $50 to $100 to help us cover those costs. The suggested donation for a presence candle dedication is $10.
If you would like to sign up for a Sunday, please see the sign up sheet on the bulletin in the Parish Hall or click on the button below. You may place a check in the offering plate with "Altar Flowers" or "Presence Candle" noted in the memo.
We will continue to only have Altar Flowers if someone has signed up and paid for the arrangements. As a result, we will need to know by the Tuesday prior to the upcoming Sunday if you would like to sign up.
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Invitation to Submit Future Parishioner Postings ...
If you have news of important milestones or work that you would like to share with the parish, please let us know!
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News from the Wider Church
and from Our Ministry Partners
| | Notes Along the Way | from the 250th Celebration of Independence Day at the State Capitol | Lord God Almighty, who hast made all the peoples of the earth for thy glory, to serve thee in freedom and in peace: Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in accordance with thy gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. | | | Living the Reign | Your Diocesan Newsletter | University Hospital in Mirebalais (HUM) shut down. Patients relocated. Doctors relocated. Families relocated. Many went north to Cange in the Central Plateau. In a matter of weeks, a system designed for stability absorbed a surge that would cripple most communities. Patient volumes spiked. Water demand surged. Logistics tightened. Supply chains strained. | | | From Episcopal Relief and Development... | Donate to International Disaster Fund for Venezuela | Give urgent support to families and communities impacted by disasters like the Venezuelan earthquakes by supporting Episcopal Relief & Development's International Disaster Fund. | | | Get Strategies and Workshop Ideas at The Learning Lab | Second Session, August 29! | You and your ministry team are welcome to join the Diocesan House at The Learning Lab - The Episcopal Operating System! Over the course of the next year, we'll provide experts in each field to discuss topics relevant to the operation of every congregation. | | | |
Thank you for standing alongside us this summer. Whether you've volunteered, donated, or simply shared our mission with others, you are helping us build a healthier, stronger Greenville. As we celebrate Independence Day this weekend, we hope you enjoy a safe and happy Fourth of July with your family and friends! | | | |
Altar Guild Volunteers Needed
The Altar Guild is currently looking for people who may be interested in serving with them. If you are interested, or have questions, please reach out to Lesley Moore or Linda Fitzsimmons.
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Volunteers Needed
Feed Thy Neighbor
Founded in 2010, Feed Thy Neighbor is a cooperative effort of the Episcopal community in Greenville. Parish volunteers from Saint Andrew’s, St. Peter’s, St. James, and Christ Church feed the hungry each Saturday from 7:30 to 8:30 AM. We are seeking volunteers to help serve and clean up. Please contact the office if you would like to volunteer: office@standrewsgreenville.org.
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