FIELDNOTES
April 2021

 The Monthly Newsletter of 
St. Francis-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church
689 Sugartown Road, Malvern, PA 19355
The Rev. Kevin Dellaria, Rector
The Rev. Diane E. Faison, Deacon 
Mr. Joe Perry, Music Director
610-647-0130
stfrancisfields.org
Our Vision:  
We aspire to be a growing community, worshiping together, celebrating our diversity & lay ministries, and offering God's healing love to all people.
 
Our Mission: 
We seek to foster spiritual growth & renewal while spreading God's message of love, healing and peace.
“Waking Up”
This week - the last full week of March - the nascent signs of spring have been especially poignant. Trees and shrubs are beginning to bud. Beautiful, tiny crocuses are eagerly pushing their way up through the ground. The skunk cabbages along the creek near my home are beginning their abundant emergence. And the forsythia bushes at the corner of Sugartown and Springs - one of my favorite spring scenes - is very near their annual explosion of color.

But around the corner at St. Francis, it isn’t just nature that’s waking up. The building and grounds that for the last year have been understandably but unfortunately quiet is beginning its own emergence from slumber. This last weekend, a crew of nearly 20 volunteers began cleaning, packing and hauling boxes, books, furniture and other equipment in preparation for the coming remodel. Construction may start as soon as next week! Earlier this week, in preparation for Easter, a crew of workers from Joe Walls, Inc., spread dirt in our courtyard, while tree trimmers labored among the branches overhead, and electricians plied their trade near the parking lot. Since then, we’ve seen more people in and out of St. Francis. As vaccines roll out and people feel more safe and confident, they are becoming cautiously active again. Like crocuses (or skunk cabbages, I suppose), we are seeing signs of life again - and, in this case, communal life, as the parish begins emerging from this long and challenging COVID year.

I hope you have had a chance now to take a look at our Holy Week schedule. Beginning with Palm Sunday (last Sunday, if you’re reading this), all of the traditional services of Holy Week will be available on our streaming platforms (YouTube and Facebook), including the Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday evening, and our 10 am Easter service Sunday morning. But the most anticipated service of all, I think, is the 11:30 Easter Sunday service, when we begin gathering again for in-person by re-starting our popular outdoor services, which will continue, weather permitting, for the foreseeable future.. (See the schedule below in this edition of Fieldnotes, with information about Easter Sunday.)

We won’t be careless, of course. We have been deliberate and cautious throughout this pandemic, and we will continue to take that approach as long as necessary, until we are all - safely - back together again.

But for now, let’s enjoy this moment of “waking up”. Feel the hope that is around you. Reach out in ways you haven’t for a while, even if it just means a walk in a park, or a phone call to a friend. This is springtime in more ways than one, after all. Savor it. Enjoy it! And I hope to see you in church - out in the yard, underneath our beautiful trees - very soon.

Fr. Kevin+
Calendar
 
For the calendar of events, please click the link below to the website.
Maundy Thursday (Streaming Only)
Thursday, April 1st @ 7:00 pm
Commemoration of the Last Supper with Holy Eucharist
and the Stripping of the Altar.

Good Friday (Streaming Only)
Friday, April 2nd @ 12:00 pm (Noon)
Solemn Vigil for Good Friday from the Book of Common Prayer

The Great Vigil of Easter (Streaming Only)
Saturday, April 3rd @ 7:00 pm
The "Big Dance". The quintessential Easter service, transitioning the Church
from Lent to Easter. The service begins in darkness, with the remembrance of
God's saving acts in history, then bursts forth with light for the
first Easter celebration of Holy Eucharist. Our service will include a
special presentation of virtual readings and music offered by the St. Francis Choir.

Streaming Easter Service (Streaming Only)
Sunday, April 4th @ 10:00 am
For those who stay home to worship on Easter Sunday, a traditional
service of Holy Eucharist for Easter morning.

***Outdoor Easter Celebration***
(In-Person Only with Drive-In Eucharist Option)
Sunday, April 4th @ 11:30 am*
In-person worship with Holy Eucharist in the courtyard/back lawn of St. Francis.
This service is designed to last about 30 minutes. Chairs will be set up with
social distancing in mind. Masks are required.
Outdoor seating will be limited to 50 registered attendees! If you wish to reserve
a seat for the service, please follow this link:

Also available at the 11:30 service:
For those who want to gather at the parish on Easter Sunday morning,
but also remain safely distanced from other people, you may
use the "Drive-In" option: Come to the church for the 11:30 service but
stay in your car and tune your radio to 92.7 FM. All music, readings, and prayers
will be broadcast, and we will bring Eucharist to your car!
(The FM signal is very localized, so you must be in the parking lot.)

*In the event of inclement weather we will still hold the 11:30 EASTER SUNDAY service. We will simply broadcast using our FM transmitter to all cars parked in the parking lot. We will worship and share Holy Eucharist with anyone present on Easter Sunday, rain, cold or snow!

If you have any questions about the schedule above,
please call the parish office or Fr. Kevin
Drive-In Eucharist

Drive-In Eucharist is offered on Wednesdays at Noon and Sundays when the High School Youth Group meet. To be part of this short service, simply park in the St. Francis parking lot, stay in your car, and tune your radio to 92.7 FM. A bulletin will be provided to follow the service, and Fr. Kevin and/or Diane will bring communion to your car. All services are subject to weather.
Pickle ball is returning to St. Francis!

During the month of April, pickle ball will be set up in the parking lot from 5:00- 6:30 every Wednesday (weather permitting) for anyone interested in learning to play or sharpening their skills! All are welcome to join in the fun as we gather safely outside! 
Fellowship

Fellowship is looking for volunteers to join our committee. We need YOU to help us explore ways to gather together socially while staying safe during these uncertain times.
 
Please contact Suzanne Steinberg if you are interested in joining this amazing group!

610-608-0830
Ushers & Greeters

Outdoor services are beginning and Ushers and Greeters will be needed. This is a distinguished and important ministry, and is even more important during this time of “gentle” re-opening. Your participation would be appreciated. If you are interested and feel safe in this calling as an usher or greeter please contact John Stearns at [email protected], Tony Fernandes at [email protected] or Mike Quinn at [email protected]. Please indicate if you would be an usher or greeter for outside services and/or eventually indoor services.
Lectionary Bible Study

Lectionary Bible Study meets on Wednesdays at 10 am on Zoom to pray and discuss the readings for the following Sunday. The Zoom link is on the website, www.stfrancisfields.com and is also sent out on a Constant Contact email to the congregation.   All are welcome.
Missing Books

There are two books missing from the church library. The New Interpreter's Bible, A Commentary in Twelve Volumes. Volumes 8 and 9 are missing. If you borrowed them please return at your earliest convenience.

Thank you!
High School Youth Group

THANK YOU! With the help of Mahala Renkey and Fr. Kevin, we delivered 273 pounds of personal and household goods to the West Chester Food Cupboard. A great collection and a much needed donation. Your generosity is very much appreciated by the Youth Group and the people who need the West Chester Food Cupboard to survive!
The HS Youth Group will meet Sundays, April 11 and April 25 from 5 till 6:30 p.m. The High School Youth Group will meet in the parish hall. The meeting will be preceded by Holy Eucharist in the parking lot at 5 pm. All are invited to join us for Holy Eucharist.

Don't forget your journal and your mask!

Blessings
Deacon Diane
Book Group
 
Friday, April 16, 7:30
A Lucky Life Interrupted: A Memoir of Hope, 
by Tom Brokaw
Tom Brokaw has led a fortunate life, with a strong marriage and family, many friends, and a brilliant journalism career culminating in his twenty-two years as anchor of the NBC Nightly News and as best-selling author. But in the summer of 2013 he received the news that he had multiple myeloma, a treatable but incurable blood cancer. Friends had always referred to Brokaw’s “lucky star,” but as he writes in this inspiring memoir, “Turns out that star has a dimmer switch.”
Brokaw takes us through all the seasons and stages of this surprising year, the emotions, discoveries, setbacks, and struggles—times of denial, acceptance, turning points, and courage. After his diagnosis, Brokaw began to keep a journal, approaching this new stage of his life in a familiar role: as a journalist, determined to learn as much as he could about his condition, to report the story, and help others facing similar battles. That journal became the basis of this memoir, the story of a man coming to terms with his own mortality, contemplating what means the most to him now, and reflecting on what has meant the most to him throughout his life.
Generous, informative, and deeply human, A Lucky Life Interrupted offers a message of understanding and empowerment, resolve and reality, hope for the future and gratitude for a well-lived life.
 
Friday, May 21, 7:30
His Truth is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope, 
by Jon Meacham

 
Vegetable Garden

The St. Francis Vegetable Garden provides hundreds of pounds of fresh produce each year for individuals and families in need. With spring now here, the gardening process is set to begin, and this important ministry is in desperate need of help. A couple of hours each week is all it takes to help our garden flourish, and the work can fit around your schedule. If you can help, please contact Mahala Renkey or the Church office.
Altar Flowers

Did you know that you can dedicate the Sunday Altar Flowers in honor of a friend or family member, in remembrance of a loved one, or for some other special recognition?
Altar Flower dedications are just $50.00, and helps provide a fresh arrangement each week.

The form for dedicating Altar Flowers can be found on our parish website, www.stfrancisfields.com.
Want to know more about us?

St. Francis-in-the-Fields is an active parish, even during COVID-19. For more information about our worship, outreach, and other ministries, visit our parish website, www.stfrancisfields.org. Our monthly parish newsletter, Fieldnotes, may be found by clicking HERE. Stay current on events by following our parish on Facebook.

Our Global Communion

St. Francis-in-the-Fields is a parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, a member of The Episcopal Church, and part of the worldwide Anglican Communion.