FIELDNOTES
February 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
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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.
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Bits and Pieces and the Goodness of God
I rememberback some 20 years ago when “synergy” was the cool word we all tried to slip into conversation. In those days, everyone in the business world wanted “synergy” - by which we meant a kind of “enthusiastic energy” that also looked edgy and forward thinking. Looking back on those days, I imagine most of us didn’t know we were generally using the word incorrectly. No doubt we probably could have used some words of wisdom from Indigo Montoya: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
“Synergy,” while literally meaning, “to work together,” conveys more than just a sense of “teamwork”. After all, if you followed either the Eagles or my hometown Houston Texans this past season you know very well that you can “work together” and not have any kind of "synergy". In modern usage, rather, the word conveys a particular kind of teamwork. The kind of team that functions well. It’s the work of a team that comes together and gets “synchronized” (literally: “in time together”). “Synergy” is the kind of energy that arises when a team does more together than it would as individual players. By working in unison, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
And that’s what has me thinking about the goodness of God at St. Francis. Because for most of this past year, we haven’t had much in terms of that “sum of the parts”. The work of ministry has taken place by phone call, email, Zoom, and other avenues. Our Sunday worship has been spent largely apart, from the comfort of our living rooms and kitchens. Committee work has happened with each member reporting from their own home. Our “Virtual” Choir alone, made up of separately-recorded voices carefully synced up by Joe, is a modern technological miracle. And the “midnight elves” of the parish - those who work behind the scenes in pairs and trios (Altar Guild, flowers, counters, etc.) - now often pop into the parish alone and unseen.
But all of this together - everything I mention above, and much more - is why I think we can and should have grateful hearts. So much of the work we have done together at St. Francis over the last 12 months has been done in bits and pieces; sometimes separate and alone, lacking the group support and camaraderie we had before. Yet, for all of that, the “synergy” is there. Diane and I see it - in the people who pop in throughout the week to check on this or that. We hear it - in your phone calls and inquiries, sometimes just to say hi. And we feel it - constantly - in your emails and cards and notes, in your online participation, and certainly in your prayers. The blessing of God is here, not only through this wonderful “synergetic” family we call St. Francis, but in all the bits and pieces that make this amazing community what it is.
We have a little longer to go in this state of "bits and pieces", but the synergy of St. Francis is as still as strong as ever. Be blessed. Stay safe. And the love of Christ be with you.
Fr. Kevin+
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Ash Wednesday, which often includes the imposition of ashes on the forehead, is the traditional beginning of Lent, the season of self-reflection and penitence leading up to Holy Week and Easter. The ashes are not a sacrament, but a symbol of our intentions before God. This year, we will offer three non-traditional opportunities to participate. Physical ashes will be administered with Qtips.
Sunday, Feb. 14 @ 5pm - "Ashes on Sunday": Especially for those who want ashes but cannot come at Noon on Wednesday. Our evening drive-in Eucharist service will be modified with liturgy from the Ash Wednesday service.
Wednesday, Feb. 17 @ 12pm - Drive-in Eucharist and imposition of ashes.
Wednesday, Feb. 17 @ 7pm - Streaming Only. Full Ash Wednesday service with, music, "virtual" Imposition of Ashes and Holy Eucharist. Facebook and YouTube.
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Calendar
For the calendar of events, please click the link below to the website.
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Forward Day by Day
The Forward Day by Day devotionals for February, March and April 2021 are available.
Forward Day by Day is available in regular or large print. Please email the church office at [email protected] if you would like to have one mailed to you, and please specify what size you need.
You may also stop by the church to pick up a copy. They will be on the table by the stairs in the Narthex.
There are also several options for receiving Forward Day by Day directly via email, Facebook, etc., may be found by clicking HERE.
The Daily Prayer and Meditation may also be read on-line by clicking HERE.
God's Peace,
Diane and Fr. Kevin
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Drive-In Eucharist
Drive-In Eucharist is offered on Sundays at 5:00 pm and Wednesdays at Noon. 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.
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Red Cross Blood Drive
St. Francis will once again host the Red Cross Blood Drive on the following dates:
Thursday, February 18, 10-3pm
Friday, February 19, 10-3 pm
Please click HERE for the direct link to sign up! |
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Community, Community, Community
As many of you know at the end of December I had open heart surgery, triple bypass and a fix-it job on my mitral valve. Mainly family history catching up we think.
Sandra and I have been members of St Francis-in-the-Fields for over 20 years and have watched, enumerable times, the “St Francis Family” swing into action to help individuals and families in difficult circumstances.
However I have now discovered that it is an entirely different thing experiencing this power first hand. I am humbled and somewhat overwhelmed by the number of messages, cards, emails and calls that we received expressing concern and offers of help. Food deliveries too! Most importantly, your prayers.
If you have been blessed with a tranquil life (as we were) you may have wondered “does this sort of support really make a difference?”.
Well let me assure you it does make the world of difference, just to know that you are in the thoughts and prayers of a wonderful group of people is uplifting, comforting and a spur to working hard to make a good recovery.
From the bottom of my repaired heart, thank you,
John Healey
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Phase 2 Renovations Update
Things are moving along according to schedule with our upcoming renovations! In December, we received detailed architectural drawings from Bernardon for our review. Additionally, their interior designer has provided us with samples of carpet, flooring, laminate, and countertop materials. Our St. Francis design sub-committee has begun to narrow down these selections and should reach decisions in February, after which they will consider wall colors. Warfel (our construction manager) plans to begin work this March with an expected completion by mid-summer. We will work closely with them to minimize disruptions to our parish, and of course, will keep you up to date on their progress.
The sanctuary acoustics analysis and recommendations report were also completed in December. As a reminder, any work to enhance acoustical quality will be a part of Phase 3.
From a financial standpoint, we received 89% of intended 2020 pledges ($152,606 out of $171,700) and have paid our project partners $8,677 thus far. Considering the challenges of the past year, we consider this quite successful. We ask that you keep up with your Capital Campaign commitments in 2021, to the extent your personal situation allows.
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High School Youth Group
West Chester Food Cupboard Collection
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St. Francis-in-the-Fields
Library News!
Our library is open and ready for you to check out books!! New books have been purchased and will begin to be featured in the March edition of the Fieldnotes.
In the meantime, here are two books that you might be interested in.
Happy reading!
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The Boston Girl, by Anita Diamant
New York Times bestseller!
An unforgettable novel about a young Jewish woman growing up in Boston in the early twentieth century, told “with humor and optimism…through the eyes of an irresistible heroine” (People)—from the acclaimed author of The Red Tent.
Anita Diamant’s “vivid, affectionate portrait of American womanhood” (Los Angeles Times), follows the life of one woman, Addie Baum, through a period of dramatic change. Addie is The Boston Girl, the spirited daughter of an immigrant Jewish family, born in 1900 to parents who were unprepared for America and its effect on their three daughters. Growing up in the North End of Boston, then a teeming multicultural neighborhood, Addie’s intelligence and curiosity take her to a world her parents can’t imagine—a world of short skirts, movies, celebrity culture, and new opportunities for women. Addie wants to finish high school and dreams of going to college. She wants a career and to find true love. From the one-room tenement apartment she shared with her parents and two sisters, to the library group for girls she joins at a neighborhood settlement house, to her first, disastrous love affair, to finding the love of her life, eighty-five-year-old Addie recounts her adventures with humor and compassion for the naïve girl she once was.
Written with the same attention to historical detail and emotional resonance that made Diamant’s previous novels bestsellers, The Boston Girl is a moving portrait of one woman’s complicated life in twentieth century America, and a fascinating look at a generation of women finding their places in a changing world. “Diamant brings to life a piece of feminism’s forgotten history” (Good Housekeeping) in this “inspirational…page-turning portrait of immigrant life in the early twentieth century” (Booklist).
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The Book of Joy by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu with Douglas Abrams
Two spiritual giants. Five days. One timeless question.
Nobel Peace Prize Laureates His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have survived more than fifty years of exile and the soul-crushing violence of oppression. Despite their hardships—or, as they would say, because of them—they are two of the most joyful people on the planet.
In April 2015, Archbishop Tutu traveled to the Dalai Lama's home in Dharamsala, India, to celebrate His Holiness's eightieth birthday and to create what they hoped would be a gift for others. They looked back on their long lives to answer a single burning question: How do we find joy in the face of life's inevitable suffering?
They traded intimate stories, teased each other continually, and shared their spiritual practices. By the end of a week filled with laughter and punctuated with tears, these two global heroes had stared into the abyss and despair of our time and revealed how to live a life brimming with joy.
This book offers us a rare opportunity to experience their astonishing and unprecendented week together, from the first embrace to the final good-bye.
We get to listen as they explore the Nature of True Joy and confront each of the Obstacles of Joy—from fear, stress, and anger to grief, illness, and death. They then offer us the Eight Pillars of Joy, which provide the foundation for lasting happiness. Throughout, they include stories, wisdom, and science. Finally, they share their daily Joy Practices that anchor their own emotional and spiritual lives.
The Archbishop has never claimed sainthood, and the Dalai Lama considers himself a simple monk. In this unique collaboration, they offer us the reflection of real lives filled with pain and turmoil in the midst of which they have been able to discover a level of peace, of courage, and of joy to which we can all aspire in our own lives.
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Virtual Coffee Hour
Virtual Coffee Hour on Zoom 1st Sunday of the Month.
Join us at the link below to check in with St. Francis of the Fields Community Members following the 10 AM Virtual Service. If the group is large enough we will break into smaller groups for a portion to make conversation easier.
Meeting ID: 837 112 1983
Passcode: 323860
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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. |
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High School Youth Group
The HS Youth Group will meet Sunday, February 21 from 5 till 6:30 p.m. the High School Youth Group will meet at St. Francis.
Don't forget your journal and your mask!
Blessings
Deacon Diane
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Book Group
Friday, February 19, 7:30
The Daring Ladies of Lowell, Kate Alcott
February is usually our video and pizza night. So order in, then join us to discuss the book.
Eager to escape life on her family’s farm, Alice Barrow moves to Lowell in 1832 and throws herself into the hard work demanded of “the mill girls.” The hours are long and the conditions are bad, but Alice soon finds a true friend in Lovey Cornell, a saucy, strong-willed girl who is outspoken about the dangers they face in the factories . . . and about Alice opening her heart to a blossoming relationship with Samuel Fiske, the handsome and sympathetic son of the mill’s owner.
Friday, March 19, 7:30
Save the date. Check the March Fieldnotes for the book title.
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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.
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Thanks and Congratulations!
Thanks and congratulations to Sue Lenkaitis, Jill Quinn (2nd term), Don Jenkins and Mike Burke for their election to the St. Francis Vestry, to Ted Wingfield for his election as Deanery Representative and Delegate to Diocean Convention, and to Grace Wingfield in her appointment as Rector's Warden. Thank you, also, to our outgoing Vestry members - Mahala Renkey, Sig Fleck and Connie Scanga - who all served two, consecutive 3-year terms. Thank you to Connie, especially, for two years of excellent service as Rector's Warden. Finally, thank you to everyone who attended our first "virtual" Annual Meeting. We easily had the necessary quorom to conduct business, and the meeting went smoothly. Congratulations to all of St. Francis for being the wonderful, Christ-centered community that you are! - Fr. Kevin
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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
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St. Francis-in-the-Fields | 610-647-0130 | 689 Sugartown Road, Malvern, PA 19355 |
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