FIELDNOTES

March 2025

 The Monthly Newsletter of 

St. Francis-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church

Malvern, Pennsylvania

“Stand Up and Walk”

Recently, I’ve been thinking about a story from the Gospels (Mt. 9:2-8; Mk. 2:1-12; Lk. 5:17-26). It’s the story of the paralyzed man, famously reported in Mark and Luke as having been lowered through the roof by his friends in order to get past the crowd where Jesus can lay his hands on him and heal him. If you remember the story, you might recall some “showmanship” on Jesus' part. The man is obviously being brought to Jesus in order to heal his paralysis, and yet Jesus, knowing full well what’s expected of him, begins the encounter by forgiving his sins.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with forgiving sins. That is, in fact, the ultimate point of this story: that Jesus has authority on Earth to forgive sins. But there is meaning to Jesus’ method here. What the people see happen (healing) bears witness to what they cannot see happen (sins being forgiven). As Jesus says in Luke, “Which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven you”, or to say, “Stand up and walk”?” The answer, of course, is that it’s easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven”. But in order to demonstrate the one message - the forgiveness of sin - he must also demonstrate the other. He must heal the man, and bid him stand up and walk.

In the Christian Church, we make many claims and pronouncements that often lack tangible demonstration. Among other things, for example, we pronounce the forgiveness of sin, we declare the unconditional love of God, and we proclaim Jesus as Lord of all. Within our faith tradition, these are powerful and important statements. But no matter how vital these claims are to us as Christians they are still, as Jesus puts it, “easier to say”. To demonstrate that God’s people on Earth have the blessings they claim, we must let our words be demonstrated in actions. “Show me your faith without works,” we read in James 2:18, “and I by my works will show you my faith.”

That said, it was so heartening this past week when Jill Quinn and I loaded the biggest portion of 2,146 diapers, and 5,732 diapers, in the back of her SUV. The overall donation to the West Chester Food Cupboard was so big that we couldn’t fit it all in Jill’s car. How many lives will that touch? How many babies will be cared for? How many parents will be spared having to choose between food and health? Each and every one of those diapers and wipes were a statement of faith. They were a witness to God’s presence in our community. Our way of saying to our neighbors “stand up and walk.”

In this time of increasing uncertainty, as more governmental and systemic community support across the board is curtailed or outright eliminated, the “easier” words of Christianity - forgiveness, love, lordship - will only carry as much weight and authority as the harder and more tangible acts of Christian compassion can give them. If we truly believe in things like forgiveness of sin, unconditional love, and the lordship of Jesus Christ, we’ll need to demonstrate those beliefs - as both individuals and as a community - through the values we embody.

But that, of course, is what it means to be a Christian in the first place. It isn’t that we are “saved by works,” as St. Paul reminds us, but that the faith we hold in our hearts is strong enough to suffuse our lives and make a tangible difference for our neighbors and for the world we all share. As we travel our Lenten journey this year, may the words we hear and sing and speak in worship on Sunday mornings transform us into living expressions of our faith, and may we embrace our neighbors not only as siblings whose sins are forgiven, but as beloved children of God who are invited to “stand up and walk”.

Fr. Kevin

Dear Friends:

Thank you soooo much for the cards, flowers, meals, and well wishes you gave me during my time off! They all helped with my recovery and definitely helped me stay up when I was down!!

I look forward to being back soon and being able to worship with everyone again!!

Much Love

Diane

Vestry Notes

On February 11, due to winter weather, the Vestry met via Zoom.  The meeting began with an opening devotional reading and reflection, followed by approval of the minutes of the previous meeting, with noted amendments. Accounting Warden Lisa Buono provided a brief financial report, noting that collections from pledge payments were ahead of schedule and the church remains in a good financial position. John Groch offered a brief progress report on the Season of Creation Fair planned for September 27.  A committee is in formation.  John Groch and John McGovern then reported on the separation of the Building and Grounds areas of church operation, an effort initiated by Vestry to clarify and divide responsibilities in these areas to improve oversight and accountability of vendors and volunteers. Fr. Kevin shared information about his upcoming plans for continuing education, which will be shared with the parish at a later date. For the remainder of the meeting, the Vestry engaged in an extensive discussion of the Sacred Ask, the Diocese of Pennsylvania’s request for financial support for its administrative and mission operations. This request is an important feature of the Vestry’s budget process.

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ALL Meetings, Events, and Repairs



PLEASE call (610-647-0130) or email (stfrancisfields@stfrancisfields.org) Diane Faison in the church office to schedule ANY events at the church!

Doing this helps prevent scheduling conflicts.

March 1: Men’s Breakfast Fellowship

The monthly Men’s Fellowship Breakfast will be held on Saturday, March 1 at 9:00am, at the West Chester Diner (1147 West Chester Pike). This is BYOB (“Bring Your Own Bucks”).

All men of St. Francis are welcome to attend.

March 4: Enneagram Growth Group

The Enneagram Growth Group meets on the 1^st Tuesdays of each month, from 6pm to 8pm, at the Dellaria residence in Paoli. The next meeting is Tuesday, March 4.

For more information, contact Fr. Kevin or Donna Dellaria (donnadellaria@gmail.com)

March 9: Acolyte & Youth Event

All Acolytes and youth, their siblings and parents, are invited to a special event on Sunday, March 9, after the 10:00am service.

We will have pizza for lunch and work on a special (secret) service project.

Those planning to attend should contact Fr. Kevin or David Brooks so we can get a head count for food.

March 22: Book Group

On March 21, the book group will be discussing

 A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell.

The never-before-told story of one woman's heroism that changed the course of the Second World War

In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: "She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her."

This spy was Virginia Hall, a young American woman--rejected from the foreign service because of her gender and her prosthetic leg--who talked her way into the spy organization deemed Churchill's "ministry of ungentlemanly warfare," and, before the United States had even entered the war, became the first woman to deploy to occupied France.

 On April 11. our selection will be Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.

They are an unlikely pair: George is "small and quick and dark of face"; Lennie, a man of tremendous size, has the mind of a young child. Yet they have formed a "family," clinging together in the face of loneliness and alienation. Laborers in California's dusty vegetable fields, they hustle work when they can, living a hand-to-mouth existence. But George and Lennie have a plan: to own an acre of land and a shack they can call their own.

BROWN BAG LUNCH

1.     Tuesday, March 25: “Sharing Vacation Pictures” – Larry & Helen Schroepfer: Please join us for Brown Bag Lunch on Tuesday, March 25 at Noon.  Larry and Helen Schroepfer will be our guest presenters, and they will share an overview of their 2018 trip to northern India, focusing on several places central to Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs. Bring your lunch and beverage and plan to arrive at 11:45 AM to allow time for mingling. Thank you

2.     Tuesday, April 22: “Church Farm School” – History of Church Farm School

3.     Tuesday, May 27: “A Civil Rights Journey” – Stephen Godsall-Myers

BBL Ministry Team: Shirley Warren, Cindy VanHefter, and Sheila Rees

Lenten Study: The Final Days

Our 2025 Lenten Study will be Matt Rawles’ The Final Days, a study of the Passion of Jesus Christ as seen through the different lenses of the four Gospels.

The study will have a Sunday morning (8:45am) and Wednesday morning (10:00am) option.

Classes will begin on Sunday, March 9, and Wednesday, March 12, and will continue respectively for six weeks.

Copies of the book are available in the Narthex for $15.00.

Other Lenten Opportunities



Some people have expressed a need for quiet, prayer, and slowness during this upcoming Lenten season. For that reason, St. Francis will be offering a time of Centering Prayer and quiet reflection in the Nave on Sunday evenings from 6:00pm to 6:45pm, led by Fr. Kevin.

Other people have expressed a need for more engagement and dialogue, and for that reason, St. Francis will once again be partnering with St. Peter’s Church for a series of discussions using a video produced by Bishop Mariann Budde entitled, “The Lost Art of Kindness: Civility as a Christian Calling.” Wednesday evenings, 6:00pm to 7:30pm, with a soup supper. All gatherings will be at St. Peter’s.

Spring Supper Six

After a successful re-launch of Supper Six last Fall, let’s keep the fun going with another Supper Six in April/May.

Supper Six is designed to help parish members get better acquainted with one another and to give new members a way to meet other members.  Participants are placed into groups of six, with one person or couple hosting an evening of dinner and fellowship at their house on a date agreed upon by the group.  A new member (or new member couple) is invited to join the group. 

In the Supper Six format, the host (couple or individual) provides the main course, and the others in the group provide an appetizer, salad, dessert, etc.; whatever your group decides to do. The main thing is to just have fun.

I will place a sign-up sheet in the narthex in early March. Please sign up, or contact me at jkculver26@gmail.com or 610-724-1322, if you have any questions or would like to participate in the Spring Supper Six.

I’m looking forward to a fun Spring Supper Six!

Judy Culver

Office of Government Relations

Immigration

The Episcopal Church is among dozens of multifaith plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the U.S. government’s recent rescission of guidelines that limited immigration enforcement in sensitive areas such as churches, schools, and hospitals.

Our Presiding Bishop said that “In God’s kingdom, immigrants and refugees are not at the edges, fearful and alone, but are the very center of God’s story.”

Things in Washington are moving so rapidly that the church has added a Tuesday 1:00 pm Zoom meeting devoted to immigration issues.

The web address below will take you to the National Episcopal Church site. Our church is active in many areas that may interest you. You can sign up for notices of meetings or just look around to see what’s there.

 https://www.episcopalchurch.org/ministries/office-government-relations/

Church Farm School

"Dear Parishioners of St. Francis in the Fields,

Thank you so much for the wonderful donations of clothing to the Griffin Clothes Closet! Your support makes a difference to each and every member of our community. Please know that we recognize and deeply appreciate your gifts.

Warmest regards, Tiffany Scott M.Ed. Interim Head of School"

We will resume collections again in the fall.

If you would like to learn more about Church Farm School, they will be presenting "The History of Church Farm School" at our Brown Bag Lunch on Tuesday April 22nd. Hope to see you then. Cindy VanHefter  cvanhefter@gmail.com

Circle of Friends

The Circle of Friends will meet in person, in the library, on Wednesday, February 26 at 5:30 pm.

If you are unable to join us in person but would still like to participate, packets can be prepared for pickup or delivery as needed. 

Please contact Shelley Steel at 610-299-3963 or shelleybsteel@gmail.com.

Ministry to Refugees

Nationalities Service Center is increasing its efforts to serve as many refugees as possible and is in need of sofas, upholstered chairs and kitchen tables and chairs. 

Please send photos to John Groch at 610-547-3583. 

NSC has many volunteer opportunities (nscphila.org).

Altar Flowers

Honor a loved one or celebrate a special occasion by signing up for our weekly flower memorials. For a donation of $50, your dedication will help adorn our altar with beautiful flowers during the service your choice and will brighten the life of a shut in.

To reserve a date, please use the book in the back of the church, find the date of your choice and fill in. Entries in pencil are only for one year and entries in pen will be considered permanent and reoccurring.  

Your generosity and remembrance will be a blessing to our parish community.

Thank you for your support! Pamela Hudson, 484-787-6669 

St. Francis-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church

689 Sugartown Road

Malvern, PA 19355

610-647-0130

stfrancisfields@stfrancisfields.org

stfrancisfields.org

The Very Rev. Kevin Dellaria, Rector

 Diane Faison, Parish Administrator & Deacon

Joe Perry, Music Director