This Week at Saint Andrew's |
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Welcome to our newsletter for the week beginning April 1, 2021. We hope to provide current information and keep you connected to our family. |
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Dear Friends,
I greet you this Holy Thursday hoping that you will join Rick and me tonight, for our Maundy Thursday service, as we continue our journey to the resurrection. I hope you all received the email listing all our services times. If you did not, see below or go to our website and all the information is there.
This will be the second Holy Week we have experienced since the beginning of the pandemic. I, along with all of you, wish so much that we could be back in the church. I was reflecting on how I feel different this time compared to last year as we enter Holy Week. How are you feeling? How is it different for you? Last year we had no idea what was in front of us. No idea as to how the world was going to change. Clinging on to one another, we were afraid, sad, anxious and angry. We were yearning, seeking and praying for the hope of the resurrection. In some ways, it was the most powerful Easter I have ever experienced.
This past Monday I got my first shot. When I arrived at my location I was feeling nervous and relieved, but as I went through the lines and check points I was feeling less anxious and getting more excited. The people working there were incredible. We were like a herd of people moving from one spot to another. It was almost like a pilgrimage. After I completed the process, I continued my pilgrimage, walking to the parking lot, with the rest of my herd, when I was hit with this powerful emotion of grief and sadness. I had something in my arm that was going to save me. A vaccine that hundreds of thousands of people did not have the opportunity to get. Hundreds of thousands who lost their lives.
This year, as we enter Holy Week, I am feeling less anxious, but the sadness is still there. I need this Holy Week and the Easter hope more than ever. We are at a different point this year compared to last year, but the future is still an unknown. As we continue our journey, let us continue to cling to one another, soaking in the hope and love of the resurrection, and then let us pray for the strength to share that hope and love. Let us pray that we can be people of hope and love bringing healing into our world.
Grace and Peace,
Peter
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Upcoming Holy Week Services |
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Maundy Thursday (4/1)
- 6 PM Maundy Thursday Liturgy
The service will be live streamed and available for viewing on demand on the St Andrew's Facebook page.
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Good Friday (4/2)
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Noon - Stations of the Cross - no bulletin needed.
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6 PM Good Friday Liturgy
The service will be live streamed and available for viewing on demand on the St Andrew's Facebook page.
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Great Vigil (4/3)
Bishop John Harvey Taylor invites the diocesan community to the service of The Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday, April 3 at 8 p.m., coordinated by the Rev. Canon Susan Russell with participation by Taylor, Bishop Suffragan Diane M. Jardine Bruce and Canon to the Ordinary Melissa McCarthy and people from all over the diocese.
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Easter Sunday (4/4)
The service will be live streamed and available for viewing on demand on the St Andrew's Facebook page.
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Second Sunday of Easter (4/11)
Bishop John Harvey Taylor invites the diocesan community to the Second Sunday of Easter service on Saturday, April 11 at 10 a.m., coordinated by Bishop John Harvey Taylor and Canon Kathy O'Connor.
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Virtual Coffee Hours - 11:00 AM - No Coffee Hours Easter Sunday
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Contact the office to get involved in our Virtual Coffee Hours and connect with your fellow congregants. It's never too late to join. Coffee hours take place at 11:00 AM on Sunday. |
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Please consider donating to support our ministry. |
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Easter 2021 Message from Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry |
When I get to heaven — and I know it may sound presumptuous for me to say it, but I live by grace and believe in amazing grace — when I get to heaven, I certainly want to see the Lord. But I want to see dear members of family and friends, those who have gone on before, the many people I want to sit down and have some conversation with. Of all the biblical people, aside from the Lord himself, when I get to heaven, I want to meet Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene, who was one of the people, one of the women, who followed the way and teachings of Jesus and who probably provided much of the funding for his movement. Mary Magdalene, who with some of the other women and only one of the male disciples, stood with his mother, Mary, at the cross as he died. Mary Magdalene, who, even after he died, on that Easter morning, got up with some of the other women early in the morning, before the day had begun, in the dark, got up to perform the rituals of love to anoint the body of Jesus in his grave.
I want to ask her, “Mary, tell me what got you up that day. Tell me what got you to go to the tomb early in the morning when it was dark, and you could barely see. Why did you get up and go to anoint his body? Mark’s Gospel says that you and the other women said to each other, you knew that Jesus had been buried in that tomb that had been provided by Joseph of Arimathea, with Nicodemus’ help, but a large stone had been rolled in front of the doorway, into the tomb. And one of the women said to the other, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us?’ You knew the stone was there. You knew you couldn’t move it. And yet you got up and you went anyway. Mary, tell me your secret.”
I suspect she probably will say, “Well, we didn’t know how we were going to roll away the stone, but we loved him, and we got up and went anyway. It was hard because it was dark, but we loved him, and we got up and we went anyway. Those roads could be dangerous at night, but we love Jesus, and we got up and we went anyway. Who will roll away the stone for us? We did not know, but we loved him, and we got up and we went anyway. And let me tell you what love can do for you. When we got to the tomb, the stone had already been rolled away. And we shouted our hallelujahs, and shouted our hallelujahs. He is risen.”
Last year in March, on March 13th to be precise, another Mary Magdalene, her name, Barbara, Barbara Clementine Harris, bishop of the church, a voice of love, and justice, and compassion, a voice of deep and profound faith, first woman to be consecrated a bishop in Anglican Christianity, died and entered eternal life. This was early in the pandemic. Fortunately for us, Dean Kelly Brown Douglas had worked with Bishop Barbara to make sure that her memoir was completed, and they completed it. She gave it the title from the words of a gospel song that says, and I quote:
Hallelujah anyhow
Never let your troubles get you down
Whenever troubles come your way
Hold your hands up high and say
Hallelujah anyhow!
Those words characterize the life of Bishop Barbara: hallelujah anyhow. In spite of hardship and difficulty, hallelujah anyhow. In spite of injustice and bigotry, hallelujah anyhow. In spite of war and violence, hallelujah anyhow. And that, my friends, is the spirit of Mary Magdalene. That, my friends, is the tenacity of those who would follow in the footsteps of Jesus and his way of love. In spite of hardship and toil, hallelujah anyhow. In spite of the fact that this Easter is the anniversary of the assassination and the martyrdom of Martin Luther King, Jr., hallelujah anyhow. In spite of the fact that these are hard times, hallelujah anyhow.
Our work goes on. Our labor for love continues. We will not cease, and we will not give up until this world reflects less our nightmare and more God’s dream where there’s plenty good room for all God’s children. Hallelujah anyhow.
When I get to heaven, I can’t wait to hear Mary Magdalene and Bishop Barbara tell me he’s risen. Hallelujah anyhow. Amen.
El mensaje del obispo Curry se puede leer en español aquí.
Bishop Curry's message may be read in Spanish here.
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Presiding Bishop Curry calls for Good Friday Offering to support ministry in Jerusalem, Middle East |
In his Good Friday letter, Presiding Bishop Curry asks each Bishop and congregation to consider providing assistance for the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East.
First gathered in 1922, the initial Good Friday Offering was an intentional response of The Episcopal Church to support Anglican ministries in the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East that were impacted by the devastation of World War I, the Spanish flu pandemic, and social and political unrest affecting Armenian Christians, among others throughout that region.
A lifeline of hope in times of genuine need in years past, the Good Friday Offering continues to support churches, medical programs and schools today.
In his 2021 letter, Bishop Curry writes, “This prior era a century ago reminds us that ours is not the only time in which forces beyond our control affect the lives of God’s people. We are all aware that the Covid-19 pandemic has affected virtually every person on the planet in one way or another. . . “
“I am sorely aware of the needs of our own families, churches and communities in this most difficult time. For those who are able to give, the Good Friday Offering is a reminder for our Anglican brothers and sisters in the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East that The Episcopal Church stands in solidarity with them in Jesus’ Name.”
Due to the variety of ways we find ourselves gathering to worship together, gifts can now be made online or via text giving in addition to mail. Information is available online here.
Bishop Curry's letter is available in English, Spanish, Mandarin and French here. For more information, contact the Rev. Canon Robert Edmunds, Episcopal Church Middle East Partnership Officer, here.
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Orange County has the third largest Asian population in the country and Irvine has the largest number in the county. The rise in hate crimes against those of Asian heritage is alarming and unacceptable and we can do our part to stop such acts. California Penal Code 422.55 defines a hate crime as a criminal act committed, in whole or in part, because of one or more of the following actual or perceived characteristics of the victim. This includes:
- Disability
- Gender
- Nationality
- Race or ethnicity
- Religion
- Sexual orientation
- Association with a person or group of persons with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics
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Virtual Sunday School- Who is Jesus Series
This 4-week series is in preparation for Easter. We are using a Kahoot Challenge format to deliver the virtual Sunday School lesson for kids aged 5-13 each week. Kahoot Challenges can be completed anytime and are self-paced. Use the link or game pin below to access the lesson. The Kahoot challenges can handle a huge amount of players, so non-kids are welcome to check it out too.
For parents who signed up for the Zoom Indoor Scavenger Hunt on Easter Sunday, 3pm-3:30pm, look for the email containing the Zoom link that was sent to you from Michelle Schonken. If you want to sign up or need the Zoom link again, let her know at [email protected].
Lesson: Jesus, Our Savior
The video and Resurrection Egg activity are within the Kahoot Challenge below.
Click the Kahoot Challenge URL:
Or you can go to Kahoot.it in your browser or the app and use the Game Pin: 0637650
If you have any questions or feedback on St. Andrew's Sunday School, please contact Michelle Schonken at [email protected].
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Volunteer Opportunity at Woodbridge Manor |
St. Andrew’s volunteers bag food for approximately 115 residents at this apartment complex for low income seniors and disabled adults. We have a group of loyal volunteers and we can always use more help. If you can help we’d love to have you join us. We meet every other Monday at 10 am. It takes about 2 hours. The Food Bank at Woodbridge Manor will be open on March 8 and March 22.
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The book group meets virtually at 11AM on Wednesdays followed by Noonday prayer. For March 10 we will begin reading Nisei Radicals: The Feminist Poetics and Transformative Ministry of Mitsuye Yamada and Michael Yasutake, by Diane C. Fujino. Please read chapter 3 for March 24 and chapter 4 for March 31. If you would like to be part of this group, please contact the office and we will add you to the group. Newcomers are welcome.
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Please remember those who need your daily prayers. Prayer requests may be sent to [email protected]
For the Government and the Nations of the World: Joseph, our President, Gavin, our Governor; for the Congress and Supreme Court of the United States
For the Church: Justin, Archbishop of Canterbury; Michael, Presiding Bishop; John and Diane, Bishops of the Diocese; Suheil, Bishop of Jerusalem; Peter, Rick, Thomas, priests; Kathy & Chuck, Wardens; For the Bishop's Committee and the Saint Andrew's Children’s Center; and for the ministry of Canterbury Irvine
For Healing: Dorothy Hawkins, Lyle, Scott, Judy Clericuzo, Kathleen Karnowski, Robin, Sandy Wilson, Scarlet, Mollie, Mitsuye, Lyle Menzel, Kathy Kucynski, John Selman, Bill & Jeni, Steadman, Patty Vera, Tom, Nora Antenore, Patti, Jerry, Kevin Brennan, Liz Hyslop, James Jackson, David, Jenny, Perry Vicente, Cynthia, Carl Abend, Jennie Selman, Corinne Lakes, Kris & Jenny, Karen P., Kenna, Frank Seaman, Chip, Amir, Mrs. Lee, Pat, Marlene Sassaman, Debbie Dignan, Blair, Jim, Joe, Susan W, Dan, Susan, Don James, Bryce, Jeannie Bodrogi,Truly Mount, Deb & Ka rl, Cheryl Ruggio
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For Long-Term Needs: A.A. groups, Harriet Cole, Jack Selman, Debbie Hamada , Nick Hurey, Shane Statum, Nancy Lockwood, Jerry & Wanda Lay, David, Theresa, Ned, Jack Burelison, Barbara Weinstock, Ann Lawrence and her family, Patti, Heather, John, Brent, Donna Westlund, Sarah Hudson, Glenda Watson,Leslie Ennis, Sherin, Knox, Vicky Carham, Carol, Chris Bennett, Gayle, Larry Lee, Marjorie Hendrickson, Merrilee Gardner, Susan D'Zmura, Bob Mitchell, Anna, Lee Daniels
For Guidance: Mike Catalano, Mikaela, Stephanie, Eric and Meghan
For Those Serving in the Military:
For Pets: Maggie, Smudges
For Those in College: Grace, Gage Monroe, Donny, Monica, Daniel, Sarah, Ryan, Louis, Evan, Hank, Jack, Shannon, Kiley Selman, Kate
Celebration of Birth: Josephine Kay Sardo, Hazel Jeanne, Rhys Toon Donaldson, Penelope Baldo
Comfort for: Karnowski Family, Perez Family, Jeff & Debby, Cartelli & Hughes families, Hill Family, Thompson Family, Melissa, Sarah, Elizabeth and their families.
Repose of the Soul: Betty Hughes, Eugene Doepping, Gary Snead, George Regas, Ken Hughes, Gable, Jeannie Yugar, Doug Hill, Kyle Thompson, Jenny Ladefoged, Melodi and Abigail, Bill Hewitt, Ken Morgan, Dorothy Leslie Murray Hawkins
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Centering Prayer - Message from StillPoint |
Virtual Centering Prayer: In a time of uncertainty, it can be challenging to find time for quiet and reflection. All are welcome to join Stillpoint in a half hour of Centering Prayer any weeknight from 5:30-6. A link and more information on the practice is available at stillpointca.org/still-points.
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If you know of someone in our church family who is sick, in the hospital or in need of pastoral care please notify the office or clergy. |
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If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the office via phone 949-559-4699 or by email [email protected].
The Rev. Peter Browning, Vicar
The Rev. Rick Whittaker, Assisting
Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church
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Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church| 949-559-4699| [email protected]| www.standrewsirvine.org |
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