Welcoming everyone to walk through our doors on the journey to Christ
Lent

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

~
Worship at St. David's Services :

Sunday Services will be held live on St. David Episcopal Church Face Book page at 10 am


There will be no in person worship until further notice:
St. David's Episcopal Church
Worshipping with Covid-19



There’s a curse, purported to be Chinese, but really English (there is no evidence of it in Chinese literature, but it’s all over English literature): May you live in interesting times. Here we are. I’m not sure whether we’re cursed or blessed to live in these times. In the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Frodo says to Gandalf, “I wish none of this ever happened.” Gandalf replies, “So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” This is the time that have been given to us.

           After 34 years in ministry, I have to come to the unshakeable conclusion that the Church is not ours, but God’s. What we have to do is decide to be faithful. If we are faithful, we know that God is faithful. We can be sure that God will still be here after these times are over, and because the Church is God’s Church, the Church will be here when these times are over.

           St. David’s has been through challenges before, and I have every confidence that St. David’s will still be here when these times are over. I have every confidence that St. David’s will be here through these times, helping us all to survive them. We will look different coming out the far side of this time, but because of the faithfulness of our God, we can be sure that we will look more like what God wants for us than going in. Jesus had to pass through the crucifixion, but the resurrection proved that, even through that, God remains faithful. Whatever season it is when we can gather again, we will gather for the Easter liturgy!! We will have been through our own tomb, and come to life again. This will be the longest Lent any of us have lived through, but Easter always comes at the end of Lent.

           The Vestry will meet virtually on Monday, and we will discuss ways we can continue to be the church without gathering physically. Obviously, we will have virtual worship, but not everyone in the congregation has access to the internet, so we will have to find ways of staying connected with everyone. We will also have to find ways to be about what God has called us to. The vision statement for the Diocese of Central New York is “A World Healed by Love.” How can we take our part in realizing that vision? We need that world now more than ever. St. David’s can play a part. We will be exploring that as a parish in every way we can.

           Now, for some nuts and bolts: Kristen and I will continue to keep our office hours at St. David’s. Because there are only ever two of us in the office at once, we can continue to be here. However, if you need to reach me outside of office hours, don’t hesitate to call my cell phone: 314-443-1123. My cell phone is on the bedside table at night, and I answer it. Also, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, if you hear of someone in the congregation who needs contact, who has a pastoral need, don’t assume I know. Call me. I would rather receive 20 phone calls about someone needing pastoral care, than not to know the situation.

           As a church, we are in each other’s business. If you’re worried someone would rather I not know something, call me anyway. I’ll keep things confidential. We have to use extra care to make sure no one falls off the edge of this community. I don’t have ESP, but I do have a telephone. Call me. Let me know who needs a touch (not a physical touch! but a reach out). This becomes the responsibility of all of us during this time. We won’t be able to fill each other in at coffee hour, or in other ways. Keep your ears open, and let me know.

           Let’s use this time to dream a new dream for St. David’s. Even if we had scheduled a Celebration of the Arts this year, it wouldn’t happen. Here’s our stake in the ground, the dividing line between what was and what will be. We will treasure all the good things of the past (this parish knows how to survive – by God, it’s stubborn, and that’s a good thing), and use those things going forward. I am praying for all of you in my private prayers.

           So, also, if you want to join me for prayer in the morning, I say Morning Prayer every morning but Sunday at 6:40 am. I’ll be streaming it live on Facebook (you don’t need a Facebook account – just go to this url:  https://www.facebook.com/StDavids. I’ll leave it recorded on the timeline, so you can join in even if you aren’t up at 6:40.

           For Sunday worship, you can go to the same url at 10:00 am, and find it streamed live there. I hope to be able to use the comments on the post to receive your prayer requests when we get to the Prayers of the People. We’ll see how it all works.

           I know Linda Williams and Mike Kimber are trying to figure out how often we can do Samaritan Sandwiches, and they may be in touch with some of you to come and make sandwiches. The Bishop wants us to continue feeding ministries around the Diocese, but we’ll have to be careful with physical distancing, and all the rest.

           I want to pass on what I think is really good piece of advice: Don’t modify your behavior to avoid infection; assume you ARE infected and modify your behavior to avoid transmission. Be safe.

March 22, 2020
Fourth Sunday in Lent

Sunday Services will be held live on St. David Episcopal Church Face Book page at 10 am



To get The Book of Common Prayer:


No in person worship until further notice

Contact St. David's

 
Contact information for, Parish Office
St. David's Episcopal Church-14 Jamar Drive DeWitt, NY 13214
(315)446-2112
Office hours Monday -Thursdays 9:00am-12:00pm or by appointment


Email:

Website:



Dan's Blog:    


St. Davids Dewitt:


CNY Episcopal Diocese:


Episcopal Church:



Keep in your prayers:

Josh Echols
Maureen Kimber
Frank Beadel
Kevan Spencer
Patrick Coyle
Isabella Songco
Daniel Healey
Warren Bickerton
Hall  Orcutt
Frank Cinque
Judy McCumber
James McDermott
Louise Crozier
Fran ç oise Boulanger
Renate Seel
Lois Shaffer
Owen Hunter
Tom Murphy
Rose Demagio
Mary Lou Crowley
Tim Orcutt
Yvonne Shaw
Diana Smith
Judy Finlayson
Colleen Bain  
Miggs Coleman
Corinne Farnham
Lisa Smith
Prayer of the Blessed Sheep

 
 
We all know this Sunday’s psalm. We’ve heard it in movies and on TV shows and at funerals. We’ve heard it in funerals in movies and on TV. We’ve prayed it in times of stress, or maybe, as I often do, to go to sleep at night. Although most of us go automatically to the KJV of it, with its magisterial language, translators are continually rewording it, trying to get the nuances of the psalm right.

For instance, listen to these different interpretations of the first verse alone:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. (NKJV)
Yahweh is my shepherd; I lack nothing, (New Jerusalem)
O God, You are my shepherd; I shall not be in want. (St. Helena Psalter)
O my Beloved, You are my shepherd, I shall not want; (Nan C. Merrill, Psalms for Praying)
The Lord takes care of me as his sheep; I will not be without any good thing. (Bible in Basic English) 
God is my Shepherd! I don’t need a thing! (The Message)

For full article: Click Here

Written by Rev. Leslie Scoopmire
Lenten Supper Series

Do to the Corona virus we will be meeting virtually to discuss our book, at 6:00pm..

To join the discussion please download our virtual meeting place on Zoom

Zoom: Click Here

Meeting ID: 393 321 833
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Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/abVtzqC7H0

The book discussion for Lent is:


To buy from Amazon: Click Here

Everyone is invited to join our discussion. Invite your friends and neighbors. While you are encouraged to read the book, it is not necessary to join our community for this program. The discussion may bring you inspiration during this season of Lent.





We welcome you to worship with us.

 
 

 Pastoral Care:

*  If you or a family member is sick or in the hospital.
* You are planning a meeting or scheduling an event so it can be placed on the church calendar.
* A baby is expected in your family.
* You want to arrange a baptism, affirmation of baptism, wedding or house blessing.
* When a family member has died.
* Your telephone, email or address is changed or if you are planning to move locally or out of town.
* You feel the church can help you in any way.



codFISH

(Community of DeWitt Friends in Service Here)
Is a volunteer transport service to medical and dental appointments at no cost for residents of the Town of DeWitt. For more information please visit our website  

Altar Guild

If you'd like to have flowers on the altar in memory of a loved one or to celebrate a special occasion please contact the office (315-446-2112).

Plants at St. David's

Our plants at St. David's are on a set watering and feeding schedule. The flower guild asks that ONLY guild members attend the plants.
Samaritan Sunday Sandwich

When our sandwiches were delivered this past Sunday by Linda Williams to the Samaritan Center, she found that they were not serving hot meals, the bathrooms were closed, and they were only allowing a few at a time to come in. A handful of volunteers, all in safety garb, were bagging sandwiches/subs and cookies for them to carry out.

The 2 staffers were very appreciative of our donation and when I asked about what else we could do, they wondered if we could bring more sandwiches and pre-packaged cookies.
Please consider these needs:

  • Meet at Church every Wednesday at 11am to make sandwiches (time can be changed)
  • Setting up 3 double tables around the room to still have social distance
  • Continue to use the gloves, hats and not touching faces
  • 9 volunteers seemed to work in the past
  • A standard committee, not necessarily 9, who will agree to come each week
·      
Donations are needed to provide this weekly service for our Samaritan Center clients
……$100 seems to be the average
……Any amount would be accepted
·         …… Pre-packaged cookies are needed and can be dropped off at the church while Kristen is there

The Samaritan Center is also in need of these items:

  • Prepackaged cookies
  • To go containers
  • Plastic forks & spoons
  • Bottled water
  • Bottled juices
  • Sandwiches or any kind on any bread
  • And the "bad" plastic bags if anyone cares to give them up 


Please contact Cherie, or myself email: lindaverniwiliiams@gmail.com , 315-637-6952
Thank you for all you have done so far. Please be safe yourselves.

Sincerely, Linda
Prayer List

We are trying to be sure that our prayer list is as updated as possible and certainly don't want to remove someone that should be on it. If you know of someone should be removed please let the office know. Thank you.


March
 

March 26 Parish office Closed

March 23 Vestry Meeting
 
Sunday March 22, 2020

1 Samuel 16:1-13

T he Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.” Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” He said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.

Ephesians 5:8-14
O nce you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light— for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
“Sleeper, awake! 
Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”


John 9:1-41

A s Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.”

The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.

Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”