The Monthly Newsletter of 

 

This past Sunday, as we hit Epiphany’s “mid-season” Sunday, we heard one of the most well known lines from the so-called “Minor Prophets”.

 

                       He has told you, O mortal, what is good;

                      and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

 

As I mentioned in my sermon, these qualities don’t always come either easily or naturally. If they did, Micah wouldn’t have needed to preach to Israel or Judah, and the history of the world in a great many ways would be very different. But we’re human, and our struggles with fear and self-preservation often leave us distant or even disconnected from these three, simple expectations. How, then, do we change? How do we “repent”, to use the scriptural term? In my 2023 Rector’s Address, I offered three practices for our community.

 

First, we need to grow deeper in our spirituality. It’s an oft-overused word, “spirituality,” but an important one. For Christians, the word is essentially short-hand for “relationship with God”. And, like it or not, building relationship with God takes work. It takes work, not because God is distant - indeed, I believe God is essentially with us, even down to our very DNA. But the great spiritual masters remind us that this imago dei - the “image of God” in which we are created - is often occluded, covered up. We don’t realize it’s there. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus named this tendency as, “the cares of this world, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things,” (Mark 4) which choke the Word spoken in our souls. To grow deeper spiritually, we need to recognize this temptation, and find ways to open back up to God. Worship, education, and service - especially done in Christian community - aid us in this growth.

 

Second, we need to grow taller in worship. Not “higher”, but taller. Imagine a giant tree as it stretches out into the world, its branches finding new breezes and new vantage points. There is a comfort in doing things the same way that brings blessing. This is one reason our liturgy is so powerful. But newness and diversity help us connect with God in unexpected ways, whether that means sitting in silence, or having hands laid on us, or being handed a piece of home-baked bread for communion. Worship is not just about words - songs and preaching, call and response - but about all the senses; all of the created order. To grow “taller” in worship will mean to stretch ourselves out and taste more of God’s delights as we turn our hearts heavenward. As we do that - as we “taste and see that the Lord is good” - we find fruit that must be shared: justice, mercy, humility. We find the growth we seek.

 

Finally, we need to grow wider in our embrace. There is no use embodying justice, or mercy, or humility if it’s only for our individual selves. Those very words are bound up with the call to reach out, to open the arms, to discover God in the Other. How can we make St. Francis known? How can we make ourselves, and our facilities, available? And how can we do it in such a way that promotes justice, mercy, and humility? My challenge in 2023 is that we learn to use more of the resources God has given us to educate, support, and heal our world. This is how we will grow wider in our embrace: by entering into relationships that challenge us to stretch out our arms and see the divine image in which everyone - - - everyone - - - is created.

 

What does the Lord require? Honestly, Micah’s answer is exciting. It’s what the world needs: Justice, mercy, humility. Willing hearts, serving one another. Will we work this year to live into Micah’s vision. I believe we will.

 

God bless,

 

Fr. Kevin+

St. Francis-in-the-Fields Calendar 

The next Men’s Fellowship Breakfast will be held on Saturday, February 4, at 9:00am, at the West Chester Diner (1147 West Chester Pike). This is BYOB (“Bring Your Own Bucks”).

We will be planning for the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper coming up on February 21^st. All men of St. Francis are welcome to attend.

The Feast of Candlemas (Feb. 2) commemorates the presentation of Christ in the Temple and the ritual purification of Mary, his mother, as recorded in Luke 2:22-40. (It also has particularly Pennsylvanian ties to what we call “Groundhog Day”.)

It is customary on this day to bless candles that have been brought to church by parishioners. This year, St. Francis will celebrate Candlemas on Sunday, February 5^th.

We invite all in attendance to bring a special candle that day to receive a blessing for the year.

February 7 - Barbara Rivers and her husband, Greg Kopia, will share photos and talk about their trip to Kenya last August. They visited conservancies where rescued animals are nurtured, and safari parks, where the animals are protected and able to thrive in their natural environment.

Over the years when we have parishioners present on trip like the one Barbara and Greg went on, the attendance rate was always high. So, please save Tuesday, February 7 on your calendars and we look forward to seeing you.

Fr. Kevin’s Study of the Book of Revelation is held on Sunday mornings from 9 to 9:30am. The study is held in-person, but also livestreamed and recorded on the St. Francis YouTube channel.

A powerful true story that follows young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Michael B Jordan) and his battle for justice as he defends Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx) who is sentenced to death despite evidence proving his innocence.

Magnolia Palace, by Fiona Davis

The Men’s group of St. Francis is pleased to announce the return of a traditional Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper on Tuesday, February 21^st. Serving will being at 6pm.

Ash Wednesday services will be held on Wednesday, February 22^nd, at 12pm and 7pm. Make plans now to step into the holy season of Lent with boldness and commitment as we head toward Holy Week and Easter.

Start your journey through Lent exploring the Spirit’s movement in your life with the power of images, led by Donna Dellaria, LPC. Join us for a day of reflection, creativity, and laughter. You will be guided to use collage to create a unique project showing your goals and hopes (think “vision board”) while also representing and offering up struggles and challenges you are working to overcome.

This class is best enjoyed by individuals with little to no artistic talent! Saturday, February 25^th, from 10am to 2pm. A $25 fee covers supplies and lunch. Ages 15+ welcome.

St. Francis will return to the use of the Common Chalice on the 1st Sunday in Lent, February 26, 2023, and the use of individual cups will be retired.

Lenten Study: Entering the Passion of Jesus

The Lenten Study for 2023, led by Fr. Kevin, will be Amy-Jill Levine’s Entering the Passion of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Week. Dr. Levine is a Jewish scholar and professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School.

One study group will take place during the Wednesday Bible Study (10am to 11:30am). Fr. Kevin will also offer a Wednesday evening study if enough people are interested.

Please let Fr. Kevin know.

Circle of Friends is a pastoral care ministry of note writing (birthday, get well, thank you, encouragement, etc.)

The Circle of Friends will meet in person, in the library, on Wednesday, February 22 at 5:30 pm. If you are unable to join us in person but would still like to participate, please contact Sue Lenkaitis. Packets can be prepared for pickup or delivery as needed.

I’m proposing that the group meet on-line every 2^nd week for 90 minutes, over a 3 month period, with an organizational meeting and first discussion the week of February 27^th. If this piques your interest, let me know, and if needed I’ll circulate a poll for possible times and dates. Possibilities are Tuesday afternoon or evening, Thursday morning or afternoon, and Friday morning. Morning sessions would begin at 10:30, afternoon at 1:30 and evening at 7. (Two sessions are possible if numbers would allow for freer discussion.)

Ample copies of the book are available from on-line dealers. The only difference between the anniversary edition and the 1^st edition is a second introduction and a 2-page difference in numbering. You would need to procure your own copy.

Please respond by February 15^th if you are interested, and indicate your 1^st and 2^nd choices for a time to meet. 

John Woodcock  pastorsheepngoat@gmail.com

Furniture collection for the refugee ministry will resume in mid-to-late-March. Due to a great deal of interest in the program, congregation members looking for other ways to assist refugees, either on a one-time or regular basis, are encouraged to visit the website of Nationalities Service Center (nscphila.org). The site provides opportunities to support individuals and families by purchasing household items or devices on "wish lists." 

Fr. Kevin will be away on sabbatical from May 22 through September 10. The Sabbatical Committee is planning a special sendoff celebration for the Dellaria’s family on Sunday, May 21 (after worship). Please save this date on your calendars.

Sabbatical Planning Committee Members: Jane Brooks, Don Jenkins, Fr. Kevin, Nancy Needhammer, Joe Perry, Jill Quinn, John Woodcock (Pastoral Consultant) and Shirley Warren (Chair).

Each Sunday the altar is adorned with fresh flo0wers which are sent out to shut in parishioners at the conclusion of the service. The

flowers are arranged by the flower guild for the purpose of beautifying the altar for worship and then removed and made into bouquets which are delivered by pastoral visitors. We have asked parishioners to dedicate the flowers in memory of a loved one, for the birth of a child, for the celebration of a birthday or anniversary and any other significant occasions.

The cost to donate a week is $50.00. There is a book in the rear of the church marked “Flowers” used to sign up for the week you are interested in. It is totally acceptable for more than one family to sign up for the same week.

There are upcoming opportunities to sign up for

February 5, 19, 26

March 5, 12,19,26.

Please consider signing up. If you have questions, please call me.

Thanks, Pam Hudson

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.

Baptism is the rite of the Church initiating a new member into the Body of Christ. As declared in the Baptismal Covenant, Baptism comes with expectations and responsibilities for the Baptized, their sponsors (i.e., parents & Godparents), and the Congregation as a whole.

Additionally, according to The Book of Common Prayer (pg. 312), there are four Sundays on the liturgical calendar (the “Church Year”) when Baptisms are most appropriate: The Feast of the Baptism of our Lord (1^st Sunday after the Epiphany), the Great Vigil of Easter, Pentecost, and All Saint’s Day (or the Sunday after). A fifth option includes any service of Holy Eucharist over which the Bishop presides.

Washington Memorial Chapel is hosting a series of talks on C.S. Lewis led by Dr. Stewart Goetz, Professor of Philosophy at Ursinus College and Visiting Scholar at St. Peter’s College, Oxford.

The five-week series, beginning 8 February, will be held on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM at the Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge. Doors will open at 6:30 PM for social time with refreshments.

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.

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.