Acts of the Apostles – 02/06/2022

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THIS SUNDAY
5thSunday after the Epiphany

9AM Family Eucharist on the Lawn
Join us on the lawn under the tent with heaters or
Listen on 92.3fm on your car radio in our parking lot

10AM Holy Eucharist, Rite II in the Church
Baptism of Nora Sandra Wagner
Masks are required in the church building
Watch the broadcast on our YouTube channel
Service Material can be found on our website

Scripture readings for 5th Sunday after the Epiphany
Isaiah 6:1-13
Psalm 138
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Luke 5:1-11

You can view our live-stream on our YouTube channel.
A link to this video will be posted to Facebook.

Sunday, February 6, 2022 – 5th Sunday after the Epiphany

Family Service on the Lawn
Holy Eucharist , 9AM
The Rev. James Stambaugh, celebrant & preacher

5th Sunday after the Epiphany – Baptism of Nora Sandra Wagner
Holy Eucharist, Rite II with Prayers of Spiritual Communion 10AM
The Rev. James Stambaugh, celebrant & preacher

Sunday, February 13, 2022 – 6th Sunday after the Epiphany
Feast of Blessed Absalom Jones

Family Service on the Lawn
Holy Eucharist, 9AM
The Rev. James Stambaugh, celebrant & preacher

Feast of Blessed Absalom Jones
Holy Eucharist, Rite II with Prayers of Spiritual Communion 10AM
The Rev. James Stambaugh, celebrant & preacher

WEEKDAYS

Morning Prayer – Mon, Tue, Wed and Thurs at 9:15AM
Morning Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer is a beautiful service and is very ancient. The Daily Office is simply a cycle of prayer services that are prayed at set hours of the day. If you cannot join us in person, you can pray Morning Prayer at home. The service begins on p. 75 in the BCP.

Confirmation Class -Tuesday at 6:30PM
If you’re part of the Confirmation & Dragons class, remember we’re meeting on Tuesday evening, under the tent on the lawn with HEATERS!!

Zoom Compline is held every night at 7:30PM
A brief time of prayer and checking in with other members of CHA
“Zoom Compline has been really helped me through this difficult time. It’s such a great way to close the day.” – CHA Member
Follow this link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/233415613?pwd=dTBDeUhrUUdSak9MS3RUaXdDSDhpUT09
or call into the meeting toll-free 1-888-475-4499. You will be prompted to enter this meeting ID: 233 415 613 and passcode: love

Zoom Bible Study is held every Thursday at 11AM
We are studying the Epistle of James. New folks are always welcome. No previous experience required.
Follow this link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/788355291?pwd=R2FQRWltZ01LWG92WGtPSm54cXJSUT09
or call 1-888-475-4499 US Toll-free. You will be prompted to enter this meeting ID: 788 355 291 and passcode: love

*note: the passcode for all CHA Zoom meetings is “love”

Cork Collection

We have an idea for a craft project for both the Summer School program at the Darby Rec Center and the clients at Project Share! We’d like to collect as many bottle corks as we can to be used in the creation of birdhouses. So bring us your corks and we’ll stockpile them until we have enough!

DARBY MISSION

The Darby Rec Center has reopened for food distribution only. The current plan is to restart Darby Dinners on March 1st. All are welcome to attend, even though we will not be hosting this particular dinner.

We hit our goals for neckties – thanks to all who have contributed! More shoelaces of any type would be most welcome.

Food Pantry – Wednesday February 16

Rev. Doris will hold a food giveaway on February 16. We would like to gather as many cans of hearty soups as we are able to contribute to the cause. When collecting PopTarts we broke 100 – let’s see if we can’t do that again!

• Any brand is fine – just make it the hearty type, please
• Flip tops are strongly preferred as they remove the need for a can opener
• Donations need to be received by Tuesday 2/15 to insure timely delivery
• You can leave your cans in the back pews, or in the Can-a-stoga wagon that will be by the tent this Sunday and next.

PROJECT SHARE

Lunches for March 2022

We are beginning to sign folks up for lunch prep for the month of March. The first week is covered, so we are looking for volunteers for the weeks of 3/13, 3/20 and 3/27. Be sure to check out the February newsletter for a detailed rundown of what’s required to provide these lunches.

Also, we will always accept donations of Apostle’s Cup coffee and Girl Scout cookies to keep the center stocked up with comfort treats.

Warm clothing; KN/N95 masks

We have expanded our collection efforts to include new warm socks and boots in addition to gently used coats. The coats can be for adult men or women, larger sizes and waterproof are best. We’ll be collecting them at the back of the church. If you can’t drop them by yourself, please contact Cassie (610-608-5440) or Katie (610-642-6617) to arrange for pickup.

+ NOTES FROM THE ANNUAL MEETING
In case you missed it, here are some notes from the Annual Meeting:

• Your 2022 Vestry: Linda Day, Lyn DeSilets, Jean-Laurent Gentile, Judi Kraft, David Lees, Toni Meiers, Annette Smith, Cassie Woestman Bold names are newly elected members. Many thanks for our departing Vestry members Meg Delevan, Mike Johnson and Suzanne Lees for their years of dedicated service. There is still one position open on the Vestry, with an option for a 2-year or 3-year term. If you are interested in serving Church of the Holy Apostles in this important way, please contact Fr. James or any of the Vestry members.
• 2021 Annual Reports and the 2022 Budget can be found here, and also linked off the About: Leadership: Vestry page of the website.
• Indoor mask use: We will be determining the need for indoor mask use based on the weekly number of new cases of COVID in Montgomery County. An increase of 5% or more will require face coverings; an increase of less than 5% will make them unnecessary for that week. Wearing a mask out of doors on the property is entirely up to the individual.
• Lenten program – Quest for the Holy Grail: Look for more information coming soon on this intriguing program about the common cup coming your way for the 2022 Lenten season.

+ FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER
You should have received your February newsletter this week. If you are not on our mailing list and would like to be, please contact Katie in the Parish Office and she’ll make sure you’re included in the next mailing – 610-642-6617 or holyapostlespa@gmail.com. Links to PDFs of the current newsletter and current Parish Prayer List can always be found at the bottom of the Worship With Us page of our website.

+ FAMILY SERVICE ON THE LAWN
We know it’s been cold lately, and Covid has spoiled our donut party for the time being, but we would still love to have you join us for some time with Jesus on the lawn on Sundays at 9AM. The heaters do a great job keeping the tent area cozy. And if that cold is just too much, you can listen to the service on your car radio in our parking lot. Just tune to 92.3 on your FM dial and you can listen to the Word, hear Fr. James’ message, and even enjoy the coloring pages and crayons while you listen! If braving the cold is just too much, we understand. Know that you are missed and we look forward to welcoming you back! Do check out our Facebook page (facebook.com/holyapostlespa) on Sunday afternoons for a posting of Fr. James’ object lesson – always an uplifting learning experience.

+ APOSTLE’S CUP
While we will not be holding coffee hour during this latest surge of Covid, we will continue to have bags of Apostle’s Cup coffee available for purchase between the 9AM and 10AM services. Bags are $15 each and $4 of every purchase goes directly to the Darby Mission to support their efforts in the community. In addition to purchasing coffee for your own use, you can purchase and designate bags for donation for use at the Darby Mission meals or for Project Share. You can also purchase Apostle’s Cup online directly from the House Cup website.

+ GIRL SCOUT COOKIES
Emma Gallagher is selling Girl Scout cookies again this year for Troop 7031!
$4 a box ($5 a bag for the Gluten Free) Emma will deliver to your home or can drop off cookies at church. Flavors this year are: Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties, Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Caramel Delights, Shortbreads, Lemonades, Toast Yays and Adventurefulls. Gluten Free are Caramel Chocolate Chip. The new cookie, Adventurefulls are a crispy chocolate brownie cookie with a salted caramel frosting and chocolate drizzle.

You can order directly from Emma through her personal link: www.tinyurl.com/emmagcookies or by texting Michelle at 610-659-2109. If ordering online, please remember to select Girl Delivery to avoid shipping charges! Emma and her troop thank you!!

+ MAY WE PRAY FOR YOU?
Intercession brings before God the needs of others (BCP p.857)
The Parish Prayer list is included in the monthly newsletter that is sent through the mail. Additional copies are also available on the table in the Narthex. To add your prayer needs to the list, you can contact Fr. James, Nancy Haas, or use the form on our website.

This week, please pray for Nancy and Vic Haas’s granddaughter, Felicity, who will be having surgery to release a tethered spinal cord. The surgery is sche4duled for Monday, 2/7, and she is expected to be in the hospital for 2-3 days. Prayers for Felicity and her parents – Lydia and Dave – are most appreciated.

+ CHURCH SERVICE ATTENDANCE
We look forward to seeing you back at church if you feel comfortable there. Masks will continue to be required in the church building when the active infection rate in Montgomery County is 5% and above. Services will also continue to be livestreamed on our YouTube Channel. Be sure to hit the SUBSCRIBE button!

+ EUCHARISTIC VISITS
During this time, the rector and trained Eucharistic ministers may visit others to bring them the Eucharist. Meeting in outdoor spaces of homes will be preferred. Contact Fr. James if you would like to schedule a visit.

+ GIVING
You can still mail pledge contributions to the church at this time. The mail is checked regularly. You can also securely give online. Go to holyapostlespa.org and click on the “Give” button on the top right hand corner of the webpage.

+ CHURCH OFFICE HOURS
Office hours for the week of February 6:
Tuesday – 2/8 – 10:00am – 3:00pm
Wednesday – 2/9 – 10:00am – 3:00pm
Friday – 2/11 – 9:00am – 12:00pm

+ CELEBRATING BELOVED ABSALOM JONES
A note from Bishop Daniel:

I want to invite you to a beautiful and profound event that speaks to our diocesan identity. On Saturday, February 12th and Sunday, February 13th our diocese will celebrate the feast of Blessed Absalom Jones.

The Rev. Absalom Jones was born into slavery and became the first Black priest ordained in The Episcopal Church – ordained right here in our diocese. This prophetic action testifies to the historic, revolutionary character of our diocese and has had a lasting impact on the entirety of The Episcopal Church.

Here are a few ways you can participate in February:

• The service on 2/12 will be a virtual celebration that showcases music from across the diocese and outside of our region. You can register for the event here. The Rev. Dr. Mark Andrew Jefferson from Virginia Theological Seminary will preach at the service.
• It is our prayer that a statue of blessed Absalom will be commissioned in the diocese. You can help us make this a reality by donating here.

It is my sincere hope that everyone in our diocese will attend this online service. Not only is it an opportunity to gather for worship; it is also a chance to deepen our understanding of this pioneer of racial justice and reaffirm our commitment to confronting and dismantling the sin of systemic racism.

In his Petition to the United States Congress in 1799, Jones wrote, “…the extending of justice and equity to all Classes would be a means of drawing down the blessing of Heaven upon this Land, for the Peace and Prosperity of which, and the real happiness of every member of the Community…”.

Please join me in commemorating this great and beloved son of our diocese.

+ FEMALE VETERAN MORAL INJURY HEALING CEREMONY
From The Rev. Canon Toneh Smyth:

We co-lead a female veteran moral injury program which includes a community healing ceremony where they share their military moral injury story as a part of their healing and reconciliation. This program combines psychological therapy (clinician from the Philly V.A.) and spirituality (our diocese). It began Spring of last year out of a response for a need for an all-female veteran group due to much of the moral injury stemming from sexual assault in the military.

This will be our 2nd ceremony. Community participation to hear the testimonies of these female veterans is important. Please share with your churches. Church presence is important as pastoral care is still more sought out for help before a therapist by veterans.

The ceremony will be held on 2.8.22 from 1600-1800. Training is not needed to attend….just your presence.

Please register on Eventbrite at:
https://female_veteran_community_healing_ceremony.eventbrite.com

Contact Canon Smyth for more information tsmyth@diopa.org.

+ PILGRIMAGE OF THE HOLY LAND
Join Bishop Gutiérrez from 8/27-9/6 on a pilgrimage of the Holy Land. You will pray your way through the holy sites of our faith and marvel at the present witness of our Episcopal sisters and brothers. Email the Rev. Canon Matthew Dayton-Welch, Canon for the Holy Land, for more details.

+ DIOCESE’S NEW LGBTQIA+ COMMITTEE INAUGURAL MEETING
On 2/8, queer members of the parishes of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, and their allies, are invited to attend the inaugural meeting of the Diocese’s new LGBTQIA+ Committee. Details.

+ STAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL DIOCESAN NEWS
Click here to receive the weekly newsletter from the diocese in your inbox.

The following folks have birthdays in the month of February:

6th – Carter Grant
12th – Jamieson Henderson
14th – Samantha Hasapes
17th – Mike Johnson
19th – Jamison Grant; Annie Neff; Kiera Patton
23rd – Lyn DeSilets; Lucas Johnson
24th – Jeremiah Mustered
27th – Meg Delevan; Alice Vroome
28th – Braeden Wherry; Colin Vroome

If your birthday, or the birthday of another parishioner is missing, please notify the Parish Office at holyapostlespa@gmail.com