Staying Safe and Staying Connected
Good Morning Saint Stephen’s Church,
We continue our life of daily prayer. The Lord be with you.
Today’s Prayer
Teach us, O God
Frank Colquhoun, 1997
to view our life here on earth
as a pilgrim’s path to heaven,
and give us grace to tread it courageously
in the company of your faithful people.
Help us to set our affections
on the things above,
not on the passing vanities of this world;
and grant that as we journey on
in the way of holiness
we may bear a good witness to our Lord,
and serve all who need our help
along the way,
for the glory of your name.
Frank Colquhoun was a vicar of the Church of England, religious instructor, and writer. He was a Canon Residentiary of Southwark and later Vice-Dean of Norwich. Colquhoun had patient, gentle and conciliatory character. He was a shy man who did not find a rapidly changing church in a rapidly changing world at all easy, but he was never confrontational. He wrote many prayers, was a collector of prayers, and he was beloved by many.
Our Prayers of the People
Today, let’s pray:
For the peace and unity of the Church of God; for all who proclaim the Gospel, and all who seek the truth.
For comfort and healing for all who are affected by the Coronavirus, and for physicians, nurses, and all others who minister to the sick and the suffering, may God grant them wisdom and skill, sympathy and patience, and may God keep them healthy and safe.
From the Parish Prayer Chain, let’s pray for Clark, Jim, Eunice, Mason, Millie, Jane and Bruce.
For those who are homebound: Stephen, Pauline, Joan, Janet and Marilyn.
Those who are imprisoned: especially the women in the Schenectady County Jail.
For those in need of healing: Cindi, Peter, Mary Frances, Debbie, Clark, Bud and Joe.
For all the blessings of this life.
For our dioceses in the Anglican Communion: Matana (Burundi), Wad Medani (Sudan) and Hyderabad (Pakistan)
For Travis – today is Travis’ baptismal anniversary!
For all who have died, especially Virginia, Louise, Theodore, Irwin and Eleanor.
For one another.
Something to share
Hope
Lori True, Sisters of St. Joseph, St. Paul, Minnesota
In these Lenten days,
O God, where we are called to empty ourselves of all that
distracts; of all that is not of you,
we find ourselves overwhelmed,
anxious and fearful of a future,
yet to be revealed.
By the grace of your Spirit,
send calm in the midst of panic,
wisdom in the midst of legislation,
creativity in the midst of confusion,
endurance in the midst of fatigue,
and your healing balm in the midst of all illness.
For you are our hope –
our Lenten Spring and Easter Joy,
and in these moments of deep despair
we will turn our hearts toward you,
we will rely on you, on whom we have set all our hope.
Amen
The MoonCatcher Project is also making facemasks for area hospitals
The MoonCatcher Project is shifting gears to address the shortage of face masks in our community. We are asking all of our sewers and non-sewers to join us as we construct these masks for local hospitals and health care organizations. Can you think of a better way to be at home during this global crisis?
For Local Volunteers:
· If you sew, and have materials, please start working on the masks using these instructions.
· We can get materials to you if you don’t have them. Just send an email to make arrangements.
If you want us to pick up completed masks and coordinate donation, please email us.
· Don’t sew? We need cutters! Fabric must be 100% cotton. Please make a pattern out of cardboard or paper — cutting rectangles of exactly 9″ X 6″ for adult masks or 7.5″ X 5″ for children. (No guesswork please!)
· Each mask requires 2 matching rectangles.
If you need material, please email us and we will get it to you for cutting.
· Please assemble cut rectangles in groups of 50 (25 sets of 2 matching rectangles) and email us to make a plan for pick up.
QUESTIONS? Please send an email to: Ellie von Wellsheim- ellie@mooncatcher.org
News and Updates
Habits of Grace; An Invitation from the Most Rev. Michael Curry:
As we learn how to adjust our lives given the reality of the coronavirus and the request to do our part to slow its spread by practicing social distancing, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry invites you to join him each week to take a moment to cultivate a ‘habit of grace.’ A new video meditation will be posted on Mondays through May. It can be found at episcopalchurch.org
Offerings by Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage and Washington National Cathedral:
Online: Listening for God @ 5:30 : Hear the word of God in reading Holy Scripture, in silence and by sharing with others in prayerful listening during this time of Lectio Divina, or holy reading.
Online: Centering Prayer @ 6 pm: Open your entire being to God’s presence during this time of silent prayer as you move beyond thoughts, words, and emotions into a quiet communion with the Divine.
***Go to Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage Facebook and cathedral.org.
Reminders
If you have an update/news, a prayer or poem or something inspirational you would like us to share with the congregation, please send it to us. Please also send us any prayer requests. We will incorporate these into the Daily Prayer as best we can.
Our church campus is closed. All parish meetings and gatherings are canceled and postponed until further notice.
Our goal is for all of us to stay in touch and connected in this time of isolation.
Share this news, and spread some love, not the virus!
Be of good courage. We are in this together, and we will be together again soon. God bless you and may God be with us in the days ahead.
Peace,
James+