P R I N C E OF P E A C E

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1 Fr o m t h e R e c t o r, T h e R e v. H e r b e r t S p r o u s e T HE M E M O R I A L C H U R C H OF T H E P R I N C E OF P E A C E The Episcopal Epistle: April 2015 Walking the Walk of Holy Week Easter falls early this year, and so our April newsletter arrives to you at the very beginning of Holy Week. For all of the energy and excitement that surrounds our observations of Advent and Christmas, Holy Week is our most important liturgical progression of the year. Lent has just ended with the Sunday of the Passion (also known more familiarly as Palm Sunday) and our walk together through Holy Week is beginning as you read this. This year we will rediscover Tenebrae, a liturgical observance with deep monastic roots. The Latin name means darkness or shadows and we might think of this evening service as the beginning of our descent into the gathering twilight of Jesus last days on earth. It is a service that is both very simple and highly dramatic, taking place in the total darkness of our undercroft. If you have never experienced Tenebrae I urge you to please join us at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, April 1 st. My experience is that once you have attended Tenebrae you will never again want to miss it. Our walk together through Holy Week continues with the three primary services, known collectively as the Triduum. Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and The Great Vigil of Easter are all much more familiar to us, but never lose their ability to move us emotionally and spiritually. Maundy Thursday (7:00PM) includes a Eucharist that follows the ceremonial washing of feet. This act symbolizes Jesus invitation to all of us to follow Him in servant ministry to the world. At the conclusion of the service, the altar and the entire sanctuary are stripped of every last bit of ornament and furnishings. We depart in silence. Good Friday is the moment at which every beautiful thing seems to be extinguished and our sorrow at the unjust execution of the Son of God knows no bounds. This service (once again at 7:00PM) is starkly simple. Like the church, it is stripped of all ornament. Its prayers are profound. Once again we depart from one another in silence and the overnight vigil begins. The Great Vigil of Easter, as you may recall from last year s reinstitution of the service here at Prince of Peace, is the moment when Easter arrives and our lives experience the full impact of the Resurrection. Beginning in the darkness (at 8:00PM) as we kindle a new fire for the new year. The first half of the liturgy is candlelit and very ancient in its resonances. At the midway point, however, Easter arrives, the lights come up, the beautiful flowers and decorations of Easter appear and we sing and proclaim Alleluia for the first time since the last Sunday before Lent began. It is moment unlike any other during the church year. This year we are also hosting the Gettysburg Ministerium s Ecumenical Good Friday service at noon on that day. We will be using the first half of our Book of Common Prayer Good Friday liturgy, with the preaching responsibilities divided among seven participating clergy. We expect a large crowd. I hope that many Prince of Peace parishioners will be present both to welcome our neighbors and to participate in this joint service. Our walk through Holy Week is the most significant and formative time we can spend together as a community of faith. Please join us for as many of these important events as you possibly can. Yours in the Risen Christ, Fr. Herb

2 An Ear Full of Grasshoppers A Note from Your Senior Warden Terri Johnsen Senior Warden I have a thank you to offer in this newsletter. A thanks to you all who elected me as a delegate to the meeting on Saturday, March 14th, which brought a new Bishop to our Diocese. I could not have imagined when I joined the Episcopal Church that I would one day be charged with helping to elect a Bishop. What a remarkable and exhilarating experience! Three delegates and our rector traveled to Harrisburg to consider who among three nominees would best be prepared to serve as Bishop. In reading about the candidates and listening to their interviews, we noticed three distinctly qualified and different people. The candidates brought an array of skills and attributes that ensured that each would bring well-developed skills and valuable talents to the role of Bishop. Two were canons and one a rector. Two were long-serving priests and one responded to a vocation later in life. All candidates mentioned their love of teaching and ability to listen. One candidate began a career as a chef. All candidates spoke to the important role of lay ministry in reaching all God's people. All candidates were educated in the liberal arts. Two were men and one a woman. For all the distinctiveness and difference among the candidates, each would have been a fine choice for Bishop each for different reasons. And that is what made the election process so remarkable. In the end and on the second ballot, the assembly of clergy and lay members elected the Reverend Canon Audrey Cady Scanlan as the 11 th Bishop of the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania. She was born in New York and has lived in Connecticut for over 50 years. She will leave a Diocese of 168 parishes to come to one with 65 congregations. And she will bring enthusiasm, skill, humor, intellect, an appreciation for our diversity to her new role. She may even share some recipes with us. She accepted the election by noting that God is good and there is much joy in store for us. I couldn't agree more! VESTRY UPDATE: FR. RANDALL NAMED AS PRIEST ASSOCIATE FOR PRINCE OF PEACE Recently the Vestry approved the appointment of Fr. Richard Randall as Priest Associate at Prince of Peace, joining our staff listing. This appointment has been approved by the Right Reverend Robert Gepert, Provisional Bishop of the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania. Fr. Randall provided us with biographical information for the newsletter, so that we can better know him. Fr. Randall was born and raised in Michigan, received his BA from Wayne State University, Detroit., Michigan and his M.Div from Seabury- Western Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. He was ordained Deacon June 29, 1970 at St. Paul's Cathedral, Detroit and ordained priest on January 23, 1971 at All Saints, East Lansing where he was serving as Curate. In 1972 he moved to the Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania where he served mission congregations until 1978 when he moved to the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania found him moving to Trinity, Chambersburg, where he served as Rector until 2000 when he retired from the full-time (continued from page 2) 2

3 pastoral ministry. Following his retirement he and Marty began attending Prince of Peace. In 2002 he began his ministry at the Waynesboro Hospital as part-time chaplain and remained there until In addition to being a chaplain he also supplied at Lutheran and Episcopal congregations including Prince of Peace, Gettysburg, as well as serving twice as an Interim Pastor in Lutheran congregations. Fr. and Marty Randall have been married 39 years and have two married daughters. They are also blessed to have three grandchildren and are awaiting the birth of a fourth in September of this year. Episcopal Church Women Minutes, December 12, 2014 Following the Annual ECW Christmas Dinner at the Hickory Farm Restaurant, a brief meeting was held. Attendance was not taken. The order of business was how to allocate our money earned through our money makers. How much to hold in reserve and how much to give, basically how to proportion our funds. After discussion a Harris/Hammond motion passed unanimously to hold $500 as a cushion for the next Bazaar and $300 for the name tag project. Ann Buell, Bobbie Hickcox and Margaret Finafrock volunteered to serve on a Finance Committee to come up with a giving plan for the remaining $900 for the various needs of the community, including the Soup Kitchen and Gettysburg C.A.R.E.S. Submitted by Rebecca Harris Share Our History Summer is approaching, and again this year Prince of Peace will be participating in the Gettysburg Historic Church Walking Tour Program. We're always interested in recruiting new docents to welcome visitors to the church and present the history of the parish and the Civil War memorials. The church is on the walking tour every other Wednesday evening, roughly from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., for the months of June, July and August. The presentation does NOT have to be memorized, and is a pleasure to deliver. Anyone interested in helping out for one, some, or all of these sessions, should contact Art House at A suggested narrative-- again, no memorization required--has been developed for all volunteers. Art House From the Library Art House The parish library has recently been the beneficiary of some generous donations of new titles, many of them from the collection of Bob Gough. You're invited to browse the library any Sunday morning and during normal office hours (Carolyn can open the library for you during the week.). Checking books in and out is an easy self-help process explained by signs in the library. Come and experience a wide variety of books on theology, liturgy, prayer, Bible study, parenting, grief, church history, gardening, and a myriad of other topics. 3

4 Editor s Note: The following poem was written by Jill Lowe as a response to the first session of the Lenten Study Series centering on Community Care of Souls. Thank you to Jill for her contribution, and to Cornelia Saltzman, who typed it up for us A Prayer to God the Father By Jill Lowe You gave us your creation You left it in our care To love and cherish always. When did we lay it bare? With hope I feel surrounded With love from all around With help from every quarter We can save this hallowed ground. To take the anger and dismay And lay them at your feet, To ask for your forgiveness Your love forever great. We slaughtered trees and forests To satisfy our lust. Your streams and icebergs vanish. Why did you give your trust? The air you gave for breathing Essential to our life No longer clean and healthy. When did we cause it strife? The sea, once clear as crystal Where fish and coral live Has now become a graveyard. What made you want to give? We call ourselves your stewards Of all that s good and true. Is it too late to change our ways And make it up to you? Our fears of what we all have done Of how we don t obey Will be with us all for years to come. How can we find a way? To reach across the oceans With hearts that want to heal The hurt we ve caused to others To change the way we feel. Our actions as your stewards-- I pray it s not too late To embrace the world around us And change the mess we ve made. Help us keep our records up to date. Let us know if you have changed your , phone, or address. Also, let us know if we have missed your birthday or anniversary; we may not have it in the database. Prince of Peace office, secretary@gettysburgepiscopal.org 4

5 THANKS! Prince of Peace provided several volunteers on Saturday, March 21 st to continue the build on the latest Gettysburg Habitat for Humanity duplex. We give a shout out of THANKS to Nicholas Engel, Pete Lindquist and Scott Purdy for helping with the interior painting of trim and doors. We appreciate these folks stepping forward to support this very important ministry. CONFIRMATION, SATURDAY, APRIL 18 Our provisional bishop, the Right Reverend Robert Gepert, will be visiting Prince of Peace on Saturday, April 18th at 11:00 AM for Holy Confirmation. Intended originally as an area confirmation, as of this date we have three candidates, all members of Prince of Peace: Haley Cluck, Sonya Del Tredici and Seth Vickery. Please plan to attend and support these people as they make this affirmation of their faith. Episco-pals MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR VBS 2015 Once again, St. James Lutheran Church, Prince of Peace Episcopal Church and Christ Lutheran Church will be joining together to offer the 8th Annual Celebration of Vacation Bible School. This year, St. James Lutheran will be hosting EV- EREST VBS from Monday, June 22nd through Friday, June 26th from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The VBS Planning Committee is already hard at work, deciding how to make this year s VBS the best ever. Please mark the dates down now, before family plans and summer vacations take over. We hope all children, ages 3 years old through 5th grade, can join us...and all others, ages 12 to 99, can help by volunteering. Contact Jill Lowe if you are interested in becoming involved. Pre-registration will begin in the weeks to come. Episcopal-pals Dinners Resume! Episcopal-pals large group dinners will resume in May. All adults of the parish are invited to join in an evening of food and fellowship. If you would like to host or co-host in May, July, or September please sign up in the parlor. Hosts/ co-hosts may select the date. Please contact Olive Donolli, Cornelia Saltzman or Jane Jones for more information. 5

6 Parishioners, we have a special opportunity on Easter Day, April 5th, to do something different for the guests of the Gettysburg Community Soup Kitchen. Normally, our responsibility consists of preparing the main entrée for the mid-day meal, which is then supplemented with already-donated soup/vegetable, bread and dessert. Striving to make this Easter Day s meal a bit more special, we are planning to prepare the complete Ham Dinner with the following meal fixings: ham slices, fruit and/or Jell-o salads, potato casseroles, corn, green beans, rolls and coconut cake. We ask those parishioners willing to provide a dish to indicate their preference on the sign-up sheet located in the parlor. Please bring your cooked items to the Soup Kitchen between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 5th. For those parishioners who attend our 8:00 a.m. service on Easter, please leave your contributions in Stahle Parlor, and they will be taken over to the Soup Kitchen when it opens. Please see Pete Lindquist if you have any questions. Thank you! The Hospitality Committee thanks the following groups for helping with Hospitality during the month of March: the Property Committee on March 15th, for the Stewardship Committee on March 22nd, and the Vestry on March 29th. The following groups will host for April: April 12th: Vestry April 19th: Choir April 26nd: Altar Guild Thank you to everyone for helping each week. PANCAKE DAY 2015 PRELIMINARY ACCOUNTING All indicators confirm that Pancake Day 2015 was a HUGE success! We served 292 meals, our volunteer corps bonded nicely and seemed to have a fun time and a preliminary financial accounting tally shows a profit of almost $8,500. We have, at least, two checks outstanding that when received and added will raise the total profit to slightly over $9,000. We hope to have a final accounting of this year s event, thank you letters dispatched and checks presented to the three designated charities by the end of March. Thank you to everyone who helped contribute to this success! 6

7 PRINCE OF PEACE: OUTREACH BISHOP S OPEN GOLF TOURNAMENT HELP AND SUPPORT NEEDED for the Diocese of Central PA Feed My Sheep ministry. This year, Bishop Gepert has designated this ministry to benefit from the Bishop s Open Golf Tournament which will be held at Mountain View Country Club in Boalsburg (nearby State College) on Monday, June 22d. In light of the fact that this ministry cuts across denominational lines, the Bishop s Open Committee decided to include non-episcopalians in this event as well because of the great need in feeding those without sufficient subsistence which exists throughout our Diocesan geographical area. Financial support in sponsorships is solicited in amounts up to $1,000. For Prince of Peace golfers (and golfing buddies) who may be interested in participating, please contact John Stevenson so that we may form up teams of players. The tournament will be limited to 31 foursomes (124 players). Please see the attached brochure for information concerning sponsorships and golf. John M. Stevenson Member, Diocesan Bishop s Open Committee OPERATION UNDERSTANDING OPERATION UNDERSTANDING provides grant funding to help a parish create a new outreach ministry within its community. Often parish members recognize a human need to provide food, clothing, heat, shelter and other life necessities affecting the less fortunate of God s children. As they envision establishing a new ministry, a financial obstacle may confront them. OPERATION UNDER- STANDING can furnish seed funding to enable committed and faithful parish members get their new ministry underway. One new visionary ministry which has recently received OU funding is the faith-based Beacon Clinic for Health and Hope at St. Paul s in Harrisburg. This clinic just opened on March 3rd and it provides free preventive screenings, health and wellness education, and long-term care for the homeless, prisoners-intransition, and people lacking insurance. Through funding from an Operation Understanding grant, they were able to purchase life-saving medical equipment. Each year during the Easter season parishes are asked to designate a special Sunday as Operation Understanding Sunday. At Prince of Peace. Sunday, April 26th is designated as Operation Understanding Sunday. Checks should be made payable to the Diocese of Central PA and earmarked OU. Envelopes will be available for this mission offering on that date. MEALS AND MORE SPRING FUND RAISER Meals & More of Gettysburg will hold a fundraiser at Hoss s Restaurant on Thursday, April 16th, from 11 am to 9 pm. Proceeds will go toward educational materials and groceries for homeless, hungry and abused children. Meals & More is a summer enrichment program that will take place June 15 to August 6 here at Prince of Peace. Hoss s tickets are available in the Stahle Parlor. Please support our community children whose lives are marginalized by hunger, homelessness, abuse and neglect. Bishop Gepert recently wrote: 7

8 We are a welcoming family in God, empowered by the Holy Spirit, celebrating the life-giving presence and love of Jesus Christ and sharing his love with our neighbors. Come and join us on our journey. SUNDAY MORNING SCHEDULE 8:00 a.m. Rite I Holy Eucharist 9:00 a.m. Christian Education children and youth 10:15 a.m. Rite II Holy Eucharist THURSDAY HOLY EUCHARIST 12:00 Noon every Thursday afternoon Upcoming schedule April 14 6:30 p.m. ECW meeting in Stahle Parlor April 17: Footprints for Peace staying overnight at Prince of Peace. This will include a pot luck dinner by members of the Parish. Watch for details. April 18: 11:00 a.m. Regional Confirmation Service at Prince of Peace PLEASE NOTE: The Parish Office will be closed on Monday and Tuesday, April 6th and 7th. MARK YOUR CALENDARS: The ECW will hold their next meeting on Tuesday, April 14th, at 6:30 p.m. in Stahle Parlor. All women of the Parish are invited to attend After nearly two decades, effective Monday, April 6th, the daily offering of the Office of Morning Prayer will no longer be available at Prince of Peace. The attendance has dwindled over the years from fifteen or so people to one or two. We thank both Neil Beach and John Stevenson for offering this to the parish over these many years. For those looking for daily options, we offer these two websites as possibilities: dailyoffice.org or Wednesday, April 1 WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK 7:00 p.m. Tenebrae in the Undercroft Thursday, April 2 MAUNDY THURSDAY 7:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist and Washing of Feet 8:30 p.m. Watch in the church until morning Friday, April 3 GOOD FRIDAY 9:00 a.m. Watch concludes 12:00 p.m. Ecumenical Good Friday Service at Prince of Peace 7:00 p.m. Good Friday Liturgy Saturday, April 4 HOLY SATURDAY 10:30 a.m. The Church Decorating Ministry will decorate the church for Easter 8:00 p.m. The Great Vigil of Easter Sunday, April 5 SUNDAY OF THE RESURRECTION: EASTER DAY 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite I 10:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist, Rite II 8

9 PARISH ROUND OF PRAYER FOR APRIL 2015 April 5 April 12 April 19 April 26 Ruth Paladino; Joan Pardoe; Gladys Parks; Roger and Doris Parsels Roger, Valerie and James Petty; Fran Phelps; Gail and Ken Picking Cina Playfoot; James and Pamela Pullins; Scott and Holly Purdy Mark and Sharon Purdy; Dick and Shirley Purdy; Jennifer Railing 2nd 3rd 4th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 14th 15th 17th 19th 20th 22nd 27th 29th 30th APRIL BIRTHDAYS Charlie Marass Debby Ehart Connor Dunaj Charles Saltzman Paige Szczesny Julie Watkins Justin Myers Jeffrey Storer Neil each Andrew Regiec Joe Donolli Amie Purdy Ellen Thomas Joan Mummert Shirley Purdy Audrey Tamblyn Valerie Petty Betsy Null 3rd 15th 20th APRIL ANNIVERSARIES Mike and Nancy Lilley Donald and Jill Lowe Keith and Joan Mummert The Episcopal Epistle Publication Deadline The deadline for the April issue of The Episcopal Epistle is Wednesday, April 15th To submit an article, news items or photographs, please it to: secretary@gettysburgepiscopal.org or drop off at the church office if you cannot send by . SCRIPTURE READINGS April 5 Easter Day Isaiah 25:2-9 Psalm 118:1-2, Acts 10:34-43 John 20:1-18 April 12 Easter 2 Acts 4:32-35 Psalm John 1:1-2:2 John 20:19-31 April 19 Easter 3 Acts 3:12-19 Psalm 4 1 John 3:1-7 Luke 24:36b-48 April 26 Easter 4 Acts 4:5-12 Psalm 23 1 John 3:16-24 John 10:11-18 The Memorial Church f the Prince of Peace PO Box 3005, 20 W. High Street Gettysburg, PA Phone The Rev. Herbert Sprouse, Rector Rector@gettysburgepiscopal.org Carolyn Fouts Parish Administrator Secretary@gettysburgepiscopal.org Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Website: 9