MINISTRY AT ST. PAUL S. The Rt. Rev d Audrey Scanlan Bishop of Central Pennsylvania

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1 ST. PAUL S EPISCOPAL CHURCH 112 E. Main Street (P.O. Box 206) Lock Haven, PA Telephone: NEWSLETTER Lent stpaulslockhaven@gmail.com MINISTRY AT ST. PAUL S The Rt. Rev d Audrey Scanlan Bishop of Central Pennsylvania The Ven. Canon Daniel L. Selvage Priest-in-Charge danselvage2@comcast.net Telephone: (814) MUSIC Neil Kim Feerrar Organist/Choir Director ALTAR GUILD & FLOWERS Phyllis Durost Telephone: (570) VESTRY Ed Hosler, Senior Warden Serena Pfaff Charles Foulsham, Assistant Treasurer edhosler@gmail.com serenapfaff@hotmail.com Foulsham@verizon.net Telephone: (570) Telephone: (570) Telephone: (570) Donald J. Adams, Junior Warden Lynn Bruner, Secretary Courtney Berry peagentmhe@yahoo.com brynnlune@msn.com courtneyf78@gmail.com Telephone: (570) Telephone: (570) Telephone: (570) Joanne Waters, Associate Senior Warden jjwatersh20@earthlink.net Telephone: (859)

2 Dear Friends in Christ, May our Lord Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit lead and guide you as we travel through this season of Lent. This year in my own Lenten journey, I have been pondering the question, How is the Holy Spirit Calling Me? Jesus Christ has claimed each of us in the waters of baptism and the Holy Spirit is always calling, welcoming, and inviting us to follow our Lord in service and ministry. The call to serve is a call for every one of us as the people of God. In this season of Lent, we have the best example of the service to which the Holy Spirit is calling us. During this season, we stand in the shadow of the cross and see the Living God who pours out his life for the sake and salvation of the world. The Holy Spirit is not calling us to be crucified, but we are called to bear witness to the selfless, sacrificial love which Jesus has for all of us. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus invites us to be part of what He is doing in this world. Jesus is always caring for, reaching out to, comforting, and blessing those who are in need those who are the most vulnerable. And Jesus is inviting us to be part of caring for those who need our help and assistance in this broken world. I invite you to consider how the Holy Spirit is inviting you to care for others, particularly by your participation as a member of St. Paul s parish whose mission it is to care for our neighbors in need. As you know, St. Paul s Episcopal Church has worked for over 160 years to serve, care for, and minister to the needs of the people here in the heart of Pennsylvania that we call home. This ministry needs your prayers and support as we go about the work of serving those in need. We must recognize that we are, indeed, partners in ministry. Your active participation in the life of our parish is vital. As we enter this Lenten season, may you continue to be open to the ways the Holy Spirit is calling you to reach out in love to this world. In Christ, Daniel + The Ven. Canon Daniel L. Selvage Priest-in-Charge 2

3 Vestry Notes At the Annual Parish meeting, held on Sunday, January 21, 2018, Courtney Berry and Joanne Waters were unanimously elected serve on St. Paul s Vestry. Their term of service will be for three years. Members of the Vestry are reminded that their March meeting has been scheduled for Sunday, March 11. As usual, we ll be meeting in the Lord Room immediately following the 10:30 am Worship Service. Please mark your calendar accordingly. As we enter the solemn season of Lent, you will notice several changes in both the physical appearance of our worship space and in the Sunday morning liturgy. For instance, we shall follow the ancient custom (originating in the 9 th century) of veiling the crosses during the entire Lenten season. You will also note that the liturgical color now shifts from green to a rich purple for the hangings and priestly vestments. You may also notice that, instead of our usual tall brass Eucharistic candlesticks on the Altar, we ll be using a simple wooden set, as we ll also do with the processional cross. All Alleluias are deleted from the liturgy and no hymns are used that include the word Alleluia in their text. The canticle, Gloria to God, is dropped and in its place, we sing Kyrie eleison (Lord have mercy). Traditionally, weddings are not solemnized during Lent nor are flowers permitted at the Altar. All of these signs and symbols are meant to underscore the penitential nature of this holy season, and to mark a stark contrast between Lent and the seasons of the Church Year that came before and those that will follow after. Lent is intended to be a time in the desert, a time of self-reflection, a time of personal discernment. The changes in both the appearance of the church and the words of our liturgy and hymns are intended so that when you attend church during Lent, you will think, Wow! This is a very different kind of season! May this coming Lent be a time of reflection that prepares you for the joy of the Easter Feast. Concerning the Keeping of a Holy Lent I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination, by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God s holy Word. (Book of Common Prayer, p. 265). These words from the Ash Wednesday liturgy echo the ancient view that Lent is a special season a holy season which can be a great gift to those who observe this time of the Church Year. Like most things in life, this will not happen automatically. For Lent to be a holy season, we are required to make some choices. We must decide how we shall live during these 40 days and 40 nights so that we might have an enhanced experience of our Lord s presence in our lives. The spiritual practices mentioned above may sound like the description of the life and discipline of a monk 3

4 or nun. And yet they are practical things that everyone one of us can do, without causing ourselves great discomfort or inconvenience. Let s look at how this can be so. Self-examination: Ask yourself this question: Do I live in the way that God through our Lord Jesus calls me to live? Do I use my time, my energy, my talents, my money, in ways that are consistent with the call of the Gospel? The only person who can answer these questions for us is we ourselves. Asking these questions involves self-examination something each of us can do. And remember self-examination is a prerequisite for the confession of our sins. Prayer: Prayer is responding to God by thought and by deeds, with or without words. (BCP p. 856). Most of our lives are spent responding to the world around us. God is not absent from that world. In fact, when we respond to the world, we are often responding to God s presence within it. Yet most often our focus is on how that world can please us or be used for our own purpose. Responding to God is most likely to happen when we are intentional about it when we consciously choose to respond to God in our thoughts and actions, whether we use words or not. Fasting: For many of us this is our greatest Lenten challenge! However, it doesn t have to be difficult. One simply technique is to make a choice about food. Simply choose one thing less! Once we discover that we can get by without this or that food (or beverage), we will be in a position to discover how fulfilling it can be. We have the freedom to make such choices and to discover the joy of doing with less, or without. Self-denial: Self-denial works on the same principle as fasting but applied to other areas of our lives besides food and drink. There are endless possibilities we have of discovering how we can get by with less in our lives. Think: Simplify! at least for Lent. Reading & Meditating on God s holy Word: Do you own a Bible? If not, it s time to get one! Choose to read at least one short passage every day. The Episcopal Church s devotional booklet Forward Day by Day is another option to assist you in this discipline. Forward booklets are available free of charge for members of St. Paul s Church. They can be found in the Narthex of the church. Here s another suggestion: Take home the lectionary insert found in our weekly worship bulletin every Sunday. Spend time reading and reflecting on those Scripture passages during the week. From the Prayer Book, try daily Morning and/or Evening Prayer, or some of the brief Daily Devotions on pages Lent can become a holy season for each of us. Regular weekly worship at church and other opportunities for spiritual growth will be of great value but a conscious decision is required on your part. Give it a try! - Tattled from The Anglican Digest, Reprinted from 2004 Serving your spiritual and educational needs Opportunities for Individual and Small Group Study 2018 Lenten opportunity A five-week Lenten Study on ways of Becoming the Beloved Community An online opportunity for individuals or small groups to engage in meaningful content, questions and learning designed to bring a deeper understanding to eliminating racism. For more information or to register, go to: 4

5 Baptismal Ministry Discovery and Inquirers Day, March 3 All are welcome to come and meet with Bishop Scanlan, members of the Commission on Ministry and Stevenson School for Ministry faculty. Open for all inquirers, for all who seek to serve God more deeply in their Baptismal ministry, and especially as a way for those who are experiencing a call to ordained and/or specific lay ministry (worship leader, catechist, parish administration). For more information or to register, go to Academy for Missional Formation For more information contact the Rev. Canon Dan Morrow, dmorrow@diocesecpa.org Leadership Days Mark your calendars. Leadership formation for growing in mission; vestry, clergy, lay leaders, Christian Educators and worship leaders. We created Leadership Days as a response to the needs of each convocation by bringing tools, worship, workshops and best practices for faith and leadership growth. Please let us know if child care is needed by contacting Robyn Szoke-Coolidge, rszoke@diocesecpa.org. Saturday, March 17, 2018, St. John s, York For a list of workshops, speakers and bio, click here, to register, click here. Saturday, April 7th, 2018, St. Stephen s Cathedral More information to follow. Save the Dates, more information coming soon. Saturday, June 2nd St. Andrew s, State College Saturday, August 11, St. Thomas, Lancaster Saturday, November 3 Trinity Episcopal Church, Williamsport For more information, got to: Easter Flowers Donations are now being received for the flowers that will be used to grace our church and altar for the Easter liturgies. The cost is $12.00 per Lily, Tulip, or Hyacinth. Should you wish to order one or more plants, please use the appropriate sign-up sheet at the rear of the church or call Phyllis Durost, (570) All orders need to be received by a date not later than April 6, NOTE: Checks should be made payable to: St. Paul s Episcopal Church with the memo line marked: Easter Flowers, and given or mailed to Phyllis Durost, 219 Kennedy Ave., Mill Hall, PA Thank you! 5

6 The Monthly Calendar Sunday, February 25: Lent 2 10:30 a.m., Choral Eucharist Cn. Dan Selvage Monday, February 26: Thursday, March 1: Sunday, March 4: Lent 3 10:30 a.m., Choral Eucharist Cn. Dan Selvage Monday, March 5: Thursday, March 8: Sunday, March 11: Lent 4 (Daylight Savings Time Begins) 10:30 a.m., Choral Eucharist Cn. Dan Selvage 11:30 a.m., Vestry Meeting Monday, March 12: Thursday, March 15: Sunday, March 18: Lent 5 10:30 a.m., Choral Morning Prayer Joanne Waters, Worship Leader Monday, March 19: Thursday, March 22: Sunday, March 25: Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday 10:30 a.m., Blessing of Palms, Procession, Solemn Gospel Reading & Eucharist Monday, March 26: Thursday, March 29: Maundy Thursday 7:00 p.m., Maundy Thursday Liturgy, Solemn Eucharist, & Stripping of the Altar Friday, March 30: Good Friday 5:30 p.m., Stations of the Cross 6