Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Outreach Meeting
Dear friends,
I invite you to join others who are interested in Epiphany's Outreach, Hospitality and Pastoral Care. This year we will focus on these three areas.
If you are interested in helping to lead the way in international, national and local efforts involving our time, talent and treasure, come. Just think, we could bring our focus to clean water, food, schools, or health care in other parts of the world. We could get involved with housing the otherwise homeless, after school care or feeding the hungry loically. What ideas do you have?
Another concern we hacve is pastoral care. Our prayer chain and "meals of love" are vital parts of our ministry. Can we do more? What ideas do yu have for serving our family?
What about hospitality? Can we do more to welcome the stranger in our midst? To serve those who are "just shopping" or are new to the community? What about seamlessly integrating them into the life of Epiphany?
On March 12 at 5:30 there will be a meeting for anyone interested in crafting additional activities to serve others. Join us. Come with ideas. Bring your dinner. If you want to be involved and are unable to meet then please call or email me at 610-933-1026 or martispots@aol.com.
We are looking forward to seeing you and starting some new initiatives.
Love, Marti Wilson & Bryan Exley
Vestry liaisons for Outreach
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Monday, February 22, 2010
Favorite Bible verse
Mine is John 1:5
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
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Saturday, February 06, 2010
Great books with religious themes. Fiction/non-fiction
Pope Joan - A story of a woman of incredible faith and dedication who rises to the Papacy. A GREAT READ
The Lamb (The Gospel According to Christ's childhood pal) by Christopher Moore. This is the funniest book I have ever read. It hypothesizes about Christ's childhood and travels to visit the 3 wise men who came to his birth. It is told from the perspective of "Biff" Christ's best friend. A MUST READ!!!!
If you know any others, please add it to the list.
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Friday, February 05, 2010
How am I doing???
Hey Chris
I think I am finally finding my way around this thing (Blog!). So here it is, my first blog question. It is actually a colloquialism from my time in the building trades and there are others such as "I see how you are!" and "I just want to say this about that!" There are many many expressions such as that that I have picked up over the years and many many simple patters and idiosyncrasies from my co-workers that have fascinated me over the years. As I am new at the whole blogging scene, I hope that the things we have to say to each other in a given day as we work together, day in and day out are of interest to others. Do you have different expressions or patters or colloquialisms that you use around your offices and job sites?
Hope this is alright!
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Monday, February 01, 2010
Dear Ones
Dear Ones,
I am so hopeful that your Epiphany season is full of joy and insight! I have been learning, learning, learning and on an occasion, able to offer some of the joy of that learning, and sometimes, even perhaps especially, the pain. Some of the joys have been learning more about our connections with the world and the Episcopal mission and presence in Haiti, the Diocese of Pennsylvania, and the Valley Forge Deanery and even more local and meaningful to me this month has been the joy of our connection to the Spring-Ford Pastor’s Association! The Diocese of PA has been an amazing source of guiding leadership as the Vestry prepares for letting go of the members leaving and welcoming the members arriving. Low and behold, there is a wonderful day planned by the Diocese just for Vestry members the Saturday following the elections at Annual Meeting. The Deanery has been an amazing source of guidance for me as I learn about Parish assessments to the Deanery and the Diocese and the missions those assessments support. The Spring-Ford Pastor’s Association has recognized a need for refreshment and revitalization and rediscovering an attitude of cooperation between parishes of the area more than competition. This is especially welcome to me as we approach lent and engage in all the programs the Association has joined together to offer (please see the calendar of Wednesday programs throughout lent and the final Maundy- Thursday offering just before Good Friday). Finally, the surety that has come to me in the collegiality of the ministers of the area has been dumbfounding. I was away at the very time of Larry Cox’s sudden illness and death. I was driving on a quick turn-around-trip to Massachusetts and yet there were four, no five clergy ready and willing to help in my 24 hour absence as events unfolded in the Cox family. These have all been incredible lessons!
Some of the more painful lessons and yet the greater demonstration of God’s love this past month has been mostly to do with the sudden death of Larry Cox. Unlike the passing of Bea Schofield who was so ready to go on and join all her friends who had already left her, I have been shocked and rocked by the very sudden passing of Larry Cox. Larry was not at all ready to go and I was not at all ready to let him go but he was taken suddenly and seemingly in the middle of many joyful, faithful, God-centered missions, especially with concern to his family and to the parish. It is a hard lesson for me to learn even as the love that poured from the person of Larry Cox has been reflected back to us by those who have been loved by him well. I have felt the love, watched as meals were lovingly made and delivered to Peggy who has found a way to enjoy these simple gifts even as she has a hard time receiving visitors. I have felt the love, listened to the fear, frustration, and then the burgeoning hope offered by the vestry and the various sub-committees who had come to so depend on Larry’s rock steady presence. I have felt the love, held in my arms as Christine, Larry’s daughter-in-law, who grieves Larry’s passing not only as a daughter, but as a mother whose children have lost their grandfather. There is love in the generosity of her heart as she holds her children in her capable hands and guides them through the truth of God’s love given to us through the life of Larry Cox.
So, the month of January and the season of Epiphany have been full of lessons of Love, joy, faith and struggle. I hope that the Lenten season which is fast approaching brings us an ever deepening awareness of God’s love for us and for his whole creation!
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