A Message from our Bishop:
Beloved,
A parish I served years ago had a beautiful Easter morning tradition. Before the first alleluias of Easter morning, before the processional cross came down the aisle, we would break the quasi-silence of pre-worship anticipation with a lone drum beat and the stomping of our feet. Our percussion accompanied the three-fold chant of this great verse: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and on those in the tombs bestowing life—bestowing life. (Hymn 817 in this Wonder, Love, and Praise hymnal). Not only was this a clever way to expend the energies of the young ones in the pews, it made space for us adults to settle our own hearts and join in the victory dance of Christ over death.
The beauty and wonder of our Christian faith is that Jesus—God incarnate—knows the depths of human depravity of which we are capable and the sorrows of human suffering. Jesus, Emmanuel—God with us—having vanquished death, also knows the exquisite joys of new life. The traditional icon of “Christ Harrowing Hades”, depicts Jesus standing over the gates of hell, pulling Adam and Eve out, having trampled over the tombs below. It is one of the most powerful and enduring icons of Easter.
Centuries of Christians have taken solace in this image of Christ’s victory over death. In our day, as violent conflicts and wars rage around the world; as immigrants and refugees continue to suffer in detention centers; as our vulnerable young people and elders contend with life’s challenges in isolation; this icon of Jesus pulling humanity to resurrection and new life reminds us that our hope is in the Word made flesh who conquers death and evil. Though events in our world work hard to obscure this fact, Christ’s victory is our victory too.
With all that may be on your heart in these days, know that Christ takes you by the hand to pull you toward resurrection light. Whether this season finds you shouting “Alleluia!”, stomping your feet to the great Easter Troparion, or observing this feast more quietly saving your exuberance for God alone, I pray that resurrection joy would be yours.
Faithfully,
Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows
Connect With Us
Rector’s Office Drop-In Time
Rev. Jen has set her office drop-in day as Wednesday of each week from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. for anyone who would like to stop in and visit. You are always invited to make an appointment for a time convenient for you. Mondays are her Sabbath day.
The Second Sunday of Easter – Holy Hilarity
In-Person Sunday Morning Worship Service, April 12, led by the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Oldstone-Moore,10:15 a.m.
You can stream the service via St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Greencastle, Indiana Facebook Page. Click on this link to view the Live Stream. We will start the Live Stream 5 minutes prior to the start of the service.
Click here for the service booklet for this service.
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PRAYERS FOR OTHERS
If you have prayers that you would like offered on Sunday–prayers of thanksgiving, for those in trouble or sickness, or those who have died and those who grieve, please call in or send an email to Michelle. The names will be said aloud on Sunday for four consecutive weeks and then cycled off. If you would like the prayers continued, please tell Michelle and the names will be added to the long-term prayer list.
TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY
We continue our exploration of Chinese Religion. Our text is Daniel Overmyer, Religions of China: The World as a Living System; Jen+ will also give out readings. Come with your curiosity and questions!
EPISCOPAL 101, SUNDAYS 11:45-12:45
Continuing this month, Episcopal 101, a gathering to learn about the Episcopal church–what we do, how we pray and worship, our history, and more. All are welcome.
PROJECTS AND PARISH SPACE
We are blessed with ample and well organized spaces for our worship, fellowship, and outreach. However, things have a way of collecting at churches—as we found when Gwen Morris and Cathryn Ensley cleaned out the front closet. We want to know what’s going on! Please mark supplies or materials gathered for outreach with the name of the project and the name of the point person.
HEALING PRAYER
Most Sundays our intern Meghan will be offering anointing and healing prayer at Sunday services during communion. Meghan will set up a station in the narthex; meet there for general or specific prayers for healing.
EVENING PRAYER
Join us for Evening Prayer in the sanctuary on Tuesdays at 4:00. Evening Prayer is a wonderful service to wind down the day and move into the evening hours.
CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER
On Wednesdays at 1:00, we gather for about a half hour in quiet contemplative prayer. A leader introduces the prayer and a bell is chimed; we sit in prayer for twenty minutes until another chime sounds and then close with a spoken prayer. Feel free to come in any time between 1:00 and 1:20 to pray in silence in a lovely sacred space.
ALTAR FLOWER CALENDAR
An altar flower calendar is posted in Hamilton Hall. Sign up to sponsor the altar flowers to commemorate a birthday or anniversary, remember a loved one, or in thanksgiving for an important event. We ask a donation to help offset the cost of the altar flowers and other worship expenses. Be sure to tell the office your dedication so that it can be printed in the bulletin. Please make checks payable to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and in the memo field please put this information: Altar Flowers, person’s name, occasion, Sunday date you’d like for the flowers to be on the altar.
VESTRY MEETING MINUTES
If any of you are interested in what your Vestry is doing, there are two copies of each month’s minutes on the music stand in Hamilton Hall. Feel free to read and return!
SHOPPING LIST FOR NON-FOOD PANTRY
Please add razors, shaving cream, laundry detergent, spray cleaner, and toilet bowl cleaner to your shopping list for the NFP for this month. Meals and conversation in Hamilton Hall are going well. Patrons are now able to pick out items they most need. Your contributions help our budget go farther in helping meet the needs of those in Putnam County. Please scroll down to view the distribution dates and latest updates. If you can help with this ministry in any way, please contact Harriet Moore or Carl Huffman.
KROGER COUPONS
If you have any unwanted Kroger coupons, please bring them to Hamilton Hall and place in the window ledge near the “Little Library”. We would like to make them available to our Non-Food Pantry recipients so that they might be able to take advantage of them to help extend their food budget. Thanks in advance!
FREE DAILY DEVOTIONAL
We have some large print Day by Day daily devotionals in the sanctuary that you are free to take home for your personal devotions–and if we know that people would like copies, we can order the right amount. Many of you may also appreciate the on-line version of Day to Day. Click here.
Non-Food Pantry Latest
Saturday, April 25
• Noon to 2:00 p.m.
There will be a distribution in Hamilton Hall and light lunches will be served inside. We are grateful for all those who have worked so hard to obtain supplies for the Non-Food Pantry. Items are having to be purchased from a variety of sources making it much more expensive. Donations to help offset this extra cost will be gratefully accepted!
Top 3 Needed Items
Your prayers are asked for:
Haile Bane, grandson of Joanne Haymaker
Beth Benedix, friend to many at St. Andrew’s
Jennifer Clarke, friend of Patti Harmless
Diane * Judy * Angela Evans
Heather Cantonwine and family, friends of the Knuths
Family of Katie Gleichman, relative of Jim & Cathryn Ensley
Tom Kaiser, friend of Jen+ & Chris
Lynda, friend of Sarah Finlay-Black
Warren Macy
Teresa Masten, friend of Karen & Jim Mannon
Sally Motsch, friend to many at St. Andrew’s
Mary Mountz
Gene Shaw, brother-in-law of Patti Harmless
Elizabeth & Natalie Sheffler, daughter & granddaughter of Page & Narda Cotton
Deloris Smith, friend of Emily Knuth
Jenny Smyth, niece of Patti Harmless
Luke Smith, son of Mark Smith
Skip Sutton
Larry Taylor, former member of St. Andrew’s
Donald Voermans, father of Nick Voermans
Edwina Vose, friend of Jen+
Catherine Waggoner, friend of Jen+
Dwight Ziegler, uncle of Stephanie Gurnon
Diocesan Cycle of Prayer: St. Mark’s, Plainfield, The Rev. Kirsteen Wilkinson
Our companion dioceses: The Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil: The Most Rev. Mauricio Jose Araujo De Andrade, Primate of Brazil and Bishop of Brasilia. The people and Diocese of Haiti and Saint Andre’s Parish and school in Mithon.
Anglican Cycle of Prayer: Igreja Anglicana de Mocambique e Angola
Birthdays: Katie Farris, April 9; Emily Knuth, April 13; Orcenith Smith, April 14
Anniversaries: none
Special Events and Services
