Dear Friends:

In John chapter 17, Jesus’ final prayer at his last supper with his disciples, spoken to God in their presence, reminds us of the power, mystery, and significance of prayer. In my sermon I reminded you that it is my job—written into in my contract with St. Andrew’s!—that I pray regularly, and that I pray for you. Our Episcopal 101 classes explored the Daily Office, a hallmark of Anglican spirituality and religious practice that dates to the very beginning of the church in the 16^th century. The Daily Office was a radical offering made to all, prayer life that joined lay and ordained in our own native tongue.

And in 2021, we continue that tradition of prayer. The Daily Office (that is “daily work offering”) stops at four moments each day to turn to God: Morning, Noontime, Evening, Compline at night. Each service is distinctive (and unless on retreat at a convent or monastery, most people manage one or possibly two Offices). Perhaps because I love the Dawn Chorus of signing birds every spring (I am known to jump out of bed at the first twitter in the predawn so that I can be outside as the chorus grows). I love that Morning Prayer has a wide array of canticles, or songs, interspersed with scripture reading. One of my favorites is Canticle 12, A Song of Creation, sings out for the Cosmic Order, the Earth and its Creatures, the people of God, all to glorify the Lord:

…Frost and cold, ice and sleet, glorify the Lord,
praise him and high exalt him for ever…

…O whales and all that move in the waters…
All birds of the air glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him for ever…

…you that are holy and humble of heart, glorify the Lord,
praise him and highly exalt him for ever…

This version, on page 88 of the BCP is from the Bible and was originally from the Holy Land and their ecosystem. But others have rewritten the canticle for their own home—there is a famous version in the New Zealand Prayerbook, and I have also loved on that is centered on Appalachia. I found this lovely adaptation at my go-to website for Daily Office, dailyoffice.org, which is an international website resource run from Indiana and founded by “on-line vicar” Hoosier Josh Thomas. Josh adapted Canticle 12 for Saturday worship to offer praise to God for the blessings of Indiana.

If you would like to slip into Morning Prayer or any of the Offices, dailyoffice.org is a good place to start: https://dailyoffice.wordpress.com/
It becomes a wonderful moment of the day—just a few minutes to reset and to remember the blessings surrounding us every day.

In the meantime, sing a song of praise to God for our state.

In peace,

Jen+

Benedicite Indiana
By Josh Thomas

For the Cosmic Order

Give thanks to our God who is gracious and good;
whose lovingkindness embraces us for ever.

You sun and moon, stars of the wide sky:
give to our God your thanks and praise.

Pink dawn and red sunset, dark night and bright day:
give to our God your thanks and praise.

All hills of the south and plains of the north:
give to our God your thanks and praise.

You rivers and lakes, bubbling springs and mud creeks:
give to our God your thanks and praise.

From the banks of the Wabash, Ohio, and White:
give to our God your thanks and praise.

For the Earth and its Creatures

You catfish and walleyes, you bass of all stripes,
bluegills and crappies, salmon and pike:
give to our God your thanks and praise.

You maples and hickories, sycamores and tall pines:
give to our God your thanks and praise.

Pumas and owls, you chipmunks and snakes,
cardinals, blue jays, finches, titmice:
give to our God your thanks and praise.

You cranes of the sand, blowing winds of the dunes:
give to our God your thanks and praise.

O cornstalks, O soybeans, O cattle, O sheep!
Give to our God your thanks and praise.

For the People of God

Miamis and Weas, you Builders of Mounds,
Potawatomis, Shawnees, Kickapoos, Munsees:
give to our God your thanks and praise.

Boilermakers, Hoosiers, you racers and pacers:
give to our God your thanks and praise.

Forgers of steel and crafters of prose:
give to our God your thanks and praise.

Composers and rockers, actors on cue:
give to our God your thanks and praise.

Astronauts, pharmacists, painters and clowns:
praise you our God in a Top Ten List.

Soldiers of Lincoln, abolitionists underground,
escapees, upbuilders, you settlers who stayed:
give to our God your thanks and praise.

All colors, all nations, a rainbow array:
give to our God your thanks and praise.

You saints and martyrs of this good green land:
give to our God your thanks and praise.

You prophets and priests, lay readers and guilds:
give to our God your thanks and praise.

All children and elders, all women and men:
for Indiana, we give God
our thanks and our praise.

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.

In-Person Sunday Morning Worship Service, June 2, led by the The Rev. Bill Lemler, 10:15 a.m. You can stream the service via St. Andrew’s 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 June 2.

THANK YOU!

A big thank you to Tim Jedele for the donation of impatiens in our Memorial Garden, and to Fred Vallowe for helping Tim put them in and leading the tending of our garden. The garden is beautiful…

CHILDREN’S UNDERWEAR AND SOCK DRIVE

We are needing donations of new socks and underwear for children to be placed in the baskets at church during the Offering the next couple of Sundays. These items will be given to children in need in our community. Thank you in advance!

OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY, JUNE 16

There will be an Open House of our shared space upstairs at Advent House after church on June 16. Please come and see our updated spaces!

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES!

Congratulations go out to Henry Cox, Clay Glessner, and Jubilee Majors on their graduations.

FREE PLANTS

We will soon be changing the current usage of the flower/plant beds along the east side of the church proper into a new vision. If you’d like any of the plants in that area, please feel free to uproot and take them home with you. We’d like to have them removed within the next couple of weeks.

SILENT AUCTION OF REMAINING ARTWORK

We will be selling remaining artwork to the congregation. What is left unsold will be donated to Rescued Treasures. Proceeds from the sale of any prints or photos will go towards the preservation of art. Please let Rev. Jen know within the next few weeks if there is anything you are interested in.

NEWSNOTE ARTICLES NEEDED

We are down to our last couple of parishioner penned News Notes. If you’d like to write a short reflection to be included in the Wednesday electronic newsletter, please let Renee know. The parishioner written articles are published on the 4th Wednesday of each month.

AUGUST 4 INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS GAME

The Wabash Neighborhood is having an outing at the Indians baseball game on Sunday, August 4 at 1:35 p.m. The cost per ticket is $15 and kids eat free that day! Please get your money and reservations to Renee by July 14 so she can get all to St. Mark’s by July 21.

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 top of the piano in Hamilton Hall. Feel free to read and return!

TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY

Most weeks, the Tuesday Bible and Book group meet at 4:30 p.m. On June 4 we will continue reading the new book “Celtic Christian Spirituality: Essential Writings-Annotated and Explained” published by Skylight Illuminations. NOTE: No bible study on June 11.

THIS WEEK’S SHOPPING LIST FOR NON-FOOD PANTRY

Please add Adult Depends Sizes Large & XL, 4 and 5 year old Children’s Pull-Ups, and boxes of Laundry Sheets to your shopping list for the NFP for the month of May. The laundry sheets are more popular and desirable especially for the older folk as they are much easier to handle than the bottles of liquid. 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. The next Non-Food Pantry will be this Saturday, June 29 from noon – 2:00 p.m.

REV. JEN AWAY

Rev. Jen will be out of the office May 30 – June 3. If you should need anything during these times, please don’t hesitate to contact the church office or the Senior Warden, Karen Hirt Mannon.

RENEE AWAY

Renee will be out of the office on vacation June 4 – June 11.

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.

ON-GOING COVID PROTOCOL

We continue to respond to both our county’s current CDC designation and to the current variant. Masking is optional. Decisions on COVID policy have moved from the Reconvening Committee to Rev. Jen and the Wardens.

We have heard that the daily reflections and scripture readings provided during Lent were appreciated. The meditations are written by persons from Gobin UMC and Beech Grove UMC. They will be in the newsletter each week and go from Wednesday to Tuesday, except for Sunday. Whether you enjoy these every day or as the Spirit moves you, may this resource continue to bring you spiritual food for the journey. Blessings!

Click here to view the readings and accompanying links.

Your prayers are asked for: