Loading...Lord, who may dwell in your tabernacle? *
who may abide upon your holy hill?
There is no guile upon his tongue;
he does no evil to his friend; *
he does not heap contempt upon his neighbor. Psalm 15:1, 3
When I think about dwelling in God's tabernacle, it seems so peacful and beautiful to me. It's very inviting.
Then I look at what the Psalmist writes in necessary to do so. Well, hopefully I'm not a person who is filled with guile -- manipulative and sly. I can't think of instances where I was. And I do try not to do evil to my friends, although I think I did help a good friend get let go from her job, before I knew her as a friends.
It's the "heaping contempt upon my neighbor" that's hard for me not to do. As some of you know, I was one of 13 people who sued then-Mayor Stephen Reed in 1993. I was truly concerned about some of the ways he was spending money that was for the neighborhoods. In addition, I had seen him treat people from various neighborhoods in ways I thought were unfair and heartbreaking. There are so many stories I could tell you about our interactions over the years. I prayed for him often AND did find it hard not to heap contempt upon him.
What helped was my belief that he truly cared about and loved the City of Harrisburg and so did I. We just had very different ways of expressing that love and of understanding what was best for the City and its residents.
Yes, I'd rather abide on God's Holy Hill and dwell in God's tabernacle, since I know it is a place of peace, serenity, joy, and beauty. Heaping contempt upon my neighbor is not the way to get there.
Many blessings as you finish your week!
Love, Rebecca+
This Sunday we commission Bill Rohm as a Verger. Vergers assist in the ordering of our services. They make sure everything is in place, even to the opening of the church, so a service can proceed. Bill has been taking a self-study course on how to be a Verger, which includes meeting with me twice a month. I've been impressed at the things he's studied as part of this course.
Bill will be helping train and recruit people who are interested in serving in the various ministries important for our services, too.
Please pray for him in this new ministry.
Bishop's Visit to Harrisburg Convocation
A number of activities are planned for Bishop Scanlan's tour of the Harrisburg Convocation. Our Convocation is the region of the
Diocese between Chambersburg and Hershey. This tour is a chance for the Bishop to learn more about the region.
You are invited and welcome to participate in any of the following activities:
Friday, July 22, 11:30am - lunch at Houlihan's and visit to
The Hershey Story and Hershey Gardens ($20 for ticket to both.
$12.50 for each). Limit to 30 and cost for lunch. Please let Rebecca know if you will attend.
Friday, July 22, 6:15pm - Pop-up Eucharist on Walnut Street
Bridge, Harrisburg, followed by pot luck dinner in Bishop's Garden at St. Stephen's Cathedral. Free parking available at St.
Stephen's.
Saturday, July 23, 9am until 11:00am - Gleaning in the
Shippensburg/Chambersburg area. Meet at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 206 E. Burd St., Shippensburg. We'll pick produce for a local food bank. Limited to 30 people. Please let Rebecca know if you will attend.
Saturday, July 23, 12:30pm, Lunch at Espresso Yourself
Cafe, Newport, PA. Limited to 25 people. Please let Rebecca know if you will attend.
Sunday, July 24, 10:15am, St. Stephen’s Cathedral. A Convocation Choir is being formed to sing for the Eucharist. If you wish to sing, meet in the cathedral choir room at 9:15am to learn an anthem for the day. Each church is asked to bring a parish banner to be used in a festive entrance. Choir robes will be available at the cathedral if you are unable to bring one. Let Rebecca know if you will participate and want to take our banner.
Upcoming Meetings
July 18, 5pm, Finance Committee
July 20, 6:30pm, Vestry
Re-Imagining Faith Formation, Saturday, August 13, 8:30am – 3:00pm, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Lancaster.
This Diocesan THRIVE has workshops for children, youth and
adults. Sign up at www.Diocesecpa.org.
Cost is $20, lunch included.
Queens Who Cook! September 10, 2:00-4:00pm,
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 248 Seneca St., Harrisburg.
This fundraiser supports St. Paul’s Building Fund and the
St. Barnabas Summer Camp Fund. Tickets are $20 for the
afternoon of food, fun and fellowship. They are also looking for
additional cooks. For more information, contact
Carol Stevenson at 717-623-0335.
Volunteers are needed for the Newport Elementary and
Greenwood Elementary “Release Time” programs.
Children who receive parental permission are released from
school early (1:30pm in Newport and 1:15pm in Millerstown) to
attend this 1-hour religious program. Background checks are
required. The programs run monthly from October through
March. Contact Shirey Little at 717-395-0058 or
bestestbuds@gmail.com.
Diocesan Youth Reunion, Knoebel’s Grove, August 6, Pavilion K, 11:00am – 8:00pm.
Hamburgers and hot dog provided. Bring a dish to share.
Open to people of all ages. For families that would like to
camp, we have a block of sites reserved. Please contact
cpayouthcom@gmail.com to reserve a site. All ages are
welcome! The cost is $10.00 per person or $25.00 per
family. Join us for a fun day at Knoebel's. Reconnect with
friends, meet new friends!
Join Us For Breakfast!
Men's breakfast - Every Wednesday, 9am, Espresso Yourself Cafe.
Women's breakfast - 2nd and 4th Wednesdays, 9am, May's
Railside Cafe. Upcoming breakfast date is July 27.
Join Hands Items of the Month – SCHOOL SUPPLIES
Pencils #2
Pens: red, green, purple, blue
Highlighters
Erasers
Washable markers
Colored pencils (pack)
Post-its 3x3
Zippered Pencil pouch/large
Ziploc bags
Extra large book covers
Notebook paper
3 ring binder w/clear cover & pockets inside
3 ring binder –1 ½ inch
w/clear cover & pockets inside
3 ring binder –2 inch w/clear
cover & pockets inside
Double pocket folder w/ prongs
Yellow homework folder
Double pocket folder
5-tab divider (w/pockets preferably)
Sheet protectors
Math calculator
Join Hands is looking for some volunteers to help with
this year's school supply give-away.
Please call 582-7844 if any of these times will work for you.
Thursday, August 18, 3-7pm, Friday, August 19, 11am – 3pm or
3-7pm and Monday, August 22, 10am – 1pm.
Thanks to Todd Saner and Darlene Amsler who did some yard work this week.
Thanks to Kay Cramer for picking produce from our garden and delivering it to the Perry County Food Bank.
Thanks to Darlene Amsler for hosting the Derek Tietje and the Scouts and leaders from Boy Scout Troop 64 Duncannon who are building our labyrinth.
Photos from this past week:
