Loading... For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *
Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice! Psalm 95:7
We have been singing Psalm 95 throughout Lent. Psalm 95 is the Venite and is sung or said during Morning Prayer. Psalm 95 speaks of the wonderful actions of God our creator. It reminds us that we are God's people and that God guides us. It reminds us to listen for God's voice.
It also reminds us that we humans are all brothers and sisters... all neighbors. Earlier this week, I attended a press conference at St. Francis of Assisi Soup Kitchen in Harrisburg. The conference was organized by Movement for Immigrant Leaders, Pennsylvania or (MILPA). It was designed to address the concerns about the recent Immigration raids in the Harrisburg area.
Many faith groups attended the event. We heard from faith leaders, government leaders and attorneys.
The central question is how do we care for our brothers and sisters and neighbors? What is the proper response? The press conference and those I met and spoke to had very specific answers. They told heartbreaking stories of people who had all of the proper documentation and were still put into detention. Then there are the families where part of the family is documented and part of the family is undocumented.
Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN) encourages us to take action to support some immigration reform, called The Bridge Act. Information is at the end of this article.
We are God's people. How do we hear God's voice on this issue?
Blessings as you finish your week?
Love, Rebecca+
This Sunday, Darlene Amsler leads Morning Prayer and preaches. Rebecca will be at the Diocesan Jr. High Retreat with our confirmands.
This Sunday we take an additional offering for the Diocese’s Operation Understanding fund to help parishes in our Diocese.
Parlor People, Sunday, 11am – noon. March 5 – April 2, we continue our discussion on forgiveness, using The Book of Forgiving by Desmond and Mpho Tutu.
This Sunday, Bill Rohm leads our discussion: Part Two, chapters 6 and 7: Granting Forgiveness and Renewing or Releasing the Relationship. Next week, Susan Rice leads on Part Three, chapters 8 and 9: Needing Forgiveness and Forgiving Yourself.
Men’s Breakfast each Wed., 9am, Espresso Yourself Café.
Women’s Breakfast – Wed., March 22 & April 12, 9am, May’s Railside Grill.
Choir Practice - The Choir will practice Wednesdays at 10:15am.
Taize’ Tuesdays, 5:00pm. Twenty minutes of Centering Prayer followed by a Taize’ service.
Upcoming Meetings
March 22-24 – Water Justice Conference, Trinity Institute 2017
March 26, Noon, Worship Committee
March 26, 1:00pm Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), Perry County
We are creating our Lenten altar of food for the Perry County Food Bank. Bring your donations and put them up by the altar each Sunday. For a list of the items needed by the Food Bank, go to their website at //www.perrycountyfoodbank.org/ and click on their wish list. Canned vegetables, fruit, nut butters and protein are always needed.
All who have been baptized by water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are welcome to receive communion. You may receive bread only or bread and wine. You may receive the wine by common cup or by dipping your wafer into the chalice. If you would prefer to receive a blessing, please come forward and cross your arms across your chest.
Flowers for Easter, April 16. Donations for Easter flowers will be taken through April 9. If you have an envelope, you can use it for the donation, including marking if they are “in honor of” or “in memory of” someone. There are also envelopes at the back of the church.
The Newport Ministerium Weekly Lenten series for 2017 Giving Out Instead of Giving Up Wednesdays, March 22 through April 5, Incarnation United Church of Christ, 47 N. 4th Street, Newport, from 5:30-7:00pm. A soup supper begins at 5:30, with an informal service beginning at 6:15pm.
We will be hosting a viewing and discussions of the 2017 Trinity Institute: Water Justice, March 22-24. With a sharp focus on the need for water justice initiatives in areas of access, droughts, pollution, rising tides, and flooding, Trinity Institute aims to offer actionable guidance for individuals, congregations, and the larger faith community surrounding these issues. This year we’ll hear from Barbara Boxer, Christiana Peppard, Winston Halapua, Thabo Makgoba, Katharine Hayhoe, Maude Barlow, David Toomey, Kim Stanley Robinson, and others. If you’d like to attend all or part of the conference, please contact the church office.
Prayer Shawl Ministry of Newport meets at the church Thursday, March 30, 10:00am. Bring your projects and also learn how to knit or crochet.
YWCA of Greater Harrisburg training on child sexual assault, adult sexual assault, elder assault and human trafficking, April 20, 8am – 4pm, Family Life Center, Newport. Cost is $25. Breakfast and lunch are provided. Register by April 12 by calling Emily O’Haren, 717-238-7273 ext. 3994 or email eoharen@ywcahbg.org.
Race for Reading to benefit The Perry County Literacy Council, May 6, is seeking silent auction items for their event. Please contact Miguel Gonzales if you have an item you’d like tondonate to the auction.
Tickets are now available for the Race for Reading to benefit Perry County Literacy Council, Saturday, May 6, Little Buffalo State Park, 5pm. Dinner tickets are $35. A pre-race Mint JulepnParty in memory of Susan Connell will be held at the homenof Todd Saner, at 4pm. Tickets for the pre-race party are $50.00. There are also supporting levels for the event from $25 through $2,000. Send your ticket request with check payable to Perry County Literacy Council, PO Box 37, Newport, PA 17074.
Baking needs and chocolate items available through Equal Exchange. See the cart in the parish hall. We are now a wholesaler for Equal Exchange, a company that supports small farmers who use sustainable practices for chocolate, cocoa, coffee, tea, nuts, olive oil and other baking items. A price list and basket are available to pay for the items you choose to buy. Also, be sure to write down what you’ve purchased to help us maintain our inventory. A catalogue is also available. If there’s an item you’d like us to order, please see Jane Hoover.
Help people in need around the world! A Thankoffering box is available by the coffee pots in the kitchen if you'd like to make donations that way. United Thankoffering is a project of the Episcopal Church Women of The Episcopal Church. Boxes are available to collect your offering, which is brought to church twice a year. A wonderful spiritual practice is to put something in the box each time you are thankful to God. If possible, count the money in your box and write a check to the church in that amount.
Join Hands Items of the Month – Paper Products (toilet paper, paper towels, etc.), Diapers (all sizes with emphasis on 4, 5, 6), Toiletries (shampoo, soap, conditioner, tooth paste, etc.)
Honor or Remember a loved one or a special occasion with flowers on the altar! Flowers help make our worship space more beautiful and remind us of the blossoming life we have in Christ. Please consider sponsoring the flowers in memory of a loved one, or to celebrate your thanksgivings. Flowers are $30. A sign-up chart is in the Undercroft.
Help People in Need when you buy your Groceries!
See Gail Shull or Pat Szabo to purchase cards in various amounts to use at Giant, Mutzabaugh's, or Weis Stores. 5% of the cost of each card stays with the church and is used for outreach and mission projects.
From Episcopal Public Policy Network: Support the Bridge Act. Go here: //advocacy.episcopalchurch.org/app/write-a-letter?8&engagementId=313293 to take action.
Information: Our nation’s immigration system is in dire need of reform. In an attempt to address this broken system, Congress introduced the bipartisan “Bar Removal of Individuals who Dream and Grow our Economy (BRIDGE) Act,” which would provide temporary relief to undocumented youth currently protected from detention and deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
While the BRIDGE Act is not a comprehensive fix, it is a crucial form of temporary protection for undocumented youth. Tell Congress to begin the work of offering bipartisan solutions to individuals and communities by passing the BRIDGE Act.
Sample Letter:
As a constituent and an Episcopalian, I know that immigration provides valuable contributions to our community. The Episcopal Church has long sought comprehensive immigration reform that will bring undocumented persons out of the shadows and offer pathways to citizenship. Today, I write to ask you to take action by supporting a bipartisan reform that would ensure young adults who were brought to the United States as children can go to college, obtain lawful employment, pay taxes, and support their families while Congress debates a permanent solution through comprehensive immigration reform.
I urge you to work with your colleagues to pass S. 128/H.R. 496, the BRIDGE Act. This bipartisan legislation would protect young immigrants who grew up in the U.S. from being detained or deported to places unknown to them. Then I hope you will turn to enacting compassionate immigration policies that provide workable, long-term solutions for all undocumented immigrants who are part of the fabric of my community to remain with their loved ones.
Undocumented youth have contributed to our country by seeking education, jobs, and opportunities to serve their communities. As your constituent, I feel that it is time to repair our outdated and broken immigration system once and for all; families are being separated and there is pain and fear in our communities. It is urgent, however, that undocumented youth who have lived most of their lives in the United States are protected.
Thank you for your consideration and commitment to supporting bipartisan reform that will respect the human realities of undocumented persons in our country.
