Good morning church,
Attached, please find a very brief recording of the bell ringing this past Sunday. I am thinking we are going to use it again for our recorded service next Sunday. The tolls of St. Peter’s old bell even made it into the NBC 10 evening news and the following morning news as well, – pretty cool. And the bell ringer, Bernie H., wrote: “I used to have 34” length sleeve. After ringing that bell continuously for three minutes, they have lengthened to 38”!!!” Well, fortunately we won’t see Bernie’s arms sticking out of his shirt sleeves for a while, but I sincerely hope SOON. My hope is to re-open church after the Memorial Day Weekend. Council will convene again this week and we are coming up with a plan for all the various things we have to think off: safe seating areas, communion procedures, unexpected guests, possible use of the Fellowship Hall as overflow, a service or two in the great outdoors, cleaning procedures, small musical ensembles instead of big choirs, etc. This is and has been all along a time to be creative and think outside of the box. Didn’t God ask us to be that way in the first place?
Jesus once used a metaphor to get across a point he made about the vibrancy and newness of the gospel. He said, “No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins and the wine is lost, and the skins as well. But one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.” (Mark 2:22) – See an image of wineskins in the attached picture… – This means, not always are the old ways of doing things fit for the new things that are fermenting before our eyes. We live in a time when new ways of being church are in the fermenting process, when different ideas are more than ever considered, when reaching people where they are is a primary goal. The old steeple bell ringing in a church that was founded by colonial people in the year of the birth of our country, and the recordings and streaming of services to the world wide web – none of that is a contradiction. I believe that Christ has always brought together old and new in ingenious ways. And so, we will find new vessels for that unruly substance that is God’s ever-creative Spirit in the life of our church!
Since our bell ringer worked so hard on Sunday night, let me also share with you the meaning behind the bell ringing. As you read it, take a moment to join in the prayers and acknowledgments even today, two days later. Crises have a way of uniting people, and the joint bell ringing across various parts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was a sign of unity in the face of a crisis we all face together…
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- The first minute is in honor of the “hometown heroes”: the first responders, health care workers, pharmacists, grocery store employees and other essential workers who continue to serve their communities while risking exposure to the virus.
- The second minute is for elected officials and residents of municipalities across the state, who are fighting COVID-19 together on one battlefield.
- The third minute is a demonstration of camaraderie, a “collective resolve” that Pennsylvanians will prevail and bring the state back to life again when the pandemic subsides.
We have lots of wonderful ideas for this coming Sunday. I have so far received about 24 Mother’s Day pictures. Please keep them coming! It will be great fun to watch this picture show. As part of the Sunday service we will light and bless our new Paschal Candle, donated by Mari D. and her family. We will also include a virtual Holy Communion. As you watch this coming Sunday’s service, please set before you in your home a table with bread and wine or grape juice. If you don’t have wine or grape juice, use water, just for these extraordinary times. As the elements will be blessed and consecrated in the recording, pray along and consider your elements to be blessed in the same manner by the infinite reach of God’s spirit who breaks through the barriers of time and space. Have communion together with your family, as much as that is possible. If you have small children, bless them! From 11:00 until 12:00 noon we will have a drive-through at church with little Mother’s Day gifts that you can receive either as a mom or in honor of your mom, whichever applies to you, and whichever you prefer. Part of the small package will be flower seeds that you can sow in your garden. There will also be a container for your church offerings to save you the mailing.
Here is a brief synopsis of meetings this week via Zoom (Z).
- May 5: Staff Meeting, 12:00 noon (Z)
- May 5: Adult Faith Formation Team, 6:00 p.m. (Z)
- May 5: Youth Group, 7:00 p.m. (Z)
- May 6: Adult Faith Course I, 2:00 p.m. (Z)
- May 6: Council Meeting, 6:00 p.m. (Z)
- May 7: Bible Study, Galatians 1 (Z)
- May 8: Food Collection, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
- May 9: New Member Orientation, 1:00 p.m. (Z)
- May 10: Mother’s Day Sunday Service with drive-through
Please keep Lisa and James Miller and especially his brother Doug in your prayers. Doug has not much longer to live, at least as per medical diagnosis. Lisa writes that he has aged incredibly since she saw him last at the 2017 wedding. James has already fixed two cars and done some other things around his brother’s house, helpful as always. In addition, Lisa is still working remotely on church projects. I wonder whether we have someone in our congregation who could provide a pick-up truck or large vehicle for the food donations on Friday and transport them to Manna on Main Street. Please let me know, because otherwise we may have to ask folks to hold it until the following week.
Be blessed and be safe today.
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Pastor Andreas Wagner