WORSHIP MOVES TO 10:00AM FOR THE SUMMER BEGINNING JUNE 6, 2021!
JUNE 8, 2021 UPDATED IN-PERSON WORSHIP GUIDELINES
After prayerful discussion at the June 8, 2021 meeting, the Session has updated in-person worship guidelines as follows:
- - those who are not vaccinated must wear a mask properly; vaccinated individuals may choose not to wear a mask
- - please continue to observe social distancing in the marked pews
- - As of June 20, congregational singing has resumed. You are welcome to use the hymnals in the pews,
stand and join in singing of hymns and responses. Lyrics will continue to be printed in the bulletin
for those following along online.
JULY 2021 WORSHIP SCHEDULE
Like all sections of the Bible, the Gospel According to John is one that deserves a close look. Written by the “beloved disciple” it presents Jesus in a way unlike Matthew, Mark, and Luke. First, it gives no account of the miraculous Virgin Birth (Matt 1.18-25; Luke 1.26-56; 2.1-20) but tells us that He – Jesus – preexisted; that is, Jesus has no beginning because He is eternal (John 1.1-2). In addition, all things came into being through Him; apart from Him came into being “that has come into being” (John 1.3). Starting in June, and throughout the month of July, we are covering the first chapter of John’s gospel, to get a feel and an interest in the chapters following. There is so much richness in this gospel that the first 18 verses of the first chapter alone serves as the “prologue” (a separate introductory section of a literary work) of what is to come. We have covered John 1.1-18 and will unpack 1.19-51 in July! John’s gospel was written so that “we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing we may have life in His name” (John 20.31). May this month, in which we celebrate our country’s 245th birthday, find us enjoying not only our civil liberties, but our freedom from spiritual bondage through Christ. Glory be to God! The Rev. Anthony Rivera, pastor Sunday, July 4: “The Testimony of John” – John 1:19-28, Communion will be served. Sunday, July 11: “The Lamb of God” – John 1:29-34 Sunday, July 18: “We Have Found Him!” – John 1: 35-51 Sunday, July 25: Merry Christmas! Our service of Lessons & Carols returns for Christmas in July. Since there was no in-person worship and no congregational singing during the Advent & Christmas seasons, this service will be the chance to come together, share in the stories and songs we love as we once again welcome the Child of Bethlehem into the world. "Come Share the Lord"
by Shaun Cloonan, Minister of Music
May 2019 “Come break the bread, come drink the wine, come, share the Lord.” Those words to a favorite communion anthem come to mind as I share this story. About 3 or 4 summers ago, while strolling through the booths at the Three Rivers Arts festival downtown, I noticed a beautiful handmade chalice by one of the pottery vendors. It was a sort of washed/worn reddish-pink color, and I immediately thought it would look good in our sanctuary with the deep red carpet and curtains along the chancel area. One problem, there was no matching plate. I asked the potter if getting a matching plate was an option. He told me he didn’t have any plans to make plates, but gave me his card and told me to send him an email so that he could let me know the next time he was planning to make them so we could order one. I did that, and then life took over and I sort of forgot about it. A few weeks ago, Lorraine and I were talking while changing the banners and paraments (did you know that’s what the colored pulpit scarf and communion tablecloth are called?) with the change from Lent to Easter, and I asked what ever happened to that chalice? She pulled it out from a top shelf in the Lounge kitchenette and we decided to put it out on the table, both commenting that it would be nice if there was a matching plate. Well, if you know either Lorraine or me well, when we get an idea in our heads, good luck getting it out of there! Mandy and I went to lunch after the service and continued talking about how to find a match, and I was feverishly searching on Amazon and Google and anywhere I could think of to find a pottery-style plate that might match that specific shade of reddish-pink. No luck…deep reds, red and black, red and purple, nothing close. Then I came across an artist on the website Etsy, a site where artisans sell their own creations. Monica Sommerville works out of New York (but originally Allentown, PA). I sent a message via Etsy to this random person whose plates I liked, attaching a photo of the chalice and asking if there was any way she might be able to make something comparable. Within a half hour, she replied that it’s very difficult to match another potter’s glaze exactly, but she thought she had a mix of red and cream that she could overlap to get close. “I am glad to make a plate and send a photo. If you think it matches, we can take care of payment and shipping then. If not, no obligation.” I responded anything she could do that would be close would be better than what I was finding. Then on to life for the rest of the week… About a week or so later, I got a message saying she was going to throw some plates that weekend, and a day or so later, got a photo that looked to me to be almost an exact match. I replied that it was perfect and we’d love to have it at FPCE for our communion services. I replied with my address and asked about the price. The response was “Please accept it as a gift. You can repay it by passing on some kindness to someone in your community this week!” So, thanks to this lovely woman’s talents and generous spirit, we have a beautiful matching set for communion that was made just for us! The next time you’re in the sanctuary and walking past the communion table, take a look at the chalice and plate. If you didn’t know any better, you’d swear they were made as a set and not by 2 different potters! And if you’re looking for someone to do some custom pottery for you, go to www.Etsy.com to find Sommerville Pottery or visit www.sommervillepottery.com. |
Worship at EdgewoodSunday Morning Worship is held:
11:00AM September-May 10:00AM June-August Worship services at First Presbyterian Church of Edgewood vary in style from Sunday to Sunday. Most weeks, worshipers will experience what we call "Classic" worship -- a traditional Presbyterian Reformed order of worship with piano accompaniment and choir music leadership. Once per month, "Emerging" worship takes place. This service, while still focusing on the 5 tenents of Presbyterian worship -- gathering around, proclaiming, responding to, sealing upon our hearts, and bearing into the world God's Word -- is presented in a relaxed atmosphere. A screen is placed in the front of the sanctuary, a worship ensemble of mixed instruments accompanies song leaders, and God's Word is presented in a multitude of ways. Worshipers in this service will experience a wide variety of presentations, from reader's theater to VBS kids singing, choral presentations to standard sermons. To see video of some previous Emerging Worship services, visit http://fpceworshipservice.blogspot.com. 
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