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St. Philip's Episcopal Church
Easthampton, MA
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Be careful: If you come here, you will grow!
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Sunday Lectionary Study is at 8:45 a.m.
USE THIS ZOOM LINK
Meeting ID: 832 0782 9066 | Passcode: 70862#
To Join by Telephone
Audio conferencing participant (joining by telephone) will need to call: +1 929 436 2866 US AND follow the verbal instructions. Enter the meeting ID you wish to join followed by the # key. If you are asked for a password, enter the password followed by the # key. You will be asked to enter your participant ID. If you do not know your participant ID, simply press the # key.
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During this pandemic time, one of the unexpected blessings of our separation has been the implementation of offering the night prayers on a daily basis (at 8 p.m.). “An Order for Compline” comes to the Prayer Book tradition from the monasteries; and as the word “compline” indicates, these are the prayers that “complete” the day: “May the Almighty God grant us a peaceful night and a perfect end”. [opening sentences of Compline, Book of Common Prayer, page 127.].
In my eyes there are at least two gifts that have unexpectedly emerged for us in this Compline experience. One is that in a new way we have begun to register the important rhythms of daily prayer. Again from the monastic example, daily prayer occurs at regular intervals of the day itself. Looking at the center that is God-in-Christ from the perspective of the morning, noon, evening, and at night, we find ourselves in the Holy One’s presence amidst the wonderous and challenging details and changes of each day.
The other unexpected gift of entering into the rhythm and routine of the daily prayers is that such a discipline is meant as something all of us do and, more specifically, the leadership of these prayers rightly falls to the laity. (Remember our baptismal vows, to continue “in the prayers” [BCP., page 304.]. In this fashion, St. Philip’s not only offers the night prayers daily; the leadership of Compline is almost exclusively handled by the members of the parish. And it is wonderful to see the blossoming confidence that each of our lay officiants conveys, as they take responsibility for guiding us in these prayers.
The internet platform we use for Compline has recently changed from “YouTube” to facebook. We believe that this will be a clearer vehicle for more folks and that it will be easier to access. All that is needed is to “click” on St. Philip’s facebook home page and then go to the left column of that page to participate “live” with that night’s Compline offering or “video” to see a previous offering (even that same night’s offering at a later time). YOU DO NOT NEED TO SUBSCRIBE TO FACEBOOK to participate in Compline. Simply click the image of our beloved St. Philip above, to get to our Facebook link.
And if you would like to learn how to lead the night prayers, please contact Deacon Jason or me (MAB+); and we will be delighted to add you to the list of helpful officiants.
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Minutes
of Recent Meetings
Learn what your Vestry has been discussing and deciding for the parish. Click on the the links below to read the minutes from recent meetings.
August 24, 2021
No meeting in July
June 22, 2021
May 25, 2021
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June 2021 Treasurers Summary
June saw our financial condition move into negative territory. This was not surprising as we budgeted for a loss of $20,000 for 2021, even if we met all our budget goals. We have a cash flow issue that will require us to withdraw money from our endowment.
Ordinary INCOME
Total ordinary income was $6683 vs a budget of $7160, $477 below budget. Pledge receipts were $6,368 vs a budget of $6665. Endowment Income was $0 vs a budget of $0. (It is paid on a quarterly basis). Plate & Special Offerings were $192 vs a budget of $325. Facility Usage was $122 vs a budget of $170
Ordinary EXPENSE
Normal expenses, such as Salaries, Property & Utilities, Admin., etc. were both above and below budget, overall expenses were $9881 vs a budget of $9804, $77 above budget. Clergy Expense was $353 over budget because we were charged twice for Clergy Insurance due to the number of weeks in June. Property & Utilities were $457 below budget. $305 was spent on website design ($0 budget) to transfer our website to WIX.com and adding video streaming from the site as well. This move will save us $420 next year, starting in 2022.
Based on June’s Ordinary income and expenses we had a net operating loss of $3198 vs a planned loss of $2644, over $550 more than plan.
OTHER INCOME/EXPENSE
This income included an unrealized gain of $16402 in the endowment, $47 for RDF, $170 for T&E, $20 PRBF. Expenses included, $384 for T&E, $47 for RDF, and $150 for the EHCC
Checking Account Balance
June 30 checking acct balance was $11,031. $2870 of this is designated for T&E funding and $1250 is required for outstanding checks. This leaves $6911 available to cover July expenses. Our July pledge goal is $6665. If all this is received, we would have $13576 for July bills. Our monthly payroll and Diocese assessment requires $7,090, other monthly bills are approx. $3000. By the end of July our cash balance will be dangerously low. A withdrawal from the endowment appears necessary to maintain cashflow/liquidity. This was presented to and approve by the Vestry in early July.
Please see the 2nd Quarter 2021 Treasurer Report HERE.
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Creating Beloved Community –
“Jesus and the Disinherited”
During our church group study entitled “Sacred Ground”, we had the privilege to read Howard Thurman’s book “Jesus and the Disinherited”.
Thurman discusses how Jesus‘ message ‘focused on the urgency of a radical change in the inner attitude of the people and that Jesus advocated a love of self and others that defeats the fear & hatred decaying our souls and the world around us. Thurman's message helped shape the civil rights movement and changed our nation. I would like to put together a, zoom based, group to study Thurman's book further. It is a short book, so this would not be a huge time commitment, the group would for five weeks for around an hour per session. I envision tackling one chapter at a time and beginning in mid-September. We will be flexible, so if you want to participate, but are not sure you could make every meeting, that is okay. We will determine the exact meeting dates and times as a group in early September. Please contact Sue Brienes at suebreines@gmail.com with interest, questions, or suggestions.
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ST PHILIPS ANNIVERSARY
Since we cannot safely gather to celebrate in our usual styles of food, fellowship, presentations, etc... let us gather virtually. Please write a very brief paragraph containing the theme - "What St. Philips means to me." These writings can take any form which is comfortable to you - a few sentences, a poem, a lyric, a phrase, or a scripture. What connects YOU to St Philips? Family, friends, geography, past moments, future hopes?
I would like to collect these and then publish them on our webpage, facebook, NOW, Sunday bulletin, etc.. Please take some time to consider participating in this exercise. My prayer is that it will be very uplifting to all.
If you may have pictures or brief videos capturing moments of St Philips' Parish life, these will be welcome also. These can involve special events in the sanctuary, parish hall, church grounds, or at other venues connected with the many missions and ministries of the people of St Philips.
You may send your selections to sbailey@hcc.edu or sdbailey316@charter.net. Thank you for your participation!
Steve Bailey
See submissions on our website.
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For Members!
Our Pastoral Committee, our Tech Committee, and our Ushers could use your help!
We are always looking for volunteer drivers to help transport non-driving members to and from church, or to and from other appointments as needed. Drivers must have a valid driver's license and be fully vaccinated. Reach out to Bonnie Katusich at bkatu9@gmail.com or 413-563-5099 if you can help out.
Do you watch our streamed Sunday and other worship services on Facebook? We could use a few more folks to learn the 'how-to's' behind the scenes for these events, as well as to participate in other tech conversations and possibilities going forward. This is an ever changing and exciting opportunity! Contact Deacon Jason Burns or Susan May by leaving a message on the church office phone, if you are interested in helping. 413-527-0862.
We are also in need of more Ushers to help with the flow of the service. Please contact Julie Flahive (julieflahive@gmail.com or 413-433-2300) if you are interested in learning more about assisting in this important role.
Thank you!
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Hi Folks!
Our next service is this Saturday, September 25th. We'll be making barbecue chicken, potato salad and more! We are accepting baked desserts again. We ask that each volunteer bake two dozen treats and deliver them to the kitchen individually-wrapped by 9:30am.
If you are interested in joining us, you can sign up here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0C4CAEAA2EAAFB6-take
For those attending:
Kitchen staff, our coordinators will be improving our social distancing protocol this session, so make sure to check in when you arrive for details. As always, we ask that you wash hands on entry, wear gloves and an apron, and clean surfaces after every use . Please come with a clean hat and clothes, and bring your own mask.
Drivers, please sanitize the bags and coolers you use to transport food. Pickup will take place at the picnic tables outside the kitchen. During delivery, handle the food with gloves or use hand sanitizer, and when you drop off the food, please leave it outside and call the recipient to let them know.
Remember, if you feel ill, please stay home. Contact Jon if you cannot attend. Only come to a service if you have signed up, as we need to operate with a smaller crew to reduce exposure. We also ask that children stay home.
All the Best,
Jon & the Take & Eat Team
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Easthampton Community Center
Weekly Food Donations
Now that we are back in church, we have resumed our weekly donation of food to the Community Center. During the pandemic, the Center has been distributing kids bags on a weekly basis. We would like to focus on supporting this program during the summer.
Kid’s bags include the following items,
- Raman Noodles
- Tuna Fish
- Chewy and Crunchy Granola Bars
- Cereal Bars
- 100% Juice Boxes
- Fruit Chews
- Mac & Cheese
- Apple Sauce/Fruit cups
- Chef Boy R Dee Ravioli
- SpaghettiOs
- Kraft Mac & Cheese
Food donations can be brought to the church on Sunday mornings or dropped off at the church hall on Thursday afternoons. You can also make a cash donation to the center by a designated contribution to Saint Philip’s, sending a check directly to the center at 12 Clark Street, or via their Facebook page.
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Office Hours
Tuesday - Thursday, 1 pm - 4:30 pm
Since not all afternoons are in person,
please call or email for an appointment.
Phone: 413-527-0862
Email: office@stphilipseasthampton.org
Submissions for the NOW
This newsletter is published every Thursday at 10:00 am.
The deadline for submissions is 1:00 pm on Wednesdays.
Please email them to the office by that time.
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