Stages of the Pandemic Journey: Returning to In Person Worship (Again...)
The Rev. Noah H. Evans
Dear Friends:
I like to think of this pandemic journey like the stages the Hebrew people moved in as they wandered through the desert of Sinai. Each stage is a different leg of the journey.
St. Paul’s will begin two new legs of the journey in the weeks to come.
First, Palm Sunday Holy Week and Easter – during this time we will have a mix of in-person and virtual activities. You can find the entire schedule here.
Second, Sunday April 11 lasting until Memorial Day weekend. During this leg we resume in person worship with services in the sanctuary at 8AM (no music) and 9:15AM (a little instrumental music). As with our services in the summer and fall, these services will require pre-registration and have limited capacity. Masking and distancing protocols will all be in place. We will continue our Livestreaming worship at 10:45AM, with full music. We will be able to have one or two families a week in this service for Baptisms or Early Communion.
Birthdays & Anniversaries: First Sunday of the Month
We pray for birthdays and anniversaries on the first Sunday of the month. If you would like to be prayed for by name, please let Noah know by Sunday at 10:30AM. You can write to him at noah@stpaulspgh.org.
First Sunday of the Month is Virtual Food Pantry Sunday!
As we do every month, the first Sunday (this Sunday!) we will be collecting donations for the South Hills Food Pantry. In lieu of pantry items, we are asking you instead to make a financial donation to the Food Pantry using the link here. Thank you to everyone who donated for their amazing generosity in caring for our neighbors in need during this difficult time.
St. Paul's Friend-raiser: Friday, March 12 at 7PM! (Deadline to order is TODAY!!!)
You're invited to the St. Paul's Friend-raiser!
Included in your ticket:
Fundraiser for COVID-19 Relief fund, Partnering with Caliente Pizza and Drafthouse
Virtual Beer tasting with an assortment of 6 hand-selected craft beers (can opt out of beer, and still enjoy the food and fun)
Assortment of Meats and Cheeses
St. Patrick’s day cookies
Commentary by beer connoisseur
Irish music
Ticket for raffle drawing
Zoom Link
Order pick up will be in the St. Paul’s Parking Lot 4:00-6:00PM. All orders must be placed by Friday, March 5. Tickets may be purchased by clicking here.
Ticket Options:
Full ticket: Beer, food, zoom link and all items above = $50
Food ticket only (food, + zoom link): $20
Delivery if needed (made by men in kilts) + $10
Contemporary Questions in Light of Scripture with the Rev. Laura Di Panfilo
Would Jesus have worn a mask during the pandemic? Is God a man? These and other popular contemporary questions can be understood in light of our scripture and the ministry of Jesus. Join us on Tuesdays on Zoom from 6:30-7:30pm in Lent to explore how Jesus might answer these questions. Watch for optional articles to read before each meeting. You can join here (password is 1066).
Tuesday, March 9 - What would Jesus say about White Christian Nationalism?
*Read this article here
Tuesday, March 16 - What does Jesus teach us about welcoming All people?
Tuesday, March 23 - What did Jesus teach about economics?
Lenten Movie Series: Thursday, March 11 at 7pm
In the feature documentary Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North (http://www.tracesofthetrade.org/), filmmaker Katrina Browne discovers that her New England ancestors were the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. She and nine cousins retrace the Triangle Trade and gain powerful new perspectives on the black/white divide. Pre-watch the movie and join us for discussion about the documentary and reflection of how it touches our lives. You can join the discussion here (password is 1066).
"Come To Me, All Who Are Weary":
A Retreat for Soul-Weary Moms
Have the events of the past year left you exhausted? Are you physically tired? How about emotionally tired? Or mentally tired? Do you feel like your soul is crying out for rest and peace? If so, we hope you'll join us Saturday, March 13th from 10am to 12pm on Zoom for what we hope will be a time to share, reflect, and replenish our weary souls-- and hopefully for each of us to find community and commonality, even though our specific experiences have been different. Jesus said "Come to me, all who are weary...and you will find rest for your souls." Click Here to Register-- there is room for all moms, grandmothers, great grandmothers, sisters, aunts, friends, and god-mothers. Feel free to share and bring your friends! Questions? Email Kristen Morgan at kmorgan@stpaulspgh.org
Drawing Closer to God: A Taize Prayer Service on Saturday, March 13 at 6PM
Join us for a Taizé Lenten service titled “Drawing Closer to God” that will be accessible via Zoom on Saturday, March 13th at 6:00 PM. Taizé is a beautiful and slower paced service that presents a unique opportunity for prayer, song and meditation. Taizé music highlights simple phrases, usually lines from the Psalms or other pieces of scripture, repeated and sung. The repetition is designed to help meditation and prayer. You can join here (password is 1066).
Help is needed to fold Palms into Palm Crosses!
St. Paul's will be ordering palms for Palm Sunday soon, and once they arrive, we will need YOUR help to fold a lot of them into Palm Crosses! It is "an art", as it were, but it's one that anyone can learn. Palms will be available for pick up on March 19th through March 21st, and they will need to be returned in Palm Cross form by March 27th. These crosses will be handed out during the Blessing of the Palms, which will take place in person on Sunday, March 28th at 9am in the St. Paul's parking lot. If you are interested in taking a "batch" (small or large!), please email kmorgan@stpaulspgh.org
Children’s Good Friday Service will be held Friday, April 2, 2021
Our Children’s Good Friday service will be held in person in St. Margaret’s Garden, in the tent, on Friday, April 2, at 3:30pm and 5pm. There are six family slots available for each of the two time slots-- Click Here to sign up for the time that works best for your family. All participants will be required to wear a mask and stay socially distanced from others who are not in their own household. If all of these slots fill at both of these service times, we can create a new one for more families. Questions? Email Kristen Morgan at kmorgan@stpaulspgh.org
Safety Greeters Needed!
We are thrilled to resume in-person worship after Easter! But in order to be able to keep everyone safe, we need safety greeters that will help enforce all of our COVID safety precautions. We will need 2 safety greeters at each service (8AM and 9:15AM in the sanctuary, and 4PM at Mt. Lebanon Main Park). I will hold a brief Zoom training on what being a safety greeter entails; the timing for that training will be determined at a later date. Please let Andrea know if you have any questions at all, and click here to sign up!
Baptisms at St. Paul's
We are planning to resume performing Baptisms again at St. Paul's on April 11. From that date until May 23rd we will be able to do one baptism a week during our 10:45AM live streaming service. Capacity in the service will be very limited - with your family, and possibly a family of a child who is receiving early communion. Everyone in attendance will need to be masked, and seating will be distanced. After May 23, we will most likely have another shift in our service schedule and we are not scheduling further than May 23 at this point. If you are interested in Baptism, please contact the Reverend Noah H. Evans at noah@stpaulspgh.org or 412-531-7153 x11..
Learning to Pray Class & Small Groups start after Easter
Based on this very basic human desire to know God, we have developed a 9 week course that provides a framework that will guide each of us into a deeper more meaningful relationship with God. The Learning to Pray course will begin after Easter and conclude before summer. It is built around small groups of 5-6 people per group, each with its own trained leader to guide you. The initial two meetings will be all of us together then we will break up for 6 weeks of experiential learning, followed by a closing meeting with all of us together again. The small groups will meet for 1 hour per week at a time agreed to by the group. It is hoped that the integrity and strength of each group will grow with your attendance at each meeting but this is not a requirement. We will meet via Zoom so we can continue to practice safe distancing while we build new interpersonal relationships. If you have questions, please email Mark Lamendola at mark.lamendola@marsh.com or the Rev. Ted Babcock at tsbabcock@yahoo.com. You can signup that you are interested here.
Parishioner Trent Sommes received his Commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army as a Chaplain Candidate on Zoom on Monday. Since the ceremony was virtual, he decided to have it performed in the St. Paul's Sanctuary.
Congratulations Trent!
Digital Ways to Connect Week!
Unless otherwise noted, access all events via this link: zoom.us/j/4125317153, or with this Meeting ID: 412 531 7153. The password to access all scheduled events below is 1066. Friday
Friday, 8AM, Morning Prayer with Jim Miorelli
Friday, 6PM, Evening Prayer with Deana Sherline Saturday
Saturday, 9AM, Centering Prayer (Use this link here)
Saturday, 10:30AM, Northumbrian Prayer with Deana Sherline Sunday
Sunday, 8:00AM, Men's Group with Mark Lamendola and Jim Miorelli
Sunday, 9:30AM, Small Group with Alexis Sheehan (Use the linkhere)
Sunday, 9:30AM, Children's Ministries Activities (Use this linkhere)
Sunday, 1:30PM, Call In Service
Sunday, 5PM, Youth Programs
Sunday, 8:30PM, ComplineMonday
Monday, 8AM, Morning Prayer with Eileen Sharbaugh
Monday, 6PM, Evening Prayers with Cat Munz and Church of the Redeemer Squirrel Hill (use the link here, password is: 660021) Tuesday
Wednesday, 7:30PM, Small Group with Eileen Sharbaugh Thursday
Thursday, 8AM, Morning Prayer with Bob Johnston
Thursday, 11:30AM, Small Group with Andrea
Thursday, 6PM, Evening Prayer with Erin Morey
Thursday, 7PM, Traces of the Trade Movie Discussion (use link here)
Thursday, 7:30PM, Musicians Gathering Friday
Friday, 8AM, Morning Prayer with Jim Miorelli
Friday, 1PM, Book Club
Friday, 6PM, Evening Prayer with Deana Sherline
Children, Youth & Family
Children's Chapel and Faith and Fun morningsalternating Sundays at 9:30am via Zoom. These are open to kids of all ages!
Sunday School for pre-K through 6th gradeSundays at 10am on Zoom.
Junior EYC/Confirmation (6th, 7th, 8th) We will have Confirmation this Sunday at 5:00 pm on Zoom. Join using this link (the password is 1066)! We'll be continuing our study of the 10 Commandments. Be sure to be there! With the weather turning towards Spring, we are gauging interest and comfortability for confirmation programs being in person in the tent in St. Margaret’s Garden. Masks and social distancing would be required. Please fill out this formto let us know your preferences.
Senior EYC (9th through 12th grade) We will have Senior EYC this Wednesday at 7:00! We'll be continuing our Lent series by thinking about what it means to "simplify" and how it can help us trust God. Use this link to join (the password is 1066). See you there! With the weather turning towards Spring, we are gauging interest and comfortability for confirmation programs being in person in the tent in St. Margaret’s Garden. Masks and social distancing would be required. Please fill out this form to let us know your preferences.
Look for more up to date information/links for these gatherings in the Sunday email.
St. Paul's Continuing to pause In Person Gatherings
St. Paul's will continue its pause on in-person gatherings until Easter. This means there will be no regular in-person worship. The Virtual Learning Center, Communion Appointments and Drive-Through Communion will all continue, along with small funerals as needed. If you have questions, please contact the Rev. Noah H. Evans, Rector at noah@stpaulspgh.org. Click here to see the Rectors January Update on In-Person worship.
Holy Land Pilgrimage 2022
2022 seems so far away, yet, we have rescheduled the planned 2021 Holy Land Pilgrimage to 1/25-2/5, 2022. With all hopes we will be on the other side of this pandemic, and what better way to mark that time than a Pilgrimage to walk in Jesus' footsteps. No need to make any commitments now; please mark your calendars and pass on the information to others who may be interested. To be on the list to receive future information, please email Noah at noah@stpaulspgh.org
ACCESS TO THE ST. PAUL'S BUILDING
We are limiting access to the building right now. In accordance with health guidelines some employees will be working remotely when possible. If the building is unlocked, only the Mayfair entrance will be open, and we ask you to immediately go and wash your hands in the sink in the kitchen when you enter the building. As many of us are working remotely when possible, please try to use email as the primary form of communication with parish staff. All email addresses are on the parish website.
PASTORAL CARE
If you are in need of anything at this time (meals, rides, errands) please contact the church at the Pastoral Care Hotline! The Pastoral Care Hotline is available 24/7 do not hesitate to call it with any requests: (412) 440-8123. Also, please let Laura and I know if you are sick. We have many more people willing to help, that requests for needs at this time, though that may change in the coming weeks.
GET ST. PAUL’S INFORMATION
Prayer Requests: We would love to hear who we can be praying for! If you have a name that you would like on the prayer list, email the office at office@stpaulspgh.org, use the card in the end of pews or let clergy know. Prayer requests stay on for two weeks, deceased names stay on for one week. Names are prayed during services weekly, and by members of the St. Paul’s Prayer team daily.
TEXT TO GIVE!
Want to make a donation by text? Simply text the amount the you’d like to donate to 412-528-6822. The first time you give, you’ll be asked to submit your name and payment information. You’ll receive a receipt by text and email. The next time you’d like to give, just enter the amount, and you’ll receive confirmation. It’s an easy way to support St. Paul’s! Contact financial@stpaulspgh.org with any questions.
Are you planning to donate to St. Paul’s from an IRA, or 401k, through a financial institution? If you donate to St. Paul’s via your retirement account, make sure to send the name of your 401k or IRA financial institution to Monica finanical@stpaulspgh.org so the donation is correctly recorded to your giving history. St. Paul’s is grateful for each and every gift we receive. Thank you!
To learn more about St. Paul's mask ministry, contact Ginny Barnicoat at barnicoatg@gmail.com.
