The Messenger

Message from the Priest-in-Charge

Dear friends,

With three weeks of (semi-regular) in-person worship under our belts, we are starting to get back into a regular rhythm of worship at St. Gabriel's! As always, I'm grateful for all who help with the worship services - setting up, leading prayers or readings, cleaning up afterwards, and attending(!), either in-person or online. We will continue this rhythm for the foreseeable future. As a reminder, if the weather forecast calls for a chance of rain on the weekend, check our church website or Facebook page for a notice about indoor services.

Looking forward, I am excited to share that my wife Becca and I are going to meet our baby girl soon. Becca is scheduled to be induced this Friday, April 23, so we'll meet our daughter in a couple days!

This means that I'll be going on paternity leave from St. Gabe's for a month after the baby is born. I'll still lead weekend worship services as I'm able, but I will not be in the office during the week. If you have an issue that you need help with, please call the church office at 610-385-3144 during regular hours (Monday through Thursday, 9:00 - 3:00) or reach out to our senior warden, Danielle Troncelliti.

I also ask that until both baby and mother are able to get their shots (including a Covid vaccine for mom), no visitors stop by the rectory for now. But don't worry; there will be no shortage of baby pictures coming your way over the next couple weeks.
 
Thank you for your prayers and support throughout this journey, and I look forward to introducing our daughter to you soon!

With Easter joy,

Andrew+


Attendance for recent services:

• 5:00 on April 17 - 18 people
• 8:00 on April 17 - 12 people
• 10:30 on April 1 - 32 people

Links for worship:

• St. Gabriel's Live Facebook page to watch Sunday at 10:30 or afterward
• Sermon texts on the St. Gabe's website and audio recordings

Announcements and Events

Covid-19 Vaccination Opportunities
The Episcopal Cathedral of the Nativity in Bethlehem has partnered with the Bethlehem Health Bureau to make appointments accessible and available to any who has yet to be vaccinated. You can email volunteers Joy Thiel or Veronica Guevara for help arranging your appointment, or click the links below: 
    April 22nd (12pm-6pm): https://www.ubme.com/apr22nd-897982598679811/
    April 28th (11am-5pm): https://www.ubme.com/apr28th-09870970297092/
    April 30th (10am-1pm): https://www.ubme.com/apr30th-9872986986922211/

Betty Webster
Our beloved parishioner Betty Webster fell and broke her hip recently. She could use your prayers and notes with well wishes as she recovers in Phoenixville Hospital.

Betty Webster
Phoenixville Hospital, Room 207
140 Nutt Road
Phoenixville, PA 19460

Gift Card Orders Due April 25
St. Gabriel's is placing an order for gift cards to Redner's, Walmart, Amazon, and many other stores. When you buy a gift card (for stores that you already shop at), St. Gabriel's earns a percentage of the card amount. Email a gift card order form to Carol Heist by Sunday.

Ask about Employer Contributions
Many employers offer matching contributions for charitable donations to non-profit organizations. Ask you employer if they will match your donations to St. Gabriel's! For more information or if you have questions, email our treasurer Eric Miller.

Diocesan Survey on Addressing Racism
The Diocese of Bethlehem is considering offering programs to begin addressing racism in our communities, and they need your opinion. Please take this 5-10 minute survey to help them determine what they can offer.

Reminder: Mortgage Campaign Envelopes Available
Thank you to everyone who pledged to give to our building mortgage campaign! You can pick up a set of giving envelopes at church this Sunday, or you can stop by the office sometime next week.

Resources

An Illustrated Glossary of Church Symbols
We use a lot of symbols and imagery in our worship. This website offers a helpful guide to various Christian symbols and what they mean.

Prayers for the Outdoors
With the warmer weather arriving, you might find yourself outdoors more. Here are four ways to pray when you're outside.

Prayer List

Please remember in your prayers those on our 30-day prayer list:
Betty Webster
Heavenly God, watch over these loved ones of ours, and grant that they may be restored to perfect strength and health, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In our parish cycle of prayer this week, we pray for:
Johanna Hall, and Danielle and Matthew Gambino;
Kimberly, David, and Heather Lynn Hall; Pamela Hall.

The complete prayer list is in our Sunday bulletin
(which can be viewed on the St. Gabriel's website).
If you'd like to add or remove someone from the Prayer List,
please email Barbara.