St. Paul’s Family Worship Weekly Postcard: 4.9.2020

Holy Week and Easter 2020
Blessings to St. Paul’s Beloved Family Eucharist Congregation! 
Gather with us for prayer and worship opportunities daily on Facebook live. Everything is loaded on our St. Paul’s website: booklets, links for direct access and sermon manuscripts.  We are also using Zoom video conferencing for several services this week and links are provided below.
TODAY – Maundy Thursday 7:30 p.m. ZOOM Maundy Thursday Evening Prayer with reading selections of Jesus’ Farewell Discourse from John’s Gospel, Deacon’s Meditation on Jesus’ commandment, “Love one another as I have loved you.”
Use this link to connect to the service on ZOOM.Here’s the meeting invitation, which includes the URL and dial-in information for those who need it.
TOMORROW – Good Friday11:00 a.m. ZOOM Stations of the Cross, a devotion led by our deacon, youth and families.
Use this link to connect to the service on ZOOM.Here’s the meeting invitation, which includes the URL and dial-in information for those who need it.
SATURDAY7:30 p.m. ZOOM Light the New Fire of the Resurrection and the Pascal Candle and the Saying of the Exultet
Use this link to connect to the service on ZOOM.Here’s the meeting invitation, which includes the URL and dial-in information for those who need it.
EASTER SUNDAY10:30 a.m. Celebration of Easter, Morning Prayer, Sermon by Rector

Connect to worship on Facebook live. 
Connecting on Facebook LiveYou don’t need to have a Facebook account to watch the livestream or recorded videos. Click here to get to our Facebook videos directly.  If you miss joining live, you can watch the recordings later.
Here are instructions on how to connect on Facebook Live.

How to find a Service BulletinYou can access a PDF document of the service booklets, which include hymns to follow, on the St. Paul’s website. You can always find this week’s Bulletin and Announcements on our website.  It’s in the “This Week” section.

Fun Things for Families
Illustrated Children’s Ministries is offering free weekly online resources here. Building Faith has a helpful article about how to talk about COVID-19 with your children, found here.
Don’t forget the joy and stillness from the practice of finger labyrinths! 
Read the Sunday Paper here.Connecting by PhoneA team led by Hugh Savage and Cliff Ruprecht are standing by to join our Lay Pastoral Visitors to deliver meals to any parishioner in need. They also will connect by phone with parishioners who might feel more isolated by our closing.  If you or someone you know would benefit from a call please let us know. Volunteers are also welcome. Please email the Parish Office or call and leave a message on the phone 207-725-5342.
The Work of the Church / MeetingsWe are working to find alternate ways to connect digitally in small groups and for meetings. Regularly meeting small groups are starting to meet virtually using the internet and phones if video is not available.  Watch your email for more information from your group leaders.  Any group leader interested in having your group meet virtually please be in contact with the parish office by email at stpauls@stpaulsmaine.org. We have instructions and can walk you through the process. Zoom (video calls) already happening include:Holy Stitchers, Men’s Group, Women’s Group, Prayer Group, Healing Prayer Team, Women’s Bible Study, Finance Committee, Vestry, Rectors and Warden’s meetings, Staff meetings and Church School. The Parish Office We have invested in the capability to work digitally as an administrative staff from our homes. The Parish Office will be utilized only by the limited few (entering one at a time) who need to keep us updated financially and check the mail. Those who have emergency financial needs may come to St. Paul’s on Wednesday between 10:00 am-Noon to meet with the Rector. When you arrive at the entrance off the parking lot, please use the intercom-the small black box to the right of the door-to let us know you’re there.

Thank You for Keeping up with Your Pledge – Because we will be continuing to pay our bills, we are even more grateful for electronic giving. To make your electronic Easter offering to St. Paul’s go to to stpaulsmaine.orgor text your gift amount and the word Easter to (207) 407-5069. And we will be receiving mail in our PO Box 195, so feel free to mail your check. Thank you!Do you have at home records of any St. Paul’s organization?  If so, the archivist and the history sub-committee would love to see them.  We are trying to build as complete a picture of church life as we can, including details of parish activities.  It would be great if you felt you could donate any records; please give them to Charlie Priest (cpriest1@comcast.net) and if you want the records back for some reason, please talk let him know.  Thank you! Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program – Please consider donating extra food items so that all of our friends and neighbors can have food during this challenging time. MCHPP will see a sharp increase for their services as this crisis deepens. Please bring your food directly to MCHPP, not to St. Paul’s. They will continue to accept drop off food donations but ask that donations be brought between 8am and10am or between 2pm and 4pm Monday through Saturday to minimize the impact to their operations and help reduce the number of people on their campus at any given time. Checks are also needed. Please send checks directly to Mid Coast Hunger Prevention at 12 Tenney Way, Brunswick, ME 04011.  Thank you!

With much love and faith,
Carolyn+Read the Bishop’s Directions on Worship, Meetings and Distancing.
*Link to CDC
**St. Paul’s Pastoral Quarantine Plan
Link to Diocesan Resources