Fr. Scott, Maryl, Amber, and Audree have moved to their new apartment in Kingsport. We are very excited to have them so close to the church. They are currently working through unpacking and setting up their new residence. We pray they find peace and joy in their new home!
Thank you to everyone who has helped provide meals for them as they unpack!
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Fr. Scott celebrated Holy Communion on this Laetare Sunday, the Fourth Sunday in Lent. This is one of the two Sundays in the church year that the priest wears rose colored vestments (Third Sunday in Advent is the other one). Laetare Sunday marks the halfway point between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. The rose represents a lighter shade of the Lenten penitential purple. We celebrate a short breaking of our Lenten discipline to refresh and recharge before the final weeks to Easter. Fr. Scott's sermon discussed the Gospel lesson found in John 6 which describes Jesus feeding the 5000 with 2 fishes and 5 barley loaves. This is Jesus's most famous miracle both during His time on earth and today. This miracle marked the turning point in His ministry when he became a type of national star drawing large crowds every where He went. Fr. Scott tied the little boy's sacrifice of his fish and barley loaves to our sacrifice of bread and wine during Holy Communion. He also discussed the abundant and multiplied gifts we receive in return from God. Please find Fr. Scott's complete sermon at the link below:
Thank you Fr. Scott for that very interesting sermon!
After service we had a wonderful lunch downstairs, but unfortunately, I again forgot to take pictures! Arghh! Thank you Lynn for the jambalaya, Teresa for the vegetable tray, Rose Marie for the sandwiches, and Rosalind for the soup.
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During Sunday School, Fr. Scott started the Liturgy of the Sacrament, part 1. He reviewed the vesting of the chalice including the corporal, the burse, the pall, the veil, and the paten. He also reviewed the different prayers said both by the congregation as a whole and by the priest. The priest will use either his 'loud' voice for all to hear, his 'private' voice for just the server to hear, or his 'secret' voice for prayers just he hears. He advised the General Confession and the Comfortable Words are Anglican additions to the Holy Communion Service. Please note, I am only covering some of the highlights of his very informative lesson! Fr. Scott will continue with part 2 of the Liturgy of the Sacrament next Sunday at 10 am.
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Sue and Scott led a beautiful Stations of the Cross service this past Friday. Scott provided a reading with the story behind each of the Stations along with a short prayer. A meditation section was also included with each Station. During the time provided for meditation, Sue played the violin. The music she selected was beautiful, heart breaking, and perfectly matched to each of the stations. Several of us were moved to tears by the end of the service!
After the service, we ate a wonderful dinner downstairs. Rose Marie brought sandwiches and Rosalind brought soup.
Agnes staying warm after dinner.....
Teresa enjoying her warm tea.....
Earl and Daryl relaxing after dinner ....
Thank you to everyone for coming and to Sue & Scott for such a beautiful service! Our next Stations of the Cross service is this Friday, March 19 at 5 pm and will be followed by a light dinner.
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Sigrid and I visited Margaret on Monday. We were the first people to be allowed in to visit anybody at the Dominion. Margaret is struggling with the isolation. It was wonderful and bittersweet to see her again after this difficult year. Below is a picture from happier times - one of the last times she joined us at church.
Margaret, we all miss you very much!
After visiting Margaret, Sigrid and I went to the Mad Greek for lunch. It was a beautiful, sunny day and a wonderful opportunity to catch up with Sigrid. She has promised a return to church in the near future!
Also, I think we have resolved Sigrid's Discord issues so she can join us again for Tuesday Morning Prayer Group!
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After Palm Sunday (March 28) services, we will have a congregational pot luck brunch! Please bring a dish to share and join us! Also, on Palm Sunday we are hosting an old fashioned pounding for Maryl and Fr. Scott! We are hoping to stock their pantry with all kinds of staples. I will send out an email later this week with more information!
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Sue continues to lead our weekly online prayer group on Tuesday at 11:30. Thank you so much Sue for taking the time each week to lead our prayers! If you have a special prayer request but cannot join us, please send your request to Sue. Please contact me if you would like to join us but are not on Discord.
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For Easter we will be decorating our altar with Easter Lilies. Please let Earl or Rose Marie know if you would like to purchase an Easter Lily in memory of a loved one. Please provide the number of lilies you wish to purchase along with the names of your loved ones by this Friday, March 19. The cost is $8 per lily.
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Many of us do our shopping at Amazon. Please remember to go to:
smile.amazon.com
and select:
Saint Peter the Apostle Anglican Catholic Church
as your charity to generate donations for Saint Peter's. The address for the church will appear as Blountville because that is where we were incorporated. There is no additional cost to you but we receive a small percentage of each purchase when we are selected! Last quarter we received $35 from Amazon Smile!
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