Rector's Message: Saturday, 15 May 2021

Sunday, 16 May

Seventh Sunday of Easter

Included in today's update: A Message from the Rector, Birthdays in the Week Ahead, High School Seniors Recognition, Annual Parish Meeting, Upcoming YOM Events, Celebration of LIfe for Jean Elizabeth (Lyon) Wood, Seeking Vestry Nominations, In Person Worship, Creative Angels Recipe, and Ongoing Updates

FROM THE RECTOR

Saturday,15 May 2021

Dear Friends:

On Thursday, the fortieth day of the Church's fifty-day-long Easter season, we celebrated Ascension Day, the Feast Day that remembers Christ's Ascension into heaven and return to heaven to be seated at the right hand of God the Father.

In the Book of the Acts of the Apostles (1:8-11), we read this account of the event:

(Jesus said the apostles): 'You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’

And Luke's Gospel (24:45-53) recounts it this way:

(Jesus) opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’ Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

In this way, the Son of God ascends to rejoin the Father, handing over his mission and ministry to those of us who profess to follow him until his promised return. In the Collect for Ascension Day, the Church prays:

Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Savior Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end of the ages; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

IMPORTANT:

SCAM WARNING

This past week, a parishioner received a text message from someone pretending to be me. IT WASN'T! The message asked that the text be treated as confidential, then requested that the recipient purchase gift cards from Best Buy and Walmart and forward them to me. Thankfully, the parishioner did not follow the instructions, but brought the false message to my attention. If you receive such a message, DO NOT PURCHASE GIFT CARDS OR OTHER MERCHANDISE. Instead, call to inform me of the message. I have reported the incident to the police and been advised to notify them immediately should more of these messages surface. Thank you for your vigilance and help in stopping this scam.

May the remaining days of your Easter season be filled with joy, health, and hope!

Blessings! Peace! Grace! And Love!

- Keith

BIRTHDAYS IN THE WEEK AHEAD

O God, our times are in your hands: Look with favor, we pray, on these your servants as they begin another year. Grant that they may grow in wisdom and grace, and strengthen their trust in your goodness all the days of their life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

• Sam Frenkel

• Jacob Lawrence

• Melanie Baker

• Sylvia Vogenberg

• George Kriebel

• Carol Schaub

• Jim Evangelisto

• Madison Neiber

• Ben Vaccaro

• Bill Kaelin

HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS RECOGNITION

This Sunday, May 16th, in the 9:30 service, we will honor those members of the congregation graduating high school this year:

• Hayden Dunlap - to attend Elizabethtown College

• Sam Fogel - to attend University of Delaware

• Alex Rasmussen - to attend Drexel University

• Tristan Ryan - to attend Montgomery County Community College

Join us as these four young people are recognized in the midst of the 9:30 service, then celebrate with them and offer your congratulations at an outdoor reception following.

CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR

JEAN ELIZABETH (LYON) WOOD

SATURDAY, MAY 22nd

Daughters, Laura Wood and Nancy Fields, invite Church of the Messiah members and friends to join them in celebrating the life of their mother, Jean Elizabeth (Lyon) Wood, on Saturday, May 22,,2021, following her death at age 95 on April 4, 2021. The family will receive friends at the church from 12:00-1:00pm, with a Communion service to begin at 1:00pm. Burial at Messiah will be private.

Jean was married for nearly 60 years to her husband, Frank Wood, who preceded her in death in 2009. Her family expresses gratitude for the loving ministry their parents experienced through their church friendships over the past 16 years.

SAVE THE DATE - JUNE 13th

The Annual Parish Meeting, normally held on the first Sunday in May, has been postponed this year. The new date is Sunday, June 13th. As is the custom here at Messiah, the meeting will take place in the midst of the 9:30am Eucharist, and will feature presentations by the Rector on the highlights of the past year and proposed events planned for the year ahead, financial data from the Treasurer, and information from the Wardens on important developments for the parish. We will also honor Vestry retirements and approve a new class of Vestry members for three-year terms. Please plan to attend.

UPCOMING YOM EVENTS

Cemetery Clean-Up & American Flag Renewal

Come out and join us on Saturday morning, May 22nd, from 9:00-12:00noon, when we will be cleaning up the Messiah cemetery, doing some landscaping, and replacing the worn American flags on veterans' graves in advance of Memorial Day. Pizza and refreshments will be reward for all our hard work!

2021 Mission Trip: Local Ministry Week

We are excited to announce our Summer 2021 Mission Trip! This year our week of service will look a bit different. Our group will be working together for several consecutive weekdays during the week of June 21-25. We are coordinating with several different organizations and outreach programs in Philadelphia and Montgomery County, and our group will be volunteering at different locations each day. During a typical year we would be traveling out of state or out of the country, and we would usually be sharing some tight living arrangements with groups from other states. Although we are not travelling far this year, we recognize that there are many needs within our own community and those surrounding us nearby. This past year has brought a lot of challenges, not just financially but also emotionally and spiritually. We hope that throughout this week of service our ministry group can bring healing, love and hope to the people in our communities.

Dates: Monday, June 21st - Friday, June 25th

Who Can Go: Any Youth entering 7th - 12th grade who are currently in our YOM program or will be entering into the YOM program in the coming year. If any youth have friends who are interested in this great experience, we are always open to allowing our ministry to grow!

How Much Will The Trip Cost: The total amount for our week of service will be $100. This will help cover our costs for transportation, materials for some of our volunteer sites, evening meals, and our Friday activities. Some of the expenses are already being covered by our youth fund.

How To Sign Up: Please fill out a Mission Trip Sign Up form and turn it in along with $100 to reserve your space! If you have any friends who may be interested, please have them contact us so that we may provide information on the trip and answer any questions.

We hope you decide to join us for this unique ministry opportunity!

If you have any questions about signing up or our trip in general,

please contact Dave Reichley at:

dareichley@gmail.com or 267-664-2276

SEEKING VESTRY NOMINEES

Each year, at the Annual Parish Meeting, held on the first Sunday in May, four parish members are selected to fill three-year terms on the Messiah Vestry. If you are interested in serving, or if you have someone you wish to be considered, please contact a member of the Nominating Committee: Vicky Fogel, Susan Miller, Charles Sudlow.

MULTIPLE WAYS TO JOIN US FOR SUNDAY WORSHIP

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology and the hard work of several parishioners, we are able to offer a variety of ways to participate in Sunday services:

• IN-PERSON – COVID precautions strictly observed

• LIVE-STREAMED - the service will be broadcast on YouTube – follow the link posted on the church website (messiahgwynedd.org)

• BY PHONE – for those without computer access, dial 609-663-5164 to listen to an audio-only option on your phone

• WEBSITE – at the close of the service, a video will be posted to the parish website (messiahgwynedd.org) for viewing at a time convenient for you

ON THE WEBSITE

Check the website each weekend for the video of the Sunday service. And make it interactive by checking out the service bulletin with all the responses, lessons, and weekly updates and information. A copy of the Sunday sermon is also available.

IN CASE OF A PASTORAL EMERGENCY AFTER HOURS

Should you have an urgent need to contact the Rector outside of Church Office hours, please use his cell phone: 215-692-2667.

CREATIVE ANGELS

NOTE: Barbara Stevenson continues to need recipes and craft ideas to pass along to the parish through the weekly email messages. You can send your submissions to Barbara at bebstevenson@yahoo.com.

Hopefully, as social activities become more prevalent during the spring and early summer as a result of more and more people getting Covid inoculations, we will have guests in our homes. Some of those guests will be gathering for breakfast. Having tasty breakfast casseroles at the ready helps us have more time for fun conversations! This casserole can be prepared in advance and put in the oven in the morning to be served warm and delicious.

Enjoy!

Eggs Benedict Casserole

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

• 6 English muffins, split and cut into 1” pieces

• 1 large leek cut into 1/4” thick half moons

• 12 oz Canadian Bacon, chopped

• 6 lge eggs, plus 8 lge egg yolks at room temp

• 2 1/2 cups whole milk

• 1 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh chives

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

• 3/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper

• Kosher salt and pepper

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Coat a 9 x13 dish with oil. Bake English Muffin pieces until golden (12-15 min). Put in the baking dish. Reduce oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add leek, cook for 4 min. Increase heat to med hi. Add bacon, cook for 4 min. Spoon mixture over muffin pieces. Whisk together whole eggs, milk, mustard, chives, 1 1/2 cup cream 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon and of pepper. Pour egg mixture over leek-bacon mixture. Bake now or refrigerate overnight. Bake in morning for 45 minutes. Let set for 10 minutes.

Make Hollandaise sauce. Melt butter in microwave in a glass bowl. Whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, remaining 1/2 cup cream, 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place bowl over, not in, saucepan of simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick. Reduce heat to low. Still whisking constantly, gradually add the melted butter. Serve casserole with Hollandaise.