Ministries

Holy Week 2020 – Distance Worship

April 1, 2020 by St. George's Leave a Comment

Although COVID-19 may keep us from gathering in person, we will come together via internet and phone to celebrate the resurrection of Christ and the hope that is Easter.

We invite you to join us for any or all of our worship services listed below. We are also including additional home resources for personal or household reflection.

Sunday, April 5, 2020 – Palm Sunday

9 am – Children’s Forum via Zoom Conference Call – Director of Children and Youth Formation Hecti Musa will lead a session on creating a cross out of natural materials. Contact Hecti for conference call information.

10 am – Adult forum led by Jennifer Vaughan and the Rev. Areeta D. Bridgemohan on spiritual practices to ground us in the epidemic season and what Holy Week at St. George’s will look like this year via Zoom Conference Call . Visit https://zoom.us/j/392738239 or dial 929.205.6099 and enter the meeting ID: 392 738 239. The meeting password is: 107758. Click here for the Daily Spiritual Practices Handout which includes a link to the “Praise Song for the Pandemic” that Pastor Areeta shared.

11:15 am – We will host a Facebook Live Watch Party of the National Cathedral service. Visit our Facebook page to watch the worship service with other St. Georgians.

A special invitation to celebrate Palm Sunday: We encourage you to collect some sign of life, hope, growth, or renewal from your home or neighborhood this week: a flower blossom; a small branch from a tree with plenty to spare; a leaf or sprig or frond from a houseplant. These will be the branches we raise for a blessing, and to celebrate the triumph of life in Christ and our ever-present hope of his return. Or hang them on your front door.

5 pm – Hecti Musa will lead a youth group check-in and stations of the cross via Zoom conference call. Contact Hecti for conference call information.

5:30 pm – Join us for Celtic Evensong with the Palm Sunday Gospel. The service will include music and a meditation by our Rector the Rev. Joseph H. Hensley, Jr. Join the service via Facebook Live or Zoom Conference Call. Visit https://zoom.us/j/360453043 or dial 929.205.6099 and enter meeting ID: 360 453 043. The meeting password is: 548452.

Tuesday, April 7, 2020 – Tuesday of Holy Week

Gently open your heart and find some moments of peaceful reflection with a video of our sung Compline service. Click here to watch the video. We will also have a Facebook Live watch party on Tuesday at 8 pm – join us via our Facebook page to watch and worship with other St. Georgians!

Introduction and Welcome

Our Rector, the Rev. Joseph H. Hensley, Jr. has prepared this video as an introduction to our Holy Week resources for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Great Vigil of Easter.

Thursday, April 9, 2020 – Maundy Thursday

Have your household share an Agape Meal as part of your Maundy Thursday worship. We will provide an adapted liturgy for use at home at supper time as well as musical offerings. Share photos of your fellowship time on Facebook and tag St. George’s (@stgeorgesfxbg)! Click here for the adapted liturgy.

Here are the video links for at-home worship:
Hymn WLP 764: Taste and See

Hymn WLP 729: As in the that upper room

Homily by the Rev. David P. Casey, O.P.

Friday, April 10, 2020 – Good Friday

Experience the Good Friday liturgy by watching a video of the liturgy led by our clergy as well as a sermon by our Rector, the Rev. Joseph H. Hensley, Jr. Click here for the video. You can view the service leaflet here.

Additionally, Micah Ecumenical Ministries will host an online service. Visit their Facebook page for more information.

Through the years many Episcopalians traditionally donate the Good Friday Offering to the four dioceses of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East to express their support for their ministries in the birthplace of our faith. The generous donations of Episcopalians help the Christian presence in the Land of the Holy One to be a vital and effective force for peace and understanding among all of God’s children. Click here to share your gift.

Saturday, April 11, 2020 – Holy Saturday

5 pm – Director of Children and Youth Ministry, Hecti Musa, and our Director of Children and Youth Choirs, Robin Roberson, will lead a Children’s Easter Vigil liturgy via Zoom Conference call. Contact Hecti for conference call information. You can view the service leaflet here.

For at home worship of the ancient service of the Easter Vigil, we have videos of music (including the Exsultet chanted by Director of Music Ministries John Vreeland) and a sermon by Priest Associate the Rev. Robert M. Miller. Please click here for the service leaflet.

Here are the video links for at-home worship:

Exsultet (Chanted)

Hymn – Go down Moses

Homily by the Rev. Robert M. Miller

Hymn – Now the green blade riseth

We hope you enjoy this video which include music by the Choirs of St. Georges and images of flowers by our Flower Guild from previous Easter celebrations, photos of worship, and of course – our Annual Easter Egg Hunt!

Sunday, April 12, 2020 – Easter Sunday

Our Easter offering will go to a local organization providing resources to our community during the COVID-19 pandemic. We invite your gifts via our online giving portal (select “Easter Offering” from the dropdown menu). Thank you for your loving generosity!

6:30 am – Micah Ecumenical Ministries will live stream a Sunrise Service via Facebook Live.

9 am – Hecti Musa will lead a children’s Easter formation discussion and fun Easter craft via Zoom Conference Call. Contact Hecti for conference call information.

10 am – Our Rector, the Rev. Joseph H. Hensley, Jr., will offer an Easter greeting and lead a formation discussion via Zoom Conference call. Visit https://zoom.us/j/392738239 or dial 929.205.6099 and enter the meeting ID: 392 738 239. The meeting password is: 107758.

11:15 am – We will host a Facebook Live Watch Party of the National Cathedral service. Visit our Facebook page to watch the worship service with other St. Georgians.

5 pm – Hecti Musa will leavd a youth group check-in and reflection via Zoom conference call. Contact Hecti for conference call information.

5:30 pm – Join us for Celtic Evensong. The service will include music and a meditation by our Associate Rector the Rev. Areeta D. Bridgemohan. Join the service via Facebook Live or Zoom Conference Call. Visit https://zoom.us/join or dial 929.205.6099 and enter meeting ID: 430 593 155. The meeting password is: 925557. Click here for the service leaflet.

Please note that our office is closed on Easter Monday, April 13, 2020 and Tuesday, April 14, 2020.

Join the 300th Anniversary Bible Reading Challenge

March 31, 2020 by St. George's Leave a Comment

As part of our 300th Anniversary celebrations, our rector, Joe Hensley is challenging us to read the whole Bible by May 1, 2021 to ground our 300th celebration in faith. It is not too late to join! We have a suggested reading program (analog or digital) so that we can do this together (over 90 St. Georgians participating with new people still joining).

A weekly email from Rev. Joe provides encouragement and guidance for the readings. And anyone with questions is invited to attend our adult formation session (held virtually) on Sundays at 10 am. You can watch via Zoom Conference Call. Visit https://zoom.us/j/392738239 or dial 929.205.6099 and enter the meeting ID: 392 738 239.

Contact Joe Hensley if you are interested in participating.

Click here for a pdf of the reading schedule for the year.

Falling Down in Worship – March 2020, St. Georgian

March 12, 2020 by St. George's Leave a Comment

The following is Rector Joe Hensley’s monthly opening message from our weekly e-newsletter the St. Georgian. If you’d like to receive our weekly e-newsletter, sign-up here.

Greetings beloved St. Georgians,

Continuing the “Way of Love” (https://episcopalchurch.org/way-of-love) with this month’s newsletter message, I invite us to reflect on our “worship.” According to the description in the Way of Love: “we gather in community weekly to thank, praise, and dwell with God” as followers of Jesus in the Episcopal Church.

Some Biblical terms for “worship” originally meant to physically fall down in a posture of submission such as kneeling or prostration. We stand more often these days (although kneeling is still a fine option), but worship is still about humbly submitting to God’s authority and love. Our gathering is not just for peace and comfort. We gather to collectively offer ourselves to God as a “sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving,” that God might make us holy.

Ancient worship involved the literal sacrifice of animals. Today we make other sacrifices to be in church, and it is work. We may feel like falling down by the time we find a parking spot, walk across streets, up the church steps or elevator and get situated for an opening hymn which we may struggle to sing. We listen to sometimes difficult Bible readings. We offer the first fruits of our hard-earned money. Why go to all this trouble?

When we fall down before God in community, we stumble into grace. We accept that God is God and we are not. By listening to ancient stories that are not about us (but which connect with our stories) and singing songs that we would not have chosen, praying words that we did not write, gathering with strangers, we move from being self-centered to God-centered. That opens our hearts and possibilities for new life.

During Lent, you may notice that when I preside at the altar, I am not lifting up my hands as I usually do. Priests have many options for what to do with their hands at the altar. I encourage our clergy to do what feels meaningful to them. The different hand motions add to the celebration. During Lent, though, I am doing less with my hands (some actions are required in the Book of Common Prayer) as a sign that it is God grace and not my doing which makes the sacrament holy. Why? In a season when we simplify our worship in many ways, I felt an invitation to still my hands and open my heart.

How might God be inviting you to “fall down” in worship this Lent as a way to open your heart? As we stumble into grace together, may God make us holy in service to the larger story of God’s saving and redeeming love.

Your rector and brother in Christ,
Joe+

Lenten Weekend with Rev. Lisle

March 6, 2020 by St. George's Leave a Comment

We were blessed to have Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity with us for our 2020 Lenten Weekend – The Spirituality of Creativity and Play. Rev. Lisle spoke with us about the cycle of creation and how it is core to who we are as God’s creation. She led us in creating art in community and challenged us to accept our creation and our creativity as something from the Divine.

A highlight of the weekend, was her sermon and live painting during worship on Sunday! Below are pictures of her process, including the finished work, “Wilderness Way”.

Click here to read her sermon

Click here to read her artist statement

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Lenten Weekend 2020

January 16, 2020 by St. George's 3 Comments

The Spirituality of Creativity and Play

February 28 – March 1, 2020

Featuring Rev. Lisle Garrity

How do play and creativity nurture our spirituality? Our keynote speaker is pastor, retreat leader, and artist Rev. Lisle Garrity. We will connect art with spirituality using “Visio Divina” for a unique creative process and ultimately, a shared sacred journey. No experience or proficiency with art is necessary for this wonderful weekend! Youth and adults are encouraged to attend.

About Pastor Lisle

As an artist, pastor, retreat leader, and creative entrepreneur, Lisle works with communities of all kinds across the nation. In addition to leading retreats and serving as artist-in-residence with churches, she is the founder and creative director of A Sanctified Art LLC, a collaborative arts ministry providing multimedia resources for worshiping communities. As an ordained Minister of the Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA), she approaches her work as an artist primarily through the lenses of pastor and theologian. Residing in Black Mountain, North Carolina, with her husband and two wiggly pups, Max and Maven, she has a deep love for exploring mountains, creative opportunities of all kinds, and new ways to be church. Her work and writings have been featured in Reformed Worship, Call to Worship, NEXT Church, and Presbyterians Today.

Click here to register.

This weekend is accessible to all Deaf, hearing, and ASL communities. Childcare is available upon request. Please indicate your need on your registration.

Schedule of Events

Friday – February 28
Sydnor Hall
6 pm: Potluck dinner – bring a dish to share!
7 – 9 pm: Interactive presentation on the role of creativity and play for living a wholehearted life. We will reflect on creative identity in light of the imago dei. Using a creatio divina art exercise, we will explore connections between faith, play, and the creative process. Come prepared to get your hands dirty as we play and create together with pastels. Youth and adults are welcome to attend!

Saturday – February 29
Sydnor Hall
2 – 5 pm: Faith and the Creative Process. Pastor Lisle will present briefly on the birth, life, death, and resurrection of the creative process. Groups will then create silk painted banners together, working from scripture. The completed silk banners will be displayed in our Nave. Youth and adults are welcome to attend! Please note that we will be working with ink dyes – come prepared to get your hands (and maybe your shirt) dirty.

Sunday – March 1
Nave
9 am, 11:15 am, 5:30 pm: Worship Service with Live Painting by Pastor Lisle. Pastor Lisle will offer a visual meditation of the Word by painting throughout our worship services.

Sydnor Hall
10 am: Adult Forum discussion “Why Art Matters to the Church” led Pastor Lisle.