Keeping you informed about the parish, the church, and the world

---

A Notice about Worship at St. Timothy's during the coronavirus pandemic

+ Following Bp. Michael's directive, we have suspended all public worship as of Sunday, March 22.

+ This suspension of public worship does not affect our personal lives of prayer, which will continue. Resources for making a "spiritual communion" during this hiatus may be found HERE. We have made various spiritual formation resources available, as well as information about other worship options during this season on our Spiritual Formation Resources page.

+ This suspension is being done for the benefit of those most vulnerable and for the well-being of our health care system by slowing down the transmission of disease. It is a radical expression of what it means to love God by loving our neighbor.

​+ Parishioners are asked to maintain contact with each other via phone, e-mail, notes, &c., working to meet needs and keep connection. We are a “low tech/high touch” community, requiring creativity in such a situation as this.

+ We are grateful for all who pledge to give tithes and those who bring offerings. These gifts are vital to the ongoing operations of the parish, even in challenging seasons such as this one. Most banks and credit unions offer Bill Pay through their online banking system at no cost to you. Learn more on our Giving page.

+ Further information about how we will operate as a community during this period will be forthcoming. Practical suggestions for how to minister one to another during this time are welcome. 

---

Read this week's news in St. Timothy's weekly email newsletter, e-Tidings. Subscribe below to have news sent directly to your inbox.

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*

View this email in your browser St Timothy's e-Tidings + Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia! The Week Ahead + All worship services are now conducted online due to the pandemic (see note below). Thursday, May 21: The Feast of the Ascension 7 PM: Online Evening Prayer [see below] Friday, May 22: Helena of Constantinople, Protector of the Holy Places, 330 Fasting is dispensed with during the Great 50 Days of Easter. Fr. Brandon day off. Saturday, May 23: Ferial Day in Eastertide Prayers for those who have died are traditionally offered on Saturdays. Here is more information on this practice, along with prayer resources. Fr. Brandon day off. *A "ferial day" in the Church Year is one without a special commemoration. Such days take their character from the season they are in. + Sunday, May 24: The Seventh Sunday of Easter (The Sunday after the Ascension) + 8:15 AM: Holy Eucharist celebrated at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. begins [Live Broadcast]. + 8 AM: Holy Eucharist (non-public liturgy) offered at St. Timothy's. NOTE: We are beginning to live-stream this service this week; if you desire to participate and make your spiritual communion at this service, please e-mail Fr Brandon and he will add you to the Zoom invite list.  A link for the recording of this service will also be made available later on.   + 10 AM: St. Timothy's Sunday online Morning Prayer service, followed by our "virtual coffee-hour." The Thanksgiving for the Birth of Child (William Elias Glennen) will be offered at the end of the service, with baby William being introduced to the parish. All parishioners should be receiving an invitation, link, and service sheet for online Sunday and Holy Day worship services.If you are not receiving these e-mails, or you know someone who would like to join these services, please contact Fr. Brandon.   Monday, May 25: Bede, the Venerable, Priest, and Historian, 735 The parish office is closed on Mondays Tuesday, May 26: Augustine, First Archbishop of Canterbury, 605 Tuesday 11 AM Rectory Tea will resume next week (see below) Wednesday, May 27: Bertha and Ethelbert, Queen and King of Kent, 616 The Word from the Rector The Next Step in Worshipping at St. Timothy's   Beloved in Christ: On Monday afternoon this week, Bp. Michael published the guidelines for the resumption of public worship in our diocese during the pandemic.   At Tuesday’s Vestry meeting, I discussed putting together a task force to begin working on a plan for how we will implement this document at St. Timothy’s. Once that committee is assembled  and a plan is developed, it will be submitted to the Bishop for review and approval. Only then may we resume public liturgies. I am urging people to do two things in the meantime. The first is to recognize that this process will be slow and rather painstaking. These guidelines require some major changes in our worship patterns to be implemented properly. They must be carefully and wisely thought through.   The second is to re-frame what we are about to do. I try not to call it a “return to worship.” First of all, we never stopped worshipping--not for a day or an hour. Beyond that, calling it a "return" suggests a fairly high level of continuity with the past in terms of feel and character, something that won't be on offer for a long while. Instead, I have been asking people to think of it as “an interim worship practice” or something along those lines. This is a step on the way to our destination...but not the destination itself. We will be gathering for the Eucharist—with the proclaimation and interpretation of the Word and the celebration of the sacrament—but it will not be the usual “St. Timothy’s” mode of worship, even compared with the 8 AM Eucharist of the past. There will be many unfamiliar strictures, practices, and alterations. We must adopt an attitude of patience, selflessness, and humility as we resume  assembling in public during a pandemic.   There is a blessing in all of this, hard as it may be to see: The primary essence in the Eucharist (God's presence, God’s people gathered, the creation, the Word, a sharing in Christ’s risen life, intercession for the world) is being distinguished from what is secondary. Reaffirming this essence will make the eventual return to “normal” worship someday much more powerful, meaningful, and spiritual--for we ourselves will have been transformed and deepened. The journey, hard as it has been, will have been worth it. If we offer the next, interim step to God properly, we will grow as disciples. Of that we may be assured. I pray we make this next step together as one Body in Christ's loving presence. Brandon+   Coming Holy Days Ascension Day Thursday, May 21 Online Evening Prayer, 7 PM [An invitation and link, with service sheet, will be sent out prior to the service] Sunday of Pentecost May 31, 10 AM Gospel read in various languages (Contact the parish office if you would like to read the Gospel passage in a language other than English) Trinity Sunday Sunday, June 7, 10 AM   A Rogation Cross in a parishioner's yard--reminding us of how 'the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God." (Romans 8:19) Healthy Hoover Kids Our partnership with Hoover Elementary continues with one final food distribution on Monday, June 1st at Noon in the Parish Hall. Please contact Pamela Lyons Nelson if you can help serve, or if you have any other questions.   Help for Back Pain... If you find that back, hip, neck aches and pains are accumulating during these stay-at-home months, Marilyn von Foerster is offering help. As many of you know, she is a physical therapist.  Her practice of many decades has been unique in that it addresses such issues on an individual basis within one's own environment, i.e. home or workplace, where we develop our movement habits.  Since healthcare is now frequently done by telehealth into homes, Marilyn is especially familiar with practicing physical therapy in this way. Her services are covered by most insurance companies. You may conact her at 503-365-7554, or emailmarilyn@millervonfoerster.com to schedule an appointment via skype of facetime.  You can learn more about her approach on her websitemarilyn@millervonfoerster.com The St. Stephen's Fund is available for you.   St. Timothy's has a special fund to assist parishioners during times of financial hardship. If you have a need, contact Fr. Brandon, Michael McFetridge, or David Tatman (who all share oversight of this fund). All requests are handled with great discretion. This fund was established decades ago and has helped many parishioners. A hearty thank-you to those who have recently given generously to this fund, making it possible to be a means of grace and hope to others. God bless you.   Tuesday Tea, 11 AM We gather to share, encourage, laugh, and pray. Anyone is welcome. If you want to join, just e-mail Fr. Brandon and you will be included on the Zoom link distribution list for this weekly gathering   Adult Christian Formation News Adult Study invites you to join us for our second Zoom discussion on Sunday, May 24 at 4 pm. If you would like to join in please email me: 1835hutch@gmail.com to let me know and I will send you a Zoom invitation and link a day or two before we meet. The topic of conversation will be Faith, Hope and Love in a time of pandemic. Please join us if you would like and are able. Carol Hutchinson.   Please use the mailing address St. Timothy's Episcopal Church P.O. Box 7416 Salem, OR 97303 When mailing items to the church. Thank you!   St. Timothy's Parish Office Hours:  Tuesday-Friday, 9 AM - Noon; 1 PM - 3 PM Fr. Brandon's Weekday Schedule: Fr. Brandon normally reserves Mondays for prayer, contemplation, study, and correspondence. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are his normal days for meetings and visiting. Fridays and Saturdays are normally days off and final preparation for Sunday liturgy. You may contact him outside of office hours if there is an emergency. Fr. Brandon's contact information is in the parish directory. Shelf Life   From Your Parish Librarian A Rogation Procession through Time and the Library... Phew! The world doesn’t look the same as it did in 470. Gosh, the world doesn’t look the same as it did in 2019. The year 470 is when we started using  AD (Anno Domini or “in the year of the Lord”) as the standard method for naming years, and 470 is when Rogation Day celebrations began. Both incidents caught on quickly and their use spread quickly around the world. Rogationtide is the three days before Ascension Day: a time of intercession and thanksgiving. It began during an agricultural age as prayers for a successful growing season and for bountiful crops; and it continued into the industrial age as a way of intercession for commerce and modern invention; today we include prayer for the prosperity of workers and the stewardship of creation; the BCP has prayers for this time on Pages 208, 258-259. The beginning of the Rogation Days was during a time of plagues. Let me interject here that the reason the last couple articles of Shelf Life and now this article mentions plague or influenza is only because plague and  disease have been nearly constant since prehistorical times.  The people of Vienne in southeastern France were living through multiple plagues while they were also enduring a series of crop failures, earthquakes, extreme weather systems and wide-spread hunger. The bishop of Vienne led the people in three days of prayer and procession that the Lord might turn away the plagues and make their fields fertile again. The Librarian could not find whether the plague and disasters stopped on that first Rogation ceremony; however, she did find that 400 years later the English jollied things up with Ganging Beer and Rammalation Biscuits. After gangling (walking) around the parish “beating the bounds” to re-establish the parish boundaries and the settling of disputes about said boundaries, a body could get a mite thirsty and so they chilled-out with Ganging Beer. “Ambulation” became “Rammalation” after drinking enough Ganging Beer; and “biscuits” is what the English call “cookies”; and that explains Rammalation Biscuits.  The 16th-century poet and priest of the Church of England, George Herbert, gave four reasons to observe Rogation Days: "(1)A blessing of God for the fruits of the field; (2)Justice in the preservation of the bounds; (3)Charitie in living; (4)Mercie in relieving the poor by a liberal distribution of largess." The Librarian (who is neither a poet nor a priest) offers two aspects about Rogation Days that can apply also to life (1)Boundaries and (2)Mysteries. (2)The mysteries of Rogation Days are the recipes for Ganging Beer and Rammalation Biscuits now lost to time. Root beer or some other favorite drink could be a substitute for Ganging Beer, and your favorite cookie could be a substitute for Rammalation Biscuits. The Librarian’s favorite drink of celebration will be non-dairy, flax milk which tastes really good when you’re desperate for milk, but don’t want the plague of its consequences; and gluten-free, chocolate-chip cookies is a fine, modern recipe for Rammalation Biscuits. So pour your favorite drink; rename it Ganging Beer, or Ganging Wine, or Ganging Soda or Ganging Milk; prepare a plate of Rammalation Cookies, or Rammalation Carrot Sticks or Rammalation Cheese and Crackers;  and  give thanks for the good things from the Lord’s hand. The mysteries of life are best addressed by a local priest who is often accompanied by a Strudel [his pet dachshund ],so let us advance to (1)Bounds.  The Parish Librarian would like to draw the line at life boundaries. The Librarian deals with books, catalogs of books, book numbers and book labels. Come, let us “beat the bonds” of our Parish Library: —The Southwestern Boundary-- It starts on the right as you enter the parish of the St Timothy’s Library, it borders the Memorial Garden and beyond is the front parking lot. The Prayer Corner is here with its display of Books of Common Prayer. The Featured Books shelf is here, as are Personal Problems—the catalog subject, not the way life has become. You can also find Biographies, Fiction and the wonderful world of Young Adult books here. —The Eastern Boundary-- This boundary borders the side parking lot and beyond is the neighborhood garden. Books about the Bible and Bible Study, are here as well as the Reference section and the Eastertide featured books. —The Northern Boundary-- This boundary is marked by the door into the Vestry’s inner sanctum. —The Northeastern Boundary-- Here is a viewing window for watching Vestry members in their natural habitat. —The Sort Of Western Boundary-- This boundary is on an angle that confuses the Librarian’s compass, but it is highly unlikely that it will be disputed. Books on Elder Care, shelves of newly donated books and books under assessment that the Librarian calls her “workshop,” and uncatalogued but available-for-check-out books are along this boundary. At this point you are welcome to again perambulate our Library or to egress. The Library is thankful to the Lord, The Word, for blessing our Library with the generous donations of books. The Library gives thanks to the People of St Timothy’s for their Charitie and Mercie, and the Library thanks the Vestry for its justice in staying on their own side of the Northern and Northeastern Boundaries.   ::Library Resources:: Tuesday Chat is a way to stay in touch and to visit without having to change out of your pajamas. Email the Rector to get your very own, private invitation to Tuesday Chat which happens at 11am on every Tuesday of the month.   Pledge donations to St Timothy’s can be made by debit or credit card from the Oregon Diocese webpage. The Diocese is paying the service fee until June 15. The Online Giving Form is here: <shorturl.at/lPRU5>    “Patrick’s Breastplate” sung by Angelina (4:03) is here: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJx_Lu4PymE&fbclid=IwAR0lW_ZCA6_eZVU2B22HbW3YYymcY3-Sl4uDt7tiHloPqwv9V7s5somrIUU>   Watch (8:04) “All Creatures of Our God and King” orchestral and choral arrangement performed at Disney Hall here: <https://youtu.be/G0_8JnaOjSo>   -Bonnie Bonham-Beater of Bounds- + At the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Timothy our Patron, and all the Holy Saints, may you know the joy and presence of the risen Christ these Great 50 Days of Eastertide!  Amen.   Mission Statement of St. Timothy's Episcopal Church We gather to experience the Holy Trinity through Scripture, worship, study, and fellowship. Receiving and reflecting God’s love and grace, we are sent out to love and serve our neighbor, see the Christ in others, and share the Gospel by the example of our everyday lives. St. Timothy's Website St. Timothy's Facebook Father Brandon's Blog Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*, All rights reserved. *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|* Our mailing address is: *|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|* *|END:IF|* Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. *|IF:REWARDS|* *|HTML:REWARDS|* *|END:IF|*