727 Harvard Ave, Swarthmore, PA 19081
(610) 543-4712
Worship/Music Menu
Lent 2013
Audio & Text of Services:
Learn More About:
Devotional Booklets
This year’s Lenten devotional guide is a collection of individual reflections written by church members on scripture passages chosen for each day in Lent. Copies are available in booklet form in the Fellowship Hall lobby, outside the church office, and in Loeffler Chapel. You can also view and/or downlaod a printable file here: Lenten Devotions 2013. You may have it emailed to you by making your request known to spcparish@swarthmorepres.org. There are also many books and devotional resources in the Study, the McQuade Library, (located just outside Loeffler Chapel) and the Children’s Library.
Ash Wednesday Worship
Wednesday, February 13
12:15 and 7:00pm in Loeffler Chapel
A solemn observance of the beginning of Lent through liturgy, prayer, music, the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and the Imposition of Ashes. The ashes are created by burning the palm leaves used in last year's Palm Sunday service. Leadership is provided by our pastoral staff.
Lent 4.5
6-week series of Adult Classes
9:30am Sundays, February 19 through March 24
Lent is an appropriate time to reflect on how the way we live our lives impacts the world and others with who we share it. If the earth were divided equally among the current inhabitants, each person would be entitled to approximately 4.5 acres. Data tells us that it currently takes 22.3 acres per person to support the average lifestyle in the U.S. possible. In this 6-week series we will talk about how our daily and habitual choices affect creation care and how we can change our patterns of consumption to move towards a more just and sustainable planet. Topics and speakers are as follows:
February 17 -- Simplicity led by Virginia Thompson
February 24 -- Transportation led by Tom Shaffer
March 3 -- Water led by Tom Stephenson
March 10 -- Consumption led by Susan Brake
March 17 -- Energy led by Lauren McKinney
March 24 -- Gratitude and Genersosity led by Ginny Gibson
For an overview of the program, and helpful links to related resources, visit the Lent 4.5 website.
Women’s Retreat
Saturday, March 2
8:45 am - 2:30 pm in Fellowship Hall
Uncovering the Sacred: Creating a Meditation Practice
Guest speaker, Lelia Calder
Suggested contribution: $10.00 per participant
SPC's PW (Presbyterian Women) invite you to be part of a Saturday retreat that includes a presentation by Lelia Calder (see below) on meditation, a session on Tai-Chi led by Mary Reindorp, and plenty of time for fellowship and reflection over breakfast and lunch. Meditations will be both sitting and walking; bring a yoga mat if you wish.
Bring your sister, your mother, or your best friend. Or come by yourself and discover a new circle of friends. It will be a place where we can rejoice with old friends and celebrate new ones. But we would like to know you are coming; please sign up in advance - either in Fellowship Hall on Sunday February 17 or 24 or through the church office (610-543-4712 or spcparish@swarthmorepres.org).
Lelia Calder has studied and practiced many different kinds of meditation. Her training as a meditation instructor is in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition where she has also done extensive retreat practice, including the traditional Three Year Retreat at Gampo Abbey, under the guidance of Pema Chodron who is her primary teacher. For many years a teacher of singing, Lelia also gives voice lessons using the Alexander Technique and works with students interested in exploring their own spiritual path. She is a graduate of the Barbara Brennan School of Healing. See also: leliacalder.com
Breakfast and lunch are potluck! Bring a dish you enjoy -- enough to share with others. PW will provide beverages.
Easter Lily Tributes and Memorials
Dedications due Friday, March 22
Potted lilies grace our worship spaces on Easter Sunday as signs of life after the resurrection and are ofred afterwards to those who have lost loved ones this year. These are provided through the donations of members and friends, and their tributes are printed in that morning's worship bulletins. Forms are avilable in the church office or can be downloaded here: Lilies 2013. Please fill out as many as you plan tributes for and send them, along with your check, to the church office. We must receive your tributes by noon, Friday, March 22, in order to include it in the Easter announcements. Questions? Please be in touch with the church office at 610.543.4712 or spcparish@swarthmorepres.org.
Holy Week
Palm/Passion Sunday, March 24
Palms are distributed in church school classes and at both the 8:30 and 10:30 worship services. The One Great Hour of Sharing offering is received and dedicated in worship this morning. This offering provides emergency aid to refugees and victims of disasters, supports community self-help programs, and funds hunger programs. This year’s theme is “Sharing brings Joy -- to Others, to God, to Ourselves.” One Great Hour of Sharing calendars and coin banks (for children) will be distributed in church school classes and are also available in the lobby of Fellowship Hall. Offering envelopes are available in the pews. Background and information is also available on the PCUSA website by following the link supplied earlier this paragraph.
Holy Week Morning Communion Services
Monday, March 24 through Friday, March 28
9:30am in Loeffler Chapel
Services of Word and Sacrament are held each morning in Loeffler Chapel at 9:30. Worship leaders vary daily and include a number of clergy who reside locally and are active in the life of our church. Elders assist with the serving of communion.
Maundy Thursday, March 27
6:30pm Pot-luck dinner in Fellowship Hall
7:45pm Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper in Fellowship Hall
8:00pm Tenebrae Service in the Sanctuary
The Tenebrae worship service is one of scripture and music that tell the story of Jesus’ last days on earth. Candles are gradually extinguished as we move from the Last Supper, to the garden of Gethsemane, to betrayal and arrest, to the cross. The service ends in darkness and silence.
Childcare for children 8 and under during the Tenebrae Service is available by request. Please contact Children's Ministry coordinator, Ashley Kuly, at spcchildren@swarthmorepres.org and let her know the names and ages of children that will be attending.
Good Friday, March 28
12:00 noon Community Worship
Trinity Episcopal Church
College Avenue and Chester Road, Swarthmore
A collaborative effort of the Swarthmore-Wallingford Interfaith Ministerium. Clergy, lay readers, and
musicians from local churches share in leading Good Friday worship.
Labyrinth Walks
Open all day; lighted for evening walks until 10:00 pm
in the Labyrinth
Walking a labyrinth is an ancient spiritual discipline that filters out distraction and allows your mind to focus. SPC enjoys an outdoor labyrinth located adjacent to the Memorial Garden (behind the ABC House). It is open for anyone at any time, and throughout Holy Week will be lighted until 10:00 pm. Pamphlets with some suggestions for scripture passages on which to reflect and guidance for the experience can be found at the labyrinth entrance and our Labyrinth web page.
Easter Sunday, March 31
Sunrise Garden Service
7:00am in the Memorial Garden
A joyful early morning celebration held in the McCabe Garden, adjacent to the Memorial Garden. Light breakfast fare will be offered in the Fellowship Hall lobby at 8:00.
Traditional Easter Worship
9:00 and 11:00am in the Sanctuary
Please bring a flower for the cross! Our Easter cross is fashioned from the Chrismon tree, stripped bare for Lent and decorated with fresh signs of new life on Easter morning. Musical traditions include the sounds of a brass ensemble welcoming us to worship and the singing of Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus" in response to the benediction. There is festive fellowship during the coffee hour held in Fellowship Hall between the two services.
