Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew & Matthew (SsAM)

Seeking to know and love God in every person, here, now.

  • Welcome
    • News & Upcoming Events
    • Online Calendar
    • Visit SsAM on Facebook
    • eMail Sign Up
    • Welcome to SsAM Booklet
    • Worship at SsAM
    • Sunday Documents: Leaflet, Bulletin, Weekly Vision, Readings
    • Our Unique Approach to Music and Liturgical Design
    • The use of Expansive (inclusive) Language at SsAM
    • News of Our City, Wilmington, Delaware
  • Who We Are
    • Diversity
    • Clergy
      • Rev. David Andrews
      • Rev. Canon Lloyd S. Casson
      • Rev. Emily Gibson
      • Rev. Peter Huiner
      • Rabbi in Residence Douglas E. Krantz
      • Sermons
    • Father David’s Blog
    • Vestry
      • Vestry Statements, Photos
      • Bernard Fisher, Treasurer, CPA
    • Vestry View
    • Staff
      • D-L Casson, Church Administrator
      • David Christopher, Music Director
    • Children’s Ministries
    • Youth & Young Families at SsAM
      • YYF Blog
    • Episcopal Church Women
    • Finance Committee
    • History of the Parish
      • History, Diocese of Delaware
      • History of Slavery in Delaware
      • History of Wilmington Garden Day
    • Member Photos
      • Photo & Video Archive
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  • What We Do
    • Services of Worship
      • Sunday Documents: Bulletin, Weekly Vision, Readings
      • Baptisms
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        • Wedding Guidelines
        • Wedding Fees
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    • Children’s Chapel
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    • Sacred Jazz at SsAM
    • Volunteer in the Community!
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  • Get Involved
    • eNewsletter Sign Up
    • Volunteer in the Community!
    • Volunteer at Worship!
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    • Caring For Creation
      • Local Food, Local Institutions
    • Invite Welcome Connect
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  • Music
    • Choirs at SsAM
      • Choir Member Resources
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      • Chorister Advancement Levels
    • Sacred Jazz at SsAM
    • Drumming Circle
    • Music Staff
      • David Christopher, Director of Music
      • The SsAM Staff Singers
      • Jonathan Whitney, Director of Drumming Circle and Artist in Residence
      • Tina Betz, Director of Children’s Chapel Music
      • Berna Holcomb, Music Librarian
    • Artists in Residence
      • Jonathan Whitney
      • Delaware ChoralArts
    • Our Approach to Music and Liturgical Design at SsAM
  • Katherine Esterly Organ
    • Organ Events 2019-2020
    • Friends of the KEO
    • DONATE and become a FRIEND of the Katherine Esterly Organ
    • Tonal Specifications
    • About the Organ Renovation Project
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Vestry View, April 1, 2020

Vestry ViewOur vestry meeting on March 25, 2020, was unlike any other vestry meeting I have ever attended because each one of us took lots of time to talk about our own lives and not church business. We sensed that, in this time of pandemic, connecting to each other was fundamental to church business.

We talked about our existing medical conditions, family situations, separations, business closures, upcoming weddings in limbo, unemployment filings, educations interrupted, on-line meetings, trying to teach on-line when we are technology-challenged, concern for family friends who have tested positive, enjoying extra time with family, thanksgiving for monthly chemo treatments continuing, thanksgiving for slower simpler days with more time for ourselves, concerns for compromised immune systems, thanksgiving for communities re-discovered, challenges going to work every day, worries about family members who work in health care systems, thanksgiving for grocery shopping online with home deliveries, going for walks, checking in with friends by telephone and the Internet, upcoming baptisms in limbo, concern for a daughter who is nursing patients in San Francisco, concerns for a son and daughter-in-law working at a medical clinic in Southern California with inadequate equipment, stress while working hospice at three different hospitals, home schooling our children, and concerns for our children with pre-existing breathing problems.

With those connections made, we discussed the new COVID-19 Task Force. What is in front of us is big and has not peaked yet. It will have a substantial impact on our church, and not just in terms of finances, though church finances is one of the Vestry’s biggest responsibilities. Our challenge is how to respond. We acknowledge unprecedented circumstances but look forward in hope. Drastic measures may be needed to sustain our church financially as we move to a new sense of normal. We cannot expect any approved budget to be one that will accurately predict actual expenses in the year to come, but we still need to approve a budget. How should we proceed? We are looking to this COVID-19 Task Force to offer analysis of the current situation and for it to offer to the Vestry a range of options for action. At the moment, the team is Gary Jolly (Facilitator), Tom Angell, Rachel Gaskell, Yvonne Gordon, Bill Kaufmann, and Danny Schweers, with D-L Casson as a resource.

Church members are encouraged to use electronic transfers to make their donations to SsAM. We are no longer passing the plate on Sunday mornings — or even meeting Sunday mornings! Making an electronic transfer is not as spiritually fulfilling as seeing one’s offering placed on the altar, but it still pays the bills. To set up an electronic transfer, please contact the church. You can also use the secure on-line credit card payment system on the SsAM website. Just scroll down to the bottom of any page.

Please pray for us, your vestry representatives. It is easy for us to focus on budget issues, on revenues and expenses, and forget that our church does not live by bread alone. Pray that we will be ever alert to inspiration from the Holy Spirit and for God’s miracles, updating our maps when the landscape changes. May our ways be ever oriented to true north, towards our guiding light, our Lord, God, Jesus Christ, redeemer of heaven and earth.

Sincerely yours,
Danny Schweers, Peggy Shane, and Dan Young
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NOTE: This Vestry View is our way of connecting with you about the issues facing SsAM. We are sending the Vestry View out by email and posting it on the SsAM website. ACTION ITEM: We want your comments! Connecting to each other is fundamental to church business. Click here to contact us.
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Click here to see all the Vestry View posts.

Worship Services Via Video

We are worshiping together via video on Facebook and YouTube. Click here to learn more about Sunday and weekday services!

25th anniversary logo for the Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew, Wilmington, Delaware

NEWS

Monthly Walks for Justice and Peace

First Fridays at 5:30 p.m. Next walk is Friday, March 5! Since June 19, 2020, SsAM and other churches have been sponsoring silent Walks … [Read More...]

Worship With Us Via Video

Use Facebook or YouTube to worship with us this Sunday at 10:00 a.m.! Coffee Hour follows using Zoom. We have gone back to pre-recorded … [Read More...]

Virtual Coffee Hour This Sunday

VIRTUAL COFFEE HOURS Sunday immediately following 10:00 a.m. worship. The Zoom login info was in last Friday’s E-Blast, but you can also … [Read More...]

Continuing the Conversation with Three Wilmington Churches

The members of three Wilmington Churches continue their collaboration on issues of racial justice on Sunday, March 7, at 3:00 p.m. Please … [Read More...]

SsAM 25th Anniversary Continues!

Our next 25th Anniversary Event is Sunday, March 14, at 3:00 p.m. The Zoom program on the 14th of March will continue the exploration of … [Read More...]

Observe a Holy Season Of Lent

How to Observe a Holy Lent during a Pandemic.  I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, … [Read More...]

Vaccinations And Ashes

The Importance of Getting Vaccinated:  The vestry of SsAM and I strongly recommend that you schedule a COVID-19 vaccination when you … [Read More...]

SsAM Presents: Upcoming Events at the Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew

Our building is closed but we are busier than ever! Monthly Walks for Justice and Peace First Fridays at 5:30 p.m. Next Walk is Friday, … [Read More...]

Black History Month in Delaware

In February we celebrate the contributions of Black people. It is a time to reflect on the struggle for racial justice. 2021’s theme is “The … [Read More...]

Get The Vaccine!

COVID-19 VACCINE SCHEDULING Requests for appointments for Delaware Division of Public Health vaccination events are now being taken … [Read More...]

Please Make A Donation

You can make a one-time donation or set up a donation that repeats weekly or monthly. A click on the button will bring you to a secure … [Read More...]

Books About Race, Race Relations, and Racial History – A Bibliography

Here is a list of books, articles, and videos that enlighten us about race, race relations, racial history, and related topics. Click here … [Read More...]

Pledge Form

If you want to make your pledge to SsAM for 2021, you can use this on-line form, which does NOT ask for bank account or credit card … [Read More...]

See all the News & Upcoming Events posts

Sunday Services

We are worshiping together using video over the Internet. Click here to learn more!

Sunday worship services are at 10:00 a.m. Morning and Evening Prayer are also offered, on other days.

Visit Us

Our church is closed at the moment, but when we can open, even partially, our address is

719 N. Shipley Street
Wilmington, DE 19801

with free parking weekends and evenings next to the church at 713 N. Shipley Street. Click here to learn more about parking and directions.

OUR MISSION

To be an inclusive Christian community which worships God, follows Christ in all aspects of our lives, and serves the Greater Wilmington area through actions and ministries which promote peace, justice, reconciliation and empowerment for all people.

Contact Us

PHONE: 302 656-6628

EMAIL: Click here to use our email form.

FACEBOOK: Click here to see our Facebook page. You don’t need a Facebook account to see it.

YOUTUBE: Click here to see our YouTube Channel. Some smart TV sets will allow you to stream YouTube, so you can watch in your den or living room. Search for “Saints Andrews and Matthew”.

Are You New to SsAM?

If you are new to SsAM, please click here to see the Welcome to SsAM booklet in PDF format. The Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew is a dynamic and diverse congregation in downtown Wilmington, Delaware.

Our Vision

The Episcopal Church of Sts. Andrew and Matthew seeks to be a dynamic, spiritual center that is active in the pursuit of peace and justice in the community and a place where all God’s people are honored.

LINKS

  • Worship at SsAM: Sunday Documents, Church News, and More
  • eNewsletter Sign Up
  • SsAM on Facebook
  • Recent Announcements at SsAM
  • Vestry View
  • Invite Welcome Connect
  • Episcopal Church in Delaware
  • Episcopal Church USA
  • Michael Curry’s blog: the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
  • Episcopal Digital Network
  • Forward Day By Day
  • Book of Common Prayer
  • Camp Arrowhead, Delaware
  • Order of the Ascension
  • Congregational Development
  • Father David’s Spiritual Journey
  • Calendar
  • Visit SsAM on Facebook
  • eNewsletter Sign-up
  • Vestry View

Donations Are Welcome, and a Necessity

Our ministries are dependent on financial donations. Click here to make a secure credit-card donation on-line or to learn more about making a pledge, texting a donation, special gifts and memorials, remembering SsAM in your will, setting up debit payments from your bank, and using United Way.

Make An On-Line Donation
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