Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew & Matthew (SsAM)

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

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Vestry View of July 4, 2020

We have been gathering together!

Yes, there is something odd about celebrating Independence Day while staying isolated in our dwellings, hardly daring to venture outside, wary of anyone coming within six feet of us, our church closed. Even so, we at SsAM can celebrate some recently successful gatherings.

A Conversation About Racism, Sunday, June 28

Just last Sunday, some 60 of us gathered together in front of our devices to join an on-line discussion. “Repairing The Breach: A Conversation About Racism” was hosted by Fr. David Andrews, Canon Lloyd Casson, and Rabbi-in-Residence Douglas Krantz. Something I had never experienced before was seeing a large Zoom meeting break into small groups. Suddenly, instead of seeing a sea of faces, there were only six of us sharing our personal histories of race relations. It was video, but even so, it was truly revelatory to get to know each another better, in some depth, about a difficult topic.

Many viewpoints were aired in those small groups and in the larger meeting. One point made frequently was that most African-Americans grew up believing that their actions reflect on their entire race, that they had to be on their best behavior in public to protect the image of their race and, even today, they cannot help but fear indiscretions by others of their race tarnish their whole race, including themselves. If you are White, when was the last time, if ever, that you felt that another person of your race, acting badly, lowered the standing of your race and made you fear others will think badly of you? A “burden” is how some described it, being judged by one’s race and not as individuals.

Note: If you were not notified of this and other Zoom video-conference meetings, or find it difficult to connect, please contact us!

A Walk for Justice and Peace, Friday, June 19

Some one hundred people — in person, masked, and socially distanced — stood outside First & Central Presbyterian Church on Friday, June 19 — Juneteenth — and then walked silently and prayerfully to our church. Our hope was to shine a light on the recent death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and on so many other similar, needless deaths. Before we started walking, Presbyterian Elder Ellen J. Roberts, Rev. Dr. Alison Halsey, Fr. David Andrews, and U.S. Senator Chris Coons spoke to us. In the audience were representatives of other churches including Concord Presbyterian, Grace Methodist, Riverfront Church, Trinity Episcopal, and Westminster Presbyterian. Also there was the Rt. Rev. Kevin Brown, Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Delaware. From there, we all walked southwest on Market Street and made our way to the SsAM parking lot, where people gathered under the “Black Lives Matter” banner that had been painted by our members and hung on the side of our church on June 1. Then we knelt in prayer for eight minutes and 46 seconds — the amount of time that the police officer knelt on George Floyd’s neck, killing him. To see photos of the event and links to related items, visit: https://www.ssam.org/photos-walk-for-justice-and-peace/

Annual Meeting, Election of New Vestry Members

Five days earlier, on Sunday, June 14, some 70 members of our church attended the annual meeting via video and phone. Reports were few and it was all over in under an hour. In particular, we thanked four members for having served on the vestry the past three years: Jenna Christy, Norwood Coleman, Nana Soto, and Linda Whitehead; and we welcomed four new vestry members: John Goodill, Pat Hampton, Sharon Leyhow, and Wanda Smith. While neither Mary Meese Swain nor Michelle Smith were elected, their willingness to serve means that other opportunities to serve our church will, no doubt, be offered to them soon.

Usually, when our annual meetings are in person, ballots are passed out and collected — not an option this year! Instead we did a mix of on-line voting and paper balloting. 118 members voted on-line. Their votes were not secret, but were only seen by three tellers. The 14 paper ballots were secret, a slower process since the ballots had to be mailed out and then mailed back in, but the entire process worked smoothly, thanks primarily to Jenna Christy.

Rachel Gaskell and Peggy Shane continue as our senior and junior wardens; Bernard Fisher, as our treasurer. We are looking for a secretary to the vestry, which could be any member, not necessarily a member of the vestry. You?

Future On-Line Gatherings at SsAM

Worship services are broadcast every Sunday on YouTube and Facebook at 10:00 a.m. Since they are pre-recorded, not live, they can we watched any time after 10:00. There are live celebrations of Morning and Evening Prayer on Facebook on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, at 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Beginning in August, you can join Rabbi Douglas Krantz and Father David for Bible study on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. There will be a virtual Coffee Hour in August. At some point, a Financial Town Hall Meeting led by the Finance Committee. It will review the current operating budget. Finally, you can schedule a one-on-one meeting with Fr. David, always enlightening!

Pledge Income Down 24% Since March 22

With the church closed, we expected smaller donations from people who had pledged. We guessed — how could we know? — that pledges would go down 13%. That is what happened in 2008, during that economic downturn. As it turns out, pledges are down 24% since March 22, a decline nearly twice what we estimated. If this drop continues, the Vestry of SsAM will have to drop something from its budget while, at the same time, remaining true to our core values and faithful to our mission and vision statements. Whatever we receive, we give thanks!

Other Vestry News

The SsAM Vestry is assigning vestry liaisons to ministries, reviewing by-laws, and monitoring the endowments. Canon Martha Kirkpatrick will lead a virtual vestry retreat on August 8 at which time we will imagine how our church might blossom in the years to come.

At some point, in small ways at first, our church will begin to gather in person. If you have ideas or concerns about our re-opening, please contact us!

— by Danny Schweers, Vestry Member

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NOTE: This Vestry View is our way of sharing with you the issues facing SsAM. We are sending it out by email and posting it on the SsAM website, where you can find an archive of our communications. ACTION ITEM: Click here to send us your comments!

Vestry View Archive

Click here to see all the Vestry View articles published recently.

Worship services on Sundays are in-person and via video, at 8am and 10:30am. Prayer services via video are offered on other days.
Click here to learn more about Sunday and weekday services of worship and prayer.

Ask Others To Pray With You
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Volunteer for a Ministry
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NEWS

Dr. Joseph E. Johnson Recognized by City of Wilmington, Delaware

Highlands Elementary School re-named for Joe Johnson Highlands Elementary School was re-dedicated and re-named for Joseph E. Johnson on … [Read More...]

Worship with us this Sunday!

You are invited to praise God with us in-person and via video on Sunday at 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. Sundays at 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. is when we … [Read More...]

Music Concerts in Wilmington, Delaware

Music of America Concert, Sunday, May 29, 3pm at SsAM A special tribute to Marian Anderson with soloists Tina Betz, Kim Doucette, Martin … [Read More...]

Scholarships Available for SsAM Members

Deadline: July 15, 2022 The Community Advocacy Committee is again sponsoring scholarships for students entering college in the fall of 2022 … [Read More...]

SsAM Presents: Upcoming Events

Here is a list of upcoming events at SsAM or recommended by our church. Worship This Sunday You are invited to praise God with us … [Read More...]

Reflection – We All Deserve A Chance

by Mary Lou Edgar. Many of you know that I worked in adoption and foster care for my entire career. May is Foster Care Month and I … [Read More...]

2022 Walk to End Epilepsy

Run with Team Johannes on June 4, 2022 at Glasgow Park. Valerie Chow shared the following: What is epilepsy? Is it contagious? What … [Read More...]

Johannes Chow wins Earth Day recognition

Johannes Chow, a 12-year-old seventh grader at Brandywine Springs School in Wilmington, was recognized for the video “We Have Only One … [Read More...]

Reflection: Pursue What You Love

When jazz pianist Rich Harney became a Christian, he was told he had to give up playing the devil’s music. He loved that music but he loved … [Read More...]

Support For Ukraine

Episcopal Migration Ministries Episcopal Migration Ministries welcomes refugees, educates communities, and mobilizes congregations to … [Read More...]

National Issues and the Episcopal Church

Women’s Health May 7, 2022 — Since 1967, The Episcopal Church has maintained its “unequivocal opposition to any legislation on the part of … [Read More...]

Reflection – Listen to the Word Proclaimed

Imagine yourself at the theater, you've settled into your seat, ready for the curtain to open. You have your script of the play open and … [Read More...]

Get The Vaccine!

If you are over 50 years old or immuno-compromised, SsAM'S Health and Wellness Ministry invites you to take the COVID-19 vaccine extra … [Read More...]

See all the News & Upcoming Events posts

Worship Services

We will be delighted if you worship with us in-person or via video on Sundays at 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. Click here to learn more!

Visit Us

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.
Office Hours
Monday – Thursday, 9:00 to 4:30
Friday, 9:00 to 1:00

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

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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

Our main focus is ministry, not money!
We offer a host of ministries for which you can volunteer. You can participate in worship services, help make the church hum, or offer your time and talent to the local community.

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