Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent. First Church will hold services with imposition of ashes at 12 noon and 7:00 PM. The evening service will be live streamed.
On street parking is available with placard.
During the season of Lent, the Missions Committee is sponsoring a drive to support Philly House, a shelter for men that provides temporary housing and comprehensive services to support transitions to long-term housing.
The donation drive will run from February 18 through April 7.
Items to donate are listed below. Donations can be dropped off in designated locations at the church. Items may also be purchased online from the Amazon Wishlist. (Amazon Wish List items will be shipped directly to Philly House.)
New combs for men
New hair picks for men
New men's T-shirts (all sizes)
Men’s sneakers (all sizes)
Men’s adjustable canvas belts (all sizes)
Men’s boxer underwear and stretch boxer briefs (all sizes)
Down alternative pillows
Men’s loose fit shorts (all sizes)
Socks (all sizes)
Lightweight waterproof backpacks
Please contact the Missions Committee with any questions or concerns. Thank you!
Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent. First Church will services with imposition of ashes 12 noon and 7:00 PM. The evening service will be live streamed.
On street parking is available with placard.
During the season of Lent, the Missions Committee sponsoring a drive to support St. Barnabas Community Resource center, which is managed through our mission partner Episcopal Community Services (ECS). This community resource center supports individuals and families living in West Philadelphia through an open pantry program and rapid re-housing program.
The donation drive will run from March 19 through April 30.
Items to donate are listed below. Donations can be dropped off in a designated location at the church. Items may also be purchased online from the registry list at Target or wishlist at Amazon. Target and Amazon Wish List items will be shipped to the church's address.
Please contact the Missions Committee with any questions or concerns. Thank you!
Open Choice Pantry
Canned goods (vegetables, fruits, soups, stews, tuna, pork-n-beans)
Cereals (cream of wheat, oats, grits, dry cereal)
Macaroni and cheese
Spaghetti and spaghetti sauce
Crackers and bread
Peanut butter and jelly
Coffee items (coffee, tea, creamer, sugar)
Toilet paper
Paper towels
Cleaning supplies
Toiletries
Move-In basket for Rapid Rehousing Participants
New bath towels
New wash cloths
New kitchen sponge
New kitchen towel and mitt set
New sheet sets (Queen size and Twin size)
Dish detergent
Pack of plastic utensils
New shower curtain rings
New clear/cream shower liners
New cups, plates, or bowls (set of 4)
Reusable shopping bag
Toilet paper
Paper towels
Grocery Store gift card $25
Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent. First Church will offer in-person services with imposition of ashes 12 noon and 7:30 p.m. The evening service will be live streamed.
On street parking is available with placard.
Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent. First Church will offer in-person services with imposition of ashes 12 noon and 7 p.m. The evening service will be live streamed.
Please register and wear a mask at all times while indoors.
On street parking is available with placard.
First Church will offer a virtual service for Ash Wednesday. This live service, held via Zoom webinar, will include many of our traditional liturgical observances for Ash Wednesday: the confession of sin, reflection on God’s word, music to center and ground us as we enter Lent. Because the service will be live, participants must register in advance.
On the seven Wednesday evenings of Lent, beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 17, and continuing through Holy Week, Barbara Chaapel will lead an online devotional study based on the texts of scripture for Lent, the poetry of Mary Oliver, and simple spiritual practices we can share during the week.
Each session will include reading and reflection on a text of scripture, reading and reflection on one or two poems by Mary Oliver that are related to the week’s scripture text, sharing a spiritual practice for the week, and prayer. The class will meet each Wednesday through March 31 from 5-6 PM.
Each week, the biblical texts and poems from Mary Oliver’s collection Devotions will illumine each other and point to simple practices we can use in our lives. We will read the scripture text and the poems aloud and share through prompts, much as in the practice of lectio divina, how they interact with our lives. The poems, along with the texts of scripture for each week, will be sent to participants before the class.
Whether you love poetry or are sometimes afraid of it; whether you love scripture or are sometimes confused by it—please join us in this community of intentional devotion each Lenten Wednesday as the lengthening day turns toward evening.
The poems, along with the texts of scripture for each week, will be sent to participants before the class; registration is required; please register below. For questions, contact Barbara Chaapel.
On the five Sundays in Lent—March 1-29— Barbara Chaapel will lead an adult education session using the spiritual practice of lectio divina focusing on the lectionary texts for each Sunday. We will read the biblical text together and be led in contemplative reflection and sharing, listening for God’s Word in our lives with what the Benedictines call “the ears of the heart.”
The lectionary text for this Sunday’s class is John 4:5-42. The class meets in the MacColl Room. (Enter at 21st Street.)
Take this time as part of your Lenten discipline—to slow down from the rush of life and share sacred space and conversation with fellow members and friends.
On the five Sundays in Lent—March 1-29— Barbara Chaapel will lead an adult education session using the spiritual practice of lectio divina focusing on the lectionary texts for each Sunday. We will read the biblical text together and be led in contemplative reflection and sharing, listening for God’s Word in our lives with what the Benedictines call “the ears of the heart.”
The lectionary text for this Sunday’s class is John 3:1-10 and 16-17. The class meets in the MacColl Room. (Enter at 21st Street.)
Take this time as part of your Lenten discipline—to slow down from the rush of life and share sacred space and conversation with fellow members and friends.
Our Conversations Worth Having event in January left many of us wanting more; as we read through the survey feedback, it was clear that the majority of participants wanted to continue the conversation by sharing a meal and talking through what we learned. In order to facilitate this, Baron Mullis, Barbara Chaapel, Ken Ross and Delores Brisbon have received training from our January presenter, Dr. Eve Higginbotham.
These Wednesday conversations are the first installment in Keeping our Conversation Going. Bring a brown bag lunch on Wednesdays at noon, or come Wednesday evenings at 6:30 for a soup supper and a chance to continue to engage more deeply with one another. We’ll unpack Chapter 7 from Everyday Bias (Howard J. Ross) that we read for the January workshop. Copies of Chapter 7 are available; please email the church office to request a copy.
Everyone is welcome! Our hope is that folks can commit to attending the majority of the 5 weekly sessions, but you are certainly welcome to attend as many sessions as you are able. We are requesting RSVPs for the evening sessions so that we prepare the right quantity of soup—please register below or by calling the church office (215-567-0532). There is no need to register for the Brown-Bag Lunch session at noon. On-street parking is available with placard for the evening sessions. We hope to see you there!
On the five Sundays in Lent—March 1-29— Barbara Chaapel will lead an adult education session using the spiritual practice of lectio divina focusing on the lectionary texts for each Sunday. We will read the biblical text together and be led in contemplative reflection and sharing, listening for God’s Word in our lives with what the Benedictines call “the ears of the heart.”
The lectionary text for this Sunday’s class is Matthew 4:1-11. The class meets in the MacColl Room. (Enter at 21st Street.)
Take this time as part of your Lenten discipline—to slow down from the rush of life and share sacred space and conversation with fellow members and friends.
First Church will hold two services for Ash Wednesday: 12 noon and 7 PM. The imposition of ashes will be available at both services.
Lectio divina, which means “divine reading,” is an ancient practice of reading and contemplating scripture that is intended to promote communion with God and to increase our knowledge of God’s Word.
On five Sundays in the season of Lent the Reverend Barbara Chaapel will teach the practice of lectio divina as an offering for adult education at 9:45 a.m in the MacColl Room.
Lectio divina is not so much a way to consume knowledge about the Bible as to interact with scripture, to hear God’s Word and to respond within community. Focusing on one or more of the lectionary passages for each of those Sundays, participants will read the biblical text together, and be led in contemplative reflection and sharing on the texts, listening for God’s Word in our lives with what the Benedictines call “the ears of the heart.”
We offer this opportunity as a spiritual discipline for the season of Lent, and invite members of the congregation and guests to practice this prayerful approach to scripture together.
Lectio divina, which means “divine reading,” is an ancient practice of reading and contemplating scripture that is intended to promote communion with God and to increase our knowledge of God’s Word.
On five Sundays in the season of Lent the Reverend Barbara Chaapel will teach the practice of lectio divina as an offering for adult education at 9:45 a.m in the MacColl Room.
Lectio divina is not so much a way to consume knowledge about the Bible as to interact with scripture, to hear God’s Word and to respond within community. Focusing on one or more of the lectionary passages for each of those Sundays, participants will read the biblical text together, and be led in contemplative reflection and sharing on the texts, listening for God’s Word in our lives with what the Benedictines call “the ears of the heart.”
We offer this opportunity as a spiritual discipline for the season of Lent, and invite members of the congregation and guests to practice this prayerful approach to scripture together.
Lectio divina, which means “divine reading,” is an ancient practice of reading and contemplating scripture that is intended to promote communion with God and to increase our knowledge of God’s Word.
On five Sundays in the season of Lent the Reverend Barbara Chaapel will teach the practice of lectio divina as an offering for adult education at 9:45 a.m in the MacColl Room.
Lectio divina is not so much a way to consume knowledge about the Bible as to interact with scripture, to hear God’s Word and to respond within community. Focusing on one or more of the lectionary passages for each of those Sundays, participants will read the biblical text together, and be led in contemplative reflection and sharing on the texts, listening for God’s Word in our lives with what the Benedictines call “the ears of the heart.”
We offer this opportunity as a spiritual discipline for the season of Lent, and invite members of the congregation and guests to practice this prayerful approach to scripture together.
Lectio divina, which means “divine reading,” is an ancient practice of reading and contemplating scripture that is intended to promote communion with God and to increase our knowledge of God’s Word.
On five Sundays in the season of Lent the Reverend Barbara Chaapel will teach the practice of lectio divina as an offering for adult education at 9:45 a.m in the MacColl Room.
Lectio divina is not so much a way to consume knowledge about the Bible as to interact with scripture, to hear God’s Word and to respond within community. Focusing on one or more of the lectionary passages for each of those Sundays, participants will read the biblical text together, and be led in contemplative reflection and sharing on the texts, listening for God’s Word in our lives with what the Benedictines call “the ears of the heart.”
We offer this opportunity as a spiritual discipline for the season of Lent, and invite members of the congregation and guests to practice this prayerful approach to scripture together.
On Wednesday, March 13, from 4-7 pm, a prayer labyrinth will be available in Old Buttonwood Hall for you to come and walk the path on your Lenten journey. The labyrinth, a full-scale replica of the one in Chartres Cathedral in France, on loan to us from Princeton Theological Seminary.
What Is A Labyrinth?
The Labyrinth is a forty-foot circular sacred path. It is used as a walking meditation to reflect on life and to be a sacred space for creating order in times of chaos. The Labyrinth has only one path. There are no tricks or dead ends. The path winds around until you reach the center. You return out of the circle the same way you entered it. The path of the Labyrinth can be a mirror for where we are in our lives. It can touch our sorrows and release our joys. It is a tool, a physical metaphor, to guide us in healing, to help deepen our faith and open us to self-understanding. It is a place where we can silently pray.
We hope you will come participate in the meaningful experience.
Lectio divina, which means “divine reading,” is an ancient practice of reading and contemplating scripture that is intended to promote communion with God and to increase our knowledge of God’s Word.
On five Sundays in the season of Lent (March 10, 17, 24, 31, and April 7) the Reverend Barbara Chaapel will teach the practice of lectio divina as an offering for adult education at 9:45 a.m.
Lectio divina is not so much a way to consume knowledge about the Bible as to interact with scripture, to hear God’s Word and to respond within community. Focusing on one or more of the lectionary passages for each of those Sundays, participants will read the biblical text together, and be led in contemplative reflection and sharing on the texts, listening for God’s Word in our lives with what the Benedictines call “the ears of the heart.”
We offer this opportunity as a spiritual discipline for the season of Lent, and invite members of the congregation and guests to practice this prayerful approach to scripture together.
First Church will offer two services on Ash Wednesday, March 6. A Service of Noonday Prayer will be held at 12:00 p.m., and a Choral Evensong at 7:00 p.m. The imposition of ashes will be offered at both services. On-street parking is available with placard.
