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The next edition of The Voice will be published on June 25, 2026.
IT'S SUMMERTIME! 
Rest and enjoy. 

A weekly newsletter from Immanuel Highlands Episcopal Church

The Voice Immanuel Highlands Episcopal Church June 4, 2026 In this edition of The Voice: Upcoming at Immanuel Dates to Note Upcoming Sundays' Scripture Readings From Fr. Wayne Change in Liturgy Discernment Meeting Updates Spring outreach to St. Stephen's Food Pantry Passing the Peace: Diocesan Pride Fest Jack Burnam Organ Recital Diocesan Parish Picnic at Blue Rocks Game Prayer List Links to our wider church community Upcoming at Immanuel Saturday, June 6 12:00 noon Al-Anon (Common Room) Sunday, June 7 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist (Chapel) 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist (Church) Monday, June 8 6:00 p.m. Finance Committee Meeting (Common Room) Tuesday, June 9 6:00 p.m. Al-Anon (Parlor) Wednesday, June 10 5:15 p.m. Tai Chi (Dining Room) 6:00 p.m. Discernment Meeting (Common Room) Saturday, June 13 12:00 noon Al-Anon (Parlor) Sunday, June 14 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist (Chapel) 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist (Church) Monday, June 15 6:00 p.m. Vestry Meeting (Common Room) Dates to Note Fr. Wayne will be at Clergy Retreat June 9-11, then in West Virginia for a friend’s memorial through June 15. Lola Michael-Russell will be away June 8-22. The church office will be closed June 9-15. Fr. John Pumphrey will celebrate Holy Eucharist on June 14. Because of Zoom’s security protocols, there will be no link for the June 10 discernment meeting or the June 15 Vestry meeting. The next edition of The Voice will be published on June 25. Sunday, June 7 Second Sunday after Pentecost Hosea 5:15-6:6 Psalm 50:7-15 Romans 4:13-25 Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 Sunday, June 14 Third Sunday after Pentecost Exodus 19:2-8a Psalm 100 Romans 5:1-8 Matthew 9:35-10:8(9-23) Sunday, June 21 Fourth Sunday after Pentecost Jeremiah 20:7-13 Psalm 69: 8-11, (12-17), 18-20 Romans 6:1b-11 Matthew 10:24-39 For upcoming Sundays see The Lectionary Page: here For the Sundays after Pentecost we are following Track Two From Fr. Wayne At the beginning of our discernment meetings, Fr. David Lovelace spoke to us about call. Discernment is about many things. We sense a call to something or someplace different, and risk setting out on a journey that has no known destination. At least, not yet. One of God’s first calls was to a man named Abram. That call included a promise that Abram’s offspring would “be as numerous as the stars.” God made that same promise to Isaac and Jacob. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran after hearing God’s call and promise. He and his wife Sarai were childless. He had to wait another 25 years for that promise to be fulfilled. Moses heard a call from a strangely burning bush to return to Egypt and tell Pharoah to “set God’s people free.” God’s spokesperson stuttered. And he was eighty years old. And in exile from Egypt after killing one of Pharoah’s overseers. The list goes on, a “great cloud of witnesses” spoken about in the letter to the Hebrews. All of those on the list probably wondered “You want me to do what?” Yet they moved from their comfortable places in life to step out toward the place God would show them, and where God’s promises would be made real. And they found themselves changed in the process. There’s a difference between comfort and discernment. We spend a lot of time trying to ensure comfort remains or even increases, which often keeps us from truly discerning where God calls us to go. We want accurate GPS coordinates and unchanging weather forecasts before we set out. God doesn’t usually work that way. Since we’re not God, why do we keep insisting that we must do so ourselves? Since I have announced that my time at Immanuel Highlands will end in October, I’m tempted to try to control not only the journey, but the call itself. I’ve been here before, and am here now because of a last-minute call that still took a couple of months to answer. What happens next? All we can do is be open to hearing the call and responding to it in the faith of the One who still tells us to “go and make disciples.” Answering that takes a lifetime. Liturgy Changes As we move into the summer season, our liturgy changes. The Great Thanksgiving comes from a supplement to The Book of Common Prayer. We’ll eliminate the hymn at communion. The Lector for the first reading will also lead the recitation of the Psalm. Both of those readings are chosen to coordinate with the Gospel lesson for that Sunday, called “track two” on the Lectionary Page website. Finally, remembering the Apostle Paul’s words, “let us not neglect to meet together.” Discernment Meeting Update Sixteen parishioners met on the night of Wednesday, June 3, to confirm the mission statement and vision statement we developed for Immanuel. We confirmed the following mission and vision statements, incorporating edits suggested by Father John Pumphrey.   Mission: “We are committed to welcoming all to our community of faith and worship, serving the needs of our community and growing together in Christ.”  Vision “To be a Christ-centered community Church. Rooted in The Episcopal Church’s values. Making a difference in people’s lives. Inclusive. Multigenerational and diverse. Embracing change for a thriving, sustainable future.” After some discussion, we decided to not develop a values statement, believing that we can better derive values specific to Immanuel as we make our plan of action. We will use the values of The Episcopal Church as our guide. Ken Germain pointed out that we have chosen the path of redevelopment, as defined in Tom Fairchild’s outline of options open to Immanuel. We brainstormed actions we can take to fulfill the three parts of our mission statement. We will refine and prioritize those ideas at our next meeting and use them to create our plan of actions that we will take in the coming months. We agreed that the congregation needs more transparency on this process and other actions that are taking place in the context of this discernment.  Our next meeting is Wednesday, June 10, at 6:00 p.m. Come join us, all are welcome! We need every member of our beloved church to participate – your thoughts and prayers for this process are needed and valued. If you have questions, ideas, corrections please contact a vestry member or one of the people listed below: Maria duPont: [email protected] Barbara Volko: [email protected] Bonnie Swan: [email protected] Tom Fairchild: t91858hotmail.com Mike Bailey: [email protected] Please support our Spring Outreach to St. Stephen’s Food Pantry. See the fundraising thermometer posted in the lobby! We are asking for donations through June to support St. Stephen’s Food Pantry, serving those who are food insecure in Wilmington. You may give online through our website (use dropdown menu under $), or write a check, with Food Pantry in the memo. We have a goal of $1,500 and Immanuel will match the funds raised with money budgeted for St. Stephen’s. You will see from the fundraising thermometer that we are far from our goal. Please support our efforts to focus on non-food items that are not available through the Food Bank of DE – diapers, tampons, sanitary pads, and toilet paper. To make our fundraising as effective as possible, outreach ministry will make two or three large purchases. At coffee hour we will bag items that need to be separated for individuals. Passing the Peace Diocesan Pride Fest Booth Saturday, June 6   Join us on The Green in downtown Dover near the Courthouse and State House for a joyful and simple way to share our church’s welcome at Delaware PRIDE. The event runs from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Come Pass the Peace with a smile, enjoy good food, meet new friends, and share God's love in a space where everyone belongs. It's family-friendly, fun, and yes — dog-friendly, too.   Volunteer Opportunities Just showing up helps us Pass the Peace in a big way. But if you've got a couple of hours to spare, we'd love your help with easy, fun things like greeting folks and putting on temporary tattoos. Super simple, and a great way to be God's hands. If you would like to volunteer, click here to sign-up. Jack Burnam Organ Recital Sunday, June 14, 4:00 p.m. Church of the Advent, Kennett Square Jack Burnam, Organist and Parish Musician, formerly at Immanuel Highlands Episcopal Church, as well as Immanuel on the Green, New Castle, will be giving an Organ Recital on the historic 1990 Moller Pipe Organ Opus 11817 at Church of the Advent, 401 N Union St, Kennett Square, PA 19348. This instrument was designed by the late Dr. Vernon de Tar, Professor of Organ at The Juilliard School, New York and his protégée, Anita Greenlee, Assistant Professor of Organ and Harpsichord, West Chester University. No doubt Jack's program will be enjoyed by all! Take Me Out to the Ballgame — We are Family! Diocesan Parish Picnic at the Blue Rocks The Diocesan Parish Picnic at the Blue Rocks on June 27 is shaping up to be one of those nights you’ll be glad you didn’t miss. And this year, we’ve made room for more (which is good because we have already surpassed last year's number) — 250 seats worth of community, laughter, and summer fun.   ·    An all-you-can-eat picnic ·    A diocesan-wide celebration ·    A chance to cheer on one of our own throwing the first pitch ·    Youth jersey giveaway to first 1,000 fans under age 17 ·    And our own diocesan choir leading the National Anthem ·    More information   We’ve still got seats to fill, and it won’t be the same without you! For More Information or to Register www.delaware.church/parish-picnic-at-the-blue-rocks June 7 – June 13 Summer Donohue June 14 – June 20 Laurie Hay, Ari Deitcher, Juan Carlos Santana, Georgia Donohue, Rex Davis Katherine (Kathy) and Michael Blackhurst June 21 – June 27 Tristan Schwarz Eleanor and Ted Austin, Brenda and Ken McCourt, Grace (Genie) and Don Hobson, Maria du Pont and Bob Penneys Pray for those in need of our prayers for strength, guidance, or healing: Leslee Moore, the Santana family, Dean, Brenda McCourt, Edwina Michael, Dee Dee, Thomas, Bob Penneys, Nathaniel, Emily Gibson, Molly, Laurence Hazell, Nancy Godfrey, Eleanor Austin, Karen Watchorn, Kathie Bove, Jerry Gainrett, Daisy Gainrett, Rachael Zito, Jared Oliver, Bob Utz, Luke Cain, Cooper, Karen, Maria du Pont, Bev H., Jean S., Stephen Hoffman, Sister Jo Anne, the Doorman family, Bob Utz, Sister Mary Ellen, Sarah Pumphrey, Hugh Shinberg, Sister Rosie Castelli, David Andrews, Ezekiel Arredondo, Donna White, Legend, Porschia, The Rev. Claire, Missie Bauman, Veronica Adams, Diane, Pam Bailey, Connie Schultz, Samantha Moon. Pray for those who actively serve in our armed forces throughout the world: Cathy, Lupita Maunder If any names may be removed from the prayer list or if you wish to add any names, please let the parish administrator know at [email protected] Immanuel Highlands is part of a wider church! Link in to our community Diocesan website Diocesan quarterly magazine Delaware Communion Diocesan weekly e-news The Net archives Subscribe to diocesan publications Province III Episcopal News Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs Global Partnerships Anglican Communion News Archbishop of Canterbury Immanuel Highlands Episcopal Church 2400 West Seventeenth Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19806 (302).658.7326 Office hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. https://immanuelhighlands.church https://www.facebook.com/immanuelchurchhighlands   Priest in Charge: Father Wayne Rollins [email protected] Music Director: Ryan Pryslak [email protected] Parish Administrator: Lola Michael-Russell [email protected] Sexton: Jim Maloney (302) 658-7326 [email protected] Senior Warden: Maria du Pont [email protected] Junior Warden: Barb Volko [email protected] From the Editor If you have an item to be included in The Voice, please email it to the parish administrator at [email protected] by the Tuesday before the Thursday release of the newsletter. If you don't have access to email, please call the office or leave your written request in the parish administrator's mail slot in the mailboxes across from the parish administrator's office no later than the Tuesday before The Voice goes out. Thank you!   Immanuel Highlands Episcopal Church immanuelhighlands.church

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