Smells, Bells, and Jazz

After a quick breakfast at the hostel, we put on our Sunday finery and headed to the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas to worship.

AECST was founded by Absalom Jones, the first African-American Episcopal priest. The combination of incense and "Wade in the Water" made for a unique, but still familiar experience for us. (No, Fr. Jim, we didn't get up and dance - but we felt you there with us in spirit!) High church and Lift Every Voice and Sing work surprisingly well together. David would have been jealous of the jazz band - I think there were at least 10 musicians, not to mention the male singers that accompanied them. Fr. Shaw and Fr. Bonney welcomed us, along with the rest of the congregation - and look forward to seeing us again next year.

After stopping by Starbuck's (we're not roughing it here!), we visited the Philly Museum of Art and the Reading Terminal Market. We definitely will be headed back to the market again for pretzels, crepes, BBQ, and shopping. We've practiced our songs, cut out the animal masks, planned games and crafts - generally, have prepared for whatever we might find tomorrow.

Compline and a good night's sleep are next on the agenda. As the NZ prayer book says -
What is done, is done;
What is not done, is not done;
Let it be.

~Anne J.