Entering Lent
We are a few weeks away from once again entering the holy season of Lent. Shrove Tuesday is March 1st and Ash Wednesday is March 2nd. Like many of you, the Shrove Tuesday pancake supper is one of my favorite events of the year. That’s why I’m sorry to share that after consideration of where we are in the pandemic, and the effort and organization it takes to pull it off, we’ve made the decision to not have the pancake supper again this year.
Instead we hope you will enjoy pancakes at home and then gather around the fire pit the front circle at 7:00 pm on Shrove Tuesday. We will have some time for fellowship and sharing hot chocolate before burning last year’s palms. Then we will move into the church to pray Compline and bury ALLELUIA.
On Ash Wednesday there will be drive-thru imposition of ashes with prayers from 8:00-9:00 am in the front circle. We will gather that evening at 7:30 pm for the Ash Wednesday liturgy with Holy Eucharist and the imposition of ashes. The service will be livestreamed to Facebook, and at-home communion will be available for pick up during regular office hours the week before.
The central themes of Lent, penitence and fasting, hit differently as we prepare to enter the third year of this pandemic, and yet they hold the same power of transformation for us that they have down through the centuries for our ancestors in faith. My prayer is that you will enter this Lent with your heart open to God’s love and mercy, and by gathering around the fire and with ashes in community.
Yours in God’s peace,
Kristin+
Sunday Worship Information
Join us on the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany for Holy Eucharist and Confirmations at 10:30 am, or watch the service livestreamed on Facebook.
A printable bulletin is available here.
Lectionary Readings for this Sunday:
Facebook Livestream
We plan to begin streaming to Facebook at 10:30 am. If you arrive at Facebook and you don’t see the video, please refresh your screen. There is a delay.
Outreach
Beginning February 20th your Outreach Committee will sponsor a new program called “Random Acts of Kindness”.
A basket containing specially labeled envelopes will be located in the narthex of the church for the next month; parishioners may take one or more envelopes.
It is requested that you place a small gift (possibly a local business gift card/certificate, money, a special note/poem/child’s drawing with a message or other small item) in the envelope then give it to someone in our community to brighten their day, or week!!
It is our hope that you will be excited to participate in our Random Acts of Kindness to bring more smiles of hope into our community!
Announcements
2022 Parish Directory
The 2022 Parish Directory will be available for distribution on Monday, January 31. Printed copies will be in the narthex. If you prefer an electronic version drop an email to office@stjamesmtairy.org.
Next Week’s Commemorations:
Prayer Rotation
Please join the Daughters of the King in praying for each parishioner in rotation during 2022 by taking this notice home and by posting it where it will remind you pray to on a daily basis for the needs and blessings of:
Tim and Cheri McClanahan (Bryce, Trevor)
James and Janet McKeever (Katie)
Mark and Wanda Meinschein
A member of the Daughters of the King will be contacting you this week for special prayer requests.
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to preach at Archbishop Desmond Tutu memorial service
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will deliver the sermon at a Feb. 13 memorial service for the late Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu at The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in New York. The Sunday service will be livestreamed from 4 to 6 p.m. ET.
“People often forget that Archbishop Tutu was not only an activist but also a theologian, not only a champion against apartheid in his own country, but also a leader in the worldwide Anglican Communion, with a heart for justice born out of his deep faith in Jesus Christ and his firm conviction that we are all God’s beloved children,” said the Rev. C. K. Robertson, canon to the presiding bishop for Ministry Beyond The Episcopal Church.
After Tutu’s death on Dec. 26, Curry shared a statement about the man he called “a true friend, colleague, and mentor.” The presiding bishop will be joined at the memorial service by the Rt. Rev. Andrew Dietsche, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, and the Rt. Rev. Clifton Daniel, dean of the cathedral.
Tutu was the author of many books and subject of recent biographies, including “The Book of Joy,” an instant New York Times bestseller that chronicles a five-day meeting between Tutu and the Dalai Lama. Their friendship is the subject of a new documentary called “Mission: Joy,” available for congregational screenings. Learn more and watch the trailer.
