Meditation time during last Saturday's Lenten Quiet Day resulted in this labyrinth-in-the-snow atop our stone labyrinth.





Saint Andrew's-in-the-Valley
Thursday MEMO
April 7, 2011

Services for this coming Sunday, April 10th and the fifth Sunday of Lent, will be at 8 and 10 AM, with coffee hours following both services. We hope you will join us for worship. Easter Flower envelopes are now in the pews. We count on your contributions -- made in memory, in thanksgiving, or in honor -- for our Easter flowers. Flower requests may also be made by emailing the church office [office@standrewsinthevalley.org] and sending a check.

The Rev. John Davies, Sandwich resident and Hospice Chaplain, will be with us from 10:30 to noon on Wednesday as guest resource person for session four of Holy Dying: Preparing for a Good Death. John will bring his wisdom, faith, and many years of experience with dying people and their families to our conversation about what makes for a "good" death. Our discussion will be followed by an informal eucharist at about noon and an opportunity to eat our brown bag lunches together. This is open to all, whether or not you have attended previous sessions. We will meet in the Prince Room.

Many thanks to all who made last Sunday's Music for an April Afternoon concert such success. Our organist, Bernice Thompson, deserves tremendous credit for conceiving of the idea in the first place, recruiting fellow musicians from the area, and -- with Val -- working with the choir, not to mention mastering an impressive and varied repertoire herself. Thanks, too, to all performers, especially our guest musicians, to Carol and Peg for organizing the reception, and to our many guests and parishioners who made up the audience for this lively, much-appreciated, and well-received event. AND...we brought in $600 towards repaying our debt to ourselves for last year's organ repairs. If you have not yet contributed, and would like to, your help would be welcome! We have about $800 yet to go to cover the repair expense. Audio and video clips will be posted later this weekend.

Fragrant loaves of fresh bread were an outward sign of the inner work of communal quiet time at Saturday's Quiet Day, Becoming Bread. Bread making was interspersed with silence as we reflected on what it is to experience God in the ordinariness of the everyday activity.
Thanks to Gretchen for bringing the idea of this mini-retreat to our attention. Two very tasty bread recipes were discovered in the process. If you would like copies, talk to Gretchen.


Reminders as we approach Holy Week:
Palm Sunday is a week from this coming Sunday (April 17th), with services at 8 and 10 AM. Both will include the blessing and distribution of palms. The 10 o'clock liturgy will begin in the Parish Hall for the palm blessings and distribution, followed by an outdoor procession (weather permitting) into the church.
Wednesday evening of Holy Week at 7 PM we will offer a showing of the heartening and hope-filled dvd Holding Our Own in the context of a simple worship service.
The Maundy Thursday liturgy of foot-washing and holy eucharist will begin at 7 PM on April 21st.
Good Friday services will be at noon and 7 PM.
The Great Vigil of Easter will be held at 8 PM on April 23rd, and includes the kindling of the new fire, the lighting of the Paschal Candle, the reading of stories of salvation history, and the jubilant first eucharist of Easter. You say you haven't ever been to an Easter Vigil? Let this be the year! This is considered by many to be the pinnacle of our church year. Don't miss it!
Easter Day we will have services at 8 and 10 AM.

Readings for Sunday: Ezekiel 37:1-14, Psalm 130, Romans 8:6-11, John 11:1-45

See you in church!
Blessings, Heidi+