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| Bring your snowshoes and walk our new spiral snow labyrinth. |
Services
for this coming Sunday, March 8th and the Third Sunday of Lent, will
be at 8 and 10 AM. HOWEVER: This will be the start of DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME …So
please remember to set your clocks FORWARD the night before.
And be prepared: A portion of church
ceiling fell earlier this week, possibly the result of the building shaking
from heavy snow sliding off the roof (see more pictures below) since there’s no
immediate sign of water intrusion. We are in the process now of assessing that
damage, as well as the security of the plaster ceiling in other places. While
it seems secure, we do not want to make official use the space until it has
been professionally OKed. It is highly likely that services will be held in the
Parish Hall or Prince Room. But church is still on! Come and be with us as “we
sing and make music to the Lord!”
And if you are fond of Girl
Scout cookies, bring your wallet or checkbook. Melissa, our parish Girl
Scout, will be selling cookies following both services. No pre-ordering this
year! Just come and purchase. (Remember… Sunday is a feast day, even in Lent!)
This has been a hard, cold winter for many, and our Discretionary Fund is running on empty.
If you are able to make even a very modest contribution, it would provide some
modest assistance and help keep someone from immediate eviction. People are so
very grateful for this help. Checks (or cash in an envelope) can be made
payable to St. Andrew’s Church with “Discretionary Fund” in the memo line.
Copies of The Episcopal Journal are available in front
of the Parish Bulletin Board. The Diocese is no longer providing subscriptions
directly to members. They are providing a dozen copies to each parish, so please make use of them. You may also
consider subscribing directly, the information for which is included in the
paper.
Lent At Saint Andrew’s continues…
Our Wednesday Simple Soup Suppers. 13 of us gathered last night for a
tasty meal (Thank you, George, Ann, and Duane.) and a reading by Patti from
Barbara Brown Taylor’s book, Learning to
Walk in the Dark, followed by a fascinating discussion reflecting on how
our tradition uses darkness and light, how tempting it is for many to try to
ignore the darkness, and gift available in acknowledging the riches of darkness
in our spirituality and lives. Thank you, Patti. If you’re interested in the
book, it’s available at local libraries. If you’re curious about the author,
Google her and you will find some YouTubes.
We meet next on March 11th, gather at 5:30, eating at 5:45, out by 7:00. Our readings and conversation will explore the sacred gift of TIME – how we think about with it, how we use it, how we waste it, how we struggle with it. So whether you feel like you never have enough time or it drags so much you wish it would go faster, this conversation is for you!!! Genesis reminds us that “God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it,” which is to say, God made it holy. What might that say to us about time?
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| St. Bridget’s cross, the design for which is said to have been created by Bridget from straw off the floor as she was praying with her dying father. |
Lent Madness (http://www.lentmadness.org/2015) continues! This daily Lenten on-line event is grabbing literally thousands of people around the world,
and a number in our parish! This week St. Brigid of Kildare trumped Elizabeth
(Mother of John the Baptist) 4,649 votes to 2,204. By participating and reading
descriptive material so as to make an informed vote, that means almost 7,000
people read and learned some interesting things about each of these faithful
women. And that happens every day! That’s a lot of learning, mixed with a lot
of fun. And there’s always an option to register your own comments, and join
the 20,000 (yes, that’s correct!) comments that have been made on Lent Madness
– thoughtful, encouraging, insightful, sometimes humorous, sometimes reflective
and very personal. http://www.lentmadness.org/2015/03/commenters-we-salute-you/
Many thanks to Ellie McLaughlin for offering our Lenten Quiet Day last Saturday, at which Saint Andrew’s folks were joined by guests from outside the parish. Thanks to Bernice for providing accompaniment for the hymn singing that was the jumping off point for our prayers, reflections, and conversation.
Food for Thought and Prayer – from the New Zealand Prayer Book and another from our Book of Common Prayer – which we prayed in the darkness by the light of two candles at the close of last night’s gathering…
Lord, it is night.
The night is for stillness.
Let us be still in the presence of God.
It is night after a long
day.
What has been done has been done.
What has not been done has not been done;
let it be.
What has been done has been done.
What has not been done has not been done;
let it be.
The night is dark.
Let the fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives rest in you.
Let the fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives rest in you.
The night is quiet.
Let the quietness of your peace enfold us,
all dear to us,
and all who have no peace.
Let the quietness of your peace enfold us,
all dear to us,
and all who have no peace.
The night heralds the dawn.
Let us look expectantly to a new day,
new joys, new possibilities.
In your name we pray. Amen. [NZPB p. 184]
Let us look expectantly to a new day,
new joys, new possibilities.
In your name we pray. Amen. [NZPB p. 184]
O Lord, support us all the
day long, until the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes, and the busy world
is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then in they
mercy, grant us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at the last. Amen. [BCP
p. 833]
Blessing
in this Holy Season of internal growth and reflection,
Heidi+
Heidi+
Photo Gallery:
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| Snow slide from off the roof |
