Do You Need a Copy of the Annual Report
Are you unable to drive to the church to pick up a copy of the Annual Report? If so please let Caroline (rectorsaitv@gmail.com) know, and a member of the Pastoral Care Team will bring you a copy.
Looking Ahead to Lent
Our Ash Wednesday Zoom service will be held on February 17th
at 5:30 pm.
If you prefer a service at noon, you are invited to join Bishop Rob for a virtual Ash Wednesday worship service on February 17th at noon. Ashes are not required, but attendees are welcome to impose ashes from any source on themselves or household members. A Zoom link for the service will be posted on the diocesan Worship & Liturgy page
Lenten Book Study Group
I’m looking at several possible books for our Lenten Study and would like your input. If you would attend a Lenten book study group (likely to meet at 12:30 pm on Wednesdays) please rate the following books according to your interest level and email me your ranked choices. All three are worthy of a book study, and whichever one we choose for Lent, there will be time to read the others if desired. Here are three possibilities:
Jesus: A Pilgrimage
by James Martin, SJ
From Amazon: “James Martin, SJ brings the Gospels
to life and invites believers and seekers alike to experience Jesus through
Scripture, prayer, and travel.
Father Martin ushers you into Jesus’ life and times
and shows us how Jesus speaks to us today through combining fascinating
insights of historical Jesus studies with profound spiritual insights about the
Christ of faith, recreating the world of first-century Galilee and Judea.
Martin also brings together the most up-to-date
Scripture scholarship, wise spiritual reflections, and lighthearted stories
about traveling through the Holy Land with a fellow (and funny) Jesuit,
visiting important sites in the life of Jesus of Nazareth.
Stories
about Jesus’ astonishing life and ministry—clever parables that upended
everyone’s expectations, incredible healings that convinced even skeptics,
nature miracles that dazzled the dumbstruck disciples—can seem far removed from
our own daily lives but in Jesus you will come to know him as
Father Martin knows him: Messiah and Savior, as well as friend and brother.”
Reviews
from back cover of book:
“Infectious.
Travelogue, spirituality, and theological reflection combine with with and
human insight.”
“This
book isn’t about a pilgrimage. It is a pilgrimage. I didn’t want the pilgrimage
to end.”
Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times, by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry
From Amazon: “Walk the path of
love with one of the warmest, most beloved spiritual leaders of our time, and
learn how to put faith into action.
As the descendant of slaves and the son of a
civil rights activist, Bishop Michael Curry's life illustrates massive changes
in our times. Much of the world met Bishop Curry when he delivered his sermon
on the redemptive power of love at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan
Markle at Windsor Castle. Here, he expands on his message of hope in an
inspirational road map for living the way of love, illuminated with moving
lessons from his own life. Through the prism of his faith, ancestry, and
personal journey, Love Is the Way shows us how America came
this far and, more important, how to go a whole lot further.
The way of love is essential for addressing the
seemingly insurmountable challenges facing the world today: poverty, racism,
selfishness, deep ideological divisions, competing claims to speak for God.
This book will lead readers to discover the gifts they need in order to live
the way of love: deep reservoirs of hope and resilience, simple wisdom, the
discipline of nonviolence, and unshakable regard for human dignity.”
“In this beautiful and moving book, Bishop Curry reflects on
the nature oof God’s love and the reflection of that love in human lives.
Drawing on his own life and experiences, he shows us, time and again, when love
is threatened be circumstances – be it poverty, racism, violence, injustice or
the abuse of power – that same love has the power to shine through.”
America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege and the Bridge to a New America, by Jim Wallis
From Amazon: America's problem with race has deep roots, with the country's foundation tied to the near extermination of one race of people and the enslavement of another. Racism is truly our nation's original sin.
"It's time we right this unacceptable wrong," says bestselling author
and leading Christian activist Jim Wallis. Fifty years ago, Wallis was driven
away from his faith by a white church that considered dealing with racism to be
taboo. His participation in the civil rights movement brought him back when he
discovered a faith that commands racial justice. Yet as recent tragedies
confirm, we continue to suffer from the legacy of racism. The old patterns of
white privilege are colliding with the changing demographics of a diverse
nation. The church has been slow to respond, and Sunday morning is still the
most segregated hour of the week.
In America's Original Sin, Wallis offers a prophetic and
deeply personal call to action in overcoming the racism so ingrained in American
society. He speaks candidly to Christians--particularly white
Christians--urging them to cross a new bridge toward racial justice and
healing.
Whenever divided cultures and gridlocked power structures fail to end systemic
sin, faith communities can help lead the way to grassroots change. Probing yet
positive, biblically rooted yet highly practical, this book shows people of
faith how they can work together to overcome the embedded racism in America,
galvanizing a movement to cross the bridge to a multiracial church and a new
America.
From the back cover:
“For decades, Jim Wallis has steadfaxtly spoken, written, and lived as one committed to racial justice and reconciliation. This book is a consummate distillation of those thmes that leans back to remember ‘America’s original sin,’ principally to rivet our attention and commitment to a different future. This is a sobering and motivating act of hope.”
The 1st Sunday of the month at 9:00 AM
The remaining Sundays at 10:00 AM
This Sunday-February 7th
at 9:00 a.m.
The Fifth Sunday after The Epiphany
or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/standrewsinthevalleytamworth/
AND...
JOIN US FOLLOWING THE SERVICE FOR
A VIRTUAL
on ZOOM
READINGS FOR SUNDAY
COLLECT OF THE DAYSet
us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that
abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus
Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and for ever. Amen.
Set
us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that
abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus
Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and for ever. Amen.
First Lesson: Isaiah 40:21-31
Psalm 147:1-12, 21c
Psalm 147:1-12, 21c
The Epistle: 1 Corinthians 9:16-23
The Gospel Mark 1:29-39
Click below to see the readings:
For our First Nation people and those in this country who are living in impoverished areas of the Ninth Ward of New Orleans and the inner city areas populated by some of our poorest citizens.
For all those who are on the front lines serving communities during these difficult times.
Updating the Prayer List
Please let Deb know if you want to put someone back on the prayer list going forward. Thank you for helping us keep our prayer list up to date.
If you like meeting new people, sharing your story and your faith with others, lively discussion about scripture and other authors, praying together, all from the comfort of your living room, EFM may be for you! If you need more information, Jen, Carol, Sammie, or Pat would be happy to answer any questions.
Safe Church Zoom Trainings 2021
Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at 6:00 pm - Click HERE to register
Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 6:00 pm - Click HERE to register
Reminder: The list of required online modules has been updated. For details or to register for the February 17th call, please visit the diocesan Safe Church page.
Snowy
Night by Mary Oliver
Last night, an owl
in the blue dark
tossed an indeterminate number
of carefully shaped sounds into
the world, in which,
a quarter of a mile away, I happened
to be standing.
I couldn’t tell
which one it was –
the barred or the great-horned
ship of the air –
it was that distant. But, anyway,
aren’t there moments
that are better than knowing something,
and sweeter?
Snow was falling,
so much like stars
filling the dark trees
that one could easily imagine
its reason for being was nothing more
than prettiness. I suppose
if this were someone else’s story
they would have insisted on knowing
whatever is knowable – would have hurried
over the fields
to name it – the owl, I mean.
But it’s mine, this poem of the night,
and I just stood there, listening and holding out
my hands to the soft glitter
falling through the air. I love this world,
but not for its answers.
And I wish good luck to the owl,
whatever its name –
and I wish great welcome to the snow,
whatever its severe and comfortless
and beautiful meaning.
Birthdays
21 Judy Grace
26 Melissa Bunker
Anniversaries
14 Ken & Debra Hoyt
20 Bill & Valerie May
