WhatÕs HappeninÕ in February?
1 – CHT & AT in Guild Room,
10:00 a.m.
3 – Youth Sunday; Super Bowl
Viewing in Guild Room
6 - Ash Wednesday Services,
12:00 noon & 7:00 p.m.
9 – Easter planning meeting,
10:00 a.m.
10 – Bake Sale, 11:00 a.m.
12 – Vestry meeting, 7:00 p.m.
13 – Alpha, meal & program,
6:00 p.m.
14 – Mary Margaret Guild, 11:00 am
Murphy fund raising dinner;
Marriage & couple blessing
16 – CHT & AT, 10:00 a.m.
Christian Ed Event
17 - Rite 13
Deadline for March Epistle
news items
20 - Alpha, meal & program,
6:00 p.m.
23 – CHT & HC in Guild Room,
10:00 a.m.
26 - Evening Guild, 7:00 p.m.
27 - Alpha, meal & program
WhoÕs CookinÕ Breakfast?...
3 – Diane Podgorny Group
10 - Grotto Group
17 - Clayman Group
24 - Youth Group
In the daily round of lifeÉ
~ Marlene Kropt in The Mennonite ~
In the daily round of life cobwebs form.
The hidden corners of our hearts become encrusted with grime or
filled with forgotten debris. During
the weeks of Lent, GodÕs Spirit is given opportunity to clear away the clutter, sweep away the dust and wash us clean. We are invited to prepare ourselves heart, soul, mind and body for the new life of Easter.
Lent: What to Do, What Not to doÉ
In times gone by, people would ask the question, ÒWhat are you giving up for Lent?Ó The practice – and thus the question – is not so commonplace any more.
The idea of giving something up for Lent had to do with Christians sharing in the suffering of Christ during this season, as we prepared for Good Friday and Easter. In some ways the Season of Lent replicates JesusÕ journey into the desert where he fasted for 40 days, and so going without in this season was a sort of parallel activity. However, as character Rev. Clare Fergusson points out in the novel Out of the Deep I Cry, ÒWhen you have an abundance of something, giving up a little bit of it isnÕt meaningful.Ó
Some people go without sweets or eat simpler meals and, in so doing, experience an important spiritual discipline. But many Christians have looked to the roots of the ancient practice of fasting – which was to bring one closer to God – and sought out other ways to try to achieve this in this holy season.
How might you Òstep out of the ordinaryÓ and journey a little more closely with God during Lent? Perhaps by taking a little more time in prayer and meditation each day. Maybe by reaching out in service to others, by volunteering some time on a regular basis, or reading to children at the local library, serving meals at a shelter, or cleaning up the roadside.
Perhaps someone who lives a stressful life might choose to take on a fun activity each day of Lent. This is hardly a traditional way to experience the season, but it is something that could help them to grow spiritually.
It doesnÕt matter what we do, so much as the fact that we do something that might help us find ourselves changed, even just a little, when we arrive on the doorstep of Holy Week. Be ready to be transformed again by this most amazing story of JesusÕ life, death and resurrection.
~ from EditorÕs Clip Sheets, 2/08 ~
What is Love?...
Love is a power, like money, or steam, or electricity. It is valueless unless you can give something else by means of it.
~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh ~
What our Church Needs NowÉ
á Someone to answer the phone who is familiar with both the workings of the church and what is taking place in the church. Is this you?
á Volunteers to help fold, and do some of the Òpaper workÓ that is necessary in the church, generally Friday mornings. Dick Flower & Mary Kay Loose have said yes, are there more?
á Someone with computer skills who is willing to recreate the directory. You can work at home, but must be able to use the internet.
á Someone to help us with an internet list of the congregation.
á An additional person to help take pictures of us all. Rex Dickey has said yes. Is there another person?
á People to be a part of our ÒFirst ImpressionsÓ team, a group that will be hosts to visitors.
A Special thanks to Rick Balog for updating our web site. Take a lookÉ
There will be a bake sale on February 10th after the 10:00 a.m. service. It will be held in the Parish Hall.
Proceeds will go to Carlie and Bill Murphy.
If you have any questions contact Karen Flack
At 964-6857.
Fish dinners began on January 11th at St. Joseph Church on Lake Avenue.
ItÕs that time of year for the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper! Tuesday, February 5, 2008; serving from 5 to 7 p.m. in the dining room. Cost of the dinner is by donation.
Thanks to the invisible person who left baking sheets for St. Peter Church. YouÕll see them being used in the dining room when breakfast is being prepared.
Remember in your PrayersÉ
A prayer request has gone out for Austin and his family.
He is 12 years old and has had a liver and pancreas transplant in an effort to save him from cancer.
Please remember him and his family as you say your daily prayers.
A Thought to PonderÉ
If toast always lands butter-side down, and cats always land on their feet, what happens if you strap toast on the back of a cat and drop it?
~ Steven Wright ~
Ash WednesdayÉ
The Season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, 46 days before Easter. (The six Sundays that fall during the 40 days of Lent stretch the season out a little.) The date of Ash Wednesday is always determined by the date of Easter. This year, because Easter is so very early (March 23), Ash Wednesday falls on February 6.
An ancient tradition for this day is to burn palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday and to use these ashes to make the sign of the cross on the forehead or the back of the hand. This is a symbolic way of saying, ÒIÕm sorry,Ó a tradition that began long ago. When people had done something wrong, they would cover themselves with ashes to show that they were sorry and wanted to change.
Sometimes the ashes are mixed with oil, which is a sign of healing and blessing. This reminds us that when we ask God for forgiveness, God helps us turn our lives around and start again.
~ EditorÕs Clip Sheets. 2/08 ~
Innocence is PricelessÉ
One Sunday morning the Rector noticed little Alex standing in the foyer of the church, staring up at a large plaque. It was covered with names with small American flags mounted on either side of it.
The seven-year-old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the Rector walked up, stood beside the little boy, and said quietly, ÒGood morning, Alex.Ó
ÒGood morning, Rector,Ó he replied, still focused on the plaque.
ÒRector, what is this?Ó he asked the Rector.
The Rector said, ÒWell, son, itÕs a memorial to all the young men and women who died in the service.Ó
Soberly, they just stood together staring at the plaque.
Finally, little AlexÕs voice – barely audible and trembling with fear – asked, ÒWhich service- the 8:00 oÕclock or the 10:00 oÕclock?Ó
~ submitted by Shirley Mullen ~
Some Good AdviceÉ
Watch your thoughts; they become
words.
Watch your words; they become
actions.
Watch your actions; they become
habits.
Watch your habits; they become
character.
Watch your character; it becomes
your destiny.
God bless you; we hope you are
having a wonderful day!
Use the Front DoorÉ
The following is part of a RectorÕs Reflections printed in St. PaulÕs Sword, the newsletter for St. PaulÕs Episcopal Church in Medina, Ohio. It is by Fr. Eric Funston.
ÒÉ I remembered a story told by Will Willimon, Dean of Chapel and Professor of Christian Ministry at Duke University, N. Carolina, about one of his students who got a summer job and the night when they looked up and saw yet one more forlorn soul shuffling along the sidewalk towards the center. The student looked out at the man shuffling towards them, thought of how tired he himself was and muttered, ÒJesus ChristÉÓ The old Jesuit smiled and said, ÒCould be, could be, weÕd better open the door.Ó
The door of the church is a symbolÉ a very important symbol of entry into life in Christ. In all the sacraments, we pass through the door that is Christ, leaving behind sin and eternal death and receiving or increasing the divine life of grace. The celebration of the sacraments --- these encounters with Christ --- normally takes place in the parish church. That is why the parish, and its front door, is so central to our lives as members of ChristÕs Church. You and I pass through the door of the church building -- a symbol of Christ – to be touched by Him in each of the sacraments we celebrate and receive.
We pass through this door to the waters of Baptism, that sacrament which is the gateway to life in the
Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments.
We pass through this door to participate in the Ôsacrifice of praise and thanksgivingÕ which is the Eucharist, the source and summit of the Christian life.
We pass through this door to the sacrament of Confirmation, which brings an increase and deepening of our baptismal grace, and gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as disciples of Christ.
We may pass through this door to the sacrament of Reconciliation, to repent of our sins and seek renewed and restored relationship with God, with the church, and with each other.
We pass through this door in the sacrament of Matrimony publicly witnessing to the community the union of a couple with each other and with Christ.
Some may pass through this door to enter a life of service as newly ordained deacon or priest.
We pass through this door at the end of life, affirming that death is not an end, but a change in our life which continues in the presence of God with the saints in light.
Of course, we realize that there are good reasons for using the Òcarriage wayÓ door closest to the parking lot, É. so not everyone can enter through the front door. But to those who can, É. we pose a questionÉ As you enter the parish church building each Sunday for worship consider this question: Is Jesus best represented in your life by the front door or by a side door? Is Christ central to your life or simply peripheral? I am sure your answer is the former. If so, and if you are able to do so, I join the vestry in inviting and encouraging you to walk the extra few steps to the front door to show our neighbors and passers-by your commitment to Christ. What easier form of evangelism could there be?Ó