Brothers and Sisters,
This past week, 2 great things happened: we had a great pancake supper on Shrove Tuesday and Lent began on Ash Wednesday. While we did not have a service to mark the beginning of Lent (it was Valentine’s Day after all), we did send people home with small vials with the ashes of last year’s palms from Palm Sunday. The remainder of these vials will be put out this Sunday (the first Sunday of Lent) and you are invited to grab a vial. These are small reminders of the journey that we are on both in Lent and in life. They remind us that though from dust we come and to dust we shall return, we also come from the Holy Spirit and it is to the Spirit we return. Roads may end, but the greater journey continues.
As we work our way through Lent, we invite the youth of the congregation (middle-school aged and up) to the Youth Group gathering on Friday, February 16th at 6:30 pm.
Looking into next week, we have 2 events that will remind us of our call as stewards of this place and of this world. Roger Janes, the Stewardship Support and Resource person for Atlantic Canada, will be coming on both Tuesday, February 20th, and Thursday, February 22nd (both events start at 7 pm on their respective nights). Both evenings will help us to understand what stewardship really is: everything that we say and do after we say I believe. In this way our faith is a part of all that we do in the church and in our lives. The Tuesday event is a St. Paul’s only event, so we hope that as many of you as are able can make it. On Thursday we are opening the opportunity for learning up to the other United Churches in the area. If you can make either of those days, we hope to see you there.
We also continue to have opportunities on other days for you to come and deepen your faith. On Mondays and Wednesday evening’s at 7 pm, the women’s and men’s groups continue to meet respectively to journey through the book Bullseye: Aiming to follow Jesus. If you are a senior and looking for something through the day, our own Chris Grant runs a Bible study on Tuesday mornings at 10 am. Also on Wednesday mornings at 10 am, we invite you to come to Prayers in the Parlour and join the circle of prayer as we pray for the community, for the church, for each other, and for the world. All of these events take place in the ladies parlour.
Looking a little farther to Sunday, February 25th, we are having our 2nd Bring a Friend to Church Sunday of the year. We will also be welcoming the Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, and Guides into our midst, as they have long been friends of the church and have utilized space in our building for years. Come and celebrate this continued relationship together, bring a friend to share in faith, and don’t forget that following the service there will be a potluck fellowship! All are invited, and if you can bring along something to munch on and share with others, that would be great.
As you can see, though February might be half over, there is still much to do and lots of ways to grow in faith and grow closer together as a family here at St. Paul’s
Before all of this, though, we have the first Sunday of Lent on February 18th. Come and hear the story that begins with grief and ends with joy. The story of Lazarus (John 11:1-44) reminds us that life is precious, but that we also find it in abundance in Christ, and through him we are shown the path to eternal life with God. Come and hear the story of hope as we begin this journey through Lent. Following the service, we will be having our annual meeting for the church, so all are invited to stay after for coffee, tea, and snacks as we look back on the year that was and forward to the year that lies before us.
Holy Breath, as you moved in and through us at creation, as you moved through Lazarus in the tomb, move in us again. Restore our hope that rests in you. Renew our passion for the Good News and for sharing it with others. Loose the bonds that tie us down, preventing us from walking the path with you. In the name of Christ our brother and our Saviour we pray. AMEN
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Richard & Rev. Michelle
Also the bulletin for this Sunday is available for download here.