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Dear Friends,
I pray that you are well and avoiding all the germs on the prowl. The last few weeks have seen an increase in flu, COVID, Cedar Fever, colds, and unexpected health issues for many of us. Before I go into sharing about our community, I want to encourage us to pray for each other - for wholeness and health in all its forms.
I commend to you these prayers from one of our liturgy supplements - Enriching our Worship.
God of all comfort, our very present help in trouble, be near to me (or x). Look on us with the eyes of your mercy; comfort us with a sense of your presence; preserve us from the enemy; and give us patience in our affliction. Restore us to health, and lead us to your eternal glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. – Enriching Our Worship 1 (EOW), 72
Generous God, we give you thanks for your beloved Jesus Christ, in whom you have shared the beauty and pain of human life. Look with compassion upon all for whom we pray, and strengthen us to be your instruments of healing in the world, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. – Enriching Our Worship 2 (EOW 2), 54
It is reassuring when you are sick or hurting to know that you are prayed for by those you love. And one of the beauties of our Episcopal tradition is that we are brilliant at praying and have prayers for all sorts and conditions. Thanks be to God!
Also, thanks be to you! At our Annual Meeting last weekend we were able to give thanks to God for our growth in giving, membership, and in spiritual formation. We also talked about our hopes for this year. The main hope is to become a Mission Church at our Diocesan Council in February of 2025. If you were unable to attend, I am sure you have questions - fear not! We will have report booklets out on the Welcome Table on Sunday to inform you of our happenings and hopes. If you need or want an electronic copy you can email me at revbeth@stnickshillcountry.org
One of our goals at St. Nick's is to create experiences of God where different people can feel welcome and at home. Some of our gatherings are very "churchy" like worship, and our bible studies. Some gatherings are created to invite the community in and build friendships and lasting relationships. In February we have an offering of both types of gatherings.
Ash Wednesday on February 14th is, of course, very "churchy." Ash Wednesday is the day we enter into Lent and is one of our holiest days of the church year. This year we are offering a 7:30am worship, a 4:45pm family friendly worship, and Drop into the church/Ashes to Go at St. Nicholas from noon to 4pm. All of these services have the imposition of ashes.
Right before Lent we have our Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper on the 13th beginning at 5:30pm. The last couple of years people have offered up their talents. We will bury our Alleluias on this night and burn last years Palm Crosses for the ashes on Wednesday. It is a night of merriment and great joy!
The other event we have in February is our Galentines Event. We had our first one last year and it was a beautiful night of outreach, dinner, and friendship. GAlentines this year is on February 9th. It has become an event where people invite their women friends and family and great love is shared. You can see some of the pictures from all of these events from last year after this note.
I pray you have a blessed weekend and look forward to seeing you on Sunday.
God's Peace, Love, and Blessings,
Beth+
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