Quinquagesima Sunday - Rector's Rambling for February 7, 2016

Thank you to all those who attended the Annual Parish Meeting last week at St. John’s.  The financial reports and budget were received, and new members of the Vestry elected.  The 157th year of St. John’s is now underway.  Copies of the Annual Parish Meeting booklet are available in the parish office, and my Rector’s Report is also available on my blog, which can be found at
www.StJohnsDetroit.BlogSpot.com.

Lent starts this week, and I can’t stress strongly enough how important it is that you get Lent off to a good start!  We gather for fun and frivolity Shrove Tuesday night, at the Pancake Supper and Talent Show, as a last “hurrah” before the fasting and penitence begin.  We gather from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, with the Talent Show starting about 7:00 PM.  All types of talents are welcome: sing, dance, play an instrument, or read a poem or original composition.  Surprise us with something fun!

Then we begin Lent in earnest on Ash Wednesday, February 10.  At noon and 6:00 PM we have Holy Communion with the Imposition of Ashes as a sign of our mortal nature, and at 4:00 PM we will have Evening Prayer with the Penitential Litany and Imposition of Ashes.

THURSDAY!  THURSDAY!  THURSDAY!  (Hopefully you read that with a big voice, like a Monster Truck Rally commercial).  I hope that you will make THURSDAY a night that you plan on being at St. John’s!  At 6:00 PM we will gather in the chapel for one of the Instructive Offices in the Prayer Book.  Most of these are about 20 minutes long, and not often used.  It will be a great chance for us to explore our wonderful prayer book and learn something new, or learn it again.  By 6:30 PM we will gather in the undercroft for a simple soup supper, and then, at 7:00 PM, we will offer both a Bible Study and the new introductory course St. John’s 101.  Newcomers, curiosity-seekers, and long-timers are most welcome as we roll out this course and refine it for the coming years.  Come for all three events that night, or whichever combination you want/need.

Celebrations of the Holy Communion, Evening Prayer, and  the Friday noon devotion Stations of the Cross also occur during week.  Please make an effort to attend things for your own good, as well as an encouragement to others who are blessed by your presence – encouraged by having others praying and learning with us!