It's Time
As we find ourselves preparing for this Great Lent, I would like to make an appeal to everone who has been withholding themselves from return to the parish, or refraining from receiving communion... It's time to come back to the fold. Home isolation is literally a "thing" of the past, and we've not had one case of COVID transfered through the church community or communion. It is time to reflect over the past two years, to reflect on our shortcomings and failings; to thank God for all that He has provided to us. We all need to be fortified by the sacraments of the Church, and to embrace the members of our community.
On Sunday, March 6th, we will gather together, as a community, for the Rite of Forgiveness. I am encouraging each and everyone of you to plan to be in attendance as we begin this Lent. It's time...to come back to church. It's time...to place ourselves in the midst of the Church and receive the Grace she offers us through the Spirit and the sacraments. It's time.
Man of God
There is now a new movie, out on limited release called "Man of God". This movie is about St Nektarios of Aegina, and comes highly recommended. You can view the trailer on Youtube at the URL below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcgnbVlQ7Tc
The movie is currently on limited release in theaters and not yet avaialbe via streaming services, but I will keep you posted. You can find where the movie is playing by following THIS LINK.
Council Meeting Summary
The following is a brief synopsis of the last Parish Council meeting held on 15 February 2022.
1. Ministry Updates
• Building and Grounds Maintenance – Reflectors have been put up in the parking lot for the snow plows and the furnace filters in the Church have been changed. Additionally, new solar powered motion sensor lights have been installed in various locations on the property.
• Pastoral Care – Fr Deacon noted that he reached out to those who volunteered, based on the stewardship forms, via e-mail. He hopes to meet with the group in the near future at coffee hour to further discuss a way forward.
2. Red House Rent Update/Discussion – Our renter, Pat, approached the parish and informed us that she is applying to the State for rent relief. Susan Eagan met with Pat, and they worked together to submit the application to the State for rent relief. If approved, the rent will be paid for by the state. There is no timeline; the application can be for up to a year or for a maximum of 15K. It should be noted that in order to apply, Pat had to be in the arrears with her rent. Therefore, she paid her rent in January but has not paid in February.
3. Parking Lot Rental – At the request of our leasee of the parking lot, Beth requested that we consider adding lighting in the parking lot and as such, as noted, new solar powered motion sensor lights have been installed. Concern was raised about the potential of possible litigation if one of Beth’s employees, who use our parking lot, falls. We have decided to contact an attorney to discuss this liability issue.
4. Evangelism Ideas/Updates – Susan Davis. provided a report of some of what she has done in researching Evangelism. She has found a great deal of information from various sources, which she will share with the parish council as we continue to explore what our next steps will be in developing our own Evangelism Ministry.
5. Great Lent- Parish Engagement – We had a discussion regarding the information that Father has made available to the entire parish in the shared folder. We are looking into developing some type of educational/spiritual program that could be done after Divine Liturgy (similar to what we did during Advent) as well as following up with a Bible study during the week. More to follow.
Lenten Reflections
I would like to start a Lent Reflection (Retreat) on Friday evenings after the Akathist. This will run about half an hour of group discussion. This will be based on the book, "Toolkit for Spiritual Growth; A Practical Guide to Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving" by Fr Evan Armatas. This book is available at Ancient Faith Publishing both in hardcopy and e-copy. We will begin March 4th at 6pm, for our first session. I will provide an outline in a separate email