THE BEACON WEEKLY

Ash Wednesday this week:

1pm & 7pm Services

3:30-5:30 Ashes to Go
(at Companion Cove)

Articles this issue…

Bishop’s Council Officers Elected. (Article below.)

The Beacon Newsletter 02/06/2024

Bishop’s Council Officers Elected.

The Bishop’s Council met in regular session (monthly, 7pm on the second Monday). Fr. James appointed Steve Andrew as Sr. Warden of the BC. The following persons were elected to their offices by the Council:

Eric Frevert as Jr. Warden
Wyatt Finn as Treasurer
Miriam West as Clerk

In addition to the above, current members of the BC include:
Susie Mahoney
Anita Goin
Mark Wheeler, Chancellor
Fr. James, Chair

The Bishop’s Council operates as a representative governing board of the congregation and advisory team to the priest. Two members are elected each year for a 3 year term. Tasks include include spiritual, fiscal, policy, and vision development/monitoring. In general, the BC works to remove barriers to mission, ministry, and outreach of the congregation. The BC is chaired by the pastor/priest, or in their absence, the Sr. Warden.

Mardis Gras Pancake Feed at Coffee Hour
on Sunday, February 11th.

Many thanks to Lisa and Steve Andrew, Amanda and Will Mayes, and other volunteers for making this celebration full of fun and food!

The Beacon Newsletter 02/06/2024

Feb 06, 2024 07:01 pm

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Important Announcements & News…

Ash Wednesday Services: Services will be held at 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm at St. Christopher’s. Ashes to Go will be at Companion Cove (directions here) from 3:30 – 5:30 pm.

Confession / Reconciliation. Did you know both that Confession (aka Reconciliation) are part of Lutheran and Episcopal faith and practice? If you’ve never “gone to confession” before, it’s different from what you see on TV, at least if you are imagining a booth. The practice involves a one-to-one conversation with a pastor, a priest or a confessor, and a set of prayers. It is typically held in the pews/chairs in the church sanctuary. Individual confession is not a requirement, but it is encouraged. The purpose is to be honest before God, to remove self-doubt, shame, and guilt by the assurance of God’s loving forgiveness through Christ by the ministry of another (usually a pastor or priest). It is also a time of healing, encouragement, and strength for the living of a Holy and Godly life.
If you desire to come to confession, if you would like reconciliation with God and your conscience, please contact Fr. James at 360-628-6828 to arrange a time. You can simply say, “I would like to set a time for confession (or … reconciliation).”

Lenten Quiet Day Retreat February 24th, 10 AM – 4 PM at St. Christopher Community Church
Our day will include readings and exercises from Christine Valters Paintner’s new book; “A Different Kind of Fast: Feeding Our True Hungers in Lent“.

Schedule: 

• Morning Prayer: 10 AM
• Lunch: 1 PM
• Closing Prayer: 3:45 PM

Here are the possibilities for discussion:

• Week 1: An Invitation to Fast from Consuming and embrace Simplicity
• Week 2: Fast from Scarcity Anxiety and embrace Radical Trust in Abundance
• Week 3: Fast from Speed and Rushing and embrace Slowness and Pausing
• Week 4: Fast from Holding It All Together and embrace Tenderness and Vulnerability
• Week 5: Fast from Planning and Deadlines and embrace Unfolding and Ripening
• Week 6: Fast from Certainty and embrace Mystery and Waiting

Our exploration of these topics will include various forms of reflections and prayer.

The facilitators for the day are Miriam West, Andy Sloan, Will Mayes, and Sister Kathy.

A simple Lenten Soup and crackers will be available for lunch.

Everyone is invited. Please sign up on Sunday at church (clipboard in the narthex) or email Sister Kathy at sisterkathylittle@gmail.com. (If you are suddenly free that day, please come!)

Getting the Stations of the Cross Ready – Grubby Sunday, March 10th
On Sunday, March 10th, please join us after the service for a work party to clean up the Stations of the Cross trail and grounds as we begin preparations for Holy Week. There will be tasks for all ages and abilities. For station attendants, it is a great time to spruce up the station in your care. If you are no longer able to serve as an attendant or have any questions please reach out to Laura Johnson at 703-424-8664 or Lawigand@gmail.com.

The Resurrection: During Lent, Fr. Pete will be teaching a class on The Resurrection. The class will meet in the Sanctuary immediately following the 10:30 am service starting on Sunday, February 18th and ending on Sunday, March 24th.

GNA Annual Meeting Update:  The Griffin Neighbors Association, which is about all area neighbors, not just the Griffin School, had a great meeting about Emergency Preparedness.  In case you weren’t able to attend, lots of the info from the presentation is available online, and it’s worth reviewing!  Check out the flyer below. ‘

If you go to Get Prepared on the site, you’ll see the steps the presenters went through on January 31st: Make a Plan, Build a Kit(s), Stay Informed, Prepare in a Year, and 2 Weeks Ready.

To receive emergency alerts for our area when they happen, go to tcalert.org.

Christian Centering Prayer: Will and Amanda invite you to join them in their practice of Christian Centering Prayer for 20 minutes each Tuesday night at 9:30 pm via Zoom. No prior experience with centering prayer is needed but if you have not previously practiced Christian silent prayer or have questions about the method of centering prayer, feel free to reach out to Will in advance. Other forms of Christian prayer are welcome, we’ll all be on mute. After a 20-minute prayer period, we will close with a short spiritual reading and we will be done by 10:00 pm. If you would like to join please reach out to Will or Amanda and they can send you the link. We are working to get it on the calendar and in the mobile app.

To request the Zoom link or ask questions, please reach out to Will at mithra651@yahoo.com or Amanda at snozzberry7@gmail.com.

St. Christopher’s Needs Your Help:

• Interested in being a Coffee Hour Host?  If you would like to volunteer to be a Coffee Hour Host, please sign up in CCB by clicking here or using the link in the email that you received.
• Interested in acting as a Greeter? Contact Pat Kelley. Text 360.359.6973
• Interested in acting as a Reader? If you are interested in reading at one or more services, please sign up on the list by the sign-in book in the church. If you have questions, please contact Marcia Rugg at 206.200.5536 or via email at ruggmbeach@comcast.net.

Text Message Reminders about Worship. Would you text message invitations to our online and in-person services? Receive reminders on your phone by texting WORSHIP to (360) 810-3292 or clicking this link https://mtxt.cc/list/join/360.810.3292/worship. You can opt-out anytime by texting STOP or text HELP to see other options.

In our Prayers

Prayer of the Week: O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

In Our Prayers: 

Congregational Cycle
Matthew & Amee Tilger

Diocesan Cycle
St. John the Baptist, West Seattle
St. Mark’s Cathedral, Seattle

Synod Cycle
Our Saviour’s Bremerton
Peace Lutheran Fellowship, Port Ludlow

Daily Scripture Lessons

Regular time in scripture and prayer are some of the ways we grow as people of faith: here is a list of suggested daily readings to complement this week’s readings in worship.

Monday
Psalm 110:1-4
Exodus 19:7-25
Hebrews 2:1-4

Tuesday
Psalm 110:1-4
Job 19:23-27
1 Timothy 3:14-16

Wednesday
Isaiah 58:1-12
Psalm 51:1-17
2 Corinthians 5:20b—6:10
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Thursday 
Psalm 25:1-10
Daniel 9:1-14
1 John 1:3-10

Friday
Psalm 25:1-10
Daniel 9:15-25a
2 Timothy 4:1-5

Saturday
Psalm 25:1-10
Psalm 32
Matthew 9:2-13