Dearly Beloved,
We are now in the midst of Lent. In my email to you last week, I encouraged all of you to do your best to make this a holy and profitable Lent, embracing the three Christian Duties of Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving. Please take a moment and read it, if you have not already done so. I look forward to this Lenten journey with you. May we hold fast to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ during this season, that by His grace and righteousness, we may put off the “old man” and put on the new!
Youth Ministry
Last Friday, our young people gathered together for their usual First Friday Youth event. We were blessed to have 15 come and join in the fun, fellowship, and food! And they had a blast, as they always do. You can see them in the picture above.
Ladies Lenten Project
The Ladies of the parish have undertaken to refurbish our library. They will be culling and organizing the books and moving the library into the large classroom in Simcox Hall. They will begin tomorrow morning, Saturday, March 9. They will gather for Morning Prayer at 8:00 a.m., followed by breakfast, and then the work will begin. See you all in the morning.
Men Needed in the Morning
Also tomorrow morning, I would like to ask the men of the parish to turn out so that we can clean up the parish hall so that we will be able to host the reception for Jeremiah & Felicia’s wedding next weekend. So come on out for Morning Prayer at 8:00 a.m., grab a bite of breakfast, and we will get to work. I cannot imagine the work lasting more than 2 hours and the more of you who show up, the quicker we will be done!
A Party
And speaking of the wedding, we will be hosting a low-key bachelor party for Jeremiah tomorrow evening, March 9, at 6:15 p.m. We will gather at Triskelion Brewing Company, 340 7th Ave E, Hendersonville, NC 28792. Triskelion has a nice loft area which we will have to ourselves. We will either dine off the food truck there or just get some pizzas from Marco’s, which is right next door. So guys, come on out and wish Jeremiah well. See you then.
Construction Update
The drywall for the parish hall has been patched back up and now awaits being finished with drywall compound. We will return to working on our parish hall expansion after the wedding.
Also, the concrete block for the retaining wall in front of our new offices arrived today. That work will begin this coming Monday and should be completed by the end of the week, weather permitting of course!
Big Surprise
The Vestry has a big surprise for all of you, courtesy of a bequest from Betty Parkinson. By the time you come to church on the Second Sunday in Lent (March 17), you will see what I am talking about. But until then, mum’s the word!
News of Note
Brian Greenwood’s knee surgery went well. He had a few difficult days after the surgery but he is doing well now with therapy. He is presently at the Lodge here in Mills River and expects to be home soon. Please continue to pray for his recovery.
That is about it for this week. Don’t forget about Morning and Evening Prayer every day in the church and read on with the other announcements below. And there is always the Lenten Fish Fry. Pick up your tickets this weekend! Blessings to you all and I will see you in church.
Fr. Erich
This Week in the Parish
Saturday, March 9
· 8:00 a.m., Morning Prayer
· 8:15 a.m., Breakfast
· 8:30 a.m., Lenten Projects
· 5:30 p.m., Evening Prayer
Sunday, March 10, First Sunday in Lent
· 8:00 a.m., Morning Prayer
· 8:30 a.m., Holy Communion
· 9:45 a.m., Sunday School
· 11:00 a.m., Holy Communion
· 12:15 p.m., Fellowship Lunch
· 5:30 p.m., Evening Prayer
Monday, March 11
· 8:00 a.m., Morning Prayer
· 5:30 p.m., Evening Prayer
· 6:30 p.m., Vestry Meeting
Tuesday, March 12
· 8:00 a.m., Morning Prayer
· 11:00 a.m., Book Study
· 12:00 p.m., Stations of the Cross
· 5:30 p.m., Evening Prayer
Wednesday, March 13
· 8:00 a.m., Morning Prayer
· 5:30 p.m., Evening Prayer
· 6:00 p.m., Holy Communion
· 6:30 p.m., Meatless Supper
· 7:00 p.m., Bible Study
· 7:00 p.m., Choir Practice
Thursday, March 14
· 8:00 a.m., Morning Prayer
· 5:30 p.m., Evening Prayer
Friday, March 15
· 8:00 a.m., Morning Prayer
· 5:30 p.m., Evening Prayer
· 7:00 p.m., Stations of the Cross
Other Announcements
Lenten Fish Fry
It’s that time again! On Friday, March 29, we will hold our Lenten Fish Fry. Tickets are $9.00 each in advance ($10 at the door) for breaded tilapia filets, roasted potatoes, hush puppies, coleslaw, and iced tea or lemonade. Take-out will be from 5-6 p.m. and dine-in will run from 6-8 p.m.. Kids under 12 eat free.
Annual Lenten Appeal
· Mite boxes are available in your pews to use in this year’s Lenten Appeal. Please see Bishop Grundorf’s letter about the Appeal down below.
Vestry Meeting
· The Vestry meets Monday night, March 11, at 6:30 p.m. in the conference room.
Wednesday Night Bible Study
· Our Bible study returns this coming Wednesday, March 13. During Lent, we will continue our study of St. Matthew’s Gospel. It is never too late to join us!
Meatless Wednesday Fellowship Meal
· Our weekly Wednesday fellowship meals, beginning this week, will be meatless as part of our Lenten fasting and abstinence.
Tuesday Book Study
· The Tuesday Book Study is reading The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Please finish reading the last section of the book for this Tuesday’s class.
Neat Niks
· We are looking for a few folks to join our new Neat Niks team. This group keeps the pews tidy by straightening books, replacing offering envelopes, and other small tasks. Please contact Cynthia Hensley if you are interested being a part of this ministry team.
Food Bank
· Western Carolina Rescue Mission of Buncombe County is this month’s recipient of our in-gathering of food stuffs. Along with the normal food offerings, WCRM is currently in need of regular laundry detergent, powder or liquid.
Lenten Appeal 2019
Dear APA Clergy and Lay Members,
Last year our Lenten Appeal efforts were focused on providing funds for a second APA Good Shepherd School, for Dalit Children in India. We set an ambitious target of $150,000. I am happy to report that we achieved over half of that goal last year. Our focus this year will be to raise the balance of the funds needed to construct this second school.
This second school will be constructed in the Kadapa District of the state of Andhra Pradesh, and its exact location will be determined by Bishop Jaya Rao, the Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Church of India. Children from several of our churches in the area will be able to benefit from the new school. The search for suitable land is making progress and we anticipate that the final selection of property will be made by July of this year. Once the land has been secured the school will begin in rented quarters.
This school will change the lives of numerous Dalit children as well as provide numerous benefits to the surrounding village communities. Through the spread of the Gospel and an English-medium education, future generations of children will be able to escape the crippling poverty and oppression resulting from the Caste system and be able to lead full and productive lives in Indian society.
Our Lenten Appeal Project 2019 challenge will be to raise the balance of the $150,000 for the APA Good Shepherd School near Jammalamadugu, Kadapa District, Andhra Pradesh in partnership with OM (USA) and Good Shepherd Ministries (India).
I am asking each individual within our churches to make a sacrificial Lenten offering of a minimum of $1.50 per day for the 40 days of Lent (a total of $60 per person), or more as our Lord leads you. We will need one hundred percent participation in order to achieve this goal. Please make this a family project for Lent. Remember, your generous gifts will enable Dalit children to be liberated from the bondage of poverty and oppression.
Please pray every day during Lent that God will use our offering to show His great mercy on the Dalit children of India.
Faithfully yours in Christ,
The Most Rev. Walter H. Grundorf, Presiding Bishop, Anglican Province of America
