Please join us for worship, fellowship, and Christian Education this Sunday, February 2, as we observe The Presentation of Our Lord. We’ll have a service of Holy Communion with the dedication of our new Assisting Minister robes at 8am, followed by fellowship at 9, Sunday School at 9:15, and a second Service of Holy Communion at 10:30, in the sanctuary and online.
The Presentation of Our Lord is referred to in some corners of the church as Candlemas because of an ancient tradition of blessing all the candles to be used in the church in the coming year at the mass celebrated on that day. It was a way of underscoring the truth of Simeon’s confession that this baby Jesus was “a light for revelation to the Gentiles” and a light for glory to Israel. Let the light of every candle in church be a little epiphany of the love of God for all people in the person of God’s son, Jesus, the light of the world.
Follow this link to the online bulletin for Sunday, February 2.
In Memoriam: Bruce Vakiener : Our deepest condolences to the friends and family of Bruce Vakiener, who entered into eternal life on Friday, January 24. Please keep Kate and his wonderful family in your prayers. A Celebration of Life will be planned for sometime this spring. Please follow this link for Bruce’s obituary.
In some circles, Bruce would be referred to as a mensch, a person of particular honor and integrity. Though he was an excellent raconteur, possessed of exceptional storytelling abilities, he was also an empathic and generous listener – always delighted to hear what was going on in the lives of his conversational partners, happy to offer wise counsel when solicited, frequently full of wonder and deep kindness. His partnership with Kate is a remarkable love story, and Kate’s constancy throughout their marriage, but especially during his decline and passing makes her an exemplar of selfless love (fitting, since Bruce so frequently was lavish with the same). Bruce did a lot for this parish, serving on Council (and as President), coordinating CPR trainings, advocating for our eventual AED acquisition, was omnipresent helping at events and on the Helping Hands and Property Committees (this is only a partial list). His love and concern for others were greatly evident in this place. Personally, I will deeply miss Bruce’s stories, his concern and kindness, his unstinting support (particularly for the staff, both behind the scenes and as a companion in ministry), and his endlessly generous and whimsical spirit. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
-David Ruhf
Thank you: Thanks to everyone involved in this past week’s Annual Meeting! The proposed 2025 budget was approved, many thanks were given, the congregation was updated on the finances, we elected two new Council members: Jackie Arnold and Betty Houck. Our thanks to Elaine Molnar for three years of service on Council, to which she brought much hard-won wisdom and a lifetime of valuable experience. Thanks to Randy Hams, who stepped in for an ailing Ken Kalapy, to present the budget. We’re happy to report that Ken is feeing better.
Save the Date:
March 5 – Ash Wednesday
March 12, 19, 26, April 2, 9 – Midweek Lenten Services and Suppers
April 13 – Palm/Passion Sunday
April 17 – Maundy Thursday
April 18 – Good Friday
April 20 – Easter Sunday
July 21-25 – VBS
All of the rest of this week’s announcements can be found in our Weekly Email. Please follow this link for the most recent message and an archive of past installments. The Weekly is published on Thursdays, by noon.
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