Hi, Everybody:
First, I wanted to let you know that Jean Heaivilin passed away on Friday, February 14, of cancer. She and her husband Russ were beloved long-time members of Holy Trinity and parents to Roy Heaivilin, who officially became a member just two weeks ago. Please keep the Heaivilin family in your prayers. There is no information about a memorial service at this time.
This Sunday, February 16, is Transfiguration Sunday, the last Sunday of the season of Epiphany, when Jesus goes up on a mountain and is transfigured so that “…his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.” (Someone should market Transfiguration brand laundry soap!) We are also celebrating Bold Women’s Day when we lift up bold women of faith. It is especially notable because this year marks 50 years of Lutheran women being ordained in the United States, 40 years of women of color being ordained, and 10 years of LGBTQIA+ individuals being able to serve freely. We will have special litanies and prayers, and all worship helpers will be women (not that this doesn’t happen anyway many Sundays).
Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent, is coming up on February 26 (this Wednesday!). We will be having a service at 7 pm which includes the imposition of ashes to remind us of our mortality (like that church sign on the internet says, “Lent is coming – get your ash in church!”). It’s a pretty solemn service. The choir anthem lyrics even say “now we sit among the ashes, all our dreams destroyed by death.” Fun for all!
We have Lenten devotional booklets available on the Media Table. In keeping with our “Make Your Mark” theme from the Annual Meeting, they are titled The Healing Marks of Jesus and contain forty devotionals for the forty days of your journey through Lent. (Those of you who are now obsessively counting the days on your calendars, you’ll have to skip Sundays to make it come out right. You’re welcome.)
The Spaghetti Feed fundraiser is nearing (March 14)! Look for people to be selling tickets each Sunday. Pick up some flyers to distribute to whomever possible (friends, neighbors, strangers, strange neighbors). How about putting together a prize basket with a fun theme (such as “tea and coffee,” “spa getaway,” “things I got for Christmas that I didn’t want”). We all can do our part to make this a success. Only three weeks left – get ready to festeggiare (that’s Italian for par-tay)!
See you in church!
-Keith