Shrove Tuesday usually finds us in the Parish Hall eating pancakes and raising money for the Youth Group. Since that is not an option this year, Fr. John will offer an in-person service in the church.

Although it’s not as fun as eating pancakes, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday has significance. “Shrove” is the past tense of the verb “shrive”–“to obtain absolution for oneself by confessing and doing penance.” Agreed, not as much fun but a worthwhile way to prepare for Lent.

Please join us Tuesday at 6PM as we prayerfully prepare for Lent. Maybe pancakes, next year!

Our parish men will sell used yard tools, such as rakes, shovels, clippers, etc. at the Garden Market this year. They will have a special vendor area to display these used items, called “Old Fool’s Tools”. The men will dicker and bargain with their customers and sell these items to benefit the church.

If you have yard tools sitting in a shed, garage or basement that are no longer needed, please donate them. The men are willing to sharpen and clean old tools but will politely decline broken ones. No lawn mowers or power equipment, please.

You can bring your tool donations to the Parish House garage and place in the wheelbarrow. Questions? Contact Larry Gibeck at 443-206-2543 or Greg Rodenbaugh at 410-398-2033

They welcome your help, too! We will have sign-up sheets soon.

Baptism is a ritual of initiation that indicates our desire to enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ and the Church.

In the ritual of Baptism, the priest pours water on the head of the candidate three times, and says, “[Name], I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The candidate is also anointed with oil, called Chrism, that has been blessed by the bishop. This is a sign and a symbol that the candidate is “sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ’s own for ever.”

Following the practice of the early church, we baptize both infants and adults in the Episcopal Church in the belief that God’s love extends to everyone regardless of their age or understanding of doctrine. Any baptismal candidate is encouraged to have godparents or sponsors, who will pledge to encourage the newly-baptized to follow the Christian faith.

Baptism normally takes place within the Sunday Eucharist because the community pledges to support the baptized in the development of their faith. There are four traditional times for the celebration of Baptism. The traditional dates for baptisms are the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord in January, the Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday, the feast of Pentecost (50 days after Easter), and the feast of All Saints (November 1).

The sacrament of baptism is available at any time of the year, however, we typically do not offer Baptism during Lent. We have 2 Sundays open in February for Baptism before the Lenten season begins- February 20 & 27. If you or a loved one would like to be baptized, contact Father John for more information

Our Annual Meeting was last Sunday, January 30.

Parishioners participated in a hybrid in-person/zoom meeting, and heard reports from Father John, the Wardens, Mission and Outreach. Minutes from the 2021 Annual Meeting were reviewed and approved. The budget for the 2022 fiscal year was presented. The Mission budget was approved.

We had three open vestry positions. Dawn Rodenbaugh’s second term was voted on and approved. Two other vestry nominees, Mike Pugh and John McFassel, were also approved. Convention delegates were also elected. Joining current delegates, Janice and Andy Flood, are Alternates Richard Starr and Wendy Gilbert and Linda Gibeck as Vestry delegate.

Heartfelt appreciation was extended to outgoing Treasurer, Andrea Pugh. The parish is donating a financial gift to the Children’s Home Foundation of Easton in honor of her eight years of devoted work to our parish. Fr. John also thanked Sr. Warden Bruce England, Jr. Warden Ron Himmel, and Finance Chair Dru Torregrossa, for their guidance and leadership during their tenure. We are also thankful to all Committee Chairs and members, new Treasurer Barb England, our Music staff–Joel Alarcon and Alex Bi, our Parish Administrator Valerie Manges, and our Parish Registrar, Sande Taylor.

A BIG THANK YOU to Valerie and her husband Matt for managing our Annual Meeting Coffee Hour, and to all that participated in the meeting either in-person or via zoom.