Rector's Weekly Report
April 17, 2011

Alleluia! Christ is risen.
                   The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Happy Easter!! Forty days of Lent, Holy Week, the journey to today has been long but finally we sing our Alleluias and give thanks for the hope and the promise of this day.

Our Holy Week celebrations were marked by celebrations of the Holy Eucharist on Wednesday evening and on  Maundy Thursday. On Good Friday we gathered to pray Solemn Intercessions, to Meditate on the Cross of Jesus and to receive Holy Communion, reserved sacrament from the service on Maundy Thursday, a sacred meal that reminds us that even in desolation there is consolation in the knowledge that our Lord is always with us, always available to us.

It was fun to gather with Bernie and Betty Conrad and their family and friends on Saturday as they celebrated forty years of marriage.

I was pleased to respond to three pastoral visits during the week. along with Rev. Judie and our postulant Marilyn Hamlin we look forward to providing pastoral care to the people of our parish. I was pleasantly reminded this week, however, that the care for parishioners stretches further than the reach of clergy and into the service of parishioners. At one visit I made I discovered that members of the Pastoral Care Committee had visited the day before. We are so fortunate to have dedicated people willing to reach out in the example of the Risen Lord to provide care and companionship in our parish.

I met with several members of the clergy from our region on Thursday to discuss upcoming events in the region including the upcoming Synod in  May.

May our lives, inspired by the example of the Risen Lord, give us hope and conviction to follow Him that our lives may be a blessing to one another and to God's Holy Name.

Happy Easter
Rev. Mike  

Please Note the Following
Announcement
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At the last meeting of Parish Council on April 14th there was considerable discussion around how we should respond to the Bishop’s Pastoral Letter oflast October asking each parish to discern their pastoral response regarding same gender relationships. The bishops have asked each parish to respond so that “the mind of the diocese” may be known when attending the House of Bishops and for information at our upcoming synod. We want to give everyone an opportunity for their voice to be heard. Therefore, we will proceed as follows:
Surveys to gage the range of opinions will be distributed during our Sunday services on May 8th, and May 15th. Also, on those Sundays, time will be made available after the service so that voices may be heard, information can be gathered, and questions may be addressed. The results from the surveys that come from these two Sundays will be compiled and printed in the bulletin on May 22nd.
This notice will appear in the bulletin each week leading up to and including the Sundays mentioned above.________________________