I just wanted to send a little note to everyone with a gentle reminder that we have begun the Lenten Season here at Holy Spirit. It has been wonderful so far. I want to thank the folks who have volunteered to assist with the many and various spiritual offerings during the season. We look forward to, and need, parishioners to volunteer services during the rest of the season, Holy Week and Easter.

Next Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, we will begin together here, and with the whole Church, the holy Season of Lent.  It is, as the Scriptures tell us and the Prayer Book reminds us, a special time of prayer, fasting (moderation) and the giving of alms (time and resources).  We are being called into reflection and renewal!  This year our theme for focus will be one of Forgiveness and Reconciliation.  Our Sunday Scriptures as well as our Sunday School sessions and other Lenten opportunities will help pry that open for us. I invite you to take Lent 2024 seriously and to engage where you feel called, with others of our parish family, in the time we have together during this holy season..

I am so looking forward to spending time this weekend in prayer with you all as Bishop Doyle visits and we are blessed to Confirm and Receive 6 individuals into our Church and into our Parish Community. I hope you can make it to celebrate with us at our one, great celebration beginning at 10:30AM.

I am also happy that we had a great turnout for our Annual Meeting last Sunday. One of the discussions that the Vestry continues to have, an issue that was confirmed at our meeting Sunday, is the continued need for volunteers from among us and the efficient coordination of those volunteers.

Dear Friends at Holy Spirit,

We need your help with a couple important things:

I’ve been here a couple months and have often opened Realm, the Church Data Base, to find information, addresses, phone numbers and the like. One thing that would be MOST helpful would be a picture… of you! Learning names is rough but hundreds and hundreds is even more difficult. If not for me, for your new Rector. Please log in and upload a picture of yourself, if you would, please. Thanks!

Over the last seven years I have had the unique experience of being a ministry leader for Holy Spirit Church and School as Director of Family Ministries for the Church and Chaplain for the School. I am an active staff member of both the school and the church. As the first School Chaplain at Holy Spirit Episcopal School, it was an intentional decision to hire me to have roles in both the Church and the School to help bring together our community.

School Sunday is one of our many community events that brings us all together.

It’s that time of year when I get questions about giving and stewardship from members of the finance committee, vestry, and parishioners.

Every fall we have a Stewardship campaign where the Stewardship Chair reaches out to our congregation and asks us to prayerfully consider our connection to Holy Spirit Episcopal Church. This encompasses time, talent, and treasure because we rely on our parishioners to share all of these in varying degrees so that our community can flourish in faith, fellowship, and outreach. We are collecting those pledge commitments now!

This Sunday, 15 October, we will Celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism, NEW LIFE, for our sister-in-faith to be, infant Clara! Come and join us as we gather around the font and the altar and welcome her into the community of followers of Jesus. We will prepare ourselves, and all are welcome, at our regularly scheduled Sunday School session in the parish hall beginning at 9:30AM. There, we will study about Baptism as well as our other Sacraments in the Episcopal Church.