Lent at Saint Mark’s

Ash Wednesday

Wednesday, March 5

On Ash Wednesday we place ashes, made from blessed palms,  on the forehead in the shape of a cross as a reminder that we are all mortal and that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

There will be three services on Ash Wednesday.  8 a.m., Noon, and 7:30 p.m.

The 7:30 p.m. service will will feature the Saint Mark’s choir.  If you wish to have ashes sent to you to use during the livestreamed service, please call the parish office at 614-486-9452.

We will also participate in Ashes to Go this year.  If you wish to receive Ashes and are unable to attend any of the services, you can come to the vestibule by the red doors from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and  4 to 6 p.m.  You can download the Ashes to Go brochure for use at home.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper

March 4

The Marksmen will b serve up an All-Parish Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4, in the parish hall.

Shrovetide is a pre-Lenten period that culminates on Shrove Tuesday, which is the day before Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of the season of Lent. It gets its name from the old English word ‘shrive,” which means “to confess” or “to impose penance.” Traditionally viewed as a day of repentance, Shrove Tuesday has become regarded as the last day for celebration and feasting before entering the Lenten season of spiritual discipline, reflection, fasting, penance, and prayer. It was also a time to use up foods of indulgence, such as meat and sugar and foods with fat like milk, butter, and eggs, which would otherwise spoil. (This is why some refer to Shrove Tuesday as Fat Tuesday, or its French translation, Mardi Gras.) Pancakes were seen as an easy way to use up milk, butter, eggs and sugar in one meal.

So, however you like your pancakes: with lemon juice and powdered sugar or maple syrup and loads of butter, Nutella, whipped cream, or all of the above — come and celebrate this pre-Lenten tradition! There is no charge to attend, however, donations to cover costs will be accepted.

Note: The nursery will NOT be staffed as we have great high chairs and we love kids and kids love pancakes!

Lent Madness

Beginning March 4

Lent Madness is a fun and popular activity. It is disguised as a competition, but it’s actually an online devotion and a great way to learn about Saints while giving to a good cause.

Lent Madness is modelled after the NBA’s annual March Madness tournament. The way Lent Madness works is simple: Thirty-two saints are paired together into a tournament-like single-elimination bracket. Each pairing remains open for a set period of time and people vote for their favorite saint. Sixteen saints make it to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen; eight advance to the Round of the Elate Eight; four make it to the Faithful Four; two to the Championship; and the winner is awarded the coveted Golden Halo.

Saint Mark’s will have a Lent Madness pool. To join, fill out a bracket (available in the arched bookcase in the parish hall) and submit it – along with a $5 entry fee – to Pastor Vicki by February 14.

The winner of the Saint Mark’s pool will get to decide where to donate the funds.

Go to www.lentmadness.org to learn more, follow the celebrity blog, cast your vote, or just follow along. Lent Madness is a program of Forward Movement.

Helping Others – Lenten Activity

 Helping others is a big part of Lent.  This year we are collecting personal care items.  We will be doing two things with these products.  We will be making Grooming Bags for mothers in Vinton County through our partnership with Help Me Grow.  We will also be donating them to NNEMAP where they are always in need.

You can do this activity or you can simply bring either a $20 to cover the cost of one Grooming Bag or a full-size item such as shampoo, conditioner, razors, toothpaste or so on to church.

Select a unit to be your base for this activity.

It could be $1 or a tube of toothpaste or a bottle of shampoo or a package of razors.  Whatever works for you is fine.  Set aside your donation each week during Lent and bring it to church to the donation box.

Lenten Devotions are about removing those things that keep us separated from God or adding things that bring us closer to God.

Week 1:  Social Media is one of the things that takes time that we could spend on prayer or service.  Donate one unit for every 30 minutes you spent on social media this week.

Week 2: Prayer is one of the ways that we build our relationship with God.  Donate one unit for every day that you prayed this week.

Week 3: We are called to look for the image of God in others.  Thinking badly about them gets in the way of this.  Donate one unit for every time you thought badly of someone this week.

Week 4: Donate one unit for every store you shopped in this week.

Week 5: Donate one unit for every time you remember saying thank you this week.

Holy Week: Donate one unit for every church service you went to this week.

Book Study

This year we are reading the book A Journey Through Acts edited by Marek Zabriskie.

This book takes us through the book of Acts in 50 daily readings with reflections from a variety of Episcopal Church leaders.

We will be talking about the portions of the book of Acts covered in each week’s readings at the Sunday Adult Formation sessions during Lent.  These take place Sunday morning from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m.

Pastor Vicki has some of the books available for $10 each or you can order them from wherever you purchase books.

 

Columbus Regional Lenten School

Lent Materials

There are Lent materials available in the parish hall in the arch-shaped book rack near the kitchen, where the Forward Day by Day booklets are located.  You can also download these for use at home.

40 Stories from Luke every Christian should know.  We are reading from the Gospel of Luke on Sundays this year.  These readings give you a good overview of the Gospel.

Family Prayers.  This gives you a framework to add prayer into your household’s daily life.

Prayer Calendar.  This gives you a topic for prayers of intercession or thanksgiving each day.

Weekly Reflections.  This gives a theological reflection for each week in Lent.

Philippians Podcast.  This is a podcast Bible study of the Epistle to the Philippians.