Pary for Millie, Marian and Fr. Dave

March 9th after the 11:00AM Service there will a gathering to send off our good friend Millie Enloe who is moving south to be closer to her daughter. We will also be celebrating the birthdays of Marian Blankenship and Fr. Dave. Mark your calendar and hope to see you there.

ECW Meeting

The ECW Luncheon meeting is NOT this coming Friday as previously posted. It will be at noon on Friday February 29th.

Holy Week Schedule

Palm Sunday:
Our 9:15AM and 11:00AM services will be combined and begin at 10:00AM at the Crescent Harbor shelter. We will gather with our friends from Sitka Lutheran Church and many others for a joint liturgy of the blessing of palms. A Palm Sunday procession to our respective houses of worship will follow. This procession will mark the beginning of our Holy Week observances.

Wednesday:
Our 5:30PM celebration of the Holy Eucharist will be replaced with an observance of the Office of Tenebrae. The name Tenebrae (Latin for "darkness" or "shadows") has been used for hundreds of years as the name of the ancient monastic night and early morning services (Matins and Lauds) of the last three days of Holy Week. This is a moving service of scripture readings, prayer, and preparation for the events of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday (the Triduum Sacrum).

Maundy Thrusday
This 5:30PM celebration of Holy Eucharist marks the events of the Last Supper and Jesus' giving of a new commandment to his disciples. This is possibly the most intimate service of the Christian year. It is also the service that is most challenging to participate in without being changed.

Good Friday:
This 5:30PM liturgy commemorates the crucifixion and death of our Lord Jesus. We will listen once again to the events of The Passion of Christ. We will consume the consecrated elements of the reserve sacrament. We will leave our sanctuary building without the presence of our Lord in that way. And we will return home to remember what Jesus endured for the love of God and of you and me.

Easter Sunday:
The Queen of Feasts will begin with a sunrise Easter Vigil. This service begins with the lighting of the new Paschal fire in front of the Church building. The service then moves into our worship space to hear the accounts of God's saving acts throughout sacred history. The worship then culminates in the first celebration of the Holy Eucharist since the events of Maundy Thursday.

The Easter Vigil is the hinge pin around which the rest of the Christian year revolves. It was the observation of this vigil that defined the place of every other Christian celebration in the Christian calendar. Christians have found this celebration to be the heart of their year's spiritual journey for almost 2,000 years. Please join us for this observation of the most significant worship service of the entire year.

Our Easter celebrations will continue with the 9:15AM and the 11:00AM services. Both of these services will feature the traditional flowering of the Easter cross. The same cross has been flowered by our parents, grandparents, and maybe theirs before them.

In the practice of the ancient Church, the worship services of Holy Week (Palm Sunday to Easter) were experienced as one liturgical drama. This was especially true of services of the Triduum Sacrum (The Sacred Three Days - Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday). As we begin our walk through this liturgical re-enactment of the events of Holy Week please be aware of the salvation events we trace in our worship that week.

The Liturgy of Ash Wednesday began with these words, "Dear people of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting." Holy Week is the culmination of this dedication and preparation. Please make a commitment to participate in as much of the Holy Week drama as it possible for you.

Easter Morning Mug-Up

Our Easter celebrations will begin with a 6:00AM sunrise Easter Vigil. Fr. Dave plans to have a cup of coffee, a slice of toast, and an egg or two afterward in the See House. If anyone would like to join him, please feel free to bring something to share and join in.

Easter Potluck Luncheon

Fr. Gordon, Sarah, Bonnie and Fr. Dave invite anyone who does not have an Easter celebration to attend to join us for our Easter luncheon potluck. (Of course, families are welcome to join us, too!) We'll gather at 12:30PM Easter Sunday (right after the 11:00AM service) in the See House parish hall.
There is a sign-up sheet in the See House dining area for this event. Please sign up if you are interested in attending. Be sure to note how many will be in your party and what you will bring to share. Fr. Dave and Bonnie will provide roast lamb. And Fr. Gordon and Sarah will do a 'gaps analysis' of the sign-up sheet to fill in where there might be a gap in the resulting menu.

ECW Meeting

Friday February 22 at noon the ladies of St. Peter's will meet for a potluck lunch and meeting. All women of the parish are invited.

Women's Lenten Retreat

The Prayer Bead Lenten Retreat scheduled for March 7 and 8 is full. There is a waiting list of participants in case someone cancels. Call Lisa Sadleir-Hart if you would like to be on the waiting list. 747-5985

Endowment Board Meeting

There will be a meeting of the Endowment Board on March 5 at 7:00PM in the See House.

Easter Potluck

The last two years The Elsensohn and Blue families have been privileged to treat our parish family with an Easter breakfast. This has been partially possible trough the generous contributions of the talents and labor of Jason Rossie (our brother parishioner and caterer). Jason and his family have moved south. As a result we plan to return to a potluck format for our Easter meal. Please let Fr. Dave, Bonnie, Fr. Gordon, or Sara know if you prefer a potluck Easter breakfast at 8:00 AM, or a potluck lunchean at 1:00 PM. Our hope is to decide on one of these options by February 25th.

Fr. Dave

Lenten Study Program (2008)

St. Peter's Lenten study group will read "Following at a Distance," by Kimberly Dunnam Reisman.
All followers of Jesus have decided to follow him. The problem is that we tend to follow at a distance. "Following at a Distance" is an invitation to examine what keeps that distance between our Lord and ourselves, and to begin to take steps to catch up to him.

Our group will meet every Wednesday of Lent in the See House Undercroft at 12:05 PM. Please join us for a bowl of soup, a slice of bread, and a good discussion.

No Choir practice February 12, 2008

Due to conflicts in the Sitka community schedule, St. Peter's choir practice has been canceled for the week of February 10, 2008.

Women's Lenten Retreat

There will be a workshop titled "A String and a Prayer: Prayer Beads across Faith Traditions" presented in St. Peter's See House. The meeting days and times will be Friday, March 7, 6:30 - 9:00pm and Saturday March 8, 9:30am - Noon, 1:00pm to 3:30pm. This is a women's retreat to explore the uses of prayer beads across the worlds faith traditions. The cost to enroll is $40.00. To register email Lisa Saddleir-Hart at anamcara3@acsalaska.net, or call her at 747-5985. Registration is limited to 12 participants. Spaces are filling up fast.

Sitkan's Against Family Violence

On February 20 and 21, from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm there will be a workshop titled "Religious Resources for Addressing Domestic Violence." This is open to all faiths and spiritual traditions. There is no charge to participate. The location is the classroom of the Sitka Fire Department. Pre-registration is required. For more information please call Chris Bauman or Marina Kurzer at 747-3370.

Taize Prayer Services

St. Peter's and Sitka United Methodist Church are hosting a Taize prayer serve each Sunday of Lent, 2008. The service will begin at 5:30 PM. Our first service will be held this Sunday, February 10, at St. Peter's. The service location will then rotate between St. Peter's and the UMC. Please check our on-line calendar for the weekly location of this service.