Friends,
We have a lot of things coming up soon that I want to make sure you are planning on being part of. So, get out your calendar and mark these events!
Our Great Decisions program got off to an amazing start last Monday. We had a full house and over 30 people more joining us via zoom. If you have not done so, click here and sign up for the weekly reminders, as well as the zoom link if you need it.
February is simply full of opportunities that cover the whole spectrum of our journeys of faith.
- Every weekend through February 7 and 8, we will be collecting ice, beans, cash, and canned goods after worship for Someone Cares Soup Kitchen in Costa Mesa, as part of our Souper Bowl of Caring.
- On Wednesday, February 11, from 10:00 – 11:00am, we will have a Movement Class led by Diane Hanlon. Click here to register.
- On the weekend of February 14 and 15 we will have Festive Praise! worship services, channeling the joyous spirit of Mardi Gras before we begin the season of Lent.
- On Saturday, February 14, we will have a Meet Me at St. Mark event in the Fellowship Hall following worship (so, around 6:00pm). Bring your sweetie or your bestie or your own delightful self and enjoy some food and music with your church family!
- On Wednesday, February 18, we will have an Ash Wednesday Service at 6:30. This is a solemn time for remembering who we are as we enter the Season of Lent.
- The Season of Lent lasts from Wednesday, February 18 through Good Friday, April 3. See below for more information about our theme.
- On Sunday, February 22, we will host a Dinner & Dialogue with Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb at 6:00 PM. Dr. Raheb was the senior pastor of the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem for 30 years and is a renown theologian, writer, and advocate for justice. Registration is required and seating is limited. Dr. Raheb’s topic is Christian Witness During a Genocide. Please register by February 17th by scanning the QR code on the flyer here.
- On Wednesday, February 25, we will begin a weekly Lenten Bible Studies in the Bonhoeffer Room and on zoom, at 10:00am.
- On Wednesday, February 25, we will begin our weekly Lenten Book Study Gatherings on zoom, from 7:00-7:45pm.
- On Thursday, April 2, we will have Maundy Thursday worship at 6:30pm in the Sanctuary.
- On Friday, April 3, we will have two different opportunities to join with other congregations for a Good Friday service at noon. We will share more information as those dates get closer.
- On Saturday, April 4, we will have our Family Easter Eggstravaganza at 10:00am. The Children and Youth Ministries Commission will share more information as the time nears.
- On Saturday, April 4, we will have our first Easter celebration during our Saturdays@5 worship.
- On Sunday, April 5, we will have two Easter services, at 9:00 and 10:30am.
Our theme for the Season of Lent is, Turning over Tables, based on a book by that name by Kathy Escobar. We will read the book as our Book Study, study related Scripture texts as our Bible Study, and engage with those texts and topics throughout our worship services. The Adult Education Commission has ordered copies of the book, which you will be able to purchase after worship on February 7-8, and 14-15.
The description of this book from the publisher Westminster/John Knox reads: “With each week of Lent, readers will dig deeper into Jesus’ challenge to the pervasive influence of privilege and oppression that have dominated since ancient times. Through poignant reflections and thought-provoking practices, readers will discover how they can harness the disruptive power of Jesus’ teachings to bring about meaningful change in their communities and beyond. Together, we can turn the tables and build a world where justice, healing, and greater equity reigns supreme.”
I’m intrigued and I hope you are too.
Mark of St. Mark
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