Join Us on Our Lenten Journey
We always begin the Season of Lent on Ash Wednesday by being invited to observe a Holy Lent, a time of fasting, prayer, self-examination and preparation for the Easter Feast. We have several opportunities for you to observe Lent. Consider joining us for one or several of the Lenten offerings below.
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper — Tuesday, March 4, from 5 to 7 p.m. (Parish Hall)
In anticipation of Lent, our annual fat-Tuesday-carb-loading-sausage-and-syrup-eating festival returns, this time on Tuesday, March 4, in our new parish hall. We provide you the pancakes and sausages. You provide the party. We are looking for a few electric griddles for that event. If you have one you can bring, please contact the office. And bring your palms from previous years to be made into ashes at this event.
$10 per family
Free Lent Devotionals
We have received Lent devotionals from Living Compass, Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit in Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind. They are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the back of the church. The devotional is intended to be used for daily personal reflection through Lent. If you are interested in a weekly discussion group following the Living Compass devotional, contact Fr. Don Fleischman.
Ash Wednesday — Wednesday, March 5
Ash Wednesday services will be at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. in the main sanctuary at St. Mark’s. The morning service will be a spoken Eucharist with the Imposition of Ashes, and the evening service will be a full Choral Eucharist with Imposition of Ashes. Ashes will also be available from noon until 2 p.m., in the Sanctuary, and the church will be open for individual prayer.
Lenten Outreach to Kinship
This Lent, as part of our outreach work with Kinship Community Food Center (the only food pantry that serves our zip code), we would like to collect donations specifically for the Kinship urban farm, Grow. Grow is a 27,000 square foot urban hoop house vegetable farm where neighbors harvest thousands of pounds of organic produce to feed the hungry, host educational events, and share community meals. Last year they grew over 20,000 pounds of food on the farm! All donations that are collected for Outreach during Lent will be donated to Kinship. This spring, we are planning a visit to the urban farm, so keep an eye out for details about that.
Walk in Love: An Introduction to the Episcopal (Anglican) Way of Following Jesus
Bishop Matt will be convening a regional service for confirmation and receptions into The Episcopal Church on the afternoon of May 18, 2025 (location TBD). In preparation for that visit, we will be offering an Episcopal 101 course on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m., beginning March 26. Of course, this class is structured to prepare folks for receptions and confirmations on May 18, but it is open to any curious person. I am certain, even if you have spent your whole life in the Episcopal Church, you will gain fresh insight into how we approach being Jesus’s disciples. Click here to learn more.
Friendship Dinners
Would you like to attend or host a shared meal with other folks from St. Mark’s? We’re organizing another series of friendship dinners, this time corresponding to the Lenten season. Please indicate your interest through this Google form. Reach out to John Johnson with questions.