February 9, 2023

Dear Friends in Christ:

This week, a powerful earthquake struck the region around the Turkish city of Gaziantep. The damage was extensive in both Turkey and Syria, and the death toll of over 12,000 people continues to rise as of this writing.

Having lived in Los Angeles during the Northridge quake of 1994, Cristin and I know how unnerving it is to feel the ground move unexpectedly. Even when the damage is minimal, a sense of safety and security takes a long time to return. If you are thinking of making a contribution to help those suffering overseas, I can make a couple recommendations. Our own Episcopal Relief and Development website can be found HERE. I am a big fan of UNICEF because of their specific emphasis on children and meeting immediate needs, and of course, Doctors Without Borders always does good work.

If you are able to help, I encourage you to do so. And I ask you to pray for those who have lost loved ones, for those who have been injured, and for those who seek them out and care for them. May God bless and comfort all who suffer.

On to the updates . . .

WORSHIP

St. Timothy's current policy is that face coverings are suggested, though not required inside our building. You can always find the most-current updates on all our services by checking the calendar page of our website.

Sunday 2/12, Children's Sunday, Epiphany VI

8:00am Holy Eucharist, Rite I. In person only. 

10:00 am Rite II Holy Eucharist. In person and streamed at our website, on youtube and on our Facebook page. This week's bulletin is HERE. Special activities for children during the first part of the service; they will then join us for Holy Communion.

Tuesday 2/14, Taize' 7pm

Our monthly Tuesday Taize' service will be streamed at our website and on Facebook. Your in-person attendance is welcome. You can sing along with us at home or in church. The service outline and music are HERE. (We will have printed copies at the door.)

Wednesday 2/15, Rite II with Healing

12:10pm Our mid-week service of Holy Eucharist, includes anointing with oil for healing. In person only.

Sunday, 2/19, Last Sunday after Epiphany

8:00am Holy Eucharist, Rite I. In person only. 

10:00 am Rite II Holy Eucharist. In person and streamed at our website, on youtube and on our Facebook page. This week's bulletin is HERE. 

Wednesday, 2/22, Ash Wednesday

12:10pm Our mid-week service of Holy Eucharist, includes imposition of ashes. In person only.

7:00pm Our annual Ash Wednesday evening service, with Holy Communion, music, choir, and the imposition of ashes. Streamed at our website and on Facebook. The service bulletin can be found HERE.

UPCOMING DATES OF NOTE

Feb. 12 Children's Sunday, 10am

Feb. 14 Taize', 7pm

Feb. 21 Pancake Supper, 5:30-7pm

Feb. 22 Ash Wednesday, 12:10pm & 7pm

Feb. 26 Great Litany, both services

• Andrew Bolden Recital, 2pm, Cable Recital Hall

Mar. 1 MACCA Lenten Services begin

Mar. 22 Host MACCA Lenten Service

Apr. 2-9 Holy Week

Apr. 10-18 Fr. George to Ukraine, (tentative)

Apr. 29 Bishop Jolly Ordination, 11am Cleveland

May 9-10 Church Directory photos

ST. TIMOTHY SAYS THANKS

The last Sunday of January, we had a delightful combined worship service followed by a delicious luncheon. Thank you to everyone who made that possible, from staying up all night doing meal prep, to carrying a torch in the service, to cleaning up after the meal. It was truly a blessing to gather together and celebrate our patron saint in person again. We'll be doing it all again next year on January 28th, so try to get some rest before then.

ANNUAL PANCAKE SUPPER RETURNS

On Tuesday, February 21st, our Shrove Tuesday pancake supper returns in full force. Joel Vogt and his merry band of cooks will take over the kitchen, and our new stove, to dish out the deliciousness. Pancake Supper includes all-you-can-eat pancakes, plus sausage, applesauce, and beverage. All for only $5.00! ($3 for kids). There is a sign-up sheet in the parish hall, or you can call the church office for reservations at 330.833-3183.

Weather permitting, we will burn last year's palms after we eat pancakes.

ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICES

Of course, the whole reason for a pancake supper has its roots in clearing out the larder to begin the season of Lent, and doing with less. The well-known festival of Mardi Gras serves the same purpose . . . or it used to. Point being, "Fat Tuesday" is intended to set the stage for Ash Wednesday.

We'll offer two services on February 22nd, at 12:10pm and 7pm. We will have Holy Communion and imposition of ashes at both services, with choir and music in the evening.

ANDREW BOLDEN RECITAL, Feb. 26

Choirmaster and showman extraordinaire Andrew Bolden will be part of the monthly MacDowell Club Recital at Cable Hall on Sunday, February 26th, at 2pm. Andrew will sing a collection of classical music, and is sure to dazzle us all. Admission is free!

MACCA LENTEN SERVICES RETURN

For the first time since the pandemic started, we will return to the full offering of ecumenical services on Wednesdays during Lent. This means churches will once more share a meal together before worship each week. The basic format is a 5:30pm meal of soup and salad, followed by 6:30pm worship with Holy Communion. I'm excited that we've added new hosts and preachers this year, and I hope you can attend when you're able.

All the Wednesdays in Lent are also all the Wednesdays in March, so this should be easy to remember. Of particular note, Fr. George preaches at St. Paul's Lutheran on March 8th, and St. Timothy's hosts on March 22nd. You can find the full schedule of preachers and locations HERE.

More details on how you can help with food and setup will follow soon.

NEW PHOTO DIRECTORY

Much has changed since we printed our last photo directory for St. Timothy's back in 2019. In fact, the company we had been using has gone out of business. However, we have arranged to jump back in this May to make a new directory with a company called Universal Church Directories. (Guess what they make?)

We will have more specifics in the coming months, including a signup sheet for specific times, but it wouldn't hurt to get it on your calendar that photos will be taken from 2pm to 8:30pm on May 9th and 10th. More details to follow.

CONVOCATION UPDATE

Last week, a couple of us attended the Diocesan Winter Convocation, which was held in person for the first time since 2020. Lots of interesting and helpful workshops, and a chance to reconnect with other folks from around the Diocese. Our Bishop Elect, the Rev. Anne Jolly preached the sermon at Saturday's Eucharist, and delivered a powerful message of hope in the midst of despair. Looking forward to having her with us at St. Timothy's in the years ahead.

PRAYERS REQUESTED

When you ask for someone to be added to the prayers, they will stay on our list for four weeks unless we hear from you. We maintain a continuing prayer list for those with ongoing needs. The email list below merges both lists.

Please be sure to let us know if someone should be taken off this list so we can focus on those in need.

Please pray for the people of Ukraine & Russia, that they would be kept safe and live in peace and safety. 

Please pray for the victims and families of those killed and injured in the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

And please also keep these friends and parishioners in your prayers:

✥Chris Lane ✥Priya Kurian ✥Chuck Tilley ✥Liz Frank  ✥Mike Requa ✥Toni Contini

✥Brian Dorosch ✥Bob Daane  ✥Noble Carpenter ✥Gail Moss ✥Greg Rush

✥Tony Donahue  ✥Tina Gottshall  ✥Ruth Lash ✥Gayle McHenry ✥Dylan Miller

✥Ted Savastano ✥Hadley Hirschman  ✥Eamonn Hunter ✥Sarah Kouri ✥Matt Neal

✥Becky Frum ✥Marilyn ✥Thomas Haidet ✥Ed Nihser ✥Lester Kidney ✥Bill Mayer

✥Andrew DeBroeck ✥Allison Stergios ✥Dave Cottrill ✥Leah ✥Trisha Rusford ✥Curt Allison ✥Jack ✥Linda Devore ✥Gabriella Santos ✥Steve Deuble ✥Dan Kloock ✥Randa Farah

✥Bob Boley ✥Jennifer Baer ✥Ian Long ✥Ann Renkert ✥Allison Armentrout ✥Shari Breyfogle

BIRTHDAYS and ANNIVERSARIES

Lots of birthdays in the next two weeks, including Cody Strawder (2/12), Linda Morrow (2/13), Bonnie Burns (2/13), Susan Merrill (2/14), Robert Fulton (2/16), Carrie Rice (2/16), Joel Vogt (2/20), Jonathan Schroeder (2/20), and Ellen Elder-Joseph (2/23).

Chuck and Cathy Tilley will celebrate their Valentine anniversary on February 14th.

Be sure to send good wishes and thoughts to all who celebrate in the coming weeks!

PERIODIC PUZZLE

I had to go way back in my photos to find this one, but I was thinking yesterday how much I love our Epiphany set of linens and pall, and was also thinking how most people don't really get a chance to look at these up on the Altar. And so, take a gander at these beauties before we put them away until 2024. You can find the puzzle by clicking HERE.

As always, you can choose your background color, number of puzzle pieces, and even set it to display just the edge pieces. Plus, you get a very affirming crowd reaction once you have completed it!

Also, if you want to take a trip down puzzle memory lane, you can go back and find the whole collection on our website at this LINK.

Last year, the week after Easter, I went to Romania to help set up the Life For Ukraine Center, which houses Ukrainians fleeing the invasion of their country. Since then, we've had our first baby born into the shelter, and the residents have celebrated many milestones, both good and bad. We are in the initial stages of planning another trip after Easter this year to check up on things in Constanta, but also to spend some time in Ukraine itself, probably in Odesa. We're thinking our main focus this time will be to see about getting windows replaced in areas that have suffered damage from bombings.

Windows are a curious thing. We don't really notice them when they're clean and in place. (Which is by design, when you think of it.) But when they're broken and missing, they serve as a constant reminder of the dangers of exposure to the elements. Replacing windows seems a small thing in the scheme of things, but windows are crucial for comfort, security, and even survival. If the trip unfolds as planned, we'll begin collecting money for windows sometime in March, and I will provide information on how you can help with this, if you are so led. Meanwhile, you can get updates on Life For Ukraine at our Facebook page, or on Instagram.

Faithfully,

Fr. George