January 28, 2020
Dear Friends of St. Timothy's:

Our parish has been electing Vestry officers every January for 185 years now. But, this past Monday night, Vestry held its first-ever zoom election of officers, and it all came off without a hitch. (But I hope not to make a habit of this.)

Our officers for 2021 are Sr. Warden Jon Silvis; Jr. Warden Terry Conner; Treasurer Bob Schroeder; and Clerk Christine Streb. I am grateful for their willingness to serve the parish during these most unusual times, and I know they--and the entire Vestry--will appreciate your prayers and support through the coming months.

On to the updates . . .
WORSHIP
You can find this week's bulletin insert HERE.

Sunday 1/31, St. Timothy Sunday, Rite I
10:00 am we will stream a Rite I service of Holy Eucharist, at our website and on our Facebook page, using Choirmaster Andrew Bolden's Third Street Mass, which can be found HERE.
Seminarian Maureen Wood will preach, and we will hear yet another new composition from our Choirmaster, Andrew Bolden.
This week's service outline is HERE, and hymns are HERE.
Note: We will be using Rite I on Sundays up until Ash Wednesday.

Tuesday 2/2 7pm
Our weekly evening service, based on the Taize' model. You can tune in at 7pm, on Facebook and at our website. You can find an outline of the service HERE.
PALMS TO ASHES
As I mentioned last week, we will be unable to gather together on Ash Wednesday, to mark the beginning of Lent. We will stream a service that evening (Feb. 17), and you are encouraged to impose ashes at home. While the ashes we use in church are created by burning palms from the previous Palm Sunday, any sort of marker will suffice (e.g. ashes from your fireplace, residue from a burnt candlewick, etc.)

If you would like to burn palms from last year--and haven't kept yours around--we will be happy to mail some to you, along with instructions for safely making ashes. If interested, please fill out the form HERE, or call the church office before Feb. 7th. (330.833-3183)

On February 8th, we will send a mailing to everyone on our mailing list, with a bulletin for Ash Wednesday, instructions for burning ashes, and additional options for the imposition of ashes.
MACCA LENTEN SERVICES
Though we cannot gather our local congregations together during Lent as usual, the area clergy are working on a way to bring us together virtually on Wednesday evenings using Facebook.
We are still hammering out details, but the first step is to get everyone together in a "Group" on Facebook. You can join that group at this LINK. More information will follow.
WEEKLY PUZZLE
In honor of our patron saint, Timothy, we're revisiting the stained glass in which he is depicted in our sanctuary. (I tried for a little closer this time, so you can better see the beautiful the colors.) This window, in the shadow box above the doorway shows St. Timothy in the robes of Bishop of Ephesus. It is English, believed to be from the 16th or 17th century, and was installed in the church in 1939. 

You will find the puzzle by clicking HERE. 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!
PRAYERS REQUESTED
Please continue to pray for all those affected by COVID-19, and please keep these friends and parishioners in your prayers:
✥David & Judy Wigginton  ✥Anne Smith  ✥Bob Meyer  ✥Chris Lane
✥Priya Kurian  ✥Chuck Tilley  ✥Michael Flamm  ✥Bob Long  ✥Jeff Frank
✥Bobbie Muhlbach  ✥Isaac Leggett  ✥Patty  ✥Mike Requa  ✥Toni Contini
✥Anita Bowers ✥Brian Dorosch  ✥Gail Moss ✥Ann Spencer ✥Mike Streb and
✥Beth Conley
Please also pray for the doctors, nurses, and other frontline workers who risk their own lives to keep us safe and healthy.
BIRTHDAYS and ANNIVERSARIES
Celebrating birthdays this week: Jeanne Glick (2/1) and Cathy Tilley (2/6).
No anniversaries to celebrate as far as I'm aware.
Be sure to send happy thoughts and good wishes to all who celebrate this week!
FROM THE BISHOP'S OFFICE
The virtual Winter Convocation will take place February 7-14. This is, of course, held entirely online. But bonus: It's entirely free! You can pick and choose any events you'd like to attend. More information can be found at THIS link.

Also, the Diocese is putting together virtual choirs, to offer hymns during Lent and Holy Week. If you're interested in adding your voice, you can find instructions HERE.
The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, Feb. 3rd, at 5pm.
I participated in one of these this month for some Ordinations, and the process is pretty easy. So I encourage you to lift up your voice and sing!
MOVING ON
As I said in my sermon on Sunday, I know we are all really tired right now. Tired of all we've been through, and tired of not being able to see each other in person.
With Shrove Tuesday approaching, I am reminded that last year's Pancake Supper was the last time we were all together, which means we're coming up on a full year of having to postpone every single thing that gave us a sense of community. Or, at least, as the community we were used to. And yes, we've all figured out how to get by as best we can, while keeping each other safe.
But we all miss just being together. Just sitting around tables and sharing food, as we do so many times throughout a typical year. Those days are coming again. Eventually. And for now, we wait. Separate, but together.
I pray that God keeps you healthy, and patient, and reminded every day that you are loved more than you can possibly imagine.

Faithfully,

Fr. George