Second Sunday of Lent

March 1st, 2026

10am Service



The Rev. Katie Holeman Presiding

& Children's Homilist

The Rev. Rodney Davis Preaching

The Rev. Mike Ferrito Deacon



5pm Contemplative Prayer Service

Sermon - The First Sunday of Lent

February 22nd, 2026

The Rev. Katie Holeman Preaching

Office Announcements

Rev. Megan's Maternity Leave

Rev. Megan will be on maternity leave through May 17th, for pastoral and programmatic matters: Associate Rector Pastor Katie Holeman - pastorkatie@stmichaelscarmichael.org, for church administration: Parish Administrator Michelle Falcy - st.michaels@stmichaelscarmichael.org and for other church Business: Senior Warden Greg Dewey - tgregdewey@gmail.com.

Stewardship



Did you ever notice the QR code in our bulletin by the Offertory Sentence and Presentation Hymn?

This is a code that takes you directly to our Tithe.ly page for easy online credit card donations. Through this you can set up a one time donation or a recurring donation for your annual pledge. Please be sure to click on the drop down box to select where you want your donation to be designated and check this out with your phone the next time you are in church on Sunday. Pledge cards are still being accepted for the 2026 Pledge Year and can be placed in the offering plate, mailed or set up online through the QR code or Donate button below.

Saturday February 28

Parish & Johnstone Halls

Come pack meal bags that reach hungry people throughout the world. It is a very fun event and a great opportunity to gather as community to do something for those in need. Last year we packed over 10,000 meals that went to support those in need in Philippines. Come be a part of this super fun event!

Please sign up on their website. If you have questions or need help please contact the office. If you are willing to help with set up or clean up please let us know!

Easter Gift Cards!

We are asking for donations to buy Food Gift Cards to help those in need have a special Easter meal. If you are giving by check, please write “Food Gift Card" in the memo. You can also give online or put cash in an envelope (you can find these in the pew pockets), mark it with "Food Gift Card" and put it in the plate on Sunday. Please have your donations to the church or office by Sunday March 29.

Your donations will buy Safeway gift cards that will be distributed at River City Food Bank and The Center at St. Matthew’s. Easter is a wonderful time for us to give in thanksgiving for God's blessings and forgiveness. For more information please contact Terry Bridges or the Office.  

Sharing our Blessings



Our food barrel has been empty of food! Please donate non-perishable items for the food barrel, located in the Narthex. These items are taken to River City Food Bank and provide added sustenance to those in need in our community. Fresh fruits (citrus is especially appreciated) and vegetables may be brought to the office. In addition to non-perishable food items, RCFB is accepting sizable and reusable canvas or cloth tote bags, and egg cartons. Please consider bringing a can in each hand on Sundays to fill the barrel.

Regular Outreach opportunities

River City Food Bank Center at St. Matthew's - Distribution Prep every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday

& Distribution every Wednesday & Friday

Food Barrel located at the back of the Narthex

Carmichael HART Carmichael Presbyterian Church - Lunch program every Thursday & the Shower Ministry every Saturday

God's Helping Hands Laundry Will not operate this month. Starting in March it will be located at Mega Wash on Fair Oaks Blvd. at El Camino. Volunteers are needed every 3rd Saturday of the month, and donations are appreciated.

Lenten offerings

Lenten Coffee Hour Activity

Join us on Sunday March 8 during coffee hour for a Lenten activity. Drop by one of our tables to create a simple craft and pick up a prayer card that you can use at home during Lent. This is free and open to all ages. Grown ups might enjoy doing this with their little ones. 

Just Peacemaking led by John McEntyre

Sundays at 11:30am in the Friendship Center

In this six week class we'll be raising the ever-timely question: in what ways can the church be a place that fosters and practices peacemaking?   We’ll consider three different avenues to address this question: (a) Scripture and tradition, (b) lives of peacemakers, and (c) practical applications for peacemaking. Everybody welcome! Y’all come! Drop-ins encouraged!

Living Compass: Living Well Through Lent

You are invited on a transformative Lenten journey exploring the theme of Healing and Wholeness, for yourself and for the world.  Engage in meaningful reflection through the spiritually nourishing daily readings and reflection questions provided by Living Compass. The Living Compass Lenten booklets are available, free of cost, at the church. Sign up on the Living Compass website to receive a daily email of each reflection; two, 6 minute Lent talks per week on the website and listen to guided meditations in the new Living Compass app available in your app store.

Dinner & Documentary - The Population Bomb Revisited

Sunday March 1, 2026 at 6pm, off-site

Please join us for our next Dinner & Documentary session this Sunday, March 1st off-site where we will be viewing The Population Bomb Revisited. This will be held at one of our regular member's home. Please contact Marilyn McEntyre or the church office to receive updates and RSVP attendance. As we resume gathering once a month for a dinner and documentary evening, we’d like to hear from those of you who are interested in coming when you can. Please complete the survey HERE to insure these evenings will serve both your own sense of purpose and the common good.

Connecting with the Psalms: A Spiritual Formation Invitation

The Psalms have served as a prayer book of the faithful for thousands of years, capturing every human emotion from the heights of joy to the depths of despair. As we begin preparing a special new offering centered on these Biblical songs, we want our collective voices to be part of the journey.

We are graciously requesting your input. Whether you have a single verse that has carried you through a hard time or a collection of Psalms you return to daily, your contribution is valuable.

Please share your heart by responding to the following:

• When I read the Psalms, I often read… (Include the Psalm numbers)
• They make me feel…

There is no "right" answer. However, your responses will help shape our upcoming study to ensure it resonates with your real life experience.

Ways to Submit:

● Email: Meghan Humlie

● In-Person: Leave a note or e-mail the Church Office.

Thank you for responding to this invitation. We look forward to exploring the beauty of the Psalms together. The dates and times for this offering will be announced in the bulletin and The Messenger.  

St. Michael's Continuing Studies & Offerings

• Thursday Open Bible Study Thursdays at 10am via Zoom.
• Sacred Circle - Last Wednesday of every month 6pm via zoom.
• Centering Prayer - Mondays in Friendship Center at 9:00am & Thursdays on Zoom at 7pm.
• St Michael's Reads the Acts and The Epistles of the Apostles - Tuesdays at 6:30pm on Zoom. Reading Plan.
• Healing Circle - Second Saturdays 11am in Friendship Center.



More info on the above offerings found here.

Holy Week & Easter Offerings

Holy Week Worship Services

Sunday, March 29 - 10am Palm Sunday

Thursday, April 2 - 7pm Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday Dinner at 5:30pm in Parish Hall

Gethsemane Watch Beginning 8pm to 8:30am Friday April 3.

Friday, April 3 - Good Friday Services

8:30am & Noon Stations of the Cross

7pm The Passion of Christ 

Saturday, April 4 - 7pm Easter Vigil 

Sunday, April 5 - 10am Easter Sunday

Easter Egg Hunt immediately following the service. More info below.

Gethsemane Watch

In your preparation for Easter, consider participating in the Gethsemane Watch. The watch represents the time Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane wanting the disciples to stay awake with him. It begins immediately following the Maundy Thursday Service and concludes at the start of the Good Friday 8:30am Stations of the Cross. The watch takes place in the Columbarium and it is a time of silence. Spiritual books and writings will be available. Please consider "sitting in the garden" to watch and pray with Jesus.

Please note that more than one or two can sign up for any given time and it is preferable for there to be at least two people per slot in the wee hours of the night in addition to the security guard we hire for the night. Sign up on the board in the narthex on Sundays.

Giving for Easter Flowers & Music

This Easter you can remember your loved ones and celebrate important moments in your life with the gift of flowers and/or music to the church.  

You can share with us the person or event you would like to give flowers in gratitude or memory of via our online form, or you can email the office. Please add "Easter Flowers & Music" to the memo line of checks and mail or drop them off to the office. You can also pay online using the drop down menu by selecting Flowers & Music (Christmas and Easter).

Easter Egg Hunt Donations

We will once again host an egg hunt on Easter morning after our 10am service. In order to do this we need your help through donations of candy and/or stuffed Easter eggs. We will be stuffing the Easter eggs during Coffee Hour following our Palm Sunday service on March 29. Please join us!

Easter Brunch Potluck

Join us Easter Sunday immediately following the 10am service and Easter Egg Hunt for a potluck Easter Brunch and fellowship! Please sign up to bring a dish or treat using the button below.

Weekly Services

10am Sunday Morning Worship Eucharist (also Livestreamed)

Nursery available during worship

5pm Sunday Evening Contemplative Prayer Service on Zoom

9am Morning Prayer – Zoom Monday through Thursday

8:30am Friday Morning Contemplative Eucharist

Celebration of Life Services

We will be having a Celebration of Life Service for Sr. Tina Francesca Ferriot on Saturday, March 7, 2026 at 11am at the church with a reception immediately following in Parish and Johnstone Hall. If you would like to contribute a dish for Sr. Tina's reception please contact Marcie Larkey and if you would like to assist with the reception set up or clean up please contact Michelle in the office, 916.488.3550 or email. The service will be livestreamed here.

We will be having a Celebration of Life Service for Mary Hutchinson on Saturday, March 29, 2026 at 1pm at the church with a reception immediately following in Parish Hall.

We will be having a Celebration of Life Service for Marguerite Clugston on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at 11am at the church with a reception immediately following in Parish Hall.

Choral Masterworks by John Cozza

Wiederstehe doch der Sünde, BWV 54 by Bach

Particularly appropriate for the beginning of the Lenten Season is Widerstehe doch der Sünde (Just resist sin), BWV 54, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed the solo cantata for alto in Weimar between 1711 and 1714, and probably performed it on the seventh Sunday after Trinity, 15 July 1714. It is Bach's first extant church cantata for a solo voice, and also his one surviving Lenten cantata from his Weimar days (in Bach's time Lent was a tempus clasum in Leipzig in which no instrumental music was performed in church).

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoz8u7R-aQs (a very interesting video of idiosyncratic Canadian pianist and Bach specialist Glenn Gould introducing and performing this cantata with countertenor Russell Oberlin--music starts at 10:15)

Translation: https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/BWV54-Eng3.htm



Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widerstehe_doch_der_S%C3%BCnde,_BWV_54

Prayers for Pregnant Women & Their Babies

We have an ongoing relationship with the Episcopal Sisters at the Order of Julian of Norwich monastery who pray daily for pregnant women and their babies. If you have name(s) of loved one(s) who are expecting that you would like to have included in the sisters' prayers, please email Fr. Rod.

Giving Thanks with Flowers!

You can remember your loved ones and celebrate important moments in your life with the gift of flowers to the church.  If you would like to give in this way, please let the office know and what you would like to give thanks for in the bulletin. You can send a check (or drop it off) to the office or pay on-line.  

Name Tags

Name tags are available at Sunday morning check in's on the greeter cart. Please be sure to grab and wear your name tag before the service. If you are in need of a name tag please let the office know.

St. Michael's Hours

Office Hours: Monday through Friday 10:00am - 1:00pm

Sanctuary, Columbarium and Courtyard are open during office hours. Please let the office know you will be coming. Call 916.488.3550 or email.

Pastoral Hours



Rev. Megan is on maternity leave through May 17 and will be available on request after May 18. 

Pastor Katie will be available on request. Please email pastorkatie@stmichaelscarmichael.org to schedule.

Fr. Mike will be available on request. Please email revdrferrito@outlook.com to schedule.

Fr. Rod will be available on request. Please email fatherrod@stmichaelscarmichael.org to schedule. 



Giving 

Thank you all for generously supporting St. Michael's and our ministries. We are accepting pledge payments through the mail. We are also accepting online giving. You may have to set up an account to do so. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Kate Muris.