One of the central practices most appropriate to Lent is prayer. During Lent we will offer a weekly opportunity for prayer on Wednesday Evenings. Evening Prayer is one of the most beloved services of the Anglican Tradition. We will include the familiar devotions of the Stations of the Cross and the Great Litany in alternating weeks.

The Stations of the Cross are an ancient form of walking meditation on the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ.

The Great Litany is a characteristically Anglican devotion which calls on God to spare us from difficulty and danger, and to hear our prayers for a multitude of needs in the Church and in the world.

February 29, March 14, March 28: Evening Prayer with the Stations of the Cross

March 7, March 21: Evening Prayer with the Great Litany

7:00 PM, Wednesday, February 22

We begin the Holy Season of Lent with the Liturgy of Ash Wednesday. This service is a searingly honest confession of our mortality, and of our failure to live according to the way offered to us by God in Jesus Christ. It is also a time of grace, in which we remember that God desires that we be renewed for a full life, and that God fully forgives all who truly repent.  Ashes will be imposed, and the Holy Communion will be offered.

The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ, or Candlemas, is an ancient and venerable observance. This day comes forty days after Christmas Day, and commemorates the day when the baby Jesus was presented in the Temple of Jerusalem in accordance with Jewish law.  Simeon and Anna, who had been waiting in the Temple for many years, longing for the coming of the Messiah, recognized this holy child as the one for whom they had prayed.

This day is marked by the blessing of candles for the people, and a procession into the Church carrying the lit candles.  At Saint Peter’s we continue with Eucharist by candlelight.  A parish potluck supper will follow the service in Waterman Hall.  All are welcome to join us!

Our guest celebrant and preacher this evening will be the Rev. Richard Frontjes.

At the 10:00 service we will commission eighteen members of the parish for new ministries including: Senior Warden, Vestry Members, Acolytes, Lectors, and Prayer Leaders.  Please join us as we pray for God’s wisdom and guidance, and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to empower these people in their new ministries!

Lector/Prayer Leaders for the 7:30 service will be commissioned at that service on a later date.

Our guest at both services today will be the Rev. Ken Erickson, chaplain of Holy Family School.  He will preach the sermon at each service.  After each service, Fr. Erickson will offer a presentation about Holy Family School and their ministry to economically disadvantaged children in Chicago.

After our 10:00 service, we will gather as a whole congregation in Waterman Hall to review the past year and plan for 2012.  We will elect a new Senior Warden, new Vestry Members, and a trustee for the Waterman Farm Trust.

The Nominees for the Vestry Positions are:

Anne Hulsey   Senior Warden
John Boies   three-year Vestry term
Cindy Vain   three-year Vestry term
James Wilson   three-year Vestry term
Janis FitzHenry   one-year Vestry term

Further nominations will be accepted from the floor.

Brunch will be served by the Vestry.