I am thinking of you on this Sunday evening, and looking forward to seeing you next Sunday, February 5, for what promises to be a busy and fun morning! We have our monthly breakfast at nine am, and our children’s activity time at 9:30, and then our service of Holy Eucharist at 10am, where we’ll welcome our Scouts, their leaders and their families for Scout Sunday. It is such a gift to be able to share this time with them-we are so glad that they use our space for their weekly meetings!-and some of the Scouts may be involved in the service as readers, greeters, etc., which will be a joy. And then coffee hour after the service, where we’ll get to talk with them and hear more about Scouting in general, so please do plan to be with us. We love it when you’re here!

***Also, please bring any candles you use in your home on Sunday and Father Fred will bless them, and the church candles, with a Candlemas blessing during the service.

I missed you all today but you were so close in my prayers and love. Because I am part time, there will occasionally be Sundays when I’m not there. I ask you to please reach out for prayer, or conversation, or a home visit if it’s challenging for you to join us in person, so that we stay connected and get to know each other better. I am so glad to be meeting more and more of you all the time- please do stop by on my office day (Tuesdays, about 11am to 5pm or so) or we’ll make an appointment for a time that suits you. My phone and e-mail are always on my email.

Please enjoy these amazing booklets of a much earlier era in the church that I discovered while hard-organizing our basement. They were either my father’s or his father’s before him-my grandfather was born and christened in England and then came to America as a young man. I’ll bring them to the church in case any of you would like to see them. And I love this picture of him in his christening gown in 1930, the year he was born-our three children all wore this precious gown as well. Not pictured, but I also found a well-worn prayer book published in 1920. And the newsletter is talking about getting used to the “new” prayer book- our 1979 BCP we use now! Wow! Memories like this are so wonderful, aren’t they?

Sending you all such deep blessings and so much love,

Deacon Dina 

The Reverend Dina Carter Ishler