March Rector’s Letter
Dear Parish Family,
This month, I’m talking about Lent, the construction progress and several of our March activities. Plus I’m dropping a tease for Holy Week!
Lent is Underway
Ashes on our foreheads, purple vestments, and the saying of The Great Litany are all signs that the season of Lent is upon us. Signs are a big part of Lent. We’re asked to take a deep and true look at ourselves. What do we see, what signs are there, that we need to make some changes to get ourselves right with God? Lent is a great time to take a swing at some of those things. Maybe you hit a home run and your efforts these 6 weeks bring about real change. Or maybe it’s just a base hit (can you tell I’m ready for baseball season!). That’s ok too. You’re now a step closer to where you want to be. Ask God for help and He’ll show you how to bring it home.
Wednesdays in Lent begin tomorrow and I hope that you’ll join us. It’s an evening of fellowship time, worship and teaching. Stations of the Cross is something we offer every Lent. In a very powerful way, we walk with Jesus His final steps to Calvary. Dinner beforehand is an offering made by several of our ministry groups. Then the Fathers will take turns giving a short teaching on the Nicene Creed. This is the 1700 anniversary of its writing so it seems appropriate for us to take a deeper look at this statement of belief that we say every Sunday.
If you’re looking for ideas of what to take on or what to give up this Lent, I suggest our Ideas for Lent booklet. You can find it on our website here. There’s lots of ideas inside, maybe some you haven’t thought of before. I’ve been talking a lot lately about having a daily prayer routine. We included in the booklet a morning and evening Family Prayer to help you with your routine. It’s straight out of the Book of Common Prayer and is a shorter version of morning and evening prayer, perfect for everyone.
Construction Progress
After weeks of working with dirt (300 truckloads to be precise!), we are almost ready for piers and the pad. At this writing, we are waiting for the City of Southlake to give us the go-ahead. While we may say we are ready for the next step, we must wait for them to say we are ready. But like the proverbial duck who’s all quiet and calm on the surface, we’re going like crazy underneath. The existing Parish Hall will shut down for its renovation on April 28 and we’re working hard on the plan to get everything moved into storage or a temporary location. Thanks be to God, Cathy Barthelemy, our Vestry Jr. Warden, has stepped forward to lead the effort. The shut down also means that the many ministries who use the building will need to have a temporary place to meet. That plan is also being developed and discussed with the ministry leaders so that every group has a place to go.
Want to stay up to date with the construction progress? Check out the page on our website. There’s pictures and a log of everything that is happening. You can find it on the homepage or at the link here.
Chorale Performs Requiem Concert
Our wonderful choir has been dazzling us lately with their special concerts and Evensongs. Coming later this month, they will do it again with something perfect for Lent, Duruflé’s Requiem. A Requiem is a service for the dead and it is being performed for us just ahead of Good Friday, preparing us for Jesus’ death. I hope you will come and experience this sacred music.
Family Mission Trip
The Family Mission Trip will take off next week for Community First Village in Austin. Several of our families and individuals will be serving together, an opportunity for kids and youth to work side by side with their parents and other adults to minister to those in need. Please pray for God’s blessings on their efforts.
Men’s Retreat
For all the guys, the Men’s Retreat at Camp Crucis is coming up April 4-6 and I hope that many of you will go. Fr. Wilson is leading the retreat which is focusing on evangelism. So many people have said to me that talking about their faith to others is hard for them, even intimidating. This is a great opportunity to learn from one of the best how to become more comfortable with it. Get the full experience and stay the weekend at camp or just go on Saturday. Whatever time you can give, go! The link to register is here.
Holy Week
I’m excited to announce that our old friend Fr. Klukas will be joining us for Holy Week this year. It’s been a number of years since he’s been here but I know many of you will remember him from his previous visits. He was one of my favorite professors at Nashotah House Seminary and is the primary author of the new 2019 Book of Common Prayer. While he’s here, he’ll teach a class on the Prayer Book and preach at several of our Holy Week services. It’s going to be a great Holy Week for sure!
Blessings for a Holy Lent.
Faithfully,
Fr. John Jordan