LITURGY OF THE WORD AND WEEKLY READINGS

Sunday, February 24, 2013: Second Sunday In Lent
First Lesson: Genesis (15:1-12, 17-18)
Psalm 27. Page 617, BCP
Second Lesson: Paul's Epistle (Philippians 3:17-4:1)
The Holy Gospel Of Our Lord Jesus Christ According To Luke (13:31-35)
Suggested Readings For The Week
Monday Romans 1:1-15; Tuesday Romans 1:16-25; Wednesday Romans 1:28-2:11; Thursday Romans 2:12-24; Friday Romans 2:25-3:18; Saturday Romans 3:19-31.

Sunday, February 17, 2013: First Sunday In Lent: Feast Of Absalom Jones
First Lesson: Isaiah (42:5-9)
Psalm 137:1-6, Page 792, BCP
Second Lesson: Paul's Epistle (Galatians 5:1-5)
The Holy Gospel Of Our Lord Jesus Christ According To John (15:12-15)
Suggested Readings For the Week
Monday Hebrews 2:11-18; Tuesday Hebrews 3:1-11; Wednesday Hebrews 3:12-19; Thursday  Hebrews 4:1-10; Friday Hebrews 4:11-16; Saturday Hebrews 5:1-10.

Sunday, February 10, 2013: Last Sunday After The Epiphany
First Lesson: Exodus (34:29-35)
Psalm 99, Pages 728-729, BCP
Second Lesson: Paul's Epistle (2 Corinthians 3:12-4:1-2)
The Holy Gospel Of Our Lord Jesus Christ According To Luke (9:28-36)
Suggested Readings For the Week
Monday Hebrews 1:1-14; Tuesday Hebrews 2:1-10; Wednesday Hebrews 12:1-14; Thursday Titus 1:1-16; Friday Titus 2:1-15; Saturday Titus 3:1-15.

Sunday, February 3, 2013: Fourth Sunday After The Epiphany
First Lesson: Jeremiah (1:4-10)
Psalm 71:1-6, Page 683, BCP
Second Lesson: Paul's Epistle (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)
The Holy Gospel Of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to Luke (4:21-30)
Weekly Readings for the Week
Monday Galatians 4:1-11; Tuesday Galatians 4:12-20; Wednesday Galatians 4:21-31; Thursday Galatians 5:1-15; Friday Galatians 5:16-24; Saturday Galatians 5:25-6:10.

NEWS AND EVENTS

From the Desk Of The Rector   

The mission of the Church is to restore all people to the unity with God and each other in Christ. We engage in that mission when we pray and worship, when we proclaim the Gospel, and promote justice, peace and love and this is done through the ministry of all its members, lay people, bishops, priest and deacons. Over the years the Anglican/Episcopal Church has achieved this mission through full time clergy and all the other supports of parish life: parish secretary, organist, choir director, sexton/cleaners, auditors, providers of electricity, water and gas, lawn care persons, all of whom need to be paid from weekly giving of members and to a lesser extent fund raising. We cannot forget the need to have building(s) that must be maintained so that we can worship and fellowship comfortably.  

Many of our churches/parishes are finding it difficult to do the above; the question is of sustainability; do we have the capacity to support and maintain all of the above and remain viable? Can we maintain ourselves at the level to which we are accustomed?

I hope 2013 will be a time of reflection on the above and I hope we will do more long range planning that engages us in the realities of our present life. 

Thank you, as always, for being the best stewards you can be as we build our life together as a family of God called St. Monica's Church. Let us continue to pray for God's guidance and for each other as we allow God to 'guide us, lead us, along the way'.

St. Monica's Website
To visit St. Monica's website CLICK HERE.

Directions To St. Monica's

For driving directions to St. Monica's, 3575 Main Street, Hartford CLICK HERE

Upcoming Events  

Ash Wednesday: Wednesday, February 13th.

Stations of the Cross:Friday, February 15th at 6:15 p.m. and every Friday in Lent.

Absalom Jones Day Celebration: Sunday, February 17th.
Lenten Book Study: Begins Wednesday 20th.

Annual Black History Lunch
The Young People's Fellowship will host its Annual Black History Lunch on Sunday, February 17th after the 10:30 a.m. service. The cost is $15.00 per person. Please see any member of the Young People's Fellowship for tickets.  

Lurlene Williams
Lurlene Williams would like to thank the members of her church family who were able to attend her retirement dinner. Special thanks to Fr. Davidson for blessing the quilt. Many blessings to all of her church family.

2013 Calendars
Once again the calendar project was a success. We made a profit of $1725.00. Thanks to all of you fore your support. Special thanks to Euna Farrell, Paul Edwards, Arlette Hurdle, Jeremy Ifill, Olive James, Donna Ricketts and Evelyn Rhule for their efforts in selling the calendars.

Food Pantry

Please continue to donate to the Ruth Small Food Pantry. Suggested items are canned or instant potatoes, canned meats (tuna, salmon, chicken(, canned sweet potatoes, soup, peanut butter,jelly and individual fruit cups. Thank you for your continued support.

Rescheduling Meetings

Fr. Davidson needs our cooperation if we wish to reschedule a meeting on Monday or Wednesday between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Fr. Davidson schedules interviews and pastoral counseling either before or after Prayer Meetings on Monday. He may also schedule interviews and pastoral counseling on Wednesday. He schedules events when there is no Bible Study. As a courtesy, please call Fr. Davidson to verify if he has anything schedule.

Activity Calendar

Weekly: 1) Mondays-Prayer meeting at 6:30 p.m. 2) Wednesday-Bible Study at 6:30 p.m.

Special Days (Weekly): 1) Wednesdays and Fridays-Food Pantry opens 10:00 a.m. to noon.

2) Every other Thursday-Pro's and Con's task Force at 6:30 p.m.

Special Says (Monthly): First Thursday-Stewardship committee at 6:30 p.m. 2) Second Thursday-Vestry Meeting 6:30 p.m. 3) Third Tuesday- Women of Valier 4) Third and fourth Saturday opens at 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. 5) First Saturday-Episcopal Church women (ECW) at 12:00 noon.

Birthday And Anniversary in February

Happy Birthday to: Keith Martin 6th; Shauntelle Barnaby and Sharon Walters 7th;  Racine Fairweather and Daniel Ricketts 8th; Camry Brown 9th; Robert Nelson 12th; Norma Morris and Terrie Thomas 14th; Monica Oliphant 25th; Shawn Bailey and Barbara Lindo 26th; Evelyn Rule and Ruth Small 28th 

Happy Anniversary to:Lewis and Cynthia Timoll; Verna Ferguson and her dear husband 16th; Bob and Stephanie Lightfoot 26th.

In Memory for February

In Memory of: Vernell McKnight 3rd; Ena Sterling 5th; Walter Mitchell and Warren Fuller, Jr. 6th; Edward Hicks, Sr. 7th; Inez Rhule, Uris Crooks and Barry Washington 8th; Louis Brewster 9th; Cyril Crooks 11th; Diana Wells and Robert Jones 12th; Alfred Leckey 13th; Harriot Parker 14th; Prince Reid 15th; Walker Wiggins 16th; Paul Mikell and James Willis 26th; Lillian King and George Bell, Sr. 27th; Lilla Carlozzo 28th; Charles Allen 29th.

ITEMS OF INTEREST

I Wonder
This is an occasional column that answers interesting questions.

A few of my friends have asked me to explain Ash Wednesday because they wonder about it.

"Ash Wednesday is a day of repentance and marks the beginning of Lent.  Ashes were used in ancient times, according to the Bible, to express mourning. Dusting oneself with ashes was the penitent's way of expressing sorrow for sins and faults. Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of adherents as a sign of mourning and repentance to God."
Wikipedia: Ash Wednesday

"Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth; Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
Book of Common Prayer (1979), p.265. 

Clergy

The Rev. Charles Davidson

Vestry Members

Carol Anderson, Cyrus Aimey (Junior Warden), Veronica Airey-Wilson, Joyce Asiedu, Walter Benjamin (Senior Warden), Nora Brown,  Marie Brown-Harvey (Secretary), Patricia David, Evelyn Green, David Hickmon, Bates Lyons, Joe Noel, Peter Marsele, Terrie Thomas.

Music

Rochelle Holder - Youth Choir

Nathaniel Baker - Music Director/Organist

Rector Emeritus

Canon Cyril Burke

Email

monicahartford@gmail.com

THE BOOK CORNER

Passing Strange: A Gilded Age Tale of Love and Deception Across the Color Line
By Martha A. Sandweiss

After reading this book, I don't know what was strange, a famous person shadow double-life or society's hostile attitude on mixed marriage. Either way, the title 'Passing Strange', is appropriate; it means 'SURpassing strange' , an old phrase enjoying a comeback these days. In a nutshell, an internationally known and respected white scientist, Clarence King, a close personal friend of the US Secretary of State, posed as a black porter so he could marry the girl of his dreams, a black lady from NYC named Ada. To do this, King consistently lied to both his white friends and family and his black (or mixed) family for years, and went on extended work trips passing between cultures to make enough money to pull it off. He couldn't reveal to anyone on either side of the color line what he was doing or his world would have fallen apart. It was hard to relate to this since today not even an eye is batted at a mixed marriage. So the shadow life and racial attitudes are what this story is about, and the fall-out of a mixed marriage that played out for generations later. 

Mixed marriages were simply not socially acceptable in those days (late 1800's and early 1900's). Hard to imagine today when even the US President is of mixed origins. So, King must have been an exceptionally good liar to pull it off. Also, he was an extremely engaging type, one who had a 'genius for friendship' as one of his friends put it. His friends faithfully loved his though it often cost them lots of money he borrowed from them and could not pay back.

This stunt wouldn't have worked in this era of Youtube and 24-hour news. But then the societies of black and white were so segregated and the news reporting so limited that even a famous person could disappear and appear at will.

I found myself wishing that King had had the courage to make his marriage public. But that would have probably ruined his life and many others. If he had been open about it, he would have been a real hero instead of a shadow figure. And it would not have taken over a hundred years to hear about him.
Review by "Roman 8:1" (Baltimore)