Pilgrimage Herald

MISSIONS AND OUTREACH
Next Meeting- February 16th @ 6:30pm

One Great Hour of Sharing: March 6, 2005 is Dedication Day for the One Great Hour of Sharing. Every year through our generous gifts, our congregation, along with nine other denominations, supports the network of ministries that reaches victims of disaster, poverty, illness and war around the world.

The 6th annual Warm Hearts, Warm Homes Gala Fundraiser will be held on Saturday, February 19th, 2005, at the Radisson Hotel in Plymouth. Senator Therese Murray will be the guest auctioneer. Local restaurants serve sumptuous fare. There is music and a silent auction too. Purchase tickets online at http://hfhplymouth.org/gala-ticket or send checks payable to "Habitat for Humanity of Greater Plymouth" at Box 346, Carver, MA 02330-0346.

Anyone wishing to contribute to the Florida Hurricane Recovery should send checks to: Wider Church Ministries, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115. Online donations may be made at http://www.ucc.org/oghss/donate.htm.

Overnights of Hospitality interfaith program continues to be successful and will continue through the winter. Volunteers are needed at First Parish Church the week of March 20-26. If you cannot volunteer, but would like to make a contribution to this vital program, please send checks, payable to: Christ Church Episcopal, 149 Court Street, Plymouth, MA 02360 (marked in the memo for Task Force for the Homeless). The next training session for volunteers will be held at First Parish Parish House (the lower level of the yellow building) on Sunday, February 13th at 7:30pm.

Thank you to the youth of our church and all the contributors to the "Souper Bowl of Caring." We raised $350.00!

From the Board of Trustees:

The 3 pieces of aluminum siding that are hanging off the tower of the church building will be replaced by Shiretown Glass.

Watch for upcoming announcements and plan to attend the following events: The Time and Talent Auction, The Golf Tournament and the Plant Sale.

Please watch for notices regarding Church House "Work Days." There will a lot of work to do so the construction phase can begin. If you are in charge of an event and/or have stored items in the Church House, please be sure they are moved before the end of March.

The Stewardship Committee is running their pledge drive and the budget for the next fiscal year is being worked on.

New Members: Will be received into the church on February 27, 2005. Another class will begin in the near future, probably before Easter. There are those who could not attend current sessions who have indicated an interest in the class. If you are interested, please speak to Rev. Marks or call the church office.

Sunday River Ski Trip, Feb 20-23. The cutoff date for signing up has been extended to Feb 10. There is limited room and there is much organization to be done, so please be sure to let Rev. Dan know if you plan on going! Think snow! (at least in the mountains)

Come bowling at Alley Cat with our Youth Fellowship on Feb 13 from 3-5 PM. Meet at the Church House first, and then we'll carpool. We'll be playing ten-pin bowling, and there will be prizes for anyone that can beat Rev. Dan (notice: He hasn't had to hand out any prizes before, so come and find out if you have what it takes!). Estimated cost for shoes and two strings is $10.


garymarks@8townsquare.org danspacek@8townsquare.org	February 13 , 2005	office@8townsquare.org
Volume LXXVII		No. 7
Dear Friends, Last week I had to check my calendar at least twice to assure myself that February 13th is, indeed, the first Sunday in Lent. It seems we've just removed the Christmas tree from the family room! Checking my calendar to confirm that it is indeed, Lent was a kind of "reality check" for me. Lent is, in one way of looking at it, a kind of "reality check." Lent is the forty days of penance and preparation, excluding Sundays, prior to Easter. It is a season set aside in many Christian traditions during late winter/early spring to focus upon the need for repentance. The word Lent itself is derived from a word meaning "the lengthening of days." Lent is a long six- week season which extends from Ash Wednesday to Easter. Biblically Lent is based upon Jesus' temptations and fasting in the wilderness. The Gospel reading for February 13th is Matthew 4:1-11. In that account, likely the text for my sermon on the 13th, Jesus is led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil for a period of forty days and forty nights. This is the period in which Jesus makes a kind of "reality check" before the powers of evil which could deter him from his role in God's plan for salvation. The word Lent, of course, is not mentioned in the New Testament, but the forty days of temptation and self-examination are surely biblical and worthy of our attention and humble identity with Jesus as he contemplates life in the world before both the devil and God. Lent is a structured season and it includes many common themes in the spiritual quest which are familiar and repetitive. It is a yearly reminder that some temptations are common to all of us and that no matter how advanced we become in life and society those temptations remain common among us. During Lent we consider anew each year what it would take to find fulfillment in the spiritual pilgrimage in the light of God's grace. It should be a caution to us that Lent does not produce God's grace or spiritual fulfillment. Lent is a kind of "cultivation of the soul," a preparation of the human spirit, for the realization that life is incomplete without God. It helps us to focus upon "habits of the heart" which keep us from seeking fulfillment in God. It is a time, as the forty days were for Jesus, to weigh our goals for life against all those things which are ultimately unsatisfying and keep us from knowing the joys of our deepest desires. Lent does not produce Easter, but it is hard to know Easter without Lent. That which is fulfilling cannot really be known until we humbly, and honestly, confront what is missing. Though Lent as a season contains repetitions and discipline, that does not mean that its practices is a "method" of salvation. It means that in following the path of Jesus we are preparing ourselves for the gift of life and hope which can only come from God's love and grace. Lent is a "reality check" which can help us toward the experience of the reality of God's love. Love, © The Church of the Pilgrimage in Plymouth, MA Inc., all rights reserved.
Sunday, February 13, 2005 First Sunday in Lent Morning Worship, 10:00 am , Rev. Gary L. Marks, preaching. Deacon of the Month: Don Moore. Altar Flowers: In loving memory of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Peterson, Mrs. and Mrs. Harold Peterson, and Mrs. and Mrs. Fred Voght. Given by the Family If you are aware of someone in the hospital, please call the church office. This is especially important for those in out-of-town hospitals. Rev. Marks makes routine visits to the Jordan Hospital, but because of privacy regulations information is not always available to him regarding who is a patient there as much as it once was. Please let him know or call the church office, if you know of hospitalization. Pledges for Fiscal Year 2005 Needed to date: $103,579.63 ($3,571.71/week) F/Y 2005 Total Pledge Receipts received to date: $83,513.91 As of 1/16/05 -$20,065.72 Please keep your pledges up to date, so that we can meet our overall operating needs! Thank you, Jonathan Porter, Assistant Treasurer
CHURCH RECORD Hospitalized: Gloria Johnson, recuperating at home.
THIS WEEK Sunday,Feb 13.: Morning Worship 10:00 a.m., Rev. Gary L.Marks, preaching; New Member Class, 11:30am-12:30pm, in the Pastor's Study. Monday, Feb. 14, Valentine's Day: Aerobics, 9:15 a.m., Allerton Hall; Monday Meals of Hospitality, noon-1pm, Allerton Hall; Tiger Pack 47, 4-5:30, Church House; Girl Scouts, 3:30-5, Church House; Pilgrim Festival Chorus Rehearsal, 7-10pm, Sanctuary. Tuesday, Feb 15: Rev. Marks will conduct a worship service at The Newfield House at 10:30am. He will be in the church office following the service; Aerobics, 6:30 pm; Allerton Hall; Board of Trustees Meeting, 7:30pmn, Church House (upstairs); Scout Ceremony Rehearsal, 6-9pm, Church House. Wednesday, Feb 16: Aerobics, 9:15 a.m., Allerton Hall; Staff Meeting, 10:00 am; Brownie Troop #122, 4-5:30pm, Allerton Hall; Troop 47/Den 4, 6-7:30, Church House (up);Troop #47, 7pm, Church House; Evening Prayer Service , 7pm, sanctuary; Music Committee Meeting, 6:30pm, Sanctuary; Choir Rehearsal 7:30 pm, sanctuary. Thursday, Feb 17: Aerobics, 6:30pm, Allerton Hall. Friday, Feb. 18: Aerobics, 9:15 am, Allerton Hall; Rev. Marks will be in the church office, 9:30-11:30am.
NOTES: MISSIONS AND OUTREACH Next Meeting- February 16th @ 6:30pm One Great Hour of Sharing: March 6, 2005 is Dedication Day for the One Great Hour of Sharing. Every year through our generous gifts, our congregation, along with nine other denominations, supports the network of ministries that reaches victims of disaster, poverty, illness and war around the world. The 6th annual Warm Hearts, Warm Homes Gala Fundraiser will be held on Saturday, February 19th, 2005, at the Radisson Hotel in Plymouth. Senator Therese Murray will be the guest auctioneer. Local restaurants serve sumptuous fare. There is music and a silent auction too. Purchase tickets online at http://hfhplymouth.org/gala-ticket or send checks payable to "Habitat for Humanity of Greater Plymouth" at Box 346, Carver, MA 02330-0346. Anyone wishing to contribute to the Florida Hurricane Recovery should send checks to: Wider Church Ministries, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115. Online donations may be made at http://www.ucc.org/oghss/donate.htm. Overnights of Hospitality interfaith program continues to be successful and will continue through the winter. Volunteers are needed at First Parish Church the week of March 20-26. If you cannot volunteer, but would like to make a contribution to this vital program, please send checks, payable to: Christ Church Episcopal, 149 Court Street, Plymouth, MA 02360 (marked in the memo for Task Force for the Homeless). The next training session for volunteers will be held at First Parish Parish House (the lower level of the yellow building) on Sunday, February 13th at 7:30pm. Thank you to the youth of our church and all the contributors to the "Souper Bowl of Caring." We raised $350.00! From the Board of Trustees: The 3 pieces of aluminum siding that are hanging off the tower of the church building will be replaced by Shiretown Glass. Watch for upcoming announcements and plan to attend the following events: The Time and Talent Auction, The Golf Tournament and the Plant Sale. Please watch for notices regarding Church House "Work Days." There will a lot of work to do so the construction phase can begin. If you are in charge of an event and/or have stored items in the Church House, please be sure they are moved before the end of March. The Stewardship Committee is running their pledge drive and the budget for the next fiscal year is being worked on. New Members: Will be received into the church on February 27, 2005. Another class will begin in the near future, probably before Easter. There are those who could not attend current sessions who have indicated an interest in the class. If you are interested, please speak to Rev. Marks or call the church office. Sunday River Ski Trip, Feb 20-23. The cutoff date for signing up has been extended to Feb 10. There is limited room and there is much organization to be done, so please be sure to let Rev. Dan know if you plan on going! Think snow! (at least in the mountains) Come bowling at Alley Cat with our Youth Fellowship on Feb 13 from 3-5 PM. Meet at the Church House first, and then we'll carpool. We'll be playing ten-pin bowling, and there will be prizes for anyone that can beat Rev. Dan (notice: He hasn't had to hand out any prizes before, so come and find out if you have what it takes!). Estimated cost for shoes and two strings is $10.
Coming Events: Feb. 21 Presidents Day-The Church Office will be closed (school vacation). Feb. 22 The Advisory Board will meet at 7pm, Church House. Feb. 27 Reception of new members during worship.
Clerk - Lois Post; Moderator - Steven Triffletti; Treasurer - David Kegel; Collector - Thomas Mudgett; Music Director - William B Richter; Organist - Chandler Gregg Secretary - Shellie McCormack; Sexton - Tony Nightingale; World Mission Emphasis - Heifer Project International; Church Building Telephone - (508) 747-1341.