Happy St. Patrick's Day and may the luck of the Irish brighten your way!

I've been hearing reports of people getting their vaccine shot and that is exciting; every person that gets vaccinated is one step closer to being able to gather freely and enjoy each other's company!
As we move into the last few weeks of Lent here's an update on what is happening for Holy Week.  I'm excited about all of it and I know it will require all of our best efforts to make it successful!  I hope you are able to join us!
Palm/Passion Sunday
11:00 a.m. -- Holy Eucharist Live Stream
5:00 p.m. -- Join us on Sunday evening for a virtual Palm Sunday Evensong service, in which the ‘song’ of voices is heard at the ‘even’ point between the active day and the restful night, allowing listeners time for restful contemplation of Christ's love for us.  *Note:  The service will be repeated on Tuesday evening, March 30, at 7:35 p.m.

Evensong dates back to the time of the Reformation, using elements of the old monastic Offices of Vespers and Compline. The liturgy (a fixed set of words and ceremonial features) that the Church uses to was was laid out in Archbishop Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer, the first version of which appeared in 1549. The music took shape a few decades later, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, with great composers like William Byrd and Thomas Tallis, and in each subsequent generation, new composers have continued to add masterworks of classical choral music to the repertoire of Evensong. This has inspired a unique 500-year-old unbroken tradition, creating a connection of the present with the past, tapping into something much greater than ourselves. (Source:  https://www.choralevensong.org/uk/about.php)

We are excited to be working together with St. Thomas Anglican Church, Chilliwack to host this service.
Maundy Thursday, April 1st, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. -- Normally we'd gather for some sort of service (in the years immediately prior to the pandemic we gathered for "The Agape Meal").  This year our plan is to "take the Agape to the Community." We will have a drop-off of non-perishable food items in the parking lot (to be given to the Food Bank) and then each car will be given "a symbol or two of Easter." 
Good Friday, April 2nd - We will post a "Stations of the Cross" service online, accessible through our website.  This service will feature meditations from "Forward Movement" read by Fr. Allen and Rev. Jennifer and woodcut stations taken from an old set recovered at St. Matthew. Thanks to Steven Burgoyne for helping stitch this together.
Easter Sunday, April 4th - At this point, we're not sure whether we'll be able to have an in-person service or not, so we're planning for both in-person and live stream options.  We are hopeful that some of us will be present but the next couple of weeks will tell that tale.
Living the Christian Journey of Lent with you,
Allen+