What a glorious week we have had. Let me give you a few of the highlights:
A Visit by the Very Reverend Robert Paul Price: we had a busy flurry of activity preparing for the blessing of our fellowship hall. Our wardens and clergy hosted Fr. Rob and his wife, Kate, at Campione’s restaurant on Saturday the 19th. This was a relaxed gathering filled with lively conversation and celebration. The next day, Fr. Price, currently the Dean of Saint Matthew’s Cathedral in Dallas, and former Rector of Saint Dunstan’s for 13 years, preached a phenomenal sermon at the 9:00 am service. Right after, he presided at the blessing of our newly upgraded parish hall, which we renamed The Price Fellowship Hall in celebration of his long tenure among us. The naming of buildings in honor of former rectors is a beautiful tradition of this congregation that dates back to our earliest days. We have the Lennard Administration Building (after our first rector,) The Bentley Education Center (after our second rector,) and now The Price Fellowship Hall (after our third rector.) I am very thankful for the work of the Hall Rehabilitation Committee, the staff, and the wardens who made this incredible event possible. We had record numbers of attendees, the food was delicious, and the Price family felt very welcomed and loved. This is Saint Dunstan’s at its best.
Staff Retreat in Fredericksburg: Our staff has had a very busy two years managing the Pandemic while providing quality services to our congregation. Because of COVID, we had not had a chance to have a proper staff retreat until now. We arrived at Fredericksburg at around 6:00 pm on Sunday, February 20th. We celebrated Evening Prayer together, followed by a wonderful meal at Auslander Restaurant. We had breakfast at the hotel the following day, followed by Morning Prayer. We then had two training sessions: Christian Leadership principles derived from Matthew 20:25-28, and Thoughts on Brene Brown’s “Dare to Lead.” We broke for a delicious lunch at Tubby’s Icehouse, which was followed by two work meetings. The first, was a Retrospective of 2021 where we discussed the following questions: “What has worked well this last year? What areas remain under-developed? Will our Annual Meeting Stretch Goals get us to where we want to be? What else could we dream about for our future?” Then we had a Looking Ahead to Holy Week and Easter 2022 calendaring meeting. Both Sarah Quiroga and Katie Lamb led us into a discussion of the multiple services we have planned for the season ahead, and the team made decisions regarding acolytes, readers, instrumentalists, communications, etc. We then finished our retreat with a wonderful meal at Western Edge Kitchen, after which some of our staff returned home. A number of us stayed an extra day for individual relaxation. This was a spirit-filled and fun retreat that was much needed by our staff. I would like to thank the Vestry for allowing us this amazing time of renewal.
Planning for Lent: For the last several weeks, the staff has been planning for Lent during our staff meetings. This took final shape at our last week’s staff meeting. The season will begin on Ash Wednesday, but prior to this service we will have a grand “Fat Tuesday” Pancake Supper in our Price Fellowship Hall. Come join the excellent cooks of our Brotherhood of Saint Andrew as we burn our palms and celebrate our own little Mardi Gras. We would like all of you to invite your neighbors and friends to this great event. There is no registration required, there will be plenty of children’s activities, and the event is completely free. The following day on Ash Wednesday we will have services at 6:30 am, noon, and 7:00 pm. If you reside in a Senior Living Facility and would like for us to bring ashes to you, please feel free to contact Dede at the office and either Mother Beth Anne or I will bring you ashes. These events are wonderful invite-events. Please tell your neighbors and friends about us. We would love to have them join us. Lastly, we will be having The Stations of the Cross every Sunday at 10:15 am in the sanctuary during Lent. This is an ancient service of the Church that has fallen out of fashion in some churches. Please join us as we walk the beautiful stations in our church and remember the events of the Via Dolorosa (Christ’s journey to his death.) Spread the word about these services.
Now, let me leave you with a few things you can look forward to:
Livestream of our 11:00 am service starts on the First Sunday of Lent (6 March 2022.) This was always the goal for us, but I wanted to wait until our technology team was ready. I believe we are ready, and I look forward to this new offering. You will love our traditional hymnody and our new organist.
Live Bible Musings with Fr. Roldan on Tuesday Evenings at 6:30 pm. I have received some requests from folks who want an in-person, in-depth, Bible study onsite. We will start this offering on the first, second, and fourth Tuesdays of every month in BEC 309 (our Vestry meeting takes place on the Third Tuesday of the month.) The format will be simple: We choose a book and start on Chapter 1, read a few verses a week, and talk about the context, original audience, historical setting, purpose for the writing of the book, and theological significance of the passage. We will have ample opportunity for questions and conversation. This will be an unhurried, at our pace, in-depth study. During our first session on Tuesday, March 8, at 6:30, I will give you a sample of this type of Bible study, and we will choose a book we will start at our next meeting. No registration required. Please invite a few guests.
Please call us if you need our pastoral care teams or a clergy visit. We are here for you!
Blessings to all,
Fr. Roman+
