Episcopal Church Women at Holy Spirit

We convened our first meeting of the year on January 15 at 1:30 pm. We covered many items with our agenda:

We held our first Card & Game Party of the year on Jan. 22, and had a great, noisy time. Our next scheduled Card & Game Parties are planned for Feb. 21 and Mar. 13, both Thursdays. We start at noon in the Undercroft. Bring a dish to share for lunch and your favorite games. Plan now to join us.

All women from our parish are invited to attend the Atlantic District Meeting on Feb. 12, 2008. It will be held at St. Mark’s & All Saints in Galloway beginning at 10:30 am. I am unable to go due to a conflicting board meeting at Interfaith, and need to have our church represented. If you are interested, please contact me.

Our menu for the Invite A Friend Sunday was to be simple and filling: bagels & spreads, fruit salads, veggies & dips, pies, brownies, and other sweets for a Continental breakfast.

We hope to have a luncheon meeting at Calloway’s in Eagleswood in May. More details will follow.

Meadowview was immensely pleased with our generous gifts and party to celebrate Christmas. As I stood in the hall speaking with one of the nurses, the elevator doors opened and we saw one of the dears in her wheelchair, with one lap robe over her legs and another around her shoulders. That inspires us to alter our projects for this year. We will make bags to hang on the walkers; shawls with ties to keep them on;
small traveling pillows, both knit and made of fabric; and at Christmas– small stockings that hold plastic cutlery: knife, fork, spoon and a napkin. Some material has been purchased, but we can use more. Also, please keep your eyes open for bags of stuffing to use for the pillows. They sometimes go on sale at the local craft stores. You could also use the discount coupon and subtract it from the regular price of the bag. We were very successful this year and provided gifts for 187 residents. We would like to duplicate that success this year. People can do projects at home in their leisure hours, or join us Wednesdays from 10 am until 3 pm. Please bring a brown bag lunch. Beverages will be provided.

Once again our ECW will offer the Hulsizer Scholarship to a graduating senior at Pinelands High School. We would also like to offer an award, which is a smaller amount of money, but still valuable for a student attending college.
Many more topics will be covered in the months to come. Please plan to join us Feb. 19 and enjoy our company!

Whatever Happened to Saint Valentine?

When we were little, February 14 was called Saint Valentine’s Day. Whatever happened to him?

Well, it turns out that Valentine was a very popular name in ancient Rome, and the Roman Catholic Church dropped the celebration from the list of saints in 1969 because they could not identify one person who could have been the namesake! It could be for a bishop of Terni beheaded during the reign of Claudius II, or a simple priest who was thrown into jail for helping persecuted Christians and beheaded on February 14. Or is it named for someone who secretly married lovers in the Christian fashion when it was forbidden, or wrote letters to his jailer’s daughter, or was a missionary in Africa?

Whoever the inspiration, the concept of expressing your love to someone close to you should not be relegated only to one day in February. Tell people often, and show them. Love one another!

Are You Too Busy for God?

Are you too busy for God? Sounds sacrilegious, doesn’t it? But that’s how many of us feel. We’re running from doctors’ appointments to sports practice to games to work to shopping to….. We don’t mean to leave Him out of the schedule, but it happens. What can we do to fight it?

During this year’s Lenten Program, we will discuss video presentations by authors Susan and Gregory Jones, who will help us to examine our busy lives and learn to be present with ourselves, with each other, and with God. Topics will include:

• Listening to the right voices;
  
• Keeping time;
  
• Self-awareness;
  
• Listening alone, and listening together.

Our Lenten Program will begin on Friday, February 8 at 5:45 pm in the downstairs hall. The schedule for the program will be:

5:45 pm: Evening Prayer

6:00 pm: Simple Meal (soup and bread)

6:15 pm: Program- “Attentiveness: Being Present.”

Please join us as we enjoy some delicious soups and breads, watch some thought-provoking videos, and explore God’s presence among us.

Ash Wednesday Services

Ash Wednesday Holy Eucharist will be held this Wednesday, February 6 at 7 am, 12 noon and 7 pm. Please join us; be marked as Christ’s own with ashes.