Friday, January 22

2021 feels like we are racing in the fast lane. New Year's Day was only 22 days ago, and yet it seems so long ago. The horrifying events of January 6, a day when we should have been enjoying the visit of the Magi, seems as if it happened months ago. January 2021 continues to deliver major headlines every day, and I find I am often racing to keep up with the events happening around us. Power has transitioned, Twitter feeds have been silenced, and vaccines are rolling out, albeit slowly. Every minute there is another breaking story.

It is not just the news that is moving fast. We have been moving quickly here at St. Mark's. In addition to the feasts of Christmas and the Epiphany, all of which we celebrated with masses and daily offices, we have been busy with capital improvements. The Parish Hall exterior has been painted, as well as the interior ceiling of the hall. New windows for the working sacristy have been ordered, and the painting of the exterior of the church begins on Monday. Over $50,000 has been raised for these projects, and on behalf of the vestry, many thanks to everyone who has contributed.

Epiphany has also seen the closing of our pop-up thrift shop. The last day of operation was on Saturday, January 9. As we could not use the Parish Hall for social gatherings due to the pandemic, the thrift shop was a good use of the space during these past months. Serving as a fundraiser for the church, the thrift shop also provided a safe way for church members to volunteer, strengthening relationships within the church, as well as with those outside of our parish community. Many homeless were served through the thrift shop as well, benefiting from free clothes and other items. Many thanks are due to the multiple volunteers who gave of their time for this effort, and special thanks are due to those who helped clear out the hall once the thrift shop ended. Many social agencies and church ministries benefited from the remaining thrift shop goods. Now that the hall has been cleared, it looks great with the new paint job, as does the parish classroom. These spaces have been greatly improved for when our regular ministries may resume post-pandemic.

Last Sunday was the parish annual meeting. This year it was short and sweet, consisting of elections and a synopsis of our church finances. Michel Reavis was appointed senior warden for another year; Tim Valadez was elected junior warden; and Lokelani Garvey, Michael Ida, and Nanette Judd were elected to the vestry. Sandra Leialoha, Michel Reavis, John Schamber, and Jesse Wilson were elected diocesan convention delegates. With so much uncertainty in the coming days due to the slow vaccine rollout, as well as the potential for new virus variants that are increasingly contagious, it was decided not to postpone the annual meeting. St. Mark's has been successfully constituted for 2021.

Before long Lent will have arrived. Ash Wednesday is on February 17. As we are fortunate to be worshipping in-person currently, we hope this may continue into the coming weeks. Most likely we will not be able to have the traditional Imposition of Ashes this year, but we will still mark the beginning of Lent in a meaningful way. The imposition of ashes on the forehead is considered too risky, as it requires the celebrant to touch the skin of the penitent on the forehead. An alternative would be the sprinkling of ashes over penitents.

Even though Lent is coming quickly, for now we are enjoying the light of Epiphany-tide. This Sunday we hear the Gospel of Jesus calling his disciples by the Sea of Galilee. Like the disciples, we too can follow the light of Christ. Last Sunday we heard the invitation to "come and see." This Sunday Christ calls each of us with the words, "follow me."

The Rev'd Father Paul Lillie +