Reflections
That was some kind of weather, wasn’t it?
Thanks to Joe York for standing by to read Morning Prayer in place of your stranded Vicar. Special stars in the crowns for those who braved the elements to join Joe at the church (The seven of you get one of my limited Get Out of Purgatory Free Cards). I am sure that the Lafayette and Yalobusha County emergency management teams were glad I didn’t try to make the journey.
It was frustrating, of course, being home bound for eight days( more than frustrating for those of you with children out of school!), but there was something about the mandatory confinement that was a real gift to me. It gave me the opportunity to read ( John Meacham’s beautiful ode to John Lewis, His Truth Is Marching On) and write a little on what may one day be something of a memoir. With this unusual amount of free time I was also able to watch and listen to the broadcast of the Q and A sessions from around the state with the nominees for Bishop. Unfortunately, I also wasted lots of this gift of time, but I won’t go into those details! I hope that you were able to stay warm and fed and experience, at least for a few days, this marvelous gift of disruption.
We will resume normal activity this week: Bible study at 9:30 and worship at 10:30 on Sunday. I will be back in town on Wednesday for my regular rounds of visitation to the nursing homes and scheduled appointments. I will also be meeting with David Howell at the newspaper to produce a story for our Mardi Gras parade (see below). As always, please feel free to contact me if there is something on your mind, or you’d just like to visit.
Other Matters of Interest
I promised sign up sheets for a number of items in the previous newsletter. Since I didn’t make it on Sunday with the sheets, I am reproducing those announcements from last week.
Nativity’s Annual Congregation Meeting- Sunday, February 11
After worship on February 11 we will hold our canonically required Annual Meeting to elect two new Mission Committee ( Mary Beth Pulsifer and Eddie Wood have been nominated, thus far), review our annual budget and discuss the ongoing life of this special community. Please make every effort to join us.
Immediately following the Annual Meeting we will celebrate our common life with a special luncheon in the Salt and Light building. Joe York will cook Boston butts and Juawice McCormick will bake King Cakes ( a nod to Mardi Gras-see below ) for our dessert. Drinks will be provided. The rest of us will be providing various side dishes that we will sign up for on a spread sheet that will be available in the church.
This will be our inaugural “big event” at S and L. We’ll make a few mistakes, learn a lot and have a wonderful time…And we’ll be finished well before the start of the Super Bowl!
Are You Interested in Helping With…
Salt and Light Ministries?
After completing most of their work, the Salt and Light Decorating Committee will be reorganized into a group that will look to facilitate the ongoing use of the facility-social, programmatic, outreach, etc. There are still a few things needing to be completed within the building, but we are now ready to move into our next phase of ministry. There will be some carryover of folks who had expressed interest in the ongoing use of the building( we have not forgotten you!), but this is a chance for new folks to join in establishing and coordinating these ministries. Sign up sheets will be in the church.
Jail ministry?
After our wonderful pre-Christmas trip to the local jail, some interest was expressed in developing an ongoing jail ministry. If you are interested in talking about the development of such a ministry, please see the sign up sheet in the rear of the church. After we see if there is an interest, a meeting will be called to discuss the nature and direction of such a new ministry.
Election of Our New Bishop-February 3
Les and Jan Nichols and I will be representing Nativity at this year’s Annual Diocesan Council February 2-4 at St. Andrew’s School in Ridgeland, MS. During our time there we will be electing the 11th Bishop of the Diocese of Mississippi.
Last week there were a series of “Meet and Greet” events around the diocese where the five nominees for Bishop introduced themselves and responded to questions that had been previously submitted. Although two of the events (Greenville and Tupelo) had to become “virtual” events because of the weather, all four events were recorded and available for viewing at msbishopsearch.com.
Les, Jan and I have reflected among ourselves about what we heard and saw, and we would love to hear any thoughts or comments that you might have after viewing the videos.
Mardi Gras Celebration: February 13 - Roulez Les Bon Temps!
The First Annual Nativity/Water Valley Mardi Gras celebration and parade will take place Tuesday, February 13 (Special Election Day) beginning at the church. We will gather around 4:30pm( after everyone has voted) at the church and will head out down Main Street with a police escort at 5:00pm. Children ( from Nativity and across Water Valley) are encouraged to bring bicycles, wagons, tricycles(decorated or not). Adults are encouraged to bring a child-like, even silly, spirit! If you have nothing to dress up with…keep reading!
There will be a limited number of beads- for costuming and tossing to the enormous(?) crowds that line the street; a few masks, etc; and a few costumes. (Your Vicar will be dressed in a purple, green and yellow Joker’s costume-worth the price of admission!). But if you have some of these items tucked away, feel free to bring them to share! We’ll be carrying an “Alleluia” banner down the street as a symbol of the last gasp of Epiphany (Fat Tuesday) before we move into the penitential season of Lent the next day (Ash Wednesday). We’ll bury it later on the church grounds, and on Easter Day when, after 40 days(Sundays don’t count) of a time of penance, fasting and prayer, we’ll dig it up and shout “Alleluia! He is Risen!”
We will parade to This Is Noteworthy(tin)-16 South Main- where we will be met by a brass band that will play throughout the evening’s activities. There will be a gumbo cooking competition where we’ll eat and cast our votes!. Red beans and rice will be a vegetarian option. For those who have begun to consider their Lenten discipline, there will be a fun art project where you can artistically, and in good humor, describe what you “are giving up for Lent”.
In preparation for all of this, on Saturday, February 10th, from 10-2:00pm Mulberry Lane and This is Noteworthy will host a city-wide mask and umbrella decorating event for all ages.
It will all be a lot of fun. Jesus poked fun at the seriousness of the Pharisees, and he was accused of being a glutton and drunkard because he enjoyed a good meal and lively fellowship. I can be overly serious at times, like the Pharisees. I would prefer to hang out with Jesus.
See you Sunday!
Blessings and Peace,
Duncan
(601)260-1937
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