Members of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church are organizing a spaghetti feed Saturday, May 12, to support a medical and educational mission in Honduras.  The meal will be served from 5 to 7 p.m. in St. Mark’s parish hall, 111 S. Jefferson.  Donations of any size will be accepted.

The menu will consist of spaghetti with a variety of sauces (both vegetarian and meat), assorted salads, garlic bread, cookies and beverages.

Proceeds will go to Honduras Good Works, a not-for-profit organization that works with the Episcopal Diocese of Honduras to provide medical care, education and community development for impoverished communities in the state of El Paraíso in southeast Honduras, near the Nicaraguan border.

St. Mark’s members Marcie Logsdon and Landon Moore Cone hope to participate in a week-long medical mission that has provided medical care to more than 33,000 Hondurans in the past 15 years.  In addition to assisting with the medical crew, Marcie, who is completing her degree in veterinary medicine from Washington State University, will help Honduras Good Words assess whether veterinary care could be incorporated into the mission.

Sandra Wayman, musician and scientist

St. Mark’s said thanks to Sandra Wayman, our organist for the past nine months, at the May 6 service. Sandra, a graduate student in soil science at Washington State University, has moved to Puyallup, Wash., to continue her research. We are grateful to Sandra for her gift of music and wish her well in her studies.

The flowered cross on Easter Sunday 2012.

April 5: Maundy Thursday
• 8:00 AM —Morning Prayer (in the Rector’s study)
• April 4: Wednesday in Holy Week
• 8:00 AM—Morning Prayer (in the Rector’s study)
• 7:00 PM—Liturgy of Preparation: Penitence, Confessions, Reconciliation and Healing (the same service is offered Friday at noon)

April 5: Maundy Thursday
• 8:00 AM —Morning Prayer (in the Rector’s study)
• 12:10 PM—Holy Eucharist
• 7:00 PM—Maundy Thursday Proper Liturgy: Holy Eucharist with (optional) foot-washing
• 8:00 PM —The Vigil of Repose: Gethsemane Watch (through 7:00 AM Friday)

April 6: Good Friday
• 7:00 AM —Proper Liturgy for Good Friday (with Holy Communion from the reserved sacrament) including Veneration of the Cross
• Noon—Liturgy of Preparation: Penitence, Confessions, Reconciliation and Healing
• 7:00 PM—Proper Liturgy for Good Friday (with Holy Communion from the reserved sacrament) including Veneration of the Cross (a sung service including an anthem by the choir)

April 7: Holy Saturday
• 8:00 AM —Morning Prayer
• Noon—Proper Liturgy for Holy Saturday

April 8: The Sunday of the Resurrection: Easter Day
• 6:00 AM —The Great Vigil (including a Festal Eucharist and the unearthing of the “alleluias” buried on Shrove Tuesday, and bedecking the walls of the church with them).
• 8:00 AM—Easter Bruch (all are welcome)
• 9:00 AM—Confetti-Easter-egg-hunt-and-toss! A favorite of children of all ages
• 9:30 AM—Festal Eucharist (including the flowering of the cross)

Bishop James Waggoner with (from left): Colleen Christie, Jory Mickelson, Marcie Logsdon, Bill Holley and Ellen McKenzie.

The Rt. Rev.  James Waggoner, bishop of the Diocese of Spokane, presided at Palm Sunday services on April 1.  He confirmed Marcie Logsdon and Jory Mickelson and received Ellen McKenzie and Colleen Christie into the Episcopal Church.  Bill Holley affirmed his baptismal vows.

Confirmation is a mature affirmation of faith for those who were baptized (with water and in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) as infants or young children. “Confirmation into the Episcopal Church is once in a lifetime,” said the Rev. Robin Biffle, rector of St. Mark’s.

Reception is for those who have been baptized and have made a mature affirmation of faith in another Christian denomination. “It’s a one-time deal, too,” Biffle said.

Affirmation is for those who would like to make an individual affirmation of Baptismal vows with the Bishop’s blessing. It is not re-baptism, but it is particularly apt at life changes that require our whole life’s orientation change, she said.

Bishop Waggoner will preside over the Holy Eucharist including confirmation, reception, and reaffirmation of baptismal vows. The service will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the parish hall, followed by a procession outside the church to recreate Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

Waggoner was consecrated eighth Bishop of the Diocese of Spokane in October of 2000. A native of Ohio, he holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Marshall University and Master of Divinity, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Divinity degrees from the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Va. Before entering seminary, he served in the U. S. Navy for six years.

Prior to his election as bishop, Bishop Waggoner served 21 years in the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia, 12 in parish ministry and nine on the Bishop’s staff as Canon to the Ordinary, Congregational and Community Consultant, and Deployment Officer.

In his ministry, Bishop Waggoner emphasizes effective leadership grounded in ongoing Christian formation as being essential to empowering all members for the mission to which God has called us: proclamation of the Gospel by word and example. In his teachings, he emphasizes the baptismal imperative to respect the dignity of every human being and the call to live this out in our words and our work.

Jacqueline is a violinist and Katherine is a cellist. They are sophomores at Boise High School. The sisters have performed as soloists with the Meridian Symphony, the San Juan Symphony and the Music in the Mountains Festival Orchestra.

Katherine’s teachers have included Dr. William Wharton, professor emeritus of music at the University of Idaho and a member of St. Mark’s congregation, and Dr. Jesus Castro-Balbi.

The concert begins at 2 p.m., and tickets will be available at the door. For more information, please call the church office at 208-882-2022.

Bruce Pitman

Bruce Pitman will speak at St. Mark’s at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 4, about Family Promise, an interfaith program designed to address poverty and homeless on the Palouse. Pitman, a member of First Presbyterian Church of Moscow, is involved in community-wide efforts that began with a Poverty on the Palouse summit in December 2010.
One strategy that has emerged is for Moscow churches to provide temporary housing for families and to connect them with other social-service agencies. Pitman will explain his congregation’s involvement and describe ways for St. Mark’s to participate.

In addition, St. Mark’s will offer “Ashes to Go”—the Imposition of Ashes, on the street corner at 6^th and Main during the morning, noon, and evening rush hours—at 8 a.m., 12 noon and 4:30 p.m.   “Jesus meets us where we are,” said the Rev. Robin Biffle, rector of St. Mark’s.  “And—contrary to the experiences some of us have known—the church can meet us where we are, too. One of the places where we are—and where the Holy is—is downtown Moscow, Idaho, on Ash Wednesday 2012.”

St. Mark’s will sponsor a traditional Shrove Tuesday pancake supper on Feb. 21 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The public is invited.
The day before Ash Wednesday is known as Shrove Tuesday, from “shrive,” an Old English verb that means to seek pardon and absolution, a reference to the traditional practice of private confession during Lent. And on this last day before Lent, families use up their eggs, butter and other fats in anticipation of a 40-day Lenten fast. In France, the occasion became known as Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday.”
At St. Mark’s, parish leaders will cook and serve pancakes and all of the fixings: sausage, scrambled eggs, applesauce, juice and coffee. During the evening, fronds from last year’s Palm Sunday procession will be burned to make ash for the ancient services of Ash Wednesday. The suggested donation for the all-you-can-eat buffet feast is: $5 for adults, $2 for children aged 6 to 12, and $15 for a family. There is no charge for children under 6. No one will be turned away for lack of ability to pay.