Parents - Need a Night Out? Youth Group Can Help!
Hi parents! Need some adult time? Well good news, St. George's Youth Group is offering a parent's night out! The St. Georges Youth Group will be babysitting on Friday, March 15 at the church from 6-9 pm, and the cost is $25 per child. Please feel welcome to bring your kid(s) and go have some fun!! If you have any questions, ask any member of the youth group. Proceeds go to the Youth Mission Trip to Savannah GA this summer and thank you for all the support so far!

St. George’s Lenten Outreach 2024 - Supporting Project ID and Global Refuge
All are encouraged to set aside a dollar or whatever you can for each of the forty days of Lent as a spiritual practice. This year the recipients chosen by St. George's Justice League are Project ID and Global Refuge. Project ID works with local partners to help people get the photo IDs and other vital documents they need. Global Refuge, the new name for Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, works on refugee resettlement. Donations will be divided equally. There are envelopes on the credenza or you can give online. We hope to contribute a generous amount at Easter.

Bowie Food Pantry
Many of us learned more about the Bowie Food Pantry last Sunday from our speaker, Michaeline Gandolf. She highlighted how helpful it is to focus on the most needed foods. For the collection on March 10, they need low sugar cereals, canned tomato products (diced, stewed, or paste), peanut butter in small jars, and bar soap. For more information on the Bowie Food Pantry, please visit their website HERE. Thanks again for your generous support!

Gutowski-Sim Duo: Righting Wrongs, Sunday, March 10 at 4 pm
Our Music Director, Keng Siong Sim, and Carl Gutowski form a piano/flute duo dedicated to performing classical chamber music, with an emphasis on underrepresented composers. They will play at the ATLAS Performing Arts Center on Sunday, March 10 at 4 pm. The duo will perform great works by overlooked composers over the history of classical music, including William Grant Still, Mel (Melanie) Bonis, Marianne Martinez, Debra Kaye, Katherine Hoover, Celso Marchado, and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Tickets available HERE.

St. George’s Lenten Outreach 2024 - Supporting Project ID and Global Refuge
Parishioners may participate in St. George’s Lenten Outreach Project supporting organizations chosen by St. George's Justice League. All are encouraged to set aside a dollar or whatever you can for each of the forty days of Lent as a spiritual practice. This year the chosen recipients are Project ID and Global Refuge. Project ID works with local partners to help people get the photo IDs and other vital documents they need for everything from housing to employment to medical care to voting. Global Refuge, the new name for Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, works on refugee resettlement, including locating housing and other physical needs upon arrival and providing long-term support as refugees strive to become “settled.” Donations will be divided equally, allowing us to serve two different populations with distinct needs. There are envelopes on the credenza or you can give online. We hope to contribute a generous amount at Easter.

Warm Nights Week March 17 – 23
During the week of March 17 to 23, St. George's will provide breakfasts and lunches for 100 guests each day. The Justice League could use some help getting non-perishable supplies for this mission. Because of the volume of supplies that are needed, you are asked to bring things in the box or case sizes requested.
 
Today, a member of the Justice League will speak about what the parish will do, and explain how we can help. Sign up lists are available. You can bring in your donations on February 25, March 3, or March 10. There will be sandwich making after church on Sunday, March 17. Other opportunities to be determined.

Here are the needed supplies:                                       Cases of 12 shelf stable milk
    Boxes of 48-50 Breakfast Bars                                   Boxes of 48-52 assorted oatmeal packets
    Boxes of 42-50 salty snacks like chips, etc               Cases of 16 oz bottles of water 40 to a case

Pray with St. George's Youth Group this Lent
Are you considering a Lenten prayer practice? The teens at St. George's have recorded a service of Morning Prayer (Discernment) and Evening Prayer (Vespers) for the season of Lent from the resource Daily Prayer for All Seasons. The audio file for these prayer services and the links to follow along the liturgy can be found HERE.

Join the Wandering Heart Lenten Program this Season
Wandering Heart is the name of the series St. George’s is offering this Lent, which is a journey with the disciple Peter. Peter loved Jesus and followed him, named Jesus as Messiah and denied him; Peter eventually became a leader of the early church. His journey had a lot of twists and turns – just like ours. This Lent you are invited to walk with Peter and other St. Georgians in the Wandering Heart series. There are many ways to participate. There is a booklet to follow, visual images to pray with, prayer cards to use each day, poetry and scripture – all framed through the hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”
 
The Adult Formation team invites you to learn more and participate in any way you would like to. There will be five gatherings, some in person and some virtual, each with a different focus. February 19, 7 pm (in person), introduction and reflection on our Lenten intentions. March 4, 7 pm (Zoom), the visual images. March 18, 7 pm (Zoom), the poetry and reflections. Saturday, March 23, 10 am (in person), Stations of the Cross. Finally, on Monday, April 15, 7 pm (in person), we celebrate Easter season with Peter. You can attend all or some of the sessions and engage with the material in whatever way is meaningful to you. Materials will be available for anyone to use, whether you join the sessions or not. If you have questions you can speak to Jocelyn Tidwell, Terry Doyle, Karen Horrocks, or Connie+. A sign up sheet is on the credenza, or email Connie+ HERE. 

Lent Madness
Lent Madness is a fun, engaging way for people to learn about the people on the Church’s Calendar of Saints. The format is straightforward: 32 saints are placed into a tournament-like single elimination bracket. Each pairing remains open for a day and people vote for their favorite saint. Sign up HERE to receive a daily email during Lent with a brief bio of the contending saints and a chance to vote.

Pancake Supper This Tuesday from 5:30 to 7:00 pm
This Tuesday, February 13, the St. George's Youth Group will host this event to support the 2024 Youth Mission Trip to Savannah, Georgia the last week of June. Pancakes, sausage, and fruit will be available from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm in Miller Hall. The suggested donation is $7 for adults and $5 for children. Come enjoy!

Ash Wednesday Services and Imposition of Ashes February 14
Ash Wednesday services this week are at 12 noon and 7 pm. The noon service will be held in the chapel and the 7 pm service in the main church; both include Holy Communion and Imposition of Ashes. Connie+ will also be available at the church from 8:00 - 9:00 am for individual prayer and Imposition of Ashes.
 
Come Make Prayer Beads as a Lenten Practice February 18
On Sunday, February 18 at 11:30 am, there will be a prayer bead making workshop in the narthex. The church will provide the beads; we need volunteers willing to put the sets of beads together. No experience is necessary, directions and support available. These sets will be for those who would like them as a devotional practice and will stock the rector's supply of prayer beads to give out to those who might benefit from them.

Lent Madness
Lent Madness is a fun, engaging way for people to learn about the people on the Church’s Calendar of Saints. The format is straightforward: 32 saints are placed into a tournament-like single elimination bracket. Each pairing remains open for a day and people vote for their favorite saint. Sign up on LentMadness.org to receive a daily email during Lent with a brief bio of the contending saints and a chance to vote.

This Sunday, February 4 - 9:00 am Service followed by Annual Meeting
Sunday February 4 is St. George's Annual Meeting, our yearly exercise in church democracy. We elect vestry members and parish delegates and alternates, say farewell to outgoing vestry members, hear about the state of the parish, and receive the Annual Report about ministry and mission efforts during the past year. The current slate of candidates running for vestry includes Karen Horrocks and Mary Rogers running for a second two-year term, and Gene Ferrick and Adele Miller running for their first term. Vestry candidate bios are HERE. Christine Bloecker is running for parish delegate; we are still looking for a candidate for alternate delegate.

It's St. George's Mardi Gras and Silent Auction Time!
When: Saturday, February 10 from 6:00 to 10:00 pm.
Theme: Jazz - come in costume and be creative! Think musical - the Jazz Age, jazz instruments, or favorite Jazz performers. Prizes will be awarded for best costume!
Dinner: Catered by C&C Catering, our own Cynthia Griffith.
Entertainment: Paul Arnold Jr. is back by popular demand.
To-Do: Buy Tickets NOW
Adult tickets are $35.00 in advance or $40.00 at the door.
Ages 11-20 are $25.00 in advance or $30.00 at the door.
Ages 10 and under are free. Babysitting is provided by the Youth Group.
Everybody attending needs a ticket to track our numbers.
To know: If you would like to come and cost is an issue, scholarships are available; speak with Connie+. If you can't make the party but would like to help, you can always donate to the scholarship fund.
Final to-do: Invite friends, family and neighbors! All are welcome!

Please Donate to the St. George's Mardi Gras Silent Auction
The biggest part of the Mardi Gras fundraiser is the Silent Auction - and to make it a success, we need donations. You can donate a themed basket, things you have made, gift certificates for services, small furniture, a talent that you are willing to share, etc. If you have questions, please speak with Roy Peterson.

Pancake Supper Tuesday, February 13 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm
The Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper is coming! On Tuesday, February 13 the St. George's Youth Group will host this event to support the 2024 Youth Mission Trip to Savannah, Georgia the last week of June. Pancakes, sausage and fruit will be available from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm in Miller Hall. The suggested donation is $7 for adults and $5 for children. No need to sign up ahead of time, just put the date on your calendar and come enjoy!

Bring in Your Palms by February 11
There is still time to bring in your palms from Palm Sunday, which will be burned for the ashes for Ash Wednesday. The last day to bring palms is next Sunday.
 
Ash Wednesday Services and Imposition of Ashes February 14
Ash Wednesday services this year are on February 14 at 12 noon and 7 pm. The noon service will be held in the chapel and the 7 pm service in the main church; both include Holy Communion and Imposition of Ashes. Connie+ will also be available at the church from 8:00 - 9:00 am for individual prayer and Imposition of Ashes.