St Mark’s Anglican Church

Dear St. Marks Family,

Today I watched an eagle swoop down over the water and rise up with a catch. He flew directly over my head to a tall evergreen where against a buffeting wind, with wings outstretched, he alighted to eat his dinner. It reminded me of Isaiah 40:31 “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Have you ever thought of that verse in the light of resurrection? When I was a boy I would sometimes wake up in the morning and feel life and strength coursing through my body so much that I would leap from my bed full of energy for the new day. I can tell you that it has been many a year since I have felt that way in the morning! But that is how I imagine the resurrection. When the trumpet of God calls me, my body will leap forth from the grave like an eagle stretching his wings to catch the wind of eternity. Resurrection life, vibrant with power.

That is what Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 15:42: “So it will be for the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable. It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” What a hope! What a promise.

As Easter approaches there are a few things I would like to tell you about. First of all our Capital Campaign for the renewal of our building is now underway and those of you who missed the Vestry have been contacted by letter. Please prayerfully consider how you might participate in this project. The due date for pledges is March 28th and you can contact Drew Gauntly at 604-536-0330 for more information.

We are getting ready to produce a photo directory of our congregation. It has been several years since our last directory and it is time to do an update. Someone asked me if they had to be a legal “member” of the church. The answer is no. This is a snapshot of the parish at this moment in time. If you are connected in any way I would urge you to be in it. It will provide all of us with a photo for history, a tool for prayer, a help in communication and a resource for our memories. To this day I turn to church photo directories from years gone by to remind me about people and memories. There is a narrow widow of opportunity to get your photo taken, April 12 - 15 from 2:30PM to 8PM. The sign up is in the Narthex or please call John and Roberta Braddock at 604-538-8642.

I am including a schedule of our Passion week and Easter services. This year we are starting our Good Friday at the church with hot crossed buns and coffee at 9AM. At 9:30AM we will go to the Larond Park Knoll for the Journey With the Cross which begins at 9:45AM, and then carry the cross back to the church for the Good Friday service which begins at l0:30AM. Following the service we are offering private prayer in the sanctuary using a simple printed service for the stations of the cross until I:00PM.

After Easter we will be offering the course, “Christianity Explored” for anyone who is interested in learning more about the Christian faith. This ten-week course will be on Thursday evenings starting April 29th at 7:00PM.

My prayers are with you for a holy Lent and a Glorious Easter!

See you on Sunday,

Rev. Craig Tanksley

March 21, 2010