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NEWS & EVENTS

WORSHIP SERVICES AT ST. TIMOTHY'S

+ Holy Eucharist is celebrated each Sunday at 8 AM (said service) and 10 AM (sung service). The 10 AM service is also shared via Zoom for those who are physically unable to attend in person.

+ Wednesdays there is an in-person Holy Eucharist at 10AM, using the traditional-language rite. This service is followed by tea and conversation in the parish library.

+ Current masking policy: All persons may wear a face mask as a health tool. Some persons (especially those in higher-risk groups) should wear a mask. However, no one must wear a mask. The parish provides good quality face masks for those desiring them. 

+ We have an upgraded HVAC air handling system to maximize the safety of our indoor environment.

+ We encourage vaccination for all eligible persons to prevent communicable disease at church or elsewhere.

+ Please contact the parish office for more information, and to be added to our Zoom invitation lists.

Lent at St. Timothy's

Ash Wednesday | March 18th

+ 10 AM: Holy Eucharist (said)

+ 7 PM: Holy Eucharist (sung)
with Bishop Akiyama preaching and presiding

Thursdays during Lent

6:30 AM: Holy Eucharist (said)
In a revival of classic Lenten practice, this simple Holy Eucharist service is an opportunity for those seeking a heightened observance during Lent or an additional time for quiet, contemplative, yet communal, worship. Following the service, those who wish can join together for a simple breakfast nearby.

Fridays during Lent

7 PM: Stations of the Cross
We will once again be using the form of the Way of the Cross and employing short readings from Blessed Julian of Norwich. Parishioners are encouraged to attend at least one of these services in Lent. It is one of the best ways to come to a deeper understanding of the Love of God found in the Passion

HOLY WEEK AT ST. TIMOTHY'S

PALM SUNDAY, MARCH 29

  • 8 AM: Blessing of Palms & Holy Eucharist (said)
  • 10 AM: Palm Procession & Holy Eucharist (sung)
    The 10 AM service will be available via Zoom

MONDAY & TUESDAY IN HOLY WEEK, MARCH 30 & 31

7 PM: Antecommunion
Confessions following

WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK, APRIL 1

7 PM: Tenebrae

THE HOLY TRIDUUM

One Liturgy Spread over Three Days
All Episcopalians are to join together for worship if physically able to do so. (Main services in underlined bold text)

MAUNDY THURSDAY, APRIL 2

7 PM: The Maundy Thursday Liturgy
Prayer Watch following until Noon Good Friday
The first part of the Holy Triduum, which does not conclude until the end of the Great Vigil of Easter, this service commemorates Christ’s command to love each other as he has loved us, and his commandment to “do this in remembrance of me” by sharing in the Holy Eucharist. The Holy Sacrament is then removed to the Chapel and the altar is stripped in recollection of Christ’s arrest and being mocked. We then leave in silence as the lights are lowered.

The Prayer Watch at the Altar of Repose in the Chapel now begins, lasting until noon Friday, in remembrance of Jesus’s words in the garden of Gethsemane, when he asked his disciples to spend an hour in prayer with him. Parishioners sign up to take an hour in prayer in the chapel before Christ in the Holy Sacrament. A member of the parish will be at the church all night to let people in and walk them to their cars.

GOOD FRIDAY, APRIL 3

Noon: Stations of the Cross

7 PM: Good Friday Liturgy
The Good Friday Liturgy is the most solemn service in the Church Year. Its starkness points to the truth of both human brokenness and God’s complete identification with us in our need. The highlights are the Great Silence at the start, then the reading of the Passion Gospel according to St. John, the Solemn Collects (intercessions for all humanity), the bringing out and veneration of the Good Friday Cross, and the Communion from the Reserved Sacrament, brought from the Altar of Repose in the Chapel. Once more, we leave in silence.

Good Friday is marked by as complete a fast as health allows, from sunrise until at least 3 PM, the traditional hour of Christ’s death upon the cross.

HOLY SATURDAY, APRIL 4

10 AM: Little Tomb Service of the Burial of Christ
The morning service is a short, spare gathering at the now-denuded altar where we hear of Christ’s hasty burial and contemplate his lying in the tomb, even as God the Son has descended to Hades, there to liberate those long held by the Evil One. A glorious sermon from the very early Christian period is read and prayers for those who have died are offered.

EASTER EVE

Saturday, 9 PM: The Great Vigil of Easter,
followed by the Agape Feast
The Easter Vigil is the heart of our life as a parish and as a people. It is our main Easter service. It must be experienced, not explained, but it consists of the lighting, blessing, and sharing of the New Fire, the great song before the Paschal Candle (The “Exsultet”), the readings of the Old Testament prophecies, Renewal of Baptismal Vows, the Proclamation of the Resurrection, the great Easter Homily of St. John Chrysostom, and the First Eucharist of Easter. This is the high point of the entire Church Year. The Vigil is followed by a grand feast, to which all are invited. Come and see!

EASTER DAY, APRIL 5

11 AM: Holy Eucharist (said, with hymns) in person & online
The Easter Day Eucharist at St. Timothy’s is quite a bit simpler than the Vigil. However, it is a joyous celebration and includes the beautiful, ever-new account of Mary Magdalene meeting the Risen Christ in the garden. With this Eucharist, our celebration of Easter Day concludes…but the Great 50 Days of Eastertide has just begun.

Read this week’s news in St. Timothy’s weekly email newsletter, e-Tidings. Subscribe to have news sent directly to your inbox.

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This week's e-Tidings
Word from the Rector...

The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came...
The Feast of the Annunciation which concludes this evening is a jubilant yet quiet occasion. Jubilant because God has entered into the Creation personally in order to love it into wholeness; quiet because of the hiddenness of his entrance.

This feast has many meanings, but for me one of the more important ones is that being a disciple of Jesus means being willing to await God's action by living in hope. Our times place enormous value on competition, force, and self-assertion. The Annunciation shows receptivity, dialogue, and gentleness. The prophesies are fulfilled not in fire and battle, but in the suddenness of encounter and the willingness that comes from humble listening.

I often feel profoundly at odds with the society we are in and even (at times) voices in the wider church. We are constantly pushed to "do" something, to join the throng, or to anoint this or that program with praise and value; yet, when people tell me of what has changed their life, healed their spirit, or made them stand up for the truth, it is rarely any of the programs or slogans showered upon us. What makes the difference is encounter with the transforming and re-creating love of God.

As we prepare for the observance of Holy Week -- the greatest week in the year -- we can easily fall into thinking of it as a series of requirements or obligations. It is, ultimately, none of these things. Holy Week is a sharing in the mystery of God's love for, through, and ahead of us. What we meet and experience in every Holy Day is a truth so vast that we will never get to the bottom of it, nor exhaust it of its power, its meaning, or its beauty. It is not an obligation but a privilege.

The Blessed Virgin's words to the Archangel Gabriel should inspire us: "Let it be unto me according to your word." In that spirit we will be able to come with the sufficiently open heart and spirit to the great encounter with God in the days ahead. Now is the time to join St. Mary by "pondering all these things in our heart" and following God in hope.

Monthly Youth Forum
I sometimes hear people wondering what we are doing for the youth of the parish. My first response is that we don't do things for members of the church so much as with them as partners in ministry. Beyond that, however, I want to underscore that St. Timothy's has a number of offerings for young persons, some on our own, some in conjunction with St. Paul's Episcopal Church. They won't be what people who grew  up in the 1950s might initially recognize as the usual type of youth offering, but times have changed and a different approach is needed.

One of the those new approaches is a monthly Youth Forum---a youth-focused version of the monthly "After 10" Forum. At these gatherings, Presbytera Pamela (as the Greek tradition calls the female spouse of a priest), Brother Matthew, and (sometimes) I meet with various of the young persons to discuss matters of faith and life. The conversations are sometimes humorous, sometimes quite profound, and often insightful. The theory here is that we all want to be treated with respect and we all have stories to share and value opportunities to grow. This is how youth ministry today looks---and I am grateful for it, as well as for those who give so much time and care in this part of our parish's life.

On the Walk
One of my personal pleasures as rector is leaving the sacristy following the liturgy via the outside door and chatting with parishioners on the sidewalk. The conversations I have there are often the week's most enjoyable. Having received the Holy Mysteries and spent time in prayer and fellowship, people often shine with a joyful radiance.

These times remind me that our parish is a place of both formal and informal sharing. Not infrequently, the formality of the liturgy will open up our heart enough to see things in a new way, and in conversation we can be led to how that new opportunity can be lived out. Wherever it may be - after liturgy, over a cup of coffee, or in the parking lot - the gift of being together in Christ is something to savor.

Tuna and Peanut Butter: Hidden Mysteries & Open Thanks
Our corporate work of mercy this Lent has been collecting tuna and peanut butter for the hungry in our community. The need is massive, and two massive stacks of containers now line the inside entrance to the church, awaiting final judgement and eventual distribution to Marion Polk Food Share.

The peanut butter has proven to be its own fascinating case study in faith. It seems that quite a divide exists between those of the creamy and those of the crunchy persuasion. Currently, Clan Creamy has the numerical advantage, but Clan Crunchy is not far behind (there is one representative of the "Switzerland" of peanut butter---one neither creamy nor crunchy, but extremely organic).

I wish to thank Mary McFetridge for making this entire drive happen, and the youth of the parish for assiduously stacking the donations and rigorously sorting the types of peanut butter. Some great spiritual conversations have taken place over the relative merits of creamy or chunky (I did have to remind people that a majority vote doesn't necessarily confer value, viz. Barabbas).

Perhaps the best comment was that, as St. Paul reminds us, people must begin with the easily-digested before moving on to the more demanding in both food and faith. Perhaps this indicates something about the creamy and crunchy debate, but I don't know. In any event: St. Timothy's is able to overcome the leguminous divide by focussing on the need to do the works of the Kingdom in love and good humor.

God bless you all for thinking about those in need. The food drive continues on...

Faithfully in Christ,
BLF+

The Week Ahead...

+ All days in Lent outside of Sundays are fast days

Thursday, March 26:  Harriet Monsell, Monastic, 1883; Richard Allen, Bishop, 1831

  • 6:30 AM: Holy Eucharist, in the chapel (final Thursday morning Eucharist in Lent)
  • 7 PM: Women's Bible Study on Zoom

Friday, March 27:  Charles Henry Brent, Bishop, 1929

  • 7 PM: Stations of the Cross
Saturday, March 28:  James Solomon Russell, Priest, 1935
  • Prayers for those who have died are traditionally offered on Saturdays. Here is more information on this practice, along with prayer resources.
  • 2 - 4 PM: Pre-Easter Confessions in the Chapel (more info)
 
+ Sunday, March 29:
Sunday of the Passion; Palm Sunday
 
+ 8 AM: Blessing of the Palms and Holy Eucharist (said). 
In-person.

+ 9:15 AM: Great Litany and Prayers for Peace. 
In-person in the Chapel.

+ 10 AM: Palm Procession & Holy Eucharist (sung). 
In-person & online. This service begins in the Parish Hall

+ Coffee Hour following the 10 AM Liturgy

+ Holy Week
Make plans now for attending the liturgies of Holy Week
(main services underlined)

March 30 & 31: Ante-communion, 7 PM
Confessions following

Wednesday, April 1: Tenebrae, 7 PM
[*Note: No 10 AM Eucharist this day]

The Holy Triduum

April 2: Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday Liturgy, 7 PM
    Prayer Watch following

April 3: Good Friday
Stations of the Cross, Noon
Good Friday Liturgy, 7 PM

April 4: Holy Saturday
Little Tomb Service, 10 AM
Great Vigil of Easter, 9 PM
Agape Feast following

April 5: Easter Day
Holy Eucharist, said with Hymns, 11 AM
Online and in-person

Invite others to participate in these great liturgies and enter into the central experience of our salvation through the Paschal Mystery.
 
Please note all other services and activities are suspended during Holy Week. There will be no no Catechumenate, Women's Bible Study, or Wednesday morning Eucharist this week.  Activities will resume on Tuesday, April 7th.
A Field Guide to Holy Week at St. Timothy’s
This older post on Fr. Brandon’s Blog contains a description of the various services during this week and their significance. Consider sharing this with anyone you are inviting to attend all or part of Holy Week with you.

Prayer Requests from this Parish: Dale and Jeanné Cannon, Alexandra Foote, Liz McClure, Howard & Pat Klopfenstein, Juanita Rivera, Scott Kohl, Mary Anne McMurren, the Teeters family, Rorey DeWitt, Br. Matthew Tenney, nOGS, Rich Zorko, Mike Martin, Julie Pannell, John Hanson, Julia Smith, Kerrie Harwood, Family Promise, Salem for Refugees, Mending Wings Youth Ministries. For the diocese of Iran and the people of the Middle East. For those who serve in the armed forces and for their families. For the maintenance of our civil liberties and for all who labor to protect them. Pray for peace and for the many innocents who suffer at the hands of evil men,

For the Departed: Tristan Wrosch, Joyce Erovick

For Those who Mourn: The Wrosch Family, Karla Erovick

For Those with Birthdays Next Week: Linda Craven, John Hanson, Rev'd Margaret McMurren, Janine Stephens

In the Anglican Communion: The Anglican Church of Melanesia

In the Diocese of Oregon: Church of the Resurrection, Eugene
Zoom Recording of Last Week's Sermon

Sunday, March 22
 Passcode: *$4e0@45

Links will be valid for two weeks.
The Lectionary Readings for this past Sunday can be found here.
Pre-Easter Confessions
 
Confessions will be heard in the Chapel this Saturday, March 28th from 2-4 PM and during Holy Week on Monday and Tuesday (30th and 31st) following the 7 PM services.

The service for this sacramental rite is found in The Book of Common Prayer beginning on page 447; it restores our sense of baptismal grace and is connected with the healing ministry of the Church. If you have never made a confession before, you may tell the priest and receive guidance for this simple but profound action. The rule for sacramental confession in this church is: All may; None must; Some should. If you have questions about sacramental confession, please talk with Fr. Brandon.
Watch at the Altar of Repose
Maundy Thursday - Good Friday,  April 2nd - 3rd
 
The sign-up schedule for this all night vigil is on the narthex table.

The Watch at the Altar of Repose begins after the Maundy Thursday Liturgy, and continues until noon the next day. Parishioners sign up to take an hour in pairs for this watch, in the presence of the Holy Sacrament, allowing us to answer affirmatively Christ’s question to his disciples that night: “could you not watch with me one hour?” 

Br. Matthew Tenney has volunteered to serve as a host at the church throughout the night to open doors and walk people to their cars if desired.  Please park in the front parking lot and come to the front door when you arrive.
Parking and Security for the Easter Vigil

We are still looking for volunteers for security and parking on the night of the Vigil.
 
In addition to two volunteers to direct parking prior to the service, we are also looking for a handful of people to volunteer as a security patrol during the Vigil and Agape Feast. This involves simply touring the parking lots with a powerful flashlight and being a presence. Volunteers will take a 5-minute shift, and with enough volunteers you may only need to do 1-2 shifts!  The church will be providing you with a very good flashlight. Talk to Steve Cowgill or the Parish Office for more details. A sign-up sheet is in the narthex.

We are looking forward to our first Agape Feast in our new Parish Hall!  There are many ways to assist in making this a joyous event.  Here are a few of the ways to contribute to the night:

- Sign up to provide a side dish or dessert.
- Bring a dozen colored hard-boiled eggs.
- Volunteer to help with setup of the Parish Hall during the week (Wed / Thurs).
- Volunteer to help with food prior to the service and/or during the Agape Feast.
- Help with a very basic clean-up on the night of the Vigil.
- Volunteer to direct parking or as a security patrol.
- Donate towards the cost of catering / pre-purchased food (place in the offering plate with the memo "Agape").

All sign-up sheets are in the narthex, with more information. You can also contact the Parish Office with questions or to sign-up. Please consider how you can help us with this event, and let us all prepare to savor that Most Holy Night with true and abiding love, one for another.
Lent Outreach Project
 
We are continuing to collect jars of peanut butter (any kind) and cans of tuna (again, any kind) during Lent. These are two of the "Top 5“ foods that the Food Bank deems most useful. Our gifts will be blessed on the Second Sunday of Easter, April 12, and transported to the Food Bank. There are collection containers, as well as a display of cans/jars to show our current progress, in the narthex.
Family Promise

Our next Family Promise rotation (serving families experiencing homelessness) will be Tuesday April 21st and Wednesday April 22nd.  More details about what St Timothy's will be providing and sign-up sheets will be available soon. Please contact Steve Cowgill if you have any questions or would like to learn more about St Timothy's involvement in this ministry. You can also learn more about the amazing work of Family Promise here.
A Prayer in Preparation for Holy Week
 
Assist us mercifully with your help, O Lord God of our
salvation, that we may enter with joy upon the contemplation
of those mighty acts, whereby you have given us life and
immortality; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
  Mission Statement of St. Timothy's Episcopal Church
We gather to experience the Holy Trinity through Scripture, worship, study, and fellowship. Receiving and reflecting God’s love and grace, we are sent out to love and serve our neighbor, see the Christ in others, and share the Gospel by the example of our everyday lives.
St. Timothy's Website
St. Timothy's Website
St. Timothy's Facebook
St. Timothy's Facebook
Father Brandon's Blog
Father Brandon's Blog

St. Timothy's Parish Office Hours:
 Tuesday,  8:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Wednesday & Thursday, 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Friday, 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM via telephone/email/text
The Parish Office is closed on Mondays

Parish Office Contact Info
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 7416; Salem, OR 97303
Email: mail@sainttimothys.org
Phone: 503-363-0601

Rector's Days Off:
Fridays and on Saturday mornings
Please contact Fr. Brandon on his days off if you have an emergency.
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LENT AND HOLY WEEK AT ST. TIMOTHY'S

+ Stations of the Cross are held every Friday evening at 7 PM during Lent. Join us for the Litany of Penitence from Ash Wednesday and short readings from Blessed Julian of Norwich.

HOLY WEEK

+ Palm Sunday: March 24
8 AM: Blessing of Palms & Holy Eucharist (spoken) 
10 AM: Palm Procession & Holy Eucharist (sung). 

+ Monday, March 25 & Tuesday, March 26
7 PM: Evening Prayer
 
+ Wednesday, March 27
7 PM: Tenebrae Service

THE HOLY TRIDUUM

One Liturgy Spread over Three Days  (Main services in bold text)
+ Maundy Thursday: March 28 
7 PM: The Maundy Thursday Liturgy 
Prayer Watch following until Noon on Good Friday 
 
+ Good Friday: March 29
Noon: Stations of the Cross 
7 PM: Good Friday Liturgy 
 
+ Holy Saturday; Easter Eve: March 30 
10 AM: Little Tomb Service of the Burial of Christ
9 PM: The Great Vigil of Easter, followed by the Agape Feast 
 
Easter Day: March 31 
11 AM: Holy Eucharist (said, with hymns)

HOLY WEEK AT ST. TIMOTHY'S

Palm Sunday
8 AM: Blessing of Palms & Holy Eucharist (spoken)
10 AM: Palm Procession & Holy Eucharist (sung)

The 10 AM service begins with the Liturgy of the Palms in the Parish Hall, with Palm Procession to the Nave, followed by the Dramatic Reading of the Passion Gospel of St. Matthew and Holy Eucharist. This is a “hybrid” liturgy: both in-person and online.

 

Monday & Tuesday in Holy Week
7 PM: Ante-communion, followed by confessions

We will not celebrate the Holy Eucharist during the period from Palm Sunday until Maundy Thursday. On these two days the evening service will be the first part of the Eucharist, including the readings for these days, but ending after the Lord’s Prayer.

 

Wednesday in Holy Week
7 PM: Tenebrae

Tenebrae, a service of shadows and darkness expressive of the gradual desertion of Christ by those around him, marks a decisive turn in Holy Week and serves as a contemplative portal into the mystery of our redemption which will be our focus in the coming days. This is a service unlike any other in the Church Year and forms the entrance into the heart of Holy Week.

 

THE HOLY TRIDUUM
One Liturgy Spread over Three Days

All Episcopalians are to join together for worship if physically able to do so. (Main services in underlined bold text)

 

Maundy Thursday
7 PM: The Maundy Thursday Liturgy
Prayer Watch following until Noon Good Friday

The first part of the service, which does not conclude until the end of the Great Vigil of Easter, this service commemorates Christ’s command to love each other as he has loved us, and his commandment to “do this in remembrance of me” by sharing in the Holy Eucharist. The Holy Sacrament is then removed to the Chapel and the altar is stripped in recollection of Christ’s arrest and being mocked. We then leave in silence as the lights are lowered.

The Prayer Watch at the Altar of Repose in the Chapel now begins, lasting until noon Friday, in remembrance of Jesus’s words in the garden of Gethsemane, when he asked his disciples to spend an hour in prayer with him. Parishioners sign up to take an hour in prayer in the chapel before Christ in the Holy Sacrament. A member of the parish will be at the church all night to let people in and walk them to their cars.

 

Good Friday
Noon: Stations of the Cross
7 PM: Good Friday Liturgy

The Good Friday Liturgy is the most solemn service in the Church Year. Its starkness points to the truth of both human brokenness and God’s complete identification with us in our need. The highlights are the Great Silence at the start, then the reading of the Passion Gospel according to St. John, the Solemn Collects (intercessions for all humanity), the bringing out and veneration of the Good Friday Cross, and the Communion from the Reserved Sacrament, brought from the Altar of Repose in the Chapel. Once more, we leave in silence.

Good Friday is marked by as complete a fast as health allows, from sunrise until at least 3 PM, the traditional hour of Christ’s death upon the cross.

 

Holy Saturday

10 AM: Little Tomb Service of the Burial of Christ

The morning service is a short, spare gathering at the now-denuded altar where we hear of Christ’s hasty burial and contemplate his lying in the tomb, even as God the Son has descended to Hades, there to liberate those long held by the Evil One. A glorious sermon from the very early Christian period is read and prayers for those who have died are offered.

 
Easter Eve
Saturday, 9 PM: The Great Vigil of Easter,
followed by the Agape Feast

The Easter Vigil is the heart of our life as a parish and as a people. It is our main Easter service. It must be experienced, not explained, but it consists of the lighting, blessing, and sharing of the New Fire, the great song before the Paschal Candle (The “Exsultet”), the readings of the Old Testament prophesies, Renewal of Baptismal Vows, the Proclamation of the Resurrection, the great Easter Homily of St. John Chrysostom, and the First Eucharist of Easter. This is the high point of the entire Church Year. The Vigil is followed by a grand feast in the Parish Hall, to which all are invited. Come and see!


Easter Day
11 AM: Holy Eucharist (said, with hymns)
A “hybrid” liturgy: both in-person and online.

The Easter Day Eucharist at St. Timothy’s is quite a bit simpler than the Vigil. However, it is a joyous celebration and includes the beautiful, ever-new account of Mary Magdalene meeting the Risen Christ in the garden. With this Eucharist, our celebration of Easter Day concludes…but the Great 50 Days of Eastertide has just begun.