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.

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

SUBSCRIBE TO THE E-TIDINGS NEWSLETTER

This week's e-Tidings

View this email in your browser

Word from the Rector...

The 'Gesima Sisters' and the Approach of Holy Lent

I worked with a priest once who fondly remembered the 'Gesima sisters.' I had no idea what he was talking about. He explained that it was a term of endearment for the last three Sundays before Lent in the old church calendar used prior to the current revision of the Book of Common Prayer.

Gesimatide, or Pre-Lent (its official title) was the name given to the final weeks before the Lenten fast began and was the ecclesiastical term for what most of us know today as Carnival season--with Shrovetide being the final three days of the period. The names of the pre-Lenten Sundays have to do with roughly how many days from Easter they are--70, 60, or 50 (Septuagesima, Sexagesima, Quiquagesima). This period constitutes a countdown of sorts, rather like an athlete's training period before the event itself: Lent (which was originally called Quadragesima, the Latin word for 40, and thus the Forty Day Fast).

"Lent" is a very old word for Springtime--the lengthening (lencten) of daylight. Right now in my garden and yard I am doing a number of chores getting ready for Spring in the Willamette Valley. A fair amount of this work is rather muddy and unglamorous, but it prepares the way for planting and growing and harvesting later.

Such is pre-Lent: a time to clear out our schedules for Lenten observance, to think seriously about what needs to be amended in our life and how we are being called by God to grow more fully into the life that Christ has given us through repentance, study, prayer, fasting, and service. By doing so we can make a Lenten Rule having substance and clarity.

By giving the 'Gesima sisters' their due we can arrive at Ash Wednesday prepared for the the true observance of a Holy Lent--not just skid in to the season breathlessly, settling for one more year of merely giving up chocolate ("the supreme sacrifice").

For experiencing Holy Week in a more profound way, making authentic growth in faith, and for the establishment of more mature Christian practices of prayer and service, these weeks serve to clear the ground, set the stage, and sharpen the focus. May we all take up the challenge set before us with joy and gusto.

Faithfully in Christ,

Brandon+

The Week Ahead...

Thursday, February 5: Agatha of Sicily, Martyr, c. 251

Women's Bible Study on Zoom, 7 PM

Friday, February 6: The Martyrs of Japan, 1597

Fridays are marked by acts of discipline and self-denial. If you wish to know more about the meaning of this practice and its benefits, please enquire with Fr. Brandon.

Saturday, February 7: Ferial Day in Epiphanytide

+ Sunday, February 8:
Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany | Sexagesima

+ 8 AM: Holy Eucharist (said). In-person.

+ 9:50 AM: Godly Play and Nursery open

+ 10 AM: Holy Eucharist (sung). In person and online.

+ Coffee Hour following the 10 AM Liturgy:

Monday, February 9: Ferial Day in Epiphanytide

The parish office is closed on Mondays

Tuesday, February 10: Scholastica, Monastic, 543

7 PM: Endowment Board Meeting, on Zoom

Wednesday, February 11: The Consecration of Barbara Clementine Harris, First Woman Bishop in the Anglican Communion, 1989

10 AM: Rite I Holy Eucharist in the Chapel
7 PM: Catechumenate

Prayer Requests from this Parish: Margaret McMurren+, Liz McClure, Howard Klopfenstein, Juanita Rivera, Scott Kohl, Tamara West, the Teeters family, Rorey DeWitt, Br. Matthew Tenney, Rich Zorko, Julie Pannel, John Hanson, Julia Smith, Kerrie Harwood, Fr. Gary Zerr, Family Promise, Salem for Refugees, Mending Wings Youth Ministries. For peace amongst the nations. For the maintenance of our civil liberties and for all who labor to protect them.

For Those with Birthdays Next Week: Howard Klopfenstein, Coralie Peterson, Amy Divelbiss, Rich Zorko, Melinda Padrick

For the Departed: Renee Good, Alex Pretti

In the Diocese of Oregon: St. Timothy’s, Brookings

In the Anglican Communion: Hong Kong Anglican Church

Zoom Recording of Last Week's Sermon

Sunday, February 1
Passcode: %&=RCf5C

Links will be valid for two weeks.
The Lectionary Readings for this past Sunday can be found here.

Family Promise meeting on Sunday, February 1st
A review of the meeting for those who could not attend

The meeting was well attended, with about 15 parishioners and Doug O’Dell. Doug provided a review of the Family Promise Salem projects and methods for those new to the program. For a good overview of FP, visit the FP Salem website: https://www.familypromisemwv.org

The purpose of Doug's meeting with us is due to a significant change in protocol starting this year. The issue is that Holy Cross Lutheran Church has completed its holy closure, and we will not be using their building to host Family Promise families. What Doug is proposing is that we continue our association with Holy Cross Family Promise volunteers at a new location. The only difference is that we will be driving to a different location to help the families.

He is proposing that St. Timothy's, along with a couple of other churches, take the last week of the families' rotation as they get ready to graduate from the program. This will be at “The Madison House.” The Madison House is a residential house that Family Promise has used for years. It has a full kitchen, room for three families, and a place for overnighters to sleep. And it is on Madison Street - not hard to find.

Doug currently has St. Timothy’s covering two days: Tuesday and Wednesday. If we have enough interest - and I think we do - I told him that in the future we should be able to cover 3 days. That means we should have 5 groups to cook meals, so the same person is not doing it every time and if someone is gone or ill, we have the three meals covered. For evening hosts, I think 3 or 4 is enough, since Wednesdays we do not need an evening host. And for overnight hosts, it would be good to have 5 guys and 5 women. Currently, we do not have enough coverage for 3 nights.

As someone in our church said to me, “This is so easy to do, (he was referring to providing a meal, being an evening host, or spending the night) compared to what the families are going through!” And as I always mention, I find working with Family Promise is so easy due to the average guest list - half of them are children.

Please get back to me if this sounds like a ministry that might interest you, and we can talk about how to get started.

Steve Cowgill

503-871-9856 sdccowgill@comcast.net

The next gathering of Salem Youth Collective will be this Sunday, February 8, at 3:15 pm. We'll meet at First Presbyterian Church downtown for our annual Super Bowl Party. Contact Br. Matthew Tenney, our Youth Minister, if you have any questions.

Shrove Sunday Brunch
Sunday, February 15th after the 10 AM Liturgy

Thank you to Amy DeWitt for volunteering to run the Shrove Sunday Brunch! Plan to join us in the Parish Hall after the 10 AM Liturgy on Sunday February 15th (the last Sunday before Lent). We need volunteers to help with set-up, clean-up and providing additional food items. There are sign-up sheets in the narthex, or you can connect with Amy if you have questions about helping. Please consider lending a hand or bringing a dish to help with this event.

Lenten Preparation

This Sunday is "Sexagesima”, the penultimate Sunday before Lent. During this time, we continue to prepare for our Lenten observance:

+ Plan to attend an Ash Wednesday Liturgy on February 18th:
10 AM said Holy Eucharist in the Chapel
7 PM sung Holy Eucharist with Bishop Akiyama.

+ Collecting Blessed Palms: There is a basket in the narthex for you to place palms from last year’s Palm Sunday so they may be made into the ashes used on Ash Wednesday.

+ This Sunday, the Lent Table will be up in the narthex with various resources for keeping Lent.

+ Lenten Rule forms will be handed out on Sunday and available for you to use in prayerful consideration as to your own Lenten Observance. The commitment page of the form can be signed and then returned to church and placed in the offering plate. These are kept near the altar during Lent as a reminder of our individual and communal Lenten journeys. These will also be available to print online through future e-Tidings.

Ash Wednesday
February 18th

10 AM: Holy Eucharist (said)

7 PM: Holy Eucharist
with Bishop Akiyama (sung)

Lent Outreach Project

With additional government restrictions and reduced food aid to the needy, this year seems like a good time to focus our corporate lenten almsgiving on increasing our donations to Marion-Polk Food Share.

We will be collecting 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.

Look for collection containers (one for peanut butter, one for tuna) in the narthex beginning on Ash Wednesday.

6:30 AM Holy Eucharist
Thursdays in Lent

This short, simple Eucharist will provide an opportunity for those desiring a heightened Lenten devotion to gather for sacrament and community to begin the day. The readings and prayers will be focused on the Lenten journey of repentance and illumination. Those desiring to do so may share a simple Lenten breakfast at a nearby eatery.

Stations of the Cross
Fridays in Lent, 7 PM

This medieval devotion employs scripture, prayers, meditations from Julian of Norwich, and motion as we make the journey with Christ from his condemnation before Pilate to his burial. This Lent we will be starting the stations service with the Litany found in the Ash Wednesday service as a way to open our hearts and minds to Christ’s message of repentance and renewal. Parishioners are asked to attend at least one of these services in Lent as part of your seasonal observance.

Prayer in Time of Tumult
Almighty God, the supreme Governor of all things, whose power no creature is able to resist, to whom it belongeth justly to punish sinners, and to be merciful to those who truly repent; Save and deliver us, we humbly beseech thee, from the hands of our enemies; that we, being armed with thy defense, may be preserved evermore from all perils, to glorify thee, who art the only giver of all victory; through the merits of 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 Facebook

Father Brandon's Blog

St. Timothy's Parish Office Hours:
Tuesday & Thursday, 9 AM - 3 PM
Wednesday, 9:30 AM - 3 PM
Friday, 9 AM - 3 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.

Copyright © 2026 St Timothy's Episcopal Church, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website.

Our mailing address is:

St Timothy's Episcopal Church

P.O. Box 7416

Salem, Or 97303

Add us to your address book

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

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.