Dear Friends,

What a blessing to have Dean Tony Clark preaching, teaching and ministering at Incarnation on Sunday.

We enter a new church season this week. Tuesday night there are pancakes to be consumed and you can come and support our youth group in their raising funds for summer mission and help us Bury the Alleluias.  (6-8pm on the dining deck).

Ash Wednesday services are 7am and 7pm in the St. Augustine Chapel.

This coming weekend (February 15-16) we have an amazing opportunity to gather and listen to the Lord as He speaks to us through the Holy Spirit.  The focus of this retreat is The Prophetic Ministry in the Life of the Church and we welcome back our good friend Steve Fry and some of the other Messenger Fellowship leaders. There are more details below and there is still time to register. (there is a link to on-line registration that includes schedule) I am inviting the congregation to attend the sessions for free (no meals - you will have opportunity to make an offering) Please pray for this event and our time together.  I sense deeply this is a profound moment and we will walk away refreshed and renewed in the mission with a fresh word from the Lord to guide us.

Starting Sunday, February 17th we will begin The Centrality of the Cross in the Pastor's Class. (we did this series five years ago right before our public launch)  Another good friend Mike Atkins teaches this video series.  I was there at the taping and have seen it about a dozen times and I walk away with new insights every time. It is the best teaching I have ever been a part of especially in Lent.  Please make every effort to attend this teaching as a part of your lenten journey this year, it will change your life.

Wednesdays in Lent we will have a soup supper and Lenten Prayer Meeting in the St. Augustine Chapel. (supper at 6pm / Prayer Meeting at 6:30pm)  We did this last year and it is a simple time to gather and fellowship and to pray and share in the Eucharist. Each week will be different but the goal is to create a quiet, contemplative space where we give God our undivided attention.

If you are looking for a specific Lenten Devotional let me recommend Steve Fry's book I AM (click here)  Here is a description from the website... Taken from true stories, these forty honest, wonderfully crafted insights will allow the reader to gaze upon the inexpressible beauty of God while discovering a personal connection to a God who desires to be our all in all.  We do have a few copies at Canterbury contact me if you are interested. For more details on these and other Lenten Opportunities got our website... http://www.incarnationoviedo.com/lent-at-incarnation.html