It's pretty hard to go wrong with a pot luck supper and election returns, but it sure can't happen without all many hands coming together to make a wonderful evening. Thank you to everyone who participated in our Super Fat Tuesday Annual Mardi Gras Potluck dinner. More than 50 parishioners came together to make a wonderful evening. Special thanks go to John Carter and Louie Stewart for a lot of behind the scenes work and for Nate and Benny for making election results stream onto the wall! Thanks also to everyone who set up, cleaned up, a brought food and drink to make it the perfect Shrove Tuesday!

» View photos of the event.

During the 11am worship service on March 2, the parish will recognize all those who have joined the parish in the last year. New members are those who have become significantly involved with the parish in some way -- attending regularly, joining a committee or foyer dinner, making a financial pledge, or connecting enough to consider yourself a member. During the service we will take a short moment to recognize you. Please be there!

The Inclusion team invites everyone who is new to the parish to a lunch designed especially for you on Sunday, March 9 at 12:30pm. We will provide lunch, some good conversation, a chance to meet other new folks, and the chance to meet the leaders of our parish. This is a great way to learn about the church and to get more connected! RSVP to Jeremy.

St. Thomas' does not have a physical gift shop or bookstore but the communications committee has put together a virtual emporium of books, tee-shirts, and gifts.

The store has two sections. One is for gifts, tee-shirts and cards. The other features books recommended by our parishioners that are available for purchase on Amazon. A portion of the proceeds from any book purchase goes to the parish.

A users' guide for Episcopalians

Early Christians observed "a season of penitence and fasting" in preparation for the Paschal feast, or Pascha (Book of Common Prayer, pp. 264-265). The season now known as Lent (from an Old English word meaning "spring," the time of lengthening days) has a long history. Originally, in places where Pascha was celebrated on a Sunday, the Paschal feast followed a fast of up to two days. In the third century this fast was lengthened to six days. Eventually this fast became attached to, or overlapped, another fast of forty days, in imitation of Christ's fasting in the wilderness.

The 113th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington took place January 25-26 at Washington National Cathedral. For election results, text and audio of the Bishop's Address and the sermon given by the Rev. Ian Douglas, slides of the 2008 budget presentation, audio of the keynote address by the Rev. Peter Steinke, photos and more, visit http://convention.edow.org.