Dear talented siblings in Christ,
I am so excited to invite you to our annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner and Talent Show on Tuesday, February 13th at 6 pm in Cleaver Hall.
We are looking for singers, artists, thespians, musicians, comedians, and readers of all ages for the talent portion of the evening. We ask that your act be three minutes or less. To sign up, just email me a brief description of what you’ll be doing at HannahR@COSEpiscopal.org by Sunday, February 11, or call 626-282-5147, extension 22. If you have a painting, drawing, or photograph to submit, we will display it in our art gallery section. Please email or call me so I can be sure to have space to showcase your artwork.
Whether or not you plan on participating in the talent show, bring your appetite for the pancake dinner. Shrove Tuesday is the feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Lent — the 40 days leading up to Easter — was traditionally a time of fasting, and on Shrove Tuesday Anglo-Saxon Christians went to confession and were “shriven” (absolved from their sins). A bell would be rung to call people to confession. This came to be called the “Pancake Bell.” In the spirit of Mardi Gras, we will obviously be ringing our bell. (Check out this week's "Ask DOD" column for more information on Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras). The evening will conclude with the burning of last year’s palm crosses — this is where we get the ashes for Ash Wednesday.
In my humble opinion, this is one of the best events at Church of Our Saviour. Like last year, our SPARK (Speech and Reading Kids) and Children’s Ministry will be hosting and decorating the hall. Whether you are planning to ham it up for the audience or just eat pancakes, you won’t want to miss COS’s Shrove Tuesday. Warmly,
Hannah Riley,
Associate for Congregational Life
