Announcements for Sunday, February 11, 2018

Ash Wednesday Services
Ash Wednesday services will be held at 12PM at Mount Olivet and 6PM here at Annunciation. There will be no childcare during these services.

Rex Parade Party Pew Restoration Fundraiser
Marcie Courtney is once again organizing our annual Rex Parade party on Mardi Gras Day. The church will provide hamburgers. Please sign up with Marcie to bring a party food if you are interested in attending. Parking is FREE to any church member who has already made a pew pledge. Parking is also available for $20 per vehicle for guests and the public. We hope to make more than the $440 raised for Annunciation last year! If you get there early, park on the street so we can charge for every possible spot. Everyone is asked to make a donation, including church members and their guests. Marcie can be contacted at [email protected] or 504-214-8314. We need volunteers to help manage the parking lot. Please let Marcie know if you are available to help with this. ALSO, if you have CDs of Mardi Gras music, please bring them with you!

Little Free Pantry
Donations from the parish are welcome.  Put them in the box in Vail Hall. The pantry was generously donated by Gustavo Gutierrez and Janie Glade, a long-time friend of Annunciation, who will also maintain it.  DONATION GUIDELINES: Food should be in easy-open containers that don’t require a can opener. We also need travel-sized toothpaste, toothbrushes, small packs of wet wipes and diapers, Ensure for infants and adults, and small packets of dry food such as cereal.

Stock the Little Free Pantry Competition
We need to donations for the Little Free Pantry, so through Lent we are doing a competitive drive to restock the Pantry. See above for details on the types of donations needed. If you are a musician or sit on the the Narthex side on the church, you are on the GOLD team. Everyone else on the Jena St. side of the church, you are on the BLACK team. You earn one point for your team per item donated to the pantry during Lent. Which team is the most generous?

Want to join Annunciation?
Would you like to join Annunciation? The short answer is join one of the small group. Beginning in Lent, small groups will discuss what it means to be an Episcopalian and what it means to be a member of Annunciation. The small groups will sponsor people when Bishop Morris Thompson comes on Sunday, March 25 to confirm and receive anyone into the church. Anyone seeking to transfer their letter from another Episcopal Church will also be recognized through this process. See Fr. Duane for more details.

Celebration of Richard Allen and Absalom Jones
Please mark your calendars for a celebration honoring Richard Allen and Absalom Jones on Saturday, February 17th at 11:00 am.This event is sponsored by the Union of Black Episcopalians with support from Historic St. James AME Church, the Diocese's Commission for Racial Reconciliation, St. Anna's Church, St. Luke's Church and Trinity. The service will be at Trinity, 1329 Jackson Ave., followed by a reception. More information to follow or contact Trevor David Bryan at 504-352-7670.

Flower Memorials
Today's Altar Flowers are given to the glory of God and in loving memory of the birthday of her mother, Alma Hinkson, by Maureen Young. If you would like to donate flowers for the altar, please contact the Altar Guild director, Suzanne Fontan, at (504) 430-6879 or [email protected]. The suggested donation is $40.

Prayer Requests
Prayers for health are requested for Hazel Rue, Linda Guillory, Chris Miller, Doug Kuylen, Julie Zitzmann, Noel Prentiss, Reggie Majarrez, Arthur Escalante, Leslie Graf, Roland Hoffmann, Peter Waring, Al Bemiss, Jack Smith, and Carol Kerrigan.  Prayers for safe travels: none Prayers for the repose of the soul:  Michael Markanus, John Burgess, son of Carla Burgess, Marie Jouty, grandmother of Manette Breaux, and Darlene Selmen.  Prayers for birthdays: Tracy Breax (02/06) and Fr. Duane Wiggin-Nettles (02/11). To request prayers by Wednesday, contact Karen Hall at [email protected] or (504) 895-8697 ext. 1.  

Announcements follow the service in Vail Hall!
In order to allow for more community announcements, parishioners are now invited to make announcements directly after the service in Vail Hall, over coffee and pastries. A bell will be rung to signal when announcements are starting. Wanted: News of local civic events, family milestones, updates on former parishioners, charitable causes seeking support, PSAs, etc. Announcements are also wanted for this newsletter! Please contact Karen Hall to have your news published at (504) 895-8697 ext. 1, [email protected]. The DEADLINE for new announcements is Wednesdays at Noon to make the Sunday Weekly News.