St. Paul's Church Trumpet Blast

St. Paul's Church

March 6, 2015

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." (James 1:5)

Dear St. Paul's,

I shared with the congregation last Sunday that James 1:5 has been especially valuable to me as late. I find myself again and again in situations in which my own knowledge is insufficient to meet the challenge. It's not a comfortable place to be, however, I believe that it's the best place to be - completely dependent upon the Lord. And the promise that God makes is so sweet. He's saying that He doesn't hold me responsible if I don't have all the answers. All I need to do is ask God and He will give me the information that I need to make the right decision. I love that!

And of course, we've been asking the Lord for wisdom this week, as this Sunday March 8^th will be our last at the Surf Club. We are so grateful for all that the Bates family has done to give us a temporary home since July 2011. And we'll never forget all of the faithful prayers offered by Pr. Jerry Khourrie and the folks at Christ Family International. They prepared that worship space so beautifully, and then humbly stepped aside when the Lord told Pr. Jerry, "Your ministry in Vero is finished... There is a good church meeting there now."

And now the Lord is calling us to a new temporary home while our new building is being completed. The staff and others have been hard at work investigating every lead. While a final decision has not yet been made, we're getting close, and we can feel your prayers. We know that you're calling out to God for wisdom, and He is giving it generously. Thank you so much for your faithfulness and the joy with which you received the news of this change in venue. I'm excited, and I'm trusting that the Lord will continue to bless St. Paul's wherever He leads. Keep praying, and I hope to have an announcement this Sunday. Continue to watch for any email updates.

Gratefully in Christ,

Pr. Jon

March 29 Palm Sunday Services 8:00 & 10:00 AM

April 2 Maundy Thursday Service 6:00 PM

April 3 Good Friday Service 6:00 PM

April 5 Easter Sunday Services 8:00 & 10:00 AM

Easter Lily He Is Risen

We will be decorating our worship space with Easter lilies. If you want to offer a gift in memory of loved ones or in thanksgiving for a special blessing, please print out or call the church office with the following information and submit a $15.00 check made payable to "St. Paul's Church" & write "Lily" on memo line for the offering plate, mail or bring to the church office.

Donor: _____________________________________________________________

In Memory of: _______________________________________________________

In Thanksgiving for: __________________________________________________

BIBLE STUDIES

Sunday AM Bible Study

Please Note:

The adult study led by Bill Proctor each Sunday morning at 9:00 AM has been postponed until April 12th.

New Venue - Wednesday Night Adult Bible Study

Join Pastor Jon on Wednesdays at 6:00 PM for the class titled "The Path to the Cross" which will now meet in the church office building at 664 Azalea Lane. It is a video-based study set in the Holy Land, led by Ray Vanderlaan, an outstanding Bible teacher and expert in the ancient Middle East. Call the church office for further information. We have room for you!

Confirmation / Membership

If you are interested in Confirmation or being received, we will have a preparation class you may attend during Lent in April. Contact the church office or Pastor Jon for more information.

FLAMEVINE LANE

PROPERTY UPDATE

We have received parking agreements! The Building Committee is now preparing to apply for permits. Please continue to pray for all aspects of the planning-engineers, architects, and city planning. Please pray also for the funding of the renovations that we would be wise stewards of the resources the Lord has given us.

BELIZE MISSION TRIP 2015

St. Paul's Church will once again be joining with Holy Episcopal Church for a mission trip to Belize on June 6-14, 2015.

There is room for anyone who would like to join us!

From Dave & Alison Petty,

Having begun our Crossroads services outdoors at Belmont Park last summer into the fall (we met every week and never had problems with the weather!) we learned from God that He wants us to be a "church without walls". In part, we were inspired by those powerfully used 18 ^th century Anglican priests George Whitfield and John Wesley to get out of the buildings and engage in "open air" ministry. It seems like we are emulating what the early church had to do: preaching from the Upper Room, debating in the town square, meeting in homes and catacombs...

When we prayerfully considered whom we would reach we knew a few things:

We needed to start in the Belmont area of Charlottesville.
We wanted to reach the un-churched.

And I have asked the Lord, "Just Belmont?" He answered: "No. Just get started there." And I have been asking Him, "If we are to reach the un-churched, why do you keep bringing us people who used to go to church?" He answered: "I want you to reach the once-churched who can in turn reach their un-churched friends." "Reach the once-churched." Wow Lord, (I thought), makes sense.

Thank you for partnering with us. Let us, in prayer, "move the hand that moves the world".

In Jesus Name.

We love you. Thanks for loving us.

Dave (and the Crossroads team)

772-205-9155

And oh yes, while this update is a forward looking prayer request, it says next to nothing about what Jesus has already been doing: many stories that I would love to share with you. Please be in touch and we'll talk, write or just get together.