Ministry Minute

Welcome to Lent
 
'"The time has come," [Jesus] said. "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!"'
- Mark 1:15
 
Lent is beautiful, and powerful, and misunderstood. It is not a time to make yourself feel bad. It is not a time to focus on how you are not enough. It is not a time to deprive yourself or to remind yourself of your extravagance.
 
Lent is about repentance. The word "repentance" in the Bible literally means to turn around. We find the ways that we have turned away from God and turn back towards him again. It is emotional to get real. It is emotional to say you are sorry and mean it. But the focus is not meant to be on our failings because the focus is not meant to be on us at all. We are turning to God that is the point of repentance.
 
So I say again, Lent is beautiful, and powerful, and misunderstood. It is not a time to make yourself feel bad. It is a time to wrap yourself in love. It is not a time to focus on how you are not enough. It is time to remember how God provides.  It is not a time to deprive yourself to remind yourself of your extravagance. It is a time to get simple to appreciate God's abundance.
 
Questions

1.        What aspects of your life need to turn around to face God?

2.        What helps you remember that God wants to forgive you?

3.        What helps you focus on God?
All Church Announcements

The Forgotten Letter
9:15-10:15 Sundays February 18th - March 4th.
Join us Adults and High School Aged Youth for this exploration in one of the most beautiful, powerful and often forgotten letters of the Bible. The letter of James. 

Saint Aidan's Seniors (SAS) Lenten Study Group
Thursdays 7:30-8:30pm Classroom 2
Feb 22nd-March 22nd Study Leader Quentin Fleming
Our study book will be Meeting God in Paul by Rowan Williams, Master of Magdalene College, and Cambridge. This short book opens the door to Paul's world and the bold adventure he invites us to join - living in God's new creation.
The book, Meeting God in Paul, can be purchased  through Amazon.com, either in paperback ($5.35) or Kindle ($5.08).To sign up for this timely class, either contact Jean Dick (jeand1020@comcast.net) or sign up at the table in the narthex.

CASA-Pot Luck and Game Night
February 24th 5:30-8:30 pm
Bring your bodies, some food to share, and a game or two to play. Enjoy fellowship and laughter while playing board games.

Maundy Thursday Lock In
Starting at 7 p.m. with Maundy Thursday service, pick up is at 8:30 a.m on Good Friday
This lock in is designed to help build and strengthen relationships, while also learning more about and spending intentional time with a focus on Maundy Thursday. What is it? What does it mean? Why does it matter? We will also be playing games, calming down with a movie, and more! Please contact Taylor Durr if your youth is planning on attending this lock in.
 
Holy Week Services
Palm Sunday - March 25th,  8am and 10:30 service
Evensong - March 28th at 7pm
Maundy Thursday - March 29th at 7pm
Good Friday - March 30th
Stations of the Cross - 12 noon
Good Friday Service with Children's Chapel - 7pm
Bunny Brunch - March 31st, from 9:00-10:30 a.m.
Easter Sunday - April 1st
Services at 8am, 9:30am and 11:15am
 
New Options for Online Giving!
Most Efficient
Set up a recurring online bill pay with your bank. All you need is the church's name and address and you can set up your pledge payments to go out with no fees at all.  (Saint Aidans Episcopal Church Cypress Texas, 13131 Fry Road, Cypress. TX 77433-3339)
Most Convenient
Download the Tithe.ly (that is not a typo it is how it is spelled) app from your android or apple appstore. You can set up an easy giving profile and you can give from a credit card, debit card, or directly from your bank account. There are some fees associated with this service, but you can select to pay for the fees yourself if you like. You can also set up and track recurring giving through the app.

SMILE/AMAZON
We have registered Saint Aidan's on Smile/Amazon. Please find link here
Once you have linked your Amazon account there will be a donation to support Saint Aidan's with every purchase you make at no extra cost to you.

Opportunities to Serve
We are looking to expand our ranks of volunteers around worship. There are training videos now available on our website under the action tab (Liturgical Training Videos) where you can scope out what is like to be an acolyte or chalicer. One of the things we could really use help with is our sound booth. Contact  tracy@aidanschurch.org if you are interested. 


Youth Ministry

Feb 18: Kahoot!, 12:00-1:30 p.m.

Feb 25: Convocation service project at Tamarac Pines Retirement Community, leave St. Aidan's at 2 p.m, return around 6 p.m.

Mar 4: Bible study, 12:00-1:30 p.m.

Mar 11: No youth group, Happy Spring Break!

Mar 18: Houston Zoo, leave Saint Aidan's at 12:00, return around 3:30 p.m. Total cost p/p is $19.00.

Mar 25: Service project at church

If you have any questions, please contact Taylor Durr at taylor@aidanschurch.org
Children's Ministry

Children's Chapel
Children's Chapel is a place for children to go worship in the traditions of our faith but in a way that's geared towards Pre K to 3rd grade. It will be held at the 10:30 service and the children will return  during the Peace.  Volunteer adults and teens lead the worship and music, and children do the rest - from reading the Psalm and Prayers of the People, to lighting candles and collecting the offertory, to running the power points. Please remember to take your children to the restroom prior to the service. See you there and be ready to have fun in Children's Chapel! 

Sunday School
Sunday School begins at 9:15 a.m. and class will end at 10:15 a.m. with each class beginning in the classrooms as marked below. Prek-6th grade will be digging deeper into the Bible with a curriculum called Dig In! They will learn and understand the stories and concepts in the Bible through interactive lessons. 7th-8th grade will be using re:form which will foster a greater understanding of the Bible, discipleship, our beliefs, and some tough questions through activities and conversation. Please contact Taylor Durr with any questions you may have
 
Prek-1st grade: Classroom 2
2nd-3rd grade: Classroom 3
4th-6th grade: Classroom 4
7th-8th: Middle school room in office behind bookcase
 
High School Sunday School
High Schoolers will have the option of attending Adult formation in the meeting room, or choosing a younger class to assist in. Please contact Taylor Durr if you are interested in helping with a younger class.
 
The Gathering
On the first Sunday of each month, the prek-8th classes will all gather in Classroom 2 at 10:00 to celebrate birthdays for that month and to add special prayers to our prayer jar so we can all pray together.  At 10:15 the students will be picked up by their parents from Classroom 2. 

Worship

Sundays
 
Traditional Worship 8:00 am

Traditional Worship with Contemporary Music 10:30 am

 

Are you serving Sunday?
Click below to check the 
Sunday's readings can be found at  lectionarypage.net . We are following Track 1.  
 
Saint Aidan's Episcopal Church
13131 Fry Road
Cypress, TX 77433
281.373.3203