The Spirit of Saint Nicholas
The E-Newsletter from Saint Nicholas Episcopal  Church  
69 Mobley Road, Hamilton, GA 31811
706-628-7272
March 29th - April 4th, 2017
Sunday Services 8:30 and 11:00am 
SNICK -  Wednesdays 5:30 
(led by Children of St. Nick - followed by dinner)
***NO SNICK ON MARCH 29TH***

St. Nicholas' mission is to be an example of Christ's love 
for all people.
Our vision is to be the center of nourishment in mind, body, and spirit
for all people in our community.  
Church Work Day
Date: April 1st

             Work Day at the Church, April 1: Our Cub Scout Pack 109 is leading a work day on the grounds of St. Nicholas to get ready for Easter. 
They are working in two shifts,  9:00am to 12 noon , and  1:00-4:00pm
They will be working on pulling weeds around the church and in the Memory Garden. 
All church volunteers are welcome, even if you can only do one shift. 
For more information, contact Pack Leader Allen Parker 


 
Ezekiel 37:1-14
 
Romans 8:6-11
         
 
John 11:1-45
  



From Fr. Jeff:

"One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." John  9:25  What are you blind to? A man is healed of his blindness by Jesus on the Sabbath, which broke a major religious law. The Pharisees, those who were supposedly enlightened, criticize Jesus and try to discredit him, instead of glorifying God for the miracle that has just happened. They can't see the forest for the trees. So who is really blind here? Sometimes we can think we are so right about something and miss the blessing underneath. We can be quick to judge and criticize, and when we do, our sight becomes dimmer and duller. If we persist, we become blind. We are all blind to something. We need the eyes of Jesus to see. When we do, we will see the amazing grace of God and will be healed of our own blindness. 


*If you would like to receive messages like this in text form from Fr. Jeff every week, text "Add me" to 

Peace,  Jeff
SNICK's Feed My Lambs Breakfast Fundraiser and Mary's Meals Envelope Donations
Thanks to your generosity & participation, so far we have collected $468.00  
The collections will continue through Lent. 
Mary's Meals Envelopes are in the Narthex.
Every $20 we receive will feed one child for a year!


 
 
Sto ries from 40acts
"To answer before listening - that is folly and shame" 
Proverbs 18:13 

Yesterday, I visited with someone I have never met before.  I sat on the front porch and listened for 3 hours to a very active elderly man as he told me the story of his life.  

He spent his career as an over-the-road truck driver, often being away from home for 2 weeks at a time. 

He gave grateful praise to his family for their tolerance of his lifestyle.

He described in great detail his spiritual journey, his church life, and his honest and generous nature.  He spoke candidly about his health conditions, painful arthritis, and beating prostate cancer.  
He admitted his great love of sweets after meals (he offered me peach cobbler to accompany the glass of sweet tea I was drinking).  He has never been a smoker or a drinker.  He has been married to his first wife for 50+ years.

He told me his views on the deplorable state of our world political stage with the gaping holes in the floor.  He went into great detail to describe why he thinks mankind is in its End Times and the coming of the Rapture.  He is experienced, intelligent, thoughtful, considerate; highly unusual qualities these days.  

Then my wife called me for dinner, and I had to go back to reality.  But in those three hours I gave him an attentive ear and developed a powerful bond with my new trucker friend.  I am blessed for knowing him. 
- Chris Butzon

Do you have a story of your experience with 40acts this Lent? Send it to us!
 

 

 Episcopal 101 Class  

For those with questions about the Episcopal Church, those who are seeking membership, or those who just need a refresher, Episcopal 101 is a safe place to explore your faith. 
For more information, see Fr. Jeff.

 
READING MATERIALS FOR LENT
Books for the Adult Forum Class 
"A JOURNEY WITH MATTHEW "
have been ordered.  
They will be available at the Adult Forum Class beginning March 5th.    
They are $12.00  each.

***Daily Meditations for Lent - 
  
 Booklets will be available to St Nicholas Families.  
The booklet includes 40 daily readings based on 
Matthew 25.   
They are $4.00 each.
 


ZION CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICE - April 30th
An opportunity to worship at historic Zion Church, built as an Episcopal church in the 1840s, will be offered at  4 p.m. Sunday, April 30th, in Talbotton. 
On the N ational Register of Historic Places, Zion's building has been spared modernization. 
It is a rare Gothic American parish church constructed of old growth timber. 
Assisting Bishop Don Wimberly of the Diocese of Atlanta will be the celebrant and preacher. 
Several people will be confirmed or received. 
A reception will follow the service and there will be an opportunity to have a guided tour and hear the rich history of the church. 

Zion Church is located at 100 Main Street in Talbotton on U.S. 80. 
Contact Father Jeff Jackson at  (706) 761-0115  for further information. 
Non-perishable food will be collected for Talbotton families in need.

All are welcomed - Invite a friend.

 
Congratulations!

Jeana Smith
 for your Letter of Transfer into St. Nicholas!
Congratulations
 and 
Welcome to St. Nicholas
Helen Varner Manderson was confirmed at Zion Episcopal on Sunday, March 19th, and has joined our St. Nicholas Family!
 
Everyone is invited to come on April 7th at 11:00 to make palm crosses for Palm Sunday. 
We will meet at the church. 
Light lunch will follow. 
 
:
Palm Sunday Readings
If there are any readers in the congregation who would like to help make our Palm Sunday service with reading of the Passion Narrative on April 9th  at 8:30am or 11:00 even more special, please contact Father Jeff.   If you would like to participate, please let us know and Father Jeff will contact you


 
         


The form linked above will be inserted in the Bulletin this Sunday.
If you would rather, you may click, print, fill out and bring or mail to the Church.
These gifts must be received by April 9th to be included in the Memorial List in Easter Bulletins

 
Baptisms, Confirmations, & Receptions:
If you or someone you know would like to be baptized, the next opportunity will be on 
Easter Sunday, April 16 at the Easter Vigil
If you are interested, please talk to Father Jeff.

 
Lunch Bunch, April 16
If you don't have plans on Easter Sunday lunch, come join your church family! 
We will meet at the Country Store after services on Easter Sunday. 
All are welcome!


 
24th Annual Empty Bowl Dinner .  
Please join us on Saturday, April 22, from 6-8 pm at the Harris County High School cafeteria as we celebrate our 24th Empty Bowl Dinner sponsored by the HCHS Art Club/NAHS.  
This year's theme will be "Time Line of Art".  
Come enjoy a delicious bowl of soup and dessert and take home a beautiful hand-made bowl as a reminder of the many empty bowls we have in our community.  
The students also auction off many wonderful art items that you won't want to miss.  
Tickets are $10. and are available at FOCUS or contact Julie Nordin at 706-663-7356.  
All proceeds from this event benefit FOCUS.

 
***No Class on April 2nd***
Journey to Adulthood
Our new youth program continues with our Rite 13 class (grades 6 & up) at 9:45 in the Classrooms, led by leaders 
Sheri Cody, John Brent, 
Jennifer Milton, and 
Bob Hamilton. 
For more information, contact Sheri Cody



 
Rite 13 Liturgy:
We will celebrate our Rite 13 youth on Sunday, April 30 at the 11:00am service. 
This is our first Rite 13 Liturgy where we as a church family promise to not look away from our young people on their journey to adulthood. 
Join us as we honor our teenagers this day!

 

please contact Marci Horne for changes
                                   Kathy McMurtry                          Ashley Taylor

Stewards of the Month
Kathy McMurtry 
Ashley Taylor  
This month's Steward of the Month goes to Kathy McMurtry and 
Ashley Taylor. Kathy and Ashley lead our youngest members in the SNICK, Jr. class  on Wednesday  nights. 
Kathy and Ashley are here every week making sure that SNICK runs well. In addition to leading the class, they are also helping behind the scenes, helping to prepare meals and serve them to the children, helping to set up or take down something, arranging costumes for the Christmas pageant, and much more. 
They give their time so generously and we are so grateful for their ministry at St. Nicholas.

 



         
Bright Way Services

Worship services continue at Bright Way Personal Care Home  in Pine Mountain. Other  Lay Eucharistic Visitors are needed for this ministry. 

Contact  Bert  if you would like to participate.


 
Lectionary Readings 

If you would like to see the readings for Sunday, 

                        


For those who are ill, recovering or needing special prayers:

  Members of St Nicholas:

Harris County Prison Ministry
Jenny Jackson
BackPack Program
Safe Families Program
Lynn Norris
Mabry Collins
Cecelia Rood
Michelle Moody
Bill Eidson
Dave Halmrast
Nate Taylor
Clara Butzon


 
Family members and friends of the Community:


Jordan
Grace Ebstyne
Denson Franklin
Trish Davis 
Ann Carolyn King  
Fred Young
McCullohs Family
 Brightway Patients & Staff
Dexter Crotts
Gay Shephard
Kelly & Simon Graham
Russ Fackler
Penelope Elliston
Paige Buchanan
Joseph Green
Mark Daniel
Heather Partin
Barbara Hamilton
Cameron Clark
Danny Hatchell



    Prayers for all our veterans, those currently 
serving their country  away from home, 
for their safe return and for their families 
who wait for them.
 

     31 Ashley Strong 
   31 Peggy Martin
 
           APRIL
2 Scott Crowley
3 Donna Armstrong
3 Lynn Hall
5 Grey Jackson
6 Caroline Dixon
6 Sharon Cheatham
9 Linda Gustashaw
  12 Marcus Dixon
  16 Bill Bradley
  16 Ron Davis
  17 Mike Sawyer
  20 Jo Thompson
  21 Kristy Hubbard
  21 Leslie Baker
  24 Armani Davis Butzon
  25 Kin Brown
  26 Brittany Vargas Butzon 
  27 Barbara Morgan


APRIL
           3 Dave & Linda Gustashaw
9 Dick & June Wood
  
 
In This Issue

Church Work Day

From Fr. Jeff

Mary's Meals

Stories from 40acts

Episcopal 101

Adult Forum Books for Lent

Zion Worship

Palm Crosses

Easter Memorials

Palm Crosses

Baptisms, Confirmations, Receptions

Easter Lunch Bunch

Empty Bowls

Lay Ministry

Journey to Adulthood

Stewards of the Month

Vestry Minutes

Bright Way Ministries

Sunday School Schedule
 
Lectionary Readings
 
Prayers
 
Birthdays & Anniversaries



Links (in alphabetical order)
 
















CONTACT
  
Deadline for submitting news items is noon Monday.

 Send news and photos to: 
 
The Spirit of St. Nicholas 
is published weekly by 
St. Nicholas Episcopal Church.

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Than

Thank you, St. Nicholas family, for your active involvement in our parish. 




If you or family members will be in a play, concert, sports or school activity please send the information to the church [email protected] to be printed in the newsletter. St Nicholas members can then know what is happening with their church family and perhaps attend some of the functions. Include the event with dates, times and location. This is for children, teens and adults.

 

Please help us keep the church directory as up-to-date as possible.


 

If you have not yet filled out a form, please pick one up in the cloister room and return to the church office. Or you can send your info via email to the Parish Administrator at [email protected]

  1. Please include:your names and the names of your minor children,
  2. address,
  3. email addresses,
  4. phone numbers (cell and home),
  5. birthdays and anniversaries.

If you need a new picture or a new name tag, indicate that as well. Feel free to use a favorite picture. Just send it in jpeg form to [email protected].


 



Mobile App Installation Instructions






Church members can view the St. Nicholas Church Directory from their iPhone, iPad, Android or Kindle Fire by downloading the free Instant Church Directory Members App.  

You may search for "Instant Church Directory" in the Apple App Store, Google Play, or Amazon Appstore, or use this link: 

After installation, open the Instant Church Directory icon (it looks like a church).  It will ask for your email address.  If your email address is in our church directory, the program will generate a password for you and email it to you.

 

This worked great for most, but if you have any problems make sure you first check to see that your email address is in the church directory.  

 



Please look for these cards in the narthex or in the pews and place them in the alms basin if you give electronically.

Father Jeff will bless them at each service along with the other offerings.



Electronic Common Prayer


Electronic Common Prayer, Version 2.0   (eCP)  is a brand new update to the first, fully authorized, interactive version of the Book of Common Prayer 1979 of the Episcopal Church USA.
Click here for details 
 
GoFundMe Campaign for Zion Church



For our next phase of fundraising for historic  Zion Episcopal Church  
in Talbotton, Georgia , we have set up a
GoFundMe  campaign. 

There is much to be done to help this amazing bit of Georgia history. 
Please share this and encourage people to be generous. 


For over 160 years, Zion Episcopal Church has watched over the village of Talbotton, GA. There are not many 160-year-old structures still standing in our country.


April Workshop: Pathways to Happiness

                
 
   
Pathways to Happiness
is a 5 part series designed to explore ways to increase our capacity for happiness and joy in our present lifestyles.  Through discussion and learning specific techniques, along with mindfulness and mediation practice, an increase in happiness, health and wellbeing will result.  Drawing heavily on Native American spiritual practices and belief systems each individual will develop a healthy relationship with their bodies, minds and spirits.  Many other spiritual traditions will be incorporated to emphasize that harmony in diversity is an essential part of the pathway to happiness.
  
Monday April 3 from 6:00pm to 8pm
Walk in Joy:
This workshop will focus on our understanding of the purpose of life, more specifically each participants' unique life perspective.  Then viewing ourselves from the perspective of a loving creator, we will redefine or reaffirm our life purpose and to find our Joy.  The Divine is expressed through that which brings us Joy.  When Joy slips away, our attention is usually focused on non-essential distracting issues.  Increased awareness through meditation helps us to connect to the Divine within and the Joy that follows.
 
Monday April 10 from 6:00pm to 8pm
Walk in Balance:
This workshop will focus on bringing it all together and learning to live in a balanced way.  We will explore how extremes of any kind disrupt our natural rhythms and how a lack of compassion for self creates unhappiness.  We will become skilled at walking on the high wire with grace and confidence, knowing that each challenge we face only increases our skills and allows us to go higher.  We will focus on developing our inner guidance systems essential for happiness to flow in our lives on a daily basis.  
 
Workshops to be held at :  1443 17th Street, Columbus Georgia 31901. 
 
For information and to register call 703-317-2163.   Individual workshop fee is $20.00.  
Dr. Ona Graham
Workshop Facilitator




                          A Not for Profit Corporation
 

 "See What Love Can Do" Star Nation Healing Arts.org 400 Brookstone Centre, 
Suite 450, Columbus, Georgia 31904-9266 706-656-0987 / 706-317-2163
 




Calling all artists, DIY-enthusiasts, yard-sale fanatics, collectors of cool things: The Chattahoochee Valley Episcopal Ministry needs your expertise and your chairs for its CHAIRity for CVEM. CHAIRity is held on  May 21  from  Noon to 6 p.m.  at Arts in the Park in Lakebottom Park. CHAIRity features one-of-a-kind chairs donated, created, or repurposed by local artists and friends of CVEM and proceeds benefit our neighbors in need in the Chattahoochee Valley region. There are no real rules for chairs: It can be a chair you decorate, repurpose, create or just something unique you've collected through the years. We are also looking for chairs that others may use to decorate. If you would like to donate a chair, please contact us at  [email protected]  or call  706.327.0400
Let me know if you need anything else please!

Holli

Holli Melancon
Communications Director
Chattahoochee Valley Episcopal Ministry
 

Holy Week & Easter at St. Nicholas


 


Holy Week and Easter
at St. Nicholas Episcopal Church
 
April 9                
The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday
                               8:30 Holy Eucharist
                           11:00 Holy Eucharist
 
April 12               Stations of the Cross led by children of SNICK
                             5:30pm
 
April 13              Maundy Thursday Holy Eucharist with Footwashing
                             and the Stripping of the Altar
                             6:30pm
 
April 14               Good Friday
Eucharist from the Reserved Sacrament
                              6:30pm
 
April 16               Easter Vigil Service
                              6:00am Holy Eucharist
 
April 16               Easter Egg Hunt
                              9:45am
 
April 16               Easter Sunday
                              11:00am Holy Eucharist