The Altar Flowers are given by Fereshtah Maynard To The Glory Of God and in Tribute to the People of Houston and Surrounding Area. Continued Prayers for Their Safety.

If you or any church member or friend of St. Peter's is in need of any Pastoral Care, due to family illness or death, or if you will be admitted to the hospital, please let the church office know so that we can pray for you, as well as take care of you as a church.

Dollar Bills 

All $1 bills  in the offering plate this Sunday will go to the Discretionary Fund.     

The weekly Operating Budget needs $8830.00 each week to meet our budget obligations. For the month of August, St. Peter's will need $35,322.00 to meet our budgetary needs.

Summer is traditionally a time when giving is down.  We ask everyone who is able to please catch up on your annual pledge, and, if possible, to give ahead. Our current level of giving does not meet our operating expenses.  

 

August 13:        $  1,913.00

August 20:        $  2,808.00

August 27:        $ 10,975.00

Operating Budgetary deficit for August: $11,959.00

Did you know that you can have your tithe to St. Peter's automatically taken out of your checking our savings account? The Bank Draft Form is located in the link below. Print this form out and give it to the church office. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mike King at

[email protected]

 

8:50am Discussion in Library

This set of 24 30 minute lectures by Dr Jodi Magness, Dept. of Religion. U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill seeks to provide an understanding of how Jesus's teachings and views were shaped by his Jewish background and context.Jodi Magness PhD is an archaeologist who has done distinguished work in Israel and Greece, participating in 20 excavations. Her primary research interests center on the archaeology of the Holy Land from the destruction of Solomon's Temple to the Muslim Conquest.

Is the only path to shalom through a valley of capricious divine bloodshed?

One of the world's foremost historical Jesus scholars helps the church and its alumni/ae rise above the greatest of Christian treasons: that everlasting peace can only be achieved through the onslaught of divine violence.Filmed before a live audience in a workshop setting, professor and author John Dominic Crossan summarizes the essence of his bestselling HOW TO READ THE BIBLE & STILL BE A CHRISTIAN: Struggling with Divine Violence from Genesis Through Revelation and shows the way forward for those seeking an authentic Christianity for the 21st century.Violence Divine is an eight-session DVD-based program. The basic format for each 1 - 1.5 hour session includes chapter breaks and discussion questions related to each 40-minute video segment.

Session Titles:

1. An Epic Matrix
2. Sin and Escalatory Violence
3. The Heart of the Torah
4. Deuteronomy Rules
5. Undecided Justice
6. Not, not, not, not, not, NOT the End of the World
7. The "Violentization" of Jesus
8. Overcoming the Bible's Betrayal of Its Non-Violent God 

Church's Teachings for a Changing World

Well-known in Catholic circles for her willingness to take on anybody-even the pope-in defense of women's rights, Chittister, now in her 70s, examines how it feels "to be facing that time of life for which there is no career plan." Clearly, getting older has not diminished the controversial nun, activist, lecturer, and author of nearly 40 books on feminism, nonviolence and Benedictine wisdom. This collection of inspirational reflections, "not meant to be read in one sitting, or even in order, bot one topic at a time," abounds in gentle insights and arresting aphorisms, she ponders topics such as feat, mystery, forgiveness and legacy.
The Brown Bag Book Club begins again on August 9, 2017, at noon in St. Peter's Library. Please come and enjoy lively discussion to make the second half of life even better than the first!

Attention Men:  Give one hour a month as part of your Christian experience.  Join the Brotherhood of St. Andrew which meets for one hour the third  Monday of each month.  The Brothers pray, study scripture, and serve together.  Check the lobby bulletin board for this month's meeting.

The Fall Bible Study will be a discussion of the Gospel of Luke.  Check lobby bulletin board for additional information or telephone Joe Arn.

Bible Study Fall Luncheon, September 11, 11 am, Mike's Place

Afternoon Bible Study starts September 18, Monday, 12:15 pm, Church Library.

Evening Bible Study starts September 21, Thursday, 7 pm, Morgan House

Library Information

LibraryThing is a fun tool for getting disturbingly organized with your own home libraries (a free personal library account will allow you to enter a few thousand titles of your own).  A few years ago, we set up our church library with a lifetime membership which allows our church library to add up to 10,000 books.   So far we've entered about one tenth of the existing church library in our account, StPeteLibrary.  Sadly, I am still the only Librarything "friend" of the church library.  I would like some help getting the popularity rolling along.   If you get the techie urge to set up a LibraryThing account (it's like a facebook for library enthusiasts and readers where you can recommend titles, etc.), I invite you to "friend" StPeteLibrary!  If that's too intense, please feel free to visit the public view, which allows you to browse and search the catalog as well.   Here's the public view of StPeteLibrary on Librarything: 

http://www.librarything.com/profile/stpetelibrary

Servant Leadership School of Conway is once again sponsoring a ten-week introductory course this Fall.  The classes are on Thursday evenings at 6:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall beginning September 14, 2017.  Each pilgrim receives a three-ring notebook full of fascinating articles, weekly assignments, and real life questions to ponder during small group discussions.  They also receive an armful of paperbacks.  The school's mission statement is "Relying on ancient spiritual wisdom enriched by modern understanding,  we offer courses designed to foster personal growth and service to others."  Pick up a brochure in the lobby, or email

[email protected] to have one sent to you.  The registration deadline is the end of August.

August Hiatus: C-YA will NOT meet during the month of August. We will be doing some planning for the future, so be on the lookout for new information later this month. If you are interested in more information or have questions, please email Rev. Peggy.

New or New-ish to St. Peter's? Bring your questions and your appetite and join us for a light brunch. Meet other St. Peter  newcomers as well as long-time members and  learn a little bit more about our mission and ministries!
Questions? Contact Jerusalem Greer Jerusalem.greer@stpetersconway.com

Would you like to learn more about the Episcopal Church and how to join? Whether you are new to our congregation or have been a part of St. Peter's for a long time, you're invited to attend this Inquirers Workshop hosted by our clergy and lay ministers! This day workshop is full of lively discussions, fellowship and connection. This workshop are especially important (and required) for those planning to be confirmed or received into the Episcopal Church when the bishop visits St. Peter's in October.  A continental breakfast and light lunch will be served. 

Childcare is available upon request.

In accordance with a new State of Arkansas law that will take on September 1, 2017, the Vestry voted in it's meting on August 27, 2017, to have signs placed at the entrances to the Church prohibiting firearms in our Sanctuary and all buildings, including the Morgan House. If you have any questions, please contact the Parish Office. 

Narthex and Nave Doors 

In the next couple of weeks, you will notice that the Narthex and Nave doors will be removed for some updating! When they return from Kordsmeier Remodeling Service, we will have a new experience upon entering the narthex and the nave at St. Peter's.

Contact the church office for further information on memorial funds and enjoy our new doors!
Reminder that this project is not being paid through the Operating Budget.   

It's not as bright as the eclipse we had on Monday, August 21, but it's bright! The Memorial Fund Committee approved paying for replacing the spot lights in the sanctuary. The old fixtures were original to the building, which is now 24 years old. Most of these fixtures were burned out and needed to be replaced. The lighting system itself is still in good condition, just the spotlights themselves were replaced.

This project was funded through the Memorial Committee Fund, no Operating Expenses were used to fund this project.

Save the Date!

     

September 3    The Rev. Linda Brown preaching in all three services.  

Chandler Henderson	9/1
Lucia Redditt	9/3
Phillip Bryan	9/4
Leah Darling	9/4
Jaylee Garrett-Jones	9/4
Ted Warriner	9/4
Woody Cummins	9/6
Lisa Buck	9/7
Tripp Walter	9/7
Shari Readnour	9/8
Stacey Jones	9/9
Douglas Young	9/9

September 1 - 9 Anniversaries

Allen, Dan and Nancy, September 4  

 

I think the vestry has been very forthright in the church's current financial status and our operating funds are in a sensitive state of being. I believe that a better use of the excess funds from this year's Thanksgiving donations would be to go directly into the operating account. Your donations will still be funding this wonderful project because without all of the hard work from our amazing church staff, without heat and electricity, without the bills getting paid, the Thanksgiving Dinner Day wouldn't be able to exist. Making sure the day to day operations are taken care of is a major part in continuing to extend our ministries to the people in our community.

The Food Pantry is in need of a volunteer or volunteers, with a truck and trailer to go to the Arkansas Food Bank in Little Rock next Wednesday, September 6, to pick up our food order for the Food Pantry. We will have volunteers to unload for you. If you can help out, please call the church office 501-329-8174 and let John Churchwell know.

Help Out the Food Pantry Don't forget your items to bring this Sunday!  You may also drop off items in the church lobby anytime during the week.  With your help we are able to provide food to those in need. 2 mac and cheese; 2 corn muffin mix; 2 cans green beans Diapers, Feminine Hygiene Products     **If you are bringing fresh produce to donate, please contact someone with a key and see that it is placed in the Food Pantry refrigerators.