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The Labyrinth Walk
Tuesday, November 30, 2017
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InGathering This Sunday, December 3, 2017
All three services
This Sunday, St. Peter's will celebrate InGathering. You can participate by handing in your 2018 Pledge card during one of the three services. You can also turn in your pledge card to the Parish Office during normal business hours.
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Find Us Faithful
Chris Odom, Jr. Warden - Vestry
This is one of my favorite times of year at St. Peter's. The period from Thanksgiving through Christmas (yes, my decorations stay up until January 6!) always makes me realize how lucky I am to have found a church home that fits me like a glove. St. Peter's has given so much to me over my 11 years here and I'm honored to be able to give back to it. One way I do this is by being as active as possible in the life of the church: being at services, singing in the choir, serving on the Vestry. I also make a monthly monetary contribution to help cover the operating expenses of the church. Just like my home, I know St. Peter's has utility bills, a mortgage, and repairs that must be covered throughout the year. I think it's fitting that we distribute pledge cards every year in this season of joy and thanksgiving. When I receive my card, I take some time to reflect on what St. Peter's has done for me the past year and then I prayerfully consider what I can do for St. Peter's in the upcoming year. Returning the pledge card in a timely manner is so vitally important for the volunteers who serve on the Finance Committee as it allows them to create a solid, accurate budget for next year. Without the information on the cards, their job is so much more difficult as they must make educated guesses regarding next year's finances. I would encourage you to complete and return your own pledge card by December 3. Remember that every pledge to St. Peter's is important. Life happens, so please know that your pledge is not a binding contract, but rather a statement of your intended giving for 2018! I'm truly grateful for my family at St. Peter's and I'm honored to be able to serve the church, and you.
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Stewardship Update
As of Monday, November 27, St. Peter's has received $130,000 in pledges for the 2018 Budget!
The proposed budget for 2018 is $525,000.00.
You may put your Pledge Card in the offering plate on any Sunday, mail it to the church office, or hand it in to the church office during regular business hours. You may also wait to turn your pledge card in on December 3, InGathering Sunday. The Vestry and Staff respectfully ask that you pray about the amount that you will be donating to St. Peter's in 2018.
Here are a few FAQs about pledging:
At this time of the year, many Churches are asking their members to make a "Pledge." What exactly is a "Pledge"?
- Is it a Legal Contract?
NO. In other words, if you find that you are unable to pay as pledged, or promised, you will not be sued or harassed.
- Is it a statement of intention to donate a certain amount?
YES
- Are there any circumstances that are acceptable for a person to cancel or decrease the amount of a Pledge?
YES Some of these circumstances could include:death of the person who made the pledge; transfer to another state; layoff or cut in salary; unexpected and exorbitant medical bills not covered by insurance.
If you have further questions on this matter, please consult a member of the Vestry or a staff member.
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Dollar Bills
All $1 bills in the offering plate this Sunday will go to the Discretionary Fund.
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Bank Draft Form
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
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All Hands Ministry Team Meeting!
All Current (and those interested) Lectors, Greeters, Ushers, Oblationers, and Hospitality Members are encouraged to attend one of the upcoming Ministry Team Refresher Trainings! We will be going over information such as
How to Be Heard Over Crying Babies,
Ultimate Ushering: Mastering Mixed Doubles , and To Bow or not to Bow, that is the Question.
Also, there will be snacks!.
These refreshing meetings will be held in Classroom Two on
November 19 at 10:30 AM.
A Special Holiday Session, which will include, Surviving the Christmas Eve Obstetrical Course,will be held at the same time on December 10.
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Join Bob, Peggy, and Linda as they unwrap the mysteries of our prayer book and how to use it - both communally and privately. A simple soup supper will be served. Childcare will be provided.
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Annual Advent and Family Feast
December 3
5:30-7:30
Mexican Fiesta Potluck * Eucharist * Advent Crafts!
leading music
with Special Guest, Jeannie McCabe!
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December Sr High Lunch
This month's Sr High Lunch will be on
December 10, 12:30 at Bob's Grill.
All 10th-12th graders are invited!
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College Finals Week
December 11-15
As part of our College Ministry, we will be opening the church building in the evenings during Finals Week (
December 11-15) for any college student to come in and find a quiet place to study. If you would be interested in providing some snacks at any point during that week, please contact the church office or Rev Peggy.
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Notes from Rev. Dr. Linda Brown
Eucharist/Sacrifice/ Oblation
What exactly is happening when we bring the Oblations forward from the back of the church and hand them to the Deacon or Priest to place on the altar? Was this just a endearing gesture interjected into the service so laymen could participate? No, rest assured, everything in the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) has meaning!
Merriam-Webster defines oblation with these two meanings:
1
: the act of making a religious offering; specifically, capitalized: the act of offering the Eucharistic elements to God
2
: something offered in worship or devotion: a holy gift offered usually at an altar or shrine
We can't talk about 'oblations' without talking about 'sacrifice'. Whose sacrifice? What are we presenting as sacrifice? Surely a little bread and wine doesn't imply a big sacrifice to God, as in the Jewish tradition of sacrificing the purest animals.
Tradition emphasizes that the entire Eucharist is a sacrifice. It is from Paul's letters, representing the earliest Christian writings that we say at the fraction: "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us, therefore let us keep the feast." ( 1 Corinthians: 10). He goes on to say, " The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. "
Obviously, the Eucharist and its functioning as a central vehicle of reconciliation is a topic to be explored at length. Hopefully, we can do that at another time.
Let's get back to the oblations. Oblations represented a huge amount of wealth dedicated to Yahweh, or to gods, in the pagan traditions. It was precious and costly. Where is that element in our rite? We offer bread and wine. That's not terribly expensive.
One of the historical characteristics of Anglican Eucharistic prayers is what is sometimes referred to as the self-oblation; there are several examples of this in the BCP. Here are examples from Rite I, Prayer I: "And here we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, our selves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto thee..." (p. 336). Rite II, Prayer B: "Unite us to your Son in his sacrifice, that we may be acceptable through him, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit" (p. 369).
So, if we take the language of our prayers seriously, we are offering something costly at the altar. We are not just offering Jesus' body and blood, we are offering ourselves as well. In this act of self-giving, we give ourselves over to God's great plan of redemption: "to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ" (p. 855). We take our own place in the sacrifice of reconciliation.
Reference: Olsen, Derek.
Inwardly Digest: The Prayer Book as Guide to a Spiritual Life, Forward Movement, 2016.
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What is the Eucharistic Visitor?
Eucharistic Visitors are called and licensed to minister to the ill and infirm in their congregations by taking them the Eucharist 'in a timely manner' after communion service. Early Christian writers tell about a regular practice of laity taking the sacrament home from the Sunday service.
Today, our Eucharistic Visitors not only visit and help those unable to attend church services, but especially they bring the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, using the 'Communion under Special Circumstances' service found in the Book of Common Prayer. Eucharistic Visitors represent the whole church community to those who cannot worship with us.
Reverend Dr. Linda Brown will conduct training for anyone who desires to serve in this ministry. Rita Mackintosh and Dan Allen assist trained EVs with coordination and organization of visits.
If you feel called to this ministry and would like to know more about it and possibly be trained, please contact Linda, Rita or Dan. We would like to offer the two hour training session as soon as possible for all interested parishioners.
Contact information:
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Jesus and His Jewish Influences
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.
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Church's Teachings for a Changing World
Parish Hall Chapel, Sundays at 10:00am. Books are available in the office to borrow or purchase.
All are welcome at any time.
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Brown Bag Book Club
Start Date: November 29
Time: 12:00 Noon - 1:00 pm
Place: St. Peter's Library
Kathleen Norris, the author of Dakota and Cloister Walk offers up her meditation on Mary, collecting sixty images of the mother of Jesus, from Raphael to Leonardo da Vinci--from Virgin, to peasant girl, to anxious parent, to Mother of God.
The Brown Bag Book Club will read and discuss Norris' beautifully illustrated book as their Advent Study. I hope you will make time in your busy Advent lives to come and focus on Mary, Mother of Jesus.
The book may be obtained through Amazon for approximately, $15.
Rev. Dr. Linda Brown, Deacon
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Brotherhood of St. Andrew
All men of the church are invited to 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.
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Fall Bible Studies
The Fall Bible Study is a discussion of the Gospel of Luke. Check lobby bulletin board for additional information or telephone Joe Arn.
Afternoon Bible Study: Mondays,
12:15 pm, Church Library.
Evening Bible Study:
Thursdays,
7 pm, Morgan House
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Harry Potter Lock-In
St. Luke's NLR
6th-12th Grade
$10
If you need a ride please email Jerusalem!
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Art, Pray, Love
Many thanks to Art Pray Love committee member Dr. Doug Stroud for introducing worshipers at St. Peter's to the Guatemala Marketplace on November 12th. The items displayed so artfully showcased the creative talents of the Guatemalan artists and artisans. Proceeds from this Pre-Event Sale will help defray the cost of medical supplies needed for the Medical Mission to Guatemala. But Dr. Doug does more than manage the Guatemala Marketplace for Art Pray Love. In a previous newsletter article, he outlined the details of the medical mission which the Art, Pray, Love committee would like reemphasize.
Marianne Black heads the mission team which travels to the rural areas of Western Guatemala to provide clinics for people who live in extreme poverty and suffer from a lack of access to health care. Next year over 20 people will travel to Guatemala, at their own expense, to fulfill these needs.
Dr. Doug explains that the clinic group will provide a clinical setting, usually within the Episcopal Churches in the area, where the team will complete eye examinations as well as fit over 400 people with eyeglasses or sunglasses. They also provide clothing for children. The team will provide examinations for at least 500 patients and give them appropriate medications to manage acute infections and a variety of medical problems.
The surgical team will provide nasal and sinus surgeries at St. Francis Hospital and Orphanage in Putan. There will a surgeon, anesthesiologist and several operating room nurses to complete a number of surgeries in this small rural hospital.
We hope you understand a little better why we need your support at the Art, Pray Love event in January 2018.
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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Sunday
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Monday |
November 30
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December 1
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December 2
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December 3
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December 4
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2:00pm
SLS Planning
(Library)
6:30pm
Finance Meeting
(Classroom 2)
7:00pm
Enneagram
(Library)
7:00pm
Evening Bible Study
(Morgan House)
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4:00pm
Conway Locally Grown
(Parish Hall)
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9:00am
Food Pantry
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7:30am
Rite I
8:40am
Nursery Opens
8:50am
Jesus/Jewish Influences
(Library)
9:00am
Enriching our Worship Eucharist
10:00am
Adult Forum
Family Formation
Choir Practice
10:30am
Ministry Team
Training
(Classroom 2)
11:00am
Rite II
12:00pm
Handbells
(Balcony)
3:00pm
Vestry
(Morgan House)
5:00pm
Advent Event and Family Feast
7:00pm
Contemplative Quaker Fellowship
(Classroom 4) |
11:30am
Centering Prayer
(Side Chapel)
12:15pm
After-Noon Bible Study
(Library)
5:30pm
Advent Compline
6:30pm
Narcotics Anonymous
(Morgan House)
7:00pm
Circle of Trust
(Classroom 4)
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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December 5
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December 6
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December 7
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December 8
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December 9
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12:00pm
Advent Noonday Prayers
5:30pm
EfM
(Classroom 2)
7:00pm
Canterbury Coffeehouse
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12:00pm
Brown Bag Book Club
(Library)
1:30pm
Library Reserved
2:00pm
Staff Meeting
5:00pm
EYC
(Parish Hall)
5:30pm
Fledglings Writing Group
(Library)
5:30pm
Unwrapping the Prayer Book
6:30pm
Narcotics Anonymous
(Morgan House)
7:00pm
Holy Eucharist and Prayers for Healing
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12:00pm
Advent Noonday
Prayers
2:00pm
SLS Planning
(Library)
7:00pm
Enneagram
(Library)
7:00pm
Evening Bible Study
(Morgan House)
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4:00pm
Conway Locally Grown
(Parish Hall)
5:30pm
Advent Compline
5:30pm
Girl Scouts 6057
(Morgan House)
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9:00am
Food Pantry
9:00am
Girl Scouts
(Parish Hall)
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Save the Date!
December 3 First Sunday of Advent
Find Us Faithful Stewardship Sunday
Jerusalem Greer, preaching in all three services
Advent Event/Family Feast, 5:30pm, Parish Hall
December 10 The Rev. Dr. Robert C. Brown, preaching in Rite I (7:30am) and
Enriching Our Worship (9:00am)
Choir Cantata, 11:00am
December 17 The Rev. Peggy Cromwell, preaching in all three services
December 22 Greening and Singing, 5:00pm
December 24 Christmas Eve
11:00am Service (only service for the morning)
The Rev. Dr. Linda Brown, preaching
5:00pm Christmas Eve Service
8:00pm Christmas Eve Service
The Rev. Peggy Cromwell, preaching
December 25 9:00am Christmas Day Service
The Rev. Dr. Robert C. Brown, preaching
December 26 through December 29 and January 1, Parish Office Closed
December 31 The Rev. Dr. Robert C. Brown, preaching
January 15 Parish Office Closed for Mr. Luther King Jr. Day
January 27 Art Pray Love
February 14 Ash Wednesday
February 18 First Sunday in Lent
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December 3 - December 9 Birthdays
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O God, our times are in your hand: Look with favor, we pray, on your servants, as they begin another year. Grant that they may grow in wisdom and grace, and strengthen their trust in your goodness all the days of their lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer, page 830
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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; 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.
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Pantry Musings
Happy New Year, for this is the beginning of the Christian new year. This liturgical year is called Year B and during that year we read the Gospel of Mark. Mark has no birth narrative, he starts with John the Baptist and Jesus who has been assigned the age of around 30 when he began his ministry., We learn nothing of Jesus' home life and family from this Gospel, Yet some have called Advent the Season of Mary based of the gospels of Matthew and Luke. I think that some reflection on this title is in order because during this season we do not have any Christmas readings, the readings tend to be hard and judgmental. We are waiting for the coming of the Kingdom and so was Mary. Isaiah 64, which is the Old Testament reading for this Sunday, laments the wayward behavior of God's people and pleas with God: "Do not be exceedingly angry, O Lord, and do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we as all your people." The preceding verses are hot with anger and the possible actions of God for it is a time of judgment, a winnowing out of those who do not measure up. There will be no people who have disobeyed God's commandments. So Isaiah pleads because he knows that none can measure up. Remember, God, we are your people. Mark 13.24-37 is urgent in a different way. The Son of Man is coming, according to Mark, there are signs and we need to keep awake or we will miss out on his arrival. Yes, this is Mary's time. She speaks as a prophet in her Song of Praise. She is waiting for the Son of Man who will come to bring justice and righteousness to those who fear God from generation to generation [Lk.l.46-55]. He will also bring down the powerful from their thrones and the rich will be punished. He will feed the hungry. He will have mercy on his people Israel. Ann Drake
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Scripture Readings for Sunday, December 3, 2017
The 9:00am Service will lead the Psalm
and read from Isaiah.
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.
Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.
I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.
Psalm 100
1 Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *
serve the Lord with gladness
and come before his presence with a song.
2 Know this: The Lord himself is God; *
he himself has made us, and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
3 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise; *
give thanks to him and call upon his Name.
4 For the Lord is good;
his mercy is everlasting; *
and his faithfulness endures from age to age.
Ephesians 1:15-23
I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Matthew 25:31-46
Jesus said, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
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Prayers of the People
Prayers and Petitions:
Matt; Jordan; Sam; Rita; Jimmy; Kris; Jay; Anna; Ruth; Mike; Bill; Tommy; Julie's Grandma; Sean; Suzanne; Susie; Shauna; Martha.
In Loving Support for:
Jenny, Doug, and Odessa; Micah; Sam; Mouaz; Natalie.
In Constant Prayer for our Future Rector, whomever God leads to us.
Thanksgivings:
We give thanks for the people of St. Peter's and visitors with us this week.
We give thanks for Don Renton; Tom and Elizabeth Renton; Melanie Reynolds, Tonja Jones, Nick Snow, and Aly Snow; Lynne and Jackson Rich, Carter, Debra, Justin, and Chris Rickman; Marilyn and Len Rishkofski; Jay Ruud and Stacey Jones.
We give thanks for Better Life Ministries.
We give thanks for the Muslim Student Association at Hendrix.
We give thanks for our Finding Us Faithful Stewardship Program.
We give thanks for The Rev. Tomas Calel and the Transfiguration in Chumanzana and St. Bartholomew's in Chucalibal.
We give thanks forThe Rt Revd Henry Katumba-Tamale, West Buganda, Uganda.
We give thanks for The Advent Procession Evensong at St. Martin in the Fields, Philadelphia.
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Team 1
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7:30am
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9:00am
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11:00am
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Lectors
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Nathan Greer
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Jeff Ward
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Tracy Simpson
Amy Hawkins
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Ushers
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Jerusalem Greer
Miles Greer
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Veronica Makepeace
Kristina Ward
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Claudia Wiltgen
Shari Readnour
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Oblationers
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Charlotte Ward
Ella Johnson
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Ashlyn Readnour
Julia Readnour
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Greeters
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Wylie Greer
Nathan Greer
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Stephanie Johnson
Erin Weindorf
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Wade Simpson
Walker Simpson
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Eucharistic Visitor
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Eucharistic Minister
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George Coleman
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Kathryn Spinks
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Kelley King
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Acolytes
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AM:Jaylee Garrett-Jones
CB: Madolyn Ward
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AM: Jaylee Garrett-Jones
C: Christopher Walters
T1: Jaylee Garrett-Jones
T2: Wade Simpson
G: Kido Carmagio
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Vestry Counters
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Leigh Ann Warriner
Karen McNutt
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Altar Guild
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Team 1
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