Ministry Minute

Empty Spaces


"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?"
-Luke 14:28

There is an old story about a college professor. The professor came to class one day with a glass jar and a box of rocks each of which were different sizes. The professor told his students to put all of the rocks in the jar. The students, anxious to impress their professor, leapt up and started filling the jar. Pretty quickly they ran out of space in the jar and had rocks left over that wouldn't fit. The professor pointed to the empty spaces in the jar and said "Students look! In your haste, you have missed the empty spaces between the rocks. This time put the big rocks in first then the smaller ones will fit around it." Sure enough the students filled the jar with ease.
I like this story because life is a lot like that jar. There is so much stuff: Family, friends, work, worry, news, social media, hurricanes, neighbors going through hard times. Most days I could waste the whole day complaining about how little space I have in my life that I won't have room for anything but my negativity.

Thankfully that is what stewardship season is for. This is why we don't just ask you to make a pledge immediately or sell you on a specific number. We have faith that there is more than enough space in the jar of life as long as we start with the big rocks first.

God is a big rock. Our relationship to him should be what sets the space for everything else in our jar, and so often we fill our life with so many things we don't think we have the time to pray or give or praise or do ministry. When we do that our life's jar is a lot more empty than it could be. So I encourage you to slow down. Take time with Gratitude then take time with prayer. Put the big rocks in your jar first so that you can fill the empty spaces.




All Church Announcements

Bishop Fisher will join us October 21st
The Right Reverend Jeff Fisher's  visitation is coming up. Please join us to pray with our Bishop, hear him preach and support those being confirmed/received/renewing their Baptismal covenant.
Join us and celebrate!

MESA-OUTREACH "Share the Table" Thanksgiving Event
Tuesday 13 November @4:30 in the Family Life Center at BCUMC
We are collecting packages of Boys & Girls underwear, ages 4-5 to distribute at this event. Please help support these families and the Bear Creek Community by purchasing a multi pack for one or both of these age groups and put it in the collection container in the Narthex. We are expecting 100, 4-5 year old boys and 70, 4-5 year old girls to attend the event. Other partners are collecting for the other age groups with a total of over 600 children expected to attend. Thank you for your continued support.

SAS's next event will be a Wine Tasting presented by Michelle Mohyla at Annette Matherne's home on October 14, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. You can sign up by contacting Annette Matherne at almatherne@hotmail.com  or home #281-304-1964 or cell #713-201-4837 or signing up in the Narthex of the church on Sunday.  For this event, we are asking for you to bring specific items.  Please ask Annette for the list or refer to the list on Sunday.  

Fall Festival
The ACE Committee invites you to join us for a day of shopping, fellowship, food and fun.  Our 5th Annual Fall Festival and Holiday Market will be Sunday, October 28.  Market Booths, Children's Area, Food Trucks, Silent Auction, Live Music throughout the day, Cake Walk, , Trunk N Treat 3:00, Blessing of Animals 4:00.   Come support our Youth by visiting the Silent Auction.  Lots of vendors with a variety of goods for sale.  We look forward to seeing you all there! 
We are looking for Volunteers to help staff the Children's area and other general areas. If you are interested, please contact Patti at fallfest@aidanschurch.org or 281-844-3383. Remember this is OUR festival - it takes all of us to make it a success.
Interested in being a vendor? For additional information and register on line, visit our website http://aidanschurch.org/fallfest. If you prefer to mail in your registration, you can obtain a Booth Reservation form by contacting us at 281.373.3203, or email fallfest@aidanschurch.org.

DOK - Daughters of The King
DOK is Hosting our annual Cake Decorating Contest, prizes will be awarded.  (Created by Reach Residents)
There are four categories and the winner of each will be auctioned off (Silent auction).
Fall/Halloween Theme, Prettiest, Funniest and (New this Year) a Youth category, St. Aidan's theme. (Anything that represents St. Aidan's to the Youth)
DOK are in need of donations of baked goods, bought or homemade to use as prizes for the Cake Walk . Please drop off before 10:30am on the day of Fall Festival.
Tickets for the cake walk will be $1

GIFT Event: All Saints 
November 4th
This Sunday School is set apart to combine children youth and adults into a cluster of formation experiences where people of all ages can come together. We all are students and we all are teachers in these unique formation experience. So come meet your faith anew as we are Growing in Faith Together!  We will begin in the sanctuary at 9:15 a.m.
We will have games and activities.  It is sure to be another great GIFT event!

Saint Aidan's Outreach Team Wreaths Across America fundraising!
We would like to invite you to join us in raising funds for Wreaths Across America-Houston, an organization that we feel deserves our support. Mark your calendar to join us on Saturday, December 15th at 11am to place a live Maine wreath upon all of the 70,000 fallen hero's gravesites at the Houston National Cemetery this is a truly humbling experience. We are truly proud to do our part to help. Parking will be available at Greens Point Mall with shuttle buses starting at 6:30am.
Our goal which is 100 wreaths or $1500.00. With your help, we can honor all of our veterans, one wreath and a prayer at a time. A fully tax-deductible contribution of $15.00, which includes all shipping and handling, will purchase one wreath for a gravesite. We will be picking up all the wreaths on January 20, 2018 starting at 8am, with parking at the National cemetery. Click here for direct link to the website. 
Thank You-Jimmy Baughman 
 
From our Outreach partner MESA
Sharing and Shooting
Sporting clay tournament benefiting mesa-outreach, inc. November 7, 2018
Westside Sporting Grounds, 10120 Pattison Rd. Katy, Texas 77493. S ign-in: 11:30 AM ***** Shotgun start: 1:00 PM  information and sign up here.

Uncurriculum
Sundays, 9:15 AM, Classroom 1
We have created our own unique approach to Sunday School. Approximately once a month we have a large gathering for all ages where we teach a Bible story. The weeks leading up to that Sunday School consists of people coming together to help discover, create and implement the upcoming GIFT Sundays. There is a fresh leadership team for every month, but all are welcome every Sunday whether you will make it to the GIFT or not. The best way to know the Creator is to create. Join us for the learning and fun!

 
Friday Bible Study
Fridays, 10-11:15 AM, Church Office
Join Rev. Les every Friday for a Bible study. It is helpful if you let him know you are coming. All are welcome.

SALSA
Do you have about 2 hours a month to help keep your church grounds looking beautiful? If so, SALSA (Saint Aidan's Lawn Service Associates) needs you! If you are interested and able to serve your church in this fun ministry, we are looking for teens and adults to join the effort. Please call or text Dave Lancaster @ 252-626-7326!

Camp Allen
Looking for summer camps? Camp Allen has both children and adult camps. Check out their website for full details.  Click here

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

Oct 28: Fall Festival & Trunk 'n Treat - we will be helping with the Cake Walk and have our own category in the cake decorating contest. We will also be decorating our vehicle for trunk 'n treat.
 
Nov 3: Service project at church, 12:00-1:30  p.m.
 
Nov 10-11: Lock in, 8 p.m.-9:30 a.m.

Nov 18: Bible study, 12:00-1:30 p.m.

Dec 2: Service project at church, 12:00-1:30 p.m.

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

Boo-nanza!
Calling all children 4 years (and potty trained)- 5th grade! We are going to be celebrating Halloween early! We will be playing all Halloween games, eating Halloween snacks, and other Halloween activities! This will all take place October 13, 5-8 p.m. in the church building. Make sure the children wear their favorite Halloween costume and join us with all of their Halloween excitement! Please let me know if your child(ren) will be attending so that we can plan our Halloween fun for everyone!  taylor@aidanschurch.org. Nursery also available for younger siblings of participants.


Exciting New Developments in Sunday School!
This school year we are beginning some new and innovative Sunday School programming.
 
For Prek-3rd grade (on non-GIFT Sundays) we will be using a special curriculum that uses Legos to teach the Bible. As Rev. Les put it, "This method is simple, and beautiful and powerful and it is the first accessible Sunday School curriculum I have ever seen that truly empowers the soul of a child."
 
For 4th grade-Adult we have created our own unique approach to Sunday School. Approximately once a month we have a large gathering for all ages where we teach a Bible story. The weeks leading up to that Sunday School consists of people coming together to help discover, create and implement the upcoming GIFT Sundays. There is a fresh leadership team for every month, but all are welcome every Sunday whether you will make it to the GIFT or not. The best way to know the Creator is to create. Join us for the learning and the fun.

Children's Chapel
Children's Chapel is available at our 10:30 service. It is a place for children to worship in the traditions of our faith but in a way that's geared towards Pre K - 3rd grade. A procession will guide the children to the chapel in the beginning of the service and the kids rejoin their families for Communion.
 
Youth Group
We have a great group of youth. Warm inviting and impressive. They generally meet Sunday nights from 12-1-30 pm, but check the schedule to the left.
 

Children's Ministry

Exciting New Developments in Sunday School!
This school year we are beginning some new and innovative Sunday School programming.
 
For Prek-3rd grade (on non-GIFT Sundays) we will be using a special curriculum that uses Legos to teach the Bible. As Rev. Les put it, "This method is simple, and beautiful and powerful and it is the first accessible Sunday School curriculum I have ever seen that truly empowers the soul of a child."
 
For 4th grade-Adult we have created our own unique approach to Sunday School. Approximately once a month we have a large gathering for all ages where we teach a Bible story. The weeks leading up to that Sunday School consists of people coming together to help discover, create and implement the upcoming GIFT Sundays. There is a fresh leadership team for every month, but all are welcome every Sunday whether you will make it to the GIFT or not. The best way to know the Creator is to create. Join us for the learning and the fun.

Children's Chapel
Children's Chapel is available at our 10:30 service. It is a place for children to worship in the traditions of our faith but in a way that's geared towards Pre K - 3rd grade. A procession will guide the children to the chapel in the beginning of the service and the kids rejoin their families for Communion.
 
Youth Group
We have a great group of youth. Warm inviting and impressive. They generally meet Sunday nights from 12-1-30 pm, but check the schedule to the left.
 

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