St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Wilkesboro, NC
336.667.4231 office@stpaulwilkesboro.org
|
|
Kedron's Corner
Love is a way of life
--
written as I learned about yet another school shooting in CO.
My children were not born knowing about guns. When our twin sons were three, we were at the pool on a hot summer day and one of them picked up a water gun. He looked it over and asked, “What’s this?” I told him it was nothing to play with and though it was colorful, he didn’t know what to do with it so he dismissed it and went off to splash in the pool.
I can’t count how many times I have been told, “kids turn everything into a gun. They just know what they are.” My son had no idea what that water gun was and I do not believe any child is born knowing what firearms are— they are taught.
Guns come at my 5 year olds in mass. Family send Nerf guns, water guns and laser tag sets for holidays. Cartoons geared for little ones have weapons of all sorts though “only for use against the bad guys mama.” Of course we have to turn the news down nearly every day to shield them from the latest school shooting. I am just not ready for them to be scared to go to school.
I talk incessantly about love and kindness at home. We pray everyday for those near to us and for our world. They go to Sunday school every week and hear about God’s love. National Geographic’s Little Kids First Big Book of Who sits on the table where they eat their meals and the most requested page is MLK Jr. where we read over and over again how he fought segregation with peaceful protests and words. Rosa Parks and Gandhi get requested frequently too.
My children know “Mama doesn’t like guns” and I respond to any gun play with “We don’t shoot anything God made.” We talk about ways to love the world; we plant plants; we recycle; we fill our blue UTO boxes with quarters and gratitude. I end almost every worship service with a blessing about caring for every created thing. We are planning our parish retreat about love.
All of these actions are my attempt to counter the violence my innocent children have already encountered in their short little lives. And I know they are lucky not to have experienced any violence first- hand. I can only pray my attempts balance things out at the very least...the good and the bad, the broken and the beautiful, the truth of the world and the hope I have for it, the ways of the world and the Way of Love.
|
|
Attention graduates and families: Whether it is high school, trade school, college, or graduate school, we look forward to celebrating this milestone with you!
We will honor graduates on Sunday, June 2nd at the 10:30 service.
Please contact the church office with details for our publications.
Graduate Name:
School Name:
|
|
ST PAUL'S HISTORY AND ARCHIVES PRESENTATION May 19th
This Sunday, May 19, at 9:30 - 10:15 at our Library. Ms Grayson Butler will give a brief presentation on our new archives, the work she did for us last summer as an intern from the History Department at App State and for future archives and history projects. We will also present the work on our library collection including the books recently added through a generous donation by Rev. Bob McCloskey from his personal book collection.
So come to church early, get some breakfast if you wish at the men's breakfast, and join us at the Library. It is right inside the downstairs entrance closest to the end of the office driveway. Books that I have removed from the collection for various reasons will be offered to anyone who wants them.
Thanks,
Scott Jessee
|
|
Diocesan Convention Representatives Needed
St. Paul’s is represented each year at Diocesan Convention by your clergy and 2 parishioners. We gather for worship, fellowship and to hear about the work of the Diocese. We also vote on various issues including the budget and elect folks to boards and committees for the Diocese. We need 2 folks to join Rev. Kedron and Deacon Susan this November 8-9 at Kanuga conference center in Hendersonville.
Your costs are covered and it’s an inspiring time of learning about the Christians we are in ministry with around the Diocese. If you are interested, please let Rev. Kedron know. If we have more than 2 people interested, we’ll pull names out of a hat.
If you’d like more info, ask Connie McNeill or Carol Canter our reps from last year.
|
|
New St. Paul's T-shirts!
$20 for adults sizes
$15 for kids sizes
Sign up for a shirt in the Commons.
There are two fabric options for adults and youth sizes are available!
|
|
Arts Camp VBS - Volunteer Meeting
Thursday, May 23rd in the Parish House
5:30-6:30pm
RSVP to
Rachel
if you plan to attend.
|
|
|
|
End of Year Celebration!
Following the 10:30 service on
Sunday, June 9th
we will celebrate Pentecost and the End of the Sunday School year with an all-church picnic at the lake!
Come to church in picnic clothes, bring a side dish to share, and come ready to play and fellowship. There is a playground and beach access close by the picnic shelter.
|
|
Children, Youth, and Adults are invited to join Rachel in the Giving Garden behind the office on Monday, May 27th from 1:00pm - 3:00pm for a planting day!
If you are interested in a tomato plant that was started from seed by our Godly Play class- plants will be available in the Commons this Sunday, May 19th!
|
|
Newcomer Happy Hour and Lite Bites!
Where: Diane and Monty Shaw's home
When: Sat. June 15th 5:00-7:00.
RSVP to the church office and directions.
|
|
Sunday, May 19th:
8:30am
Holy Eucharist in Chapel
9:30am
St. Paul's History and Archive Presentation in Library
9:30 am:
Children and Youth Sunday School and Coffee Club meet in Lower Level of Parish House
9:45am
Adult Choir Practice
10:15am
Nursery opens for children ages 0-4 (The nursery is located on lower level
of the Sanctuary)
10:30am
Holy Eucharist in the Sanctuar
y
*Vestry meeting follows 10:30 service*
|
|
Tuesday, May 21st:
7:00pm
Al-Anon in library
Wednesday, May 22nd:
6:45pm
Adult Choir
7:00pm
Dick Underwood Book Club in Parish House
Thursday, May 23rd:
11:30am
Crisis Assistance in Parish House
12:00noon
Al-Anon meeting in library.
|
|
Please check the Sunday Servants schedules
on our website
and make arrangements for coverage if you are not available.
Thank you!
|
|
Birthdays:
May 20- Betsy Almoney
May 21- Jenny Richardson
May 21- Diane Shaw
May 24- Luke Sturdivant
May 24- Carl Yale
May 25- Richard Barber
May 25- Mary Earley-Arthur
May 25- Brookelyn Hall
25- Karen Shupe
Anniversaries:
May 20- Jim & Betsy Almoney
May 21- Ryan & Rachel Minick
May 21- Stan & Susan Dudek
*Birthdays and Anniversaries will be celebrated on the 1st Sunday of the month in each service.
|
|
Prayer List
Please remember in your prayers:
All who are ill or unemployed and those who are on our prayer list.
|
|
Illness
Jim Andrews, Joe Barber, Pam Baugh, Dot Beamon, David Blair, Nancy Blair, Wayne Boyd, Jacob Brown, Ken Canter, Billy Coles, Rancene Cook, LaMar Creasman, Ann Davis, Mike Duncan, Priscilla Eaton, Craig Freas, Ernestine Freas, Gail Gattis, Mike Graf, Ruth Gray, Edward C. Griffith III, Peggy Harris, Janet Hartzog, Larry Hendley, Margo Hurd, Steve Jackson, John Jacobson, Joan Knox, Maggie McCann, Susan McManus, Ann McNeill, Doug Merritt, Donna Moore, Bertie Pardue, Bob Skees, Carolyn Stephens, Ryan Rigby, Marie Waddell, Robin Walsh, Susan Whittington, Bob Will, Cole Younger
|
|
Armed Forces
Let us pray for
the safety of
all our troops
,
especially Rob Beauchaine,
Matthew Cage, Alex Cline, Philip Cooney, Karl Duerk, William Grant,
Edward C. Griffith IV, Jacob B. Hall, Brandon Moore, Russ Necessary,
Zach Necessary, John W. Pardue, Charlie & Lauren Pendry, Adam Pinkerton, Philip Southwell, Mark Stone, Patrick Szvetitz, Jackson Triplett, Levi Walker, Nathan Wyatt, and all others who serve in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the world.
|
|
The Fourth Sunday of Easter
|
|
Acts 11:1-18
N
ow the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, "Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?" Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, `Get up, Peter; kill and eat.' But I replied, `By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.' But a second time the voice answered from heaven, `What God has made clean, you must not call profane.' This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, `Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.' And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, `John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?" When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, "Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life."
|
|
Psalm 148
1 Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord from the heavens; *
praise him in the heights.
2 Praise him, all you angels of his; *
praise him, all his host.
3 Praise him, sun and moon; *
praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, heaven of heavens, *
and you waters above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the Name of the Lord; *
for he commanded, and they were created.
6 He made them stand fast for ever and ever; *
he gave them a law which shall not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, *
you sea-monsters and all deeps;
8 Fire and hail, snow and fog, *
tempestuous wind, doing his will;
9 Mountains and all hills, *
fruit trees and all cedars;
10 Wild beasts and all cattle, *
creeping things and winged birds;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, *
princes and all rulers of the world;
12 Young men and maidens, *
old and young together.
13 Let them praise the Name of the Lord, *
for his Name only is exalted,
his splendor is over earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up strength for his people
and praise for all his loyal servants, *
the children of Israel, a people who are near him.
Hallelujah!
John 13:31-35
A
t the last supper, when Judas had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
|
|
Registration information can be found on our website:
*scholarships available for all summer programs*
|
|
St. Paul's Episcopal Church | 336-667-4231 | office@stpaulwilkesboro.org | https://stpaulwilkesboro.org
|
|
STAY CONNECTED, FOLLOW US ON
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
