Do politics belong in church?
I often read things I wish I wrote because they say exactly what I wanted to say but don’t have the clarity or eloquence to say. I am writing on election day and I give you what one pastor, Lee Hull Moses, pastor of First Christian Church in Greensboro, wrote on the topic of politics in church:
“In the past two years, our congregation has lost at least one regular attendee because we’re too political. At least one other left because we’re not political enough. Some folks wish we were out in force, wearing our church T-shirts, at every protest. Others wish I would tone it down from the pulpit and just preach about how to be a good person. I take some solace in the adage that if you’re making people mad, you must be doing something right.
Preaching’s gotten a lot tougher since the 2016 election, when even words like kindness seemed to have political implications and everyone retreated to their corners, boxing gloves at the ready. It’s complicated by the fact that “politics” has now come to mean any contemporary issue on which people might disagree. In times such as these, the preacher’s task is to remind the congregation that the basic tenets of our faith—grace and mercy, radical hospitality, love of neighbor—go beyond politics but have political implications.
I wouldn’t be doing my job, I told more than one parishioner, had I not mentioned Charlottesville the weekend after Heather Heyer was killed by white nationalists in 2017. Can we call ourselves followers of the Prince of Peace and not condemn violence born of bigotry and hate? Likewise, I don’t see how we can read the story of Jesus welcoming the children and not have something to say about the migrant children separated from their
parents at our southern border.
That said, it’s tempting to reduce the news of the day to memes and one-liners, served up readily on social media. In these polarizing times, it’s easy to vilify the other side. In reality, hardly anyone who opposes gun control laws wants children to be murdered at school, they just think there’s a different way to keep kids safe. Most people who advocate for universal health care don’t want the government to take over our lives, they just want everybody to get
the medicine they need.
Good preaching in divisive times reminds people of the importance of nuance. It also reminds news-weary parishioners that their faith claims mean something about how they live in the world, that “being a good person” is directly connected to our political systems and structures.
For better or worse, I imagine my own congregation will likely stay somewhere in the complicated middle. I’ll probably keep annoying the folks who don’t think politics has any place in church, and the people who want to go to rallies will have to organize themselves most of the time. My prayer is that even as we disagree, we’ll stay true to the gospel call to welcome and to love.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
See you Sunday, Kedron +
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James has begun a new business and would love the chance at helping you or those you know with repairs. He is available for plumbing, electrical, and home repairs, woodworking, demolition, grading, and land clearing. Thank you for your support!
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Director of Youth Ministries & Community Engagement
Rachel Minick
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Following the 10:30 service on Sunday acolytes of all ages gathered for a meeting with Rev. Kedron to review roles and deepen their understanding of serving at God's altar.
One of the most powerful moments was when some of the existing acolytes walked along side the acolytes in training. They took over the role of leader and were kind to the trainees as they walked through the process of each job. Our children and youth are learning so much more than how to serve at God's altar, they are learning patience, gaining confidence, learning how to share knowledge and teach others, as well as how to walk along side someone as the begin a new journey of faith. Thank you to our Acolytes and Acolyte Leaders for all that you do!
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November 4, 2018 Sermon
All Saints’ Day: Matthew Shepherd, You are powerful over hate and God loves you
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Stewardship is Here!
Nov. 4-25th
November is harvest time and at St. Paul’s it is time to harvest our gratitude and give back to God. We give of our time, talents and treasure.
Think about the impact this community of faith has on your life and the wider community. Pray about God’s generosity in your life and prayerfully make a pledge that reflects that generosity. Your pledge means we can plan ministry for the next year. Pledge packets available in the Commons Sunday. New to pledging? Want to discuss it? Call Rev. Kedron to talk about how giving is a spiritual practice.
Job Opportunity
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is in search of a Parish Administrator. This full-time position reports to the Rector and has the primary responsibility of managing the business of the parish including the areas of bookkeeping, office administration, and some communications. As the face of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church with parishioners, vendors, outside groups and newcomers, the Parish Administrator must have excellent interpersonal skills and represent St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in a positive manner. Excellent pay and benefits. For a complete job description or more information, please call Rev. Nicholson at 336-667-4231 or email
office@stpaulwilkesboro.org
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Calling All Artists!
Advent bulletin cover art request— will you draw, paint or design a cover for one of our 4 Advent Sundays? Remember the themes of Advent: waiting, candles, light, Mary, joy, peace, love and Christ! (We need the art in a file we can resize to fit the cover - preferably a JPG.)
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Outreach Meeting
The Outreach committee will meet this Sunday, November 11th following the 10:30 service in the library. Please join the committee to discuss our Outreach ministries at St. Paul's including our new Family to Family Grocery Relief Ministry.
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Open ECW Meeting
Everyone is invited! All attendees of our church including men are invited to the ECW November meeting at noon on Monday November 12, 2018, in the teen meeting room directly below the sanctuary. Our special guest speaker is:
Emily Jaynes,
Education Specialist with the Alzheimer's Association Western Carolina Chapter
Please bring a dish to share. The teen room door at the rear of the church will be open, and can be accessed from the western parking lot. No steps required to access. Feel free to come early and help arrange seating. Any questions, please call Anne Hannibal at 216-644-1595. See you there!
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We need your help to make the annual ECW bazaar and bake sale a success!
We seek your help in making our annual ECW bazaar and bake sale a success. This is ECW's only fundraiser and it raises money we use to financially support vital non-profits doing work for displaced children and those with special needs, recovering addicts, impoverished seniors, neighbors in financial crisis, and the like.
Our bazaar and bake sale is
Sunday November 18, 2018, from 830am to 1pm
in the Commons and the adjacent outdoor patio (assuming our parish house is still under renovation). We ask those of you who are crafters, to please consider making crafts and donating them to our bazaar. Whether it's woodworking, art making, ornament making, floral arranging, jewelry making, sewing, knitting, cooking, writing, etcetera, we know folks will enjoy taking home something you have hand crafted. Additionally, we ask all bakers to donate home made sweet or savory fare. Many of our customers use those goodies on Thanksgiving, the following Thursday, and are grateful for one less thing they have to prepare themselves! Finally, we are happy to receive donated "re-gift" items, that is, new or gently used items you have received but have no use for. Let us make them useful to someone else, while simultaneously assisting ECW.
ECW members will collect donations on
Saturday, November 17, 2018, from noon to 3pm
at the choir room entrance on the eastern side of the church building. If needed, we can refrigerate donations in the kitchen adjacent to the teen room, located below the sanctuary. If you prefer, you may drop items off early on the morning of Sunday, November 18, 2018.
Thank you in advance for supporting us! Any questions, please call Anne Hannibal 216 644 1595.
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Sunday, November 4:
8:30am-
Holy Eucharist in Chapel
9:30am-
Coffee Club - Sunday School for Parents
9:30am
- Sunday School - Children & Youth
9:45am -
Choir Practice
10:15am-
Nursery opens for children under 4
10:30am-
Holy Eucharist in the Sanctuary
10:30am-
Children’s Chapel meets in Commons
Following 10:30 service
Outreach meeting in library
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Monday, November 12:
12:00noon
ECW meeting in lower level of Sanctuary
Tuesday, November 6:
7:00pm
Al-Anon in library
Wednesday, November 7:
6:45pm
Choir Practice
7:00pm
Dick Underwood Book Club in library
Thursday, November 8:
11:30am
Crisis Assistance @ Wilkesboro United Methodist Church
12:00noon
Al-Anon meeting in library
Friday, November 16th-18th:
High School Conference at Valle Crucis Conference Center
Saturday, November 17th:
12:00noon-3:00pm
Donations for ECW Bake Sale and Bazaar
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Birthdays:
12- James Nicholson
12- Cole Huskey
13- Bill Hurd
14- Keyonii Staley
16- Gwen Temple
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Anniversaries:
None this week.
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Prayer List
Please remember in your prayers:
All those who are ill or unemployed. All those who are on our prayer list.
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Illness
Rik Absher, Jim Andrews, Joe Barber, Wayne Boyd, Jacob Brown, Ken Canter, Billy Coles, Rancene Cook, LaMar Creasman, Ann Davis, Alvin Emmanuel, Ernestine Freas, Gail Gattis, Mike Graf, Ruth Gray, Edward C. Griffith III, Janet Hartzog, Gerald Hendley, Larry Hendley, Margo Hurd, Steve Jackson, John Jacobson, Pat Jones, Joan Knox, Maggie McCann, Kay McCloskey, Susan McManus, Ann McNeill, Donna Moore, Becky Mullins, Bertie Pardue, Curtis Parker, Bob Skees, Ester Small, Carolyn Stephens,
Tom Thomas,
Marie Waddell, Robin Walsh, Dick Whittington, and Cole Younger.
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Armed Forces
Let us pray for
the safety of
all our troops
,
especially Rob Beauchaine, Matthew Cage, Alex Cline, Philip Cooney, Karl Duerk, Mike Earley, William Grant, Edward C. Griffith IV, Jacob B. Hall, Jonathan Johnson, Brandon Moore, Russ Necessary, 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.
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Readings:
The Liturgy of the Word for November 11, 2018
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A Reading from 1 Kings 17:8-16
The word of the Lord came to Elijah, saying, “Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink.” As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.” She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
Psalm 146
Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord, O my soul! *
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, *
for there is no help in them.
When they breathe their last, they return to earth, *
and in that day their thoughts perish.
Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! *
whose hope is in the Lord their God;
Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; *
who keeps his promise for ever;
Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, *
and food to those who hunger.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind; *
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous;
the Lord cares for the stranger; *
he sustains the orphan and widow,
but frustrates the way of the wicked.
The Lord shall reign for ever, *
your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.
Hallelujah!
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Hebrews 9:24-28
Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Mark 12:38-44
As Jesus taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
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St. Paul Servants
November 11
Chalice Bearer/Lector 8:30
Lisa Beard
Usher 8:30
Glenn Smith
Chalice Bearers 10:30
Pam Baugh
Gwen Temple
Lector 10:30
Joe Fesperman
Prayers of the People
Elizabeth Freas
Oblation Bearers
David and Connie McNeill
Acolyte Leader
Wansley
Acolytes
Crucifer 1-Bill Harris
Torch-Ruth Harris
Torch-Noah Wansley
Gospel-Alexander Wansley
Server-Alexander Wansley
Greeters
Doug Morris
Denise Morris
Communion Bread
Ramona Curtis
Ushers 10:30
Sandra Elledge, Chief
Monty Shaw
Jim Lyall
Denise Morris
Altar Guild
Bonnie Merritt, cpt.
Mary Lankford
Robin Shumate
Bryan Hartzog
Nursery Attendants
Morgen Love
Ashley Barton
Feed My Sheep
Shepherd
Sandra Elledge
336-566-8941
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St. Paul's Episcopal Church | 336-667-4231 | office@stpaulwilkesboro.org | https://stpaulwilkesboro.org
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