336.667.4231
office@stpaulwilkesboro.org
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Kedron's Corner -
Pigs and Hopes and Faith
Sunday I included a short story in my sermon from a woman who was studying cranes with a group in Texas. She learned that to study cranes was to study everything in the nature reserve around the cranes. She also said this: “On our way out of the reserve, we often saw wild pigs, black and pink bristly mothers and their young, scurrying through the scrub and rolling in the dust among the cacti. In the van each night, we made bets on how many wild pigs we might see on our drive home. One night, halfway through the trip, I bet reasonably. We usually saw four, I hoped for five, but I bet three because I figured it was the most that could be expected.
Warren bet wildly, optimistically, too high. “Twenty pigs,” Warren said. He rested his interlaced fingers on his soft chest. We laughed and slapped the vinyl van seats at this boldness. But the thing is, we saw twenty pigs on the drive home that night. And in the thick of our celebrations, I realized how sad it was that I’d bet so low. That I wouldn’t even let myself imagine receiving as much as I’d hoped for.”
What if we allowed ourselves to imagine receiving as much as we hope for? As much love, as much joy, as much peace, as much energy, as much care. Hopes are powerful motivators yet we have to believe we are worth even having those hopes. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the belief in things unseen. You are worthy and our faith is unequivocal in that fact. Be bold in your hopes this week.
See you Sunday, Kedron +
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Service of Peace
Sunday, September 8
th @
4:00 pm
Our church along with many other churches in our community are coming together for a
community worship service at First UMC North Wilkesboro. The community is invited to worship together and pray for peace. Local church leaders and several choirs will lead in this special worship service. There will also be a special blessing for Police, Fire, and EMS workers.
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Sunday School returns this week!
Children, Youth and Coffee Club will meet in the lower level of Sanctuary this Sunday at 9:30.
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Fall Wednesday Nights
Chez Paul is back!
On Wednesday, September 11, St. Paul’s will have evening prayer at 5:30pm in the chapel followed by a potluck dinner for Chez Paul. Please bring your favorite dish to share. Contact Ruth Harris (336-984-9690) if you can help with clean up.
On September 25, there will be Eucharist in the chapel at 5:30pm followed by a catered Chez Paul at 6pm. Details to follow.
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The first meeting of ECW will be Monday, September 9th at 12:00 noon in the Parish Hall. Please bring a dish to share! We will discuss future plans for ECW.
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Monthly Parish Breakfast
Sunday, September 15th
8:15-10:00am
$5 recommended donation
Same great food...
Same great hospitality...
Looking for a new name!
Do you have a clever name? Email
Rachel
with your suggestions!
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Beginning in the Middle
Middle School Retreat
Friday, September 27th - Sunday, September 29th at The Valle Crucis Conference Center
Beginning in the Middle is a retreat for youth in grades 6-8 held at Valle Crucis Conference Center. This retreat is designed to address and respond to spiritual issues, concerns, and needs of middle school aged youth by focusing on topics such as who is Jesus, peer pressure, friendship, parents, and prayer. The weekend is led by high school youth and consists of talks, skits, small group discussion, singing, worship, crafts, and games.
Contact
Rachel for information regarding scholarships.
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During the month of October, Denise Sturdivant will be leading a women’s study of the book, “Why Religion?” written by Elaine Pagels.
We will meet at the office of Canter Construction every Wednesday from 12-1 pm.
There will also be a sign up sheet in The Commons.
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Please check the Sunday Servants schedule
on our website
and make arrangements for coverage if you are not available.
Thank you!
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Sunday Sermon: August 25, 2019
Rev. Kedron Nicholson
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Birthdays:
8- Jim Andrews
10- Linda Wansley
11- Richard Canter
11- Aaliyah Kilby
12- Bailey Koch
12- James Southwell
Anniversaries:
None this week.
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Prayer List
Please remember in your prayers:
All who are ill or unemployed and those who are on our prayer list.
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Illness
Jim Andrews, Ken Asel, Joe Barber, Pam Baugh, Dot Beamon, Connor Bosson, Wayne Boyd, Jacob Brown, Ken Canter, Ron Canter, Billy Coles, Rancene Cook, LaMar Creasman, Ann Davis, Mike Duncan, Becky Forester, Craig Freas, Ernestine Freas, Gail Gattis, Mike Graf, Ruth Gray, Edward C. Griffith III, Kaye Hall, Peggy Harris, Janet Hartzog, Larry Hendley, Margo Hurd, Steve Jackson, John Jacobson, Joan Knox, Pete Mann, Maggie McCann, Susan McManus, Ann McNeill, Doug Merritt, Becky Mullins, Tom and Penny Musson, Bertie Pardue, Ryan Rigby, Bob Skees, Carolyn Stephens, Fanny Triplett, Marie Waddell, Robin Walsh, Bob Webber, 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, Jason Westmeyer, Nathan Wyatt, and all others who serve in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the world.
Please send to the church office the addresses of troops with connections to
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The Lessons Appointed for Use on the
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
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Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Moses said to all Israel the words which the Lord commanded him, "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob."
Psalm 1
1 Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, *
nor lingered in the way of sinners,
nor sat in the seats of the scornful!
2 Their delight is in the law of the Lord, *
and they meditate on his law day and night.
3 They are like trees planted by streams of water,
bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; *
everything they do shall prosper.
4 It is not so with the wicked; *
they are like chaff which the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes, *
nor the sinner in the council of the righteous.
6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, *
but the way of the wicked is doomed.
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Philemon 1-21
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker, to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother.
For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love-- and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother-- especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.
Luke 14:25-33
Now large crowds were traveling with Jesus; and he turned and said to them, "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, `This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions."
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Save the Date
Community Pet Blessing
Sunday, October 6th @ 4:00pm
Downtown Wilkesboro Commons
Youth will help set up from 2:00-4:00pm
If you are interested in volunteering or helping to plan the event, please email
Rachel
!
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St. Paul's Episcopal Church | 336-667-4231 | office@stpaulwilkesboro.org | https://stpaulwilkesboro.org
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