There is very sad news to report today. Ben Gossett – a member of our church family and the son of our beloved music director, Rhonda Hambright – died unexpectedly at the age of twenty-eight earlier this week. Ben grew up in this church and was a much-loved young man by so many both inside and outside our congregation. We extend our deepest and heartfelt sympathy to Rhonda, Harlan, Joe, Hank, Darrell, Valerie, and the many other family and friends grieving Ben’s death.
I know many of us will be eager to come alongside the Hambright Family by calling, dropping off meals, and assisting in other ways, however, right now Rhonda asks that we simply continue to hold her and her family in prayer as they navigate the initial shock of this loss. She is grateful too for all the words of comfort and kind notes she has received in the form of emails, texts, and letters. “I am feeling carried as I always have been in difficult times,” she says.
Last night, our chancel and bell choirs gathered for their weekly rehearsals with Amy Bishop, Suzanne Morrison, and Ann Nermoe capably helping to lead. Before beginning the rehearsal, we held hands, prayed, and sang. Sometimes when there are no words to adequately express our sorrow at the loss of someone we love, that is all there really is left to do: come together to cry, pray, and sing the hymns of faith that remind us that in both life and death we belong to God.
We will continue to keep the congregation updated if and when more tangible opportunities arise for us to show our love to Rhonda and her family in the coming days. Please also continue to hold in prayer the several other individuals and families at SSPC who are grieving and/or soliciting the prayers of their church family in these days. A list of all those prayer requests is found below in this week’s newsletter.
Blessings to you all and hope to see you at church this Sunday.
Peace,
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Sunday Worship
October 10, 2021
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Sunday, October 17
8:30 am Early Worship - Sanctuary
9:30 am Sunday School - Various Locations
10:30 am Traditional Worship - Sanctuary
4:30 pm Marsh's Edge Worship - Marsh's Edge
5:00 pm 2nd Sunday (3rd-5th Graders) - Veranda
5:00 pm Youth Gathering - Youth Suite
Monday, October 18
10:00 am Chancel Ensemble - Location Varies
5:30 pm Diaconate Meeting - Upper Room
6:30 pm Al-Anon Meeting - John Law
Tuesday, October 19
7:00 am Youth Breakfast Devotion - Chick-fil-A
9:30 am Staff Meeting - John Law
4:00 pm Session Meeting - Upper Room
Wednesday, October 20
10:00 am Men's Bible Study - Upper Room
1:30 pm Hands & Heart Quilting Ministry - Music Attic
4:00 pm KidZ Crew - Veranda
6:00 pm Chancel Ringers - Sanctuary
7:00 pm Chancel Choir - Sanctuary
Thursday, October 21
10:00 am Ladies Bible Study - Upper Room
Friday, October 22
No Activities Planned for This Day
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Weekly Gatherings
All are Welcome!
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A weekly thank you for all the people and ministries of St. Simons Presbyterian Church. Lovingly created by
Rev. Kate Buckley.
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Sunday School
October 3 - November 21
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Baseball as a Road to God
Seeing Beyond the Game
by John Sexton
9:15am / Library
Take me out to the ball game! Take me out to the crowd! Whether you love belting the verses of this song or looking forward to the World Series in late October or just love being a sports fan in general, John Sexton’s Baseball as a Road to God may be just the ticket for you.
For more than a decade, Sexton used baseball to illustrate the elements of a spiritual life in a wildly popular course as president of New York University. His book beautifully weaves the magic of baseball – its community of fans, its sacred places, its legends, its breathtaking moments of drama, its blessings and curses, its faith and doubt, its saints and sinners, its miracles – with the spiritual dimensions of life.
In the course of nine innings, fans experience a range of emotions from expectation and elation to frustration and despair. Sexton elegantly demonstrates that baseball is more than a game or even a national pastime… baseball can be a road to a deeper and more meaningful life.
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Always A Guest
Speaking of Faith Far from Home
By Barbara Brown Taylor
9:15am / John Law Room
BBT’s collection of 30 sermons as a guest preacher … from graduation ceremonies to Sunday pulpits …will show you why she is one of the most beloved and renowned preachers of our time. On themes from anxiety to beauty, resurrection to doubt, wisdom and telling the truth, Taylor proclaims the gospel as she meets us in our messy humanity.
Full of observations on the Spirit and the state of the world along with her gentle wit, BBT will inspire you as she explores faith in all its beauty and complexity. As the reader, you will be a BBT guest at this gospel feast!
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The Letter of Paul to the Philippians for Everyone Bible Study
By NT Wright
9:15am / Upper Room
We have lived through a year and a half of pandemic uncertainty. What an example of how things don't always go the way we intend. It's easy to feel discouraged because what we hope for is badly thwarted, or because people make life difficult. Paul, writing to the Philippians from prison, certainly knew what it was like to have plans interrupted. But he maintains robust confidence in God's overruling power, even when everything seems to be going wrong. In Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, we will learn from Paul the art of seeing God's purposes working out through problems and difficulties and will deepen our own confidence in God's power.
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[912-638-2220] [ada@sspres.org] [sspres.org] |
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