We are a worshiping community where everyone matters, everyone is loved, and everyone belongs. Everyone!
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Dear Friends,
The other day a friend of mine sent me a link to the worship song All Who Hunger Gather Gladly. If you are not familiar with this hymn, I encourage you to click on the link to have a listen.
I am especially fond of the second verse –
All who hunger, never strangers; seeker, be a welcome guest. Come from restlessness and roaming. Here, in joy, we keep the feast. We that once were lost and scattered in communion’s love have stood. Taste and see the grace eternal. Taste and see that God is good.
Anyway, we shared our appreciation for the acoustic take on this classic hymn with lyrics written by Sylvia Dunstan. It brought back memories of shared worship and began an exchange of proclamations on where we have been seeing God at work in our lives and in our churches.
I love the reminder that all who hunger are never strangers and those who seek are welcome guests. I think it is a very brave act to come to church (especially as a visitor or guest) and a brave act to join in a small group that leads to growing in friendship and faith. I pray that we will always be a place where we all take on the responsibility and honor of welcoming the wanderers and seekers we encounter - in our communities and at St. Nicks.
Anyone seeking God’s joy and love will find plenty of opportunities here at St. Nicks. Just the next few weeks alone -we have tons being offered! Here’s a list of all that we have going on each week and our special seasonal offerings –
Every week we have the following:
Sunday
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Outdoor Worship 8:30am
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Indoor Worship and Live Stream Worship 9:30am
Tuesday
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Bible Study on the Gospel of Matthew from 7:00-8:15
Wednesday
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Praying in Color Small Group meeting at St. Nick’s from 9:30-10:30am – join leader Rose Marie for a time of Lectio Divina with the scriptures
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Holy Hangout with Mother Beth and Mrs. Jena from 4:30-5:30 - all children and youth are welcome
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Dinner Church from 5:30-7:30 at St. Nick’s
Thursday
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Bible Journaling with Missy at 9:30am – discuss the scriptures and create art in response to the week’s Gospel reading
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Men’s Lunch Group at St. Nick’s at 11:30am– bring your lunch and come pray from the Book of Common Prayer
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Women’s Bible Study via zoom with Rev. Beth at 1:00pm
Special Events and Opportunities:
Friday November 11th
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6pm - Ladies Night Out at Vine in the Village and return to St. Nick’s for a night of cookie decorating - all women 21 and over are welcome
Saturday November 12th
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8am - Work Day – help prepare and clean up our church and campus
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9am-1pm - Episcopal Church 101 with Rev. Beth
Sunday November 13th
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8:30am - Outdoor worship
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9:30am - Indoor and livestream worship
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After 9:30 worship - St. Nick Arts and Socials - Come and paint new artwork for our walls
Sunday November 20th
- No 8:30am Worship
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9:30am - Indoor Worship with a visit from our Bishop the Right Reverend David Reed
- After worship - stay for a lovely reception with cake and punch
Sunday, November 27th – The first Sunday of Advent
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8:30am - Outdoor Worship
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9:30am - Indoor Worship with livestream and Advent activities after church
As we come to the end of the Season of Pentecost, I am giving thanks for all the opportunities ahead of us to worship, pray, learn, laugh, eat, and grow i! Every week I pray we grow in faith and in friendship. I trust with all of these opportunities to gather, we will grow abundantly - as individuals and as a community of faith!
God’s Peace, Love, and Blessings,
Beth+
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Sunday, November 13: Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost
Collect for the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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Friday November 11th is Veterans Day. We give great thanks for the men and women (and their families) who have served and sacrificed for our country. You can find here some prayers to keep and use in thanksgiving of our family and friends who have served.
Gracious God, we give thanks for military men and women, both from the past and present, and for their courageous service and sacrifice to our country and its people to secure the blessings of life, liberty, and justice for all. May our remembrance be a timely reminder that our freedom was purchased at high cost, and should not be taken for granted. Give us resolve to labor in faithful service to you until all share the benefits of freedom, justice, and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer shared by the Episcopal Diocese of Texas)
Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (From The Book of Common Prayer)
In addition to these prayers, we are encouraging our community to support Operation Homefront with a generous donation on Veterans Day. Operation Homefront is a nonprofit located here in San Antonio with a national reach. Their mission is “to build strong, stable, and secure military families so they can thrive — not simply struggle to get by — in the communities they have worked so hard to protect.” They provide financial assistance to families and caregivers who are struggling to make ends meet. If you would like to contribute to this important ministry, please donate here.
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Bulverde Christmas Tree Lighting |
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Join Beth and Jeremy at 5:30pm at the Bulverde Christmas Tree Lighting. St. Nick’s will have a table with Christmas Crafts for the kids and goodies to hand out to our neighbors and friends. |
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Annual Mug, Hot Chocolate and Candy Drive |
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In the spirit of St. Nicholas and his generosity we will once again be collecting coffee mugs and hot chocolate, candy canes, and candy to go in them. This year we will be spreading joy to local Bulverde Civil Servants and Employees. We will begin collecting mugs on the first Sunday of Advent. |
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Church and Diocese Information |
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Dinner Church - Wednesday, November 16 |
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A note from Holley, our Champion for Dinner Church:
There is a ministry here at St. Nick's called Dinner Church. It is held on Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7:00 or 7:30. Dinner church has worship and prayer done informally. In fact, it reminds me of church camp. When I was growing up in the Texas Panhandle, I went to Slumber Falls Camp in New Braunfels. I met so many people there that I would not have known gotten to know otherwise (my husband included). Being there, I felt closer to God than any other place I had been.
I get some of that same kind of feeling at Dinner Church. We laugh; we talk, and we worship and pray. Each week we have a theme, and we all bring dishes that correspond to that theme. People of all ages: children, their parents, empty nesters, and the elderly (like me) come and enjoy the time together. If this is something that would interest you, please join us at Dinner Church.
Each Wednesday, Dinner Church has a theme. Since, I have great (many times) grandparents who came to the "New World" on the Mayflower, I thought it would be interesting to have Pilgrim food. I started to look up some of their foods and found a lot of mushy and unappetizing stuff. Then I discovered it was Native American month, and I started to look at their food (after all, they did provide most of the food at the first Thanksgiving).
I found that most Native Americans had varied diets. I found that they ate (among others) corn, beans, squash, pumpkins, peppers, tomatoes, yams, peanuts, wild rice, chocolate, pineapples, avocados, papayas, pecans, strawberries, cranberries, and blueberries. They also ate fish, game, bison, etc.
The theme for November 16 will be Native American food. Participants are not expected to cook over an open fire, but like Iron Chef, pick a Native American food and make it the star of your dish.
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Diocese of West Texas Newsletter |
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St. Nicholas is a Church Plant of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas. We belong to a family of churches in southwest Texas. If you are interested in keeping up with news from the Diocese of West Texas you can sign up for their newsletter. |
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2265 Bulverde Rd.
Bulverde, TX 78163
Phone: 214-213-0739
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