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The Pulse | August 27, 2021
Upcoming Events:

09/05
Ukraine 2022
Interest Meeting

09/12


10/01
Let's join together in prayer using these prayers from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer:

16. FOR THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH
O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

19. FOR ALL MISSIONARIES
O God, you desire that all people be saved and come to knowledge of the truth: Prosper all those who live, preach, and teach the Gospel at home and in distant lands [especially __________]; protect them in all perils, support them in their loneliness, sustain them in the hour of trial; give them your abundant grace to bear faithful witness; and endue them with burning zeal and love, that they may turn many to righteousness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Weekly Reflection
My favorite episode of Seinfeld is “The Alternate Side.” The show perfected the art of introducing (and colliding) disparate plot points in the cramped confines of a network TV sitcom. This episode was no exception: Somebody steals Jerry’s car. George takes a job moving cars from one side of a busy Manhattan avenue to another. Elaine cares for her boyfriend (whom she hoped to break up with before he had a stroke). Kramer, randomly cast as an extra in an upcoming Woody Allen movie, gets to deliver a line of dialogue to the auteur himself: “These pretzels are making me thirsty!”
 
There’s a lot to love about “The Alternate Side,” but Kramer’s line has proved most memorable. His euphoria when invited to be in the movie connects to something we have all experienced: the joy of being part of a team.
 
For most of my Christian life, I have conceived of “spiritual gifts'' as special abilities to discover and utilize. There is a good argument that this is not what Paul (exclusively) meant by the term. The catalogues of spiritual gifts in the NT are better understood as lists of ministry opportunities distributed by the Spirit amongst a worshipping community. The “gift” is not an ability you uniquely possess to do ministry; it is the ministry itself. It can be difficult for us English speakers to wrap our heads around this distinction because we often use the word gift to refer to special abilities, but our usage may not be what Paul had in mind. Ringo Starr was an adequate percussionist, but, according to the Apostle Paul (and rock critics everywhere), his real gift was being a part of the Beatles. 
 
Pop-culture introduction and biblical framing aside here is the point: The Spirit of God stands ready to distribute gifts (read: ministry opportunities) among Church of the Apostles. We announced last week that we’ll be returning to two services on September 12th. We are excited to invite further participation in service beyond our staff and a pre-existing group of volunteers. And to put it plainly, we need a lot of help.
 
Here is a link where you can express interest in some of the spiritual gifts (ministry opportunities) available at Apostles. Your service would be appreciated everywhere, but I want to highlight one specific role. Like we pray every week during worship, our congregation has been “blessed with the joy and care of children.” Amidst the challenges of the pandemic, we have worked tirelessly to care for them well (thank you, Stacey!). But we need help in order to continue being a place where children discover the life-changing truths of the Christian faith. So join the Children’s Ministry team on Sunday morning! Many of you reading this email have served on ministry teams in the past (whether at Apostles or elsewhere). Be encouraged to volunteer in a different capacity now, but don’t deny yourself the gift of being part of a team.

Nick
This Sunday at Apostles
August 28, 2021 ~ 10:00am
Sermon Series: Walking in the Spirit
Romans 8:26-30 | Mark 7:1-23
"Praying in the Spirit" ~ Lauren Mann
What's Happening at Apostles
We will be returning to Ukraine in January 2022 to work with CCX Ukraine Bible Studies! CCX works to encourage college students to be reconciled to God and teach them to apply Christian principles to daily life. Anyone interested in hearing more about this mission opportunity is encouraged to attend the interest meeting after the service on September 5th in Room 208.
Connect at Apostles
F O L L O W U S:
Church Office Hours: 9am-5pm | Mon-Thurs
919-782-0550 (Office)
919-283-2682 (Pastoral Care Emergencies)