Sunday, August 7, 2022
Combined Service at 10:30 in the Sanctuary
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Finding Peace in the Midst of Chaos |
I hope you are enjoying the summer as we are. I hope it has been full of sweet times with family, kids and grandkids. A challenge for me though has been finding that quiet space to pray and keep up with my devotions. With school out, I am constantly surrounded by my kids (whom I love dearly) but a quiet house is always short-lived. There are little voices calling for me and filling the space with a variety of movement and noise: singing, drumming, flying nerf bullets or loud thumps of who-knows-what creative endeavor. Especially in the summer, I long for a place to retreat to, and I get caught up in the summer busyness that I can miss my daily times of meeting with the Lord.
While having that quiet space to pray is important and needed, we all have parts of our day that retreating is impossible, whether we are out running errands, at home with children/grandchildren or surrounded by co-workers. How do we pursue the call to pray in the midst of busyness or chaos? I recently read about Susanna Wesley in a biography by Eric Metaxas, “Seven Women and the Secret to their Greatness.” Most people only know of Susanna’s sons, John and Charles Wesley, who left their mark on church history. However, Susanna left her own significant mark and was an amazing, godly woman. I was taken by her faith and her “prayer closet.” She had 19 children and eight survived to adulthood. Her household was BUSY and chaotic. On top of daily chores and looking after little ones, she homeschooled all her children starting at age 5 for 6 hours, 6 days a week. There was no privacy in her home. She did not have a prayer closet to retreat to, but she did have an apron. When she needed a private moment to talk to God, Susanna would put her apron over her head. Surrounded by household demands and children, Susanna entered her “apron prayer closet” whenever the need arose.
Susanna reminds me that even when a literal prayer closet is unattainable, I can meet with my Heavenly Father on all occasions. I can take a minute in the car. I can pause in the midst of constant noise and activity. We can enter our “prayer closet” on the fly and at any moment because we always have access to His throne of grace: “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
May you meet with the Lord in your daily busyness and remember that He is always present.
Blessings,
Pastor Rebecca
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Unified Service/Lemonade on the Lawn |
During Aug.7 – Sept. 4 we will go back to our 10:30 unified service in the Sanctuary. After each service we will also have “Lemonade on the Lawn.” As a reminder, there will be no Sunday school classes during this time. |
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For our combined worship services, we are calling all singers for a Community Choir to sing simple anthems in worship! If you want to participate, plan to arrive in the chancel at 10:00 AM to rehearse for our 10:30 worship time. This is a great, low-time commitment opportunity for folks who love to sing and want to help make a joyful noise! No sign up is necessary, but questions can be sent to bmiller@stgiles.org. We’ll see you there! |
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Organ Concert feat. Daniel Stipe |
On Sunday August 14th at 4:30 in the afternoon Daniel Stipe will present a recital on the newly rebuilt St. Giles organ. Some of you may remember him as the last visiting recitalist to play for the dedication of the organ. His program will include works by Henri Mulet, Herbert Howells, Mary Beth Bennett, Percy Whitlock, J. S. Bach, Herbert Brewer, and Joseph Jongen. It will be a spectacular program so mark your calendars to come.
Daniel Stipe earned a BM in organ and piano performance from the University of North Texas and a MM in organ performance from Westminster Choir College. He is a prizewinner in multiple national organ playing competitions. In 2017 he was a recitalist at the convention of the American Guild of Organists in Richmond, and this year a recitalist at the Association of Anglican Musicians convention. He maintains an active concert schedule, with recent performances in Richmond, Roanoke, Dallas, Tulsa, and Princeton. He was chosen to be one of the staff accompanists for the 2020 Menuhin International violin competition. He plays regularly with the Richmond Symphony.
Daniel served for five years as Director of Music at Trinity Lutheran Church from 2013-2017 and now serves as principal organist at All Saints Episcopal Church both in Richmond. He also manages the Concerts at Trinity series at Trinity Lutheran Church. He lives with his wife, Julie, in Richmond.
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Sunday School classes will not take place during August. They will resume the 2nd Sunday of September. |
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Help Needed for the Church Picnic |
Save the date for the St. Giles Church Picnic, August 28th. We are also in need of volunteers for setting up, food, games, and cleanup. If you would like to help out please contact Patience Flynn at pflynn@stgiles.org. |
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First Thursday Book Club - August 4th
10:00 AM in the St. Giles Parlor
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Thursday, August 4th at 10:00, co-author of the book "The Power of Hospitality" Kathie Crismier will share in an interview format at First Thursday Book Club in the parlor of St. Giles. Anyone who is interested in coming is welcome. The interview with Kathie will explore some of the many "hats" she wears in addition to her gift of hospitality. Lunch will follow the meeting at Crossroads Coffee for those whose schedules allow. |
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Magnum Opus Dei (God’s Great Work) is a celebration of this powerful creative collaboration of the Body of Christ. God has been doing amazing work through these 2 organizations; and we want to share it with you!
Over the last 3 years, Into The Neighborhood and Make! Creative Studio have ministered to 100’s of women and men each year! Even during Covid, we found creative and safe ways to continue building relationships with the people living at Eco Flats RVA, Lotus Recovery, McShin Foundation, The WAR Foundation, True Recovery RVA, and Starfish. Relationships may start in the studio, but continue in our everyday walk around lives as we continue to share our lives with and love one another outside of the studio.
This celebration will serve to…
- Showcase some of the art projects, plus pieces created by current and past participants and volunteers, and friends of recovery
- Share stories of how participants and volunteers are impacted
- Encourage you to participate by volunteering or giving generously
- Invite you to join us in celebrating what God is doing for, in, and through us….His greatest work…His image bearer…His creation…you and me.
Put the date on your calendar, and stay tuned for more information and to register. If you would like to sponsor this event, please reach out to Marti at marti@intotheneighborhood.org or Angie at angie@makestudiorva.com
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Volunteer Opportunity for Children's Garden Preschool |
The Children's Garden Preschool requests some church volunteers to help move the preschool furniture after church on August 7th. To sign up or for any questions contact Alonsa Riddle at childrensgardenpreschool1@gmail.com |
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Employment Opportunity at St. Giles |
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Children's Garden Preschool Teachers Needed |
Children's Garden Preschool is looking for a few teachers for the 2022-2023 school year. If you or anyone you know are interested, please reach out. Alonsa Riddle at Childrensgardenpreschool1@gmail.com. |
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Livestreaming Bible Study and Worship
We are now livestreaming many of our events, including both Sunday worship services and our concert series on our YouTube channel. These can also be viewed later at the same YouTube channel. Take advantage of the opportunity to catch up on anything you’ve missed, or to share these ministries with friends who might benefit from them.
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