ALL ANGELS BY THE SEA
WEEKLY TIDINGS
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Fellowship is back! After the service, coffee and treats will be available in the narthex.
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Masks are optional for those who have been fully vaccinated.
Communion bread will be offered inside during the service.
To live-stream - go to AllAngelsLBK.org, click on the "All Angels Enter Here" picture and you will be routed to our YouTube channel.
Zoom - go to https://zoom.us/j/5955701807 and watch and listen live. Be sure to stick around after the service for our coffee hour chat-with-your-neighbor time.
The service will begin with the lighting of the altar candles. If you are participating at home, you are invited to light a candle with us to create a sacred space of worship at home.
The bulletin can be found on the All Angels Website:
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Altar Flowers for Sunday, August 8
are given by Rev. Maggie Gat
in loving memory of her mother, Kay Moses.
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Scripture Readings, August 8
1 Kings 19:4-8
Psalm 34:1-8
Ephesians 4:25-5:2
John 6:35, 41-51
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Dear Fellow Angels by the Sea,
We have suddenly re-entered into another wave of illness and confusion that jeopardizes the well-being of families that are dependent on hourly wages. Both children and adults risk illness and loss of work or housing just as school is preparing to startup up. Money for food, clothes and school supplies is increasingly scarce.
The Outreach Committee is aware of their rapidly increasing need and
that Family Promise of Sarasota, an organization we know well, already responds effectively to some of that need through their Gift Card Outreach program. In the words of their director, Tara L. Maffei:,
Being able to offer families a respite by providing a small amount,
say $50 biweekly, while we work with them, helps them address other needs like utility bills or mortgage payments. Stores like Walmart,
Target or any local drug store help a family meet needs for food,
clothing, or hygiene items.
The Outreach Commission is challenging us during the next four Sundays of August and the Sunday of Labor Day weekend.
How much help can we, as individual families and us as a
congregation, provide to local families during this time of
ongoing confusion and job loss by putting a gift card into the
collection plate on each of the next four Sundays in August?
Might we include Labor Day weekend as a bonus?
We propose delivering as many cards as possible to Family Promise of Sarasota on Monday August 16th and again on Monday, August 29th. Any that are contributed on Labor Day would be a special bonus. Your gift in the collection plate will be anonymous, To get contribution credit as an Outreach gift from All Angels you put your name on it somewhere (in pencil, so that the recipients don't receive it). But our goal is to report each week on how much assistance we are offering as a community. In order to do that, please indicate the value of the card, if it is not otherwise visible.
Signed,
Elaine Smith, Maggie Gat, Katzy Nager, Ginger Shipp, Graham Toft.
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Centering Prayer
Centering Prayer invites you to pray with them, every day, at 8 am, wherever you are. When you enter into prayer at 8 am (Eastern), you will know that others are praying at the same time.
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Prayers of the People
Are you interested in leading the congregation in prayer? Rev. Maggie is offering a training workshop on how to lead the Prayers of the People
on Wednesday, August 11th at 10 a.m. This workshop will be offered in-person in the Parish Hall and on Zoom.
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We Pray for our People
We pray on behalf of all whose needs of body, soul and mind are great,
including: Downs IV, Holden and Brian. Grant healing and recovery for Beverly. Give peace and strength for those going through cancer treatments, especially Jane, Downs III, Victoria, Andres, Alex, Colleen,
and Douglas. Visit and comfort all who are under the care of skilled nursing, especially Bob, Timothy, Don and Barbara. Be near to all who are in hospice care especially John.
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Summer Choir
Are you looking for a a new experience this summer? I recommend The Summer Choir. No audition, rehearse at 9:20 each Sunday morning. No long term commitment. Can't attend every Sunday? No problem. Come when you can. More information? Call me at 941 896 5541, or email dhooey@verizon.net or see me after church. You will receive a very warm welcome!
Dale
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Organ Concerts
Join us every Thursday at 11:00 am for our Organ Concert in the Park.
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Art Gallery
Our "New to You" art sale continues online. To see what is available for sale, please visit our website: www.allangelslbk.org
Our gallery artist for the month of August is Chris Collins. Please stop by and enjoy the work of this talented artist and church member. 100% of the sale of his artwork goes to the mission and ministry of All Angels. Checks should be written to All Angels by the Sea.
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Men's Discussion Groups
The Men's Discussion Group meets Tuesdays at 10:00, in person
and on-line.
Reading for Tuesday, August 10:
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Online Giving
If you would like to give to the offering plate electronically, you can find the online giving link on our All Angels website by clicking the link below:
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God's Goal
St. Paul, writing to the church he planted in Ephesus, took on the role of teacher in this letter to his parishioners. I believe that Paul was highly educated. His hometown of Tarsus was home to some of the best schools in the empire; Paul, himself, was most likely educated in one of those institutions. As such, he knows what is to be both professor and student.
In chapter 4 of Ephesians, Paul wrote, “God gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. His purpose was to equip God’s people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of God’s Son.”
Theologians refer to this passage as God’s gifts – some are gifted as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. If, however, you look Jesus’ life, he lived all five of those vocations. That makes me believe that as followers of Jesus, we too can have more than one gift. But, what do we do with it?
Paul writes, “God’s goal is for us to become mature adults — to be measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ. As a result, we aren’t supposed to be infants any longer who can be tossed and blown around by every wind that comes from teaching with deceitful scheming and the tricks people play to deliberately mislead others.”
Many people spend a long time searching for what they want to do in life. In my teenage years, my parents told me that I have a number of gifts that could be used in many different ways. It wasn’t until I was in my thirties, however, that I finally heeded the call to serve God in Christ as a pastor and Episcopal priest. One of the pitfalls I had, and still wrestle with, is measuring myself against others and their successes. This pitfall led me to feel jealous of their success or ashamed of my own supposed lack thereof. In the words of Paul, I was using the wrong measuring standard.
God’s goal is that we are to become mature adults. The measurement of “mature” is not in earthly age, or social or economic status; those would be the wrong measurements; rather, we are to be the compassion, grace, and love that Jesus taught. We all fall short of God’s glory, and, according to this pastor, it is nearly impossible to live up to Jesus’ perfection of love and compassion. Yet, God’s goal of us becoming mature is to be like students that strive to learn more and to continue to build up others as our great teacher Jesus invites us to do.
Paul outlined the measuring stick in this way: “To not be tossed and blown around by every wind that comes from teaching with deceitful scheming and the tricks people play to deliberately mislead others.” God’s goal of maturity is to not be “tossed and blown around” by deceit. But rather, our maturity is to work, to serve and to build up the body of Christ.
I don’t need to tell you there is a lot of deceit out there. Nor do I need to remind you that there is a lot of work ahead of us to build up the body of Christ. What I would like to highlight is that the measurement God uses is not the one that the deceit in the world uses – things like age, physical appearance and stamina, or flashy and trendy possessions. God’s measurement is in love, in building up others, and compassion. God’s goal is for us to build up, to encourage, to forgive and love. Whether we are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors or teachers, or apprentices just beginning to follow the way of Jesus, we are not to be tossed around and blown by whatever fashionable wind is blowing, but rather to build up one another in unity and faith and, above all, love.
-Fr. Dave
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