Dear Friends,

Happy New Year!

Many years ago I was given the gift of The New Zealand Prayer Book. It is similar to our Book of Common Prayer. (As a brief aside - if you want to learn more about Prayer Books - come to our Episcopal 101 offered this Spring and you can learn all about them!) Anyway, one of the things I love about the New Zealand Prayer book is the offerings of devotions and daily prayer. In their section on Family Prayer they offering the following -

A PRAYER FOR THE FAMILY

Lord Jesus, at Nazareth you shared in the life of your family. Help us to live together in our family with love and respect for each other. Make our home a place of blessing, peace and joy for everyone, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

A COLLECT

In darkness and in light, in trouble and in joy,

help us, heavenly Father, to trust your love,

to serve your purpose, and to praise your name,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

I see our church as a family. We are the family of God, learning to grow in friendship, faith, hope, and love together. God chooses us as beloved children and we have chosen to live out our faith at St. Nicholas as friends and family who love, serve, and bless one another and the world around us.

In this new year, I want to encourage you to become involved in a new ministry, small group, or outreach activity. It is a great gift to have church online and to come and worship together on Sundays. It is an even greater gift to develop deep connections with one another as encouragers and accountability partners in faith.

This Sunday we will hear the Gospel of John's call story of Nathaniel and Philip. The story right before this one is the invitation of some of John's disciples to follow Jesus. John 1:37-39 shares,

When the two disciples heard him (John the Baptist) say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

I love the openness of this invitation. "Come, and you will see." Sometimes you just need to take a step out of the ordinary and explore new ways of being. Sometimes you need to risk something new to grow in faith. Faith is dynamic - not static. We are called to grow, change and learn. God absolutely loves us as we are but also, wants us to take an active role in our spiritual growth and formation.

We have lots of opportunities in this new year for you. We have bible studies, a men's group, women's fellowship, youth and children's programs, Sunday morning ministries, and outreach opportunities. We have dinner gatherings and options to serve as leaders and champions for ministries. We also embrace the motto - if we don't have what you are looking for, let's create it. A great example of ministries that have been created out of people's passions are 1) our Good News Garden Ministry and 2) our Prayer Outreach Ministries. They were both created out of the desire to grow close to God and one another and the love of gardening and knitting/crocheting/needlework.

I can't wait to see how God will lead us in this new year! I know and trust that God will continue to guide us as we grow in friendship, faith, hope, and love.

God's Peace, Love, and Blessings,

Beth+

Sunday, January 14: Second Sunday after the Epiphany

Sunday Scriptures (click here for full scripture readings): 1 Samuel 3:1-20; Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:43-51

Collect for Epiphany 2:

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen

Kids ages 3 to 5th grade, come and join Jena our Family Minister on Wednesdays! Learn stories from the Bible, create, play, and laugh.

Dinner Church is a weekly time of a meal, worship, and fellowship. It is a great place to get to know each other better, and to invite friends.

On January 10th, we're celebrating the New Year with black-eyed peas and cornbread!

Our Wednesday programs start back this week, on January 10th. All other weekly events start back the following week.

Every year our Diocese holds a council for their 80+ churches. Council 2024 will convene in-person February 22 - 24, at the San Marcos Conference Center in San Marcos, TX. Clergy and lay delegates will assemble to hear ministry reports, conduct the annual business of the Diocese, worship together, participate in workshops, and share fellowship.

If you are interested in attending as a guest at council, please contact Rev. Beth for a schedule and to register.

Save the date to join us after the 9:30am worship on January 21st for our annual church meeting. We will spend time in prayer and planning for this new year of ministry.

Come and learn about St Nicholas and her growth this past year. We also want to share about our plans for this coming year and our bright, vibrant, and generous future. Everyone is welcome to join us. Activities for children will be offered during the meeting.

We have a Mutual Shared Parking Agreement with our next door neighbor - Vine in the Village. When they need extra parking they can use our lot and when we need extra parking we can use their lot. We also have some parallel spots on the side of the church and some spaces in the back of the church. If you are able to park in the back or at Vine, please feel free to leave open spots for our visitors and those in need.  

Help out at Church this Winter!

All ages can sign-up at this link

Hospitality - bring snacks

Greet - say hello

Teen Acolyte - help Rev. Beth with worship

Reader - Read and Chalice

Altar - help set-up the altar

We

AV/TECH helpers talk with Jeremy and/or Mark directly after church.