Greetings, St. Paul’s Family and Friends!
What kind of God do you have?
Last Sunday (10/08), the gospel lesson was on the parable of the wicked tenants and a vengeful landowner. Our sermon offered perspective on what this parable teaches us about the character of God – tradition may not be all that it’s cracked up to be.
This week (10/15), our gospel lesson compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a king giving a wedding banquet for his son. This king is both generous and vindictive. Come and hear how this parable applies to us today.
Diocesan Convention
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with shouts of joy ~ Psalm 126:1. This was the theme of this year’s convention, encouraging all congregations to dream big and to discern where those dreams may coincide with where God is leading us.
St. Paul’s was represented at our Convention Business Meeting this year by Lay Delegate, Shelby Mancell, and Clergy Delegate, The Rev. Nancy Gill. In addition, Rev. Nancy attended the workshop Vital Signs: Moving from Data to Practice, about the practices of vital congregations. Meanwhile, Ron Parker attended Vital Practices: Sharing our Stories, about using social media for ministry. Both Ron and Nancy sat in on Vital Practices: Engaging Our Neighbors, about experimenting with community-specific ministries.
We look forward to sharing opportunities with you about how we can implement some of the ideas and strategies learned throughout the weekend.
Sunday Morning Formation
Last Sunday, Fr. Bill began leading discussions on the book The Practice of Prayer by Margaret Guenther. The author asserts that practicing prayer is similar to practicing law or medicine – it is something which improves over time and which shapes our beliefs. Anyone interested in joining the class is welcome! Books will be provided.
Third Sunday Discretionary Offering
This Sunday (10/15) will be the third Sunday of the month which means that all undesignated gifts in the offering plate will go towards our Discretionary Fund which is used for emergency benevolence requests.
As an aside, all donations placed in the Schoolhouse every week go to help local school children.
Way of Love Wednesdays
The Way of Love is a formation series in which participants discover and discuss reasons and ways to intentionally live a Jesus-centered life.
CORRECTION TO LAST WEEK’S NEWSLETTER: If you tried to join us for the Way of Love on Wednesday, October 4, you may be wondering what happened! Unfortunately, The Rev. Nancy had a flat tire on her way to the church, so the meeting was cancelled at the last minute. Many apologies for any inconvenience or confusion this may have caused!
However, classes did resume this week (10/11), when Shelby Mancell led us to focus on the role that worship plays in a life centered on Jesus. When we worship, we gather with others before God. We hear the Good News of Jesus, give thanks, confess, and offer the brokenness of the world to God. As we break bread, our eyes are opened to the presence of Christ. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are made one body, the body of Christ sent forth to live the Way of Love.
Next Wednesday (10/18) our topic will be Bless. Jesus called his disciples to give, forgive, teach, and heal in his name. We are empowered by the Spirit to bless everyone we meet, practicing generosity and compassion and proclaiming the Good News of God in Christ with hopeful words and selfless actions. We can share our stories of blessing and invite others to the Way of Love.
Join us, either in person or online through Facebook Live (Facebook) or via Google Meet (meet.google.com/kdu-asvd-ygy) at 7:00 p.m.
St. Paul’s Social Media
We’re now on Instagram – check us out!!! St Paul’s Episcopal Church Claremore (@stpaulsclaremore) • Instagram photos and videos
James 5:16b reads, “The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” You can now submit prayer requests on our church web page! Once submitted, they are added to a prayer wall for others to view. If you pray for one (or more) of the requests on the wall, you can let the requester know you’ve prayed for them by clicking on the “Pray” icon. So, our prayers can be powerful and effective… and efficient!
If you haven’t already seen it, be sure to check out – AND SHARE – our church web page! It includes information about our church, as well as links to previous newsletters, sermon videos, the prayer wall, and our Facebook page. Go to stpaulsclaremore.org
Let Us Pray
- Pray for our congregation as we explore our dreams and discern where God is leading us next.
- Remember Jim Walker as he undergoes knee replacement surgery on Wednesday, October 11, and for his subsequent recovery.
- Verna has requested prayer for Robert.
- Keep Lloyd Bajon in your prayers as he recovers from a horse riding accident.
- If you have prayer requests you’d like to add to the Newsletter, email them to Clergy@stpaulsclaremore.org
Save the Dates
- Sunday, October 15 – Third Sunday Discretionary Offering (all undesignated funds collected in the offering plate go to the Discretionary Fund used for emergency benevolence requests).
- Wednesday, October 18, 7:00 p.m. – Way of Love Wednesday, Week Six
- Sunday, October 22 – Bishop’s Committee Meeting
- Saturday, October 28, 9:30-11:30 – Prayer & Meditation Retreat in the Great Hall
- Sunday, November 5 – The Rev. Canon Betsy Randall, Canon to the Ordinary, will be celebrating with us
- Sunday, December 3 – Advent begins