Greetings, Dear Ones!
Happy Fall (in two days)! It is written somewhere that there are really only two seasons of the year: Fall, and Waiting-for-Fall. This writer whole-heartedly agrees; Autumn is her favorite time of year!
So many shades of gold
Autumn
Another miracle we take for granted
Another expression of the artist’s vision
The blending of the autumn hues
with the setting sun
Warm
Comforting
Perfect
Thank you for autumn, Lord.
– Author Unknown
The Kingdom of Heaven is Like the Owner of a Vineyard
Last Sunday (9/17), we looked at Jesus’s challenge to forgive 77 (or 70×7) times – that is, as many times as it takes until the task is complete! This week (9/24), the gospel focuses on another parable on the Kingdom of Heaven – that it is like a landowner who pays the same wages to all who work for him in his vineyard, whether they worked the full day or only part.
Jabez Prayer Initiative
The prayer for week 4 (beginning 3/24) of the Jabez Initiative: Lord, we pray that you would keep St. Paul’s and those involved in its ministries from evil.
Similar to what we pray in the Lord’s prayer – “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” – we are asking for God to protect our congregation and its ministries from harm. Can you remember a time when you felt that you were protected from harm?
If you’re interested in learning more on the topic of Jabez and his short but powerful prayer, you are invited to join us this week for Sunday School at 8:30.
Way of Love Wednesdays
Wednesday the 20th was the second of our 9-week Way of Love sessions. Several of us gathered for an evening of conversation about the concept of turning: pausing, listening, and choosing to follow Jesus. In this process, we turn from the powers of sin, hatred, fear, injustice, and oppression toward the way of truth, love, hope, justice, and freedom. We reorient our lives to Jesus Christ, falling in love with Jesus again, again, and again.
Next week we will focus on Learning: By reading and reflecting on Scripture, especially the life and teachings of Jesus, we draw near to God and God’s word dwells in us. When we open our minds and hearts to Scripture, we learn to see God’s story and God’s activity in everyday life.
You are invited to join us, either in person at 7:00 p.m., or online through Facebook Live (Facebook) or via Google Meet (meet.google.com/kdu-asvd-ygy) at 7:30 p.m., next Wednesday (9/27).
Volunteers Needed
To help with Social Media and IT, contact Ron Parker.
To volunteer as an acolyte or a lector, contact Tom Keenze.
Want to help, but don’t know what you might enjoy? Try something on for a few weeks and see how it fits!
St. Paul’s Website & Microsoft Office Suite
The Rev. Nancy has a new Pro-Priest email address! (That’s Pro-Priest as in professional, not as in the opposite of Anti-Priest!) Ron Parker has been working diligently to establish our online presence, and it is coming together beautifully! In addition to The Rev’s email, a few other key administrative folks will also have access to the office suite, which provides cloud storage and internet security. Check us out at stpaulsclaremore.org and be sure to update Rev. Nancy’s email address, from which all future newsletters will be sent. It is TheRevNancy@stpaulsclaremore.org
Let Us Pray
- Remember to keep Lloyd Bajon in your prayers as he recovers from a horse riding accident.
- Pray for Doris and Rev. Nancy as they are each traveling.
- If you have prayer requests you’d like to add to the Newsletter, email them to Clergy@stpaulsclaremore.org
Save the Dates
- September 3-October 7 – Five-week Jabez Prayer Initiative
- Wednesday, September 27, 7:00 p.m. – Way of Love Wednesday, Week Three
- October 6-7 – Diocesan Conference
- Saturday, October 28, 9:30-11:30 – Prayer & Meditation Retreat in the Great Hall
- Sunday, November, 5 – Canon to the Ordinary, The Rev. Betsy Randall, will be celebrating with us