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As I've reminded you, the last 30 years of the last century saw an 'explosion' in the writing of hymns in English. A prolific part of that process was Herman Stuempfle, Jr., head of the Lutheran seminary in Gettysburg, PA prior to his death in 2007. His hymn output totalled nearly 600 items and he said of hymn writing: "...My experiences seem to me to be an extension, in a different form, of my fundamental vocation to ommunicate the Gospel." Here is a 1991 text of which I am particularly fond.
O God, as with a potter's hand, when earth was morning bright, you shaped from clay a human form that gave your eye delight; You breathed in love your Spirit's breath: a living creature stirred and stood within the garden green, awake to hear you Word. Can clay defy the potter's touch, alone its form define, or spoil with wild, rebellious will the artist's true design? Yet we, in whom your hand has formed an image good and fair, disfigure what you meant to be a work beyond compare. But once you shaped from human clay a life whose truth and grace revealed an image pure and whole that sin could not deface. And when WE seized your choicest work and broke its fragile clay, your hands restored the shattered shards on earth's firt Easter day. O God, you hold our earthen lives within your shaping hand and turn
our forming clay to show the image you have planned. Forgive the sin that mars your work and strives against your will.
Conform our lives to Jesus Christ with wisdom, love, and skill! Peace! BILL WEEKS |
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Calendar |
| 1 - Healing Service (noon)
1 - Pub Theology (5:30 PM) 4 - DOK 8 - EYC 11 - Men's Group Breakfast 16 - ECW 17 - Walk the Labrynth 17-18 - Diocesan Convention 21 - Vestry Meeting 21 - MARDI GRAS!!! 20 - Walk the Labyrinth 22 - Ash Wednesday Service 22 - EYC 24 - Stations of the Cross (noon) 25 - DOK Quiet Day
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| Anniversaries and Birthdays |
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Anniversaries
11 - Gail & Jim Alter 14 - Dale & Mary Brissey 15 - Rudy & Joyce Polacek - Blaine & Linda Hipes 18 - Michael & Betty Pahl 24 - Charles & JoAnne Ward
Birthdays
1 - Rock Engeler - Jim Waldeck 3 - Nancy Phillips 4 - Anne Carriere - Charly Watson 5 - Richard Burnett 10 - Janie Jones 15 - Patrick Duss 24 - Ray Loop - Jim Alter 25 - Jamie Bergman 27 - Judy Solomon
Did we miss (or mess up) your special day? Call the church office to update our records
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AMISH GRACE |
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Our Lenten Studies Series for the Adult Forum will take us through the book "Amish Grace: How Forgivness Transcended Tragedy". On Monday morning, October 2, 2006, a gunman entered a one-room Amish school in Nickel Mines, PA. In front of twenty-five horrified pupils, thirty-two-year-old Charles Roberts ordered the boys and the teacher to leave. After tying the legs of the ten remaining girls, Roberts prepared to shoot them execution style with an automatic rifle and four hundred rounds of ammunition that he brought for the task. The oldest hostage, a thirteen-year-old, begged Roberts to "shoot me first and let the little ones go." Refusing her offer, he opened fire on all of them, killing five and leaving the others critically wounded. He then shot himself as police stormed the building. His motivation? "I'm angry at God for taking my little daughter," he told the children before the massacre.
The story captured the attention of broadcast and print media in the United States and around the world. By Tuesday morning some fifty television crews had clogged the small village of Nickel Mines, staying for five days until the killer and the killed were buried.
The blood was barely dry on the schoolhouse floor when Amish parents brought words of forgiveness to the family of the one who had slain their children. The outside world was incredulous that such forgiveness could be offered so quickly for such a heinous crime. Of the hundreds of media queries that the authors received about the shooting, questions about forgiveness rose to the top. Forgiveness, in fact, eclipsed the tragic story, trumping the violence and arresting the world's attention. Forgiveness. One of the toughest concepts in human thought. Come explore this with us. We will begin Sunday, February 26th. If you want to have the office order a copy of the book for you, the signup sheet is in the Narthex. Or call the office. |
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News and Notes ST. ANDREW'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH February 2012 |
| VICAR'S CORNER There is a certain degree of comfort that comes with our church calendar. We know what to expect - after Advent comes Christmas, then Epiphany followed by Lent, and so on and so forth. As Epiphany draws to a close, we have one more great celebration of Shrove Tuesday - the last night before the solemn season of Lent begins. This year, as with last, we are hosting our Mardi Gras dinner with plans to donate our earnings to Arkansas diocesan ministries. While a focus on mission is not new to St. Andrew's, this past year it became a major focus and Camp Mitchell along with programs for the homeless and the hungry benefited from our efforts. I am particularly looking forward to our Blue Grass Mass and benefit concert scheduled for this next fall. It is truly a delight when we can combine worship, fellowship, and mission. I am also pleased that our mission activities focus on supporting the larger church (our diocese) and local programs. Add to this the smaller but still significant gifts made to those organizations and services featured with our Giving Tree and it is evident that St. Andrew's is actively sharing the love of Christ is real tangible ways to those in need. This year will, I believe, be a year of continued growth as we are doing God's work in mission while maintaining our focus on worship, prayer, study, and fellowship. It is the balance we keep among these five areas of church life that keeps this a healthy congregation - but staying in balance requires work. We must be intentional about what we do and how we do it. We need people functioning in leadership roles to help in all these areas to be successful. That is perhaps our greatest challenge - having people volunteer to provide leadership and support in each of these five areas. God calls us to help bring about his Kingdom here on Earth and getting involved in the life of our church is one way we answer God's call. I urge each of you to consider how your talents might best be used to help St. Andrew's. Please pray and listen to what God might then be calling you to do to be actively involved in your church - in Christ's Church. God's Peace, Jim+ |
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ECW The Episcopal Church Women will meet Thursday, February 16, 9 AM for coffee and 9:30 for the program and business meeting. The speaker is George Truell, Executive Director of Kindness, Inc. who will speak of plans for the coming year for Kindness. Call April Baily at 424-3525 with questions. ALL WOMEN are invited to participate in the program, the meeting, and our fellowship. |
AFRICAN MINISTRIES Ever wonder where the money goes, when we buy all those lovely things displayed last November (and years previous) in the Narthex for the African ministries? Serving The Churches Of East Africa
Dear St. Andrew's Episcopal Church and Bonnie Smith,
We are most grateful for your support which is helping the churches in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
A 40' container of food which will provide 100,000 meals of oatmeal and 150,000 servings of soup has beem shipped to the many suffering from the drought and famine areas in Kenya. Please pray for the children as in times of drought they suffer the most. Children under 5 are particularly susceptible to killer diseases such as measles and malaria.
The proceeds make possible education for orphaned children in Kenya and Uganda. With thousands of orphaned children who barely exist with the societal structure, education is the only hope for them to impact their culture and secure a more promising future. A nutritious lunch is also provided for the orphans.
Thank you for your support which has made this outreach possible. If you would like more information on any of these projects, please let us know.
Faithfully yours,
Keith Jesson |
MEN'S GROUP
The men's group regular Saturday morning breakfast will be held February 11th at 8 AM. Wives and sweethearts (and spouses of deceased members) are invited to join the men to celebrate Valentine's Day. If you have questions, call Scott Baily at 424-3525.
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On Beads Of Prayer The Episcopal Church Women of St. Andrew's will be sponsoring an ongoing ministry called "On Beads of Prayer". We will be creating Anglican prayer beads to be distributed to our military members in harm's way, or for personal use. ALL MEMBERS OF ST. ANDREW'S ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE. This is not limited to women, or to active members of ECW. Our initial workshop will be held Saturday, March 3 in Keller Hall beginning at 11 A.M. We will serve a light lunch at noon, and the workshop should be completed by 2 P.M. All supplies are provided. We will request (but not require) a donation to cover ECW's cost of beginning this ministry. Questions should be directed to April Baily at 870-424-3525 or 870-421-5395, or via email at abaily4994@usa.net. |
Holy Humor Two boys were walking home from Sunday school after hearing a strong preaching on the devil. One said to the other, 'What do you think about all this Satan stuff?' The other boy replied, 'Well, you know how Santa Claus turned out. It's probably just your Dad.'
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Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother, 'Why is the bride dressed in white?'' The mother replied, 'Because white is the color of happiness, and today is the happiest day of her life.' The child thought about this for a moment then said, 'So why is the groom wearing black?'
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A police recruit was asked during the exam, 'What would you do if you had to arrest your own mother?' He answered, 'Call for backup.'
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A Sunday School teacher asked her class why Joseph and Mary took Jesus with them toJerusalem . A small child replied, 'They couldn't get a baby-sitter.'
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At Sunday School they were teaching how God created everything, including human beings. Little Johnny seemed especially intent when they told him how Eve was created out of one of Adam's ribs. Later in the week his mother noticed him lying down as though he were ill, and she said, 'Johnny, what is the matter?' Little Johnny responded, 'I have pain in my side. I think I'm going to have a wife.'
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MARDI GRAS
Fat Tuesday, February 21st. Come enjoy the fabulous food, the great music, the wonderful auction items, dancing, revelry and more. Bring your friends! Tickets are $15 each, and if you cannot attend but wish to contribute, a $15 donation gets you a chance to win a fabulous 3 night resort stay in Branson. Contact the office for details. Nobody does it better than we do! |
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TRASHY TREASURES... The ECW will be accepting donations of your gently used items (no clothing, please) beginning March 1st. We'll have a storage unit down Coley Drive from the Church to which you may bring your treasures. The trashy treasures sale is scheduled in early May, but you don't have to keep your goodies til then. Bring 'em on down (after March 1st), get the key from Katie, and deposit 'em for us to sell in May. newsline@standrewsmountainhome.org |
Contact us! St. Andrew's Episcopal Church 511 Coley Drive,
Mountain Home, AR 72653 870-425-3560 newsline@standrewsmountainhome.org newsline@standrewsmountainhome.org |
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Forward email ST. ANDREWS EPISCOPAL CHURCH | 511 Coley Drive | Mountain Home | AR | 72653 |
The Newsline, published monthly except for a combined June-July issue, is the newsletter of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 511 Coley Drive, Mountain Home, Arkansas 72653. The 15th of each month! Send paper copy to the church office before the 15th, or email/attach your articles to April Baily by the 15th to newsline@standrewsmountainhome.org
April Baily, Editor
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