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November 1 - 30, 2002 St. John’s Episcopal Church 404-761-8402
SPECIAL EVENTS
WELCOME! Please add to your parish directory: Eugene (Gene) S. Taylor,
1549 Mercer Avenue, College Park, GA 30337 404/763-0655. Gene recently
transferred in from All Saints’. HEALTH NEWS The best vitamins for Christians is B-1. JOIN THE VESTRY ON RETREAT Each year, the vestry goes on retreat to plan, learn, and dream for the kingdom. This year, the vestry will go to Camp Mikell (near Toccoa) on Jan. 17-19. While this retreat is normally only for members of the vestry, this year the Diocese of Atlanta Commission Against Racism will conduct racism awareness training on Friday evening and Saturday, a program too important for us to restrict to the vestry. If you would like to attend these sessions, call the church before December 10. The cost for lodging Friday night and three meals (dinner through lunch) is $65.00.
NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS
HOUSE BLESSING All are invited to Sandra & Jimmy Gardner’s for the blessing of their new home on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 4:00 p.m. There will be a light supper served after the blessing. 415 Stephanie Court, Stockbridge, GA 30281, 770/389-8679. Maps will be in the church. ANNUAL PARISH MEETING Our Annual Parish Meeting will be on November 17 after a
combined 10:00 a.m. service. The Parish Life Commission will serve breakfast
during the meeting. We will get an update on affairs of the church and elect
four new vestry members to replace the four whose terms expire at the end of the
year. Please see the insert with a brief description of each nominee.
ST. JOHN’S HELPS BUILD NEW SCHOOL IN HAITI On Nov. 21, Gale Mull and will represent St. John’s at the dedication of St. Bartholomew’s School in Terrier Rouge, Haiti. Terrier Rouge is a very poor area. (It is where the "Children Reaching for Bread" picture in Bott Hall was taken on our trip last year.) The new school has been constructed through the offices of Bethlehem Ministries, which funds the work in Haiti of our friend Pere Bruno. Did you know that St. John’s provides financial support to Bethlehem Ministries? Please pray for this ministry and the people of Haiti.
COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING SERVICE St. John’s will host this year’s Community Thanksgiving Service on Wed., November 27 at 7 p.m. Jane Gunter, of Family Life Ministries, will preach. Reception afterwards in Bott Hall. Please feel free to invite friends and neighbors.
"BEGIN AGAIN" On October 13, we commissioned 22 Begin Again volunteers. On October 19, Begin Again volunteers supervised a visit, marking the beginning of the first ministry of this type in Fulton County. A few weeks ago, the rector received the following letter: Dear Rev. Pritchett: I wanted to take a moment to write and personally thank you for your leadership in the Visitation Center that will be opening in a few weeks at your church. I understand that your recent volunteer training was very successful and many of your parishioners are ready to actively work to make this program a success. We at Fulton County Juvenile Court, know this program will make a significant difference in the lives of the children and parents who will be participating. We have heard of the value of visitation centers in the two other counties currently operating them and had wanted to see it replicated in Fulton County. Your saying "yes" on behalf of children is turning this desire into reality. For this we are most grateful. I look forward to meeting you and visiting your Visitation Center in the very near future. Sincerely, Nina R. Hickson Chief Presiding Judge, Fulton County Juvenile Court CONGRATULATIONS Heartiest congratulations to Martha and Bill Mercure on the birth of their first grandchild, Ashyn Grace Mercure, daughter of Tammy and Adam. UTO INGATHERING Time for Thanks Don’t wait to celebrate Thanksgiving. If any of you are not already using United Thank Offering (UTO) Blue Boxes, you can get one in the back of the church and begin now by saying prayers of thanksgiving and placing your offering in a Blue Box or Blue Offering Envelope. Remember, your coins and prayers have built churches, fed the hungry, clothed the poor, and provided care and support for those with physical, mental and emotional problems. Thanks Be To God!!! Georgie White, UTO Coordinator
FROM THE RECTOR Fools for Christ’s Sake In his First Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul confronts a church filled with people who are arrogant and "puffed up" against one another. To drive home his point of the need for harmony, Paul, never one to worry about stepping on toes, employs withering sarcasm as he tells them:
Although Paul was referring to himself as a "fool" for rhetorical effect, he was also pointing out how often the faith calls on us to behave in ways the world views as foolish. In fact, I have come to rely on "foolishness" as one of my tests for determining whether something is the will of the God who created me in the divine image, or is instead the will of the god I create in my image. When someone tells me that God’s will for them just happens to be what is most comfortable, most prestigious, most enriching in the way the world views riches, I don’t tend to trust it much. When we ask you to give the church ten percent (or at least work toward a tithe), I am very aware that it is a foolish request. "Give money away when I’m allowed to come even if I don’t pay? What kind of a fool do you take me for?" A wise one, I hope.
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Eagle Notes