February 9, Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

Coffee Hour Sunday February 9  A Coffee Hour volunteer  is needed for the 10:15 Liturgy 

Secret Handshake Class  This Sundays  9:00 a.m.  Parish Hall Living Room 

This Sunday February 9

Sacred Scripture.   We will hear Sofia Cavalletti’s  meditation entitled :  The History of the Kingdom of God:  The Bible.  Then we will look at the Bible Material from Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a tactile hands on exercise of discovery.  Anyone is welcome to attend 

Other Subjects to be covered on subsequent Sundays.

A tour of the Church  (What the architecture means) Holy Baptism  (What does it mean to be a Christian) The Story of Anglicanism  (The history of our tradition, filmed at COA!) The Book of Common Prayer  (The secret to understanding the Liturgy)The Church as a body and an institution (How we're organized) 

At each class there will be time to ask any questions you may have and for the discussion to in directions that you are interested in. 

 Emmaus Road

Emmaus Road  will meet Monday, February 10 at 7:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall Living Room.   

Altar Guild Meeting:   Saturday February 15, 8:30 a.m. at Pam Irwin’s home

The Altar Guild will gather to enjoy each other’s company and to do some planning for the Easter Season.  Fr. Bob will give a presentation from Catechesis of the Good Shepherd on the Liturgical Year and how to think about Altar Service in that larger context.  All Altar Guild members are urged to come.  People interested in helping with the Altar Guild are also welcome as well.  Speak to Pam Irwin. 

The Young Person’s Guide to Love and Wealth Management  Sunday February 16

Bill & Rebecca Woods and Fr. Bob will once again offer their Young Person’s Guide to Love and Wealth Management  following the 10:15 Liturgy on Sunday February 16.  We’ll gather for lunch in the Parish Hall.  

Following lunch, Bill will give a presentation on basic financial skills, considering such things as “good debt, and bad debt.”  He’ll show how without too much difficulty, a minimum payment on a credit card bill used for consumer goods, can lead one to the same place as Tennessee Ernie Ford so eloquently sang about,  “16 tons and what do get, another day older and deeper in debt.”   We’ll look at budgeting, student loans, and long term planning.  

In the subsequent meeting Rebecca Woods and Fr. Bob will give a presentation on relationships that hopefully lead to life long love and marriage.  

The Young Person’s Guide to Love and Wealth Management is intended for the young adults in the congregation and also for those who are seniors in High School and preparing to go to college in the fall.  Veterans of previous Love and Wealth Management meetings are welcome to join in as well.  

For information speak to Fr. Bob or Rebecca Woods 

Episcopal Visitation:  Sunday February 23.

We are privileged to have Bishop Diane Bruce with us on Sunday February 23.  Bishop  Diane is one of the Bishop Suffragans (Assisting bishops to our Diocesan Bishop Jon Bruno)   Bishop Diane will be here for both the 7:45 and 10:15 Liturgy.  

Episcopal Visitation:   Conversation with Bishop Diane  9:00 a.m. Sunday February 23

Between the services at 9:00 a.m.  Bishop Diane will participate in a conversation with parishioners.  In her previous life Bishop Diane was a banker, and so we thought it might be fun to have a conversation on matters economic and how Christian people seek to integrate those aspects of life with their Christian faith.  

Episcopal Visitation:  Rite of Confirmation, Reception, and Renewal  Sunday February 23

Bishop Diane will also administer the Rite of Confirmation, Reception, and Renewal as part of the Sunday liturgy 

The Rite of  Confirmation:    If you were baptized as an infant, this is a chance to claim those promises for yourself.  The bishop lays hands on you and asks for an increase of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that you received at baptism.  

The Rite of Reception:  If you were confirmed or some sort of adult recognition in another Christian body, you can be received into the Episcopal Church.  The bishop offers you a welcome.

 The Rite of Renewal:  If you are baptized and confirmed, and simply want to renew these promises, the bishop has a special prayer for you.  

If you are interested in any of these speak to Fr. Bob. 

Episcopal Visitation:   Parish Potluck and Reception for Bishop Diane Sunday February 23

 Following the 10:15 Liturgy we will have a Parish Potluck and Reception for Bishop Diane.   We had great fun at the Annual Meeting.  Here’ s another chance to show off our parish’s amazing culinary skills.   Chris Ortiz is coordinating the potluck.  The Sign Up sheet will be outside Church on Sunday.  You can also email in what you’d like to bring.  The Sign Up list is attached to the email. 

Food For Thought

On the Food For Thought Table on Sunday are two articles looking at a particular aspect of American Christianity.  

The first article is The Empty Cathedral:  Why Evangelical Christianity is going the way of the drive-in movie theater.    This article from The American Scholar explores the rise and fall of the Crystal Cathedral in Orange County and what it might portend for the American religious landscape.  It gives an interesting history of the Prosperity Gospel which, I’d never thought of, but had its rise after World War 2.    http://theamericanscholar.org/where-are-the-people/ 

The second article connects nicely with this one.  It is titled The Almighty Dollar: America’s Self Help Gospel.  It is from the current issue of Harper’s Magazine, and is a review of three books:  Self Help Messiah: Dale Carnegie and Success in Modern America,   Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel,  and The Holy Spirit, Your Financial Adviser; God’s Plan for Debt-Free Money Management.    http://harpers.org/archive/2014/02/the-almighty-dollar-2/ 

They are both quite interesting.