January 21, 2012
Go in Peace.
January 19, 2012
MEDITATION - From Shel White
Many of us would say that the most vital component in our lives is true and lasting inner peace and peace with God. Our Lord would like for us to live free of anxiety.
God's peace is beyond our comprehension. The Biblical word for peace, "eirana," is more than the absence of hostility. It means that one’s inner state is calm in the face of whatever our outer world faces. The Hebrew word, “shalom,” is more than a simple greeting or goodbye. It means, "go in peace" or "peace be unto you." It is also a prayer, "I pray your life is filled with peace."
We do not know what is store for us in our future, but we do know that the solid, peaceful presence of God always goes with us.
"Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6
Shalom,
Shel
KEY UPCOMING EVENTS - places to connect - places to grow in your faith:
- Worship Celebrations:
- Sunday, January 22, 2011 - Contemporary Worship at 9am - Traditional Worship at 10:30am - Preacher: Rev. Shel White on John 14:21-27
- Sunday, January 29, 2011 - Contemporary Worship at 9am - Traditional Worship at 10:30am - Preacher: Rev. Brent Benton
- Yoot Groop: January Rundown
- January 22: Super Secret Surprise Service Project
- January 28: Snow Day! (You MUST ESVP!)
- January 29: Confirmation Sunday - No Yoot Groop
- How Many Are Coming??? - Can you imagine having a dinner party at your home....and not knowing how many are coming? Do you make soup for 12...or 6? Do you barbeque 12 steaks or 8? How many bottles of wine should you chill?
This is the dilemma our wonderful volunteer hosts and hostesses face EVERY event at St. Andrew's: regardless of how many times we are asked to sign up for events, it still doesn't happen, and the cooks must guess as to how much food to prepare. This was too evident at our last event, the birthday party of the church, when 80 people signed up...and about DOUBLE that number showed up, ready to be fed and entertained! Not quite the 2 fishes and 5 loaves...but close to it! It was amazing that everyone was indeed fed and watered.
The moral of the story: PLEASE SIGN UP when you plan on attending an event at the church. Prove your good intentions: sign up TODAY for the congregational meeting. Thank you!!! - Church, State & Market - Sunday Evenings, January 8-29 at 7pm - David TenBrook will be leading a four-class series on "Church, State, and Market." Come join the discussion as we explore germane issues in the face of an already-begun Presidential election, the Occupy Wall Street and Tea Party movements, and new battle lines being drawn within denominations rather than across them.
- Disciple Bible Study - Thursday at 7pm - You are invited! We will be starting a study of Disciple V, "Jesus in the Gospels.” We will have an informational meeting for anyone interested on Thursday, January 12 so we can get each one a study manual and be ready to start the following week. Please let Eleanor Manley know if you have any questions or would like to join in the study so a study manual can be ordered for you: 372-7129 or ERManley@Juno.com.
- Annual Congregational Meeting - Sunday, January 29 at 11:45am - Please join us for our annual meeting and potluck lunch following the second service. Come hear the latest news about St. Andrew's and review our annual report. Please sign up in Crothers Hall to bring a main course, salad or dessert.
- Women's Retreat - February 3-5, 2012 - Join over a dozen women of all ages from St. Andrew's as we escape to the redwoods at Westminster Woods. Women's Weekend provides you with time to slow down and really savor the beauty of a redwood forest in its quiet winter season. . . time to reflect on your life and your relationship to yourself, to others, and to God. . time to relax, to laugh, to enjoy the company of other women. . .time for God's Spirit to touch you in a new way. Contact www.westminsterwoods.com or 707-874-2426 for more information and registration. Paper registration forms will be available at the church soon. Please contact Rev. Wendy with any questions. Let us know if you're coming!
- Lenten Small Group - Friday, February 24 at 10am - What if you could experience, as Mary and Peter did, the bewilderment, the challenge, and the ultimate revelation of knowing the man called Jesus? What if you could enter into the deeper meaning of Jesus' passion by listening in on an imaginary reenactment? Our Lenten Small Group will be reading, meditating on and discussing Walter Wangerin's book, Reliving the Passion: Meditations on the Suffering, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus as Recorded in Mark. The meditations begin on Ash Wednesday which is February 22. We would like everyone who is participating in this small group to have a copy of the book by Sunday, February 19. We will be meeting every Friday morning at 10am from February 24 through April 6. In addition to sharing our reflections on the book we are reading, we enjoy fellowship with one another and spend time praying for one another. If you would like a book to be ordered for you, please email Rev. Lori Hedlund at lori.hedlund@yahoo.com by February 1 so a book can be ordered for you for purchase on Sunday, February 19. If you need child care, please let us know.