"And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him."
St. Luke 5:11
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On the Fifth Sunday after Trinity, Fr. Yossi led a beautiful Holy Communion Service. His sermon was centered on the Gospel lesson about the miracle of the fishes as described in St. Luke 5:1-11. These verses are part of St. Luke's account of Jesus's calling of the first disciples. Jesus tells Simon to put the boat out and let down the nets. We can almost hear the exasperation in Simon's voice when he responds with "Master, we have worked all night but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets." Simon is caught by surprise by the large catch and is immediately aware of his sinfulness and unworthiness. Notice that Simon accepted Jesus' word as authoritative - if Jesus says it, Simon will do it. Only when we are obedient to God's call in our lives can we harness Christ's power and experience His miracles. Also, Jesus calls Simon and his partners as they are. Jesus' mission does not wait until we think we are ready. We are called right now -- despite our frailty, failures, and doubts, even in the midst of our ordinary, busy, complicated lives. Thank you Fr. Yossi for the beautiful service and sermon.
Please note Fr. Yossi will be out of town on Sunday July 7 and Sunday July 14. We will have Holy Communion on both Sundays. Canon Bob from Knoxville will be with us on July 7 and Fr. Paul will lead services on July 14.
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After services, we enjoyed a delicious lunch of cheeseburger casserole, chicken salad, tossed salad, rice pudding, and homemade cookies provided by Teresa, Diane, and Lin! Thank you for the wonderful lunch!
This was the last Sunday Sue and Scott were with us before they move to Wisconsin so Scott can complete his seminary work.
Before they left, Carol led us in a farewell serenade of "Happy Trails".
"...and until we meet again may God hold them in the hollow of His hand."
During lunch Fr. Yossi gifted Levi several University of Tennessee tee shirts so that he would have the proper attire for the UT football season!
Levi enthusiastically modelled them for us. Go Vols!!!
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Thank you Fr. Paul for leading our Morning Prayer service. Fr. Paul posted a sign up sheet for Morning and Evening Prayer readers in the Parish Hall. Please consider signing up for this important part of our services!
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Fr. Yossi's Christian Education classes which focus on the weekly lessons and how they tie in with the other daily readings continued this past Sunday. Please join us for the next class on Sunday July 21 at 9:15 - a pot of coffee will be on!
Please note Christian Education on Sunday July 7 and Sunday July 14 is cancelled as Fr. Yossi is out of town
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Wednesday Evening Services:
Please note Wednesday evening service is cancelled on July 3.
This past Wednesday Fr. Yossi led Holy Communion Services. He celebrated the service in honor of St. Alban, the first Anglican martyr. He spoke about the great love and sacrifice of St. Alban.
Thank you Fr. Yossi for the beautiful service. Fr. Yossi will lead Holy Communion on Wednesday July 10 and Wednesday July 24 at 6 pm.
Before the Holy Communion Services, the St. Peter’s Grief Support Group will meet at 4 pm. The Grief Support Group, led by Fr. Yossi, meets biweekly.
Fr. Paul will lead Wednesday Evening Prayer Services on July 17 and
July 31 at 6 pm.
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Please note that Bible Study is cancelled on Thursday July 4. Our Bible Study continues on Thursday July 11 @ 11 am at the church. Fr. Paul is leading a series of lessons which are focused on his book As It Is In Heaven A Biblical, Historical, and Theological Introduction to the Traditional Church and Her Worship.
We will finish this current study in the next few weeks. Fr. Paul will start a new Bible Study on Thursday, August 15 as outlined below:
Please bring a lunch and join us!
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Our next Vestry meeting is scheduled for Sunday, July 21.
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Sunday, July 14, is our next pot luck luncheon! Please bring a dish to share!
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Thank you to all the people who helped Lin move into her new apartment this past Saturday. Fr. Paul, Taylor, Hutch, Dan, Sam, Merrie, and Carol were all there to help!
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Teresa has invited us all over to watch fireworks from her yard on Wednesday, July 3. The church across the street from her puts on an amazing fireworks show every year. Please bring a folding chair and plan to arrive around 7 pm - Teresa will have water and s'mores fixings. Please let Teresa know if you plan to attend - she will give you address and parking information!
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Prayer Requests:
1. Fr. Paul asked us to prayerfully consider joining him in prayer concerning the disarray and disunity in Christ's Church during the month of July. He will be using Psalm 133 found on page 509 of the Book of Common Prayer and the prayer For the Church found on page 37. Please speak with Fr. Paul if you are interested in committing to this prayer discipline.
2. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has signed a bill calling for 30 days of prayer and fasting beginning July 1 in the Volunteer State. The resolution asks the people of the state "to seek God’s hand of mercy healing on Tennessee".
The complete resolution may be found at the following link:
3. Currently Sue has been maintaining and updating our prayer list. Fr. Yossi will take over this job after Sue leaves. Please start forwarding any prayer requests to him. Thank you Sue for all your years of faithfully maintaining the prayer list!
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We are collecting items for Hope House through the end of July. Hope House offers free housing, education, and support to pregnant women in the Kingsport area. More information about their mission is available at their website:
They are in need of diapers, baby wipes, baby food, formula, etc. Please see the full list on the bulletin board downstairs. Please put all items in the basket in the Narthex or the box in the basement. Thank you to the Special Events Committee for contacting Hope House and setting up this drive.
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Construction Update
The 13th week of construction!
Taylor finished painting the final coats of paint on the trim this week. The carpet company rescheduled the carpet re-installation for this next week (fingers crossed). After that we need one more coat of paint on the wall!
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