"But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house."
St. Matthew 9:6
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Fr. Yossi officiated our Holy Communion Service this past Sunday. His sermon focused on the Gospel Lesson from the beginning of the ninth chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew.
The last paragraph of Fr. Yossi's sermon beautifully summed up his message to us:
"In conclusion, what Jesus wants us to learn is that he wants people who walk the walk and not simply talk the talk. It is easy to say the words that look like devotion to God. It is easy to do some external acts of worship that look like devotion to God. This is why Jesus talks about counting the cost to follow him. God wants people who seek him continually. God wants people who know who they are and how much they need forgiveness. God wants people who want a relationship with him, not just offering up some expected external acts. God wants people who are truly repentant and are not for the show. God wants people who will show others mercy because they are fully devoted to the Lord Jesus who has shown them mercy."
Thank you Fr. Yossi for the thoughtful sermon and beautiful service! Thank you, Mike and Levi for serving!
Thank you, Fr. Mike for leading our Morning Prayer Service this past Sunday while Fr. Paul was out of town. (I forgot to take a picture of Fr. Mike as he led services so substituted this one!)
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 next Sunday at 9:15 - a pot of coffee will be on!
After services Lynn, Carol, Claudia, and Nancy served a wonderful lunch with soup, spaghetti, salad, and cheese & crackers. There were several delicious desserts including an apple cake made by Fr. Yossi. Thank you all for the wonderful food!!
Thank you to everyone for all the food and fellowship. _______________________
Wednesday Evening Services:
Starting in October, the Wednesday Evening Services will begin at 5:30.
Due to darkness & possible inclement weather our last regularly scheduled Wednesday evening service will be on Wednesday, October 30. We will restart in Lent of 2025!
On Wednesday, Fr. Yossi led a lovely sung Holy Communion Service with incense. The late afternoon sun was especially beautiful streaming in during the service. The next mid week Holy Communion Service is scheduled for Wednesday, October 23.
Fr. Paul will lead our next Evening Prayer service on Wednesday, Oct 9 at 5:30 pm. ______________________
Thursday Activities
Our Choir is holding rehearsals at 10 am on Thursday upstairs in the sanctuary under Rose Marie's direction. All are welcome to join! Please see Fr. Yossi or Rose Marie for more information.
Our Bible Study program, led by Fr. Paul, will resume this Thursday at 11 am. The study is using the "Dust to Glory" study guide and DVDs originally created by the renowned Christian scholar Dr. R.C. Sproul.
Also this Thursday, Jody, owner of our pest control service, will pick up cookies before Bible Study at the church. He will use the cookies as part of his church's Kairos Prison Ministry. His group of volunteers is visiting the Northeast Correctional Complex in Mountain City in mid October. Please contact me if you need information on the types of cookies and how they should be packed.
Please find information on Kairos at the following link:
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Jessica, Keith, and Levi are part of a home school group that worked to provide much needed supplies to children of all ages affected by Hurricane Helene. Through their group, St. Peter's was able to help provide some of those supplies.
Levi with the items collected at St. Peters.
Levi after all the group's donations were put in the car!
The above message is a final report from the organizers! Thank you so much to everyone who donated items! Thank you to Jessica, Keith, and Levi for bringing this group to our attention!
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Blessing of the Animals
In celebration of the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, Fr. Yossi blessed pets this past Saturday outside the church.
Lin's dog Victoria, and my two dogs, Max & Twiggy were blessed by Fr. Yossi!
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Fall Yard Work Day
Time to catch up on our yard maintenance after this crazy summer. We have scheduled a Fall Yard Work Day for Saturday Oct. 12 @ 10 am. The outside work includes trimming bushes, pulling weeds, mulching, etc. . .
Please join us as we keep the church looking nice! We will provide pizza and drinks for lunch after all the yard work!
We are planning an indoor cleaning day on November 2 to get the church ready for the Bishop's visit on Sunday November 10!
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Sunday, October 13, is our next pot luck luncheon! Please bring a dish to share!
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Our next Vestry meeting is scheduled for Sunday, October 13 following the potluck luncheon.
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Bishop's Visit
Bishop Jones is visiting St. Peter's on Saturday, November 9 and Sunday, November 10! On Saturday the Bishop will celebrate a Church dedication (the mortgage is paid off!) and Holy Communion at 11 am. On Sunday he will be confirming and receiving several of our new members along with celebrating Holy Communion. After Sunday services we will celebrate with a luncheon including lasagna and other fixing - more information to come! Please join us for these very special services!
Please let us know if you plan to attend the Sunday luncheon so we can arrange for the food and seating!
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Our Annual Congregational Meeting is coming up on Sunday, November 17. An operating budget must be submitted and approved by the congregation for the next church year. In order to establish a budget we must ask for pledges. Please prayerfully consider and submit your pledge by Sunday, October 27. As in the past, we ask only for anonymous pledges dropped in the offertory plate or sent in the mail to the church. The pledge slips will be tallied and then destroyed as we do not track pledges. There are blank pledge sheets in the Narthex.
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Fr. Paul and Benita joined their daughter, Ashley, for her confirmation at St. Mary Magdalene ACC church in California.
Benita and Fr. Paul with Ashley and her husband, Eric after the services! Thank you for sharing the good news with us! And safe travels back home!
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Lunch at Chop House and By the Fireside: Symphony of the Mountains Holiday Concert - Saturday Dec. 7
The Symphony of the Mountains is having their 'By The Fireside' Christmas Concert on Saturday, December 7 at 3 pm at the Toy F. Reid Eastman Employee Center in Kingsport. Rose Marie has made before the concert lunch reservations at The Chop House in Kingsport at 11:30.
Please let us know by Sunday, November 17 if you plan to attend the lunch and/or the concert. As a group, we received a reduced concert ticket price of $35 payable to St. Peters also on November 17 (we have to pay as a group to get the reduced rate). Rose Marie will pick up the tickets and distribute before the concert.
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October Activities
Wed., Oct. 9 5:30 pm Evening Prayer
Fr. Paul
Thur., Oct. 10 10 am Choir Practice
11 am Bible Study, Fr. Paul
Sat., Oct. 12 10 am Outside clean up day
pizza lunch
Sun., Oct. 13 9:15 am Christian Education
10:15 am Morning Prayer
11 am Holy Communion
Fr. Yossi, Anderson
12:30 Potluck
1:30 MIssion Committee
Wed., Oct. 16 5:30 pm Evening Prayer
Fr. Paul
Thur., Oct. 17 10 am Choir Practice
11 am Bible Study, Fr. Paul
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