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We're looking forward to celebrating with you...
Sunday, October 18th is the date for this year's
Consecration Sunday.
Please plan to attend two important events:
Sunday morning worship at 10:00 a.m. and the
Celebration Luncheon immediately
following worship that same day -- a free meal from a very special caterer in Harris County.
We hope that you will attend worship on Consecration Sunday and consider your financial commitment in the church sanctuary as an act of worship.
In
Christ,
St.
Nicholas Stewardship Committee
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NEW MINISTRY BEGINS AT
ST. NICHOLAS
A Puppet Ministry
-
Thanks to
Ann Bacher
and
Tai Jackson
- is beginning at St Nicholas.
Ann is a new member at St Nicholas. Interested in Puppet Ministry for some time, she has puppets, a stage, music and Christian scripts to use.
Tai makes puppets and writes scripts. Between the two this new ministry is off and running with full Vestry approval.
They will be looking for your participation - children and adults. Email the church if interested in helping,
[email protected]. Performances will be in the church and out in the community. More news to come.
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Adult Formation
The Adult Formation Class will have a guest speaker on
November 1st @ 9:45 am.
Her name is Deb McCranie and her subject matter is
Prayer Journaling.
Here is some of her background and this subject on prayer has been requested by several of our members.
Deb McCranie is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Pastoral Therapist who completed her graduate residency through the Pastoral Institute's Training Department in June 2012. Deb graduated from Columbus State University in December of 2007 and has her M.S. in Community Counseling. She completed a 2-year program as a Spiritual Director in the Alabama/West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church in February 2012 and completed the 2-year Academy for Spiritual Formation through the Upper Room in May 2014.
Deb currently works for the Turner Ministry Resource Center, a division of the Pastoral Institute. She is on staff as a Licensed Professional and Pastoral Counselor, a Spiritual Director and is the Clergy and Congregational Care Liaison.
Prior to her residency, she worked for the University of Denver managing The Army Marriage Project, a research project conducted on Ft. Benning in conjunction with the Chief of Chaplains Office. Deb's husband, Scott, is a retired First Sergeant with 26 years of military service. They have been married for 32 years and have one daughter, Toni; son-in-law, Dan; and one-year-old grandson, Teddy. Scott and Deb reside in Columbus, Georgia, where Scott is a Senior Military Analyst for J.E. Jacobs Technology at the US Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, Ft. Benning GA.
We welcome you, Deb, and look forward to the Joy of Prayer Journaling!
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Everyone is Invited to
Movie Night
Under the Stars!
Everyone is invited to bring a chair or blanket and come enjoy a family friendly movie shown on the big screen set up on our front lawn.
We'll be showing movies at St. Nicholas Episcopal church on
Friday, October 16th and on
Saturday, November 7th at 7pm. Refreshments will be available too. For more information or to make suggestions on which movies to show, contact
Sheri Cody or
706-594-0482.
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BackPack Snacks
Mark your calendars and buy your tickets-the BackSnacks fund raiser is coming soon!
The SNICK kids and Sunday School children will be selling tickets ($5) after the service on
October 18th
for a hot dog lunch to be held after the 11:00 service on
October 25th.
The money raised from this luncheon will go towards buying supplies to be packed into the backpacks for
BackSnacks
program.
If you can't stay for lunch, please consider supporting this project with a contribution. This is a combined effort of the outreach committee and the children's programs serving the needs of our local community.
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St. Nicholas Writes
, the church's resident writing group, will meet this month
on Sunday, October
25th
from
9:45-10:45 in the Adult Formation classroom
. We will watch a short video on the writing struggles of Harvard students and then vote on our next writing project.
We will also discuss publication of our Lenten meditations.
The meeting is open to anyone interested in writing. In the Celtic spiritual tradition, everyone is an artist. We believe similarly, that there is a writer in everyone. Do join us and discover the writer in you.
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"Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, for all the people you can, in every place you can, as long as you can".
Enjoy the blessings of good stewardship!
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Four Upcoming Retreats for Adults
Looking for a way to deepen your spiritual life?
Honey Creek offers retreats that give room for recharging as well as learning more. Here are four upcoming offerings:
Advent Retreat - December 11-12
In December, the Revs. Dwayne Varas and Lonnie Lacy will lead an Advent Retreat at Honey Creek on following Jesus in the way of St. Ignatius. This retreat will be held
December 11 from
5 p.m. until 5 p.m. on
December 12th.
Click here for a brochure on this retreat.
The rates for the conference including three meals are: Lodge 1 Single $144, Lodge 1 Double $99.50, Lodge 2 Single $133, Lodge 2 Double $94, Cottage $90, and Campers and Commuters $64. Registration information will follow.
Lenten Retreat - February 19-20, 2016
In Lent, the Revs. Liam Collins and Frank Logue will offer a retreat at Honey Creek. The retreat will explore reconciliation, making room for real changes to take place in the lives of retreat participants during the weekend itself. This 2016 Lenten Retreat will meet
February 19 at 5 p.m. and conclude by
2 p.m. on the 20th. The costs will be identical to those for the Advent Retreat above.
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Save the Date:
Join CVEM for an evening of
"Bluegrass Served Up Family Style"
featuring Columbus' own Debbie Anderson on
Sunday, Oct. 25 from
5 to 7 p.m. at
St. Thomas Episcopal Church
.
Tickets will be $20 per person or $50 for a family. This ministry fundraiser includes a celebration of the 20th anniversary of TAP, the Thompson-Pound Art Program, a week-long summer art program for children ages 6-12 recruited from diverse religious and socio-economic backgrounds that teaches tolerance and peace-making. RSVP at
cvemjubilee.org/concertandcelebration/ or call
706.327.0400.. E-mail
[email protected] f
or more information.
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Bluegrass Served Up Family Style
Date: Sunday, October 25th
Time: 5:00- 7:00 pm
Location:
St. Thomas Episcopal Church - Columbus, GA
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Steward of the Month
Steve Morse
Our tireless and energetic Lobsterfest leader
Steve
Morse has done it again! For the second year in a row, Steve has headed a fantastic event. Sweet Home Plantation has never been so festive and as fun-filled as it was last Friday evening.
So much hard work goes into making our major fundraiser the great success that it continues to be.
Big thanks to
Rebecca Crowley
and
William Morgan
for a well-organized and beautifully done silent auction and we are very grateful for
Barbara Morgan
's unflagging support.
For all of the unsung workers and supporters who always show up to help in dozens of ways, from slicing cakes, to setting tables, to taking out the garbage - Saint Nicholas salutes you!
Well done, good and faithful Servant!
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"Sharing our gifts with others brings satisfaction, peace and joy to the giver's heart. St. Paul once remarked: " . . . we must help the weak, and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
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From Father Jeff:
In the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 6, the first Christians struggled with leadership. The twelve apostles, who were kind of like Jesus' Vestry, had gotten to the point where they couldn't keep up with all the things that needed to be done. Some of the widows of the young church were being neglected, and were not getting fed appropriately. So in order to spread the work out, the apostles ordained seven leaders to do the work they couldn't do. This is where the ideas of deacons first came into being, as these were leaders who were set apart for a specific ministry in helping the poor and needy. The apostles discovered the need, communicated the need, and then people felt called by God to use their gifts appropriately.
Using that as a model, I am attempting here to communicate the need to you all. We have wonderful leaders at St. Nicholas and are always on the lookout for more. Many people assume that everything is done by someone else, but when those people need to rotate off because they have fulfilled their commitment or because they've suffered a major life change and can't fulfill their commitment, then we need others to use their gifts.
Next year, ALL of our committee chairs are rotating off or are moving. Therefore we are in GREAT need of new leadership. The committees of the church are intended to be the teams of people who work together to do the ministry of the church. They are there because the church works best when we do things in community. Normally, I like to discover people's gifts and ask people directly for their service, but with so many chairs rotating off, I thought I would communicate the need and see if any of you want to approach me before I approach you. If I hear no response, I'll be starting with phone calls. Here are the leadership needs (committee chairs serve 1-year terms):
3 Vestry members to serve 3-year terms
Worship Committee chair
Adult Formation chair
Children's Formation chair
Building & Grounds chair
Communications chair
Hospitality chair
Outreach chair
Pastoral Care chair
Parish Life chair
Treasurer/Finance Committee chair
Lobsterfest chair
Of course all these committees need dedicated people to serve as well. God is calling YOU to serve. All levels of time commitment are needed. All levels of participation are needed. All of these are important ministries and your gifts are needed to make them happen. Please begin to pray and listen for what God might be calling you do.
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Get to Know Your Parish Family
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Margaret Zachry
Margaret grew up in North Georgia, playing and fighting with her three sisters. Her earliest church memories are of the little white socks slipping down into her black patent leathers. She loved becoming confirmed, not only because she was the best in her class at memorizing the catechism; but because that signified the transition to stockings. Her dearest church memories are from Camp Mikell, which is still her sanctuary.
She graduated from UGA ( it was pretty easy to get into back then) and later got her Masters from CSU. She has had careers in education, government, and non-profits. She is married to George and they live in Pine Mountain. They are parents of two, Mary King Kurrass and Cal Zachry; and grandparents of three, Lilly, Sophie, and Lucy.
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Lay Ministry Opportunities
There are many lay ministry opportunities at
St. Nicholas. Each person has unique talents to share. Think about your place to joyfully plug into
St Nicholas.
A few ideas are: Altar Guild, Flower Guild, Greeter, Ushers, Teacher, Special Event Volunteer, Grounds, Choir, Lay Eucharistic Minister........
More opportunities will be listed soon, but begin to think about it.
Tailor your lay ministry to your time.
Most of all, do remember to worship at St Nicholas.
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Unity Service
Date:Sunday, November 2, 2015
Time: 5:00pm
Trinity Episcopal Church - 1130 1st Ave, Columbus, GA
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FOCUS Thanksgiving Food Drive
We are getting ready for our annual Thanksgiving Food Drive and can use your help in many different areas. Last year we helped 400 families and expect to help at least that many this year. Monetary donations are always welcome since we can purchase food at Feeding the Valley for $0.19 a pound. Items that we have not been able to purchase, but need, are canned tuna, soups, and jams and jelly. We also need plastic bags (Kroger, Wal-Mart) doubled, and we need volunteers. On Friday, Nov. 20 we will be preparing the bags so we'll need volunteers to man tables and fill bags. On Saturday, Nov. 21 our clients will be picking up their food and we can use volunteers to help carry the groceries out to cars.
Thank you. Your support makes it possible for us to help the needy of Harris County.
Julie Nordin
Food Bank, Chairman
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Lectionary Readings
If you would like to see the readings for Sunday,
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"A Winter Blossom"
by
John H. Winsness
The Old Pear Tree
How sad to see it standing there
Cold winds have stripped the branches bare
With wind and rain falling on the few remaining leaves
Cold and sleeping as it shifts and sways in the winter breeze
To let us know that Spring will come again
A single blossom bursts into view
A promise that life is there
And that life will once again renew
Winter has arrived
Time for the old Pear tree to sleep
To prepare for spring
The winter blossom
A promise to keep
The ground is covered with gold and almost all the leaves have fallen to the ground. A few green leaves remain and, a single blossom bursts into view.
I am sure that I am the only person to notice the "Winter Blossom".
The "Winter Blossom" was sent just for me to see.
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In Thanksgiving
For the Stewardship Committee
For those who are ill, recovering or needing special prayers:
Members of St Nicholas:
Ashley and Nate Taylor
Bill Caudill
Dorothy Webster
Garrett Hinnant
Larry Hinnant
Bob Hamilton
Bill Batastini
Shelley Butzon
Kay Faircloth
Dave Halmrast
Ingrid Cheshire
Karen Thorne
Cecelia Rood
For Members with Unspoken Prayer Requests
Family members of members of the community:
James Daniels
Jack Whitley
Clara Butzon
The Harris Family
Jameson Miers
Julie Raines
Paul Jones
Leanne Croft
Robin Zion
Dale Haynes
Jimmy Dorminy
Jimmi Ann Moore
Erin Kavanaugh Kirkley
Marty Oxford
Stefie Collins
Peggy Singletary
Prayers for those in grief:
For the Queener Family on the death of Robert's Father
Prayers for all our veterans, those currently
serving their country
away from home,
for their safe return and for their families
who wait for them.
For those with unspoken prayer requests.
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Birthdays and Anniversaries
October Birthdays
Kim Stokes
4 Bobo Morgan
Nick Baker
Rachel Brent
9 Dalton Avery Hinnant
10
Emma Evans
11 Laura Burris
12 Bronwyn Jackson
Pat Demonet
15 Charles Norris
16 John Brent
Libby Horne
17 Abbey Avery
19 William Morgan
20
Liz Dixon
23
Suzy Eidson
26 Brad Armstrong
30 Matt Hinnant
Sheila Dixon
4 Meghan & Josh McCoy
20 Robert & Hollie Queener
21 Linda & Mike Sawyer
22 Lange & Lynne Taylor
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Confirmations
The next confirmation service will be on
December 13 at 4:00pm
at the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta. If you would like to be confirmed, received, or reaffirmed, please let
Fr. Jeff know so he can plan future classes.
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Confirmations
Date: Sunday, December 13th
Time: 4:00pm
Location: Cathedral of St. Philip - Atlanta
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As stewards, we are accountable to God for our time, talent and treasure. We return to the Lord, the giver of all our gifts, a truly grateful first share of our time, talent and treasure.
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The 2016 Diocesan Youth Mission Trip will be to Birmingham, Alabama. The dates are July 10-15. If your church would like to be a part of it you can RSVP now. Email Youth Missioner, Easton Davis here for more information about the trip.
 ***UPDATE***
We now have 2 Diocesan Mission Trips scheduled for July of 2016. Diocesan Mission Trip Birmingham will now be for high school youth.
The diocese has also partnered with All Saints' Atlanta to provide an Atlanta based mission trip for middle school youth. These mission trips are just the beginning of providing a tailored mission trip experience for all youth of our diocese. Choose your diocese when planning a youth mission trip! Email Youth Missioner, Easton Davis here for more information
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In This Issue
Consecration Sunday
New Puppet Ministry
Adult Formation
Movie Nights
Back Pack Snacks
Writer's Group
New Puppet Ministry
Upcoming Retreats for Adults
Bluegrass Family Style
Steward of the Month
From Fr. Jeff
Get to Know Your Parish Family
Lay Ministry Schedule
Lay Ministry Opportunities
Vestry Minutes
Unity Service
FOCUS Food Pantry
Lectionary Readings
Poem by John Winsness
Prayers
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Confirmations
2016 Youth Mission Trip
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CONTACT
Deadline for submitting news items is noon Monday.
Send news and photos to:
The Spirit of St. Nicholas
is published weekly by
St. Nicholas Episcopal Church.
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Thank you, St. Nicholas family, for your active involvement in our parish.
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Please help Patty Hamilton keep the church directory as up-to-date as possible.
If you have not yet filled out a form, please pick one up in the cloister room and return to the church office. Or you can send your info via email to Patty Hamilton at [email protected].
- Please include:your names and the names of your minor children,
- address,
- email addresses,
- phone numbers (cell and home),
- birthdays and anniversaries.
If you need a new picture or a new name tag, indicate that as well. Feel free to use a favorite picture. Just send it in jpeg form to [email protected].
Mobile App Installation Instructions
Church members can view the St. Nicholas Church Directory from their iPhone, iPad, Android or Kindle Fire by downloading the free Instant Church Directory Members App.
You may search for "Instant Church Directory" in the Apple App Store, Google Play, or Amazon Appstore, or use this link:
After installation, open the Instant Church Directory icon (it looks like a church). It will ask for your email address. If your email address is in our church directory, the program will generate a password for you and email it to you.
This worked great for most, but if you have any problems make sure you first check to see that your email address is in the church directory.
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Please look for these cards in the narthex or in the pews and place them in the alms basin if you give electronically.
Father Jeff will bless them at each service along with the other offerings.
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