The Spirit of Saint Nicholas!
The E-Newsletter from Saint Nicholas Episcopal 
 Hamilton, GA

 October 21st- 27th, 2015

BACKSNACKS FUNDRAISING LUNCH

Sunday, October 25 following the 11:00 service
Hot dogs!  Chili dogs!  Kraut dogs!
Cooked by Master Griller John Brent
 
We got 'em
Join us in supporting the BACKSNACKS Ministry which provides weekend food for elementary school children without enough to eat.  Lunch tickets are $5 for a grilled hot dog of your choice, chips or fruit cup, homemade brownie and lemonade or iced tea, and will be for sale at the door.  We look forward to seeing you there!

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. 
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. 

Our new puppet ministry will officially kick off with a Performer Training and informational meeting on Sunday, October 25 at 2:00pm at the church. Any adults, teenagers, or children interested in learning to perform are invited to come to this training session. Our goal is to perform both for the congregation and the Harris County community. The first performance will be at Trunk or Treat on October 31, with a practice that morning at 10:00am.
Practices will take place twice a month on Sunday afternoons at 2:00pm. Please call director Ann Bacher at  706 457-1638  or email  cabinlogstwo@aol.com if you have any questions.

Bluegrass Concert This Sunday
Please come celebrate with CVEM THIS Sunday, Oct. 25 from 5 to 7 p.m.  at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. 
We are kicking off the evening with "Bluegrass Served Up Family Style" featuring Columbus' own Debbie Anderson with Family & Friends. We'll follow with a reception afterward. Tickets are $20 per person or $50 for a family. They can be purchased online at  cvemjubilee.org/concertandcelebration , over the phone 706.327.0400  or at the door. E-mail  holli@cvemjubilee.org  for more information.


Bluegrass Served Up Family Style
Date: Sunday, October 25th
Time: 5:00- 7:00 pm
Location: St. Thomas Episcopal Church - Columbus, GA
 
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!
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. 
Our next showing will be at St. Nicholas Episcopal church 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.
 
"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!

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 12thClick 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.

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!
 


"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."





Get to Know Your Parish Family

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.
           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.
 

 
Unity Service
Date:Sunday, November 1st, 2015
Time: 5:00pm
Trinity Episcopal Church - 1130 1st Ave, Columbus, GA

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.  

If you can help please contact Judy Westbrook at jrw5@bellsouth.net, be sure to include Focus on the subject line or call her at 706-663-4505 or call Rhonda Howard at 321-945-4727 or rhondahoward59@gmail.com.

Thank you.  Your support makes it possible for us to help the needy of Harris County.
Julie Nordin
Food Bank, Chairman
Lectionary Readings 

If you would like to see the readings for Sunday, 


                        
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
Bert Tomlin

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.
 


   
                 Birthdays and Anniversaries

                                
  
 
                   





October Birthdays
   
   
  1    Alyssa Tranmer
       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

 

October Anniversaries

    4  Meghan & Josh McCoy
      20  Robert & Hollie Queener
21  Linda & Mike Sawyer
 22  Lange & Lynne Taylor

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.
 
Confirmations
Date: Sunday, December 13th
Time: 4:00pm
Location: Cathedral of St. Philip - Atlanta
 

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.
 
 
October 14, 2015

Hey Youth Workers,

First, some good news! New Beginnings was a huge success! We had over 20 parishes represented with around 80 youth involved. The dates for the next NB are Feb 5-7.
______________________________ _

Special Note for Annual Council
We have now partnered with Appleton Episcopal Ministries for a canned food drive. This will be our local service project. There is no limit on cans that youth can bring, but we are asking youth to bring at least 5. We are also asking all parish youth programs to consider making a small donation towards our global service project Stop Hunger Now.  The diocese has pledged 10,000 meals. If 50 parishes give $50, we could raise the meal count to nearly 20,000!  We welcome all donations, youth groups or not. Please contact me for questions, more information, or on how to contribute to this cause.

The Diocesan Youth Annual Council Youth Lock-In is Nov 13-14 Bishop Wright has asked us to lead the opening segment Saturday morning. He has asked for readings, music, and a sermon. This is going to be youth led!  Appleton Episcopal Ministries has asked us to host a can drive as our local service project. Please pass on the message to your youth to bring 5-10 cans of food to the Lock-In. We will also have a closing service work project; we will package at least 10,000 meals for Stop Hunger Now. We would like more adult leadership for the event, if you would like to participate. If you would like to be a part of it, please contact me. Registration for youth and adults can be found here.
_______________________________

Happening is Nov 20-22. I can't stress how much this program can really build up a youth program. In my first year at St. Columb's, we sent 15 youth to Happening. They may fight like brothers and sisters today, but Happening brought our community together in a special way. Candidate registration, 10-12th grade youth, can be found here. Celebration Team comes together Saturday night at Camp Mikell to pray for the candidates. Celebration Team is open to all previous youth and adults that have been to Happening before. You can register for Celebration Team here.

DYC is Jan 8-10, but DYC Staff registration is open now until Oct 24 and can be found here. DYC Staff is the group of youth and adults that lead the retreat weekend. DYC is a special weekend at Camp Mikell all about community, love, and fun. DYC participant registration opens Oct 25. 

Also, young adults can now chaperone youth retreats! Our new policy mirrors Camp Mikell's Summer Staff Policy in that young adults must be 1 year removed from high school to apply as a chaperone for diocesan overnight youth events. Please pass this along to anyone you can think of that might benefit from it.
_______________________________

Mission Trip Birmingham and Mission Trip atlSERVE registration is now open. Both mission trips will be July 10-15. Birmingham is our high school mission trip, and atlSERVE is our middle school mission trip. We would love for all parishes to join. We have great adult leadership in place for both trips. You can find registration for Birmingham  here  and atlSERVE  here . Youth and adults use the same registration.  If your parish plans to participate, please let me know, because the registration process will include another step.  Scholarship funds are available for those in need. If you need any other information, feel free to contact me. 
_______________________________

There are new flyers available for the all the upcoming youth events. I have listed them as links below. The important information about each retreat and event is all there. If you have any other questions about the events, please contact me directly. 
______________________________ _

Please let me know if you any questions about any of our programs. Also, contact me for information about any of our resources. Thanks for taking the time to read about all the upcoming events!

Peace,
Easton Davis
Youth Missioner
The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta
Atlanta, GA 30305


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


In This Issue

Back Snacks Lunch

Writer's Group
 
New Puppet Ministry

Bluegrass Family Style

Adult Formation

Movie Nights

Upcoming Retreats for Adults

Steward of the Month

Lay Ministry Schedule 

Get to Know Your Parish Family

Lay Ministry Opportunities

Vestry Minutes

Unity Service

FOCUS Food Pantry

Lectionary Readings

Prayers

Birthdays & Anniversaries

Confirmations

2016 Youth Mission Trip


 

Links

 

Father Jeff's Travel Blog 

 

CONTACT
  
Deadline for submitting news items is noon Monday.

 Send news and photos to: 
 contact@stnicholashamilton.org 
 
The Spirit of St. Nicholas 
is published weekly by 
St. Nicholas Episcopal Church.

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Than

Thank you, St. Nicholas family, for your active involvement in our parish. 


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  pgrace456@gmail.com.

  1. Please include:your names and the names of your minor children,
  2. address,
  3. email addresses,
  4. phone numbers (cell and home),
  5. 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 pgrace456@gmail.com.


 



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.  

 



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.























Contact Information

To place information in the newsletter email:
contact@stnicholashamilton.org
St. Nicholas Episcopal Church
706-628-7272