Dear Friends in Christ,

Tomorrow, November 11th, is Veterans Day. To those of you who have served our country in her Armed Forces, I thank you for your service and I pray that God may bless you as you have blessed so many other lives through putting your own on the line. 

In November of 1919, on the first anniversary of the armistice that brought about the end of the first World War, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11th as Armistice Day. A few years later, in 1926, Congress passed a resolution that "the recurring anniversary [of November 11th, 1918] should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations." 

It seems to me that this year in particular, especially following a contentious midterm election cycle, that "thanksgiving and prayer and exercises to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding" could do much to heal the people of this nation. Please join me and one another as we pray for our nation and for our veterans.

Let us pray.

For those in the Armed Forces of our Country

Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In Times of Conflict

O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Sound Government

O Lord our Governor, bless the leaders of our land, that we may be a people at peace among ourselves and a blessing to other nations of the earth.

Lord, keep this nation under your care.

To the President and members of the Cabinet, to Governors of States, Mayors of Cities, and to all in administrative authority, grant wisdom and grace in the exercise of their duties.

Give grace to your servants, O Lord.

To Senators and Representatives, and those who make our laws in States, Cities, and Towns, give courage, wisdom, and foresight to provide for the needs of all our people, and to fulfill our obligations in the community of nations.

Give grace to your servants, O Lord.

To the Judges and officers of our Courts give understanding and integrity, that human rights may be safeguarded and justice served.

Give grace to your servants, O Lord.

And finally, teach our people to rely on your strength and to accept their responsibilities to their fellow citizens, that they may elect trustworthy leaders and make wise decisions for the well-being of our society; that we may serve you faithfully in our generation and honor your holy Name.

For yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Amen.

(From Prayers for National Life in the Book of Common Prayer, pp. 820-823)

To God be the glory,

Brandon J. Hudson+

Please join us for one of our two services of Holy Eucharist this Sunday

Rite I at 8:00 and Rite II at 10:30.

Everyone is invited to enjoy coffee and fellowship between services

and after the 10:30 service downstairs in Sengel Hall.



If you are not able to attend one of these services, the 10:30 service

will be streamed on Facebook.

A copy of the service booklet, prayer requests, and weekly schedule

can be downloaded by clicking on the button below.

General Announcements

• Still open for nametag requests. Just leave a note or send an email to the office to have one made.

• November 13th is our Consecration Sunday, when our promised offerings for 2023 will be blessed on the altar. Please have your pledge cards filled out and returned to the church by Sunday, November 13! Following the 10:30 service, there will be treats to enjoy downstairs provided by the St. Theodore's Vestry.

!Comfort Food Replenished!

The cooks have been at work again and the freezer bins are full and ready -- just in time for winter weather! We have tomato soup, chicken soup, and vegetable beef soup. There is also a bin with a combination of various choices.

Please, please take some with you. It makes us happy to know they're being enjoyed.

Thanksgiving Day

Holy Eucharist 

This year, St. Theodore's will offer a special service of Holy Eucharist at 9:00 am on Thanksgiving Day, November 24th. At this service, several items that have been purchased for the church in memory of Terry Anderson will be dedicated and blessed. All are welcome to attend.

“Our annual wreath making event is quickly approaching with Advent only weeks away! Please join us November 27th for this morning of fun for all ages between our two services. It is a wonderful opportunity to create something unique for your home and spend time with our friends from both the 8 and 10 AM services. Light seasonal refreshments will be served.”

Bishop Benfield will make his annual visit to St. Theodore's on Sunday, December 11th. THERE WILL BE ONLY ONE SERVICE THIS DAY, AT 10:30 AM. There will be the usual Christian Formation hour at 9:15 am. 

Calling all ages 12 years and up who are interested in Confirmation! The time has come to reach out to Fr. Brandon for more information regarding Confirmation in December. If you have come to us from another Christian faith tradition and would like to be formally received into the Episcopal Church, you can be Received by the bishop at his visit on December 11th as well. Come and talk with Fr. Brandon!

Adult Forum - November 13, 2022

This week we will be discussing Chapter 12: Stories that Shape Us. Here are some scriptures to get you started:

• 2 Kings 2:1-15
• Psalm 23
• Acts 1:1-11

We've just about made it all the way through McLaren's book. Having started with Chapter 14 in Advent last year, we will complete this course of study with Chapter 13 on Christ the King Sunday, November 20th. Please remember that the Advent Wreath Crafting event will take place during our usual seminar time on November 27th. The following Sunday, December 4th, we will begin discussing Chapter 1 of Sermon on the Mount: A Beginner's Guide to the Kingdom of Heaven by Amy-Jill Levine.

Wednesday Book Study

Wednesdays at 1:00, Fr. Brandon invites you to the Gathering Area to read and discuss Barbara Brown Taylor's book, An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith.

"Taylor reveals meaningful ways to discover the sacred in the small things we do and see, from simple practices such as walking, working, and prayer. 

Our discussion group meets each Wednesday at 1:00pm in the Gathering Area. There are two weeks left in this course of study, and here is the schedule of readings:

• 11/16: 11 The Practice of Being Present to God: Prayer. 
• 11/23: 12 The Practice of Pronouncing Blessings: Benediction. pp. 175-209

There seems to be something particularly special about a dedicated period of 40 days in both the Old and New Testaments. That's how long it rained upon the earth while Noah and his family were safe in the ark; Moses, having spent 40 days alone with God on Mount Sinai, received The Ten Commandments; Jesus, immediately following his baptism, was driven by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness for 40 days of fasting and prayer. In fact, this period of 40 days (usually also "and 40 nights") is found 24 times throughout our Holy Scriptures. It just so happens this year that Advent and Christmastide (November 27th through January 5th) comprise 40 days. 

For our next book discussion, I'd like to do something a little different. Please join me in reading Dr. Amy-Jill Levine's book Toward the Kingdom of Heaven: 40 Daily Readings on the Sermon on the Mount. Each daily meditation is partnered with its own corresponding scripture readings, so make sure your Bible is handy. We will begin reading Toward the Kingdom of Heaven on the First Sunday of Advent, November 27th, and continue reading each daily meditation through the twelfth day of Christmas, January 5, 2023. We will meet together and discuss our readings as usual each Wednesday afternoon at 1:00 in the Gathering Area. All are welcome to participate!

We are assisting with the Food Pantry kept by St. Andrew‘s Episcopal Church in Rogers. They have a well-established program dealing with food insecurity that serves 35 to 45 families every Tuesday from 9 AM to 11 AM. Their food comes from bakeries, private donations and the USDA with the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank. However, with supply chain issues, food availability has decreased and costs have risen to a point that they could use some help. The Outreach Committee and Vestry felt this was a good opportunity and want to switch our food collection efforts from Helping Hands to the St. Andrew’s pantry. Contributions will still come to St Theodores and be transported as needed to St. Andrew’s.

The following are the most frequently needed items:

1.      spaghetti noodles

2.      spaghetti sauce

3.      peanut butter

4.      canned tuna

5.      canned soups

6.      canned vegetables

7.      canned fruits

8.      ramen noodles

9.      dried pinto beans

10.  rice

11.  canned beans

12.  plastic grocery bags to distribute the canned goods 

Let’s also remember to continue to bring items for our small pantry on Kingsland Road (pictured below). This picture was taken just this afternoon, and this is frequently the empty condition we see. It is obviously getting used, as it is not always empty. If you have even just a few non-parishable items you can bring and put in our Little Red Pantry, it would help our neighbors nearby. You don't need to bring items into the church. Just use your own good judgment to bring whatever food items you might have in your own pantry that are not being used. If the Red Pantry is full, thanks be to God! You can go ahead and bring things inside if someone is here, or you can just put them in front of the doors to the office to be picked up later.

Emergency Clean-up Buckets 

Following the several destructive weather events that have occurred recently in this country and elsewhere in the world, the need is once again great for the buckets of cleaning supplies provided by Church World Services to areas most affected by these disasters. We supply the buckets, fill them here with the necessary supplies and deliver them to a distribution center in Central Arkansas to be sent wherever the need is greatest.

Below is the list of specific items needed to fill the buckets. These are listed by month to help you space out your shopping if you prefer to do that. Any of the items may be brought to the church at any time to be stored here until we have enough of all the requested items to fill the buckets. .

Please pay close attention to the specific descriptions of each item, as the full list is designed to fit into a 5-gallon bucket. If you have any questions, contact Sharon Moravits or Al Addington

"Bucket List"

Stealing Pears: So What?

Learn how Augustine goes from a boy to an adult and how the Roman world shapes his views. This month our Brown Bag lecture series focuses on “St. Augustine’s Confessions.” Join us each Tuesday, at 11:30 am, in the gathering room as we hear lectures by Professor of history, Willliam R. Cook, Ph.D. and English professor Ronald B. Herzman, Ph.D.

November 1 - Form and Genre

November 8 - Book I - Sin and Confession

November 15 - Book I - Augustine’s Childhood

November 22 - Book II - Augustine Grows Up

November 29 - Book II - Stealing Pears: So What?

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All Saints' Sunday

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