The Church Bell
Vol. 2, no. 2
February / March 2018
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This Sunday at 10 am - Christianity in Iraq
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This Sunday, February 25th, we have a special opportunity to learn about Christianity in Iraq.
As we are aware, Iraq holds one of the oldest deposits of the Holy Gospel in the world, and yet the churches in Iraq exist in a dangerous and sometimes hostile cultural context.
Kyle and Diana Hatchett are Cowan residents who until recently lived in Kurdistan so that Diana could do an academic research project. While living in the region, the couple got involved in a vibrant international church community.
Kyle and Diana will hold a presentation during the 10:00 Sunday school hour. This lecture should be very helpful to us in this season of prayer and reflection during Lent. See you then!
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A Lenten Message From Bishop Lambert
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“Let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (I Corinthians 5:8)
As we begin our journey in Lenten we must do so mindful that this journey is a preparation for Easter. The Empty Tomb is our destination but to arrive there we must look within ourselves and unburden the self with those things that prevent us from clearly seeing and experiencing the love of God. Lent is our opportunity to “
present ourselves as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God”. (Romans 12:1)
Lent is a time of critical reflection upon our life and our relationship with God. As Christians we must become conscious of our sin by looking at the one who saves, individually and in community and take advantage of the weeks of Lent to break away from sin by the grace of God. This often requires rectifying thoughts, judgments, habits, and individual and collective behavior. In order to bring about these changes by incorporating Word and Sacrament in order to reconcile ourselves to one another and with God, we need time and the days of Lent provide us this time.
Lent is about rejecting everything that tarnishes or warps Christ’s image, whether in the individual or the community. We know this is true and needed more now than ever given the horrific tragedy this past week in Florida. Unfortunately this event is not an isolated one in our culture and is becoming more and more prevalent. We can point fingers at all the causes, blame everyone and anyone, (and many have) but the reality is that we live in a sinful world and we are part of that world.
Of course, each of us is not responsible for events like this but we are responsible for our own life. We must take responsibility for our own individual shortcomings and faults and purge them from our lives. Each of us must critically reflect upon our own life and break away from the sin that clouds the image of Christ in our life as an individual and as a community. Let us do away with the “old yeast of malice and wickedness” during this Lenten journey and commit oneself to a new life of “sincerity and truth”.
Let us walk humbly together in the way of the Lord. Let us be more attentive to listening to the Word of God; more constant in prayer and worship; and more faithful in fasting, prayer, and sharing. This is how we present ourselves as “
a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God.”
May God bless and keep you and may the light of his countenance shine upon you always.
Bishop Paul
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Looking Ahead to Maundy Thursday
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St. Agnes' will host the Community Maundy Thursday Service on March 29th at 6:00 p.m.
This will be a community-wide service sponsored by the various churches in the Cowan Ministerial Association.
As in the past, this service will have a larger than usual attendance. As the host congregation, we will make an extra effort to welcome and assist those who are visiting from other churches.
Please make a special effort to help folks find a place to sit and follow through the service. Keep in mind that some of our visitors are not familiar with the
Book of Common Prayer and are also not be familiar with our liturgical customs.
Our helpfulness as hosts will help everyone enjoy and benefit from this powerful recollection of the Last Supper in the Upper Room.
Next month we will talk in greater detail about the service. We are certainly looking forward to this holy occasion in the life of the church.
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Some Church Family Updates
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We are very pleased to report that Lee Glenn is making daily progress! He is now under skilled care at The Bridge in Monteagle, Room 201. We expect he will return home in the first week of March. Thanks be to God!
Betty Haney reports that she is doing better and better; however, she is still under the care of her oncologist and trying to rebuild her immune system. She enjoys our calls and cards!
Several parishioners have asked for an update on Subamma, our sponsored child who is part of a school program operated by Gospel Partners. At this time, Subamma has completed secondary school, but is still living on the school grounds. Her plan is to enroll in a vocational program so that she can enter the workforce.
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February 25 - Let's Recognize our February birthdays!
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Following the 11:00 service we will celebrate our February birthdays during coffee hour in the parish hall. Let's give our best to Abby, Andy, Janelee, Karen, and Georgia!
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March 17 - Work day at the church
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What better way to observe Lent and prepare for Easter than a spruce-up at the church? Let's get together and get a list of chores done on Saturday morning, March 17th, at 9:30 a.m. Lunch will be provided.
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March 29 - Maundy Thursday Service
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St. Agnes' will host the Community Maundy Thursday Service on March 29th, 6:00 p.m. Our speaker will be Rev. L.Z. Johnson. Robbe and Susan Delcamp will provide special music, and the service will include Holy Communion and a Foot Washing. The service will conclude with the stripping of the altar.
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April 1 - Easter Sunrise Service
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The various Cowan churches will gather on Easter morning, April 1st, 6:30 a.m. at Cowan Montgomery Cemetery for an Easter Sunrise service. All invited to celebrate the discovery of the Empty Tomb and realization that Jesus is risen in glory!
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April 1 - Church Easter Egg Hunt
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We invite all of the young folks to enjoy a Sunday morning Easter egg hunt during the 10:00 Sunday school hour! The church Easter egg hunt at St. Agnes' was started by Mr. Robert Sloan over five decades ago. It's always a fun-filled time!
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April 1 - Easter Sunday Service
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Let's fill the house on Sunday, April 1st, at 11:00 a.m.! Be sure to invite friends, neighbors, and relatives to come and celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord! Be sure to stay afterward for our annual church family photo.
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Winter & Spring Birthdays
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February 26 - Karen McCallie
February 26 - Georgia Scott
March 1 - Louis Mlcoch
March 5 - Bruce Smith
April 7 -
anonymous parishioner
April 7 - Montana Smith
April 11 - Benny Haney
April 15 - Dane Leitzel
April 20 - Martin Odidi
"O God, our times are in your hand: Look with favor, we pray, on thy servants as they begin another year. Grant that they may grow in wisdom and grace, and strengthen their trust in your goodness all the days of their life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
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Ella Grissett, Jeff Powers, Tammy and Victoria Keese, Larry Woodall, Sue Hill, Montana Smith, Celeste Simmons, Diana Meeks, Carter Smith, Lee Glenn, Fran Perry, Joe Ed Williams Brian Masters, The Mantone Family, Fr. Stephen, Gay and Rick Hayslett, Lamar Davis, Kirkland Leonard, Jimmy Moss, Bill Keller, Howard Gene Eslick, Karen Piper, Benny and Betty Haney, Linda Milligan, Karen McCallie, and Subamma (our sponsored child).
We bless and commemorate William Lee who recently passed away. We also remember the Grant family (owners of Daniel the Printer) as their son Brian Grant passed away following an illness.
We pray continually for Christians around the world in grave danger and for those in our armed services. We pray for the victims and families of the recent school shooting and for our nation in light of this terrible tragedy.
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"O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: Mercifully accept our prayer, and grant to your servants the help of your power, that their sicknesses may be turned into joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
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Report from the Annual Meeting of the Congregation
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The congregation met on Sunday, February 4th, following the 11:00 service.
The Senior Warden reported that the Year 2017 had many great accomplishments. We witnessed our resident seminarian of three years - Tom Adamson - earn his degree at Sewanee and move immediately into a church assignment and then get ordained into the Sacred Order of Priests in his home diocese.
Our parish hall access project is complete and we are now moving into Phase 4.
Our budget for the year was perfectly on target. Our income was slightly larger than expected and our expenses were slightly less than expected.
Most important of all, our average Sunday attendance was the highest we have seen in decades. St. Agnes' is quite possibly the fastest growing Episcopal Church in the greater Sewanee area!
We discussed and approved a budget for 2018 and set some goals for the New Year.
The following individuals were elected to the Mission Council:
L. Jarod Pearson - Senior Warden
Andrew Wilkinson - Junior Warden
Shelia Leitzel - Clerk
Alice Black - Treasurer
The Senior Warden made the following service appointments:
Harod "Gene" Black - Church Warden-at-large
Kathleen Black - Sacristan
Benjamin Money - Senior Acolyte and Verger
Pearson Garner - Junior Acolyte
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Sunday Service
....................................11:00 a.m.
Sunday School .....................................10:00 a.m.
Location/Address: 105 England Street E., PO Box 356, Cowan, TN 37318
Telephone: (931) 636-6313
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The Rt. Rev'd Paul Lambert...............................Pastor and Celebrant
The Rt. Rev'd John C. Bauerschmidt................Bishop
The Venerable Martin Odidi...............................Visiting Priest
Nicholas Caccese..............................................Resident Seminarian
L. Jarod Pearson................................................Lay Reader
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