The Church Bell Vol. I, no. 1

The Church Bell is back! No...not the bell on the tower outside. It hasn't gone anywhere. We're talking about the St. Agnes' Church newsletter! Advances in technology have made it easier for us to share news and other information with our immediate church family and with our extended out-of-town family. Please take a moment to read each and every issue. Of equal importance, send news, articles, photos, recipes, and things you want to share. Simply send them to the church e-mail address at saintagnescowan@gmail.com

October 1st is "Back to Church Sunday!" Life happens. We know that people and families can fall away from regular church attendance. St. Agnes' is part of the "Back to Church" initiative.  Participating churches set aside a particular Sunday to invite folks who haven't attended church in a while. We also use this time to reach out to friends and neighbors who don't have a church home. Our designated Back to Church Sunday at St. Agnes' is October 1st! ALL OF US have an important task - reach out to someone you know who is not attending church these days. Invite them to come and worship with us at St. Agnes' in the beautiful tradition of the Book of Common Prayer. And keep in mind that this is not a church growth initiative - this is an outreach! We are true to our baptismal covenant when we invite others to grow in grace and in the knowledge of God through Jesus Christ. Church is a place where believers gather in name of Jesus to hear the Holy Word, open our hearts in prayer, and go forth with blessing to love and serve the Lord. Every Sunday is the perfect occasion to invite someone to church. Back to Church Sunday is one of those! Be Sure to Invite a Friend or Neighbor to Church on Oct 1st!

Big Goings On

Sept. 16th Cornbread Contest St. Agnes' will host the Cornbread Contest for the Fall Heritage Festival in Cowan. Entries will need to be entered between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Judging will begin at 2:00 p.m. For complete information including rules and prizes, click here .

Oct 1st - Come to the Fall Cookout! With gorgeous fall weather on the way, it's time for a church family get-together! We will hold a church-wide cookout on Sunday evening, October 1st, 4:00 p.m. at the Pearson farm . We will cook stew on the open fire and serve cornbread and fixin's. We will see you there!

Sept. 28th with The Adamson's Tom, Elizabeth, and the kids are coming down for the DuBose lectures. They would love to see everybody and give a talk about their life and ministry in rural Indiana. Let's get together on Thursday evening, September 28th, at 5 p.m. We will confirm the details at church.

October 28th Women's Prayer Meeting and Workshop Saturday, October 28th, we will get a special visit from two representatives of the Daughters of the King . The Rev'd Donna Floyd and Mrs. Kelly Stovall will lead a prayer-based workshop based on the Anglican Rosary. The class will begin at 2 p.m. in the Big Spring School House at the Pearson Farm.

Other Announcements

The Parish Hall Access Project will begin on Tuesday, September 19th, if the weather is good. This project, when completed, will make the parish hall more accessible and give us better space utilization. We will also get new windows and new exterior paint in the process. If the budget allows, we will also make some functional and lighting improvements in the kitchen. Stay tuned for details... Nick Caccese will lead our Morning Prayer service and provide the sermon on Sunday, October 15th. Hope we can all be there to show our support for his developing ministry. As the weather cools and the parish hall project is under way, we plan to do a work day. In particular, we want to plant some trees and shrubs in our open lot. Bishop Lambert left some brochures for the Brotherhood of St. Andrew. We encourage the men of the congregation to take one, read about the order, and consider being part of its dynamic ministry.

Fall Birthdays

August 9 - Rose Pearson August 29 - Duncan Weddington August 31 - Pat Underwood September 2 - Benjamin Money September 2 - Sara Money September 21 - Mary Pearson-Smith September 22 - Linda Overton October 2 - Fr. Gene Wise October 24 - David Grissett October 25 - Laura Pearson-Garner November 7 - Katrina O'Brien November 20 - Christie James Grissett November 20 - Betty Haney November 20 - George Wilkinson November 27 - Shelia Robertson Leitzel "O God, out 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."

We Remember in Prayer

The Sells Family, Mark Ledbetter, The Mantone Family, Ian Creecy, Fr. Stephen, Gay and Rick Hayslett, Andrew Hill, Edward Beitzel, Lamar Davis, David Moore, Kirkland Leonard, Jimmy Moss, Howard Gene Eslick, Karen Piper, Jenny Ledbetter, Benny and Betty Haney, Linda Milligan, Karen McCallie, and Subamma (our sponsored child). We pray continually for Christians around the world in grave danger and for those in our armed services. We pray continually for the recent victims of hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and wildfires. We bless and commemorate Lachlan Brain and Yvonne Haney Wells who recently passed away. "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."

Service Schedule

Sunday, Sept 17 Holy Eucharist ~ 11:00 a.m. ~ Bishop Lambert 15th Sunday after Pentecost Sunday, Sept 24 Holy Eucharist ~ 11:00 a.m. ~ Fr. Martin 16th Sunday after Pentecost

Sunday, October 1 Holy Eucharist ~ 11:00 a.m. ~ Bishop Lambert Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost Sunday, October 8 Holy Eucharist ~ 11:00 a.m.~ Bishop Lambert Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Sunday, October 15 Morning Prayer ~ 11:00 a.m. ~ Nick Caccese Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost Sunday, October 22 Holy Eucharist ~ 11:00 a.m.~ Bishop Lambert Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

Sunday, October 29 Holy Eucharist ~ 11:00 a.m. ~ Bishop Bauerschmidt ~ Visitation of the Bishop of Tennessee Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost Sunday, November 5 Holy Eucharist ~ 11:00 a.m.~ Bishop Lambert Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost

From Bishop Lambert

A reflection on the Parable of the Good Samaritan The Rt. Rev. Paul E. Lambert   We’ve all read the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) and we all have, more often than not, come to the same conclusion as to its meaning.  Often, we take the parable in the general moral sense: if you see someone in trouble help them. It’s as simple as that. Or is it? Is there a deeper meaning to this parable that challenges us to break down our “paradigms” for understanding God’s will for us as manifested in and through the teachings of Jesus? I think so.   You will remember from the parable that a lawyer was trying to “catch” Jesus and show him to be a heretic in the eyes of Israel. Jesus, wise to this ploy, turns the situation around in answering the question “Who is your Neighbor?” by telling the parable of the Good Samaritan. Lest we are too judgmental of the lawyer we must remember that to the first century Jew a neighbor believed that God is the God of Israel, and neighbors are Jewish neighbors, people who knew and lived by the Law.   Jesus, on the other hand, believed that Israel’s God is the God of grace for the whole world and a neighbor was anybody in need regardless of their place of origin. By drawing us into the parable Jesus is calling us into a new way of living, a new way of relating to our world. By challenging the lawyer to see in a new way that the hated Samaritan was his neighbor too and as such his life is transformed and moves him to a new level of understanding God’s divine plan for his people.   The challenge for us as I see it is to answer the question, “Who is my neighbor?”, through the eyes of Jesus and not through our own. We cannot use God’s revelation of his grace and mercy as a way of insulating ourselves from the world and simply keep it to ourselves. God’s grace is offered freely to all and as such is to be manifested in our lives to all of God’s children. The Parable of the Good Samaritan challenges us to look beyond our narrow mindedness and engage in the world around us.   Of course, this comes with responsibility, the responsibility to be faithful to our Lord Jesus’ teachings and order our lives accordingly. As we engage in the “neighborhood” around us we do so in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God who redeems us. Remember too that we are to “go into all the world and make disciples” and must do so recognizing our neighbor through the eyes of Jesus and not our own. The effect upon our lives will have eternal significance. One way or the other!   ++Paul The Rt. Rev'd Paul Lambert Bishop Suffragan (Resigned), Diocese of Dallas Pastor and Celebrant, St. Agnes' Church, Cowan, Tennessee

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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