Letter from Timothy -...
Transcript of Letter from Timothy -...
Letter from
Timothy
The Rt. Rev. Duncan Gray, III Bishop of Mississippi
The Rev. Patrick Sanders Rector
The Rev. Clélie McCandless Associate Rector
Yuko Sato & Enrique (Henry) Olvera Music Directors
Mrs. Sandra Jones Parish Administrator
Mrs. Sandy Kimmelman Parish Ministries & assistant to clergy
Mr. Joe Scott Sexton
Sarah Irby EYC Director Blair McDaniel & Hayley Williams Nursery Directors Mr. Charles King Greens-Keeper Mr. John Shaw & Mrs. Cindy Black Co-Wardens
Church Phone: 662-393-3100
Letter from the Rector
Whiplash...
Standing under the bright lights in the parking lot of our
church, surrounded by the sugar-soaked belly laughter of what
looked like a hundred kids, overwhelmed by the smell of saw-
dust and growth in the wind, blown away by the success of an
idea thought of and executed by teenagers, touched by the crea-
tive spirit spilling from the trunks of long-time parishioners as
well as those who’ve been here merely months, I found myself
tending to a fairly urgent administrative matter. Whiplash. The
joy of holy play and the careful attentiveness to the organiza-
tional and institutional needs of a growing parish are not
opponents of one another but they can, in my weaker moments,
feel like enemies.
Work, it seems, for most of us is a distraction from
pleasure. We long for those rare moments when we can rest
from our labors and focus on those things that delight and enter-
tain us. Work is not synonymous with bliss. There is no clock
punching in paradise. The fact is, most of the world works to
live and often finds that when the work is done there is precious
little time left for living if there is any left at all. Our adherence
to the discipline of Sabbath, holy rest, has all but vanished. The
Gospel truth is our Lord worked through the Sabbath as well.
For one reason and one reason alone. There was work to do.
Kingdom work. Constantly persecuted for healing and gathering
grain on a day set aside for rest, Jesus says, “My Father is still
working, and I also am working.” (John 5:17) Christ, it is clear,
had whiplash too. Living somewhere in the middle of work and
rest, energy and exhaustion, anxiety and anticipation, worry and
hope, is the disciple’s existence. It feels like whiplash, I know.
It’s my job. It’s my joy.
Big Love, Father Patrick
St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church November 2013
Almighty and everliving God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth, hear our pray-
ers for this parish family. Strengthen the faithful, arouse the careless, and restore the penitent. Grant us all things necessary for our
common life, and bring us all to be of one heart and mind within your holy Church; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
WE ARE
Signing of the Beams party
The vestry recently hosted the WE ARE
Party where St. Timothian's of all ages
put their eternal stamp on the Mary Chapel
walls when they signed and decorated
the beams and studs of that
magnificent space.
The movement of the Spirit that
night was unmistakable. Thank you to the
vestry for putting together such an
amazing evening and thanks to all of you
who attended!
"I Sing a Song of the Saints of God" A Feast for All People and All Time
I sing a song of the saints of God, patient and brave and true,
who toiled and fought and lived and died for the Lord they loved and knew.
This Sunday at our All Saints Day celebration, we will lift our voices to sing this Feast day favorite….
I Sing a Song of the Saints of God. Now, for those of you raised in the Episcopal tradition, singing this
hymn is like visiting an old friend, (you are probably even humming the tune already ) but for those new to
the Episcopal tradition this hymn may be unfamiliar. I remember one person, upon hearing it for the first
time, tickled me by remarking, “What a catchy and charming little tune”
This wonderful “catchy little tune” sings of the Communion of Saints, all those who have gone before us
and have modeled lives of: Convicted faith in our Lord Jesus Christ...Godly love...and extraordinary
Servanthood—mirroring the servant ministry modeled by Jesus to us. Our rich tradition of proclaiming that
we believe in the Communion of Saints is also particularly honored in our liturgical calendar with two
special feast days—
November 1st, All Saints Day & November 2nd, The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed .
The first, All Saints Day, is a liturgy centered on all those who have gone before us but who still serve as
examples of faith—these are saints such as the devoted Disciples of Jesus who dropped everything to follow
Jesus their Lord and the martyrs who in the early days of persecution gave their lives for their
love of Jesus Christ. We also honor many other saints through the ages who modeled beautiful
servanthood, whose pure mission was centered on the belief that through Christ our lives
can be transformed in unimaginable ways. One such example is St. Francis who devoted his
life to teaching the transformative love of God.
The second, The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed, celebrates
all those we have loved in our own lives whom we no longer see. It is an odd day of mixed joy,
peace, and sadness—joy for the shared time spent with loved ones in their earthly pilgrimage, the
peace of knowing they now rest in the light of God... and yet, at the same time, sadness as we mourn
their loss. It is a day of stories, bittersweet memories, and reflection on how these loved ones
helped in our own formation.
Nathan Costa writes…..
“Although we are able to recognize God's grace working specifically through individual lives, the solemnity of All Saints allows us to celebrate the very opportunity for holiness, made possible by the gift of the Spirit, its continuous working and inspiration through out all ages, and the resulting fellowship and solidarity within the larger communion of God's holy people, both the living and the dead. These saints, taken as a whole, are models of the life of Christ, some literally following Christ to their deaths, others following a Christian life, and all partaking in the life of the resurrection, the promise made by Christ's own paschal sacrifice.”
So raise your voice and Sing the Song of the Saints of God. Offer your voice in song to the saints
who left us with such grace-filled models of servant ministry, and celebrate the song of the lives of those we miss and dearly hold in our hearts. We sing a holy song…. joining our voices with all the company of heaven!
God’s sweet blessings be with you as you sing your song, Clélie
Reflections on the Newcomer’s celebration from Jill and Phil Meseke…..
My husband and I moved to Hernando, MS eight months ago and have visited many churches
while searching for a place to call home. The first time I attended St. Timothy’s, the congregation was
so warm and welcoming that I knew this was the place for us. We were invited to the Newcomers
Dinner, and were overwhelmed at the planning and preparation that went into making it a very special
evening.
The evening began with great conversation during the meet and greet, which was then followed by a
service. Mother Clélie shared her experience of a previous trip to Jerusalem where she collected rocks on her
journey to bring a little of the Holy Land home. In the same way, each newcomer was
given a rock with a cross on it that would symbolize bringing a piece of the church into
our own homes.
Following the service we were treated to a delicious meal with our new St. Tim-
othy’s family lovingly prepared by members of our Congregation. Phil and I are truly
grateful to have found such a sweet spirited church home. We are excited to see the ways
in which St. Timothy’s will be a blessing not only to us, but to our entire community.
A Newcomers and
not-so Newcomers Dinner was celebrated
in October. The Clergy and Vestry welcomed our newest
members with Prayer and a Fall Feast.
Welcome!, we are so glad you
are here!
We Will….to ...We Are….to…….
For the Election of a Bishop
Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a bishop for this Diocese that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care
for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
.Sanctuary Candles
There are a few openings
left to sign up for 2013 Sanctuary dedications.
The sign up sheet is in the
narthex. You can leave your check in the envelope
along with the filled in information.
The cost of our weekly
Sanctuary candle is $8.00. Please make checks payable to St. Timothy’s with
the memo “Altar Guild”
Senior Luncheon & Fellowship
don’t miss this month’s Senior Luncheon.
Wednesday,
November 13, 2013 at
11:30 second Wednesday in November
This months menu includes….
Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo, Rice & Fruit Salad
Sanctuary Candle
Come to
Holy Cross for their annual
Fall Fest
On Saturday, November 9th from 10am to 2pm.
There will be a bounce house slide, pony rides,
face painting, games, cake walk, hay rides, vendors
and plenty of food! Fall Fest is free and open to
the public (invite your friends!)
Trunk or Treat Thanks EYC for the best TREAT ever!
Both Children and Adults had a great time donning costumes, munching Nachos & Hotdogs, Bobbing for Apples, whirling in circles to the Monster Mash, and throwing Pies on their
beloved—and cheerful target—Youth Group leader, Sarah Irby! But, of course, no Halloween celebration is complete without bushels of candy on hand!
(and there were LOTS) Children eagerly opened their candy sacks to get the goodies as they visited each decorated trunk…..Thank you EYC leaders for a spooky night of fantastic treats!
Sunday, November 10, is our Congregation’s
Consecration Sunday
Please plan to attend Sunday Morning Worship 8:15 and 10:30 & then stay for the
Celebration Brunch immediately following each worship service that same day.
If you have not made reservations for attending the Brunch,
please call the Church office.
(a catered meal, not a potluck dinner).
November 1 Cory Adams
November 2 Cody Crider
November 3 Pam Detrick
November 5 April Turner
November 6 Holly Gray Laura Brightman
November 7 Jeff Detrick Mackenzie Parker
November 8 Father Len Williams Ted Jones Ed Vincent Sheri Turner Cindy Black
November 9 Ted Woolfolk
November 10 Hope Kruse
November 11 Bob Gray Lacey Musick
November 12 Robin Avant
November 13
Amanda Killen
November 14 Ed Kaser
November 15 Caroline Lamar Lea Gray
November 17 Kevin Baker Rob Moore
November 18 De Anderson
November 19 Joe Gee
November 22 Phil Meseke
November 23 Gage Flores
November 24 Susan Campbell-Alyas Alexandra Hawk Russ Jones
November 25 Lynn Coates
November 26 James Ruffer
November 30 Father Noble Walker
Happy November
Birthday
to…...
Worship Services &
Christian Education
Sunday Morning Eucharist 8:15 & 10:30 a.m.
St. Timothy’s Holy Eucharist
Sunday Afternoon Eucharist 4:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist
at Church of the Holy Cross, Olive Branch
Sunday School for Children
and Adults 9:30 a.m.
Children meet in the CAB and adults gather in the St. Tim’s Library
EYC
5:30 p.m. Sunday Evenings At Church of the Holy Cross, Olive Branch
Monday Morning 10:00 a.m. Gospel Study
at Church of the Holy Cross, Olive Branch
Tuesday Morning & Evening 7:00 a.m. Morning Prayer and lively Bible Study
is offered in the St. Tim’s Library
6:00 p.m. Evening Prayer St. Timothy’s Nave
Wednesday Evening 6:00 p.m. Healing Service and Holy Eucharist
“Pot-Lucky” Agape meal following service
PreYC meets during the Wednesday Evening Healing Service
Letter from Timothy
St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church 8245 Getwell Road Southaven, Mississippi 38672
November at a Glance
Sunday, November 3 Daylight Saving Time
Saturday, November 9
Church of the Holy Cross Fall Festival Olive Branch 10:00—2:00
Sunday, November 10
Consecration Sunday with Brunch following both services
Wednesday, November 13 Senior Luncheon at 11:30
Thursday, November 28
Have a Blessed and safe Thanksgiving Office closed