And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; and were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
Mark 7: 36-37
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The sermon this past Sunday focused on the Gospel Lesson from Mark 7:31-37 which describes the miracle of Jesus healing a deaf and dumb man. Fr. Scott reminded us that Mark was written about 30 years after Jesus's death and resurrection. Tradition holds that Peter gave the account to Mark who then wrote primarily for new Gentile believers. The account of this miraculous healing supports 'the theme of the day' as expressed in the Collect with the words "God, who art always more ready to hear than we to pray...". The man healed by Jesus did not deserve nor expect to be healed but Jesus not only healed him - He forgave him! Fr. Scott asked 'What area in your life can Jesus open for you?'
Please find the complete sermon and service on our YouTube channel:
Thank you Fr. Scott for the thoughtful sermon!
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We were so blessed to have Ming with us again! Thank you, Ming for the beautiful music! Also, his lovely mother joined us for this week's service!
Brandon's son, Jackson, joined us for services this past Sunday! It was wonderful to see him again!
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After services we enjoyed an amazing lunch . . .
provided by Laurel, Claudia, and Lynn! Thank you all for the wonderful food!
We especially enjoyed having Ming and his mother join us for lunch. We learned about Ming's plans for the future, starting with a move to Boston! We hope to see him again sometime around Christmas. Many prayers for safe travels and rewarding studies!
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Due to vacations and illness, this past Sunday's Christian Education was cancelled.
Next week Sue and Scott will talk about the Mission Conference they attended this weekend.
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The Mission Committee has scheduled a maintenance day to complete some yard work around the church for Saturday, Sept. 17 @ 9:00 am. The work includes preparing a path from the lower lot staircase to the front porch, trimming bushes, picking up trash around the property, pulling weeds, and generally sprucing up the yard.
Please join us as we keep the church looking nice! Please bring your garden tools (shovels, hedge trimmers, clippers, weed wackers, rakes, etc...).
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On Thursday, September 29 we will celebrate the Feast Day of St. Michael & All Angels. Fr. Scott will lead a Holy Communion Service starting at 6 pm.
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Blessing of the Animals
We are sponsoring a Blessing of the Animals celebration on the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi. Fr. Scott will bless pets between 4 and 6 pm on Oct. 4 at the church. We want to reach out to all local pet owners for this event. Teresa has created flyers and is mailing them to local veterinarian offices and shelters. We are also planning to announce in the Kingsport Times and possibly other local magazines.
Fr. Scott prepared the following message for the flyers:
Gen 9:9-10 says “And I (God) establish my covenant with you… and from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.” God deeply cares about all His creation, from the house fly to the human, all are worthy of His love. We participate in His love though our own care of animals that have found their way into our lives. St. Francis of Assisi, during his life, proclaimed the love of God to all, even to the animals around him. On his feast day, we especially remember and dedicate our furry, feathery, finned, and any other companions to God.
The rest of the flyer has the following information:
As part of remembering this special man, our priest,Fr. Scott Greene, is offering special blessings for all pets brought to the church. In addition to the blessing, a small treat will be given to each blessed pet. For everyone’s safety, we ask that all pets are properly restrained. In the event of inclement weather, this event will be rescheduled.
Please let Fr. Scott or Teresa know if you have ideas for more outreach for this event!
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Armed Intruder Training
". . . Be not ye afraid of them: remember the LORD, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses." Nehemiah 4 :14
The Mission Committee also agreed to sponsor a 'Law Enforcement Response to Shootings in Public'. Mike and Teresa are arranging a free public seminar at St. Peters about how to respond in a random shooting situation. Teresa has arranged for the Sullivan County Sheriff, Jeff Cassidy to come to St. Peter's on Tuesday, Oct 11 at 6:30 pm. Teresa is also creating flyers for this event and mailing them to local churches.
Please let Fr. Scott or Teresa know if you have ideas for more outreach for this event!
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Sue continues to lead our weekly online prayer group.
Starting this week (Sept 8) , we will meet on Thursday at 11:30 on Discord.
Thank you so much Sue for taking the time each week to lead our prayers! If you have a special prayer request but cannot join us, please send your request to Sue. Please contact Rosalind if you would like to join us on Discord.
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Our Annual Congregational Meeting is coming up at the beginning of Advent. An operating budget must be submitted and approved for the next church year. In order to establish a budget we must ask for pledges. Please prayerfully consider and submit your pledge by September 30. Daryl will have blank pledge sheets in Narthex. As in the past, we ask only for anonymous pledges dropped in the offertory plate or sent in the mail to the church. The pledge slips will be tallied and then destroyed as we do not track pledges.
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The 2023 Ordo Kalendars are in. Both the regular size and the pocket size calendars are $6 each. Daryl will have them available for pickup next week ($6/calendar) for those who ordered one. Also, there are extras available on a first come first serve basis.
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