"I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."
St. Luke 18:14
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Fr. Yossi led our Holy Communion service this past Sunday. His sermon focused on the Gospel lesson from St. Luke 18:9-14. In this lesson, Jesus tells the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican and their attitudes during prayer in the Temple. He pointed out that Jesus's audience would have been shocked by who Jesus considered the 'good guy' and the 'bad guy'. At the end of prayer each man received what he prayed for i.e. the Pharisee received nothing because he prayer for nothing while the Publican received justification because he prayed for mercy as a sinner. Ultimately the parable is about God who alone can justify and judge human hearts.
Please find the complete service at the following link:
Thank you Fr. Yossi for the lovely service and the thought provoking sermon!
After services we enjoyed light snacks provided by Snack Team 1, Teresa, Agnes, Diane, and Claudia! Thank you so much for the snacks!
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Fr. Yossi continued our Adult Christian Education Classes this past Sunday with the second in a series titled Anglican Spirituality, A Closer Walk With God. The classes start at 10 am and all are welcome to join us - a pot of coffee will be on!
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It is time to order new Ordo Calendar's. The calendars are $10 each for either the full size calendar or the pocket size. Please let Daryl know by the end of August if you would like a calendar and which type!
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Alex, Jeff, and I finished replacing the ceiling tiles and the fluorescent light fixtures in the kitchen! Everything looks so much brighter!
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And the crazy, stormy weather continues! The storm on Monday night blew down this tree branch at the back of the church. Thanking God for no damage! The clean up should be complete this week.
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Br. Scott shared this message from our Dean, Fr. Paul Rivard, about The Annual Deanery of Appalachia Picnic :
The time has come again to prepare for our annual picnic and this year it will be held on the beautiful campus of All Saints in Mills River on Saturday, August 26 from 11AM to 2PM.
Our hosts, Fr. Erich Zwingert and his parishioners, have indicated that at present there is no need to bring anything but yourselves to this event so please make a special point to mark your parish calendars and inform the members of your parishes and missions so that everyone has a chance to enjoy a great time of fellowship together with others from the Deanery.
Please let Fr. Yossi or Br. Scott know if you plan to attend!
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We received this information this past week from the APA!
Book before September 6th to receive a limited special offer including up to $600 additional onboard credit PLUS $200 off your entire cabin! More information to come.
Please let Fr. Yossi or Br. Scott know if you are interested!
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Sue continues to lead our weekly online prayer group on Discord every Thursday at 2 pm. 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 me if you would like to join us on Discord.
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