"Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?"
St. Matthew 18:21
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This Sunday morning, Fr. Yossi led our beautiful Holy Communion Service. His sermon focused on the Gospel lesson from St. Matthew 18 in which Jesus answers Peter's questions about forgiveness with the parable of the unforgiving servant. Fr. Yossi emphasized how important it is for us to empathize with other people not just sympathize. Forgiving others is as much about us as it is about the other person. He concluded by asking us to fill our hearts with love and then love our neighbors.
Please see the following link for the complete service including the sermon:
Thank you Fr. Yossi for the very inspirational sermon and beautiful service!
Br. Scott led our lovely Morning Prayer service - thank you, Br. Scott for all your work.
After services we enjoyed a wonderful light lunch of chili, salad, and coconut ice cream cake. Thank you Teresa, Diane, Agnes, and Rose Marie for the delicious food.
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Next Sunday, November 12, Fr. Yossi will continue with confirmation classes in preparation for Bishop Jones' visit in mid December. While the classes are specifically designed for the people to be confirmed, all are welcome to attend. The classes start at 10 am - a pot of coffee will be on!
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This past Tuesday, Matt and Deborah invited us to join them as Fr. Yossi blessed their newly renovated home. After the blessing, they served a wonderful dinner of homemade chili and apple crisps!
Mike and Claudia's house warming gift was a rocking elephant! It was quite a hit!
We very much enjoyed meeting JP's wife, Lavell!
Sue played and we all sang the St. Patrick's hymn (#268 in the Hymnal) . . .
though I don't think everyone was very impressed by our singing!
Sue and I dressed up - it was Halloween! What a wonderful way to spend Halloween Evening! Thank you, Matt and Deborah for a wonderful evening. May God grant you many joyous years in your beautiful home!
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We are in the process of updating our website and Facebook page. We are working with Stu, the diocesan webmaster. This is a work in progress but, please check out the beautiful work to date!
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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.
However, as Sue is attending the Diocesan Women's Retreat, the online prayer meeting scheduled for November 9 is cancelled. Therefore the next prayer meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 16 @ 2pm.
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Our next Women's Bible Study is on Wed. November 8 @ 11 am at the church. We are using "The First 24" for our study guide. This is an in depth study of Mark 1:21-45 - the first 24 hours of Jesus' public ministry. The guide is available on Amazon. Please remember to bring the book, your bible, and a lunch!
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Please Note Change in Date
Our Annual Congregational Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, November 12 after services. Please plan to attend as we will be approving a budget for next year and electing new members to the Mission Committee.
After the meeting we will enjoy a Potluck Luncheon! Please bring a dish to share!
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The Christmas Season is fast approaching! Please mark your calendars for the following Christmas Season events!
1. Toys for Tots: This Christmas St. Peter's is supporting the Marine's Toys for Tot's program. We hope to have the collection boxes in place in the next week. Below is a link to the Johnson City Toys for Tot's FAQ's.
The toys must be new and unwrapped.
Thank you for all your generosity!
2. Saturday, Dec. 2: By the Fireside: Symphony of the Mountains Holiday Concert
The Symphony of the Mountains is having their 'By The Fireside' Christmas Concert on Saturday, December 2 at 3 pm at the Toy F. Reid Eastman Employee Center in Kingsport. Rose Marie has made before the concert lunch reservations at The LongHorn Steakhouse in Kingsport @ noon. Please let Rose Marie know if you are coming to The LongHorn Steakhouse so she can update the reservations. If you are interested in attending the concert, please let Scott know as he will obtain group tickets for us - tickets are $20 each (checks payable to The Symphony of the Mountains).
3. Sunday, Dec. 3, The First Sunday in Advent: After services we will decorate the church including the 'hanging of the greens' for the Advent season.
4. Sunday, Dec. 10, The Second Sunday in Advent:
Bishop Jones is visiting St. Peter's on Sunday, December 10! He will be confirming several of our new members. After services we will celebrate with a BBQ lunch. We are asking everyone to bring a dish that goes with BBQ!
5. Sunday, Dec. 17, The Third Sunday in Advent:
We will present The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols starting at 10:30 am. This service features scripture readings, traditional Christmas hymns, a string quartet from the Symphony of the Mountains and light refreshments after the service.
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