Constant Current

Here is a blog post from our own Lacy Razor, who offered this to us as a reflection from her own website. Lacy’s site is a wealth of good information, so please check it out. This post was written earlier in the year, when she and Josh were still foster parents for four children.

Click on the picture to go to the blog post.

Who Are We?

Also at Annual Council, this video was shown. It may surprise you to see who all we encompass as the Episcopal Church. If anyone ever asks you about who we are as Episcopalians, this might be a good thing to show them.

Thoughts on Diocesan Council

After my trip to Kanuga, I headed down to Atlanta to the Cathedral for our annual Diocesan Council. Council is the great gathering of all the churches in the Diocese of Atlanta. For me, Council is like a giant family reunion, where the many tribes are gathered to hear all that is going on in the life of our many churches. Read more

Learning About Hope

You may not realize, but part of my letter of agreement at St. Nicholas requires me to take 2 weeks of continuing education a year. I take this pretty seriously as I think it’s important to learn new things and stay fresh. It’s also a lot of fun going to conferences and events. Earlier this year, I attended a conference called CREDO which you may remember which is about clergy wellbeing. This week, I’m at Kanuga for Princeton Seminary’s Forum on Youth Ministry. Princeton puts on two of these conferences each year, and I have attended four of them over the course of the last 6 years.

Princeton has an Institute for Youth Ministry. Lest you think it’s all about how to put a new twist on “Capture the Flag” or how to make lock-ins awesome, Princeton is the only seminary I know of that is doing really good theological work in the area of youth ministry. Not only that, but the work that’s coming out of Princeton by really fabulous theologians has implications for the Church as a whole.

Since I am given the honor of attending such great continuing education offerings, I thought I would share the classes, lectures, and ideas I am experiencing while I’m here. Maybe these will spark some interest at St. Nicholas and will be opportunities for us to explore deeper. These are the things I picked up and they address many different topics, so feel free to read the things that jump out at you. Read more

Your Week at St. Nick, 7 - 14 November 2009

A Diocesan Barbecue at noon Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Cathedral of St. Philip is open to all. Tickets are $12 per person; a special child’s meal is $5.  Please let them know you’re coming by 12 noon Thursday, Nov. 5. Sign up and pay on the Diocese secure website.

Sunday, 8 November 2009—Recognition of Veterans

8:30am Morning Prayer

9:30am Breakfast/Fellowship

9:45am Adult/Youth/Children’s Education

11:00am Holy Eucharist

Usher / Greeter

8:30 Tom and Sharon Cheatham

11:00 Graham Horne and Jay Pylant

Reader

8:30 (MP) Blackmon

11:00 Moody/M. Martin

LEM

11:00 Horne

Altar Guild

Cheatham/Eidson

Flower Guild

Barbara Bradley

Lemonade/Cider

Liz

Acolytes

Table: M&M

Crucifer: Cody

Gospel: Austin

Offertory: Austin

Torch: M&M/Austin

Sunday School Teacher

Marci Horne

Wednesday, 11 November

9:30am

Pre-EfM Class

Session 4-Guided Conversations Part 1

7:00-8:15pm

Choir Rehearsal

Vestry Nominations

It is that time of year when we receive nominations for new Vestry members.  This year, we will elect three new members, or a third of the Vestry, for a 3-year term.  This is an important aspect of our common life.

The Vestry is the governing board of the parish, and in our case each member serves as a liaison to various committees within the church. Currently, the areas of ministry are Stewardship, Worship, Education, Hospitality, Parish Life, Outreach, Communications, and Buildings and Grounds. The Vestry is led by a Senior Warden, who is chosen by the Rector to serve as his “right hand” and the Junior Warden, or “people’s warden,” is elected by the Vestry.

As we are a growing parish, we look for people who are energetic, good leaders, and motivated workers who can help steer the ship. We also look for people who are good at inviting and involving others into the leadership of the parish through committees and programs. The Vestry is not supposed to be the group that “does everything” but is a support structure for empowering everyone in the parish to participate. We hope that people on the Vestry are passionate about the areas in which they serve, rather than being a warm body in a position they care nothing about. Vestry is an honor, and a great opportunity for spiritual growth. We do have fun when we gather, as well. It’s not just a “business meeting,” but a time where we experience all that God is doing in our church.

Our current Stewardship liaison and Senior Warden, Gene Demonet, and our current Worship liaison, Sue Halmrast, will be rotating off after their 3-year term. We are so thankful for their leadership, especially during the transition.

The Vestry meets once a month (and sometimes more for special meetings if a need arises) on the fourth Tuesday of the month (except November and December, when we move to the third Tuesday). We also have an annual Vestry Retreat where we map out the year, worship, and seek God’s vision for the next year.

In order to serve on the Vestry, one must be a confirmed communicant of St. Nicholas, a regular attendant in the previous year, and a pledging member in the last year.

Now is the time to begin praying about what God is calling you to do. Even if you don’t think Vestry is part of that call, we hope that you will consider in what way you can serve to continue to do God’s work at St. Nicholas. Below is a nomination form. Anyone can nominate anyone else to run, but please ask that person’s permission before you do. Nominations will be received and at our Annual Parish Meeting in January, the parish will elect our 3 new members.

For more information on the Vestry, visit the Vestry page on this website by clicking here.

Trunk or Treat Success!

The winning trunk--Chris & Jackie Lintner!

St. Nicholas’ 2nd Annual Trunk or Treat was a smashing success, despite inclement weather! There were 14 cars lining the parking lot and participants decorated their trunks to hand out candy and play games with the many children who came. The youth of St. Nicholas voted on Chris and Jackie Lintner’s spooky trunk as the winner of the best-decorated trunk! We handed out food and also provided pizza and popcorn to all-comers. In addition to giving out tasty treats, we also fed a bunch of people! Estimates were that over 50 families came through St. Nicholas. In addition to the food, the Daughters of the King also made gift boxes with a St. Nicholas pen and magnet, in hopes that someone might make St. Nicholas their church home. It was a truly wonderful event for everyone!

Many thanks go to Andy Butzon, Michelle Moody, Marci Horne, and all the Daughters of the King who sponsored the event! Also, thank you to all who brought their trunks and dressed up to make the event special. Thank you to everyone who participated! What a great outreach to our community!

Here are some pictures from the event, thanks to Lynn Hall and Drucye Price.

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