Church at 70 MPH & 200 Feet Up

You probably didn’t know that the Church went that fast or ascended that high.

Of course I’m speaking about the Church as people and not as a building. Last week, a portion of St. Nicholas found themselves on this:

This is Goliath, and it’s one of the largest roller coasters in the world. It stands about 200 feet tall and zooms at about 70 miles per hour. Terri Townsend and I took a group of youth from St. Nicholas and a few of their friends to Six Flags Over Georgia, where Goliath lives. Read more

Your Week at St. Nick, 6 - 12 June 2010

Sunday, 6 June The Second Sunday after Pentecost

10:00am Holy Eucharist/Rev. Tom Jones preaches/celebrates

Usher/Greeter

10:00am Tom and Sharon Cheatham

Readers

10:00am Connie Blackmon

LEM

10:00am Nick Simpson

Altar Guild

Sharon Cheatham/Suzie Eidson

Flower Guild

Sharon Cheatham

Lemonade

Anne Simpson

Acolytes

Austin Hubbard

Robin Kiltzke

Ivey Martin

 Happy Birthday!

6/9  Virginia Brooks

Happy Anniversary!

6/9 John and Charlotte Winsness

Join Me At TAP!

As some of you know, I am involved with the Thompson-Pound Art Program (TAP), a program sponsored by CVEM (Chattahoochee Valley Episcopal Ministries) for children ages 6 through 11. It brings children from different economic, social, and religious backgrounds to give them an experience of learning from those different from them in hopes to build a more peaceful future. It’s all art-related, including crafts, music, dance/movement, etc. and is a TON of fun. The groups of children rotate through various stations throughout the day and all learn a lot and have a great time.

We Got A Vision…Now What?

St. Nicholas LOVES YOU!

As you might have heard in my sermon last Sunday (click here or click on the box to the right to hear it), after many months of discernment and conversation, St. Nicholas has developed a working vision for the future! This is incredibly good news, not just for the future, but for right here and now. Read more

Holy Cows!

One of the best things a priest gets to do is offer God’s blessing upon the lives of the individuals of the church. We have such a varied and gifted congregation, with such interesting backgrounds, hobbies, and careers. It is a joy to be invited into the homes of my people and bless their homes, their families, and even their….cows?!?!?

Are those giant Oreo cookies out there? This is as close as I could get.

John and Charlotte Winsness have been offering for me to come over and bless their farm for quite a while. But the timing never worked out. Recently, they procured two of the most adorable belted galloway cattle, and when I saw John in FOCUS the other day, I jumped on the opportunity to run over and bless them.

I told Molly and the kids and they came with me to say prayers over the Winsness’s fields and animals. We were introduced to the many gardens John has going, where he grows just about every fruit and vegetable imaginable (OK, that’s hyperbole, but to me, it was a LOT of stuff). We visited his chickens and got a couple of eggs. He even let the kids sit on his John Deere tractor!

Liam sees a chicken!

The cows were like cute, little pandas. They are still getting accustomed to their new home, so when I asked John if I could touch them, he said, “They won’t even let me touch them!” I learned that the art of raising cattle is a long process of trust, guidance, and ol’ fashioned cowboy-ing! John spends lots of time talking to them, approaching slowly, and being a calm presence to them. Quite a parable of how Jesus relates to us!

We have lots of people at St. Nicholas who garden, raise animals, and tend to the “simple life” of God’s creation. While I’m not a farmer in the least, nor a gardener, nor an animal-raiser, I have the utmost respect for those who do. It is quite fascinating to see our folks in their favored elements.

A true Episcopal farmer has the Episcopal shield on his tractor!

Thank you to John and Charlotte for teaching me, showing me around, and inviting me into your world. That’s the funny thing about offering God’s blessing: you go with the expectation of giving it, and you end up receiving it yourself!

Episcopal 101-New Testament

This Thursday at 6:30pm we will have our next Episcopal 101 class. We’ll be exploring part 2 of our look at the Bible by discussing the New Testament. If you have any question about how the New Testament was formed, what all is in it, or any other questions about the New Testament, please join us!

Episcopal 101 is for all-comers: those who are questioning their faith, those who want to learn more about their existing faith, those who are new to St. Nicholas and those who are long-time members, young or old, those who wish to be confirmed or join St. Nicholas, and so on. It’s a great thing to invite your friends to, so they can learn about the Episcopal Church, as well.

Vacation Bible School, July 26-30

UPDATE! At our meeting on Sunday, we decided to move VBS back to the week of July 26-30, so as not to conflict with other churches who have their programs going in June. This will also give us some more time to plan.

You can now sign up for VBS by clicking here!

Vacation Bible School is approaching quickly. As this will be St. Nicholas’ first VBS, we could use your help. Our goal is to provide a fun-filled week of activities for children ages 3 through 9. Read more

Your Week at St. Nick, 16 – 22 May 2010

Sunday, 16 May

8:30am Holy Eucharist

9:30am Breakfast/Fellowship

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

11:00am Holy Eucharist

Usher/Greeter

8:30am Dave and Sue Halmrast

11:00am John and Charlotte Winsness

Readers

8:30am John Brent

11:00am Peggy Martin/Abby Brown

LEM

8:30am Liz Dixon

11:00am Michelle Moody

Altar Guild

L. Dixon/T. Townsend

Flower Guild

Linda Sawyer

Sunday School Teacher

Bert Tomlin

Lemonade

Sheila Dixon

Acolytes

Robin Klitzke

Samantha Dixon

Austin Hubbard

Tuesday, 18 May

6:30pm St. Nicholas Academy

Wednesday, 19 May

6:30 -7:45pm Choir Rehearsal

Thursday, 20 May

6:30pm Episcopal 101

Happy Birthday!

5/10 Andy Butzon

5/13 Rebecca Kelly

5/14 Doug Martin, Jr.

5/16 Rose Brent

Happy Anniversary!

5/20 Larry & Julie Nordin

5/21 Kin & Beth Brown

Funny What You Find In Your Parent’s Attic

This past weekend, I visited my parents in Augusta.

When I walked in the door, my mom immediately handed me a Wal-Mart plastic bag full of junk. “Your sister and I were going through some things upstairs and found all of this for you.” It’s probably just a small sample of all the things I have left at my parent’s house in their attic. But I was amazed by what I found. I do consider myself a bit of a pack rat, so the things I kept even back then are interesting. They speak volumes about who I am today, ironically. Digging in this bag, I found quite a few treasures: Read more

Winged Visitors to St. Nicholas

Callaway Gardens isn’t the only place with butterflies.

If you’ve been around St. Nicholas lately, you might have noticed some winged visitors to our little church. A couple of weeks ago, our Sunday School children were amazed to see how friendly these beautiful members of God’s creation actually are. With the help of John Brent, the children got to see the butterflies up close and even got to walk around with them on their finger!

Here is some education on the butterflies, courtesy of a site that John found, in case you happen to see them again.