Great Items at Lobsterfest Silent Auction

The Silent Auction at Lobsterfest is offering fantastic items this year. Silent auction bidders have the opportunity to bid on luxurious vacation homes, sporting events, entertainment and adventure opportunities, fashion and art Items plus an array of unique items and gift baskets.

Vacation opportunities include one week at fabulous homes in North Litchfield Beach, SC or Pensacola, FL.

Tickets to “Bear Country” at the Springer Theatre, tickets to “Grease” at the River Center and an invitation to a Luau are available for bidders seeking entertainment.

The auction offers an airplane ride over Harris County, a private tour of Fort Benning, plus Fly Fishing lessons.

Art items include jewelry items by local artists as well as paintings by area artists.

Are you a Sports Fan? Well, there are tickets in the auction to the UGA vs. Georgia Tech game on November 27th. Tickets are on the 45 yard line, lower tier, under cover, along with a parking pass for the Hull lot across from the stadium where most of the tailgating occurs.

Also, this just in…we have 2 tickets to the Wednesday practice round of the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia!

Need a babysitter? Bid on 5 hours of babysitting from one of our talented youth!

This is a sampling of the great auction items available at the St. Nicholas Episcopal Church Lobsterfest on September 24th at Sweet Home Plantation in Pine Mountain. There is much more. To order Lobsterfest tickets, click here.

The Dangerous Act of Worship

Tuesday Night Adult Education Returns September 7!

In his book, The Dangerous Act of Worship, Mark Labberton asserts that corporate worship shouldn’t merely point us upward toward God, but turn us outward as well, toward our neighbors.  He says worship should translate into transformed lives that care for the poor and the oppressed.  The Old Testament prophet Micah said to Israel, “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”  (Micah 6:8)  If worship is the humble walk, where does doing justice and loving mercy fit?  What does Sunday worship mean to you come Monday?  Let’s talk about it!  Mollie Smith will be leading this class on Tuesday nights for 6 weeks starting September 7, at 6:30 pm., to discuss the meaning of worship at St. Nicholas and beyond. You can sign up for the class by visiting www.stnicholashamilton.org/signup or by visiting the bulletin board in the hallway. Copies of the book are $12.00, but are not required to take the class.

September Spirit of St. Nicholas

The September 2010 issue of the Spirit of St. Nicholas is up! Thank you, Drucye, and all our contributors for submitting articles!

You can read it by clicking directly on the image of the issue to the left, or by going to our Newsletter Page and clicking on September 2010.

If you have any news for the October issue, please contact Drucye Price by September 15.

The Genesis of JAWS

Cue the famous theme song.

Only we’re not talking about the shark movie. We’re talking about St. Nicholas’ youth group, newly dubbed “JAWS.” We’re not sure yet what JAWS stands for, but we know that we built our community around the name this weekend at Camp Mikell. Read more

Pray For Our Youth!

This weekend, Peggy Martin, Graham Horne, Heather Roper, our new youth intern Cami Fanning, and I are taking 16 youth (ages 10-18) to Camp Mikell in Toccoa, Georgia. This is going to be a wonderful opportunity for our youth, many of whom are new to St. Nicholas, to spend time getting to know each other better and building community as a group.

We will be leaving Friday afternoon at 4:00pm, which will get us to Camp Mikell pretty late. Please pray for safe travel and little traffic as we go through Atlanta.

At Camp Mikell, we will be participating in the ropes course, which is designed to give groups an opportunity to get to know each other, break down barriers, and establish trust. Our theme of the weekend is “Building Community,” so everything we do, including our drive up, our worship, and all our activities will be about starting this school year off with building long-lasting friendships. Read more

Waging A Living

This Sunday, August 29 at 9:45am, in part 4 of our 5-part Adult Formation Class, Faith & Finances, Chattahoochee Valley Episcopal Ministries (CVEM) Missioner Vicky Partin will be facilitating and showing a brief DVD called Waging A Living. The class will be hearing the stories of people, who, like many Americans, are working full time jobs but still cannot make ends meet. Hear their struggles and reflect with the class on issues of justice as we wrestle with what God is calling us to do.

Also, the Rev. Donna Gafford will be preaching and celebrating at both services as Fr. Jeff takes our youth to Camp Mikell on retreat.

They Said It Couldn’t Be Done

“They said it couldn’t be done, Christian Valley, but I preached a 10-minute sermon!”

Those were the exuberant words of Pastor Eric Seldon, who is the minister of Christian Valley Church in Cataula, who preached at both services at St. Nicholas on Sunday. While he was talking about his sermon length, I couldn’t help but think that there was much more that happened on Sunday that “they said couldn’t be done.”

I have written before about our relationship with Christian Valley and how we are seeking to create a bond of friendship between two very different congregations. One is predominantly African-American, one is predominantly Caucasian. One worships formally and traditionally, one worships with a much more contemporary spin. One has a preacher that preaches 10 to 15 minutes long, one has a preacher that preaches 30-45 minutes long.

As Pastor Eric mentioned in his sermon, in the South, Sunday mornings are the most segregated hours of the week. Yet, we have been called to take the “road less traveled” and join together on occasion to begin a process of relationship of understanding. One might worry that we’re trying to assimilate their church or that they are trying to assimilate ours. But that’s not the intention. It’s to engage fully in mission with one another. Mission, at it’s core, means engaging in relationship with one another. Christian Valley has a gift to give St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas has a gift to give Christian Valley. Despite our cultural, ecclesial, or liturgical differences, we lift those differences up and share them with one another to learn, and grow, and love one another. Who else is doing that in Harris County?

I said in both services yesterday that the Kingdom of God was indeed present. We all recited the Nicene Creed, as varied Christians throughout history have done before as a way to unite us in common worship. I looked out and saw the beauty of diversity in the faces of God’s created people! At the 8:30 service, we had 64 attendees, most of whom were Christian Valley members who came early, and then went to worship at their own 10 o’clock service. At 11:00, we had 97 people packed into the pews! It was a sight to behold!

Deacon Terrance Blue from Christian Valley led the Inspirational Choir in two songs at the two services, Souled Out and God Is. At the 11:00 service, everyone was on their feet clapping, dancing, and singing. If you wonder what eternity might be like, it might look a bit like that.

The number of e-mails and comments about our services have been overwhelmingly positive. As one St. Nicholas member said, “I thought to myself, this is the way the world can put aside bigotry and hatred…I have always been proud to be Episcopalian, but this morning went beyond mere pride to show me the way the world could ‘live as one.’”

I am supremely thankful to Pastor Eric, Garvin Gourie, and the rest of Christian Valley who made the day possible. I am overwhelmingly proud of the people of St. Nicholas, who welcomed new friends with open arms. Pastor Eric said how warm everyone felt there with us.

So it was a step in the right direction. I have never been more sure of that. I don’t know what God has in store for St. Nicholas & Christian Valley, but if it’s anything like yesterday’s worship, then the Kingdom of God is truly at hand.

My only disappointment in the day was that we didn’t get any pictures! Our regular photographer, Lynn Hall, was in bed with the flu, bless her heart, and I forgot to get someone else to take pictures! So even though the day wasn’t captured on camera, it certainly was graphed into the hearts and minds of all who were present.

They said it couldn’t be done…

BBQ Butts For CVEM!

Perfect for Labor Day Weekend!

Our friends at Chattahoochee Valley Episcopal Ministry (CVEM) & St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church are selling delicious barbecue butts as part of CVEM’s “30 for 30” Campaign.

Cost: $20 each

Due Date: Orders and payment due by Monday, August 30

Pickup: Thursday or Friday, September 2 or 3, at the CVEM house, 1120 Lockwood Avenue

How to Order? Lots of ways!

• Online at www.cvemjubilee.org (click on 30 for 30 page –online order form with electronic payment available)

• Email cvemjubilee@aol.com

• Call 706-327-0400

It’s just not Labor Day in the South without barbecue!

What Is God Calling You To Do?

So what is God calling you to do?

That’s the topic of conversation this week at Episcopal 101! Episcopal 101 is a class for all inquiring minds, whether you are a long-time Episcopalian or if you are brand new to St. Nicholas. Feel free to invite discerning friends, confused relatives, or puzzled co-workers who wonder what you mean when you say you’re an Episcopalian. All ages are invited, as this class doubles as confirmation and baptism preparation.

Episcopal 101 meets this Thursday, August 19 at 6:30pm at the church! Hope to see you there!

Humane Society Needs You!

The Harris County Humane Society is a licensed, non-profit organization that rescues homeless animals, cares for them and works to get them adopted. We are currently in a temporary location and are raising funds to build a shelter in Harris County. Several people from St. Nicholas are volunteering by cleaning the shelter, fostering dogs, working at Dog Gone Good Bargains in Pine Mountain and  PetSmart on Saturday. We will all tell you it is the most rewarding work we have ever done. If you can help contact Linda Sawyer, Volunteer Coordinator  at 706-582-3813 or hogback@wavetel.us. You can also find more information about the Humane Society on their Facebook Page.

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