Good morning, Church!
I hope and pray that everyone has had a wonderful Summer! It has been a wonderful Summer here at All Angels. We have worked together to make a lot of things happen. Some of these things are property related, such as improvements and summer cleaning. We also spent a lot of time planning out a what we hope will be a faith and community building program of fellowship and Christian Education.
These programs will begin in only a few short days. The campus will be alive in the Spirit as we start confirmation classes, Youth Groups, as well as our Community Tutoring Program. Not everything we do will be centered around formation in the classical sense. We will also be planning monthly events where the whole point is getting together to just be together. One parishioner mentioned that they were not familiar with most of the people going to church now due to the growth we have experienced in the last year. This is probably since every Episcopal Church has at least two separate congregations. One congregation attends the Rite 1 service and the other attends the later Rite 2 service. This place is no different. One might attend a smaller service and think that this is all church is or attend a larger service and neglect to think about the faithful that attend the smaller service.
One of the most important reasons that we come to church is not only to worship God, but to build a community of faithful followers of Christ. This community supports each other during times of trial and celebrates during the abundant harvests of the faithful life. Therefore, it is so important that we have times to get together to get to know each other. Whether we gather to eat “burned” hotdogs, or celebrate our feast day, make cookies to deliver to the neighbors, eat a dinner breakfast, or greet Saint Nicholas, it is important that we gather. We are a family united by the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit that strives to build and bolster the bonds of affection, and this is why we “do Church”.
So, as the weather changes and the days grow shorter and the nights colder, my prayer is that we light a fire of community and discipleship in our hearts. So, lets get to know each other better and build those bonds of fellowship!
One of the other most important parts of our faith is to grow closer to God through learning and meditating on God’s word. We also come together to learn about the history of our Church and how we exercise our faith as Episcopalians. Sometimes we also grow in Spiritual Stature by discerning how God is moving through our lives. We grow by discerning how our faith dictates that we respond to others, whether those be good times or bad. During the program year we will offer confirmation classes that address many of these issues. The classes are not only open to those discerning confirmation or reception into the Episcopal Church, but those interested in exploring the faith of those before us, as well as those discerning God’s call.
If you have any questions about these programs, please feel free to ask Father Clay or our Program Director Julianne. We look forward to having a fruitful and faithful time together.
I hope and pray that everyone has had a wonderful Summer! It has been a wonderful Summer here at All Angels. We have worked together to make a lot of things happen. Some of these things are property related, such as improvements and summer cleaning. We also spent a lot of time planning out a what we hope will be a faith and community building program of fellowship and Christian Education.
These programs will begin in only a few short days. The campus will be alive in the Spirit as we start confirmation classes, Youth Groups, as well as our Community Tutoring Program. Not everything we do will be centered around formation in the classical sense. We will also be planning monthly events where the whole point is getting together to just be together. One parishioner mentioned that they were not familiar with most of the people going to church now due to the growth we have experienced in the last year. This is probably since every Episcopal Church has at least two separate congregations. One congregation attends the Rite 1 service and the other attends the later Rite 2 service. This place is no different. One might attend a smaller service and think that this is all church is or attend a larger service and neglect to think about the faithful that attend the smaller service.
One of the most important reasons that we come to church is not only to worship God, but to build a community of faithful followers of Christ. This community supports each other during times of trial and celebrates during the abundant harvests of the faithful life. Therefore, it is so important that we have times to get together to get to know each other. Whether we gather to eat “burned” hotdogs, or celebrate our feast day, make cookies to deliver to the neighbors, eat a dinner breakfast, or greet Saint Nicholas, it is important that we gather. We are a family united by the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit that strives to build and bolster the bonds of affection, and this is why we “do Church”.
So, as the weather changes and the days grow shorter and the nights colder, my prayer is that we light a fire of community and discipleship in our hearts. So, lets get to know each other better and build those bonds of fellowship!
One of the other most important parts of our faith is to grow closer to God through learning and meditating on God’s word. We also come together to learn about the history of our Church and how we exercise our faith as Episcopalians. Sometimes we also grow in Spiritual Stature by discerning how God is moving through our lives. We grow by discerning how our faith dictates that we respond to others, whether those be good times or bad. During the program year we will offer confirmation classes that address many of these issues. The classes are not only open to those discerning confirmation or reception into the Episcopal Church, but those interested in exploring the faith of those before us, as well as those discerning God’s call.
If you have any questions about these programs, please feel free to ask Father Clay or our Program Director Julianne. We look forward to having a fruitful and faithful time together.