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|  | BOOK STUDY GROUP
| | | Wednesday morning book study 9:00 am. We will be looking at Pilgrims Progress. |
| | SUNDAY SCHOOL RESUMES
| | Adult and youth Sunday School classes resume January 16th at 9:30. See you then
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 The Margarita
St. Margaret's Episcopal
Church & School
January, 2011
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And now, a word from our Vicar:
With the New Year upon us it is once again time to start thinking about resolutions. I once read a study about the success and failure of various New Year's resolutions. The author concluded that the likelihood of someone succeeding with their goal in large part depended upon the magnitude of that goal. The more grandiose the goal the less likely it was to succeed. The author concluded by saying that you need to set realistic goals if you want to have any likelihood of success. In other words a coach potato should not resolve to win the Boston Marathon, but rather to try and exercise twice a week.
Calvin Coolidge once said "We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once." This statement like realistic New Year's resolutions may also be an apt model for our lives as Christians and as St. Margaret's. We need to do something, but if we set absurd goals or try and do everything, we will most likely fail.
As we go into the New Year I think it would be a good time to think about something realistic that we can take on, to grow in our love and knowledge of Jesus Christ. This may be something like a daily devotional, participating in a Bible Study or local mission or perhaps spending more time in prayer. If you simply cannot think of anything and would like a suggestion here is one - why not try and read one of the great spiritual books written across the ages. If you are unsure what you should read here are a few that I would recommend:
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis: If you have not read it, you should. This book is taken from a series of radio lectures that Lewis conducted in 1943 on the central issues of Christianity.
Introduction to the Devout Life by Francis de Sales: Written by a 16th century priest this book is an attempt to show how to live a holy life in the secular world.
The Anglican Spirit by Michael Ramsey: This book is actually a collection of a number of lectures that Archbishop Ramsey delivered. They serve as an overview to Anglican theology, spirituality and history.
The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen: This is a reflection on Rembrandt's painting of the same name and is not as boring as it sounds. The book looks at the story of the Prodigal son from the perspective of the younger brother, the older brother and finally the father.
Orthodoxy by G.K Chesterton: Written when Chesterton was 34 (and still an Anglican) this book explores what we call orthodox Christian teaching. Chesterton writes "People have fallen into a foolish habit of speaking of orthodoxy as something heavy, humdrum and safe. There never was anything so perilous or so exciting as orthodoxy."
Whatever it is you do in the New Year I pray that it will be a pleasant one and that you will find yourself growing closer to God in all that you do.
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So many to thank!
Thank You
I wanted to take a minute to thank everyone for the wonderful Christmas gift that you gave my family and me. I am so appreciative of the generous spirit that permeates St. Margaret's. I am looking forward to this year and all of the things that we will do together as a church family. May God bless all of you.
Thank You II
Thank you to Anna Brown and Maggie Clyma for coordinating our Christmas Gift's to Stahl Elementary. This year we helped five families with presents and food. It was a wonderful outreach and truly showed forth God's love.
Thank You III
Thank you to all of you who help out with donations to the food pantry at Calvary Temple Assembly of God. A special thanks to Jo McCartney, Bob and Bonnie Cole and Iris Perez.
+Fr. Philp
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Annual Meeting
On Sunday, January 9th, we had our annual meeting. It covered our plans for the new year and our budget. We also elected our four council representatives. Those individuals are: Barbara Baugh, Dick Gauthier, Jo McCartney and Mike Vardas. Thank you to all of you for coming and it looks like another exciting year at St. Margaret's. Our 2011 Bishop's Comittee consists of the following: Barbara Baugh Bob Evans Rell Fowler Dick Gauthier Mike Gibson Jo McCartney Bob McDonald Laura McWhirter Jane Marie Young
+Fr. Philp
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Food Bank
As you have probably seen on TV, the Food Bank is desperately in need of donations. Grocery stores that previously were donating out-of-date food to the Food Bank are now simply marking these items down and selling them. At the Food Pantry on O'Connor Road that we partner with, this has made itself felt in our inability to get some of the staple items that the Assembly of God Church purchases regularly. This makes our Sunday donations to the Food Pantry all the more important. Anything, boxed, canned, etc. can be used and the Assembly of God Church usually provides rice or beans, tuna, peanut butter, mac & cheese, spaghetti sauce & spaghetti, canned vegetables and/or canned fruit. Anything that can be added to these staples such as an easy one-dish meal, jelly to go with the peanut butter, boxed potatoes, etc., is helpful. In addition, we occasionally have a homeless person stop by so pop top cans, cheese crackers or other items that can be eaten without cooking are also welcome. Check out your pantry - we all probably have food to share so try to establish a habit of bringing something every Sunday. If you prefer to donate money, just mark your check for the "food pantry" and we will shop for you. Great bargains can be found at Sam's or Costco. The need continues to increase due to the economy so this is a vital ministry for our Church. In addition, anyone who would like to help with distribution is also welcome. Distributions are made the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month between 9:00 and 12:00 at the Assembly of God, Family Center on O'Connor road.
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Prayer Team
St. Margaret's is in the process of starting a Prayer Team. Our goal is to have a group of people who pray regularly and intentionally for our Church, for one another and for the needs of others. There will be training on how to pray effectively as intercessors and eventually, for those who desire it, training to lay hands on people and pray for healing, comfort etc. If you are interested in becoming a "Prayer Warrior" or just becoming more effective in your daily prayer life, please join us for an organizational meeting after the 10:30 worship service on January 16th. When we know more about the team, we will be able to set meeting times and training.
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Friends of Families at Christmas
Christmas Giving a Blessing and a Success!
Thank you to all who participated in this year's event. We sponsored 5 families from Stahl Elementary who were in need this Christmas. Of the 24 people on our list, 14 were children. Every child received 2 gifts and a Christmas stocking, every adult 1 gift card and every family received a huge bin of food as well as 2 gift cards to HEB for perishable food items. Like in year's past, everything was donated by our small, but loving congregation and we didn't have to dip into our outreach funds.
The families who were on our list were overwhelmed by your generosity. One head of household said that he felt that it was too much and wouldn't be able to repay us and asked us to call on him if there was ever anything that he could do to help us. We had one family who walked to the church from a street off of Nacogdoches. They were especially thankful for the ride home (thanks Rell!) after they saw the huge bin of food.
This program is a joint effort between the congregation and the day school. Together, we do awesome things!
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 Ladies Night Out
Ladies night will be held on Tuesday January 11th at 6:30. We will be going to Romano's Macaroni Grill; 1011 N Loop 1604 East, City, 78232. Please let me know if you can attend. If you have any questions, give me a call at 210-831-3069. Thanks, Wendy
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Brotherhood of St. Andrew
- The next regular meeting is set for February 1st, 2011 to commence at 6:30 PM in the parish hall. Responsibilities are as follows:
- Prayers - Pete S.
- Study - Emilio S.
- Food - Jim T.
- Dessert - Claude D.
- Drinks - Rell F.
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