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| |  | BOOK STUDY GROUP
| | | Wednesday morning book study is at 9:00 am. We are studying Henri Nouwen's The Way of the Heart. |
| | | SUNDAY SCHOOL BEGINS
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Adult and Children's Sunday School classes begin Sunday September 18th
Sunday School Schedule. |
| | | Click Here for September Calendar | | |
September Calendar |
| | | Click Here for Lay Ministry Schedule | | |
September Lay Ministry Schedule |
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The Margarita
St. Margaret's Episcopal
Church & School
September, 2011
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And now, a word from our Vicar:
C.S. Lewis begins his book Mere Christianity with a discussion about what he calls "the law of nature." What he means by this term is that all of us have a sense of right and wrong that exists outside of ourselves. It is not simply that there are some things that I do not like, but that there are things actually wrong in a universal sense. To further his point he says that when it is pointed out to us that we are not keeping this law of nature we begin making up excuses. We try and say why that particular idea of right and wrong did not apply to us at the given moment. It is something like if we get caught speeding we want the officer to know that we had an emergency and so on. It is not that we disagree that there is a particular law, it is that we believe that there are special circumstances which somehow make us immune from that particular law
And I think when it comes to living a good and moral life this is the area in which we need to concentrate, because I think most of the evil and rottenness that happens in this world comes not from an overt rejection of moral norms, but instead from rationalizing of our behavior. Very few people wake up and say I am going to go and murder someone today because I think murdering is a good thing, but many people will say they can handle their liquor so it is okay for them to drive after a few drinks or that they are in a hurry so it is okay for them to run a red light. It is in the seemingly small choices that most of the good or evil that we experience on a daily basis occurs.
When I was in High School I offered a teacher an explanation for why I had done some not terribly good action and after I completed my explanation she told me that I was very good at rationalizing. For some reason I took this as a compliment and thought of myself as quite clever that I was able to justify my behavior no matter how wrong. The problem though, is that the ability to rationalize is not an ability that should be cultivated because it turns you into a sort of corrupt third world dictator who believes that laws are for the little people. The fact remains, that if something is wrong, it is wrong for everyone including us. There are of course circumstances in which we are called on to choose the lesser of two evils, but that is not the point I am making here. The point I am making is that as we seek to draw closer to God and to walk in his ways a good place to focus is on morality and realizing that we are not exempt from it. And that we have a tendency because of our sinful nature to exempt ourselves from behavior that we would not tolerate in others. So no matter how good we are at justifying things, we are not fooling anybody besides ourselves.
+Fr. Philip
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Budget News - Pledges
Actual Budgeted Difference
January 28,054 14,600 13,454
February 10,594 14,600 (4,006)
March 10,894 14,600 (3,706)
April 12,265 14,600 (2,335)
May 12,645 14,600 (1,955)
June 12,452 14,600 (2,149)
July 15,550 14,600 950
August 9,505 14,600 (5,095)
Total 111,959 116,800 (4,841) |
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St. Margarets Camp Capers Retreat
If you are interested in attending the St. Margaret's retreat at Camp Capers it will be September 30 - October 2. There is a sign up sheet in the Narthax. We need at least 20 signed up so that we can go. The costs are as follows:
Room (per night)
Singles: $27
Family: $68
Board (per meal, per person)
Total per person; $36 | |
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Prayer Team Meeting
The Prayer Team will meet Sunday, September 4th after the 10:30 service.
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Rally Day - Sunday September 11th
Between services on Sunday Sptember 11th we will have Rally Day where everyone has a chance to sign up for the many minitries we have at St. Margaret's from Acolytes to Wedneday morning Book Study. Breakfast Tacos will be provided.
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Ladies Night Out
Ladies Night will be held on Sept 13th at 6:30 pm at Firewater Grille (menu attached); 26108 Overlook Parkway; Please call or email me for an accurate head count; wendy@mhi-tx.com; 831.3069 |
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Community Garden
After the long hot summer it will be time to plant gardens for the Fall growing season. On Saturday September 24th at 8:00 am we will gather to plant, add soil and any other things required for getting our gardens ready.
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Tales from the Thermostat
I need to enlist everyone's help to keep an eye on our thermostats. In the past week the thermostat in the Parish Hall has been left on 65 degrees, while the one in the Church has been left on 70 degrees. If you adjust a thermostat please make sure that you turn it back up to at least 78 degrees before you leave. Thank you.
Fr. Philip
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The Pumpkins are Coming, The Pumpkins are Coming
October is just around the corner and that means that it is getting close to Pumpkin Patch time. This will be our 12th year participate in the Pumpkin Patch Fundraisers with our proceeds going to fund various outreach programs. Please mark your calendars for October 8th as pumpkin delivery day. We will need help with putting out pallets, setting up the sales tents and unloading lots and lots of pumpkins. The signup sheets for working October 8th and the daily work schedule will appear very soon. A successful Pumpkin Patch depends on your help! |
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Prayer Team
Just a reminder that there are now blue cards in the pews for you to fill out with your prayer requests. You can place your completed cards in the communion plate and they will be added to the Parish Prayer List. The prayer team will be praying specifically for the individuals that you submit. In addition, we will continue to pray for those on our prayer list during Sunday Worship (unless you specify otherwise). Furthermore, on Sundays after Communion, there will be members of the prayer team available to pray for any specific needs you may have.
Thanks to all of the individuals who have volunteered for this most wonderful ministry. |
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Food Pantry
Please remember to bring Cereal and Peanut Butter for the Food Pantry.
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Clean-up with the Vicar
Starting Thursdays from 8:30 to 9:30 am the Vicar is going to be doing various clean up projects around the campus, like raking, weeding and sweeping. If anyone is interested in joining him you are more than welcome. If you work hard he might buy you a taco.
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Notes from the Diocese
The diocesan Department of World Mission will host a welcome back party at the Bishop Jones Center for Alison Barfoot, our Ugandan missionary, on Friday, September 9, from 6:30 to 9:00 pm. Wine and hors d'oeuvres will be served. To RSVP, contact Chris Dohoney by September 1 at seedohoney@sbcglobal.net or 210-259-5282
September 15-20 - Les Petits Chanteurs, the 40-person men and boys choral delegation from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is in the process of planning another trip to Texas from September 15-20, 2011. The tour is designed to raise money and awareness for the continuing needs in Haiti as well as share the richness of Haiti's musical tradition. The Holy Trinity Cathedral complex was completely destroyed during the January 2010 earthquake, and many efforts are needed to help rebuild. All funds raised during the tour will be used to help rebuild Holy Trinity Music School. The school is currently looking for churches, schools, and other organizations to host a concert. For questions about hosting, contact Jennifer Wickham at jwickham@saintgeorgeschool.org or by calling 210-492-1283.
October 13-16 Cursillo #254 will be at Mustang Island Conference Center. The Rector is Elizabeth Neally, St. Andrew's, Port Isabel. Spiritual Director is Rev. Richard Speer, Grace, Weslaco, and assistant Spiritual Directors are the Revs. Tom Turner, Advent Alice, and Robert McAllen, Epiphany, Raymondville.
October 21-23, Food for the Soul. From Friday's wine pairing dinner through Sunday's brunch enjoy fine food while praising God. Learn favorite Mustang Island Conference Center recipes alongside Kathy and Sandra, chefs. Learn a variety of new skills, hints, and tricks. Register online by clicking on the mouse graphic above. Each person, including spouse, must register individually. Cost is $248 per person for double occupancy and $295 per person for single occupancy, if available. Questions? Contact Lynn Corby at lynn.corby@dwtx.org or 361-749-1800.
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