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| |  | BOOK STUDY GROUP
| | | Wednesday morning book study is at 9:00 am. We are studying Dietrich Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship. |
| | | SUNDAY SCHOOL | | |
Adult and Children's Sunday are up and running. Click below for the schedule
Sunday School Schedule. |
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Click Here for January Calendar
February Calendar | | |
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| | | Click Here for Lay Ministry Schedule | | |
February Lay Ministry Schedule |
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The Margarita
St. Margaret's Episcopal
Church & School
February, 2012
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And now, a word from our Vicar:
It seems one of the great past times of our age is fortune telling - for in almost everything you read someone is telling you what the future holds. This can be in the world of the mundane like betting on sports. It can be for fun like magazines that give you their predications for the year and often times it can be apocalyptic like when you read about habits of ours that must change in order for the human species to survive. It is a curious hobby because most times people get it quite wrong, like the magazine Popular Mechanics which predicted in 1950 that by 2002 no one would need to cook.
And of course in the world of the church, predictions of the future are everywhere - generally purporting that things are going downhill fast and we must change so that perfection can be reached. I tend to take church predictions about as seriously as I take other predictions. I assume some of them will be right, but who knows which ones. So what are we to do? Do we spend our time trying to predict an unknown future and adapt to it or is there something else better that we can do?
Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:34, "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today." Which is pretty sound advice if you think about it. I really do not know what the future holds, but it seems if we spend all of our time thinking about it, we neglect the present. I think any church that looks to take care of those things that need taking care of today will always be doing the work of the Lord. As St. Margaret's goes forward I think this is something to always keep in mind. We need to focus on the needs of today for tomorrow will always be there.
There is a story of an elderly monk who is out tending his garden. He is being helped by a young novice who is very eager and full of questions. At one point the young novice looks at the old monk and asks, "What would you do if you knew Jesus was coming back tomorrow?" To which the old monk replies, "I would finish tending my garden."
God has never called us to do anything about tomorrow, but he has told us what we are to do today and that is "to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8).
+Fr. Philip
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Budget News - Pledges
Actual Budgeted Difference
January 26,155 14,600 11,555
Total 26,155 14,500 11,155
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Council 2012
Council will be held February 16th through 18th at the McAllen Convention Center. The big news (at least for us) is that we will become a Parish. Additionally there are some othe things to be aware of like Council in Action | |
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Bus to Council
There are still a few seats (and some space on the roof) available for the bus to council. Pleas contact Fr. Philip if you would like to come along. The bus will leave St. Margaret's at 7:30 am on February 16th and be back around 8:00 pm the same day. |
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Food Pantry Update
Just a note to say "Thanks for your continued support of the Food Pantry. As you know, this is an ongoing outreach program in our area to help families in need and your support has made a difference. The Food Pantry has been in operation since 2008 and St. Margaret's has been participating since 2010. At the end of 2010, 3913 households were helped by the Food Pantry and that number rose to 5,490 in 2011 which is an increase of 71%.
There is a need and may God Bless You for your continued support. We are still providing cereal and peanut butter but all food is needed. If you would like to help bag groceries or just see how the operation works, come to Calvary Temple Assembly of God Church on O'Conner Road at 8:30 a.m. on the second or fourth Saturday of the month.
We are offering a Special Service, "Leave the Shopping to Us". A check to St. Margaret's designated for Food Pantry or envelope with cash, also designated for Food Pantry, will be used to purchase cereal and peanut butter. |
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Council in Action
First undertaken in 2007, our annual Council in Action (CIA) program seeks to live out in a small way the part of our mission that calls us to care for others in a material sense. Our 2012 theme, "Abound in Hope," asks us to strengthen our relationships and refresh our call to ministry to "Be Jesus' Witnesses," the Core Purpose of this diocese. Past CIA events have collected personal supplies for hurricane victims, provided underwear to the Salvation Army for their distribution, collected schools supplies for underprivileged children, and sent Good Samaritan Community Services children to Camp Capers in 2010 and 2011. For 2012 we focus on the Rio Grande Valley and Northern Mexico with two projects.
Goal #1 Frontera Unida - Los Libros de Oracion Comun (Spanish Book of Common Prayer)
Click here to order a Spanish BCP through the diocese.
The diocese has joined forces with The Bible and Common Prayer Book Society of The Episcopal Church to donate 500 Books of Common Prayer (BCP) in Spanish (El Libro de Oracion Comun) to the nine Northern Mexico churches in partnership with Frontera Unida. Currently these nine churches share 50 copies of El Libro de Oracion Comun. Council in Action will offer each of our churches the opportunity to donate three or more Los Libros de Oracion Comun, and The Bible and Common Prayer Book Society will donate an additional 225 books. "If every church in the diocese donates at least three copies, we should easily reach our goal of 500," said the Rev. Scott Brown, rector of St. Alban's, Harlingen. The books are available at Amazon.com if you would like to bring your donated copies to McAllen. You may also click the link above to purchase a prayer book and complete the inscription on your bookplate; cost is $16.50 per book. The diocese will deliver these books to Frontera Unida at Council in February complete with your personalized bookplate.
Goal #2 Casa Bethesda Orphanage- Adult Briefs (Diapers) - small and medium sizes to supply the orphanage for several months
Casa Bethesda is the only facility of its kind in the Piedras Negras, Mexico, area. It is a home where indigent or abandoned persons with disabilities are cared for with love and respect. The home is run by Pastor Paulino Esquivel and his wife Gilberta. Esquivel and his wife believe that God will provide for the home whatever it needs as long as God wants it to exist. In 1999, Pastor Paulino founded Casa Bethesda, and since that time God has provided for all their needs through free-will gifts. One of Casa Bethesda's greatest expenses is adult-size diapers/briefs. They use dozens each day. "This simple gift will be a blessing of encouragement to all the 'family' at Casa Bethesda," said Betty Chumney, office of the diocesan Department of World Mission.
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Spring Cleaning
St. Margaret's is planning a Neighborhood Rummage Sale on Saturday, April 21st. All items will be for sale, furniture, household items, books, clothes, garage items, toys and games. Now is the time to start cleaning out the closets, cabinets, garages and find a new home for those unwanted items that are just taking up space.
One of our storage sheds will be used to store items until the sale, so you may bring your gently used items at any time and not wait until April. All sales will benefit our outreach ministries.
MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW!!!!! |
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February Prayer Team Meeting
The meeting will be held Sunday February 26th after the 10:30 service. |
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Ladies Night Out
Ladies night will be held at Logan's Roadhouse on February 14th at 6:30, the address is 21119 US Highway 281 N. Please contact Wendy O'Brien if you can make it...210-831-3069 or wendy@mhi-tx.com |
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Notes from the Diocese
February 10-12 Staying Power Marriage Retreat
A weekend marriage retreat, "Staying Power - Making Marriage Last a Lifetime," for couples will be held at Mustang Island Conference Center on February 10-12, 2012. This will be a weekend of friendship, fun, and romance. Never forget that Jesus' first celebration was a wedding. The Rev. Jennifer and Carrick Brooke-Davidson and the Rev. Lisa and Kirk Mason will lead the retreat. Cost is $460.00 per couple. For more information, please contact Lynn Corby at lynn.corby@dwtx.org or 361-749-1800.
April 13-15 Spring Women's Gathering - Camp Capers
The Commission for Women's Ministry will host the spring women's gathering at Camp Capers on April 13-15, 2012. The Rev. Jane Patterson will be the speaker. This retreat is for all women ages 18 and older. More information will come soon.
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