Dear Friends and Family of St. Raphael's by the Sea,
It is with great joy that I write to you this month. The Lord is showering us with His blessings! Within a twenty-four hour time period last week, we received word that we had been approved for a generous grant and also a new place where we can hold Sunday morning worship services. Plus, our first service in our new place the Beach Movie Theatre will be held on St. Raphael's Feast Day, which is another confirmation that God is orchestrating the birthing of this new church. As St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans (Romans 8:28) from the New American Standard Bible, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." When the Lord wants something done and we say "Yes!" to Him, then He clears away all obstacles to fulfill His plans.
You need to know that this new church has been and is continuing to be clothed in prayer. Prayers that came first from those who were called to walk away from the bondage and false teachings held by the leaders of the Episcopal Church. These decisions by your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ were not made haphazardly, but in prayer that for some has been bathed in tears. Yet, as a mother giving birth is willing to suffer the pains of labor; so too have your brothers and sisters in Christ suffered for your sake that you may join with us in worshiping the Lord God in spirit and in truth.
Like new parents, we are working hard to prepare this new place for you so that you will enjoy the fruits of our labors, receiving the benefits of the prayers you have offered up on our behalf. For we know that none of this could have happened without your prayerful support and words of encouragement that have kept us g
Marque Outside of New Church | oing forward for your sakes. So it is with great joy and anticipation that we look forward to your return to our beloved island that you may join with us in celebrating this new church that the Lord God has not only ordained, but sealed with His approval.
In the meantime, as we await your return, you can begin to enjoy God's blessings that He is heaping upon us through your financial gifts to support this new ministry that is centered on Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life. Please make your checks out to: St. Raphael's by the Sea Anglican Church, P.O. Box 6713, Fort Myers Beach, FL 33932. Or you can go on to our new church web site www.saintraphaelsbythesea.org and contribute online.
Thank you in advance for your generosity. See you soon! Blessings, |
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Donate On-Line to St. Raphael's by the Sea Church
To make it readily accessable and easy for our season members and friends to help support the missions of St. Raphael's by the Sea, we have set-up a means to receive donations via credit cards, debit cards, and direct from your bank accounts! Just click on the link below, enter you information and desired donation, and voila!, the transaction is completed for you direct into St. Raphael's by the Sea checking account. You can even specify how you want the funds used; from paying operating expenses, to flowers, music, Christmas, Easter, etc.
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The following document is now being studied at Coffee Hour. This document helped to lay the groundwork for the formation of the Anglican Church in North America. We are including it as a response to questions concerning the doctrines held by the ACNA. Cradle Episcopalians may recognize these beliefs to be what they were once taught. Sadly, the Episcopal Church no longer upholds the theology expressed in the following declaration.
The Jerusalem Declaration:
 In the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit:
We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, have met in the land of Jesus' birth. We express our loyalty as disciples to the King of kings, the Lord Jesus. We joyfully embrace his command to proclaim the reality of his kingdom which he first announced in this land. The gospel of the kingdom is the good news of salvation, liberation and transformation for all. In light of the above, we agree to chart a way forward together that promotes and protects the biblical gospel and mission to the world, solemnly declaring the following tenets of orthodoxy which underpin our Anglican identity.
1. We rejoice in the gospel of God through which we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Because God first loved us, we love him and as believers bring forth fruits of love, ongoing repentance, lively hope and thanksgiving to God in all things.
2. We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God written and to contain all things necessary for salvation. The Bible is to be translated, read, preached, taught and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense, respectful of the church's historic and consensual reading.
3. We uphold the four Ecumenical Councils and the three historic Creeds as expressing the rule of faith of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
4. We uphold the Thirty-nine Articles as containing the true doctrine of the Church agreeing with God's Word and as authoritative for Anglicans today.
5. We gladly proclaim and submit to the unique and universal Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, humanity's only Saviour from sin, judgement and hell, who lived the life we could not live and died the death that we deserve. By his atoning death and glorious resurrection, he secured the redemption of all who come to him in repentance and faith.
6. We rejoice in our Anglican sacramental and liturgical heritage as an expression of the gospel, and we uphold the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as a true and authoritative standard of worship and prayer, to be translated and locally adapted for each culture.
7. We recognise that God has called and gifted bishops, priests and deacons in historic succession to equip all the people of God for their ministry in the world. We uphold the classic Anglican Ordinal as an authoritative standard of clerical orders.
8. We acknowledge God's creation of humankind as male and female and the unchangeable standard of Christian marriage between one man and one woman as the proper place for sexual intimacy and the basis of the family. We repent of our failures to maintain this standard and call for a renewed commitment to lifelong fidelity in marriage and abstinence for those who are not married.
9. We gladly accept the Great Commission of the risen Lord to make disciples of all nations, to seek those who do not know Christ and to baptise, teach and bring new believers to maturity.
10. We are mindful of our responsibility to be good stewards of God's creation, to uphold and advocate justice in society, and to seek relief and empowerment of the poor and needy.
11. We are committed to the unity of all those who know and love Christ and to building authentic ecumenical relationships. We recognise the orders and jurisdiction of those Anglicans who uphold orthodox faith and practice, and we encourage them to join us in this declaration.
12. We celebrate the God-given diversity among us which enriches our global fellowship, we acknowledge freedom in secondary matters. We pledge to work together to seek the mind of Christ on issues that divide us.
13. We reject the authority of those churches and leaders who have denied the orthodox faith in word or deed. We pray for them and call on them to repent and return to the Lord.
14. We rejoice at the prospect of Jesus' coming again in glory, and while we await this final event of history, we praise him for the way he builds up his church through his Spirit by miraculously changing lives. |
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BLESSING OF THE SHRIMP FLEET
An historic turn of events has happened. The owner of the Shrimp Fleet, Dennis Henderson, contacted Betty Goodacre and invited St. Raphael's by the Sea Anglican Church to host the Shrimp Fleet Blessing for 2011. The Blessing ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 20th at 2:30pm on the shrimp docks. The Rt. Reverend Neil Lebhar, Bishop of the Gulf Atlantic Diocese in the Anglican Church of North America, has kindly accepted the shrimpers' invitation to bless the Shrimp Fleet. While the Blessing of the Fleet is the centerpiece of the event, activities for family fun are enjoyed by all, especially the shrimp eating contest at 1:30pm. Vendors will be at the docks and open from noon until 5pm. |
Our Mission is to Know Christ and to make Him known to others. To accomplish that mission, it takes commitment and resources. Please read the next few paragraphs and do what you can to support and further the mission.
Our Prayer List
PARISHIONERS:
Roxie Smith Betty Goodacre AJ Bassett
Sue Egony Alfred Paprocki Pat McIntosh
FAMILY OF PARISHIONERS:
Chris Parsons Frandy Bassett Courtney Looney
Teddi Marcrum Gary Looney Jackie Parsons
Owen Riley Pam
FRIENDS Carol Hartman Tammy Joy
Lily Langster Amy Elaine Hastings
Bill Van Duzer Dott Bellows Bruce Keillor
Arthur & Mary Alice Keillor
Carolyn, Sandy and Sparky Smith
Remember to pray for those who are in the military service and our nation's leaders.
Active military: Rockford Guy, John Bell, Adam Stock, Louis Feaman, David Bellows, David
Webb, Caroline, Nick Looney
Needs of our Church
- Financial contributions and donations to cover:
- Operating expenses; such as, rent for our worship space, supplies, secretarial assistance and office supplies, outreach, etc.
- Our very minimal tithe to the Gulf Atlantic Diocese
- Salary and modest expenses for our pastor
Prayers and support from our seasonal members to sustain our full time members in their efforts until you all return and physically "pitch in"
New members to expand our outreach and service in doing the Lord's work in our communities
Celebrate Birthdays and Anniversaries
October Birthdays October Anniversaries
2nd Ruth Abraham 12th Frank & Sue Willis
3rd Stan Hastings 23rd Robert & Eleanor Phelps
10th Ann Keholm
27th Christopher Parsons
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Joke for the Month
| The Golden Phone |  | |
 t seems a man in Topeka, Kansas decides to write a book about churches around the country. He starts by flying to San Francisco and working east from there.
He goes to a very large church and begins taking pictures, etc. He spots a golden telephone on a wall and is intrigued with a sign which reads "$10,000.00 a minute." Seeking out the pastor, he asks about the phone and the sign. The pastor answers that this golden phone is, in fact, a direct line to Heaven, and if he pays the price he can talk directly to God. He thanks the pastor and continues on his way.
As he continues to visit churches in Seattle, Denver, Boise, Milwaukee, Chicago, New York, and on around the United States, he finds more phones with the same sign, and the same answer from each pastor.
Finally, he arrives in the South. Upon entering a church, lo and behold, he sees the usual golden telephone. But THIS time the sign reads "Calls: 25 cents." Fascinated, he asks to talk to the pastor.
"Reverend, I have been in cities all across the country and in each church I found this golden telephone, and I have been told it is a direct line to Heaven and that I could talk to God, but in the other churches the cost was $10,000.00 a minute. Your sign reads 25 cents a call. Why?"
The pastor, smiling benignly, replies, "Son, you're in the South now. It's a local call."
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Pumpkin Crunch Parfaits
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cold milk
- 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
- 2 cups whipped topping
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 1/2 cups crushed gingersnaps
- additional whipped topping
Directions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat milk and pudding mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Stir in THE whipped topping, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice; mix well. Fold in pecans.
- Spoon half of the mixture into parfait glasses; top with half of the gingersnap crumbs. Repeat layers. Top with additional whipped topping.
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Saint Raphael's by the Sea Church