This Week at St. Bart's

April 27, 2016

A Message from the Reverend Andy Dunks

What Happens When We Pray?

'Eighty per cent of life,' according to Woody Allen, 'is just showing up.' So much of life is simply the set of circumstances we find ourselves in - things happen to us. For example, our parents, our genetic design, the weather, much of our education and our government are all things that we experience as 'happening to us'. In Greek grammar, these things are expressed in what we call the 'passive voice'. However, we also make things happen. When I initiate an action and do something, this is expressed in the 'active voice'.

But Greek grammar also has a third voice - the 'middle voice'. This is neither wholly active nor wholly passive. When I use the middle voice, I am participating in the results of an action.

Prayer takes place in the middle voice. Prayer cannot be in the active voice because it is not an action I control. That would be a pagan concept of prayer: we make the gods do our bidding with incantations and rituals. Prayer is not in the passive voice either, in which I slump passively into the impersonal and fated will of gods and goddesses. In Christian prayer, I enter into an action begun by another - my creating and saving Lord. I then find myself participating in the results of his gracious action.

In one sense, the whole of the Christian life is prayer. We welcome God's gracious hand in our lives, and we participate in what he is doing in the world. God involves you in his plans. Of course, he could do it all on his own, but he chooses to involve you. He gives you freedom, yet he remains in control. - The Rev. Nicky Gumbel in The Bible in One Year email devotional

"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. - John 4:34

"Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. - John 5:19

Blessings,

Mission

Our mission is to seek, serve, and celebrate Christ in every person.

We invite the community to worship with us, to share our gifts, and to grow in Christ's love.

In This Issue

Rector's column

This Sunday

Cuban Night

Coffee Hour Sign-up

Ascension Day

Food Donations

Devotionals weekly readings

St. Bart's Youth Group

Spiritual Formation Group

Prayer Request/Answered

On the Horizon

Web Site

www.stbartsrichmond.org

Email

stbartsrva@gmail.com

Phone

804-740-2101

Street Address

10627 Patterson Ave.

Henrico, VA 23238

Mailing Address

P.O. Box 29626

Richmond, VA 23242

Father Dunks's

contact information

Cell: 804-937-7145

dunks.andy@gmail.com

This Sunday

8:30 AM Holy Eucharist, Rite I
9:30 AM Adult Sunday School

10:30 AM Holy Eucharist, Rite II

5:30 PM Sudanese Service

2016 Cuban Night

Wow, I don't even know what to say. Carlos and I hosted the first Cuban Night
several years ago with a goal of raising $500. I think that year we made $700.
We then kept increasing the amount but in the last 4 or 5 years it was always
about the same. I have been asking for everyone to bring the people in and we
would make sure we had enough food. This year we finally got our wish. I know
we probably fed about 120 Saturday night and I lost count of how many take
home orders we filled. We broke the record and as of today we have raised $3,257.

We want to thank everyone that helped us achieve this success. You made it so
much easier on us. Working together gave us the opportunity to introduce some
of our family and friends and to learn a little something else about each other.
More importantly I hope it showed all who attended that St. Bart's is a family that
cares and welcomes all.

We thank God for the opportunity to share a meal together and to raise money to
continue St. Bart's work.

Looking forward to Cuban Night 2017!!

Clara, Betty and Carlos

Coffee Hour

Please consider signing up to sponsor coffee hour after a 10:30AM service. All

you have to do is bring goodies to share, stay and enjoy the company and then

clean up afterwards. This time gives us the opportunity to get to know other
members and welcome visitors.

There is a sign up sheet on the bulletin board.

Ascension Day Service - Region XII

The Bishop's Chapel

Region XII will celebrate Ascension Day with
a service on Thursday evening, May 5, in the
Bishop's Chapel at Roslyn, beginning at 7 PM.
The guest preacher will be the Rev. Rhonda
Baker, rector of Grace Episcopal Church,
Goochland, assisted by the Rev. Penny Nash
from St. Stephen's Church, Richmond. The
All Saints Choir will be providing music.

Light refreshments will follow the service. This is our opportunity to worship
with the churches in Region XII in truly beautiful setting, and all are invited
to attend.

First Sunday Food Donations for the Hungry

We continue to collect food donations on the first Sunday of each month.
If you forget that scheduled collection date, just add your donations
to the box to the right of the door anytime. We are currently delivering
the food to the Lamb's Basket Food Pantry in the Lakeside neighborhood. While
they accept any canned or packaged, food, items they regularly distribute to
each family the following products:

Pasta sauces

Soups

Beans

Vegetables

macaroni and cheese boxes

dry pasta

fruit (they have a goodly supply of fruit right now.)

In addition, they offer choices of juices, staples such as cooking oil, condiments
and a shelf of toiletries, detergents and paper goods. On my last delivery, they
mentioned they were low on baby food.

They would also like to have a steady source of fresh eggs. Due to our storage
constraints, I purchase eggs on the way to deliver the food. If anyone wants to
donate cash for eggs, I would be happy to add that to my donation.

Thank you for your support of this outreach project.

Family Bible Devotionals

May 1 - 7

Last Supper & Mount of Olives (Luke 22:1-46).

Jesus Storybook Bible, p 286.

E100, #66.
Bible Story Handbook, Ch. 126, 128.

Memory: Luke 22:19-20.

St. Bart's Youth Group

Calling all youth 13 years and older to join our youth group. The meetings
will be held on Sundays at 6PM. We will continue to meet twice a month on
the second and fourth Sundays. Together we will explore the bible and see
how it can apply to our daily life. We will also be talking about how we can
help the church and community.

We would like to provide dinner for the youth group on the Sundays
we meet. Please call Marlaina Knowlton at 804-897-1495 if you could
help with dinner any Sunday. We will place a sign up sheet on the
bulletin board. Please consider helping by signing up. Thanks.

Spiritual Formation Groups

Monday Night Group (at St. Bart's)

The Monday Night group meets at the Church from 6:30-8:00pm.

Wednesday Morning group (at St. Bart's)

The Wednesday Morning Group meets at the church for prayer and study from
10:30-11:30AM.

Prayer Request and Answered Prayers

Prayer Requests:

This week we are praying for: Arlene, Autumn, Audith, Betty Sue, Betty P.
Betty W., Bill, Carole, Carolyn, Carter, Cathy, Christy, Cierra, Clara, Claudine,

Diana, Dorothy, Don, Donna, Ethan, Frank, F.G., Ginny, Harlow, Hayden, H.B.,
Jane, Jeanne, Jennifer, Jimmie, Joyce, Julia, Kathy, Kelly, Kent, Klaire, Kym,
Laura, Lexie, Lilliam, Linda, Maggie, Martin, Michael, Mindy, Molly, Nick, Okpil,
Paige, Paul, Rob, Robert, R.W., Sarah, Sebastian, Terry, Thomas, Tony, Tukie,
Vonie.

On the Horizon