What’s Happenin’ in July?…

 4^th – Office closed for the holiday

 5^th – Executive Committee, 7:00 p.m.

7-14^th – Mother Barbara on retreat

 9^th – Morning Prayer/Roger Smith

        Officiant, 9:00 a.m.

10^th – Renovation Committee, 6:00 pm

15^th – Gospel Fest in North Park, noon

         ‘til 6:00 p.m.

16^th – Food Pantry Collection

         Loose offering to RDF

         Epistle news deadline

17^th – Vestry, 7:00 p.m.

18^th – Mother Barbara on call at ACMC

19^th – St. Elizabeth Guild, noon

25^th – Mother Barbara on call at ACMC

29^th – Weldon Slisher Funeral Eucharist,

         1:00 p.m.

                  Soaring…

A great teacher once noted the

distinctions among flying, gliding and soaring. The images are indelibly

imprinted upon my memory. In flying

you are powered through the air by powerful engines that produce thrust.

In gliding, you are towed to your launch height; then you float back to the earth.

  In soaring, however, you pay attention

to the thermal currents that lift you and

carry you along. You pay attention to the wind. Isaiah must have had something

like this in mind when he wrote, “Those

who wait for the LORD shall mount up

with wings like eagles”(Isaiah 40:31).

The Christian life is much like soaring.

When you pay close attention to the

winds of the Spirit of God, you are

carried to new heights and over great distances not otherwise possible. Watch

and wait for the refreshing restorative

power God offers. To catch the wind and

let God lift you is no longer only an issue

of possibility. It is an issue of necessity

and survival. To soar is to know

exhilaration in the life of faith.

  ~ On a Wing and A Prayer, Brian K. Bunknight, 1998 Dimensions for Living

             Used by permission

                Thank you…

Jan Green delivered groceries collected at St. Peter’s to the Salvation Army on May 28^th. “Thank you, thank you for helping to feed the hungry in Ashtabula,” is what they said – and she

gladly brought the message back.

  You can donate non-perishable food or

  paper products any time to the

  shopping cart in the narthex. Your

  donations will be forwarded to one of

  the food pantries in the city. Your

  generosity is appreciated a great deal by   

those struggling to get by and by those

in front-line ministries to the hungry and poor.

Thank you.

      Changes for your parish Directory…

Tom Chubb has changed to a cell phone only. His number is now

(440) 228-1241.

Jane Chiarulli

3729 Hardwick Terrace

Chesapeake, VA 23321-5716

Charles & Georgia Curie

1960 State Rte. 307 E

Jefferson, OH 44047-8650

 

What and Where is a CROP Walk?…

CROP is the community hunger appeal of Church World Service, an interdenominational relief and development organization. CROP was founded after World War II to help people of war-torn Europe to recover and rebuild.

The CROP walk is a 10K loop, and refreshments at the end. Walkers will be recognized at the end of the walk, and prizes will be awarded to the walkers with the most pledges signed up, and to the Church or organization with the most walkers.

The purpose of the walk is to raise money and awareness of the root causes of hunger in our country and around the world. Educational materials are available for use in your church or organization.

Since hunger lives next door, too, 25% of the money raised in the Walk will stay in Ashtabula to help support local hunger programs.

The CROP Walk for hunger is Sunday, September 24^th at 2:00 p.m., starting and ending at Bethany Lutheran Church. We will march rain or shine, so come prepared.

Here is what you do:

Recruiters are asked to begin signing up people to walk, providing them with sponsor envelopes for the walk.

Walkers sign up sponsors to support their participation. Sponsors may designate another relief organization to receive the proceeds from their support of this event.

After completing the Walk, walkers will collect monies from their sponsors and turn the money in to their recruiter, who will return it to the CROP treasurer.

If each participating church or organization will recruit 10 to 15 walkers with $50 each in pledges, the desired goal should be reached.

If you think you would like to do this very personal outreach, or help to recruit walkers, please call the office

at 992-8100 and let it be known.

For more info: Rev. John Germaine, First United Methodist Church, 993-3806.

                    Hear Say…

Rector: “How did the assistant rector’s

            sermon go Sunday?”

Member: “It was a poor sermon.

              Nothing in it at all.”

(Upon seeing the assistant rector)

Rector: “How did it go Sunday morning?”

Assistant: “Excellently. I didn’t have

                time to prepare anything

                myself, so I preached one

                of yours.”

          Letters, we get letters…

Dear Congregation of St. Peters’,

Thank you for your contribution to the “Lights-On-The-Lake” project.

Your support of this community event is greatly appreciated.

I hope you will enjoy the Christmas Display and especially the Nativity Scene.

Thanks again for your participation.

~ from Fr. Phil Miller, St. Joseph

      Church ~

               An Invitation…

To participate in the polity of our Church is extended by the Committee on Canons of

the Diocese of Ohio. They state, in part:

“Our Constitution and Canons provide one of the ways by which we order our common life as Episcopalians in the Diocese of Ohio.

The purpose and intent of this living

document is to help us live a life that will,

as Ephesians 4 states, ‘maintain the unity

of the Spirit in the bond of peace.’

One of the ways clergy and laity partici-

pate in the diocesan community of

disciples is through the annual oppor-

tunity to enact, amend or repeal facets

of the Constitution and Canons through a canonically mandated process.”

Should you care to do this, the proper

forms are available in the office. The announcing letter is posted on the

bulletin board opposite the office.

For any questions or concerns, contact:

The Rev. Alan C. James (216) 774-0449,

or ajmaes@dohio.org

The Rev. Gay C. Jennings (330) 908-3849,

or gjennings@episcopalcredo.org.

       Thought for the Month…

Gandhi said it…

“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”

        Mower and Mower…

Pastor Sampson was making visitation rounds on his trusty bicycle, when he turned a corner and came upon a young boy trying to sell a lawn mower.

“How much do you want for it?” Sampson asked.

“I just need enough money to buy a bicycle,” the boy explained. After a moment of thought the preacher asked, “Will you take my bike in trade for it?”

“Mister, you’ve got yourself a deal.”

The preacher took the mower and began to crank it. He pulled on the cord a few times with no reaction from the machine. The preacher called the boy over and said, “I can’t get this mower to start.”

The little boy said, “ My dad says you have to cuss at it to get it started.”

Pastor Sampson replied, “I am a minister, and I cannot cuss. I have been saved for so long I don’t even remember how to cuss.”

The little boy looked at him with a sparkle in his eye, “Just keep pulling on that cord and it will come back to you.”

 

          Do you remember?…

While casting about for ideas to help grow our church, some Vestry members told stories of what drew them to St. Peter Church when they were looking for a spiritual home.

Some of us, of course, had no interesting story – we were brought here as children and have stayed because we love our church and our church family as it has evolved over the years.

One remembers receiving a home-baked pie the day after he was in church here for the first time, and a visit from the Rector on the second day. This seemed friendly and welcoming so he kept coming, and he’s still here. In fact, he’s our Senior Warden.

It struck us that there are probably other stories pertaining to the reasons for choosing St. Peter Church as one’s spiritual home. Perhaps they would give us inspiration for finding ways to

encourage a growth in this warm and funny family that we have.

If you remember, and would like to share your story, please leave us a note. You can drop it in the office, e-mail it to maryloou_tfclu@yahoo.com or put it in the box on the wall outside the office – addressing it to the Epistle. If you’d rather not see it in print, just say so and we’ll only use it as an idea to ponder in Vestry.

 

Pets on the Internet…

      ~ a Ministry of the Order of      

           Servants of Christ ~

A special site on the internet that pet owners and animal lovers may want to explore is:

              www.oschrist.org.

The site is devoted to animals and their companions, with a special link to offer your prayer requests and concerns.

  If Tomorrow Starts Without Me

A few weeks ago a school teacher was killed in an auto accident. She was very well liked, so the school system shut down for her funeral and it was on the news, etc. On the day her co-workers returned to work they found this poem in their e-mail, that the deceased woman had sent on Friday before she left for home.

“If tomorrow starts without me and I’m not there to see,

If the sun should rise and find your eyes all filled with tears for me;

I wish so much you wouldn’t cry the way you did today, while thinking of the many things we didn’t get to say.

I know how much you love me, as much as I love you!

And each time that you think of me, I know you’ll miss me too;

But when tomorrow starts without me, please try to understand that an angel came and called my name and took me by the hand; she said my place was ready, in Heaven far above, and that I’d have to leave

behind all those I dearly love.

But, as I turned to walk away, a tear fell from my eye – for  all my life I’d always thought I didn’t want to die; I had so much to live for, so much left yet to do, it seemed almost impossible that I was leaving you.

I thought of all the yesterdays, the good ones and the bad; I thought of all the love we shared and all the fun we had.

If I could relive yesterday, just even for a while; I’d say good-bye and kiss you and maybe see you smile.

But, then, I fully realized that this could never be, for emptiness and memories would take the place of me; when I thought of a worldly thing I might miss come tomorrow, I thought of you and when I did my heart was filled with sorrow.

But when I walked through Heaven’s Gates, I felt so much at home.

When God looked down and smiled at me from his great golden throne, He said, ‘This is Eternity and all I’ve promised you. Today your life on earth is past, but here life starts anew. I promise no tomorrow, but today will always last – since each day’s the same way there’s no longing for the past.

You have been so faithful, so trusting and so true; though there were times you did some things you knew you shouldn’t do. But, you have been forgiven and now at last you’re free; so won’t you come and take my hand and share my life with me?’

So when tomorrow starts without me, don’t think we’re far apart; for every time you think of me, I’m right here in your heart.”

~ submitted on email; by nmcdaneldcasey@hotmail.com ~