Spirit of the Eagle – January 2016
Spiritual Tidbits for January from Father Tim
Happy New Year 2016! The old year is now history, and the new year, winter, and Epiphanytide have arrived. I really like the quote, and have used it at St. John’s at least twice, from St. Peter of Damaskos, “in thunder and lightning we see the day of judgment; in the call of cocks we hear the trumpet that will sound on that day; in the rising of the morning star and the light of dawn we perceive the appearance of the precious and life-giving Cross; in men’s rising from sleep we see a sign of the resurrection of the dead, and in the rising of the sun a token of the second advent of Christ.” Thus in his spirit of thought we could see in each new year 2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. As a parish you have attained an unprecedented amount of accomplishments in 2015, at least unprecedented since my arrival, and now you should look forward. Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2016 is ahead. All of you are “new creatures”. Now is the time to reach upward to the next rung of the ladder. What are your plans for your parish in 2016? ~ Father Tim
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I do not wonder interpreters make this house the church of God. It is the gate and court of heaven, now Christ is here; angels sing round about it; all holiness is in it, now Christ is in it; here all creatures, reasonable and unreasonable, come to pay their homage to their Creator; hither they come even from the ends of the earth, to their devotions; ‘a house of prayer’ it is ‘for all they to pay their offerings and their vows; here is the shrine and altar, the glorious Virgin’s lap, where the Saviour of the world is laid to be adored and worshiped; here stands the star for tapers to give light; and here the wise men this day become the priests — worship and offer, present praises and prayers, for themselves, and the whole world besides, all people of the world, high and low, learned and ignorant, represented by them. ~ Mark Frank, (1613–1664) was an English churchman and academic.
January Spirituality Class
Please join us on the 17th of January after Holy Communion as we continue an in depth study of The Revelation of St. John the Divine. Many people today regard Revelation as the hardest book in the New Testament. It is full of strange, lurid and sometimes bizarre and violent imagery. As a result, many people who are quite at home in the Gospels, Acts and Paul find themselves tiptoeing around Revelation with a sense that they don’t really belong there. But they do! In fact, Revelation offers one of the clearest and sharpest visions of God’s ultimate purpose for the whole creation, and of the way in which the powerful forces of evil, at work in a thousand ways, can be and are being overthrown through the victory of Jesus the Messiah and the consequent costly victory of his followers. Please come and bring a friend to visit our parish!
Ministry for Children
Savannah will hosting the Ministry for Children on the 17th of January after Holy Communion. It is designed for children ages 2 through 12 years. This month’s ministry will be on Epiphany, Wise Men, and snowflakes. Please make every effort to bring all related children in your family for these fun and educational classes. The children will participate, enjoy, and learn the foundation and building blocks of the Christian faith through bible stories and created crafts. Savannah will bring the crafts and refreshments are provided.
2016 St. John’s Annual Operational Planning Budget
Just a friendly reminder from our Annual Parish Meeting that we are falling a few hundred dollars short each month on our operating budget. However, the fix looks very optimistic. If each parishioner, based on our average attendance, could commit to a 10% average increase in their current tithing the gap would be closed. In other words, using some simple math, if a parishioner currently puts $20.00 per week in the offering plate, putting in only $2.00 dollars more ($22.00) would put us back on target. Please commit to helping your parish stay in the black for 2016! ~ Father Tim
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Our 2015 Average Sunday Attendance in 2015 was 46. We bottomed in the first quarter, leveled in the second and third quarters, and grew in the fourth quarter. Average Sunday Attendance the last quarter (13 services) of 2014 was 41. The Average Sunday Attendance for the last quarter 2015 was 49. For the first time in five years your parish growth is trending upward (as I predicted). You are green and growing!! Spread the Gospel and keep reaching higher! ~ Father Tim
A Friend in Need
My neighbor was so touched for the box of groceries for Christmas for herself and her three young girls. She is having a real tough time making ends meet, and this helped. She needs a kitchen table and chairs. The kids don’t really have a good place to eat. One has asked for a birthday party next month (I think) but there is nowhere for the kids to sit. To compound her recent problems, her vacuum sweeper and coffee maker just went belly-up. I was wondering if anyone might have something for her. She cannot afford to go to St. Vincent or Goodwill.
Thanks….Gina Parry 859-835-0661
Parish Directory Info / Updates Needed
Rich Seyberth has set a goal of March 1 to release the new/updated parish directory. Information needed will include: name, address, phone numbers and email addresses. If you are a new member of the parish who isn’t listed in the current directory, or if any of your information has changed in the last year, please give it to Rich or email him at rseyberth2@gmail.com.
Choir Room Light, Thermostat & Parish Hall Door
The light in the choir room has been left on on numerous occasions over the past few months. If you are a member of the choir who dresses in the choir room, please make it a habit of turning out the light as you leave the room after you have changed. Just in case it wasn’t you, housekeeping will also be reminded.
In order to keep our energy bill at a reasonable rate, the thermostat in the rear of church is programmed. Recently there have been a couple of occasions when I discovered the heat on and the thermostat tampered with during a walkthrough. If you must turn up the heat anytime while performing duties at church, PLEASE 1.) Adjust temperature upward (^) in the right-upper corner 2.) Before leaving, all you need to do is hit the SCHEDULE button before leaving.
When locking the parish hall door, please keep in mind the door needs to be shut firmly and the handle checked to be sure it is locked before you leave. The same thing goes for the church doors. This is especially important when the sun is beating on the door, as it seems to “stick” when this happens.
Thanks………..Mike Lenz
Congratulations to Paige Smith!
On Saturday, December 12, 2015, Paige graduated from Western Kentucky University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing. She is currently studying to take the NCLEX and hopes to work in Northern Kentucky once she is licensed.
January Birthdays & Anniversaries
Tina Smith – Birthday – January 7
Matt Lenz – Birthday – January 7
Kelsey Robbins – Birthday – January 8
Eileen Hanson – Birthday – January 14
Susan Moore – Birthday – January 20
Adam Cook – Birthday – January 20
Kim Marshall – Birthday – January 24
Chris Murray – Birthday – January 24
Devan Smith – Birthday – January 25
Katie Longshore – Birthday – January 28
Samantha Longshore – Birthday – January 29
Kathy Hougham – Birthday – January 31