Sisters and Brothers in Christ at St. Philip’s,
Alleluia. Christ is risen. Welcome again into The Great Fifty Days of Easter! My attention, at the beginning of this most festive of seasons, often turns to our common lives we share in Christ through our baptism. I hope most of you experienced The Great Vigil of Easter, that holy night that we began this long celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection together—the celebration par excellence! That night brought us the renewal of our baptismal vows (among other great things), the promises we make as followers of Jesus to live out, with God’s help. Those vows remind us what it means to be Jesus’ disciple, stop and take a look at them now on page 292 in The Book of Common Prayer or at https://www.bcponline.org/SpecialDays/EasterVigil.html#vows.
Look at what those vows (yes, “vows,” like marriage “vows,” they’re that serious) entail. First, a reaffirmation to renounce evil and a renewed commitment to Jesus. That means a turning away from that which draws you from Jesus toward that which brings you nearer to him. This is followed by the summary of our faith in the Apostles’ Creed, what we agree to believe in as Christians, about God; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And finally, a series of five questions, each one asking you to do something. I preached on Easter Sunday about the Christian life as a life of experience that is meant to be lived and shared and that is the heart of these important five questions. They are all meant to translate into action, a lived reality.
So, what’s expected of us? Take a look at those questions again. The first is about coming to worship regularly, taking communion, participating in the prayers of the church corporately. If you’re not doing that, whether in-person or online, with your church, that should change (there really are no excuses for this one, especially now that we’ve been streaming services for over a year). Next, the question pertains to resisting evil and repenting and turning to the Lord whenever you sin. That’s right, you will sin, the question is really, what will you do when that happens.
The last three questions are more of our outward living of our faith. Do your words and actions proclaim the Good News of God in Christ? That’s the hope, with God’s help. Do other people recognize Christ in you, as you seek and serve Christ in all persons? And, finally, are you working towards justice and peace for all people, respecting the dignity of every human being? That’s a huge one! It starts with ourselves in Christ and spreads outward to every human being, created in the image of God—and it’s possible with God’s help.
If we answer “yes” to all of these, people should recognize us by what we say and do in this world. Do they? We shouldn’t need to tell anybody we’re Christian for them to know—Jesus Christ should shine right through us and we should be given to works of charity in Palestine, Texas. What kind of outreach events ignite your passion for Jesus’ work in the world? What should we be doing as a body of Christ at St. Philip’s that tells the community we said “Yes” to these questions? It’s an honest question from me and I’d be happy to have honest answers from you. We must get outside of our own walls and the Lord must be known through St. Philip’s Episcopal Church. May we say, “We will, with God’s help.”
Wishing you a blessed Easter,
Fr. Justin Briggle
The next DOK meeting will be on Sunday, April 11th, at 11:45 a.m. in the Parish Hall with masks and social distancing required. The meeting will also be available via Zoom, with details to follow.
The next SMG meeting will be held in person on Monday, April 19th, at 6:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Social distancing and masks required.
There will be no ECW meeting in April.
April Birthdays
6 Frank George Jr.
24 Judy Leveridge
30 Shirlee Padgette
April Anniversaries
14 Robert & Sherry Snow
17 Dan & Marian Raney
24 Mike Gorby & Carolyn Salter
February 2021 Year to Date
Beginning Balance $85,884.36 $83,409.68
Total Income $7,913.54 $32,894.04
Total Expenses $13,910.73 $36,416.55
Ending Balance $79,887.17 $79,887.17
Ushers - April 2021
Curt Winkler.
Ushers - May 2021
To be Announced.
Altar Guild Schedule:
April 2021
Mar 27 – Apr 2---------Team 2 Becky Myers, Cathy Summers, Julie Law
Linens: Kirsten Knippers
Apr 3 – Apr 9 ---------Team 3 Alex Nemer, Vicki Winkler
Linens: Vicki Winkler
Apr 10 – Apr 16 -------Team 4 Sara Minton, Kathy Stites, Hilda Garcia-Castillo
Linens: Jeanette George
Apr 17 – Apr 23 -------Team 1 Nancy Waggoner, Sherry Snow,
Linens: Joann Evans
Apr 24 – Apr 30--------Team 2 Becky Myers, Cathy Summers, Julie Law
Linens: Kirsten Knippers
Lay Minister Schedule:
April 2021 Reader/Server
Thursday 4/1 Maundy Thursday 6:30 p.m. Carol Ann Chidlaw
Friday 4/2 Good Friday Service 12:00 p.m. Barbara Kolstad
Friday 4/2 Stations of the Cross 1:00 p.m. Sparky Kolstad
Saturday 4/3 Easter Vigil 8:00 p.m. Pat Redding
Sunday 4/4 Easter Sunday Service 10:30 a.m. Scott Nicholson
Sunday 4/11 Holy Eucharist Rite II 10:30 a.m. Phillip Morton
Sunday 4/18 Holy Eucharist Rite II 10:30 a.m. Carol Ann Chidlaw
Sunday 4/25 Holy Eucharist Rite II 10:30 a.m. Barbara Kolstad
Please consider contributing for Altar Flowers on a Sunday morning in Thanksgiving for an anniversary, birthday, or other blessing or in memory
of someone. Contact the church office to sign up for your Sunday.
Consider helping to stock the Community Blessing Box with non-perishable food items. It could use your help! Bless someone this Easter season!
We are so excited about our new sustainable drinking solutions now in place at St. Philip’s! We now have touch free filtered water dispensers. Staying safe while doing our part to help the environment.
Father Justin with Bishop Fisher on
Palm Sunday.
Easter Story time
with the children.
A Note from our Senior Warden:
When I was asked to write an article for the monthly Curate, I pondered what
subject would be of interest to our congregation and this is what was on my heart to write. Here goes. I love reading God’s word and have written a few devotionals. The following is from the archives of our Forward Day by Day, dated May 29, 1953 and written by an unknown minister. The scripture is 1 Thessalonians 5:25 which reads, Brothers and sisters, pray for us.
Question:
How should people feel toward their clergy and how should they treat them?
Answer:
We want your prayers. Our task is spiritual, and it puts a heavy drain on our souls. We have the same temptations that you have and some that are particular to our vocation. Your intercessions can reinforce our weakness and increase our strength in the Lord. Like most people, we have many problems. Pray for us that we may think clearly and act wisely according to the mind of Christ. We want your friendship. We are human beings. Don’t put us on pedestals. When you invite us into your homes, treat us “like home folks” naturally and simply. We like to see you around the parish, and we want to know about your job and interests. Tell us about your hobbies—we will tell you about some of ours.
The lesson here is relational. As we get to know one another, there is a deeper sense of how to help and be helped. My prayer is that each one of us PRAY,
ENCOURAGE, and SUPPORT our rector. We will only be blessed in return.
Be thankful,
Barbara Kolstad
Senior Warden
Junior Warden Report for March 2021:
• Martín replaced weather stripping on Parish Hall Door. Opens and Closes
well now.
• Discussed forming a Safety Committee with emphasis on proposed
security system for the church.
• Installed first filtered bottle filling station with drinking fountain in Parish
Hall.
• Ice Maker in line filter replaced and machine back in service.
• Began installation process for 2nd filtered bottle filling station with
drinking fountain in site of existing water fountain.
· Martín replaced pew cushions, hymnals, and BCPs in Nave.
Phillip O. Morton, RN
Junior Warden
Rector: Fr. Justin Briggle jbriggle@stphilipspalestine.com Cell: (512) 799-9365
Parish Assistant: Ginger Brown Treasurer: Melissa F. Cox
Sexton: Martín Rodríguez Organist/Choirmaster: Joshua Lang
Vestry Members
2021
Bill Fraser
Phillip Morton, Jr. Warden
Tucker Royall
Bob Snow
2022
Barbara Kolstad, Sr. Warden
Pat Redding
Mike Tisdale
Nancy Waggoner
2023
Melissa Cox, Treasurer
Alex Nemer, Clerk
Vincent Salaz
Joan Strominger
Normal Office Hours: Monday – Thursday: 9:00 a.m.—2:00 p.m.
Closed Federal and Occasional Church Holidays
Phone: (903) 729-4214 Fax: (903) 729-8691
YouTube: bit.ly/stphilipsyt
Facebook: www.fb.com/stphilipspalestine
Email: office@stphilipspalestine.com Website: www.stphilipspalestine.com