CONNECTION St. Peter’s VOL. 9, No. 5 October 5, 2018 Connecting the World with God’s Love THIS ISSUE: YMCA Prayer Station Come see Alex this Monday at the Monty Ballard YMCA as he prays for people in our community. Last Blood Drive of 2018 Oct. 28 will be the last Blood Drive in 2018 at St. Peter’s. Please make plans now to donate your life-saving blood. 20775 Kingsland Blvd., Katy, Texas 77450 (281) 492-8031 stpkaty.org Bags of beans for soup become funds for missions Each year the United Methodist Women bag an assortment of beans for soup that they sell at our Pick-a-dilly Craft Fair. The proceeds from the bean sales go to the many mis- sion projects supported by UMW. If you would like to be a part of this group that meets month- ly for speakers, studies, and missions, please con- tact Linda Elms at (806) 341-0874.
Dear Friends in Christ,Today I have been reading about St.
Augustine and his conversion to Christianity. St. Augustine of Hippo was a Roman African, early Christian theologian, and philosopher from Numidia whose writings influenced the development of Western Christianity and Western philosophy. He was born in 354 and died in 430.
A couple of his notable quotes are:“You have made us for yourself, O Lord,
and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
“Faith is to believe what you do not yet see; the reward for this faith is to see what you believe.”
Augustine’s life as a young man was characterized by loose living and a search for answers to life’s basic questions. He would follow various phi-losophers, only to become disillusioned with their teachings. For nine years, he was associated with the Manichean sect. But he gradually became aware that Manicheism was unable to provide satisfactory answers to his probing questions.
At this time, Augustine was teaching rhetoric in Milan. He went to hear the preaching of St. Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan. At first, he went only to hear Ambrose’s eloquent style of speaking. But the Bishop’s preaching led Augustine to a new understanding of the Bible and the Christian faith.
Sometime in the year 386, Augustine and his friend Alypius were spend-ing time in Milan. While outdoors, Augustine heard the voice of a child singing a song, the words of which were, “Pick it up and read it. Pick it up and read it.” He thought at first that the song was related to some kind of children’s game, but could not remember ever having heard such a song before.
Then, realizing that this song might be a command from God to open and read the Scriptures, he located a Bible, picked it up, opened it, and read the first passage he saw. It was from the Letter of Paul to the Romans. Augustine read Romans 13:13-14: “Not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual excess and lust, not in quarreling and jealousy. Rather, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.”
Reading this scripture, Augustine felt as if his heart were flooded with light. He turned totally from his life of sin. He was baptized by Ambrose dur-ing the Easter Vigil on April 24, 387. His friend Alypius and his son Adeodatus were baptized at the same time.
Fortunately, Augustine was open to the nudging and prompting of the Holy Spirit. Are we as open to the Holy Spirit as we should be?
Blessings,
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When the Holy Spirit prompts us
Dr. Pat Sparks, Senior Pastor
Pat
Are you a grow group leader (Sunday
School, Life Group, or any other small group) or are you simply interested in learning more about dis-cipleship models in larger churches?
If so, you are invited to join us Sunday, Oct. 7, from 4:30–6 p.m. in As-bury Hall as Rev. Bob John-son, Executive Pastor at Chapelwood UMC, shares his experiences creating a Discipleship Pathway at his church. He will talk about how Chapelwood is nur-turing leaders who then go and make disciples.
Exploring the Discipleship Pathway
We need 80 to 90 donors at our Blood
Drive on Oct. 28 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Scout House. Donors can enter a drawing for two Commit for Life Store items, and the first 80 donors will receive a free item from the CFL Store compliments of Marsha Asplin. You can sign up to donate in the Lobby on Oct. 14 and 21 or by contacting Marsha at [email protected]. Please make plans to sign up to donate your life-saving blood.
Blood Drive is Oct. 28
It is always a joy to be in the midst of our community. One of our great community
partners is our local YMCA. We have so many different ways we are involved with the YMCA, but one of my favorites is our Prayer Station. We set up a table from 9 to 11 a.m. and offer prayer to those who want it.
This ministry has been sporadic in the past, but starting last month our goal has been to host the Prayer Station once a month at the Monty Ballard YMCA. It really is an amazing ministry.
This last month, Joe Mireur and I got to pray for a number of people. We receive all kinds of prayer requests, but in each we get to pause and go
before the Lord in prayer and sup-plication. It is such an amazing out-reach. Often my understanding of heaven is where heaven and earth overlap, where the presence of the Lord breaks in. From 9 to 11 in the lobby of the YMCA, the pres-
ence of the Lord is in that space, and it is awesome to be a part of the heal-ing that God wants to offer. It is often a simple 30-second prayer, but many of these people might not have anyone they can ask to pray for them.
The Prayer Station is a great way that St. Peter’s is offering grace to all in the Katy/Fulshear area. So, if you are at the YMCA next Monday, Oct. 8, between 9 and 11, come say hi, ask for prayer, and see what God is doing!
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Alex Zeisig, Pastor to the West Campus
Praying at the YMCA
Alex
ST. PETER’S WEST CAMPUS
Tales from the West
Mark your calendars for our annual Girlfriend
Getaway Jan. 25-27 at Ca-thedral Oaks Retreat Cen-ter in Weimar. This year our retreat theme is “Seaside Escape” and our focus will be on fellowship and build-ing relationships. We will have small group time, wor-ship, music, mission oppor-tunities, crafts and games, Bible journaling, and other activities designed to bring us closer together as women of God.
Registration is at stp-katy.org/events, and the cost is $150.
Girlfriend Getaway
The Prayer Quilt Ministry invites you to join them
Oct. 10 in E221 from 9 a.m. to noon. This ministry has created more than 1,000 quilts to give to those needing comfort. Quilting experience is not required. For more information, contact Tereasa Reimer at (281) 468-9367.
Prayer Quilt Ministry
It has been such a joy for my family and me to dive into this church family! My wife, Hannah, and I are plugged into a Life Group, and we cannot wait
for a fall filled with events such as the Pump-kin Patch, Trunk or Treat, and Pick-a-dilly! We’re especially excited to tote around our newborn daughter Max!
One of the things I have grown to love about this church is our mission to connect the world with God’s love. An essential part of that process is the work of the Evangelism and Discipleship Team. I am particularly thankful for C. J. Stachurski, our Director of Leadership Development, who provided interim oversight and led the group’s efforts to revitalize our Wednesday Nights. Each Wednesday Night throughout the fall, we have more than 150 adults and students enjoying a potluck meal in Lott Hall and engaging in Bible studies togeth-er in homes and all over the church! I hope you will join me in thanking our Evangelism and Discipleship Team for their hard work through the previous months and encourage them as we look ahead to a busy fall.
Coming up, our team will be sitting down with Rev. Bob Johnson, who helped a team launch a Discipleship Pathway for Chapelwood UMC. This is
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Help Plan Our Trips. The KEYS Council needs a few more good people will-ing to help organize and implement the monthly trips provided for our KEYS members. Please contact Bob Belden at [email protected] if you are interested.Brown Bag Bridge. Our winners for September were Martha McKitterick, high, and Tom Young, second high. Please join us Oct. 11 at 10 a.m. in E106 for our next play date.
Job Search Assistance meets Wednesdays for
anyone looking for em-ployment or a job change. Bring your resume and join us at 6:30 p.m. in S202 as we discuss search tactics, networking, resumes, and interviewing. For informa-tion, contact John Cau-dill at (281) 600-8138 or [email protected].
Job Search
Parker Zimmerman,Pastor to The Element
Participants at The Gathering, our monthly program ministry to homebound seniors, enjoy crafts, games, exercise, lunch, and entertainment together with our group of volunteers. If you are interested in helping with this ministry, please contact Kim Poer at [email protected].
Making disciples
continued on page 6
Pizza Withthe PastorsSunday, Oct. 7
12:15 p.m., E106
Find out more about St. Peter’s and the United
Methodist Church.
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PRAYERSMarci Barnes, Jim Basham, Dennis Bowling, Jim Brock, Sharon Brown, David Burrough, Nancy Calderone, Lorkeshia Davis, Jamison Doehring, Jenifer Franklin, John Freeman, Delores Gorski, Art Henderson, Brian Jones, Oscar Jones, Ann Kelly, Ralph Lovell, Maybelle Mullen, Kathy Powell, Carey Reid, Virginia Reper, Judy Scearce, Fay Smith, Leslie Smuts, Barbara Thoen, Annabelle Turner, Sharon Van Huss, Joe Waterman, Harvey Westbrook, Frank Womack, and Bill Wright.
JOYTo Eric and Alison Knauer on the birth of their son Adam.
SYMPATHYTo Matt Davies and family on the death of his father, Don Davies.To Marcia Dye and family on the death of her son, Jason Brinker.To Judy Jage and family on the death of her husband, Gordon Buffington.
PRAYERS FOR OUR MILITARY
Jake Armijo, Clayton Barnes, Tim and Alison Batig, John Belsha, John Buck, Jonathan Burdette, Sterling Burdette, Daniel Clarke, Skyler Cook, Austin Foster, Westley Freeze, James Gilbert, Tyler J. Gorcie, Dylan Greismeyer, Stinson Hamilton, Stephen Travis Harding, Adam Higdon, Tyler Konrad, Mike Linn, Blake Nunes, Cameron Nunes, Ryan O’Quinn, Tyler O’Quinn, Melissa Ouel-lette, Matthew Platz, Noah Platz, Shawn Platz, Kevin Quentin, Hamilton Rencurrel, Jack Ritchie, Don Rolleg, Ben Saunders, Jacob Shinkle, Justin Simon, Theo Speas, Jason Steele, Kyle Taylor, Jacob Wilke, and Jasen Wilson.
In Our Prayers
September 23Traditional Worship8:30 168 9:45 19411:00 278The Element9:45 84 11:00 97SPLASH 46 West Campus 105 West Campus Students/Kids 41Courage Service 39TOTAL 1,058
ST. PETER’S ATTENDANCE
September 30Traditional Worship8:30 126 9:45 376 11:00 451The Element9:45 141 11:00 97 SPLASH 57 West Campus 115 West Campus Nursery 4TOTAL 1,316
Welcome to our new membersSteve and Mary Cole Kerlick
Chet and Monica Stuart
The Special Needs Ministry at St. Peter’s is looking for volunteers in two program areas. We need adult or teen buddies to help those children
and teens who need a little extra support on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. Our H20 Adult Respite Care program, which meets on Fridays from 9 a.m.–2 p.m., needs adult volunteers to help with crafts, guidance, and providing a fun and loving environment. For more information, please contact Whitney Peper at [email protected].
Special Needs Ministry needs volunteers
Our Monday Morning Bible Study meets each week through the school year and studies several books of the Bible in depth. This group also participates in mission projects and social activities. If you are interested in joining this or any of our other studies or small groups, please contact Elizabeth Bucher at [email protected].
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Disciples continued from page 4
Potluck DinnerWednesdays, 5:45–6:30 p.m., Lott Hall
Bring a dish to share and enjoy time together with your St. Peter’s family.If you don’t have time to make or buy something to bring, come anyway.
There’s always plenty to eat!
United Methodist Women. The Agape-Miriam Circle will meet Oct. 17 at 10 a.m. at Linda Schmidt‘s home to relax, visit, and share joys and concerns. All women are invited to join us. Call Linda at (281) 646-8727 for directions.
Open Hearts is a sup-port group for fami-
lies and friends of LGBT persons. We offer a safe and affirming setting for those who desire under-standing, education, and support. We welcome anyone to be a part of this group, whether you need support or can provide support.
Our next meeting is Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. in E225. For more information, please contact Elaine Saunders at [email protected] or (281) 492-8031.
Open HeartsSupport Group
All sixth- through 12th-grade students are invited to Rooted, a weekly time of worship and fellowship. We meet on Wednesdays from 6 to 8
p.m. in the Wesley Student Center. Bring your Bible and $3 for pizza. Stu-dents will meet together for dinner, worship, and games, and then junior high and high school students will gather for their own Bible study groups. For information, contact Emily Parsons at [email protected].
Get Rooted in worship, Bible study,and fellowship on Wednesday nights
Parker
an open meeting from 4:30–6 p.m. this Sunday, Oct. 7, in Asbury Hall. Any-one who is curious about disciple-building processes in large churches is welcome to attend.
Later this month, members of our Evangelism and Discipleship Team will be joining some of our pastors to attend the Ascending Leaders Disciple-Forward event held at Houston Baptist University. We will spend two days exploring the ways that churches all over the country are faithfully making new disciples who are growing in abiding love for Jesus Christ. Coming out of this training, our Evangelism and Discipleship Team will be working with an Ascending Leaders coach to move forward in implementing our own Discipleship Pathway for St. Peter’s.
We are excited about the work that God is equipping our church to do. If you have any questions about Evangelism and Discipleship, feel free to contact me at [email protected].
First for Food Sunday, Oct. 7
Bring nonperishable food items to the
collection box in the Lobby.
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Oct. 8 – 14MONDAY
Proverbs 28:6-16TUESDAY
Luke 16:19-31WEDNESDAY
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8THURSDAY
Job 23:1-9, 16-17FRIDAY
Psalm 90:12-17SATURDAY
Hebrews 4:12-16SUNDAY
Mark 10:17-31
Oct. 15 – 21MONDAY
1 Samuel 8:10-22TUESDAY
Deuteronomy 17:14-20WEDNESDAY
Philippians 1:28-30THURSDAY
Job 38:1-7, 34-41FRIDAY
Psalm 91:9-16SATURDAY
Hebrews 5:1-10SUNDAY
Mark 10:35-45
Daily Bible
Reading
Our annual Trunk or Treat is Oct. 24 from 6–8 p.m. in the east parking lot. We will have decorated trunks, candy, games, food trucks, dunking
booth, rock wall, photo booth, and costume contest. We also will be collect-ing small items or toys for boys and girls ages 2–16 for Operation Christmas Child. Bring money for the food trucks. If you would like to host a trunk, volunteer, or donate candy, please contact Whitney Peper at [email protected].
Trunk or Treat
The Fall Family Festival, benefiting the Early Childhood Development Center, is Oct. 13 from 3–6 p.m. We will have pony rides, a petting zoo,
balloon artists, face painting, inflatables, games, food and more. Cash and credit cards will be accepted for all attractions.
We need baked items for the Cake Walk and Bake Sale. If you can help, please bring baked or bought goods to Asbury Hall on Oct. 12 during school hours or Oct. 13 from noon to 2 p.m. Items should be labeled and wrapped in sturdy and disposable packaging. We need single cakes and brownies, cupcakes, and cookies in sets of 12 and six. For more information, contact Samantha Martin at (512) 626-6934 or [email protected].
Fall Family Festival
The pumpkins arrive for Student Ministry’s annual Pumpkin
Patch on Oct. 7 at 2 p.m. We need need helpers and wheelbarrows to unload this truckload of pumpkins. We will provide refreshments.
We’re also asking for volun-teers to staff the Pumpkin Patch-from Oct. 8–31. We have a variety of shifts each day of the week. Please sign up at stpkaty.org/pumpkin-patch. If you have ques-tions, contact Emily Parsons at ep-
[email protected]. The Pumpkin Patch benefits the high school seniors’ mission trip to Jamaica.
Pumpkin Patch
Pick-a-dilly Craft Fair
Our Missions Ministry is sponsoring the 28th annual Pick-a-dilly Craft Fair Oct. 20 from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. just in time for Halloween, Thanksgiving,
and the Christmas holidays. About 100 vendors bring home décor and holi-day items, food, clothes, jewelry, and more to this event that benefits our Missions Ministry. There also will be a silent auction, bake sale, food, and the Student Ministry Pumpkin Patch. Admission is free.
Fall fun starts in October
Sunday Worship (Oct. 8 only)
9:00 a.m. Combined Traditional, The Element, and West Campus Worship in the Sanctuary
11:00 a.m. Combined Traditional, The Element, and West Campus Worship in the Sanctuary
Sunday School for ages 2 to 5 only at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. The Nursery is available for children younger than 2.
Sunday Worship 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship with Holy Communion
9:45 a.m. Traditional Worship
The Element Contemporary Worship
Sunday School for All Ages
10:30 a.m. St. Peter’s West Campus at Cinco Ranch High School
11:00 a.m. Traditional Worship
The Element Contemporary Worship
Korean Worship Service
SPLASH Children’s Worship
Sunday School for Adults
(2nd & 4th Sundays) 5:00 p.m. Courage Worship for All
St. Peter’s Events CalendarSunday, Oct. 712:15 p.m. Pizza With the Pastors E1062:00 p.m. Pumpkin Unloading Front Lawn4:00 p.m. Women’s Cancer Support S2054:30 p.m. Exploring the Discipleship Pathway E106Tuesday, Oct. 97:00 p.m. Women of Joy S203Wednesday, Oct. 109:00 a.m. Prayer Quilt Ministry E2219:30 a.m. Human Trafficking Phone Bank E22510:00 a.m. UMW Board Meeting E1065:45 p.m. Potluck Dinner Lott Hall6:30 p.m. Wednesday Nights at St. Peter’s VariousThursday, Oct. 1110:00 a.m. Brown Bag Bridge E106Saturday, Oct. 13 3 p.m. ECDC Fall Family Festival Campus-wideMonday, Oct. 151:30 p.m. Alzheimer’s Support Group S2096:00 p.m. Adoption Support Group E2257:00 p.m. Trustees Conference RoomWednesday, Oct. 1710:00 a.m. UMW Agape-Miriam Circle E1065:45 p.m. Potluck Dinner Lott Hall6:30 p.m. Wednesday Nights at St. Peter’s VariousThursday, Oct. 187:00 p.m. Finance Committee Conference Room Open Hearts Support Group E225Saturday, Oct. 20 9 a.m. Pick-a-dilly Craft Fair Campus-wide
A detailed calendar of St. Peter’s events is available on our website.
St. Peter’sUnited Methodist Church20775 Kingsland Blvd.Katy, Texas 77450
Flourishwomen’s group
Flourish is a new group for women of all ages that
gives them the opportunity to make new friends, engage in fun activities, and learn how incorporating virtues into their everyday life can have a lasting impact on their families and relationships.
Please join us Wednesdays from 9:30-11:30 a.m. in S201. Cost is $50 for the year, and scholarships are available. You can register for Flourish and for child care at stpkaty.org/events. Contact Kimberly at [email protected] for more information.
