St. Peter’s
CONNECTION VOL. 5, No. 2 August 15, 2014
Connecting the World with God’s Love
THIS ISSUE: Grow with a small group this fall Finding grace
Our Living Water mission
team in Honduras helped provide a water well for a village and witnessed an act of grace.
United Methodist Women Find out how UMW is connecting the world with God’s love through missions by attending their Sept. 3 meeting.
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t St. Peter’s, growing through small groups is one aspect of our life together as a faith community. This fall, St. Peter’s is offering a variety of adult small group studies that meet throughout the week. You can register for most of these classes at stpkaty.org unless otherwise noted. Contact Nathan Bledsoe at
[email protected] if you have questions. Children of the Day: A Beth Moore Study of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Is family life a challenge? Is work is driving you crazy? Do you know God has a purpose for your life, but can’t figure out what it is? Know that your circumstances are not coincidental. And God’s timing is impeccable. Join Beth Moore on the Thessalonian shores as she walks you through 1 and 2 Thessalonians. In this 9-week study, you’ll find encouragement for living the Christian life now and hope for when Christ returns. Classes meet on Tuesdays beginning Sept. 16. The morning class is at 9:30 a.m. and the evening class is at 6:30 p.m. Register online or in the Lobby. Covenant Bible Study. Covenant is an in-depth eight-week Bible study in which we read and discuss the Bible continued on page 6
20775 Kingsland Blvd., Katy, Texas 77450 (281) 492-8031 www.stpkaty.org
Stephen Ministry celebrates 20 years this Sunday
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his Sunday, in the 11 a.m. traditional service, we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Stephen Ministry program at St. Peter’s and recognize present and past Stephen Ministers. This program has been in ministry to St. Peter’s members and to people in the community who are going through difficult times in their lives. During these 20 years, 126 lay people each have received 50 hours of training to become Stephen Ministers and have ministered to several hundred people. At the 9:45 a.m. traditional service we will commission new Stephen Leaders. Please plan to be with us for this special day.
GriefShare Support Group
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riefShare is a group for those who are grieving a loss. It will meet on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 18. Please contact Rev. Kim Meyers Poer at kmpoer@stpkaty. org or (281) 492-8031 if you are interested in participating in this group.
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The power of hope Dear Friends in Christ, While doing some devotional reading, I came across a story that conveys a powerful message of hope in the midst of struggle. In the book, “Living the Easter Faith,” Donald William Dotterer shares a story that was originally told by Joyce Hollyday. There was a school teacher who had the assignment of visiting children in a large city hospital. She received a routine call requesting that she visit a particular child. The teacher took the boy’s name and room number and was told by the teacher on the other end of the telephone line, “We’re studying nouns and adverbs in this class now. I’d be grateful if you could help him with his homework so he doesn’t fall behind the others.” It wasn’t until the visiting teacher was Dr. Pat Sparks, Senior Pastor outside the boy’s room that she realized it was located in the hospital’s burn unit. No one had prepared her to find a young boy horribly burned and in great pain. The teacher felt that she couldn’t just turn around and walk out. And so she stammered awkwardly, “I’m the hospital teacher, and your teacher sent me to help you with nouns and adverbs.” This boy was in so much pain that he barely responded. The young teacher stumbled through his English lesson, ashamed of putting him through such a senseless exercise. The next morning a nurse on the burn unit asked her, “What did you do to that boy?” Before the teacher could finish her outburst of apologies, the nurse interrupted her: “You don’t understand. We’ve been very worried about him. But ever since you were here yesterday, his whole attitude has changed. He’s fighting back; he’s responding to treatment. It’s as if he has decided to live.” The boy later explained that he had completely given up hope until he saw the teacher. It all changed when he came to a simple realization. With joyful tears, the boy said: “They wouldn’t send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a boy who was dying would they?” This wonderful story invites us to celebrate the gift of life even when all we seem to see around us is pain and disappointment and brokenness. It shows us that on the other side of pain, there is resurrection. It reminds us of what is possible whenever there is hope. Grace and Peace,
Pat
Men’s Breakfast Group
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ll men of St. Peter’s are invited to join the Men’s Breakfast Group each Thursday at 8:30 a.m. at the Whataburger at 23540 Westheimer Parkway for fellowship, food, and fun. No reservations are needed.
Cookie volunteers needed
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do not know if you have been able to see the new playground on the southeast side of the SPLASH building, but it looks great. With new playground equipment and new turf to play on, the children will love it. The playground in the middle of our campus is being finalized with a new bike path and new turf. I am looking forward to seeing the finished product. The contractor is working to have it ready before ECDC classes start. We had successful summer programs for children, and now I am looking forward to having the preschoolers return to ECDC. Even though it is the middle of August, we are planning and gearing up for back to school and fall 2014 with a lot happening on St Peter’s campus. We are excited about Living Stones moving their services to Cinco Ranch High School. Living Stones will meet Aug. 24 at 10:30 a.m. and then begin weekly services on Sept. 7. One of our members attended Living Stones last weekend and was pleased to see people of a variety of ages there. Our West Campus is definitely filling a need in West Katy. Please visit our website for more information on Living Stones. We continue to offer contemporary worship on our main campus through the element, which meets at 9:45 and 11 a.m. in Lott Hall. We have had good attendance throughout the summer and are looking forward to many new faces joining us this fall. If you haven’t had a chance to hear Kris and Matt, I would encourage you to check out the element.
Frank Nance Executive Director
¿Eres bilingüe? ¡Nececitamos su ayuda!
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s you may already know, our church is deeply involved in the startup of the Compassion Katy chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Habitat is in need of volunteers who speak Spanish to assist with family selection and generally spreading the word about this exciting new ministry. If you are a proficient Spanish speaker, please contact Nathan at
[email protected]. Thanks!
t’s time for our annual back-to-school cookie delivery for teachers. To show how much St. Peter’s appreciates all they do for the young people in Katy, we will deliver platters of cookies to many of the schools in Katy ISD. If you can help, please drop off your home-baked cookies in the hallway near Asbury Hall on the morning of Aug. 17. We need volunteers to assemble the trays that afternoon at 2 p.m. We also need volunteers to deliver the cookies on Monday, Aug. 18. A platter of cookies will be available that morning between 9 and 11:30 a.m. for each school that has a volunteer to deliver it. If you can help prepare or deliver cookies, just come to the church at the appropriate time.
Alzheimer’s Support Group
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he Alzheimer’s Support Group will meet Aug. 18 at 1:30 p.m. in S209 for a time of caring and sharing. For more information, contact Beverly Deerhake at (281) 856-6217.
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Job Search Assistance
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ob Search Assistance helps those who are looking for employment or career change. We will meet every Wednesday from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in S212 beginning Sept. 17. John Caudill will present information on search tactics, networking, resumes and interviewing. Registration requested, but not required. For information or to register, contact John Caudill at (281) 600-8138.
Mothers of Young Children
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e are a group of mothers with young children along with mentor moms who share the joys and frustrations of motherhood and explore the purposes and promises God gives us. We use a Mom-to-Mom Bible study every other week and have missions, socials, and play dates on the off weeks. We meet every Friday in Asbury Hall from 9-11:30 a.m. beginning Sept. 5. Childcare is provided. You can register at stpkaty. org; cost is $25 per semester or $50 for the year, which covers books and materials. For information on scholarships, contact Debbie Cook at
[email protected].
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Connecting the World With God’s Love
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s the Pastor of Missions and Evangelism, I have the privilege of getting to travel all over with our church as we keep up our mission of connecting the world with God’s love. I really love this part of my job, and I do my best to represent you well when I’m traveling for U.M. ARMY, with disaster relief groups, or internationally. Sometimes, though, I fall a little bit short. On our most recent trip with Living Water International, we built a water well in Santa María de Aguán, Honduras. This was my second trip with Living Water, and things were going really well in the drilling process for our group. We had made it three-quarters of the way to our target depth and were in great shape to finish on or ahead of schedule. But we had run into a layer of particularly gooey clay that was intermittently jamming up the spinning pipe that was pushing the drill bit. In addition to the nine of us from St. Peter’s, we had four in-country staff people working on our well site. Actually, we worked for the incountry staff. Whenever the drill would freeze up, Abraham, who was in charge of our drill site, would take a heavy mallet and whack the pipe a couple of times; this usually freed it up enough to get it spinning again. Because of the slow going and fixing jams, we were all soaking wet and filthy when the pipe ceased spinning yet another time. Abraham grabbed the mallet, but instead of hitting the pipe, he handed the mallet to me. I felt awfully important to get to do one of the jobs normally reserved for in-country staff, so I lined up, took a mighty swing, and smacked the mallet right into the pipe! But that’s not all I did. As soon as the head of the mallet hit the metal pipe, the handle came slipping out of my hand. The whole tool went straight up in the air, and then fell 150 feet down to the bottom of the well. When you’re digging water wells, you can’t have things like hammers in your wells, because they’ll contaminate the water. At least that’s what we were told. So we had to start over—on the afternoon of the day we were supposed to finish drilling and start cleaning out the hole. I was pretty upset, but you know who were not upset? The men who worked for LWI full time. In fact, they laughed at me and welcomed me into the club of which they were all members: the people who have dropped things down the well club. They were laughing and joking and continued on page 5
In Our Prayers
PRAYERS Don Beach, Dennis Bowling, Faunelle Deaton, John Duffield, Caleb Gore, Ann Hlinak, Rick Jage, Brian Jones, Betty Marsh, Theresa Ortowski, Joy Pierce, Don Prendergast, Linda Schmidt, Leslie Smuts, Cheryl Swift, Joyce Tomlinson, and Bonnie Woodrow. JOY To Lucas and Jenny Fried on the birth of their son Drew.
In preparation for the start of the new school year, the teachers at the Early Childhood Development Center joined teachers from Holy Covenant UMC Child Development Center for two days of training on literacy and fine motor development. The ECDC teachers will begin the school year on Aug. 26, with the students returning Sept. 8.
Living Water continued from page 4 made sure to demonstrate to me that things were okay. Living Water has strict regulations about how late American volunteers can be out on the site. Because of this, the staff people got to the site more than an hour early and stayed more than an hour late every day for the rest of the week. The people my gaffe hurt the most were also the people who were the quickest to show me grace and forgiveness. In this situation, I saw a little picture of what the Kingdom of God is. Even with the setbacks, we finished our well on schedule and had an absolutely wonderful trip! Paz,
Nathan ST. PETER’S ATTENDANCE August 3 Traditional Worship 8:30 234 9:45 197 11:00 421 the element 9:45 104 11:00 142 SPLASH 62 Living Stones 40 TOTAL 1,200
August 10 Traditional Worship 8:30 181 9:45 192 11:00 527 the element 9:45 66 11:00 143 SPLASH 64 Living Stones 242 TOTAL 1,415
SYMPATHY To John Gargani and family on the death of his mother. To June Redus and family on the death of her mother. PRAYERS FOR OUR MILITARY Johnathon Baker, Tim and Alison Batig, Jared Behne, John Belsha, Amanda Berg, Colin Binion, Patrick Boutall, Will Brandt, Eric Brookover, Martin Busch, Randy Butcher, Sean Cain, Devin Camp, Darron Chamblee, Will Chapman, Scott Chumbley, Daniel Clarke, Skyler Cook, Thomas Cotten, Patrick Couch, Kathryn Donnelly, Brandi and Josiah Fast, Westley Freeze, Daniel Fritz, Charles Fray, James Gilbert, Anita Marie Gilliam, Tyler J. Gorcie, Jason Gordon, Eric Graesley, Tye Grasshoff, Dylan Greismeyer, David Gutierrez, Stephen Travis Harding, George Harrison, Steven Heath, Jeff Hiser, Matthew C. Houghton, Matthew Ivester, Scott Lewis, Mike Linn, Ryan Lueders, Austin McCall, Jason McFadzen, Mick McNaughton, Adam Miller, Joel Muhlnickel, Robert Near, Blake Nunes, Ryan O’Quinn, Neal Osburn, Austin Paynter/149th Division, Matthew Platz, Shawn Platz, Hamilton Rencurrel, Taylor Richardson, Jack Ritchie, Don Rolleg, Jason Salter, Daniel Sewastynowicz, John Simmons, Morgan Smyth, Chase Synng, Patrick Synng, Texas Military Forces, Shannon Thorthan, Bill Underwood, Kevin Van Winkle, Bert Walker, Tom Walsh, Matthew Weible, Michael Wendt, Max Weyermann, Leonard Will, Jasen Wilson, and Marine Co. 1157.
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Adult small groups continued from page 1
Unit Meeting. We will begin our fall meetings on Sept. 3 at 10 a.m. in Lott Hall. All UMW members are urged to bring a guest to help us in our commitment to increase our membership this year. We will share information about UMW, its emphasis on missions, and what it means to women, to our unit, and to our church. We invite all women to join us and find out more about UMW. For information, contact Beverly Deerhake at (281) 856-6217.
Helpers needed for Wednesday Night Dinners
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t is almost time for Wednesday Night Dinners to begin and the WND crew is looking for volunteers who are are interested in cooking, shopping, serving, or helping behind the scenes. There is a volunteer information meeting on Aug. 19 at 7 p.m. in E225. This is a wonderful way to get involved in a vital and growing ministry at St. Peter’s. For more information, please contact Whitney Peper at
[email protected].
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together, learning how to love God and others better. The biblical concept of covenant speaks to an enduring commitment between God and God’s fruitful people. It’s a promise—to live in a loving relationship with and for each other. The class meets Wednesdays beginning Sept. 17 at 6:30 p.m. Disciple III. This course, which requires that you have completed Disciple I, covers the Prophets and the letters of Paul in considerable depth. The 32week study examines the connection between memory and identity as the people of God. Sign up at the Information Desk in the Lobby. This class meets Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 3. The Gospel of Luke (Men’s Group). Join us in fellowship while we study and discuss scripture, share spiritual experiences, and, most important, learn more about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Experience the journey of growing in faith and growing closer to Christ through the study of scripture, self-reflection, and prayer. This eight-week class meets Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 17. Immersion Studies: John. Journey inside the pages of scripture to meet a personal God who enters individual lives and begins a creative work from the inside out. Immersion encourages simultaneous engagement with the Word of God and with the God of the Word to become a new creation in Christ. Inspired by a fresh translation—the Common English Bible—this course stands firmly on Scripture and helps readers explore the emotional, spiritual, and intellectual needs of their personal faith. This eight-week class meets Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 17. Invitation to the Old Testament. This eight-week study presents the Bible as the primary text and calls for daily preparation and weekly meetings with instructional videos and discussion. Its aim is to make disciples through study. The class meets Tuesday mornings beginning with an orientation on Sept. 16 at 9:30 a.m. and regular sessions from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. beginning Sept. 23. Register online or in the Lobby. Making Sense of the Bible. This six-week discussion-oriented study of Adam Hamilton’s book “Making Sense of the Bible” invites us into an honest conversation about the Bible. Beginning with a discussion of how and when the Bible was written, this course looks at who decided which books were included, if the Bible is without error, and some questions that people often ask about the Bible. There will be reading assignments prior to each session. This class will meet Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 17. Methodism 101. This class, led by Dr. Pat Sparks, is designed for new United Methodists and anyone wanting to know more about the denomination. Are you a lifelong or long-term United Methodist? You may be surprised at what you can learn about our denomination. The four-week class meets Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 17. Monday Morning Bible Study. Are you looking for a way to start your week off right? We will be studying Exodus and Acts this year and learning how the Bible can give us guidance through changes in our lives and the difficult times that may arise. Beginning Sept. 8, we will meet at 9:30 a.m. for a weekly informal study that runs through the school year. The group uses the Serendipity Bible, which includes questions for each book of the Bible. Register online or at the Information Desk in the Lobby.
Daily Bible Reading Summer Fun. Back-to-School Party at Holy Covenant UMC—Aug. 17. From 4:30-7:15 p.m. we will head over to Holy Covenant and join them for a backto-school party. Permission slip required. Back-to-School Breakfast—Aug. 25. Join us at 6:30 a.m. for breakfast! If you need a ride to school, you must arrange one by Aug. 22 with the Student Ministries Office at (281) 492-8031.
College care packages
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t’s back-to-school time, not just for the little ones, but for the big kids too! Student Ministries will provide care packages to St. Peter’s college students. If you would like to donate items (granola bars, candy, fruit snacks, gum, etc.), provide monetary donations for packaging and shipping, or assist in assembling, or if you would like to provide us with your college student’s school address, please contact Marilyn Stegemann at
[email protected] or (210) 632-8891. Please bring your donations to the college care package bin in the Sanctuary Lobby or the element Lobby on Aug. 24 and 31.
Blessing of the Backpacks
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tart the new school year with a blessing! Children are invited to bring their backpacks to worship on Aug. 24 for the Blessing of the Backpacks at any of our worship services.
Sign up this Sunday to donate blood
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he fifth blood drive of 2014 is on Aug. 24. You can sign up to donate blood on Sunday, Aug. 17. Blood drive hours are 8 a.m. through 12:30 p.m. in the Scout House. All who donate or attempt to donate at this drive will receive a gift certificate for a free pint of Blue Bell ice cream. For more information on donating, please contact Marsha Asplin at
[email protected] or (281) 4920472. You also can contact her to schedule your appointment.
Aug. 18 – 24 MONDAY Deuteronomy 18:15-22 TUESDAY Exodus 34:1-9 WEDNESDAY Psalm 145 THURSDAY Exodus 1:8-2:10 FRIDAY Isaiah 51:1-6 SATURDAY Romans 12:1-8 SUNDAY Matthew 16:13-20 Aug. 25 – 31 MONDAY Esther 3:1-8 TUESDAY Esther 4:1-17 WEDNESDAY Esther 6:14-7:10 THURSDAY Exodus 3:1-15 FRIDAY Jeremiah 15:15-21 SATURDAY Romans 12:9-21 SUNDAY Matthew 16:21-28
SPLISH SPLASH begins Aug. 24
Preschoolers will have their own version of SPLASH children’s worship at 11 a.m. on Sundays. If you can help as a shepherd for the children, contact Ryan Wilson at
[email protected].
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S unday Worship
St. Peter’s United Methodist Church 20775 Kingsland Blvd. Katy, Texas 77450
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. (Aug. 24)
Living Stones St. Peter’s West Campus at Cinco Ranch High School
11:00 a.m.
Traditional Worship the element Contemporary Worship SPLASH Children’s Worship Sunday School for Adults
St. Peter’s Events Calendar Sunday, Aug. 17 3:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. Monday, Aug. 18 1:30 p.m. 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19 9:30 a.m. 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 20 7:00 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 21 7:00 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22 6:00 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24 8:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. Monday, Aug. 25 KISD schools begin Tuesday, Aug. 26 9:30 a.m. 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27 7:00 p.m.
Restorative justice seminar Sept. 27
Youth Choir Rehearsal Women’s Cancer Support Group
Choir Room S209
Alzheimer’s Support Group Trustees
S209 Conference Room
Grace Notes Women’s Ensemble Stephen Ministry Information Missions Committee
E106 S101 E106
Chancel Choir Rehearsal
Sanctuary
Finance Committee
Conference Room
victim, the offender and the involved
Friday Night Friends
Asbury Hall
community.
Blood Drive Youth Choir Rehearsal
Scout House Choir Room
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he Southwest District of the Texas Conference is having a Re-
storative Justice Summit on Sept. 27 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in Sugar Land. Restorative Justice is an approach to criminal justice that includes the
The seminar will feature Warden Monty Hudspeth of the Carol Vance Prison, Winds of Change Choir,
Grace Notes Women’s Ensemble Women of Joy Church Council
E106 Parlor E106
Chancel Choir Rehearsal
Sanctuary
Detailed weekly calendars of St. Peter’s events are available on our website.
testimonies from current and exoffenders, and a tour of Carol Vance Prison. This is a free event and lunch will be provided. To register, visit southwestdistrict.org.
