Church Altar cloths act as a symbolic representation of the shroud used to wrap Christ after the crucifixion. This cloth will be accompanied by a frontal, or antependium, (Latin meaning “to hang before”). This frontal faces the congregation and is often decorated with precious hand embroidery, depicting scenes from the bible. Frontals have a dominant colour and are changed according to the seasonal Church celebration. Purple or blue for Advent; white or gold for Christmas and Easter; green after Epiphany and Pentecost; violet or unbleached muslin for Lent and red for Holy Week.
In 2020 All Saints Church on London’s Margaret Street approached Hand & Lock to complete a delicate restoration of one of their precious Altar Frontals. The gothic-revival Church, designed by William Butterfield and built between 1850 and 1859, has a breathtakingly decorative interior. Inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, the north wall features a large ceramic tile frieze and the ceiling is painted with bold graphic repeating patterns. Well maintained and recently restored, the church is as impressive today as it would have been when the church opened in 1859.
Hand & Lock were tasked with restoring and repairing the Altar Front to bring it in line with the rest of the spectacular church space. Gold passing that outlined decorative elements had become damaged and discoloured as well as the latin text that ran along the bottom. Hand & Lock set about sympathetically replacing all the gold passing. Where the Frontal had been folded there was some surface damage to the figures at either end, these had to be carefully repaired and made more durable. With the work was completed the restored altar frontal was ready to take its place in the historic church.


Thank you for visiting our website. We hope it offers a useful insight into life at St Agnes'.
Our school has a long history and reputation for offering children an excellent education in a stable and ordered environment. Every person in our school community is respected and valued as a unique individual. Visitors to our school frequently remark on the happy, family atmosphere that exists here. In partnership with parents and the wider parish and local communities, we aim to build upon and develop a wealth of experience and skills in the hope of creating a caring and stimulating environment and forming spiritually developed young people.
When the children leave St. Agnes’ School, we would want them to have experienced a quality education, which has broadened their horizons, and enabled them to achieve their God-given potential in all areas, so that they may continue on their journey through life, equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills and the insight that education is an enjoyable,
Visitors are always very welcome at St Agnes'. If you would like to visit our school, please contact the school office.
Latest St Agnes Calendar Events
- Destination Judo24Apr2019
9:30 am - 25 apr, 11:30 am
Judo taster sessions for Year 1 - Year 6
- Year 5 Big Sing Event at St Thomas More24Apr2019
9:30 am - 12:00 pm
- Bike Ability Year 524Apr2019
1:00 pm - 1:15 pm
- House Group Talent Show Auditions02May2019
10:50 am - 12:00 pm
House groups get together and audition for The St Agnes' Talent Show
- Y6 parent's evening at St Thomas More07May2019
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
- St Agnes' Talent Show10May2019
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
- KS2 SATs week13May2019
12:00 am - 17 may, 12:00 am
KS2 SATs test papers to be administered to Y6 children throughout the week.


The vocation to the priesthood and to the consecrated life constitutes a special gift of God
which becomes part of the great plan of love and salvation.
-Pope Benedict XVI, May 3, 2009
Message from Br. Paul Bednarczyk, CSC
Executive Director of the National Religious Vocation Conference
After a year and a half of research and study, I am pleased to present you with the final report on the state of religious vocations in the United States. This major research project was commissioned by the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) and conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University.
Read more >>
2009 NRVC/CARA Study on Recent Vocations
NRVC Executive Director's Nov. 18, 2009 Address to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Resumen Ejecutivo: Vocaciones Recientes para la Vida Religiosa
History of the Study
Implications of the NRVC/CARA Study on the Future of Religious Vocations
Discussion Questions for Religious Institutes


Social Media Best Practice Tips: 4 Social Media Sites Every Christian Should Know
We’re all familiar with Twitter and Facebook – and they’re a great place to make your presence online when you’re trying to promote your book. But for Christian books, however, there is another alternative: Christian-specific social media platforms. The goal of Christian social media sites is to provide a place where Christians can connect online to socialize with others to discuss their faith, spread the gospel, and generally share life topics in a Christian environment.
Read on for four of the bigger Christian social media sites you should have on your book promotion radar:
1. ShoutLife: This site describes itself as having a “fresh” approach to Christian social media. It prides itself on its clean content, and the ability to access a wide range of authors, music, comedy and various organizations. The features are akin to traditional social media sites, including: messaging, video and audio upload, and – like Facebook – unlimited photo uploads. Because photos are the most-shared and most-engaged form of content, turn your book quotes and bible passages into graphics! This site is a great way to connect with Christian readers, and other Christian authors as well.
2. JCFaith: When it comes to this site, think MySpace at its outset – it boasts great music and video share features. If you have a book trailer or any promotional videos for your book, this is the site to join. You can also host your own blog as well as host live chats, which is perfect for a book reading or author Q&A.
3. Tangle: This social media community’s goal is to provide a wholesome place for Christians to share photos, videos, and conversation. Like Facebook, groups and organizations can enter the mix as well, such as Churches and ministries – which is also great if the church you are a member of is active. If your church or ministry is on Tangle, get in touch to see if they would publish a post about your book.
4. MyChurch: As far as social media networking goes, this community specializes in helping Christians find members from the same church, allowing people around the world to remain connected to their church communities. For that reason, it attracts many missionaries. A special feature is that MyChurch included prayer request capability, as well as photo and video sermons.
Taking into account the influence that social media can have on one’s spirit, its power to connect devout Christians together in a clean environment makes Christian social media platforms an ideal place to be for Christian authors looking to spread the message about their books.
Your staff is the best.
RICHARD CERASINI, Independent author, Love Letters from Mount Rushmore


Feeling blessed today ….
….. being quite active physically and having a bit of a history with shoulder problems (AC joint) the time came that I needed to have my right one worked on once again after breaking and partially dislocating it in 1999.
I suppose as you get older, your life takes on a deeper meaning, you see and experience things a bit differently than when you were 25 years old …. well, I do any way. The thought of going under the knife has never exited me really and there is always some doubt that creeps in. Being a Christian and believing that there is a bigger purpose to my life, I had a certain calmness going in …….. call it “nervously-calm” if there is such a thing.
As I lie in my hospital bed after the opperation, I have an enormous feeling of thankfulness knowing that God had His hand over me, the doctors and everyone involved in the procedure. I am also blessed to have an extremely supportive family, loving wife and good friends. It is quite a humbling and spiritually rejuvenating experience ……. lots of love beyond my wildest dreams.
……. I can only be grateful. Life is truly about so much more that just work and money and in some mysterious way God makes you see this. I am normally quite reserved and not so open about my religious views and believes …….. but this is my blog, my life and I felt like sharing this personal experience with you.
May you also be so lucky and fortunate to experience something similar in you lifetime.


HEARTWORK MISSIONS BELIEVES IN the RED PROGRESSION:
RESPOND TO AN OPPORTUNITY //
ENCOUNTER JESUS //
DISCOVER YOUR PURPOSE IN GOD'S STORY //
Jesus instructs His followers on multiple occasions to, "GO." We see this clearly in the Gospel of Matthew when Jesus says, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age," (Matthew 28: 18-20).
In order for us to be a part of what God is doing around the world, we must simply respond to the calling He places on our lives to "GO."
Encounter is a monumental word for Heartwork Missions because we firmly believe that as followers of Jesus we are simply participating in the story of God, which is bigger than the story of ourselves. We believe God is already at work around the world and that we do not need to "bring" Him to places around the world, but rather we must ENCOUNTER Him wherever we go. This is modeled after Jesus in the Gospel of John where He responds to the Jewish leaders saying,“My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working . . . Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does," (John 5:17, 19).
Heartwork Missions believes Mission Trips are about coming alongside and encountering what God is already doing around the world.
In our experience, more often than not, we see people growing in an understanding of their purpose in God's story after going on missions. This is especially true for all of our staff members. We also see this validated in scripture as Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing, and perfect will, For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others," (Romans 12:1-5).
Our lives are about something bigger than ourselves. Responding to God's call and encountering what He is doing will help you discover what your purpose is in God's story.


Most people look at their relationships with God as an escape from their problems; this is because people sell Christianity like a product that makes problems disappear. I am not saying that God doesn’t solve problems. He does solve problems but oftentimes, His ways are totally different from ours. Also, we need to bear in mind that the day we all accepted Christ as our Lord and personal saviour, we declared war against the prince of this world but the amazing thing about this war is that we have already won.
Challenges are part of our everyday life, we all have things that we are dealing with that only God knows or that everyone knows about. God’s word shows that He is well aware of our issues and He even tells us how to respond to the problems.
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
One of the greatest challenges in our lives is looking back and ruminating on past hurting situations. This way of life throws curve balls at us once we ponder over them, it also affects our perspective, whether we will react/respond to situations, and it eventually influence our overall mind-set. In today’s Bible verse, we are admonished to look at challenges in a different way and from a unique perspective. Today’s scripture reminds us that the power to magnify or lessen the problem is our hands. It shows us that regardless of the problem we experience, we need to strive to see the privilege that is behind the issues.
Just like the mining of gold which is surrounded with a lot of mud or dirt, most often, some blessings can only be discovered after going through a lot of unpleasant experience. Imagine if you were the rock the miner is drilling to get to the gold. You will definitely face much pain but at the end of it all, your pain shall definitely unravel your gain. Such is life, some situations come our way to unearth the gold that is in us.
Brethren, I am not saying it’s easy to count it all joy when we are looking at a storm heading our way but my point is this; God is good, and whatever situation He allows in our lives is for our good. He makes all things beautiful in the right time, so hold on and don’t let go of any previous vision or dream you seek to achieve in life. Instead of us dwelling on the pain let us keep our trust in God and He will surely assist us to overcome or endure till its set-time.
God is all wise and He has the ability to bring out the best from every situation. Sometimes waiting on God over a particular challenge can very difficult and frustrating. Nonetheless, we are entreated to count it all joy. Whenever we count even our pains as joy, it lessens the impact of the pain in our lives and it as well shifts our focus from the pain to the gain.
And so, although not easy but very possible and results-oriented as mentioned from today’s scriptures, I urge us all to count it all joy whenever we find ourselves in the midst of any bitter or tough situations because behind the mega-storm, is often a mega blessing.


THE WOG COMMUNITY
We inspire imperfect women to become the Woman of God He created them to be.
Proverbs 3:6 says, "In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success."
Woman of God inspires women to live a God-first lifestyle out loud unapologetically, whether through jewelry, clothing, or an encouraging word.
We give a portion of every sale to charities and organizations to aid in the life change we all need daily.


Mormons are “known in New York City”, and around the world, “for clean-cut young missionaries in pressed white shirts”. (Clare Trapasso, Mormon Helping Hands mobilizes for storm-ravaged Rockaways and Broad Channel, New York Daily News, 13 Nov 2012)
SUCH BELIEVERS -- WITH THE LIPS
If you talk to these people, they’ll swear up and down that Joseph Smith was a prophet, who put together the Book of Mormon and the Doctrines and Covenants. They’ll even claim they believe in this stuff.
Like this commandment:
“And the inhabitants of Zion shall also observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” (Joseph Smith, Doctrines and Covenants 68:29, 1831)
That’s the seventh day, or Saturday:
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
WHICH THE MORMONS ADMIT
The Mormons could hardly deny this, so:
"The Sabbath is the Lord's day, set apart each week for rest and worship. In Old Testament times, God's covenant people observed the Sabbath on the seventh day of the week because God rested on the seventh day when He had created the earth." (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Website, Sabbath, Gospel Topics)
THINKING TO CHANGE THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Of course, the modern-day Mormon cult scorns these commandments. They go about their ordinary work on the Sabbath, and gather briefly at their clubhouses on Sundays: "After the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which occurred on the first day of the week, the Lord's disciples began observing the Sabbath on the first day of the week, Sunday (see Acts 20:7)." (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Website, Sabbath, Gospel Topics) While desecrating the Sabbath of the Lord -- each and every week.
Acts 20:7 doesn't say what the missionaries claim:
And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. (Acts 20:7, Holy Bible) No mention of either Sabbath celebration, or Sabbath change.
They let themselves “be seduced by evil spirits, or doctrines of devils, or the commandments of men; for some are of men, and others of devils.” (Joseph Smith, Doctrines and Covenants 46:7, 1831)
Or, as Jesus put it, "For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men". (Mark 7:8, Holy Bible)
Oh, the Mormons still manage to fool all of the people some of the time: “It boggles my mind that there are still good people left like that in the world”. (Jim O’Connor cited in Clare Trapasso, Mormon Helping Hands mobilizes for storm-ravaged Rockaways and Broad Channel, New York Daily News, 13 Nov 2012)
And then they manage to fool some of the people all of the time: “In 2010 there were an estimated 14.1 million Mormons”. (Mormons, Wikipedia)
But the Mormons can’t fool all the people all of the time.
But doesn’t it help the Mormons to be a member of their temples?
“And after that you have received this, if you keep not my commandments you cannot be saved in the kingdom of my Father.” (Joseph Smith, Doctrines & Covenants 18:46, 1829)
Total Apostasy at Brigham Young University
Temple Square becomes Center of Sin / Hot drinks, meat & "more"


I thank Allan Bevere for sharing this bit of wisdom from C.S. Lewis
Allan R. Bevere: When Hands are Full God is an Interruption: "If the first and lowest operation of pain shatters the illusion that all is well, the second shatters the illusion that what we have, ...
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Tuesday, April 02, 2013
In the introduction of Change the World: Recovering the Message and Mission of Jesus. Rev. Mike Slaughter states clearly in the very first few pages what he understands the mission of Jesus was to be. That mission was to change the world by bringing the good news to the poor, the oppressed, the blind, and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. (Luke 4:18-19). He then asserts that the "gospel is good news for the poor. If it is not working to benefit the poor and the oppressed, then it is not the gospel."
I am not buying it. Is not the gospel Jesus the Messiah himself has come to reconcile the world to its creator, the God of Israel? When this gospel transforms the person, then it becomes the good news to the poor and the oppressed.
In chapter one which is titled "Missional vs Attractional" Slaughter says that what is wrong with the church is that it is overly concerned with attracting numbers, and less concerned with fulfilling mission. This is counter to what us United Methodist are hearing from the conference level. What we are hearing is that what is important is the number of people attending worship, the number of people professing faith, the number of people involved in small groups, the amount of money collected weekly, the amount of money spent on mission, the number of people involved in mission. I agree with Slaughter that we should be involved in mission.
At the end of chapter one lays out what Jesus is calling his mission in three "biblical mandates." First, is the The Great Requirement" from Micah 6:8: "He has shown all you people what is god. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God." Within this are three acts, justice, mercy, and humbleness. These are fundamental to the Christian life-style.
The second biblical mandate is from John 15:12-13: "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." Yes, this is true, but I think the fuller statement of what Jesus intends as his mission is a life that lives the two great commandments that starts with “And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”” (Matthew 22:37–40, ESV). A church needs both legs on which to stand.
The third biblical mandate is from Matthew: “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV) I think this goes without saying key to what Jesus thought he was doing, and commissioning disciples to do.
The question is what does this look like in the church? And another question is everyone in the church a disciple, or more accurately and disciple-in-process? If not who has control over your faith community,the disciples or the other folks who are there for other reasons than discipleship? These questions lead to one of the propositions that Slaughter made in the beginning of the chapter: "We invite the uninitiated to become members of a movement that they don't even understand without clearly laying out the expectations of the movenment's revolutionary leader." I think this is a serous question for the United Methodist church for two reasons. In the small local churches with which I am familiar there is no intentional process for membership. Secular organisations have a more intentional process than the small local church. We are just happy to take anyone at face value.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Merciful and everliving God, Creator of heaven and earth,
the crucified body of your son was laid in the tomb
an rested on this holy day.
Grant that we may await with him the dawning of the third day
and rise in newness of life, through Jesus Christ Our Redeemer. Amen
(The Book of Common Prayer, U.S.A. 20th Cent.)


Dr. William H. Marty was inspired to write 102 Fascinating Bible Studies on the New Testament partly from the students’ questions he fielded during his 37 years teaching at Moody Bible Institute.
The studies can be done in any order, and in fact the author recommends you not read this book like a novel. It is appropriate for Christians and non-Christians alike. Marty stresses the importance of reading the noted scripture passages to get full understanding of the studies.
The studies are organized by the life of Christ and the four Gospels, the Book of Acts, Paul’s epistles, the general epistles, several studies drawn from the book of Revelation, and doctrine.
Each study begins with a topic, ranging from the Genealogies of Jesus to the Wrath of God. Marty briefly explores the topic, including scripture references. Then several study questions are presented, also with scripture references. Each study concludes with a memory verse.
As suggested above, you cannot properly do this study without using the Bible to explore the many scripture references. While Marty presents the topic and guides you with insightful questions, it is truly a study of the Bible.
102 Fascinating Bible Studies on the New Testament is a great way to delve into a topical study of scripture either in a group or on your own.


December snuck up on all of us this year, didn't it? We had a really sweet Thanksgiving with my extended family, and we even got to celebrate my Grandpa's 90th birthday. He was so surprised! He regaled us with stories of WWII and his time as a missionary in Africa. He's been a professor, anthropologist, janitor, church leader, army veteran, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. There's a lot of life in 90 years. It made me realize I don't know enough about it. We live so far away. I want to write all these stories down and preserve them somehow. Have any of you done this with your families? I'd love to know. And now for some December goals.
- Spend time with these daily advent readings (bonus, it's a free downloadable!)
- Find thoughtful gifts from small businesses (and not just default to the big box guys)
- Come up with a giving plan in addition to our regular December church giving (Emily has some great thoughts on this)
- Send out our annual Christmas card (thank you, Nancy Ray, for our photo!)
- Bake cookies for our neighbors and wrap them up pretty
- Make steps toward getting my business accounting in order
- Find the quiet (we have lots of holiday parties to attend this year - which I love - but I also want to find intentional time at home with just Michael, the light of our Christmas tree, a glass of wine, and the feeling of peace that comes with the season)
- Sing Christmas songs. Loudly. And often.
What puts you in the Christmas spirit? For me, oddly enough, it's listening to the Little Women soundtrack. I think because the best parts of the movie happen at Christmas. Have you listened to it? It's really lovely.


#bobhitching #mine-shaft-canary #mineshaftcanary
Bob and Nancy live at the Border region between Hungary, Serbia and Croatia. They split their time between these three countries. Their home is in the Hungarian city of Pécs.
They founded the small Mission agency, Roma Bible Union in 2002 and have focused most of their time and ministry in work among the Roma Populations in their three countries region.
Bob was ordained into the Reformed Episcopal Church in 2018 under whose spiritual authority he and Nancy function in their Church planting vision within the Roma Bible Union. The decision was made for Bob and Nancy to invest as much time as possible into Pastoral Evangelism in the Bayash community and seek to build an "Anglican Community of Faith" in North Eastern Croatia.
To receive regular reports of their ministry please go to the Contact Page for Details. They send out a regular newsletter called The Roma Diary and then a quarterly Magazine called KASKADA.
Bob and Nancy have written a variety books in different styles and genre's which can be viewed on the Books By Bob and Nancy Page of this site. Some of the books have been written specifically for the Roma. Others to raise awareness for the Roma and then there are some other works that fall into a variety of categories.
COME AND VISIT


This year I decided that I would volunteer some of my time to make the world a better place. Up until this year I had not given back to my community by serving the people in any kind of capacity, so when the opportunity to volunteer as a youth leader in our church came my way I took it.
The problem was that I didn’t know what I was doing. It was my first time working in this type of role, and I certainly didn’t have a lot of time to come up with our weekly bible lessons on my own, so I needed to figure out some way to make things happen.
Thankfully, the internet is a wonderful resource and it didn’t take me long to find some youth ministry resources that I could use to help provide meaningful lessons and leadership to the youth under my care. These lessons not only provided material to help me teach the children about Jesus through weekly bible lessons, but also covered topics that are relevant to today’s teenagers including bullying, internet safety, pregnancy, gambling, and the power of prayer. In fact, the resource material I found will allow me to be an effective youth leader without having to spend a lot of time on lesson preparation.
Which is exactly what I needed.
If you are working in a youth leader capacity, you owe it to yourself to checkout these youth ministry resources now.


This week marks seven years since I buried my firstborn. In many ways it seems inconceivable that more than half a decade has passed since I held him in my arms. Yet in other ways, those events seem so distant that it almost feels like a different person experienced the devastating loss and overwhelming grief that followed. Maybe I’ve changed enough that you could say it happened to someone else.
Most of the facts about my life are unchanged – same house, same husband, same church, similar job. It’s shocking, however, when I think about all of the people who have come and gone from my sphere of influence in that time. I’ve lost grandparents, gained nieces and nephews, lost touch with friends, and made new ones. It saddens me to think about how many people are now in my life who don’t even know about Ethan, but a loss like that just isn’t something you bring up in regular conversation. I like to tell his whole story, but rarely mention him in passing.
I often wonder why it’s taken me seven years to write about Ethan. If my goal, in sharing, is to provide support and encouragement to others, why did I wait? I think the truth is that I didn’t want my writing to be a sort of therapy for myself, and I didn’t want it to read like I was trying to convince myself of the truths I professed. Instead, I want my words to come from a place of joy, where I can confidently say that God has seen me through my time of trouble – the place where I am now.
The person I was seven years ago would not have believed my life could ever again be filled with the joy and peace I have now. Not only did God give me the strength to get through my darkest days, he also used my experience to change me into a more loving and compassionate person. The way I relate to others has evolved as I went through the grieving process. When my grief was the freshest, I felt an empathy with the hurting and fearful that I had never experienced before. I felt called to action to provide solace and comfort where I could. Later, when my own sorrow began to take on a bitter tone, I felt an unfamiliar jealousy in response to others’ happiness. When two of my own nephews were born, instead of sharing in my family’s joy, my own emptiness and loss seemed to sharpen. Luckily, my emotions didn’t linger in the realm of jealousy and bitterness for long. Soon, I reached a healthy emotional balance where I could grieve with the grieving, and rejoice in blessings in a way I never did before.
Now that I’m truly on the other side of grief from losing my son, it’s easy to see that his life and his death have changed me for the better. Although I’ll never fully “recover” from the loss, I know that my faith is deeper, my appreciation of God’s blessings is fuller, and my ability to show the love of Christ is greater. I would never have chosen to bury my child, but I today am able to thank God for using Ethan’s life to make me better than who I used to be.


After having to step back from competition in 2014 due to horse injuries, Nicole was faced with the opportunity to re-evaluate what is truly important in life and where to place her focus and trust: in Yeshua Messiah (Hebrew name of Jesus Christ). Since, she has found a new element to her lessons, clinics, and her own riding and development as a horsewoman which offers so much more to students than just success in riding and barrel racing. Her dedication, passion and devotion to both her riders and their horses has not gone unnoticed as her clients often describe her teaching style as “straightforward, humble and patient.”
Looking back on the journey from 2014 to current, she is truly grateful that the Lord's promises hold true. That when she called upon Him in her day of trouble, He has faithfully rescued her and will each and everytime forevermore. She desires nothing more than to honor Him in every area of her life, including in the gift of her horses.
May it forever be increasingly so.


Most Reverend Andrew E. Bellisario, C.M.
Archbishop of Anchorage-Juneau
Fr. Pat Casey O.M.I., Cathedral Rector, (907) 586-1300 or (907) 518-4059 cell, email
Fr. Patrick Casey, OMI was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. He was an officer in the US Army Medical Corps; his military stint included service in Vietnam. He attended Creighton University, studied Theology at the Boston Theological Union in Cambridge, MA and was ordained a priest for the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1980. He has served as a pastor in St. Louis, MO; Chicago, IL; and Petersburg, AK. He has been the Rector at the Cathedral since 2010.
Deacon Steve Olmstead, Pastoral Associate (907)586-1340 or Cell (907)209-7005, email
Deacon Charles Rohrbacher, Office of Ministries, Diocese of Juneau, (907) 586-2227, x23 Email
Deacon Charles Rohrbacher was born and raised in California. He attended the University of California Berkley where he studied History and Art History. He has also studied icon painting in San Francisco, New York and Paris with Dmitri Shkolnik and Fr. Egon Sendler, SJ. He served as Director of Religious Education at the Cathedral from 1995 to 2005. He was ordained a deacon for the Diocese of Juneau in 2006 and now serves as the Director of the Office of Ministries for the Diocese of Juneau and is on the staff for the Deacon Formation program. He is also assigned as Deacon to the Cathedral. Deacon Charles and his wife Paula have two grown children and live in Douglas, where Deacon Charles continues to write icons and teach students of iconography. He has illustrated three ritual books for Liturgical Press: The Book of the Elect; The Illuminated Easter Proclamation; and The Passion of Holy Week.
Ms. Bridget Goertzen, Director of Religious Education, (907) 586-1317, Email
Cece Lihou, Office Manager, (907) 586-1513, Email
Middle School Youth Group
Leora Houtary & Sean Goertzen
Victim Assistance Coordinator
Robbie Izzard (907) 586-2227 ext. 25


Grace Community Fellowship is a ministry that is built upon grace, as evidenced in the favor and ability of God working through our lives.
“Grace Recovery” is a God-centered support group that meets every Friday at 7 PM and welcomes anyone.
Feel free to browse our growing selection of downloadable literature and teaching material.
"All are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:24)"


Fr. Hardon explains that the New Testament is quite clear that Jesus founded the Church to be a society for salvation of all men. The ancient Fathers held the unanimous conviction that salvation cannot be achieved outside the Church!
Gradually, however, it became clear that there existed some "God-fearing" individuals who were deprived of Catholic heritage "without fault on their part." It followed that such people were open to salvation, even though they were not professed Catholics, or even baptized.
Thomas Aquinas, however, restated the teaching about the general necessity of the Church. He did concede that a person could be saved "extra-sacramentally" by a "baptism of desire" and therefore without actual Church membership, but the implicit desire to belong to the Church.
The famous Vatican II Council redefined salvation doctrine as follows:
The Council relies on sacred scripture and Tradition in teaching that this pilgrim Church is necessary for salvation. Christ alone is the mediator of salvation and the way of salvation. This means that it would be impossible for men to be saved if they refused to enter or to remain in the Catholic Church, unless they were unaware that her foundation by God through Jesus Christ made it a necessity.
Hardon goes on to write that salvation, then, is possible without baptism, and people may be saved according to their "adequate cooperation with the internal graces of the Spirit they receive." However, he continues, "whoever is actually saved owes his salvation to the one Catholic Church founded by Christ. It is this Church alone that communicates the merits won for the whole world on the cross."


WHAT ARE GOOD WORKS
If you were to take an opinion survey and asked the average person in America "How does a person go to heaven" the majority would say something about works or deeds that they have done. Most people think that God has a huge scale and that if your good works outweigh the bad you have done, you'll get into heaven. I have heard several say, "Well, I'm not perfect but I'm not that bad either."
In our text the Lord instructs us to do good works so that others might
glorify the heavenly Father. From that spring board I want to ask, "What
are good works?" first of all.
I. They are works done by a saved person. v 16 b
Jesus was speaking to people who he had made 'spiritual salt' and 'spiritual light.' He was telling those folks who knew him as Lord and Savior to let their light shine so that their good works would glorify God. Jesus doesn't call everybody 'salt and light' but only his people.
If you run through the New Testament and search the word 'works' you will find quite often a distinction between works and good works. Good works are the activities produced by God and acted out by His people. They cannot be done by a non-Christian because they are not 'salt and light' and have no inner light to 'shine.'
Matthew 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS."
This man called his deeds 'wonderful or miracles', Jesus called them 'works of iniquity or lawlessness.'
Do you have any good works that glorify the Father? Are you zealous to do good works? Those who have been born again have an innate desire to do good works because it is the fruit of God's Spirit flowing in and through them. But if you have no desire to do good works and they seem like a waste of time, it is one evidence that you are not a saved person.---What are good works?
II. They are works motivated by a love for God. v 16 c
Have you ever discussed the difference between incentive and motivation? Many people think that money is a motivator, but it is really only an incentive. The motivation for things or prestige may cause people to desire money but money alone is not a motivator. Well, what motivates good works? What causes a person to want to shine so that the lost world see their good works and glorify their heavenly Father? It is an inner motivation of love for God. It is related to a person's concept of forgiveness. If they know they have received great forgiveness, they love even more.
Luke 7:44-50 And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house, you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little," And He said to her, "Your sins have been forgiven." And those who were reclining at table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this man who even forgives sins?" And He said the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
Hebrews 10:24 and let us consider how to simulate one another to love and good deeds.
Why are you attempting to do good works? It should be because you are
a born again Christian who knows you're forgiven and you have a heart full
of love. But many people refuse to do good works because they are tired
or maybe they say, 'I've done my share of the work.' But the Lord in this
text commands us to shine so people will see our good works. If you're
able and you love the Lord, you cannot be happy if you don't work.---What
are good works? Thirdly:
III. They are works done to Glorify God. v 16 c
Our text says, 'Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Some would like to stop the verse and make it say, 'see your good works' without reference to glorifying the Father. But our text says, our good works are to be seen of all so they can glorify God. All that we are and all that we do is to ultimately glorify God. At first glance this passage may seem to be in opposition to what Jesus says in Mt. 6:1-4. But this passage and the latter passage really say the same thing: Works should not be done for man but for God.
Did you ever stop to think that a light is not supposed to call attention to itself? Light shines to glorify something besides itself. If a light calls attention to itself, it is annoying and one will turn away from it or hide their eyes. But a light can be very bright and simply cause life to be more enjoyable. Light is silent. Its purpose is not to call attention to itself. Its purpose is to glorify others. Our purpose is to call attention to our Father.
Men are to see the works but not the worker. We are not to magnify self but the Savior. You see, we can't be used of the Lord to draw others to Christ if we're more interested in man's praise than being obedient to God.
I Cor, 3:12-15 Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. If any man's work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire.
The illustration of this passage is that works done by a saved person that glorify self gain no reward. Works done for the Glory of God gain a reward.
Today did you teach for the glory of God? Did you sing for the glory
of God? Did I preach for the glory of God? This week, did you witness,
pray, study, etc./ for the glory of God? If so, your labor was not in vain.
What are good works? They are works done by a saved person, they are
works motivated by a love for God, they are works done with an intent to
glorify God. Please come to Him this day.
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And Beyond. Amen? Amen!


4 edition of Faith, Hope, and Charity found in the catalog.
Faith, Hope, and Charity
Odon Von Horvath
by Faber & Faber
Written in English
|The Physical Object|
|Number of Pages||80|
Faith, Hope, and Clarity addresses the big, life-changing decisions and the many small, day-to-day choices that influence the course of our lives. It offers practical advice on accepting difficult circumstances and truly embracing God’s will, even in challenging : (1 Cor ) "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." A. Why is charity or love greater than faith and hope? 1. It is the only one that will last forever. 2. Faith will not last (remember it is the evidence of things unseen), .
Faith Hope & Love Animal Rescue NC, Sophia, North Carolina. 5, likes talking about this. c3 - Rescuing homeless shelter animals from high kill shelters and unwanted community animals in Followers: K. Faith dovetails with hope and matures in charity. The life of faith is truly redemptive if there is hope for a future glory and a true friendship with God, which is charity. The work of Christian faith is charity, and the eternal expectation connected with it is hope. The journey of faith means growing in all three of these essential virtues.
A Land of Sheltered Promise: Faith/Hope/Charity (Inspirational Novella Collection) by Jane Kirkpatrick and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at Before joining the School of Saints Faith, Hope & Charity in , Ms. Bennett worked in the Arts in various fields; as a designer in the display and giftware industry, a portrait artist, costume, floral and Christmas designer and also in the theater as a set designer. Ms. Bennett works in many mediums, but her passion is realistic portraiture. Ms.
Geography journeys in distant lands
Peasants and workers in Nepal
actualization of vital human strengths
Ambassadors (Classic Library)
Priest, the woman and the confessional
Roof frames from the 11th to the 19th century
Two Cats Pocket Address Book
A Bibliography of Greek New Testament Manuscripts (Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series)
Soil survey of Boundary County area, Idaho
Latin America at the cross-roads.
Benefits for the homeless enacted in the 100th Congress
Fuel map of India
Charity is the last part of the trilogy of trilogies (Game,Set& Match; Hook,Line & Hope and Faith,Hope & Charity) concerning our man in Berlin, And Charity book Samson.
Although covering a story that develops from Game and concludes in Charity, it is said that the books can be read Hope any order/5(44). Larry E. Dahl, “Faith, Hope, Charity,” in The Book of Mormon: The Keystone Scripture, ed.
Paul R. Cheesman (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, ), – Larry E. Dahl was an associate professor of Church history and doctrine at. Faith picks up Bernard and crew after he and Fi have returned from CA following Fi's extraction that went SNAFU.
As with the previous books, it is more cerebral than action oriented which is closer to the reality of the intelligence business. I also picked up Hope and Charity and liked them as well/5(91).
The Book of Mormon teaches that the foundation stones for our spiritual growth are faith, hope, and charity. Mormon indicates that without these three qualities, especially charity, we are nothing (Moroni ).
It is through faith, hope, and charity that we are brought to Christ (Ether ). Verse - And now. The "now" is not temporal (as opposed to the "then" of the previous verse), but logical.
It sums up the Faith. three graces and Charity book fundamental and permanent; not transient, like the charisms, on which the Corinthians were priding themselves, but which should all be "annulled." Faith, hope, charity.
Faith, Hope and Charity book. Read 7 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Set in the socially and economically oppressed Vienna of the /5. Faith, Hope, and Charity Must Be Centered in Christ The Savior said: “I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me—the fountain of all righteousness” (Ether ).
The first principle of the gospel is not just “faith,” but “faith in the Lord Jesus Christ” (Article of Faith 4). Faith, hope, and love are indeed prominent in the Scriptures. Faith and hope appear together at the onset of the great faith chapter in the book of Hebrews (Heb.
11). On the basis of a settled, active, and confident faith in God, the believer can live a life of assured hope; “Now faith is being sure of what hope for, being convinced of what. Faith, hope, and charity are essential for salvation.
Ask students to quickly name attributes they think are important to acquire while in mortality. Then ask them to identify which of those attributes they think are most vital in order to inherit the kingdom of God. The Hal Far Fighter Flight was a British fighter unit formed during the Siege of Malta in For several weeks, the island of Malta was protected by a small force of Gloster Sea Gladiator biplane fighters, based at RAF Hal Far, which was also known as the Fleet Air Arm station HMS flight is the source of the myth that only three aircraft, named Faith, Hope and Charity formed the.
Faith, Hope, and Charity begins a bit slowly, and I worried at first that the erotic A cross between a contemporary romance and a sci-fi fantasy, this story within a story is unique and engaging, and at times, the writing brilliant, especially during the science fiction world the two main characters, Faith and Kevin, write and create together /5.
Wesley's Notes for 1 Corinthians Faith, hope, love - Are the sum of perfection on earth; love alone is the sum of perfection in heaven. People's Bible Notes for 1 Corinthians 1Co But now abideth faith, hope, charity.
These three shall survive. They are eternal. Faith is a spy novel by Len is the first novel in the final trilogy of three about Bernard Samson, a middle-aged and somewhat jaded intelligence officer working for the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6).
Faith is part of the Faith, Hope and Charity trilogy, being followed by Hope and trilogy is preceded by the Game, Set and Match and the Hook, Line and Author: Len Deighton. Acts of Faith, Hope, and Charity Faith, hope, and charity, the three theological virtues, are infused in the soul by God when we are baptized.
“ Faith is the virtue by which we firmly believe all the truths God has revealed, on the word of God revealing them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived (John )” (Baltimore Catechism).
Faith, Hope, and a Girl Named Charity It is the Winter of A Spanish spy in James Towne, England’s fledgling New World settlement, sends back a secret, ominous message meant for the Spanish Ambassador in : Melchior de Marion Brésillac. The ad hoc unit was known as the RAF Station Fighter Flight.
First published inFaith, Hope and Charity tells how the pilots of those three obsolete planes and the men who worked to keep them flying defied the Italian air force and encouraged the Maltese people to hang on in the face of daunting odds.
1 And now I, Moroni, write a few of the words of my father Mormon, which he spake concerning a faith, hope, and charity; for after this manner did he speak unto the people, as he taught them in the b synagogue which they had built for the place of worship.
2 And now I, Mormon, speak unto you, my beloved brethren; and it is by the a grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, and his. Buy Faith (Faith, Hope & Charity) by Deighton, Len (ISBN: ) from Amazon's Book Store.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders/5(84). The interior life of charity -- Experience of God -- Charity in the church.\/span>\"@ en\/a> ; \u00A0\u00A0\u00A0\n schema:description\/a> \" Is it necessary for the Christian to know the true meaning of faith, hope and charity.
Who are the true owners of these virtues and how are they attained. Faith, hope, and love are discussed individually at several points in the Scriptures.
In the New Testament book of 1 Corinthians, the apostle Paul mentions the three virtues together and then goes on to identify love as the most important of the three.
From Emma Hale Smith, the first Relief Society president, to Bonnie D. Parkin, who from to led more than five million Relief Society sisters in nations across the earth, "Faith, Hope, and Charity" tells the stories of courage, faith, service, and compassion--stories that provide a greater understanding of the Lord's work and of Author: Larene Gaunt.
Faith, hope, charity At face value, Christianity would seem to have but a peripheral role to play in the cut and thrust of modern life. In his book The Faces Of Christianity: A Photographic. Faith, Hope & Charity is practical, accessible and deeply relevant. Its author has a wealth of experience and a deep passion for the life of charity to be vibrant, well-structured and built upon excellent foundations.
I cannot commend it highly enough. Every trustee and leader of a charity should buy this book, read it, discuss it with their /5(5).


I was raised as a Catholic and having received all the available sacraments less the Holy Orders and Last Rites, I am the textbook example of a non-practicing Catholic. My reasons for not belonging to the Roman Catholic Church as an adult are many. The most obvious being the imperfect hierarchy that doesn’t allow for married priests and continues to minimize women. The fact that they have totally botched the handling the sex abuse cases and the prohibition of contraception (which only exacerbates the poverty they claim to be so invested in eliminating) rounds out the reasons I cant be part of that club. There are a lot of people that feel the same ways about the problems of the church but the magic of the mass and the sacraments mitigates the political failings of the church. I guess I never bought into the magic.
But I have to say that despite being only a cultural Catholic at this point in my life, I was more than a little bit intrigued by the Pope Election 2013. I listen to a lot of radio as I am in my car A LOT. Whether it was BBC, MSNBC or the aptly named program “Holy Smoke” on the Catholic Channel, the wall to wall news coverage of the conclave was odd to me. The selecting of the pope really only directly affects 17% of the world but it was monopolizing the air waves in a serious way and I kind of was digging it. The selection was violence and suffering free, unlike much of the recent headlines. It was all very mysterious and we could only speculate what was going on behind close doors. So while intriguing, there wasn’t any real news to report, there was no real information to base a story on so the news was mostly Pope fun facts and trivia. The most interesting thing I learned this week was that the chemical smoke canisters that are added to the paper ballots and notes for the fire after the voting are made by a chemistry inclined nerdy Cardinal from Italy.
Things got more interesting and even more mysterious when it was announced that Cardinal Bergolio of Buenos Aires was chosen as Francis I (badass name, totally approve). But the dude is 76 years old and has one lung…I dont think this is the reformer, or the charismatic communicator that was going to clean up and grow the church. As cool as his name may be, I dont think the Cardinals were investing in the future. Pope Francis seems more like a placeholder, until they figure out how the church is going to inevitably change for the future.
As to the new Pope, there is something endearing about his simplicity and his uncomfortableness with all the pomp and circumstance. I am willing to give him a pass on whatever complicity he may have had in the horrors of the Dirty War. The truth seems to indicate he was having to give the military something in order to save others..es muy complicado..as they say in Buenos Aires. I guess my biggest beef with the dude is that he doesn’t appear to know how to smile!
Good luck Pope Francis, I would love to be surprised.


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At the height of East Texas summer, more than 200 people gathered in Big Sandy for a week of fellowship, encouragement, and strengthening from the Word of God. Many were returning families, while others were first-time attendees.
Have you experienced the futility of trying to produce spiritual fruit by your own efforts? If you redirect your energies to “engraft” Scripture into your life and meditate on it day and night, God’s Word will successfully bear good fruit in your life.


For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)
In the morning when you make your toast, you can remember what Jesus promised to all of us. Salvation. So get yourself a toaster that makes an imprint of Jesus on your toast so every morning when you make your toast, you can have a reminder of this promise.
So buy a Jesus Toaster from the on-line store today.


Do you have a high-school aged youth in your parish who might be interested in Advocacy?
Catholic Youth Advocacy Day
High Schoolers are taken from across the state to Sacramento for a day of prayer and advocacy. Starting with Mass at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, students go through a student- led training before meeting with their local elected officials. A joint project between the Ministry for Young Catholics and the Office of Advocacy. If you are interested in participating, please reach out to our Office.


Mercy Children's Hospital
Patients Rights & Responsibilities, Advance Directives and Ethics Committee
The mission of Mercy is to extend the healing ministry of Jesus by improving the health of our communities, with emphasis on people who are poor and underserved. Our services reflect our commitment to excellence, compassion for others, and reverence for all life. We respect the dignity of all persons, and act with integrity, honesty and truthfulness.
Visit our Patient Rights & Responsibilities, Advance Directives and Ethic Committee pages, for more information on your rights as a patient , creating your Livng Will or Advance Directive and help with the moral aspects of healthcare.


It seems that there are always holidays, events and traditions all around the Easter period. This means that it can be hard to keep up and often it is easy to forget when each holiday is and how you should be celebrating. This post will look at the days on either side of Easter and what they mean.
Ash Wednesday follows Pancake Day and is the start of Lent – this means that it is a day of strict fasting and abstinence. It is always 46 days before Easter Sunday.
Palm Sunday takes place a week before Easter Sunday and commemorates Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem when palm branches were put down on his path so that he could walk on them. It marks the final week of Lent and the beginning of the Holy Week.
Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, is the day that Jesus celebrated Passover and commemorates the Washing of the Feet and Last Supper.
Good Friday is the day that Jesus Christ was condemned to death and crucified by the Romans. It is a day of reflection, silence and fasting and is often called Silent Friday. Catholics partake in The Stations of the Cross – a 14 step devotion focusing on specific events during his final day.
The church bells are silent on Easter Saturday with no service. It is the day of the Holy Sepulchre, which is when believers focus on the pain and grief of the crucifixion.
The celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection and the victory of life over death. It is considered to be the highest celebration of Christianity and a point of focus with the resurrection establishing the belief in life after death. This is also a day filled with fun traditions that believers and non-believers partake in, such as having chocolate easter eggs delivered and exchanging them, painting eggshells and an easter egg hunt.
Easter Monday is the day that concludes observing Christ’s resurrection.
Pentecost is celebrated on the 50th day from Easter Sunday and commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, which caused them to speak in tongues and allowed direct communication with God.
As you can see, it is certainly a busy time of the year around Easter and there are lots of traditions to be aware of. Whether a believer or a non-believer, Easter can be a time of the year for spending time with loved ones, reflecting and celebrating.


After Hours Podcast
Casual conversations with inspirational speakers, off the clock.
Episode 51 - Claude and Ruth Baraberewe
This week we are joined by Claude and Ruth Baraberewe, missionaries from the central African country of Burundi.
Originally Released: Oct 14, 2017
Episode 50 - Pamela and Tony Maxwell
Our very own "Mamma P" and "Papa T" join Nathan Kotzur and share stories from their first trip to Mozambique, the beginning of Iris’ Harvest School and testimonies from their many years of running with us! Visit irisglobal.org/missions/harvest for more information.
Originally Released: Oct 11, 2017
Episode 49 - Sia Tongu
The director of Iris’ base in Conakry, Guinea, Sia Tongu joins host Nathan Kotzur and shares the miraculous testimony of her salvation and healing. Visit irisglobal.org/conakry for more information.
Originally Released: Oct 6, 2017
Episode 48 - Kurt and Brooke Wilson
Kurt and Brooke Wilson of Iris St. Louis share stories of the tenure at Iris’ Harvest School and pioneering Freedom Rising / Iris St. Louis. Visit freedomrisingglobal.org for more information.
Originally Released: Sep 28, 2017
Episode 47 - Rolland Baker
Iris Global cofounder Rolland Baker joins hosts Crystalyn Human and Nathan Kotzur and tells of the early days of Iris and life as a missionary kid.
Originally Released: Sep 19, 2017
Episode 46 - Gershom Sikaala and Charles Lambalika
Gershom Sikaala and Charles Lambalika return for the 46th episode of Iris After Hours. Visit GershomSikaala.org and themountain.org for more information.
Originally Released: Sep 8, 2017
Episode 45 - Tony Kim
Tony Kim, founder of Renaissance International, joins hosts Nathan and Crystalyn and shares the journey into his calling. Visit irenaissance.org for more information.
Originally Released: Sep 5, 2017
Episode 44 - Surprise "Surpresa" Sithole
Surprise Sithole joins hosts Rolland Baker and Crystalyn Human and shares on the joy of the Lord and many miraculous testimonies from the early days of Iris to the present. Visit www.surprisesithole.com for more information.
Originally Released: Aug 25, 2017


What You Can Do
This is just a sampling of the opportunities that are available in Creative Arts Ministry. As you read through the list below look for an opportunity for you. If you don't find one that fits fill out a form anyway. Creative Arts are constantly evolving. We can always make room for more. To start the application process fill out a short survey available at the information center, through the church office, or you may email us at email@example.com. All that's left is turning in your form at the information desk or through email.
Whatever your gift, whether photography, cinematography, lighting design, set design or sound engineering, there is a place for you on our team. Email us at firstname.lastname@example.org or fill out one of our forms.
The Cathedral of Praise Choir
The Choir is a great opportunity for someone who loves to worship the Lord and loves to sing. Our choir practices on Wednesday evening in the choir room. Currently, the choir only practices for seasonal ministry opportunities. We only ask for a commitment of 12 weeks for practice and performance. Does this sound interesting? Contact email@example.com for more information or fill out a form.
Youth Fine Arts Program
We have a wonderful fine arts program for students in our church and your students can be apart! Every year our students work to further their God-given talents. In the Spring we take the students to be adjudicated. They are given helpful hints allowing them to continue to grow. Our students have participated in drama, music, photography, dance, and public speaking. This allows our students to not only grow in the gifts but teaches them how to put those gifts to work in the church and in the world. It is a requirement that the student be apart of our COPY youth ministry being in service 80% of the time. Watch the video of our students at this year’s state Fine Arts Festival, and if you would like more information contact us at firstname.lastname@example.org or fill out a form.
Praise and Worship Team
The Praise and Worship team leads our congregation into the presence of God every Sunday morning. They practice on Tuesday evening starting at 7:00PM in the sanctuary. This is a mandatory rehearsal time. A praise and worship team member should be a member of the church and be striving to live for the Lord with all their heart. There will be an interview with Pastor Mike and Danette before acceptance unto this team. To sign up for an interview and audition contact email@example.com or fill out one of our forms.
There is more to art than what a person sees. Look at all the great artists. While they paint the pictures there is always someone behind them mixing the paint. If you are interested in being apart of the support staff team you would be able to do many things. The support staff helps organize the music library. They help prepare the stage for Sunday morning service. They send reminder calls and emails. They help set up and move sets. Let's face it, many times artists need help to keep their minds straight. Our Support Staff does that. If you are interested in participating it this ministry fill out one of our forms or email us at firstname.lastname@example.org.


Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and concurrently to the Holy See Sergei Aleinik visited the Vatican on 8-12 January 2020, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On 9 January 2020, the Belarusian ambassador took part in the annual audience of Pope Francis to the members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See for the New Year greetings. On the margins of the event, Ambassador Sergei Aleinik had a brief conversation with the Pontiff and conveyed to him Christmas and New Year greetings from the Belarusian leadership.
During the visit, the Belarusian ambassador also met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The parties discussed the topical issues of Belarusian-Vatican relations, hailed the interaction in international organizations, and exchanged views on the situation in the region.
Ambassador Sergei Aleinik held a number of meetings with other official representatives of the Vatican.


John Frame is one of my favorite living theologians. I was excited to find out that he had lectured on Christ and Culture at the Pensacola Theological Institute, and that the lecture’s manuscript has been published on the internet.
For those of you who don’t know, the Pensacola Theological Institute is an annual conference that highlights an important speaker on a theological topic of current interest. Although I have never personally attended, I have noticed their speakers are always great and topics always interesting.
In his first lecture, Frame addresses an important, foundational question: what is culture? I was glad to see him start here because that is one of the things I have had the hardest time doing. “Culture” is one of those things that we know what it is, but when we have to define it, we have a hard time.
According to Frame, culture is what we create as the people God has put in charge of creation. We were created to be creative, as creatures created in the image of God. Not everything we create is good, we are fallen creatures after all, but because of common grace even fallen creatures are able to create beneficial things.
Defining culture in this way, might automatically begin to answer the question of how we, as Christians are to engage our culture. If we are called to create, and culture is part of this creation, then we probably shouldn’t separate from it as the Christ Against Culture or the Christ and Culture in Paradox perspectives believe. From what Frame is saying, if even fallen creatures can create good things Christians can and should take advantage of them rather than separate themselves from them.
At the same time, if culture is something we create, we should not be subjected to it like the Christ of Culture perspective might do. Although I believe few people would actually call themselves by this perspective, defining culture in this way stands as an argument against those who might try to redefine Christ in terms of their culture.
Another way of looking at it would say that Frame’s higher doctrines of sin and redemption preclude both the Christ of Culture and Christ Against Culture positions.
This leaves two perspectives open for possibilities for how Frame might argue a Christian should engage their culture. We’ll have to see how he suggests we should engage our culture in his later lectures.


The “Light of Christ Illumines All” Initiative
St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church Chicago
This is a special page that we have created for our parishioners and friends during a difficult time for our world and for all of us. It is a place where we can turn for prayers, and a way for us to support our home of St. Demetrios church even if we are not able to physically enter its doors. Let us all pray together for the Lord to grant us strength to continue our journey in the days ahead.


(Aruc, Arudch, formerly Talish)
Astarak, Republic of Armenia
AA Vol. 1, Fiche # 059-061.
The Church (Cathedral) of S.Grigor at Aruch (also known as Aruc or Talis) is located 55 km west, and somewhat north of Erevan, in the region of Ashtarak (coord. 40-18 / 44-07). Aruch is the only Early Christian domed-hall church that can be accurately dated. Based on epigraphical and historical evidence, work began around 671-72 AD and both the church and an adjacent palace were built by Prince Grigor Mamikonian. The church is the largest of the Armenian domed-hall churches and it was restored, except for the drum and cupola, between 1946 to1948.


It is neither. The Catholic Church is not a democracy nor a republic since it was not founded by human beings like secular nations are.
It was founded by Jesus Christ, who personally entrusted the fullness of His authority to Saint Peter and his successors. Christ also commissioned the apostles to help govern the local churches. Their successors, the bishops, work in union with and in obedience to the successor of Saint Peter, the pope (bishop of Rome).
Lay parishioners do not elect their leaders (pastors) as they would in a democracy, and priests do not choose their bishops. The authority of the Church comes from God, who entrusted it to the Hierarchy of the Church (the pope and bishops).
The Church is not a monarchy, either, because the pope does not name his successor. The College of Cardinals elects the new pope. The Catholic Church is unique in that other religions are governed by synods (councils of bishops), boards, or committees.
Catholicism, however, depends on the Petrine ministry (the papacy) in conjunction with the local bishops and the parish priests to effectively serve the spiritual needs of God’s people.


Ok so it’s almost Easter time! This is one of the biggest celebration periods for Greeks all around the globe! Of course, Christmas is also celebrated but it's only a day, tops two for those who also follow the Christmas eve tradition, which most Greeks don't!
But Easter! oh boy! it lasts for almost six weeks! yep you read that correctly! six weeks, but what does the biggest celebration in Greece look like? Keep reading if you want to know everything about Easter in Greece
It all starts with the period called Τριώδιο (Triodio) which is also called Carnival a period of 3 weekends which each consists of carnival costume parties, food, drinks and an insane amount of confetti!
Then the first big feast day arrives Καθαρά Δευτέρα (Kathara Deftera), this is similar to ash Tuesday, Pancake Day! Just like for other Christians this is the first day of Lent (fasting) for the Orthodox Greeks. On this we gather for a big lunch that consists of Vegan and seafood dishes, after we eat, we take the children of the family to fly their kite!
So, let’s get into the food, The Greek lent is basically 100% Vegan for hardcore Orthodox Christians from this day until the Saturday night before Easter, except for 3 days in the whole period where fish can be eaten, and for the less hardcore they can eat Crustaceans as they do not have red blood!
However, for years many people have been following the Hardcore orthodox Greeks diet of 100% Vegan more as a reason to abstain from meat rather than for religious reasons.But this is a brilliant way to start a flexitarian diet or intermittent fasting, with a reason! I mean you don't have to be baptised Greek orthodox to do it! But as part of Finding your Inner Greek, let's start the journey by adjusting your diet to the Mediterranean lifestyle!
Find the Greek Easter lent recipes here
What I find is great about it is that you have something serious to look forward to, the Saturday night before Easter Day, The resurrection evening! A build up to reintroducing your body to protein, saliva starts running, time on the other hand seems to not be running fast enough, you know the carnivore inside you can't wait to be set loose, and it is soooo much more enjoyable, than eating it all the time.
The Holy week!
Most go to church on all days of the Holy week, it is a somewhat depressive week, no music is allowed across Greece (usually), well it's not a law but it is heavily frowned upon! Everyone has this mellow look on their face, as if by miracle they were Christians back in the day of Christ, re living their torment for the passions of Christ.
It all comes to a Climax on Good Friday, Jesus has died and is taken off the cross and placed in the most gorgeous death bed decorated with flowers, ALL churches across Greece are tuned and ring the church bells to the most depressing beat you have every heard again ALL day! Ding..... silence.....Dong...... with all Greeks at churches in their neighbourhood to witness this event! then they go to work for 5 hours and return to the Church to follow the deathbed of Christ around the neighbourhood with candles to show they are mourning! It's surreal to be honest, there is this weird silence with church bells in the background, it kind of sets the scene!
Then Saturday is a bit more cheerful as everyone hassles about to make their last shopping for food and gifts for Easter day. In the meantime in Jerusalem early in the morning 5 planes leave carrying the holy flame from the tomb of Christ all over Greece, then the flame is slowly distributed across Greece to as many churches as possible, the Greeks make their way to church around 11:30pm, and at exactly 12am when the priest starts chanting Christ has risen all hell breaks loose! church bells ringing like crazy, fireworks, fire bombs, people kissing and hugging! quite the site to be honest.
At 12:10 the priests begs people to stay for the procession that ends at 3am but most people have already vanished! Off to home to break the fasting with the classical dishes for the evening that moms usually have been cooking for weeks! And of course the most awaited family competition, the cracking of the red eggs!
A tradition that symbolises the red blood of Christ, which ran in sucrifice to cleans humanity's sins! the cracking symbolises that it was not in vain as Christ has now Arisen! The last one standing without a cracked egg is the winner!
Sunday Easter day, everyone gets up early in the morning to put the lamb and Kokoretsi on the spit! they have breakfast and coffee around the lamb and about 10am when the outside layers of the lamb are ready they start drinking wine! by lunch time we all eat and drink more rendering us almost motionless by 3pm, most take turns in taking small naps, but the table is always full with food or desserts and people coming and going, neighbours, relatives and friends!
Then Easter Monday is kind of like what boxing day is for English speaking cultures, we eat leftovers and spend the day with friends and family again!
So, there you have it! Everything you need to know about Greek Easter and below are some traditional recipes of a Greek Easter! Click on the image below.


Welcome to my new blog spot!!! I really hope to keep this updated weekly throughout the summer, but just fyi- my last blogspot ended up with one post, and then I forgot about it! haha.
As most of you know I will be spending 9 weeks, May 29th-August 4th ish in Croc, Mexico. This little village is about 30 minutes away from the big city of Monterrey (you will not find Croc on google map search, so if you want to see where I am, Monterrey is pretty close!) I got to visit Croc just this past spring break with a team from Sioux Center, and had an amazing time. Youthfront is the organization with which I am working through, and is based out of Kansas City, geared towards challenging and equiping youth (check out their vision at youthfront.org). I look forward to seeing a lot of the croc kids and youth again that I was able to build relationships with. During this time I will be working with weekly teams from the states, helping them in different areas such as children's ministries, teaching English, home visits, and such. Each team will be challenged to reach out not only to the people in the village, but also to grow in their own faith.
I am leaving in less than 2 days for Kansas City and will stay with a friend until Friday. Friday at 6:45am I will get dropped off at the youthfront base, pack up the vans, and leave with 6 other summer staffers and a couple of leaders to Croc! We will arrive at the base on Saturday around dinner time, and then go through training for a week. After that, the teams come!
First off, please pray for all of us on staff. In past missions experiences, I have really seen how the relationships and unity of the team play a huge role in the fruit of the mission itself. Pray for unity, love, grace, and patience. Also, pray that God would open doors and give me wisdom and boldness to love and challenge the teams that come down, and to be a living witness to them. Pray that the people of Croc would continue to see the love coming from us and the mission, and that love itself through actions would draw them closer to God's heart. Please pray for saftey while traveling, crossing the border, and also for the stay.
Thank you all so much for supporting me, especially with the encouraging words. I love you all so so so much :) Hopefully next week I will be able to let you all know how my first couple of days go in Mexico! and remember, keep me up to date on your summers as well. I would love to hear from you.


What's New at Quaker Hill
Welcome to The Conference Center at Quaker Hill. We would be pleased to host your event. We have a beautiful campus, a historic home, comfortable rooms and great food! Groups of up to 50 can enjoy overnight accommodations at our two conference houses; the historic Evans House and Woodard Lodge. Our dining room can accommodate 60 guests. We also have day use facilities available for meetings of 10–60 guests.
Quaker Hill hosts retreats, conferences, family reunions, Quaker meetings, Church groups, educational institutions, community groups and more. We are happy to accommodate groups, families or individuals for overnight stays or day use.


Live full walk free set apart in a sin soaked world this study will equip you to live for god in a sin soaked world and handle each situation with grace this bible study book may be completed individually or with a small group as well as alone or with the live full walk free dvd series order now about the book. Introduction set apart in a sin soaked world welcome to sin city cliques fools secrets new hearts old habits sex in the sinful city to eat or not to eat our final victory designed for use with the live full walk free video study 9780310082170 sold separately. Live full walk free has 38 ratings and 19 reviews tina said not only is life full walk free an excellent book but an incredible bible study as well start by marking live full walk free set apart in a sin soaked world as want to read want to read saving live full and walk free is the perfect name for this bible study. Live full walk free with dvd set apart in a sin soaked world live full walk free with dvd set apart in a sin soaked world dvd and trade paper cindy bultema regular price 3999 sale price 3999 sale quantity must be 1 or more introduction set apart in a sin soaked world. Save 30 50 on church and small group resources churchsourcecom https googl iol0fh set apart in a sin soaked world in this six session bible study cindy bultema explores pauls first
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Dear Parents, Alumni, and Friends,
It is with great pride and joy that I write this letter as we complete our 50th year as Edward Douglas White Catholic High School. The June Parent Newsletter is traditionally sent to parents of students of the current school year as well as those for next year. The Baccalaureate Mass and Commencement Ceremony took place on May 19, 2017 in the Warren J. Harang, Jr. Municipal Auditorium. We keep the class of 2017 in our prayers as they begin a new part of their life’s journey. They now join the 6,261 alumni who call E. D. White Catholic High School our Alma Mater.
The 2016-2017 school year was successful in many ways, and the leadership of the Class of 2017 played a large role in each success. We kicked off the school year with our 50-year Mass and the dedication of the Jeanette Labat Science Corridor. We ended the year with the beginning of our next project, the expansion of the Giardina Academic Enhancement Center. Because of the many generous donations, the two million dollars needed to complete these projects has been raised. The commitment by school personnel and students alike to keep spirituality at the forefront of our mission was again evident. An independent panel reviewed our school this year and found that our greatest strength was that faculty, staff and students foster a family atmosphere that stresses Catholic values and helps develop the spiritual life of all.
I am very proud of the work that our faculty, staff and students did on a daily basis to achieve excellence in everything we do. But, I am even more proud and excited when I look ahead to what we have in store for our students at E. D. White. During the midst of all of the camps and workouts taking place during the summer, our maintenance staff will be hard at work scrubbing every inch of the campus. Work has begun on the new AE center expansion and renovations to our library. Renovations have also begun at the St. Theresa Music Hall as part of a two-year relocation of offices and the music library.
Our mission at E. D. White is to impart the Catholic faith, promote academic excellence and enhance self-esteem. I promise that we are working hard to achieve that mission. Enjoy your summer!
Tim Robichaux '79, President


|"My ship has sails which are made of silk
The decks are trimmed with gold.
And of jam and spice
There's a paradise
In the hold.
My ship's aglow with a million pearls
USS LST 887 beached and hard aground at Inchon, 1952. The nearest open water was a quarter mile away.
USS LST 887 with Pontoon Loaded
"Now the Lord prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." Jonah 1:17
"And the Lord spake unto the fish and and it vomited out Jonah ..." Jonah 2:10


St. John the Theologian, beloved to Christ, in his first letter to the Church, pointed straight to the heart of the Gospel that unites heaven and earth when he wrote:
We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life–this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
St. John followed the consubstantial “Way” of Christ that opens a door where human capacities end and divine initiative begins. He witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus, shining with unapproachable light, and gradually came to realize the central message of the Gospel. He who declared “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life and no one goes to the Father except through me”  is both God and man simultaneously.
Understood in light of this revelation these words are so much more than a narrow exclusivist political or cultural declaration. They do not indicate some kind of humanly derived philosophical meta-narrative that postmodern voices rightly fear, just another version of an earthly tyrant, e.g. “Here’s the new boss, same as the old boss.”
These words point to the widest possible inclusivity of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church which Met. John Zizioulas calls the “Communion of Otherness.” The Church unites and illumines our uniquenesses, male and female, captives and free, Jew and Greek, married and monastic, because Jesus Christ is not a humanistically-derived ideology or philosophy. Nor is He merely a guru or buddha who brings a new method of self-divinization or path for transcendence of the particular and unique human presence through the practice of meditation. He is the living reality of the person of God in Whose Image we are made and into Whose presence we are invited through a Communion of love so that “no power in heaven or on earth can separate us from the love of Jesus Christ.”
We don’t obtain salvation as a “get out of jail free card” merely by believing in Jesus as a historical figure or by memorizing dogmatic formulas or by having an emotional experience or doing good works. Salvation is better understood as life-long communion consummated existentially by freely receiving and ascetically responding to the divine initiative of love in and through love for one another. God seeks union with all humankind through Jesus Christ.
It is through responding to the divine initiative that we are transformed, for “the Logos is a personal divine creative proposal awaiting a response.”  Salvation is not something God does without human consent and response. Fr. George Metallinos, writes,
The believer, who moves within the territory of supernatural knowledge, “knowledge” of the Uncreated, is not called upon to learn something metaphysically, or to accept it logically, but to “undergo” something, by communing with it. It is at this point that the Church’s mission as the body of Christ is substantiated, as is Her reason for existence in the world: to render [humanity] receptive of that knowledge, which is simultaneously [our] salvation.
St. John encountered first hand the divine glory of Jesus Christ revealed in the Spirit on the mount of transfiguration along with his fellow disciples Peter and his brother James. A short while later he suffered through the confusion of witnessing the trial, crucifixion and burial of Jesus and following the resurrection, spent forty days with the risen Lord on earth before his Ascension.
Then for another 60 years or so, the one Jesus named “a Son of Thunder” traveled and gave personal testimony through his actions and words, to the transforming power of Christ in his life, giving witness to the transfiguration of his own heart and the one taking place in the assemblies of believers gathering as the Body of Lord all over the earth, His church.
Living in exile for a time and afterward, bequeathing the Church the precious gift of his Gospel, letters and the book of Revelation, St. John lived and taught well into his nineties. Having cared for the Lord’s mother and learned from her details of the Lord’s early life that remained untold, he bore the human grief of the martyrdoms, first of his brother James, and later of all the rest of his brother apostles. His voice is a living link into the 3rd century for we have the testimony, in word and deed, of St. Polycarp who knew St, John as well as others of those who have seen the Lord, and that of St. Irenaeus (A.D. 140-202) who remembers St. Polycarp who he met as a young man.
Near the end of his life, when St. John was just shy of 100 years old, St. Jerome tells us he was so frail he had to be carried into the church. Still giving witness to the glory of Jesus Christ, ripened by wisdom and mercy distilled into a single exhortation, he would often say, “My little children love one another.” When asked “Why do you say the same thing over and over?” St John replied, “Because it is the Word of the Lord and if you do this it will be enough.”
The Jesus whose consubstantial glory St. John gives testimony too, Who dwelled in the flesh and Who he saw and touched and witnessed His glory both with his five senses and noetically by the illumination of his heart, was a fully human being and simultaneously the uncreated infinite God, two natures indivisibly united in one person.
St. John is an eye witness, and a noetic witness of the heart, that Jesus died and rose from the dead and appeared to the disciples on earth in his risen physical form before his Ascension into Heaven. His body passed through solid locked doors with the same ease as it defied the laws of death that govern all flesh and yet he testifies that the risen Jesus sat on the beach creating a charcoal fire for the fish the Apostles had just caught. In this way he offered the astounded, uncomprehending disciples the familiar comfort of a meal of bread and broiled fish, as he gradually introduced them to a way of understanding being persons in this world and the one to come, that is beyond human understanding.
Forty days later Jesus ascended into heaven, returning to the Father, carrying in his human nature and deified flesh the recapitulation of the entire human race. This is and has always been the witness of the Church. Denial of any part of this in order to make it comprehensible and possible by rational humanism alone, replaces God with man, and is a failure to comprehend the fullness of the Way, the Truth, and the Life of Jesus Christ. This inevitably invites confusion and leaves us more vulnerable to tragic departures from the way that leads to Eternal Life of the Church, which is a communion that involves both a human community and a divinely offered life in Christ.
Our community, Holy Transfiguration, began to form in 1993 with six families—Russian, Greek, American– converts and cradle Orthodox. Two years later in 1995, having added other families, we came to consensus in choosing the name “Holy Transfiguration” for our assembly because we agreed that the true unity of the Church is recognized not by our respective nationalities, but by the gathering of persons of all nations in a common love and faith, who struggle and worship together in the hope of sharing one transfigured life of Christ that illumines us all.
We were granted the status of a mission church in 1995 and four years later had grown enough to purchase the building on our current location. Under the leadership Fr. Vasili Bitere, acting as our contractor and serving as our priest, we remodeled and expanded the church with parish labor into its current form. Today we are grateful to celebrate our 18th anniversary in our current location and delighted to welcome back among us, Aurel Onut, the iconographer from Romania who spent tireless months among us rendering all the iconography that adorns our beautiful Temple.
If you look up on the ceiling as you enter Narthex, you will see the large icon that was the last one he did. It is a special icon, perhaps unique in the Church. One day when our Metropolitan Alexios was visiting and surveying the sanctuary after we had built an extension on to the narthex. I asked His Eminence what he saw and he remarked with joy on the beautiful icons. I recalled how in the book of Revelation, St. John writes, that the New Jerusalem will be illumined by the uncreated light of the Lamb of God and by this light all the nations will walk, and “the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.”
In other words, the Kingdom of God will be filled with the communion of otherness of all the nations whose uniqueness is not crushed in the name of one culture, but illumined and perfected by the humble Grace of the Living Christ whose love celebrates the diversity of all. The Greek Orthodox Church is a home for all the nations. I asked His Eminence at that moment, if he would bless us to have an icon on the ceiling that expressed this, by showing all the nations surrounding Christ as in the New Jerusalem. He gave his blessing and we invited Aurel back a second time to bring this additional icon to life for us.
With this vision of Christ, who is love and transfigures all who love him to be persons together with Him, as He is person, we celebrate the most Holy Church of Jesus Christ of which our Holy Transfiguration is an integral part, as a home for all the nations and we join the Apostles, the Holy Theotokos and all the Saints in committing one another and our whole lives, to Christ our God!
 I Jn. 1:1-4ff
 Jn. 14:6.
 lyrics from the song “Wont Be Fooled Again” by rock band, The Who
 Rom. 8:39
 Loudovikos, N.“Person Instead of Grace and Dictated Otherness: John Zizioulas’ Final Theological Position.”
 fromThe Way: An Introduction to the Christian Faith
 Butler’s Lives of the Saints, Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2000, p. 211.
 Rev. 21:24.


Enjoy the Annual Non Denominational Sunrise Service on Easter Sunday
This Easter the forty year tradition continues with the non-denominational sunrise service in Rockport Texas. This beautiful service is held at the Rockport Beach Park Bandshell on Easter Sunday at 7 a.m. Every year the Aransas County Ministerial Association puts on this extraordinary mass. Pastors from Presbyterian, Catholic, Baptist, Methodist and Lutheran churches will all come together to worship. Music will be performed by Rockport’s Gospel Force. Come join us in Rockport for Easter and take part in this glorious tradition for us by worshiping at sunrise by the stunning Rockport bay. Rent a vacation house in Rockport for Easter now at www.rockporthomerentals.com.
Take the kids to the largest Easter egg hunt in Rockport Texas located at the Fulton Mansion built in 1877. This event is free of cost and has two separate egg hunts. There is one for younger children and one for older children. Over 5,000 eggs filled with candy and prizes will be hidden outside of the historical Fulton Mansion. The Easter bunny will also be there to take photos! The Easter egg hunt is 6 p.m. on the Saturday before Easter (April 15, 2017). Make sure to arrive at least 15 minutes early to get a parking spot. To rent a cute colorful house in Fulton Texas for Easter weekend click here - Fulton Area Rentals. These homes are fun, cozy and only minutes away from the Fulton Mansion. Some of the houses even have a shared swimming pool! Take your family to Rockport Fulton for an exciting Easter Experience. For more information about the Fulton Mansion go to http://www.visitfultonmansion.com.
Come enjoy an Easter Sunday Brunch at one of Rockport’s finest restaurants. Glow is open at 10 a.m. on Easter so you can dine and relax in their unique boathouse setting. Glow is known for their wines and high class foods. They serve fresh, local seafood and host private events. If you like feeling relaxed and high class than bring your family to Glow for Easter Brunch. Glow is located across from the beautiful Key Allegro Island. To take a look at Glows food and drink menu visit their website at www.glowrockport.com. You can also check out other great places to dine at in Rockport by visiting the Local Area Guide on our website for a list of some of Rockport's great restaurants - ,Local Area Guide. Come stay in one of our beautiful homes Key Allegro this Easter for a vacation that you will never forget. Key Allegro has a neighborhood swimming pool making it a wonderful place to take your whole family! For more information about the beautiful rent homes in Key Allegro please click here - Key Allegro Rentals. We hope to see you soon!


Walker shouldn’t have been so surprised to find Jesus standing in the middle of his bedroom. After all, he’d prayed for whoever was up there to help him, and to help his mom, who hadn’t stopped crying since Noah died two months ago. But since when have prayers actually been answered? And since when has Jesus been so . . . irreverent? But as astounding as Jesus’ sudden appearance is, it’s going to take more than divine intervention for Walker to come to terms with his brother’s sudden death. Why would God take seventeen-year-old Noah when half of the residents in his mom’s nursing home were waiting to die? And why would he send Jesus to Coaltown, Illinois, to pick up the pieces? In a spare and often humorous text, renowned poet Ron Koertge tackles some of life’s biggest questions — and humanizes the divine savior in a way that highlights the divinity in all of us.
According to Kirkus, “Koertge’s tight, spare verse captures the ineffable qualities of fraught relations and emotions. The generosity of spirit Walker exhibits makes this protagonist one easy for teen readers to not only empathize with, but emulate. Didactic yet not preachy, Koertge’s tale offers much food for thought.”


HANDS 2 HOPE
A faith-based, non-profit comprised of ordinary people who want to help their neighbors
Why We Offer Hope
To change the culture around us by sharing God’s love
To provide opportunities for people to love their neighbors
To break down walls of division
Our fundamental beliefs are at the core of Hands2Hope. We do what we do because we know that communities working together can truly change the world.
OUR IMPACT SINCE 2018
478 Projects Completed
6 Counties Served
1,091 Volunteers Mobilized
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
What a wonderful blessing Hands2Hope was to LBA! Thank you for bringing the supplies and repairing our playground fence. It looks great, and the students can feel safe again!
Liberty Bible Academy
As a pastor, I love being able to plug our church members into our local community through Hands2Hope. We are able to connect to real needs around us – invaluable.


18x24 SN 195 $895 Framed or $695 Unframed 18x24 AP 25 $1395 Framed or $1195 Unframed
From the Artist:
In this painting, as sounds of Christmas Eve worship fill the bitterly cold night air, the horses enjoy a decorated tree with childlike wonder. The late night train is hurrying to the nearby village with cars of people and presents that need to be with families on Christmas Day. I love storytelling in my art, and I invite you to step inside this painting and celebrate the birth of Christ along with all of heaven and nature!
~ Abraham Hunter