Welcome to the St. Martins Prime Timers Adult Bible Fellowship web page!

Come join us each Sunday from 10:10am to 10:50 in rooms 207-207 of the Payne Education Center. We offer coffee, donuts, fellowship and currently the Book of Acts from a program developed by the National Council of Churches.

Prime Timer Teacher Skip Maryan and his wife Caroline hosted a wonderful Halloween Party for the Prime Timers.

The Prime Timers Halloween Party!

Prime Timer teacher Skip Maryan and his wife Caroline hosted this years Halloween Party on Saturday, October 29. The photos are all from that party. If you missed this party, stay tuned...

Announcements

Set aside Saturday, December 17th. Rick and Maud Ella Hartley are hosting the Prime Timers Christmas Party! More information will follow in the weeks ahead.

Outreach results

Several weeks ago Jackie asked the class to fill out a form about how we would like to proceed with an outreach project as part of our service to God.

We voted 14 to 3 that we want to engage in a hands on activity as opposed to an arm's length contribution.

The vote was 9 to 7 for doing something on an ongoing basis as opposed to a one time deal.

It was 13 to 5 for doing this on a weekend rather than a weekday.

And we decided 12 to 5 that the Henny Penny money, currently over $280, should be kept separate from this outreach activity.

Good News!

Henny Penny is our Good News chicken. Donate a dollar to her and bring us your Good News!

Speaking of the Hartley's, Maud Ella announced their granddaughter's first birthday, and the wonderful news that another grandchild is due in June.

Our leader, Jackie Rose, told us about Mr. Martin at her workplace. Mr. Martin is 92 years old and informed Jackie that every morning he is surprised...just to discover he has made it to another day. This stuck with Jackie all week as how it relates to her Christian walk, and when you think about it, its a great way to start the day.

Encountering Truth

Today's vocabulary word is intervention, To involve oneself in a situation so as to alter or hinder an action or development. In today's reading God intervenes in the life of Saul, producing one of the great conversions in the Bible.

Today's reading from the Book of Acts, 9:3-18, is the story of Saul, an upright Jew, most likely a Pharisee, a man charged with imprisoning or killing members of the new Christian church. He comes from Tarsus, making him part of the Jewish Diaspora after Jerusalem was destroyed. Saul has an encounter with the Lord on the way to Damascus in Syria. He is blinded by the light and Jesus tells him to proceed into Damascus where he will be told what to do. The people traveling with Saul hear something, but not the words Saul heard.

In Damascus the Lord tells Ananias to go the house of Judas on Straight Street, a street that still exists today, and to lay hands on Saul and restore his sight. Ananias is another "reluctant Christian" in the Bible, questioning God's word but ultimately fulfilling their role. Ananias is uncertain of Saul due to his tormenting of Christians and mission to arrest or kill them.

God sees this as the perfect person to take His word to the Gentiles. He was a Roman citizen, he spoke Greek. The class discussion centered around why Saul was chosen to be the first missionary. One lady described him as a "gunslinger" packing the proper instrument to achieve the goal.

Jackie Rose created a healing prayer for the class and then Skip Maryan concluded with a benediction.

Prime Timers Contact names and numbers

Mentor

The Rev. Maurice L. "Rusty" Goldsmith. D.D.
713/985-3831
rgoldsmith@stmartinsepiscopal.org

Leader

Host Skip Maryan with an ordinary deck of cards...

Robert Rose is the husband of the Prime Timers leader, Jackie Rose. On his left is Anne Berry.

Bobbie Griffith-Winner with Louise Huck, with contrasting hats.

An explosion of color from Lee Ohrt, Vicki Wright and Dorothy Browne.

Hostess Caroline Maryan with the Mad Hatter himself, Dr. Bill Moore, and Anne Berry

Here comes the Bride, Rita Junker Pickar with husband Richard W. Please note that this is NOT the noted clarinetist with the Houston Symphony.

Bob and Dorothy Brown in Halloween regalia.

 The Lesson for Sunday, November 13th is titled "Offering of Oneself"

Key Verse:  Acts 16:15

Focus of the Lesson:  People committed to God have a need to offer service to others and to God. How can that commitment be expressed? In Lydia's case, the Lord prompted her to offer hospitality and service to Paul.

The reading is Acts 16:6-15. This text is from the New International Version^®.

   6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

   11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.

   13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us.

NIV®