Welcome to the St. Martins Prime Timers Adult Bible Fellowship presence on the world wide web!

Join us each Sunday in the Payne Education Center from 10:10am to 10:50 in rooms 207-207. We offer coffee, breakfast treats and Christian awareness, this week studying the Book of Acts.

Henny Penny is the Prime Timers Good News chicken, or hen. Her nest egg is growing every week!

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.

We previously announced that December 11 was our Gospelling Sunday. That day all the A.B.F. groups will now be combined for a session with author James P. Moore discussing his new book One Nation Under God: The History of Prayer in America. So our Gospelling Sunday is re-scheduled for December 4th, with Prime Timer Dr. Bill Moore as our Gospeller. This is the Sunday when you might invite your Five Friends card people to join us!

Good News!

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

Anna Joffrion is planning on visiting her son, in Florence, Italy! Take some photos and share them with us, Anna!

Louise Huck brought the wonderful news that she is going to a wedding, of her brother who is getting married after being a widower for twelve years.

Working Together in Ministry

As our mentor, Vice-Rector Rusty Goldsmith told us, today's reading is about the growth of the church. After last weeks reading with Paul being guided by the Holy Spirit where to go and where not to, this week he goes to Corinth and Syria, propounding the Good News.

Our teacher, Skip Maryan began the lesson this week pointing out that at the time we are studying there were no Christian churches, no buildings, no Pope, no traditions, no musical heritage, no universal acceptance, none of the things we take for granted in our church. It was just people like Paul, going around preaching and spreading the word of the exciting new faith.

We have followed the journey of Saul, who becomes Paul, on his journey "seeding" new churches, holding them together with follow up visits.

This period took place in a Roman world, where the Roman emperors saw the Christians as a threat to their authority. Emperor Claudius, who follows the mad emperor Gaius (Caligula) and is succeeded by the even worse Nero, had recognized the right of the Jews to practice their religion, although he closed the synagogues in AD 41. Then, in AD 49, he issues an edict evicting many of the Jews from Rome. As we have seen in weeks past, this had the side effect of spreading the Christian message throughout the ancient world.

Three hundred years before the birth of Christ the Greeks had created Hellenistic culture, based more on learning than military force. The first great library was established in Alexandria by Alexander the Great (356-323 BC). This was also the period of the great Greek philosophers, Socrates (470-399), Plato (437-347) and Aristotle (384-322). While the Romans expanded their territory by force, ironically it was Grecian ideals and culture left in the wake. It was in this environment that Christian ideals and thought were able to evolve and flourish.

Back to the present of our readings, in 54 AD, emperor Nero allows the Jews to return to Rome and Paul returns to Rome in his journeys. In 64 AD the great fire left much of Rome in ruins. Nero, and the prefects of the city, blame the Christians for the fire. While the Bible does not tell us Paul's final fate, history has Paul beheaded and Peter crucified as a result of this fire.

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

Prime Timers Contact names and numbers

Mentor

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

Leader

Teacher Skip Maryan concludes our voyage through the Book of Acts this week.

Anna Joffrion has an Italian voyage in her future.

Louise Huck is going to a wedding, most likely not in that hat!

Dr. Bill Moore will be our Gospeller on December 4th. Maybe he will wear that hat!

 The Lesson for Sunday, November 27th is titled "Saying Good-bye"

Key Verse:  Acts 20:28

Focus of the Lesson:  People who care for one another feel great sadness when they must part permanently. What can help us get through these painful experiences? We have an example in Paul, who prayerfully helped the elders at Ephesus say good-bye to him.

The reading is Acts 20:17-28, 36-38. This text is from the New International Version^®.

   17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: "You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

   22 "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

   25 "Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.

   36 When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

NIV®