Welcome to the Prime Timers A.B.F!

We extend a warm welcome, complete with coffee and donuts, to anyone who can make it to the Payne Education center, second floor, rooms 210-212 each Sunday from 10:10 am until 10:50 am. Hope to see you there. Please note, however, that there will not be any A.B.F. meetings January 30 since this is the Annual Parish Meeting, at 10:15 am.

Our mentor, the Rev. Richard Elwood, spoke to us for the last time (for a while anyway) this past Sunday. He will start his new duties as interim Rector of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Fredericksburg, Texas in February.

Tsunami relief!

Our prayers go out to the victims of the Christmas Day tsunami, a reminder of the awesome power of nature. The Episcopal Church has a relief operation in South Asia, and it is being expanded in response to this disaster. You can learn more by clicking the logo below:

Ok, its time to learn something. Jackie Rose gets the attention of the Prime Timers.

Giving Your All

The first part of this weeks session was the Rev. Elwood's concluding remarks to us. The Rev. Elwood is retiring from St. Martins at the end of this month and beginning duties as interim Rector of St. Barnabas in Fredericksburg in February. We will all miss his good humor and kindness. For a somewhat sad occasion Rev. Elwood gave us some big laughs. I will never think of a staph infection the same way again!

Next we were encouraged to participate in the Faith Alive events this February 25-27. Registration ends at the end of January so if you plan to attend you need to sign up before then. For more details click here.

Plans for a twice weekly book club luncheon meeting after the 11am service moved ahead and Jackie is asking for ideas on what to do with Henny Penny's $75 fund.

This weeks reading was about commitment. An interesting thing I did not know was that the word commitment was not used in Christian literature until the 1940's.

Regarding this commitment, the lesson centered around these main Keys to Discipleship:

1) Jesus called the crowd
      The call was made out in the open.

2) Jesus called his disciples to deny themselves
      He called on our selfless Self, rather than our selfish selves.

3) Jesus called us to take up our cross
      This can require sacrifice, and commitment.

To illustrate commitment Jackie used a recent event in her own life, at the Post Office no less. While she was waiting in line a clearly agitated woman came in and began looking around. When a Post Office employee came out and asked her what she wanted, she pointed out in a very clear voice that someone had left a baby in their car outside, alone, while they came in to conduct their business, and she wanted to know who did this.

When a man in line admitted it was his baby and tried to explain it was all right, the lady told him it definitely wasn't, in fact its against the law, and would not let up until the man left to take care of the baby. He did leave, and didn't return.

As an example of commitment and standing for what's right no matter what, it reminded someone in the audience of some football coach's statement that 'No man in the wrong can stand up against someone in the right who keeps on coming'.

Other discussion mentioned how commitment like that lady's can potentially put you in danger.

Jackie concluded by asking us to think about barriers to commitment, such as:

What other people think. Are you concerned that people may think of your commitment as pushy.

Temptations. Its too easy sometimes to skip Church, for instance.

Time. If something is really important to you, your time can be re-prioritized to fit it in.

Prime Timers Contact names and numbers

Co-Leaders

Faith Alive in 2005!

Faith Alive weekend is February 25-27. George Dehan spoke to our group about this special event.

Sue Morrison (l) chats with Max Kech before this Sunday's session.

Joyce Crowl (l) and Gerry Wilkinson came to hear the Rev. Elwood's remarks.

Linda Thompson (front) with Bob and Judy Dabney and a lot of other Prime Timers in back of her!

The Lesson for Sunday, January 30 is titled "Moving Toward Greatness"

Key Verse:  Mark 10:43b-44

Focus of the Lesson:  Everybody wants to be great. What is the way of greatness? Jesus says that true greatness comes through serving others.

The reading is Mark 10:32-45. This text is from the New Revised Standard Version.

32 They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; 34 they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again.’

35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.’ 36 And he said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ 37 And they said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’ 38 But Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’ 39 They replied, ‘We are able.’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.’

41 When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. 42 So Jesus called them and said to them, ‘You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 43 But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many'

The Lesson for Sunday, February 6 is titled "Overcoming Grief"

Key Verse:  Ruth 1:16

Focus of the Lesson:  People are sometimes overwhelmed by a devastating loss. How do we deal with significant losses? In committing herself to Naomi, Ruth embraced the God of Israel, who helped them overcome their hardships. Within her grief, Ruth reached out to Naomi in support and true friendship.

The reading is Ruth 1:3-8, 14-18. This text is from the New Revised Standard Version

3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. When they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Chilion also died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.
6 Then she started to return with her daughters-in-law from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had considered his people and given them food. 7 So she set out from the place where she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law, and they went on their way to go back to the land of Judah. 8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back each of you to your mother's house. May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.

14 Then they wept aloud again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 So she said, "See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law." 16 But Ruth said, "Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; Where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die, I will die-- there will I be buried. May the LORD do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!" 18 When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.