St. Philip's e-News - October 4, 2018

Sonora Flood Relief
As you probably know the recent heavy rains resulted in catastrophic flooding in many parts of central and west Texas including Sonora. We have reached out to Fr. Casey and fortunately he, Michelle, and St. John's are all okay. Many others were not as fortunate. Hundreds of homes and businesses had several feet of water and mud inside them as widespread flooding ran down the Dry Devil’s River through the center of Sonora. The Sonora Ministerial Alliance is partnering with the San Angelo Area Foundation to collect contributions to help those affected by the flooding. Please consider donating to help our neighbors in Sonora.

To donate online directly to the Sonora Flood Relief Fund, please click here,

You can also mail your check to:

Sonora Flood Relief Fund
c/o San Angelo Area Foundation
221 S. Irving St. 
San Angelo, TX 76903

*Time is Running Out - Renewal Work Deadline is Oct. 7th! 
If you have already filled out the Renewal Works survey, thank you!  If you have not - you still have a few days to do so.  If you did not receive an email invitation please email Cyndy or call the church office. Your participation in this survey is important and will help us see what is "abundant" in our parish ... and where's our greatest growth potential.

Remember the survey will only be available until Sunday, October 7th.  

*Bark in the Park - Blessing of the Animals 
This Saturday October 6th we will be blessing the animals in conjunction with the annual Bark in the Park in Memorial Park.  Even if your pet doesn't "bark" bring them to Bark in the Park to be blessed on Saturday.  Birds, cats, fish, etc.  - All God's Creatures are welcome.  Just make sure they are caged, leashed or otherwise contained and protected! 

*Bishop Reed's Visit to St. Philip's
Bishop Reed will be here on Sunday, October 28th at both the 8:00 and 10:30 services.  Join us for breakfast and conversation with Bishop Reed between the two services at 9:00 a.m. in Briscoe Hall.

 

New Vestry Members
We will soon be electing three new members to the vestry. As you may know, the vestry is the group of lay persons that, with the rector, leads the parish by helping discern and articulate the vision toward which God is drawing us and by holding the community accountable for the realization of that vision. The vestry consists of nine persons each serving a three year term. 

Every year three vestry members retire and three new persons are elected to begin serving in January. This year Greg Baber, Lee Case, and Mike Moore will be finishing their term on the vestry. I am grateful for their work and commitment to St. Philip’s, and it has been an honor to serve with them. Please offer them your thanks for their service and leadership.

Please also begin prayerfully considering who might be called to next serve on the vestry. As you do so please consider the following:

• Is this person regular in worship attendance?
• Does this person participate in spiritual formation classes and demonstrate growth in and attentiveness to a life of prayer?
• How present and involved is this person in parish life beyond Sunday worship?
• Does this person tithe or, if not, is he or she intentionally working towards a tithe as the standard for financial giving?  
• Does this person show a willingness to grow and learn, an openness to new ideas, and a vision for the future of St. Philip’s?
• Is this person a capable leader?

Please give the names of potential candidates to our Senior Warden, Charlie Downing.

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