Holy Spirit Episcopal Church

DEDICATE TO GOD ONE HOUR OF YOUR TIME, AS WE BEGIN OUR PROGRAM YEAR!! We will pray our way through the Acts of the Apostles, beginning at 10:30 AM Saturday September 11th, and ending with the Celebration of the Eucharist at 10:30 on Rally Day, September 12th. This year the Holy Spirit EYC will be running the Prayer Vigil! So come pray for the well being of our community this year, AND support our great youth program with your participation! Sign up at the fellowship table in the parish hall or in the church office during the week. Feel free to email Helen Ramey at secretary@hsechurch.org  to reserve an hour of prayer as well. Come spend one hour of your Rally Day weekend with us in the nave, as we pray our way through the Acts of the Apostles! more info on Rally Day and Prayer Vigil

UNFORCED RHYTHMS OF GRACE

Rally Day September 12

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll RECOVER your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. WALK with me and WORK with ME - WATCH HOW I DO IT. Learn the UNFORCED RHYTHMS OF GRACE.

I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. MATTHEW 11: 28-30

Mark your calendars for this important day in the life of our parish. We will have one service, at 10:30 in the nave - then make your way to the gym where you can learn about unique opportunities to get involved and make a difference in the life of Holy Spirit Episcopal Church.

To reserve a table for your ministry, contact Garnder Headrick at admin@hsechurch.org , for questions or more information contact Melonye Suarez at melonyes@earthlink.net

What's in a name? Your name is very important to us. We want to know who you are and how you are doing. As part of our focus on staying connected with one another we are implementing some new procedures to help us do just that.

Starting this fall, when you enter the church an usher will direct you to a Communication Station to fill out a name tag so that we will know who you are. Also at the Communication Station will be our Connectbooks which help us stay in touch with how you are. In the Connectbook we will ask for your name, any new contact information, and any pastoral updates you’d like to share with us. 

Visitors will be invited to leave their name and contact number and indicate whether or not this is a first time visit, but we will encourage every single person who enters one of our sanctuaries on Sunday to stop by a Connection Station and leave their name in the book, so that we have some record of your presence with us.

You will also notice brand new Welcome Centers placed in the middle of all the pre-worship and post-worship action. These Welcome Centers will be stocked with our streamlined Newcomer Folders, and staffed by a greeter. We encourage you to direct any new faces you see on Sunday to one of these Welcome Centers, where they can find all sorts of great information about the Holy Spirit Community.

It is our hope that these new procedures will help us get to know one another better and make us a closer knit community of Jesus-followers.

Holy Spirit Episcopal Church is sponsoring its annual Holiday Hullabaloo market on Tuesday, November 2, 2010 from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm on the Holy Spirit campus.
Holiday Hullabaloo is open to small businesses, home-based businesses, artists, crafters, and more. We would like to invite you to be a part of this wonderful event in our community.

There is a link below for the Vendor Application form. Applications will be reviewed in order in which they are received, while the selection of vendors will be based on the type of merchandise that will be sold.
We look forward to receiving your application and bringing Holiday Hullabaloo to the Memorial community. For more information or questions, contact Lori Burney 713-975-1928.

Vendor Application

THE PARISH CHOIR IS BACK! We are looking for a few more voices in every voice part, particularly basses. If you have ever thought about joining the choir — or even if you haven't — why not give that a try now. Prior singing experience is not necessary (it would be helpful if you could match pitches!) and there is no audition. No matter your level of expertise or experience, you will find a welcome with this fantastic group of people. Rehearsals are on Thursday evenings at 7:30 in the choir room. PLEASE NOTE!!! The choir will NOT rehearse for the next three Thursdays. Normal rehearsals resume on September 9.

CHILDREN’S MUSIC MINISTRY: Building on the success of the recent Children’s Summer Choir Camp, we are exploring the possibility of reviving an ongoing year-long Children’s Music Ministry, which has been dormant for several years. We invite parents of elementary age children and others interested in this ministry to a short meeting at noon on Sunday, September 19, in the choir room. We need to determine what form this ministry will take as well as get some idea of the level of involvement we can expect. So grab a snack at coffee hour and come to the choir room to help plan this important ministry. If you have questions, please contact Stephen Morris sjaymorris@yahoo.com or Juli Browning julibrowning@sbcglobal.net.

FLOWER VASES NEEDED: Once again, the Altar Guild needs vases for our weekly flower delivery to parishioners, who are ill in hospital, or at home. Please leave vases either in the narthex, where they'll be picked up after Sunday services, or in the church office during the week. We appreciate your participation in this ministry

WATER FOR THE HOMELESS: As hot weather continues, so has our Daughters of the King Holy Spirit water ministry. Please come by the Parish Hall after church and pick up a bottle of water or two (with crackers attached) to keep in your car to give to homeless people who you see out on the streets. Dehydration is a serious threat during the summer months to those on the street, and our small gift of water is most often greatly appreciated.

ACOLYTES, ACOLYTES, ACOLYTES! Between now and mid-September we will be signing up new acolytes. If you are in grades 4 thru 12 you are ready for this service to his church. You can join this elite group on the Ministry Showcase Sunday, or by emailing the Lynn Mather (lynnm@johndaugherty.com) with the following information: acolyte’s name, address, home phone, date of birth, and grade in school; and parent’s name, work and cell phone, and email address. Acolytes already serving do not need to sign up again, however if some of this information is missing we would appreciate you supplying that. Become a part of this important ministry! Watch for sign-up forms in future service leaflets.

TUESDAY EVENING LADIES BIBLE STUDY - DANIEL - LIVES OF INTEGRITY/WORDS OF PROPHECY:  Just as the prophet Daniel faced unbelievable pressure to compromise his faith in a hostile culture and was constantly confronted by temptations and threats, today’s believers face similar trials.  This 12-session study, unique from Beth Moore’s previous Bible studies, falls in two parts. The first portion, from Daniel chapters 1-6, deals with Daniel’s life as he faced the kind of pressures and temptations Christians encounter today.  Daniel models how to develop enduring integrity in an enticing world. The second portion, chapters 7-12, explores thrilling prophecies from the time of Daniel through the second coming of Christ.  Tuesdays at 7:15 PM in the Youth Room (upstairs in the Winter’s Activity Center).  For more information on the Evening group for the  Beth Moore Daniel study, contact Bernadette Ellis at bre@ellislp.com

Tuesday mornings -beginning September 7th at 9:30 AM in the Youth Room. Join us as we continue the second half of our Beth Moore Daniel Bible Study. For more information, please contact KariAnn Lessner dcfm@hsechurch.org  or 713.468.7796 x 201

Join your friends at Holy Spirit for Episcopal Night at the Ballpark, September 10th at 7:05 p.m. We'll gather at Texas Bar B Que House, located at 2401 Texas Avenue, for a pre-game dinner at 5:30, then walk the three blocks to the ballpark. For those ages 50 and up who want to avoid the hassles of driving and parking downtown, a county bus is available; just meet at the church by 5 p.m. We've reserved 50 field box-level seats at $26 per person--a savings of $13 per ticket!

Sign-up by August 1st, Let's all go out and cheer the Astros to victory over the Dodgers. See you there!

NOOMA (BREATH) – FRIDAY MORNINGS (BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 3RD) right after drop off in the Youth Room. Are you tired? Worn out? In need of a few moments to catch your breath? Come join KariAnn Lessner for a no-prep-necessary time of prayer and study. We’re going to use the Rob Bell videos (author of the book Velvet Elvis), called Nooma as our guide. Wherever you are on the journey, let’s share this leg of the walk together. For more information, please contact KariAnn Lessner dcfm@hsechurch.org or 713.468.7796 x 201

1ST COMMUNION: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH FROM 9:30 – 11:30 AM in the Children’s Chapel. If your child is interested in learning more about Holy Communion and as a family you have decided that the time is right… Please join us for a morning of learning and wonder, as we explore what it means to receive this precious gift! For more information or to register, please contact KariAnn Lessner dcfm@hsechurch.org or 713.468.7796 x 201

HOLY SPIRIT YOUTH:  EYC Summer Schedule:

Fun Friday Afternoons: Instead of Sunday EYC we'll be meeting every other Friday starting in July for a bunch of fun stuff includingrock-climbing and outreach projects with St. Mark's EYC.

Fall Schedule begins: September 19th

e-mail Sarah Taylor, youth@hsechurch.org  for more information.

If every adult would protect one child, they could make a difference in one life and we could change the future for a generation.  That is the premise of Safeguarding God’s Children—in a nutshell this training puts the power to protect into everyone’s hands.  There will be four offerings of the class, Safeguarding God’s Children, this year held at Holy Spirit.  For those who took the class in or before 2005 it is time to recertify.  If you have questions regarding recertification or to pre-register for one of the following dates, please call KariAnn Lessner at 713.468.7796 x 201.

Saturday, November 6, 9:00 a.m.-noon

HOME GROUPS continue to meet on Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the summer. We invite you to try something new this summer. Groups meet Tuesdays at the home of Ron and Joyce Merritt and Wednesdays at the home of Sue and Bob Felice. Come spend an evening with us in prayer, study and fellowship. Refreshment provided through the Word of God and by the home group members. Come share Gods love.

PRAYER LIST UPDATES: If you know that someone can be removed from the prayer list because they are doing well, please mark the list and let the church office know they can be removed--names are currently removed when the name is not resubmitted, so that there is room for new requests. Also, if you know of military personnel who are on the list and are no longer on active duty in the Middle East or stateside, we need the space on the prayer list for the people who are currently being called to active duty. Thank you for your help.

VOLUNTEER AT ST. LUKE’S: The St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital Auxiliary needs volunteers to assist patients and family members at the hospital’s family waiting areas. Assignments are available seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The minimum commitment is only three hours per week. Complimentary valet parking is provided. For more information about volunteer activities at St. Luke’s, call the hospital’s Auxiliary office at (832) 355-2102 or visit St. Luke’s Web site at www.stlukeshouston.com/giving.

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