MOPED

We added two more terrific families to the congregation on Sunday:
CURT & LINDA S. and their sons CLAYTON, WILL & TIMMY. Curt is Software Engineer at UNMC. Linda is stay-at-home mom.
RICK & SHELLY M. and their daughter MELIA. Rick is stay-at-home dad. Shelly is compliance manager at First National Bank of Omaha.
*
THIS SUNDAY, August 5, 2007
Bruce preaching: “THE MISSION”
This is a Communion Sunday. The sermon will be placed earlier in the service than usual. .
*
From MARGIE W.: It’s that time of year again. School will be starting before we know it and fall will be here. It is the time of year for STEPPIN’ UP SUNDAY and the beginning of another exciting Sunday School year! We are in need of Sunday School teachers for the 9:15 and the 10:45 hours in many grades. Please prayerfully consider returning if you have taught in the past or volunteering to teach a class for the first time. Our curriculum is called HANDS ON for the Preschool through 3rd graders and GRAPPLE for the 4th and 5th graders. GRAPPLE is a totally new concept for St. Andrew’s and is specially designed for the pre-teen ages. We create a closed church community online for our teens to keep in touch with their teacher and classmates during the week. This allows them to vote on activities, support and challenge one another in their faith and even play games!
*
THE FOLLOWING IS EXCERPTED FROM BRUCE’S SERMON: “SURVEY SAYS”

The original Methodists were big on the daily practice of spiritual disciplines, including prayer and study of the scripture. John Wesley counseled the people called Methodists “Pray without ceasing.” From the survey results at St. Andrew’s, plenty of us seem to be ceasing, or at least taking long pauses.

A few months ago, I was feeling kind of listless. Nancy badgered me into taking a one-a-day vitamin, and I’ve been able to tell a genuine difference. I invite you to image the spiritual disciplines as a vitamin, chock full of spiritual nutrients, most effectively taken on a daily basis.
Some prescriptions: If you’ll sign up for one of our Bible Studies this fall—certainly Disciple 1--you will spend time every day in the scripture.

Then consider this: In the Rotunda today, you’ll find a stand upon which sits an open notebook inviting you to commit yourself to a new ministry at St. Andrew’s: MOPED: Minute Of Prayer Every Day. We’re going to ask you to commit to one minute—a grand total of sixty seconds—in intentional, daily prayer for St. Andrew’s Church. That doesn’t sound like much, perhaps, but from the looks of this survey, it’s sixty second more than a lot of us are currently praying. Will you give us those sixty seconds? If you don’t know what to pray for, take your agenda from St.A-Mail: perhaps the people Pastor Charlotte’s asking us to pray for, or some of the ministries we’re trying to launch.

For that matter, I’d be delighted if you simply said this prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, bless St. Andrew’s Church.” Maybe make it into a breath prayer, breathing in “Lord Jesus Christ,” “bless St. Andrew’s Church” on the out breath. Repeat that twelve times, once for every apostle, you’re right at a minute.

If three hundred of us put in a minute of prayer every day for St. Andrew’s, it would be the equivalent of five hours before the throne of grace—and I believe prayer matters. More important, Jesus believed prayer matters: “Ask, and it will be given you,” he taught. “Search and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” And when you’ve put in your minute of prayer for St. Andrew’s, perhaps then pray as Jesus taught, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…” and the next thing you know, you’re not a two or three on the survey, anymore, but a four, or even (gasp!)—a FIVE! More important, you’ll have established a daily spiritual connection with the fount of every blessing, moving eventually from a MOPED to a HARLEY: Heavenly Activated Righteousness, Love, Empathy (as in compassion), and and…Yea! (I’m open to a new Y-word)

(You can sign up for MOPED this Sunday. Look for the register in the Rotunda. “SURVEY SAYS” is posted at WWW.STANDREWSOMAHA.NET. At the home page, click SERMONS and scroll to the bottom of the list. The results of the May Membership Engagement Survey will be found at the end of the text.)
*
PASTOR CHARLOTTE asks: Prayers of joy for Jeffrey Larka and Melissa A., who were recently united in marriage. Prayers for John R., experiencing significant back pain (son of Lois and Gerald R.). Prayers for Zach G., that his body will heal itself; counts are low again (son of Brian & Heidi G.). Prayers of sympathy for the family of Sandra R.’s Aunt Rebecca, who has unexpectedly passed just recently. Prayers for Sandra R.’s mother, who is battling cancer and is hospitalized with a collapsed lung.
*
BRD