St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

At St. Paul’s Parish today, Wednesday, November 12, 2008:

• Youth Group at Build-a-Bear at 6:00 p.m.;
• Holy Communion at 6:30 p.m. (in the Worship Space);
• Midweek Study Group, Kerygma study of the Gospel of John at 7:00 p.m. (in the Parish Hall);
• Overeaters Anonymous at 7:30 p.m. (in the Common Room).

The November issue of St. Paul’s Sword of the Spirit, our monthly newsletter, is available on line, as is the calendar of parish events for November 2008.

Today’s news in the Episcopal Church - Episcopal Life Online.

On the calendar tomorrow, November 13, 2008:

• Choir Practice at 7:00 p.m. (in the Worship Space).

Today is the commemoration of a 19th Century evangelical Church of England priest, Charles Simeon. A biographical essay about Simeon at Paul Mizzi’s Truth for Today website includes these words of praise:

Many since his demise have yearned to imitate this rare servant of Christ and have found inspiration in the way he conducted himself as herald and steward of God’s mysteries. But it is only those who, like him, show a consistent loyalty to Holy Writ, can truly claim that they follow in his footsteps. His recorded conversations with Wesley, his correspondence, and most of all his sermons and Bible teaching give him credit to be known as a great evangelical spokesman, or rather, as he desired to be known, a herald of Him who is “all in all.”

Born at Reading on the twenty-fourth of September, 1759, Simeon is not thus cut from our life. He belongs to that “cloud of witnesses” who passed on the torch of faith to their own and to succeeding generations. Whether we recognise it or not, we benefit from his faithful service: he is a source and root of much that is best in present-day evangelicalism both in the Church of England, which he loved, and outsides its confines. He was not ashamed to call himself a loyal son of that Church; he laboured for its blessing and increase and made good use of its assets, the Prayer-Book first and foremost.

Simeon influences us, though long departed, by his godly, sober and challenging life. Through sheer dint of courage in Simeon’s soul, God worked a change of climate in town and university as he won over the rebels who resisted his preaching.(Read the entire biographical note here.)

The collect for commemoration of Charles Simeon is found in Lesser Feasts and Fasts - 2006:

O loving God, we know that all things are ordered by your unerring wisdom and unbounded love: Grant us in all things to see your hand; that, following the example and teaching of your servant Charles Simeon, we may walk with Christ in all simplicity, and serve you with a quiet and contented mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen