Dear church family and friends of St. John's,
We had a big day on Easter Sunday! There were 65 or so at the sunrise service and 200 or so at the 10:30 am service. The music was great at both services with David Rainwater playing guitar at the early service and a brass ensemble playing and the choir singing at the later morning service. The Easter season began with a bang!
As I reflect on Holy Week I recall the wonderful Palm Sunday worship service in which the children's choir led us in a great celebration. The worship service was followed by a picnic lunch with an Easter Egg Hunt. Many children were there. Then we turned more somber and reflective in the Maundy Thursday service, a service of the Lord's Supper and tenebrae. On Good Friday it was good to be with our neighbors at Salem Lutheran Church for their elegant Tre Hour Service. We concluded Holy Week with a joyful and music filled Easter Sunday. This was truly a holy week to remember for all the good feelings and experiences. We will continue the Easter season for the next several Sundays.
We have some prayer concerns this week. In particular, let's remember Rosemary as she makes the transition to a nursing home near her children in North Houston. Lee is in Southwest Memorial Hospital this week and may return to Hearthstone next week. Also remember Ernie D and Dick as they make preparations to move to a nursing home near their children in Dallas.
This Sunday come ready to purchase some of the baked goods from the Presbyterian Women's Bake Sale.
I'm not sure everyone received the Epistle I sent out last week so I will include a few paragraphs from it just in case. If you already saw this, please disregard it, but I'll throw in a few paragraphs from last week just in case.
As I mentioned, we had a tremendous Palm Sunday celebration. The children sang under the direction of Shirley and Kyra and they were great. The weather was perfect for those who wanted to picnic outdoors. There was a nice Easter Egg hunt and then a soccer game for the older children. Here are some Palm Sunday photos taken by Jana. For the best view click on "Slideshow" just above the first photo on the upper left. As you may see, it was a great day in the life of our church. Alice said there were 30 young children there on Palm Sunday.
It appears as if our ordination standards are about to change in our denomination. Here is a link to some Frequently Asked Questions about this. Speak to one of the elders or me if you want to know more about this.
The April issue of the Beacon is available online. You may view The Beacon online here. Or, if you prefer it another way, here is the same Beacon as a PDF file.
St. John's has been blessed with two healthy babies this week! Amelia Elizabeth Jacobsen was born at 11:20 on Tuesday, April 19. Mom and baby are doing great. She weighed in at 6 lbs 11 oz. Congratulations to parents Carli and Aaron, siblings Jonah and Ava, and Grandmother Louise.
In addition, Karis Morton was born on Wednesday, April 20. Karis is the daughter of Karla and Jason Morton and sibling Sean and the granddaughter of Virginia and Ken Krueger. We give thanks to God for these Holy Week births!
And yes, we even had an Easter baby born to one of our families! Congratulations to Chris and Jon Yingst upon the birth of their granddaughter on Easter Sunday. Besma Deanne Alhaddad Yingst is the daughter of Shemsi Alhaddad and Andy Yingst. She was 8lb 10oz and 21 inches and all are doing well.
We give thanks to God for these and other signs of new life within our congregation.
Have a great weekend!
Peace,
Jon B.
--St. John's Presbyterian Church
5020 West Bellfort / Houston, TX 77035
T. 713.723.6262 / F. 713.723-4015 / Email: office.sjpc@gmail.com
Worship Service: Sunday, 10:30 am / Sunday School: 9:00 am
