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Sunday, September 12

Sign Up Celebration Sunday! Sign-Ups...For What?

As you may have heard, on Sunday, September 12th we will be having a celebration Sunday here at St. Dunstan's to launch us into a new curriculum year and celebrate some of the exciting changes that we'll be implementing starting this fall. The eight o'clock service will run as usual, and then during the nine o'clock hour we will have sign-ups for the fall programs. There's something for everyone!

Sunday School. Sign up with Jennie Morse (Director of Children's Ministry)
Youth Group. Sign up with Rebekah Carter (Director of Youth Ministry)

Three courses in Adult Education will be offered:
History of the Bible, taught by Dr. Emily Sampson
The Serendipity Bible Study, taught by Mark Alcorn
Breaking Free, a Beth Moore study taught by Diane Godwin

Last month I introduced the four steps that we, as a church, will be following as we plan our worship, ministry and programming. To refresh your memory they are:

Clarity: What kind of disciple are we trying to create at St. Dunstan's?

Movement: What are the steps a new person at St. Dunstan's takes to become that disciple?

Alignment: How must we align our programming to facilitate that movment?

Focus: Saying no to things that do not facilitate the above progression.

As you look over the new fall schedule contained elsewhere, and our exciting Signup Celebration Sunday that will kick off the new program year, I hope you will take seriously your responsibility to fit into the design. In our desire to create movement in the spiritual development of current and new members, we are asking all of you to participate in our three-step model: Encounter God; Grow in God; Serve God. The first step would be for those of you who have not already done so to join the ALPHA evening, Sundays beginning September 12 with an introduction, and continuing for the next 10 weeks. There will be a follow up course for those interested on the same night. Then, in January, take part in our revamped Small Groups and be a part of an intentional Bible study/prayer group. Finally, we hope you will offer yourselves to a ministry at St. Dunstan's that corresponds to your ministry gifts. We will be offering a Spiritual Gifts course in the not-too-distant future, a wonderful way to assess where best to offer your time and talent.

Monday, September 6th at 6:00 PM

Please join us on Labor Day, when the House of Scotland's Ceilidh* Band presents an evening of traditional Celtic music.

*Ceilidh is Gaelic for “concert,” pronounced “kay-lee”

Bring Your Own Picnic Supper

Toe-tappin’ music begins at 6 PM in the front courtyard of St. Dunstan’s

6556 Park Ridge Blvd.• San Diego, CA 92120

Call 619-460-6442 for more information

With these words Jesus offers his final prayer to his Father in Heaven. He commends his spirit into the hands of God. "Commend" means to entrust for care and preservation; to commit oneself into the care of another. Jesus places his life and future into the hands of God. Due to his deeply intimate and personal relationship with God he has the firm assurance that God will vindicate him. He knows with all his heart, soul, and mind that God will raise him from the darkness of death into the newness of life.

Jesus' words should serve as a powerful example for all of us to follow. But sadly when many of us reach that moment when we face death, when our time to leave this world is at hand, we are fearful and reluctant to commend and entrust our spirits into the hands of God. We worry about leaving behind our families and friends. We worry about how they will be able to live and function without our help and support. We also have fears of the unknown which face us. Doubts begin to creep into our minds, as we begin to wonder if there really is an afterlife or if life on this earth is all that there is. We find ourselves choosing to remain on this earth as long as possible; we would rather endure the illness, pain, and hardships of this life rather than entrust our lives to God.

As Christians when our time comes we need hold on to our faith. Let Jesus' life give us the assurance that the God who created us in his image loves us more than anything in this world could possibly love us. He has promised us a place he has already prepared for us when we pass on. God wants us to spend eternity in his presence surrounded by all the saints. We must not allow our fears and doubts to diminish and weaken our faith and hope of life everlasting.

Fr. Ken+