Our church celebrated it’s patron saint, St. Martin of Tours, on November 9, with a tremendous amount of activity! Reagan Scholer was baptised at 8:30am. The Rt. Rev. Rayford B. High, Jr., bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, was with us at 10:30am for baptisms, confirmations and receptions.
Father Mike Wallens baptised Leslie Fowles and Nicholas Hardman. Bishop High received Kathy Wilkinson, Gary Wilkinson, and John Dumbleton, and confirmed Leslie Fowles, Heather Wilson, April Elliott, and Gregory Anderson.
Bishop High’s sermon about St. Martin reminded us that Martin, as bishop of Tours, reached out to the poor and the marginalzed of his day, and he and his followers were always ministering and working, sharing the Gospel story. Watch a video of the bishop’s sermon.
The Litany of Farewell for the End of the Interim Journey helped us say goodbye to Father Mike, and closed with, “Go now, Father Mike, surrounded by our love, and led by the promises of God, the presence of Jesus Christ, and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Amen” Father Mike will become Priest in Charge of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Irving.
After the 10:30 service, we celebrated with those baptised, confirmed, and received, welcomed Bishop High at a reception, and gave final goodbyes and thanks to Father Mike.
Then Service Sunday took over the parish hall, and the service team made a record 105 sack lunches for those served by Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County. Bishop High, always eager to give a hand, helped. At one station, sacks were decorated with love. At a long assembly line, sunbutter & jelly sandwiches were spread, assembled, and sacked along with chips, snacks and a water bottle. At the end, sacks were boxed, and then loaded into a van, delivered to Union Gospel Mission by the Snow family.
It was a good, busy, ministering, serving day.
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