Matthew 28:6 "He is not here; he has risen, just as he said."

Prime Timers, a St. Martin's Adult Christian Education (A.C.E.) group, also known as an ABF (Adult Bible Fellowship), is for people in the Prime of Life, age 50 and beyond. Class meets in the Parlor near the Church Offices each Sunday from 10:15am to 11:00. We are following a course of study from the United Council of Churches titled The New Testament Community. You are invited to join our group as we begin a new unit titled "The Way of New Life" based on the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians.

Prime Timers Celebrate St. Patrick's Day!

The Prime Timers celebrated St. Patrick's Day at Baba Yega's in Montrose. The photo is courtesy of Lynn Swaffar (she's at the head of the table). Lynn also contributed the hats, the boa's, the glasses, just about anything green in these photos! Thanks Lynn, for a great St. Patrick's dinner!

If you would like to attend a Prime Timers dinner we have a good one coming up on Thursday, May 7 at 6:30pm. We are meeting at the Cafe Express in the basement of the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Beck building, 5601 Main Street. Afterwards we are getting a private tour of the Afghanistan Exhibit with Museum docent and Prime Timer Connie Colley! Please let Lynn Swaffar know if you plan on coming, she is at lynnswaffar@yahoo.com and 281-495-3832.

Prime Timers Celebrate Good News!

We celebrate our members Good News at Prime Timers with a $1 contribution to Henny Penny, our Good News chicken. Periodically Henny donates the money she collects to a charity, currently the Amistad Mission in Bolivia.  Maurice told us about her 10 year old grandson's birthday party, celebrated with a rock climbing party! George tells us his rain-starved farm has a full cistern for the first time in a good while, as it rained a full three inches while he was there this week. Lynn is excited in anticipation of her missionary daughter returning home from Hungary in June.

Brining New Life to Those in Need

Carol Hartland brought us up to date today, after all class did not meet for three weeks. If you would like to check those readings there is a "Past Issues" set of links to your left with all the Prime Timers web pages this year, and all the readings.

Carol began with this passage from John, 14:8-14 "Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."

⁹Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? ¹⁰Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. ¹¹Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. ¹²I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. ¹⁴You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."

In our reading today we have Peter continuing Jesus' miracles, raising Tabitha from the dead. Carol allowed how we do not see many people raised from the dead today, but asked us if we had any examples of seemingly impossible achievements in our time. Ted Turner's creating the CNN network was mentioned. At the time this was thought to be an fool's mission, who wants to hear the news all day long?!? Today Ted is out saving the buffalo, and if anyone can do it it's Ted!

Lynn told of a family member with Asperger's Disorder. This is a milder form of autism, and Lynn worried that the child would never marry and have a difficult life. Happily he managed to turn the corner with lots of love from the family and a determination he developed with their help to overcome this disability.

The NFL Draft was this past weekend. Someone else in class mentioned a story of one of these players who came from having literally nothing, abandoned by his family and taken in by another family, who is now in the NFL!!!

Lynn describe a "God moment" resulting from wildflowers! She had pulled over to see one of the beautiful Texas highway department wildflower fields and as she got back on the road a big truck came barreling over a hilltop, right for Lynn and her passenger. Lynn was convinced she was about the get broadsided by the truck but luckily it got out of the way, and wouldn't you know another truck came right after the first. Lynn is ok, and very thankful.

Another member described a Mormon girl who was never able to make her own decisions. She was a desperate case and one of our class members convinced her to come to St. Martin's. While this sounds a little like a recruitment ad, the woman is now in much better shape.

Finally a class member mentioned Impact a Hero organization. This was founded to honor our returning Iraqi service people who were severely injured, missing limbs or with emotional distress. They conduct many activities, including a 5k run right here in Sugarland. 

Carol concluded class with this benediction:  Give us new hearts filled with your Spirit, O Lord, that we may live as new creations in Christ. Amen.

The Lesson for Sunday, May 3rd,  is "New Family in Christ"

Key Verses:  Ephesians 1:5

Focus of the Lesson: Family life offers opportunities for rewards and challenges, for close ties and for estranged relationships. How do we see ourselves within the context of our families? In the Letter to the Ephesians, Paul celebrated and gave thanks for those whom God had adopted into a new family in Christ.

The reading is Ephesians 1:3-14. This text is from the New International Version. (NIV)

   ³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace ⁸that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. ⁹And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

   ¹¹In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, ¹²in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. ¹³And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.

NIV