Join Us in the Parlor Next Sunday!

Prime Timers is a St. Martin's Adult Christian Education (A.C.E.) group for people in the Prime of Life, ages 50-64. We now meet in the Parlor near the Church Offices from 10:15am to 11:00. We are starting a new course from the United Council of Churches titled The New Testament Community. While September was interrupted by Hurricane Ike, October is a journey through the book of Acts, and you are invited! Don't worry, there are no pop-quizzes!

Prime Timers Celebrates 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 worthy charity, currently the Amistad Mission in Bolivia.

Today Lynne reported that it was her Mom's 93rd birthday and Donn's grandson caught a touchdown pass!

Expansion of the Community

Donn Fullenweider conducted class today, exploring the Book of Acts and the story of the choice of the seven, sometimes called the first deacons. This is the story where Stephen is chosen the leader, does miraculous things, and then is plotted against and finally stoned to death, his final words asking the Lord to forgive his killers. This story parallels Jesus' own life.

The seven are described as Hellenists, ethnic Jews and some Gentile converts to Judaism who lived in the eastern Mediterranean. The group having issues with Stephen's ministry are described as members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen, indicating that they might have been freed Roman slaves. The caring for widows was fundamental in Jewish law and carried over into the early church. The twelve disciples thought their mission of spreading the word of the Lord more important than "waiting on tables" and so decided to entrust this to the seven Hellenists. This concept of diakonia, Greek for distribution or the daily distribution of food and the idea of the servant who waits on tables came to be synonymous with ministry.

By calling on the whole community to select the people to carry out the task and requiring that they be of good standing, the twelve Apostles entrusted them, involving them in the decision. The result was that the word of the Lord spread.

At this early time there were many division in the church, and many factions vied for dominance. The Zealots, Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes and the Hellenist Jews all were part of this. Saul, who becomes Paul on the road to Damascus, is at the stoning of Stephen, and approved the killing. The stoning of Stephen can be thought of as a "seeding" where the results are ultimately the opposite of what the tormentors intended.

The last verse in our reading Acts 6:15 describes Stephen's face as being like an angel. Angels are usually messengers in the Bible, many times bringing extraordinary or life changing news. Seeing an angel often resulted in fear as the initial response, and in the next chapter Stephen is killed for this fear. Killing the messenger is not a new thing!

Donn concluded class with a short prayer.

The Lesson for Sunday, October 19th is "Transformed to Witness the Community"

Key Verse:  Acts 9:17

Focus of the Lesson: Human beings are sometimes involved in destructive patterns of behavior. What help is available that would rechannel our energy in a positive direction? The story of Saul's conversion from a persecutor to a preacher provides for the faith community a positive example of transformation in Christ.

The reading is Acts 9:1-11, 16-19 This text is from the New International Version. (NIV)

Background Scripture:  Acts 9:1-31

   ¹Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest ²and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ³As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

   ⁵"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.

"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. ⁶"Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

   ⁷The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. ⁸Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

   ¹⁰In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!"
   "Yes, Lord," he answered.

   ¹¹The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.

   ¹⁶I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."

   ¹⁷Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." ¹⁸Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, ¹⁹and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

NIV