Yes, its the St. Martin's Prime Timers Adult Bible Fellowship Web Page!

We meet every Sunday from 10:10am to 10:50 in rooms 207-207 of the Payne Education Center. Please join us and bring a friend! This month we are studying the book of Acts with our Teacher Rita Junker-Pickar.

Hurricane Katrina efforts continue and the City of Houston and St. Martin's Church are playing a role.  Click here to learn more about our mission.

The Prime Timers. At the far left is our speaker for September, Rita Junker-Pickar, next to her is our mentor the Rev. Rusty Goldsmith, and at the lectern is our leader, Jackie Rose.

Good News

Henny Penny is our Good News chicken. For $1 you can tell the class what's going on in your life, and contribute to a good cause.

The smiling fellow at the top right is Pringle Ramsey, who reported the marriage of his son.

George Laigle just bought a new car, and actually had good things to say about the car salesman. Proof that there is at least one good one out there!

Leader Jackie Rose brought the welcome news that her husband Robert is recovering from knee replacement surgery and the complications arising from it. She also began her courses at the Perkins School and reports that "school is cool."

Sharing Community 

Today's first vocabulary word is eschatological--the doctrine of the last or final things, as death, resurrection, immortality, the end of the age, the second advent of Christ, judgment and the future state. The second is koinonia--fellowship, communion and participation. Business relationship characterized by radical sharing of resources.

The second vocabulary word directly applies to our reading for the week, Acts 2:43-47; 4:32-35. This describes the apostles in the time after Jesus' death,  creating a community where everyone shared everything with one another. It was a time of pervasive joy, and the number of Christians increased by the day.

This community of sharing could be somewhat unforgiving to people who did not get completely into the spirit. The story of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11) is about a couple who sell their property but decide to keep a part of the proceeds and not tell the group. Each of these people drops dead in the presence of Peter for lying to God!

The next reference is to Deuteronomy 15:1-3 referring to the canceling of debts every seven years. Deuteronomy is the book where Moses reviews his life, restates the Ten Commandments, reviews a series of instructions for life and gives his final words before death. Rita then mentioned the Jubilee year as mentioned in Leviticus 25:8-10: 8 " 'Count off seven sabbaths of years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years. 9 Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. 10 Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan." The most interesting part of this is there is no known example of this being carried out!

With the apostles running around performing miracles and increasing the number of Christians it is little wonder that they attracted the attention of the keepers of the Jewish Law, the Sadducees, and ended up in jail. (Acts 5:17-21)

Our discussion addressed the distinction between community and communism; the first being compared to family, while the second described the heavy hand of government.

Max Kech concluded our session with our healing prayer, and then Rita read the Benediction.

Prime Timers Contact names and numbers

Mentor

The Rev. Maurice L. "Rusty" Goldsmith. D.D.
713/985-3831
rgoldsmith@stmartinsepiscopal.org

Leader

The smile of a father whose son was just married.

George Laigle found an honest car salesman.

Jackie tells us "school is cool" and has good news about husband Robert.

 The Lesson for Sunday, September 18th is titled "The Gift of Healing"

Key Verse:  Acts 3:6

Focus of the Lesson:  Many people are wounded physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Where can they find healing? The apostles carried on the healing ministry of Jesus Christ, and we carry it on as the community of faith.

The reading is Acts 3:1-16. This text is from the New International Version.

   1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

   6 Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

   11 While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.

NIV®