This Week at Mt. Olive

Good evening, fellow redeemed!

Praise God for His grace...Strengthen faith by the accounts of God's abundant grace...example of the life of faith to imitate. The Lutheran Confessions, most notably the Apology or Defense of the Augsburg Confession, notes three reasons why God has given us the accounts of the saints.

One of the great abominations that had arisen in Rome was the invocation of the saints, praying to them as to the Lord and venerating them as some kind of super Christian who could bestow favored status in the presence of Christ. The reformers countered that only the true God was worthy of worship. Instead, we praise God for the lives of the saints for the reasons listed above.

This morning, we praised God for St. Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. The great example of Mary is the virtue of submission to her Lord. May God by His Holy Spirit grant us to imitate the blessed virgin mother!

For some, this week marks the last week of summer vacation before schools go back into session. For others, classes have already begun. One group for whom a lot of activity will begin in the coming week are those brothers and sisters at Mt. Olive who will be attending college classes. Some will be going to places like College Station and San Antonio, while others will be attending classes here in the Coastal Bend. In either case, please keep these young people in your prayers, along with those who will be attending classes at any level.

Another group who will be getting back into the swing of things will be teachers. Mt. Olive is blessed with a number of teachers and many different levels and in divergent disciplines of study. Please keep these folks in your prayers, as well.

The Sunday School is also in search of teachers for this coming year. The Sunday School partners with Biblical instruction in the home, teaching children to know the voice of God from Holy Scripture so that they may join the holy Christian Church in heaven on earth in confessing Jesus Christ as Lord. If you would like to serve in this ministry, please contact Kim Waddle and/or Kelly Willoughby.

Later this month, the Fellowship Team will be hosting a birthday party for yours truly (I'm turning 50). If you would like to attend, please contact the church office to RSVP.

This week is also a change in my family. Kathy will be undergoing knee replacement surgery on Tuesday morning.

Brothers and Sisters, Please Pray for:
Those who serve in our armed forces and their families: Rob Vadney (Afghanistan), John Miller's niece (on her way home), Andrew Epley (Iraq), Richard Rhode (North Carolina), John Sorensen, Dru Blanc, Ryan Radtke (Corpus Christi)
Teachers in schools across our nation and especially here in the Coastal Bend, as they prepare for their difficult tasks
The students committed to the care of these instructors
My family, as Kathy undergoes surgery this week

This Week at Mt. Olive:
Monday, August 16
6 p.m.
Zumba Aerobics

6:30 p.m.
Board of Elders

Wednesday, August 18
9:30 a.m.
Bible Study

6 p.m.
Zumba Aerobics

God bless!
PKJ