St. Peter & St.

Paul Episcopal Church

Connections
JANUARY 2011

GROWING IN GOD’S LOVE!

Our True Thanksgiving Meal , Truly Amazing!

St. Peter and St. Paul’s Thanksgiving meal was a little different
this year. Actually, it was very different this year. Instead of
gathering to eat our usual huge, delicious meal on the Sunday
before Thanksgiving, we baked a huge, delicious Thanksgiving
meal and gave it all away!
Juicy turkeys fried to perfection, buttery mashed potatoes and
fresh snapped green beans were on the menu and everyone
pitched in to put it all together. Each meal was paired with fresh-
from-the-oven rolls, a yummy pie, and even a handcrafted pumpkin
table centerpiece to be lovingly delivered to 6 different families in
our area. Our food was a small gift we gave out of thanksgiving for
what God has given each of us at St Peter & St Paul Episcopal
Church.
We did still eat a lunch together that day while we worked—but
instead of a big meal, we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!
It was an awesome opportunity for us to serve others and share our
blessings, while pausing to give thanks to God for our own!
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Connections JANUARY 2011

To the people who are St.

Peter and St. Paul’s,
For those of you who might not know:
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, McKinney, TX
has asked me to be their rector; and after
much heart-wrenching discernment, Amy
and I have decided to accept. In short, we
will be moving, and my last Sunday at St. Peter & St. Paul will be
January 9th.
This has all happened rather quickly, much quicker than Amy and I
had planned— but God laughs when we make plans. We are happy
here, and we love St. Peter and St. Paul, but we have become
convinced that God is calling us into something new.
A lot has happened in my four years at St. Peter & St. Paul. I have
done some things well (although you all deserve most of the credit
for these successes), and I have made some mistakes, for which I
am sincerely sorry. I have grown and learned so much, and I am not
the same priest I was when I showed up here. For that and for so
much more, I thank you. But as I think about leaving, the main
thing I realize is that I have come to love you all very much. And my
heart is breaking at the thought of leaving.
St. Peter and St. Paul is in good hands. This church is amazing
because it has an amazing group of people who are following God’s
call as a church. The bishop is working to find an interim and my
eventual replacement. All of that will be worked out in time. And the
bishop has asked JB Townsend to be the Bishop’s Warden for a one
year term to oversee the transition and keep things moving and
shaking.
So there it is. We are moving to McKinney, but I want you to
know this: I love you all, I love this place, and I am so very, very
grateful.
In Christ,
The Rev. Michael Hoffman +
Father Michael, Amy & Garrett:
We will certainly miss you, but wish you the very best in your new
endeavors. May God bless you in this new chapter of your lives!
St. Peter & St. Paul Episcopal Church PAGE 3

Connections JANUARY 2011

Wendy’s Window to Wellness

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO GET HEALTHY!
Do you remember your New Year’s resolution last
year? Did you want to lose 10lbs? Did your motivation
stop sometime around Valentine’s Day? Why not start
over now? January 2011 is a GREAT time for a fresh
start! When it comes to managing your weight, small steps add up. In
fact, little changes in eating and activity levels have a more positive
impact on health than drastic ones. We are more likely to stick to small
changes over time. Extreme diets and exercise regimens may work
well in the beginning, but fade over time. Healthy weight is all about
balancing food intake with physical activity. Most of us could improve
our energy balance simply by shaving off about 100 calories a day.
It’s really not that hard! Here are a few suggestions to help reach that
goal:
Lighten up your coffee with non-fat milk or sugar-free syrup
Trim all fat from beef, pork and chicken (remove all skin from
chicken)
Dish up reduced calorie ice cream in place of regular ice cream
Enjoy raw vegetables with salsa or fat-free ranch dressing
instead of chips
When eating out, think ahead. Consider the meal options at different
restaurants and look for places with expanded menus. Most
restaurants honor requests, so don’t be afraid to be assertive, ask
questions and make special requests to meet your nutritional needs.
Many places serve HUGE portions, sometimes enough for two or three
people! Order menu items that contain fewer calories , and eat
smaller portions or bring leftovers home for another meal. Avoid items
described as crispy, rich or au gratin, instead look for foods that are
steamed, broiled, baked or grilled.
And always eat slowly. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to get
the message from your stomach that you are no longer hungry. Slow
eaters tend to eat less and are still satisfied.
See, that wasn’t so bad, was it? You can find more information at
www.eatright.org
Remember……………………..It’s never too late to get healthy!
St. Peter & St. Paul Episcopal Church PAGE 4

Connections JANUARY 2011

RIGHTEOUS RECIPES!!
Every month, we will use this space to reflect the ‘culinary side’ of St Peter & St Paul. We
can’t wait to try your favorite recipes! Send to heatherbmarks@gmail.com

This month’s recipe comes from Molly Mejia

Molly’s Spinach & Cilantro Enchiladas

1 pkg (30) Yellow Corn Tortillas Sauce: Saute spinach, cilantro,
Paprika garlic and onion in olive oil. Combine
sauce ingredients with cream and
SAUCE:
simmer together on low.
1/2 bag Fresh Spinach
1/2 bunch Cilantro (or to taste)
2-6 cloves Garlic (to taste) Filling: Combine filling ingredients
1/2 Onion, minced in bowl
1 pint Cream or Half & Half
Preheat oven to 350°
FILLING: Warm tortillas to soften. Roll each
Rotisserie Chicken, shredded tortilla up with filling and place side-by
1/2 bag Fresh Spinach -side in 9 x 13 pan. Cover with
1/2 bunch Cilantro sauce, sprinkle with paprika and bake
1/2 Onion, minced
20-30 minutes, uncovered.
1 pkg shredded Mozzarella

epiphany
WANTED: MUSIC TEAM MEMBERS
Got musical talents? Play guitar or sing?
Want to make a joyful noise unto the Lord?

Consider using your God-

given talent as part of our
music team!
CONTACT: Arlyn Olson (687-7334)
or any choir member for more info!
St. Peter & St. Paul Episcopal Church
Connections
Children's Church
We love children at Peter
and Paul! And because
we love them, we like to
help them grow in their love of the Bible
and Jesus.
Most Sundays we will have "Children's
Church” for those 4 years to 4th
grade. Teachers and helpers are
needed. You would be signing up to help
once a month. If you are interested in
this ministry, please see JB Townsend.
Projection Ministry
If you have been to the
11am service the last few
months you have seen a
change. We have begun to
project the words of prayers,
readings, and songs during
worship.
So, now you have a choice: you can
either follow along with the projection
slides or grab a bulletin. Either way you
should receive a Sunday to Sunday
schedule with the announcements and
ministry roles.
There are three primary reasons to shift
to the projection:
1. The church will save $$ on printing costs.
2. Less paper is better for the environment.
3. The nature of worship changes when people
look up rather than down at a piece of paper.
We will still continue to print copies of
the bulletin if you prefer to use them, but
we ask that you take these things into consideration in your decision.
If you would be willing to help run the projection occasionally, email
team member Helen Spalding at ihs-xp@juno.com for more info.
PAGE 5
JANUARY 2011
Men’s Group:
Coffee With the
Carpenter
Attention St. P&P Men:
Coffee With the Carpenter is a men's
group that gathers on the 2nd and 4th
Thursdays of every month from
7:00am to 8:00am. Come join “the
guys” for morning prayer, breakfast,
lots of coffee, and great discussion!
For more information on Coffee with
the Carpenter, contact Dan Miller at
519-0090.
Have info for the next newsletter??
Got a story about why you ♥ St P&P?
Want to share your favorite recipe?
Our goal for this newsletter is that
it reflects who we are and what
we do at St Peter & St Paul. We
are constantly looking for ways to
stay informed and connected via
this newsletter and our website. If
you have a gift for this or if you
have any suggestions, please
contact Heather Marks.
Send to: heatherbmarks@gmail.com
St. Peter & St. Paul Episcopal Church PAGE 6

Connections JANUARY 2011

Things are rocking and

rolling with the Garden. The
salad mix, spinach and
cilantro has already
produced a strong crop, the
cabbage and broccoli are now being harvested and the
cauliflower, etc. should be coming up within the month. We have
been selling at the
Market at Alhambra (519
S. 17th St. McAllen), as
well as to as many area
restaurants. So far, we
have sold to Roosevelts,
House. Wine., Alhambra,
Santa Fe Steakhouse,
Bistro M and the
Courtyard Café. We even started to hold our own Field Fresh
Market after the 11am service in front of the church!
All told we have sold over $1,000 in vegetables with an additional
$300 given in donations, which means we have already broken
even and we hope to give out our first check to feed the hungry
by Christmas.
Thank you for all your help, and continue to listen for ways you
can volunteer. You can always pick weeds, but there are lots of
ways to help like harvesting or selling at the market.
Also, if you see Jed around, thank him for all his hard work.
 St. Peter & St. Paul Episcopal Church PAGE 7

Connections JANUARY 2011

FAREWELL, FOOD & FIRE !!

January 9th is a very important day at
St Peter &
Paul’s!!

First, we want to
properly tell the
Hoffman family
FAREWELL—and
what better way
than to have good FOOD?! We will
have breakfast following the 9:00am
service at 10am. If
that weren’t enough,
we will then have lunch
following the 11:00am
service!

In addition to our
farewell and food,
there will also be
FIRE when we "Burn
the Bank Note" during
the 11am service. We
have paid off our
loan from the bank
and are very proud and joyful!!

WE HOPE TO SEE EVERYONE THERE!!!

HAPPY
2011!
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Connections JANUARY 2011

WELCOME to Father Art Hadley!

Father Art Hadley has been appointed by Bishop
Lillibridge to serve as our Interim Vicar. Art is a
retired priest from Ohio and has been living in
Mcallen since 2006.
His first Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist with
us will be on January16th. We are very happy to
have him and his wife Jane become a part of our
family at Peter and Paul!

CALLING ALL QUILTERS!! Daughters of the King

Do you like to New Member Training
quilt? Do you If you are
want to learn to interested in
quilt? Can you becoming a
come help us Daughter of the
quilt? If so, we King, an
need you!! informational
Evelyn Charles, one of our meeting will take
place this Sunday, Jan. 9th at
fabulous Winter Texans, has
10:00am in the office
volunteered to meet on
library. Training classes will
Tuesday mornings at the resume weekly and will be led by
church from 9:00am to Jane Sutherland and Leonor
11:30pm. A date to begin will Fletcher for a period of 6 weeks.
be set once we see how many The Daughters of the King is a
people are interested. collection of faithful women who
Evelyn has lots of supplies and dedicate themselves to prayer
is willing to help spearhead and service. Each member goes
this project. Quilts will be through a period of studying and
donated to those in need. If learning about this ministry.
you are interested, please
contact Evelyn at 765-993- If you are interested in learning
8190, or JB Townsend at 956- more about the Daughters of the
King, talk to any of the ladies
457-2651.
above or any Daughter of the
King member you see wearing the silver cross!
St. Peter & St. Paul Episcopal Church PAGE 9

Connections JANUARY 2011

Another Fabulous Christmas Pageant!

Sunday, December 19th was the day of last month’s fun filled Christmas
Pageant. We had some incredibly talented young people who performed the
Christmas story. Thanks to all who participated and made it such a great
tribute to the reason for the season!
St. Peter & St. Paul Episcopal Church
2310 N. Stewart Road
Mission, TX 78574-8842
(956)585-5005