This Week's eMessenger - the Early Edition

T H E M E S S E N G E R

Weekly News from

EMMANUEL, SAN ANGELO

August 6, 2026

FROM THE RECTOR

Dear Friends,

This edition of The Messenger is the Carly’s on Vacation version, so it won’t be packed with graphics. Just a quick reminder that August 6 is the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, and I plan to offer a Chapel Eucharist at 9 a.m. on Thursday morning. The office door will be unlocked, as will the chapel door which is accessed via Harris Street.

After church on Thursday I will spend some time with our Mothers Day Out staff who are planning a work day to get everything ready for MDO to start again on August 18. Applications are being accepted for the next director. Details are available on the church website at https://emmanuel-sa.org/Staff%20Openings/mothers-day-out-director.html.

Looking ahead on my calendar I see Sunday School Rally Day on August 23. At 9:30 that morning we will have an opening activity intended for parents and kids to share in together down in the Undercroft, which is the basement level one floor beneath the church house. We will make some plans for student and family ministry in the upcoming school year, and I will have an update on our search for the next Student and Family Ministry Director. During the 10:30 service that day will be the blessing of school backpacks. More information about the student and family ministry position is available on the church website at https://emmanuel-sa.org/Staff%20Openings/student-and-family-minister.html .

The worship services during these summer months have been somewhat simplified, with the exception of the Independence Day celebration which followed the order of service as it might have been in July of 1776. I am looking forward to the return of the full choir and to the service of our small but dedicated Acolyte Guild.

Wishing you days of rest and refreshment in these waning weeks of summer break, and I hope you will continue to include worshiping the Lord as a regular part of your journey of faith.

Yours in Christ,

Matt Rowe+

frmatt@emmanuel-sa.org (o)325.653.2446 x1001 (m)662.466.0709

FILL THE RED WAGON

The offering for Sunday is canned fruit and veggies. Place them in the red wagon you’ll find in the narthex as you enter church. Your offerings go to Project Dignidad, and ecumenical ministry that provides food, clothing, and necessities to those in need.

SERVING ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 9

8 a.m. - Susan McDaniel (Lector for 1 Kings 19:8-19), Don LePak (Chalice, Psalm, Prayers)

10:30 a.m. - Wendy Powell (Lector for 1 Kings 19:8-19), Danny Casillas Chalicebearer and Lector for Romans 10:5-15), Don Dunbar (Chalicebearer & Prayers), Hailey Hawkins (Chalicebearer), John Austin Stokes & King Walker (Ushers), Altar Guild Team 2 (Sacristans), Lynn Sonnenberg & Danny Casillas (Vestry Hosts).

2ND SUNDAY BREAKFAST & FED TALK, AUGUST 9

Come to the Parish Hall at 9:15 on Sunday for breakfast and fellowship, and to hear a quick presentation by Mary and Rick Tinsley about two wonderful outreach ministries - 1st Monday Friends and Showers of Blessings.

UCM OPEN HOUSE, AUGUST 16

United Campus Ministries at ASU will host an open house from 4-6 pm on August 16 at the UCM House, 2453 Dena Drive. FMI contact Lynn Sonnenberg.

FR. BILL’S BIBLE BRAIN BUSTER

Answer to last week’s question: In the Gospel of Mark, we read of a time when Jesus is called to the bedside of a twelve- year-old girl who is sick and he was told when he got to her home that she had died. He went into her room and healed her. He changes languages when he heals her. Why would he do that?

A. The family members knew only Greek.

B. The family members knew only Aramaic.

C. An eyewitness is reporting the event.

D. Aramaic was considered as the language of healing.

Answer: (C) Although the New Testament was written in Greek, The words Jesus spoke in this healing event was in Aramaic, the language spoken by the Hebrew people. When Jesus healed the child, the only people permitted in the room were Jesus, the girl's parents, Peter, James and John. Many believe that the reason it is written in Aramaic is because the eyewitnesses of the event or someone close to them, was so struck by what they had experienced that they could not forget exactly what he said.

This Week’s Question: As we read through the Old Testament, we encounter the word Zion. What does Zion mean.

A. Home B. Resting Place

C. A synonym for Israel D. God’s home.

Stay tuned next week for the answer

PARISH PRAYER LIST

Healing: Andrew, Robert, Sylvia, Shelly, Mary Dee, Coco, Joe, John, Connie, David, Pat, Nancy, Pat, Mike, JoAnn, Gail, Jenny, Dora, Joan, St.-Paul-by-the-Sea Parish in Ocean City, MD, Deborah, Trey, Audrey, Steven, Karen, Margo, Tommy.

Active Duty Military: Kyle, Paul

The Faithful Departed: William Sherman Carter (8/9/1909); Jake Wardlaw (8/9/1973); Mamie Compton Martin (8/11/1982); Minnie Maud Lewin Robinson (8/12/1960); Verna Louise Stevens Stepp (8/12/1977); Charles Chamberlain (8/13/1941); Roswell Stewart Epperson (8/13/1958); Charles Lowe Magruder (8/13/1976); Rebecca Bird (8/13/1984); Margaret Ann Elliott (8/13/1997); David Holman Darst (8/14/1950); Alice Lucy Bowes Hancox (8/14/1971); Mary Lou Hall (8/14/1977); Martha Mather (8/15/1948).