Today the Church remembers and honors William Wilberforce. Some of you may have seen the movie, Amazing Grace, which is based on his life.
James Keifer tells us that he was born in 1759 and served in Parliament from 1780 to 1825. A turning point in his religious life was a tour of Europe. In the luggage of a travelling companion, Wilberforce saw a copy of William Law's book, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life. After reading it, Wilberforce embarked on a lifelong program of setting aside Sundays and an interval each morning on arising for prayer and religious reading.
He was a major supporter of programs for popular education, overseas missions, parliamentary reform, and religious liberty. He is best known, however, for his untiring commitment to the abolition of slavery and the slave trade. He introduced his first anti-slavery motion in the House of Commons in 1788, in a three-and-a-half hour oration that concluded: “Sir, when we think of eternity and the future consequence of all human conduct, what is there in this life that shall make any man contradict the dictates of his conscience, the principles of justice and the law of God!”
The motion was defeated. Wilberforce brought it up again every year for eighteen years, until the slave trade was finally abolished on 25 March 1806. He continued the campaign against slavery itself, and the bill for the abolition of all slavery in British territories passed its crucial vote just four days before his death on 29 July 1833. A year later, on 31 July 1834, 800,000 slaves, chiefly in the British West Indies, were set free.
Let us pray: Just and eternal God, we give you thanks for the stalwart faith and persistence of your servant William Wilberforce, who, undeterred by opposition and failure, held fast to a vision of justice in which no child of yours might suffer in enforced servitude and misery. Grant that we, drawn by that same Gospel vision, may persevere in serving the common good and caring for those who have been cast down, that they may be raised up through Jesus Christ; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
CALENDAR REMINDERS:
UBE Youth at St. Augustine on Saturday morning, 31 July for Morning Prayer, to learn their history and the place of this Church in the Diocese of Texas. Then they are off to do mission work at St. Vincent's House.
Kitchen Shower: First weekend in August. As part of the celebration, Dick McGonagle has offered to break in the new smoker and make ribs and corn for everyone to enjoy after the Eucharist on Sunday, 1 August. We’ll have a feast to celebrate the new kitchen. And here is the line-up thus far:
Lee Runion: watermelon
Pat Tate: baked beans
Mary Makowski: baked beans
Melva Pope: potato salad
Janie Richardson: potato salad
Alicia Gaskin: cole slaw
Idell Guidry: bread
Beulah Smith: garlic bread
Earlie Evans: cake
Tammie Taylor: pie
Carol Hogan: desert
Blessing of the Backpacks, Sunday, 8 August 2010: Come and have your backpack blessed for the new school year. We will also have some book bags available if you don’t have one.
The Feast Day of St. Augustine & Blessing of the New Facilities:
Dinner celebration on Saturday, 28 August 2010
Eucharist, Sunday, 29 August 2010
The Second Annual St. Augustine Art Show: It will be at the end of September. Stay tuned for details.
PLEASE REMEMBER ALL THOSE ON OUR PRAYER LIST and especially:
Deborah, who is critically ill, her husband David, and their children Julie and Chris
Baby Alexa and her grandparents
Russ Viska who had a double bypass
Sue and Sean Coleman as Sue recovers from brain surgery
Roylene Lemons’ continued recovery from cancer surgery
Cindi Clack
For all those who are traveling
Let us pray for all of those serving in the Armed Forces, especially:
Lewis Lemons
Lt. Cmdr. Brian Taylor
Lt. Col. Bryan Runion
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
James Keifer tells us that he was born in 1759 and served in Parliament from 1780 to 1825. A turning point in his religious life was a tour of Europe. In the luggage of a travelling companion, Wilberforce saw a copy of William Law's book, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life. After reading it, Wilberforce embarked on a lifelong program of setting aside Sundays and an interval each morning on arising for prayer and religious reading.
He was a major supporter of programs for popular education, overseas missions, parliamentary reform, and religious liberty. He is best known, however, for his untiring commitment to the abolition of slavery and the slave trade. He introduced his first anti-slavery motion in the House of Commons in 1788, in a three-and-a-half hour oration that concluded: “Sir, when we think of eternity and the future consequence of all human conduct, what is there in this life that shall make any man contradict the dictates of his conscience, the principles of justice and the law of God!”
The motion was defeated. Wilberforce brought it up again every year for eighteen years, until the slave trade was finally abolished on 25 March 1806. He continued the campaign against slavery itself, and the bill for the abolition of all slavery in British territories passed its crucial vote just four days before his death on 29 July 1833. A year later, on 31 July 1834, 800,000 slaves, chiefly in the British West Indies, were set free.
Let us pray: Just and eternal God, we give you thanks for the stalwart faith and persistence of your servant William Wilberforce, who, undeterred by opposition and failure, held fast to a vision of justice in which no child of yours might suffer in enforced servitude and misery. Grant that we, drawn by that same Gospel vision, may persevere in serving the common good and caring for those who have been cast down, that they may be raised up through Jesus Christ; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
CALENDAR REMINDERS:
UBE Youth at St. Augustine on Saturday morning, 31 July for Morning Prayer, to learn their history and the place of this Church in the Diocese of Texas. Then they are off to do mission work at St. Vincent's House.
Kitchen Shower: First weekend in August. As part of the celebration, Dick McGonagle has offered to break in the new smoker and make ribs and corn for everyone to enjoy after the Eucharist on Sunday, 1 August. We’ll have a feast to celebrate the new kitchen. And here is the line-up thus far:
Lee Runion: watermelon
Pat Tate: baked beans
Mary Makowski: baked beans
Melva Pope: potato salad
Janie Richardson: potato salad
Alicia Gaskin: cole slaw
Idell Guidry: bread
Beulah Smith: garlic bread
Earlie Evans: cake
Tammie Taylor: pie
Carol Hogan: desert
Blessing of the Backpacks, Sunday, 8 August 2010: Come and have your backpack blessed for the new school year. We will also have some book bags available if you don’t have one.
The Feast Day of St. Augustine & Blessing of the New Facilities:
Dinner celebration on Saturday, 28 August 2010
Eucharist, Sunday, 29 August 2010
The Second Annual St. Augustine Art Show: It will be at the end of September. Stay tuned for details.
PLEASE REMEMBER ALL THOSE ON OUR PRAYER LIST and especially:
Deborah, who is critically ill, her husband David, and their children Julie and Chris
Baby Alexa and her grandparents
Russ Viska who had a double bypass
Sue and Sean Coleman as Sue recovers from brain surgery
Roylene Lemons’ continued recovery from cancer surgery
Cindi Clack
For all those who are traveling
Let us pray for all of those serving in the Armed Forces, especially:
Lewis Lemons
Lt. Cmdr. Brian Taylor
Lt. Col. Bryan Runion
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
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