Happy Independence Day Weekend – even if our “independence” is still somewhat limited during the Pandemic! So what makes America great? America has greatness in her freedoms and liberties, but also in our ability to respect the rights of others, even if they disagree with us. Today, however, it seems like we demonize those different from us and are less civil with others who disagree. When our forefathers came to this country and founded our system of government, they were convinced that there was a “Higher Power” who was involved in the destinies of all people & nations. They believed that all were endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights – life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. There was a moral fiber, a moral strength in our nation, but today it seems that our society is so caught up in greed and materialism that we’re only interested in ourselves.

When people lose trust in God, they put their trust in anything; looking for pragmatic political solutions to problems that politics cannot solve. In the modern world many political struggles are, in reality, spiritual struggles. If we put our trust solely in education, we’ll get what education can give us. If we put our trust in money, we’ll get what money can give us. If we put our trust in government we’ll get what government can give us. But if we put our trust in God, we’ll have everything we need, for all eternity. Aim for earth and you’ll likely get it, aim for heaven and you’ll get earth thrown in!

Laws themselves don’t make a country great either. We have over thirty million laws, at all levels, to enforce the Ten Commandments; summarized by Jesus who said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Yet people still break the laws. St. Paul wrote, “That which I want to do I can’t, and what I don’t want to do, I do anyway.” That’s not a declaration of defeat; he’s not saying he’s giving up the fight! Neither was Paul suggesting that we abolish laws altogether. Sure, it’s easier for a Jew to give up pork or work on the Sabbath day than forgive enemies & pray for persecutors. But we’re all still under the MORAL law. At the same time, we need to be responsible. What did Adam and Eve do when they gave into temptation? They blamed someone else! Is anyone accountable anymore? Temptation often comes when we are ungrateful. Eve could have had everything except the fruit of one tree. Many of us dwell on the few things we don’t have and forfeit many things we do have. So, count your blessings! What makes our nation great? It’s people who exemplify Jesus’ life of service and love; proclaiming the Good News in word and deed. And remember: “You may be the only Gospel your neighbor ever reads.”

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Sunday’s Worship – We are open for live worship on Sundays at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. We also “live-stream” our 10 a.m. service.

Video Viewing Options for Sunday’s mass. There are three different ways to view our videos: 1) our church website; 2) our Facebook page; and 3) our YouTube channel. See the links listed below.

Opportunities for Giving – there are several options that safely and efficiently expedite your generous donations: electronic bank transfers or automatic bank transfers via personal accounts or credit/debit cards; personal checks delivered by USPS; and our favorite through joining our giving family online through our website or at https://www.myEoffering.com with our secure vendor Church Envelope Budget Company, who provides you with yearly offering envelopes. Please do NOT leave any envelopes with checks/cash unattended at church mailboxes.

Next Sunday, June 26th at the 10 a.m. mass, our guest preacher will be The Rev. Canon Licia Affer, the Canon to the Ordinary (Bishop’s Assistant).

Sandwiches for St. George’s: Please bring your sandwiches to St. David’s west side parking lot each Wednesday morning from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.

St. George’s Center has asked if St. David’s could provide lunch and dinner once a month to the community. If anyone is interested in helping out, please contact Joyce Parker at 561-312-2719

Hospitality Hour is scheduled after the 10:00 a.m. service – Hosted by the Vestry. Next Sunday will be hosted by the Congregation. Please bring a dish to share.

Women’s Group: There will be an organizational meeting following the 10:00 a.m. service on Sunday, July 17th for all women of St. David’s who would like to come and talk about forming a women’s group. Bring ideas of what you would like to do and how we can move forward as a group. The meeting will be held in the back of the church. Thank you. Any questions call Linda McKeown at 561-254-3902 or email her at llmckeown51@comcast.net

St. David’s Island Dinner Dance Saturday, August 13th, from 6:00p.m. – 11:00 p.m., at St. Rita’s Catholic Church, Wellington. Tickets $75.00 per person. Live music by Kool Vibes, a cash bar, door prizes and a 50/50 raffle. Tickets will be on sale after Mass beginning July 3rd.

Altar Flowers and Candles: We will have a bag on the credenza to collect all flower and candle donations for upcoming Sundays. If you would like to donate for altar flowers for memorials and celebrations, please put your check for $40 with a request showing the date you want altar flowers and the reason for your donation into the bag. If you want to donate candles, please put your check for $20 and request showing date and reason for donation. Do not put flower and candle requests in offering plates.

Sunday school is in operation with the necessary protocols in place.

Forward Day by Day brochures for next quarter are now available in the narthex. Donation $3.00.

Tuesdays: Holy Eucharist 8:30 a.m.
Wednesdays: Holy Eucharist and Rosary 6:30 p.m.

PLEASE PRAY: For the sick: Aki, Alice, Baldwin, Barbara, Beth, Bradley, Carol, Carolyn, Donna, Doris, Doug, Edna, Gina, Grace, Jacob, James, Jayden, Jeanne, Jill, Joaquin, Jory, Kenzie, Manuel, Michael, Miguel, Parker, Patricia, Predrag, Rachel, Sharon, Steve, Sue, Susan, Tracy, Vernetta, Violet, William. For birthday celebrations: Rudolph Bernard, Lynda Rozzi, Laurie Solomon. For anniversary celebration: Michel and Teresa Guillaume. For our expectant mothers: Aubrey and Sarah.

Our YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/c/SaintDavidsinthePinesWellingtonFL

Many of our readers will be driving more than usual this summer, despite the record setting price of fuel. We can tell a lot about someone by observing their driving habits. No one likes it when another driver cuts them off, risking life and limb, or when they crawl along at the pace of a funeral procession. No doubt you’ve seen too many demented drivers who cut across three lanes of traffic on the highway to head directly toward the exit ramp. Our vehicles are sources of independence, but also financial liability. No surprise that many folks take better care of their cars or trucks than they do themselves. Occasionally, I receive a Customer Opinion Survey asking me questions about my car and its service. What if we sent the same sort of questionnaire to folks in the parish? “How would you evaluate your recent visit to our church?” “How would you evaluate your journey with the Lord?” “Have you been contacted by your church after joining?” “Would you like your priest to contact you with any problems or concerns?”

So how do we recognize Christ in the other driver? Drivers should see themselves not as the most important person on the road, but as one fish in a school on life’s highway. There is a parallel in locking oneself in the car to being back in the womb, where there is a misconception of invincibility. One can close themselves up, turn on some music, and forget about the whole world outside. Everyone else is a hindrance to our reaching our destination faster than the next person. So, we’re all in this together -by ourselves! God is more interested in how we treat one another than how many seconds it takes our vehicle to get from 0 to 60 mph. A prayer card I picked up years ago read, “At 45 miles per hour, sing: “Highways are happy ways. At 55 sing: I’m but a stranger here, heaven is my home. At 65 sing: Nearer my God to Thee. At 75: when the role is called up yonder I’ll be there, and at 85 sing: Lord I’m coming home.”

Cars can make us less than human, serve as a mask, or a suit of armor. Instead of becoming brothers and sisters on the highway of life, we can become competitors in a destructive race to moral or physical annihilation. So, do we drive like the devil or drive like a Christian?

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The Bishop’s Assistant, The Reverend Canon Licia Affer, will be our special guest preacher at the 10:00 a.m. service.

Sunday’s Worship – We are open for live worship on Sundays at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. We also “live-stream” our 10 a.m. service.

Video Viewing Options for Sunday’s mass. There are three different ways to view our videos: 1) our church website; 2) our Facebook page; and 3) our YouTube channel. See the links listed below.

Opportunities for Giving – there are several options that safely and efficiently expedite your generous donations: electronic bank transfers or automatic bank transfers via personal accounts or credit/debit cards; personal checks delivered by USPS; and our favorite through joining our giving family online through our website or at https://www.myEoffering.com with our secure vendor Church Envelope Budget Company, who provides you with yearly offering envelopes. Please do NOT leave any envelopes with checks/cash unattended at church mailboxes.

Next Sunday, June 26th at the 10 a.m. mass, our guest preacher will be The Rev. Canon Licia Affer, the Canon to the Ordinary (Bishop’s Assistant).

Sandwiches for St. George’s: Please bring your sandwiches to St. David’s west side parking lot each Wednesday morning from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.

St. George’s Center has asked if St. David’s could provide lunch and dinner once a month to the community. If anyone is interested in helping out, please contact Joyce Parker at 561-312-2719

Hospitality Hour is scheduled after the 10:00 a.m. service – Hosted by Joyce Parker and Marianne Davidson. Next Sunday, July 3 will be hosted by the Vestry.

Altar Flowers and Candles: We will have a bag on the credenza to collect all flower and candle donations for upcoming Sundays. If you would like to donate for altar flowers for memorials and celebrations, please put your check for $40 with a request showing the date you want altar flowers and the reason for your donation into the bag. If you want to donate candles, please put your check for $20 and request showing date and reason for donation. Do not put flower and candle requests in offering plates.

Sunday school is in operation with the necessary protocols in place.

Forward Day by Day brochures for next quarter are now available in the narthex. Donation $3.00.

Tuesdays: Holy Eucharist 8:30 a.m.
Wednesdays: Holy Eucharist and Rosary 6:30 p.m.

PLEASE PRAY: For the sick: Alice, Baldwin, Barbara, Beth, Bradley, Carol, Carolyn, Donna, Doris, Doug, Edna, Gina, Grace, Jacob, James, Jayden, Jeanne, Jill, Joaquin, Jory, Kenzie, Manuel, Michael, Miguel, Parker, Patricia, Predrag, Rachel, Sharon, Steve, Sue, Susan, Tracy, Violet, William. For birthday celebrations: Marie Pierre-Paul, Dan Grubb, Zane Hawk, Dr. Kitonga Kiminyo, Joyce Richardson, Leona Rozzi, Jacquie Murray. For anniversary celebrations: Douglas and Joy Noe, Danny and Carol Sneade. For our expectant mothers: Aubrey and Sarah.

Our YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/c/SaintDavidsinthePinesWellingtonFL

Happy Father’s Day! One of the most popular parables in the New Testament is, of course, the story of the prodigal son, which illustrates what God is like when His children stray. The father in the story gives his younger son what he asked for, handing over his share of what would one day be his inheritance, and then going off to squander all the money. Dads want to give their kids the things they need and want. They want their children to be happy and independent. Fathers will let them make mistakes and hope they will learn from them, and at the same time love them through their pain and suffering.

Like the father who is looking down the road, longing for the son to come home, God waits for us when we follow the wrong course, make the wrong choices in life, and is always happy to see us and accept us back as His children. God wants His children to know that they can come home anytime they sin, no matter how bad, and trust in His redeeming love.

So having said that, here are some examples of how we view our fathers as we age:

• 4 years: My daddy can do everything.
• 7 years: My dad knows a lot, a whole lot.
• 8 years: My father doesn’t quite know everything.
• 14 years: Father is hopefully old- fashioned.
• 21 years: Oh, that man is so out of date.
• 25 years: He knows a little bit about it but not enough.
• 30 years: Must I find out what dad thinks about it?
• 35 years: Let’s be patient and find out what Dad thinks about it.
• 50 years: My Dad knew everything.
• 60 years: I wish I could talk it over with Dad once more.

God our Father, we give You thanks for our fathers, living and departed. Give them wisdom, patience, and courage to bring their children up to know You, love You, and to serve You, all their days and years. Amen.

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Sunday’s Worship – We are open for live worship on Sundays at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. We also “live-stream” our 10 a.m. service.

Video Viewing Options for Sunday’s mass. There are three different ways to view our videos: 1) our church website; 2) our Facebook page; and 3) our YouTube channel. See the links listed below.

Opportunities for Giving – there are several options that safely and efficiently expedite your generous donations: electronic bank transfers or automatic bank transfers via personal accounts or credit/debit cards; personal checks delivered by USPS; and our favorite through joining our giving family online through our website or at https://www.myEoffering.com with our secure vendor Church Envelope Budget Company, who provides you with yearly offering envelopes. Please do NOT leave any envelopes with checks/cash unattended at church mailboxes.

Next Sunday, June 26th at the 10 a.m. mass, our guest preacher will be The Rev. Canon Licia Affer, the Canon to the Ordinary (Bishop’s Assistant).

Sandwiches for St. George’s: Please bring your sandwiches to St. David’s west side parking lot each Wednesday morning from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.

St. George’s Center has asked if St. David’s could provide lunch and dinner once a month to the community. If anyone is interested in helping out, please contact Joyce Parker at 561-312-2719

Hospitality Hour is scheduled after the 10:00 a.m. service – Hosted by the Congregation. Next Sunday will be hosted by Diana Myrie and Evelyn Medcalf.

Altar Flowers and Candles: We will have a bag on the credenza to collect all flower and candle donations for upcoming Sundays. If you would like to donate for altar flowers for memorials and celebrations, please put your check for $40 with a request showing the date you want altar flowers and the reason for your donation into the bag. If you want to donate candles, please put your check for $20 and request showing date and reason for donation. Do not put flower and candle requests in offering plates.

Sunday school is in operation with the necessary protocols in place.

Forward Day by Day brochures for next quarter are now available in the narthex. Donation $3.00.

Tuesdays: Holy Eucharist 8:30 a.m.
Wednesdays: Holy Eucharist and Rosary 6:30 p.m.

PLEASE PRAY: For the sick: Alice, Baldwin, Barbara, Beth, Bradley, Carol, Carolyn, Donna, Doris, Doug, Edna, Gina, Grace, Jacob, James, Jayden, Jeanne, Jill, Joaquin, Jory, Kenzie, Manuel, Michael, Miguel, Parker, Patricia, Predrag, Rachel, Sharon, Steve, Sue, Susan, Tracy, Valerie, Violet, William. For the departed: Daudet Constable. For birthday celebrations: Douglas Noe, Sharon Young, Andrew Duquesnay, Ashley Hernandez, Tann Philistin, Jonathan Pierre-Paul. For our expectant mothers: Aubrey and Sarah.

Our YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/c/SaintDavidsinthePinesWellingtonFL

A church bulletin once announced: “The title of the sermon this morning is: “Jesus walks on the water.” The sermon tonight: “Searching for Jesus.” It’s the rainy season as we all know, and even though we may not be able to walk on water, hopefully, we’ve learned how to swim. Many will recall the massive rainfall and flooding back in August, 2012. Images from that flood may still haunt our memories, but recall how God protected Noah from the floods, and pray that God will protect us too during these next few months. The Christian hope is that God will not leave us behind. So what lessons can we learn from Noah?

Don’t miss the boat.
Remember, we’re all in the same boat.
Plan ahead, it wasn’t raining while Noah built the ark.
Stay fit. When you’re old someone may ask you to do something really big.
Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
Build your future on high ground.
Speed isn’t everything; the snails were on board with the cheetahs.
When you’re stressed, float awhile.
Remember the Ark was built by amateurs, the Titanic by professionals.
No matter what the storm, when you are with God, there’s always a rainbow waiting.

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Choral Evensong for Pentecost: this Sunday, June 5 at 4:00 p.m. Reception to follow in the Parish Hall. Please bring a dish to share.

Sunday’s Worship – We are open for live worship on Sundays at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. We also “live-stream” our 10 a.m. service.

Video Viewing Options for Sunday’s mass. There are three different ways to view our videos: 1) our church website; 2) our Facebook page; and 3) our YouTube channel. See the links listed below.

Opportunities for Giving – there are several options that safely and efficiently expedite your generous donations: electronic bank transfers or automatic bank transfers via personal accounts or credit/debit cards; personal checks delivered by USPS; and our favorite through joining our giving family online through our website or at https://www.myEoffering.com with our secure vendor Church Envelope Budget Company, who provides you with yearly offering envelopes. Please do NOT leave any envelopes with checks/cash unattended at church mailboxes.

Sandwiches for St. George’s: Please bring your sandwiches to St. David’s west side parking lot each Wednesday morning from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.

St. George’s Center has asked if St. David’s could provide lunch and dinner once a month to the community. If anyone is interested in helping out, please contact Joyce Parker at 561-312-2719

Hospitality Hour is scheduled after the 10:00 a.m. service – Hosted by the Congregation. Next Sunday will be hosted by the Daughters of the King.

Altar Flowers and Candles: We will have a bag on the credenza to collect all flower and candle donations for upcoming Sundays. If you would like to donate for altar flowers for memorials and celebrations, please put your check for $40 with a request showing the date you want altar flowers and the reason for your donation into the bag. If you want to donate candles, please put your check for $20 and request showing date and reason for donation. Do not put flower and candle requests in offering plates.

Sunday school is in operation with the necessary protocols in place.

Forward Day by Day brochures for next quarter are now available in the narthex. Donation $3.00.

Tuesdays: Holy Eucharist 8:30 a.m.
Wednesdays: Holy Eucharist and Rosary 6:30 p.m.

PLEASE PRAY: For the sick: Alice, Baldwin, Barbara, Beth, Bradley, Carol, Carolyn, Donna, Doris, Doug, Edna, Gina, Grace, Jacob, James, Jayden, Jeanne, Jill, Joaquin, Jory, Kenzie, Manuel, Michael, Miguel, Parker, Patricia, Predrag, Rachel, Sharon, Steve, Sue, Susan, Tracy, Violet, William. For birthday celebrations: Sally Frenz, Shelley Baranowski, Jean Marshall, Carmen Johnson. For anniversary celebration: William and Shelley Blodgett. For our expectant mothers: Aubrey and Sarah.

Our YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/c/SaintDavidsinthePinesWellingtonFL