April 13, 2005

There Is Hope Within The United States!

The "faith once given to the saints" has been subjected to much compromise to fit the convenience of some individuals. Faithful people are therefore constantly challenged by the proponents of such compromise. Those who abide by Scripture and Tradition are not necessarily conservatives; They are merely faithful. Those who abdicate from Scripture and Tradition are apostates. The faithful are being punished for their stand by the apostates.

Recently, in Connecticut, Bishop Andrew Smith of ECUSA threatened to punish six of his priests who followed the dictates of their conscience and opposed their Bishop's support of Gene Robinson. The vestry of one of these faithful churches in Connecticut put forth a powerful letter to Bishop Smith, denying him permission to meet with their pastor in private. This voicing of moral convinction in unison was an expression of the power of the people. Pat Robertson, in his show last night on CBN, commented that these priests and their congregation just need to leave this apostate church and move on to join the Anglican Communion.

Such faithful ministers of God and their faithful people need not look to Africa for apostolic oversight. There is hope within United States. There is The United Episcopal Church of North America (UECNA), which rejected ECUSA's slippery slope from the very start, 30 years ago. UECNA continues to be faithful to the faith and morals codified in the Scriptures and Apostolic Tradition. The 1928 Book of Common Prayer is what we use in worship, adhering to theology, liturgy and all the great time honored values they encompass. UECNA is biblically sound, sacramentally orthodox and apostolically valid. We will continue serving the Lord until His Second Coming.

If your ECUSA church is struggling against tremendous odds to remain true to the traditional values of your beloved Anglican faith, please visit St. Gabriel's website and the website of our national church, The United Episcopal Church of North America. There is hope within the United States!

May His blessings be with you as you stand up for the truth. The truth will set you free!

Posted by frleo at 10:53 PM

February 28, 2005

Tsunami Update

Our online photo gallery has been updated with pictures of St. Gabriel's Tsunami Relief effort, including the Fundraiser Dinner and the damage witnessed in South India. Please click HERE to view these pictures.

We are also working on a DVD presentation of our efforts in South India. With seven hours of video tape to review, this has proven to be a time-consuming process. However, once completed, this DVD can be utilized by Fr. Leo in presentations to civic and other organizations. It will also be of great use to our parishioners. As soon as the DVD is complete, we will present it at the Church.

Posted by frleo at 10:49 AM

September 14, 2004

St. Gabriel's Women's Bible Study

St. Gabriel's will offer a Women's Bible Study on Monday evenings from 7:00 - 8:00 beginning Monday, September 27, 2004.

Our first study will be "Jesus, the One and Only" by Beth Moore. This 11-week study based on the Book of Luke will take the participants on a visual journey through the hills of Galilee with the Teacher, across the lake with the Master and finally, on the road with the Savior.

Please join us for this exciting study!!

St. Gabriel's will continue to offer dynamic studies of the Bible in future sessions. These will be announced through our newsletter and website.

Posted by frleo at 9:03 AM

September 8, 2004

Welcome Gabriel's Pre-Teens!

St. Gabriel's Pre-Teen Kids Group, for kids ages 9 - 12, will begin this Sunday (September 12th) at St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church in Springdale, AR. Amanda Lay will facilitate the group at 11:00 a.m., immediately following 10:00 Holy Eucharist each Sunday. We wholeheartedly welcome our pre-teens, and the energy and insight they offer to our Church.

NOTE: Our other Youth Offerings -- Children's Sunday School and the GYC -- will now also meet at 11:00 a.m. each Sunday.

Posted by frleo at 7:50 AM

September 7, 2004

Online Prayer Request is Available Now

We are pleased to announce that St. Gabriel’s has added Online Prayer Requests to its ministries. All prayers submitted online are received directly by Father Leo, who handles each request personally and confidentially.

To access the Prayer Request form from this page, please click on the link located in the left column. This link is also located in the left column of St. Gabriel’s home page.

Posted by frleo at 11:23 AM

August 31, 2004

Photo Gallery Update

At long last, our Photo Gallery has been updated with some really cool pics. Please CLICK HERE to see pictures of the Gabriel Youth Community's Camp Out, and the Bella Vista Mission's first Eucharistic service.

Enjoy!!

Posted by frleo at 11:22 AM

Charity Reminders

As announced this past Sunday during Mass, St. Gabriel's is collecting certain items for charity:

When cleaning out your closets this Fall, please set aside clothing articles to donate to the Battered Women's Shelter. Clothing articles of all types and all sizes are needed. Please also remember to bring in canned and boxed food items which will be donated to the Christian United Pantry.

Donations of clothing and food will be accepted at the Church through November 1st. Please contact Ellen Weaver for additional information.

Posted by frleo at 7:39 AM

August 26, 2004

Love to Belong

After our great worship each Sunday, the coffee hour bustles with life -- visitors and parishioners in a pleasant exchange. There is a new exhuberance in everyone, and there are exciting future plans in the offing. In addition to our Women's Auxiliary, we are starting a Women's Ministry, a wonderful opportunity for women in Spirituality. There will be a Men's Guild (in traditional Episcopalian terms it was known as The Brotherhood of St. Andrew) and of course there is the GYC -- Gabriel's Youth Community.

St. Gabriel's has been experiencing the touch of Divine Providence and the power of God's Spirit. There is a greater sense of belonging and love for the house of God. While we humbly follow His ways and accept His graciousness, we pray for His continued guidance.

May His presence guide us all wherever we are.

Posted by frleo at 2:23 PM

August 21, 2004

Gabriel's Youth Community

Hello Teens!

Now it's your turn to be in the spotlight! St. Gabriel's is proud of each of you, and you are going to be such a powerhouse for our Awesome God through Gabriel's Youth Community (GYC).

The GYC will meet each Sunday at 9:00 a.m. in the undercroft. There are a lot of things being planned so you can have a great time and at the same time grow in the deeper knowledge and love of our Lord.

I am very pleased to announce that Annette Lay will lead the GYC as its Director. Annette had been the Youth Director at St. Thomas' Episcopal Church in Springdale, and we are so thankful that she has agreed to accept this responsibility for us.

I want to thank all of you kids who participated in our first GYC Camp Out. Still recovering from the ticks and bug bites? Let's all thank Ed Knox, our Senior Warden, for the wonderful time we had at CAMP KNOX. Thanks also to Lindsay Johanson for her valuable presence at the camp.

Since there is a lot of thanking going on in this post, the best way to thank everyone is to LIFT THEM UP TO THE LORD IN PRAYER. Let us pray for each other.

May GOD BLESS YOU !

Posted by frleo at 10:08 AM

August 17, 2004

Traditional Worship Comes to Bella Vista

St. Gabriel's United Episcopal Church of Springdale (UECNA), 1803 W. Emma Street, has planted a mission church in Bella Vista.

St. Gabriel's Mission Church in Bella Vista will commence with Holy Communion Service this Saturday, August 21st at 5:30 pm at Bella Vista Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod), 1990 Forest Hills Blvd., Bella Vista, AR 72715. The service, officiated by The Reverend Leo Michael, will be a traditional service using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.

St. Gabriel's Mission Church welcomes all, especially Episcopalians seeking orthodoxy, Anglicans seeking traditional worship, and Roman Catholics seeking a sacramental church. For more information please contact Dr. Bobby Hall at 479-855-8099, or St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church in Springdale, 479-756-5074.

The United Episcopal Church of North America embraces the divine truth that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior and the Supreme Head of His Body, the Church. Its members hold fast to nineteen centuries of life in the Spirit proclaimed by the Apostles' teaching and fellowship. We hold firmly to the truths of God's plan for man proclaimed in the authoritative Holy Bible. We also affirm that the 1928 Book of Common Prayer reflects the Bible on worship and teaching.

Posted by frleo at 10:32 PM

August 16, 2004

Welcome St. Gabriel's Youth!!

St. Gabriel's kicked-off its newly-formed Gabriel's Youth Community (GYC) with a camp-out August 13-14 at Camp Knox in Huntsville, Arkansas. The weather was great, and a good time was had by all.

GYC will meet Sundays at 9:00 am, and youth in grades 6-12 are welcome to attend. Children and Adult Sunday school is also held at 9:00. a.m, and Holy Communion follows at 10:00 am.

For more information on GYC and other newly formed groups at St. Gabriel's United Episcopal Church, please call 479-756-5074.

UPDATE!! As of September 5, 2004, GYC now meets at 11:00 a.m. every Sunday, after Service. Gabriel's Kids (ages 9 - 12) will meet separately at the same time.

Posted by frleo at 11:13 AM

St. Gabriel's Mission in Bella Vista

Dear Members of the Parish,

For some time now, the traditional Episcopal community in Bella Vista has been considering leaving ECUSA and joining the United Episcopal Church of North America. Given the exigencies of St. Theodore's (ECUSA), the Bella Vista group has decided that NOW is the opportune time to begin a mission.

In light of this development, I requested the Vestry members present for a quick meeting this past Sunday. The issue was discussed, and a motion was passed supporting the cause of our national church by planting this mission in Bella Vista as an undertaking of St. Gabriel's United Episcopal Church in Springdale, Arkansas. The Vestry approved the idea of starting the UECNA presence in Bella Vista with the following suggestions:

So, effective this Saturday at 5:30 p.m., with God's gracious help, the UECNA and the parish of St. Gabriel's will have a missionary presence in Bella Vista, Arkansas. Services will be held at the Bella Vista Lutheran Church. For more information, please contact Dr. Bobby Hall at 479-855-8099, or St. Gabriel's directly at 479-756-5074.

This is a great moment of God's grace for our church and its presence in Northwest Arkansas. Let us lift up this mission to the Lord in prayer and thank Him for this magnificent blessing. May His presence accompany us through these moments of growth in the life of our church.

In His service,

The Reverend Leo J. Michael

Posted by frleo at 7:28 AM