Nativity Newsletter

Spotlight: Nativity Mission Committee Secretary: April Hammons

Like a lot of us here at Nativity, I am not a cradle Episcopalian. I was raised in the Methodist church in Northeast Louisiana. I came to St. David’s Episcopal Church in my home town of Rayville as an eight-year-old because my Brownie troop met there. I and my fellow troop members were invited to a service at St. David’s for a recognition ceremony. I remember sitting by an elderly parishioner who thoughtfully guided me through the service. Kneeling and standing over and over again and reciting from the Book of Common Prayer was different but also felt strangely familiar and right. When Let Us Break Bread Together played during Holy Communion, I had what I would describe as my first “religious experience.” I would continue to attend St. David’s with my best friend. After graduating from college, I moved to Jackson, Mississippi. I was confirmed at St James Episcopal Church in Jackson by Bishop John Allin. I was married at St. James, both of my children were confirmed there, and I spent many years there as a catechist in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program. I left St. James in 2016 after my divorce.

In 2017, I remarried and in 2022 my husband Jack and I bought a house on Market Street in Water Valley. I walked into Nativity for the first time on Pentecost Sunday of 2022. I quickly realized that most of the people I had met since moving to “the Valley” also attended Nativity. I immediately felt at home there and knew that I had found a special community of like-minded souls. We have all learned about the three pillars of our faith: scripture, tradition, and reason. As I described in my first childhood experience with the Church, it was the tradition that pulled me in! I loved the ritual, the incense, the music, the liturgy, and all the other details that have come to be so familiar to me. What keeps me in the Church, however, especially now, is reason. I both love and appreciate the fact that we are both allowed and encouraged to ask big questions. The times that we are in currently feel difficult. The world can be scary. When I am overwhelmed, I know that I can go to church on Sunday and be filled with the Word that always reminds me of the love that God has for each of us and also be surrounded by this wonderful community that makes Nativity the wonderful place it is!

As for my life outside of Nativity, I can be found Monday through Friday working at the University Counseling Center. I am a Licensed Certified Social Worker and have worked in that field for over 30 years. My husband Jack and I enjoy cooking, entertaining, and going to see live music! Between us, we have three adult children. We love our little house on Market Street and wonder aloud every day how we got so lucky as to end up in this house, in this town, with so many wonderful friends!

Sunday, August 3, 2025 - Morning Prayer with Michael Prather - 10:30 a.m.

Lessons for Sunday

Hosea 11:1-11

Psalm 107:1-9, 43

Colossians 3:1-11

Luke 12:13-21

Those who serve: Tommy Reynolds and Liz Reynolds

Altar Guild: Margaret-Love Denman and Liz Reynolds

Announcements:

For those assisting with handing out lemonade for the Watermelon Carnival on Saturday, there is parking behind the building.  

INVITATION TO CELEBRATE

You are cordially invited to rejoice with us in the glorious rebirth of our church on August 3, 2025! Join us for an uplifting morning service at 8:15 a.m. and an empowering afternoon service at 3:00 p.m., featuring the dynamic Rev. Mitch Steen. Together, let's lift our voices in triumphant praise to the Lord! Dear friends and fellow believers, come witness the magnificent work of God. Eternal gratitude from the Springhill Church Family.