St. Bede's Episcopal Church, Westport, Oklahoma

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Westport, OK
St. Bede's Episcopal Church, Westport, Oklahoma

St. Bede's is small community of faith in the woods near Keystone Lake just off highway 64/412 west of Sand Springs.

We love worshipping God through Word and Sacraments; enjoying and caring for each other; and striving to be a sacramental people.

05/23/2026

Oh so true. God wake us up, forgive us and use us — starting with me.
Fr. Lee+
Vicar of St. Bede’s

05/20/2026

The Vicar of St. Bede’s

Gratitude Note: For the moment the sermon came back to bless me. For the Sunday after the Ascension, I tried to show the parallel of the life-changing experience of the disciples with Jesus’ departure and life-changes each of us experience in life – both good and difficult. This calls for us to believe what Jesus said to his disciples that day and trust God and God’s love. At the end of the sermon, I shared an image from Julian of Norwich’s “Divine Revelations of Love” involving a hazel nut in the palm of her hand. I didn’t have a hazel nut, so I used a pebble in the palm of my hand. The hazel nut represented the entire universe created and sustained by God’s love. From this vision she drew three insights – God made it – God loves it – God sustains it.

From there I had planned to simply say this applies to us no matter the circumstances we experience every day throughout our lives. But suddenly I froze and felt overwhelmed in the moment. I was staring at the pebble in my hand and knew it was me. I could hardly talk and my eyes filled. I finally said, “I am the pebble. And, this has been true all my long life: God made me – God loves me – God sustains me. God is indeed worthy of my trust and love. I am so grateful.”

Please know this is also true for you and includes everyone.

Blessings, Fr. Lee+
St. Bede’s is a spiritual oasis in the woods of Westport.
www.stbedesok.com – take a look

05/02/2026

The Vicar of St. Bede’s
Gratitude Note: For an early morning messenger of God – a Yellow Finch on the feeder just outside our bedroom window. I had just pulled my creaky body out of bed and was stretching in preparation for starting my morning rituals. Suddenly, I saw God perched in front of me! I was startled, filled with wonder and aware of Presence – a remarkable gift to start my day. Fortunately, my phone was in my hand and after watching for a minute or two, I took this picture to preserve and share. Indeed, I have looked at this picture several times in the last couple of days and that moment always comes back to me again. I suspect I have missed a lot of messengers and signs along the way, but when I am paying attention, the moment is filled with wonder, love and light. God is there and I am grateful.

The celebration of Easter continues this week at St. Bede’s at 10:00. Everyone is welcome to share with us in the Holy Eucharist. The Prayers of the People will include Steve, Fred, Lynda, Dave, Tom, Pat, Patrick, Donald, Sally, Cheri and others. Do you and/or someone you know need prayer? Just add names in the comment section and we will pray with you.

Remember, God loves you,
Fr. Lee+

St. Bede’s is a spiritual oasis in the woods of Westport.
www.stbedesok.com

04/30/2026

The Vicar of St. Bede’s
Gratitude Note: For the morning laugh at myself – a great start on the day. Lynda and I have enjoyed Keurig coffee machines for many years. Coffee is my second most favorite beverage. My responsibility every morning is preparing our breakfast. This means I am in a bit of a whirlwind getting two breakfasts ready at the same time – including the coffee. On at least two occasions in the last year or so, I had a pod of coffee ready in the machine and at the right time hit the lever and pushed the start button. Both times I went on with other things only to hear an unusual sound and discovered I had forgotten to put the mug in place. Coffee went everywhere. I confess that I made some remarks about my being a stupid old man. This morning I did one better. I was in my usual whirlwind of breakfast preparation. The mug was in place and at the proper time I pushed the start button and finished our meals. I turned to get the coffee – I had placed the mug in the Keurig upside down! Coffee was everywhere! I just burst out laughing! I could not believe it. Lynda came to see about the commotion and began laughing with me. The Vicar of St. Bede’s – retired priest – old man has done it again! Laughing can be a good way to start the day except for the mess.

Remember, God loves you – and perhaps laughs with you,]
Fr. Lee+

St. Bede’s is a spiritual oasis in the woods of Westport
www.stbedesok.com

04/28/2026

The Vicar of St. Bede’s
Gratitude Note: For the Grace and Spiritual Power of Kairos. Libbye, a member of St. Bede’s was recently on the Kairos prison ministry team and shared her experience in the sermon last Sunday. Here is the introduction I wrote for the post on our website – www.stbedesok.com. She added more experiences and is worth the read – inspirational.

Kairos Prison Ministry
Mable-Bassett Correctional Center for Women
Recently Libbye, a member of St. Bede’s, participated in Kairos #58 inside the walls of Mable- Bassett. This is her eleventh year serving in this ministry and has seen some amazing work of the Holy Spirit and the remarkable transformation of women’s lives from the inside out.

Kairos, a word from New Testament Greek, means “God’s special time.” Inmates can apply to participate in the Kairos weekend but only forty are chosen by “lot” which is matched be an equal number of volunteers. The volunteers often include graduates from previous weekends who have found new life in Christ. The volunteers spend forty hours training and community building before the weekend.

The three and a half days of the Kairos consist of a series of talks, meditations and music designed to help the inmates know that Jesus loves them with an unconditional love. This includes an emphasis on learning to forgive and be forgiven; to love others without judgement; and to build community based on compassion, grace and a common faith.
Over the years countless lives have been redeemed and transformed.

This Kairos weekend was no different. Some of the stories Libbye shared at St. Bede’s on a Sunday morning plus a few more are on our website. Surely the Presence of God was there at Mable-Bassett and then again as we listened as Libbye shared her experience.
The message inside and outside of prison is the same: God love us – all of us with no exceptions, Fr. Lee+

www.stbedesok.com
St. Bede’s is a spiritual oasis in the woods of Westport
Worship every Sunday at 10:00

04/25/2026

The Vicar of St. Bede’s
Gratitude Note: For the Fifty Days of Easter. The extended celebration of Jesus’ resurrection from Easter to Pentecost is a wonderful Christian tradition. How could we possibly celebrate Easter in one day? Even the disciples needed time to process and celebrate the news and experiences of the risen Christ. Frankly, I need these extra Easter Sundays – all seven! We had a wonderful Easter at St. Bede’s, but I had to be gone for almost two weeks and life got a little messy and stressful. I had to be reminded by a friend that this is only the Fourth Sunday of Easter! The Risen Christ is still with us and the celebration continues as we are bathed again and again in God’s love.

You are invited to continue the celebration with us this Sunday at 10:00 at St. Bede’s. I happen to know that this Sunday will be extra special. The Risen Christ has appeared again in surprising ways.

The Prayers of the People include Dave, Steve, Fred, Roxanne, Lynda, JoDee, Sally and others. If you have names to add, just offer them in the comments. We will be pleased to pray with you.

Alleluia, Christ is Risen!
Be assured God loves you,
Fr. Lee+

St. Bede’s is a spiritual oasis in the woods of Westport.
Take a look: www.stbedesok.com

04/01/2026

The Vicar of St. Bede’s
Gratitude Note: For St. Bede’s virtual presentation of The Stations of the Cross on our website. The pictures are the Stations of the Cross at St. Bede’s. The narration comes from St. Luke’s in Bartlesville and was written for the dedication of their Stations. John Putnam, our website builder, put these together in an interesting virtual presentation. People are welcome to experience this presentation by going to our website at www.stbedesok.com, click on “worship” and then on Stations of the Cross. This would make a good spiritual discipline for Holy Week or anytime of the year.

The theme of the narrative comes from the time Jesus referred to his followers as “Friends.” St. Bede’s is blessed to have these images on the walls of the church. Originally the Stations of the Cross were in a church in Germany. The church was destroyed by bombs in World War II, but the stations were rescued – even resurrected. The complete story is unknown. They were purchased for the church, refurbished and placed on the walls. The Stations surround us as we celebrate the Holy Eucharist.

We will again experience the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday at 11:15. Everyone is welcome to join us and then share in the Good Friday service at 12:00. Of course, people are welcome to experience the Stations of the Cross on our website anytime – www.stbedesok.com

Remember, God loves you,
Fr. Lee+
St. Bede’s is a spiritual oasis in the woods of Westport.

03/31/2026

The Vicar of St. Bede’s
Gratitude Note: For Holy Monday, The Renewal of Ordination Vows and a Timely Warning. Mthr. Andrea Jones, Summit (my Buick Envision) and I were headed to the Cathedral for a special day. Our conversation started in Bartlesville and was non=stop while doing eighty on the turnpike toward OKC. That’s when things changed. A warning screen on my dashboard popped up saying the right-rear tire was losing air. It was already down to 22psi from 35 and gradually losing more. Fortunately, we were within 15 miles of Stroud and we made it with psi to go – barely. At this point AAA was more important than the bishop. Help was soon on the way to OnCue where we were parked and eating apple fritters. John was friendly and quick in getting the damaged tire off and the spare on (I had run over something on the road). After calling our spouses, we headed toward Tulsa and Wild Fork lunch – then home. I am so grateful for the technology of my car, AAA, Andrea and the conclusion of a safe adventure. In keeping with Holy Week, God was with us and tonight in my prayer time I humbly and gratefully renewed my ordination vows. And thanked God for the privilege of serving at St. Bede’s.

Remember, God loves you,
Fr. Lee+

St. Bede’s is a spiritual oasis in the woods of Westport.
www.stbedesok.com

03/30/2026

The Vicar of St. Bede’s
Gratitude Note: For a remarkable Pre-Palm Sunday Plant Sale at St. Bede’s. That probably sounds a little strange leading up to Holy Week. Saturday was the only open date for the “plant sale people” and with the help of a diocesan vitality grant, we went for it. The purpose was never to make money for the church but help people find and experience the hospitality of our church “in the woods of Westport.” The vendors were wonderful and did well. People came from everywhere and seemed to be having a good. There were numerous conversations about St. Bede’s and the Episcopal Church. To top it off, we had at least 90% of our membership involved in making this happen – and they were still enjoying themselves this morning before the service. What a wonderful day. I am so blessed to be a part of this parish family. Thanks be to God!

Now, Holy Week has begun.
Remember, God Loves you,
Fr. Lee+

St. Bede’s is a spiritual oasis in the woods of Westport.
Check us out at www.stbedesok.com

Address

6960 W. Old Keystone Road
Westport, OK
74020

Website

http://stbedesok.com/

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