The St. Paul's Epistle

January 1-15, 2003

Dear Friends and Members of St. Paul's,

Our Stewardship theme for 2003 is "Lift High the Cross," echoing the words we sing on Cross of Flowers Sunday as we lift high the cross of flowers. It is a powerful image that has our hearts soar with the Holy Spirit of the Resurrected Christ. It is a visual symbol reaffirming our belief that God through Christ conquered what is our worst fear: death. Whatever our fears... illness, job loss, loneliness, or just plain anxiety... God through Christ can and does transform all of them into new life.

As we open this new year of 2003, there continues to be fears of scarcity concerning our personal income. For some of us, those fears are based on losing our jobs, but for others it is a fear of anticipation of what might happen. What if we do go to war; what if the stock market makes another down-turn; what if my health deteriorates? Such fear narrows our world so that we begin to live only half a life. Such fear begins to be the determining factor about how we manage our money.

We at St. Paul's are experiencing a significant decline in our pledges. Several of you, I know, are facing challenging times yourself, while many of you have already increased your pledge for 2003. The Vestry and Stewardship Committee join me in thanking you for your pledge. For those who have not pledged for 2003, please do so as soon as possible. We need every parishioner's commitment and participation, especially now.

The ministry we do here at St. Paul's is so very important. We love St. Paul's because of the spiritual impact it has on our own lives as well as on the lives of people as far away as Kenya and Sudan.

Let the power of God in Christ, who lifted high the cross for us, fill our hearts and drive out our fears.

May we know and experience the many blessings God gives us this New Year.

Faithfully yours,

The Rev. Frederic Reynolds

One Journey Has Ended and Another Has Begun

Dear Fellow Servants of God:

As the service booklet for my ordination indicated, the day's offering was going to the support of the Heifer Project. St. Paul's Youth have taken on contributing enough money to purchase an "Ark" of two of every animal that Heifer International supplies for impoverished families all over the globe. The amount of $5,000 is a symbolic contribution to Heifer Project, which distributes healthy (and pregnant) animals where they are needed most. The menagerie includes farmyard staples such as cows, sheep, goats, chickens and ducks, but also water buffalo, guinea pigs, fish and bees!! Animals are used as sustaining animals, their labor (as in the case of a water buffalo), their eggs, milk or hair is used first, the animal itself is only consumed after a herd is started. Possession of an animal significantly increases the family's economic and social status in the village, thereby building self-sufficiency as well as self-esteem. The family receiving the animal has completed training geared to the healthy maintenance of the animal. When the offspring are born, the family then gives the newborn to a member of the recipient's village, thereby spreading the wealth of the original contribution.

By sending $5,000 worth of animals to impoverished families, St. Paul's Youth are significantly reducing the number of poor and hungry families all over the world. I am proud that our youth have taken on this project, and I am asking for your continued support as we work toward our goal. The youth decorated flowerpots, and made hats and scarves which will be on sale in the Parish Hall, and I encourage you to purchase these items on a regular basis! Just as significant will be your outright contributions to the Ark Project, just write a check to St. Paul's with "Heifer Project" on the memo line. Because of your generosity so far, we have raised a little over $1400 in two weeks!! This support has been an outward and visible sign of the inward spiritual grace of the people of St. Paul's, which enriches the entire world. It is my hope and desire that we can meet our goal by the end of January, so that St. Paul's Youth can announce that we have raised all the money for an Ark at the Annual Meeting. Every contribution you make to Heifer Project will help a family feed themselves, and provide them with much needed income as they struggle to escape the degradation of poverty. May God continue to bless the work of St. Paul's Youth and the parish that supports them.

Faithfully Yours,

Edward W. Hunt, Curate for Family Ministry

Thank You

To all who were able to attend my Ordination to the Priesthood. Your prayers and attendance made the day special. I couldn't have done it as well without your presence and prayers. Thank you again.

Edward Hunt, the (second) newest priest in the Diocese of Rochester

Seminars for Family Caregivers of Older Adults

Episcopal SeniorLife Communities and the Church of the Epiphany in Gates invite the public to attend a comprehensive, educational program for family caregivers of older adults beginning Monday, January 6, 2003.

The program was developed by Mercy Center with the Aging and is taught by local experts. Topics include aging, caregiving roles and responsibilities, housing and home-care options, long-term care, caregiver stress, and communications. Seminars continue weekly through February 10th. All sessions run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., with an additional half-hour on Monday, February 3, 2003 (until 9:30 p.m.) for the topics of financial planning and elder law.

Participants will also receive Mercy Center's 2003 Resource Guide for Planning the Care of Aging Loved Ones, a valuable, 200-page publication including information for Monroe, Livingston, Ontario, and Wayne counties.

Beginning with the second session, participants may also elect to attend a facilitated caregivers support group from 5:45-6:45 p.m. at the same location. A light meal is provided free-of-charge for those choosing to take advantage of this extra benefit.

Advanced registration is required; please call Episcopal SeniorLife Communities at Seabury Woods, 585-426-4950. The entire program, including six seminars, the comprehensive resource guide, and caregiver support-group sessions, costs $120 per person. Discounts are available for additional family members attending at the same time and for those with BlueCross/BlueShield insurance.

Outreach Recruitment Committee

Needs your help...

We are looking for a some volunteers to deliver information packets to local churches. The volunteer will be asked to contact the clergy of each church to arrange a short meeting during which some information will be shared about the packet and SEM/SEAFISH programs. We have a few volunteers already , but we are still looking for people who live in the following zip code areas or have connections with the churches in those areas. 14604, 14609, 14614, 14618, 14623,14625, If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please call Laurie at the SEM/SEAFISH office, 271-5350

SEM/SEAFISH WISH LIST

SEM/SEAFISH

Neighbors Helping Neighbors since 1969
25 Westminster Road
Rochester, New York 14607
Ph: (585) 271-5350 Url: www.seafish.webhop.org
Fx: (585) 271-8526
Email: sem@frontiernet.net

Altar Guild Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting of the Altar Guild will be held Sunday, January 19, 2003, at 11:45 a.m. in the Cadigan Room. All active and sustaining members are cordially invited to attend. There will be a light luncheon followed directly by the meeting, which should close at approximately 1:00 p.m. We will welcome new members and have a short informative program.

Linda White
Linda Lakeman

J2A Training Information

J2A or Journey to Adulthood is a program of spiritual formation for young people that provides a liturgical framework for their experience in our modern culture. It celebrates their individuality and their creative potential, and instructs them in skills needed for successful adult participation in church and society. The program is based on two key concepts: manhood and womanhood are gifts from God and adulthood must be earned. It includes in-depth exploration of self, sexuality, spirituality and society. J2A follows the imperatives of the Baptismal Covenant and enables young people to discover and experience the love of God.

Louise Moore, Mark Fitzstevens, Ed Hunt, and myself will be taking this training here at St. Paul's and parents and interested adults are urged to join us. We are making arrangements for a trainer to come from the J2A Institute in Atlanta sometime late in January or early February. Please watch for more information.

Carol Miller

The Rev. Michael Lolwerikoi Returns To St. Paul's

Yale has accepted The Rev. Michael Lolwerikoi into its Master of Divinity program as of September 2003. He will arrive in Rochester on Jan 24, 2003. He will spend the months before Yale serving in the Diocese of Rochester as a supply priest, teaching a course at Bexley Hall, giving programs throughout the diocese, and assisting on a volunteer basis here at St. Paul's which he now calls his American spiritual home.

Michael has recently been the Dean and Asst. Dean of Berea Theological College, Nakuru, Kenya where the college has made great strides in academic standing and capital development. However, Michael's heart has always been in the pursuit of learning. This opportunity at Yale is a dream come true for him. Whether he goes on for additional studies after the Masters is yet to be known. Michael leaves two children in boarding schools in Kenya and his wife Christine and youngest child in his home village of Maralal, Kenya.

As a parish, this time we welcome him as a good friend. Let us open our hearts to him and include him in our daily lives while he is here.

Michael will live with Bob and Nancy Frank while in Rochester. He does not drive, however, and will often need a lift to a supply job or elsewhere, Sunday mornings, weekdays or evenings. Please sign up to be an occasional driver in the "Michael Motor Pool."

Other needs: Overcoat: size 40-ish; Trench coat; A new, powerful Dell computer; Boots.. size 9 wide

Topics for Programs Michael can give:

Christian Pathways To Discuss William James

Christian Pathways will resume on January 5 to begin a reading of The Varities of Religious Experience by William James. The Varities just turned 100 years old, but it remains one of the best-known and most widely read books on religion. James was an early psychologist who was not at all bashful about using his scientific work to promote his own philosophical views. Readers usually find the Varities curious and entertaining, but there is also a dimension of depth, especially in James' discussion of such classic religious types as the twice-born, the healthy-minded and the sick soul.

All are welcome to join us for discussion of James, or whatever else comes to mind. Christian Pathways meets at 9:00 a.m. Sundays in the conference room. For more information, call Linda or David White, 482-2616. The book is readily available in bookstores and libraries, or may be purchased at Christian Pathways.

David White

Public Policy Forums Coming Soon

The Episcopal Church has a long tradition of involvement in public policy and social issues. Each year parish delegates to our diocesan convention approve resolutions that recommend actions on current issues. And every three years our diocese sends delegates to the national convention where similar resolutions are passed. The leaders of our faith community use these resolutions as guides for developing policy and speaking out on issues of the day.

In coming months, St. Paul's Public Policy Task Force, working with other parish groups, will present three opportunities for us to share with one another our input on some of the issues that have been considered at the diocesan and national church levels.

The first of these 11:30 am forums, scheduled for February 9, will deal with terrorism. Members of the Christian Pathways book discussion group will serve as facilitators.

Later forums will look at the death penalty for minors (on March 9) and the Mid-East conflict (on May 4). These sessions will be co-facilitated by other parish groups working with the Public Policy Task Force.

The hope of the Task Force is that members of the St. Paul's faith community can share feelings, questions and concerns about the major social and political issues of our day in a non-threatening, nurturing environment, so that we can all learn from one another, re-think our own ideas, and grow in faith.

Your involvement in one or all of these discussions would be helpful to the entire parish. You'll receive more information on this series in the near future. And, if you're interested in helping to plan the February 9 forum on terrorism, you can attend any meeting of Christian Pathways any Sunday at 9:00 am in the conference room.

Judy Wadsworth

The Slate Is Set For Vestry Election 2003

The election of a warden and four members of the Vestry is scheduled for Sunday, January 26. Information about the candidates for Warden and Vestry appears in this issue of the Epistle.

The candidates will be introduced during the 10:00 a.m. service on January 19 and then be available for questions that morning during the Coffee Hour. Each of these candidates deserves whole-hearted appreciation for service to the parish as well as willingness to serve on the Vestry.

Voting will take place on January 26 during the eight o'clock service and during the 10:00 a.m. service. Ballots will also be available in the Sunday office following the 8:00 a.m. service until 9:45. All adults are eligible to vote if they are 18 years or more, are pledging members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church and have attended at least a year.

To be elected, candidates must receive a majority of the votes cast. If necessary, a second ballot will be taken during the Peace at the 10:00 a.m. service. If there is a second ballot, those candidates who have the greatest numbers of votes are elected.

This is the second election in which there is a single candidate for warden. As previously announced, when "a sitting warden (who has been elected in a contested election at least once) is eligible and willing to run for re-election, as is the case in this election, it is not necessary for the nominating committee to find another candidate. (Any time a sitting warden is not running there would be at least two candidates.)" Additional candidates for Warden and Vestry may be nominated with their prior consent at the Annual Meeting.

Many thanks to the Nominating Committee for their time and efforts: Ted Curtis, Susan Dow, Peter Doyle, Joan Flint, Bob Frank, Rick Harrison, Sally McGucken, Fred Reynolds and Jim Talpey.

Candidate For Warden

BARBARA WARNER seeks her third and final term as Warden, having served for the past four years. As Warden, she participates in Parish Operations Council meetings and chairs the Parish Ministries Council. Before becoming warden, she was a member of the Vestry, acting as Clerk. She also served on the Rector Search Committee, Nominating Committees, the Budget Committee, and as liaison to the Pastoral Care Commission.

"It truly has been a joy for me," Barbara said, "to have been involved at St. Paul's in a variety of ways." Prior to her work with the Vestry, she was for 12 years the Coordinator of the Church School, supporting intergenerational events and outreach for youth. She has been part of the Day Care Task Force, the Committee for Youth Music, the Diocesan Education Committee, the Program and Education Committee, book discussion groups, Progressive Dinners, Antique Show Committees, and Sunday Morning Office Volunteers.

Both Barbara and her husband Dick, now retired from life-long careers in education, enjoy extracurricular activities including family and travel. They value being part of the worship and many of the other activities at St. Paul's with Dick currently co-chairing the Property Committee.

"It is a gift," Barbara concludes, "to serve with the many wonderful people in this community who offer so much in faith with thanksgiving."

Candidates For Vestry

CHRIS CURTIS was born and raised in Connecticut and attended a Congregational Church as a child. He moved to Rochester to attend RIT, graduating in 1984. Chris first entered St. Paul's in 1985, to serve as an usher at the wedding of two fellow RIT graduates. He remembers being struck by the beauty of our wonderful church building. Little did he know that the next St. Paul's wedding he would attend would be his own, in 1993, to Nancy Elliott, soprano soloist in St. Paul's Choir! Chris has been attending St. Paul's regularly since then, and was received into the Episcopal Church on Pentecost, 2002. Chris and Nancy have two children, Chet (6) and Faith (2), both of whom were baptized at St. Paul's.

Chris is currently serving St. Paul's as our second-grade Sunday School teacher, and as a member of the Mission I Funding Committee and the Parish Hall Renovation Committee. Chris was also one of the original organizers of the Wednesday-morning Unemployment Support Group. Everyone who knows Chris knows that he is always ready and willing to lend a hand whenever needed. The entire Curtis family enjoys all the social and spiritual opportunities available at St. Paul's, especially the St. Paul's Shalom group.

Chris has 17 years of product development experience at Kodak and Xerox and holds two patents. His experiences in the professional world have helped him develop his analytical skills as well as an objective, process-oriented approach to achieving goals and resolving issues. His current role, as a stay-at-home father, continues to help him develop his patience, understanding, negotiation skills, and sense of humor! Chris hopes that his combination of strengths and abilities could be an asset to St. Paul's Vestry, and is honored to be considered as a Vestry candidate.

ALICE ELDREDGE grew up on a small farm just outside Geneva, New York. She began her spiritual journey as a young child in the First Baptist Church. Later, as a teenager, she attended the First Methodist Church. In 1963, she and her husband and daughter moved to Rochester, where she became an active member of a Presbyterian Church near her home. It wasn't until 1970 when she moved back to Geneva that she discovered her Episcopal roots. There she began attending Trinity Episcopal Church where, she later discovered, her paternal grandmother had been a member. (And where, incidentally, Tom Hansen was serving at the time.) She says the experience was like an epiphany, a feeling of "being home."

In 1974, Alice decided to pursue a college education. She took her two young daughters and set off for SUNY Brockport. After earning her bachelor's degree and teaching certificate, she went on to receive a master's degree in Reading. Upon completion of this, she was hired as a reading teacher in the Holley Central School District, a position she has held for the last 24 years. During part of this time, Alice worked as a tutor and tutor trainer for Literacy Volunteers of Rochester. She was also affiliated for a short time with the Explorer Scouting program. She attended St. Luke's Episcopal Church where she sang in the choir, served on the Parish Council and co-chaired several holiday bazaars. When she decided it was time for a new spiritual home, she chose St. Paul's because, she said, "It was the church I felt most comfortable in."

Alice has been actively involved in St. Paul's for about seven years. She is currently the chair of the Welcoming Committee, and co-chair of the Parish Life Commission. She is an usher and a member of the Altar Guild and the Parish Ministries Council. For the past three years, she has first co-chaired, and then chaired, the Antiques Show. She has also served as a coffee hour hostess and baked for A Meal and More. She has recently agreed to try her hand at reading the prayers of the people at the 8:00 service.

Alice has a fervent belief that everything she has is a gift from God. Her participation in the life of the church is, at least in part, a demonstration of her gratitude. She views the possibility of serving on the Vestry as an honor and a privilege.

BETH GALLAGHER has played an active role in the life of the Parish since she joined St. Paul's in 1996, serving first as co-chair of staffing on the Antiques Show Committee. After working on the Antiques Show, Beth became involved in a variety of Parish activities. As chair of the Parish Life Committee from 1998-2000, Beth and her committee produced such events as the "We Gather Together" Thanksgiving luncheon, the Parish Picnic, the Shrove Tuesday Talent Show and numerous other receptions. She has continued to serve on and be involved in Parish Life since she stepped down as chair. Last year, for the 175th Anniversary of St. Paul's, Beth led the committee that produced a new Parish Pictorial Directory, which she hopes everyone (especially newcomers) finds helpful. In addition to the above roles, Beth is a member of the Altar Guild, and the Welcoming Committee. She serves as an Usher, the Publicity Chair of the Antiques Show and is a Pastoral Care visitor. In all of her leadership opportunities at St. Paul's, Beth has encouraged all parishioners, and especially newcomers, to contribute to the life of the church and to willingly share their time and talent.

Beth and her husband Rich have been members of St. Paul's since 1996. Their son Rich, and daughter Emily, were both confirmed in the church. Beth worked at The Genesee Hospital from 1992-1994 as an RN and today is an examiner for Portamedic Services most of the week and also works at a doctor's office one day a week. She has been involved as a volunteer in the past with her children's schools, the Girl Scouts, 4H, Welcome Wagon, and the Penfield Symphony Orchestra. Her proudest achievement, however, is her family. She and Rich are very proud of their daughter, Emily, now a freshman at Ithaca College, and their son, Rich, a Peace Corps volunteer in Kyrgyzstan.

INGRID A. STANLIS joined St. Paul's Church in 1997, upon moving to Rochester from Charlotte, Vermont. Since then, she has become an active member at St. Paul's, serving as an usher, lay reader, and as co-chair of the Stewardship Committee in 2001 and 2002. She was previously very active at St. Paul's Cathedral in Burlington, Vermont, serving as usher, lay reader, Treasurer and member of the Vestry there.

Ingrid's professional life consists of serving as an audit partner at KPMG, a global Big Four accounting firm. She specializes in bringing strategic and technical guidance to college, university, and health care clients, including three of the Top 100 research institutions in the United States. Ingrid is licensed as a CPA in New York, New Hampshire and Vermont. She received a Bachelor's degree in English from Middlebury College, and completed the professional accounting program at the University of Vermont.

In addition to her work at St. Paul's, Ingrid is an active volunteer in the larger Rochester community. She serves as a member of the Board of the Greater Rochester Metro Chamber of Commerce, as a member of the Strategic Planning committee of the Country Club of Rochester, and as a member of the Board and incoming chair of the Finance Committee of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. She also held numerous Board and other volunteer positions during her residence in Vermont. She is a native of Detroit, Michigan.

She and her extremely supportive husband, Paul Donnelly, live in the city, approximately two blocks from St. Paul's Church.

JIM TEDFORD has been a member of St. Paul's for a little more than four years. He and his wife, Ann, attend the 10 o'clock service. Jim serves as an usher and as co-chair of St. Paul's Stewardship Committee.

The Tedfords, natives of Memphis, Tennessee moved to Rochester about five years ago after spending four years in New Orleans where they attended Christ Church Cathedral. At Christ Church, Jim was co-leader of the youth group. Prior to their time in New Orleans, the Tedfords spent many years in East Tennessee. Jim was confirmed thirteen years ago at St. Andrew's Church in Maryville, TN. At St. Andrew's he served as an usher and as leader for the adult church school class. Jim also spent two years as chairman of stewardship and three years on the vestry (two as senior warden).

Jim was brought up in the southern Baptist church where he memorized many, many bible verses at gunpoint (almost). He then spent several years hiding from organized religion until his wife, a cradle Episcopalian, convinced him to give her church a try. Jim found the notion of a faith community that not only allowed, but encouraged it's people to think and question to be extremely refreshing.

Professionally, Tedford has worked in the animal protection field for more than eighteen years. For nearly five years he has held the post of President/CEO at the Humane Society at Lollypop Farm. He holds a degree in animal science from the University of Tennessee.

Jim and Ann have three children. Erica is a senior at Brighton High School, Thomas is a senior at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and Alexis works for a public relations firm in Brooklyn Heights. The Tedfords share their life with four dogs, 2 cats, 2 goldfish, a horse and a blue and gold macaw.

LES KERNAN has been the Clerk of the Vestry since 1999 and is completing his first term as a voting member of the Vestry. In addition to serving as Vestry Clerk, Les is a member of the Parish Operations Council and the liaison to the Communications Commission.

A native of Utica, Les has been a member of St. Paul's since 1982. All three of his children have been baptized in our church, and his oldest daughter, Emily, has been confirmed as a member of St. Paul's. Les and Pattie and their family live in Gananda.

In addition to the Vestry, Les serves as a lector and an usher, and has served on the Personnel Practices and Nominating Committees, and as a lay Eucharistic minister. Most recently, Les had the opportunity to serve on the search committee for an assistant rector. Les was a charter member of the board of directors of St. Paul's Day Care Center, serving two years as board president. As a practicing attorney, Les has been called upon to provide counsel in matters related to the church's administration and personnel matters.

When asked whether he would be willing to stand for re-election to the Vestry, Les gladly agreed. "The community that is St. Paul's has been a very important part of my life, and I am very thankful for the many friends and acquaintances that I have made during my life at the church, as well as for the spiritual reinforcement that I have always found here. It has been a privilege to serve our congregation as a member of the Vestry, and the experience of serving with our clergy and my fellow parishioners has been among the most rewarding of my life. I would welcome and be grateful for the opportunity to continue to participate in the leadership of St. Paul's as we continue on our journey of faith."